Translator
"Finally, I've got all the seven chaos emeralds." Shadow declared as the red gem slowly floated to his embrace. Attracted by it's presence, the other six colored siblings float around the Ultimate Lifeform like a medal of victory, as the key to infinite power is now his and his alone to use.
However not everyone enjoys his latest acquisition, "Shadow…" Sonic, the iconic blue hedgehog groans out, trapped beneath the iron coffin that was once the most advanced battlemech of GUN, the Diablon. His fur is covered in dirt and bruises, and exhaustion is clear in his eyes. "What are you going to do with them?" The hero still finds the strength to ask, his hands futilely trying to push himself up, as if he could remove the massive weight on himself and fight another round if only his body could find the strength to do so. The pathetic flares of bravado impressing nobody, least of all Shadow and lesser off all the GUN Commander, whose fate is clearly spelled out by the red liquid pouring out of the completely crushed cockpit. Shadow looks down on the fool with a cruel grin.
Still, he supposes he could tell his self-declared rival what lies in store for the world, if only because he won't be there to witness it himself. He dramatically clenches both of his fists in the air as he looms over the hedgehog, proudly inheriting the dramatics of his true father. "I'm Shadow the Hedgehog." he declares, and continues speaking even as the other hedgehog replies with a snarky 'I already know that!' dismissing their sarcasm for what it is, a pitiful attempt to try and get on his nerves, if only to hopefully find some weakness within him or perhaps even gain some more time.
Perhaps that would have annoyed him before, but not now, no, nothing could possibly ruin the ecstasy of him finally knowing of his birthright and role in life. "For the longest time I believed I was created to bring justice and order to the humans. To guard the secrets of the Ark and preserve the legacy of Gerald Robotnik. However, it is with the aid of Black Doom that I now remember my truth: That they don't deserve to be protected. Humans are greedy and violent parasites, only capable of extending their lives by taking those of others. There is no salvation for them!"
"That's not true!" Sonic immediately shoots back, even though the shout flares up pain signals of pain in his chest and he has to resist the urge to wilter in front of Shadow's hate-filled glare. "People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a-"
"A basic goodness in our hearts?" Another voice interrupts Sonic's speech, one inhumanely gravely and devoid of all humanity. "Do not bother us with flowery nonsense." A scoff comes out as the owner of the voice reveals himself, a grey-skinned star fish like humanoid alien that slowly rises from the ground and floats to move besides Shadow's side. "The Black Arms have observed humanity for centuries, and during all that time, all the greatest of them proved to be madman that blindly put themselves ahead of others. The man with the weapon rules over the man who has none. The envious take from the weak! The malicious enjoy at the cost of others suffering! Even man's diet has them devour a variety of life forms. Yet our own kind only eats one or two. Compared to man, the Black Arms are frugal in comparison. This is why humans will never be perfect lifeforms."
"Black Doom!" Sonic snarls the name in recognition, his eyes turning shocked and outright unfriendly once the eponymous alien puts one hand or well tentacle on Shadow's shoulder to no protest from the other. The truth of Shadow's change becoming clear to him. "No...no! Shadow you have to be kidding me! Those black creatures want to devour all life on earth, not only humans! So why! Why would you ever want to side with them?!" he shouts, his tone full of betrayal and anger.
"Because that is my destiny!" Shadow shouts back, his eyes clear with purpose or from Sonic's point of view, unclouded madness. "As the ultimate lifeforms it is my duty to protect and serve the dark lord, Black Doom." the sentence naturally makes the alien and blue hedgehog react in pride and disgust each, yet Shadow is not done yet, emboldened by the clear disbelief in the defeated hedgehog, he makes one more attempt to try and crush their morale. "With the power of these Chaos Emeralds, this world will become the Dark Empire. A utopia where the Black Arms rule over the earth and have humanity put in their rightful place, for all eternity. THIS IS WHO I AM."
"You'll be stopped!" Sonic declares with such fervor that the Diablon upon shakes from the motion, the burst of strength though capable of slightly rising the machine still did not allow his escape. "Even if it's not me, there's still Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and many others out there ready to fight the good fight! As long as the planet itself lives, there will always be those who will rise up to liberate it! That's why your reign will never last! That's why you won't win! Black Shadow!"
"SILENCE!" Raising his palm and slamming it down in a cut axe motion against Sonic's skull, Shadow silences the insolent hedgehog with one blow. Cleanly knocking them out.
"Calm yourself, Shadow." Black Doom passively notes as he watches his descendant fume because of his rival words. "Your strike has failed to truly deliver. The hedgehog is still alive."
