#ic. shadow the hedgehog ( ultimate lifeform )

[mewtwonie]

Okay sonic community, it seems like you really liked shadow getting frozen in a block of ice because there’s been like three people that liked the post so I’m keeping my promise, here’s me soaking him in water

The audio is all messed up because I was on a call with someone while recording this, but I think that makes it funnier

[aureumdraconeus]

@already-know-this-story liked for Shadow

Signals were certainly not what Shadow was expecting to be following - especially with the fact that it had been leading all around parts of Mobius to areas that even he wasn't aware still existed under the jurisdiction of G.U.N. The hedgehog was tasked with surveying these areas for any threat, mostly as a deterrent in case the United Federation decided that these places would be used for habitation purposes...

But upon arriving at a particularly desolate-looking lab, Shadow didn't exactly know what he was looking at.

It was as if time itself had suddenly stopped as he stared at the figure that seemed to illuminate the very halls of this old lab like a beacon...

It was a human...or at least what he assumed to be one. But only one gave him such a feeling - such a moment of pause...

"...Is it really you?"

[springysprongy]

"Everybody I have ever grown to love will leave eventually. And I'll be alone once again."

Dramatic sonic, sooo dramatic

Yet relatable

[rosavulpes]

Continued from here ( X )

He could feel his cheek bones beginning to ache with how hard he was forcing himself to keep them down . A smile , a grin , just begging to overtake his neutral expression as he looked down at the mess that was in front of him .

It wasn't like this before . The first time that he'd encountered the black arm's ? He hadn't realized just how much of an influence they'd had over him until they'd used it to physically restrain him during the final battle on the black comet . While their hive mind hadn't held enough sway over him to force him to attack innocents throughout their invasion , the same glee , sinful desire for destruction that each of them possessed when they'd attacked cities , set fire to towns , and ravaged civilization ... he'd wielded that same eagerness for chaos against them .

Using any means at his disposal to do so even if the situation didn't call for it , even if ... it was undeserved .

This time around ? He wasn't feeling those sudden bursts of anger , moments of fleeting rage ... no . He'd have picked up on that , and calmed himself down . This felt worse , because it felt so good . So good . It was almost what could be described as a euphoric feeling , beating them down well past the point that they'd even be able to get up to retaliate . His gloves partially stained by their colors , his body tense , still eager to take another swing at a pitiful creature that didn't even have the capacity to feel the pain of his attacks anymore . Unable to attack , unable to defend . Simply laying still .

( if you start doing anything - )

Breathing in deeply as she speaks , he's listening but as the world around him slows , the flickering of still burning flames becoming sluggish , plumes in the sky becoming still , his thoughts begin to race . Her words hang frozen in the air as she speaks them .

Think , think , think .

A little trick that he'd learned whenever someone tried to get into his head , make use of his speed in a manner outside of just the physical . Speed up the moments of his thoughts , until the incessant buzzing of the hive mind slowed ... and finally ceased .

Clarity returning to him , his thoughts moving at such a rapid pace that not even the hive mind could keep up , effectively shutting them out . Allowing him a moment to catch his breath as he looked down at his hands and balled them into fists . Disgusted with how far he'd allowed these feelings to take him , even if they had been forced upon him .

Scarlet eyes looking over to Lanolin , looking her over once to ascertain if she'd been injured before looking over the rest of the town .

With his mind clear for the moment due to this current mental state , he was confident that the hive mind couldn't touch him , but ... better not to risk it . Looking down at his gloves again , he moved to wash them . Dunking them into a nearby fountain as he picked up speed . Avoiding any of the black arms but instead searching for civilians that Lanolin and her team might have missed . His speed allowing him to scour blocks in nano seconds , moving those that he could out of the combat zone , away from danger before at last returning to the same spot where he was before with Lanolin . No time having passed .

Closing his eyes , assuming the same stance as before , with noticeably cleaner gloves , as his level of awareness slowed back down . The rest of her words picking up , as did the buzzing of the hive once more . Making his thoughts murky , but still he remained in full control .

( - I won't hesitate. Sorry, but the safety of the people here is my priority )

" Good . That's how it ought to be . Don't waste time with me . I won't move . Go dispose of what remains of them if you're needed elsewhere before I go do it myself .... but just keep in contact with me if you need to leave . Sorry to ask ... it's easier for me to ignore their voices , if I can focus on someone else's "

Normally this was something he'd ask of Rouge or Omega . To just talk to him , about anything they could think of . Anything at all that he could give his attention to in order to power through Black Doom's persistent irritating white noises and memory flashes in his head .

@aureumdraconeus

[ultfan]

@shaidow sent in: ❝  looks worse than it was.  ❞ ( scar prompt, Also hi! :3 )

                     ‶  still... it's quite the scar. — are you sure you're not just downplaying it?  ″ to say something like that indicates an extreme level of toughness — endurance. what a powerful individual this must be.

[karrisol]

Ice Skating, Sonic and Shadow, clothes, skates, accessories, environment and poses. You can use it! Just let me know, I'd like to see anything you make

[aureumdraconeus]

Shadow breathed in deeply as he knew that a kid like this probably was one to take things very literally, of course he meant that he would only check up on them every so often - cameras and the like weren't exactly his style let alone something he would allow for GUN to do anyway. The comments about his own wellbeing didn't seem to phase him - for lack of a better term he only was giving a shit because these two had been dealt a bad hand.

Had Shadow any reason to not care, he would have simply dealt with the matter at hand on his own and simply gave them the chance to run or be dealt with by him permanently.

"Don't assume all your problems will go away simply because of a new start. I'll warn you of that now - you both will still have hardships, not because of me or anyone else but most likely due to any tensions Avalice may have. Better to know that now so you can aptly prepare."

Of course he had little idea of what truly had happened with Shang-Tu and the other kingdoms of Avalice...Oh Gaia did he not know.

But what he did know was that no problem simply goes away by starting fresh - the spectres of the past always find a way to catch up...and whilst he did not want to bare that news onto them he also knew that it was worth telling Kit, he was logical enough that he probably already understood this fact.

"As I have said, all files sent to me I will ensure that they are given the proper treatment - any signatures signed, and any locations given proper credence. I'm not a paperwork kind of guy so Rouge will most likely help me with this. But consider it an I.O.U." He added before starting to take a seat as he adjusted the phone and simply stared at the screen before him.

"A deal it is. But promise me this, Kitsunami, look after Surge and ensure that the two of you do not break what little promise was given to you. Freedom is something that all living things deserve, squander the chance at freedom for others...and it won't be those in Shang Tu you will have to worry about..."

Ominous to say the least, but the Ultimate Lifeform simply desired there to be that chance for happiness for all living beings regardless of the world.

Kit was far more reasonable then Surge, that was true but more because he used logic and reason over irrational behavior. His mind was likely a broken mess do to Starlines tests and tinkering, but it came at a cost. His emotions were a mess, sometimes he couldn't shut them down other times he could barely feel them. In this case they felt very muted, and unlike surge he had no feelings on the matter one way or another. They'd thrive no matter what he knew, but it would devastate her if Carol shunned her and he realized deep down that's what worried her most.

" This may sound rude but--- i don't much care about your motivations. The why is irrelevant... you wish to help Surge? i wish to see her happy. Your well being is not important to me... But if you are willing to use your connections to assist us then so be it. I'm more then happy to use you to that end... "

He was brutally honest with Shadow, his concerns for shadow were very low if non-existent.

" I'll send you the File i have on us... if you can make us exist then do so. We just don't want others to know what starline did to us... Surge worrries it will effect our citizenship status or they may try to employ us as weapons... we wish to avoid that. We simply want to live a normal life... that's reasonable is it not? "

" Monitor? I don't mind you checking in on us. But if i find any listening devices or spy cameras i will disable them... plus it would very likely tread into the espionage of Shang Tu if you did... I doubt Lady Neera Li would take to kindly to that. As for GUN i don't care about them anymore, they aren't part of this worlds political structure... let them be shitty to mobius as Surge says--- it's no longer our problem "

He shrugged his shoulders and adjusted the phone

" If that is agreeable then i think we can deal yes? "

[inamindfarfaraway]

I don’t often share personal stories on here, but listen. I’m in my university’s Hedgehog Society and today they held a casual, friendly hedgehog cake decorating competition. They provided store-bought, iced cakes, confectionery materials and tools. We turned those cakes into hedgehogs. Red velvet cake was among the bases offered.

I knew what I had to do.

I created Shadow the Hedgecake.

Now, three points of context:

I am extremely perfectionistic and self-conscious about what I create, as a rule. This is worse in social situations and I’m especially uncomfortable with visual and physical mediums. I hate drawing. The permanence of marring a blank canvas terrifies me. I can delete words in a document, but if I stain a page with my human imperfection by one wrong line, that page is ruined. The same principle applies to sculpture and so on. I used to cry in art class. A lot. The only reason I don’t anymore is that I no longer do art class.

