#fake chaos emeralds

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

I know dozens of people have redrawn this but does that deter me from redrawing it as well? Nah

Honestly it took me replaying the scene like 3-4 times and then reading wikis to actually understand what was happening here. Then my brain officially exploded.

(SPOILER ALERT-----

And with what happened in the most recent IDW comics I actually have hope we'll see him again :D)

[yellowvixen]

i think shadow "overloading" on chaos energy from the fake emeralds may be uh. similar to one of sonic's forms ;)

[artzee534]

(translation: How I love when they make these comparisons between the two pairs.... So similar and always with that possibility of things repeating themselves....I do see Tails doing the Maria thing to protect Sonic. Could this be why Shadow doesn't like spending time with the brothers so much? That he sees himself and the person he loved so much? Who will he see her in the most? Sonic? And that's why he can't tolerate him, or in Tails? Those eyes full of hope that remind him of many things.)

A while ago, I had an idea where Sonic turns into Dark Sonic for a bit when he thought Eggman killed Tails.

His dark form would be activated with fake emeralds that Eggman made and experimented with. By the end of the story, Tails turns Super and proves that he can protect himself and Sonic. Sonic understands Shadow more now, with what he did out of grief for Maria.

Hace un año, tuve una idea en la que Sonic se convierte en Dark Sonic durante un rato cuando pensaba que Eggman había matado a Tails.

Su forma oscura se activaría con esmeraldas falsas que Eggman hizo y con las que experimentó.

Al final de la historia, Tails se convierte en Super y demuestra que puede protegerse a sí mismo y a Sonic. Sonic entiende más a Shadow ahora, con lo que hizo por pena por María.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Okay I just need to say that I knew I'd like this Tailstube as soon as I saw the thumbnail (after all, I am a Sonadails enjoyer, and Tails is literally in the middle of them in the thumbnail)

But I think probably something that stood out the most to me when I watched it was just

The hints that Shadow and Tails have a relationship outside of Sonic??

The first thing that tipped me off to this was that not only did Tails convince Shadow to join in on his show, he also convinced him to stick around to its natural end?? You know, Shadow. The guy you can't force to do anything and frequently will just dip if he's bored or doesn't want to be there. But even while Sonic was annoying him and he made it clear he wanted the "interview" over with, he still never made a move to chaos control out of there because of any of this.

And the second thing that tipped me off was this:

When Shadow is both confused and annoyed at Sonic, he chooses to complain to Tails about Sonic. And so Tails steps in to try to "explain" what Sonic meant by what he said (i.e he told Shadow something much nicer in the interest of getting them to be on better terms). The fact that he looks to Tails to complain to about Tails' own best friend and possibly even to explain that which he does not understand in a social context tells me just how highly he regards Tails. And since both Shadow and Sonic are being childish here, it's amusing to see Tails regarded as something closer to a trusted figure with more power here.

From an objective analysis standpoint, of course this means they have their own friendship. And this is a prospect I enjoy (The idea that Tails and Shadow are good friends)! It actually means a lot to me that Tails could form a frienship or bond with Shadow outside of the context of Sonic (in terms of who initiates it and for what reason it's initiated).

But, my friends, from a biased standpoint, I'm shipping trash. And to me this Tailstube was a fun show for Sonadails fans. Honestly, Tails staging this episode to get Sonic and Shadow to talk and "bury the hatchet", as well as how he acts during the show, read a lot to me personally like a guy trying to get his two boyfriends (who happen to be rivals) to get on better terms, if not just tolerate each other. I quite like the idea of Tails dating both of these idiots and just trying to get them to play nice when they're all together (although frankly I think the ideal scenario for Tails in my biased reading is that Sonic and Shadow get together as well).

