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A mistake…a stupid and careless mistake… there’s plenty of things that Shadow was aware of, sure he may have had to learn a few new things upon waking up almost 50 years later after being in stasis but he prides himself on keeping up with most things in todays day and age…though there was one thing he was not aware off…this isn’t even a brand new tradition, if anything this has been around for as long as the concept of birthdays was invented…
Birthday presents…
Honestly speaking Shadow was aware that birthday presents were a thing however he thought it was something that people who had at least a much closer relationship than normal would take part in. Every year knuckles would send Rouge a gem of sorts that he found for her birthday, Shadow thought nothing of it, he’s always assumed that those two were particularly close plus he hadn’t been to much birthday parties.
The only one he recalls was Sonic’s birthday but even then, he wasn’t even initially invited until after the whole time-eater situation and the only present he saw sonic receive was a chillidog from the two tailed fox… so you can Imagine his surprise when he turned up to Amy Rose’s birthday and found that not only had Rouge brought a present for her…but almost EVERYONE ELSE HAD… The only other person he noticed who hadn’t brought her a present was the blue blur himself…
All Shadow could do now was to stand at the station just beginning to brainstorm ideas… He begins to think about what sort of present he could get her last second, he looks around the train station and finds that all of the shops don’t have anything that he deems fitting for a birthday… Most of the stuff being sold are things that no-one would want for their birthday. Drinks, pens, paper…maybe a cookbook? No that’s all too simple, he knows Amy likes to cook, more specifically she enjoys baking but that seems like the obvious present, plus Shadow could’ve sworn he saw the fox holding a sort of cooking book, no doubt his present for Amy…
A pit begins to form inside of him, unsure if what to do so he decides to think back, what would someone like amy be into? Clothes? No clothing stores nearby and plus…he doesn’t even know her sizes, would be a weird question to ask entirely… Shoes? Same issue… Maybe he could just give her some money…yeah that should work…
He thinks on that idea…
And thinks…
Trying to come up with valid reasons as to why that’s not a bad idea..
No of course that wouldn’t work, that’s a stupid idea… As much as Shadow doesn’t show it he actually does value all of them, yes even Sonic. He wants his present to signify that but it seems he’s out of ideas…
All he can do is head back and hope that Amy doesn’t ask for her presents yet… He eventually makes it back, no-one really noticed he was gone anyway seeing as Shadow doesn’t tend to talk all to often in social situations but he also finds it relaxing hearing all of his friends just idly chat…thanks to his heightened hearing he can actually hear what they’re all discussing, whilst he doesn’t always use this ability, sometimes he just gets curious and figures that this group of friends don’t really have much to hide from one another either way…
Wait a minute…
Shadow would smile if he weren’t in such a ‘dire’ situation however he begins to focus…listening in however solely focusing his voice on Amy who seems to be speaking with Sonic and Tails currently…
“So Ames, you really decided to go all out this year, a murder mystery! Sounds fun”
Sonic excitedly says, eying the train itself and tapping his foot rapidly…he’s trying to be patient however Sonic isn’t really one to wait around.
“When’s this thing starting anyway?”
The birthday girl looks at her watch
“We’ve got about 8 minutes until we’re allowed in, the murder mystery was actually creams idea…too bad she couldn’t make it though, anyway I like the costumes you two, very classy”
Amy says, beaming a smile at the two with sonic just chuckling slightly and Tails smiling at the compliment.
“Thanks Amy, you look great yourself! Me and sonic went costume shopping and found these costumes, though finding a shirt that fit hedgehogs is a bit difficult…especially with your back quills”
Tails responds, taking a glance at sonics back to see his back quills exiting from two precisely cut gaps on the shirt…
“Yeah it feels great, Tails did a great job with the measurements”
Sonic stretches, allowing his back quills the freedom of movement.
“Anyway did you manage to get those tickets you wanted to…what were they called again? Something Honey…-“
Sonic thinks long and hard… which in reality is about three seconds for him.
