Author's Note: Thank you, MissMJS, JessicaShadow, and Aliciathewolf45 for your reviews on my last chapter. I'm really interested to hear your input on this chapter since it's a bit of a different tone for the story. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

•~•

The next day in the castle's nursery, Silver stood by the crib watching his son sleep soundly. Shadow just happened to be passing by the open door when he spotted Silver in the room by himself. Quietly, he cleared his throat, catching the duke's attention. Silver smiled when he spotted the king. "Your highness, come join me," he offered quietly.

Shadow accepted his proposal and entered the room, joining him by the crib. As he looked down into it, he couldn't help by daydream of the day when he and Amy would be doing the same. "Are you excited then?" Silver asked.

"You have no idea…"

"Blaze and I have every intention of having more. She wants to have five children, but I'm all set for three," he chuckled.

"Just finally having this one is good enough for me," he replied in content. "I didn't know if it was ever going to happen, but fate has had its way."

Silver tilted his head with curiosity. "What are you hoping for?"

"Honestly, I'm content with either girl or boy. I just want them to be healthy, happy and to raise them with love and affection," he answered. "But I admit, I am a little nervous about becoming a parent." He recalled the time when Pascal had avoided him at all cost and wondered if his own children would do the same. Did he have paternal instincts?

"Do no fret, your highness," Silver placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I know you'll be a wonderful father because once you have that child in your arms, all your priorities will change and he or she will become your world. The natural instincts will kick in, and it will be like nothing more than a second thought."

"You have no idea how much your words bring comfort to me," Shadow smiled weakly. "You are very wise, Silver."

"I'm glad to hear that," he thanked. "You know you can always write to me if you ever wish to talk. I'm always available."

"I'll keep that in mind," Shadow smiled.

•~•

Meanwhile, in her chambers, Amy was in the process of combing her hair when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she called placing her brush down. The door opened and Blaze peeked her head inside before entering. Amy beamed at her sight and stood from the stool in front of her vanity. "Blaze, what brings you here?"

She walked towards her. "I was just hoping I could get a word with you about something rather important."

Amy smiled. "Of course, let's take a seat," she gestured. The two girls sat down on the sofa together by the fireplace.

Once they were settled, Blaze placed her hands politely in her own lap. "So, Silver and I have gone back and forth a lot on this matter, but I think we've finally made up our minds."

"And what's that?" Amy inquired curiously.

"Amy, you've been one of my best friends since we were little girls. To this day, I am still honored that I was given the privilege to be one of your ladies, despite only serving you for a short period of time," she began. "But now, I was hoping you could serve me the honor of being the godmother to our son."

Amy looked so thrown off by the offer that she was almost left speechless. "Are you absolutely sure?" she asked, almost doubting herself.

Blaze nodded happily. "There is no one else I trust more to have my son live within the unfortunate circumstance that something happened to Silver or I. I know you and Shadow are expecting, so I realize if you don't want the pressure on you two with this great endeavor."

"Nonsense," she said laughing and shaking her head. "This is the greatest proposition a friend and a loyal lady could ever award to me. I would be honored to serve as Ardor's Godmother."

Blaze smiled in rejoice and the two hugged. "Thank you, Amy!"

•~•

Later that morning, the christening was getting close to starting. While the castle servants were busy doing last minute preparation, Amy and Shadow began their journey towards the castle chapel across the field. As the monarchs walked hand in hand in the sunny weather, Amy caught Shadow up on the endeavor Blaze had requested earlier that day. "Godparents?" Shadow repeated stopping on the stairs they began to descend.

"Yes, do you disapprove?" she asked stopping at the bottom of the steps.

He joined her at the bottom. "No, quite the opposite. I would love the honor."

"Wonderful," Amy grinned, pleased by his acceptance.

He gave her a seductive smirk as he eyed her up and down. "You look absolutely beautiful, you know."

She blushed slightly. "Thank you, Shadow. You look rather handsome yourself."