This is also not to mention the dynamics showcased here! Sonic and Tails as best friends, with Sonic assuming that he and Tails were gonna talk shit about Shadow behind his back, and Tails trying to get him to play nicer. Shadow and Tails as friends, with Tails trying to convince him why he and Sonic are in the perfect position to become friends and helping him out socially, and with Shadow choosing to do something he doesn't want to because of Tails, as well as looking to Tails to complain to when Sonic is annoying him or when he doesn't understand something. And then there's Sonic and Shadow. In short, their relationship in this episode reminded me a lot of the dynamic I plotted out for that Sonadow post I wrote up where the two just beat the crap out of each other. In slightly longer terms, I find interesting how Mr. Flynn maintained Sonic and Shadow's dynamic during SA2 (with Sonic bothering Shadow and trying to fight him, while Shadow is just annoyed that Sonic won't leave him alone) while also showing the audience that they are rivals. And in longer terms...Sonic was clearly seeking a fight during this episode. And the facial expression, the mocking, his tone of voice, it doesn’t really matter whether or not he actually dislikes Shadow and believes they could never be friends. He's trying to annoy Shadow and goad him into a fight because he wants to fight Shadow so badly it makes him look stupid. And we can tell by how he expresses his confusion to Tails that Shadow is just not getting this. To him Sonic is just being annoying and confusing. Sonic is targeting him specifically, and Shadow shoots back with his own words. And so it's also pointed that Shadow reciprocates/actually decides to fight Sonic when Sonic specifically challenges him. He doesn't respond to Sonic trying to goad him on, but when Sonic challenges him specifically he's much more interested in opposing him.

Anyways guys I love Shadow and Tails having a soft on the side relationship while Sonic flirts by convincing Shadow to fight him somehow😂💖

[taffydragonblog]

the sonic movie crew has been busy

[skyarly]

Wonder what would happen if sonic was given all of those funky magic gems in the series at once. I'm talkin chaos emeralds, time stones, chaos gems, the paradox prism, all of em. He'd be like Super Duper Sonic it'd be awesome

[wereh0gz]

The issue of all time

[gendertrickster]

sonic the hedgehog is an heir of breath let's be real

[playertwotails]

A while ago in this post that I talked about how much of a little badass Tails is I mentioned I'd eventually make a post on my thoughts about that time Tails made a fake chaos emerald. And that day is today. Spoilers for Sonic Adventure 2 and a smidge of Frontiers. Also just spoilers in general.

So first of all to start this out I wanna talk about that whole plot point then we'll get to thoughts and theories.

So in Sonic Adventure 2 as most people know the plan to take down Eggman's face themed death star, was to implant a fake chaos emerald to sabotage the death laser thing. A fake emerald that Tails made from just a regular ass similarly cut yellow emerald...somehow?? And then Eggman only knew it was a fake cause it was the last emerald he needed yet when they came aboard there were two energy readings. Yet still the only way Eggman could confirm it was a fake was by tricking Tails into confessing it. Then, this fake had enough energy for Sonic to use chaos control and still be used as originally intended.

Now this means 2 things.

That even though it's a fake it's real enough that it can be used pretty much to the extent a real chaos emerald can be.

That Tails somehow figured out how to insert chaos energy into an existing form. Then manipulate that energy to work counteractively to the rest of the emeralds.

And I wanna know...how did Tails do this and why has he never replicated it again anywhere else in the series?

Side-note: I'm not including Sonic X in this just cause it split from the mainline games after it pretty much caught up and did it's own thing with the meterax and all that and that'd just be opening a whole other can of worms with the meterax and they never show up in the games, to my knowledge, so I'm not including it.

Back to my rant here though. No one seemed really surprised that Tails had somehow done this or at least no one questioned it at the time. Especially, weirdly enough, Eggman who you'd think would be the person most interested in the "how?" of all this. Yeah he figured out that they had a fake on them but it's still strange that he never tried to grill Tails on how he made it. Since Eggman would be the person who seems like they'd be the most interested in producing a, seemingly, somewhat weaker but still functional chaos emerald. But nah, that's just a thing that happened, he's got more important things to do like holding Amy at gunpoint than to ask about how Tails made a working fake chaos emerald.

And circling back the the "seemingly somewhat weaker" because from what we see is yeah it's a fake...but it still works. Adding on to this is that Tails made it in a rush to trick Eggman and also purposely made to work against the other emeralds and overload the system.

In theory this would mean that if Tails took the time he could probably make a "fake" emerald that works just as well as the real ones or at least maybe not up to par with them but work well enough there is little noticeable difference.

So...into a few theories I have

First Theory: Tails did figure it out, even though it was a rushed job. But after the fact he realized how dangerous that could be and erased all info he had on it's creation and pretty much vowed to never make one again. Cause if he made one he could make more and that could lead Eggman getting a hold of any notes he has on it or reverse engineering one stolen from Tails. And that'd just be very bad. So pretty much Tails just burned that bridge to the ground and refuses to ever talk about it.