In a similar vein of irrational anxiety and shame, I’m very secretive about many of my fandom interests in my personal life, particularly those that are likely to be mocked or not taken seriously. Like Sonic the Hedgehog. I know that my stress is disproportionate and I’ve never actually been bullied or anything. But unless I know or suspect that someone either likes the media too or is happy to learn about it, I just don’t broach the subject. My followers have seen sides of me that I’ve never shown my family.

Nobody in the Hedgehog Society had indicated before this meeting that they liked Sonic the Hedgehog. Nobody else did a character cake like me. I committed to this alone and unsupported in public.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I have an anxiety disorder, but I am autistic. So my social thinking and confidence aren’t exactly normal.

But I’ve recently started university. I’m pushing my limits and putting myself out there and starting to connect with new people. This is a time for growth. This is 2024: the Year of Shadow. The Fearless Year of Shadow. So I decided to do something I’d always struggled to. I would relax, not take this too seriously and follow my vision.

BEHOLD. THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM.

Don’t tell me you don’t see the resemblance. He’s partly red! He’s in his super form! He’s got a light fluffy patch on his chest! He’s got two pairs of gold rings/circles/whatever! He’s a messy, angular weirdo!

He’s angry and crying because he watched his best friend get murdered by the government!

Did I win the contest? No. Did I place? No. But I had fun, and I was original and true to myself. Thanks, Shadow.

[shadamyheadcanons]

Submission #103: Yet Another Take On Shadamy (Black Arms Edition Part 2)

((Admin's note: this is a sequel to a previous submission. Both were written by @just-a-guy119, not me. I'm clarifying this now because I've been complimented for these before, but it's their work, not mine. Credit where credit is due!))

--

He doesn't know how she does it, just a few moments ago he was overwhelmed, he'd broken a promise to someone yet again however she easily managed to soothe him…it was an odd sensation…but not exactly unpleasant either…

After his breathing had calmed down Amy ended up letting go of him, along with the warmth that came from her. She leant back against the wall, letting out a sigh of relief as the two just sit there for a minute, trying to catch their breath, Amy still wincing and clutching her shoulder.

"So…part alien?"

Amy breaks the ice as she gets up but winces slightly, she rubs her bandages and realises that she's still in pain but there's not much else she can do right now. After a few moments Shadow follows suit and stands to his feet, stretching slightly.

"Yeah"

Shadow sighs, looking around before the two decide to walk however he continues in a tired tone.

"The Black Arms have come for the Chaos Emeralds…how or why they know of them Im unsure of…but it has something to do with Gerald…"

The ultimate lifeform explains, trying to give as much context as he can to the currently clueless hedgehog who just nods her head, attempting to understand the whole thing before suddenly stopping in her tracks, shadow walks a few steps ahead of her before realising and turning around.

Amy seems to be just standing there, looking at the ground, to say this confused the ultimate lifeform is an understatement, he begins to walk up to the frozen hedgehog, asking what's going on before she speaks again.

"OH CHAOS I FORGOT ABOUT CREAM!"

She shouts to no-one in particular, smacking her forehead and muttering that she's an idiot with shadow taken aback slightly, Sonic had warned him of her tendency to kinda…as he put it…

Explode

…but after seeing it for himself, he agrees…that is a fitting word for it…

"Cream? Like…whipped cream?"

Shadow questions, pausing between each word looking perplexed…Amy looks at him with an angry look before realising something herself, then her facial features soften which Shadow admits looks cute…

"Oh yeah…we never ran into each other during our last adventure when Metal sonic became all kaiju so you never met her…

Im looking for Cream the rabbit, she's a good friend of mine but she's lost here in Cryptic Castle, told me she was looking for Cheese"

She explains, now it was Shadows turn to try and understand as he nods along before he opens his mouth to ask a question however Amy interrupts him.

"By Cheese I mean the name of her Chao, not the food"

Shadow closes his mouth and nods his head finally understanding however Amy quickly asks what he's even doing here, cryptic Castle is out of the way of any major cities and she doubts theres a chaos emerald lying around here however Shadow thinks for a second…

"I'm looking for the doctor…maybe he can fix what control Black Doom has over me"

Shadow ponders as the both of them deciding to speed ahead now, the two keeping pace with one another…

Shadow ponders, ever since he's been with Amy, he hasn't had any flashbacks or migraines about his memories…it can't just be her calming nature though, surely it's because he's away from Black doom so has more control over his thought.

"CHAOS SPEAR!"

Three yellow bolts of light appear from shadow, heading right towards the black arms solders currently blocking the path. Two of the regular solders jump out if the way however the bigger creature takes a direct hit, causing it to stumble back…

"Alright shadow!"

Amy cheers on, jumping up into the air and slamming her hammer onto the alien soldier currently blocking her path. As Shadow jumps up and launches a flurry of punches and kicks onto the remaining black arms soldiers, the bigger one the chaos spear had collided with back up with its purple jagged sword and goes to slash at the currently preoccupied Shadow.

Shadow turns his head and realises he isn't going to be able to react in time so he closes his eyes, bracing for impact however a second later all he hears is a 'clang' sound. The hedgehog opens his eyes to see that Amy intercepted the attack with her hammer and the two are clashing together…to say her strength is impressive would be an understatement.

"H-hurry…i-can't hold it much longer!"

Amy calls out, her body shaking as she falls to one knee, her wound from before burning as she puts strain on her shoulder. Shadow nods his head and quickly finishes off the grunts in front of him before jumping back onto the wall behind him and launching a homing attack right towards the towering Alien, causing it to stumble back however Shadow follows it up by activating the booster on his shoe and unleashing a kick, burning its face as it falls down, this time staying down.

"T-thanks…I swear I'm not usually this weak"

Amy says, wincing as she drops her hammer and clutches her shoulder as her bandages come undone…

Shadow quickly rushes over to her and puts her arm over his shoulder as to help her up, she thanks him as he just remains silent, questioningly giving her a glance before looking around for any way to help her but he finds something…a floating gray box with an antenna on it…it seemed to be moving sporadically but he could hear a voice coming from it…as the monitor turns around hes barely able to catch the doctors face on the end of what seems to be a screen as it flies off to presumably regroup with more of his robots…

Shadow looks down to Amy only to realise she's now unconscious, he grits his teeth and scolds himself for getting distracted, he softly nudges army's head with his free hand but to no avail… he sighs

"Shouldn't have let my guard down…"

As he hurries along, he realises the way he's holding her doesn't allow him to go too fast so instead he readjusts himself and picks her up bridal style… A thought occurs to him…he could use chaos control but its clear normal medication didn't have much of an effect for long and since Amy is looking for her friend, he doubts she wants to wake up in a completely different place…

Shadow skates off, clutching Amy tight as he weaves between Black Arms Soldiers and Eggman's forces attack one another, though as much as Shadow could do, his maneuverability was hindered so eventually his luck ran out in the form of a stray rocket from one of the doctors robots ending up landing right in front of the two.

Shadow couldn't jump out of the way, so instead he quickly spun around and taking the brunt of the blast, sending the two flying off the platform that connects the towers they had been traversing together.

As they're falling, Shadow looks down and notices a small interior area and decides he's going to need to land there…though before he can readjust himself he goes flying right through the roof head first, still clutching onto Amy however as he crashes in the center of a room, his hold of Amy breaks as she goes flying out if his arms, tumbling to the side as Shadow is send back into the wall, cracking it…

"Ugh…"

After a few moments Shadow lifts himself up and rubs the back of his head in pain now having a headache linger on and his vision blurred before quickly glancing up at the incoherent mess which seems to be an unconscious Amy…As his vision quickly sharpens he sees someone else, a small cream coloured rabbit in an orange dress tending to Amy's wound…

"Cream the rabbit I presume…"

Shadow says in a small groan before standing up and looking around, finding that the three of them seem to be in a storage room…

"Um, yes I am…You must be Mr Shadow"

The kind young girl quickly bows before helping Amy with her wound as Shadow walks over and helps her…

"No need for formalities, have we met before? I don't seem to recall you and you know my name"

Shadow says, G.U.N had been adamant of removing all records and traces of Project Shadow and anything linked to it so not many people know of his existence.

Shadow pulls out an emerald whilst Cream is finishing up replacing the bandages that Amy had previously…

Shadow then hovers his hand, holding the green chaos emerald, over Amy's wound as he closes his eyes with the rabbit standing back. After a few seconds a small gust of wind emitting from Shadow with his quills fanning in the wind as the emerald begins to glow green, suddenly a small aura forms around Amy's wound before it disappears and Shadow let's out a deep breath…

"Um…no Mr Shadow we haven't met. Though Amy does like to talk about you a lot"

The younger girl giggles with Shadows chest feeling strange and his face feeling warm, luckily the young girl hadn't looked up to notice the warmth forming on his muzzle however it quickly cools down…

"Don't put it like that Cream….you make it sound…obsessive…"

Amy suddenly stirs awake, slurring her words as the two help her lean upright…

"Amy! You're okay!"

