#I suffered for this

[firestorm-fox]

Eclipse in Shadow Generations

The green and brown of the forest and the blue of the sky faded from Eclipse's vision and was replaced by blinding white. There were structures in the void but they were white as well, only trimmed in gold. In the distance to his right was water. To his left was some purple substance.

After getting over the awe of the strange place he was transported to, Eclipse frantically looked around to make sure the Dark Arms were still with him.

"Is everyone here?"

Rhygenta, Cregal, Cyzer, and Blurk were all floating behind him, just as shocked by the sudden change of scenery as Eclipse was.

"Oh, good. Wherever this is, at least we're all together." Eclipse didn't know what he'd do if he had been transported to this strange void alone. It wasn't him being alone in the void that would have worried him, rather the Dark Arms being alone out there without him. Even if this place was dangerous, he could still protect them.

It was then he noticed something else about this place. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, something he thought he would never feel again: more Black Arms.

At first he wasn't sure. Perhaps he was imagining it; perhaps it was just wishful thinking tricking himself into feeling other Black Arms through the hivemind.

No, they were absolutely there.

"🪶" Cregal chirped at Eclipse, pointing a wing up in the sky.

Eclipse looked up but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. It was a large dark sphere with rings covered in eyes. It was undoubtedly Black Arms, but he didn't recognize what it was or what it was for. That was concerning to him as there shouldn't be any information on the Black Arms that wasn't implanted in his mind while he was in his growing pod.

This was something new.

"Cregal, I need a closer look," Eclipse stated.

Cregal eagerly flew into his master's arm, transforming his arms into wings. Without knowing exactly what the sphere was, Eclipse was not going to just fly out to it. He instead flew up to one of the platforms above to look out over the void.

Eclipse noticed one of the structures in the distance had color: gray, yellow, and blue. It looked like part of the Space Colony Ark but how could it be here? It was in space and this certainly wasn't space. At least, it didn't seem like space, but Eclipse couldn't be sure of much at the moment.

"Standing around isn't going to get us anywhere," Eclipse announced. "We need to scout this place and find out what's going on."

Eclipse went to get down when he noticed more structures materializing into existence. One such structure was to his right and black, standing in stark contrast to the other buildings.

"Let's go there first. I sense Black Arms there." Eclipse flew over, the rest of his Dark Arms following behind him. He glided through an open balcony in the back of the building, immediately having to dodge a laser on the way in.

"Look out!" he warned, flying to the side to get a better look at what was firing at him. What Eclipse saw were three white robots with red and dark blue accents. "What are GUN robots doing here?!" he practically shouted, now very concerned.

Eclipse flew in between two of the robots, tricking them into shooting each other down. For the last one, he landed and switched out Cregal for Cyzer and shot it to bits.

"That takes care of that. Let's keep going." Eclipse switched back to Cregal and flew up past where the robots were to where he felt a Black Arms presence.

Lo and behold, there really was a Black Arm there. A large burly Black Arm with spikes on its shoulders, strange appendages coming out of its back with gold lights on the ends, and a gold light on the chest. It seemed to be generating a shield.

Eclipse was beyond delighted and ran right up to the Black Arm soldier, having already released Cregal.

"This is a new type!" Eclipse exclaimed. He had never seen this breed before and it wasn't in his memories. "He's a Black Wall," he stated, having gleaned that information from the soldier's mind.

The Dark Arms chirped in delight.

Eclipse patted the Black Wall's arm even though he knew it wouldn't react to it. He could see the Black Arm, he could sense it with his mind, but he just needed to feel it was real too.

"Come on, we have to check out the rest of this place and find out what's going on," Eclipse urged. He reabsorbed Cregal and flew out of the building.

Eclipse landed outside and Cregal popped out abruptly. He caught the winged Dark Arm and held him gently. "You're tired, rest now."

"🎶" Rhygenta chirped worriedly.

Eclipse looked up in time to watch three Black Warriors get decimated by none other than Shadow the Hedgehog. He gasped and quickly ducked behind some rubble, the Dark Arms following his lead.

