While your conversation with Shadow may have shed light on a few things... it's obvious he doesn't think you all are up to the task of saving the universe from Eggman. Which also means that now you're dealing with his test, starting immediately. Some of you may be whisked away with no time to even blink, while others may find themselves wandering the Void aimlessly. Regardless, it seems this week won't be a particularly easy one.
THE VOID
Nothing has changed in the Void. Nothing ever changes in the Void. It's impossible to track the passage of time in here, and your only escape are the rings... though you should be careful with them, as there's far fewer this week. You're free to travel between worlds as you see fit - Shadow won't stop you - but you can be snatched up from wherever you are at any given moment and pulled back into the Void. Maybe don't plan on spending to long anywhere else, because it won't end well for you if you do.
The hexagonal shards will still show you visions of other worlds... but this time they all show the same thing. You'll see worlds - maybe even your own - taken over by robots and Eggman's chroma, reduced to smoldering ashes or being rebuilt in Eggman's image. Your friends, allies, and enemies may even be going about their lives just as listlessly and dutifully, heedless of their surroundings. You may even see alternate versions of yourself among them. Regardless, it seems all these shards have to show you this week are all the possibilities of failure - that other versions of shardbearers in other timelines have already lost.
MINDSCAPES
Shadow's usage of the Phantom Ruby and his own fake Chaos Emerald shard have caused quite the problem for you all - namely, you'll find yourselves traversing each other's innermost thoughts and dreams. Exactly how this mindscape manifests depends on the individual, but one thing will always remain true: you won't be able to find the owner of the mindscape easily.
As a reflection of these inner thoughts, mindscapes can be any sort of place. Perhaps they are a reflection of the owner's inner demons and fear, or perhaps they showcase a bright future they want to work towards. Regardless, this is a dream and one the owner must be awoken from... which means finding them and bringing them back to reality. That's easier said than done when traversing through this dream-like state, where the rules are made up by the owner and you're a foreign being that the dream recognizes as a threat (even if you aren't).
You may encounter familiar places or people within these mindscapes. You may not. You may end up fighting for your life in here... or you may not. Each one is individual, and the experience can vary wildly from person to person. No matter what you face, you must find the owner of the mindscape and bring them back. You must ensure you're strong enough to support them... and protect yourself.
Curiously, you can activate your shared shard power with the owner of the mindscape at any time - or bolster your own power if you share shard colors - even without them being present. Will this make it easier or harder to help bring them back? It depends on the person, your bond, and the mindscape itself...
Waking them up is as simple as convincing them that they're dreaming - that this isn't real and that they still have things to return to - but that may be easier said than done depending on the person... or the mindscape itself. There's no telling what you'll encounter, after all.
SHARDS
You'll find you're capable of more now than you were before. You're really adapting to using your shard powers and fighting with others. Those of you who share shard colors will feel the strength of your shards increasing even more when working together.
As you fight with your allies - particularly those you have a close bond with, positive or negative - you may feel the tug of something in the back of your head; it tells you that you can do more. Together, you can become more powerful. You can use your shards together. Doing so will grant you a new power, or strengthen the one you already have. The more you trust one another, the easier this power will be to use.
It might be good to experiment with these new powers; after all, you never know when you may need them.
TAILS' TASKS
Given that your allies are being pulled into mindscapes and are unable to break free of their own, your task this week is to help your friends. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are off dealing with their own mindscapes, but whenever they are around, they're adamant about the importance of making sure everyone is freed and prepared for whatever comes next.
ENEMIES
Like last week, you will not encounter any of Eggman's robots. The Void is still free of enemies, though other worlds may possess their own threats. Mindscapes are a bit of a different beast; each one varies, and you may or may not encounter threats of any sort in them. Best be on your guard.
[The path down is...winding, uncertain and rocky, but those little orbs of light will continue to bring Raven down the path, deeper and deeper in. He can even see little crystals lining the walls of the cave, though their memories aren't quite...right.
They start, and then abruptly end when another memory starts. They're mostly small thoughts, simpler things, though Raven can see some that look like she was attempting to survive out in the wild on her own. Those ones are the fuzziest of all.
But once again, Dorothy's voice speaks up.]
...It's funny. I've spent so long pursuing revenge, you know. Longer than most people have lived, even in the Ark. I dedicated my whole life to this. This anger, this burning grudge in what counts as my heart, and I never thought about anything beyond it.
I've...never been a good person, I suppose. I still do not know if I can be one, after all of this time. If everyone knew...they'd...
They'd walk away. Just like everyone else.
[You're stopped by another large crystal; still in the same place, but it seems that Snow White has gotten right up in a crying Dorothy's face this time.
[Raven pays careful attention to these clipped memories, taking in bits and pieces of Dorothy's history that he hasn't yet seen. He's about to touch one to see if he can get more out of it when Dorothy speaks up again.
When she speaks about the lengths that she went through for her revenge, he believes it. He witnessed the horrible betrayal firsthand- felt her pain and rage as if it was his own. Living like that...must have been miserable and so very lonely.
Well, he happens to know a thing or two about living with misery.]
I'd be the world's biggest hypocrite if I walked away from ya now. Bein' a good person ain't as easy as the goodie two-shoes make it seem, ya know.
