#mirror post: ao3

[generic-sonic-fan]

That Twisted Mirror - Chapter 1: Shadow

Summary: Team Dark is transported to a reality where they must face the worst versions of themselves. To get home, they must work with the most unlikely allies- if Omega can stand not killing them on sight, if Shadow can get over his guilt enough to act, and if Rouge can bring herself to care about the fate of this timeline, that is.

4205 words

Green poured into the cracks of his eyelids, shining so bright he could do nothing but cower before it. 

When Shadow forced his eyes open anyway he found nothing. In nothing he stayed, for a few seconds, before he could feel long stalks of grass press against his fur. A summer day's breeze drifted past his nose, and only then did the rest of reality fade into his vision.

He pushed himself off the ground. Stray dizziness, as if he’d had his inhibitor rings off, rung in his head. 

But the groan to his left had him on his feet in less than a second.

“Rouge!” He called out.

“Ugh, what the hell. . ?”

Rouge pulled herself from her own imprint in the long grass. She rubbed her head and her balance wavered. Shadow ran to her side and offered an arm. 

“ ‘m fine, fine.” 

“Omega.” Shadow remembered. “Did he-”

“SYSTEMS REBOOTING. . .”

“Gee, some new toy Eggman had.” Rouge mumbled. “Omega! You alright?” 

“STATUS: OPERATIONAL. DISCONTINUITY DETECTED IN MY CHRONOMETER. UNABLE TO CONNECT TO GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM.” 

Rouge scanned the area. “I don’t know where we are either. I could scout-”

“Wait until you’ve recovered.” Shadow said. 

“Sure, sure.” She wobbled back down onto the grass. 

“STATUS?” Omega tromped to her side. 

“Feel like I’m going to lose my lunch.”

“It felt like a chaos control.” Shadow said. When Rouge shook her head, he added, “one that was poorly done. Not like mine.”

“Yet Eggman called it a ‘disintegrator’.” Rouge replied. “I’m beginning to believe he didn’t think too hard on where all his test subjects went.” 

“WE HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED?”

“Well, that would explain why you don’t know where we are, wouldn’t it?” 

Before Omega could reply, he stiffened, his head rotating towards the horizon. “INCOMING.” 

Omega held his hand out, and Shadow used it as a step to hop on his shoulder. From here he could get a better picture- something was cutting through the long waves of grass, the shockwave flattening the stalks behind it.

“Sonic?” Shadow asked.

“NEGATIVE! BADNIK DETECTED!” Omega drew his miniguns.

Shadow jumped down and landed beside Rouge. Dizziness struck him again when he tried to call up enough energy to chaos control, so instead he picked her up and dashed behind Omega’s frame. 

Seconds later, the stranger arrived. 

And Omega did not fire. 

Nothing moved.

“What? What is it?” Rouge asked. 

“IMPOSSIBLE.” Omega said. 

“IMPOSSIBLE.” Omega’s voice echoed back from across the way. 

Shadow tried to channel energy into his skates. “Omega, what’s-?” 

“ULTIMATE LIFEFORM DETECTED! COMMENCING EXTERMINATION!”

Shadow dived out from behind Omega’s frame. Only to find, standing in the stalks ahead, an exact mirror replica.

“INFERIOR MODEL! HOW DARE YOU IMITATE ME!” The Omega closest (his Omega, Shadow reminded himself) opened fire. 

The mirror Omega dodged, switching through weapons faster than Shadow thought possible. By the time he’d ignited his rocket skates, replacing the mirror image’s hands were thin, silvery rods tipped with light. 

Shadow jetted out of the way just in time for twin lasers to scorch the grass where he had just been. He made for the opposite horizon. Rouge’s nails buried into his skin. 

“Put me down and go help him!” She shouted. 

There was no place with cover, no place to hide, and before he could think to set her down there was the familiar hiss of E-100 rocket boosters. A spared glance, a glance too much, showed the mirror image gaining on them. Omega struggled to chase. 

Shadow cut his skates and slid to a stop. The mirror Badnik, with the same heavier mass as Omega, could not stop in time, flinging past them. Shadow then sprinted towards Omega.

“Take her!” Shadow cried. “He’s following me!” 

“IT WILL NOT SURVIVE MY WRATH!” 

Omega did not change direction. He charged straight at the mirror image, raining a hail of bullets. Only a few found their mark in the gaps of the mirror’s plating. This did little more than cause it to stumble. 

“CURIOUS, ULTIMATE LIFEFORM.” The mirror Omega said. “YOU WOULD BUILD A COPY OF ME? HOW FLATTERING.”

“HE DID NOT BUILD ME!” Omega replied. He cycled his weapons.

But in the time that he was switching to his missile launchers, the mirror image blasted forward, grabbed his shoulders, and flung him towards the horizon. 

Rouge pushed herself out of Shadow’s arms. “Kick its ass.” 

With both arms now freed, Shadow lifted his hand to summon a chaos bolt. But the dizziness hit him once more, this time paired with a jolt to his head. 

The mirror image blasted forward, grabbed his arm, and slammed him into the ground ahead of Rouge. 

“Shadow!” Rouge cried.

“WHO IS THIS ‘SHADOW’ YOU ARE REFERRING TO?” The mirror image looked at her as it pinned Shadow down. 

