Hi, I'm back! My romance fanfic has hit a roadblock, so I've decided to work on another fic. Guess that one'll have to wait. In the meantime, I got an idea for a story about Shadow. I was inspired by the game "Sid Meier's Pirates!". I hope you enjoy it!

Note: I do not own anything. All Sonic characters belong to SEGA.

Shadow the Pirate

Prologue: The Kidnapping

The banquet hall was filled with talk and laughter. The rich and important people of Station Square had all gathered there that night to celebrate the Governor's latest conquest. Shadow the Hedgehog sat with his family, Maria and Gerald Robotnik, at the dining table. Everyone was waiting anxiously for the Governor to arrive.

"Hmm, that's odd." started Gerald with his brows furrowed.

Maria looked at him. "What is it, Grandfather?"

Shadow turned his attention to him as well. He had already being feeling uneasy all evening, but now as the famous professor was starting to show signs of tension, he was beginning to feel worse.

Gerald responded, "The Governor's never late. Certainly not for almost an hour." He shifted in his chair. "I hope nothing's happened to him."

Maria touched her grandfather's hand encouragingly. "I'm sure everything's fine. Maybe the Governor is very busy." She turned to Shadow and smiled. "Don't you worry either, Shadow. On such a perfect night like this, what could go wrong?"

Shadow relaxed, admiring Maria's optimism. He could always count on Maria to make him feel better. She was, after all, like a sister to him, and he would surrender his own life for her. "Hm. You're right." So Shadow crossed his arms and continued to wait.

About a minute later, the doors opened and all the guests turned their attention to the doorway expectantly. All anyone could see at the moment was a silouette of a man. But then the man stepped into the hall and showed himself.

"It's the Governor!" someone announced. Everyone started to cheer and applaud.

The only one who didn't was Shadow. All his previous unease had come back to him. Shadow stared hard at the Governor. Something about him looked suspicious.

The Governor grinned and spoke once the applause faded, "Thank you, thank you everyone! I apologize for my late arrival, but I had some, ahem, business to attend to."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. The Governor's clothes seemed too small for him. And since when did he grow a thick moustache? In fact, the whole appearance of the Governor had somehow changed, but no one seemed to notice.

The Governor's grin suddenly turned malicious. "And now to finish my business."

All of a sudden, the windows around the banquet hall shattered and robots crashed in. The people in the room screamed and began to run around in panic.

Shadow leaped out of his chair and glanced around at all the dangerous robots. I knew something wasn't right! He then realized that Maria and Gerald were no longer at his side. "Huh?" Before Shadow could call out Maria's name, he heard his own being called out to him.

"Shadow!"

Shadow spun around. "Maria?" It was hard to find her through the panicking people running about, but then he saw her and Gerald beside the Governor, and they were being apprehended by robots! "Maria! Professor!"

"Don't worry, Shadow." began the Governor sneakily. He removed his disguise to reveal his true colours. "I'll take good care of your friends."

Shadow gasped. "Captain Eggman!" Shadow now knew why the Governor had looked so different. Captain Eggman, the most notorious pirate to ever sail the high seas, had been disguised as the Governor. But why? Shadow didn't care at the moment. His hands curled into fists and he snarled, "Let them go!"

Eggman chuckled. "Or what?"

Shadow at once charged at Eggman, but a robot got in his way and threw a punch at him. Shadow grunted and fell to the floor. He tried getting up, but the robot continued to attack him. Shadow desparately tried evading the blows, but it was all in vain. He just didn't know how to fight.

"Shadow! No!" Maria yelled, seeing her friend collapse on the floor.

"Get up, Shadow!" Gerald pleaded.

Eggman then said, "Excuse me, but I have a ship to sail." With that, he turned over the table and the candles fell on the wooden floor, setting it on fire. Then he ordered his robots to retreat and then he was gone, along with Maria and Gerald.

"Shadooow!!" Maria's cry faded as the robot took her away.

Shadow groaned and slowly opened his eyes to see blurry figures running by and a yellow-orange glow. "Ma...Maria...Gerald..." he moaned. He struggled to his feet and his vision started to clear. The screams of the people became louder and the room was a lot warmer. When his senses came back to him, he saw that the hall was on fire. Apparantly, Eggman and his robots had blocked all the doors, so the only way out was through the broken windows. Most of the people had already made it out, but Shadow was more concerned about his family.

"Maria! Gerald!" he called, then coughed. The smoke was making him light-headed. He jumped through a window, badly cutting himself, and stood at the side of the cobblestone road in front of the blazing hall. He glanced around in every direction. Eggman, the robots, and his family were nowhere to be seen. Shadow felt his stomach clench and he breathed shallowly in panic. "No...No!" When he realized his own family was gone, fear gripped his heart and he cried out in desperation, "Mariaaaaaaaaa!!!!"

End of Prologue

Please review. I am open to constructive critisism, but no flames, please. Or else the pirates will get you.