#why did i write amy the hedgehog

[l-sincline]

Cybernetics - Chapter 29

Amy Rose is a mechanic, plain and simple. But aside from that, she feels utterly alone in a cruel world where she makes just enough to scrape by. One night she’s visited by a mysterious Cyborg that needs his arm fixed, little does she know this repair will change her life.

Flung from the confines of her normal life, Amy finds herself working with Anarchists set on creating a new life for themselves and the poor people of Mobius. The only downside? Seeing who she thought was her best friend fight against her.

AO3 Tags:  Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog), Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles “Tails” Prower, Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik, Rouge the Bat, Whisper the Wolf, Cream the Rabbit, Knuckles the Echidna, Badnik (Sonic the Hedgehog), E-123 Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Angst, Slow Burn, Partners in Crime

AO3 Link

Previous/Next

The flight suit Blaze had handed him was one he was initially okay with. Before he’d walked away to change, Blaze had sternly told him no cloak, and this made him grumble a bit. 

The tank he usually wore under his cloak was made of the same material as the flight suit- this tight fitting kevlar like armor that passed for regular clothing. He typically added some extra armor around the midriff to protect his most vulnerable organs. Though, the truth was he had no idea how much of it was organs and how much of it was cybernetics in the place of organs. 

Regardless, he liked the anonymity the cloak offered. He liked the hood he could pull up and cover his face with, he liked the way it hid his arms and the rest of his body. Now he was all on display. Shadow sighed and shook his head, it was all for the mission. For the mission. 

Walking out of the men’s locker room, Shadow spotted Rouge and Amy right away. They seemed quite happy, Rouge ruffled Amy’s quills and the two shared a laugh. He was glad they were getting along closely now. He supposed all the shit they’d been through together had really bonded them. 

Though Rouge had been eager at the first appearance of Amy, he had always been able to tell that the android was at least somewhat guarded. After all, this was the first Mobian he’d ever really brought into their home (even Blaze didn’t know exactly where it was) and it’d been with very little warning. For a moment he’d felt Rouge withdraw, but he thought she saw the same potential in Amy that he did, and Rouge made her way back. 

Amy had been very nervous in her first few days at the base. Admittedly it’d been a bit off putting to watch her slink back into her shell after witnessing her at her mechanic booth. Back then she’d put on quite the show of being a helpful, independent mechanic, and she’d been quite fun when they went to dinner together. But those first days… she was quiet. She was careful and withdrawn and nervous. Shadow couldn’t blame her, but he was happy to see her personality return. 

Now there she stood, turned to look at Omega with Rouge. A smile turned up the corners of her mouth ever so slightly, and her bright green eyes looked at the robot with a sort of affection. 

When he realized a small smile had crept onto his face he shoved it down, maintaining the stoic facade he and everyone else was used to. 

“Blaze said your flight suits are in the locker room down to the right.” He spoke to get their attention. 

Both of them turned and made eye contact and then immediately glanced down to look at his outfit. Inwardly he cringed, but the feeling didn’t last long as Rouge started moving towards him with a mischievous grin. 

“Wooow, outfit change for the big guy.” As the bat reached towards him he dodged and turned on his heel, back to Amy. He reached out and shoved Rouge away with a huff- the bat only giggled at him. 

When he turned once more to face Amy he was struck with the fact that she seemed to, once again, be observing him. Similarly to the meeting room, though this time she had seemed to have run a thorough scan of his body. The moment of recognition didn’t last long, however, as she quickly looked up once more and made eye contact.

“Did Blaze colorcode everyone?” She said with a smile.

“Yes.” He responded bluntly, though unintended. He had been caught off guard by her gaze. 

“Oooh, I wonder what color I got.” Rouge exclaimed as she moved past him, grabbing on to Amy and tugging her towards their destination. 

As he saw Rouge leaning over to mutter in Amy’s ear, his own ears pricked. Very faintly as the pair moved away, he made out;

“Stop looking at the eyecandy and get changed, would you?”

Rouge’s loud laugh fell on deaf ears as he reached up to cover his muzzle and turned to face the hanger wall, once again craving his cloak to throw the hood over his head as he felt heat rush to his face and the tips of his ears. That bat… she was crazy. But what was more than that, he couldn’t get the feeling of Amy’s gaze out of his mind. Theoretically, she’d looked over him carefully, her eyes were gentle and sweet, their green shine quite unlike any bit of nature or neon he’d seen before. Furthermore, despite his initial dislike of the tight fitted flight suit, he hadn’t minded that she looked at him. In fact, there was a part of him that wished he had seen her do it instead of being distracted by Rouge most of the time. 

Suddenly he shouted, an incomprehensible noise, and kicked the wall in front of him with a clang. 

He panted slightly and slouched down into a squat. This feeling was too unfamiliar to him- it was making him irrational. Shadow groaned and stayed in his current position for what felt like an eternity until he heard the pair of footsteps headed back his way. He stood and turned. 

Immediately his eyes were drawn to Amy, whose flight suit was just as tight fitting as his. A key difference was that hers had sleeves instead of being a tank top, but it still hugged her body and offered some protective padding. 

The worst part about it? Probably the fact that it matched his. 

[supportanimy]

Speaking of, people who enjoyed Maria's writing in Dark Beginnings, why? Genuine question, not trying to be rude. I want a respectful discussion.

Personally, I could not enjoy the shorts at all because her writing revolts me. She doesn't feel like an actual character to me, she just felt like an object to comfort Shadow when he feels bad, and doesn't have a personality beyond "nice girl"

Granted, the second part is pretty much how she is in most of her appearances, but those were written in the 2000s, we are in the year 2024, why couldn't we have expand her beyond that

[neoncherryblossom]

How were they supposed to even begin helping Metal anyway? None of them were therapists, and Amy honestly doubted a licensed professional is going to be able to-to even begin to scratch the surface of everything, the depth of which they probably didn't even know, because Metal wasn't going to tell them- And then Sonic smiled, the smile that she recognized when he was putting up a front, and shrugged at her and Shadow, chuckling nervously. "So I was thinking distractions." "You're kidding." "Normally I would take offense to that Shadow, but unfortunately I am not. Wish I was though." (The aftermath, where Metal is forced into not being alone.)

The sequel I said I might work on, that I worked on.

[cringelordofchaos]

This comic sucks but

-Amy- "SONIC!" Now, listen to me for once!"

-sonic [expecting very rude words]- "°~~~~~~~~~~°"

-amy- "You made a mistake. But you wanted to protect us. That alone proves you're a good person. we're all feeling stressed, but I don't want all of us to just take it all on you, because i know you must be stressed too with all that's goin-....[insert more words of comfort here]........"

-sonic- "🥺"

[solalunar-eclipse]

To everyone in the comments begging for a fic about this: PLEASE go read Heart of Gold with Blood-Red Eyes!!! It’s by this artist and features Shadow in a similar dynamic with Fleetway Super Sonic, and it is fantastic.

[thatonesonicfanfictionwriter]

May I request Sonic x reader, in which Sonic finds out reader has a child from a past relationship, I think it would be cute to see Sonic be the cool stepdad, he would 100% say some cringy shit like “I’m not a stepdad..I’m the dad that stepped up”, I also want reader to reassure Sonic that they didn’t start dating him as a “rebound” from their past lover, dad sonic is so cute (^｡^)

Take your time!

🦔

“Always Happy to Help”

Pairing: Sonic the Hedgehog x Parent Reader

Requested: Yes (by an anon).

Description: Having recently started dating Sonic, you didn’t expect him to find out about [Child’s Name]. But luckily for you, he was happy to help you out!

Notes: Ahhh, a classic one. Sonic does have the “I’m not the stepdad, I’m the dad that stepped up” vibes in this one, fr.

(Reader and their kid will be gender-neutral.)

(Both Reader and Sonic are adults, like how I usually write the Sonic characters.)

(Not proof-read/beta-read.)

– – – – – – – – – – – –

It was a typical day for you and Sonic. You had actually managed to convince him to come over and hang out with you.

Why was this so important, you might ask?

You finally felt ready to tell Sonic about [Child’s Name].

And no, don’t worry, you didn’t cheat on him!

[Child’s Name] came from your past relationship, and you ended up getting full custody.

Sonic walks in, whistling a little bit.

“You got a nice place, [Name]!” Sonic says, looking around your place.

“Heh, I’m glad you like it!” you tell him. “Anyway, I have something, or, I suppose someone to show you.”

Sonic tilts his head to the side, confused, which he knows is way too adorable for his own good.

“[Child’s Name]! I’m home!” you announce.

“BABAAAA!” you hear [Child’s Name] yell, rushing out of their room and hugging your leg. “I missed you, Baba!”

“Hehe! Baba missed you too,” you tell them. “Did you enjoy your time with Aunt Amy?”

“Yeahyeahyeah! Ambie showed me how to make cookies!” [Child’s Name] announces.

“Yeah, we had a lot of fun!” Amy states, having come out of [Child’s Name]’s room.

“I have so many questions,” Sonic mutters.

“Sonic, this is my kid, [Child’s Name],” you tell him. “Amy’s been babysitting them whenever we go on dates.”

“How long have you had a kid?! And why didn’t you tell me about this CUTIE SOONER?!” Sonic asks, picking up [Child’s Name] and spinning them, causing them to giggle uncontrollably.

“That’s what I was saying! [Child’s Name] is a cutie patoot!” Amy states.

“Am cute patoot!” [Child’s Name] repeats.

“You are a cutie patootie!” you tell them.

“How long have you had them, [Nickname]?” Sonic asks you.

“Oh, a couple years before I met you,” you state.

“Baba, is this my new Dada?” [Child’s Name] asks you.

“Only if you want him to be,” you tell them.

[Child’s Name] thinks for a moment before nodding.

“New Dada,” [Child’s Name] says, snuggling into Sonic.

“Sayyyy, you didn’t start dating me just to get a new parent for the kid, did you?” Sonic asks jokingly.

“Of course not, silly,” you tell him. “I started dating you because you stole my heart.”

“Hehe, good to hear,” he says, chuckling.

The next day, Sonic went out and bought a shirt that read, “I’M NOT THE STEPDAD, I’M THE DAD THAT STEPPED UP.”

Typical Sonic.

[maddiebat]

A Flavor of Fate | A SonAmy oneshot

Summary:

After Amy's murder mystery party, Sonic sneaks over to hang out with the birthday girl alone. Oneshot. A soft sequel to my other fic, Subliminal.

full story on my A03, which is pinned to the top of my page!

Trying her best to compose herself, Amy smiled knowingly. 

“Well, you worked so hard to get it for me today—want a slice of the cake?”

He politely held his hands up in protest. “It’s your birthday cake, Ames, not mine.”

“Like I’d ever be able to eat this all by myself— and keep my figure anyways.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll take one slice.” 

This fic was inspired by this fanart by @e-vay

I don't know why but this art sent me so much I decided to write a fucking fic based off of it lmao. obviously it's not like one-to-one in the fic, but I just was so obsessed with the hidden kiss aspect. so thank you so much Evay for feeding all of us sonamy shippers with such good food, and I hope you enjoy the fic!

[shadamyheadcanons]

Shadamy in high school headcannon

For Shadamytober 2024 - Day 3: Highschool Outcast

One poor anon sent in this ask an eternity ago. I started writing a full story for it, but I lost steam because I just can’t connect with high school romance stories the way I could when I was younger. I’ve been looking for an excuse to share the parts I did get done, though, and I just realized it suits the High School Outcast prompt for Shadamytober, so I can post it now!

Ignore that I’m late for that, too

Fair warning: I wrote this years ago, and I won’t be continuing it. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but don’t go into this expecting any more!

@shadamytober

Amy sat in her math classroom at the start of the year, shaking like a leaf. She stuck out like a sore pink thumb in a class full of “the troublemakers,” as she’d always called them.

“Hey, Pinky, haven’t seen you around before.”

“What’re you doing Friday night? I’m free if you don’t have cheerleading practice.”

“I suck at math, but I’ll still give you private lessons if you want.”

In the process of averting her eyes from the student in front her, Amy spotted him in the far corner of the room: Shadow the hedgehog. A cold pit of unease settled in her stomach.

Of course he’s in this class. As if this room weren’t terrifying enough.

Most people agreed that Shadow was the scariest guy in school. His identity was shrouded in rumors. Some claimed he was a thief. Others said they’d seen him beat people up. Whatever the truth was, though, Shadow was surely bad news. He sat in the far corner of the room surrounded by a buffer of empty desks...and his red eyes were locked on her. She snapped her gaze away and held herself tightly.

It was actually a relief when the teacher started the lesson, shooting a glare of warning at the boys who were harassing Amy. She let out a sigh, hoping that would be the end of it as she stared at the board and attempted to make sense of the numbers and letters the teacher wrote. She tried to sort out the binomials, polynomials, functions, and variables as best she could, but she was hopelessly lost from the get-go. She shook with fear.

Something light hit Amy on the head. She frowned as she opened the balled-up piece of paper that had landed on her desk...only to find that it was a crudely-drawn image of the male anatomy. She yelped quietly, startled and disgusted, and the Mobians around her cackled quietly at her reaction. She swiftly crumpled up the piece of paper with her shaky hands and pushed it off of her desk.

The ruckus was loud enough to draw the teacher’s attention, but apart from threatening the boys with detention, he didn’t do much. Amy peeked up from her notebook and saw Shadow’s red eyes staring at her again. Her lower lip trembled.

She spent the rest of the period trying to write down equations she didn’t understand with a hand that wouldn’t stop shaking from the way her creepy classmates were leering at her. On top of that, she could practically feel the pair of red eyes watching her struggle through it.

Once the bell rang, Amy bolted straight to the bathroom and burst into tears in one of the stalls.

Is the whole year going to be like this?

Amy arrived as early as possible the next day so she could take a seat in the front right corner of the room. I’ll be closer to the door this time, and only three people can sit adjacent to me, so I won’t be surrounded. She nodded, confident in her reasoning.

A wrench was thrown into her plans when Shadow dropped into the seat next to her, having entered the otherwise empty classroom just after she did. She stiffened with anxiety and stared directly ahead with wide eyes.

Why here? WHY HERE?! Literally every other seat is empty! Don’t tell me he’s going to mess with me, too. I can’t handle this!

She whimpered quietly, but Shadow didn’t say anything. He didn’t even look at her. He took out a battered notebook and a pen with a chewed cap from a messenger bag that had seen better days, then placed them on the desk and rested his chin in his hand, half dozing off as he waited for class to begin. Amy watched with confusion out of the corner of her eye as she gingerly retrieved her pristine pink notebook and pencil, but he did nothing more.

More students started entering. Amy shrank in her seat and averted her gaze from the ones who had bothered her on the first day. Surprisingly, though, no one said a word to her. Some of them opened their mouths, only to snap them back shut and turn pale before scurrying off and sitting as far away as they could. Amy frowned, then looked over at Shadow. One of the boys from yesterday came up, only to turn tail when Shadow glared at him. She tilted her head, confused.

Is he...trying to isolate me...? She frowned. That can’t be it. He’s not even talking to me. Why bother?

By the time the teacher arrived, Amy and Shadow were sitting in the front corner while the rest of the students were gathered on the other side, leaving a row of empty desks around them. She would have laughed at the absurdity if she weren’t so terrified.

The subject material proved to be as elusive as ever, the equations being just as unsolved as the stoic, unmoving hedgehog beside her. To add to the enigma, Shadow wasn’t even taking notes. He examined the board with half-shut eyes, but there wasn’t a single word on his paper.

Amy rolled her eyes. Why even open the notebook if you’re not going to write anything? Is this guy even here to learn?

Still, it was nice not being harassed by multiple boys who wouldn’t leave her alone. They wouldn’t even look her way now. She decided the silence wasn’t so bad; even if she still didn’t get the math, at least she could focus on trying.

The teacher rattled off some problem about Train A going north and Train B going south at such-and-such speeds, then gave them a few minutes to work on it. Amy wrote down the information she hoped was important and started plugging in numbers to guess-and-check her way through it, knowing that even if she didn’t have the right technique, she’d get there eventually.

I guess the situation today is technically better. Just so long as he doesn’t do anything weird.

“You’re doing it wrong.”

Amy jumped at the voice. She turned with trepidation to see Shadow was staring at her, eyes just as harsh as ever. She’d never actually heard him speak before. His voice was low and smooth, oddly relaxing despite his blunt manner and message.

“Well...I was just gonna...” she squeaked, trailing off at the end.

Shadow looked at her for a moment longer, then turned back to his own desk. She let out a sigh of relief, only to freeze up when he ripped a page out of his notebook and shuffled his desk right up next to hers. Her heart pounded in terror at the close proximity. He spoke up again, apparently oblivious.

“You can make equations out of both of these. The ‘y’ value for both is where they are at a given time, the constant term is where they started, and the coefficient of x is their speed. Since we know they’re in the same place for the collision, the ‘y’ for both should match, so you can set them equal to each other and solve it.”

Amy’s mouth dropped open, and she looked back and forth between Shadow and her paper, torn between confusion, understanding, gratitude, and intimidation.

Shadow kept staring. “Solve it.”

Amy hunched down in front of her paper and picked up her pencil. “Okay,” she replied in a small voice.

It took Amy a minute or two, but she finally got it. She turned her elated grin to Shadow. He didn’t smile back, but he nodded approvingly and shuffled his desk back to its original spot.

After another ten minutes of perplexing explanations, the teacher gave them a few more problems to work on by themselves. By the time Shadow had raced through them, Amy was still stuck on the first one. He looked up from his desk, checked her notes, and sighed, almost sounding exasperated, but he shifted his desk back over and patiently explained the processes once more.

With his guidance, she completed the rest of the problems and sighed in relief. He shuffled his desk away to give her space again. She finished just in time for the teacher to assign their homework.

Amy peeked over at Shadow, trying to figure out what to say. Eventually, she settled on a simple “thank you.”

Shadow looked up one last time. Then, he snatched up the paper he’d used to show her the procedures and quickly scrawled something on it. He handed it back to her, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw his name with a number written under it.

“Text me if you have trouble with the homework. Or don’t. I don’t care.”

Amy’s mouth dropped open, and she gawked after him as he packed up his bag and left.

What the hell?!

Amy’s eyes scrunched up as she stared at her homework that night. She’d finished about half of it with little trouble, but she stalled out when the equations grew more complex. She pressed her lips together before turning her gaze to the stray piece of paper she’d folded and kept in her notebook. She packed up her courage and picked up her phone, entering the unfamiliar number with shaking hands. She typed out a careful message and hesitated for a few seconds, then pressed Send.

Amy shifted from one foot to the other just outside the school library. She checked the time and held her books a little tighter in front of her.

A minute later, Shadow rounded the corner and walked directly toward her, looking just as intimidating as usual. She let out a sigh of relief. Thank God Shadow’s here... She scrunched up her nose. Now that’s something I never thought I’d say.

“Thanks for helping, Shadow. It’s super lucky that we have the same study period!”

Shadow just grunted in assent and walked right past her into the library to look for a seat. She frowned. He’s so helpful, but he’s like...this. Nice...but weird.

He made a beeline for a table all the way in the back next to a window. She took out her pink notebook and pencil once more. Just to make small talk, she asked, “Any reason you went for this table? Just curious.”