Shadow couldn’t push against his claws. Desperately, he tried focus on the open sky above, willing for the smallest trickle of chaos energy to complete a chaos control. 

Only for cold to shoot through his body like lightning.

“YOUR USUAL TRICKS WILL NOT WORK!” This version of Omega’s voice box said with palpable glee. 

“F-fine.” Shadow spat. “Just. Spare. Rouge.” 

“REPEAT?”

“Spare Rouge. She had-” Shadow grunted as another pulse of cold shot through him. “She has nothing to do with this.” 

“YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, BEGGING TO SAVE THE LIFE OF ANOTHER?” The mirror image loosened his grip, but not enough to be of any use. “A STRANGE LAST RESORT.” 

“Hey!” Rouge shouted. “Do you even know who Shadow is?”

“IRRELEVANT. COMMENCING COMPLETION OF-”

With a quick beat of her wings, Rouge tackled the mirror image off of him. 

“Rouge!” Shadow cried.

“You’ve clearly got the wrong person!” Rouge huffed as she stood on his chest. “If you don’t even know his name, then how can you be sure?”

“DNA MATCH IS 100%!”

“Why’d Eggman build you, anyway? You’re just a copy of Omega!” 

“CIVILIAN: I INSIST YOU CEASE AIDING THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM. REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS COMBAT ZONE IMMEDIATELY!”

“Oh come on, I’m not a civilian! You should know this!” Rouge pouted. “If Eggman doesn’t even consider me a threat, why I’ll-”

“ROUGE. EXTRICATE.”

Shadow snapped his gaze to Omega, who had finally returned to the battlefield. He had both his missile launchers drawn, his aim trained on the mirror image. 

“Hold on, something’s not right!” Rouge replied. She pointed down at the mirror image. “You! Why the hell did Eggman build you?”

“WHO IS THIS ‘EGGMAN’ YOU ARE REFERRING TO?”

Rouge looked at Omega, then back at Shadow. 

“And why do you insist on offing Shadow?” Rouge asked. 

“YOU HAVE NO CLARIFIED WHO YOU ARE REFERRING TO AS ‘SHADOW’.” The mirror image then made a strange, robotic sigh. “IF YOU DO NOT MIND, THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM IS STANDING. RIGHT. BEHIND. YOU. IT IS A MIRACLE YOU HAVE SURVIVED THIS LONG IN HIS PRESENCE.” 

“I’m not going to. . .” Shadow said.

“DO NOT MOCK ME!” The mirror image shouted. 

“HE IS NOT MOCKING YOU!” Omega shouted back. 

“You see? There must be some other person you’re thinking of.” Rouge elaborated. “Look, if you’ll just give us a moment to explain.” 

Rouge stepped off of his chest. The mirror image ratched upright. When his optics hit Shadow’s frame, the roar of his cooling fans was audible even from where he was standing. 

“We were transported here,” Rouge walked back to Shadow’s side. “Recently. Not quite sure how, but who knows when it comes to chaos emeralds?” 

“What are you trying to say?” Shadow whispered to her.

“What I’m getting at is that this may not be the Ultimate Lifeform you’re looking for.” She put her hand on Shadow’s shoulder. 

“SO HE IS THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM!” The mirror image exclaimed. 

“PERMISSION TO FIRE?” Omega asked. 

“BUT NOT FROM THIS PLANE OF EXISTENCE?” The mirror image continued. 

“Whoever you’re describing doesn’t sound like the Shadow I know, so yes.” Rouge replied. “And given that you’re certainly not the Omega I know, I’d guess the same with you.” 

“ALTERNATE REALITIES LINKED BY THE CHAOS EMERALDS- AS THEORIZED.” 

“Something like that.”

The mirror image rotated his head to look at Omega. 

“YOU ARE OF THE SAME BASE BLUEPRINTS.” The mirror remarked. 

Omega glanced to Shadow and Rouge’s position, then put one of his missile launchers in front of his face as if he were whispering. “PERMISSION TO ERADICATE THE IMPOSTER?” 

“No, not yet.” Rouge gestured for him to hold. 

“ALTERNATE VERSIONS. . . I MUST REPORT THIS.” 

“Report to who?”

“TO FATHER, OF COURSE.” 

Omega fired. 

Two explosions enveloped the mirror image’s body, kicking up soil and roots in every direction. Shadow covered his eyes, and when he opened them again, Omega had the mirror image’s head in his hands- one small squeeze enough to crush it.

“Omega, hold it!” Rouge flew towards him. 

“HE IS AN EGGMAN ROBOT!” 

“I DO NOT KNOW THIS ‘EGGMAN’ YOU SPEAK OF!” The mirror image cried in his grasp. 

“Let him go! He’s our only ticket to understand this mess!” Rouge tugged at Omega’s arm. 

“NEGATIVE!” 

Shadow approached. As he did so, he could see the mirror Badnik begin to vibrate. No, begin to tremble.

“Omega. Hold him down, don’t kill him.” Shadow said. “I need to know about what this version of myself has done. He could be a danger to us.”

The ‘to everyone’ was left unspoken. 

“DO AS HE SAYS.” The mirror image said quieter than Shadow ever imagined Omega’s voicebox could sound. 

“I DO NOT FOLLOW HIS ORDERS.” Omega scoffed. 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Shadow said to the shaking mirror image. “Tell me, who built you?”

