Props: Thanks to the one known as "random gal" and Oceanic Coral for their OCs and opinions. Fans like you keep this boat afloat!
Five minutes to showtime, said the lonely clock on the wall… and Rachel was already poised behind the curtain, almost feeling entirely silly. Sonic and Shadow as friends, let alone a COUPLE?! The theory of "opposites attract…" She'd have to see this to believe it.
She looked to the backstage area to see that Elektor was jogging over to her. He hadn't been like that since this had all started, what with the questions about lighting and everything…
"Hey," he said, stopping. "That idea we came up with…"
"I came up with," Rachel corrected. "What about it?"
"Everyone loves it," Elektor smiled. "It's a go!"
"A-Awesome!" said Rachel. "Wait… All three of the events?"
"Seems like it," Elektor nodded.
"Sweet!" Rachel cheered.
Elektor glanced at the clock.
"I'll get out of your hair now," he said, walking away. "Good luck!"
"Thank you… I suppose!" Rachel laughed. After ten episodes, she was pretty sure she had all the luck she could get. How could it get much better than knowing that she could get the celebrities of the world on the show? The fun! The exposure! The possibility of being noticed by that certain someone… Well, possibly…
The audience began to cheer, and she knew that it was time to get this show started.
"Hello, all of you peeps, and welcome to the tenth episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she beamed. "I feel as if it's been longer that I've been with you all. You're… like a clan of some sort."
She pretended to wipe a worked-up tear from her eye.
"Okay, so this week…" she snickered. "We're discussing Sonadow. The carefree and the relentless…"
She couldn't hold back a couple of chuckles.
"If you can't tell already, I think it's pretty funny," she continued. "I'm someone who thinks that just about anything is possible, so I won't say this can't work, but… if you're looking at a pie, the chance of it working is thinner than the knife you'll be using to cut said pie. Shadow, as far as I know, really doesn't want anything to do with Sonic, and if that doesn't kill the mood, what would? This week, I've got two returning guests who've got their own opinions on this. The first is the one who's only ever missed one episode of the show… Levi Lester!"
The same Levi walked onstage and to his seat.
"And with him comes a guest that made her debut on the show last week," said Rachel. "Please welcome… Mercury the Hedgehog!"
The same Mercury made it a point to get to her seat.
"Sonic and Shadow may be strict rivals, but they've had to bond together before, even if only for a day," said Rachel, sitting in her seat. "Mercury, let's go to you first. What are your thoughts?"
"It wouldn't work," Mercury explained. "It's not that they're both male. I-It's that their personalities are like fire and ice. They clash. For instance, Sonic is a super optimistic, outgoing free spirit. On the other hand, Shadow is calm, soft-spoken, and relatively serious. Shadow's never considered Sonic anything more than an ally, and even that isn't pleasant. How they'd ever fall in love is beyond me. This couple was never meant to be."
"Never?" said Rachel.
"You heard me," said Mercury.
"I heard you," said Rachel. "Alright, Levi. What do you have to say about it?"
"It doesn't seem right," Levi explained. "It's not only because of their sexual orientations, but you know they don't get along as is. Even if the theory of "opposites attract" is true, it is not guaranteed to take effect, this being a prime example. Their personalities contrast so much that tolerating each other might just be close to impossible for them. How could they take a RIVALRY up to a romantic bond if they haven't taken the first step toward a decent aquaintanceship?"
He shrugged.
"I simply don't see it," he concluded.
"I see we have a general consensus here," said Rachel, standing. "All who declare Sonadow as highly unlikely, maybe even impossible, say 'I'."
"I" rang throughout the studio and could possibly be heard from the other side of the forest that it was near.
"It's certainly hilarious, though," she continued. "Wasn't there a Sonic Short about that? Are there going to be any more of those? Oh, sorry… Before I announce next week's topic, I've got a delightful announcement."
A pleased Elektor smiled to himself from the back room.
"We at 'Thoughts of the Unknown' are working on a very special episode!" Rachel explained. "One where we get some of the celebrities on the show!"
The crowd burst into cheer so suddenly that it almost seized her heart. It took two minutes to calm them down.
"Yeah, it really is the most exciting thing known to Mobian," she laughed. "We're planning on it being near the middle of September. Most importantly, we need input from you guys. But we have several questions, and we want to space it out over a few weeks so that you have time to think about each one. Head to our... uh… 'social media' page to find out the question to be answered for each week!"
An awkward silence.
"So… next week's topic!" she continued. "We discuss another Yaoi shipping… but one that I think makes just a bit more sense. Sonic and Tails, the wind and the mind. Sonails, if you may. Thank you all so much for watching, and special thanks to our guests! See you next week!"
Question for the reader: For continuity reasons, it is guaranteed that Dr. Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot will be featured in the upcoming special episode. My question for you this week is… Who else would you like to see?