DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project

Author's Note:
Here comes the big battle! Eggman's got a few tricks up his sleeve with his seemingly simplistic robot. But it's here that Maria confronts Eggman on her own, telling him what she thinks of him, her own cousin. And there's still that little matter to resolve between Shadow and Maria. Since Shadow still has amnesia, he's trying to figure out why Maria keeps showing up in his memory. Oops, almost forgot, any anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. Now, let's get this over with.

Chapter 3 - A Family Unfair

Amy, Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla run out of the store and into the main mall with Maria wheeling Helen right behind them. Eggman rides his leggy robot out of the store behind them, blasting the store entrance from the mall out of his way. The other shoppers run out of the mall at the sight of Eggman's new robot. The girls (and Cheese, too) look in horror at Eggman's robot, standing tall in the center of the mall.

"Is he always like this?" Maria asks.

"You don't know the half of it," Amy tells her.

Eggman chuckles, "Oh, ho ho ho!" He gloats as he looks down at the girls (and Cheese), "Not even Sonic can save you now, my pretties!"

Sonic's voice rang out, "Don't be too sure of yourself, Eggman!"

Eggman gasps in shock upon hearing Sonic's voice. He looks behind him and sure enough, Sonic, along with Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and even Chris, are standing there in determination.

"But I thought you don't like to shop 'til you drop," Eggman teases Sonic.

"Doesn't mean I don't know a good bargain when I see it," Sonic explains. "And you just lost your value!"

Eggman mischieviously grins as he turns his robot to face Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Chris.

He tells them, "Then, let's see you escape my sales rush!"

He pulls a lever on the console and that launches a mini missile toward them, but they jump out of the way.

Sonic looks at Chris as Chris looks at him, telling him, "Chris, you and Tails protect the girls," he looks back at Eggman and concludes, "we got this!"

Chris nods in agreement, "Right!" He looks at Tails as Sonic lunges at Eggman's robot and asks, "Hear that, Tails?"

Tails nods in agreement since he already heard Sonic and Chris' conversation. Tails and Chris rush over to the girls (as well as Cheese) while Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge go battle Eggman in his robot. Eggman fires more missiles at them, but Sonic spin-jumps them all, exploding them. Knuckles punches the knee of one leg while Rouge screw-kicks the other. This makes the robot wobble a bit.

Eggman worriedly tries to hang on, letting out a "Gah!"

As soon as the wobbling stops, Eggman looks down at Knuckles and Rouge, grinning.

"Nice try," he explains, "but this model is indestructable, even if you could knock me off balance. Now, I think it's time to squash you bugs."

Upon these words, Eggman's robot stomps toward Knuckles and Rouge, trying to smash them under its feet, but Knuckles and Rouge dodge every one of its footstep.

Eggman teasingly wags his finger and taunts, "Uh-uh-uh. I want you stuck on the floor like gum under a shoe."

He pushes a few buttons and some pale white goo shoots out at Knuckles and Rouge who keep dodging the robots footsteps. Rouge flies out of the goo's way, but it gets Knuckles' legs as it sticks to the floor, causing Knuckles to trip.

Knuckles worriedly falls with a "Whoa!" and lands face first with an "Oof!"

Rouge gasps in shock upon seeing this.

"Knuckles!" she calls out to him in concern.

She flies down to Knuckles as he struggles to break free. She grabs on to his hands. Then, she starts to pull him out of the goo. Knuckles adds to the effort, but the goo stays stuck to Knuckles and the floor. Tails, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Chris, Helen, and Maria look on near the entrance of another department store, out of the way of the robot's path.

"Poor Knuckles," Cream sympathizes. "I hope he'll be alright."

Vanilla comforts Cream, "Don't worry, dear. I'm sure he'll break free somehow."

Maria suddenly looks angry with Eggman. She rushes toward a stairway nearby. Tails, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Chris, and Helen notice this with gasps of shock.

Helen calls to Maria in concern, "Maria!"

"Where are you going?" Chris calls out.

Maria stops and looks back at them as she stands on the bottom step of of the stairway with her hands on the railing.

"To tell Eggman what I think of this!" she explains.

She looks in front of her and marches up the stairs as they look on. Meanwhile, Rouge is still trying to pull Knuckles out of the goo, but to no avail. Suddenly, they look up with gasps in horror as the robot's foot shadows over them.

"Pleasent dreams, lovebirds," Eggman teases.

The foot comes down toward them, but suddenly, Sonic spin-dashes under it to keep it from squishing them.

Eggman is surprised by this with a "What?"

Sonic's spin-dashing trips the robot, causing it to fall away from Knuckles and Rouge.

Eggman lets out a "Whoa!" as the robot falls.

Tails, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Chris, and Helen look on, out of the way of the falling robot. The robot lands with a thud. Chris rushes over to Knuckles trapped in the goo while Sonic and Rouge look on. Chris brings out of his pocket a test tube filled with yellow-colored liquid. He stands near the goo.