[They both might not be the best people, but they've still god people who like them for who they are. Warts and all.
He approaches the big crystal and touches it, preparing himself for what's to come.]
...I wish I could understand how anyone does it. But you're right. It isn't easy.
[The next few memories play out, and it's pretty needless to say that Dorothy has gone through quite the wringer in them. (54:10 to 58:00, and 58:54 to 1:03:07. if you want extra painful context: 1:05:09 to 1:08:14. :3)
It's clear that while Snow White's words were meant to instill determination in Dorothy, all it made her feel was more alienated from them all at the very end of it. Sure, she had Pinne to keep her company and act as her anchor, but it's clear that the idea of separating from them did a lot of damage to Dorothy's mental health. They fought for humanity, an undeserving humanity; she viewed it as them walking away from her. Because she couldn't understand, she couldn't understand why they were willing to continue this fight when they were all being left to die.
But eventually, they go their separate ways, but Pinne tells Dorothy she wants to stay at that base. And...well, Pinne's the only one who's still there. They try to make a life there, trying to grow food and failing at it. They try to make their own paradise out of nothing, and it's on a visit to Liliweiss' grave that the truth is revealed and the second despair along with it.
Pinne's been dead all along. A hallucination created by Dorothy to keep herself sane, after she had to kill her one, dearest friend. She gives one final thanks to Pinne, before the crystal breaks.
[As he watches, he can see where the others are coming from. He can see they're trying to stop Dorothy before she fully gives in to revenge. They all just went through a horrible betrayal, but they don't want to give up just yet.
Must be nice to be able to think like that. To be able to look despair in the eye and refuse to give in to it.
He remains with Dorothy and Pinne as they try to get by in whatever ways they can. He's there when Dorothy comes to the horrible realization that Pinne was never there to begin with.
He squeezes his eyes shut after the memory releases him. It's hard to not let himself get wrapped up in his own emotions, watching Dorothy go through all of that. It's a pain he relates all to well to. It's one of the reasons why he feels so connected to her.
After he gathers himself, he continues. There's absolutely no way he's turning back now.]
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They start, and then abruptly end when another memory starts. They're mostly small thoughts, simpler things, though Raven can see some that look like she was attempting to survive out in the wild on her own. Those ones are the fuzziest of all.
But once again, Dorothy's voice speaks up.]
...It's funny. I've spent so long pursuing revenge, you know. Longer than most people have lived, even in the Ark. I dedicated my whole life to this. This anger, this burning grudge in what counts as my heart, and I never thought about anything beyond it.
I've...never been a good person, I suppose. I still do not know if I can be one, after all of this time. If everyone knew...they'd...
They'd walk away. Just like everyone else.
[You're stopped by another large crystal; still in the same place, but it seems that Snow White has gotten right up in a crying Dorothy's face this time.
Do you want to touch the crystal?]
no subject
When she speaks about the lengths that she went through for her revenge, he believes it. He witnessed the horrible betrayal firsthand- felt her pain and rage as if it was his own. Living like that...must have been miserable and so very lonely.
Well, he happens to know a thing or two about living with misery.]
I'd be the world's biggest hypocrite if I walked away from ya now. Bein' a good person ain't as easy as the goodie two-shoes make it seem, ya know.
[They both might not be the best people, but they've still god people who like them for who they are. Warts and all.
He approaches the big crystal and touches it, preparing himself for what's to come.]
cw: hallucinations
[The next few memories play out, and it's pretty needless to say that Dorothy has gone through quite the wringer in them. (54:10 to 58:00, and 58:54 to 1:03:07. if you want extra painful context: 1:05:09 to 1:08:14. :3)
It's clear that while Snow White's words were meant to instill determination in Dorothy, all it made her feel was more alienated from them all at the very end of it. Sure, she had Pinne to keep her company and act as her anchor, but it's clear that the idea of separating from them did a lot of damage to Dorothy's mental health. They fought for humanity, an undeserving humanity; she viewed it as them walking away from her. Because she couldn't understand, she couldn't understand why they were willing to continue this fight when they were all being left to die.
But eventually, they go their separate ways, but Pinne tells Dorothy she wants to stay at that base. And...well, Pinne's the only one who's still there. They try to make a life there, trying to grow food and failing at it. They try to make their own paradise out of nothing, and it's on a visit to Liliweiss' grave that the truth is revealed and the second despair along with it.
Pinne's been dead all along. A hallucination created by Dorothy to keep herself sane, after she had to kill her one, dearest friend. She gives one final thanks to Pinne, before the crystal breaks.
...The path is clear. Do you wish to continue?]
no subject
Must be nice to be able to think like that. To be able to look despair in the eye and refuse to give in to it.
He remains with Dorothy and Pinne as they try to get by in whatever ways they can. He's there when Dorothy comes to the horrible realization that Pinne was never there to begin with.
He squeezes his eyes shut after the memory releases him. It's hard to not let himself get wrapped up in his own emotions, watching Dorothy go through all of that. It's a pain he relates all to well to. It's one of the reasons why he feels so connected to her.
After he gathers himself, he continues. There's absolutely no way he's turning back now.]