“DR. IVO ROBOTNIK-” Shadow saw the glint in Omega’s optics, but before his fingers could clench, the mirror image continued “-OF THE ROBOTNIK DEFENSE NETWORK.”

“Defense. From the Ultimate Lifeform?” Rouge asked. 

“AFFIRMATIVE.” 

“One more question for you then,” Rouge continued, “is the name ‘Sonic’ familiar to you?” 

“NEGATIVE.” The mirror image replied.

“Omega, let him go. Whoever built him clearly isn’t Eggman.” 

“THAT IS IRRELEVANT TO ME.” Omega said. 

“It is if we want to return to our own dimension, so that you can kill our own Eggman. Otherwise we’re stuck here.” Rouge put her hands on her hips.

Omega paused, before throwing his mirror image to the ground. He crossed his arms. 

Shadow walked forward until he stood above the trembling robot. He then extended his hand to him.

Claws identical to Omega’s own twitched in hesitation, before curling into a fist. The mirror image sat up on his own accord, scooting back slightly against the grass. 

“What is your name?” Shadow asked. “Mine is Shadow.” 

“. . . YOU MAY CALL ME E-123.” 

“Well, that makes things easy!” Rouge said. “Now cheer up. You’re going to take us to your Robotnik. He’ll be able to construct a way home for us since his other version is the one who sent us here. Then we’ll be out of your business, capiche?” 

E-123 stood. Only now was the damage from Omega’s missiles apparent- he was missing his left foot, walking only on the stump, and his left arm, while not shattered, was caught mid-transformation, frozen without an appendage. 

“IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR INTENTIONS,” E-123 said, “STAY HERE.”

“Stay- huh?”

E-123 collapsed to the ground. Shadow ran forward to catch him. His optics were dark. His joints sagged loose against Shadow’s frame, making his chest tighten without even thinking.  

“. . . MAY I DESTROY HIM NOW?” Omega asked. 

“I don’t understand.” Shadow lowered E-123 to the ground and ensured he was laid flat. 

“Processor damage?” Rouge flew to his head and began tapping at the yellow plating. 

“I DO NOT LIKE THIS PLAN.” Omega said.

“We know!” Shadow and Rouge said in unison, then looked at each other. 

“We don’t have any other options.” Rouge said. “Eggman got us into this mess, maybe this Robotnik will get us out of it.” 

“NEGATIVE. WE HAVE MANY OTHER OPTIONS. SCOUTING THE SURROUNDINGS, FOR INSTANCE. FINDING THE ALTERNATE VERSION OF SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG. COLLECTING THE CHAOS EMERALDS TO INITIATE THE CHAOS CONTROL BACK TO OUR DIMENSION UNDER OUR OWN POWER.” Omega replied. “IF WE ARE TRULY ON ANOTHER DIMENSIONAL PLANE.” 

“What do you mean ‘if’?”

“THIS COULD BE A TRAP.” 

“Why do you think that?” Shadow asked.

Omega pointed to E-123’s lifeless frame. 

Before Shadow could say anymore, Omega’s gaze once more snapped to the horizon. Shadow turned and looked to see. . . another E-123?

Omega drew his weapons. Shadow and Rouge tensed. 

But instead of barreling into them, this E-123 stopped short of where they were standing, slowly approaching them with hands raised. 

“APOLOGIES FOR THE INTERRUPTION. THIS REPAIRED FORM IS MUCH BETTER SUITED TO ESCORT YOU.” This E-123 said. 

Omega pointed his missiles at the old E-123 frame and fired repeatedly, throwing a cloud of dust into the air that took almost a minute to settle again. 

“THANK YOU.” E-123 said. “NOW I WILL NOT HAVE TO DESTROY IT MYSELF, TO PREVENT MY TECHNOLOGY FROM FALLING INTO THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM’S HANDS.” 

Omega crossed his arms.

“FOLLOW ME. I WILL TAKE YOU TO A SATELLITE BASE.” E-123 turned and ignited his rocket boosters. 

“I won’t be able to keep pace.” Shadow said. “Something you did to me during the fight drained my energy.” 

“AS INTENDED.” E-123’s optics flashed. Shadow knew that flash. A moment of targeting programming, quickly pushed aside. “IF YOU REQUIRE AID-”

“I WILL ESCORT MY TEAMMATE.” Omega stomped forward, pushed the mirror image away, and grabbed Shadow’s wrist. 

E-123 boosted off towards the horizon again. Rouge took off to follow. Omega bundled Shadow in his arms, not even bothering to adjust for a more comfortable hold, before taking off as well. Shadow could hear Omega’s thrusters struggling to keep speed, crackling as they reached full power and could not be pushed any farther. Rouge, too, was sweating to keep up.

Thankfully, it was no long until an enormous metal door rose from the rolling hills of grass. Upon E-123’s approach, the doors opened automatically. Rouge, though, stopped just outside. Omega settled to a stop and set Shadow down beside her. 

“ENTER.” E-123 called from the entrance. 

“Status?” Rouge quietly asked them both. 

“ALL CAPABILITIES ONLINE.” Omega replied. 

“I’m still weakened. No chaos control or bolts, only a little power left for my skates.” Shadow replied. 

“Okay. I’m still a little nauseous but I’m doing better, and a little vomit won’t stop me anyway.” Rouge shrugged. “We got this?”

