Chocolate Gumball
"Sorry Shadow, but pink is a much better color than black." Said a pink hedgehog to her companion.
"Are you serious Amy? Pink is fluffy and weak." A black hedgehog with red stripes replied.
"Excuse me? Pink is a very strong and empowering color!" Amy retorted.
"So says the walking gumball." Shadow snorted. Then she shoved him.
"At least I'm not a living chocolate bar." She giggled.
"Do I look brown to you?" he asked.
"Oh. My bad. A dark chocolate bar." She corrected herself.
Shadow just sighed to himself as they continued walking down the beach. He and Amy had been best friends for as long as they could remember, and every morning they would go to the beach to walk in the sand all day long just talking and bickering about unimportant subjects.
"So Shadow…"
"Yes Amy."
"I need a boyfriend." She said randomly. Shadow groaned.
"Amy I swear you say that at least 60 times a week. We all know you're destined to be a lonely old cat lady. It's okay, you can get help for that." He said, patting her shoulder and smiling softly.
"Shut up you jerk!" Amy laughed as she picked up some wet sand and threw it at Shadow's head.
"Can't touch this." Shadow said as he dodged the attack and started jogging off down the shore.
"Hey! I'm not done with you yet!" she yelled as she sprinted off after him. When she came within five feet of him, Shadow turned around and opened his arms to Amy. She jumped into his arms and he twirled her around in a circle as she held onto his neck with her eyes closed.
"Woohoo!" she exclaimed as her hair whipped around her face. Then Shadow put her down gently and she wobbled like a drunkard. "You cheater! I was supposed to surprise you." Finally, she just couldn't stand up anymore and she fell to the sand. "Oof!"
"Is someone a little tipsy?" Shadow teased.
"No, I was just flung around by a big headed loser!" she replied, giggling at his expression of mock offense.
"Well if you really feel that way Amy…" he began until he felt a light push behind his knees. But that was all it took. Shadow fell headfirst into the sand while Amy crawled over to him and sat on his back.
"Really Amy?" he questioned when he finally lifted his head out of the sand.
"Of course! Don't you know me Shadow?"
"Hmph." He grumbled and then did a push up with Amy still on his back.
"Impressive." She began "Now do 200 more."
"I would but there's just too much extra weight. I wouldn't want to injure myself."
"Shadow!" she shrieked
"C'mon Amy, you know I'm just kidding." He defended when he noticed a dangerous shimmer in her eyes. She rolled off of his back and stabbed his ribs using her index and middle fingers. He sucked in a gasp of pain.
"Don't you think that's a little harsh?" he asked
"Nope, not really."
"Well look who's heartless now." he went on
"Don't blame me! You bring it upon yourself." She replied calmly and then she started walking down the beach once more. Shadow hastily got up and went back to her side.
"Anways Shadow. If I wanted to prevent the cat lady stage that you believe I am destined to go through, who do you think I should date?" Amy asked. It was silent for a few minutes and finally she realized that she wasn't going to get a reply from him. "Same answer as always." She sighed quietly. "You know what Shadow, I'm gonna get a man today!" she said cockily, trying to lighten the mood.
"Isn't that what you said yesterday?" he asked
"Well yeah, but this time I mean it!" she defended. Shadow laughed and shook his head.
"Sure you do Amy. Sure you do."
"You'll see." She smiled up at him and then continued to watch the endless shore ahead of them.
The next day, Shadow was waiting on the beach for Amy to join him as he did every morning. When she finally arrived, she was really excited and practically bulldozed Shadow into the sand.
"Shadow! Guess what!" she exclaimed
"You bought your first cat?" he teased
"Noooooo." she replied as Shadow got up.
"Then what else could get you this excited." He asked with a gleam of curiosity in his eyes.
"I'll tell you but help me up first." She giggled. Shadow grabbed both of her hands while Amy was perched on her toes so when he pulled her up, she jumped high above his head. "Weeeeeeeeee!" she squealed. Then Shadow caught her over his head and held her like a ballerina. "And she sticks the landing!" Amy announced as she struck a graceful pose.
"Show off." Shadow mumbled as he lowered her to the ground.
"You know it!" she winked at him
"So why are you so happy today? Aside from your usual hyper activeness of course."
"Because I finally got a boyfriend!" she screamed in delight. Shadow's jaw dropped for a second and then he frowned slightly.
"Really?" he asked in a monotone voice with just a hint of disappointment, but Amy didn't catch it.
"Yeah, do you wanna hear about him? You already know him but I just love thinking about him."
"Sure, why not." Shadow replied as he looked down at the sand.
"Okay, well I think you'll like my choice because he's the nicest hedgehog I know."
"Besides me of course!" Shadow said cockily, masking his sadness.
"Yeah, okay Shadow. You keep thinking that!" she said "But anyway, my new boyfriend is…Silver." She said
"Silver!" Shadow exclaimed.