“The view from the window,” he explained. “The foliage is nice in the fall. In the wintertime, a layer of snow blankets the pine trees, and the pond freezes over. There’s a brief time in the spring when cherry blossoms bloom on that tree over there.” He said all of it calmly, his neutral expression still casually fixed on the pen he was retrieving from his bag.

Amy’s heart thumped. She gulped and clutched at her blouse over her heart. What the hell was that?!

Shadow glanced up at her pose and her wide eyes, then frowned. “What?”

She stayed tense for a moment, then shook it off. “Nothing! So, uh...I got this far...”

Shadow shifted closer to examine her answers. He nodded in approval and started walking her through the rest of the problems with quiet words and careful strokes of his pen. Her frazzled nerves calmed down at his soft voice, his easy explanations, and the muted sounds of the library.

When she had to do the problems herself, though, it was less relaxing. She could feel his eyes on her while she wrote. Wanting to break the uncomfortable silence, she gathered her courage while she erased one of her attempts, then spoke to her intimidating companion.

“So, um...if you’re this good at math, why aren’t you in the advanced sequence?”

Shadow stared down at her shy expression for a moment longer. He suddenly let out an amused “hmph,” though he still didn’t smile. “You know Mr. Robotnik?”

Amy groaned and let her head roll back to look at the ceiling. “Oh, God, do I!” His gaze turned inquisitive, and she smiled sheepishly. “Ah, yeah...why?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “His class was boring, and he was really annoying, so...I amused myself.” Amy tilted her head, curious. He crossed his arms. “He insists on being called “Dr. Robotnik” and gets pissed off if you call him “Mr. Robotnik,” but I was bored and didn’t like him, soooo...I did that. A lot. On purpose.”

Amy’s eyes went wide at his deadpan expression. She tried—and failed—to hide her laughter. She stifled it as best as she could to avoid being scolded by the librarians. Shadow just stared, seemingly thrown off. Once her giggles died down, Amy quietly asked, “Let me guess: he put you in the lower sequence just because he didn’t like you?”

Shadow put his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand, interested. “How’d you know?”

“Pfft.” Amy shook her head. “I wasn’t always this bad at math. I was pretty good with numbers, but once they started adding letters, they kinda lost me. I probably would have been okay if I hadn’t been stuck with him.” Shadow’s expression changed. It almost looked...sympathetic? Amy decided she was imagining things and continued on. “He’s brilliant, but he’s a horrible teacher. I just kept falling behind, and he was too much of a jerk to help me. Thanks to him, my grades took a nose-dive. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to catch up.”

“You will.”

Amy paused. “What?”

Shadow nodded to the paper and pointed to all the problems she’d gotten right. “You’ve already gotten better. With a little help, you’ll catch up again in no time. You’re a smart girl.”

Amy was stopped in her tracks once again. That’s the first compliment he’s given me. It’s the first nice thing I’ve heard him say about anyone. Knowing it came from someone like Shadow only made it hit harder. A grin spread across her face.

Shadow remained stone-faced as always. “So what were you saying about him not liking people?”

Amy laughed shyly. “Well, ah...you know how you messed with him because you didn’t like him? Uh...I didn’t like him, either, so...” She scratched the back of her head. “I’m the one who got everyone to start calling him ‘Eggman.’ It was just too much fun to see him get bent out of shape! Even if I’d had the grades, he never would have sent me to the advanced classes.”

Shadow’s neutral expression finally broke, leaving surprise in its wake. “That was you?!” He looked her up and down, from the pink variation of the school uniform she’d chosen, to the matching flower-adorned headband, to her cheery, innocent face. “Really?”

Breaking through his façade sent a thrill through Amy’s chest. Mischief crept into her tone. “What, a girl like me can’t have a rebellious streak?”

“Huh.” Shadow scratched his chin, intrigued. “I guess people can surprise you.”

Amy grinned back.

No kidding.

With Shadow’s help, Amy finished her homework just before the bell rang. The two of them walked to class together, drawing more than a few stares. She was shy about it at first, but something about the way Shadow never seemed bothered by how people looked at him rubbed off on her, instilling her with a unique form of confidence she’d never had before. It wasn’t just his flat, unfazed expression, either. It was the way he walked, head held high, never hunched down under the stares he drew. He didn’t even bother to wear his uniform correctly; his jacket was partly unbuttoned, and his red tie hung loosely around his neck.

At last, one set of eyes stopped him in his tracks. The vice principal loudly scolded him for his disheveled appearance. He reluctantly tightened his tie and buttoned his jacket properly, sighing and rolling his eyes as he did so. The vice principal snapped at him about his uniform and bad attitude once more before walking away, her high heels clacking harshly against the tiled floor of the hallway. Amy peeked at his dapper ensemble and examined it in surprise.

He’s...actually kind of handsome like this...

Amy shook her head furiously to try and rid herself of the strange thought. Then, once the high heels were no longer audible, Shadow let out a single chuckle...and smirked just a little bit.

While Amy was still processing the first kind-of smile she’d ever seen on Shadow, he unbuttoned his jacket all the way. He slipped a finger into his tie and pulled out the knot entirely to let it hang completely free around his neck. He even unbuttoned the top two buttons on his dress shirt, showing a white patch of fur underneath it. He put his hands in his pockets and strutted defiantly to class, oblivious to Amy’s inner turmoil. She snapped her head forward and tried to ignore the flush she knew had spread across her cheeks.

Why does he look even more attractive when he’s sloppy?!

A week or two passed, and Amy fell into a routine: math class, homework, getting help from Shadow during study period, then math class once more. At one point, she admitted that she felt bad monopolizing his study hour and offered to pay him or leave him alone, but he just looked confused, so she didn’t mention it again.

One day, Amy was checking her schedule at the end of math class, sensing she’d forgotten something important. Shadow packed up his bag and spoke.

“Library as usual tomorrow?”

Amy opened her mouth to answer, but then she cringed. “Shit...I have a dentist appointment tomorrow!”

“Hmph.” Shadow shrugged. “No school. Nice.”

She shook her head. “No, see, I’m only missing half the day. I’ll be here just in time for math class, but I’ll miss study hour!”

“Ah.” Shadow nodded in understanding. “That’s a waste. You get time off, but it’s a study period instead of an actual—”

He was cut off when Amy took his shoulders and started shaking him. “Shadow, you don’t get it!” Panic crept into her tone as she shook him. “If I’m not here for our study period, I won’t get any help, and I won’t be able to do well on my homework, and I’ll fall behind again, and I’ll flunk out and have to run away and join the circus—”

“Amy. Stop.” At his firm command, she froze. His expression was half-amused and half-exasperated as he gingerly removed her hands from his shoulders. “None of that is going to happen, I promise...especially not the circus part...but if it’ll make you feel better, we can work on it somewhere else, okay?”

At the comforting look in his warm red eyes, she relaxed. “Okay.” She thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up. “Can’t we just go to the library after classes are done?”

“The library closes early on Mondays and Tuesdays. It stays open later Wednesday through Friday, and it’s open from ten am to ten pm on weekends. It’s Monday, though, so we won’t have enough time.”

Shadow stared at her and waited, having rattled off his response rapid-fire. Amy’s baffled look made way for a small smile. “You’ve really got those hours down, huh? You must love reading!”

He looked away and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, something like that.”

Amy thought for a moment more, then shrugged. “We could always just study at my house, if you don’t mind.”

At that, Shadow jammed his hands into the pockets of his school uniform and looked sideways at her. “I’m comfortable with that, but...are you?” he asked tentatively.

Amy looked at him funny. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I—” She cut herself off when she remembered she was talking to Mr. Scariest-Guy-in-School, and that he probably knew that just as well as she did. She smiled and waved it off. “Yeah! For sure!” When he hesitated, she added, “My mom will be there. She gets home early on Mondays.”

Shadow visibly relaxed. He looked off into space, and then something seemed to occur to him. “Oh, but I can’t go right away. I have something to do at the end of the day first. It’ll take maybe fifteen minutes.”

Amy shrugged. “I don’t mind. It’ll give me time to get set up.” And clear off my cluttered desk...and hide all my embarrassing stuffed animals...and make sure I don’t have any weird tabs open on my computer... “I’ll text you my address, okay?”

He paused and shifted his weight to his other foot. “So...how far is it?”

“It’s close.” She typed in the address and sent it. “I normally just walk there.”

She almost missed the way his shoulders relaxed. “Walking distance. Cool.”

Amy nodded happily and put away her phone. “Thanks, Shadow. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

Amy snorted. “I still appreciate it, though.” On a whim, she stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, just as she did with her other friends.

Technically speaking, it was the strangest hug she’d ever given. He didn’t push her away, but he didn’t hug back, either. He just stood a little stiffly and waited for her to finish. When she pulled away, his face was completely blank, as if he’d never encountered a hug before and didn’t know how to react.

Amy had to hold back a loud snort of amusement at his lack of response. “I’ll see you in a bit, Shadow!”

She dashed out of the classroom, ignoring the confused students around her and still sensing the inquisitive red eyes at her back. She giggled to herself.

We’ll work on it.

Amy shuffled the last of the clutter under her bed and grinned in satisfaction. Good enough! She peeked out the window. No Shadow yet. She glanced back at her desk and the second chair she’d dragged in, and concern briefly crossed her mind. Maybe it’s a bad idea to choose the desk in my room to share with the kind-of-scary guy I barely know. She frowned. Is this why my dad says I have no sense of self-preservation?

The doorbell rang out, jolting Amy out of her thoughts. She bounded down the stairs to answer it, and her eyes bugged out when she saw Shadow there.

I couldn’t see him anywhere two seconds ago. How fast is he?!

She set her thoughts aside and opened the door for him with a smile. “Hey, Shadow!”

He wasn’t looking at her. Instead, his face was turned upward. He tilted it back down to fix her with a deadpan look. “Your house is huge.”

“Huh?” She was thrown off, but he just walked right inside. “I mean...kind of? It’s not really—Shadow, wait!”

He flinched and stopped. “What?”

Amy stepped past him and pointed to her own socked feet and the shoes lined up neatly at the door. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. He looked unimpressed, but he rolled his eyes lazily and slipped out of his own shoes. She nodded, satisfied.

Shadow followed her up the stairs. The humbled expression he carried on his face as he looked around didn’t escape her notice, especially when he stepped into her room and blatantly examined its pink and red decor. She held her hands behind her back and looked at him sideways. “Is everything okay?”

His gaze snapped back to her. “It’s really girly.” She hesitantly opened her mouth to speak, but then he slipped his messenger bag off his shoulder. “It suits you.”

He didn’t look at her again as he sat down. She stood awkwardly, mouth open. “Uh...thanks?” He nodded a little, either not comprehending the weirdness of it or not caring. She shook it off and took out her math homework. Was that a compliment? I swear, I’m never gonna figure this guy out.

The two went over the premise of the homework, and Shadow helped iron out the bits she hadn’t gotten in class. While she was working on the second problem, she broke the silence. “So what did you have after school? Anything exciting?”

“Hmph. Not really. It’s the same thing I do every day.”

“And what’s that? Oh, but you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to—”

Shadow shrugged. “I don’t mind. Sometime last year, a group of guys were bullying this rabbit middle schooler outside the west wing of the school. Teasing her, pulling her ears, shit like that.” She looked up in surprise to see he was fixing the paper in front of him with a searing glare. He shut his eyes and crossed his arms. “So I beat the shit out of them. Turns out she was waiting for her mom, so now I wait with the kid every day after school to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He opened his eyes again and looked up at Amy, who’d stopped writing. “What?”

Amy snapped her mouth shut, realizing it had fallen open a bit as he told his story. Her heart softened, and she smiled adoringly at him. “That’s so kind of you!”

He fidgeted and looked at her sideways. “Uh...beating people up...?”

His uncharacteristic hesitation and movements reminded Amy that he wasn’t used to being looked at that way. She felt a twinge of pain at the idea, but she pushed it aside. “No, I mean standing up for her! Waiting around every day just to make sure she’s okay. That’s really sweet of you.”

Shadow opened his mouth, clearly unsure of how to deal with the sentiment. He crossed his arms again and shut his eyes. “It’s not a big deal. Anyone else would have done the same.”

Amy wasn’t sure about that, but she didn’t want to argue. Instead, she rested an elbow on the desk and leaned her cheek into her palm to look at him more closely. “Everything people say about you is wrong, huh?” When he just blinked at her, she panicked and backtracked. “I mean—! It’s not like—there are, well...y’know, rumors...and you know how people are...” She cringed and trailed off.

He huffed. “It’s fine, I know what people say about me.” He leaned his arm on the desk and turned his body to face her. “People talk. It happens.”

Amy pouted. “Are you...okay with that?”

He paused, choosing his words carefully. “Being the ‘scary guy’ isn’t always fun, but it’s not all bad. No one messes with you if they won’t go near you.”

Amy thought of the empty desks that always surrounded Shadow and the wide berth he was always given in the cafeteria. She thought of his atypical social habits and the way even a simple hug could throw him off. Her heart stung.

Oblivious, Shadow kept going. “And if no one messes with me, then I can protect other people, too. My family. Kids who are being bullied. And, uhh...” He scratched his head and looked away.

Amy narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and then a bright smile graced her face. “That’s what you were doing in math class, wasn’t it? On the second day, when you sat next to me.”

At the reminder, Shadow’s expression twisted just a little in...embarrassment? He covered half of his face with his hand. “Yeeeaaaahhhh, uh...I may have overdone it. You looked so upset on the first day, like you were about to cry...so I scared off anyone who I thought might upset you again...but by the end of it, I’d scared off everyone, and you were more afraid of me than you were of them.”

Amy matched his cringing face with her own. “Was it that obvious?”

He uncovered his face. “By the time we got around to the math part, you looked like you were about to piss your pants.”

Amy’s expression turned bitter at the image, and then she let out a brief chuckle. “Gotta admit, I was pretty petrified...but I still felt comfortable enough to text you for help, didn’t I? That has to be worth something.”

He scratched his chin and looked up at the ceiling. “So you’re more scared of math than you are of me...” He nodded. “I’ll take it. It’s better than I usually do with people.”

Amy wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at that. She chose to laugh, and she considered it a victory when she saw him let out the slightest chuckle in response.

By the time they’d hit the five o’clock hour, Amy had been done with her homework for a while, but she hadn’t asked Shadow to leave, and he hadn’t shown interest in going anywhere anytime soon, either. After plenty of surprisingly enjoyable conversation, though, the alarm on Shadow’s phone went off. He squinted at the cracked screen, then showed a face that looked almost disappointed, though it could have been Amy’s imagination.

“I have to get home and make dinner for my family. You all set?”

Amy’s heart sank more than she’d expected it to. “Yeah.” She reluctantly descended the stairs with Shadow in tow.

Once she reached the door, though, her eyes lit up. “Hey, um...” She steeled herself. “Do you want to, maybe...hang out again? Not just for math.” When he just stared at her, she panicked. “Oh, I don’t mean—not in, like...a weird way, I just like talking to you!”

She didn’t know how to say ‘it’s not a date’ without actually saying that, but Shadow seemed to pick up on her meaning anyway. He stared off into space for a moment, then nodded a little, as if mulling it over. He looked back down at her and shrugged. “It’s been a while...but yeah. Sure.”

Amy grinned, then frowned as a sad thought hit her. “Do you not have any other friends to hang out with?”

He frowned a little. “Yeah, but...” He scratched the back of his head idly. “I used to hang out with my friend Rouge a lot, but then she graduated, and now she’s in a training program to become a government spy.”

Amy made an intrigued noise. “Government spy? That sounds impressive!”

“Hmph. Don’t tell her that, she’ll get a swelled head.” He paused and looked away. “We’re still good friends, but she lives three hours away now, so...I don’t have...” He cut himself off and pressed his lips together. “I spend a lot of time by myself these days.”

Sympathy touched Amy’s heart, but she shook it off in favor of smiling up at him. “Well, I’d be happy to be your friend! What do you say, Shadow?” She held out her hand for a handshake.

He looked from her chipper face to her hand. After a moment, a small smirk showed itself on his face. He ignored the hand and pulled her into a quick side-hug. “Sounds good to me.”

After that, he abruptly dashed off with such speed that the wind he whipped up nearly knocked her over. Her heart pounded at his dramatic exit. Once she’d calmed down, Amy smiled.

It was only a quick side-hug...but it’s a start.

[That’s all she wrote...literally. From here, Amy convinces Shadow to join the track team along with her, Sonic, Blaze, and Espio so he can have more friends, and they become a couple along the way. Some people are disapproving at first, but they come around in time. Shadow’s family is also poor, and he’s very dedicated to his chronically ill sister, who winds up being very fond of Amy. I mentioned a few more details in this post.

Cliché? Maybe, but it’s a nice reminder of how far I’ve come as a writer, I think.

Poor anon probably forgot they even sent this ask. I hope they’re still on tumblr to get the notification, lmfao.]

[silence-caravan]

Have this old sketch while I ramble in the tags (they are going to the hot honey concert :^D)

actually you know what. put your thoughts on archie sonic in the tags and reblog this with an explanation on why you like/dislike it. this is for science and i might argue with you if you say you dont like it

[thespectral-wolf]

An Enigma in Shadows: Epilogue - Left Unsaid

A thousand thanks to @w0lp3rtinger for beta reading and helping out with the writing.

As the title says, this is an epilogue to my comic, which if you haven't read yet, you can find the first page here.

---

“Amy, please, let me help” Sonic pleaded to her for what felt like the fiftieth time this week.

Amy chose to ignore him and instead focused on making sure she packed everything she needed for today’s search. Almost three weeks had passed since Shadow left abruptly after her friends’ intervention. Fourteen days of her hoping the hedgehog would return so they could set things straight. Six days since she decided to find his residence herself and maybe, just maybe make it up to him. She took another look at her map to see where she would continue. Only four hundred square kilometers of jungle to search through. She let out an audible sigh.

Sonic waited behind her, arms crossed and one foot tapping rhythmically, betraying his otherwise patient expression. She turned her head slightly. 

“I don’t think I want your idea of help.”

Sonic groaned.“Look, I know I messed up-”

“That’s an understatement.”

Sonic let go of his irritation with a huff. He continued, “I do want to make it up to you, Amy. At least don’t go into the jungle alone again!”

Amy turned around to look him in the eye.

“Okay, fine! Let’s say I consider taking your offer. How do you intend to help me with this?”

The tension left Sonic’s body, the look of relief spread across his face. “Finally! Thank you!” he exclaimed, and before Amy could say anything, he stepped closer and continued, “You know, I often take a morning jog around the island. Maybe I’ve seen the place you’re looking for.”

Amy snorted, “Yeah, because you look at the places you pass by during your mach-one ‘jogs’.”

Sonic mocked a hurt expression at the accusation. 

“Come on now, I do appreciate the sights. Besides, I should mention that I have an impeccable visual memory,” he leaned on the table, arms crossed and looked his usual smug self. Amy normally liked his cockiness — not that she would ever admit that — but this time, she found it irritating.

“Go on,” he continued, “Test me. Describe the place we're looking for,” and gestured to her map with his head.

“Okay then,” she recalled what the part of the jungle looked like to her best ability. It wasn’t hard, even after so many weeks. The initial shock of Shadow’s living situation embedded the details of the place in her mind. The small incline Shadow used for sleeping, the little camp that was rather civil despite the roughness. The storm shelter that was probably a long abandoned property,  repurposed by the black hedgehog, hidden carefully from curious eyes. She even surprised herself by remembering where the two places lay relative to each other. Sonic did not say a word throughout all of that, only nodding a few times.