Cream cries out and pulls her into a hug, causing Amy to wince but also embrace it before the two part, suddenly the pink hedgehog calls out in surprise.

"Wait Cream!? How did you find us?"

Amy questions in surprise, however as before shadow can respond, Cream says that the both if them came crashing through the roof with Shadow mentally facepalming. Amy quickly turns to Shadow with a smile.

"Thanks for looking after me, I promise I won't be a burden again"

Amy says, feeling slightly guilty however Shadow shakes his head.

"You needed help, there's nothing wrong with that. You're not weak or a burden for relying on others sometimes"

He says, the three of them standing to their feet with the ultimate lifeform clutches his head. The headache not going away was strange, his healing factor would've dealt with it by now but instead his vision is blurred, only able to stay upright by leaning one hand against the wall beside him…

"Mr Shadow! What's wrong?

Cream asks with shadow shaking his head as his vision steadily comes and goes from sharp to blurred, Amy then looks to cream and asks a question.

"You sad we crashed through the roof right-"

Amy points towards the hole in the roof however Cream shakes her head

"No, Mr Shadow shielded you, I think he might have a concussion. My mum has taught me alot about medicine and injuries…that's how I knew to bandage you up"

Cream says proudly, still worried about Shadow.

"I'm fine…I just-I need a moment…"

Shadow says, readjusting his balance again before needing the wall for support as he begins to internally ask questions …why is he suddenly unable to stand straight…is it something to do with black doom?

Amy looks back at Shadow and looks at him eye to eye, squeezing his hand to reassure him before asking something…

"Could it have something to do with why your eyes are now yellow?

Something clicks in his mind…

"Black Doom must've made a failsafe in case he lost control of me…the Doctor might be able to help me get rid of it…"

Shadow says, looking at Amy with determination as he forces himself to stand straight as he walks ahead…alone…

"It's going to get dangerous, you two should leave"

He says looking back at the two before he continues

"I don't want either of you hurt…thanks for your help"

He finishes and attempts to walk off however both Cream and Amy rush over with the pink hedgehog grabbing his hand, causing a wave of warmth and calmness to fill his body.

"Oh no you don't Shadow, we'll deal with this together…plus we still need to find Cheese"

Amy says, more so demanding with a level of conviction that impresses him however he smirks…

"Yeah, you helped us so now we will help you! Thats what friends are for"

Cream excitedly says, with little to no fear in her voice, even upon seeing Aliens and Eggmans army battling right outside. Shadow lets out a small smile before his usual expression reforms.

"Fine…Rose I know you can handle yourself but Cream, listen to me at all times…"

Shadow sternly says with Cream nodding her head in excitement, Amy however feels a small blush creep upon her face upon the name he gave her…

Rose…

Cream glances at Amy looking completely shocked with a red face and giggles quietly before Shadow takes off, the two following behind at a moderate speed, shadow slowing down to allow the other two to catch up…

____________________

(Author Notes)

Yep, here's part 2. Honestly it had been so long since I wrote part 1, I kinda forgot where I was gonna go with this short story since I ended up losing my notes for this small oneshot so I've kinda had to make it up as I go along.

Most stories I've read about shadamy tend to focus on Amy's perspective, there are a few that focus on shadow hence why I've decided to focus this story from Shadows perspective though next chapter I do want to do it from Amy's perspective as it'd make more sense now.

From what I remember my original plan was to have this kinda "slot in" to a potential "definitive" route for shadow the hedgehog (the game) however my main goal for this "chapter" specifically is to kinda calm things down as last chapter had a lot of action from tonnes of perspectives and different locations.

Next chapter should pick up the pace quite a but this was mainly to allow the character room to breathe.

As for where I've been…life…responsibilities, all of that annoying stuff we gotta deal with.

Anyway next part should be the final part (let's hope it doesn't take a few months to release)

--

((Admin's note: well done! It's good to have a breather. I like the way Shadow's insistence that Amy shouldn't feel bad for needing help parallels Amy's insistence that he shouldn't have to be alone, either. I can absolutely see Shadow feeling like he needs to go it alone while not realizing the irony of not wanting others to do the same. I see Amy the same way, so it's really nice that they have each other. They need that.

Thank you as always! And don't worry about taking your time. I'm sure you know how long it took me to get around to sharing this. Life gets busy!))

[generic-sonic-fan]

One Ultimate Latte, Please

Summary: This is the story of how Shadow's Starbucks order went viral.

(Crack fic! Inspired by this post made by the lovely @chaos-and-the-emeralds and I!)

3452 words

Emily worked at the Starbucks next door to the GUN headquarters.

To say it was an unusual job would be putting it lightly. During her short time here, she’d learned that anything could walk out of the doors of that government complex and into the coffee shop. Soldiers in full tactical SWAT gear. International politicians. Four-star generals. Sonic the Hedgehog, once, apparently- Emily’s supervisor had printed out a photo of a selfie she’d gotten with the Blue Blur and hung it on the bulletin board in the storeroom. 

It was a Tuesday afternoon. Business was painfully slow at this hour- all of the usual government meetings had finished, but it wasn’t quite the end of the workday. Emily cleaned off the front counter with a rag and spray bottle. She stopped scrubbing when she heard the door chime.

In stepped Shadow the Hedgehog. 

The Shadow the Hedgehog. 

He was. . . shorter than Emily expected. She set the rag and spray bottle aside and stepped behind the till. Only now did she realize that someone else was with him, too. 

“What kind of coffee do you want?”

“We should be going.”

“It’d be rude if I didn’t let you get something too, hun.” The white bat jabbed her elbow into his side. “We’re gonna be late anyway, might as well get something good on the way.”

Shadow the Hedgehog stared up at the menu with a blank expression.

“Can I help you?” Emily offered. 

“Sure!” The bat replied. “I’ll take a venti iced soy caramel macchiato, upside down, with one pump of vanilla and cinnamon dolce syrup.”

Emily entered the order into the register. When she looked back up, the bat was handing her a credit card. Behind her, however, Shadow the Hedgehog stood, eyebrows furrowed, doing the best “Dorothy-landing-in-Oz” expression Emily had ever seen.

Not in Kansas anymore? she thought about saying for a single second before deciding she would never, ever say that under any circumstance. She looked over her shoulder and disguised her laugh as cough. 

“What’s so funny, hmm? Got a problem with my order?”

“Nothing. Sorry.” Emily took the credit card from her and rang up the transaction. “What’s a good name for that?”

“Rouge. Shadow, you decided?”

“How am I supposed to order when I can’t understand half the words on the menu?” Shadow scowled. He then glared straight at Emily. “What kind of establishment is this?”

“Okay, relax, hun, I’ll order for you. He’ll take a honeycomb lavender latte- what size do you want?”

“The small one.”

“He’ll have that tall.” The bat, Rouge, finished. She stepped aside and waved Shadow forward.

The hedgehog gave a cutting glare as he fished a wad of cash out of his quills and slammed it on the counter. Emily waited until he’d removed his hand and stepped back before counting it. She was grateful it was exact change. 

“And what’s a good name for that one?” Emily asked. 

“The Ultimate Lifeform.”

She grabbed the cup and pen, and to her credit, she wrote the title without much hesitation. “Alright, we’ll have that out in a few minutes.” 

The pair walked to the pickup counter. Shadow looked pissed, and remained pissed as Emily prepared his friend’s complicated order. Maybe “friend” was a strong term- Emily certainly didn’t know anything about these two, and the hedgehog didn’t look pleased to be with her right now. 

“One venti soy caramel macchiato with vanilla and cinnamon for Rouge?” Emily called out. 

The bat sauntered up to the counter. “Upside down?”

“Yes ma’am.” 

“Good woman. Mmm.” Rouge sipped her drink. “Perfect.”

Shadow rolled his eyes. 

Emily was able to make his drink much faster, and soon emerged out the other side with the short cup.

“One honeycomb lavender latte for the Ultimate Lifeform?” She set the drink on the counter. 

Maybe it had been a little dumb to have taken their names, since they were the only ones in the store, but Shadow’s face actually lightened a bit when he heard the title called. He walked up to the counter and grabbed his drink, swirling it around in his hand. 

“Well?” Rouge asked.

He took a sip. Then another. Then a long swig. 

“Good, huh?”

He nodded. 

“I told you.”

“This is the Ultimate Latte.” He gripped the cup with determination. 

Rouge gave an agitated sigh. “Sure, weirdo. Watch my drink, I’ll be back.”

She set her drink down on the counter and walked to the bathroom. Shadow watched her go. When the door shut behind her, he covered his mouth with his hand and started shaking. Emily realized he was snickering, and this was enough to get a laugh out of her as well.

