The Night Shadows.
"A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human being is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other."
~Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickenson.
"Sonic!" The two tailed fox yelled as he lowered the Tornado near the ground where his blue friend ran.
"Tails! Long time no see." He smirked, "Watcha need?"
The fox flung out a blue cardstock envelope out to him.
"An invitation."
"To party?" The hedgehog struggled to open the letter.
"Yeah," The fox gulped. "But like an actual party. Not a battle party." The hedgehog made a sudden stop.
"Huh?" He closely read the fancy font.
Dear Sonic,
You have been invited to the opening ceremony of the reopening of the Space Colony ARK. The G.U.N wishes for you attend the President's speech about our new mission to progress a further understanding of the outside world. There will be food and refreshment provided. Formal attire required.
Where: G.U.N Main Conference Room
When: January 1st at 1800 Hours.
Sincerely, the Guardian Units of Nations.
Tails looks at Sonic's face, trying to read him. "I got an invitation as well. I heard from a friend Knuckles and Amy got one as well."
"Does the idea of the ARK reopening sound like a terrible idea, or is it just me?" Sonic looks over at the two-tailed fox. Tails shrugged.
"It's tomorrow. Are you going?" Tails eagerly asked his blue friend.
"I don't know, Tails. . .this sounds like a bad idea for a ceremony. But I'll go. It's an excuse to party." Tails smiled.
"Now we just need fancy suits!" Sonic squinted in despair.
"I don't look so sharp in a suit. . ." The blue hedgehog mumbled.
Tails boarded the Tornado. "Well, you can't use last year's. Especially from all the clawed marks Amy—"
"OK, OK, fine." Sonic interrupted. "I'll see you at the Tux Enterprise in an hour." Tails beamed and set off on his plane.
It took Sonic a while before he set off again running on the sparkling snow into the city. Reopening the ARK? Why?
~XxX~
"This tux is itchy. This is boring." Sonic complained to Tails as they awkwardly sat on a table. "Music's lame. No hot chicks. No nothing." Tails slammed his head onto the table. Sometimes he wonders who the kid in the friendship is.
They had been sitting there for more than three hours. No food. No drinks. And no one to talk to. There was a slide show about the remodeling that will be made on the ARK, but they've seen it so many times they knew the order of the pictures. Everyone decided to be fashionably late; including the President himself.
"Sonic? Tails?" A familiar rough voice called. Tails lifted his head to see a red echidna.
"You came?" Sonic called out to Knuckles. "I never expected to see you out of all people."
"Um. . ." Knuckles rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Rouge dragged me here." Tails slammed his head back onto the table.
"Date?" Sonic asked. Finally, something to be entertained by.
Knuckles glared at Sonic.
"No."
"Oh, Knuckieeee." Sonic tried to contain his laughter. Tails preferred to leave his head buried. He didn't get paid enough for this crap. He tried to not go insane by the clatter of heels headed this way.
"Be a gentleman and bring me a drink, will ya? An apple margarita." Knuckles shrugged and stormed off to get his "date" a drink.
"So how have you been, Big Blue? Enjoying the party?" The she-bat wore a strapless red dress, with a touch of silver eye shadow.
"Eh, usual." The blue hedgehog said casually. "Tell me again how you whipped Knuckles." He smirked flirtatiously over at the bat.
"Wasn't that hard. Especially with Shadow being a total jerk lately. I needed to get me some kind of date to look refined and mature." Knuckles set down the fancy glass next to Rouge. "Get Big Blue here a drink too, Knuckie. Get yourself something too. It is for free." Tails shot up.
"I thought they weren't serving anything until the President arrives." He called. Rouge bats the air with her hand.
"They always serve liquor though," She shook the fancy margarita glass slowly, "Especially if I'm here. I'm just as important as the President." She chugged half of the drink.
"So what were you saying about Shadow?" Sonic continued the conversation.
Rouge eyed him suspiciously. "Why? Wanna show off the best dance moves to each other?" She smiled at her own thought before her face turned dark. "Shadow won't be showing up though. I don't think this is a good thing for him. You know—reopening the ARK." Her expression turned back to normal when Knuckles showed up. He looked about to burst in anger.
"Anything else, Rouge?" He clenched his teeth.
"Yeah, sit down and relax." She called patting the seat next to her. "If you look all pissed off people are going to think I forced you here."
"You did force me here." Knuckles gritted his teeth as he sat down.
"Yo Knuckles, cool down. She's right." Sonic called as he chugged his second drink down. Knuckles glared at him. "I meant about the cooling down part." Sonic got the attention of the waiter and asked him for a few more drinks.
