x
Continuing its search for the Chaos Emeralds, the Crimson Egg happened to come upon an asteroid field. All was silent outside. A flash of fire could then be seen as Sunset flew past it in her spirit form. Her physical body was meditating, so she decided to have herself a little adventure while in her spirit form; she was itching for one anyway. Seeing the Crimson Egg, she transported herself inside to see what kind of shenanigans Eggman was up to…
………………………………………………………………………
Down below deck, Rouge was taking a bath. "Oh, Bocey," she said, holding out a cup of juice. "I asked you to bring me some orange juice, not this."
"Oh, shut up!" Bokkun grumbled. "Who cares as long as it's made of fruit!"
"Now Bocey…" warned Rouge, holding up his locket.
Bokkun immediately calmed down, still nervous about that secret of his. "I'll make another one," he said.
He was about to go do so when Rouge stopped him again. "By the way: while you're up there, could you ask Eggman if he's found another Emerald?"
"Huh?!" Bokkun was startled.
"Don't lie to me," said Rouge. "The reason he's entered this asteroid field is because he's detected one, hasn't he?"
Bokkun just shrugged. "I really don't know why," he said.
He was about to go again when Rouge grabbed his foot. "Hey!" exclaimed Bokkun. "Let go of me, you crazy geegan bat!"
"Stop shouting and answer me," said Rouge, "and I'll let you go."
Suddenly, as soon as she said that, the ship started shaking, causing both her and Bokkun to fall into the tub. Good thing Bokkun was a waterproof robot bat (I hope).
………………………………………………………………………
"What's going on?" asked Rouge as she entered the cockpit.
"Looks like a full-blown space skirmish," answered Cubot, "and we're right in the middle!"
"I cannot tell yet who they are, Doctor," said Cubot, "but I have a feeling they are not exactly friendly."
"Now let's not get hysterical," said Eggman. "It's only Sonic and his pea-brained posse."
However, upon seeing hundreds of flashes in the distance, Eggman quickly learned that it wasn't the Blue Typhoon crew, but instead, a group of resistance pilots fighting off a group of Metarex swarmers. Seeing this, Sunset immediately flew out towards them to see if there was something she could help with. "Just the kind of fighting I like," she said. "Now those Metarex are really gonna have a hard time."
………………………………………………………………………
A human man named Leon was one of the resistance fighters. Several of his side's craft got shot down during the skirmish. "The warships are comin' at us from everywhere!" he said as another craft was shot down.
"We're way outnumbered!" said one pilot as a group of Metarex swarmers appeared behind Leon.
"We can't turn back," exclaimed another pilot. "We're too late!"
Suddenly, three Metarex ships got shot down. Emerging from the smoke was the resistance leader, a young, courageous, and determined human girl named Molly. "I'll distract the satellite ships," she said as she flew through a thick swarm of Metarex ships. "You aim for the fortress and give it everything you got!"
"Roger!" said the pilots.
The group flew towards the flagship, which was being run by Metarex General Pale Bayleaf.
………………………………………………………………………
"Sir," said a Metarex Trooper, "they are aimed at the mothership."
"Then we must teach them a lesson," said Pale Bayleaf.
………………………………………………………………………
The battleship opened fire, its lasers destroying several more resistance craft. They even hit the Crimson Egg.
………………………………………………………………………
Inside the ship, Orbot and Cubot were panicking. "Something tells me it is not Sonic!" said Orbot.
"This is someone a whole lot crankier!" agreed Cubot.
"Quit quivering, you clanking clods!" said Eggman, annoyed. "We'll call on our secret weapon!"
………………………………………………………………………
Said secret weapon was standing outside the Crimson Egg, watching everything unfold. He caught sight of Sunset looking at the fight as well on top of an asteroid, waiting for her move. "Oh, Shadow?" said Eggman over the radio. "It seems we're in a bit of a pickle. See what you can do."