Second Theory: This is building a little bit off the first in that yeah Tails figured it out and Eggman did try and copy it. But because Eggman can't naturally use chaos energy like Sonic, Tails and Knuckles he could never replicate it like Tails did. Tails is able to manipulate choas energy since he has a super form, so he somehow inserted that energy into an existing normal run of the mill emerald and bam!! Fake emerald ready to go with all the bells a whistles of a real one. But since he manipulated the energy he could essentially make it polarized to the real chaos emerald energy. And he based it off the one they did have in their possession at the time. So just think magnets but with choas emeralds.

Third Theory: This is tying it a bit back to my kitsune Tails AU/Theory which is here(1), here(2), and here(3) but also not really directly back to it. Just in the same thought vein of that Tails is something.....'other'. As in Tails, for all intent and purposes, is just a little fox kid... at least...for the most part. But he's also a super genius that can build machines or pretty much anything and that his inventions are on par if not better than people 5x or more his current age of 8 (or at least as far as most canon is concerned) and younger. So he's still not just a normal little kid especially since he can somehow use the chaos emeralds to go super. And I've seen that theory about Sonic just essentially being created by the emeralds themselves...what if that's true for Tails too or at least an extent of that. Cause there's also no record of him having parents and he seemingly just appeared one day too.

What if what ever Tails is, is the reason he could make a fake chaos emerald. As we don't know the origins truly of where the chaos emeralds came from and who made them. And yeah Frontiers told us all about the Ancients and how they got to the planet and how much they understood controlling chaos emeralds and their energy. But even they didn't know about the master emerald nor why the emeralds were leading them there in the first place. Meaning that yeah the Ancients utilized the emeralds to a higher degree than anyone else but they still were not the ones that created them. So what if Tails is part what-ever made the chaos emeralds or a being similar to the emeralds creators. And Tails either gets it from a ancient, ancient ancestor of his or that the emeralds basically copy and pasted him into existence. Cause the emeralds knew some shit was about to go down this generation and needed to make a creature that could repair them or create new ones if something happened (I have way more thoughts on this I'll make a separate post about eventually once I organize my own thoughts on it more and just if people would like to hear more about it)

Little Side Extra Theory: Tails can't copy everything from the chaos emeralds due to them seemingly have some form of sentience or at least guidance (think along the lines them guiding Sonic to West Side or the Ancients to the master emerald) and Tails can replicate everything power wise but not that, which it what really gives them their true power. (Or maybe he just hasn't figured that part out yet)

[cynicallyscorned]

the reason cynic will never get a light super form... while it has a lot to do with the fact that he’s just that torn up inside and it’s not something so easily remedied, it’s also because i think that him learning to come to terms with who he is and finding PEACE with it is a lot more meaningful than rewarding him with a normal super state. his super form is part of his identity! it may be scary and destructive, it may be sad... but that’s still a part of him. and it’s still a part of sonic. him learning to sit with those awful feelings he experiences when he’s in this state... and learning to go ‘it’s okay. it’s okay that i’m like this. and this time, i won’t hurt anyone because of it.’ is so!!! bark bark bark bark.

he can learn to control it.... he can learn to be okay with it! he can learn to be okay with himself. 

but, it will take a lot of work.

[infizero]

still crazy as fuck that sonic was able to use chaos control with a fake chaos emerald. like 1) how the fuck did he even do that and 2) HE HADNT EVEN USED CHAOS CONTROL BEFORE HE'D ONLY SEEN SHADOW DO IT

[carolinanadeau]

now I own my holy quadrinity of autographs... now my true power will be unlocked

[chaosspear]

happy disability pride!

you ever think about how shadow the hedgehog is actually so disabled actually. or maybe its the shadow that exists in my head. but listen. like i'll be first to say its like obviously a very fantastical disability but like think about it. "I was created overflowing with chaos energy but because its something i live off of (a condition rare and unique to myself) and a result of my body functioning differently my condition can leave me quickly exhausting myself and even hurting myself when unchecked. to handle and control this i have to wear these inhibitors at almost all times for my own health" okay so basically thats your disability and those are your aids.

