Eclipse the Darkling

Eclipse the Darkling is a Black Arms soldier created as the species' answer to Shadow the Hedgehog.
==History==
===The Second Invasion===
Eclipse was created after the demise of Black Doom and the first Black Comet- his purpose being to destroy Shadow. To that end he was given the ability to function independent of the hive mind and make decisions of his own. One of his first was to propose an experiment that delayed the New Black Comet's arrival on Mobius, and which produced the Dark Arms. As Team Dark and the Spider Troupe arrived on the comet, he conversed with Black Death, who informed him that he would have to fulfill his purpose. When an ambush of Black Arms gained the upper hand against Shadow, Eclipse called off the attack and revealed himself to his "brother." He explained to Shadow that they were in a sense the same-the most powerful incarnations of Black Arms biology. (SU: #59, #60) Shadow attempted to fight Eclipse only to find that his Chaos Control was being blocked off somehow. Using telepathy, Eclipse showed Shadow what happened after Black Doom's defeat and revealed that the details of his creation. Eclipse attempted to convince Shadow to join the Black Arms and betray his comrades, but Shadow refused. Black Death comes to assist Eclipse and together they successfully brainwashed Shadow into joining their side. Black Death commanded the two to kill Shadow's allies and capture the nuclear weapon they had brought with them to him. Black Death's intent was to use it on Mobius after they finished their harvest. (SU: #60) While Shadow fought Omega and Rouge, Eclipse went after the Spider Troupe and knocked them out so that they might be used as nourishment for the Dark Arms.  Things seemed to be going well, but the tables turned when Omega and Rouge broke the Black Arms' hold on Shadow.  Ordered not to let their enemies retrieve the bomb by Black Death, Eclipse was furious to hear that Shadow and his friends were in the Dark Arms' nursery, but Black Death assured him that the Dark Arms were unharmed. (SU: #61)
Later, Eclipse fought Omega and Rouge in order to prevent them from retrieving the bomb. Eclipse gained the upper hand by transforming, but quickly reverted to his previous form after over-exerting himself. After arming the bomb, Omega and Rouge made their escape, and Black Death ordered Eclipse to leave on the escape pod along with the Dark Arms larvae. Eclipse refused and attempted to disarm the bomb to no avail, forcing Black Death to have Death's Eye drag Eclipse to the escape pod. Eclipse begged Black Death to let him go and admitted that he was right about destroying Shadow. To his horror, Death's Eye became lifeless, signifying that Black Death had been killed by Shadow.  Enraged, Eclipse swore revenge on Shadow as he crashed onto the planet below. (SU: #62)
===Raising the Dark Arms===
Landing on Angel Island, Eclipse started planting strange looking plants at Mushroom Hill. Relic the Pika and Fixit, who were guarding the island for Knuckles the Echidna while he was looking for a "weakened spirit", detected the energy of the plants and went to investigate, unaware that Eclipse was watching them. The Darkling returned to the crash site of the ship with fruit he had grown from the plants, which was meant to sustain the only four Dark Arms specimens to have hatched: Blurk, Cyzer, Cregal, and Rhygenta. Knowing that the fruit would only keep his new family alive, not make them any stronger, he pondered a means of accomplishing this task. After sensing the arrival of Team Dark on the island, he reached out mentally to plague Shadow with troubling visions. (SU: #64, #65, #66, #67)Eclipse soon set out to lay claim to the Master Emerald in order to increase his power and that of the Dark Arms. In the process, he ended up in a battle with Shadow, and used his transformation abilities to great effect against his hated rival. However, using the Emerald's power himself, Shadow froze Eclipse in monster form with Chaos Control, and proceeded to hit him with a barrage of attacks. He finished the assault with a Chaos Blast, which sent Eclipse's normal body flying out of his monster form and onto the horizon. After landing, Eclipse berated himself for his loss when he noticed Rouge, Omega and Knuckles the Echidna flying overhead. Worried about the safety of the Dark Arms, Eclipse used Chaos Control to teleport away. (SU: #68) After learning that the Dark Arms were indeed safe, Eclipse became even more determiend to seize the Master Emerald, and was surprised when the Dark Arms pleaded to be taken along with him. Together, the five aliens marched on the Master Emerald Shrine, where they found Shadow's teammates along with a Tele-Pod broadcasting Dr. Julian Snively's voice and image, along with Knuckles' allies Relic the Pika and Fixit. Shadow and Knuckles were absent, their argument over whether to relocate the Master Emerald to keep it from Eclipse having escalated into physical battle. Eclipse took full advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Dark Arms, first fusing with Blurk in order to gain armor that protected him from Omega's weaponry and allowed him to rip out the robot's Chaos Drive. He then employed Cregal to challenge Rouge in an aerial battle, before using Cyzer to destroy Snively's Tele-Pod. With Relic and Pika unable to challenge them, Eclipse and the Dark Arms seized the Master Emerald and, having learned of Team Dark's shuttle by threatening Relic, began making their way to the Launch Base. (SU: #69) Eclipse's progress was impeded as his adversaries activated many of the island's defenses to block his path through the desert of Sandopolis Zone. Despite facing such obstacles as a stone creature, Eclipse managed to triumph using the powers of the three Dark Arms he had employed previously. However, his luck ran out as Knuckles and Shadow, who had been contacted by their allies, caught up with him and the Dark Arms. Weary from battle, the trio of Dark Arms he had been using couldn't last, but Rhygenta intervened to give Eclipse the power of the Sonic Cannon. However, Knuckles put an end to Eclipse's aspirations by using Tikal's Prayer to shatter the Master Emerald and scatter its fragments across Mobius. Weakened and left without his prize, Eclipse contented himself with fleeing with the Dark Arms aboard Team Dark's shuttle, which he ended up crash-landing in a swamp on the planet's surface. (SU: #70)