Shadow narrowed his eyes before he zipped around, destroying Metarex ships left and right. At that moment, Sunset made her move and flew alongside him, hitting them as well. One of them was about to shoot down Molly's craft, but Shadow destroyed it. The two made eye contact before the black hedgehog flew away. Molly was shocked at what she saw. "Could that be Black Wind…?" she asked.
"Molly, you okay?" asked Leon.
"Who was that guy?" asked a pilot. "He came out of nowhere! Same with that girl!"
"What next?" asked another pilot.
"Let's follow them!" said Molly. "We may not be the only resistance out there! C'mon!"
She and some other fighters flew back towards Pale Bayleaf's battleship.
………………………………………………………………………
Pale Bayleaf watched the whole scene. "It appears that our enemies are more resourceful than we thought," he said. "That's enough for now."
"Yes, sir," said the Metarex Trooper.
"Retreat immediately," said Pale Bayleaf. "We'll be watching and when they least expect it, we'll strike again, and this time, we'll destroy them."
A red gleam appeared in his eye.
………………………………………………………………………
Shadow returned to the outside of the ship. As Sunset made it back inside the cockpit, Molly appeared on Eggman's viewscreen. "We are very grateful to you," she said.
"Think nothing of it," said Eggman. "Those Metarex can certainly be a nuisance with a capital N."
Orbot and Cubot were surprised and envious of Molly's kindness. "Wow, she's actually quite pretty," said Cubot.
"I'm actually quite jealous having her as their leader," said Orbot. "Just look at how he treats us."
"I agree with you," replied Cubot, nodding. "We shouldn't have to work with someone this selfish. Why did we come back anyway?"
Their question was answered by an angry Eggman who, having heard everything, proceeded to drop a heavy weight on them, much to Sunset's amusement; the young girl was silently giggling behind her hand.
A while later, Sunset and Shadow saw a planet with huge Grand Canyon-esque cracks running through it. "What is this place?" asked Sunset, who was now perched on the wing of Molly's ship.
"This is Cascade, our home planet," answered Molly. "My friends and I are the only ones living here now."
………………………………………………………………………
The Crimson Egg and Molly's fleet descended towards the ruined, barren, rocky surface of Cascade. "They've arranged a welcome reception for you at the base," said Molly. "I'm sure they'd be greatly honored if you come. We'll see you there."
………………………………………………………………………
Eggman grinded, a blip appearing on the monitor. "I'd be happy to come," he said, "now that I know there's a Chaos Emerald laying among those wretched ruins down there."
He contacted Shadow on the radio. "See what you can find, Shadow," he said.
………………………………………………………………………
"I'll take a look around," said Shadow.
………………………………………………………………………
"Be discreet," said Eggman. "If Rouge and her sticky fingers find out there are Chaos Emeralds floating about, why, she's liable to…"
"I'm liable to what, Eggy-poo?" interrupted a familiar bat.
Eggman sweat-dropped when he saw Rouge standing there. Bokkun was cowering behind her. "Uh-oh…" he said to himself. "Talk about busted…"
"You're afraid I just might snatch 'em up for myself," said Rouge. "How can I ever convince you I'm on the level?"
"Yeah, right," Eggman challenged before telling Shadow, "Take Rouge with you, but keep an eye on her."
………………………………………………………………………
At Cascade, Shadow's eyes were drawn to a waterfall as flashbacks from what happened at the Metarex station flashed through his mind. "Shadow!" he heard someone call.
Shadow looked up, seeing that he, Molly, Sunset, and Rouge were now inside a makeshift headquarters in the rocks. A window was looking out to the waterfall. "Sorry," Molly apologized. "I just wanted to thank you. What you did… I mean, it was incredible. Same with that girl that was fighting alongside you."
"Yeah," Shadow replied a bit sarcastically.
"No, I mean it," said Molly sincerely. "How did you do it? You destroyed those ships in seconds flat! My comrades and I were really impressed, and I just…"
But Shadow didn't reply. He just walked away, Molly following him. "I just want to learn more about you," she said, "like where you learn to battle like that. You were amazing!"
"Drop it, OK?" said Shadow.
Molly stopped. "Oh no!" she said. "I didn't mean to make him angry."
