Chapter 6

The next morning came by fast. Shade and Espio were covered in her hair while Shadow slept opposite of them curled up in a ball. Birds were singing, butterflies were flying, and one of them landed on Shadow's nose. He shooed it off with his hand and then a drop of water came on his face. And another and another. He woke up and saw Sonic standing over him mad, but he just closed his eyes again not worried.

"I hope you're here to apologize." He said.

The next thing, his screams woke Shade and Espio up. He turned a deep red as he looked around prepare to fight anything. Shade saw Sonic and Shadow fighting, Sonic having the upper hand. He started to drag Shadow away by his foot and Shade chased after him. Soon they were playing tug-of-war with Shadow.

"Give me...him..." Shade said grunting.

"Not...on your...life...lady..." Sonic replied.

Shadow's shoe soon slipped off and all three of them tumbled away from each other. Shadow backed up against a tree as Sonic charged after him, shoe in hand. Shade got in his way to stop him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, blue boy, easy! STOP MOVING!" Sonic calmed down and looked at Shade's eyes. "That's it." he looked at Espio on top of her head back to his normal color. He put up his hands and motioned them to make him stop moving. Sonic then looked back at Shade.

"Now kneel." She said treating him like a dog. Sonic looked at her with a "are you serious" look.

"Kneel!" Sonic did.

"What?" Shadow said annoyed and amazed that he would listen to her.

"Now give me the shoe. Give it!" Sonic gave her the shoe and she threw it over to Shadow. She knelt down to his level.

"Aw, you're such a good boy. Yes you are. Aren't you tired from chasing this bad man all over the place?"

"Heck yeah, I am!" Sonic replied with his ears down.

"Excuse me?!" Shadow yelled.

Shade hugged Sonic, "Nobody appreciates you, do they? Do they?" Sonic shook his head and hugged her back.

"Aw c'mon! He's the bad guy!" Shadow said.

"Oh, he's nothing but a big sweetheart. Isn't that right, uh..."

"Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic said.

"You've got to be kidding me." The annoyed Shadow said.

Sonic gave him the evil eye getting up before Shade intervened.

"Look, today is kind of the biggest day of my life, and the thing is, I need you not to get him arrested."

"What?! Are you serious?!" Sonic yelled. Shadow got up and stood next to Shade. The 2 boys had a stare down.

"Just for 24 hours, and then you 2 can chase each other to your heart's content, okay?"

Shadow sighed before putting his hand out, but Sonic looked away.

"And it's also my birthday. Just so you know."

Sonic laughed before thinking it over and shaking Shadow's hand. The two growled at each other, but Shade walked forward between them towards the sounds of bells ringing. As they watched her go, Sonic punched Shadow in the stomach knocking him to the ground.

The four of them got to the bridge connecting them to the kingdom. She jumped up and down excited as she walked forward. Shadow saw a wanted poster and took it down crumpling it up. Sonic crossed his arms and stared at him, but Shadow stuffed the paper in him mouth before smirking.

Sonic spit the paper back at his face and laughed. Shadow took the paper off and pushed Sonic, and the 2 started fighting. They heard Espio squeaking, and they turned to see him of Shade's head. He pointed at both of them with a mad face.

The 2 stopped fighting and stood next to each other angrily nudging each other.

When they got to the town square, Shade was ahead of them taking in all the sights. She saw decorations of a silver crescent moon on the front of a red background. Flags of them were everywhere and the people were, too.

She walked forward, but almost got trampled by a wagon, people kept bumping into her, and worst of all her hair kept getting stepped on. Sonic and Shadow caught up and gathered her hair holding it up for her. They looked around and saw little girls braiding each other's hair. Sonic whistled them to look over and they had the biggest grins on their faces when they saw Shade's hair.

Shade sat down on the ground and the girls went to work. Shadow ducked behind a post as guards came by, and Sonic chuckled. Shadow glared at him before looking at Shade.

When they were done Shade spun around, her hair in one big braid almost touching the floor. It was covered in little red flowers to hold the braid together.

"Thank you." She said.

Shadow smiled a bit before Sonic nudged him smirking. "You like her, don't you?"

Shadow scoffed and pushed him away before they kept walking.

Shade pulled Shadow to all the shops and stands in the town picking out fruit and jewelry before putting them down.

As they were waiting in line for food, Shade looked over at a wall with a glass-stone picture on it. The little pieces making a mural. A tan mother rabbit named Vanilla, a little, yellow, 2 tailed fox named Tails, and a little, cream colored rabbit named Cream with a blue chao named Cheese were sitting on the step of the mural. Tails had an orchid and put it down next to other flowers placed from other people.