ABLEDS THIS POST IS SURROUNDED BY AN ELECTRIC FENCE

[sonadowwiki]

The Intimate Relationship Between Sonic and Shadow

In the ending scene for Sonic Adventure 2 in Japanese, Sonic sadly says on his own as he looks out to Earth from the ARK: "疲れた... きゅうきょくせいめいたいか?" Which translates to: "Worn-out... Ultimate Lifeform?"

疲れた = Worn-out

きゅうきょく = Ultimate

せいめいたい = Lifeform

Though there are no subtitles for this scene, if you listen closely, you can hear Sonic say: "tsukareta," which means worn-out like you're exhausted. Sonic asks this sadly to himself as he looks down before he is interrupted. After brushing his sorrow aside so that it's not seen by others, before Sonic leaves the ARK, he says: "Adiós, Shadow the Hedgehog..." which means good-bye in Spanish.

This scene doesn't get translated correctly in English and the true meaning of this scene was lost in translation.

If we think back to previous scenes in the game, when Sonic was shot out of the ARK in a capsule, he was able to use a fake Chaos Emerald to Chaos Control into the ARK before it exploded. How Sonic got back into the ARK after defeating the BioLizard could have been the same or he flew back with what little energy he had left. Before Sonic told Shadow about how he used a fake Emerald to Chaos Control out of the capsule, Shadow watched as the capsule exploded and said to himself that it ended up that Sonic was an ordinary hedgehog after all due to thinking he died in the explosion. After seeing Sonic again and he was told how he escaped the explosion, it surprised and intrigued Shadow.

This scene can be seen as a parallel to not only when Shadow was also shot out of a capsule by Maria, but also the ending credits when Sonic looked out of the ARK while he waited to see if Shadow would also do the same as him and Chaos Control into the ARK after the battle. Once he saw that he wasn't going to appear, Sonic became extremely saddened and realized that Shadow was too tired to Chaos Control back and make a surprise appearance. But even if Sonic knew that Shadow might have not made it beforehand when giving his limiter to Rouge, he still hung onto a small sliver of hope that he would make a surprising comeback like he did.

With this knowledge, the ending lines saying for heroes to rest easy makes more sense since Sonic states that Shadow was too tired/worn-out. An image of Shadow even appears after the phrase to show that the words were for Shadow.

Another scene to take into account is the time they both turned Super. When they turned Super, it can be assumed that the Chaos Emeralds connected the two in a way that can only be seen with one's heart. This can be assumed because it was only after they turned Super together that the two became extremely concerned for one another (in the battle with the Final Hazard), fought as one, were in sync, looked out for each other, saw each other in high regard, and believed/trusted in one another with all their heart. Perhaps at that moment they turned Super, their hearts were connected and they both saw each other as equals and for who they are inside. It's possible that their hearts were so connected that when Shadow heard Maria's voice while they were Super, Sonic could have heard her too through Shadow. This can be assumed due to the slight turn of Sonic's head as if he's listening and how he waited until she was done talking to tell Shadow that now was the moment to use Chaos Control together.

At that moment when Shadow decided to help, perhaps the Chaos Emeralds helped Sonic understand who and what type of person Shadow was because even if he was manipulated to destroy the world at first, Shadow was willing to sacrifice himself to save the very people he thought deserved to suffer. And with that, Sonic gained a newfound respect and care for Shadow since he saw what a pure and good person he was deep down. This was the case so much so that the Emeralds responded in kind with their miracles and accepted in making Shadow Super as well.

Another thing to take into account is how after this game, it makes more sense as to why Sonic constantly looks for Shadow or tries to get his attention. Because Sonic saw Shadow seemingly die once despite seeing how capable and strong he is by being an equal to him in Sonic Adventure 2, he looks out for Shadow to make sure that it doesn't happen again like it was mentioned in the Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story.

"Only the [moon] overlooking the bustling city seemed to be watching over that shadow forever and ever."

This can also explain why the two constantly rival each other at times since Sonic could be checking on Shadow's well-being, just like Shadow watches over Sonic's (Sonic Colors DS, Sonic Forces, Team Sonic Racing, Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story).