“-something…yeah I don’t remember…”
Sonic chuckles, scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment as Amy slightly deadpans to him, Tails stepping out of view, whistling.
“You’re on your own sonic…”
“Hot Honey Live… and no I didn’t…their tickets sold out almost instantly”
Any slightly frowns slightly before shaking her head and smiling again…
“They usually do live shows every few years but I wasn’t sure if I could get tickets today…I think there’s a drop today but since we’re going to be on the train, I won’t have internet to buy them”
Amy continues with Sonic and Tails looking slightly sympathetic…
“Come on Amy, maybe someone got you them as a present already”
Tails tries to look on the bright side with Sonic nodding his head in agreement…
“I doubt it, I’ve seen almost everyone’s presents minus Sonic’s and someone else’s but it’s not that big of a deal”
Amy reassures however shadow stops listening in, his heart dropping slightly at the mention of two peoples lack of present…
There’s no way Amy is talking about him right? Shadow assumed that she didn’t even notice him there but he now realises how dumb that sounds, she’s way too observant to have not noticed…but that doesn’t matter now, he has his plan, find out when the Hot Honey Live tickets go back on sale and find a way to buy some…
Suddenly, as if almost on que, the Conductor comes out from inside the Mirage Express and invites everyone aboard, asking everyone to have their tickets on hand…
Upon entering the train, shadow looks around and find this room similar to a restaurant… he figures that’s where everyone is going to eat however looking at one of the menus that was handed out…he opts to pass on the Chilli dog and the Instant Ramen, though the ‘chicken cordon bleu’ doesn’t sound half bad. He likes chicken at least, even though he doesn’t have any idea what a ‘cordon bleu’ is…
He’s aware this is a murder mystery party, maybe if he becomes the murderer he can buy enough time to find a way to get some online tickets…on a moving train…lovely…
Shadows deep thought is cut off by a gentle but gruff voice.
“-icket please?”
Shadows attention is diverted from the window and the scenery outside to the source of the voice, a blue dog in a sort of green trenchcoat with a much scrawnier bear next to him…
“Sorry could you repeat that?”
Shadow asks, attempting to sound as polite as possible but coming off as distant…that’s just usual for him.
“Could you hand me your ticket please”
The same voice asks with shadow handing it to the Conductor and returning to his train of thought before stopping the two…
“Do you offer gift bags by any chance? Or a computer with access to the internet for emergencies?”
Shadow asks, earning a certain look from the bear however shadow ignores it…
“Umm I don’t think we have any gift bags…I’ve got a shopping bag in the back though if you want!”
The bear, who has a name tag calling himself Barry says with Shadow looking at him with confusion…
“Barry my boy you’re shivering… do you want me to get your jacket?”
The Conductor speaks up, covering for Barry’s obvious intimidated posture, again not shadows intention but it’s how he’s seen as most of the time so he doesn’t mind it anymore…
“Like Barry here said, we do not offer any gift bags however there is a computer with internet connection in the music room if it’s needed”
The Conductor confirms, earning a nod from shadow before he returns to his thought process…
A few minutes pass before the train begins to pick up speed and they begin to move…Amy calls everyone up for the murder mystery to begin, calling out everyone’s name one by one, A few short moments pass before lastly Amy calls out Shadow’s name…
“And you Shadow, you’re going to be the locksmith hanging out in the lounge area”
Amy says whilst smiling at the hedgehog and handing him the keys, nodding his head and sitting down, listening to Tails, Amy and Barry conversing…
That explains the weird green outfit Shadow was sent by Amy, he thought he was going to be playing an employee at some sort of cafè however this makes a bit more sense…another benefit is that he’s been given the keys to the train…this is perfect, he might actually be able to salvage this…Only one small issue…
“Hey shadow…”
The hedgehog slowly turns around, instantly recognising the voice to be Sonic’s… sounding more sinister?
