Sonia the Hedgehog was a high maintenance woman. She absolutely hated getting dirty and loved anything luxurious. Sure at times she was a bit overbearing and annoying, but she was still generally a good girlfriend!

So why was she getting stood up by some scrub?

"What do you mean you're ditching me?!" Sonia growled as she stood outside of a restaurant with her date.

"I can't keep up with all the gifts you've been asking me to get." Her date replied. "Not to mention, I found this really hot Spagonian chick," He mumbled, while motioning to a literal Spangonian chicken.

"WHAT?" Sonia screamed. "YOU'RE SERIOUSLY DUMPING ME?!"

"Yeah I am," Her date replied.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" Sonia cried out. "WHAT DOES SHE HAVE THAT I DON'T?!"

"The looks, anyways, later!" Her date said, flipping her off in the process, leaving the magenta hedgehog in a state of shock.

Moments later, Sonia found herself crying in the same restaurant where she was supposed to be having her date. The people inside merely looked at her as she sobbed while eating her spaghetti. The waiters stared at her with a look of pity. Sonia took out her cell phone and began to call Sonic. The phone had rang for a while, until the blue blur finally picked up.

"Oh hey Sonia! How's it-"

"HE DUMPED ME!" Sonia cried out.

"What?!" Sonic's voice gawked. "Again?"

"YES!" She exclaimed. "I don't know what's wrong with me, apparently he dumped me for a WAY hotter chick!" She said hysterically.

"Oh Sonia," Sonic began. "There is nothing wrong with you! You just need to find the right guy, and I'm sure ultimately one day, you'll be in the perfect relationship!"

"Well I THOUGHT this guy would surely be the one!" Sonia said with a slight pout. "And look at what happened, am I really that ugly, am I asking for too much," She said with a frown.

"Sonia, there is nothing wrong with you!" Sonic reassured her. "Those guys are all dumb anyways, I'm sure with enough time, you'll find yourself the ultimate boyfriend!"

"You think so?" Sonia said through the phone with a sniffle.

"I know so." Sonic replied.

Sonia wiped away her tears as she smiled for a bit. "Thanks so much Sonic, you're the best big brother ever!" She exclaimed, hanging up her phone.

She finished up her food and paid and went out on her way. She didn't need to cry, for she was a strong lady!

Sonia went home straight away and took care of herself. The magenta hedgehog was looking forward to a new day, and a new day it was, for she woke up in the morning all happy.

"Today is the day!" She exclaimed. She got out of bed and got herself ready. She wore her usual outfit; a red sleeveless top with a dark purple miniskirt, a gold belt adorned with a blue gem in the middle. She wore red pants with diamond shaped holes on the knees, with almost knee length dark purple boots with red heart shaped toes, and dark purple arm length gloves.

She went up to her vanity, and took her clear royal medallion which was in the shape of a keytar. It was gifted from King Acorn alongside her brothers due to their connection with the founding of Knothole. There was also the fact that his daughter and the triplets were also close.

She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She did keep herself well groomed after all. Being a part of a famous band had its perks; for one, she was extremely rich and practically had the money to get whatever she wanted with no qualms. Another was that she was liked by her fans, and extroverted as she was, she loved the attention she got. Though there was the paparazzi..

Sonia didn't mind them though.

"I'm going out Sonic, I'll see you later!" Sonia said with a smile.

The aforementioned blue hedgehog smiled back at his sister. "Have fun, oh, and btw, Sonia?" He asked.

"Yeah?" She peered her head towards him.

"I just wanna say… I'll still support you no matter who you decide to love!" Sonic declared as he went up and gave his sister a thumbs up. Sonia smiled even wider and gave her big brother a hug. "Thank you…" She whispered.

They exchanged hugs for a bit… until Manic came around and hugged the both of them too. Sonic and Sonia groaned at first, but not before they too indeed smiled and let the green hedgehog embrace with them.

Sonia went off while Sonic and Manic stayed behind at the house. It was a new day for the magenta hedgehog, and she was gonna make it count!

