After exiting Peppermint Cave, Shadow and Peach found themselves in a forest.

"Peach, your skin looks blue. Here, I have something that will warm you up…"

Shadow whipped out his survival kit again, but this time, he pulled out a Mylar blanket. Peach curled up by a nearby boulder, and Shadow draped the blanket over both of them. Peach smiled as the blanket reflected her body heat back at her, and after a trek through the chilling cold, this was just what she needed. She also let out a contented sigh as Shadow decided to cuddle with her for additional warmth. As much as she enjoyed this, however, she eventually took off her shearling jacket because it was getting too warm with it on. Besides, Shadow felt more cuddly without that additional layer.

"Thanks, Shaddy! I feel much better now!"

Shadow smiled. "Always a pleasure, my dear Peach! Say, I'm curious…"

"Yes?"

"Are you ticklish?"

"SHADDY, NO! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh, so the great Princess Peach IS ticklish! No wonder you get kidnapped by Bowser so often!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE SO CRUEL!"

"I wouldn't insult me if I were you, Princess!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP!"

"But you're such a beautiful woman!"

"NO MORE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Why stop now? The fun's just getting started!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'LL GET YOU, SHADDY!"

"I wouldn't count on…what!?"

Somehow, Peach had broken free of Shadow's grasp.

"My, how the tables have turned!" said Peach.

"Uh-oh! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"See how it feels for YOU, Shaddy!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT FEELS TICKLY!"

"What's the matter? Can't a big, strong hedgehog like you withstand a little tickling?"

"I CAN'T! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Wow, you're more ticklish than I imagined!"

"DON'T DO THIS! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hey, you shouldn't have tickled me if you didn't want this!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP!"

"No! I'm not stopping just yet!

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHY ME!?"

"Don't act all innocent! You know what you did!"

"PLEASE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"No, I don't think I'm going to let you go just yet!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

"Hey, I'm a princess, remember?"

"OK! I REMEMBER! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Just then, Peach stopped tickling Shadow, only to grab his feet and attempt to pull off his shoes, only for them to remain firmly on.

"Shaddy, tell me how to get your shoes off or I'll tickle you behind the knees!"

"EEP! NO! OK, just twist the Inhibitor Rings to loosen them! You can get my shoes off that way!"

"Good boy!"

Peach loosened the Inhibitor Rings on Shadow's ankles, and then pulled off his shoes and socks.

"Ooh, now you're really going to get it!" said Peach.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT'S TOO TICKLY!"

"You have such cute little feet, Shaddy!"

"STAHP! STAHP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Every time you say that, I'm going to tickle you harder!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OK! OK!"

"It's really cute that you're so ticklish!"

"NO IT'S NOT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I think maybe we should call you 'Tickles the Hedgehog' from now on!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Coochie coochie coo!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO COOCHIES!"

"But your feet have to be coochied!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU SUCK!"

"You shouldn't insult people! It's not very polite!"

"OK! I WON'T INSULT YOU! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"It's too late now!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE!"

Peach stopped tickling Shadow. "OK, I'll let you go, but on one condition…"

"W-what?"

"You have to tell me I'm a better and more beautiful person than you!"

"I'm not going to tell you that! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OK! OK! YOU'RE BETTER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN ME!"

Peach stopped tickling Shadow. "Good boy!"

Peach lied down on the ground and cuddled with Shadow, who attempted to break free of her grasp.

"Why are you struggling?" asked Peach. "I'm not going to tickle you anymore!"

"Oh, sorry…"

And so, Shadow surrendered to Peach's sweet caress. Though he still felt all tingly from the tickling, he genuinely enjoyed letting her cuddle with him like this. Having spent much of his life in darkness, it felt so good for somebody to recognize the good within him and give him their love. Besides, considering how he enjoyed the smell of Chanel No. 5, he didn't mind giving her the upper hand. Similarly, Peach enjoyed lying down and holding Shadow like this. Even if she still had a thing for Mario, there was just something so special about the Black Blur that made her feel like a natural woman. Besides, considering he was only 3'3" and she was 6'0", she got a major feeling of dominance. Overall, everything was just so heavenly for the two. Eventually, though, Peach let go.

"I know I said 'stahp', but I have to be honest: for some reason, I like when people tickle me," said Shadow.

Peach let out a happy gasp. "Oh, that's so adorable!"

Shadow wrapped his arms around Peach. "Not as adorable as you."

Shadow kissed Peach, who returned the embrace.

"Shaddy, forgive me if I've said this before, but you're such a wonderful person! Your friends must be so lucky to have met you!"

Shadow smiled. "Well, I think I'm luckier to have met them, but I understand what you're saying."

Peach put a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "I realize you haven't had the easiest life, but I'm proud of you for wanting to come this far, and you deserve to be happy!"

"Peach…you're not trying to make me cry again, are you?"

Peach giggled. "No, I'm just telling the truth!"

Shadow rubbed the back of his head. "You're too kind!"

Peach took off her ALICE rig. "If you don't mind, I'm getting hungry, so I'm going to have lunch."

"Good idea."

After Shadow had put his socks and shoes back on, he pulled out another sandwich from his backpack, and after another prayer, him and Peach ate lunch. Shadow let out a hearty "mmmm" when he took the first bite of his.

"You look like you're really enjoying that!" said Peach.

