And so we go… Not much to say this time around.

Just to be clear, I don't dislike Silver. I actually like him, better than I like, say, Shadow. But he's only ever been fast in the good version of the future.

Still don't know when DK will show up, but there's not going to be much with him. He does need to be present for the ending to work, but otherwise… He's not that important.

Hey, there's a random cameo in this chapter! He makes no sense and he blows stuff up.

Chapter 6 (Shadow)

"I suppose you forgot that it's the middle of the night?" Rouge asked Shadow as they reappeared.

"Hmph. It'll take longer, anyway, with him slowing us down."

"I'm sure my strength makes up for my lack of speed," Wario said. "And I'm not that slow!"

"To Shadow, everything is slow," Rouge said. "Except, of course, for a certain hedgehog and fox."

"Right, right." Wario said. "So, what exactly was that? How did you do it?"

"Chaos control," Shadow replied. "I used the emerald to impose my thoughts onto space and time, essentially giving us a shortcut from one place to another, though it isn't terribly precise over long distances. Hence why we need to walk."

Wario nodded. "I see… Well, that's a useful ability. May I have my emerald back? You can borrow it again later, if you want, but I'd prefer to hang onto it."

Surprising Rouge, Shadow agreed, handing the red emerald back to Wario.

"Now, then. Let me show you what I can do," Wario said, somehow grinning even wider than normal. "So, this is Kingdom Valley? I can do valleys." Wario crouched down, and dashed straight at a cliff. Shadow moved forward to stop him, but Wario just jumped once he reached the edge of a cliff. His jump was just high enough that his momentum could carry him to a tiny foothold in the walls of the valley, and he didn't lose a beat in making more jumps at every landing, crossing a seventy-foot gap with barely touching the ground.

He continued his show of agility, as Shadow and Rouge rode a mechanical glider after him.

"That was stupid and dangerous!" Rouge yelled. "WHY didn't you use the convenient glider?"

"Not really!" Wario yelled back without breaking stride. "I do this all the time! It's like taking treasure from an ancient cursed tomb. Exciting," Wario paused as he shattered a robot into tiny pieces with a punch. "But not all that dangerous."

"Wonderful," Rouge said to herself. "A violent robot, a genetically engineered grump, and now a treasure hunter with no regard for safety. What's next, a creepy stalker?"

Suddenly, a strange, stick-like man clad in purple fell out of the sky next to her. "WALUIGI WILL FIND LUIGI AND DESTROY HIM!" Shocked, Rouge looked down to see the man… Swimming. In mid-air.

Shadow and Wario completely ignored him.

"Did you see that guy?" Rouge asked Shadow.

"Lunatics are irrelevant to our mission."

"Of course they are," Rouge sighed. "What about you, Wario?"

"Eh, ignore him!" Wario yelled, as he beat up more robots. "He's my roommate. No one really understands him."

"… Of course he is." Rouge then seemed to realize something, and turned to Shadow. "Wait, isn't he wanted by GUN?"

"Exactly," Shadow said. "If he's good, they might take him on. If not, they'll take him away. Simple as that. It's why I let him keep the emerald – Trust, and it's not like he can use it."

"… That's actually pretty smart," Rouge said, surprised. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Rouge."

Eventually, the trio managed to reach less precarious ground, near and old abandoned castle.

"This place looks perfect for the pickings," Wario said. "But… Later. Hmm…" Wario seemed to be studing the area around them. "… Ah, got it. It's your basic 'find the keys to go on' puzzle. There are keys hidden, almost definitely three of them. Since Shadow and I can't fly, and I highly doubt you can carry me and him over that wall over there, we may need to split up for a few minutes."

And so, the three did. Shadow would later tell Rouge it was about trust, again, and that he could easily catch Wario if he tried to run away.

In any case, Rouge managed to find two of the keys on her own, blowing up robots with her bombs (Wario approved of the methods, saying that it's always good to keep backup explosives on hand). Wario managed to find one himself, using his strength to stack rocks into a staircase. Before long, they were through the door, and faced with a hovercraft.

Shadow immediately jumped in and drove off, with Rouge flying beside him.

"Don't you think we should have waited for him?"

"He'll find a way."

And, indeed, Wario did, and didn't even seem to mind swimming. Rouge was, once again, surprised by how fast the fat man could swim, but decided not to ask this time. Maybe he was from some weird place where everyone was freakishly good at swimming? If she thought about it, all of the Mobians in Station Square were pretty fast… Maybe it was something like that?