“What are the chances that we’re stuck in the carriages at the end, there’s no witnesses…no-one to see”
Sonic says in a menacing voice…hold up…no way… Is Sonic the murderer? If he’s “murdered” here then he can’t continue in with his plan… Leave it to the blue annoyance to screw with his pl-
Suddenly Sonic begins to burst out laughing, gaining the attention of Amy, Tails and Barry in the front of the cart, next to the open storage room.
“You should’ve seen your face! Priceless! I didn’t realise that you were into this that much!”
Sonic continues to laugh and then sits opposite, hearing a voice coming from Amy funnily enough…
“Leave him alone sonic, it would be stupid even for you to kill him in front of me…”
Amy calls out, not even facing the two, leaving sonic smiling and waving his hand in a sort of “whatever” motion…
“My bad man, I think this is the first time I’ve actually seen you horrified though, you must be taking this preeeety seriously though…”
Sonic says, giving a sort of backhanded apology… Of course Shadows not taking this murder mystery too seriously, it’s just a game however he figures that it would be a good enough cover story as to why he’d be walking around…
“Ahem…yes well since Rose has gone through the effort of setting this all up, it’s only fair to take this seriously…unless you’re implying that you don’t appreciate the effort”
Shadow says back smirking, not entirely lying as he does appreciate the effort and is impressed. Sonic chuckles at the response, leaving the blue blur impressed…
“Good response”
Unbeknownst to the two, the three at the front heard the entire conversation, it’s not like the two were quiet with it however Shadows response caused Amys ears to perk up and her smile to widen ever so slightly…
“Uhhh Amy? You okay?”
Tails whispers with her shaking her head back to reality..
“What, no, yeah. I’m fine… you were saying?”
She responds, barely getting out of her little ‘trance’.
“Well I’m going to start exploring the train, see you later Shadow”
Sonic leaves with Shadow staying seated but deciding to leave himself a few minutes after.
_______________________
Upon entering the room he sees that this room looks completely different from the last, looking more like a saloon than a fancy restaurant like the previous car had… upon looking around he sees Vector and Knuckles playing with the arcade cabinet and losing at the game horribly…he recognises it as “super monkey ball”, Omega likes to play video games a lot surprisingly enough so he’s fairly decent at the game.
“Balancing this is so difficult! Come on just roll to the goal!”
Knuckles complains, getting yet another game over and walking away in rage…
“Hah you just suck, let me show you how to play the game!”
Vector shouts, finally having his turn on the cabinet but failing just as badly… Upon Knuckles turning around he sees Shadow walking past but thinks nothing of it however upon hearing Vectors cry of defeat Shadow stops in his tracks and walks towards the two…
(Author note: never played Super Monkey Ball so if I butcher the gameplay, that’s why)
“You’re playing it all wrong, here let me show you…”
Shadow quickly begins to teach the two the controls, almost like a kid watching their older brother beat a stage that they struggled with, after a few short minutes Shadow eventually gets a game over, reaching a score of 7150 and putting the name ULTIM on the leaderboard, reaching fourth place total.
“Hey thanks shadow! You really have a way with technology. I wonder what would happen if you karate chopped this one”
The green crocodile laughs with the ultimate lifeform smirking before handing each of them a key…
“Lock the doors behind you, don’t let anyone in or out”
Shadow says before leaving the two and entering the next room though not before having a drink from the ‘bar’ of the saloon…
Upon entering the next room he finds himself in a Library… He spent too much time in the last room so he needs to pick up the pace otherwise he might lose the chance of picking up those tickets for Amy… He tries to look around for Espio, having previously heard Amy tell Espio and Vector to stay in the library however upon looking around, the Chameleon is nowhere to been seen, he’s going to have to hope that Vector remembers to lock the door then…
He hears some odd crawling from the ceiling…but this train is only one story tall so whoever is potentially crawling around is on the roof of a train… feeling like something is off he figures that he’s should at least check it out just in case, even if Amy had told everyone that no powers are allowed to be used…
“Chaos…Contr-“
Before Shadow could teleport, the train suddenly speeds up out of nowhere, causing him to stumble slightly and lose his focus, along with causing a few of the books on the shelf to fall over, Shadow decides that he’s wasted enough time and goes ahead, locking the door behind him…
Upon entering the next room he finds that’s its basically a casino, he see’s Rouge and Blaze idly sitting around and chatting, acting all mysterious before the spy, or in this case the a business tycoon owner notices Shadow.