"Yup, I told you that you knew him. Oh Shadow he's just so great! He's really polite, tells funny jokes, has the cutest chest fur ever, and his eyes are like two glistening pools of amber." She said dreamily. Shadow's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"You love him don't you?" Shadow asked quietly.
"Well I don't know Shadow." Amy answered "We just became a couple yesterday but it might be headed that way soon." She said.
"I see." He mumbled quietly "Hey Amy, I have to go run a few errands." he lied.
"Oh, well then I'll see you tomorrow." She replied
"Maybe." Shadow whispered
"What was that?" Amy asked
"Nothing. Goodbye Amy." He said and then he dashed down the beach.
'Well that was strange.' Amy thought and then shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, maybe he's just surprised that I finally have a boyfriend."
'A boyfriend! She finally found a boyfriend and it's Silver! Of all people, it had to be the nicest hedgehog ever. Now she'll never love me.' Shadow thought gloomily 'May as well give up now. I don't think I can stand to see her smiling and talking about him lovingly all the time. I can't go back.' Shadow had been walking through town that evening after he left Amy. He was just passing an Italian restaurant when he caught a glimpse of pink and stopped. Backing up, he looked into the window and saw Silver feeding ravioli to Amy as she smiled up at him. His heart cracked when he saw how happy they looked together. 'I can't take this.' He thought and he ran off to the beach to sit by the water and think. But when he got there, all he thought of was Amy and the hundreds of times they had walked there together. Sighing, he trudged along the water, trying not to think at all. With his mind cleared, he decided that he just couldn't see Amy anymore; it was going to hurt too much. And with that, he continued to walk down the shore, not stopping until the next morning.
"Shadow? Shaadooww~!" Amy called 'Where is he? He always makes it out here before me.' Starting to get worried, Amy walked down the beach looking for him. For the next few hours she searched the shore for him. Finally, she found him laying down in the sand with his hands resting on his chest. She looked down at him in confusion and listened to his soft snoring as his chest rose and fell gently. 'What am I doing?' she wondered as she watched Shadow in awe. 'I'm dating Silver now, plus Shadow is my best friend. I shouldn't be thinking about how cute he is.' She blushed at the last thought. Then she shook her head and nudged his shoulder. "Wake up sleeping beauty." She whispered
"Huh?" Shadow groaned as his eyes opened slowly and he looked up to see Amy. 'Great. Just great.' He thought.
"It's Amy; why are you sleeping out here?" she asked. Shadow hesitated and decided to evade the question.
"I have to go." He said and once again, he sped off down the beach.
"What's up with him?" Amy thought aloud. Meanwhile, Shadow was running to Silver's house. Before he could let Amy date Silver, there was one thing he had to do. When he finally reached Silver's place, he knocked on the door quickly and waited for the white hedgehog to answer.
"Hey Shadow." Silver greeted as he opened his front door. "Would you like to come inside?" While this was happening, Amy had been walking up the street to see Silver. She stopped when she saw Shadow there and wanted to know what they were talking about. She hid behind a thick tree in the front yard and eavesdropped on their conversation.
"No thank you. I just came to ask for a favor. Normally I wouldn't be very demanding, but this is very important to me so I'll even beg if I have to." Shadow said. Amy thought to herself: 'What would Shadow the Hedgehog beg for?'
"Well Shadow, if it's that important to you then I'll be happy to help you. I'm not really the blackmailing type." Silver replied
"Which is why I respect you Silver. You are a very honorable person."
"Thanks Shadow. So just tell me what you need so that I can help." said Silver. Amy leaned in closer so that she could hear every word of Shadow's reply.
"I need you to promise me that you will take very good care of Amy. She needs someone like you to be there for her and I'm asking that you don't take advantage of that." Amy's eyes widened and she gasped quietly as she continued to listen.
"Of course Shadow! I've learned to treat women with respect and Amy is no exception. Plus I really enjoy her company. You have my word that she will be safe with me." Silver assured him.
"That's all I can ever ask. Thank you Silver." Shadow said
"No problem Shadow. You take care now." Shadow sighed.
"I will." And then he left Silver's house and went home. Amy waited about ten minutes before she knocked on Silver's door so that he wouldn't suspect her of spying. Silver opened the door with a smile.
"Hello Amy, come on in!" he said happily
"Thank you Silver." Amy chirped as she walked into his small home. She walked to the living room and sat on the couch.
"Would you like anything?" he asked politely. Amy patted the spot next to her and Silver sat down. She snuggled into him and put a blanket over them.
"Let's watch a movie." She suggested as she switched to the Lifetime network on the television.
"Alright Amy." He replied and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to himself. As the movie started, Amy's mind drifted back to Shadow's request.
'He cares that much about me? He's always been such a sweetheart deep down but still. He would BEG for my happiness? Hmm." she thought to herself as she felt her eyelids drooping. And she fell asleep in Silver's arms, dreaming about Shadow.
