Shadow suddenly remembered why he didn't like parties.

The Ultimate Lifeform stood beside a long snack table, arms crossed. All around him patrons mingled about, either swiping treats, talking to their peers, or dancing on the ballroom floor. None of the faces stuck out to him; they were all the same uptight, obnoxious nobles who had only two volume settings: loud and ear piercingly loud. Even their attires blurred together. With the ladies it was all long and/or poofy dresses that were either too long or two short. Their designs were complex and appeared to have the entire spectrum vomited all over. For the men it was the same expensively made, tight-necked tuxedos and suits.

Seeing them only made Shadow tug at the collar of his own suit. He admitted, he was rather fond of his outfit: a navy blue tailcoat with light indigo trim and red accents in the form of gems and the undershirt. The shoes he wore were of similar fashion, and almost as comfy as his own air shoes. (Why he couldn't just wear those he would never know).

Blaze was hosting a gala to celebrate an event in her world called "The Golden Moon." It marked the beginning of the Sol Empire's yearly harvest. The brighter it shone, the better the harvest would be. It was also a chance to create alliances with other neighboring kingdoms… according to her administrators. She had extended an invitation to Sonic and the others, both to have them partake in her world's culture… and so she would not be dealing with stuffy royals all night.

That last one went unsaid, but everyone knew it.

In fact, Shadow could see the aforementioned princess standing off to the side, chatting with Silver, Amy, and some other noble who seemed less extravagant than the others. They were being interrupted by some white bat in a blue suit who gave deep bows and grand gestures. Two minutes in, Amy finally stepped up and told him to "get lost." He flinched and spat something back, but one last glare made him disappear into the crowd. Blaze gave the girl a nod and they resumed whatever they were discussing.

Shadow groaned softly; admittedly, the event was not so bad during the day. There were festivities and booths set up around the palace and villages with trinkets, desserts, and a few unique fruits the gang had never heard of. Lanterns hung over the streets, each one carved with a unique pattern and emitting a golden orange glow as the sky grew dark. The streets were crowded, sure, but there were small hiding corners and more vacant areas that gave the hedgehog room to breathe and decompress. All he had to do was find one and walk away. The people were… nice. They seemed surprisingly accepting and welcoming of people from another dimension. (Apparently Sonic and Tails had been there before, because of course that idiot fell face first into another dimension, why not?).

When the sun had set, however, they were all ushered into the palace for dinner, sat through five painstakingly long speeches from visiting royals barely worth mentioning, and then somehow got shoved into a ballroom with live music.

Honestly, Shadow would rather be getting dragged all over the docks by that raccoon girl again. What was her name? Mary… Marie? It started with an M.

Two peacocks stood on the other side of the table, chatting loudly. Shadow cringed; he could practically SMELL the alcohol from across the table. Their laughs were haughty and loud, grating on anyone who was near. Or maybe everything was just getting to Shadow. After all, the lights were bright -intensely so, the sounds were loud, it was getting hot, and the clashing scents of snacks, alcohol, perfume, and cologne were starting to make him sick…

Maybe he should have made himself scarce for a few weeks. Hide where not even Rouge would find him.

"Excuse me."

Shadow turned to his left to find a yellow bird with faded orange feathers. She wore a coral colored mermaid tail dress with a small pink bow in the back. Her beak was sharp and narrow, her scarlet eyes even moreso. She swished her dress and held out a feathered hand, eyelids half closed in a seemingly seductive manner.

"May I have this dance?"

She held out her hand, to which the Ultimate Lifeform barely gave it a glance.

"Sorry. No."

"Oh come on…" the bird insisted, wrapping her hands around his arm, "Just one dance for little old me?"

Shadow pulled his arm away and began walking for the nearest balcony.

"No, thank you. I'm not in a dancing mood tonight."

If anything, he needed air. Air that didn't smell like flowers drowned in soap. He didn't get far as the bird swerved around and blocked his path.

"Of course not. Not without some special persuasion…"

Shadow stared at her with a warning glare.

"Not interested," he stated bluntly, walking away.

"Ooh, you're a tough one."

A red vixen in a revealing black dress sauntered up, cupping his chin. Shadow shoved her hand away and backed up, but the fox quickly grabbed his arm.

"I like that in a man…" she purred, "Why don't we ditch this little gala and go for a walk?"