"What's he doing here?" Eclipse groaned. Between running from Team Dark and GUN, and dealing with those strange creatures that had thankfully disappeared after the planet had been put back together, Eclipse and the Dark Arms were run ragged. They hadn't the time to get stronger; in fact, they were weaker. Eclipse was thin, the outline of his ribs visible, as he always made sure the Dark Arms had enough to eat before him. This was taking its toll and he knew he couldn't face Shadow in his current state.

More than that, Shadow had appeared far more brutal than he remembered, and there was a strange yet somehow familiar power emanating from him.

"Who is that human he's allowing to touch him?" Eclipse questioned, hints of both disgust and curiosity in his voice. "And who's..." he went silent upon realization. "That's the human scientist who worked with Black Doom to create Shadow in the first place! He's supposed to be dead! Just what's going on?"

Basic information about Gerald Robotnik was among the implanted memories given to Eclipse alongside information on Shadow. Information on the human girl he now saw with Shadow was not but it was clear she was someone important to the Ultimate Lifeform.

Eclipse wasn't close enough to hear anything they were saying and he didn't want to be. The closer he was to Shadow, the more likely the hedgehog was to detect him. Eclipse was surprised he hadn't already sensed his presence even though he knew Shadow detested using the hivemind.

It wasn't long before Shadow sped off, Eclipse letting out a sigh of relief as he left. His joy at finding more Black Arms was all but forgotten, replaced by the fear of Shadow finding him and his Dark Arms.

"Stick close to me and try not to be seen," Eclipse warned. They made their way back around the building to avoid being noticed by the humans. Eclipse sat down out of sight. "We'll continue exploring in a bit, after Cregal's rested up."

There wasn't much they could travel on foot with all of the water there and Eclipse did not want to follow Shadow and risk getting caught.

---

Eclipse and the Dark Arms continued exploring in the direction Shadow had went after Eclipse saw him leave. He figured a good way to avoid Shadow was to be where he just was as he probably wasn't going to return right away. This area looked like old ruins and had many bird statues, which reminded him of the floating temple that the Black Arms had left on Earth, not that Eclipse had ever seen it for himself. Visiting it was definitely something he wanted to do, but he had far more pressing matters to deal with.

The alien continued to walk around, enamored by the ruins, when he heard a loud gurgling. He froze, unsure of where it came from until he heard it again and realized it was his own stomach. He sighed, unsure of where he'd even find food in this place. He didn't want to even think about how angry Shadow would be if he even touched the humans.

"You hungry?" came a deep, slow voice.

Eclipse whipped around to see a large purple cat nearly twice his size holding a long stick with a string attached to it. He froze again, unsure of what to do. The cat didn't seem threatening but he couldn't be sure.

"If you're hungry," the cat continued. "I can catch some fish for you."

Eclipse blinked, taken aback by the offer. The Dark Arms surrounded Eclipse and chirped, urging him to accept. He told them to settle down through the hivemind and took a few steps toward the cat.

"What's the, uh, catch?" Eclipse asked, certain there had to be one.

"No catch." The cat chuckled. "I just like to help people, if I can."

Eclipse still didn't understand. Why would someone just help him? Surely the cat had to know what he was.

"Uh, sure," Eclipse accepted, though very reluctantly.

"Alrighty!" The cat sat down and flicked the stick toward the water. A hook with a weight on the end of the wire plunged into the water. "Have you ever fished before?"

"No." Eclipse didn't even know what it was although he was catching on quickly.

"It's very relaxing," the cat stated. After a few minutes, there was a tug on the line and the cat pulled a fish out of the water. He pulled the fish off the hook and handed it to Eclipse. "Here you go."

Eclipse grabbed the still-flopping fish and bit right into it. As he chewed, he held out the now-motionless fish to the Dark Arms so they could all have a bite as well. It didn't take very long for them to finish it as it wasn't a very big fish.

"Here's another," the cat announced, holding out a much bigger fish.

Eclipse eagerly took the larger fish, he and the Dark Arms taking sizable bites. If the cat was disturbed by Eclipse and the Dark Arms's eating habits, he didn't show it.

"You like the fish?" the cat asked.

Eclipse and the Dark Arms simply nodded.

"I'm glad. If only the other Black Arms would eat fish instead of people," the cat lamented.