“So,” Amy spread her arms expectantly, “any ideas, Mr. Know-It-All?”

“I’m not sure about that shelter, but a small cave in a clearing facing north…” Sonic murmured, as he looked at the wall, eyes darting about. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. “Yeah, I think I know where that is!”

Amy blinked, “Really? Just like that?!”

“Yup! Pretty impressive, huh?” Sonic smirked.

She wasn’t going to be convinced so easily, “Okay then, can you show me where it is on the map?”

Sonic glanced at the item in question, and gave her an amused smile, “You know reading maps is not my strong suit.”

Why wasn’t she surprised…

“Well, thanks for nothing, I guess…” she was ready to pack up and leave.

“Buuut,” he leaned into her line of sight, “I can still take you there.”

“I’m not letting you carry me there, Sonic,” any other day, the idea would’ve excited her, but she was still bitter over his actions.

He shrugged.

“I could take you on the Blue Force One, too. Tails just upgraded the offroad mode.”

“Isn’t the Blue Force One only for one person?” she raised an eyebrow.

Sonic looked away and rubbed his nose.

“It can fit two… if you hold on close,” he murmured.

“Ugh!” Amy threw her hands up and turned her back on him. For one, because she couldn’t hide her flushed face, and she felt ashamed that even when she’s supposed to be super mad at him, he could get this reaction out of her. And another, she couldn’t believe Sonic is still playing around like that.

“Hey, I’m just teasing!” Sonic held up his arms, and gave his most apologetic smile. The glare he earned from her then melted that smile off right away. After a moment of silence, he spoke up in a softer voice, “C’mon, Amy. You trust me, don’t you?”

She wanted to say no. Sonic betrayed her trust when he still went out of his way to spy on her and Shadow and got himself and the others involved. But also, he was one of her closest friends. Even if he hurt her, she couldn’t stay mad at him forever. And she knew he was genuinely sorry. She rubbed her eyes.

“Fine, but when we get there, you hang back, okay? The last thing I want is you and Shadow get into a fight.”

“You know it’s usually him who initiates them, right?” Amy glowered at him for that, and he immediately put his hands up defensively. “Right, no fisticuffs, got it.”

The ride was… unusually silent. She sat behind Sonic, trying to hold on to him in a way that wasn’t too uncomfortable for either of them. She didn’t see Sonic’s face, but as he drove at a reasonable pace on the uneven trail, the tension in his body told her he was focused on the task.

At one point, he slowed to a halt, turning off the engine.

“We gotta go on foot from here. I love this thing, but it can’t tear through the foliage… yet,” Sonic explained as he got out.

“Just don’t run off, okay?” Amy grumbled.

“Hey, I can walk if I want,” Sonic turned around to face her, walking backwards very fast.

“Are you sure you’re walking?”

“This is walking for me,” Sonic joked, then turned around and started to jog.

“That is a lie, and you know that!” Amy shouted, keeping up with his speed. She could hear Sonic’s laugh in front of her. She shook her head. He can’t take things seriously, can he?

They trudged through the forest for quite some time before the plant life started to thin. Amy squinted at the sudden brightness, but when her eyes adjusted, she loudly exclaimed:

“Yeah, this is it!” Amy couldn’t hide her surprise when she looked around. It was definitely the cave where Shadow was staying in during their time working together, although it was strange to see it in daylight.

Sonic kicked a pebble and looked as nonchalant as always. “And if you accepted my help earlier, you would’ve saved a lot of time.”

She ignored his comment, and instead approached the incline. She had to be cautious. Shadow avoided confrontation last time, but it could’ve been because he was taken by surprise. She didn’t know how the other hedgehog would react if she approached him uninvited.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark, but once she could see, she had noticed that the cave was completely empty, the only thing indicating that someone was here were the rocks and charcoal making up the firepit. Everything else — the old sleeping bag, the dirty rags that covered the log used for sitting, the various tools, even the empty food cans — were gone. He has left. She should have expected this, yet disappointment still washed over her. There might still be a chance though…

She dashed out of the cave, and went in the direction of the shelter. Sonic, who was leaning against a tree the whole time,  hurried to follow. She didn’t say a word.

She ground to a stop when she saw that the shelter’s door was torn off from its hinges and tossed to the side. It also looked like as if the earth collapsed where the rest of the shelter should be. She felt a tightness in her chest, but pushed past it and went for the entrance.

The ladder was missing, so she jumped down. Using her communicator’s in-built flashlight, she took a better look at the scene. The place caved in, leaving nothing but rubble and dirt. She cautiously moved some of the debris. She could see the remains of what used to be the shelf, but on a closer look, all the knick-knacks Shadow had there weren’t in the rubble.

That meant he took them. 

So he must’ve destroyed it on purpose.

She just stood there, staring at the ruins where barely a month ago she was spending entire nights awake trying to solve a mystery. Trying to help someone…

She absentmindedly hovered a hand to her cheek, feeling the freshly healed skin.

“Yo, Amy, all good?” Sonic shouted in from above, snapping Amy out of her thoughts.

“Yes, it’s fine,” she told him. She walked back and climbed out with the aid of her hammer.

“No sign of him,” she dusted herself off, and looked away into the thick of the forest.

“Do you want to try tomorrow?” he asked as they made their way back to the clearing.

“No… I don’t think we’re going to meet him here,” she looked off in the distance. “Just give me a sec, okay?”

Amy entered the small cave again and fished out an item: Shadow’s glove sealed in an airtight bag. Ideally, she would have given it to Shadow in person or at the very least leave it for him. But was he coming back here? Or will this place be vacant forever? A part of her wanted to resume the search, but the island was large, and Shadow would continue to elude them until he decided to be found.

If he ever decided he wanted to be found…

She finally made the decision and put the glove down on a flat rock where the elements hopefully won’t disturb it. She left, only taking one more glance back at the now empty place before going home.

~*~

It took several days before a figure appeared in the cave again. His heavy boots dug into the clay floor as he took in his surroundings. After he felt he was in the clear, he approached the item placed so clearly out in the open, it might as well be a bait for a trap. 

His instincts screamed that it was, but a small part of him said that he doesn’t have to be wary. That it will be okay.

It was strange how easy he listened to that small voice.

He picked up the bag containing the glove, and after making another quick check that nobody was watching him, he practically scrambled to put it on.

Something inside touched his fingers, making him freeze. Slowly he pulled out what appeared to be a neatly folded piece of paper.  He stared at it for a short moment before his fist closed with such force that were it not for the glove, his claws would have dug into his palm for sure. With the same rush of energy, he was ready to throw the crumpled note away as far as he could.

Something in the back of his mind stopped him, that little voice again, and his fist hung high in the air frozen mid-swing.

He let out a shaky breath, lowered his hand and stared at the little paper. Seconds stretched on, he could hear nothing but blood rushing in his ear, the buzz so loud it was almost drowning out his thoughts. Choppy breaths evened out, every long intake of air bringing in the smell of damp clay and moss. A faint memory of bamboo and scented candles and freshly cooked pasta tried to wriggle itself back to the forefront of his mind. Finally, he neatly straightened it and started to unfold it, the curiosity to find out what was inside finally taking over him. He read its contents. And read it again. And again. The wrinkles of his brow deepened more and more at his puzzlement. He turned it over, but found the rest of the paper empty. He read it again, taking in each word, like it was a riddle.

“You forgot it at my place. I figured you’d want it back. I did wash it though, I hope you don’t mind.”

That was all of it. He was expecting an overly sentimental message about making amends and the importance of friendship and something about Amy’s door being always open to him… yet this here was as plain as it could get. It baffled him. And yes, he did mind the smell of the detergent.

It was pointless to keep the message. But he did not throw it away. Instead, he folded it back and pushed it inside his glove so it sat between the fabric and his hand in a way that wasn’t too bothersome. Shadow turned tail and left the cave with a thought that felt so dangerous: what would it mean to him if he left a bridge unburned?

[momotarotea]

Sonic Big Bang 2024!

So part of why I've been quiet recently is that I've been working on my contribution for the @sthbigbang event!

Of course, I had to write a Shadamy fic. I also did an illustration for my fic, as did the immensely talented @waywardvessel

@sofibeth-arts

and @morefluid-thanwater!

Working with you three was a pleasure, and I hope you all enjoy the finished piece!

If you'd rather read this on AO3, here's the link!

Without further adieu, I hope you all enjoy ARK Angel :)

Summary: Life is a series of decisions, but what if one had gone differently? What if Amy’s pleas to Shadow on the ARK had fallen on deaf ears, and he hadn’t agreed to save the world? The only thing left to do would be to fight to save the world herself, wouldn’t it?

Discovering Shadow in an abandoned lab hadn’t been on Amy’s to-do list that day, but neither had heading into space, watching Sonic almost die, or anything else from the events of that day. With the Space Colony now plummeting headfirst towards the Earth, it seemed that she would be adding ‘begging Shadow to save the human race’ to her impromptu list of tasks, too.

She’d stopped in the corridor to give herself a pep talk when she’d spotted him - fear having gripped her momentarily at the sight of the pitch-furred hedgehog. After a deep inhale to steel herself, she darted over to him at the window, a fire in her stomach and determination on her face. Every step made her feel like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. He’d been nothing but trouble for her friends up to this point, and whether it had been intentional or not, she couldn’t help but hold it against him. He’d framed Sonic for his wrong-doings, tried to stop them at every turn, and now, he had refused to go with the others when they had rushed to the cannon’s core in an attempt to stop the ARK from destroying their world. She hated to admit it, but deep down, she knew he was the only hope. He was the only one who knew the space colony well enough to do anything meaningful in the time they had left - but getting his help would be no small feat.

“Shadow, we need you!” She yelled, practically tripping over her own feet to come to a halt next to him. She couldn’t back out on her plea now. He would either refuse, or save them all. There were no half measures here.

His eyes - the colour of blood, and just as spine-chilling - swept over the expanse of space before him, turning to her.  “It’s all going according to plan,” he murmured, fixing her on the spot with a withering glare. “There is no reason for me to help them. Besides, there’s no way to save anyone.” 

He was so matter-of-fact. So cold and clinical about so many lives being taken away for a crime committed years ago, by a handful of people who may not even still be alive… Did he not see what he was doing? What he was allowing to unfold? His life so far hadn’t been easy, by any stretch of the imagination, but to destroy the Earth over it?

“There has to be!” She found herself blurting, her fists balled at her chest, “I know that people fight over the most trivial things,” she began, voice wavering and tentative, “Some people…” She continued, trying to pick her words carefully and think before she spoke, as she so often didn’t. Rage would not get the better of Amy Rose today. “…may be selfish like the professor said… But they’re basically good. If they try their best and never give up on their wishes… They always have a reason to be happy.”

The pink hedgehog paused for a moment, trying to gauge Shadow’s reaction to her words so far. His face was hard to read, stoic and brooding as he was, and with the whirlwind of emotions swirling in her head she was struggling to separate the facade of nonchalance from any underlying emotion or sign of doubt. She swallowed hard, brows furrowing, as she put the last pieces of her plea together. Her nails bit into the palms of her hands, a tentative step forward bringing her closer to him as she pleaded, “That’s why you should help them out! Saving them is a good thing! Shadow, I beg you, please do it for them. Give them a chance!”

The lab fell into near silence, the only sounds the beeping of long-abandoned equipment and echoes of Amy’s voice as it faded away in the enormity of the room.

His eyes hadn’t left hers, not for a moment, but now, they flickered over her, regarding her as if this was the first time he had seen her, and she had just asked the world of him. 

Now that she thought about it, that wasn’t far from the truth. 

He turned back to the window. She searched his face for an answer - for even an incline of what he may say - but he gave away nothing. Instead, Shadow closed his eyes.The air felt thin, time seeming to fray and threatening to snap. It couldn’t have been longer than a moment, but to Amy, it felt like eternity. 

Then, his face twisted in a sneer. 

“No.” 

Amy gasped as Shadow’s eyes opened. She could feel the hate wash over her. 

“You talk about what they want, their hopes and dreams and wishes - but what about mine? Am I supposed to give up, to pander to people who have sought to harm me? To use me?” His expression darkened, shifting to something that sent a chill down her spine. “Why should I?” 

He snarled, turning sharply to face her head on. “Why should I save them? These people who, by your own admission, are selfish?”

“That’s not what I-”

“I won’t help them. They can all go to hell!”

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, welling and threatening to fall. She’d shrunk further away from him with each word, feeling less and less like she was capable of changing his mind, and more like she was being scolded for her naivety. Blood rushed in her ears, the pounding of her heart deafening her as the fire she had felt in her stomach was all but put out by his words raining down around her. 

She’d failed. Fallen short. 

But somehow… something told her she couldn’t just give in. Laying down and taking whatever she was given wasn’t her style. Maybe once upon a time, but not now. 

“But Shadow, I know that under all of the pain you're good! I know you-”

“You know nothing!” He spat, quills bristling as a sharp, derisive followed. “You want to save them? Do it yourself.” 

The fire roared. It licked against her insides, boiling her blood and building pressure in her system. It was like her veins were no longer for transporting oxygen - they were a part of a boiler system that was over pressurised, and the safety valve was ripped away. She was ready to blow, and unfortunately for Shadow, he’d blocked the last outlet for her steam. 

She realised what she’d done when the palm of her hand started stinging, and his face snapped towards the glass he stood in front of. She’d slapped him. Hard. So hard, in fact, that there was already a red handprint forming on the side of his muzzle. It looked sore, and any other time, she would have apologised profusely - but the rage that still simmered forbade her from showing remorse. Before he could retaliate, she found herself racing out of the lab and down the hallway in the direction her friends had taken, straight for the Cannon Core.

The soles of her boots on the sheet metal of the floor drummed in her head, seeming to sync with her thundering blood. Every second mattered. Gerald had given them twenty-seven minutes. Some of that time had already slipped through her fingers, so Chaos only knew how long she had now.

The walkway she was on came to a junction, causing her to slow and eventually stop. The corridor had split in two, open doorways yawning to the left and right with no clear indication as to which was the way to the cannon core. To the left, purple walls and strobing lights lit glass floors and moving platforms, while the right glowed an ominous red, the hexagonal pathway seeming to go on forever. 

“Red means danger,” she murmured to no one in particular, taking a tentative step towards the right-hand door. Rings of light seemed to race up the walls towards the entryway. It was almost as if they were trying to push her away and convince her to go down the other route, but that just served to convince Amy that this had to be the right way. Of course the mad scientist who had set the ARK on a crash course with the Earth would want to keep people away from the metaphorical off switch for his plan.

With a quick scan of the corridor she found a rail that ran along the roof, with a handle hanging from it. If it did what she thought it did, it could be a quicker way to traverse the tunnel before her. Manoeuvring herself to see further down the twists and turns and realising she couldn’t see the end, or even the light that might mark it, she concluded that any boost to speed she could give herself would be a welcome one. With that in mind, she backed up a few steps and ran, leaping for the handle. The jolt of inertia was enough to slide along the rail, and before long, she was travelling at a good pace.

The tunnel twisted, throwing her violently in one direction, and then the other, with lights flashing and dissipating all the while. It was making her feel queasy. In desperation, she shut her eyes tight in hopes of a temporary reprieve, but the lights came to a sudden stop. She cracked an eye open, squinting to get a better look at where the light ended, to see where the rail went once the transition to black was made, but with horror she realised it was the open expanse of a new room, cyan sparks of electricity punctuating the otherwise pitch black. The rail came to an abrupt halt, the handle hitting the stop plate at the end with a thunk, and she was flung forward into the empty air. 

Amy shrieked, the possibility that this was her end, not the collision with the Earth, briefly filling her head as she searched for something to grab or land on. Columns hung from the ceiling, too far away for her to use to stop her descent, and all around her was nothing but blackness. A void.

But, as her limbs wheeled, panic rising, she saw the familiar glow of the tunnel she had been launched from. Had she tipped forward? Rolled in the air somehow to look back at where she’d come from? No, she couldn’t have. The columns were still above her - this had to be new. That, and now that she was thinking more critically, this new light was more orange than red. That had to be the way forward.

Below her was a stone outcrop that stopped just before the orange room. That was her target but she was falling fast. Landing wouldn’t be as easy as it sounded. Not without an injury, anyway. 

She’d seen Sonic spindash his way out of situations like this before, but he normally had an enemy to aim for. Whoever had been here before had done a good job of clearing out any hostiles - too good a job. If she could just slow her fall somehow, then she could land without fear of breaking a leg - or worse. 

Then it hit her. Her hammer. She’d used it before to make a small wind tunnel. If she could just time it properly, she could decelerate just before she made contact with the ground. 

She held out her hands, her signature hammer appearing in her grip with a plume of smoke that was quickly whisked away as she gained speed. Once her vision cleared, she took stock again. She needed to act in five… four… three… two-

Panic struck her. She’d over estimated. The ground was approaching faster than she had expected. Eyes wide, veins icy with dread, she hefted the hammer, swinging it as hard and fast as she could in a circular motion.

A gust of air caught her. She slowed. And, with only a few quills windswept and out of place, she landed. With a deep exhale, shoulders dropping in relief, she allowed herself a moment to gather herself before taking on the next section of her journey.

Amy shook herself. She had to get moving again - the ARK was still plummeting. The Earth was still in danger. And, as much as she trusted and admired Sonic, she wasn’t sure  he could do it on his own this time. 

The path ahead was maybe ten feet long before it dropped into a chasm. Why there was such a large pit inside a space colony, she didn’t know, but it was going to be difficult to get over. A running start wouldn’t go amiss, but even an olympic long jumper would have trouble with a gap so wide. 

Absently, she hefted the hammer, flipping it in her hand as she puzzled over her dilemma. If only she could use something like an enemy as a stepping stone, or-

She paused, closely inspecting the hammer in her hand. An idea flickered in her mind like a lightbulb. That might just do it. 

She shook out her arms and hands, leaning forward and focusing on the glow of the next room. This jump had only two outcomes - suicide or success - and she had to have the confidence to make sure it was the latter. 

Rearing back and filling her lungs with the stagnant air of the chamber, Amy committed to her stunt, surging forward and charging at the crevasse. Her whole body felt like it was pulsing. Between her heartbeat, the cadence of her feet and adrenaline, she didn’t know which to blame.

As the end of the stone walkway approached, her mind’s eye replaced it with the white line of a long jump pit, and a yell tore from her throat. She threw herself into the abyss, leaping with all the strength she could in hopes that it would reduce how long she would have to spin her hammer. It was a new skill  after all, so the less she had to rely on it, the better.

She sailed through the air, the grip on her hammer turning her knuckles white; it would sting once she let go, but she was too terrified of dropping it. There was still so far to go, so much nothing to cross over, but she could feel that her fall had begun. 

With everything she had, Amy swung the hammer, letting herself twist with it in the air and hoping to land on solid ground. 

One, 

Two, 

Three full rotations, and she could feel herself getting dizzy. Keeping her eyes open had been a mistake for her stomach, which churned and protested, but she wouldn’t know when to stop otherwise. 

Four,

Five

Six rotations. The longer she spun, the more she felt like maybe she’d missed the edge, and was just spiralling into the void of nothing below, but something told her that she had to persevere. There seemed to be more and more orange in her blurry view of the world, which surely meant was at least close to the other side. 