Shadow the Hedgehog groaned to himself as he was out on a walk. He wanted to stay home in the dark, but Rouge was VERY insistent that Shadow go out more. She had been on him for that for weeks now. Rouge's voice echoed in the black and red hedgehog's mind.

"...You should go and make new friends, Shadow! Meet new people!" Rouge replied in a cheery tone, at least cheery for her. His eyes rolled back as he continued walking. Rouge didn't know what she was talking about. He had friends. The ultimate lifeform took out his cellphone (from Rouge of course) and began to look at his contacts. It had taken a while. After all, Shadow was terrible with technology. Eventually he found the contacts icon and began to scroll.

Amy, Omega, Rouge, Vanilla.

Amy, Omega, Rouge, Vanilla.

Amy, Omega, Rouge, Vanilla.

"...How do I only have four friends?!" Shadow asked himself out loud. "And one of them is Omega?!"

Shadow let out a grumble as he put his phone away. So what if he was a brooding loner? He was going to outlive everyone on this planet. He didn't have time to lollygag or galavant or even dilly dally! Maria had a wish, and that was to protect the planet from evil. He was NOT going to slack off of it.

The strong sunshine absorbed his black and red fur as he walked. Some women who saw him were fawning over him. Shadow rolled his eyes again as he brisked by them. Rouge's voice echoed in Shadow's mind again as he walked.

"Oh Shadow, when are you ever gonna find a girlfriend?" Rouge asked, as she held a deck of cards in her hands.

"..Romance is a waste of time. I'll never understand how you'll do it." Shadow replied, as he also had a deck of cards in his hand.

"GO FISH. I WIN AGAIN." Omega's voice chimed in as he laid down his cards on the table.

Shadow continued to walk as he shook his head with a frown. He didn't understand the concept of romance or was interested. Not to mention, no one was into him.

Sure, there was Amy, he had gone to concerts with her ever since the Hot Honey one. However, Amy was too obsessive over Sonic to the point it annoyed him. Yes, she was kind and stopped him from nearly destroying the world, and yes he does trust her, but that obsession and overall clinginess annoyed the black and red hedgehog to the core. It was especially hard for Shadow to comfort the pink hedgehog over Sonic and Sally's wedding.

Next was Rouge… she certainly is something. She considered Shadow a best friend, even though the Ultimate Lifeform himself would not admit that out loud. They were teammates and Rouge seemed to understand him more than anyone else. And they do trust each other, as trusted allies do. Rouge was also much more focused on Knuckles.

He shook his head again. He would probably never understand how Rouge or Amy do it. He stopped by a nearby coffee shop.

"I'm gonna do it!" Sonia declared. "I'M GONNA FIND MYSELF A BOYFRIEND!" She shouted that last part out loud, startling bystanders who just gave her a weird glare. She was in the middle of a busy sidewalk.

"Oops, sorry!" Sonia squeaked out, leaving behind a Sonia shaped dust cloud as she went to look around for any possible suitors.

She ended up seeing Knuckles from a far.

"KNUCKLES?!" Sonia exclaimed as she zoomed over there.

The red echidna squinted his eyes for a bit until he saw who was calling out to him.

",Sonia?!" Knuckles gawked.

"PLEASE TAKE ME BACK!" She cried hysterically. Bystanders who were in the area looked at the magenta hedgehog with a bewildered expression.

"...What-"

"I was a fool! I was naive and stupid back then!" Sonia began, hugging him. "I didn't realize how good you were to me! I've just been so lonely and it's been killing me inside! I'll give you anything you want! I'll- I'l!"

"No." Knuckles simply said.

Sonia's heart was shot by a metaphorical arrow and split into two. She fell to her knees and had a shocked expression on her face.

"Why- WHY NOT?!" The magenta hedgehog shrieked.

"I met someone." Knuckles replied, and in came Rouge flying in.

"WHAT THE?!" Sonia shrieked again.

"Rouge is a very good girlfriend. She has been supportive of me through thick and thin." Knuckles declared, as he held the white bat by the waist and gave her a loving stare. "She would never leave me for no good reason, right, Sonia?" He asked with an eyebrow raise.

