Author's Note: Hello friends! It's Elizabeth, back again from her disappearing act of 2014... again. As you can see, I'm back on here again, and after a long while of not writing, I've finally found myself inspired to make more fan-fiction. I know I keep leaving you guys, but I'm going to try to be better in terms of updating. I had lost the drive to write anything, and even this chapter alone was a compete struggle. I hope you guys can continue to support me and enjoy the content I provide. :) I introduce to you: Reflecting Light.

Author's Note 7/21/2022: Hello again, it's me. I just want to thank you floods of messages I've received regarding the inconsistencies of these stories! These have been out there for so long, that sometimes I need a peer to look over my work and let me know what I've done wrong, because these were once brewing in the mind of a fifteen year old girl, and Lord KNOWS what she was thinking. Definitely not the age inconsistencies! Just like my other story, Turn Your Tears to Roses, I'll do my best to sharpen these other chapters up and edit them so that they are smoother. Thank you again! You guys make me better. 3

Chapter 1: Big News

Amy Rose stared at the ceiling of her one-bedroom apartment and heaved a sigh.

Her chest rose slowly with the steady breathing she attempted to maintain, but it was no use.

The morning finally peered through her window, "I have to get up." She lifted herself from her bed and stretched; being in bed for so long was never her style, but since working late nights at The Dancing Baroness, she's been avoiding the calls of her alarms in the morning.

Living in Central City all her life, things have definitely changed from years ago when she was younger; more modernized and has since been relinquished of Eggman's tyranny, things have been calm and touristy, as a matter of fact. More nightlife breathes through the city, as more restaurants, cafes, and clubs extend their hours to accommodate the public need, and it was only natural of Amy to take up a job that would provide well to fuel her moderately comfortable lifestyle.

She checked her phone and saw that she had a missed call from Rouge the Bat, her best friend of many years. She and Rouge have been through the most together, from middle school and beyond, they remain close. The message read:

'Get your ass out of bed and meet me at Alonzo's! I have some news for you. ;)'

Amy couldn't help but grimace at the message: what could she want?

Whenever Rouge said it in such an "over-enthusiastic" sort of way, it always made Amy nervous.

Even in her mind, she could see the saucy bat's suspicious wink, and she knew it meant trouble.

She saw that the message was from 9:30, and after checking her lock screen, she realized she was way past late. 10:45.

Shit.

She quickly went through her closet and threw on the easiest outfit she can assemble on a hot summer day in Central City: she combed her long pink quills from the matted mess that was from her slumber and threw on a red tube top and jean shorts.

Amy has always been well aware of her small frame, but even at 30, she always hoped that she would grow in... certain areas. She was definitely no Rouge, whose body was just a roadmap of bumps and curves in all the right places; for God's sakes, her chest defied so much physics, Amy always thought it's something that needed to be scientifically studied.

She looked at herself in the mirror and grasped her own chest, perking them up slightly, until she sighed in defeat, letting her generously-sized breasts fall, "... Why am I so flat..."

She shook her head away from the thoughts as soon as she saw the time, "Shit! I gotta go!" And with her keys in her hand while her dignity in the other, she left out the door.


"Hey! Sorry, I'm so late. Did you wait long?"

Amy approached an outdoor table of Alonzo's, an "Italian-themed" coffee spot that's always been the ladies' go-to whenever it came to impromptu dates.

There, sipping her drink, was the voluptuous moonlit-skinned mammal, who definitely looked appropriate for the summer weather: her short hair curved outward from her face to displace the heat while wearing a simple black tank and jeans.

Since her sunglasses were sitting on top of her head, one could see that even in the heat, she didn't shy away from her usual blue eyeshadow and pink gloss that she's been sporting since high school.

She looked up at Amy and rolled her eyes, "My, my, look who finally decided to check her phone."

Amy laughed, grabbing a seat and sitting across from her, "Sorry! I got home pretty late last night; we didn't close till 3 and I couldn't leave Morris to close by himself."

"But it's so ridiculous that you're always worn out! That fat-ass has been doing just fine closing by himself, there is no reason he needed to make you stay that long."

"We had a packed house yesterday! There's no way!"

Rouge groaned and placed a hand on the temples of her head, "I just wish you didn't have to be working so hard. I told you you could stay with me at my place if you wanted to save your money—"

Amy released a chuckle, picking up a menu that sat beside them at the table, "Ooooh yeah: I'm totally gonna move in, MOM... but didn't you forget one teensy little thing?"

Rouge peeked back up from her phone.

"... What?"

"Oh, I don't know... you're PERHAPS MARRIED?"

"OH YEAH! I forgot about that one, haha!" Rouge said as she released a hearty laugh

and smiled widely. "He's hardly home anyway! You'd be keeping me company and I could keep you fed! See? It'd be a win-win for both of us!"