One… 

More… 

Turn… 

She slowed, stopped, and staggered, the world still spinning even though she wasn’t. She’d made it. Her idea, insane as it was, had worked, and as her vision cleared the orange glow she had aimed for snapped into focus. What had once been an octagonal tunnel, now squared off with panels of glass, pulsed with amber light. 

Her heels clicked a staccato against the floor as she wobbled away from her landing spot, head swimming and hands shaky. Amy’s grip on her hammer faltered, the weapon slipping from her fingers and disappearing in a puff of smoke, and all she could do was watch. Much more effort might bring about another appearance of her breakfast, which wasn’t something she was keen to experience.

With each step, the haze of dizziness cleared. It was like she was wading through the last of a thick fog, finally emerging into the light of day. Unfortunate that the daylight in question was only the rest of the room, not the end of her journey, but at least the end was approaching. 

The back of the room split off into a T junction. To the right was a dead end, while the left path gave way to a room of shifting, spinning cubes and display panels that showed only the same amber light of the previous rooms swishing back and forth.

Now that her stomach had settled, Amy risked picking up the pace, following the corridor as it curved to the right. Cubes tumbled in the air, bathing her in their warm glow - but she had no time to enjoy it. Chaos only knew how long she had left before the ARK would collide with the Earth -or if she’d be able to stop the collision - but she had to try. Just because Shadow had refused to help, that didn’t mean she had to accept her fate. She could do this. She had to believe she could, because if she couldn’t, then-

The familiar sound of her heels on glass gave way to sloshing and a low buzzing sound. She’d been so preoccupied with her fate, so focused on her goal that she hadn’t realised she was in a new area. Three inches of fluid lapped against the soles of her shoes, the translucent amber liquid looking like it belonged in a reactor, not on the floor. The unnatural, tangerine hue almost gave her pause, but as she splashed through it she found herself having to think fast once more. 

Lazers and a metal barrier barred her way. She estimated that she would be able to slide under the barricade if she timed it right, and that the chance of getting the amber liquid on her skin - or worse, in her eyes or mouth - was worth the risk. She sped up, running until she was maybe two feet away from the lazer-wall and dropping into a slide.

Her nose grazed the metal, but she was under, and otherwise unharmed. Much to her relief, the liquid that coated the floor didn’t seem to be acidic, either, but for the time being that was the least of her concerns. 

Before her was a six foot wall, edged in the same metal as the barrier was made of, and no other direction to go. She knew she couldn’t jump that high. If she were lucky, and had a decent start, she might be able to get enough of a grip with her fingers to haul herself up. Possibles and maybes didn’t save the world, she knew, but neither did people who didn’t at least try against the odds. 

Backtracking as close to the lasers as she dared, she eyed the run-up she’d given herself. It should be enough.

Would be enough.

Had to be enough.

Filling her lungs, she rocked back. A fizzing sound and the smell of burning quills rolled over her. Too far. With a flinch and a quick pat of the affected area, she squared her shoulders, and took another deep breath…

Before running full speed at the wall. 

She charged, picking up as much speed as she dared before hurling herself upwards towards the ledge.

Her body slammed into the wall, chest and ribs screaming with the impact, but the tips of her fingers had caught on the ledge, holding her against the frigid surface. She wheezed in a breath, grimacing as she did, and walked the fingers of one hand onto the ledge until her palm sat against it. She repeated the process once she was sure her grip was sound, slowly grappling her way onto the surface until she was able to swing a leg up and roll onto the floor, panting with the exertion.  

Amy wanted to stay there. Sprawled on the floor, where the fate of the world wasn’t in her hands, and nothing more was needed of her, but she couldn’t do that. Even if Sonic could do this without her, she was sick of being the extra. The back up. The ‘just in case’. But not any more. That was going to change. 

She staggered to her feet, bathed in the crimson glow of the next corridor. It looked so similar to the first, but even though it had only been a few minutes since, that first rail ride felt a lifetime away. 

She crossed the threshold at a run, feeling the slope of the floor dip down towards the heart of the ARK. She was ready for this. She was going to make a difference.

The ground levelled out sharply, more of the amber swill from a few rooms ago coming into view in a roiling torrent past a sheer drop - one that she knew now that she could traverse with ease, thanks to her hammer. With a hop, skip, and a jump, she launched herself into the air, and realised just how far she would need to go.

From this angle, she saw that the orange flow rushed towards her, cascading down and away from where she assumed she needed to be. But, it plateaued - and presumably, flowed in the opposite direction on the other side. 

Smoke billowed around her as the hammer materialised, but quickly dispersed as she spun in the practised cyclone that had delivered her safely across the chasm before.

The world around her was a blur, flashes of colour and light that only made sense when she broke from the tornado she had created and let herself take it all in. She could see now that she had been right about the flow of water. It did flow the other way, with an equally steep slope that flowed into a pipe. That had to be it. The inlet to the canon core. 

Her trajectory landed her just past the section of level ground, a few paces into the decline, and the flow swept her off her feet with a splash. Control would be hard won, she realised, as her form took the path of least resistance, swerving from left to right at an increasingly alarming pace. When her body started to rotate, threatening to have her careen down the space-age log flume head first, she felt her heart skip a beat. Relinquishing the control of her direction was one thing, but her orientation was something that wasn’t up for debate. 

Small adjustments to compensate for the swivel seemed to keep her facing the right direction, much to her relief. “Thank Gaia,” she found herself whispering, hoping that her small praise would be enough to convince any higher power that she was grateful for this mercy, and to continue sending it her way. 

A crackle filled the air, the sound of an intercom creaking to life. Amy glanced around to find the speaker, even though she knew it would be of no use to her to know where it was. She was left only with the sound of a vaguely familiar voice echoing around the pipe she was stuck in.

“All of you ungrateful humans,” it began, tone foreboding and morose. Was that… the scientist? The one who had made Shadow? “Who took everything from me…” It was! A recording of him couldn’t mean anything good. She found herself searching frantically for an exit; Something in her chest told her she needed to get out of this tunnel. “Will feel my loss, and despair!”

As the last of Gerald's announcement ricocheted around her, her body was thrown around the curve of the pipe and light winked into existence in front of her. It was the end of the water way, she realised, but not quickly enough to avoid being dumped onto the floor unceremoniously.

She groaned, checking where her limbs had contacted the ground for any signs of damage - it was mostly small cuts and scrapes, but she had the feeling there would be bruises in more places tomorrow - and dusted herself down, rising to her feet cautiously.

There it was. The cannon core. And between her and it were Sonic, Knuckles, and- 

“What in Chaos’ name is that!?” Amy shrieked. She had seen some sights in her time, but this? It was grotesque. Calling it anything else fell short of the true horror of the lumbering beast that shook the ground with each step. Its skin seemed to pool around its joints and feet, like it had an excess of it that refused to slough off despite its best efforts. Tubes protruded from all over its body at odd angles, leaving wounds that looked jagged and inflamed, ready to rupture at any moment. 

The least offensive part of this behemoth was the canister on its back full of fluorescent green liquid that sloshed with every movement, the glow it provided highlighting the folds and wrinkles of the too-loose skin that covered its body.

Between the disgusting lifeform in front of her and the fear writhing like a snake in her stomach, retaining her lunch had become no easy feat. But, she was convinced that adrenaline was the only thing keeping her from vomiting.

“Amy!? What are you doing here!?” Sonic yelled, incredulity and fear clear in the crack of his voice.

“I asked Shadow to help us, and he refused,” she proffered, holding her hands out and summoning her Piko Piko hammer. “So I came to help instead.”

“No, no way,” the blue hedgehog said, shaking his head. “You need to go back and-” 

A roar interrupted him, the beast clearly annoyed that it was being ignored.

“We don’t have time to argue!” She spat back, hefting the hammer and looking to Knuckles for back up. If anyone would understand, it would be him.

The echidna looked between his friends, knowing that by supporting Amy, he would put her in harm’s way, but by supporting Sonic, he would give Amy the impression he didn’t believe she was capable of helping them. He gave an irritated sigh, and turned to Sonic. “She’s right, we have to get the Master Emerald into that shrine now or we’re all toast! Amy,” he turned to her, violet eyes burning, “You need to keep that thing busy while Sonic and I get to the shrine - think you can do that?”

She nodded curtly, her expression settling into one of conviction as she focused on the monster that lumbered towards them now, trying to decide if she was insane for agreeing to this, or brave for even trying. For now, she would go with the latter.

As her friends raced for the shrine, a heaviness settled on her chest. Her blood felt cold, like she'd had a bucket of water dumped over her and the raging inferno she had stoked when she began this journey had been drowned. This thing was horrifying. Even its movements seemed unnatural, like its muscles weren't intended for its skeleton, and every stuttering step made the loose skin of its joints undulate sickeningly.

She choked back the bile that rose in her throat, refusing to take her eyes off it on principle alone. It probably already knew she was terrified, already knew that she wanted to turn tail and run until her lungs screamed for her to stop - but she wouldn’t. Not today. 

Her hammer felt leaden in her grip. The weight of the world, of her friends lives, of her own future - they all seemed present in its heft. She took a shaky step forward, feeling the fear rise but knowing she couldn't let it overwhelm her. Another step followed the first, the façade of confidence settling over her like a warm, comforting blanket. 

This was it. Her chance to prove herself. “Never fear,” she began, swiping the hammer to her side and shifting her weight to run. “Amy Rose is here!”

The biolizard lunged for her, snapping its toothless maw. If she were any slower, it would have crushed her arm.

She ran to the right, hoping for an opening where she could hit it hard enough to at least give it pause. But the beast lumbered after her, pivoting in the shallow puddle of water it wallowed in and sending ripples over the lip with each thunderous step. 

Keeping a distance between her and its mouth was Amy's top priority. Visions of what would become of her if she didn't played in her mind, and she had to physically shake her head to banish the thoughts. She needed adrenaline. Optimism. Not fear.

Amy stole a glance over her shoulder. She hadn't covered much ground, but already the monster seemed to be tiring. Its breathing was heavy. Laboured. Ragged. 

How was it so tired after barely moving? 

That was exactly it, it turned out. The thing barely could move, and so what little it had already managed was a gargantuan task for its body. If she could exhaust it - however briefly - that would be an advantage, one that was sorely needed.

With that in mind, Amy re-doubled her efforts, antagonising the beast by shouting over her shoulder at it. The lumbering started to slow, and it wasn't long before the biolizard came to a halt. 

Steam seemed to billow from its mouth with each exhale, and each inhale seemed hard won. There it was. The opening she needed.

Skidding almost to a stop, she pivoted on a heel and ran at its side, torn for a moment on where to hit it. The side was easily accessible, fleshy, and likely to do some internal damage if she could hit it hard enough, but the pipes that wound around its form gave her pause. They had to have a purpose. Transporting something, most likely - something that it needed, or else its creator wouldn't have left them there. 

Those pipes all seemed to converge on its back. Whatever they held was either flowing to or from there.

Hoping her guess was correct, Amy leapt. Her mind flashed back to her leap of faith across the chasm. But she had overcome that, just like she would overcome this. 

She crested the mass of crimson flesh, her boot slipping on loose skin as she landed. The shaky breaths beneath her shifted the pipes she'd followed. Just as she thought, they all appeared to connect to a device on its back.

That had to be it. 

A yellow glow pulsated atop the machine, growing brighter with each inhale, and dimming with each exhale. Surely, that wasn't a coincidence? It had to be a life support - or have at least some impact on the biolizard's continued life.

Having convinced herself, she did what she always did when all that stood between her and victory was a metal box. 

She swung her hammer at it.

The familiar crunch of her hammer connecting with metal brought a smile to her lips. The device crackled with electricity, pops and fizzes an audible indicator of broken connections. 

Beneath her, the biolizard screamed, its cry akin to a yowling cat, and shook itself violently enough to throw her to the ground. 

She skidded across the paved pathway, scraping her shoulder in the process. But as pain pulsed through her, she couldn't help but wonder how it had been so easy to defeat something that had been touted as the ultimate life form.

And then it moved. 

Toothless jaws snapped at her, missing by mere inches. She flinched away, scrambling to her feet and bolting away. 

This time, the biolizard didn't make a move towards her though. It's feet were planted firmly in the murky orange pool, and no sloshing could be heard.

What she did hear, though, was scarier than any eerie silence. It was like a blockage being cleared from a pipe at high velocity, a resounding poh noise, followed by stone crunching and skittering away.

It took every ounce of courage she had to turn and look behind her. 

A ball of what she could only describe as shadows tore towards her, purple energy crackling across its surface like lightning. 

she threw herself out of the way, keeping her eyes trained on the monster. Its maw opened again, energy swelling in its throat, and another popping sound exploded from it, firing the orb at her.

There would be no more wearing it out. The shadows seemed capable of following her, this new ball proved, as it swerved towards her at frightening speed. Dodging was the only option.‘Think, Amy! Think, think, think!’ She chastised, eyes darting across the beast in hopes of finding an answer.

To her surprise, she found it - a cord that ran from its mouth to its back. If she was fast, and careful, she could get to its back from there to do some more damage, and avoid the shadows at the same time.

There was no time to second guess herself. Raising her hammer again, she charged, side-stepping the second orb in the nick of time. A yell tore from her throat, half from terror and half from the rising sensation in her chest that goaded her to do better, to be better - to be a hero. 

She reached the cable just as a third ball started forming. With precision achieved by pure adrenaline, she made her first step onto the tube, following quickly by her second. It felt surreal. The narrowing of her focus to include only the pound of her veins, her boots on the wire as she barrelled up to its back. Her foot had been on its back for hardly a heartbeat when she slammed her hammer into the side of the still crackling unit. 

The casing cracked open, chips of metal spraying from the gash. She hefted the hammer back over her head, slamming it down onto the orange dome.

Glass shattered, spraying her with shards that sliced at her arms and cheeks. She hissed, the tiny cuts stinging individually and as one, the sensation overwhelming. 

A familiar rage built. One she’d experienced a thousand times before but never quite this intensely. She swung again, and again, the crumpling sound mixing with the yowling to create a truly ear-splitting cacophony. But in her rage, everything had quieted. 

When the world pitched, it took a moment for her to realise why. The biolizard was shaking, trying to throw her off, but as she fell, her hammer caught on one of the pipes, jolting her to a stop.

Another yowl, the tugging clearly causing it at least some discomfort. She could feel the noise in her bones, the vibrations rattling her. But this could be worse. In fact, this could be a fantastic opportunity to end this whole thing, here and now. 

Bracing her feet against its side, boots sliding on skin too big for its frame, she pulled.

The cable popped out of the socket, spraying amber ichor as it flailed, and for what she hoped was the last time today, she hit the ground. 

She rolled away, knowing that she needed to dissipate the inertia if she wanted to walk away from this encounter rather than limp. Now that her hearing had returned, she could tell just how distressed it really was. The screaming and sloshing as it thrashed in what she assumed was agony was deafening - but it seemed like her ordeal was over. Now she just needed Sonic and Knuckles to get the chaos emerald back out of the shrine and-

Cobalt lightning crackled around the shrine, the master emerald pulsing with power and spinning in place. A flash of blinding light painted the chamber white and Amy threw up her arms to shield her eyes.

Before she risked opening them again, though, a roar shook her to the bone. It was the same sound as the Biolizard had made when she’d damaged it, only lower pitched. 

She whirled, hammer in hand ready to deal what she hoped was the killing blow, and was met not with the defeated form she had left, but one that had reared back to let out one last yell. With the beast on its back legs the looseness of its skin was more prominent, the disproportionate nature of its form more obvious. The pressure it was exerting on its stubby legs made them shake, the open wounds all over its body weeping, blood and pus running over the ripples and folds of its body. 

Her stomach churned, but before her mind could comprehend the truely sickening parts of its visage, a flash of blue enveloped it, and it was gone.

Turning back to the shrine, she took the steps two at a time, reaching Sonic and Knuckles at the Master Emerald’s plinth. “What was that?”

Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but the answer never came. The ARK pitched to the side, the artificial gravity of the ship momentarily failing, suspending them above the ground. “Since we’ve stopped the Chaos Emeralds… why is the space colony still on a crash course to Earth?” Knuckles managed before gravity kicked back in, throwing him, Sonic, and Amy to the ground.

“The prototype is still alive, and he’s controlling the space colony as its falling to Earth!” Eggman announced through the ARK’s communication system. This new information settled like a brick in Amy’s stomach as the trio staggered to their feet. She’d failed to kill the biolizard, and now, it was going to destroy the Earth anyway. All that she’d been through, all that she’d done… It was all for nothing, after all. “He’s become one with the space colony, and is determined to keep it on its collision course!”

Dumbfounded, she looked to Knuckles. He was the guardian of the Master Emerald - surely, there was something he could do? But the echidna wasted no time in turning to Sonic. The blue blur stared his friend down for a beat, his grass-green eyes flickering to Amy and back, as if considering something but discounting it before it had even had time to gestate. “I need to go super,” the hedgehog announced, taking a step towards the master Emerald. “But I don’t know if I can do this on my own.”

Her body moved before her mind could catch it. The pink hedgehog stepped forward, hammer evaporating into smoke, hands balling to fists. “Let me try, too!” There was no room for argument in her tone, but that didn’t stop her blue beau from trying.

“Ames, no, you can’t-”

“You don’t know that! Just because I haven’t before doesn’t mean I can’t!” His eyes were wide with shock, and something else. Awe, she hoped, but equally it could have been disbelief. When he sighed and held his hand out for her to take, though, she knew it didn’t matter. He was going to let her try, and that meant that at the very least, he believed there was a chance.

She took it, the pair raising their hands above their heads and studying the ceiling of the shrine. Like icicles forming on a window sill, their energy seeped from the stonework, forming the seven gems that had started this mess, and would give them the power to end it.

The emeralds descended, hovering for a moment before spinning faster and faster around them.

She could feel it. The tumultuous power, crashing into her like waves. The eddies lapped at her, like ice water around her ankles, and rose steadily until she thought she might drown. The emeralds were moving so fast now that they were a blur. It was impossible to tell one from another. Another wave of chaos energy crashed into her, almost knocking her to her knees - but she stood strong in its onslaught, feeling the cold sink past her skin, chill her blood and freeze her bones. 

White light flashed from between them, hands separating as the power split. Sonic glowed with the golden light of his super form, and Amy too shone, but with a rose-tinted gold of her own. The frigid chill of chaos energy was nothing like her own rage. So alien, so… different. So… other. It was somehow both exhilarating and terrifying. 

Sonic seemed to take it all in his stride - but then, he had been super before, hadn’t he? She’d always wondered what it felt like, and now that she had experienced it, she could understand how he used this power to save the world all those times before.  

Sonic shot her his signature cocky grin, pointing to the roof. Up and out. She nodded, and the duo crouched in unison, extending their legs as if to jump, but instead shooting clean through the walls of the cannon core. 

When Eggman had informed them that the biolizard had ‘become one’ with the ARK, Amy had been sure that he was exaggerating. The truth, however, was much more horrifying than she’d imagined.

Its flesh had wrapped itself around the muzzle of the eclipse cannon, the once loose folds of skin stretching and contorting to accommodate its new metal appendage. It was dragging the space colony with it, under what steam she didn’t know, and was headed straight for the planet she called home. 

“Sonic, Amy! Can you hear me?” Eggman’s voice boomed. “He’s very weak without his life support system. Aim for the red swellings to damage him! You’re our last hope!”