Chris holds the test tube over the goo, explaining, "This will get you free, Knuckles," he pours the liquid on the goo as he continues, "I mixed this up for an occasion like this."

The liquid melts the goo away, freeing Knuckles as Chris stops pouring. Knuckles looks happily at his freed body as Sonic, Rouge, and Chris happily look on.

Knuckles looks at Chris and tells him, "Thanks, Chris."

Chris beams, "No problem."

Eggman snickers, "Heh heh heh."

Hearing this, Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, and Chris look at Eggman with gasps in surprise. Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, and Helen look at Eggman, too. Eggman brings the robot back to its feet.

"It'll take more than a great fall to break this robot," Eggman gloats.

Maria's voice calls out to him, "That's enough, Eggman!"

Eggman gasps in shock, "Huh?"

He looks behind him and notices Maria on a bridge above. She glares at him, angrily.

Eggman mischieviously grins, "Why, Maria," he turns his robot to face Maria and tells her, "it's so good we finally meet face to face. I must say, you look positively radiant after all these years, my dear, sweet cousin."

Maria is unmoved by Eggman's "compliments".

"You're no cousin of mine!" she proclaims.

Eggman gasps in shock upon hearing this.

"Sonic and the others told me all about you," Maria explains to him. "And after what I've seen just now, I believe they're right. How can we even be related?"

"But, Maria," Eggman pleads, "I admire our grandfather. Doesn't that count for something?"

"If you admire him so much, then, why are you doing all these bad things?" Maria points out.

Eggman becomes puzzled, letting out a "Huh?"

"My grandfather did a lot of good deeds in his life," she explains. "Sure, he went crazy and tried to destroy this planet, but that was only because he lost me. But if he were still around, if he saw what you've been doing all this time, he would be ashamed of you."

Eggman gasps in shock upon hearing this.

"In fact, I'm ashamed of you for him!" Maria scolds him. "You have no right to call yourself his grandson! You are a disgrace to the fam'ly name! And as of right now, on behalf of my grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik, I remove you from the Robotnik fam'ly tree! ...forever."

Eggman is stunned after hearing this. Then, he growls at Maria, angrily.

A red vein sticks out of his forehead.

"How dare you!" he blurted out. "I looked up to my grandfather, try to be as good a scientist as him, and you dare to tell me he wouldn't be proud of me? It's you he should be ashamed of for not following in his footsteps like I did! I'm beginning to wonder why he picked you over me. But if you want me removed, so be it."

He pulls the lever on the console which launches a missile right at Maria. Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, and Chris stand in horror upon seeing this. Tails, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, and Helen look at this in horror, too.

"Maria!" they all call out.

Cheese simultaneously chimes in with the others "Chao chao chao!"

Maria, however, does not move. In fact, she isn't afraid at all. She doesn't even flinch. She just looks at the missile coming toward her, still angry at Eggman. Eggman himself, however, quickly goes from being insulted to getting concerned for Maria.

"Come on, Maria, run away already," he thinks. "I cannot call back my missile. Save yourself before it's too late."

Maria still stands there, bravely facing the incoming missile. Suddenly, a pair of hands grab the tip of the missile, causing it to stop before it ever hits Maria. Maria gasps in shock upon seeing this. As do Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, and Chris. And Tails, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, and Helen do so as well. Even Eggman does the same. The hands holding the missile belong to Shadow who hovers above the ground in front of Maria, thanks to his shoes.

"I won't let you hurt her!" he tells Eggman.

"You saved me," Maria thinks, "Even with amnesia, you're always protecting me, Shadow."

Shadow suddenly turns the missile around and points it at Eggman, holding it above his head.

"Back at you, doctor!" Shadow shouts.

He hurls it at the robot Eggman is riding in. Eggman screams in horror upon seeing this. The missile hits the robot's control panel, causing both the missile and the robot to explode. This sends Eggman flying out the roof window and through the sky, going out of sight. Meanwhile, back inside the mall, Tails, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, and Helen look at this sight.

Amy smiles, "Hmph. So much for that robot being indestructable."

Maria stands on the bridge and happily looks at Shadow who hovers in front of her with his back to her.

"Thank you, Shadow," she tells him.

Shadow gasps in surprise upon hearing this and looks back at Maria. He suddenly gets a vision of her in her old dress, turning her head to him with a bright smile. The vision fades as Maria, in her new outfit, stands there, still smiling at him.

He thinks, "Why are you so familiar to me?"

Chris' voice calls to Maria, "Maria!"

Maria gasps in surpirse and looks to her left. She smiles as she notices Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, and Chris happily running toward her. She turns to them as they stand in front of her.

"Are you alright?" Chris asks Maria.

"You were really brave," Sonic compliments her, "standing up to Eggman like that."

"That was a crazy thing you did out there," Rouge points out.

Knuckles teases with a wink, "Don't ever do that again."

Shadow just looks on in puzzlement.

"You had us worried," Knuckles explains to Maria.

Shadow resumes his grim attitude.

"I'm sure your grandfather would be proud of you," Chris compliments Maria.