“What are you laughing at?” Shadow whipped around to her. 

“Nothing, sir.” She straightened. 

“Are you laughing at me?”

She shook her head before pointing toward the bathroom. “She thought you were serious, right?”

“Don’t ruin it.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Good.” His glare softened, but not by much. He took another sip of his latte.

The bathroom door opened and Rouge returned. She grabbed her drink from the counter, muttered something about “ultimate vanity”, before the two left the store. 

Emily would’ve had one hell of a story to tell her supervisor, but the last thing she wanted to do was break a promise with Shadow the freaking Hedgehog. . .

—

Two weeks passed. Emily got very good at preparing “upside down” orders, and she wanted to strangle whichever Instagrammer decided to make that popular. Shadow the Hedgehog’s bat friend must’ve been ahead of the trend. 

This meant Emily was prepared when the two walked back through the doors. This time it was mid-morning, and they weren’t the only customers in the shop. Heads swiveled as Shadow the Hedgehog joined the line behind an old woman. 

“My my! Aren’t you one of the fine young men that saved the world from that wicked Robotnik a while back?” The old lady exclaimed. “Why don’t you go ahead of me?”

Before Shadow could answer, his bat friend interjected. “Thanks, lady, we’re in a bit of a rush.”

She stepped up to the counter. “I’ll take a venti iced soy caramel macchiato, upside down, with one pump of vanilla and cinnamon dolce syrup, on the double if you can.”

Emily entered the order. “Name for that?”

“Rouge.” 

“And for you, sir?” Emily asked.

Shadow snapped to attention. 

“An Ultimate Latte for you?”

She didn’t know what possessed her to say that. She really shouldn’t have- she'd promised.

“Are you making fun of him?” Rouge asked. 

“. . . why yes, actually, I’ll take one of those.” Shadow replied. 

Rouge did a double take at her companion as Emily entered the order. She wrote the names on both of the cups before accepting Rouge’s credit card. The transaction completed, and the pair moved along. Emily stayed at the register to take further orders, but she could hear her coworkers making the drinks behind her. 

“One upside down venti soy caramel macchiato with vanilla and cinnamon for Rouge?” One coworker called out. 

The bat retrieved her drink. Emily paid only half attention to the customer in front of her, waiting. 

“One honeycomb lavender latte for. . . the Ultimate Lifeform?”

Shadow waltzed forward and snatched his drink from the person who’d called his order out.

“Say it with more respect next time.” He growled, before returning to Rouge. 

Emily’s coworker looked like he’d just peed his pants. Emily, meanwhile, could only slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud to the entire store. 

—

Shadow came alone next time, one week later, in the dead of the afternoon. He had a paper with an order on it. He mumbled halfway through it before throwing it away and ordering two “Ultimate Lattes” instead. 

“If she wanted her stupid frilly drink she could’ve come here herself.” He grumbled.

“I agree. Same name as usual for that order?”

Shadow glanced around to the empty shop around them, before a small grin teased at his lips. “Sure.”

Emily made sure to say it loud and proud.

—

If it was somehow hard to miss Shadow the Hedgehog, it was even harder to miss the giant robot that entered with him. Okay, maybe “giant” wasn’t the most apt descriptor, given that it was only about five feet tall- but that still towered over Shadow and every other mobian in the store. 

And it wasn’t about height, but presence. “WHAT SUSTENANCE DO YOU REQUIRE?”

“Caffeine. Forgot my coffee beans this morning. This will only take a few minutes, you can wait outside.”

The robot stared at the menu, before staring at Emily. 

“The usual?” She asked quietly.

“WHAT IS ‘THE USUAL’?”

“Yes. One Ultimate Latte, please.” Shadow ignored his companion and handed the money to her. 

“I WANT ONE.”

Shadow looked at the robot. “Why?”

“I WANT ONE.”

“Don’t be foolish. You won’t be able to drink it.”

The robot swiveled, then leaned forwards, until its eyes were level with Shadow’s. 

“Fine! Whatever. Two Ultimate Lattes.” He slapped more money on the counter. 

A few minutes later and the drinks were ready. Emily walked them to the pickup counter.

“Two Ultimate Lattes for the Ultimate Lifeform!”

The regulars didn’t turn their heads anymore, but a few newbies did. Shadow retrieved his drinks and handed one to the robot. 

The robot stared at the drink, before stomping back to the counter. Emily fought the urge to hide beneath the counter or take off running.

“I AM NOT AN ‘ULTIMATE LIFEFORM’.” The robot blared. “I AM THE ULTIMATE ROBOT. GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME, MEATBAG.”

“Sorry, let me try that one again: one Ultimate Latte for the Ultimate Robot!” Emily replied without missing a beat. She’d have to thank whatever ghost of bravery that had possessed her later. 

The robot stared at her, before giving an approving nod. She flashed her best customer service smile as it stomped off. Shadow trailed after it, but before he left, he gave her a tight-lipped smile and a shrug. 

—

The next time Shadow came with company was right at rush hour, when the usual crowd of government agents got off work or were heading to their night shift. Emily wasn’t sure which one applied to the three that stood before her. Shadow, regardless of everything, looked happy to see her. 

He cut in front of Rouge. “One Ultimate Latte, please.”

“Rude!” Rouge chimed. 

“RUDE.” The robot chimed. 

“Sure thing,” Emily finished doodling up the cup. 

She took the money from him shortly after, and he stepped off to the side. The robot stepped forward next. 

“ONE ULTIMATE LATTE.”

“For the Ultimate Robot, right?”

“CORRECT!” The robot pumped its fist into the air. It then turned to Shadow. “SHE REMEMBERED. I LIKE THIS MEATBAG.”

“You’re kind of hard to forget.” Shadow replied. “Emily, you can put Omega’s on my ticket.”

Emily froze. Whatever ghost of bravery or quick thinking or whatever that had helped her last time was completely absent.

“That is your name, isn’t it?” He gestured to the name tag. 

“Right, of course.” Emily turned to Rouge. “And what can I get for you?” 

“Ugh, about time. I think I’ll try something different- how about a venti half white chocolate, half regular mocha frappe with two pumps raspberry and whipped cream?”

“And the name for that?”

The bat pouted. “And here I thought we knew everyone’s names here?”

“Just ‘Rouge’ is fine?” Emily clarified. 

Rouge paused thoughtfully, before grinning. “Actually, how about ‘the Ultimate Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire’?”

“Perfect. We’ll have those right out for you.”

Emily completed the payments, punched everything into the register, and then frowned at the huge line that had formed while the trio had ordered. She caught one of her coworkers walking by behind her, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him behind the till.

“Switch!” She whispered in his ear, before jumping into the order line. 

It was hell to try and figure out what her unfortunate colleague had been in the middle of, but she threw together the orders well enough. Then it came to the three important ones, and she took her time with these. When they were finished, she went up to the counter and readied her best calling voice.

“One Ultimate Latte for the Ultimate Lifeform!”

“One venti half-and-half mocha frappe with raspberry and whip for the Ultimate Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire!” 

“One Ultimate Latte for the Ultimate Robot!”

What followed was a scene out of a movie, slow motion and all. The crowded store parted, bewildered patrons creating the perfect walkway for the three to swagger down. Rouge led the formation, wings spread wide, with the grace of a supermodel on the runway. Shadow followed on her right, a look of cool arrogance in his eyes. Omega followed on her left, practically preening under all the attention, if robots could preen, that was. 

They grabbed their drinks in unison and then walked away in the same formation. Rouge blew a kiss to the crowd before they went out the door. 

Everything and everyone in the store seemed to freeze in place for a moment, as if reality itself was reeling from the amount of “cool” it had just witnessed.

And Emily was beaming. 

—

“It’s only a quick stop.”

“Coffee, Shads? Frou-frou coffee?”

“Shut up. You can wait outside if it bothers you.”

“No no no, I’m not bothered or anything, just weird.”

Being the barista that Shadow the Hedgehog knew by name prepared you for all sorts of unexpected, intimidating things. Emily liked to think that she could handle anything at this point. 

But having THE Sonic the Hedgehog walk into your store was something else entirely. 

“Hello, Emily.” Shadow said. “The usual.”

Really, she should’ve expected this. Shadow the Hedgehog hadn’t saved the world alone, after all. They might even be friends. . . though perhaps that was pushing it, given the way Sonic rolled his eyes. 

“One Ultimate Latte, coming right up.” Emily began writing the name on the cup. 

“You’re kidding.” Sonic said. He then cleared his throat and did a poor imitation. “An ‘Ultimate Latte’?”

“Shut up!”

Emily scribbled out what she’d written on the cup. “And the name for that?”

Shadow gave her a strange look. “Same as always.”

She shot a glance at Sonic, before looking back to him.