Before long, the three had arrived at their destination, long before anyone else.

"So, now what?" Rouge asked. "If you haven't noticed, the sun is barely up."

"Let's get to know each other," Wario said. "I can tell you want to know more about me, Rouge. How I do what I do. Well, let's get started."

"Magical stars hold the universe together, and you use that power?" Rouge asked. "I'm… not sure I really believe you."

"I agree," Shadow said. "How is that possible?"

"Heck if I know. It is what it is, and it keeps the Mushroom Kingdom running. What I wonder is why there are conveniently placed vehicles everywhere."

"That's easy. G.U.N. puts them there for me to use, because they know I like them."

"Despite the fact that he can break the sound barrier," Rouge snarked.

Wario seemed impressed. "Faster than sound, huh? Fastest people I've met are the Mario Bros, and not even they've broken the sound barrier. Gotten close at higher altitudes, but even then… I am, honestly, quite impressed. Shouldn't they be here soon? What, exactly, is here?"

"Yes, and this is the old castle of Soleanna," Rouge explained. "The royal family lived here up until about ten years ago, when a major accident occurred. Supposedly, a prototype energy engine failed."

Wario looked around, surveying the damage. "No… That's not what happened." He walked over to a wall, running his gloved hand across it. "Someone was messing with something they shouldn't have. Something powerful was released. But what kept it here?"

"Ten points for the walking grapefruit!" A voice yelled. "The Solaris project. An ambitious project named for the sun god. The goal? To use said sun god's power!"

"Doctor!" Rouge yelled, as Shadow growled.

"It's been awhile, Rouge, and of course, Shadow. May I ask, who is your new friend?"

"So, this is the great Doctor Eggman," Wario said, without turning around. "Hmm… Yes, definitely magic flame damage. But why didn't it spread?"

"I believe I asked your name."

"Wario. Greatest treasure hunter in the world, strongest man to ever live. Don't mess with me," Wario said, without turning around, continuing to examine the wall. He closed his eyes, pressing his palm against it. "Maybe a seal…"

"He's nothing to do with this," Rouge said. "What do you want, Doctor?"

"No need to be rude. I simply want you to return what you stole."

Robots dropped down, surrounding Shadow and Rouge and ignoring Wario completely.

"This feels familiar…" Wario said, still completely ignoring the situation around him.

Shadow attacked the robots, while Rouge tried to fly away with the scepter. Her concentration was lost when Wario suddenly yelled out. "DON'T LET HIM GET THE SCEPTER!" Startled, Rouge dropped the scepter, only for it to fall to the ground and shatter.

The robots began shorting out, and a dark aura surrounded the scepter. Shadow walked forward to it, intrigued. As he neared it, a wave of darkness shot up from it.

"… Well, I'm out," Wario said. "Sorry, Shadow, Rouge, but I have no intentions of meeting the being that did this. It was fun working with you, but, in the end, I've got my own agenda, and you've given me everything I need to pull it off. Good luck."

Wario took out the red Chaos Emerald. "Now, assuming my hypothesis is correct… CHAOS CONTROL!"

Wario disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Shadow and Rouge shocked.

"How did… What?" Shadow asked.

"Pull back! PULL BACK! It's no use!" Eggman yelled, driving his Eggmobile off as fast as he could.

The wave of darkness landed in front of Shadow, forming into a twisted copy of him. Where Shadow was red, this creature was a dark teal, and its skin was much paler than the semi-heroic hedgehog. It had no mouth, and its eyes were a strange green color.

It laughed evilly. "Oh, how ironic fate can be! I would never have believed I would be resurrected through your shade. I thank you, Shadow the Hedgehog!" He bowed to Shadow, but the true hedgehog wasn't buying the politeness one bit.

"Who are you? And how do you know who I am?"

"Mephiles. What? Forgotten? I owe much to you, Shadow! And now…" the creature laughed. "I will now return the favor! A one-way ticket to oblivion!"" He held up his hand, a ball of purple light forming. He released it, and it expanded, swallowing Shadow and Rouge. As the light disappeared, they did with it.

For anyone who doesn't know: The thinner the material, the slower sound travels through it. So high-altitude air can have Mach 1 be closer to 600 mph, as opposed to the normal 770-ish. Underwater, sound travels at what in air would be referred to as hypersonic speed. It's even faster through solid materials like steel.

Yeah, Wario was using them. Who's surprised? No one, probably.