The Royal Ball

*The night of the ball arrived & all the nobles in the land had been invited. The royal ballroom (look up "Beauty And The Beast Ballroom Background" by "jakeysamra" on "DeviantArt") was decorated in it's finest & was polished until it shined like gold. The Prince's families were also in attendance. Even Prince Bartleby's family, despite their son being a statue. At exactly 8 o'clock, trumpets sounded & the guests clapped as the Royal Family entered the ballroom. Abigail was wearing a gold crown & a light blue dress (look up "Peach - Princess Bluebelle #1" by "Katlime" on "DeviantArt"). Her ladies-in-waiting were also with them, a long with Rosie & Harvey. Lacey was wearing a pink gown (look up "Peach - Cinderella (Mother's Dress)" by "Katlime" on "DeviantArt"), Sally was wearing a lime green gown (look up "Peach - Belle (Lime Gown)" by "Katlime" on "DeviantArt"), & Blaze was wearing a light purple gown (look up "Peach - Screechy Princess" by "Katlime" on "DeviantArt"). The guests bowed as they made their way to the windows*

King Robert: Welcome esteemed guests. You have all come from near and far to attend my daughter, Princess Abigail's, coming of age ceremony. At midnight, my daughter will be eligible for the throne and she will choose one of these fine young men to be her future husband. *he motioned to the suitors & their families* Now, everyone please enjoy the party.

*Then the ball officially began. Abigail & her Father danced the first dance. Once it was over, she danced with all of her suitors, one by one. But she wasn't paying attention to any of them. She just kept glancing at the doors & the clock*

Knuckles: Is something wrong, Princess.

Abigail: Oh. It's nothing. *in her mind* Oh, Shadow . . . Please hurry . . . I can't take much more of this.

*Suddenly, as their dance ended, the trumpets sounded & everyone turned to the doors. They opened & Abigail's eyes went wide. Shadow entered the room, wearing a black version of his royal uniform (look up "Prince Shadow-Cosium Outfits (Formal)" by "LiyuConberma" on "DeviantArt") , followed by a aqua green female hedgehog wearing a black hat, matching dress (look up "Pauline - Hildegard (Black Dress)" by "Katlime" on "DeviantArt"). She held a black fan to hide part of her face. Mighty, Sonic, & Silver were also with them, all dressed in black*

Antoine: Announcing, Prince Shadow and the Duchess Matilda!

*Abigail smiled & immediately ran over to him, hugging him*

Abigail: Oh, Shadow! I knew you'd come! I knew all along that no matter what happened, you wouldn't break your promise.

Shadow (Scourge): Of course.

*He kissed her hand*

*All the guests were watching them, curious about this mysterious hedgehog dancing with their Princess, especially the ladies & the Princes, who were watching with twinges of jealousy. Except Knuckles, who could tell by Abigail's eyes that she was in love with this hedgehog*

King Robert: Who is that mysterious hedgehog dressed in black?

Harvey Who: I have never seen him before.

Rosie: He's quite handsome.

King Robert: Whoever he is, I'm glad my daughter seems to have found someone she's interested in. Have them begin the music now.

*Harvey bowed to him*

Harvey Who: Music, maestro!

*The music began & Abigail & the fake Shadow began to dance across the floor. Mighty, Sonic, & Silver all asked Lacey, Sally, & Blaze to dance & they said yes. Breezie made her way towards the King. On the way, Breezie & the fake Shadow exchanged a wicked smirk*

*Meanwhile, in Breezie's castle, Shadow was still struggling to get free from the chain trapping him to the floor*

Shadow:*in his mind* I have to get free! I have to get to Abigail before Breezie and Scourge do!

*Suddenly, he heard a banging sound on the door. A few more hits & the door broke down, revealing Mighty as the one responsible. Sonic & Silver were right behind him. Silver was holding a giant black book*

Mighty: Shadow!

*He ran up to the Prince & use his strength to break the chain*

Shadow: Thanks, guys. But how did you get in here? Doesn't Breezie usually have her gargoyles come alive & patrol the halls?

Sonic: Well, lucky for us, they've got rocks for brains, literally. We distracted them by saying that Breezie needed them to clean the entire castle from top to bottom and if they didn't, she was going turn them into rubble.

Shadow: Nice work.

Sonic: Now, let's get out of here and save your Princess.

*He was about to run out of the room, but Shadow grabbed him by the collar of his shirt*

Shadow: Good plan, but you seem to be forgetting something. *he pointed at the medallion around his neck* As in this medallion preventing me from leaving the castle or the lake!

