It was a sunny spring day in the Kingdom of Mobius, and Shadow the Hedgehog was spending it in his bedroom at the mansion of Rouge the Bat, his best friend/adventuring partner. At the moment, he was rocking out to a Tygers of Pan Tang album – an original vinyl copy of Wild Cat, to be precise – on his Crosley CR704 combo player. At this moment, he was listening to the song "Killers". Ever since he learned what heavy metal was, he'd always been in love with it because it appealed to his edgelord nature. Granted, he strongly preferred 80s NWOBHM and thrash, but he'd take whatever he could get provided it fell within his tastes, which also included death metal and black metal. When the song got to the guitar solo, he rocked out as hard as he possibly could. Even if nothing could equate a live concert for him, this would do. Furthermore, when it came to Tygers of Pan Tang, for Shadow, it was a toss-up between this album or Spellbound, though he liked the raw feel of this one.

Suddenly, while Shadow was rocking out, his Hedgehog Sense tingled, accompanied by the usual ear twitch. This was a sign of impending danger or just something of interest, but whatever the case, Shadow stopped the record and went to his bedroom door. Upon opening it, a familiar face greeted him…

"Good afternoon, Shaddy!"

Shadow crossed his arms. "Rouge, you better have a good reason for interrupting my heavy metal."

Rouge frowned and put her fists on her hips. "Excuse me, buster, but you seem to forget that this is MY home! You obey ME while you're under this roof, comprends-tu?"

"Or what? I'm an artificially-created immortal alien hedgehog who's been locked in suspended animation for 50 years. You're just a 19-year old vampire bat with a nice body. Explain to me what it is about you that I'm supposed to be afraid of."

Rouge growled before tackling Shadow to the ground.

"WAIT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh yeah, you're really brave now!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ROUGE, STAHP! STAHP!"

"Who's your mommy!? Who's your mommy!?"

"Y-YOU ARE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO MORE TICKLES!"

Rouge tickled Shadow for a couple more seconds before stopping. Her smile returned.

"Now, are you gonna be a good boy, or am I gonna have to tickle you until you pass out?"

Shadow took a deep breath. "OK…you win."

"There we go! That's a good Shaddy!"

Rouge ruffled the quills on top of Shadow's head before getting off of him and letting him stand up.

"Oh, and that was really sweet of you to say I have a nice body!" said Rouge.

"Hmph. Now then, why did you visit me?"

Rouge put a hand on her hip. "Well, I was checking the mail, and I noticed that a certain hedgie had a letter!"

"And since when do people still send letters?"

"See for yourself, boy!"

Rouge produced a pink envelope, which Shadow took from her. Sure enough, it was addressed to the mansion in Shadow's name. What really got Shadow's attention – aside from the golden crown stamp – was the sender: one Princess Peach Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom. His Hedgehog Sense told him that there was nothing dangerous about the letter, so he opened it and read it:

"Dear Shadow:

Please come to the Mushroom Kingdom as soon as possible. I have an urgent matter that requires your attention.

-With kindest regards,

Princess Peach Toadstool"

Just as Shadow's Hedgehog Sense told him that the sender was indeed Peach, so too did it tell him that whatever she was talking about was very urgent. He took the letter and stored it in hammerspace.

"Excuse me."

Rouge stepped aside while Shadow went downstairs.

Downstairs, there was one specific place that Shadow was looking for: the mansion's armory, which also had an attached firing range. Just before he reached the door, his Hedgehog Sense tingled again.

"HALT, SHADOW. STATE YOUR PURPOSE FOR HEADING TO THE ARMORY."

Shadow turned around and saw E-123 Omega, Team Dark's resident robot and their muscle.

"Look, Omega, I received a letter from Princess Peach about an urgent matter. If my calculations are correct, the Mushroom Kingdom's headed for some serious trouble."

"MY ANALOGIC CIRCUITS INDICATE THAT YOUR STATEMENT IS 100% TRUE. HOWEVER, I MUST ASK WHY THE MEATBAG DESIGNATED 'PRINCESS PEACH' DID NOT ELECT TO REACH OUT TO SONIC OR TAILS, OR THE MARIO BROTHERS."