Eclipse nearly choked on what he was chewing but managed to swallow it. So the cat did realize he was Black Arms but just didn't care? He wasn't even afraid at all! Confused and with a full belly now, Eclipse decided it was time to move on.

"Thank you," he forced out, again moving in the direction Shadow had already gone.

"No problem," the cat replied. "If you get hungry again, I'll catch more fish for you. As much as you need."

With a glance back, Eclipse nodded and continued forward. The cat's generosity made him uncomfortable and he didn't want to deal with that right now. He'd still come back if he did get hungry again before finding a way out of this place, but he wasn't going to linger.

Eclipse looked up at the sphere in the sky to see it now had purple tentacles sticking out of it. He had no idea what it meant and he didn't like that he was in the dark. He had to find whoever was in charge of the Black Arms here.

He came across another large black building with two small robots in front of it, which he opted to ignore. There were more Black Arms here. Unfortunately, so was Shadow.

Eclipse began scaling the building, hoping to evade Shadow. As he neared the top, the hedgehog appeared before him. The Dark Arms shivered behind Eclipse.

"S-Shadow," Eclipse gasped but Shadow was already on the move. The hedgehog kicked Eclipse into the air and then kicked him again. Eclipse slammed down hard, feeling that same strange power from earlier.

Shadow approached as Eclipse struggled to move, surprised that the Black Arm survived his attack. All of the others he had used it on had perished instantly, meaning this one was far stronger. The Dark Arms flew to Eclipse, chirping in panic. Eclipse may have survived the attack but not without loosing some blood.

"What are you?" Shadow asked, mostly to himself as he wasn't expecting an answer.

"What do you mean? Don't you remember me?" Eclipse replied through shaky breaths.

Shadow crossed his arms as he looked over the Black Arm now sitting up. Eclipse didn't dare stand and make himself appear as a threat, not that he probably could at the moment. That attack was nothing like he'd ever dealt with from Shadow before.

"I don't." There was no fear emanating from Shadow, only confusion and a sliver of curiosity. "I encountered someone else here who clearly knew me that I don't remember. Time does not flow properly here so perhaps you are from my future."

Eclipse considered it for a moment. That would certainly explain how that human scientist was here when he was supposed to be dead. Still, it didn't quite seem right. Nothing here seemed quite right.

In that moment, Doom's Eye floated into view and projected Black Doom's form, which focused on Eclipse. Shadow tensed and Eclipse stood up, albeit wobbly, upon realization of who it was.

"Doom?!" Eclipse wondered in awe.

"What is this?" Doom questioned. "I recognize my blood in you but you are not familiar to me." Did Gerald make another without his knowledge? No, that wouldn't make sense.

"Black Death created me to counter Shadow after he defeated you," Eclipse answered automatically.

"I don't recognize that name," Doom stated. Instead of waiting for a reply, he reached out and entered Eclipse's mind.

Eclipse's eyes grew wide and he stared forward. Images flashed in his mind of Black Death, of being helped out of his growing pod, of the GUN raid on the second Black Comet, of being forced to escape with the Dark Arms, of crashing on Angel Island and finding only four of the Dark Arms had survived, of facing Team Dark and Knuckles, of escaping and crashing again, of facing dark creatures from the planet's core, of being on the run and hiding, and of arriving here.

"You're from an alternate reality where my contingency plan was a "sub mind" instead of leaving a Death Leach on the Ark," Doom stated. "You were created to counter Shadow but failed multiple times. Pathetic."

Doom's projection dissipated and Doom's Eye flew off before Shadow could land a blow.

Disoriented from having his memories stripped from his mind, Eclipse stumbled and fell off the building. The Dark Arms chirped in a panic and flew down to him. Thankfully it wasn't all the way down but it still wasn't a soft landing by any means.

Shadow hopped down and landed next to Eclipse, who was laying on his back and staring straight up into the white sky. His breathing was even more strained now. The Dark Arms surrounded him, trying to help stabilize his mind.

"I don't think I like Doom very much." Words Eclipse never thought he would utter. "Black Death would've just asked."