Sonic: Oh . . . Right.

Silver: Which is why I brought this.

*He held up the big black book*

Shadow: Isn't that Breeze's most powerful spell book? Where did you find it?

Mighty: We found it in a hidden compartment next to the fireplace.

*Silver opened the book & started to flip through it. Soon, he found the page he was looking for*

Silver: Here it is. The Medallion of Imprisonment. It traps the person wearing it in the of the owner's choosing and only the witch or wizard who put the medallion on the prisoner can remove it -

Sonic: Yeah, yeah, yeah! We already know that part! But how do you destroy it!

Silver: Oh, right. *he skimmed the page until he found what he was looking for* Here it is! The only way it can be destroyed is by a mixture of fire and lightning.

Sonic: Okay. We've got a fire in the fireplace, so that takes care of the fire. But how are we going to take care of the lightning? There's not a cloud in the sky tonight.

Mighty: And we don't have time to wait for a thunderstorm.

*Silver started to think*

Silver: Hmm . . . Maybe we don't have to wait. *he rubbed his two sleeves together & created a spark* Ever heard of static electricity?

Shadow: Great idea! Now let's hurry. We've only got one shot at this.

*The four boys stood in front of the fireplace. Sonic & Mighty added more wood to the fire to make it bigger. Some flying embers touched the jewel on the medallion. Then Silver created more sparks with his sleeves & aimed them at the medallion. Suddenly the jewel on the medallion broke into the thousand pieces. The pieces fell to the floor & turned black. Then Shadow removed the medallion from his neck*

Sonic: We did it!

Mighty: Alright!

Silver: Excellent. Now, get going, Shadow. You have to get to the Princess before it's too late!

Shadow: Right. Thank you, my friends!

*Shadow immediately ran out of the castle & straight towards Abigail's castle. Praying that he wasn't too late*

*Back at the castle, Abigail was still dancing with the fake Shadow. Breezie made her way to the King & bowed to him*

Duchess Matilda (Breezie): Your Majesty.

King Robert: Ah, you must be the Duchess that came with the young man my daughter is dancing with.

Duchess Matilda (Breezie): Indeed. He is my nephew. They do make a lovely couple don't they?

King Robert: Yes. They do, don't they.

*Just then, Antoine came into the ballroom*

Antoine: Dinner is served!

*All the guests made their way to the dinning room, where they all sat at the long table for a feast. The fake Shadow sat next to Abigail as she sat next to her Father. The fake Mighty, Sonic, & Silver all sat with Lacey, Sally, & Blaze. He easily won the King over with his charm & sense of humor. Most of the Princes glared daggers at him as he won over the King. Knuckles just focused on eating his dinner. His Father tried to get him to get over there & persuade the Princess over to him, but he was ignored. The fake Shadow sneaked a smug grin at the Princes, making them glare harder*

*Meanwhile, the real Shadow was still running through the woods, towards Abigail's castle*

*Back at the castle, Abigail was dancing with the fake Shadow again*

*Outside, the real Shadow arrived at the castle, but was stopped by the guards*

Guard #1: Stop! Where do you think you're going?

Shadow: Out of my way! I don't have to deal with you!

*He pushed past them & ran into the castle*

Guard #2: Halt! Intruder!

*Suddenly, the clock struck midnight*

Shadow: Oh, no! I have to hurry!

*Back in the ballroom, the sounds of the clock echoed throughout the ballroom. Abigail stood next to her Father*

King Robert: It's time for your decision, my dear.

Abigail: Yes, Father. *she walked up to Shadow* Ladies and gentlemen. Princes and Princesses. I have made my decision. I choose Prince Shadow to be my future husband.

Shadow (Scourge): Of course, my Princess.

*The guests all clapped in joy at the announcement, including Knuckles. The Princes & their families, including Knuckles' Father, all just sighed & clapped in defeat. Knowing it was too late to change her mind now.

King Robert: Now, I declare -

*Suddenly, the doors to the ballroom burst open. Everyone turned & they gasped in shock to see another Shadow standing there, only dressed in white*

Shadow: Wait! Abigail . . .

*Abigail's eyes went really wide as she looked back & forth between the two Shadows*

Abigail: You . . . You are . . .

*Breezie & the fake Shadow clenched their teeth in annoyance*

Shadow: I'm the real Shadow! That Shadow is an imposter! *he pointed at Breezie* And that woman is the evil witch who cursed me! Don't believe them!