==Personality==
Unlike other Black Arms soldiers, Eclipse is an individual capable of independent thought and decision without the guidance of a hive mind. Despite this, he is fiercely loyal to his race, but was also, initially, surprisingly benevolent where Shadow was concerned. Whereas Black Death felt that Shadow should be destroyed for his role in the destruction of Black Doom and the first Black Comet, Eclipse wished to reclaim his "brother" to the cause of the Black Arms.  After Shadow turned against the Black Arms again and killed Black Death, Eclipse developed an intense hatred for him, vowing that his revenge on the black hedgehog would be worse than death itself.
Eclipse has a slight childlike mentality, which he demonstrates by constantly disobeying his "father" Black Death and even throws small fits when things don't go his way. Ironically, he soon found himself in a "parent" role to the Dark Arms, as he was the only being who could help them survive and thrive. He is not without admiration for "lesser beings," but considers them unworthy of continued existence due to his perception that they are beyond redemption.
==Abilities==
Eclipse possesses a number of potent abilities, including Chaos Control powers and a connection to the Black Arms' hive mind that he was able to use to invade Shadow's mind. Even after the demise of the other Black Arms, he remained capable of mentally contacting Shadow, and used his power to induce visions in hopes of setting his "brother" off balance.
Eclipse is rather physically weak, but he can overcome this by transforming into a larger version of himself called Monster Form. The transformation gives Eclipse enhanced physical strength and increased durability, but has the drawback of burning through Eclipse's metabolism, causing him to be unable to maintain the transformation for long periods of time, especially in heavy combat. After reverting back to his normal self, Eclipse is left physically drained and unable to move properly. This form is evidently a shell, as Shadow was able to knock Eclipse's normal self out of it.
Eclipse can prevent Shadow from using Chaos Control through an unknown method. Usage of the Master Emerald is enough to override this ability, thus allowing the use of Chaos Control again.
Recently Eclipse has been shown to be able to use the Dark Arms in a similar manner as Sonic using the Wisps, except the Dark Arms have only partially changed Eclipse's form instead of a complete change like Sonic (I.E.: instead of becoming bird-like, Eclipse's arms change to resemble bird wings while the rest of his body is unchanged)
==Background Information==
*According to Ian Flynn, Eclipse was designed with the intent of being what Shadow would have been if he were a pure-blooded member of the Black Arms.
*Eclipse appears on the variant cover of SU #73, despite apparently having nothing to do with the issue's plot; he is one of several villains who appear on the cover facing Sally Acorn and Nicole. He also appears with several other characters featured since the reboot on one of the many variant covers for SU #75.
===Appearance===
Eclipse is the same size as Shadow, and thus matches most average Mobians in terms of statue. He has eyes with black sclera and orange irises-similar to Dr. Finitevus-jagged pupils, and a white muzzle with yellow teeth and no nose. His overall body is black, but he has red marks around his eyes that go over the top of his head and onto his crest, and red tips on the wing-like growths at the sides of his head. A red collar-like growth is present on his upper torso and shoulders, and his forearms are also red with spikes emanating from them. His legs have red markings resembling boots, except that his toes are black; his long tail starts out black and then becomes red, ending in a spike.
Eclipse has three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot, setting him further apart from Mobians; he also has the scaly skin of most Black Arms. When Eclipse transforms, his body becomes larger, closer in size to such Mobians as Bark the Polar Bear. His forehead markings also transform into a horned ridge, while his tail becomes heavy and the spike on the edge becomes larger and multi-edged. His collar also becomes larger and more heavily spiked, and veins are at times visible bulging out of parts of his body; the other red parts of his body also become more armor-like. Eclipse's normal appearance also changes depending on which of the Dark Arms he may be fused with at the time. Blurk's power covers him in a layer of blue armor, Cregal's turns his arms into giant red wings, Cyzer's turns his forearm and hand blue and creates an eye in the palm, and Rhygenta's turns his hand and forearm into a purple gun-like growth with an eye on the end.
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Category:Villains
Category:Characters
Category:Mobianoids
Category:Darkling