Amy reflected a grin, "Yeah, but I don't know how to feel about moving in with you and Knuckles. You guys have only been married for a year, and it just doesn't seem right."

She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of admiration, "You guys should enjoy the honeymoon phase while it lasts~ I don't want to get in the way of that at all."

Rouge glanced down at her drink, staring at it in a daydream.

"Yeah, I guess you could say I'm one of the lucky ones..." she said in a low voice and followed it with a sip of her drink. "But since you're finally here... I have shit to tell you."

Amy blinked, and scooted closer to her best friend, "... Shit on who?"

Rouge sighed, and began stirring her drink with her straw, "I guess I should ask you first... but, have you heard of anyone coming back to town lately?"

The pink hedgehog leaned back on her chair and pondered, In town'? Was there someone coming?

"Hm... What, is Cream back from school? I thought she wasn't coming till next year—"

Rouge's eyes widened, but then closed them as she took another sip of her drink, "Well, I shouldn't be surprised... that's why I called ya to begin with. It's about the S-word..."

Amy placed her hands underneath her chin, "... What, are Sonic's friends in the city again? You know, I'm really so damn tired of Vector—"

The bat's composure was anything but patient, and with Amy's naiveté, she couldn't contain herself anymore, "I'm not talking about DUMBASS VECTOR, I'm talking about SHADOW BEING BACK."

Amy froze in place; she could feel the color from her cheeks muting and her hands losing its warmth. "Shadow? H-He's back? Shadow's... back?"

She felt her voice crack and her consciousness fizzle; she felt herself slipping so far away from the light, that she reached for Rouge's drink and chugged it. Rouge laughed, "So... tell me: what are you gonna do?"

Amy spat her drink out, "D-Do!? Do w-what!?"

Rouge leaned in towards her. "Oh, face it: you guys have the WORST sexual tension I've ever seen! Y'all need to fuck and get it over with."

The petite rose blushed rapidly, trying to contain her composure, "W-What!? N-No way! Besides! I'm with S-Sonic now, s-so why should I c-care if S... Shadow's back..."

Amy sighed; she felt her heart beat a million miles a minute and she didn't know how to think. "Besides! That chapter is WAY over! We were playing the same song and dance for years and we finally decided on how to handle it."

"Oh, that's a crock of shit and you know it," rebutted Rouge, "Come on, Amy! We all know that the real reason he left was because of—"

Amy rose from her seat that instant, interrupting her mid-speech, "He left because he wanted to. I already said that I have nothing more to say on the matter and I really don't want to be reminded of this crap, especially when it's literally been years!"

The two women stared at each other for what seemed to be the longest while until Rouge chuckled, breaking the silence, "… Look, I didn't bring it up to upset you. There's a reason why he's here."

Amy took to her seat once more, "Yeah? What for? You know you can just say her name, it doesn't bother me anymore."

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing! Look, I understand what you're trying to do for me, but it's really unnecessary! Did he come back to see Maria? Because if that's the case, why does any of that have to do with me? Me and Sonic are perfectly happy together and I would appreciate it if you can just give me the reader's digest of it all and just be out with it!"

Amy felt the annoyance radiate in her face. The thought of the old acquaintance made her dizzy with increased anger.

All these years that have passed, she was finally able to move on from a confusing fling that wasn't even going to go anywhere in the first place, so why is it that people continue to incessantly bring him up to her? She's happy, he's happy (from what she's heard), and she preferred the distance they had in their social circle.

Rouge began to sweat, fanning herself with a manicured hand, "Will ya simmer down a tad and cut the self-deprecation? See, I knew you were gonna be like this the moment his name popped…"

Amy parted her lips to reply, but seeing Rouge's annoyed expression, she swallowed her words. She knew she was being ridiculous, but the thought of… him… being in the same city as her just placed her in an out-of-the-ordinary mood. She thought she made peace with her feelings of the past, and yet, here she was, yelling at her friend who merely invited her out to dish about other people's business. Things that had nothing to do with her.

"… I'm sorry. Look, I'm cool, I'm cool. So, tell me…" Amy began, picking up the menu again, "What's he in town for? Is he here to see Maria?"

Rouge reached into her purse that slung on her chair and grabbed her compact.

She began to reapply her lip gloss, and as she pressed the doe foot against her lips, she peered over to Amy in a neutral glance, "Turns out Maria died last night."


Metropolis was a hole festered with people who were hungry for the dark, and just as they went about and scoured the town for sex and alcohol, he himself was a fan of the bottle.