"It's for the lost princess." He told Cream smiling.

"I hope she's okay." She replied.

Shade looked at the picture. It was Queen Arelia holding a baby. She had black fur and bangs, long ivory hair, and big deep red eyes like Shade. She thought about something for the moment before turning to see musicians playing a song.

Shadow paid for the food and turned to see Shade dancing to the music. She danced over to Tails and took his hands to dance with her. Soon, she grabbed for people join her in the dance including the 2 rabbits.

Everyone was clapping their hands to the song and dancing in step to the music. Sonic and Espio came over next to Shadow and watched. Shade gestured for them to danced, but Shadow shook his head.

"Go dance with her!" Sonic pushed him into the crowd. Shadow glared at him before being taken away by another woman. Sonic and Espio laughed.

Earlier Shadow bought a red cloth with the symbol of the silver crescent moon and gave it to Shade. She held it up in the air staring at it looking at the swirls inside of it.

At the dance, Shade and Shadow tried to reach each other, but got taken away by other partners.

With little kids drawing with chalk, Shade stood up with red and white chalk all over her hands and wiped her forehead. She drew the symbol of the moon with swirls of red in the background that took up the size of 4 people.

As guards walked by, Shade and Shadow were in a small alley between some buildings eating cupcakes. In a library, they were reading books about the world and fantasy stories.

Back at the dance it was almost night fall, Shadow looked at Shade while she dance with her eyes closed. They both turned and opened their eyes when they ended the song hand in hand. Both of them were breathing heavily as everybody clapped and cheered.

"TO THE BOATS!" a man said.

Shade and Shadow blushed as they walked away.

On the edge of the kingdom, Shade, Shadow with Espio on his shoulder, and Sonic, were at a separate dock. The 3 of them got in while Sonic stayed there.

"Hey, Sonic." He said. Shadow threw him a covered plate before rowing away. He sat down and uncovered it to find chili dogs under it. Sonic looked at Shadow skeptically.

"What? I bought them." He turned around a rowed again as Sonic took a bite. "Most of them."

Sonic stopped chewing and looked at the chili dogs scared of what Shadow did.

"Where are going?" Shade asked.

"Well, best day of your life, I figured you should have a decent seat." He held out his hand as Espio climbed on and was put down on the post where the rope was tied.

Farther out from the kingdom were they as Shadow turned the boat sideways to see it. It was darker now, but the silhouette of the kingdom looked beautiful.

Shade sighed and looked down.

"You okay?" Shadow asked.

"I'm terrified."

"Why?"

"I've been looking out a window for 18 years dreaming what it would feel like when the lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"

"It will be."

"Heh. And what if it is? What do I do then?"

"Well, that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream."

The 2 looked at each other before looking back towards the kingdom.

Inside the castle, the queen was getting ready for the lantern ceremony. But she wasn't happy. Her daughter still hadn't come and she started to lose hope. Rouge, now 22, was fixing her hair when she noticed the look on her face.

"Don't be sad." She said. "She'll come one day."

"You say that every year, but yet she dosen't." Arelia replied.

"But this time I know it's true. Trust me."

Arelia smiled at Rouge and she returned it with a hug. She was Arelia's friend in the castle and most trusted servant. She couldn't ever do anything without her.

The guards opened the doors to the balcony that over looked the kingdom. At the front was a pedestal with one glowing lantern that had the crescent symbol on it. Arelia walked up to it and looked at the crowd. She put her hand out and lifted the lantern from the pedestal into the air.

As she did the townspeople lighted their lanterns as well.

At the boat, Shadow had tiny flowers in his hand and Shade was picking them out and putting them in the water. As she looked at the water a light popped up reflecting off of it.

Shade looked up and saw the lantern floating in the sky, millions more following it. She got up and scrambled to the edge off the boat knocking Shadow and it back and forth. She held on the front of it standing up and looked at the lights. She started to think,

"All those days, watching from the window. All those years, outside looking in. All that time never even knowing just how blind I've been. Now I'm here blinking in the starlight, now I'm here suddenly I see. Standing here, it's oh so clear I'm where I'm meant to be. And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light, and it's like the sky is new. And it warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted."

The lanterns surrounded them. "All at once everything looks different now that I see you..."