Maria looks at Sonic who gives her a thumbs up and winks at her. Maria nods at this in acknowledgement. Shadow looks in front of him. Then, he hovers down to the floor. Maria looks back at Shadow, but she gasps in surprise when she notices him "skating" away. She becomes worried as Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, and Chris watch Shadow leave the mall in concern. Meanwhile, Topaz and the president's secretary, Christina Cooper, had been watching all this while standing in front of an eletronics store.

"The president had already alerted the military of Eggman's reappearance," Christina explains to Topaz. "As for Maria, we'll be sending our top agent to watch over her as he did with Christopher Thorndyke six years ago."

Topaz has the last word in the matter, "Now that Sonic's back, we could use all the help we can get."

Later that night, in Eggman's pyramid base, Eggman angrily sits on a table as Bocoe and Decoe put bandages on Eggman's wounds while Bokkun happily looks on, hoving beside them.

"Do not feel bad, doctor," Decoe tries to cheer Eggman up.

"That perfume was not the first time you lost the sweet smell of success," Bocoe explains, pointing out Eggman's many failures in the past.

"I still can't understand what my grandfather sees in her," Eggman complains about Maria. "Why he kept her with him on the ARK when he clearly sent me to that other world to protect me."

"Maybe he wanted to get rid of you," Bokkun speculates.

He quickly covers his mouth in horror, thinking about what Eggman might do to him upon hearing this.

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.

However, Eggman just looks up in curiousity as Bocoe and Decoe stop applying bandages on him.

"Could Maria really be his fav'rite?" he ponders.

Suddenly, he notices something outside the window over him.

"Oh?" he wonders.

Three streaks of smoke fly through the sky, lit up by the stars. They are of different colors - the top one is purple, the bottom one is gray, and the middle one is green. They quickly disintergrate as Eggman, Bocoe, Decoe, and Bokkun look out the window in curiosity. Then, Eggman looks at "us" with a mischievious grin.

"Perhaps, this day wasn't a total loss after all," Eggman said, already plotting his next scheme.

Meanwhile, at the Thorndyke mansion, Shadow sits on the railing of the balcony outside of Chris' room, looking at the starry sky. Maria happily opens the sliding door from the inside and goes out toward Shadow.

"There you are," she says. "I knew I'd find you out here."

She leans on the railing beside him, looking at the sky.

"I wanted to thank you again for saving me," she explains.

Shadow just scoffs, "Yeah, well, just be careful next time."

Maria looks at Shadow in concern, telling him, "I'm fine, but why did you leave back there?"

"My services were no longer required: The doctor's plans were foiled and you are safe," he explains to her. "You don't need me anymore."

"That's not true," she protests.

Shadow curiously looks at Maria, asking, "Oh?"

"I really care about you as I have fifty years ago," she tells him.

"Fifty years ago?" Shadow wonders.

"I know you don't remember," Maria sympathizes, "but we used to be friends. Can't we be that way again?"

She holds Shadow's hand, tenderly. He notices this in surprise.

"...for old times sake?" adds Maria.

Shadow looks at her gentle face. Then, he suddenly becomes angry at her. He quickly pulls his hand away from hers which makes her gasp in shock.

"Back off!" he snaps at her. "I have no use for your sympathy."

"Shadow, I don't understand," Maria wonders.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I don't want my memory back?" Shadow explains.

He turns his head away from Maria as he closes his eyes.

"My past should just stay in the past for all I care," he insists to her.

He jumps off the ledge and lands safely on the ground, feet-first. Then, he rushes away from the mansion as Maria looks on.

She calls to Shadow, "Shadow, wait! Shadow!"

Shadow fades from sight. Maria looks down, sadly.

"First, my grandfather, and now, Shadow?" she wonders.

She leans on the railing.

"I feel so alone."

Sonic's voice tells her, "You're not alone."

Maria gasps in surprise and looks behind her. Sonic is standing in the doorway, smiling at her.

"What do you mean, Sonic?" she asks him.

Sonic walks toward her.

"Isn't it obvious?" he points out.

He jumps on the railing and sits beside her as they look at each other.

"You have us," Sonic explains. "We'll always be your friends. And as long as you've got friends, you're never alone."

He winks at her which makes her smile.

Maria tells him, "Thank you, Sonic." She and Sonic look at the sky as she wonders, "I just hope Shadow sees that, too."

"Give him time," Sonic comforts Maria, "he'll come around."

Meanwhile, Shadow rushes across a field.

"Forgive me, Maria," he thinks, "but I must find the answers on my own. Trust me, it's better this way."

He keeps going under the moonlit sky.

A/N:
And there you have it, another episode draws to a close, paving the way for another. What a day for Maria: She disses Eggman and then, gets dissed herself by Shadow. Hopefully, she'll be feeling better by the time the next episode comes. Yes, this will be the game adaptation featuring that mysterious threesome who I've been hinting at throughout these first two stories. In the meantime, what do you think of this fic? Let me know, send your reviews!