Countdown to Destiny

As the destined battle was coming close to happening, Eclipse was now in a depressed. Uncle Chuck seeing the distraught darkling came forward to talk to him.

"Eclipse, is everything okay?" Charles asked.

"No, everything is not okay." Eclipse replied to the older hedgehog.

"Why do you say such things?"

"Ever since I have met Lord Silver, I always believed he was one of the Black Arms. He stood up for what was virtuous and true." Eclipse stated. "But now, I realize that he is just a mutated mobian, which I do recognize him as your brother, Charles."

"I see." The blue hedgehog replied.

"Does this mean that there are no black arms who are stewards of what is just?" Eclipse asked, beginning to cry. "Is there anyone among our race who is kind and compassionate? Or has our race truly become so evil that we cannot be redeemed."

"While we were in the mindscape to free him, I saw that same kind of pain inflicted on my brother." Charles answered, putting a hand on the darkling's shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I know someone."

"You do?" Eclipse asked.

"Although, it took him a while. Silver did allow one of the Black Arm aliens to become virtuous." Charles answered. "One who is willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of those in need."

"Who is this Black Arms?" Eclipse replied. "Please let me know who it is."

"Turn around and you will see him." Charles instructed. Eclipse turned around and noticed a mirror.

"A mirror?" Eclipse asked. "A mirror is an inanimate object. How can it be such a steward?"

"No, no, no, the reflection in the mirror. Whose reflection is in the mirror?"

"My own reflection." The alien stated. "But what do I have to do with this?"

"Don't you get it, Eclipse?" Charles asked. "Because of my brother, you have become the steward you just described."

"You really think so?" Eclipse asked. "Have I become such a person?"

"I can tell you have." Charles replied. "My younger brother's influence is with you."

"Maybe there is hope for my kind yet." The alien started to agree with the older hedgehog. At that moment, Princess Sally had arrived.

"Princess, I'm glad that you are here." Chuck said to her.

"Same here." Sally panted. "Sir Charles, I want you to inform the others that I have just arrived. I want to talk to the darkling alone."

"As you wish, Sally." Charles said and he rushed off.

"So, you are Princess Sally Acorn?" Eclipse asked. "I've heard about you, but I didn't think I get the privilege to meet you."

"So, you're the darkling I've heard about." Sally answered, catching her breath. "Your name is Eclipse. Am I correct?"

"Yes." The darkling said. "What do you need me for?"

"I have a secret mission for you." The princess exclaimed to him. "This is a crucial mission and I cannot afford to let anyone else know about this mission, not even Team Sonic."

"What is it?" The darkling asked with his interest at its peak.

"I want you to find your comrades and gather them." Sally answered. "I am going to send some of Team Sonic in to rescue Silver. He is to meet up with you and your rallied forces. Do not enter the battle without your commander."

"How will your troops know not to fire at us?" Eclipse asked. Then, Sally handed him a backpack.

"In this backpack, you will find the colors of the Coalition during the Third Skirmish." Sally explained. "Make sure that when you are in battle, those colors can be easily seen. Are you ready to accept this mission?"

"I'll do whatever it takes." Eclipse answered.

"Excellent." Sally replied. "Now, time is of the essence. Get going."

Eclipse headed out of the door of Soleanna. After informing the Oracle of the Message, he had to send to Silver. The message got to his commander; the darkling headed out to the Death Ruins. It was a set of ruins in the jungles on the main land which he knew Silver's army was stationed.

As he arrived, he tried to walk in. He noticed the alarm had gone off. There were some captured war machines from GUN that came out. Eclipse had pulled out his pollaxe. The floating machines began to fire at him. Eclipse dodged out of the way of the projectiles fired from the machines as he dodged to a rock that acted as a buffer. The first machine flew to intercept him and Eclipse chopped it in half.

Eclipse picked up the pieces of the broken drone and started to advance to the other war machines. Dodging the fire, he threw the pieces at the drones. It hit the machines stunning them for a little bit. He got underneath one of them and stabbed the first with his spear point. Then, pierced the second with the hook on the back of the axe. He slammed both of them into the ground. At that moment, the other Black Arms started to come out with their weapons prepared.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here alone intruder." One of the Black Arms stated.

"I have come with an important message." Eclipse mentioned.

"Eclipse!?" the alien said in shock before turning the others. "Lower your weapons." The aliens did so and the alien commander stepped forward to him. "Why have you, one who defected to the Mobian side, come here alone?"

"Who told you I defected to the Mobian side?" The darkling asked.

"We got the message from Mephiles saying that you have turned away from Black Doom and we should consider you our enemy." The alien responded. "But so far, we haven't seen anything of Lord Silver and I would like to hear your side of the story. What do you have to say on this matter?"

There was a few moments where Eclipse explained everything on what he learned from his experiences away from the Black Arms.

"WHAT!? THIS AN OUTRAGE!" The alien shouted. "After everything that Lord Silver had done for Black Doom, he would just torment him in the dungeon?!"

"That is what I've seen." The darkling answered.

"We have to rescue him."

"No, the Princess had told me that members of Team Sonic are going to rescue Lord Silver." Eclipse answered. "I need you to pull out the Oradan Manuscripts."

"What about them? They are just a dusty pile of books." The commander stated.

"Please pull them out." Eclipse answered.

"Oh, alright. But there better be a good reason why you want me to do so." The alien told him. He commanded several wisps to pull out the manuscripts. Eclipse turned the pages of the manuscripts.

"I was revealed a video that Black Doom had kept secret." The darkling answered. "It showed Lord Silver being pulled out of the Source of All."

"What?" The commander answered.

"All of the adventures we had with Lord Silver." Eclipse said. "They were already mentioned in the prophecies written in the manuscripts. In the final section, our last battle with him in his homeland." He paused. "Don't you see this planet, this IS our leader's homeworld. He IS the chosen one the manuscripts foretold. And we need to decide now, if we are going to fight alongside him or against him."

"It seems like the ideas of a madman," The alien commander said. "But I believe that we will go with you. We shall start our march to fight against Black Doom." It didn't take long for the entirety of the Zorda troops to go with the darkling to join his side.

Eclipse stood by his gathered comrades as they headed back to West Side Island to await meeting Silver; during that time other armies went to Soleanna to defend the city of new beginnings. The leaders gave a cry to their soldiers:

"Now is the time to act my brethren." Eclipse stated.

"We are at the crossroads of history." Aleema added to her army.

"For we face the threat of total annihilation." Jet replied.

"We must band together to survive and defeat the demon known as Black Doom." Blaze said.

"So, now we march to Soleanna and make our stand." Commander Tower exclaimed.

"To protect the homeland that we all share." Galaxina proclaimed.

"We shall fight as one people and as one nation." Mantu commented.

"We shall stand united as one Mobius." Sally concluded.

The Black Comet was above the spot where it was to land. The Black Arms were preparing to land. Mephiles turned to Black Doom.

"It is now time to begin the invasion." Mephiles stated to him.

"Excellent." Black Doom answered. "Take your troops to Soleanna and destroy it. Wipe it away from existence."

"I'll do as you wish." Mephiles answered. "But what of the fate of Mobius?"

"For Silver's outcry, I'm not even going to bother enslaving the habitants of this planet." Black Doom explained to him. "Exterminate them; every last one of them. I want all of them driven to extinction."

"By your command." The alien replied. At that moment, the Black Comet came down to the surface. Tendrils stretched from the comet and attached themselves into the ground. By the terraforming machine, four Black Arms aliens activated the machine. Then, the swarm of aliens lead by Mephiles began their march towards Soleanna.