Sonia's mouth was agape and turned white as an invisible arrow shot her through the heart. She was still on the ground.

"Well… WELL! SHE'S TACKY!" Sonia exclaimed, pointing a finger towards Rouge as she and Rouge had a stare down.

"Tacky? I believe the only one being "tacky" here, is you, sweetie." Rouge said with a grin, looking at her glove covered hands.

"WHAT?!" Sonia cried out as she ran off in the other direction.

"...Well that was rude, Rouge!" Knuckles said as he looked at her with a glare.

"What? She called me tacky first!" Rouge said as she grabbed Knuckles' hand as they walked off. The red echidna only rolled his eyes.

Over with Sonia, she ended up crying by the side of a fountain. Tears streamed down her face as her mascara was also getting ruined. Just great. Everything hadn't gone well for Sonia as she feared.

"Whatever shall I do now?" She cried out. She had seen a cute couple walking by, which granted her an idea.

"...I'll just ask around!" She declared, as another Sonia shaped dust cloud appeared.

Shadow saw what happened from the coffee shop window. The Ultimate LIfeform had a cup of coffee beans in his hands.

"Hm… I wonder why that lady was crying…." He pondered out loud, as he munched on some of the beans.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WANT TO BE MY BOYFRIEND?!" Sonia exclaimed as she stood in the doorway of someone's house.

Espio the Chameleon merely blinked at her as he looked at her kind of dumbfounded.

"...I'm not interested in dating at the moment." He simply replied.

"WHY NOT?!" She screamed again, startling the poor chameleon and nearly shattering his eardrums.

"I'm just simply not interested. Romance is not part of my ninja way." Espio replied with a shrug.

"But, I think you're cu-" Sonia was cut off as Espio slammed the door on her face as she sighed in defeat and moved onto the next guy.

"Are you sure?" Sonia asked the next guy.

Bark the Polar Bear shook his head as he had to look down at her. She looked sweet, but he wasn't ready for a relationship yet. Oh, and short, why was everyone around him so tiny?

"Well I uh…. like quiet guys!" She said with a grin.

Bark shook his head again and merely gave her a pat on the head. Sonia sighed dejectedly as she went away.

"BARK YOU MOOK! GET BACK TO WORK!" Fang's voice shrieked off screen. Bark sighed as nodded.

"Listen young lady, I may be an underground crime lord, but I don't prefer women younger than me, now scram before I put 'ya six feet unda." Clutch explained, having his hands on his cane.

"I see…" Sonia muttered, before she turned her attention towards Mimic. The octopus only stared at her. Silence filled the air, until he flashed a knife at her.

"Listen, I'm trying to go into hiding." Mimic said with a growl. "Now stay away!"

Sonia gulped as she heard the knife sheathed in front of her and nearly made a run for it… that was until she bumped into two skunk brothers.

"Hey Rough, this lady don't look so tough!" Tumble began. "What should we do with her?"

"You're right, Tumble." Rough replied with a toothy grin. "Maybe we should do something and make her fumble." He said, smirking at his brother and then back to her. Sonia's eyes widened and she ran off.

Shadow finished his coffee beans as he held the empty cup in his hands. Soon there would be more people there, so Shadow decided it was time to leave. As he left however, three does had been ogling at Shadow.

"Isn't he dreamy?" One doe had said.

"Indeed~" The second one said as she had hearts in her eyes.

"I saw him first! He's MINE!" The third doe said, which prompted the former two doe to glare at her and engaged in a fist fight.

Shadow sighed as he rolled his eyes and exited through the door. The ultimate lifeform had decided to take one of his daily strolls. It had been a while after all.

Nothing would go out of the ordinary, right?

"FINE! I ADMIT DEFEAT!" Sonia cried out. Every guy seemed to have rejected her, so that was a bust.

"I-I'M GOING TO END UP A CRAZY CAT LADY! WHATEVER WILL-?!" She cried out again, however she was cut off, because she did not seem to watch where she was going,

BAM!

Sonia groaned in pain as she fell to the ground, However, the person who she bumped into did not seem to stumble.