Weak without his life support… Her hunch had been right! The device was keeping it alive, and now, with the machine broken, they at least had a chance of winning. 

The hedgehogs shared a knowing look - one that held the promise to win, or die trying - and shared a definitive nod. 

Sonic blasted off, a trail of light marking his path as he weaved towards the monster. It was slow, cumbersome, but even so, if one of its limbs connected… she dreaded to think what the damage could be. 

They had to do this quickly.

As Sonic ploughed into the first of the swellings, bursting through the thin layer of skin, Amy realised that she hadn’t moved. She’d been staring, horrified at what was in front of her. 

She shook herself, furrowing her brows. She couldn’t just float here and do nothing. 

It didn’t take long to find another of the sores Eggman had mentioned - the thing was riddled with them - but before she pushed off to make her first attack, something caught her eye. 

Beneath its mass, a glow was building. Amethyst and ruby and aquamarine. It was mesmerising, and as it roiled and grew, she wondered what is was. 

Her question was answered as the orb grew and stretched out towards her, a beam of searing energy missing her by mere inches. It was danger. It was pain. It was certain death. 

A fire having been lit under her, she flew in a wide arc towards the pustule she was now aiming for, careful to keep an eye out for the beam of energy now that she knew it was capable of such a feat. The closer she got, though, the more its flailing limbs and snapping jaws made her hesitate. Even with her super form, the hurdle of failure loomed large above her, every time she hadn’t been strong enough, or fast enough playing on repeat in her mind. 

She rolled out of the way as one of its arms thrashed at her, the disorientation of unfamiliar momentum causing her to bounce off its scaly hide and careen down its spine to float to a halt only a meter or so before it merged with the ARK. 

Silently, she cursed herself. How could she help Sonic to kill this thing if she couldn’t even get close enough to its weak spots to do anything? 

It was then that she spotted it - the blistered skin just past the curve of its side. A glance to its head confirmed that the beast was preoccupied with Sonic, and from this angle, it wouldn’t be able to get her with the beam until it was too late - for it, at least. 

With speed she hadn’t possessed before the boost of the Chaos Emeralds, she launched herself around and ploughed into the thin, inflamed skin. It burst with enough force to fire her towards its head, her inert body tumbling head over heels at speed. In space, there was no friction to slow her, no end in sight to the vomit-inducing spinning. Not, at least, without some intervention.

From seemingly no where, its huge head swung towards her faster than it had any right to be capable of. She lifted her arms to cross over her face defensively knowing that she hadn’t the time to move, and was launched by the force of its nose connecting with her ribs.

She was like a pinball in a machine  - moving at blinding speed with a trajectory that would inevitably result in collision.

And collide she did.

The ARK loomed large as she careened towards it, her form tumbling in the vast emptiness of space. Dizziness crept in on her, but before it could take hold, pain blossomed across her back and shoulder.

She’d slammed into the ARK, and from the crunching and crackling coming from behind her, she’d likely hit a window. That, or she’d done more damage to herself than she thought.

“Ouch,” she whimpered. The sound was half-reflexive, half-genuine, as she cradled the shoulder that had taken the brunt of the hit. “That thing really packs a punch…”

With a groan, she propped herself up on her elbows, watching as Sonic ploughed into the beast that had just thrown her like a ragdoll. She felt so useless. Managing to absorb enough Chaos energy to transform had been a shock, as had defending herself against the prototype of Shadow before it had teleported outside, but even now, after all of those achievements she was starting to feel like she wasn’t enough to fix this. 

Her nails bit into her palms even through the padding of her gloves. Giving up was the easy route, the one she’d sworn she’d abandoned back when she’d helped Gamma fight its programming. She had to keep trying, or else what had all of this been for? 

She took a long, slow inhale, filling her lungs to the brim and holding the breath for a second to centre herself, then released it in a steady, foggy stream. The world needed saving, and while she trusted that Sonic would do his best, she didn’t want him falling short because she’d thrown in the towel.

Gingerly, she rolled onto her stomach, aware of every slight movement as pinpricks of pain rolled through her. Were it not for the lack of gravity, she wondered if she would even have managed that, let alone bring her knees up to kneel on the observation deck window.Now that she’d been given the chance to stop, the adrenaline that had brought her this far was waning and the exhaustion was starting to creep in. Maintaining a super form was so tiring… how did Sonic do this?

Knowing that she couldn’t let herself be swept to shore, that she had to stay in the sea of energy until the danger had passed, she forced herself to open her eyes. At first, all she saw was her own reflection staring back at her through a spiderweb of cracks in the glass. But, as her eyes adjusted, she saw something else. Someone else. 

Shadow. And he was staring back at her, looking like he’d seen a ghost.

He’d underestimated her ability, just like everyone else did, and had expected her to perish long before this point. That had to be it.

One, last act of defiance, then. Before she ended this fight and did what so many thought was impossible for her. 

She pushed herself off the window of the lab, threw her arms behind her, and stuck her tongue out at the ultimate lifeform with gusto, before turning and flying back to where Sonic was fighting the biolizard.

 It was childish, she knew, but his perception of her was the last thing she was worried about right now.

More of the pustules that covered the lizard had been ruptured, she noted, which felt like it would at least help. If this behemoth was capable of feeling pain, it had to be in agony by now. Wounds wept, blood and pus and chaos energy oozing from each and every one. This thing, relentless as it was, had to be put out of its misery.

She balled her fists, ready to weave her way towards the monster and hit more of its sores. Sonic had managed to destroy so many of them, and she didn’t want to end up as just the distraction again. She’d done so much today, been through so much. Now wasn’t the time to trip over the hurdle.

She flew towards the beast, feeling every injury she’d sustained so far screaming at her to stop, that she’d done enough, and she could call herself a hero now. But heroes didn’t give up just because they had a few bruises and cuts, or because they’d been thrown around like a rag doll. Heroes kept going. 

With the lack of resistance from the expanse of space, she gained speed quickly, tearing through the chasm between her and her target, but in her periphery, something caught her attention. A white-gold glow - not Sonic’s gold, nor her own rose-gold, but a new one. 

It was Shadow, and he was in his super form. 

“What- what are you-”

“This thing is my prototype,” he began, his blood-red eyes focused on the biolizard. “It’s time I prove my superiority.”

He burst forward, leaving her to trail behind as he slammed into one of the sores at speed she struggled to see, let alone emulate, and when he was thrown backwards by the force of its skin splitting, he didn’t pause to look for another. He used the arc of his trajectory to fly around it, looking for another spot to damage.

This was the difference between her and real fighters, she thought to herself. For all she knew, this was Shadow’s first time in a super form too. And he was dealing with it so much better than she was. Granted, he didn’t need to fight so hard to change the direction he moved in with the help of his air shoes, but something about the ease with which he moved, the confidence… she was jealous. 

“Can both of you hear me!?” Eggman yelled. There was panic in his voice, and Amy couldn’t in good conscious say she blamed him for it. “Atmosphere entry in about 4 minutes! Hurry!”

There it was. Four minutes. 240 seconds. Barely any time left to save the world. 

She summoned her hammer, determined not to fall behind. It felt so light to her now, with chaos energy coursing through her veins, but that just meant she could put more of her strength into the swing.

There was a pustule where its skin met the ARK that Sonic and Shadow seemed to have missed. She pivoted towards it, swinging her hammer above her head ready to deal her first blow. As soon as she was close enough, the hammer smashed into the skin, eliciting a screech of pain from the beast as it thrashed in agony. It swung its clawed hands at Sonic, missing by at least three feet, and did the same to Shadow, failing to catch him with its claws. 

Its head whipped around, more sluggish than it had been when it had thrown her into the observation deck window, and the motion tore its skin.

Now that she looked more closely, the movement of its arms had torn the skin at its shoulders, too.

It was falling apart, right in front of their eyes. 

Sonic and Shadow looked frantically for another swelling to hit, another weak point to attack, but their lack of movement told her they found nothing. The end was nigh.

Amy floated to the broken device on its back, seeing that it still crackled and fizzed with electricity even now. The wires that remained attached still trailed its body, inert and empty of life-giving energy. She jammed the handle of her hammer under the unit, using the head as a lever, and separated the metal oval from the biolizard with a crunch. She reeled back.

The hammer connected with the unit, sending it careening towards the biolizard’s head, tearing the wires out of itself, or out of the biolizards skin. 

The explosions from it started small. The size of a basketball, perhaps, or a little larger, but they seemed to set off a chain reaction.

The three hedgehogs dispersed, re-convening to watch as the monster went up in flames.

It was dead. The Earth was safe.

They’d done what had felt impossible just fifteen minutes ago.

As the three of them regarded each other, Sonic and Amy looking battered, bruised, and exhausted, they couldn’t help but smile. “We did it…” Amy breathed, releasing her hammer for it to disperse into smoke.

“We did,” Sonic beamed. There was something in his smile - relief, maybe, and pride - that she hadn’t expected. She’d thought he was so sure they could do this. He’d given no reason for her to think otherwise. But it seemed as though he hadn’t been as confident as she’d thought.

Shadow huffed, crossing his arms and turning his gaze to Amy. “Was that outcome in doubt?” To him, it seemed as though it wasn’t. Like the moment he was involved in something, it would go exactly as he planned.

“Heh, maybe not,” Sonic said. His smile grew wider, another small laugh escaping him, before he pointed to the ARK with his thumb. “We’d best get back, or the others will wonder what happened!”

He was gone before either of them could speak. Amy turned to Shadow, ready to chastise Sonic in his absence, but found that the surly being was staring intently at her. She couldn’t meet his eyes, instead looking away and scratching at the side of her head.

She’d slapped him, made faces at him, and now, it seemed, she owed him an apology. But first, she had to ask him something.

“What made you decide to help?” She blurted, chancing a glance at him and finding that he was still staring. His eyes flickered away from her then, though - the smallest hint of embarrassment on his face.

“I… I don’t know.” He said, but with the way his eyes searched the speckled sky, she wasn’t so sure that was the whole truth. “Maybe your words just needed time to sink in.”

All she could muster was a tired smile. She wished she could be more energetic, her usual enthusiastic self, about this change of heart. But everything was taking its toll. She was exhausted. She could feel her eyes fluttering, and she ached everywhere. “Well, I’m glad you came to your senses, Shadow,” she managed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We couldn’t have done it… without… you…”

The world seemed to blur. The stars that had been so sharp, so defined, only moments ago. Now, they looked like street lamps through a rainy window, particles dancing in ways she knew couldn’t be real, but they mesmerised her all the same. It made her realise just how tired she was. How leaden her limbs felt. If she could just… close… her eyes…

They closed for a moment, the white-gold of Shadow’s super form disappearing and reappearing further away. But he didn’t seem to be moving. He was facing the ARK, but the jets of his shoes were off, and his posture hadn’t changed from when she had last seen him.

Ah. She was the one moving. She could see it now. Her own glow was gone, and the stars were getting smaller. She was falling. Falling towards the Earth. And worst of all, she didn’t even had the energy to panic. The bliss of exhaustion had fogged her mind, and falling felt like the rest she needed.

She blinked again. The white-gold of Shadow’s form was closer now. Had she stopped falling? No, something told her that she was still plummeting. Maybe it was the angle he was at? She wasn’t sure.

The only thing she knew for certain was that he looked terrified. Ruby eyes were wide, mouth open in a yell, gloved hand outstretched as if he were begging for her to take it. But she couldn’t. It was too much. She was too tired. 

The world went dark.

Everything ached. Her back, her shoulder, her legs. Everything. Even her eyelids seemed to ache, but she needed to open them. The murmuring around her was deafeningly loud and too quiet for her to understand all at once, with a peal of piercing ringing permeating both. Would the light of the world be that bit too much? The thing that overwhelmed her senses? She hoped not. She needed to know if they’d succeeded - if the biolizard was dead. Somewhere in the soupyness of her waking mind, she thought they had - but everything was fuzzy from the point she’d hit the ARK.

Cautiously, she cracked an eyelid open slowly, testing her surroundings in the smallest increment possible. Once one eye was fully open, she chanced the other. Everything was so blurry. The blobs of colour that crowded around her reminded her of her friends. Blue, yellow, red… and white, too. The bat that had helped them was that shade of white, she recalled. Rouge, was it? That sounded right. 

Her head lolled towards the blue smear, each blink sharpening her unfocused gaze. 

“Did… we win?” She croaked, voice hoarse. 

“Ames! You’re awake!” Sonic rushed to kneel beside her, brows drawn in concern and worry in his eyes as they came into view. “How you feelin’?”

This was the most attentive he’d ever been, she thought to herself. It was… nice. The attention from her crush. But something about it didn’t feel as good as she always thought it would. She must have hit her head harder than she thought. 

“I’m fine.” She sounded so weak. “I guess I have you to thank for that, though.” She managed a smile as he helped her to her feet, almost falling when her knee gave way and he caught her. The worry seemed to spread on his features, but he was trying to mask it. She could tell, from the way he tried to force his face back into the cocky grin he usually sported. 

“Nah, Ames,” he breathed. “We were almost beat, but then Shadow showed up and finished the thing off. I started back to the ship, and then…” the words died in his throat, his green eyes shifting guiltily before he turned to look to his left, away from the observation deck windows and towards the shadows that enveloped the entrance to the room. “You… you passed out. And Shadow saved you. He caught you before you - before you fell.”

It was all coming back to her now. His face as he hurtled towards her, eyes wide and full of fear. 

She followed Sonic’s gaze, her own settling on the hedgehog who was mostly obfuscated by the dark. Shadow. He’d saved her life, even after what she’d said, what she’d done - oh, Gaia, she’d slapped him, hadn’t she? 

Her legs felt like jelly again. Of all the individuals to piss off, she’d chosen Shadow, and not only that, but it seemed like he’d forgiven her too. You didn’t save someone you disliked, did you? But then, he had saved the humans, or at least helped to, and he claimed to hate them. 

“I- I see.” She choked out. She swallowed hard and chewed nervously on her lip. She had to apologise. That had to be the first thing she said to him. But how do you do that? Maybe ‘sorry for slapping you for trying to blow up the Earth’ was enough, she wondered, but shook the thought from her head. As soon as she could stand on her own, she needed to have an answer. 

“Yeah, it was weird,” Sonic mused, bringing her out of her thoughts and back to the real world. “By the time I realised, he was already half way to you, and he looked-”

“Worried,” Amy said, and he nodded in agreement.

Amy sighed. Of all the things she’d had to do today, of all the fears she’d faced… Apologising to, and thanking, the one who’d saved her seemed to be the hardest one. 

She tested putting her weight on her legs. A part of her was pleased that any damage wasn’t permanent, but a small part of her still dreaded the conversation she was about to have. With a weak smile to Sonic, she limped over to her saviour. 

He was sat against a wall, seeming to be fixated on a spot in the middle of the floor with a barely perceptible frown on his brows.

“Hey.”

He startled, and jerked his head up to meet her eyes.

“Hello.” His gaze was… intense. A vermillion blaze that felt like it would burn her where she stood. But this time, the heat was… comforting. Like a blanket on a cold night, or… like her own, well restrained rage that burned below the surface. He was like her, she realised. Someone who held part of themselves at bay for fear it would be too much. 

He motioned to the ground next to him. She swallowed hard again, hurrying to settle against the wall and almost forgetting to tuck her dress under her. As she settled, glancing over to her friends who hurried to pretend they hadn’t been staring, her usually steady hands shook.

She didn’t look at him initially. She was too ashamed of herself, and it seemed like he had no desire to break the silence either. 

“I’m sorry I-”

“I shouldn’t have-” 

They spoke in unison, stopping as soon as they realised they were talking over each other. Silence fell again. After a few moments, he waved her on. 

Her throat felt dry. She knew that he didn’t hold her actions against her. He wouldn’t have saved her if he really disliked her. But navigating this conversation would be difficult regardless. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt. “What made you do it?” She began, chancing a look at him. Those eyes were upon her again, those eyes that simmered with an anger that she now understood was not for her. “I mean- what… Why did you come and help me and Sonic? I thought that you… that you wanted the Earth to be destroyed?”

His gaze lingered for a moment, shifting from one eye to the other and then cutting away to look back at the floor. “Humans are awful.” The silence that dragged out made her think that perhaps he wanted her to say something, but she didn’t know what. “I would have had no remorse if they had all met their end today. I wanted it, even, and you know that, but…” his voice petered out, as if he didn’t want to verbalise what he was about to say. He let out an exasperated sigh. “But you… you were ready to die for them. For people you don’t know, for people who don’t know you and don’t care about you.”

He turned back to her, eyes searching her face, as if he would find something written there that would put his mind at ease.

 A smile spread across her face, a tiny laugh whispering past her lips. “Thank you, Shadow. That… that means a lot.”

He gave a kurt nod, moving to stand, but she caught his arm and his attention again. As he looked back to her, something pressed against his cheek. Something soft. Something soothing. 

It was her lips, pressed delicately against the cheek she had slapped only hours before. 

She sank back to sit against the wall, a self-satisfied smile still on her lips, as his own face started to burn. 

She’d kissed him. This girl, who he’d snarled at and insulted. Who had stung his face with her palm. Had kissed him. 

And, stranger still, it had left him wondering what the sensation would feel like had she caught his lips rather than his cheek, as his face began to burn.

Thanks for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed this fic :)

[icrypop]

Your not very good at this

Silver the Hedgehog x fem! Reader

Got stuff from the drafts that need to breathe...trust that ive got requests in my inbox, those are being worked on....ANYWAY I finally watched the new Sonic 3 and now have inspiration for writing....

I love Silver....so....

Also reader is Amy's sister...idk I had this idea and thought it was cute... enjoy!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silver paced nervously near the edge of the forest, his silver fur glowing faintly in the afternoon sun. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, all revolving around Y/n, Amy's spirited younger sister. She was kind, confident, and had a contagious laugh that echoed in his mind whenever he thought about her.

Desperate for advice, Silver decided to turn to someone who seemed to know a thing or two about relationships—Sonic. Probably not the best idea...

He zipped into the clearing where Sonic was relaxing under a tree. "Sonic, I need your help."

Sonic cracked an eye open and smirked. "What's up, future boy?"

Silver hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... I think I like someone, but I don’t know how to tell them."

Sonic sat up, his smirk growing wider. "Oh, ho, this is gonna be good. Who's the lucky lady? Wait, let me guess... It’s Blaze, isn’t it?"

Silver groaned in frustration. "No, it's not Blaze! Ugh, forget it, this was a mistake."

Sonic, thoroughly amused, leaned back against the tree, hands behind his head. "Aw, come on, don’t get all huffy. Just tell her how you feel. Be honest. And maybe don’t act too jumpy around her?? Might scare her off!"

"Thanks for nothing!" Silver snapped, storming off as Sonic’s laughter echoed behind him.

Silver stopped in the forest, leaning against a tree, his frustration boiling over. He clenched his fists and muttered, "Why did I think he would actually help?"

"Silver?" Y/n’s voice called softly.

Silver froze, his heart skipping a beat. He turned to see her standing a few feet away, her e/c eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay? You looked upset."

He sighed heavily, trying to compose himself. "I’m fine. Just... frustrated."

Y/n walked closer, her curiosity evident. "You sure? You can talk to me, you know."

Silver hesitated before blurting out, "I like someone, but I don’t know how to tell them."