Shadow looked down at the Black Arm and gave a curt nod. "Doom doesn't care about anyone but himself and will sacrifice as many pawns as it takes to get what he wants," he stated.

Eclipse just stayed silent. He was starting to wonder if Shadow was right. Doom's voice echoed in his mind.

Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic.

Was Doom right? Was he pathetic? He certainly felt pathetic lying on the ground with no strength to stand. He failed to defeat Shadow on the Comet, he failed all but four of the Dark Arms, he failed to take the Master Emerald, and he failed to make the Dark Arms stronger. He'd done nothing but fail from the beginning.

The Dark Arms chirped and nuzzled Eclipse, trying to block out his negative thoughts. They were still alive, he hadn't failed them. Even if it was difficult, they were just happy being alive with him.

"I will defeat Doom again," Shadow stated. "I won't allow him take control of me and do as he pleases."

Eclipse resigned to this inevitability. He certainly hadn't the power to stop Shadow now. Eclipse cared greatly for his fellow Black Arms but Black Doom clearly didn't; they were just a means to an end to him. Yet, without Black Doom, those Black Arms would die with him. It was a conundrum, one Eclipse did not have a solution to.

Shadow bent down and gently scooped up Eclipse. Had they met earlier, Shadow would surely have not hesitated to finish him off, but Maria had helped him shed his destructive anger. He realized this Black Arm, as malnourished and weak as he was from Shadow's earlier attack and Doom's mental probing, was no threat to him. He paused for a moment, considering where to take him.

"The cat was nice to me earlier," Eclipse offered, not really intending to read Shadow's mind.

"Big." Shadow nodded and started in the cat's direction. The Dark Arms followed closely.

It didn't take long for Shadow to get to Big, crossing the gap with "Doom Surf". Eclipse was just a little jealous of Shadow's new powers although he could tell they were causing him pain. Big looked up as Shadow approached.

"Oh my," Big remarked. "What happened?"

"Black Doom," Shadow answered simply, omitting his part in Eclipse's condition. He gingerly laid Eclipse down next to Big. "I have to face him soon. Will you watch him for me?"

Big nodded. "Sure thing, Shadow."

Shadow gave his own nod and turned to leave.

"Shadow, wait!" Eclipse called out, managing to sit up.

Shadow turned around, waiting for whatever the Black Arm wanted to tell him.

"My name is Eclipse. I know we're from different realities and I don't exist in yours-" Well, he knew that now. "-but we're brothers."

Shadow gave a quiet "hmph" in acknowledgement and the faintest smile that Eclipse had to question if he imagined it, then turned and left.

Eclipse gave his own crooked smile before laying back down and curling up on his side. There was nothing for him to do but wait until he recovered, which he usually did quickly but that new power Shadow had was devastating.

Big reached over and patted Eclipse on the head. "It'll be alright. Shadow's strong, he'll take care of everything."

Eclipse smiled again and fell asleep, his Dark Arms right beside him.

---

Eclipse woke up to the sound of explosions. He immediately noticed that everything was bathed in a red light. His gaze snapped to the source of the sound and he saw the sphere in the sky explode into nothing and the red light disappear. He immediately felt the presence of the other Black Arms disappear.

Then structures began disappearing. He suddenly wondered what would happen to him now and clutched his Dark Arms close, not wanting to risk them getting separated.

Eclipse looked over to where he sensed Shadow and saw the humans start to disappear like the structures. Why were they disappearing when Shadow wasn't? Was it because they didn't belong here? Like he didn't belong here? Eclipse looked down at himself but he wasn't disappearing and neither were his Dark Arms. Was he going to be stuck here?

He looked in Shadow's direction again, feeling deep sorrow and pain rippling off of him. The humans were gone now and Shadow was running away. Did he forget about him?

"I think it's time to go," Big stated, walking in the direction that Shadow had gone.

Eclipse followed Big but wondered if he should. Why wasn't he returning to his reality the same way he had come? The same way as the humans returned to their time?

He felt a sinking feeling in his chest as he thought, what if it doesn't exist anymore? He couldn't go back if there was nowhere to go back to. Another sinking feeling weighed down his chest as he realized it would mean his Shadow might not exist anymore.