“So brooding, what are you supposed to be, a barista?”
Rouge speaks up, looking at shadow with Blaze letting out a little chuckle…
“Locksmith actually…your role seems fitting.”
Shadow says with Rouge flapping her wings in pride…
“Damn right”
She says however Blaze now stands up and speaks…
“Wanna help us with this heist? Me and Rouge can’t do it alone”
She says, instantly getting to the point and acting kinda ‘giddy’ given that she can act a little mischievous, Shadow walks over to the two and hands them a key each however Shadow shakes his head at the offer…
“Usually I wouldn’t mind seeing how this goes down but I’m in a rush…”
Shadow says, attempting to walk past the two however Rouge flies in his way and stops him…
“What’s with the rush? Are you trying to get Amy a last-minute present or something?”
Blaze chuckles with Rouge laughing, knowing that Shadow isn’t that unaware of birthday traditions however with the lack of a response and Shadow looking away…Rouge’s wings drop along with Blazes ears flopping down…
“Oh my god you forgot to get Amy a present didn’t you?”
Rouge speaks up, reading Shadow like an open book with Blaze butting in…
“How on earth do you forget to buy a birthday present to a birthday party?”
She speaks up, making valid points but unaware of Shadows…unique…viewpoints he previously assumed of birthday presents, Rouge noticing Shadow wincing slightly at the words, decides to ease the situation…
“Now now Blaze, Shadow hasn’t really been to much birthday parties…though I certainly hope you have a plan”
Rouge directs at Shadow who just sighs…
“Yes I do have a plan…I realise I messed up and I’m trying to make up for it so if you don’t mind-“
Shadow hands the two their keys and walks past the two…
“I need to hurry up”
He enters the next room, closing the door behind him and locking it…
Upon locking the door behind him, he looks around yet again, for a fourth time and comes across a group of Chao in the centre of the room, each one assigned to a different instrument, looking as if they form a sort of band. Even shadow can’t help but admit he finds it only adorable however his eyes instantly focus on the computer off to the side of him, upon seeing it, he gets to work…
Clicking the power button, the computer eventually turns on and once shadow looks down, he see’s that there is internet so without wasting time he says each letter whilst typing
“H-O-T H-O-N-E-Y L-I-V-E… Alright so….here’s the website…”
Shadow clicks on the website where the tickets can be brought however he see’s a live countdown, with the time remaining being 30 minutes left…he knows he isn’t going to be able to stay at this computer for 30 minutes, even with the locked doors shadow figures that Amy is probably already about halfway through the carriages, no doubt asking why shadow isn’t at the lounge.
Whilst wondering what he should do, he accidentally presses the “print” button which resulted in the printer behind him to print out the homepage of the website…utterly confused Shadow checks the piece of paper and see’s it, face palming and scrunching up the piece of paper, throwing it in the bin…
“Somehow I struggle with these computers more than the technology on the Ark…”
Shadow shakes his head contemplating what he should do… What if he just keeps teleporting between this room and the main room, making the excuse for toilet breaks or something along those lines? No that would get too tedious…Plus consistently teleporting in a moving object can prove difficult if not focused however even if he does get the time to book the tickets, Amy said the tickets were sold out almost instantly… Light a light bulb, another idea just flicks on in his head…
He pulls out a small earpiece and presses a button on it, calling someone…
“THIS IS E-123 OMEGA”
“I need a favour…”
_______________________
Back in the casino room, Blaze and Rouge continue to try and come up with a foolproof plan, drawing and constantly reworking plans in a whiteboard however they come to realise that they might need help…as if the gods had heard them, the door behind them begins to unlock and Amy rose walks into the room, looking much more angrier and confident at the same time than before…
“Heya hun, wanna help us try to rob a safe…I’m sure the AMY ROSE would be a great help”
Rouge says, saying her name much louder for some reason both because they actually need the help and to also buy shadow enough time to do whatever he needs however the look in her face shows that she probably already knows and is mad…
“Yeah AMY, I’m sure a tactician like you will be able to help us…”
Blaze notices what Rouge is doing and does the same thing but realises that this seems unreasonably out of character for her, Amy usually never really cares for gifts like that and just wants everyone to show up however maybe this time it’s different? The princess isn’t sure herself but decides not to get in the way of Amy’s warpath...
