...hi guys! Remember me? No? I don't blame ya.

In all seriousness though, I will apologize for keeping you waiting for so long, but I will not apologize for the amazing progress I've made in this stroy in the meantime. If I had updated regularly when I originally posted it, it would've worked itself into a huge trainwreck plothole I would've never caught if I wasn't forced to sort through my notes. Everything is sorted now, the story itself is completed in advance, and updates can begin on a regular schedule. :D

(...and ooh, I've rewritten this chapter sooo many times...)

Chapter 1: Dawn of the Three-Way War

~Mêlée à Trois~

Westopolis-

This city has become a battlefield.

I leapt off the collapsing skyscraper I had been surveying the city on, watching as lasers descended from the sky and blasted the sides of once well-built establishments. It wouldn't be long before the entire place was nothing but a huge mound of rubble with aliens running amok through it. But I could've cared less about the demise of the city- there were more important things to think about, in light of recent events.

"Hmm…'the promised time', huh? Well then…" I alighted on the ground, striking a battle stance at anything that decided to attack, no matter if they were alien or not. "…time to go fulfill this promise!"

Truth be told, I didn't entirely trust that strange ghostly alien. Showing up out of virtually nowhere, having knowledge of who I am and relaying it without even batting an eye, unleashing his army to attack just beforehand…and all several days before the fiftieth anniversary of the attack on the ARK, so I've heard.

No coincidence at all.

If the already-building mysteries behind my random alien messenger weren't enough to get me to be wary, there was another certain something that I had to worry about-

"Blue hedgehog spotted!" a GUN soldier cried at a very inopportune moment, his message carrying down the uprooted streets of Westopolis. All of the men in his squad instantly turned their guns away from the direction the hedgehog had been spotted in, as they all had been ordered not to shoot at said creature.

And looked like that 'thing' was on his way…I started hurrying along, hoping that he wouldn't catch sight of me-

"Hey Shadow!" that obnoxious voice beckoned out to me, and I had no choice but to acknowledge its presence. "Long time no see!"

Hmph, not anymore.

The blue hedgehog braked to an unceremonious stop in front of me, sending dust into the air and flashing a thumbs up. I greeted him with a silently cold stare, but he was so excited to have run into me that he must've just looked right through me.

"Looks like these black creatures really mean business," he elaborated, gesturing his hand towards the vast amounts of destruction the black aliens had wrought so far.

It disturbed me a bit that in only a few short minutes, a whole city could be overhauled so violently…just how strong were those aliens?

My question remained unanswered as the both of us were forced to duck as another wild laser whistled over our heads. It contacted with a part of the road ahead of us, sending large chunks of pavement into the air and unsettling my blue companion, who was more than ready to escape the death zone.

"…Let's you and me show them a thing or two!" Sonic finally stated, regaining his composure and offering a hand to me. "The two of us fighting side by side again is something I've been dying for!"

Truth be told, I was a bit tempted to take Sonic up on his offer. After what I had learned on the last excursion to save the world, and finding out that Sonic knew more about me than anyone else in the world, he proved to be a very powerful ally, and someone I certainly didn't wish to oppose.

…but if I opted to go with him, what would the alien creature think of it? He claimed he had valuable information about me, and that was something I didn't think I had the strength to turn down…and any unknown knowledge about me was certainly worth a few sacrifices for.

"I can handle this myself," I finally told Sonic, walking right past him and completely disregarding his attempt at a hanshake. "Besides, I can't deviate from my main mission…unless you give me a more legitimate reason?"

Sonic looked thoughtful for a moment, but eventually shrugged. "Eh…don't you want to make sure these creeps don't, oh I don't know…blow up the whole planet?"

"I'd prefer to do that alone."

Regardless, he tagged along anyway.

Sonic, being the big shot hero that he was, of course was going to be in the front seat of all this. I knew he meant well- he saved the day several times before, so I've been told, and I witnessed him and his closest friends take down a metal monstrosity single-handedly. I respected him for the things like that, and it was the only reason why I even gave a thought as to what he said.

It didn't change the fact he annoyed me to no end.