[Sonic Colors DS - Asteroid Coaster Mission 1]

[Sonic Colors DS - Asteroid Coaster Completing Mission 1]

[Sonic Colors DS - Shadow worried for Sonic's well-being after completing the mission]

[Sonic Colors DS - Asteroid Coaster Mission 2]

[Sonic Forces - Shadow Protects Sonic at Sunset Heights]

[Sonic Forces Episode Shadow - Shadow concerned for Sonic's safety]

[Team Sonic Racing - Shadow saw that Sonic was capable after racing him, so he says that he can join him in defeating Eggman]

[Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story - Shadow tests Sonic but also tries to get him away from joining him in his mission]

[Sonic doesn't listen or adhere to Shadow's wishes and goes to find what Shadow could be doing in order to help him]

[Both work together in sync to neutralize the bomb threat]

It has been stated and shown that Sonic and Shadow are the ones who understand each other the most. Though the both of them understand each other the most since their fight together as Supers in Sonic Adventure 2 and understand that they're capable, they both still look out for each other because of that understanding and care for one another. Perhaps it is due to the event of when they turned Super together, that they share an intimate relationship with each other as stated in the Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story. And from that event, also gained understanding, respect and care that formed from the events; from the Chaos Emeralds' miracle. At that moment, the Chaos Emeralds responded to Sonic and Shadow's wishes, which proves that both their thoughts, hopes and wishes were the same. Therefore, it is then that Sonic and Shadow knew for sure, that the other was like himself and that they both shared the same vision and beliefs. The Emeralds created a miracle and it is through that miracle their relationship was formed; their relationship is a miracle.

[Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story - Bottom Description]

[Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story]

[Explanation of the phrase "懐に入って来られる稀有（けう）な関係" used in the Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story Description that states their relationship is intimate]

After Shadow defeated the BioLizard with Sonic, in Japanese, Shadow asks if "this is enough" before falling to Earth and giving up/deciding to rest. Because Shadow ended up giving up and did not return to the ARK, along with Sonic being able to use a fake Chaos Emerald to do Chaos Control, perhaps that's why Shadow always thinks that he is below in capability to Sonic who never gives up and is capable of doing more than him, despite also knowing that they are equal in strength and speed.

Perhaps what Shadow finds himself inferior with is from thinking that he is not as good of a person as Sonic since he has made mistakes or didn't have the same drive as him. Therefore, perhaps that is why Shadow always tries to test to see if Sonic is up to par or is strong enough to take care of himself so that he stays safe and continues being alive as that good person. This also explains why Shadow was so concerned for Sonic in Sonic Forces when Infinite was going to go hurt Sonic. If Shadow couldn't take Infinite on despite being Sonic's equal and knowing that, that's why Shadow got concerned for Sonic's safety. It can be assumed that perhaps one of Shadow's missions in life is keeping Sonic safe or alive since he is a good person and someone he cares about deep down.

[Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story]

[Sonic Colors DS - Shadow implies that he leaves it to Sonic since he believes that Sonic can do better, even if they are of equal strength and speed]

But despite always checking up on one another, they don't only test each other's strengths when meeting each other. Sometimes, they seem to also play, like in Team Sonic Racing. This can be implied since Shadow said to Sonic that he didn't have time to play with him/entertain him/have the spare time/to be concerned for his well-being at the time due to having an important mission to uphold with Emerl. But perhaps even when they play, they still test each other's strengths in a certain manner, like with their driving skills in Team Sonic Racing.

[Sonic Battle - English]

[Team Sonic Racing - Sonic went to talk to Shadow and when asked about him, he laughs a little as he implies that he got Shadow to play with him through racing (which was on his top priority to think of since he mentioned that before what he learned about Eggman)]

[Team Sonic Racing]

There are times that Shadow tries to steer Sonic into the right direction of defeating the main threat, but he still in a way, gives Sonic a choice and Sonic readily accepts like in Sonic Colors DS when he tells Sonic to go fight Eggman and in Team Sonic Racing when he reminds Sonic about the main objective in defeating Eggman. Sonic also does this for Shadow, such as in Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 where Sonic tries to steer Shadow onto the path of good when he lost his memories. Even at the end, Sonic was willing to protect Shadow and the world by asking for the Chaos Emeralds from Shadow, though Shadow ended up being able to defeat Black Doom on his own despite not remembering everything.