"So is your girlfriend showing up?" Rouge called over to Sonic as she looked inside her empty glass. She glanced over to Knuckles and he growled. He picked up her glass and set off to get her another apple margarita.
"She's, um, not my—" Sonic mumbled.
"Sonic?!"Rouge couldn't help but not burst out in laughter. Of course—Amy Rose would never miss out on any assorted parties involving Sonic. "I thought you wouldn't show!" Amy beamed with happiness. She took a seat next to him.
"Excuse me, can I please have your attention?" The commander of G.U.N spoke from the stage. "The President has arrived from his delayed flight. Our ceremony shall begin."
"Finally. . ." Tails got up groggily.
"Tails?" Amy said. "How long have you been there?" Sonic was about to respond, but didn't get the chance before the president came on the stage.
"Forgive me for my delay." The people, including the furries stared at the President to go on with his words. They wanted to dance more than hear an actual speech. "As you have heard, I intend on reopening the Space Colony ARK to make further investigations in space and give us more opportunities for knowledge." He cleared his throat. "I will sign a document initiating the project, it also states no violent shut down of the ARK can be initiated by anyone."
Men in robes brought forth the contact as if it were a royal artifact.
"I wonder what the whole contact states. . ." Sonic mumbled. Rouge gripped her hold on Knuckles.
"I wonder too." She mumbled back.
The President leaned over the contact to sign it. The power went off however, except for a blaze of red light coming from the entrance.
"You sign that contract and I will kill you."
"Shadow. . ." Rouge mumbled. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the black hedgehog. She let go of Knuckles and flew up to the stage. "You're not touching the President." E123-Omega came up from behind him.
"Rouge: Evacuate the perimeter, or you will perish along with everyone." The robot called out systematically. He aimed his cannon at her. Rouge felt something strife for sadness inside her.
Rouge clenched her jaw. "Then you'll have to get through me."
"I figured you were the agent designated to body guard the President." Shadow growled. "How much are they paying you?" He shook his head. "It's not worth it. Now, step aside." Rouge stood her ground.
Shadow and Omega would never hurt her. Right?
"Go back. We'll talk." No one has ever seen Rouge look that desperate for an alternative. "Please."
Shadow growled.
"I'm sorry, Rouge." Omega began firing. Sonic went into action and tackled the robot. Rouge flew toward Shadow and he charged back at her. Knuckles got up and helped Sonic shut down the robot. People shoved themselves under the tables as they yelled in terror.
Rouge and Shadow threw each other against the walls leaving cracks. "Control yourself!" Rouge yelled at Shadow as she took a sharp kick for his chest. He gripped onto her leg and swung her into the ice sculptures.
"You don't understand." He growled at her.
"I understand you can't control yourself." She spat back. He lifted her from the ice sculpture and threw her at a metal beam. Rouge was tempted to pass out; she knew she couldn't though. If someone was going to bitch-slap Shadow out of his senses—it was going to be her.
"Shadow, please." She struggled to say because he was choking her with his iron fist. "What are you planning to accomplish . . . revenge?" She blacked out. Shadow took a look at Rouge's numb body. He shook her.
"Rouge?" He closed his eyes in regret. He scanned the area for the President. He was gone though, as was the contract. He growled. "Omega!" He turned around to see him being shut off. G.U.N agents aimed guns at him.
"Don't move, Agent Shadow. You've gone too far." Shadow took one last look at Rouge before he teleported away.
~XxX~
"Shadow lost his mind, again!" Knuckles growled as he helped scoop up pieces of the ceiling. "He could have killed Rouge and the President."
"But he didn't." Tails called. "I've never seen them two fight like that. They're like best friends."
"She's Shadow's only actual living, breathing friend." Sonic called. There wasn't much damage to the hall. The people had resumed to dancing the night away while some are now traumatized for life. Sonic and co. offered to clean up the minor mess.
"Is that a problem?" Rouge called from afar. They turned to see her only with a few bruises and red marks on her throat. "There must be something on that contract for Shadow to react that way."
"Doesn't he just always react like that?" Knuckles growled.
"You see him when he's in the middle of a fight. Which he was. He's onto something." Sonic shook his head.
"What do you mean?" Rouge looked over at him.
"Let's go find him and we'll find out for ourselves." Rouge was rarely seen serious, something had to be up. Sonic nodded.
"Tails, Knuckles. Stay here and guard if necessary. I'll go with Rouge." They nodded.
"I'm coming too, Sonic." Amy called out in her peppy voice. Rouge didn't seem to reject the offer. Sonic was actually waiting for that, but since Rouge didn't deny it, then he had no other choice.
"Let's go." Sonic called to the ladies. He made a run for it into the starry night. Amy and Rouge behind him.