Y/n’s expression faltered for a split second before she forced a smile. "Oh, I see. Well, maybe just be direct. Tell them how you feel. You’re a good guy, Silver. I’m sure they’ll see that."

Silver furrowed his brow, her words sinking in. He repeated softly, “Tell them how I feel…”

Y/n nodded, her smile kind but tinged with sadness. “Exactly. It’s the only way to know for sure.”

Silver’s heart pounded in his chest. Summoning every ounce of courage, he took a step closer to her. “I just did.”

Y/n blinked, confused at first, but as his words registered, her eyes widened. “Wait... what?”

Silver’s face flushed a deep red as he gestured nervously toward her. “I... I was talking about you, Y/n..”

Ruby’s cheeks turned a brilliant shade of pink. “Oh…” she whispered, stunned.

Terrified of her reaction, Silver panicked. In a last-ditch effort to salvage his courage, he leaned forward and pressed a quick, nervous kiss to her cheek. “I... I’m sorry, I have to go!” he stammered before vanishing in a flash of psychic energy.

Y/n stood there, her hand on her cheek where he’d kissed her, her heart racing. A slow, genuine smile spread across her face as she whispered, “You dork...”

————————————————————————

Y/n couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she walked back to Amy’s house. Her fingers gently brushed against her cheek, where Silver’s lips had barely touched. She felt light, almost as if she were floating, the whole interaction replaying in her mind.

When she reached Amy’s place, she opened the door to find her sister sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine. Amy looked up and immediately froze, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “What’s that look for?” she asked, pointing at Y/n’s flushed face and the dreamy grin she couldn’t hide.

“What look?” Y/n said, trying and failing to act nonchalant as she kicked off her shoes and tried to head upstairs.

“Oh, no, you’re not getting away that easily!” Amy sprang up, blocking Y/n's path. “That’s not your normal face. You’re blushing! Spill it, Y/n. What happened?”

Y/n hesitated, her smile faltering. “It’s nothing, Amy, seriously—”

Amy gasped, clasping her hands together. “Did someone kiss you? Oh my gosh, they did, didn’t they?! Who was it? Was it someone I know? Was it Silver?!”

Y/n groaned, knowing there was no escaping Amy’s relentless questioning. She sighed and plopped down on the couch, hiding her face in her hands. “Okay, fine! Yes, it was Silver. He told me he liked me and then kissed me on the cheek before disappearing like the awkward mess he is.”

Amy let out a high-pitched squeal of excitement, practically bouncing in place. “Oh, my gosh! I knew it! I knew he had a thing for you. He’s been staring at you like a love-struck puppy every time we hang out. This is so cute! You have to tell me everything he said—wait, no, tell me how you feel first. Do you like him back?”

Y/n peeked at her sister through her fingers, a shy smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah… I think I do. He’s sweet, and honestly, I’ve kind of liked him for a while now. But I didn’t think he felt the same until today.”

Amy let out another excited squeal and grabbed Y/n’s hands. “This is amazing! You and Silver, my sister and one of my best friends—it’s perfect! You two are going to be so adorable together.”

Before Y/n could reply, a knock at the door interrupted them. Y/n’s eyes widened in panic, her face paling. “What if that’s him? Amy, you answer it. I can’t—I’m not ready!”

Amy rolled her eyes but went to the door, muttering, “You’re such a dork sometimes.” She opened the door, expecting Silver, but instead, Sonic leaned casually against the frame, his signature grin firmly in place.

“Hey, Ames,” Sonic said smoothly, stepping inside and wrapping an arm around her waist. He glanced over at Y/n, who was peeking nervously around the corner, her face still pink. “Well, well, if it isn’t little miss blushy. What’s got you so flustered?”

Amy smacked his arm playfully. “Sonic, don’t tease her. She’s had a *big* day.”

Sonic raised an eyebrow. “Big day, huh? Let me guess… Silver finally grew a spine and told her how he feels?”

Y/n groaned, hiding her face again. “Why does everyone know about this except me?”

“Because Silver’s not exactly subtle,” Sonic said with a chuckle. “He’s been tripping over himself around you for months. Took him long enough to say something, though.”

Amy smirked, leaning into Sonic’s side. “Don’t worry, Y/n. Sonic might be annoying, but he’s right. Silver likes you a lot, and if you like him back, then this is just the beginning of something really special.”

Y/n lowered her hands, her cheeks still warm but her smile returning. “You think so?”

Amy nodded firmly. “I know so. Now, come on, we need to figure out what you’re going to say when Silver shows up again.”

“Wait,” Y/n said, panicking slightly. “You don’t think he’s coming back today, do you?”

Amy grinned mischievously. “Oh, I wouldn’t put it past him. Better be ready, sis.”

Sonic grinned, clearly enjoying the moment far too much. “Oh, Y/n, you have no idea,” he said cheekily, stepping aside and revealing Silver, who was awkwardly pressed against the wall outside, his silver fur slightly ruffled and his face a deep shade of red.

“Sonic!” Silver hissed, clearly panicking. “I wasn’t ready for this!”

“You’re welcome, buddy,” Sonic replied with a laugh, patting Silver’s back. Then he turned to Amy and looped an arm around her waist. “Come on, Ames, we’ve got a date to get to.”

“What? Now?” Amy exclaimed, glancing between Y/n and Silver with a sly smile. “You’re leaving them alone?”

“Exactly,” Sonic said with a wink, already pulling her toward the door. “Have fun, lovebirds!”

Before Y/n could process what was happening, Sonic had pushed Silver into the house, the door closing behind him with a loud click. The sudden momentum sent Silver stumbling forward, and Y/n instinctively reached out to steady him, her hands gripping his forearms to keep him from falling.

The world seemed to stop for a moment. Y/n looked up, her wide ruby-red eyes locking with Silver’s golden ones. They were close—closer than she had expected—and the air between them was charged with nervous energy.

Silver swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper. “Hi.”

Y/n blinked, her cheeks flushing an even deeper pink. “Hi,” she replied softly.

They stayed like that for a few moments, neither knowing what to say or do. Silver’s hands hovered near her shoulders, unsure if he should step back or hold on. Y/n’s grip on his forearms tightened slightly, her heart racing so fast she thought it might burst.

“I—uh—” Silver started, then stopped, his brain failing him completely.

Y/n’s lips quirked into a nervous smile. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”

Silver groaned, closing his eyes in embarrassment. “Not at all.”

Her soft laugh broke the tension slightly, and she finally let go of his arms, though her hands lingered just a second longer than necessary. “It’s okay. I think it’s kind of… cute.”

Silver’s eyes shot open, and he looked at her with a mixture of hope and disbelief. “You do?”

She nodded, her smile growing. “Yeah. But you don’t have to be so nervous, Silver. It’s just me.”

“That’s the problem,” Silver muttered under his breath, though Ruby caught it. She tilted her head curiously, but before she could ask what he meant, Silver took a deep breath, his hands finally resting lightly on her shoulders.

“Y/n,” he said, his voice trembling slightly, “I… I meant everything I said earlier. I really, really like you. And if you don’t feel the same, that’s okay, but I just needed you to know.”

Y/n’s heart skipped a beat. She stared at him, his sincerity and vulnerability written all over his face. Slowly, she smiled, her voice soft and warm. “You’re such a dork, Silver.”

His face fell slightly. “Oh… right. Yeah, I—”

She cut him off by stepping closer, kissing his cheek and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “But I like you too,” she whispered against his shoulder.

Silver froze for a moment before his arms slowly came up to hug her back. His face was beet red, but a smile broke out across his face as relief and happiness washed over him.

Outside, Sonic and Amy peeked through a window, grinning like proud matchmakers. “Told you this would work,” Sonic said smugly.

Amy rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her own smile. “Alright, alright. You were right—for once.”

[writingtraumaforever]

Uncontrolled Chaos: Chapter 26

Notes: I want to apologize for the wait. Those who keep up with me on tumblr already know, but for those who don't, my beloved pet hedgehog passed away earlier this week. This has put me in quite a mentally dizzying place, and sitting down to focus on writing is difficult currently. Between this and upcoming holidays, I have struggled with putting any real effort into my writing. Which sucks, and I apologize. I hope to be back to normal soon, but I do struggle with depression and anxiety. So recovering from things like death has always been hard for me since my mind's go-to is to go numb. Maybe the Sonic movie will cheer me up. Either way, I do hope to have at least a few more chapters of Uncontrolled Chaos out before the holidays as well as a new addition to the Courtship Series. Thank you to everyone who has been patient with me. Sorry if this chapter has errors or seems down. I do admittedly think my mental state likely leaked into the writing, sadly. But I won't be posting another one if I'm not happy with it, so hopefully the next will be better! Love you all!

Summary: Sonic regrets his honesty with Shads from the night before.

UC Masterpost!

Link to my AO3!

Start:

Sonic wakes up to his head throbbing and his neck feeling tense and achy. Groaning quietly at the unpleasant feelings, he rolls onto his back to open his eyes up at the ceiling. Lifting his gloved fists to rub at his eyes, he yawns heavy and sighs after as he tries to process what happened last night and why he isn’t in his room.

Right.

Rouge stayed the night.

Amy arrived and did the same.

He and Shads shared the guest room..

Him and Shads shared the guest room—

Sonic quickly sits up, eyes wide as he looks to the spot Shadow was suppose to be sleeping in beside him. It’s empty. Bed neatly made on that side only with the covers tucked under the mattress and the pillow fluffed and laying in its spot against the wall. 

Shit. They—they talked last night, didn’t they??? Sonic’s stupid exhaustion got him all honest and fuzzy and dumb and he said too much.

He told him about the inhibitor ring.

A stroke of panic settles over Sonic as his hands reach back frantically to search for it in his quills. Nowhere. He can’t feel it in its usual place nor anywhere else inside his messy bedhead. He can’t lose that, Shads can’t take it from him, he—he needs that, it’s Shadow’s! It’s his reminder that Shadow will come back! That Sonic won’t lose him—

His eyes catch a glimpse of a sparkle in the corners of them, immediately turning his head to see the inhibitor ring settled safely on the nightstand next to his side of the bed.. gleaming in the morning light pouring through the window.

Relief washes over the blue blur, reaching for it a bit shakily before curling his fingers around it. Delicate at first, and then gripping it with a vice. He closes his eyes and holds it to his chest with knitted brows as he calms his pounding heart.

There’s no reason for this to make him as upset as it did.. there’s no reason for Sonic to be so damn attached to Shadow so suddenly..

Except it’s not really sudden, is it??

Sonic has always wanted to be near Shadow. Ever since they met, Sonic has— as he was explaining to Shads just last night— felt connected to him. He’s simply never known how to express it.. especially with Shadow always acting as though Sonic is such a pain to be around..

Every time Sonic has come across Shadow, the hero stuck around. Whether it be to see how he’s doing or to banter with him or even battle.. he just-.. he wants to be around him. Any of his attention, good or bad. He’ll take what he can get.

Geez, he’s really getting how Amy felt back when she was young and had a crush on him—

Ya’know what?? That was a weird thing to think! Because Sonic definitely doesn’t have a crush on Shadow! Ugh! Gross! It’s a brother thing! Yup!

Once he’s calmed himself down, he opens his eyes to look the inhibitor ring over a moment. Mind thoughtless but yet so full at the same time. Unable to process any of it due to being a bit overwhelmed.

He tucks it back into his quills and moves to get up from the bed, sliding his socked feet into his shoes and heading towards the bedroom door.

Opening the door, his ear twitches at the sound of quietly talking and giggles from downstairs. Familiar ones. Amy’s. She must be up already. Not a shock, she’s always been a morning person. He glances down the hall to see Rouge’s room is still shut. Likely sleeping in some since they can’t really get started without Knuckles and Tails here to help anyway. Plus, bats tend to be more evening and night Mobians than morning ones. Walking down the stairs, he smells both coffee and tea as well as what he thinks is bacon.. and eggs.

His stomach growls in response, yawning again as he hops down from the bottom step and peeks into the living room to see Amy and Shadow both speaking low to one another as to not wake anyone up. Amy is all kinds of giddy about whatever Shads is talking about, Shadow smiling and seeming amused at her reaction. He also just seems so… comforted by her. In a way he hasn’t been with anyone else. He imagines she’s the most familiar thing he’s crossed in this world given Amy is kind to anyone in every world. While Shadow’s relationship with Rouge and Sonic seems drastically different in each world, his relationship with Amy seems relatively consistent.

His stomach does give an uncomfortable flip, though. The way it always does when he sees his own Shadow and Amy together.

Not jealous.

Envious.. 

Despite this, Sonic decides not to interrupt them for now, let them have some time together to decompress before things get crazy.

Instead, the hero moves into the kitchen across the hall, following his nose to find two bacon and egg omelettes hidden in the microwave. He assumes they were saved for him and Rouge, so he pulls one out and leaves the other for the bat. Closing the microwave, he then moves to grab himself some of the tea remaining in a little kettle. Amy likely made it since she’s a tea-person. Shadow is definitely the one who made the coffee. Rouge will probably finish it off when she wakes up. The few times Sonic has ran into Shadow in public places, it’s often in coffee shops. Shadow getting him and Rouge’s coffee order on his lunch break only to return to work at GUN after. 

Pouring him some tea and adding some sugar, he hops up to sit himself on the counter by the window and watch the birds flutter about and the clouds pass as he enjoys his quiet breakfast. As much as he’s hated being alone since his friends left, he has grown accustom to quiet mornings to just.. take in the new day. The sky seems pretty clear, big fluffy white clouds speckled here and there. No signs of rain. And the glass feels warm when Sonic presses his arm against it, so it’s likely a relatively toasty day. Good. Maybe Sonic can sneak a run in before they really get started on all this. Clear his head some after last night..

He wasn’t really ready to face Shads after falling apart on him like that. Having a panic attack in front of someone you just met doesn’t exactly scream ‘hero’. Wouldn’t be surprised if Shads decides Sonic is too mentally unwell and needs to sit this whole adventure out.

Hell… if Sonic was real honest with himself, he may actually agree. 

He hasn’t been doing too well for awhile. And Starfall Islands just seemed to highlight all of his baggage. But he kept a good mask on for his friends.. even if that wasn’t exactly the most healthy decision either. 

Maybe Shads was right. Maybe he should open up to them all some more so he didn’t trauma dump on the first person who hops into their dimension and asks if he’s okay.

Then again, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?? And no one has really seemed to take much notice in him being a bit more off than usual. Sure they all left him to find their own journeys or whatever, but they still considered him their hero. Their leader..

He couldn’t do anything to dampen that..

He had a duty, a title to uphold.  

So he decides then and there to be stronger. Better. The exact opposite of everything Shads has been trying to tell him. Because maybe if his friends come back and see him back to his normal, heroic and carefree self, they won’t want to leave him..

“Tea good?” 

Sonic’s eyes widen a bit as his head whips around to see Shadow standing there eyeing him. And the look on the hybrid’s face.. it’s like he can read Sonic’s mind. There’s slight disapprovement in his gaze, worry clear.. how he eyes Sonic as if he’s taking in his every thought and can read him like an open book. And maybe he can? He does know his Sonic better in his world. Perhaps he’s picked up on some of Sonic’s mannerisms.

Either way, Sonic does what he does best and puts on a smile and nods, “Yup! Really hits the spot in the morning.”

“Mm,” the hybrid hums, walking closer to pick up the coffee pot and pour more into his mug. His eyes never leave Sonic.

“…Sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” the hero replies, trying not to cringe at his choice of words considering he practically overwhelmed himself to sleep last night.

“Good,” Shadow places the coffee pot back down, lifting his mug to take a sip as he eyes Sonic, “…Are you doing alright after—“

“So Amy forcing you to tell her all the deets of your world??” Sonic interrupts, not wanting the conversation to go where he knows Shads was leading it.

Shadow doesn’t answer for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping his nose as if he’s tired or disappointed or something only to then nod and offer a tiny smile, “Yes, very much so.”

“Shame I’m missing it,” Sonic smirks as he pushes himself off the counter to place his now empty teacup and plate in the sink, “I’m sure she’s totally enthralled by your stories, though.”

“She is,” Shadow nods, seeming to try and smile but it’s not reaching his eyes, “..it’s nice having someone whose relationship with me is relatively the same.”

“I figured,” Sonic smiles understandingly, “It’s why I didn’t want to interrupt..”

“You sure it’s not because you were avoiding last night??”

Sonic’s smile disappears. Shadow’s does too.

They stare at each other a long moment, Sonic’s brows furrowing a bit at being called out and Shadow’s knitting up in concern for Sonic’s obvious avoidance..

“…I’m gonna go for a run,” Sonic eventually says, turning to leave only to feel a hand suddenly wrap around his elbow to stop him.

“Don’t,” Shadow’s voice is quiet. Pleading. “…Stop running..”

Sonic’s ears bend back at this, keeping his back to Shadow as he’s unable to meet his gaze in that moment. Scared of what he might find..

Scared of how much this Shadow knows him.. 

And all because his Sonic looked for him—

“Oh! Sonic, you’re awake!” Amy’s voice comes bright and cheery as she enters the kitchen only to pause at the obvious tension and eye the way Shadow is holding onto Sonic.

Shadow immediately lets Sonic go, frowning as he takes a step away from him. Sonic’s eyes meet Amy’s and Amy raises a brow at the two.

“..Everything okay??”

Shadow doesn’t answer. And Sonic knows he’s waiting to see what Sonic’s response is. If it’s honest.

It’s not.

“Yeah!” the hero chimes with a grin, moving to wrap an arm around her and squeeze her up against his side, “Just was about to head out for a run is all. You and Shads catch up??”

Amy eyes Sonic suspiciously but seems to let it slide for now, smiling in response as her own grin turns mischievous, “Oh yes.. we definitely did..”

Sonic blinks at that, looking at her devilishly knowing look and then to Shads who has his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, shaking his head at the pink hedgehog. 

“Do I wanna know??” Sonic asks with a nervous little chuckle.

“I think I’d rather just watch how this one plays out,” Amy teases with a wink to Shads before looking back to Sonic, “But you said you were going for a run?”

Sonic, too, let’s it slide.. not wanting even more on his mind than is already there, “Yeah! Just a quick one. Figure I’ll get it in before Rouge gets up and we get this party rolling.”

“Are Knuckles and Tails both coming back??” Amy questions with a hopeful tilt of her head.

“Yup! Gangs gonna be all back together,” Sonic grins enthusiastically to which Amy bounces on her toes excitedly.

“Oh yay yay yay! I’ve missed you all so much! We’ll get this whole thing fixed in no time with everyone together,” she assures, moving from Sonic’s grip to the counter to refill her tea.

She doesn’t see the way Sonic’s smile twitches downward just slightly at that thought..

But Shadow does.

Shadow sees right through him..

[the-starlight-project]

So I got a list of theories, I am sorry if this is too long to answer, but I had to share my thoughts with you guys.

Shamdow is probably the least aware of everything going on. He seems genuinely confused and concerned about Sonic/Nicky, even when Sonic/Nicky is "new."

Shillver (thanks to whoever came up with this name) knows the most. After all, why would you randomly be on a rooftop standing in the rain and hiding behind a door you got smacked with? Surprised there was no audible sound of a man swearing upon being smacked by a METAL DOOR.

Both of Tails actors are siblings. It was common for some characters to be played by siblings due to similarities with them at young ages. Though based on the photo and the fact these follow the games, these two most likely acted in the Sonic Generations season of this show.