“Sorry you two, I just got a big scoop and as a reporter I need to get that info out as quickly as possible so I won’t be needing your input on things”
The pink hedgehog brags, seething with confidence and rage whilst walking past the two and using her Master key to open the door leading into the moving room…
__________________________
“Okay so make sure you get 2 tickets… yes I know this is an odd request bu-“
Shadow hears Rouge and Blaze emphasise Amy’s name and instantly realises he’s out of time, out of desperation speaks to Omega one last time.
“Look just get it done, I’ll owe you”
With that Shadow cuts off the call and puts the earpiece back in his pocket, and turns off the computer, only to hear the door behind him close. Shadow turns around to see Amy stare at him with anger and confidence, an odd mix…
“I know I messed up”
Shadow says, trying to reason with Amy but something tells him she’s having none of it…
“You’re damn right you have… I can’t believe you’d do such a thing”
Amy says almost instantly, continuing on…
“You really thought you’d fly right under my radar”
She says, looking outside at the window with the train moving at high speeds, seeing a beach in the distance with shadow looking too, it does look very scenic, he could’ve sworn he saw a familiar purple cat fishing for a split second…must’ve been his mind playing tricks on him, he turns his attention back to Amy.
“You thought locking all of those doors would’ve slowed me down, you can’t get caught if you’re not found right?”
She continues, sounding honestly betrayed… Shadow had no idea that presents meant this much to her, he never took Amy for that type of girl however he also doesn’t speak to her too often, feeling disappointed with himself that he didn’t get her a present when everyone else did…well almost everyone else did…
“Honestly what do you have to say for yourself?”
She says with shadow finally speaking up…
“I know I messed up, I’m trying to make it right just give me a bit of time”
Shadow says, that’s about his only defence, he looks at the clock on the wall and figures that he needs around 23 minutes until he’s got the tickets…
“It doesn’t matter how you try to make it right, what’s done is done!”
Amy shouts… If Shadow felt bad before he feels horrible now, he honestly didn’t realise that presents meant so much in todays day and age but at least it’s a lesson he won’t forget….
“I just can’t believe…I CANT BELIEVE YOU KILLED SONIC! ON MY BIRTHDAY!”
Amy cries out with shadow responding back…
“I know I messed up and I’m sor- wait…what? Sonic’s dead?”
Shadow says with complete and utter confusion…
“Wait…what?”
Amy responds just as confused…
…
…
…
…
Out of nowhere the two can hear what it seems like Rouge, Blaze, Tails and Barry panicking, shouting to throw the egg in the safe…whatever that means…
Moving swiftly on from that, all Shadow feels is confusion, for all he knows she could be bluffing but even though Amy is smarter than most… He doesn’t think Amys really thinking of a double bluff…had he seriously been overreacting? thinking that he’d done some seriously unforgivable deed and he misread the entire situation? to say Shadow feels stupid right now is an understatement…
“What do you mean sonic is dead? I haven’t seen him since the beginning of the game…”
Shadow breaks the silence, still sounding confused but keeping his composure…
“Don’t play stupid with me Shadow the hedgehog! You’re clearly guilty… all of the evidence leads directly to you…”
Amy fires back, putting her hands on her hips and staring directly into the ultimate lifeforms eyes…
In response Shadow crosses his arms and squints slightly…
“And what evidence have you gotten… Journalist?”
He talks back, emphasising the final word, his confidence rivalling her own as clearly, Shadow knows that he didn’t ‘kill’ Sonic, so why is she so confident that he did?
