Sonic jumped to his feet the moment he heard the footsteps beginning to approach. He got into a defensive stance, his hands balled into fists and his body ready to attack. His eyes grew wide and his heart began to race as his visitor came to a stop in front of him.
"Well, well," said Sonic, as he smiled, "You came later than I anticipated, you know."
"Sorry for the delay then," said Shadow, as he smiled at him, "I didn't know I was expected."
Sonic calmed his stance, even though he was still on the defensive. "What do you want, Shadow?" he asked, as he sat on the grass an overlooked the city.
"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday, faker," said Shadow, as he sat next to Sonic, "There is an important issue that we must talk about."
"Shadow, there's something I must tell you first," said Sonic, eyeing the black hedgehog, "Something that is equally important."
"Very well," said Shadow, as he let out a deep sigh, "You go first, then."
Sonic cleared his throat and said, "Shadow, I've been thinking long and hard about our last encounter and I came to a firm decision. I…I love Amy. Her safety is my number one concern and nothing would satisfy my needs than to see her happy."
"Okay," said Shadow, not sure of where Sonic was going with this.
"But, ever since yesterday, something has been telling me something," he said, as he let out a deep sigh, "It's been telling me that the only way Amy's going to be safe and happy at the same time is if I tell her my feelings about her. She needs to know the truth and she needs to understand that I will do anything for her."
"Alright," said Shadow, "But what are you really trying to say?"
Sonic let out another deep sigh. "What I'm saying is that Amy needs me, almost as much as I need her. I no longer think she'd be happier with you, not as much as she'd be happier with me. What I'm trying to say is that I love her and that I want to be with her, not you or anyone else."
Shadow nodded as if he knew what he was saying. His thoughts were racing in his head, all of them concluding with killing Sonic right then and there. However, he figured that killing him would be too quick and easy. Shadow wanted to have some fun and manipulate their relationship until they didn't want anything to do with each other.
"So, what you're saying is that I should stay away from her?" Shadow asked, as he raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Well," said Sonic, as he scratched the back of his head, "That's putting it a little harshly, but when you boil right down to it, I guess so. I'm not saying you can't be friends with her, Shadow. All I'm saying is that I love her and she deserves me, just like I deserve her."
"Oh really?" asked Shadow, as he lied back on the grass, his arms like a pillow behind his head, "And what, if I may, sparked this revelation?"
"What do you mean?" asked Sonic, as he sat up and looked at Shadow with suspicious eyes, "I figured this out on my own. Why do you ask?"
Sonic tried to play his poker face up as best as he could. He didn't want to tell Shadow about the constant nightmares and the subliminal images he had seen throughout the course of the day. He tried to play it up that he found out about this on his own.
"I ask because it doesn't seem like you to say such things, faker," said Shadow, as he closed his eyes softly, "You were always the one who seemed to run away from love rather than run head first into it, that's all."
"Well, I had a change of heart," said Sonic, as he smiled his confident grin, "Something just clicked and told me that we need to be together."
Oh, I'll give you a 'click' that'll 'change your heart,' thought Shadow. It's called a 50 caliber bullet in your chest. What do you say about that?
"Good for you, faker," said Shadow, as he sat up, "So, when can we expect the wedding?"
Sonic's heart began to race. "What do you mean by that, Shadow?"
"Well, since you feel this strongly about Amy, then I just figured you were ready to take a bigger step with her," said Shadow, as he smiled.
"Um...well...I...uh..." Sonic stammered, scratching the back of his head, "Well, I'm not that confident. Besides, I was thinking we were going to date for a while before I can determine that."
It was at that moment that it clicked into Sonic's head the reason why Shadow had asked that particular question. "You really think I'm going to ask Amy to marry me just because of a silly bet you made with Cream?"
Shadow shrugged, eyes still closed, "I just thought, with this new revelation or whatever, that you were ready to settle down with her. She had been you 'self-appointed girlfriend,' after all."
Sonic let out a sigh, "Look, I'm sorry, Shadow. I know how much you really loved Amy, but I think it's just better this way. I don't mean to rain down on your parade like this."
"No problem at all," said Shadow, refusing to open his eyes, "It is good you're finally going to tell her. After all, admitting your feelings about something is the first step in most recoveries and rehabilitations."
Sonic began to worry ten-fold. He looked at Shadow, lying there with his eyes closed, like he was going in for a nap. He had expected a more "aggressive" response and "deadly" reaction than this. Something was up and Sonic was beginning to worry about what that was. Shadow seemed too willing to let go for Sonic's comfort. He was up to something, but he needed to figure out what it was.
"So, with that all said and done," said Sonic, as he stood up, "What did you want to talk to me about, Shadow?"
It was at that moment that Shadow opened his eyes and the comforted expression on his face dissolved into an evil smile. He stood up and met Sonic's gaze, sending a chill down the base of his spine.
"Well, there is an important matter that we must discuss, while we're on the topic of Amy and all," said Shadow, as he crossed his arms, "Something happened today that I really think you should be aware of."
"Oh really?" asked Sonic, not able to say it without a twinge of sarcasm in his voice, "And what about Amy did you need to talk to me about?"
Shadow smiled and said, "Well, the reason I ask all these questions is because, like I said, something happened that I didn't expect when I went over her house this morning."
"What happened?" Sonic asked, feeling a bit worried, "Is everything alright? Is Amy alright? What happened?"
"Relax, faker," said Shadow, "Nothing bad happened to her. In fact, something wonderful happened, something that I think you should know about."
Sonic raised an eyebrow and asked, "Alright, I'll bite. What happened this morning that I should know about?"
Shadow turned his whole body so that he was facing Sonic. Then, he let out a deep sigh and said, "Amy Rose has accepted my hand in marriage."
Sonic's eyes went wide and his heart dropped into his stomach, possibly even further than that. His heart was racing and everything began to become more and more distorted. It felt as if his whole world was now spinning, making him feel sick.
"No," said Sonic, still trying to compose himself, "No, that can't be true. Amy would never accept your hand in marriage, not now, not ever."
"Well, she did," said Shadow, his hands behind his back, "She told me she was tired of waiting for you to commit yourself to her, so she was willing to take me instead of you."
"You're lying," interrupted Sonic, "She did not such thing! You're lying!"
"I only wish I was," said Shadow, giving him a worried look, "But I'm not. She didn't even want to invite you to the wedding. What does that say about you?"
"It says that you're lying. She did no such thing, you liar!" Sonic shouted, "She'd never accept you, not when she had me!"
"I'm truly sorry, Sonic," said Shadow, "But there's nothing you can do about it now. You're just going to have to accept the fact that she moved on and no longer wants anything to do with you."
Tears began to pour from Sonic's eyes. He didn't want to believe him, but a part of him did believe him; a part of him told him that she had moved on and that she no longer wants anything to do with him.
Not saying another word, Sonic turned and began to run away, tears continuing to stream down his cheeks as he did. Shadow watched, as he ran as fast as he could, leaving a blue streak as he ran.
He chuckled to himself as he watched him run. "Excellent," he said, as he turned and began walking down the road, "He took that like I thought he would. Good thing he runaway, rather than run to Amy. That buys me enough time. Now, I have to make it look like she did accept my proposal. Then, I won't have to worry about Sonic and Amy being together ever again."
