The next day, the morning was peaceful as the sun rose over the horizon, shining through the windows of the Thorndyke mansion, hitting the faces of two lovely hedgehogs just right.
Star and Shadow both fluttered their eyes open, waking up to discover that yes, indeed, they had slept in the same bed together last night… and they weren't ashamed of it.
"Good morning." Star whispered soothingly, her voice as sweet as ever.
"Good morning." Shadow whispered back.
"Leugh. Morning breath." Star giggled, playfully pushing Shadow's face away from her.
"You got it too." Shadow chuckled, causing Star to laugh again. "I love your laughter."
"Aw, that's so sweet. I love yours. You should laugh and smile more often."
"Only when I'm around you, My Shooting Star."
Star froze again, her chest bubbling in excitement again. "So it's true. You did give me a pet name."
"As you also gave me." Shadow smirked. "I figured if we're an official couple, we should have pet names. That's a thing with couples, isn't it?"
"Usually, but my last ones didn't involve pet names."
"Then they weren't right for you. Hence the reason for your songs, and hence the reason we're together now."
"True." Star giggled before sitting up and stretching her arms out. "I haven't slept that good in awhile."
"Same here." Shadow nodded. "I'm not used to having somebody by my side when I sleep but if I keep getting a good night's rest like this, I'm sure it won't take me long to adapt."
Star laughed. "Ok, but just letting you know, you're not getting any of this-" She points up and down her body. "Until we've been dating for at least a year."
"That's not what I'm after." Shadow frowned, but a grin was still on his face.
"I know. I'm just letting you know."
"Then I will respect your wishes."
Star nodded and finally got out of bed, headed for her private bathroom to get herself ready for the day. "So, any plans for you today, Shads?"
"None in my book." Shadow shook his head as he got up and started making the bed. "How about you?"
"Nothing in my schedule either." Star grabbed her toothbrush and started brushing her teeth. "No new songs yet. And Drake has a thing he's gotta do today. I think he's still trying to get me to do music videos."
"Why don't you do music videos?"
"I don't know. I've never been comfortable with displaying myself like that. Plus, MVPs are a lot of work. More work than actually making music."
"I can see that." Shadow nodded, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms over her shoulders, swaying them side to side a little. "It's like how telling your brother means a lot of work on getting him to trust me. It's easier to just leave him in the dark."
"... That's not fair." Star frowned at him. "You can't use music videos as an analogy of not telling Sonic about us."
"I know it's not fair. But you know in your heart that it's true."
Star sighed and nodded. "I know."
"Sooner or later we are gonna have to tell him. If we don't, he'll only be more pissed once he finds out on his own."
"I know. You're right… You're always right."
"I'm not always right. Just most of the time."
Star giggled and gently smacked his shoulder. "Alright… We'll tell him today."
Shadow nodded. "I think that would be best."
"You know what? I'm not even gonna wait. We'll tell him right now."
Shadow widened his eyes a bit at the boldness of his girlfriend, but he nodded in approval, agreeing with her decision. "Sounds good to me."
Star nodded. "Alright then… let's go… Let's do it right now."
But as the two hedgehogs left the bathroom to leave Star's room and find Sonic, something suddenly interrupted them. The wall leading to the garden and Star's balcony was suddenly blown into smithereens, creating a large hole in the female hedgehog's room.
"STAR!" Shadow gasped, quickly covering her with his own body so she wouldn't get hit by the blast. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Star nodded, looking up at him with fear in her eyes. "What was that?"
"I don't know." Shadow shook his head.
Suddenly, the door to Star's room burst in and Sonic came running into the room. "What happened?! What was that?!" He froze, growling in fury at the sight before him. "Shadow."
"Faker, it's not what it looks like." Shadow started, only to suddenly be interrupted by a very familiar laugh.
"HOOHOHOHOHOO!"
"Eggman!" Sonic growled, glaring at the large human man as he hovered into view in his Egg Carrier. "What are you doing here?!"
"Hoohoho. Well done, Shadow!" The man sneered in glee. "Just like we planned."
"Planned?!" Sonic shouted, looking back at the ebony hedgehog.
"Shadow?" Star also stared at him, her eyes shining with hurt.