He was going to follow me no matter what I said, so I was just going to have to show him that the Black Arms weren't the only ones who meant business. I had something I needed to do, and once he found out I was taking orders from the leader of the crisis, he wasn't going to like it. Believe it or not, he made a better ally than a foe.

"Anyway, Shadow," Sonic began, practically skipping alongside me as he battered away uprooted asphalt and flying cars. "How've ya been lately? No one's really seen you for weeks! Months, even!"

"I've been…around," I replied simply, finding it awkward to reply with "I've been looking for myself".

"Well, the real reason I'm here is because there's a Chaos Emerald in the city."

My eyes grew wide, but luckily Sonic was too oblivious to catch that.

"Yeah, don't want those Black Arm creeps getting their hands on 'em, so everyone's out looking for them," he continued to ramble. I stalked silently beside him, conflicted at most. "I figure that you and I can kick some butt while we're searching for them!"

"…I suppose you can tag along with me," I muttered insensately, skating on ahead. "Just don't get in my way…"

He flashed me a thumbs up and allowed me to lead the way. "No problem, Shads. I'm just glad to see ya again."

I remained silent, my goal of gathering the Chaos Emeralds still fresh in my mind…

And the mere fact that the others were after them as well complicated things greatly.

. . .

Sonic and I made our way down the roads that were slowly becoming ruins, tag teaming to take out the Black Arms. Sonic would get their attention and throw a few punches, leaving them open for me to perform a sneak attack from behind. It was a very effective tactic, I had to admit, but it was also laborious and I had little time to waste.

I also couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched…

"There must be a faster way to dispatch these things," I mused under my breath, going unnoticed by Sonic. "Or at least, a way to do the job without him."

That's when my gaze fell upon a small pistol that had been discarded by a fallen GUN soldier. It was just lingering on the ground, begging to be used. I scooped it up and smirked, fangs protruding. It didn't take Sonic long to realize what I was thinking.

"Shadow…don't do anything hasty with that…"

"Hasty?" I asked, whirling around and aiming at the nearest moving object. "You mean like this?"

I pulled the trigger, and Sonic literally flinched at the sound.

"Okay, fine, whatever…but personally I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those things."

"Good thing I'm not you then," I remarked, running my right index finger across the weapon. "I really have no use for these…"

I turned around and shot a speed limit sign, making Sonic cringe and flinch again.

"…but they're a real blast!"

Sonic looked up at me with a mix of a pout and disappointment on his face; I simply tucked the pistol in my quills for safe keeping. However, it didn't last long when he heard the sound of someone moaning on the ground not too far away from our current position. He sped away to investigate and, being curious myself, I followed him.

"Shadow!" Sonic screeched in horror, kneeling down beside two fallen GUN soldiers. "They were on our side!"

"Correction- your side. I follow no one," I hissed.

"You're just lucky they're only injured- you could've been classified as a murderer!"

"You can't prove I did that- I didn't even fire in this direction!" I now tossed the gun up and down in my hand. "Tell me why I should care?"

Sonic turned away from the soldiers and gave me a look of what seemed like…pain. It was a mixture or anger, confusion, and disappointment, but pain could describe it all.

"I know you can't remember much Shadow…" he whispered to me, hoisting the soldier that was unable to walk over his back. "…but I never thought that because of that, you'd become a monster…"

"Whatever I may be…" I trailed as I watched Sonic march away with the other injured soldier to get help. "…I highly doubt that it is a monster."

Though…as I recalled from my previous journey, I was quite prone to destruction.

Maybe that's all I was…maybe that's all there is to me.

. . .

Now finally away from Sonic, I could go back to carrying out Black Doom's orders. I apparently promised him something that I was unable to remember, but if I had, then I needed to live up to it. And in return, I would figure out who I was…

I didn't go very far when I felt something following me. Thinking it was Sonic out to avenge his fallen GUN friends, I whirled around and performed a 360 kick, but my foot came inches away from who was really pursuing me- the eye of Black Doom.

"You are late, Shadow…" Doom's Eye echoed. I gave a small bow in his presence.

"My apologies. I had a small distraction nagging me, but it shouldn't be a problem anymore…"

He gave a low, deep hum in response. "I see…but from now on, my eye shall follow you and observe you for me…to repay me for your lateness, you can start by finishing off the soldiers that dare to defy me!"