"...I'm so sorry! I should really watch where I'm going!" Sonia apologized as she was on the ground brushing herself off.

Shadow the Hedgehog looked down at the woman in front of him with a frown. She should have watched where she went indeed, but at least she apologized.

"...No worries… are you ok?" He replied, taking out a hand to help her up.

Sonia's heart thumped faster than usual upon hearing his voice. She was face to face with the person she bumped into, and she felt her cheeks getting rosy.

His voice was gruff yet pleasant sounding. He had such deep red sparkling eyes which shined like rubies that gleamed in the sun. His jet black and red fur were smooth and soft, though he lacked a smile as he looked at her. Sonia saw that in his eyes he was serious, yet deep down, there was a hint of gentleness to them. There was a long pause between Shadow and Sonia.

'He's so… hot…' Sonia thought to herself with a blush.

"...Yes, I'm ok, thank you…" She said, taking his hand as she got up.

"...You look a little red, do you need to be taken to the hospital?" Shadow asked, placing his free hand on her forehead to check for her temperature. She turned red even more after that.

"O-oh! I'm fine!" Sonia said a little excitedly. "Really, I'm fine!"

"...I see…" Shadow said with a nod.

The magenta hedgehog felt her stomach doing backflips as she stared at the male hedgehog in front of her. She wanted to ogle at him, but she kept her composure. A lady was to have self control after all.

"Thanks so much for helping me, I'm sorry again." Sonia replied with a smile.

"...No worries…" Shadow simply replied.

Grey clouds were looming over the sky above them. Sonia took out her purple umbrella.

"I think there's a storm up ahead… Do you need a walk home?" She asked gently.

"I suppose there's no harm with you tagging along." Shadow replied.

And so, the two hedgehogs walked under the umbrella in the rain. It seemed to be an awkward walk as neither Shadow nor Sonia said anything.

"So… what's your name?" Sonia asked.

"I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog." He replied. "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform."

Sonia's heart skipped a beat again as he introduced himself.

"Shadow… that's a nice name…" She said in a dreamy tone.

"...Thank you…" Shadow thanked. "What's yours?"

"I'm Sonia, Sonia the Hedgehog!" She replied with a smile.

"I see… Nice to meet you, Sonia the Hedgehog…" He said.

Sonia's heart fluttered as she heard him say her name. Whoever he was, he had captured her heart in the moment. Sonia looked at him and imagined Shadow with a rose in his mouth and dipping her, holding her by the waist.

"...Nice to meet you too, Shadow…" She finally said.

"We're here now…" Shadow declared, as Sonia blinked at the apartment complex before her.

"Nice place!" She said in a cheery voice.

Shadow nodded in acknowledgement of the complement and was reaching out for the doorknob.. Until…

"Date me." Sonia said.

"...What?" Shadow gawked.

"I think you're hot." Sonia said again, as she looked at him dead in the eyes. "Date me."

Shadow genuinely did not know how to respond. This was certainly something new. He never expected any woman to fall for him, especially one that just met him.

"That's… a little forward, don't you think?" Shadow inquired, though admittedly he did feel a little flattered.

Sonia shook her head rapidly as she snapped out of her state of mind.

"...I'm sorry," Sonia began. "But I really do mean it. I think you're attractive and I want to date you."

"I see…" Shadow replied as he looked at her. He remembered the words of Rouge and how adamant she was on Shadow getting a girlfriend. Though sometimes he couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Even so, how Rouge would frequently bring up the subject and tease him about it annoyed Shadow. I guess now was his opportunity to show Rouge that her insults would fall flat.

"...I suppose there is no harm in trying that out." Shadow finally said.

Sonia screamed internally with excitement upon hearing that response.

"Great! Here's my number!" She said with a beam, handing him a piece of paper.

"Thank you…" Shadow replied, taking out another piece of paper as well. "Here is mine."

"Thanks!" She exclaimed. "Hopefully I'll see you next time, handsome~" Sonia said as she skipped away.

It was an interesting day for Shadow and Sonia indeed, but little did they know however, that this meeting was only the beginning of something beautiful.