Shadow's eyes widened, looking between Eggman, Sonic, and Star. "N-No! No, I had nothing to do with this!"
"Oh there's no need to act anymore, Shadow. After all, you led me right to her." Suddenly, Eggman pressed a button on his control panel, and a large tentacle like arm shot out and reached for Star, grabbing onto her and pulling her close to the vehicle, gripping her tightly so she wouldn't escape.
"STAR!" Both Sonic and Shadow gasped.
"Sonic! Shadow! Help me!" Star cried, squirming in the arm's grasp.
"Let her go, Eggman!" Sonic demanded.
"Oh, I'll let her go alright. But only if you bring me every single Chaos Emerald you have in your possession. If you don't, well then, you can say bye-bye to your sister." Eggman made the arm wave Star around in Sonic's face mockingly. "Meet me at my base. And bring the Chaos Emeralds. Or you'll never see your precious Star again! HOOHOHOHOHOO!"
"No! Help! Sonic! Shadow!" Star cried in distress as she was taken away.
"Star! No!" Sonic cried, punching the wall beside him. "Damn you, Eggman! Damn you!"
"We'll get her back, Faker. Don't worry."
Shadow's voice made Sonic growl in rage. He whipped around, his hand enclosed into a fist, and quickly connected it to Shadow's face.
"OW!" Shadow yelped, stepping back and holding a hand to his bleeding nose. "What the hell was that for?!"
"As if you don't know." Sonic snarled. "This is all your fault!"
"I told you, I had nothing to do with this." Shadow snarled back. "There was no plan to get your sister captured. I don't know what Eggman is talking about."
"Oh don't take that crap up with me. Of course you were in on this. You were in on this since day one when you decided to string my sister along in a fake relationship!"
"Faker, I-" But Shadow didn't get to finish as in his fury, Sonic jumped him, pinning him down to the floor as he started punching his rival's face repeatedly.
"STAY. AWAY. FROM. MY. SISTER!"
When Sonic was through with his rage, Shadow was unconscious, his own blood spilling onto the floor from his nose and mouth. Sonic huffed in satisfaction and got up from the other hedgehog, quickly leaving Star's room, calling for Tails as he did so.
…
"You'll never get away with this, Eggman!" Star growled as she was kept in the grasp of the tentacle, hanging above the ground at Eggman's fortress. "My brother will come, and then he'll kick your ass, just like he always does!"
"Oooh, I'm counting on his arrival." Eggman smirked. "And with his arrival, I'm counting on him having the Chaos Emeralds with him."
"There's no way he'll even have one Emerald on him. He's not stupid enough to believe that you'll trade me for the Emeralds."
"Oh, but I'm certain he loves you enough to be willing to try. The bond between twins is unbreakable. He'll do anything to get you back."
"Yeah but knowing you, you're really not planning on keeping up your end of the deal. Give it up. You're not getting those Emeralds!"
"Then he will lose you much quicker, in a more gruesome circumstance."
"I knew it! What is your plan with those Emeralds, Eggman?!"
"That will be left as a surprise, my dear girl. Nothing you need to concern yourself with… yet."
"I'll tell! I'll tell him it's a trap!"
"And how will you do that when you're gagged? Bocoe! Decoe! Gag her!"
"Sorry about this." Decoe apologized as he held a gag up to Star's mouth.
"No! No! Sonic!" Star cried, twisting and turning her head around to avoid the gag being put in her mouth.
"Bocoe, hold her head still." Decoe ordered his silver brother.
"No!" Star gasped as her head was held still. She took a deep breath, about to use her Song Blast, but she didn't get a chance to as the golden robot put the cloth in her mouth, tying it back behind her head. She mumbled and screamed behind the gag, but her voice went unheard. She tried to sing, but her Song Blast could not penetrate the barrier. She was completely helpless. 'Sonic. Please don't fall for his tricks.'
…
Sonic sat in the back of the Tornado in the co-pilot seat, looking down at the bag in his hands. The brown satchel held all three Chaos Emeralds that he and his friends were able to find. He didn't want to give them to Eggman, but he was willing to do anything if it meant that he would let Star go safely. He didn't want his sister getting in the line of fire if he had to fight him.