"…As you wish."

Well, there was no way Sonic was staying on my side now- once he discovered the spike in injuries and casualties; he would certainly link them to me.

However, I did drop the gun- I was having second thoughts, with that horrendous image of that poor girl in the blue dress being shot like that…and I was with her when that happened.

"I don't need it anyway," I repeated to myself, ripping my gaze away from it and erasing the thought of "Maria" for the time being. I could take out the GUN soldiers without the assistance of any weapon.

Still, attacking them so purposelessly…I wasn't entirely comfortable with it.

I walked over to where a GUN solider was battling fiercely with an alien more than three times his size, hopelessly firing bullets into the creature's tough exterior.

Talk about pitiful.

While he was distracted, I crept up behind him, doing the deed quickly and silently with a karate chop to the neck. The GUN soldier lost all feeling, slumping to the ground and landing face first.

"Yes, show them how powerless they really are!" the voice from Doom's eye bellowed, pretty much enjoying the spectacle. I frowned a bit- I never actually hurt humans before. In fact, my main fighting expertise was against robots- nothing more than mere metal put together so that it could move and fight.

I brought down three soldiers in a row, only to be literally stabbed in the back by the claw of an alien. Falling on the asphalt, I growled menacingly, glaring over my shoulder from where I lie. I had half a mind to go teach that alien a lesson, but as soon as I raised a finger against him, Doom's Eye flew in front of me and reprimanded me for it.

"Do not harm our soldiers…"

"If you want me to be on your side, then tell your soldiers to be on mine," I warned, pushing the eye away. "The humans may be worthless creatures, but I don't see why I have to dispatch an army of them."

"They dare to fight back with their useless weapons, and they dared to fight you, even when you actually helped them at one point," Doom's Eye explained, sounding disgusted. "Humans are ungrateful, they fight for their own dominance, they only want to be at the top- they don't care who or what they have to shoot down to get their way…"

"Then what exactly are you doing by invading this planet?"

Doom let out what I assumed to be a laugh before his eye slowly pulled away from me.

"The day of reckoning, Shadow…by tomorrow, you'll know everything …"

He vanished for the time being, leaving me to continue to put a dent in GUN's forces.

. . .

My rampage against the GUN army continued, not one of them managing to strike me before I put them out of commission. The more soldiers I brought to their knees, the less I felt bad about it. Black Arms began to attack me less, beginning to recognize that I wouldn't attack them.

But that's just because the ever-watching eye wouldn't let me.

To my left, it looked like they were scattering red orbs everywhere, but I had no idea why until Doom's Eye returned to check on my progress.

"These red fruits represent our conquest…soon, this whole planet will be covered in them!"

"So, you mean that you'll conquer this whole world?" I asked, picking up one of the red 'fruits'. "I'm…not entirely sure I'm okay with that."

"You will be if you ever want to find out who are," Doom's Eye warned, and although his eye was pretty threatening, I could hardly take him seriously.

"…"

He noticed my apprehension, and if the starfish thing had a mouth it'd definitely be grinning with deceit.

"Our race is marked by jet black and crimson skin…just like you," Black Doom's voice conveyed to me. As another soldier fell before me, I raised my arm and stared at it- sure enough, my markings did match those of the Black Arms…but what did that have to do with anything?

"You might as well be one of us, Shadow…it's almost like you are already."

"In a way…I suppose you're right," I realized, noticing a few more resemblances with the aliens. "But…I can't really be! After all, I was found in a containment pod in a base…no connection with you whatsoever."

"It all links to your past," Doom continued. "But we'll save that for when you fulfill your promise to me. Right now, my troops are bombarding this place with lasers."

"Kinda noticed that already. One nearly killed me."

"Well, don't be afraid. Proceed…you're half way there to completing my expectations."

I said nothing as I pressed onward into the city that was falling around me as I walked.

"They're continuing with laser fire!" a soldier shouted into his communication device, and I rolled my eyes.

Obviously he didn't hear the creepy floating tentacle creature announce the same thing.