He leaned in and the two shared a romantic kiss until suddenly Amy hissed and flinched, alerting Shadow. He pulled back from his kiss to look at her. "Are you alright?" he questioned.

Amy placed a hand on her stomach. "Uh, yes. I-I just remembered I left the gift for the baby in my chambers," she skillfully lied. Shadow stared at her for a moment, analyzing her for deception, so she forced a believable smile and moved her hand away from her abdomen. "I'm fine, go on ahead and I'll join you in a couple of minutes."

Hesitantly, he released her hand. "…All right." He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek before departing.

Once he was out of sight, Amy finally dropped her facade after feeling a sharp and uncomfortable pain. "Ah," she hissed quietly. She leaned on the stone railing of the staircase, praying the pain would pass soon.

"…Amy?" Amy turned, recognizing the voice immediately. It was Prince Cordovan walking down the steps behind her. She didn't even need to say a word before he realized something wasn't right. He eyed her up and down sensing a disturbance from her persona. "What's wrong?"

Amy tried her best to push away the pain and pull herself together. "Um, it's nothing," she lied again.

"You don't look well, are you sure you don't want me to get help?" he asked with uncertainty by her answer.

Amy placed a hand on his arm. "No, please!" Another surge of pain radiated in her lower abdomen, nearly causing her to double over if it wasn't for Cordovan to hold her in place. "Ooh, ah!" She placed her face against his chest, trying to keep her pain a secret from the other guests and servants walking nearby.

Unfortunately, she could no longer deceive the young prince as he felt her wither in pain in his arms. "Something's not right. Let's get you to the infirmary."

She shook her head, denying his suggestion. "No, could you just help me back to my room?" she asked quietly.

"This looks more serious…"

"I am queen, and I demand that you help me back to my chambers," she said more dourly this time.

"Fine." He placed an arm around her waist and allowed her other arm to go behind his neck. "Here, I've got you." With that, the two walked back towards the castle entrance.

•~•

Once back in her chambers, Cordovan helped carry her over to a sofa and gently lowered her down, trying to be careful of any sudden movements. "You need a physician, Amy," Cordovan said sternly.

"No, I don't," she argued, still ridden with pain.

As he adjusted her legs to rest on the sofa, his eyes caught a sight that disturbed him. Amy's eyes followed in the direction he was looking after his prolonged silence. "You're bleeding…" Fresh blood dripped down her legs and onto her white shoes, staining them.

Amy bit her lower lip, realizing what was happening. Her heart sank. "That's because I'm losing my child," she said sadly. Cordovan looked distraught, suddenly seeing the severity. She refrained from crying at that moment and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "There's nothing we can do about it now." Cordovan started to move, but Amy prevented him, grabbing his arm firmly. "No, no one must know! At least not until after the christening…"

Cordovan stared at her, discordant by her demand. "But, Amy-"

Amy shut her eyes tight, wincing from intense cramping making its way into her groin. She hissed again. "I-I must tell Shadow myself, but I don't want to ruin Blaze's christening for her son. This is an important day for her, and I don't want to sour the mood."

Stunned by her words, he could not believe how altruistic she was being in the moment. "Now is not the time to think of others," he countered softly.

She opened her eyes trying to look at him sternly despite the pain. "If you consider yourself a friend, you will not say a word. Do you promise?"

He softened sensing her seriousness. "Alright, I won't, but what do you want me to do now?"

She laid her hand on top of his hand rested on the sofa beside her. He looked down at her hand, feeling it grip his and tremble. "Please stay with me until this pain subsides," she requested softly.

Even though she was trying to be brave, unselfish, and strong, he knew she was absolutely terrified. There was no way he would leave her side, even with how annoyed he was with her stubbornness. He nodded, placing his hands on hers reassuringly. "I promise," he replied with a weak smile. "I'll stay right here."