"Sonic, are you sure this is a good idea?" Tails asked the hedgehog from up front. "You know Eggman might not keep his end of the deal."
"I'm aware of that, Tails, but I have to try. She's my sister. I can't let her be a part of this. And if Eggman is willing to trade her for the Emeralds, then I can at least have the relief that she won't be hurt."
"I suppose you're right." Tails sighed. "I just have this feeling that it's not going to go as smoothly as you hope."
"You and me both, little buddy… We're here."
Tails pulled the plane close to the platform of Eggman's base and hovered there, opening the hatch and allowing Sonic to jump out safely with the bag of Emeralds. "Good luck, Sonic. I hope you'll be able to save your sister."
"Oh, I'll save her alright. I'll save her and then give Eggman the beating of a lifetime… Just like I gave Shadow, that traitorous heartbreaker. How could he use Star as a part of Eggman's evil plot?"
"He may have not had anything to do with it."
Sonic scoffed, not wanting to hear that excuse again. "Go home, Tails. I'll radio you once Star is safe and sound."
Tails nodded and closed the hatch again, turning on the boosters and taking off back to the Thorndyke Mansion. Sonic took a deep breath once the fox had left and turned to the entrance of the fortress. "Alright, Eggman. Here I come."
…
Sonic ran at his usual speed through the fortress of his nemesis, checking every room to see where he could possibly be keeping his twin sister hostage. As every room came up empty he started to panic. Had Eggman actually tricked him?
"Where are you, Eggman?!"
Suddenly, a screech went through the halls, the sound of an intercom coming on with some feedback interfering until the screech went away and Eggman's voice came through loud and clear. "Hello, Sonic. Welcome back to my fortress."
"Where is my sister!"
"Oh there's no need to fret about your dear sister. She is perfectly safe with me. Have you brought the Emeralds?"
"Yes, I have them with me now."
"Excellent. Head upstairs to the top floor. You'll find me there, with your twin safe and sound. Don't keep us waiting."
Sonic growled as the intercom went out again. "I swear, you better have not hurt a single quill on her head, or else I'll rip off your cajones and boil them in motor oil!" And he took off up the stairs. At the very top, he came up to a solid metal door. He curled up into a ball, spinning in place before he shot at the door, spindashing right through it before uncurling and standing in a fighter's position as he saw Eggman still in his Carrier, with Star still being held by the tentacle arm, a gag now tied in her mouth.
"You know you could've just knocked instead of destroying my door." Eggman frowned at him.
"Don't you dare think about lecturing me right now." Sonic hissed. "Release my sister!"
"I will, not to worry." Eggman laughed. "But first, the Emeralds."
"No, I don't trust you. Let go of my sister first, and then I'll give you the Emeralds."
"Au contraire, I don't really trust you either, hedgehog." Eggman frowned, but then he smirked. "But if you insist."
Suddenly, the tentacle shot over the edge of the fortress, holding Star above a thirty story drop before suddenly letting go.
"No!" Sonic cried out as Star started to fall. "Ok! Ok! I'll give you the Emeralds first!"
"Good choice." Eggman smirked as he commanded the arm to catch the falling hedgehog again and bring her back up, holding her close to the vehicle.
Star's eyes clearly showed fear, but even though she was acrophobic, it wasn't the fall that she was afraid of. She was trying to warn her brother that it was a trap, but he wasn't getting the idea. Even when she shook her head when Sonic started pulling the three Chaos Emeralds he had out of the bag, he paid no attention to her, his mind clouded with the thoughts of keeping his sister safe.
"Here." He said, holding them up to the human. "Take them."
Eggman smirked and summoned another arm from his Egg Carrier to come out and grab the Emeralds, bringing them close to him before dropping them in his hand. "Only three?"
"That's how many we found so far. I swear it."
"Hmm, it'll have to do." Eggman pressed another button and a compartment opened, which he promptly dropped the Emeralds into, closing the compartment and locking it tightly.
"Alright, you have the Emeralds. Now release my sister."
"Actually," The evil man smirked. "I think I'm gonna hold onto her a little while longer. Perhaps with these Emeralds, I'll turn her into my first test subject for robotization."