"Good." Black Doom almost narrowed his three eyes at the tone, before he noted the malice within them. "He'll be more useful that way. You'll be surprised how many of his friends will lose the will to fight if we threaten to take his life in return." Instead a warm feeling rises in the alien's chest, proud of how clever his progeny can be even when his head is like dry forest set on fire.
"Very well." He croons, then with only hand outstretched he covers the robot and fallen hedgehog under a purple aura before they rise in the air. "Let us head deeper into the comet, and afterwards to the throne. Where I shall reward you for your devotion to us. My new general….Black Shadow."
"Don't call me that." Not when the damn blue hedgehog mocked him with it first.
"Very well, Shadow then." Glad his dark lord doesn't bother contesting this, Shadow follows right behind him, heading out of the battlefield and towards a new future where the Black Arms rule.
With the Black Comet and Space Colony Ark remaining occupied by the Black Arms, alongside the seven Chaos Emeralds being within Shadow's possession. The Guardian Units of all the Nations find themselves incapable of creating or finding a weapon that could even harm either location. Giving them and any other rebel a massive disadvantage as the Black Arms could easily strike and retreat from any point of the globe. Additionally draining morale through the drain as every day people worry if the alien invaders will use the planet destroying laser that was once close to annihilating them. Knowing that every day that passed with no progress could be their last, GUN found themselves forced to cooperate with the very same Mobians that once saved the world.
Working together with them to obtain various DNA's of their alien foes in the hopes of creating a bio weapon that could change the tides of war. But until then, they continued to suffer heavy losses.
Scratch that, heavy is an understatement. Any city that suffered an attack was quickly enough turned into outright ruins in less than a day. The mission to recover Cyber-Space turned out to be a failure as the Black Arms had laid an ambush in wait there. Finally after a world wide declaration from Black Doom himself that all cities that surrendered would be spared their wrath, major supporters of GUN left the organization as fate in them being capable of defending humanity was questioned more and more as times become more desperate. However, their final hope finally came to fruition as the genius fox known as Tails Prower managed to find a flaw in the Black Arms gene that could force the creatures to suffer the organic equivalent of being hit by an EMP. (Disrupting their psychic abilities and stunning them, if not outright killing the weaker creatures.)
Dubbing this final weapon, the White Hope. GUN cooperated with the heroic mobians to create a rocket that would safely deliver them to the Ark. Once there, the heroes could use the virus to hopefully quickly hijack the Ark and inject the remainder into the artificial chaos residing in there. Thus creating a natural predator to the Black Arms which would turn the tides of war their way.
After all, what better way to defeat a perfect species, than to create one that eats them?
They were never heard from again. Rumours have it that the Ultimate Lifeform himself intercepted them with all chaos emeralds in tow. And that none of them, despite their teamwork could defeat the general in his so called 'Super Shadow' state. It is with their failure, that all hope left humanity.
Six Weeks after what is now called the Black War, the remaining world leaders quickly ordered a ceasefire in the hopes of negotiating a surrender. This offer was met with surprising diplomacy from the Black Arms, and soon after. Earth now exists under the role of the Black Earth Collation (BEL for short), a 'benevolent' one world order ruled by our Black Arm superiors, who now share their advanced extraterrestrial technology for the betterment of mankind and the planet itself.
Jokes aside, the aliens rule with an iron first. Dissidents are made to dissapear (and consumed), soldiers are brainwashed and augmented beyond recognition, and only those on the fringes of society dare to think for themselves. Famous world wonders are replaced with giant statues of Black Doom and Shadow, the day the earth was conquered is now a national holiday where all must declare "All Hail Shadow! All Hail Black Arms!" in celebration of their new way of life and the Black Arms are treated as first class citizens, as they should, as they are man's rightful masters.
Who also happen to eat humans for lunch, but that's rebel propaganda I swear!
However, somewhere out there. Lurking in both the past and future respectively, lie two bizarre remnants of hope. Two creatures capable of immense power that could turn this around still.
One is the pinnacle of a certain madman, who dissapeared in the midst of the war. Designed after the world's fastest lifeform yet ever unable to defeat him. A creature's whose only motive to save the earth would be to conquer it for his own master. Metal Sonic shall join the fight.
The other is a young hedgehog, lacking confidence yet possessing great psychic powers. Having repeatedly traveled to the past to save the future. He now has to face one of his greatest allies turned foe, can Silver undo what went wrong? Will both heroes cooperate or go their own way?
Find out next time in Black Empire Rises.