•~•

After several minutes, Amy got redressed after cleaning herself up to attend the christening. No one had really questioned her absence and had continued on with the service. Blaze, Silver, Shadow, Amy, and the baby stood up with the priest for the event. Amy held Ardor in her arms, staring down at him lovingly while the priest gave a prayer for the infant.

A group of relatives, friends, and nobles sat in the chapel, watching the ongoing ceremony take place. Isabelle, Cream, Tails, and Rouge sat in one of the front rows smiling happily as they watched their friends on stage, while another familiar face watched the ceremony take place from the back. It was Cordovan, but unlike the rest of the audience, he was not smiling. Instead of looking at the baby, his eyes were focused on Amy.

In some ways, he admired her in that moment. She had just gone through a tragic loss without her husband by her side and was now composed, acting like nothing had happened. But in other ways, he was disappointed in her. She didn't have to be selfless in that moment, but she opted to go through with it anyway. His eyes suddenly shot to Shadow, who warmly smiled watching Amy coo at the baby quietly next to him. It pained him to watch; knowing his cousin had no idea that Amy had miscarried only a short time before.

As Cordovan watched Shadow, he realized he was probably still dreaming about the day their baby would be born. Sadly, that day would never come. Cordovan came out of his thoughts, as the next stage of the ceremony took place. The priest poured a bit of water over the infant's head, as Amy held the baby for him. Blaze and Silver stood on the other side of the priest, smiling proudly at the moment. The priest took the baby gently from Amy and held it up for the audience to see. "Ardor Teal first born of Soleanna," the priest finished.

The audience clapped happily once the ceremony was complete. Amy was given the baby back and looked down at him lovingly while Blaze walked over and admired her son by her side. Cordovan met Amy's eyes briefly from the crowd, and tried to force a smile, but it never quite came. Amy on the other hand, smiled back, looking rather believable to him, but he knew it was all for show. She was broken under her royal façade, and at that moment, he was the only one who knew it.

•~•

After the ceremony, Cordovan found Shadow outside the chapel talking to some of the guests. He had promised Amy he wouldn't say anything, which he still intended to keep, but he needed to at least warn Shadow for his own conscience. Blowing out a nervous exhale, Cordovan built up the courage to go talk with the king. "You're grace?" he interrupted formally. The couple that Shadow was talking to bowed their heads respectfully towards Shadow before departing.

Shadow turned to address the prince. "Yes?"

"Have you seen Amy?" he questioned. "Because after the ceremony," he paused, trying to find the right words. "Well…she didn't quite look herself."

Shadow grew concerned from his description. "No, I didn't realize."

"Shadow!" another voice called. It was Sonic, as he made his way towards the two looking urgent.

"What is it?" Shadow asked, directing his attention to his brother.

"It's the horseman's latest victim. Something's happened to him."

Shadow looked back to Cordovan. "Do you mind accompanying my brother again while I tend to Amy?" he asked kindly.

Cordovan bowed his head in reverence. "Not at all, your grace." Shadow nodded patting him on the shoulder before making his way back inside. Meanwhile, Sonic and Cordovan made their way towards the stables.

•~•

A few minutes later, Shadow returned to his chambers where he found Amy lying in bed under the covers. His heart sank as he saw her solemnly sat in bed, staring at the wall to her right. "…Amy? What's wrong?"

Amy trembled, knowing she'd have to tell him the devastating news. She turned her head slowly to face him. "…I-I lost the baby."

At that moment, he felt his heart shatter. Shadow flocked towards her bedside distressed by her news. "Why didn't you send for me?"

"You seemed so happy," she explained. "And I knew how much this meant to you." Shadow sat on the bed's edge as Amy stared up at him. He stroked her quills, staying quiet to absorb everything. "I know how much you wanted to have a family. I-I didn't want you to be disappointed in m-me," she spoke as her voice quivered.

His heart broke for her. "Amy, I could never be disappointed in you for this tragedy."