*Abigail looked back & forth between them, confused. Just then, the guards rushed into the room & grabbed the white Shadow*

King Robert: Halt! Release him! *the guards let go* Let's get to the bottom of this first. Now, Abigail since you seem to know this Prince, only you will be able to tell which one of them is trying to deceive you?

*Both the fake Shadow & Breezie flinched at that*

Abigail: Yes, Father. *I turned to the two Shadows* Only the real Shadow would know the answer to this question. How did we meet two years ago?

*The fake Shadow flinched & tried to think up an answer, but the real Shadow answered first*

Shadow: We met at the lake after you got lost trying to escape a bear. I helped you find your way home after that. We've been friends ever since that day.

Abigail: That's right! You're the real Shadow! *then she realized something* But then . . . That means . . . *suddenly, a dark ominous aura surrounded the fake Shadow & the Duchess as they transformed into their true forms. the fake Mighty, Sonic, & Silver all turned into crows, making everyone gasp in horror* Breezie!

Ken Khan: How are you trick the Princess, you witch!

King Robert: Guards! Seize them!

*He, the Princes, & the Royal Guards charged at them, but Breezie waved her hand & sent the Princes flying back into a wall with a blast of black magic. Then they all fell unconscious*

Breezie: Foolish mortals. Know your place!

Abigail: What did you do to them!?

Breezie: Nothing. They were being a nuisance, so I shut them up.

King Robert: How dare you! Both of you, leave my castle at once or else -

Scourge: Or else what? Think carefully, old man. After all, I am to be your future son-in-law. Are you sure you want to lay a hand on me? I'd hate to see my lovely wife heartbroken on our first day of engagement. You are her most beloved Father, after all.

Abigail: I'll never marry you!

*Scourge laughed, disappeared, & reappeared in front of her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Scourge: Not very bright, are you, my little kitten. You were the one who chose me, remember? Scourge, son of Breezie, the most powerful witch in the world! So, you better start making preparations for our wedding.

Rosie: We won't let Abigail marry a demon like you!

Scourge: How naive. Do you think you have a chance?

Breezie: That's right. She missed her chance to save her precious Shadow. And now . . . *she hit him with a blast of magic & he turned back into a swan* He's mine forever!

*Shadow flew out an open window*

Abigail: Shadow! Come back!

*Then Breezie & Scourge turned into an owl & a raven. Breezie headed towards the window, while Scourge flew around Abigail's head*

Scourge: You're all mine, my love!

*Then he flew after him Mother*

Breezie: Excellent work, Scourge.

*They flew after Shadow*

*Later, the Princes were taken up to their room & put in bed. Abigail ran back to her room, quickly changed into her riding clothes, grabbed a sword, & ran towards the stables*

King Robert: Abigail, wait!

*She stopped & looked up, seeing her Father, Rosie, & Harvey on a balcony*

Abigail: Father!

King Robert: What chance can you possibly have against that terrible witch?

Abigail: Please try to understand, Father. I have to go and rescue Shadow. It doesn't matter how dangerous it might be.

King Robert: As of today, you are the future Queen of this country. You can't just do anything you please!

Abigail: Forgive me, Father. Goodbye.

*She mounted on her horse & rode away*

King Robert: Abigail! *he turned to Harvey* Harvey, send out a squad of soldiers to stop her! *he didn't move a muscle* Harvey!

Harvey Who: Forgive me, Your Majesty. But Rosie & I firmly believe that this is something the Princess must do alone.

Rosie: We also believe that it's time that you realize that the Princess is no longer a little girl. She's a grown woman now, who can make her own decisions.

*The King looked at them in surprise. Then sighed"

King Robert: You're both right. As usual. It's time I realized that it's time to let her go. All I can do is pray that she'll come home safe.

*Abigail was halfway into the forest when she heard a voice calling her.

Sally:*off-screen* Abby!

*She turned around & saw Lacey, Sally, & Blaze coming towards her, in their riding clothes & riding their brown horses towards her*

Abigail: Girls! *they stopped in front of her* If my Father sent you to stop me, don't bother. I'm going and that's final.

Lacey: Who said anything about us stopping you. In fact, we're coming with you.

Abigail: You are?

Blaze: Yes. If you're going to face that witch, then you'll need help.

*Abigail looked surprised & then smiled*

Abigail: Thanks, girls. *all four of them rode into the forest* And I'm sure you're eager to meet Shadow's squires too.

*All these of them blushed*