"Don't worry, hun," said Rouge. "He's always grumpy."
"Why is that?" asked Molly.
Rouge shrugged. "You got me," she said. "But just 'cause he's a hero doesn't mean he's Prince Charming. That strong silence just drives me batty."
Molly ran after Shadow. "Wait," she called, catching up to him. "You and that girl attacked four Metarex ships like it was nothing at all! I've never seen bravery like that before. It was like the legend of Black Wind."
"Never heard of it," said Shadow.
"Me neither," said Sunset, curious. "Who's Black Wind?"
Molly smiled. "Long ago," she said, "there was a great hero named Black Wind. We called him that because he came out of the night to fight for our people and was never seen again."
"Wow," Sunset breathed, awed.
"For a moment," Molly continued, "when I first saw you outside my ship, I thought that maybe you were him. You're a hero!"
Shadow walked away again. "Shadow?" asked Molly, concerned.
"You're wrong," Shadow said simply. "I'm no hero."
"That's right!" said Rouge. "He's just out for himself, aren't you, Shadow?"
Shadow stopped. "Well, you should talk," he retorted. "You do just about anything to get what you want."
He continued walking away, leaving Rouge appalled. Sunset snorted behind her hand. "He's definitely got you there, Rouge," she said.
She then turned to Molly. "Don't worry about him," she said. "He may be a bit of a grump on the outside, but the more you get to know him, the more you find that he actually has a good heart on the inside. He's just a bit of a loner most of the time."
Molly understood. "But I'm still curious about something," she said. "You two out there earlier: how did you do that?"
"Simple answer," said Sunset. "In Shadow's case: he uses Chaos energy to help defeat his foes. In my case: I learned a lot of stuff on my previous adventures, whether it'd be in real life or just anything that's fighting related. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn from different people, no matter who they are."
"Really?" asked Molly, impressed. "That's amazing."
Sunset nodded. "Thanks," she said as they shook hands. "I'm Sunset Shimmer."
"I'm Molly," said Molly. "Are you from around here?"
"Not really," Sunset answered. "I come from a totally different world, but I believe in standing up and fighting for what's right just as much as the next person."
Already, a friendship between them was starting to form.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Eggman and his hench-bots were feasting with the other humans. "That's right, Doctor," Leon was saying. "If you hadn't come along, who knows what could have happened?"
"Thanks to you, the resistance lives on!" said a human.
"You're too kind," said Eggman. "It was the least I could do for my fellow revolutionaries."
Bokkun sipped his drink. "You are a truly noble and honorable warrior, sir!" said another human.
The hench-bots agreed. "Hear, hear!" said the resistance.
Then, Cubot flubbed it up: "Maybe now would be a good time to ask about that Chaos Emerald– Oops!"
The two hench-bots broke into a sweat, same with Bokkun. Cubot, meanwhile, also ended up getting another slap on the back of the head by Orbot. "Owww," he grumbled.
Luckily, Eggman knew how to fix that. " *Ahem* Perhaps you're right, Cubot," he said. "I would be honored to continue assisting your mission, provided we find a way to, shall we say, sweeten the deal."
"You got it," said Leon. "After all, it's only fair. You've proven yourself to be a great ally, sir."
"That's right," said a human. "You deserve it!"
"We don't often find like-minded freedom fighters such as yourself," said Leon. "What's ours is yours, sir. Ever since our planet was destroyed, we have no need for a Chaos Emerald. Passing it on to such a worthy and brilliant man would indeed be an honor."
"Comrade Leon speaks for all of us, sir," said another human. "A Chaos Emerald is the least we can give for our invaluable friendship. We humbly thank you."
"What's going on?" asked a voice.
They turned to see Molly, Shadow, Rouge, and Sunset enter the room. One explanation later… "We're giving him the Emerald," said Leon. "I need you to get it."
"If you think it's best," said Molly, "then I suppose we should. But we hid it so long ago, I-I can't remember where."
Leon thought for a moment. "Let me think…" he said. "You'll need to fly to Cascade where the Satellite Industrial District once was. There's a factory there with three windows at the top."