“I have undeniable evidence that you’re the murderer, you’ve been locking doors all throughout the train so that you can hide away from me so that you wouldn’t run into me”
Amy explains however Shadow just facepalms…
“That’s not evidence Rose…that’s just a theory”
He points out, the two still eying each other…
“Then why did you act like I caught you at first… I know you wont talk but I know exactly why you’ve been locking those doors”
Amy says responds back, stepping up to the ultimate lifeform, millimetres from his face with Shadow being unable to answer the question…
“I-I have my reasons… I don’t need to tell you”
“No reason is convincing enough, it’s inconceivable what you’ve done”
Amy says with two more people finally walking in the room…
“Heh sorry for taking a while…turns out Barry here likes the casino a bit too much”
"...yeah…it's a bit of a problem…"
Tails scratches the back of his head, looking at the two hedgehogs awfully close and glaring daggers at one-another…
“Have…we…uh… missed something?”
Barry speaks up, questioning the looks the two hedgehogs are giving one another…
“I see you’ve finally made it here Tails… Though I also didn’t expect the gift bag guy too…”
Shadow looks at the two with Tails sheepishly smiling and speaking up.
“I would like to know why you’ve been locking all the doors throughout the train though…”
The two tailed fox speaks up, questioning Shadow and before he can respond, Amy speaks up.
“He won’t budge on that…”
She says, folding her arms and looking at her notes…or lack there off…
A fair few minutes pass with Amy observing the other two doing their own thing. Shadow finds it odd that those two are looking everywhere however he begins to think…he’s left a considerable amount of evidence around the room…the paper in the bin, at least he turned off the computer…or did he just turn off the monitor?
He can’t think about it too much though, Amy keeps going in about some sort of “hot tip” she’s gotten… It seems Amy at least isn’t aware or at least isn’t focused on his lack of a present for her, at least Rouge and Blaze didn’t out him, at least he thinks they haven’t. After a few minutes Tails and Barry begin to question him with Amy also joining in…shadow glances at the time and see’s that he has 5 minutes left so he hopes that Omega will do his part…
“Shadow we have some questions for you, you’ve been locking the doors on this train-“
Tails begins to speak but yet again is interrupted by Amy, beaming with confidence…
“-and I know why!”
Tails and Barry look to be in shock, it seems that the locked doors were something they couldn’t figure out however Shadows curiosity gets the better of him…
“Alright then, I’ll bite. Do tell why I’ve been locking the doors”
“Because you wanted to trap sonic, my source claims that they never saw sonic AFTER they left for the conductors car and was stuck inside of there”
Amy says, beaming a smile whilst saying it, feeling as if this mystery is finally coming to an end…
“Well…that does make some sense Amy but…how was Sonic found in the dining room then?”
Tails brings up with shadow nodding his head…
“I was curious where he was found… Why and how would I carry him back without getting caught”
Tails continues yet again…
“Well as I was saying…that would be a valid point however me and Barry found a secret passage that leads throughout the entire train…”
“Now that I think about it, this is an intricate train”
Barry mutters under his breath…
“Well then that sorts it… shadow murdered sonic in the conductors car and placed the body inside of the dining car!”
Amy says out loud, feeling it’s it’s finally gotten to the end of this mystery with Tails and Barry staring at Amy, asking that she realises that she accused Shadow of the murder with shadow responding…
“For a second time…”
Shadow looks at the time on the clock and realises that time is up, he can only hope that Omega manages to get the tickets seeing as he’s currently fighting his own battle against Amy ironically enough. The stuff he’s done for this woman surprises even him…
“Well…without any evidence of course”
Amy mutters into the end of her reveal however Tails speaks up yet again…
“Though I am confused, how would shadow have managed to sneak past both Vector and Espio in the library…”
Tails asks yet again with Amy stumbling on her words…
“Well…Vector was in the saloon and Espio was reading in the library and never saw Shadow…”
“Interesting theory but I searched the entire library car, Espio was not in there after I left the saloon car…the ninja is lying”
Shadow calls out with Amy still not believing him.