"No!" Sonic gasped.
"Oh yes! You stupid, gullible hedgehog!" Eggman laughed, pressing another button and turning on the turbo boosters of his vehicle. He was about to take off when suddenly, something blasted against the side of the Carrier, rocking it around a bit and singeing the paint. "What the heck was that?!"
"You best be releasing the female hedgehog, Eggman."
Sonic growled and looked behind him, watching as Shadow stepped through the hole Sonic had made in the door. Star gasped at the sight of her boyfriend's face. As she had feared, her brother had beat the crap out of him. His left eye was swollen, and his nose and mouth were covered in blood. There was even a small cut on his right cheek.
"Geez, what happened to you, Shadow?" Eggman raised an eyebrow at him.
"Because you stupidly lied about how I had anything to do with this incredibly half-brained plan of yours, Star's brother beat the living shit out of me." Shadow growled. "Don't mess with his sister. And don't mess with my girlfriend!" He summoned another Chaos Spear in his palm and shot it at the Egg Carrier, hitting it dead center in fury, making the vehicle shudder.
Eggman grunted from the shake of the attack and he growled. "Enough of this! Robots! Attack!"
"Stay out of this, Shadow!" Sonic sneered, curling up and shooting at the robots as they started to swarm.
"Absolutely not!" Shadow denied and he also started spindashing at the robots around them. "I'm not leaving until Star is safe."
"Why on Earth would you even care?! You're the reason why she's in this mess!"
"I told you, I had nothing to do with this!"
"But you led Eggman to her!"
"It's not my fault that he stalks me!"
As they argued, they continued to fight the robots that surrounded them. Eggman was only half paying attention to the argument, finding it amusing that they were actually being typical boys and fighting over a girl. But as his robots distracted the two speed demons, he was busy using his control panel to remotely get his second secret base powered up and ready for him. This second base was what he was using to house the invention meant for robotization, and it's where he was planning on taking Star to.
Finally, he got the ok that the second base was up and running. He looked back up at the two male creatures, unsurprised that they had destroyed all his robots, but he didn't care. He had better things to do than complain. Besides, he could easily build more.
"As much as I enjoy watching you two bicker, I have places to be, and a hedgehog to roboticize." He laughed as he started to fly off again, taking Star and the Chaos Emeralds with him.
"Oh no you don't!" Shadow hissed, curling up and spindashing at the Egg Carrier before he could get away, breaking through the engine, tearing out the wires, going through the compartment and grabbing the Emeralds from inside.
The Egg Carrier started to sputter and spazz, its driver losing control of the vehicle fast. "No! You fool! What have you done?!"
Suddenly, the arm that had been holding Star threw itself out again over the edge of the fortress, losing control and losing its grip on the hedgehog, dropping her over the side again.
"STAR!" Both hedgehogs cried as she started to fall again, her screams unheard from the gag in her mouth.
Shadow looked down at the Emeralds in his hand and quickly rushed to Sonic, shoving two of them into his arms. "Take these! I only need one!"
"What are you-?!"
"CHAOS CONTROL!"
Shadow suddenly disappeared from Sonic's sight, teleporting to the side of the fortress and appearing underneath Star. He held his arms out, allowing the light blue hedgehog to fall against him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, smiling as she turned to look at him with wide eyes. "Hello, beautiful. Hold on tight. You might feel a little dizziness. CHAOS CONTROL!" He teleported again, appearing on the ground, a good 80 yards away from the building. Star's head swam a bit from the teleportation, allowing Shadow to hold onto her. "I said you might feel a little dizzy."
Suddenly, the fortress shook violently in front of them. They looked up, watching as Sonic shot from the top of the building where the fight had taken place. He ran down the side, barely escaping from the cloud of black smoke and dust and debris that chased after him. It was clear that Sonic's anger had overwhelmed him enough to destroy Eggman's equipment and cause an explosion. The evil genius would be out of business for a while.
"Curse that hedgehog!" Eggman cried out in rage as the explosion also caused his Egg Carrier to fly up into the sky, taking him with it before becoming nothing but a speck in the sky and blinking out of existence for now.