“AFFIRMATIVE.” 

They walked through the massive doors. The interior was spartan; gray paneling, only interrupted with a single red stripe along the walls. Where the grand entrance tapered off into a smaller hallway, the red stripe encircled a stylized letter “R”. Any trace of Eggman’s usual logos was absent. 

A door on the left side of the hallway led to a room devoid of anything besides a massive screen and a projector. E-123 gestured them in, then grabbed the door handle. After a moment, he let go of the handle again, leaving the door open. 

He didn’t want them to feel trapped, Shadow realized. 

This was a very different person from Omega, Shadow realized as well. 

E-123 walked over to where the projector was mounted onto the ceiling, and after a few moments of silent communication, the projector flickered on. 

Ivo Robotnik appeared. 

Omega drew his weapons. 

“UNIT! LOWER YOUR WEAPONS AT ONCE!” E-123 shouted. 

“I AM NOT A ‘UNIT’!” Omega aimed one arm at E-123, and the other at the screen. “I! AM! OMEGA!” 

“Oh my.” The Ivo Robotnik on the screen uttered to himself.

Omega was straining not to fire, his miniguns spinning in on themselves. 

“Omega, stand down!” Shadow ran in between his aim and E-123. He was not foolish enough to run between where he’d aimed at Robotnik. 

“Remember, this isn’t our guy!” Rouge said.

Omega shuddered against his own frame, lowering his weapon inch by inch. 

“Don’t be worried.” Ivo Robotnik said. “I’m not, after all! I’m behind the screen. If it helps you feel better, you can continue aiming at me.” 

Omega immediately lowered his weapons and glowered at the screen.

“Or not. That’s better.” Robotnik said. “Now, I haven’t had time to read the full report, but aren’t you a familiar bunch?” 

“See, someone who finally recognizes me.” Rouge smiled. 

“Well, most of you, that is.” Robotnik continued. “The bat seems to be a mystery, but I have a few leads.”

Rouge huffed.

“But you,” Robotnik pointed to Shadow. “E-123’s scans show that you are a 100% DNA match with the Ultimate Lifeform. But the fact that you’re here right now, talking to me and not destroying anything, suggests otherwise.” 

“It does.” Shadow replied. 

“FATHER, DID YOU READ THE PART ABOUT ALTERNATE REALITIES AS FACILITATED BY THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL NATURE OF THE CHAOS EMERALDS?” 

Omega flinched at the word father, his plating clinking against itself. 

“Only a brief skim. Enough to understand what you’re suggesting.” Robotnik replied. “This would account for your prototype being here as well. My, I haven’t seen those parts in-”

“I AM NOT A PROTOTYPE! I AM THE ULTIMATE ROBOT!” Omega shrieked. “I WILL NOT BE BELITTLED BY YOU! I WILL SHOW YOU THE POWER OF MY WRATH!” 

“Apologies, my boy. I didn’t mean it that way.” 

Before he could fire, Robotnik’s words held him in place like a cage. 

“HE DOES NOT REQUIRE YOUR APOLOGY.” E-123 said. 

“Be kind, E-123.” Robotnik scoffed. “Don’t you remember acting the same way when I offered you your first upgrade?” 

“PERHAPS.” E-123 replied.

Omega tore his gaze away from Robotnik and stomped to the door of the room. 

“Omega?” Rouge flew after him.

“INFORM ME WHEN YOU HAVE RETRIEVED THE INFORMATION YOU WISH TO RETRIEVE.” Omega said. 

Rouge let him go, and his footsteps faded into the hallway outside. 

“Strange, he doesn’t seem to like me that much, does he?” Robotnik said. 

“That’s for him to disclose.” Shadow hissed. “Now, tell me about this version of myself. What is he doing to this world?”

“I suppose the most pertinent place to start would be this: did you succeed in activating the Eclipse cannon in your version of events?” 

Any breath in Shadow’s lungs evaporated. He shook his head.

“Ah, that seems to be a no. Good.” Robotnik smiled. “The Ultimate Lifeform activated a weapon that my grandfather built aboard a space station known as the ARK. With it, he razed half of this planet. The only reason it was half was due to my intervention.” 

Shadow’s knees gave out. 

“I’m grateful this horrifies you. I never thought I’d see the day.” Robotnik stroked his mustache. 

“Hey. Hey. Get up.” Rouge whispered as she knelt down beside him. “It wasn’t you.”

“Shut up.” Shadow hissed. He looked up to Robotnik. “Then what?” 

“Well, I was able to destroy the weapon, but now the Ultimate Lifeform has committed to destroying the rest of the population himself.”

“And where do you come into this?” Rouge asked.

“I felt obligated to stop my grandfather’s creation.” Robotnik paused. “You do know you are my grandfather’s creation, correct?” 

“Yes.” Shadow replied, his throat dry. 

“I see. I wonder where you differ, then?” 

“Lots of things.” Rouge said plainly. “That’s not important right now. What’s important is us getting back to where we came from. We’d love to get out of your way but we need your help. The other you invented some crazy tech that transported us here, so you’ve got to reinvent it to get us back.” 

“Do you have blueprints? A photograph? A materials list?”

“No, but you certainly picked up on our energy signature when we came here.”

“AFFIRMATIVE. WE WERE CONCERNED THAT THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM HAD DISCOVERED A NEW WAY TO WIELD CHAOS ENERGY.” E-123 said.