[Sonic Colors DS - Shadow reminds Sonic to take care of Eggman]

[Team Sonic Racing - Shadow reminds Sonic about the threat of Eggman, even if he wants to play]

The both of them make up a whole like two sides of the same coin. Sonic and Shadow know this, but it is Shadow who is not ready to close that gap between them since he still sees himself as inferior to Sonic. But even so, Sonic continues to watch over Shadow, talk to him and wait for him until Shadow also accepts that he is the same as himself, that they're equal and that they can be on the same level/stage together as one. This is also why Sonic hints to Shadow that he is already his equal and is also a good person too in the Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story. So when Shadow still tries to shy away or run away from being unable to accept that, Sonic gets disappointed, but he still continues to wait for him, watch over him and help him come to accept that he doesn't have to think of himself as an inferior to himself.

[molinaskies]

What We Get Wrong About Dark Sonic

I find Dark Sonic incredibly interesting.

I’ve said this before, but Dark Sonic represents an overflow of Sonic’s negative emotions, the ones he usually suppresses: anger, sadness, and fear.

However, many people believe that Dark Sonic is somehow a betrayal of Sonic as a character (even Ian Flynn, reportedly, but I’ve yet to see an official source). Sonic is meant to be a beacon of optimism. Sonic is meant to be the pillar of hope when all else fails. Sonic is meant to be the last one standing, no matter what.

In this sense, sure, Dark Sonic contradicts the notion that Sonic is “uncorruptable,” but I think that depends on how we define corruption.

I see it two ways:

1) Corruption by way of losing faith, through dishonesty and fraud. 2) Corruption by way of a forceful shift from one state of being to another.

In the first sense, corruption occurs when someone’s paradigm is shifted through lies, cheating, or manipulation. It’s a conscious mental shift. In the second sense, corruption occurs when something (or someone) is co-opted and changed without its will or influence, like data corruption, or a shift in the meaning of a word or image. It’s a literal, physical and/or metaphysical shift.

There’s a saying that floats around the fandom that says, “Shadow is just ‘Sonic, if Sonic had one really bad day’,” and I think that makes sense. Shadow is jaded and cynical because of how the world has hurt him, but he still wants to do right by people—just like Sonic. What separates Sonic from Shadow, however, is Sonic’s tenant optimism and positive paradigm. Without those differences, Sonic has endless reasons to be as cynical as Shadow, or even more so.

So, Sonic doesn’t let himself feel those feelings for very long, and especially not when other people are around. He pours everything into a clean, neat bottle, with a tight screw-on cap, right?

What happens when something tampers with that bottle?

Dark Sonic is a forceful corruption of body but not of mind. Let’s talk about it.

How Dark Sonic Works

What I think people misunderstand most about Dark Sonic is that it’s not an intentional state of being. It never was.

Dark Sonic is the polar opposite to Super Sonic, which is achieved when Sonic harnesses the positive energy of the Chaos Emeralds. If Sonic wanted to harness the power of the emeralds for the wrong reasons and his heart accessed the negative energy rather than the positive, he could possibly bring about Dark Sonic willingly. This, however, would likely never happen because that is the betrayal of Sonic’s character that everyone worries about.

That said, the only reason Dark Sonic ever appears is because of a mix of Sonic’s pure rage over Black Narcissist physically assaulting Chris and Cosmo and the presence of hundreds of the Metarex’s fake Chaos Emeralds, which possess an aura clearly shown to impact Sonic and make him ill.

Sonic’s first interaction with negative Chaos energy from the fake emeralds is filled with discomfort and even disgust. Sonic reacting to the negative Chaos energy poorly is critical, as it showcases that it’s seeking him out, not vice versa.

When Sonic was as triggered as he was, the negative energy from the fakes harnessed his emotions and corrupted him. It was a complete, freak accident.

This situation is very similar to Darkspine Sonic, the in-game equivalent to Dark Sonic from Sonic and the Secret Rings. Darkspine Sonic only surfaces when Sonic is severely triggered after Shahra starts to betray him, Erazor Djinn murders her (she sacrifices herself for Sonic), and he sees Erazor Djinn’s final form about to destroy the storybook world. In his shock and anger, the Secret Rings of Sadness, Rage, and Hate target him, painfully turning him into Darkspine Sonic. Once again, external energies corrupt him at the height of his emotional vulnerability.