“Did I stutter?”

“Got it. Be out with that in a minute.”

Making the drink took only about as long as it took to heat the milk up at this point. The unique recipe was now as thoroughly engrained in her brain as a typical mocha or caramel frappuccino, so she didn’t have to think much about it anymore. She put the lid on and walked up to the counter. 

Her throat went dry as Sonic looked over at her. As usual, no one else was in the entire store, and for the first time in a long time, she felt a little dumb for taking a name for the order at all. 

But then Shadow met her gaze expectantly, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“One Ultimate Latte for the Ultimate Lifeform!” She called out and set the cup on the counter. 

Shadow retrieved his drink and took a sip. “Thanks.”

“Wow. Just wow, dude.” Sonic shook his head. 

Shadow turned around. “What, too afraid to try it?”

“Wha- no, of course not! Gimme a sip.”

Sonic was over in an instant. No, faster than an instant. The wind slapped against Emily’s face and her mouth fell open as her brain failed to register how someone that was over there could now be fifteen feet closer seemingly without taking a single step. 

Sonic, meanwhile, grabbed the cup and took a swig. 

And he immediately spit it out. 

“It’s hot, you moron.” Shadow said. 

“. . . Mhmmm, figured that. . .”

Shadow grabbed the cup back and took a small, reasonable sip. “I’m not giving you any more.”

“Come on. One more taste. I’m not getting defeated by some dumb drink.”

“Order your own.” Shadow turned and gave Emily a look. 

She froze, for a single moment, from the weight of expectation upon her. She then gave her best customer service smile and asked, “Would you like an Ultimate Latte, sir?”

Sonic threw his hands in the air as a look of utter bewilderment crossed his face. Shadow covered his mouth and locked eyes with her, and they shared in the valiant struggle of containing their laughter. 

“Fine. Ring me up.” Sonic zipped over to the till. 

She walked back and punched in the order again. Her customer service smile helped delay the giggles but she knew she didn’t have much time before she totally lost it. 

“What’s the name for that?”

“Sonic. Just Sonic, none of his nonsense.”

“Coming right up.” 

Making the order this time around felt like an eternity, but soon Emily returned to the counter.

“One Ultimate Latte for Sonic?”

She didn’t even set the drink down when it was taken from her hands by a blur of blue. Sonic skidded to a stop next to Shadow. 

“Now drink it. Slowly.” Shadow lowered his hand from his mouth. 

Sonic set the cup down on a nearby table and popped the lid off. He blew on the top of the drink for a minute or two, before picking it up and taking a sip. Then another. Then another.

“Well?” Shadow asked.

“. . . okay, that’s pretty good. Very sugary. Didn’t take you for the type.”

“Rouge got it for me the first time. I didn’t expect it either.”

“But it’s nice.”

“Yes. It’s nice.” 

Sonic took a longer sip, before setting the cup down again. He popped the lid back on. 

“Heh, guess it is a pretty ‘Ultimate’ latte. That’s a good name for it.”

And that’s when Shadow snorted. 

“Hey! What’s so funny?”

Emily laughed before she could help it. She doubled over behind the counter. Shadow’s own quiet giggles floated in from above. 

“I said it’s pretty ‘Ultimate’! That’s the name, right? Why are you two laughing?”

Giggles turned into guffaws. Emily stood up behind the counter again to see that Shadow’s smile spread wide out from behind his hand as he laughed uncontrollably. Sonic smiled and put a hand on Shadow’s back. It took him minutes to calm down enough to speak again. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh like that before, dude.” Sonic said. “You should do it more often!”

“Tsch.” Shadow brushed his hand off.

“I’m going to assume this is some kind of inside joke?”

“Maybe?” Emily said. 

“Maybe.” Shadow repeated. 

“You can’t tell anyone.” Emily said.

“Oh really now?”

“Don’t ruin it.” Shadow pointed at him. 

“Sure won’t- if you can beat me back to your stupid boss’ office!”

“But we’re carrying drinks!” “So? What’s wrong, Shads, don’t know how to not spill everywhere?”

Emily dug out a pair of coffee cup stoppers. “These might help.”

Sonic ran back and stole them from her hands, before sticking them in his and Shadow’s drink. He then disappeared, the door slamming shut giving the only indication of where he’d gone. 

“Bastard!” Shadow shouted. “Chaos control!”

There was a huge flash of light, and a shockwave strong enough to shake the glass of the windows. Emily flung her hands in front of her eyes. When she lowered them again, he was gone. 

—

One week later, in the thick of rush hour, Sonic the Hedgehog came tearing into the store. He weaved and dodged his way around the line, sliding to a stop in front of the till just as the last customer walked off. Not that anybody minded, and if anybody did, they weren’t going to say it.

“Hey, Emily, is it? How’s it hanging?” He grinned.

She could only give a shy smile. “Can I take your order?”

By this point, multiple patrons had gotten their cell phones out and were videoing the whole exchange. 

“Sure! One Ultimate Latte, please.”

“And the name for that?”

“You know the one!”

Sonic slapped a wad of cash on the counter and took off to the pickup line. Emily counted the cash, only to find that he’d way overpaid, but any attempt to get his attention again was fruitless- he was busy taking selfies with a group of kids waiting with their mom. She threw the extra change in the tip jar. She then waved the next customer forward, a teenager with her phone out. 

“What’s the ‘Ultimate Latte’?” The teen asked. 

“Uh, it’s a honeycomb lavender latte.” Emily said. 

“Sure, I’ll give it a try. Make it a grande, please.” 

By the end of Emily’s shift, the coffee bar had run out of lavender syrup. 

By the end of the week, so had the storeroom. 

[izuizzy]

Hi Talia and Vox! How’s your day going and I’ve got some questions!

What’s life growing up with your parents?

Do you guys have a favorite uncle/aunt?

What’s your favorite deserts? Autumn will be ready to bake! >:]

Hi hello! I think it’ll be fun to let them answer these! :3 It got a bit long so I’m gonna put the answers under the cut! 💜🫡

Talia 💙

Q1

“Hi! I’m doing well thank you! I hope you are too!

Hmm personally I think I had a great childhood growing up with Dad and Papa. They looked out for me so much and I know my sudden appearance didn’t make things easy for them. Plus I was always worried about fitting in when I was younger and learned I was “gifted” more than most kids. It was hard and I’d cry sometimes because others didn’t wanna be my friends.

With Dad he would always make me smile and laugh when I needed it. And Papa.. He and I don’t need to speak sometimes, I just need to know he’s there, and he is. He lets me lean on his shoulder when I’m sad or the voices in my head are too much.

I know I’m a handful sometimes but I love them both so much and I know they love me back.”

(for context: Sonic = Dad and Shadow = Papa)

Q2

“Oh! Auntie Amy! I love all of Dad and Papa’s friends they really are like aunts and uncles, but even they knew I kinda got super attached to Auntie Amy.”

“You even emulated her hairstyle.” - Vox

“Hey! *Pouts* It is true… She’s always been kind to me and was constantly trying to help me feel like a normal girl. On top of just always having my back, I love and respect her so much! So I may… Or may not have copied her hair because I wanted to be like her…”

Q3

“Oh! I love anything sweet! I love sorbets and ice creams and I also love strawberry-flavored desserts I’d love to try something you make!”

————————————

Vox 🖤

Q1

“Hello. Life with my… Parents… It’s still very strange to hear them with such a title.

In truth I didn’t grow up with them, at least not for long, back when I rediscovered my original purpose as a counter to the Ultimate Lifeform, I couldn’t abandon that purpose, it was all I had. I ran away. I trained myself in order to become the stronger hedgehog. I fought with not only my parents but my sister and my friends.

*Chuckles* Even just explaining it now makes me realize how foolish I was… I eventually saw the error of my ways and worked to deserve the second chance I was given. Nowadays… It’s odd to have people care for me like I’m nothing more than another one of them. For my… Parents… For them to see me as their “child” is an odd feeling… But it isn’t unwelcome.”

Q2

“I never truly became close with many of my parents’ allies and friends before I ran away, but Rouge has been very kind to me before and after my return. She always asks me to tell her my troubles.

Omega as well, for a robot, he is surprisingly caring and a very good listener.”

Q3

There are not many foods I cannot consume, personally I find fruit-based pastries like fruit tarts and apple pies to be quite delicious. So long as it doesn’t have chocolate in it, I can eat it. Chocolate is the one thing I can’t stand…

[mewtwonie]

I froze shadow the hedgehog in ice please follow my account

[aureumdraconeus]

* sometimes, everything shifts in the snap of a finger. Maria to Shadow

random (chaotic) dialogue starters

"Such things are why we adapt. Change is a common thing and yet..." Shadow seemed to let the words leave his tongue as he spoke, he did not know why this girl bared a striking familiarity to him.