Big looked back to see that Eclipse had stopped, the Black Arm just staring at the ground as he cried. The cat didn't say a word, he simply circled back and scooped Eclipse up. Big continued on the path Shadow had taken to exit the void.

It was surprisingly dark, like space. He saw Team Dark and Knuckles in a crowd of people he didn't recognize, all cheering on two golden lights fighting some huge purple and gold monster surrounded by gears. He had no idea what was going on but assumed it had to do with the spacetime anomaly. He just stood there in silence, clutching his Dark Arms.

Before he knew it, the monster was defeated and reality was fading again. Green, brown, and blue filled his vision once more but it was not the forest he was in before. Everyone from a moment ago was there and it appeared to be some kind of gathering with food. As tempting as that was, there was no way he was dealing with a bunch of people right now, and certainly not Team Dark, even if they didn't know him.

Checking to make sure all of the Dark Arms were with him, Eclipse turned away from the party to leave. Shadow let him go earlier but he couldn't be sure he'd be spared again. Eclipse could still feel the hedgehog's sorrow and found himself wishing he could help, but he knew better than to enter Shadow's mind.

Eclipse and the Dark Arms headed toward where there were more trees as where they were was far too sparse for their liking. They had a whole new reality to get used to. Even if their own reality still existed, they had no way to even get back to it.

This would have to be their home now.

[smeerp]

Oh Crowley. Nothing lasts forever.

[goldensunset]

in small fandoms you need to be grateful to the person who only accidentally hit you twice with a frying pan while trying to make you breakfast. in big fandoms you can block people for wearing a shirt you don’t like

[noodle-shenaniganery]

I hate how often some (typically abled) people will go “well, if you can’t [get a specific support], then what?” when it comes to disabilities. As if it’s a “gotcha” moment. And then act like you’re exaggerating when you answer that question honestly.

Disabled people often die from a lack of support. A lot of disability aids are not a luxury, but a basic need in order to live.

“Well what happens if—” people die. People hurt themselves. People hurt others. Disabled people don’t magically become abled if our needs aren’t met.

If a bedbound quadriplegic is caught in a housefire, and there’s nobody there to save them, they’ll probably die. They won’t magically become able-bodied out of sheer will.

If a nonspeaking/nonverbal autistic is denied access to alternative methods of communication, they’ll suffer in silence. They won’t spontaneously become capable of speech.

Disabled people are disabled all the time. Our disabilities don’t go away just because they’re inconvenient, or if we’re in danger.

[color-ns]

Sometimes tweeter people know their stuff- this is the right kind of toxic angst I want to read.

[loveridden1999]

hopefully may will be kinder to me

[bogkeep]

ok so i think that my favourite fantasy subgenre is The Inherent Tragedy Of Being Born Into Royalty. which mostly means that i like to read about gay princes but with some nuance

[mobydyke]

we need 15-20 episode seasons again these limited series have the worst pacing in the world and none of the character decisions hold any weight

[solreefs]

“oh I’m too old for stuffed animals” skill issue. sorry you can’t appreciate little creatures made to hang out with you, I on the other hand am full of joyous whimsy and therefore vastly superior.

[iwasbored777]

I didn't need to know this 😭

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Finally caught up with Apothecary Diaries. I can't believe they gave Maomao a gun.

[great-and-small]

Turdus aficionados of Costa Rica please know I love your national bird but this is objectively hilarious

[batcavescolony]

Katniss is such an unreliable narrator. She says "Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don't expect it because I don't think of District 12 as a place that cares about me" girl you deliver strawberries to the Mayor, you hunt and trade for the district, when you fell at Prim being chosen someone caught you, when you went to Prim people parted for you, when you volunteered EVERYONE stopped. Idk how to tell you but I think you're a pillar of the community.

[goldensunset]

hate when people think the only archetype possible for a male sidekick to a female protagonist is a soft boi and/or himbo. like the implication there is that the only reason a man would ever defer to a woman’s authority is if he was a bumbling idiot. love male supporting characters who are smart and strong and confident and can step up when necessary but still kind and humble enough to let someone else take the lead most of the time

[sailermoon]

i stay up late to be happy for a few more hours

[preciouspeppermintts]

I had a funny thought