She turned her face away from him. "For the longest time, I wondered why we had such difficulties to conceive. I had wondered at one point if I was somehow the problem, but then when I finally did get pregnant, I was so proud— relieved even." She sniffed back more tears. "I guess it turns out that I-I am t-the problem…"

He shook his head, denying her negative thoughts. "This is not because of you," he argued. He brought her body towards his chest, embracing her as she broke down into tears. "It's alright, my love." Amy sobbed now that she could finally allow herself to grieve.

•~•

In the village, Sonic and Cordovan returned to the Shepard's home only to find the house disheveled and disastrous. The home reeked of death as they entered the room and the two males shielded their noses from the stench of rotting flesh. As they looked around, they noticed the wife and two daughters had been brutally mutilated and slaughtered. Blood was all over the floors and walls as the wife and two girls laid in pieces all over the home. The murder looked absolutely inhumane as they walked along the crime scene.

"Chaos…have mercy," Cordovan muttered under his breath. He had never witnessed such savagery on a family.

After getting a chance to look at and absorb the murder scene, they walked back outside where the Shepard was being held by two guards. The goat sat there covered in blood, looking numb from the fact that he had viciously murdered his entire family. "I don't know what came over me. Their voices irritated me, and then this voice told me to end it. So I did. I murdered them!" he confessed.

Sonic glared at the Shepard in disgust. "Why?"

"It's true…the riders, they took me, soul," he spoke exasperated looking at his bloodied hands. "They took it, took it I say!"

•~•

Later that evening, Cordovan and Sonic returned to court and met with Shadow in the throne room. Shadow sat on the throne alone as he listened to their findings. "The Shepard has been detained and is awaiting your final judgment in the cells," Sonic informed.

Even though he had been told of the horrific act that had occurred, Shadow remained shaken from the news he had received from Amy. He hadn't told anyone else and tried to remain diplomatic and calm in the moment. "Do you still believe these horsemen are just citizens trying to spook the other villagers? Or do you think they may be otherworldly?"

"That guy was barking mad. There's no way they took his soul," Cordovan countered.

"I'm not sure what's going on," Sonic answered. "But dark times are surely upon us."

Shadow's eyes fell to the castle floor as he came to his final decision. "…Blood will pay for blood," he answered. "The Shepard will be put to death for his crimes. See to it that he is put to death by dawn." Shadow stood from his seat and made his way past the two and out of the throne room.

Cordovan wasn't sure if Sonic had picked up on it, but Cordovan had realized the shift in his demeanor since their return. Amy had clearly told him the bad news, and his heart went out to him in that moment.

•~•

Later that night, Shadow returned to their chambers stood by the balcony doors with Amy. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he said quietly.

She placed a hand on her tummy. "The pain has finally passed, but what did you want me to see?"

"I was thinking about your memories of us here, as children," he began. "Remember during the summers when you, Sonic, and I snuck out at night to-"

"—To see the fireflies," she answered.

He nodded, with a small smile. "You use to get so upset during the nights they didn't come."

She nodded. "I remember."

He took her hand then led her out through the balcony doors. Once they were outside he led her to the balcony railing to reveal his surprise. When she saw what was outside, she gasped in surprise, touched by his gift. "Shadow…" Out on the lawn, servants lit flying lanterns and released them into the sky. The entire sky lit up with lanterns, looking like little fireflies dotted in the night sky. She turned to look at him, lost for words. Her eyes began to water again from his romantic gesture. "You did this for me?"

He embraced her from behind kissing her on the cheek and nuzzling her. Amy held back tears as they watched the lanterns in silence for a few moments. The sight eased her pain and distracted her from the misfortune of the day.

"The world can be dark, uncertain, and cruel sometimes, Amy. The only thing that really matters is… that we face it together." He released his hold on her from behind to face her. "Whatever the future brings, you are my light. I don't want you to ever forget that." Amy smiled and leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back, and then rested his forehead against hers as they lingered in the moment together. "I love you, Amy Rose. Always."

"I love you too, Shadow."

•~•

AN: Remember to leave me a review!