Shadow shrugged. "I'll be damned if I know…or care."

After punching in an access code, Shadow went down to the armory. Here, there were lockers upon lockers of varying kinds of weapons, from basic stuff such as throwing knives and handguns all the way up to heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and rocket launchers. Having been down here several times, Shadow grabbed two military-issue duffel bags and proceeded to fill them with a few weapons, starting with a Beretta 96. He then grabbed a Heckler & Koch MP5A5, an Uzi, an M16A1, a Galil ARM 5.56, an M60 and a Heckler & Koch HK21E plus extra magazines, magazine pouches, holsters and ammo. He also grabbed a universal gun cleaning kit, earplugs, shooting glasses and some generic silhouette targets.

After grabbing the necessary weapons and accoutrements, Shadow stored the duffel bags in hammerspace and headed to the bathroom, grabbing some dental supplies, towels and body wash/shampoo. Then, he went to his room, where he put Wild Cat back into its proper sleeve and put it away. He then grabbed a bag marked "SURVIVAL KIT" and also grabbed one last weapon from underneath his pillow on his bed: a Smith & Wesson Model 29. He also opened up the drawer on his nightstand and grabbed a few boxes of Federal Premium Barnes Expander 225-grain .44 Magnum hollow points plus some speedloaders. After this, he filled the speedloaders and put them and the remaining ammo in the duffel bag where he put the other ammo. Suddenly, he pointed his Model 29 at one of the walls.

"You talking to me?" said Shadow. "Huh? Are you talking to me? Because if you are, I swear to god, I'll pull the goddamn trigger and blow your head all over the ground! You think I'm messing around? Keep trying me, goddamn it!"

After his little tough guy moment, Shadow holstered his Model 29 and went downstairs, where Rouge was waiting for him.

"I figured you might be going away on a long trip, so I made a few sandwiches and some breakfast wraps for you!" said Rouge. "I also packed your favorite fruit!"

"Thanks," said Shadow. "That reminds me…"

Shadow turned around to go to the kitchen/dining room. Rouge frowned.

"OH NO, you're NOT grabbing a thousand boxes of Swiss rolls for your trip!"

Shadow paused and turned his cheek towards Rouge. "Of course not. I'm only grabbing one."

Rouge let out a brief groan while Shadow went to grab a box of Little Debbie Swiss rolls, a pack of Dunkin'-brand coffee beans and some cans of Pepsi. In the meantime, Rouge made a call…

"Hello?" said a male voice on the other end.

"Captain, It's me, Rouge."

"Hello, Rouge. What can I do for you?"

"Listen, I'd like a private jet prepared for a flight to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Affirmative. We'll get it ready as soon as possible."

"Thank you. Buh-bye!"

"Goodbye."

Rouge hung up. When Shadow returned, she beckoned him over.

"Come on, boy, time we headed for the plane!"

Rouge and Shadow hopped into Rouge's white/pink 1973 Corvette and headed to G.U.N.'s Mobius Command, just a few miles northeast of Rouge's mansion. They pulled up to the airfield, where an inconspicuous Gulfstream G650 was waiting for them thanks to Rouge's call. They got out of the car and walked towards the jet.

"Shaddy…"

Shadow paused and turned towards Rouge. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to say that no matter what, I'll always be proud of you! Come here!"

Rouge gave Shadow a big hug, which he returned. Though not normally one to be into expressing emotion, the Ultimate Life Form nevertheless appreciated Rouge's touch because it made him feel loved, something he so desperately craved. That, and she was so soft, warm and cuddly. Similarly, Rouge appreciated Shadow's touch because she knew that deep down inside, he was a good person who deserved a better lot in life. That, and chest fur. Eventually, they let go.

"Buh-bye, Shaddy!" Rouge waved goodbye to Shadow. "Have a safe trip! Remember to call every so often!"

Shadow waved goodbye to Rouge. "I will."

Shadow climbed up the stair truck's stairs and entered the plane, not knowing what he was in for, but nevertheless convinced that he'd succeed.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.