Shade looked down and turned to see Shadow holding 2 lanterns. She sat down in front of him, "I have something for you too." She turned and took out the satchel from behind her.

"I should've given it to you before, but...I was just scared. And the thing is...I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

Shadow put one of the lanterns down and moved the satchel out the way. "I'm starting to." They both lifted up their lanterns and they twirled around each other. Shadow thought,

"All those days, chasing down a daydream. All those years, living in a blur. All that time never truly seeing things the way they were."

Shadow looked at Shade as she reached out for the lantern with the moon on it before it hit the water. Shadow reached for her hand and she noticed blushing.

"Now she's here, shining in the starlight. Now she's here suddenly I know. If she's here, it's crystal clear I'm where I'm meant to go..."

They both started to sing aloud.

"And at last I see the light..."

"And it's like the fog is lifted..."

"And at last I see the light..."

"And it's like the sky is new..." Shade sang beautifully.

"And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted...All at once everything looks different now that I see you…"

Espio covered his eyes and turned to the color of pink as they leaned closer, "Now that I... see you..."

Shadow moved her some of her hair out of the way as Shade closed her eyes. Shadow was about to kiss her, but saw someone in the distance. Or 2 of them. Jet and Storm were waiting at the edge of the forest with a green lantern and they walked away.

Shade glanced behind her. "Is everything okay..."

"Huh?" Shadow said. "Oh yes, yes of course." He looked at the satchel. "I just..."

Shadow pulled the boat to the edge of the forest and grabbed the satchel.

"I'm sorry, everything is fine. I just need to take care of something first."

Shade had a worried look on her face as she glanced at the satchel then back to Shadow. "O-okay."

"I'll be right back." Shadow ran father away on the edge of the forest to find the hawk and albatross. Espio climbed onto Shade's shoulder with a worried look on his face.

"Don't worry, Espio. He'll be back."

Shadow slowed to a stop as he saw Jet and Storm next to a boat.

"Ah! There you are." Shadow said. "I've been searching everywhere for you guys since we got separated. Those feathers are coming in nice, huh Jet? Must be pretty excited about that."

Jet looked at him angrily.

"Ahem. Anyhow, just wanted to say, I shouldn't have spilt. The crown is all yours. I'll miss ya, but I think it's for the-" Shadow was about to walk away, but walked into Storm, "-best."

"Holdin' out on us again, eh Life-form?" Jet said.

"What?"

"We heard you found something. Something much more valuable than a crown." He walked towards him.

"We want her instead."

Shade was standing by the boat gettting worrier by the minute. But then she saw a shadow in the distance.

"Oh my gosh... I thought you ran off with the crown and left me for a second."

The shadow turned out to be 2 of them and revealed to be Jet and Storm.

"He did." Jet said smiling.

"What? No, you're lying."

"See for yourself." Jet gestured to the water.

Shade walked towards the edge and saw a boat with Shadow riding in it with the crown in hand.

"Shadow?" she whispered. She yelled for him louder. "SHADOW!"

"Fair trade." Jet said touching her hair. "A crown for the girl with magic hair."

She turned around. "How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" Storm opened a sack and they both walked towards her. Shade ran away from them, but soon her hair got stuck on a log. She tried to pull it out, but it was no use.

Suddenly, she heard whack and thumps to the ground. She looked to where the sound was coming from.

"Shade?!" the voice said.

"Dad?" Shade walked towards him holding a large stick while she saw the 2 boys unconscious. He looked even more crystalized.

Mephiles dropped the stick and opened his arms as Shade ran to him. "My precious girl."

"Dad."

He looked her over. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Dad, how did you-"

"I was worried about you, dear. So I followed you and I saw them attack you and..." he hugged her again.

"Let's go. Let's go, before they come, too." They ran away back to the forest. Shade looked at the boat one last time before turning away to see Mephiles holding a lantern.

She had tears in her eyes as she ran to hold him close. "You were right, daddy. You were right about everything."

"I know darling...I know..."

At the prison dock, guards were patrolling until the boat with Shadow on it hit the dock.

The guards looked to see the crown in his hand...and to also see Shadow tied up. He coughed before waking up and finding Shade nowhere to be found.

"Shade? Shade?!"

Before he could do anything, 7 guards came onto the boat and took Shadow away.

Sonic was sitting by the dock yawning until he heard something.

"Wait, wait, wait! Guys, come on!"

Sonic walked over and saw Shadow trying to pry himself from the guards, but couldn't. "SHADE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Sonic gasped and looked out to where the forest was worried.