Sonic never seeks out the negative energy of the Chaos Emeralds because his heart is good. When the negative energy seeks him out in such overwhelming waves, it corrupts his abilities, alters them, and pulls them out to play.

But—

If it’s simply a matter of fake Chaos Emeralds, then why can Sonic use Tails’ fake Chaos Emerald in Sonic Adventure 2 without any problems? I posit this to the fact that Tails might have a better understanding of the balanced nature of the Chaos Emeralds (in that they are powered by both good and evil), while Eggman and Dark Oak have only ever used (or desired to use) the Chaos Emeralds for evil.

Recall Eggman’s laser at the beginning of Sonic Unleashed and Perfect Chaos in Sonic Adventure. Both uses of the chaos emeralds drained them of their power—their negative power, that is. (Albeit through different means based on the lore of each game), Sonic is still able to restore and harness the emeralds’ power because he relies on the positive energy of the emeralds. As intelligent as he is, I imagine that Eggman (as well as the Metarex) has a hard time replicating the intricate nature and balance of the Chaos Emeralds because their hearts are filled with hatred and turmoil, so unwilling to heed the perspectives of others. The power is there, sure, but not the heart.

~Chaos is power. Power is enriched by the heart~

Tikal's Prayer

I think the difference between Tails’ fake emerald and every other fake emerald we’ve seen in canon is marked by the fact that both Eggman’s and the Metarex’s fakes disintegrate after excessive use (i.e., Chaos Control), but Tails’ fake remains intact.

The Metarex's emerald disintegrates upon excessive use

Eggman's fake emeralds can't hold their form upon excessive use

Tails' fake emerald is intact and ultimately used to stop the Eclipse Canon from firing

In short, Tails’ emerald is simply a better fake, more accurate to the originals.

also, I refuse to talk about how dumb it is that Sonic was able to use a fake Chaos Emerald to do Chaos Control for the first time. However, it is canon, and therefore relevant to my point.

Another key problem cited in Sonic X is just how many fake emeralds there are. One emerald pales in comparison to hundreds. Sonic feels all the latent negative energy consume him because that energy is a corruption, itself.

It’s not that Sonic gets so angry that he just gives in to darkness, it’s that darkness captures him when he’s in extreme emotional distress and his guard is down. Dark Sonic is the result of negative, unstable, potent Chaos energy clinging to him, using his latent Chaos powers as a vessel when he least expects it and, thus, is powerless against it.

I think I can best prove this by contrasting Dark Sonic with Sonic’s other intimate encounter with darkness…

Sonic Unleashed, Dark Gaia, and the Werehog

I’ve spoken at length about this game and this specific scene, already, so kindly forgive my hyper-brief summary this time around!

When Dark Gaia’s “weight issues” cause its essence to disperse around the globe, many people fall influence to Dark Gaia’s despair, losing faith and hope in the world. Nothing like the influences of Chaos energy, but enough of an influence that much of the world feels it. A core aspect of the game’s plot is that Sonic, distinctly, does not. In the cutscene No Reason, Sonic asks Chip why he stays the same despite the darkness inside his heart while so many others change at night. Chip answers simply, saying that Sonic’s too strong to lose himself and that part of his good will is because he never doubts himself, even when he’s on his own.

The difference is that while Sonic undergoes a physical transformation, he never loses faith or gives up hope—made especially clear by the fact that Professor Pickle, once as hopeful as Sonic, eventually does lose hope.

Also key to note that Amy also never loses hope.

Unleashed is just another fun, high-stakes adventure for Sonic; there’s never a moment where he’s aggressively triggered by something or when his personal morals are ever tainted. Irritated, maybe. Flustered, even. Never at a loss. The closest we see Sonic come to this is when he loses the werehog form to Dark Gaia before the final battle. He falls to his knees, worn and exhausted, and tells Chip to run because he doesn’t want him to get caught up in the mess. Yet even then he’s not giving up.

That’s why Sonic’s heightened emotional state is so important to the conversation. When Sonic’s will is intact, he’s much stronger, but when he’s triggered by something and his defences are down, it’s much easier for corrupting forces around him to take hold.

Mind over Matter

Even with the parameters for Dark Sonic’s appearance established, something that stands out to me about Sonic’s encounters with dark energies, and something I see as additional evidence that Dark Sonic is only a literal, physical corruption and not a corruption of his paradigm, is that Sonic is still in control of himself—to an extent.