Shadow swallowed. "I am. It's honey-roasted turkey and roast beef. I know Rouge isn't my girlfriend, but I'll have to give her a kiss for making such an interesting sandwich.

"But I'll always be your Princess, right?" Peach took a bite from the wrap she was eating.

Shadow nodded and smiled. "Of course. How could I not give my love to the one who's given me so much of hers?"

Peach swallowed. "You're such a sweetie!"

After lunch, Shadow and Peach cleaned their rifles.

"So, how much further do we have?" asked Shadow.

"Koopa Island shouldn't be too far away," replied Peach.

"Right."

And so, Shadow and Peach continued through the forest. At times, Shadow worried they might get lost, but he trusted Peach's judgment. Soon enough, they came across a most interesting sight: in a clearing, there were a bunch of Koopa Troopas, Hammer Bros. and Bob-omb Buddies along with a bunch of wooden crates of varying shapes, sizes and markings. Immediately, Shadow raised his M16.

"All right, all of you put your hands up IMMEDIATELY!" said Shadow.

Having heard Shadow's command, everyone put their hands up, barring the Bob-omb Buddies, who had no visible arms anyways.

"Shaddy, lower your weapon!" said Peach. "I think these people are on our side!"

"She's right, you know," said a nearby Koopa Troopa with an orange shell.

Shadow paused. Again, it occurred to him that if they were with Bowser, then his Hedgehog Sense would've told him. He slowly lowered his M16.
"OK, I believe you," said Shadow. "Now tell me, what's all this about?"

"First, allow me to introduce myself:" said the orange-shelled Koopa Troopa. "I'm Koopski, leader of the Koopa Lightning Strike Force!"

"My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. You've probably already heard of Princess Peach."

"How do you do?" said Peach.

Peach and Shadow shook hands with Koopski.

"Now explain to me: what does the Koopa Lightning Strike Force do?" asked Shadow.

Koopski smiled. "Glad you asked! We're a small but determined resistance group who broke off from the Koopa Kingdom to take on Bowser!"

"Why?" asked Peach.

"In short, we believe that Bowser's methods are getting increasingly dangerous, and consequently detrimental to the health and well-being of the Koopa community," replied Koopski. "For years, I'd always believed that the Mushroom Kingdom was the enemy, but having heard about Bowser's latest scheme, I decided I couldn't remain blind as other countries' liberty, integrity, fairness and excellence were put in jeopardy."

"Then you are a very wise man, Koopski," said Shadow.

"Hey boss, this guy looks familiar," said a nearby Hammer Bro with a green shell.

"How so, Harold?" asked Koopski.

"Unless I'm seein' things, ain't he related to the famous Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Shadow raised his eyebrows. "So you also know about Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"Yeah, he's pretty famous among us Koopas!" said Harold.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not related to him, although more than a few people have noticed a fair resemblance between us. Now tell me, what's in all those crates?"

"Oh, it's great!" replied Koopski. "One of our spies was able to get a message out to King Acorn of Mobius, and he sent us a bunch of guns and ammo to take on Bowser!"

Shadow nodded. "Interesting. Mind if we have some? Peach and I are taking him on ourselves, and I find that it might be beneficial to share."

Koopski gave a thumbs up. "Go right ahead! What's ours is yours, and what's yours is ours!"

And so, Shadow pried open a crate marked "7.62mm NATO" and took out two cans of ammo, which he opened up. Fortunately, the links were the correct type for his M60, which he pulled out in lieu of his M16.

"Shaddy, if you don't mind, I'd like to trade up as well," said Peach.

Shadow took out the HK21E and its accessories, and Peach handed him the Galil, although she kept the ALICE rig.

"Also, if you don't mind, I'm going to make a call," said Shadow.

"Go right ahead!" said Peach.

Shadow pulled out his phone and called Rouge again.

"Hello?"

"Rouge, it's me."

"Hey, glad to hear from you, Shaddy! How's everything?"

"Considering Peach and I are nearing the end of this quest, I'd say things are getting better. How about you?"

"Well, things are going great, but I miss you!"

"About that…"

"Yes?"

"Listen, the reason I called you was because I wanted to say that if Peach or I don't get back for any reason whatsoever, I just want you to know that I'm sorry for all the arguments we had, and I'm glad I met you. I love you, Rouge the Bat. Er…not like that, but…"

"Hey, I totally understand what you mean! I love you too, Shadow the Hedgehog, and I'm sure you and Peach will do just fine!"

"Thanks. Your faith means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, hon! Listen, I gotta get back to work, but it was nice to hear from you again! Best of luck, Shaddy!"

"Thank you again. Goodbye."

"Buh-bye!"

Shadow and Rouge hung up.

"Ready to go, Shaddy?" asked Peach.

Shadow nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Hey, mind if we come along?" asked Koopski.

"Personally, I believe that Peach and I are more than capable of handling this on our own, but if you and your Strike Force are that insistent on taking on the Koopa Kingdom, I have an idea: Peach and I will lead the assault, and your forces can mop up whatever we miss. Does that sound good to you?"

Koopski stroked his chin. Then, he gave a thumbs up.

"Hey, you two have travelled a long way!" said Koopski. "If you've come this far, then sure, we'll definitely let you take point!"

Shadow nodded. "Good. Then let's move out."

"OORAH!"

Koopski and his men pumped their fists into the air. Shadow smiled, knowing that victory was almost in his grasp and Peach's.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.