“Well, my dear, I’d love to, but unfortunately I lack the time. I have other, more pressing concerns.” Robotnik flicked his eyes to Shadow. “But I’ll try to squeeze it in.” 

Shadow stood. “I’ll stop him.”

“What?!” Rouge smacked his shoulder.

“I’ll stop him.” Shadow repeated. “I’ll help you fight him. Or if you will not accept my help, then at least allow me to provide you with data.”

“While he’d love to,” Rouge said loudly and hugged his shoulders, “we’re really in a rush to get back.” 

“No!” Shadow shoved her off. “If this is something I started-”

“It wasn’t you!”

“Something any version of me started,” Shadow corrected, “then I will stop it.” 

Rouge pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. 

“Thank you!” Robotnik clapped his hands together. “My my, this’ll be an exciting opportunity. E-123, could you perform a full intake on him? See if you can dig out our old blood analysis machine-”

“THAT IS LOCATED IN BASE 1A.”

“-and take some samples? Then do some kinetic testing-”

“THAT IS ALSO LOCATED IN BASE 1A.”

“And then finally a pattern analysis on his movements?”

“FATHER.”

“What?”

“YOU ARE CURRENTLY LOCATED IN BASE 1A.” 

“So?” Robotnik stroked his chin. “It’ll allow me to directly work with him as well, and will lessen the chances of the Ultimate Lifeform finding out about him.” 

“I WILL NOT PERMIT YOU TO BE IN THE SAME VICINITY AS-” E-123 trailed off as he looked at Shadow.

“I know this must be hard, my boy.” Robotnik’s tone grew soft. “I can ease your combat protocols when you return. I am sure of my decision; I am certain he will not harm me.” 

“UNDERSTOOD.” 

“But Omega is a different story.” Rouge interjected. 

“Hmm?” Robotnik raised an eyebrow.

“Look, for reasons I’m not going to elaborate on- he hates your guts. Our version of you isn’t too dissimilar from your Ultimate Lifeform.” Rouge explained. “Put two and two together.”

Robotnik furrowed his brow for a moment, before his face went pale. “Oh! I’m sorry.”

“FATHER, DO NOT BE APOLOGETIC- IT IS NOT YOU WHO HAS INFLICTED ANYTHING UPON THE INFERIOR UNIT.” 

“Omega’s not an ‘inferior unit’, so keep your mouth shut, you hear?” Rouge put her hands on her hips. 

“I DO NOT POSSESS A MOUTH TO SHUT.” 

“Don’t care. Shut it.” 

“Let me go talk with him.” Shadow said.

Shadow walked out of the room to find Omega sitting just outside the door frame. He’d likely heard every word from inside. Omega looked at him. He looked at Omega.

“I’m going to help him.” Shadow said. “Whether or not you choose to come with is up to you.”

“I WILL JOIN.”

“Robotnik will be there.”

“AFFIRMATIVE. I WILL BE THERE TO KILL HIM WHEN HE INEVITABLY BACKSTABS YOU.” 

“Will you be able to handle seeing him in the meantime?” Shadow asked quietly. 

“AFFIRMATIVE!” Omega stood. 

Shadow re-entered the projection room, and to his surprise, Omega followed.

Robotnik’s reaction on screen was immediate. “Omega. Even though it was not I who hurt you-”

“SILENCE!” Omega shouted. “YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO ME, AND I WILL NOT SPEAK TO YOU. I AM ONLY COOPERATING AT SHADOW’S BEHEST. I WILL BE WATCHING YOU- IF I DETECT THE SLIGHTEST IMPLICATION THAT YOU WILL BETRAY US, I WILL RIP YOUR SKULL FROM YOUR SPINE.”  

A pause- E-123’s frame creaked before he responded, “THEN I WILL DESTROY YOU IN TURN.” 

“YOU ARE WELCOME TO TRY.” 

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Rouge flew over and leaned against Omega’s shoulder. 

“That’s enough.” Shadow said. 

“I agree, that’s enough.” Robotnik echoed. “Very well, Omega, I accept your terms.” 

Instead of responding, Omega paused, as if he’d expected to have to rebuttal. 

“Let’s go.” Shadow said.

“Take them via the tram, my boy, and I’ll see you soon.” Robotnik said before disappearing from the screen. 

E-123 led them from the room and to an elevator across the hall. Omega boarded first, stuffing himself into the back of the elevator, followed by Shadow and Rouge beneath him, then by E-123. The ride was short, and when the door opened they spilled out onto a platform cut from the bedrock. Water dripped from the ceiling and pinged against the metal platform. On the far edge of the platform, a pair of rails snaked their way into a dark tunnel. 

“Hmph. Never thought about a rail line.” Rouge commented. 

“LOGGING.” Omega replied. 

“That means you’ll have to leave a base intact long enough for us to inspect for this supposed rail line.” Rouge giggled. 

“CEASE MAKING VEILED THREATS.” E-123 hissed as his optics flickered, likely to hail whatever automatic system controlled the tram. 

“I WILL VERBALIZE HOWEVER I PLEASE.” Omega replied. 

“We’re just taking notes for our own fight against our guy back home. Don’t read too much into it.” Rouge said. 