Even as he seethes in his amplified rage, Dark Sonic never inflicts harm on the innocent. After Gold and Silver are destroyed, it’s not expressly clear if Sonic intends to stop or fight Black Narcissist, but Eggman implies that Sonic was fighting Gold and Silver until there was quite literally nothing left. Sonic was given a target to attack, and he kept his focus there, even when other enemies presented themselves.

This also goes for the Werehog and Darkspine Sonic.

He also has the mind to listen to reason—from Eggman, of all people—and stop when it’s clear that he’s finished what he set out to do. Sonic channels his anger to where it needs to be, and it’s clear that Sonic’s moral code and paradigm on life are thoroughly intact.

The only thing that changes is that he’s no longer imposing his usual limits. Sonic is stupidly powerful, even without any power ups. If he ever wanted to kill Eggman, he would have by now. If he ever wanted to kill anyone, he would have by now (and technically, he has).

Sonic throws Erazor Djinn's lamp into a pit, never to resurface, effectively trapping him and ending his livelihood indefinitely.

However, Sonic holds back because he doesn’t want to be an arbiter of justice—he doesn’t want to deprive someone’s chance to be good unless it’s been clear that they cannot be redeemed.

Why I Care About This

It is no secret that I believe that Sonic is a highly emotional character—far more emotional than many give him credit for. It bears repeating that Sonic’s emotions are very big and can be cataclysmic when left unchecked…

…but that’s just part of growing up—growing up as a hero and, damn it, even just a kid.

Dark Sonic isn’t a case of Sonic giving himself to darkness, nor is it a perversion of Sonic’s character. It’s an energetic, chaotically-charged version of Sonic when he is at his angriest—and even then it’s not enough to change his morals or make him lash out unjustly.

Dark Sonic is cathartic, in a way, and I definitely think it deserves its place in canon.

[aphantimes]

Examples of Knuckles sensing all forms of Chaos Energy (and other things?) so I can aggressively point here whenever people forget about it

I see this part of Knuckles' abilities forgotten way too often and it drives me insane so here

1: HE CAN SENSE THE MASTER EMERALD.

Very blatant. His entire gameplay in SA1 and SA2 revolves around this ability. He innately has the ability to sense the Master Emerald and its shards. Rouge meanwhile is given an Emerald Detector in SA2 to explain her gameplay.

2: HE CAN SENSE CHAOS CONTROLS.

He senses "some strange energy" right before Sonic Chaos Controls right in front of him. Essentially predicting a Chaos Control. IDK how else you could read this lmao he literally sensed a Chaos Control. (I swear I never see anyone talk about this ever grrr)

3: HE CAN SENSE SOL EMERALDS AND CHAOS EMERALDS.

This interaction in Sonic Rush confirms that he can sense both Sol Emeralds and Chaos Emeralds. For him to be able to mistake Sol Emeralds for Chaos Emeralds without seeing them, he has to be using some sixth sense, and has to be familiar with sensing Chaos Emeralds as well.

4: HE CAN SENSE FAKE/ARTIFICIAL EMERALDS.

(This is from a Sonic Station Live segment, unofficial translation found here.)

Knuckles goes looking for a mysterious Emerald presence, and finds Tails' fake Emerald. Pretty straightforward. Also, evidence of the Master Emerald itself being sentient and able to direct Knuckles to investigate anomalies. (I wish more people made use of that, too.)

5: HE... HAS A LITERAL TREASURE SENSE, APPARENTLY?

(This is from a story on the Sonic Channel website. Original found here, unofficial translation from Windii Gitlord's blog found here.)

This is... a strange one. A bit of an outlier. I assumed that instances of Knuckles sensing treasures were purely gameplay mechanics, but here he appears to literally sense a pair of combat gloves, which is completely unrelated to Chaos Energy. So I guess he can do that too? But maybe it's only because he was led there by the ghosts of his ancestors? Who knows.

Oh yeah. BTW, Knuckles gets sent dreams by his ancestors' ghosts. That is canon. Someone pls use that in some way lol

So anyway. There. A bunch of examples of Knuckles sensing all forms of Chaos Energy, not just the Master Emerald. Throw this at someone if they question the extent of this ability and want evidence lol