(Readers POV)

Me, Tails, and Amy all got ready to head out of the space colony and find Sonia and Knuckles. We all heard the door to the room we are in open. I looked over and saw Sonia and Knuckles running in.

(Y/N): Perfect timing!

I already knew Sonia was alive, but seeing her again in the same room is a relief. Before anyone could say anything else, everything started to shake.

Knuckles: What's that... That vibration?

Sonia: Hey wait, someone is coming!

The door opened and revealed a white haired girl with bat ears and bat wings.

Knuckles: You! You haven't given up yet?

So this must be the bat girl Knuckles has been so angry with.

Rouge: Oh, it's all over for us!

Everyone was taken aback by the sudden claim of our doom.

Knuckles: What do you mean?

Rouge: I've just received a message from my boss. This space colony ARK is currently approaching the earth at an incredible velocity. It probably... Will impact earth.

Really?! I thought the dangerous stuff was over! I looked around and saw a machine with a screen on the top of it. The screen turned on, showing static, but it faded away. Now it's showing an old bald man with a large grey mustache tied up in chains on a chair. He reminds me of Eggman.

Knuckles: What's that on the screen?

Gerald: This is a death sentence for every human being on earth. If my calculations are correct, the space colony ARK will impact the earth in 27 minutes and 53 seconds. All of you will be destroyed, along with your beloved planet earth.

I looked out of the windows and saw some flames surround the space colony. We really are falling down! I turned my attention back at the screen and everyone else watched too.

Gerald: I plan on I give you a taste of my revenge once all the 7 Chaos Emeralds are collected. Once I initiate this program, it can not be disabled.

Once all the Chaos Emeralds are collected? But Tails has one of them... Unless... Eggman took it after the fight when he snuck off!

Gerald: All of you ungrateful humans who took everything away from me will feel my loss and despair!

Guard: Is there anything else you want to say?

Gerald: No.

Guard: Ready!

The footage cut off with the sound of what sounded like a gunshot. Was that... The man's execution?

Amy: What's going on here? Who is that?

The shaking started to get stronger and stronger, almost knocking some people down on their feet.

Knuckles: Hey, the vibration is getting worse!

The door to the room opened up and Eggman walked inside.

Eggman: Professor Gerald Robotnik, one of the greatest scientific minds in the world, and my grandfather.

(Y/N): Of course! Only your family could think of something this crazy!

Knuckles: I knew you were behind all this. Stop it right now, or else!

Eggman: I'd have done this a long time ago if I had the chance!

Sonia: What do you mean?

Sonia took a step forward.

Eggman: You're pretty persistent for a hedgehog, aren't you! You're still alive, huh?

Sonia let out a chuckle.

Sonia: Just letting Knuckles pilot the shuttle on the way over here was more dangerous than you could ever be!

Man, Sonia is still on that? I don't blame her though. But I'm definitely not getting on a space ship with anyone here ever again. Eggman started to walk over to the bat girl, holding some kind of disc.

Rouge: What is this?

Eggman: This is my grandfather's diary.

She was handed the disc and walked over to the machine with the screen. She inserted the disc as text started to fill the screen. The bat girl looked up at it and started to read it.

Rouge: I don't quite know what happened or what went wrong. Was it a mistake to create the ultimate life form? I thought it would be something that would benefit mankind. But then the military guards landed on the colony that day. They were sent to destroy the research project that I had been working on. My colleagues at the research facility, my granddaughter, Maria. I hope you all are safe. The colony was completely shut down, probably to keep from falling into the wrong hands. The ARK was shut down under the premise that there had been an accident. I found Maria's name among those who died when the ARK was shut down. She meant everything to me and I couldn't bear the thought that she died because of my research. I lost everything. I had nothing more to live for... I went insane. All I could think about was to avenge her... Somehow, someway. I got scared as I no longer was able to control my thoughts. All I could think about was that I wanted it all to end. Based on my original projections, I was able to complete my project, Shadow. I designed its mind to be perfect, pure. I will leave everything to her. If you wish, release and awaken it, to the world. If you wish to fill the world with destruction...

The text stopped there. The bat girl turned back to look at Eggman.

Rouge: Oh, so that's why you released Shadow from the base!

Wow, to think Shadow was actually created here of all places.

Eggman: The core of the Eclipse Cannon is now highly reactive and explosive. This is because the energy of the Chaos Emeralds is overpowered. If the colony collided with earth, it will shatter into pieces like my grandfather predicted. That mad scientist!

Tails: We have to stop the space colony now!

Eggman: The space colony ARK position may have shifted due to the amount of energy given off by the emeralds. We have to stop the energy!

Tails: But how?

I started to think that. If we can find out how to stop the energy, then we should be fine. Oh man, I'm starting to feel the pressure of all this!

Rouge: Hmmm... That's it! There is a way to stop the energy. We have to use your emerald!

She turned to look over at Knuckles.

Rouge: You're the one that told me that the Master Emerald has the power to stop the Chaos Emeralds!

Knuckles reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small green emerald that grew in size quickly after.

Knuckles: That's right. If I use this, we just might be able to stop the Chaos Emeralds!

Tails went over to the screen and pulled up a map of the space colony.

Tails: The reaction of the Chaos Emeralds is moving toward the Cannon's Core! It may be too late!

Eggman: There still may be some time left, if we pull together. We might be able to get to the shortcut that leads to the core.

Sonia: No worries! Just leave it to me! I'm the world's fastest hedgehog!

Eggman: Then let's get to work!

I saw Eggman, Tails, Knuckles, the bat girl, and Sonia start to leave the room, leaving me and Amy behind.