[dracarialove]

📄 Posting my finished fics here, too 📄

*Check the 'shadow's heart' tag if you haven't read chapter 1

[Chapter 10: Eternity]

"One vanilla and one chocolate," Shadow said to the ice cream vendor, then looked over his shoulder at the breathtaking bat setting up their spot on the beach.

She knelt on the big beach towel, applying sunscreen with no knowledge of the approaching surprise. Green-rimmed sunglasses sat in front of her eyes, which her boyfriend could see glancing across the beige stretch of sand when she turned her head.

There were many more people out than before, families and groups of friends splashing in the water, running along the shoreline, and even playing frisbee on the grass.

Shadow wasn't worried about the crowd, though; they were spaced far enough away from the biggest cluster of beachgoers that he didn't think his personal bubble would be intruded on.

Besides, his moment was drawing ever closer, and anticipating it kept his spirits high despite the spattering of rambunctious vacationers. There was nothing to fear or fret on a day that was guaranteed to be perfect.

So, when he got their ice cream, the dark speedster headed over to his soon-to-be fiancée, handing her the vanilla cone while she sat soaking up the sun.

He took his place beside her and breathed in the air when a cooling breeze gusted past. It felt nice on his thick fur, under the heat of a clear sky. And the refreshing sugary chocolate tasted even better.

He flinched when he felt something cold against his cheek, turning with widened eyes to Rouge, who was pulling her ice cream back to her mouth.

She removed her sunglasses to give him a wink; an impish smile pervaded her shimmery lips, fangs bearing when they parted. "Gotcha!"

A half-smile grew on Shadow's face as he lazily swiped the spot of dessert from his muzzle, looking down at the off-white smear on his gloved fingertip before smirking at the playful woman. "Should I give you a head-start, or get my revenge now?"

"What are you gonna do?" she asked, jokingly cautious as she gingerly rested the flat bottom of the ice cream cone on the towel.

The hedgehog's free hand curled into a claw, which he slowly brought closer to her, and his smirk became a little more devilish. "3..."

Her eyes widened, then, and with a realization, Rouge jumped up from her seat. Shadow turned as she ran past him, taunting, "2..."

He put his treat down and let her get 30 feet away before he hopped up himself, catching up in a couple seconds at a fair pace. He took up the space in front of her – making the treasure hunter gasp and stop in her tracks – then wrapped his arms around her waist when she stumbled into him.

His deep, smooth voice whispered in her ear for the short moment he was supporting her weight. "Gotcha."

Then his fingers pressed firmly into her sides and Rouge started laughing, pulling herself away while the Ultimate Lifeform tickled his girlfriend relentlessly. She shouted through high-pitched giggles, "Aah! Shadow, stop it! I surrender!"

The jerking movements, coupled with her backwards steps, caused the bat to lose her footing, and she started to fall. Without thinking, Shadow lunged forward, pulling her into another embrace as his knees plummeted to the sand.

A startled shriek left Rouge's lips and she held on tightly, then felt the warm fur of his legs beneath her when they landed. For a second, she was stunned into silence, until soft, handsome chuckles filled her hearing.

She joined the hedgehog's laughter and soon left his lap, standing up to smile down at the man who was opening up even more than usual. When he tilted his head to meet her gaze, Shadow had to pause; his chuckling faded away and his grin lessened as a certain feeling overcame him.

Standing above the stolid lifeform was a figure of beauty, bronze skin clad in her white bikini and drastically lit on one side by the beaming sun.

The sly look she gave him was one he'd seen a thousand times before, but it was now somehow more intense than ever. He felt the thumping of his heart strengthen, its pace quickening while he stared, enamored, at his favorite person.

"Need some help?" Rouge asked, holding out her hand.

He took it but didn't pull himself up. Instead, he lifted only one leg, kneeling before her and gaining a sense of destiny as he reached for the box he had tucked away.

Now she was furling an eyebrow, her smirk changing into a confused pout. And when the black ring box came into view, her mouth dropped open.

Turquoise eyes widened and her gaze flitted from the surprise to his eyes. It was all he needed to see to know, without a doubt, that the moment was perfect. Waiting any longer would've been foolish, and he didn't care if they were getting stared at – he didn't even look around him, only at her.

Rouge's heart skipped a beat. Shadow's heart wouldn't stop racing. Because there he was, down on one knee, holding his true love's warm hand in his.

The bright, shining sun cast them both in hot golden light, and the only thing that kept the hedgehog's dark fur from soaking up too much of the heat was the constant pleasant breeze that brushed past them.

The bat's visage switched to one of joyful radiance, a rosy shade of blush touching her tanned cheeks. Likewise, his muzzle flushed against his will, and his heart continued to hammer in his chest at an overwhelming speed.

When his fingers left hers to open the box, her hands shot up to cup her cheeks and she pulled in a soft but elated gasp. Shadow couldn't stop the pure, enchanted grin that spread across his lips while he revealed the stunning piece of jewelry.

It glimmered more than he expected under the generous sun, casting a splatter of opalescent light on her face. And at the sight of the ring, his beau grinned excitedly, a wild sparkle dancing in her teal eyes. It took only a second for the speedster to find the voice he needed to grab her attention again.

With a steadying breath, Shadow began his proposal, "Rouge... I've never loved anyone this way before. Since we met, you've shared so many incredible things with me that make me question how I got by without you. And I feel this isn't even half of what I could do to repay you for the happiness you've brought me. I fell for you so hard that at one point, it scared me. But if I could capture the essence of our union forever, I would. So, will you let me give you my heart – for as long as our eternity lasts?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed immediately, dropping to her knees and throwing her arms around him. "Of course!"

Shadow squeezed her body in a hug before they stood up together, and Rouge gave him her left hand to slip the ring on her finger. She chimed, "Oh, I feel like I could burst!"

"Not yet, please," he quipped, then kissed her fingers once the ring was settled.

He took his new fiancée into his arms again and leaned into the passionate kiss she planted on his lips. Some quiet coos of the other people around them disturbed his hearing for a moment, but he ignored them. Then, Rouge pulled back and impulsively nuzzled her nose against his.

"Now this is really the best vacation ever!" She looked at her hand and outstretched it, angling the ring in the golden glare of the sunlight. "Oh, Shadow, this ring is gorgeous! It must've cost a fortune!"

When she turned back to him, the hedgehog merely shrugged as his smile held a humble quality. "No price would be too high for you. Your expensive taste doesn't scare me."

One of the woman's white brows lowered and she smirked at her betrothed. "Really? Because I was thinking of getting a hot tub installed at our place."

"Oh?" Shadow smirked back. "Well, who am I to say no? It'll make a nice engagement gift to ourselves."

Rouge bit her lip and then kissed him again, more exuberant than he'd ever seen her before. Normally, such a level of public affection would be too much for him; he'd feel the burning stare of others around him, even if they weren't looking.

But no matter how many people wandered the beach, and regardless of whoever might be watching them, Shadow cherished his fiancée's deep kisses more than he cared about being seen by strangers.

There was no room to be ashamed when his heart was already filled with happiness and the warm feeling of unconditional love.

***

Just over a year later, the duo were preparing for their wedding in a classy, highly esteemed bridal venue. The building embodied a mixture of traditional wood and sleek marble, deep browns contrasting pearly whites in every room – a choice that appealed to both halves of the marrying couple.

"You look so beautiful, Rouge!" said Amy Rose, beaming a grin at the bat whose figure stood hugged in a silky white gown.

Rouge studied herself in the mirror while her bridesmaids moved around her, collecting different pieces of her outfit and adding them on. Her maid of honor, the fiery princess herself, brushed a subtle dash of strawberry-hued blush onto one tanned cheek to match the other.

The bubbly pink hedgehog retrieved the veil, daintily plucking the icy-blue tiara from its pedestal; a silver sheen shifted along the swirly edges of the crown's pattern as she brought it over to the bride, being careful not to let the thin fabric catch on anything.

When she came near to place the accessory, Vanilla the Rabbit closed the makeup palette she'd used to color Rouge's eyelids, leaving a moderate layer of lavender above azure eyes.

Amy settled the tiara between her ears and flared the veil behind her head, bouncing with excitement. She waited for Blaze to delicately apply layers of mascara to her long lashes, then the affianced woman took a moment to gaze critically at the image she saw in the full-body reflection.

"Do you girls think white was a good idea?" she wondered aloud, touching her hair and comparing its ivory color to the starkness of the dress. "Now I'm worried it's too–"

"Stop that right now!" Amy piped, holding up a finger to scold her friend. "It's perfect, and I don't want to hear you saying any different!"

"Besides," Blaze chimed in, "there's no time for a different gown when you're walking down the aisle in an hour." She smiled and stepped closer, catching Rouge's gaze and wrapping a silver, turquoise-encrusted necklace over her shoulders. "Amy's right. I wouldn't change a thing if I were you."

