History Fanfic / WhatIfSonicLostHisMemory

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[[caption-width-right:350:The Sonic You Knew is Gone]]

The playlist for this "What If?" can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WjtOFw8E1YTQNCYDUxseK0cEP73THNs here]]. Following its conclusion and in the same vein as [[Fanfic/WhatIfFreezaTurnedGood another what-if video series]], an audio drama sequel called ''Black Shadow: Exodus'' has been announced by The Sega Scourge, with the pilot episode available [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjKz7BbpmMQ here]].

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler:The final battle of the story is this, with trying to get Sonic to remember his true identity, up to using the Chaos Emeralds to go Super in hopes of reminding him of his heroic past. However, this fails, and Sonic going Super forces Shadow to fight. After their brutal super fight ends with them falling back to earth, Shadow makes one last-ditch effort by using his wound to mix with Sonic's blood through his forehead wound in hopes of using Black Doom's vision sharing powers to show Sonic the truth. It works.]]

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler:The final battle of the story is this, with Shadow desperately trying to get Sonic to remember his true identity, such as using the Chaos Emeralds to go Super. However, nothing works until Shadow finds a chance to mix his blood with Sonic's after their brutal Super battle, using Black Doom's powers to show Sonic the truth.]]

''What If Sonic Lost His Memory?'' is a ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' WhatIf fanfic by [[https://www.youtube.com/c/thesegascourge/featured The Sega Scourge]] as part of his ''[[WebVideo/TheSegaScourgeSonicWhatIf Sonic: What If?]]'' series of videos. This particular story, comprised of five main parts along with an "Episode Shadow" side-plot, began on January 11th, 2020 and ended on May 31st, 2021.\\
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In the finale of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Shadow the Hedgehog selflessly sacrificed himself in order to save the Earth from the ARK's impact. An amnesiac Shadow returned in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', whereby he attempted to piece together the fragments of his past.\\
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But what if the same set of circumstances had happened to Sonic instead? What if Sonic fell in Shadow's place? How would he fair with no memory of his friends, his adventures, and his legendary status?\\
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In this story, however, the strange appearance of a [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 certain white hedgehog]] spells looming disaster for the future of Sonic's world. What could this disaster be? And how does it tie to the amnesiac Sonic?\\
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Now has a [[Characters/TheSegaScourgeSonicWhatIf character page]] that needs love.\\
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The playlist for this "What If?" can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WjtOFw8E1YTQNCYDUxseK0cEP73THNs here]]. Following its conclusion and in the same vein as [[Fanfic/WhatIfFreezaTurnedGood another what-if video series]], an audio drama sequel called ''Black Shadow: Exodus'' detailing [[spoiler:Black Shadow's travels across the universe with the Black Comet]] has been announced by The Sega Scourge, with the pilot episode available [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjKz7BbpmMQ here]].

** The way Sonic ends up joining Eggman's side is by wondering about his android duplicates and asking Eggman if he is one to which he answers yes, similar to what Shadow does the neutral route battle with Eggman of his game.

** Sonic's IAmWhatIAm speech borrows heavily from one of the neutral endings of [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog Shadow's game]].

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

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* ReverseMole: As a result of not having his main counterpart's conflicted sense of purpose, Shadow doesn't for a second consider actually becoming a champion for [[ObviouslyEvil Black Doom]], instead deciding to contact the GUN Commander and become the military's man on the inside. [[spoiler:He even manages to get Black Doom to trust him with joint control of the Black Arms hive-mind.]]

** The GUN Commander's long-seated grudge against Shadow's existence makes him ''very'' hesitant to allow the hedgehog to act as his ReverseMole for the Black Arms, only putting any trust in him because Maria did back when she was alive.

-->'''Eggman:''' Y'know, you never told me… the ''true'' reason you came here to see me. Be honest, you're lonely, aren't you? An [[HiveMind entire army at your command]], and yet [[NonMaliciousMonster no one to even talk to]]. Who knows how many light-years away we are from anyone you'd call a ''friend''. So tell me, ''oh mighty Black Shadow''… who's the ''real'' prisoner aboard this rock!?