"Then what?" asked Rouge.
"It's in a safe deposit box right there on the main level," replied Leon.
"I guess that answers our question," said Sunset.
"Okay," said Molly. "We'll fly there right now."
They started to leave, but Leon took Molly's hand. "Huh? What is it?" she asked.
"Molly… I need you to do something else. Something really important," said Leon, handing her a key. "You'll see a small locked cabinet directly above the safe deposit box. Bring me whatever files are in there."
Molly was confused. "I don't get it," she said. "Why would you need a bunch of dusty old files?"
"Simple," answered Leon. "They are historical records on the Metarex invasion that just might prove useful to us."
"Sure," said Molly. "I'm on it!"
As he watched the four go, Leon's hands tightened into fists. He and Eggman exchanged glances; the doctor knew that something was amiss, but trusted the fact that Shadow and Rouge could take care of it. Same with Sunset, despite her being an enemy of his.
………………………………………………………………………
Soon, Shadow was air-skating along the rugged landscape alongside Molly, who was flying beside him in a Cascadian fighter. Rouge was sitting behind Molly in the passenger seat while Sunset was sitting on the wing. "I haven't been here before until now," said Sunset, who was looking around at her surroundings, "but something tells me this place didn't used to look like this."
"You're right, Sunset," agreed Molly. "You guys wouldn't know it, but this was once a beautiful place."
"I can only imagine," said Sunset.
"You're right, honey," said Rouge, "I wouldn't know either. I guess we'll have to take your word for it."
"There was a time when Cascade was a proud and glorious planet," said Molly as she recalled the old days. "But that time was so long ago. Way before the Meterax came… The galaxy had never seen a greater planet. We were the mightiest of all peoples, and with our superior intelligence and advanced technology, there was no telling how far our dominion could extend. And then in the blink of an eye, all of our hopes were destroyed. Since that first attack, we have had to fight to stay alive."
Sunset was somber. "I'm sorry to hear that, Molly," she said.
"So, they've been sockin' it to you all this time, huh?" asked Rouge. "What is it those Metarex want from you, anyway?"
"I guess all they want is to defeat us," said Molly. "Whatever else they wanted, they've already taken. There's nothing left anymore."
"Well… why don't you guys just go somewhere else?" asked Rouge. "Don't you ever get tired of fighting?"
Sunset sighed upon hearing this. "I know how that feels," she said.
"Sure we do. But they still haven't taken our hope away," answered Molly, looking down at Shadow. "The hope that soon, Cascade will be beautiful and alive again like it once was, and it will be. I'm sure it will! And with Shadow's help, I just know we'll beat them."
Rouge and Sunset also looked down at Shadow. Later, the four were walking through a canyon, with a river flowing nearby. Suddenly, a giant fish leapt out of the water and menaced them. Molly quickly stood in front of Shadow, Rouge, and Sunset. "I got him!" she said.
Using her pistol, she fired four rounds from it to get rid of the threat. Then, the water behind her exploded with many more fish. "Heads up!" yelled Sunset, drawing out her lightsabers.
The three fought them off, Sunset making good use of her firebending and former Jedi skills. "Come on!" said Shadow, taking his comrades safely away from the fish.
"You might want to think about letting one of us walk ahead for a bit," advised Shadow as soon as they were away from danger. "You know, just for safety's sake."
Rouge agreed. "Plus, you're the only one of us who knows where this place is," she said. "It'd be silly to put you in danger."
Molly smiled. "It's all right," she said. "The spirit of Black Wind is with me."
Sunset was also concerned. And for good reason. "But what happened earlier," she said, "it might be proof that someone's setting you up to meet your end. What if it ends up happening?" She was trembling a little.
Letting go of Shadow's hand, Molly gently took Sunset's hands into her own. "If that happens," she said, "then I'm positive that somehow, someone out there will be able to carry on my dream."
This seemed to help Sunset a little, as she just nodded understandably. Nodding back, Molly let go of Sunset's hands and ran ahead. "Come on, you guys," she called. "Follow me! The factory's over here!"