The sweet voice of Vanilla's teenaged daughter added, "Don't worry, we'll make sure everything goes well, Miss Rouge!"

Cream's optimism made Rouge smile before she pursed her lips for the girl's mother to apply her lipstick.

***

Shadow was pacing behind the heavy velvet curtain that hid the groom's changing room from the rest of the building. His hands were tumbling around each other, wringing nervously, the hedgehog being left with too much time to think after getting ready.

He stopped when he saw how he looked in the mirror, thinking it a bit embarrassing how anxious he seemed walking back and forth. After taking a deep breath, he began running his fingers through his quills, scanning crimson eyes over the crisp mahogany suit jacket he was wearing.

A white handkerchief was folded in the breast pocket, which he hoped he wouldn't need while standing at the end of the aisle. If he could avoid breaking a sweat, then he would be able to uphold his usual calm composure.

But there was nothing else to do but wait for the ceremony to start. He was comfortably dressed, he smelled of a new vanilla cologne that wafted secondary hints of cedarwood, and his bowtie was straight and centered; he resisted the urge to fiddle with it.

"There he is!" a chipper voice said, making the groom turn in mild surprise. "All ready for your big day, Shadow?"

"Yes," he told Sonic, watching Silver and Tails walk in behind the blue speedster. "Tell me the ceremony is starting soon."

"Not for another hour," Silver answered, looking apologetic. He could probably tell that the Ultimate Lifeform's energy was off, judging by the soft but positive tone of his voice. "If you need to pass the time, you can come hang out with us. The girls are still getting dressed."

Shadow looked among the three friends, then forced himself to crack a smile for their sake. "Sure."

***

With everyone in place, the music began, piano keys singing angelic notes throughout the big echoey room. The guests quieted themselves – their numbers not abundant on Shadow's request – and turned in their seats to the open door at the backend of the aisle.

Gloved fingers fidgeted as the black hedgehog held his own hand and looked, too, taking another deep breath and preparing for his bride to appear in the doorway. Silver, his best man, was standing behind him, ready to squeeze his shoulder or pat him on the back if he looked like he needed it.

Then she came into view, a vision of snowy white and sparkly silver stepping into the room. Shadow had to hold his breath, fearful of pulling in an audible gasp, as Rouge smiled softly at him through the sheer silk of her veil.

The perfection of her carefully painted face would likely overwhelm him when the fabric barrier lifted, framed by short wavy locks that were gorgeously speckled with tiny diamonds. He was befuddled that she managed to appear continuously more radiant every time he saw her in a new look.

The edges of the dress were lined with rhinestones, shimmering along the heart-shaped hem across her bust, their shine only outdone by the pretty blue gems adorning her collarbone.

The train of her body-hugging gown was elegant and lacy, trailing a foot behind her while vista white heels took her across the maroon carpet towards her husband-to-be.

And when he dared to let himself breathe, Shadow thought he could smell the elegant scent of the blood-red roses clutched in his love's grip, as well as a lingering whiff of sweet lilac growing stronger the closer she came.

The more she walked, the hotter Rouge felt with elation while she gazed at the stoically handsome and composed man waiting for her. He was poised atop the short platform made by two marble steps, looking refined and expectant in his sharp, dark suit.

But she could also see the gradual curl of his lips getting wider, his red eyes bright and threatening to sheen with a teary mist the longer he stared. His cologne made her giddy when the smell hit her nose. It was a mature scent she thought fit perfectly with the man of her dreams.

The music began to peter out as she neared the stairs, the gaps between notes growing while the pretty bat stepped up to match her groom. Then the melody ended, and Shadow let out what sounded like a sigh of relief once they were face-to-face.

His bride grinned, and their officiant began, "We gather here to bind these two souls in everlasting matrimony."

Blaze and Silver peered around the marrying couple to share a mutual glance of joy as he continued, "The eternal joining of hearts is a heavy feat. It is a promise you make to your partner: to be supportive during times of strife; to be available in times of need; to be thoughtful whenever possible; to be there for them, always."

The bridesmaids and groomsmen sat in the front row, looking on in endearment. Amy was already holding a tissue close to her face, ready for the tears to spill. The officiator turned to Shadow. "I understand you've prepared your own vows, so if you wish to begin, you may."

Following a nod to the man unifying them, Shadow locked eyes with Rouge again, then spoke with confidence, "I owe everything to you."

His fiancée's expression melted into adoration at his first words, holding a smile while he went on, "When you came into my life, my perspective on everything shifted in a way that still astonishes me when I think about it. You surprise me. And you've taught me many things over the last few years..."

He briefly looked out to the guests, sharing a moment of eye contact with Blaze and Sonic while letting his deep voice resonate over the small crowd, "... like how to open up to those who care."

He then felt the compassionate grip of Silver's hand on his shoulder, briefly enough that his nerves were calmed a bit. Rouge attained his gaze again and he could swear he spotted a sparkle of teariness behind her veil.

"I want to be everything for you that you are for me – someone who can surprise you, as well, and keep you happy under any circumstance."

One of her silk-wrapped hands reached out to grab his, which he readily gave her to hold, while the audience cooed sweetly at his vows. With a gentle squeeze of her fingers, he finished, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said instinctively, a slight waver to her tone.

The officiant turned to the bride and gave her a nod. "Now yours, if you're ready."

Rouge cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, changing her demeanor to one of confidence to match her other half. "You are everything to me. You're my inspiration in the morning, my strength during the day, and my comfort at night. Shocking to say, but if there was a jewel in the world more valuable than you, I don't think I'd believe it."

Another 'aww' from the guests, which caused Shadow a bit of embarrassment. It was harder to ignore their loving sounds when he was the one being complimented, and so he felt his cheeks flushing with warmth. Maybe Rouge knew she needed to lighten the sugariness for him, because she slipped into a playful cadence.

"You're the second sweetest guy I know," she said, then flicked her gaze at the best man. "The first being Silver, but that's a given."

A light ripple of laughter filled the air, and even Shadow smirked in amusement. Then her voice softened again and she shook her head to enhance her next claim. "I absolutely couldn't have asked for a better man. You make me feel like I could do anything – pluck the moon right out of the sky if I wanted. And if I did, you would support me, consequences and all."

He nodded in affirmation, which she followed up with, "That means the world to me."

Now the hedgehog's eyes were misting, tiny beads of tears pricking the corners. They could hear quiet sniffling from the crowd as they were instructed to exchange rings, slipping golden bands onto each other's fingers with the matching engravement, "Blessed be our eternity".

Then the officiant stated, "To solidify this bond is to pledge your undying love for each other. Under this oath, Shadow, do you take Rouge to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Filled with contained emotion, the strength in his voice nearly faltered when he said, "I do."

"And Rouge, do you take Shadow to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do!"

She handed Blaze the bouquet to hold, waiting with suppressed excitement while the officiant finished, "Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Heavenly music started up again and Rouge didn't hesitate to throw the veil backwards, uncovering her beautiful face and attempting to blink away the wetness filling her eyes.

A rare grin grew on Shadow's muzzle and he took his new wife by the waist, passionately pressing his mouth against the bold cerise pink of her plump lips while her arms wrapped firmly around his neck. The audience stood and applauded while they kissed, the air being stung by lively whistles from Sonic and gleeful hollering from Amy.

When the newly married couple parted, they turned to share a moment with their closest friends; Rouge gave Blaze a grateful hug before reclaiming the bouquet, and Shadow shared a handshake with Silver before deciding to let go of his discomfort long enough to pull the white hedgehog into a cathartic hug, as well.

Then, the committed duo rejoined hands and walked down the aisle together, sharing a blissful moment as their guests showered them with rose petals.

The End

[rosavulpes]

To strike hard , and fast . That was their plan . While Shadow was almost certain the Doctor himself wasn't present within the high walls of this particular egg fortress at the moment nonetheless the decision was still made to press on with their attack . Well , he'd still attack it , Omega would have gone forwards anyways with or without the Doctor actually being there just because there were egg pawns made by his hand at work inside .

" To destroy all inferior eggman androids " , as he always put it .

The fortress walls were high , built out of reinforced metals , made to withstand attacks from resistance weapons charged with wisp's power . The large compound built around the shape of an octagon , with looming guard towers built atop every intersection .

Walls radiating with a sheen , coated with an oil that was made to make it difficult for a certain blue hedgehog from simply running up them in order to enter . If Sonic's shoes couldn't gain any traction on the walls to run up it ? He wouldn't be able to breach it easily without help . That wouldn't be a problem for Shadow on the other hand as he knelt down wards . Closed his eyes , and tucked himself into the shape of his signature ball form . Neither revving himself up to build up momentum for a sudden burst of speed , or moving . Laying still as Omega's pointed metallic hands picked him up , and loaded him into his now transformed right arm .