Knuckle's actor is probably the one who constantly needs to keep people on track, and he is probably the one who has the angry writing on that board. I also feel like he is the one who actually takes care of Cheese since chaos are associated with the Master Emerald. It would make sense for Knuckle's actor to still have a slight connection to it, even if he doesn't in real life.

Cassy is for sure Rouge. Shadow and Rouge were both introduced in the same game, so it would make sense for both to be introduced the same season. I am going to guess she is also Shamdow's roommate, mainly because it seems like the two would live together before they get into acting.

Cream's actor is probably the least seen, but most liked of the cast. She definitely seems like she embodies Cream herself, whether she is acting or not.

Blaze's actor might know part of what is going on, but not fully. Blaze and Silver do have a somewhat close relation in the game they appeared in, and afterwards it was more of Deja Vu due to weird Sonic Game timeline stuff, so Blaze's actor may know something because of Shillver.

Amy's actor has a scar on her cheeks. I have a feeling she accidentally got it on set, since her character does weird a hammer, and I am sure some balance issues may happen time to time, resulting in a few falls.

Eggman's actor is probably the sweetest man alive, or the most evil man you'll ever meet. Either way, he appeared in the first few pages and is for sure going to be seen later.

Sonic/Nicky isn't "new" as the studio suggests, they just use the "new" story to make everyone believe he was replaced. I am going to guess that if Sonic/Nicky has been there the entire time since the shows creation, the studio had some really clever ways to hide stuff. Especially if Sonic/Nicky is still a teenager after 30+ years.

Lastly, if Sonic Generations is a season, then who was the Classic Sonic actor? Does Sonic/Nicky have any siblings and doesn't know/realize it, or is it just some random blue hedgehog actor that the studio randomly found and knew would make for a believeable younger Sonic?

I gotta say, we're both so sad you're anonymous right now - this was an awesome string of theories and we wanted to give you props!

I can't answer all of them in depth, as you probably guessed, but I'll go ahead and confirm what I can right now!

Shamdow is definitely the least aware, and Shillver (as of right now) is the most aware of the characters that have been introduced.

I can't even make a snarky comment on this or anything, you just hit ALL of the Tails portion of this theory on the head. They are indeed siblings, and both did participate in the Generations season!

Knuckles' actor was definitely the one writing on the board, but I can't tell you anything else about him for now... except for the fact that he doesn't take care of Cheese LMAO

Cassy is definitely Rouge. They aren't roommates, but they were technically new friends when they were introduced. They met during the casting for SA2.

Cream is seen the least for a reason.

Blaze's actor doesn't really know what's going on, but I'd say they're suspicious. Also, they're not too close with Shillver, but they're friends enough.

All of the section about Amy's actor is correct! She did get that little scar on set, during the filming of Sonic CD! I'm sure you can guess where.

Eggman's actor(s) is definitely ... a man. He's nice! He's nice.

The studio definitely has some really clever (and morally dubious) ways of hiding things. There have been several occasions where more extreme measures were needed, though.

Classic Sonic definitely has an actor! He's his own entity, has his own life (and is connected to Amy's actor in his own ways). They aren't siblings or anything (though that's not to say that Sonic doesn't have any).

[luv-again]

@shadamytober

Yeah, baby! Day 25. Again, another gift I'm bestowing you all with on the behalf of my sister. She took the 'jealousy' prompt on a more envious leaning route, with Amy having to attend Sonic and Blaze's wedding (she wanted an excuse to write a bit of Sonaze too hehe) while still unmarried. Ensue shenanigans, emotional turmoil, love confessions and tooth-rotting fluff. This is the whole shebang, for sure <3

Fic under the cut x

Shadamytober - Day 25 : Jealousy

(Amy)

Today was the day of the wedding and all Amy could think about was how she wasn't the one getting married. I mean, she should be happy for her friends, right? It was the classic situation of being the bridesmaid never the bride. First it was Rouge, and Amy swears that Rouge only picked her because she wanted someone that wasn't Shadow as a bridesmaid and that was only because he was walking her down the aisle. So it was Amy to be chosen as the bridesmaid. From a hat. But no less a bridesmaid. And now she was yet again a random pick.

Amy fixed the necklace she was wearing and turned to Cream, who was tugging at her arm.

"What's the problem?" Amy tried not to snap at her friend but failed to do so.

"Maid of Honour needs you."

"Needs or...."

"Amy!" Her name bellowed from the other room. Amy sighed and walked towards the sound of the voice. She fiddled with the door handle before pushing it open. In the large room stood Blaze. She was right at the centre as people hurried around her, trying to make sure every inch of her was perfect. And she was. Her usual updo ponytail was traded for a knotted bun which had a veil hanging from it. Her extravagant dress hung down to the floor with diamontès individually sewn. Her make up was already done with a clean natural look with a pink gloss. She was a true princess. It was enough to make Amy cry for the fifth time that day. Next to her stood the Maid of Honour, Marine. Marine shooed out the other people in the room and stood by the door. Blaze let out an exhausted sigh.

"You can leave, too."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Marine stumbled out and Blaze turned to Amy.

"Are you alright?" Blaze asked with little movement.

Say no, say no. Honesty is your policy, Amy.

"Yeah, I'm great. You look amazing, by the way." Blaze smiled. She wasn't used to compliments but she was getting better at accepting them. Amy could thank the groom for that one.

"I hope you and Shadow are getting along... I wouldn't want you to be stuck with a hedgehog you don't like for the whole night." Amy smiled.

"And I wouldn't want you to be stuck with a hedgehog you don't like for the rest of your life." Blaze didn't laugh.

"Not funny. You know I don't like him. I love him." Yeah, Blaze was never great at jokes. "Just please look after him..."

"Of course! Shadow is one of my best friends. I'll look after him..." If only that were true. During the whole rehearsal dinner, he was checking up on her and looking after her. And how did she repay him? Stepping on his toes during the rehearsal of the dance. So embarrassing. He assured her that it was fine and that he didn't even feel it... but she was making him look like a fool with her lack of rhythm. They'd tried to practise long after everyone else had left but had little progress so he made her call it in for the night. Blaze smiled again. Why was everyone doing that to her? Are they pitying her? Great, that's going to make her feel a lot better.

"Thanks for being here. I don't know what I would do without you." Blaze clasped Amy's hand in her's and Amy caught a glance of her engagement ring. Another reminder that she wasn't getting married.

🩷💌🩷

"LINE UP!" Marine called from her spot at the door with Tails. Both of them had appointed themselves bosses in making sure everything went to plan. Cream was at the front with the flower Chao (a tradition where Chao threw the flowers during the ceremony. The moment Cream told Blaze about it, Blaze immediately went and added it to her wedding.) Amy and Shadow were to follow, while Marine and Tails were to be last. If only Shadow could hurry his sorry butt up. They specifically asked for all of them to be there at the right time and Shadow was late. He had a reputation for that. He'd be in for it as soon as he arrived.

"Sorry I'm late... I was on cold feet duty. I needed to make sure the groom didn't throw up on his nice suit." Amy frowned. Was it bad that Amy wished that he wasn't there and was with her instead? That way a wedding might not go ahead, and she would still have a chance at getting married before everyone else and before she's left alone. Single and alone. Or maybe she just wanted Shadow to be with her. Reassuring her. One look in his eyes and she instantly forgave him.

"Don't leave me standing here alone. We stick together. Remember?"

"Of course. But there would be no point if there was no wedding." Fair point, if that wasn't exactly what she wanted.

"I'll leave you to dance on your own and you'll look stupid."

"You seem to forget that I'm good at it and I prefer to be alone. You'll be hopeless without me." He was right. Even through his jokes, he was right.

"Outfit check." Amy ordered as she did a twirl.

"You're serious?"

"Outfit check." She twirled again and was met with Shadow's blank face. She waved at him. "Hello?"

"Uh... yeah. You look lovely." He paused and she swore she caught him eyeing her over again.

"Your turn." He paused and looked amused. "Don't make me repeat myself." He did a reluctant 360° turn. "Yup! You look good. Sol dimension attire looks nice on you..."

"Uh... thanks."

"Oi! Is it mating season or something? I said quiet!" Marine jabbed at them. Amy felt her face heat up out of pure embarrassment and Marine just smiled back at her. The doors opened up to let the Chao and Cream enter first, then it was them. Shadow held his arm out for Amy to grab and she did. She huddled up to him as if she was only safe if there was little to no distance between them. Shadow looked just as awkward as Amy. But they had to at least look like they were a pair. For show. Marine gave them the signal and they walked out onto the aisle together. 

The room was packed with people. The usual group of familiar faces, Silver, the Chaotix, Rouge, Knuckles, their kids. Knuckles had refused the place as one of the best men to help Rouge keep the kids at bay. They were struggling. It was written all over their faces. They needed a break. Possibly Amy will offer to babysit for them so they could take some time off. It couldn't be so hard.

Apart from that, the room was filled with faces Amy didn't recognise. She figured that they would be Blaze's side. Given her royal blood... there would be a lot of people wanting to see the princess get married. And the people who couldn't make it to the ceremony... they'd tune into the livestream. No doubt Eggman was watching. He seemed truly hurt when Sonic didn't invite him and pulled a stunt to gain Sonic's attention. Of course that didn't work due to the fact that Sonic had been in the Sol dimension for months and had no clue what Eggman was up to. Amy felt bad for him once he figured that Sonic wasn't going to be there. He didn't even put up a fight when Shadow told him to get lost. Times were changing and he wasn't the only one disappointed with it.

Amy looked up at Shadow, who was smiling the whole way down the aisle. At least he could pretend. It was strange to see him smile or laugh. Amy giggled and looked away just as he turned to her. Amy waved at Silver who was struggling just as much as she was. They had their reasons, but Amy thought it was sweet of him to travel all that way just for his friends' wedding. True devotion. Amy had no idea what his presence was doing to his future but Amy respected him anyway.

They had reached the end of the aisle and there was the groom, Sonic. He gave them a smile that totally blew her away. His doubts weren't there. Either Shadow did an amazing job at keeping his cold feet at bay, or... Sonic was doing a great job hiding it. Sonic nodded at them, as custom to let them go to their separate sides of the altar. Shadow twirled her to him and kissed her hand before finding his place next to Sonic.

No matter how many times she was told that he was going to kiss her hand at the end of the aisle, it still surprised her. Her stomach did flips and her heart raced so fast it could beat Sonic in a race. Amy shifted to her spot next to Cream. 

After Marine and Tails had walked down, an airy aura fell over the room. Amy looked over to Shadow, who looked like he was having the time of his life with all the quiet. He caught her staring and they locked eyes for a moment. That moment ended quickly when the doors opened up to reveal Blaze. She had chosen to walk down the aisle alone and hand herself to Sonic. Amy admired that. Even if it was just how things were done in the Sol dimension.

All the eyes were glued to her as she walked down the aisle with the bouquet of roses. She did that in honour of Amy. It made her cry when she found out. Amy tore her eyes away from the bride to look at Sonic. He was starstruck.

What she would give for a love like theirs. 

Once upon a time, she had obsession and then that faded away. She had a soft spot for Sonic for a long time and they had something going but he figured out that they wouldn't work out. They wanted different things and... now he is doing the exact same thing Amy wanted. Boy, did she want to scream at him. But she didn't. In reality, she didn't care for him in that way anymore. Sure, she did when she first found out about Blaze and Sonic, but she had Shadow to help her through that. She was lucky to have a friend like him.

Sonic and Blaze had locked eyes from the moment she entered the room and they didn't look anywhere else. It made Amy want to bawl her eyes out from pure joy for them... and jealousy. Blaze made it to the end of the aisle and handed the bouquet to Cream.

🩷💌🩷

The ceremony was lovely. Sonic truly did make an effort to be presentable and responsible to Blaze's side, but he had his mess ups. It was bad that Amy found joy in the way he stuttered through his vows that he decided to say straight from his heart instead of writing them. Of course, he saved himself in the end... Like always. Still, he screwed up. If Amy was in Blaze's shoes, she wouldn't have let that slide. Amy had looked over to Silver and they shared a look that he wouldn't have done that either if he was Sonic.

Then there were the photos. Most of the time she was standing next to Shadow or Blaze. She had to get reminded to smile because for the majority of it, all she could think about was Shadow's hand on her waist. That was not one of her best moments.

Now she was sitting at a table at the reception. Shadow was next to her playing with his cutlery until he turned to her, leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"I'm going to go get another drink. Want anything?"

"Champagne?"

"I'll be back soon." Shadow stood up and immediately swerved to a small toddler behind him. "And what do you think you're doing?" Shadow knelt down to be on the same level as the kid.

"I play." She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes... Yeah, no doubt Rouge's kid.

"I'm busy right now. Go find your Mama."

"I have?" She pointed to one of his inhibitor rings. Shadow winced.

"Do you remember what I said about that?"

"They make you superhero. I want." Shadow shook his head and the toddler started to scrunch up her face. Oh no... she was going to cry. Shadow could see it too. He picked her up and swung her round.

"You can come with me. Hang out with the superhero." She nodded and then they walked off. Amy didn't realise she was staring at him until Marine laughed.

"What?" Amy snapped. Marine continued to giggle. Amy started to feel immensely insecure. Cream decided to specify.

"Marine finds it funny how you were staring at Mr. Shadow."

"How was I staring at him?"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Like this." Marine tried to imitate Amy's look. Amy was not amused.

"I did not."

"You truly did. Sorry, Amy. It was very similar to how you used to look at Mr. Sonic." Amy frowned.

"Cream! Shut up." Amy got out of her seat and walked off to a different table. Maybe she could go find Silver and see how he's doing. Before doing that, she took a quick glance over to Shadow again. He was now talking with Sonic where the toddler had switched into the blue hedgehog's arms. Sonic laughed at something he, himself had said and nudged Shadow with his foot. Shadow surprisingly laughed too and then Sonic turned in Amy's direction. Amy looked away as fast as she could but could see that Sonic had noticed and was possibly telling Shadow about it. Amy walked towards Silver as fast as she could. 

Silver was sitting alone. All of the people who were sitting at his table were now mingling with others and he decided to stay put, glass of alcohol in hand. Amy kissed him on the cheek and sat down.

"How're you holding up?" Amy reached forward and rubbed his arm.

"Uhh, yeah... Could be better." He downed the last bit of his drink and abandoned the glass on the table. "I'm happy for her really... I love her, so I want her to be happy. Not miserable." He turned to her. "You're probably doing worse than I am."

"I'll admit, I would be... I'm just mad. Mad that he went through with it. Mad that he basically lied to me. Mad that he married Blaze but he would never marry me. I'm... so..."

"Mad?"

"Yeah. But most of all, Silver, he never wanted to get married or have kids with me because of the responsibility and pressure. But what does he do? Marry a princess! And he's aware of the stress and responsibilities and he still went through with it. Was it me?"

"Sometimes I find it easier to blame myself than the other person," Silver admitted. "It makes things easier for me."

"Once... I thought I was going to be the first one to get married and have kids, and now... and now... I'm gonna be the last... I haven't even dated anyone since Sonic and I claim I'm over him. How can I prove that…?"

"Amy, the answer is right in front of us. We regret things that we could never change but you're able to shape your future. We need to let go of what's holding us back and move on. You especially, it's been years. Me... I can sulk a bit longer. But you... you've had your time. You know what you want. You just need to go get it. If you wait for things to come to you, you won't have a grasp on it and it will easily fall out of your hands. If you take control and hold on to what you want... you... you can keep it. You'll be happy, Amy. I know it." Silver reached forward to grab another glass of whatever he was drinking. He had a collection sitting there. He was not moving from his spot. "Go on. You might meet him here. Some stranger could be the love of your life someday."

"Thanks, Silver." Amy stood up and gave him another kiss on the cheek before heading in the direction of Shadow. He had been taking his precious time with her drink. Shadow was still talking with Sonic.

"Pretty!" The toddler pointed at her. Amy giggled. That was sweet of her. Shadow looked traumatised while Sonic chuckled and nodded at the toddler.

"Yeah, she is. Nice going." Sonic booped the toddler on the nose and received a giggle in return. Sonic winked at Shadow before walking off. Shadow held a champagne glass for her to take.

"How's Silver?" Shadow asked. Had he been watching where she was?

"Not good."

"And you?"

"I'm good. Happy for Sonic and Blaze. Not at all wanting to be the one getting married."

"Why? I don't see the appeal. A large unnecessary party to declare things that could have just been said between the two of them. Then having the pressure that you have to stay together. Years down the track you start to resent each other and all love is gone. I'd rather not do that. ‘Death do us part’... the only thing ever dying is love."

"That is untrue."

"Oh, really? Do Knuckles and Rouge look as happy as they used to be?"

"They're tired. They have kids... They're busy. How dare you make assumptions?"

"You're right... Well, can't tell me I didn't try to make you feel better."

"So you don't hate weddings?"

"No. Not at all. You get to see two people who are madly in love share a bond. I mean after I saw Sonic... There was no doubt of the otherworldly attraction he has for Blaze." Amy couldn't help but listen to him talk. Every word he was saying lined up with her values... Maybe that's what happens when two people spend so much time together. Or maybe that's what happens when... No. Amy tore the eye contact and took a sip of her drink. She sidled up to Shadow and leaned on him. He looked down at her but didn't say anything. He knew... he had already said enough.

It was cute the way he did that. He knew exactly when to shut up. There were moments where they would sit in a car together and just sit in each other's company. He knew that sometimes just being there was good. They'd been friends for so long she forgot what he was like when she first met him. But they'd come a long way since then. They cottoned on to every emotion they had and what to do to cheer each other up. They'd go out every weekend to get dinner. They'd Facetime every night just to talk about the most random stuff... The funny thing is that it doesn't feel the same when she's with Cream. If Cream and Shadow were Amy's friends... How come it felt so different with Shadow?

Amy was cut out of her trance by the ringing of cutlery and glass. Marine. Great.

"Hi, guys! Just want to get your attention to tell you guys to sit down and hear a couple of words from the bridesmaids and best men. Starting with me." Marine's speech went on for what felt like forever and Shadow leaned over to Amy asking whether or not he should yell at her to get off the stage. Amy shook her head but laughed anyway.

Tails' was short and sweet. He didn't have much to say except how happy he was for them. The jealous thoughts started to creep back into her head.

Cream's was lovely. To everyone else. Yet again, Amy started to hate it. Cream was her best friend and hearing her talk such kind words for the couple made Amy want to swap places with them again. Amy wanted Cream to be her Maid of Honour and say all the sweet things to her and... someone. Shadow noticed her scowl come back and reached for her hand. She was distracted from her thoughts again as the heat in her face was more of a priority than her jealousy. The fingers interlocked with hers were at the front of her brain. How could he do that so easily? Calm her down with one single touch.

Shadow was up next and her eyes followed him from the moment he stood up to the stage. Shadow cleared his throat.

"I'm not good at these things but I'll try to keep it shorter than Marine's. 

“Sonic, when I met you, you were just a thorn in my side and you stayed like that for a while. Until you fell in love with Blaze. I noticed a change in you that I never thought I would see. This empathetic, caring, nurturing side... the Sonic who was madly in love. Love can change people more or so often for the better. I know from my experiences it feels like you're being drowned in your own emotions, but Sonic found a way through that. For love.

“Although, I don't know Blaze, I can start off by saying, ‘Thank you’. I've never met such a responsible and proper person like Blaze. I know for a fact she will make my thorn in my side happy.