The next few months were disappointingly repetitive for Amy. Her new schedule was: Look for Shadow on the beach, get disappointed because she didn't find him, chill out at Silver's place, walk home, go out to dinner with Silver, go home, shower, go to sleep. Her dates with Silver were nice, but she never felt any romantic love behind them. Just friendly love. Amy fell into a mini depression. She missed Shadow. She missed walking down the beach with him. She missed shoving him into the sand. She missed twirling around in his arms. She missed his adorable smirk. She missed his humor. She missed his spirit.
Amy finally decided that she wasn't in love with Silver and that it was best to just end the relationship. Nervously, she walked up to his house and rang the doorbell. When he answered the door, he noticed her troubled expression.
"Hey Amy; what's wrong?" he asked
"Silver, this isn't easy to say but…I think we should break up." She whispered. Silver frowned slightly.
"Why do you say that?" he asked curiously.
"Because I just don't think we're in love. We were meant to just be friends, you know?" she explained, hoping that he would understand. Silver placed a hand on her shoulder and Amy looked up to see him smiling softly back at her.
"I feel the same way Amy. I was just afraid to tell you because I didn't want to upset you. The truth is… I think I love someone else." Amy beamed at him happily.
"That's great Silver! Who's the lucky girl?"
"Blaze." Amy jumped on him and squeezed him tightly.
"Oohh~! That's so great Silver! I know she likes you too. I bet she was giving me death glares when we were going out." She giggled
"You know you're still her friend Amy, she could never hate you." Silver laughed.
"Well I'm very happy for you, and I think I'm falling for someone too."
"Really? Who is it? Not Sonic right?" Silver teased
"Silver!" she exclaimed as she pushed him playfully. "Noo~ it's not Sonic. It's Shadow, but don't tell him okay?" Silver just smiled.
"Alright Amy, but I think you should tell him as soon as possible."
"I will if ever find him." She sighed "Bye Silver!" she waved as she walked down the street.
"Bye Amy!" he called after her as he closed the door and walked back inside.
'Now where could he be?' she wondered to herself as she subconsciously walked back to the ocean. She felt upset and wondered if she would ever even see him again. Then she gasped when she saw Shadow walking down the beach with his head pointed up towards the sky. 'He looks so handsome.' She thought. 'I need to latch onto him before he runs away again.' And on that note, Amy quietly ran up to Shadow and hooked her arm through his.
"Gotcha!" she exclaimed, holding on very tightly to his arm. "Now you can't escape!" Shadow sighed sadly.
"Will you please unhand me?" he asked desperately.
"Not until you tell me what's wrong and why you're avoiding me. And don't even bother trying to run away because I go where you go now." She said sternly, holding up their intertwined arms. He stayed silent and then Amy tried again in a gentler voice.
"What's wrong Shadow?" she pleaded, releasing his arm.
"I don't think you want to know." He replied coldly
"Yes I do, now tell me." She said stubbornly. Shadow took a deep breath and said:
"I don't think you should date Silver." Amy threw her hands up in the air and sighed.
"Well who am I supposed to date Shadow? You never answer when I ask so I don't think you should have a problem with my love life." She crossed her arms and glared at Shadow.
"You really want to know who I think you should date Amy?" she nodded encouragingly. Shadow took a deep breath and exhaled:
"Me." Amy gasped and her arms unfolded as she gazed up into his handsome face. Then, she embraced him tightly while beaming a huge smile at him.
"Really Shadow!" she exclaimed, still a little uncertain that she was lucky enough to be in love with her best friend and be loved back. Shadow wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Yes please." he whispered into her ear sending chills down her spine. She giggled and shoved him to the ground playfully but he grabbed her arms and carefully took her down with him. In a cloud of sand, Amy landed on top of Shadow who was watching her through half lidded eyes.
"Look at my boyfriend trying to be all seductive." She purred, then she pushed herself further into his chest. "But I think I'm winning." She winked and kissed his cheek as she started to get up from him. Shadow placed his hand on the small of her back and tenderly pulled her back to his chest. Before she could comment, his lips dove to her mouth hungrily for a kiss. She gratefully accepted, letting all of her unsaid feelings of love for him flow from her mouth to his. When they stopped for air, Shadow panted:
"Who's winning now!"
Amy grinned and replied: "Sorry sexy, but I own this game." Then she quickly got up and started running down the beach, expecting him to run after her. When she looked back he was gone and she panicked for a minute. Then he reappeared before her in a green flash of light and hoisted her up onto his back.
"You cheater!" she giggled happily. Shadow shook his head.
"I'm not allowed to use my natural abilities to catch you? What kind of game do you play Rose?" She kissed his cheek and said:
"I love you Chocolate." He laughed good naturedly when she called him by his nickname.
"I love you too Gumball."
The End.