"Draw this in your own style" - https://twitter.com/Kirby_Stardream.....73702144729088

Okay, so normally I don't do these sorts of things. But for some reason, this particular "Draw This in Your Own Style" caught my interest. And I decided to add a little twist: Rather than simply drawing Sonic, I decided to draw a lesser known character, Shard.

Who is Shard? Well, the tl;dr is that he is from the original Archie comics canon. Shard is the original Metal Sonic, who was created to surpass and defeat Sonic as well as his allies. However, he became so advanced and powerful, he overcame even his own programming. But I'll give a more detailed description below.

What really matters, though, is that I consider Shard the last truly great creation of the Sonic comic before its canon ended. He had a story arc that - while sporadic - lasted through over 220 issues of the comic over several years. And below, I will attempt to do that arc justice. In short, it was brilliantly done and a genuinely touching and sympathetic character.

I'll also be uploading an alternative version, using the "classic" Metal Sonic color scheme. <3

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Sonic has battled many foes in many canons throughout the years. But in both video game and comics, one of the most iconic of his enemies was Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic was created as the robotic equal to Sonic - just as fast, just as cunning, and with many powers at its disposal.

In the video game universe, Metal Sonic made his first appearance in Sonic CD. (There was also a "Mecha Sonic" in Sonic 2, but that is a different, more limited robot.) And the comic canon had a tie-in to this on their 25th issue. In both versions of the story, Sonic and Metal Sonic took part in a deadly race against one another in order to save Amy Rose, who was trapped. (Tails is also trapped in the comic version.) Metal Sonic lost the race, but would later be repaired in order to battle the Chaotix and Knuckles.

However, the story really begins afterward.

After the events of Sonic CD and Chaotix, Metal Sonic was salvaged and repaired with a crystalline core. This not only gave him an unheard-of amount of new power, but also the ability to self-repair as well as a mind of its own. Metal Sonic decided to act of his own accord, soundly defeating Sonic and kidnapping his friend Tails in a nearly-erupting volcano; not at the orders of Dr. Eggman this time, but rather because he wanted to show his superiority to his organic counterpart once and for all.

Metal Sonic proved to be overwhelming to his nemesis, outrunning and outgunning him constantly as Sonic attempted his rescue. Sonic was, in fact, only able to make headway toward his friend because the powerful Metal Sonic allowed him to do so. He wanted to see Sonic fail and perish right in front of his eyes. And by the time Sonic reached tails, the volcano had begun to erupt and time had run out.

All hope seemed lost for Sonic and Tails as the lava began to flow. Sonic begged Tails to fly away and save himself. But, when Tails refused to leave Sonic's side, Metal Sonic discovered something new within himself. Surpassing all of his previous programming, Metal Sonic found that he now understood the value of life.

Using his immense strength to free Sonic and Tails, he told them to escape as the lava and rocks began to engulf him. So it was that Metal Sonic sacrificed himself to save them.

...Or so everyone thought.

A long, long time later, Metal Sonic's crystalline power core was salvaged from the location. And... in a desperate bid to bolster a deeply weakened and spread-out group of Freedom Fighters... Sonic's uncle, Charles Hedgehog, chose to repair him using the spare equipment from many like him.

So it was that Metal Sonic was revived, now choosing to use the name "Shard" instead, and serving as part of a secret task force to turn the tides back in favor of those he once battled against. Shard is a robot that overcame his evil origins and his programming, to protect the lives he now understood and valued so dearly.

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So, that is the story. Again, I highly recommend checking out the 25th, 86th, 87th, 238th, 245th, and 246th issues of the comic to really see this arc play out.

Suffice it to say, this was a fun challenge, and a nice excuse to highlight a really cool character. Thanks, Kirby_Stardream!