“I know I'm not one to get all sappy and lovey-dovey but this couple right here have the love that will last forever. I mean it. I would be so lucky to have love like theirs. And even though Sonic is a thorn in my side, now he can be Blaze's. To love." Shadow held his glass up and looked directly at Amy. Her breath hitched and she forgot how to move. She didn't hold her cup in the air or clap. She was frozen from one stare.

Amy was next and she reluctantly stood up and onto the stage. She looked over at Sonic and Blaze. Blaze gave a reassuring nod and Sonic gave her a thumbs up. Helpful. Amy didn't look at Shadow in case she froze up again.

"Hi! I'm Amy for those who may not know me. Umm... Blaze and Sonic are my closest friends and I am so happy for them. This is a big step in life and if I'm honest I never thought the day would come. Marriage was never on the cards for Sonic. He told me as such but here he is. Married. Ring on his finger. In love—" Amy had to stop herself from choking up. 

"Blaze, you have never done anything wrong and I'm so happy you have found someone who can treat you right and has done as such. I mean, you're married! This day has been long awaited for you and I wish you all the best. I wish for you to live a happy life with loads of babies so I can come visit you and live the life I'll never live. Just remember... I offered to babysit for free first." Amy paused as she had gone off the script she had written a bit. Amy sniffled and her vision turned so blurry that she couldn't see her page anymore. She couldn't continue. She needed to end her speech there and then.

"I'm just so happy for you—" Amy broke down with heavy sobs but tried to play it off as happy tears. Amy held her cup up. "To the ha—ppy couple with a— beautiful life ahead of them." The room echoed her cheers with glasses in the air. Blaze had gotten out of her seat and hugged her. Sonic did the same before wrapping his hand around Blaze's waist. Amy retreated to her seat.

"Thank you for all of your kind words." Blaze spoke into the microphone. Sonic leaned in too.

"We really appreciate all of you being here."

🩷💌🩷

The dance crept up on them. Sonic and Blaze were obviously first. They were so graceful. It was a surprise to Amy. She had never seen Sonic as such. She was hoping that he'd be tripping over himself, but he wasn't... Now she's going to be the only laughing stock and she's going to take Shadow down with her. He said that he didn't care, but Amy didn't want to embarrass Shadow, even if he claimed he wouldn't.

Shadow reached for her hand. He gave her a concerned look and with his other hand, he wiped something off her cheeks... Oh. She was crying. Shadow opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. It was their cue to join in the dance as discussed, and so they did, but Amy was a mess. She was distracted and that made her dancing far worse. Of course he managed to make her look good but as soon as the dance was over, she was out of there.

Where was she to go? The bathroom. That way she could fix up her makeup and get some alone time. All of it was too overwhelming. 

She made herself at home at the mirror as she cried her eyes out. She looked up to see herself. She was a mess. It didn't matter anymore so she fell to the floor in a heap.

Moments passed and the door opened. It was Blaze. She walked over with a small bag.

"Amy... are you alright?" Amy shook her head. "What happened?" Blaze tried to bend down but her outfit was restricting her from bending down.

"It's all just so overwhelming." Amy played with the lavender butterflies sewn to her dress.

"Oh... I understand. You've crashed. Or it's the alcohol in your system." Blaze helped her off the floor. "I know it can all get a bit much sometimes but it will be your time soon. I promise. The man you have been waiting for is just around the corner."

"I'm never going to get there, Blaze. I've spent my whole life loving Sonic and now that I don't love him... I don't know whether anyone will love me."

"He will." Blaze wrapped her arms around her to comfort her as much as she could. After Amy's sniffling had stopped, Blaze went to help her with her makeup. "Plus... there is a certain eligible bachelor out there called Shadow. It's always better to have your best friend as your husband. Believe me. Sonic and I started off as friends, until he and I started to spend every day together. We'd go out for dinner and it felt different. Different... As if I could spend forever with him. If he was to kiss me... I wouldn't refuse." Blaze laughed at herself.

"What?"

"He and I used to stay over at each other's houses and by the Sol emeralds, we were NOT friends. Funny how it takes you a long time to catch on. You just have to ask yourself, if he was to kiss me... would I refuse? Friends don't think about kissing each other. Be true to yourself... Are you drawn to him more than anyone else?" Amy gasped.

She was thinking about it. What if Shadow was to kiss her? Would she refuse? If he was to sit her down in the garden and kiss her— She'd kiss back. She'd kiss back! Oh, she didn't even notice. The texts they'd send... How she'd wait all day to see his face. The way his paragraph long text messages made her feel like she was floating in the sky. The way he started to send hearts back when they'd say goodnight. The hand holding, the way she couldn't wait to see him. The whole reception she was searching for him... The dance lessons! He had feelings for her.

"Shadow... likes me? Me? The one who's been complaining ever since you and Sonic got engaged?"

"You should know, no matter how annoying someone is... if you love them, it doesn't matter. Even if they chew REALLY loud."

"Sonic used to chew with his mouth open." Blaze shivered.

"My point is... make it up to him. You owe him a dance. After all... he might get swept up by someone else..." The thought of him with someone else made Amy's brows furrow. How did she not notice before? All of the signs were there.

❤️💌❤️

(Shadow)

"I've been trying for months, and I swear to God, she's friend zoning me. She doesn't feel the same." Shadow fussed about with a bone on his plate. Sonic smiled.

"Shadow... She's dumb. It's simple... She's a giver, not a receiver. She doesn't understand when someone reciprocates... You... You can blame me for that. But trust me, ‘Plan: Best-man-and-Bridesmaid is going to work."

"It's not... I thought you were on to something but she's been thinking about herself the whole day. She's caught up in her own world. She's mad she's not married and it's really unattractive. It makes me want to scream, 'Hey, Amy! I'm blindly in love with you, if you hadn't noticed. If you want to get married so badly, I'll marry you!' How did you do it?" Sonic almost choked on his drink.

"Do what? Ask Amy out? Or..."

"I was thinking Blaze, but yeah, Amy might be more helpful."

"That... Won't help you. Amy and I... Not a story I want to be telling on my wedding day."

"'But I could talk for days about Blaze.'" 

"Shadow, you know your teasing is kinda pointless now." 

"True. I am curious... How did you do it?"

"You're lucky that I made the first move, otherwise I wouldn't be able to give you tips." Sonic started to spin the wedding ring on his finger. "Look, we… were just as bad as you two. I caught on before Blaze and so I worked up the courage and confidence to finally tell her how I feel. That's something you should do. Have another drink, that should help. Anyway, Blaze and I were sitting in the sun reading a book and I said to her exactly what I was thinking. 'I want to kiss you.' She was shocked at first but then she smiled. A smile can say it all, Shadow. But a first kiss gives you all the information you ever need."

"You make it sound so simple." 

"Because it is. You're just overthinking it. Amy is oblivious, you need to spell it out for her. But anyone can see, she feels the same. You wanted my advice... my simple line got me to this—" Sonic displayed his left hand. "—so, it worked for me." 

"I suppose it did."

"Amy's a sucker for romance. Take her somewhere away from everyone else. The gardens are perfect and tell her the first thing that comes to you."

"What if I say something stupid?"

"You're saying something stupid now.” Sonic looked around him. He frowned. “Where is my wife? Ew, that sounds weird. And possessive. Yuck! I'm gonna stick to Blaze. I want some of that cake." Sonic pointed off to the layered cake in front of them. Shadow wanted some too after hearing that. "One second." Sonic politely stood up and nodded to a couple of guests passing him. In a blink of an eye he was gone. In search of Blaze.

Shadow sat in his seat and looked around. He didn't have to sit on his own very long because Sonic returned with Blaze. Sonic winked at Shadow, knowingly. He knew something. Something... positive. Shadow’s attention was drawn to the woman in the lavender bridesmaid's dress. Amy! Blaze had brought her back to the party. He hadn't realised just how much he had missed her presence. She wouldn't look him in the eye. That was a problem.

Had he scared her off? He tried to act as nonchalant as he could, but maybe he hadn't. Maybe he tried too much. Why was it so hard? Sonic made it seem like it was a simple comment away, but to Shadow it was far more difficult.

The next second he looked for Amy, she was gone. Where? He had to find her. Make sure she was okay.

"Boy, do I have news for you…" Sonic had a cheeky smirk on his face while Blaze stood next to him with a less worrying smile. "You might have the best luck. I have confirmation that Amy Rose does in fact... drum roll..." Blaze whacked his arm.

"Sonic, don't be stupid. What he's trying to say is that Amy has feelings for you. She admitted it when I was with her. You said you needed proof. I got verbal confirmation. Are you happy now?" He was.

"She said that?"

"Was there any doubt?" Sonic shrugged. Not funny. Of course there was otherwise he would have already made his move.

"So?"

"So... Amy has gone to the garden for some fresh air." Blaze specified. "Take her a piece of cake and a drink. Then tell her how you feel." Sonic handed him the items. 

"Now?"

"It's now or never." Sonic patted his friend's shoulder. Shadow nodded. Sonic was right. If Shadow didn't do it now, he would never do it. He stood up and Blaze stopped him again.

"Be back in fifteen. I'll be throwing the bouquet then and Amy has to be there. Okay?"

"Got it." Shadow nodded and made his exit into the gardens.

❤️💌❤️

Sonic was right. Shadow always hated it when he was. The gardens were romantic and the sunset... timing. Amy believed in that. It was one thing he admired about her. Until she got impatient about marriage... but still she had good values even if she didn't stick to them sometimes.

Shadow didn't have to walk along the path long to find Amy. She was at the very edge of the gardens, where you could see the ocean. A smile found his face as soon as he saw her. The glow of the sunset made her appear otherworldly. What was he turning into? It was her. Something about her that made him so vulnerable. 

He had spent too long contemplating it. He needed to tell her. If he didn't... he'd regret and would have wasted Sonic and Blaze's wedding for no reason. 

"Pretty, right?" Amy turned to see him with a smile.

"It is..." They meant the sunset but how he wanted to tell her that the sunset was nothing compared to her. The last time he had said something like that, he'd been told he was too cheesy. That's why he kept his mouth shut.

"Oh! Is that for me?" Amy pointed to the cake he was holding.

"The cake and the drink."

"You're sweet." He should tell her now. There was a sparkle in her eye as she took the items from him.

"Amy..." She looked up from her cake with the most innocent stare he had ever seen. He backed down again and made an excuse. "You look stunning." She grinned. He loved the way her cheeks puffed out when she did.

"Thank you... For staying with me, even if I was a brat the whole event."

"I understand that you're—"

"Don't make excuses. I was out of line. But you were patient with me and I really don't know how to thank you." Amy took a sip of her drink and placed the dishes on a nearby bench.

"I don't need to be thanked. You do so much it was time you received something in return. I've never met anyone as selfless as you." Shadow took a step forward with a newfound confidence. There was a silence that neither of them were going to break. They simply held eye contact. Amy took a step closer. Their chests were touching and Amy still held eye contact as she looked up at him. Her stare spoke more than words. She wanted the kiss. He wanted to kiss her. 

She reached for his hand and guided it to her cheek. The next move was made by him. He placed his other hand on her lower back. Amy smiled back at him. Their next move was synchronised. She gripped his shirt to pull her to him just as he was lunging in for the kiss.

It was the moment their lips melded, that all barriers were knocked down. It was just them. All of his efforts were leading up to this. It was all worth it. His hand slipped to her hip as she bobbed her head forward. It was clear now. She had wanted it as much as him. They had spent so long beating around the bush but just like the sunset... it was all about the right timing. He was grateful for it all.

Good things come to those who wait.

💜💌💜

(Blaze)

It was about time they came back. Maybe it was all a mistake. Blaze shouldn't have wasted her special day on them. It was her wedding, a once in a lifetime event and Shadow hadn't come back with Amy. Amy needed to be there when she threw the bouquet. Sonic tried to reassure her.

"For all we know, it could have worked and they're out there now losing track of time. It happens! Like that one time we arrived late to Knuckles and Rouge's anniversary party."

"Don't remind me. That was so embarrassing."

"Eh, it was worth it. I would have rather spent the night just the two of us." Blaze went to smack his arm again but he grabbed her hand before she could. He was about to go in for the kiss when something caught her eye. Shadow and Amy were back, joined by the hip. It had worked! Blaze immediately threw her hand over Sonic's lips and gave him an excited look. He did not share that. After all, she had just denied him a kiss out of the blue.

"Sonic! It worked. Look." Blaze flicked her head to the two who were now headed her way. Sonic, still a bit disgruntled, shrugged.

"Great..."

"Don't be such a sourpuss."

"Well, I knew it would work, so—" Blaze didn't really care what he had to say and cut him off.

"Can I have all the women gather around in front of me? I'm going to throw the bouquet!" He gave an amused smile, kissed her on the cheek and walked off to find somewhere safe from what might turn out messy real quick. Fair enough. Amy squealed and ran to the head of the group... little did she know, she didn't need to. "Everyone ready?"

"Wait! What if I catch it?" Rouge asked. As if Blaze knew.

"Technically you're not eligible," Tails answered for Blaze. "You're already married. Out."

"Oh... Boring!" Rouge waddled off to where Knuckles was standing with their kids.

"Okay... ready?" The group nodded and got ready. Blaze smiled and turned her back to them. "Three, two, one." Blaze held it over her head, turned around and handed it directly to Amy. Amy stood with her mouth wide open. It was worth it. No doubt she was next anyway. She deserved it.

"Blaze..." Amy lunged in for a hug and started to sob. It was about time things started going well for Amy. Blaze looked over to her husband who pulled in a traumatised Shadow for a hug of their own. Blaze giggled at his reaction. He should prepare himself.

He chose Amy Rose... and they couldn't be more perfect for each other.

[summers-art]

I think I can figure out why but I just want to see you explain I/Me/Myself

🎵Song #6 I/Me/Myself by Will Wood 🎵[Full playlist]

Smile so widely. It's kinda wild that spotify was the one who recommended me this song as I was making the playlist. Like, I did specifically want the F/F flavor of Metamy for this story and they just knew LMAO. Trans girl Metal HC my beloved, though I can never be consistent with the pronouns but I usually default to using He/Him or It/Its for Metal in my own writing.

So far, Metal got it's ass beat, fell in love, and now needs to get repaired. It's in this state that the identity questions pop up, being the Real Sonic, Gender™ thoughts and also doing something about the big fat crush it's got on that darn Pink Hedgehog. I'm sure this will go well and without a hitch!!! (Don't look at the playlist length, don't worry about the 29 songs left, literally don't worry about it)

This song is rated Explicit; references dysphoria/body image issues/eating disorder LYRICAL BREAK DOWN BELOW 👇

I've been feeling lightheaded Since I lost enough weight to fit back in my skin Flower petals and feathers tether me to the ground (Pound for pound) Take my tea with formaldehyde for my Feminine side since the day that I died While I whittle my bones until I'm brittle Am I pretty now?

Since this is for a robot I am taking this very literal, as in Metal is a state of being repaired that is literally missing part of himself until it's been reattatched, fit back into "his skin" and that he literally did "die" when he got defeated in battle and all banged up. But this is also very much about body image issues/dysphoria as well

For some reason I find myself Lost in what you think of me And too confused to choose who I should be And now you've got me thinking

YEA? You are worried about what the cute pink hedgehog thinks of you? For SOME reason... if only we knew why... couldn't be because of the massive crush you have on her. Also that's funny that Metal would think he has a choice, he's Sonic! There shouldn't be anything to be confused about🙄(laugh track)

I wish I could be a girl, and that way You'd wish I could be your girlfriend, boyfriend Am I pretty enough to lie to? I wish I could be a girl, and that way You'd wish I could be your girlfriend, boyfriend

Speaking as a lesbian... a girl boyfriend is such a gender. I'd fight to hell and back for butch lesbian he/him Metal Sonic. Also, caring about your appearance to appease your crush, and also also; perhaps being a Girl Sonic doesn't invalidate the mission of being the real Sonic if being Girl Sonic is actually an improvement to whatever that faker loser copy thinks he is doing. (Transman Sonic is also real and true btw)

Just little old me in a big, big world Little old me in a big world I wish I were a girl

The "little old me" part makes a perfect call back to song #2 Puppet boy with it's lyrics "Little problems little minds / Little points of view / Little things like you." like that song is a perfect theme for Metal Sonic. My poor little robot, I'll fight everyone for you Metal get behind me girl.

I've been feeling lighthearted Since I gained enough weight back to cover my bones I get dressed up in shadows one leg at a time (We're so alike) But if the shoe fits, then I won't try it on You'll be walking out early, but the show must go on No, I know that I'm wrong But I love how you're on my side when I cross that line

AGAIN with the cover his bones/skeleton with literal machine parts LMAO. Though he's not happy with how he looks (dressed up in shadows), something aint right... you should try HRT girl that might help. Except it's hard to override the programming that no He is Sonic so like, why even bother? That's not important, gotta keep focus on the mission replace Sonic as the true version. Even if Amy or Eggman or whoever would be totally supportive of Metals new gender. Better to not think about it... 🙃

It's been a point of contention between myself and this Body that they stuck me in The privilege of being born to be a man

^Like the previous part, but so much louder HELP. Not even robots can be free from being assigned a gender at their creation, wtf... hell on earth.

Eating your prosthetic, meet your anesthetic criteria Pathetic seeing you become acetic Say my name like a slur, but I've been called worse And I've heard it all before, no this isn't a first

AGGHHH- this makes me insane. The fact that Metal Sonic, doesn't even have his own name, it is just Sonic but with the "Metal" prefix just to hammer home that he's a robot. And like, everyone (me included) just shortens it to Metal, never Sonic, to rub it in that we all think that it's the faker that is the original and not him. Pain, agony, suffering even.

Let me be the void you fill with Taxidermy fingerprints, taxonomize our differences I am quantum physics My witness brings me into existence

These ones also drives me insane (affectionate), it just goes hard as hell with the robot existentialism. Again, a robot- but what's the difference? Eggman is unfortunately enough of a genius to bring his creations to life and this sure gives us a lot of existential dread. Fucking hell, man.

I wish I could be a girl, and that way You'd wish I could be your girlfriend, boyfriend Am I pretty enough to love back? No not yet I wish I could be a girl, and really I'd prefer it if you would use I, Me, Myself Am I pretty enough, am I pretty enough To fucking die

PUNCHES THE WALL- NO BABY GIRL, YOU ARE PRETTY I PROMISE!!! It's going to be okay!!! Never kill yourself!!!! Auughh, falls to the floor. Also omg title drop- another banger for the identity crisis crowd. Like I said before, pronouns? Hard. Why make me pick ones when what is important is that that's totally Sonic the (metal) hedgehog and who cares about the rest?? WHO CARES?? Haha, amirite ladies? Don't fucking worry about it.

Little old me in a big world Well I would give you my whole world Little old me in a big world I wish

Woah, okay girl- that's kinda gay, damn 🤨😳

All identities are equally invalid Don't you think that there's a chance that you could live without it (repeated)

WELL? COULD YOU??? Sure would save you a whole lot of trouble if you could throw out the whole "being the real Sonic" identity war, but nothing in life ever comes easy now, does it? I do like that this part fading out is very whispery, like some part of him knows this at the back of his mind but just can not accept that as an option at all right now. We just suffer instead!!! Yahoo, yay, yippee!!!!