(Y/N): Good luck everyone!

I shouted. I looked out of the window and saw that the colony is getting closer and closer to earth. I sat down on the floor and took some deep breaths. I looked over at Amy.

(Y/N): How can you be so calm during this?

Amy: Well... It's not like this is the first time I had to deal with world ending problems before.

(Y/N): Oh no...

Amy: But you shouldn't be worried! You saw how Sonia dealt with Chaos, right?

(Y/N): Yeah... You're right.

I stood up and turned to look at Amy.

(Y/N): Let's not stand around and do nothing. We need to do our part in this too.

Amy: There's that spirit!

Amy grabbed my hand and started to drag me behind her as we left the room.

Amy: Everyone else is going to get an ear full for leaving us behind like that!

Me and Amy started to walk around the space colony, just trying to figure out where to go. A door automatically opened, causing me and Amy to look into the room. We saw Shadow standing by herself, staring out of a window.

Amy: Look, it's Shadow.

I got Amy to let go of my hand as I walked into the room, walking up towards Shadow.

(Y/N): Shadow. What are you standing around here for? Aren't you going to help stop this mess?

Shadow: ...It's all going according to plan. There is no reason for me to help them. Besides, there's no way to save anyone.

She said without even looking back at me. How can someone just say that with any kind of emotion? Amy walked in and stood by me.

Amy: But you should help them! Not just us, but everyone on earth! I know people fight over trivial things and be selfish, like what the professor said, but they all still deserve their chance to be happy!

(Y/N): Yeah, I agree with that. Saving people, anyone you can, is a good thing to do. Just because people have done some horrible things in the past, doesn't mean the people today should suffer for those mistakes.

Amy: Shadow, I bet you, please do it for them. Give them a chance.

Shadow gained a certain look in her eyes, like she was thinking about something really important to her. She put her hand on the window and let out a single tear from her eye.

Amy: Shadow?

Shadow balled her hand up into a fist.

Shadow: I've got to go now! I have to keep my promise to Maria and you.

Shadow said looking at us before running off to help Sonia and the others.

(Y/N): A promise to Maria?

That's Gerald's granddaughter. I'm guessing Maria was Shadow's friend and probably only one. I started to feel bad for Shadow. She must have been grieving for the lost of her friend all this time.

(Sonia's POV)

Me and Knuckles ran into the room that holds the core of the cannon. We saw the core above what looks like a shrine with 7 pillars around it. A Chaos Emerald is on each of the pillars.

Knuckles: What's that? It looks just like the shrine of the Master Emerald.

Sonia: They probably designed the core like the shrine to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds.

Me and Knuckles started to run towards it, getting ready to stop this thing. Before we could reach it, a bunch of light started to appear in front of the shrine. A loud screech started to come from the light and a giant lizard like being formed and landed on the ground, standing in our way.

Knuckles: Could this be the prototype of the ultimate life form that was supposed be o be encapsulated?

Sonia: Whatever it is, it looks like we aren't getting past it without a fight!

Before me or Knuckles could approach the creature, I heard a voice behind me.

Shadow: Leave this one to me.

I saw Shadow walk ahead of me and towards the giant lizard.

Sonia: Shadow, what are you doing?

She stared at the lizard as it stared back at her too. Shadow looked back at me and Knuckles.

Shadow: I'll take care of this, while you run to get the Chaos Emeralds!

Me and Knuckles nodded at Shadow as we tried to run around the lizard to get to the shrine. It opened its mouth and started to shoot out large balls of dark colored energy at me and Knuckles. Shadow ran over and kicked the lizard in the face, getting its attention. Shadow started to shoot out spears of energy at the lizard, making it shriek in pain. It started to shoot out more balls of energy all through out the room, making me and Knuckles dodge some.

Sonia: Hey! Make sure it doesn't destroy this place!

Me and Knuckles got to the bottom of the shrine and started to run up the stairs to get to the top. I looked back and saw Shadow curl up into a ball and dashed into the lizard's back, making a orange orb on its back start to blow up. The lizard shrieked in pain again and seemed to have passed out.

Sonia: Let's hurry up and do this!

Knuckles nodded at me and pulled out the Master Emerald and put it in the middle of the shrine.

Knuckles: The servers are the 7 chaos. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the chaos. Only you can do this! Stop the Chaos Emeralds!

The Master Emerald started to shine and spin in place. I saw energy from the pillars start to go towards the Master Emerald. Suddenly, a loud screeching was heard behind us. Me and Knuckles looked back to see that the lizard got up before teleporting away in a bright light.

Knuckles: Is it gone?

Shadow jumped up to the shrine with us and looked back where the lizard once was.

Shadow: Did it actually use Chaos Control?

I felt the space colony start to shake again, causing me, Knuckles, and Shadow to start stumbling and making it hard to keep balance.

Knuckles: Since we've stopped the Chaos Emeralds... Why is the space colony still on a crash course to earth?

We heard an intercom system turn on and can hear Eggman's voice from it.

Eggman: The prototype is still alive, and he's controlling the space colony as its falling to earth! He's become one with the space colony, and is determined to keep it on its collision course!

Crap, that isn't good. So stopped the Chaos Emeralds did nothing... Wait, the Chaos Emeralds!

Sonia: That's it!

Knuckles: Sonia?

I turned to look at Shadow. She looked at me for a moment.

Sonia: You can use the Chaos Emeralds well, yeah?

Shadow: Of course I can. Why do you ask?

Sonia: Since all 7 are here, I figured we can use them to stop this mess.

Shadow nodded her head at me.

Shadow: Let's do it.

(Chapter 18 end)