After one last glance at the pair, E-123’s gaze rotated to Shadow, and did not leave even as the tram arrived at the platform. As the doors opened, Rouge entered first. Omega followed. Shadow gestured for E-123 to enter, but he did not move.

Shadow entered to find only two seats aboard- and Rouge sprawled out over both of them. Omega had braced himself against one of the sidebars in the rest of the cabin, and E-123 joined him across the way. Shadow approached Omega and gestured upwards. Omega knelt down and Shadow slid onto his shoulder, grasping his shoulder handle to steady himself.

E-123 averted his gaze. Moments later, the tram doors closed. 

---

Next chapter, and all future chapters, are posted to AO3.

[love-is-a-pearl]

Trials and Tribulations of Coordination

The first fanfic of my main collection is here (づ๑•ᴗ•๑)づ･:*:･｡☆

This one is all about Dawn and sort of a character exploration of her post DP. Just to set up some things for the long run.

[sourscratched]

the hand that feeds

[magolorz-shoppe]

Alright so, here’s some of my current fanfic ideas. Too many, and I’m indecisive. A horrible combo! So, instead, here’s a poll to see which ones you guys like best. More detail about them below the cut

More info about each below the cut!

-Magolor meets Morpho Knight: After the CROWNED fight, Magolor was supposed to die, leading Morpho Knight to come to take his soul. However, this strange mage had managed to hold himself together just enough for a possible second chance, so Morpho Knight chooses to give him a chance at redemption. (Short fanfic)

-Magolor and Meta Knight fight together to save the dimensions/timelines: Basically a “what if the multiverse collapsed and the two guys who don’t get along gotta save it?” Worlds like “Kirby and the Epic Yarn” will be involved, Galacta Knight too, Super Kirby clash, etc.. They’ll all be combined, as well as the people in them (yes as horrifying as that sounds, it’s how it’s supposed to be) and Magolor and Meta Knight have to fix everything due to being some of the few remaining. (Long fanfic)

-The Mirror World begins falling apart, leaving Dark Meta Knight to fix it: From being left in constant darkness even after Dark Mind was gone, eventually it’s too much, causing the start of the collapse of the Mirror World. Shadow Kirby has to protect the citizens inside, and there’s no way Shadow Dedede is going to help, so Dark Meta Knight has to step up, going to the main world to find a fix. A sort of redemption arc, if you will. (Long fanfic)

-Magolor and Haltmann swap: Magolor takes Haltmann’s place, making Star Dream and mechanizing planets, even though his original goal was just to build a themepark for the universe to enjoy/making people happy. I don’t know much about Robobot, so I would make many creative changes here…on that note, there wouldn’t be a second fanfic with Haltmann and Susie going after the Master Crown. Sorry! (Long fanfic)

-Magolor’s perspective first landing in Super Kirby Clash: Right after the epilogue when he ends up there, his thoughts and actions, and what leads him to open a shop! Would this include his return home? Maybe…depends on my motivation. (Could be short or long)

[leocadian]

just putting it out there that my christmas gift for everyone will be yet another (short) alessandra/fosca tumblr fic because i was inspired by a prompt list i saw. and so yes, i will be subjecting everyone to my delusions.

[faebriel]

realising that my tied-second most written relationships on ao3 are (dsmp) c!wilbur&c!tubbo and c!niki&c!tommy. reflection in the world's stupidest mirror or whatever

[pang3l]

I am afraid of you — Emilico/Kate oneshot 

Kate loves Emilico.

Or perhaps the word “love” itself is wrong. Kate adores Emilico to no end, Emilico is her “face”, but she is also her heart.

Emilico also loves Kate. To her, Kate is the most precious thing that she has.

While Emilico embraces the love she has for Kate, Kate pulls away from it.

Additional Tags: Character Study, Pining, Fluff, Holding Hands, Internal Conflict, Accidents, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Self-Hatred 

[partystoragechest]

Unwanted Headcanons and Extras

Some details about the story and headcanons for future events. Warning for spoilers and length.

Story Details:

The gaze Trevelyan feels when she talks about Sudton with Cullen is a Spirit of Justice, who witnessed what happened to the delegation, and pursues her to ensure justice is done

A cut scene from Arc 4 would've had Cullen confront Trevelyan on Leliana's behalf about Ostwick's phylactery vault, which survived the rebellion but was mysteriously destroyed weeks later

Post-Chapter 50 Headcanons:

After Cullen returns from the siege on Adamant, they spend the next three days together

Trevelyan and Dorian often train with each other, improving her combat skill; he also teaches her lightning techniques

Cullen and Trevelyan meet at her stargazing spot so often that Tenbry the guard knows when to skedaddle

The Ladies correspond with Trevelyan regularly; she knows about Giles' grandmother, and is delighted for her

Trevelyan has met Nymira and her baby, and she'll occasionally cover for Nymira, if she ever needs to run off

Cole, when meeting Trevelyan for the first time, says, "She's safe now, you can go," but does not explain why

Trevelyan is sad Lady Erridge never got to speak to Cassandra, after discovering her love of romance novels

Trevelyan is relieved the Baroness never met Bull, for obvious reasons

Solas, one day, discovers Trevelyan wandering about Skyhold, apparently attempting to reinforce its wards, and lends a hand

Though she did her best to sort the belongings of her fallen comrades, Trevelyan could not recall who owned some of them; however, she keeps these herself, displayed in her room