She hurried onwards. "I don't like it," said Rouge. "My radar's tellin' me there was something extra fishy about those piranhas."
"I never thought I'd say this," said Shadow, "but I think you're right. That attack was an ambush if I ever saw one."
"So," said Rouge as she watched Molly go, "you're saying some boob set up a booby trap, huh? Any suspects?"
Shadow thought for a moment. "... I have my suspicions," he said.
"You feel like sharing?" asked Rouge.
But Shadow just shook it off. "Come on; Molly's waiting for us," he said. "I don't want her alone in there!"
Shadow hurried off after Molly. Rouge huffed and followed. Sunset followed as well, but she couldn't shake away the dreadful feeling that was buried deep in the pit of her stomach. I've got a bad feeling about this… she thought.
………………………………………………………………………
The mine was relatively undamaged after the Metarex attack. Molly opened a box containing rocks, as well as a glowing white gem. "There's the Chaos Emerald!" said Sunset.
"Hello!" said Rouge, trying to reach for it. "Come to mama!"
But Shadow was quicker. "Don't forget; I got my eye on you," he warned.
"Oh, come on," said Rouge. "We're on the same team, aren't we, Shadow?"
"Sure we are," said Shadow sarcastically.
Sunset snorted behind her hand in amusement while Rouge looked offended. "How insulting!" she said.
Molly was looking around for the locker. "Let's see…" she said. "Here it is!"
But when she opened the locker, all she found… was a time bomb! "It's a trap!" yelled Sunset.
Luckily, Shadow was able to leap his comrades out of the building to safety just before the bomb exploded. "What the heck was that?!" exclaimed Sunset, shook up at what came about.
"What happened?" asked Rouge.
"Someone deliberately put that bomb in the cabinet," said Shadow. "Who gave you the key, Molly?"
Molly gasped. "It was Leon!" she exclaimed, watching the burning building. "It can't be true. He would never! It can't be!"
"But deep down, it somehow is," said Sunset sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Molly, but however it happened, you've been betrayed and have been the victim of an attempted assassination." In more ways than one, Sunset knew what betrayal felt like all too well.
Suddenly, a MRTX-1 warship flew directly over them. And there were many other warships with it. "Well lookie here," said Rouge.
Shadow turned on his radio. "Doctor, do you read me?" he said. "Doctor!"
But there was only static. "That double-crossing Leon," said Rouge. "He and his comrades have been cooking up some nasty little deal, but they had to get Molly out of the way."
Sunset gasped, shocked. "You're wrong," said Molly, turning around. "He'd never hurt me. Not ever!
………………………………………………………………………
"We're all a team. They'd never betray me!"
But Rouge and Sunset were right. Inside the base, Leon was communicating to Pale Bayleaf via video screen. "I must admit," the Metarex General was saying, "when you first approached me with your request, I was quite taken aback. You and your feisty friends have been battling us for so long, I thought you would never give up. But I understand, of course. Fighting such as this can be quite exhausting, especially when one is on the losing team."
"That's right," Leon agreed. "Which is why we have all decided to join forces with you."
"And the girl?" asked Pale Bayleaf. "I would be quite surprised if she agrees to such an arrangement."
"She won't," said Leon. "But don't worry; I've sent her some-place where she won't interfere. We'll hand over Eggman as promised. Now let's get this over with already."
A laugh sounded from behind him. "I should think I should have a say in this diabolical deal."
Leon turned to see Eggman standing in the room. "You thought you were pretty clever, didn't you, my friend?" said the doctor. "But unfortunately, you're not clever enough."
Leon pointed his pistol at Eggman. "Don't move!" he warned.
Eggman wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "And you there," he said, turning his attention to Pale Bayleaf. "You work for Dark Oak, I presume?"
"You presume correctly," answered Pale Bayleaf. "However, I am but one emissary of the great master. We are many."
"Hm," said Eggman. "Well, you and your Meta-pals may have fooled our crafty comrade here, but fooling the great Eggman won't be so easy."