-->'''Eggman:''' Y'know, you never told me… the ''true'' reason you came here to see me. Be honest, you're lonely, aren't you? An [[HiveMind entire army at your command]], and yet [[NonMaliciousMonster no one to even talk to]]. Who knows how many light-years away we are from anyone you'd call a ''friend''. So tell me, ''oh, mighty Black Shadow''… who's the ''real'' prisoner aboard this rock!?

* MythologyGag: Eggman nicknames the two Black Warriors wardening his cell [[Anime/SonicX "Decoe" and "Bocoe"]].

[[folder:Tropes specific to ''Black Shadow: Exodus'' '''(spoilers for the above unmarked)''']]

The playlist for this "What If?" can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WjtOFw8E1YTQNCYDUxseK0cEP73THNs here]].

!!''What If Sonic Lost His Memory?'' contains the following tropes:

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Thanks to now having the real deal at his beck and call, Dr. Eggman pulls this on Metal Sonic, telling Sonic that he was a creation of Tails. He also plans to do this to Sonic himself once he has killed all of his friends.

* CanonImmigrant: [[AdaptationExpansion While nothing from the games exists to contradict them]], the GUN Commander's name ("Abraham Tower") and the idea of the Black Arms being a hive-minded race originate from the [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Archie continuity post-reboot]] as opposed to explicitly being concepts from ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' proper. This also applies to Mount Freedom, the GUN Fortress' location.
* CriminalAmnesiac: Sonic (who's already the page image, humorously enough) is tricked into joining the Eggman Empire as a result of the doctor's deceit.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Eggman expresses that he ''can'' restore Sonic's memory, but plans to wait until the hedgehog fulfills his plans. By that point, Sonic will [[HeroicBSOD suffer guilt upon realizing what he's done]], allowing Eggman to completely defeat and kill the hedgehog once and for all.

* ManipulativeBastard: Dr. Eggman's in top form here. Firstly, he uses the amnesiac Sonic's paranoia and a cover story that he's the SuperPrototype to his Sonic Androids to persuade the hedgehog into joining the Eggman Empire, under the pretense that it's for the good of the world. Secondly, he exploits Metal Sonic's hatred towards his organic self to further a cover story that he's a creation of ''Tails'' meant to destroy the androids, which works wonders when Metal is forced to do an EnemyMine with the heroes. Lastly, he takes Silver's knowledge about the future and uses it to lure the heroes into one of his bunkers and promptly spring a trap for them when they arrive. [[spoiler:It's too bad he didn't expect the Black Arms getting in the way of things.]]

** Sonic's question to Eggman about whether he's one of the Sonic Androids is identical to Shadow's from the Neutral route of [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his self-titled game]].

** Prior to [[spoiler:his final fight with Black Shadow, "Empire" Sonic gives an IAmWhatIAm speech akin to the ones Shadow gave from each ending of his game.]]
** [[spoiler:Black Shadow's would-be PreMortemOneLiner of "Goodbye, doctor!" in the finale is also from ''Shadow the Hedgehog,'' in the endings where Shadow faces the Egg Dealer and kills Eggman afterwards.]]

** As a villainous example, we have Sonic working under the Eggman Empire, especially after being imbued with Sonic Fever. He immediately [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomps]] Metal Sonic, knocks away all the heroes at once, and nearly kills Tails. [[spoiler:Later gets reversed when his memory is restored, and he and Black Shadow reduce the Sonic Android army to scrap.]]

* WholePlotReference: As [[LampshadeHanging noted]] by The Sega Scourge, yes, Silver (himself already an {{Expy}} of Trunks) is indeed [[Anime/DragonBallZ traveling back in time to prevent super-powered "androids" from devastating the future.]]

* RoleSwapAU: The point of this "What If" story, swapping Sonic and Shadow's places at the end of ''Sonic Adventure 2'' and the entirety of ''Sonic Heroes'', with Shadow joining Tails and Knuckles' "Team Hero" and Sonic joining Rouge and Omega's "Team Dark Blue". From the end of ''Heroes'' onwards, however, the story then shifts towards an alternative arc about the Sonic Android threat and Sonic joining Eggman.

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[[caption-width-right:325:Sonic makes a crucial decision, and everything changes from there…]]

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** [[spoiler:Black Shadow first attempts to use the Chaos Emeralds' energies to restore Sonic's memories. It backfires spectacularly: as Sonic's been given the backstory that Shadow "left him for dead", he interprets the recollection of the ARK battle and his supposed death as confirmations of such.]]