With Shadow effectively now loaded as ammunition into Omega's arm cannon , the android wasted little time , eager to begin the coming destruction as he took aim at one of the guard towers , adjusting his aim to account for wind resistance and drop off distance before firing .

A light recoil for Omega , as his arm pushed back a bit , but a sudden burst of speed , and liftoff for Shadow . A strong push at his back propelling him out of the darkness of Omega's hand cannon , into the light of the open day , whizzing through the air like a missile . A guided sharpened amber colored spinning missile at that . Akin to a circular saw , as Shadow hardened his quills with the use of his chaos energy . Tearing away at , and piercing through the reinforced metal once he made contact . Destroying the load bearing supports . Passing from one wall , to the other .

Toppling it down in his passing , before at last impacting on the grounds inside the compound . Guiding his descent with a few turns of his body , Shadow softened his landing ... by smashing himself against the body of a wandering egg pawn robot .

Pillars of black smoke beginning to rise into the air , loud alarms beginning to blare out warnings , and heat beginning to dissipate as the tower soon crashed down behind him . Flames rising , burning .

Time to move .

Picking up the pace now with long strides , willing his air shoes to increase their output to propel him faster . All of the Doctor's fortresses , bases , compounds , wherever it was that he choose to station himself all had self automated defenses that didn't require egg pawns to manually flip switches to turn them on . A hail of bullets , cannon fire , and red beams following the black hedgehog's trail .

Colliding his body against multiple armed egg pawns as he passed by them in his ball form , smashing them to pieces in the process . Now that he was inside , he needed to let Omega in to handle this fight . Thoughts racing as his eyes looked over each , and every control panel that he raced past . The idea of simply stopping in front of the gates and allowing the gun fire to catch up to him came , but was soon dismissed . While he could always count on Eggman's automated defenses to be recklessly destructive ... it'd would simply take too long .

Thankfully , he'd soon spot what he'd been looking for . A certain panel that had been described in detail by Omega . Taking out a USB stick that Omega had crafted for him , a portion of his robotic conscious that would allow him to infect the EggNET akin to a virus . The stick was quickly inserted into the slot , before leaving the position soon after .

Running towards the gunfire now , making swift left , and right movements . Strafing in between shots that passed by him , nearly grazing his body at certain points . Speed picking up once more as the black hedgehog leapt up into the air . Flames erupting from his air shoes as he curled himself into a ball once more , making himself into a smaller target to hit . Propelling himself with haste into one of the fortress's artillery cannons . Breaking the metal on contact , smashing the interior , before exiting all in the same motion .

Coming to a halt , a sudden burst of weapon's fire , and an angry cybernetic voice would soon rise above all others . The cannons that had been targeting the black hedgehog soon disappearing within explosions that overcame them before they could react to the new presences within the compound . Armed egg pawns being shot down one after the other in rapid succession as shell casings began to liter the ground .

" ELIMINATE ALL WORTHLESS CONSUMER MODELS "

Not needing to spare a glance back to confirm . Omega would now be the one to handle this firefight . Allowing Shadow to focus on what he'd came here for . The data that was on Eggman's EggNET .

Taking off once more , Shadow knew that he'd need more than speed to make it in time . After all , this was roughly the third base belonging to Eggman that they'd attacked within the last few days . All of it , in an effort to confirm that the Doctor no longer possessed and records , any traces of his cursed metal virus . The virus , that the Doctor had devised , and spread to all life on the planet in the form of a liquid metal that once making contact with skin ? Would attach itself too , corrupting , and consuming the victim until their sense of self was stripped from them .

Converted into machine without mind . Without purpose . What Sonic had aptly named " Zombots " .

Even though Sonic , and Silver had managed to destroy every last trace of the virus during the final battle with Zavok . He didn't trust Eggman to not retain records of it , he didn't trust the Doctor to not attempt to work on the formula in the future , and he most certainly didn't trust him to not attack again now that Sonic was seemingly missing .

For as much grief as they gave one another , ( playfully ) the thought of Sonic having perished was an impossibility that he refused to consider as the truth . Sonic was alive , somewhere , somehow , and would either return of his own accord or be found . He just knew it . But , before Shadow could either wait for , or set off to find Sonic ? He needed to be sure that Eggman wouldn't pose a threat in his absence . If it meant destroying every single once of his bases to deny him the chance to rebuild ? If it meant tearing down all of his creations to ensure he couldn't mine the resources needed to attack this world yet again ? It it meant beating him ... within an inch of his life before locking him in a cell ? Then so be it . The only mercy that Shadow would offer would be the safety found in seclusion within the tight walls of a prison .

As passage ways ahead began to close , while Shadow knew that he could break his way though by curling into his ball form once more . Time wasn't on his side . The Doctor most certainly knew that he was after at this point , as his previous failed attempts at scouring all of the EggNET to confirm no files remained had been thwarted by Eggman either disconnecting him , or purging all files before he could get to a terminal to link in .

With his speed increasing , his scarlet eyes focused on the closing path ahead of him . Thick security doors nearly closed , about to deny him access . Stretching his right arm outwards , a green gemstone would be made to physically manifest itself within his grasp . Gloved fingers closing around the stone , gripping it tightly as Shadow drew from it's power . Body beginning to glow as enough power was accumulated within seconds .

" Chaos ... Control ! "

A distortion in space , a ripple in time would soon spread outwards infinitely . The world around Shadow coming to a grey halt , as time itself was now forced to halt .

Making use of the power of the green chaos emerald once more to not only restrict the flow of time from moving again , but soon enough the hedgehog would seemingly vanish from reality for a moment , to appear within another space moments later . Teleporting from room to room , area to area. While he could have certainly teleported himself to the main terminal area , it would only have been feasible if he already knew the exact distance , direction , and location at which it was situated within the compound . To which he'd unfortunately been unable to obtain a detailed map of . Nor would he have chanced allowing Omega's virus combat Eggman's firewalls to see if Omega could both locate the terminal , and prevent it's files from being purged .... it had already failed once before .

As his warping of space continued , he'd finally come across the room . A thorough search of the compound's interior completed within no time at all thanks to the power of the chaos emerald within his grasp .

Allowing the flow of time to resume . Shadow wasted little time in inserting yet another thumb drive into the main terminal . Not uploading this time , but downloading ... and downloading swiftly . An invention crafted for him by Tails , as the fox was one of the few people that knew had to decode Eggman's files . An intellect that could rival that of the Doctor .

A visual indication on screen showing a progress bar of downloaded files , stopping once it'd gotten past the fifty percent mark by an icon of the Doctor himself now appearing on screen .

" You miserable rodent ! Just you wait Shadow . You and Omega , I'll - "

His voice , berating him through the screen , starting to broadcast through the monitor itself as Shadow unplugged the thumb drive . Slipping it back into a safe place between the space where his right glove and inhibitor ring met . His other fist , soon crashing through the controls , going in as deep as his arm would allow it to . Being met with a flurry of sparks , crunched metal , torn wiring and light smoke . Causing the broadcast to go silent , at least for this area .

Making use of the Chaos Emerald's power once again , Shadow would vanish from the area in a brief but bright light . Bullets piercing the empty space left behind as armed egg pawns stormed in once after the other . Wondering where the hedgehog had disappeared . Looking about the room as if he might be hiding in the shadows .

Appearing outside , the sight before him would be that of destroyed egg pawns , spent shell casings , torn circuitry , and discarded weapons as Omega continued to utilize every ounce of his ammunition . Every ounce of his strength , and hatred to destroy all that was in sight branded in Eggman's name .

Expression remaining neutral , Shadow would reach down into his gloves once more . Unfolding , and extracting a portable ear piece that he'd been given by the resistance to keep in contact . To be assigned wherever it was that he was needed . Adjusting the piece into his ear , moving the microphone for speaking closer to his mouth , and waiting for the phone system to connect him .

But , before he could input a verbal command as to whom he wanted to talk to . He felt a rumbling travel up from his shoes , to his hands , causing him to take a step back , widening his stance to stabilize himself as from the burning ruins of the compound emerged a mechanical beast . A mechanical giant , colored a dark red , baring spikes around the cockpit glass , tall exhaust tubes on it's shoulders . An extended gatling gun on one hand , and a spinning drill on the other . Cybernetic wings keeping the beast afloat in the air , as Shadow took his place next to Omega .

The Egg Dragoon . A machine he'd heard of before , and had known Sonic to have destroyed it in the past . Even though he could make out the shape of the Doctor within the cockpit , seemingly directly piloting it ? He knew that it was likely a decoy robot , or a hologram projection of sorts as the machine was likely being remotely controlled .

The Doctor's voice , echoing once again . Cursing the two for the destruction they'd wrought to his machines yet again . With the Doctor screaming in rage , Shadow would finally input a command into his communicator to make an outgoing call . Undeterred by the fight that now awaited him .

" ... Connect me to Doctor Rose "

@enigmaincrimson