"Hey!" the bird squawked from behind, "I saw him first!"

"And he rejected you first," the vixen countered smugly.

The bird growled.

"Why you…!"

As the two ladies began arguing, Shadow quickly untangled himself from the fox and marched toward the door. A few people bumped into him, but he hardly cared. He was stopped in his tracks when a strong hand grabbed his own. He whipped around to see a black cat in a royal purple long sleeved dress eyeing him flirtatiously. In her hand was a glass of something earthy mixed with expensive wine.

"Don't listen to them. Here, let's have a drink. It'll calm you down."

Shadow pushed the drink away, pulling his hand out of hers.

"I don't drink."

The Ultimate Lifeform's personal space was ignored once again as the cat very roughly grabbed him by the wrist.

"I bet you just haven't had the right one," she held up the glass, "Just one sip. For me?"

Shadow's quills raised. He broke away from her hold, making her drop the drink in the process. The mahogany liquid spilt into a fair sized puddle while the cup rolled off.

"Go bug someone else," Shadow snarled.

"Hmph. Well…"

The cat was in his face again, cupping his chin. Shadow snarled again and pushed it away. She grabbed him again.

"That's no way to treat a lady, now is it?" she purred, "Now you have to dance with me."

"I don't have to-"

"Don't dance with her!" a younger cat shrieked, pushing the older one out of the way.

She grabbed Shadow's hands and squeezed them tight, eyes eager and begging.

"She has two left feet! Dance with me!"

"Oh please!" the black cat huffed, regaining her balance, "You only want to drag him off into the night and hog him for yourself!"

"How is that different from what you were doing?"

"It's called subtlety, little one. Something you won't understand until you've passed puberty!"

"Hey!"

The two ladies from before stormed up, eyes flaring.

"We saw him first!" the fox growled, before being shoved out of the way by the bird.

"He's mine!"

Bit by bit, the ladies argued amongst each other, trying to figure out who would get the black hedgehog. Amidst the arguing Shadow broke away, walking to the door.

He would just go into town and wander the streets for a few hours until Rouge came to drag him home. Or maybe hide in one of the boats at the dock. Blaze mentioned something about a crystal cave. If he could find that, he could get some distance and some peace. He would return home on his own, but they didn't have the emeralds and Blaze was their only ticket back. He could ask Raven to make a portal home, but right now all he wanted to do was get away. This room was too damn crowded and if he had to deal with another bitch-

"Where do you think you're going, handsome?"

Someone roughly grabbed Shadow by the arms and dragged him over to a nearby column, effectively trapping him in front of it. They were a white minx, with a poofy blue dress and icy blue eyes.

"You're not leaving until I get a dance."

The four ladies stomped over, surrounding him.

"Until we all get a dance."

The red vixen walked up, running a hand up his arm.

"And… maybe a little more…"

Shadow flinched and aggressively shoved her away, quills puffing out defensively.

"Oh don't be like that!" the minx chided playfully, "it's a party! Let's have some fun!"

"Yes," the bird squawked, shoving the minx away, "so have fun with me first!"

"No, me!" the cats cried.

He glared at the small group as they approached. He didn't want to make a mess of Blaze's castle, but he was passed his limits and if no one was going to give him some damn space then he'd make his own-

"Ahem."

A new voice echoed from behind. Everyone paused, turning to see a blue hedgehog with emerald eyes standing before them. He wore a simple navy blue tuxedo with a white undershirt and gold buttons. His shoes were the same navy blue with black and gold accents, and his gloves were a pristine white. His expression was relaxed, accompanied by a small smirk.

"Sorry to butt in, ladies," he said, strolling right through the little mob.

Shadow inwardly groaned; of all the people that could show up…

The blue hedgehog stopped a few inches from the still Ultimate Lifeform, giving a slight bow. He held out his right hand.

"May I?"

Shadow stared, baffled, at the outstretched hand. He looked back up, staring at the hedgehog's emerald eyes. Emerald eyes that conveyed one single message that did not need to be said out loud.

It's either me, or the hungry wolves.

At first he wanted to protest. Just slap the hand away and fight his way out. However, a low, hungry growl from the red vixen helped make up his mind. Tentatively, Shadow reached for the offered hand, swallowing his pride.