"Good observation, genius," I huffed, kicking him in the back and walking away. A whole squad of them lined up across the road and aimed their weapons at me. Leaping out of the way in the nick of time, I ducked behind a tipped bus. The sound of bullets denting metal pierced the air, but it quickly gave me an idea. I dug my fingers under the bus, lifting it over my head with surprising ease. The soldier just stared at me in shock, but it was the last thing they saw before that very bus came crashing down on them.

"That hedgehog just took out an entire squad with a bus!" shouted another soldier, leading a much bigger pack.

Humans just love pointing out the obvious.

Soon I found myself encircled by them, and I was surprised they didn't just shoot me then and there.

"You've got seven seconds to surrender!" that same soldier barked. Apparently he was the leader of that particular unit.

"You're telling me to surrender?" I question, beginning to clench my fists as the anger rose. "You dare to stand against me?"

"Take it easy there, fella…" a different soldier squeaked, making the mistake of showing fear.

Drawing on the negative side of the Chaos Energy that flowed in my body, my anger manifested as a red aura. My eyes, already bloody red, probably looked like they were plumes of fire with how much I was beginning to glow.

"He's gonna blow!" shrieked a third soldier.

"That's what happens when you think you can take me down!" I roared. "Death…to all who oppose me!"

All the soldiers raised their arms to take cover, but it didn't do them any good. The massive power emitting from my body was too great for them to handle, not only doing serious damage, but blowing them back into the remains of fallen buildings.

"Shadow, behold! The same fate awaits the rest of this pathetic planet!" Doom's Eye bellowed to me, watching my rampage from relative safety.

Storming past the piles of humans, I stomped forward, the rage practically controlling me, and I was merely its puppet in the process.

"The Black Arms shall cleanse the world of parasites…as we have done with this city…"

"Yes," I replied to Black Doom, unleashing another Chaos Blast on unsuspecting individuals. "I understand your intentions now…"

"Some fools still continue to resist…"

"Then they will have to suffer the CONSEQUENCES!" I shouted, letting loose with a final Chaos Blast. I watched one last group of soldiers get caught in the blast before suddenly feeling a bit faint.

I suppose using that much energy consecutively was taking a toll…

"I'm not just talking about these pathetic soldiers…I'm taking about creatures like that blue one you were talking to…"

I fell silent.

"Oh."

"Yes…they prove to be much more of a threat than the humans, but they'll be wiped out just the same," Doom's Eye began to take his leave as I stared hard at the road below me. "You've done well for now, Shadow…grab the Chaos Emerald that resides in this city, and I'll report to you with your next task…"

I nodded, and Doom left my presence. Continuing through the city, I noticed that all of the surviving residents had cleared out, meaning that GUN had no more reason to hang around Westopolis. They began to clear out too, and the Black Arms began to throw a wild celebration party- this was only the beginning of their reign of terror.

I was still feeling conflicted, but for now, I felt that it was best to stay with Black Doom. He had given me more than enough proof that he knew something about me, and I had to remember that that was my core mission.

I found the green Chaos Emerald resting beside a detonated car. I picked it up, feeling its familiar power pulsating in my palm.

I had previously been acquainted with this particular Emerald, but I had no idea what had happened to it after I entrusted it to E-123 Omega…and I suppose I could say he was a friend of mine.

"One down, six to go…" I trailed, tossing the Chaos Emerald repeatedly as I looked up to the sky. I could feel its power welling up inside me… "Anyone who gets in my way is my enemy..."

Now firmly clenching the gem in my hand, I started to walk away.

"Black Doom…I promised you...CONQUEST!"

And as I made my way out of the city, I was unaware of the fact I was being watched by someone standing at the top of one of the remaining buildings.

"Yeah, I've got visual," Sonic replied in a strained tone, talking into a communication device. "Shadow's leaving Westopolis, so keep an eye out, guys. I think we might have a problem…"

Next time, Shadow's confrontation with his conflict on whether or not Black Doom is completely trustworthy drives him to do some outrageous things...which ends up catching the eye of the military.

See you Saturday for what I now officially dub, "Shadow Saturdays" ! ...or "Shadow Sundays", for those that are across the pond. xD