"Hey!" snapped Leon. "That's enough out of you!"
Eggman just grinned. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the room, creating a hole in the roof. Leon and Eggman looked up to see a giant robot– and it wasn't affiliated with the Metarex. "Dr. Eggman!" said Cubot.
"Our timing is impeccable!" said Orbot.
This robot was Eggman's E-3,000.
………………………………………………………………………
Outside, Molly climbed into her ship and buckled up. "Please wait!" called a voice.
Molly looked down to see Shadow, Rouge, and Sunset, who were all looking worried. "Don't go!" Shadow pleaded. "You'll only get yourself hurt!"
Molly loosened her grip on the control stick a little, but re-tightened her grip with everything she had. "Don't be foolish, Molly," said Rouge. "Now isn't the time to go and get revenge on that Leon guy. It's way too dangerous. If your comrades are surrendering to the Metarex, then what are you gonna do?"
"I have to find out why," said Molly.
The hatch closed, and she started to lift off into the air. "Molly!" Rouge called as Molly took off.
Sunset quickly followed her, wanting to get to the bottom of this as well. "I don't know what those guys are up to," said Shadow, "but they want Molly out of the way. And I'm gonna stop them somehow."
The Chaos Emerald Shadow was holding started to glow. "Shadow?" asked Rouge.
"I'm going," said Shadow, determined. "I don't know why, but I feel like I have to protect her… or something terrible will happen."
………………………………………………………………………
The E-3,000 stood by as the Crimson Egg landed nearby. Leon and his fleet were on the move. "Hurry up!" said Leon. "If we let Eggman get away, the Metarex will destroy every one of us!"
………………………………………………………………………
"I've had enough of this foolishness!" said Eggman. "E-3,000, have a little fun, why don't you!"
………………………………………………………………………
E-3,000 started grabbing fighters, including Leon's, and embedded them into the ground like they were darts.
………………………………………………………………………
"Ha!" laughed Eggman. "Bulls-eye! A crushing defeat!"
"You can say that again!" agreed Orbot.
………………………………………………………………………
Suddenly, giant red beams struck down around them. "What was that?" asked Orbot.
The Metarex fleet was upon them, including Bayleaf's ship.
………………………………………………………………………
"It looks as if there had been a change of plans," said the Metarex General. "You have not kept your word, my friend. So disappointing."
"Wait!" Leon pleaded. "I promise you Eggman and you'll have him, I swear! I just need more time!"
"Unfortunately, patience is not my strong suit," said Pale Bayleaf. "You have dropped your end of the bargain. You lose."
………………………………………………………………………
"No! Please!" Leon begged, his ship still embedded in the ground.
"Leon, what are you saying?" asked a pilot.
"Will they let us join them?" asked another pilot. "Will they?!"
"I… I don't know," answered Leon, feeling like he failed.
"How could you do it, Leon?!" asked a new voice.
Everyone looked up in surprise as suddenly, Molly swooped in, followed by Sunset. "You made a deal with them," said Molly. "You wanted to abandon everything we worked so hard for! What about our planet? What about the promise we made to our ancestors?"
"WE'VE HAD ENOUGH!" shrieked Leon.
This surprised Molly. Sunset froze, not saying anything as her eyes glared daggers at the embedded resistance fighters. "We're too tired!" said one pilot. "We can't go fighting on like this forever!"
"Every day is the same thing," agreed another one.
"If we surrender," explained yet another one, "the fighting will be over and we'll live forever."
"Please understand," said Leon, "I can't go on like this anymore, Molly. I'm tired. … You wouldn't have gone along with it! I'm sorry, but it was either us or you! In the end, we'd rather have you die rather than us fight an endless battle."
Tears pricked Molly's eyes and they started to fall. It felt like her dream was shattered. Sunset was furious at what she heard. "Are. You. Kidding me?!" she exclaimed with furry. "Every single one of you is quitting?! UNBELIEVABLE! YOU GUYS WOULD RATHER TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT BY JOINING OUR ENEMIES AND KILLING MY FRIEND, ONE OF THE BEST RESISTANCE LEADERS I'VE EVER MET, JUST SO THE FIGHTING CAN STOP?!?! YOU'RE NOT JUST AS BAD AS THE METAREX!! YOU'RE ALL JUST… AWFUL!!!!!"