After Well, Shit, the War Council reveal to Trevelyan that red lyrium is Blighted; she re-commits to curing it, with Dagna and Dorian's help

Both Val Misrenne and Coldon become staunch allies to the Inquisition, providing strongholds in Orlais and Ferelden

Post-Epilogue Headcanons:

Trevelyan travels with the army to the Arbor Wilds, to ensure the red lyrium rune works against Samson's armour

When Cullen finally returns from battle, wounded and delirious from lack of sleep, she heals him herself

Giles and Vichy marry; the Ladies send their congratulations through letters (Erridge wants EVERY detail of the dress)

The Baroness does visit the University of Orlais to see the Comtesse's ex-fiance; her revenge plan goes a little too well

Trevelyan is studying red lyrium at the Temple of Sacred Ashes when Corypheus arrives, and fights to send word to Skyhold

Herzt is with her, and is almost killed; she is wounded protecting him from the blast of the Breach reopening, and cannot fight in the final battle (Cullen is not okay with any of this)

Trevelyan's encounter with Corypheus inspires her plan to cure the Blight by creating a new Blight, called the 'Purging Blight', but this may take years

Lady Erridge and Lady Orroat's wedding takes place sometime after Corypheus' defeat, but before Trespasser; both Cullen and Trevelyan are invited, as well as the Ladies, and a certain son of an Arl--the drama is, needless to say, very juicy

Though to say any more would definitely be spoilers. See you again for Unwanted: Attention!

[fallingskywaterr]

Spoilers for Mirrored Gold

Please go read the fic before viewing the rest of this post. Warning: image is sketches featuring body horror referenced in the fanfic.

If that’s not for you, keep scrolling.

Sketches and notes by Sean after performing his first batch of Nightcrawler autopsy’s. Coming up towards the end of the fic now (though that could take several chapters because I have no control over my life) and felt a visual diagram of what the team are up against could be useful.

[catguangcorner]

💌 SOOO i wrote a fic! [a yearning so heavy it hurts] , oneshot [under 1k]

[But no matter how heavy, Yan Wei could bear it, forever. She would gladly do it for her radiant Xu Youyi.]

🖇️ read here—

[bookwyrminspiration]

if young Sophie had any social media I think it might’ve been tumblr, but what would she post? destiel? Sophie fanfic author au, she logs on to ao3 like “hey sorry this chapter has taken like 3 years, turns out I’m not actually human and I had to leave my whole life behind and I keep getting hunted down by these pyromaniacs and I’ve been hospitalized over a dozen times. but I saw the Spanish dub and just had to get something out, sorry it took so long, enjoy xx”

[arthropod-concoctions]

part 9 (final part)

Joel tried to resist the grip pulling him into the water, but found himself overwhelmed as his head was pulled under the surface. Images started to flash in his mind, some looking familiar to him, some not so much. The Mezalean Palace, in all its glory. A little house on a hill, burning to ashes. Jimmy- the Codfather- fleeing from a shaking machine with count fWhip. Jimmy- the Sheriff- shouting at him for stealing his hat. Running with an army of wolves, chasing people he didn't recognise. A rectangular edge surrounding all of it, the whole Universe contained within a-

You see it now, right? Joel heard himself saying. All of this is Lore. EVERYTHING is Lore! Without it, we wouldn't even exist!

The visions continued on. All the emperors jumping over a table, fighting over a crown. A figure covered in shadows summoning massive tentacles from the ground. Himself rapping to fWhip while jimmy beatboxes. He wasn't really beatboxing, the music was playing in a different

All of it was dizzying to Joel. Is this just what it's constantly like in your head? He said.

Yeah, pretty much, was the reply. I know everything that's ever happened. Cool, right?

This is a nightmare. I almost feel bad for you.

While still overwhelming, Joel was beginning to see some coherence in the flashes of vision. Twelve rulers, sitting around a campfire, ready to face the world. Joel wandering off, looking for a location to settle. Joel ignoring the nagging feeling tugging him towards the mesa; Jimmy had already claimed that land. How did he know that?

Feel bad? You shouldn't feel bad, you should be jealous. This doesn't bother me at all. The Lore fixed that weird feeling I had, and made me a perfect, handsome god on top of that!

But Joel had seen Joel's face in the fountain. The Lore was affecting him, even if he didn't notice it. And with visions of everything that had ever happened at his fingertips, Joel was beginning to get an understanding of how this had happened. Gradually, he managed to steer the visions so he could see the picture clearly.

The twelve original rulers, all dying or disappearing. The Universe reviving them one by one. The Universe trying to reincarnate someone that had never died, and succeeding. But not quite. A group call to discuss the start of a new season. Joel coming across a magical fountain. Joel jumping into the fountain, and feeling it fill the gaping hole in his soul with knowledge that could never properly fit inside. Joel emerging from the fountain with everything he'd ever wanted, and the knowledge that none of it was real.

Wait, how are you doing that? It's supposed to just wash over you, you can't just...

The Lore didn't fix you at all. You were never meant to exist like this. It was neither the king of Mezalea nor the god of Stratos speaking. A fractured mind couldn't possibly handle this state of being, but a whole one might. Joel reached out toward himself.

What? STOP THAT! Joel retreated, and the visions flew into disarray again. Joel sending messages to Sausage along with their child. Joel repeatedly coming up with new ways to make the same joke at Jimmy's expense. Joel never knowing why he did it, just that he was supposed to.