Any other night, he would've finished up whatever was left at the office, placed the minimal remainders onto his assistants, and then walked home or took a train. Depending on whether or not he felt festive enough, he would visit his favorite bar and have a glass of his favorite bourbon. He would stay, despite the loud company that would visit the bar as he did, and take time to be with himself until he felt ready to pay his bill and leave.

But tonight, was a different kind of night.

Today, in general, was a different kind of day. He ended up leaving early due to a straining headache he's been having all week.

Despite his assistants' protest of going straight home and resting, he decided to detour towards his favorite bar and sit with his bourbon. The headaches would come sporadically, and although he did think at one point it was because of the daily intake of alcohol, it wasn't just any sort of pain. He remembered this twinge from many years ago, back when he was still… finding himself.

He remembered always having visions or flashbacks of memories accompanying these headaches, but this time, nothing really occurred. What he had been hearing, however, is a voice… whispering his name.

Shadow… Shadow…

His cellphone began buzzing when he took a swig of his drink. He groaned, dreading the idea of his team calling him for the most trivial thing at work. Why even have assistants if they were just going to continue to pester you all the time? He answered after releasing a sigh, then cleared his throat, "Yes, hello?"

"It's me."

Shadow stopped mid-drink and placed his glass down slowly. "… Gerald?"

"The one and the same."

"I told you I didn't want you calling me."

"Oh, piss off! You should be kissing my ass and be grateful that I'm even bothering to call you."

"For someone that's a self-proclaimed 'genius', I thought you'd at least be smart enough to have some sense of direction and know when your presence isn't wanted."

Gerald Robotnik. The name alone brought Shadow close to an uncontrollable fury. Despite being created by the man, he was the one complicated factor that prevented he and—

"So, son. About Maria."

Shadow's ears perked at the sound of her name. Maria. It's been quite some time since he's seen her last. It was two springs ago before he was gained his current teaching position; he visited Maria at the hospital and was gifted flowers and balloons from her. As infantile as he had thought it was at the moment, it was very much like Maria… Maria.

"… How is she? I know I haven't stopped by in a while, but I take it she's doing well?"

Silence seeped into the connection, which he found surprisingly odd. He continued to fill the emptiness with more chatter, "How did her recent check-up go? I know she had that strange cough last time I saw her, but don't know much beyond that. She tends to shy away from her medical status just so I wouldn't worry."

Gerald maintained his silence; only his breathing can be heard from the other end, which only irritated the hedgehog.

"Look, is there any reason for this? Or are we just going to continue playing nice until one of us hangs up? Because I'll assure you, winner is gonna be me—"

"… I know we've had our differences," interrupted Gerald, "… but that's something that's going to have to be set aside right now."

Shadow stared blankly at his drink, only readjusting his seating position, "… What's this really about, Gerald?"

The same silence. The same damnable silence. Shadow was already ready to toss his phone across the room from how staggering this silence was. He's already feeling mixed emotions about the call alone, until the withered old voice broke out again, "Maria's gone. I just thought you should know that her funeral's going to be held in Central City so you can come say your goodbyes."

Shadow felt his body grow numb. Gerald continued on with the conversation, but all Shadow could hear was just a loud reverberated ringing in his ears. Every sound, every voice, every dim light that was in that bar was all just a jumbled, high pitch ringing in his ears, and he just lost grip on the present before him.

He forgot all about his work, his severed relationship with Gerald Robotnik, going home— all of it seemed meaningless to him now.

All that was in his mind was Maria's smile. A smile that will no longer shine at him again.

He felt his throat tense up; he tried to gain his composure and his words, but it was no use.

He couldn't speak. He understands it all now. The headaches, the voice— it was Maria trying to reach him, and he didn't listen.

Even while he was trying to let words spill out, Gerald was already gone.

All Shadow was accompanied with was the dial tone to a concluded conversation.

~ End of Chapter 1~

Editor's Note: HEY! You've reached the end of this chapter! It's so weird to actually complete a chapter when I haven't written in so long (can't you tell?), but this was a lot of fun to make. I love how melodramatic it is and how things are turning out so far. I typically write a lot of SonAmy fanfiction, so it was nice to write outside the box and write for a shipping that I've always had a guilty pleasure for (ain't it obvious yet...?). I originally wanted Shadow to be with Rouge, because I wanted him to have a romantic interest in one of the characters, but it was an instant no-brainer that the one that made the most sense out of everyone would be Maria. Also, as a completely irrelevant side note, I am so proud in how I incorporated Gerald Robotnik. As a quick refresher, Gerald was Maria's grandfather and was the man that created Shadow. Towards the ending, you can tell Shadow has very "interesting" feelings towards his "dad(?)", which will be more obvious in later chapter. If you're into the dramatic, you're in for a hell of a ride. Cheers ~ xo