Fire shot out of her from her mouth and limbs as she screamed in anger, frightening the resistance fighters. Tears pricked her own eyes as that familiar feeling of betrayal washed over her. Seeing that she was quickly losing focus, Shadow helped her land on a nearby clifftop before he then landed on the wing of Molly's craft. "Don't cry, Molly!" he said.
Molly just looked at him. "Shadow…" she said, her tears flowing freely.
"I'll be there any time you need me," Shadow promised reassuringly. "Just like in that story, remember?"
The Chaos Emerald in his hand glowed. Shadow leapt off her ship and, like the Black Wind of legend, easily destroyed one of the MRTX-1 ships. Eggman witnessed this from the cockpit of the Crimson Egg. As her craft flew on, Molly looked down, Shadow's words resonating in her mind. "I'll show them…" she said. "I'll keep fighting…"
Her tears flowed again. "I'll be back one day…" she said.
Just then, her radio turned on. It was Sunset, who had calmed down somewhat. "Molly! Molly, come in!" she said. "If you can hear me, you have to leave NOW! It's the only way you'll ever see your dream come true!"
But Molly had already made her decision. "Sunset," she said. "I want you to know… that you've been the best friend anyone could ask for. You've inspired me the most in the short time that we've known each other. And I couldn't ask for a better comrade."
On the ground, Sunset was confused. "Wait. What are you saying?" she asked.
Molly smiled. "Sunset… I leave my dream to you and to your friends, wherever they are," she said. "No matter what happens, never stop fighting for what's right."
With that, she turned off her radio before Sunset could reply. Pulling on her control stick, she flew away… before her craft suddenly turned around. She flew directly at Pale Bayleaf's battleship, letting out a heart wrenching but brave war cry. Her choice was clear at that moment: if she was going to die, then she was going to do so fighting!
Shadow was surprised at what he was seeing. Sunset and Rouge, who had just arrived, saw the events unfold. "Molly!" she exclaimed.
"Is she crazy?!" exclaimed Sunset. "I didn't tell her to do that! She's gonna get herself killed!!"
Molly fired on the battleship, taking down a ship in the process. Pale Bayleaf, seeing what was unfolding before him, just scoffed and said these two words: "Kill her."
At that, dozens of red lasers were fired at Molly's ship. Shadow raced to save her, but as they passed each other, they locked eyes for the last time. Molly was crying, but she was smiling; she was going out on her own terms. She didn't say anything, but her eyes seemed to say it all for her: "Goodbye, Shadow. You and your comrades never stop fighting for what's right."
By the time Shadow realized what was happening, it was too late. The spacecraft exploded, sending Shadow to the ground and taking the brave young woman with it. "MOLLY!!!" screamed Rouge.
Sunset, Leon, and the resistance watched in horror and sorrow as their leader and comrade died, going down fighting for what was right and for the planet she loved. Even Eggman was watching in respectful silence. And Pale Bayleaf couldn't help but be impressed with her courage and perseverance. As the full realization of what happened in front of her crashed down on her, Sunset let out a silent but sorrowful, grief-filled scream as her tears flowed freely. All strength leaving her legs, she fell on her knees on the rocky surface of the clifftop, fire coming out of her immediately upon contact and getting down serval MTRX-1 ships in the process. It was clear that Sunset admired Molly for who she was in the end- a brave leader who didn't hesitate to lay down her life for the right side... something that she once admired in Leia long ago.
Meanwhile, Shadow hit the ground, silently sobbing away his sorrows. Memories of his time with Molly flashed through his mind:
"I've never seen bravery like that before. It was like the legend of Black Wind."
"It's all right. The spirit of Black Wind is with me."
Remembering what she had fought for, Shadow stood up and saw that Pale Bayleaf's fleet was leaving Cascade. I'll keep fighting, Molly, he said to himself. Maybe we'll meet again someday.