Face it, Joel. You don't have any of this under control. But at least you'll have it stop controlling you, if you'd just work with me here.

A moment of quiet. If there was one thing Joel didn't like, it was someone else being better than him at his own game. Two mirror images slowly coming together.

Let's fix this error. It was both the king of Mezalea and the god of Stratos speaking.

…

………

Joel lifted his head up out of the water, gasping for air. He breathed heavily for a few seconds until he remembered that, as a statue and as an immortal god, he was never at any actual risk of drowning. He stood up, and looked down at himself.

He was dressed in a toga coloured a regal purple. His skin was made of perfect terracotta, and his fingernails were white as quartz. He had a well-trimmed beard and a normal, respectable height. Nice, he thought to himself as he stepped onto the street.

Hermes had wandered towards the fountain, and was now looking at Joel with big eyes. “Hey Hermes,” Joel said as he picked the boy up, “D'you like the new look?” Hermes gestured towards him, and then towards the fountain of Lore. “You want to play in the fountain? Maybe later. Daddy's got some stuff to do now.” He kissed Hermes' forehead, then gently put him down again. The boy nodded, then ran back towards his house, jumping over the gaps in the street without a second thought.

Gosh, he's adorable. And I couldn't even recognise him earlier, Joel thought. Maybe lore isn't all bad. But there was something more important than Lore to think about right now: getting back to Jimmy. He'd made a promise, after all. He spread his wings and began flying the familiar route towards Tumble Town.

While taking off, he noticed the outskirts of Critter City from the corner of his eye. It really is a shame me and Lizzie aren't married anymore though, he thought. But he wasn't too upset about it. After all, he could always just get up and-

Flying into the valley of Tumble Town, Joel saw Jimmy pacing back and forth near the unfinished track. Looked like he hadn't made much progress since Joel departed. As he descended, Jimmy heard him approaching and looked up- and his face dropped. It occurred to Joel that Jimmy would have no idea of what just happened.

Joel touched down next to Jimmy. “Hey, Jim,” he said, and smiled to him. “I'm back!”

“You're back. You- what did you do? Why are you wearing his clothing now?” Jimmy didn't sound at all happy to see him.

“Well, I talked to myself, then had a fight with myself, then nearly drowned in a one block deep fountain... but the point is, I solved the conflict. It's all good now.”

Jimmy wasn't satisfied with that explanation. “Oh, you solved the conflict did you? But what about me, then? Have you made friends just to team up against me? Are you-” Jimmy abruptly interrupted himself, and tilted his head while looking at Joel, squinting. “Did you get taller?”

“Yes, I did. I also got shorter. Look, Jimmy, I don't think you understand what's happened. This,” he gestured at his own body, “Is the new and improved Joel. Not the old Joel, not the new and kind of broken Joel, but both of them fused together to form one, somewhat functional person.”

Jimmy was still squinting. “So, you're both the Joels fused together then?”

“Yep. And I'm still the god of Stratos, but... I haven't broken that promise I made. I'd like to also still be your friend. So, I wanted to apologise for all the mocking I've been doing.” Joel held out his hand towards Jimmy. “Maybe we can start over clean.”

Jimmy still seemed skeptical. “And... you're not gonna call me a toy anymore?”

“Nope. I'll even take down the alien from the hill.” It was a good joke, but there comes a point where even a good joke gets stretched too thin. He'd have to come up with some new jokes, but that should probably wait a while.

“Well...” Jimmy cracked a smile, and took Joel's hand with his own. “Alright then. We'll give it a try.”

And as they shook hands, Joel's broken heart was finally starting to mend.

(ch 1 | ch 8)

[treesspeaklatin]

You can find me on AO3 ->

AOS spirk, 5 wrong kisses + 1 right kiss

AOS spirk, queerplatonic romance (?) / pre-slash (?) / epic friendship (?)

MIRROR spirk, feelings but it’s mirrorverse

AOS spirk, winter holidays, fake dating and awkward meet the parents

AOS spirk, johnlock AU

[burinazar]

Saw the tag “PWP Without Porn” and I’m definitely going to need that at some point for like. My weird stories where nothing actually quote unquote happens, in a strictly sexual sense, and it's about like. I dunno, tenderly sucking on the soft webbed skin at the juncture of two of your partner’s fingers to draw venom out of a bite wound, it’s a difficult angle but your lips are nimble and willing and their pain is gradually dulled perhaps by something in the venom perhaps by your warm and wet ministrations and your tongue and your saliva. Stuff like that. Y’know. Normal stuff.

[frostwing213]

So... I've been listening to music from Heathers the Musical for hours now. I love the stupid musical and I've watched it online way to many times.

Anyways, I'm also obsessed with the song "The Ballad of Sara Berry" (To the point where I'm working on and have almost finished a small project where I'm basically turning the story the song tells into an actual written story. It's been really fun.) And I just thought...

What if, a Ballad of Sara Berry musical?

Just imagine...

[superscourge]

me: this'll just be a short little comic so i can build up some emotion before a scene i want to draw ^^

me: [writes the script]

me: all done! i wonder how many pages thisll come out to?? i'll check to see how many my other comic was at this point in its script

the other comic: 106 pages

me:

me: hmm!