In an effort to avenge her, Shadow removed his limiters and leapt towards the fleet. They opened fire at him, but he avoided the lasers. In one fell swoop, he completely obliterated the fleet. Rouge and Sunset looked on before looking down sadly, Sunset in tears at the loss of yet another friend.
Later that day, the sun set over the horizon as the three stood on Cascade's surface near a cliff. Shadow had made a grave for Molly, and for a while, they mourned over the loss of a courageous comrade. The Crimson Egg had left sometime ago. "Shadow," asked Rouge, finally breaking the silence, "did Molly ever remind you of…her? Did… she ever remind you of Maria?"
Shadow thought about it as an image of his late friend flashed through his mind. "Not at all," he said.
"It's just that… well, I gotta admit…" said Rouge. "That Molly chick? She was tougher than I thought."
Shadow didn't say anything. "Hey Shadow? You okay?" asked Rouge.
"Sure," Shadow answered. "I'm fine."
"It's just… you seemed to like her and all," said Rouge.
"Well, sure I liked her," said Shadow. "She was a good kid. She wanted to see where the future took her."
After a while, Shadow tossed the Chaos Emerald to Rouge. "Give this to Eggman, will ya?" he said as he left.
Dust blew around Shadow as Rouge watched him walk away. She then turned her attention to Sunset, who hadn't said anything the whole time. She was just sitting on her knees, her face buried in her hands, sobbing brokenly over the recent events. Taking a deep breath, Rouge went over to her, touching her shoulder. "Sunset?" she asked, her voice oddly comforting.
Sunset didn't bother looking up, but she knew who it was. "I… I can't believe she's gone," she sniffed. "All because of betrayal. I vowed once that I wasn't going to let it happen again. And I failed."
"Seems like you've dealt with this before," said Rouge.
Sunset nodded. "True," she said. "But it was from a different galaxy and a different war, long before I met any of you. Once, a fellow clone soldier went against us and almost cost us a battle. When we finally caught and arrested him, there was something he said as he was being led away that resonated in my mind: 'You don't understand, but I was striking a blow for all clones.' It made me realize that not everyone was fond of the war.
"Over the years, during the course of my adventures, I've had a lot of betrayals happen in one way or another, but that didn't mean they hurt any less. What happened today made me flash back to all those times. What they did was wrong. And I failed to prevent Molly from having that betrayal happen." She sniffed as she continued to look down, her tears flowing down her face and landing on her skirt.
Rouge walked around until she was facing Sunset. "I don't know most of what you've been through previously," she said, "but I can tell you this: something tells me that Molly would never want you to give up."
At this, Sunset finally looked up at her. "Really?" she sniffed.
Rouge nodded. "She entrusted her dream onto you and all of us," she said. "I know what happened today was hard, but she would want you to stay strong and move on for her sake. Through your previous experiences, you've come out stronger than ever, no matter what they were. I bet she was proud to be friends with a person like that."
Wiping her eyes, Sunset thought about what Rouge had said. "You know what? You're right," she said. "She died for a reason. For what's right. Because she knew that someone's going to carry on her vision. And that someone is me and my friends."
She stood up. "I promise: I will not let her sacrifice go to waste," she vowed. "And I won't stop until the Metarex is destroyed once and for all. For her sake. They're going to pay for what they did to the galaxy."
Rouge smiled, happy that Sunset had snapped out of her funk. Said girl turned to the bat. "Thanks, Rouge," she said.
The two shook hands. "Anytime," said Rouge before the girls went their separate ways.
………………………………………………………………………
In the Crimson Egg, Eggman was also watching Shadow. "Doctor," said Cubot, "we are getting a message from someone. Should I connect them now?"
"Quickly," Eggman answered.
The transmission was activated to show a battered Pale Bayleaf. He had somehow survived Shadow's attack, albeit more damaged than Black Narcissus was previously. Now, he was holding his own damaged head/helmet. "Your luck is running out, Doctor," he warned.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