“You’re still my number one suspect and plus, do you have any evidence to back up your cla-“
This time it’s Shadows turn to interrupt Amy and pulling out the keys, only two left…
“Yes Rose, I do. I have been handing out keys to everyone however there’s 2 I’ve not been able to give any to…Sonic and Espio, neither of which I have seen at all”
Before Amy form a rebuttal, Tails speaks up, supporting shadows claims…
“He is telling the truth, everyone other than us seem to have a key which has allowed us to move through the train”
Amys look of confusion is visible to everyone, clearly not knowing that Shadow had actually been giving out keys…
“Alright fine, let’s say Shadow didn’t murder sonic and carry him back to the dining room. Why did he seem guilty when I first spoke to him and more importantly, why have you been locking doors?”
Amy questions, getting close up in shadows face and staring him in the eyes…
Tails begins to think…he looks at the piece of paper in Barry’s hand and snaps his fingers in realisation…
“I think I know why but to answer…Amy I’ve got a question for you…”
Shadows eyes widen at the realisation of what the paper is in Barry’s hand and before he can speak… Tails speaks first…
“You mentioned earlier that 2 people had not given you presents…Sonic was one but who is the other, you didn’t say their name…”
Amy looks around, avoiding eye contact with the only other person in the room she knows who hasn’t…
“Everyone’s been so sweet…you got me an amazing cook book, Blaze got me this beautiful dress, Rouge got me some stunning jewellery… everyone but Sonic… and Shadow has…”
Upon hearing this, Shadows whole demeanour changes… his ears perk down slightly, his posture gets ever so slumped, his tired eyes become even more heavy as he glances away down, ashamed of himself… He’s finally figured it out, obviously it’s not the present itself she cares about, it’s the thought behind it… Amy went out of her way to set this entire thing up for everyone on her own birthday and he never even thought about getting her anything even as a thanks for thinking about him…inviting him…
Shadow has no quarrels with the blue hedgehog but for Sonic’s birthday he was never invited initially… Back on the Ark birthdays weren’t celebrated, he never got a present though he knew of the tradition through other people talking. He doesn’t even know when his so called ‘birthday’ is, all he was, was a lab-rat… Sometimes Shadow forgets that what was normal to him, is inhumane to everyone else but that’s how things go…at least for him…
Tails line of sight goes from Amy to Shadow who just looks ashamed of himself, even Barry feels bad for the poor guy, he clearly doesn’t know how things work. Amy notices the looks on the two ‘detectives’ and turns around only to see Shadow look off, presuming that he feels ashamed of himself, it’s weird seeing someone like shadow act like this and she doesn’t like it one bit…truth be told she doesn’t really care about the presents, she never had and never will…
“I’m sor-“
Shadow is cut off by Amy holding his hand and beaming a smile at him…
“Even though you guys haven’t given me anything, that’s okay because you guys being here is all I’ll ever need, especially for you since I’m aware social events aren’t really your thing…
I don’t mind not getting a present from you”
Shadow just looks up at her in awe…for once he’s actually speechless. Someone as kind and understanding as her shouldn’t exist yet here she is, giving him that hope he needed all over again…eventually she lets go of his hand and funnily enough, he misses the warmth with the subtle blush on his face revealing itself however luckily it goes unnoticed, especially when Tails speaks up…
“It seems like Shadow was actually trying to get you a present though…especially looking through the computer which Shadow had left on, it’s pretty easy to figure out what he was trying to do…”
Shadows eyes widen yet again with Amy turning around at him with a curious look…
“What is he talking about?”
Before Shadow can answer, Tails beats him to it…
“I’m going to take quite the leap here but I think the reason why shadow was locking the doors wasn’t to keep us away but instead, to keep Amy away…”
To say Amy is in shock is an understatement…she actively seems annoyed by the fact that shadow was attempting to keep her away…demanding for the evidence with shadow gritting his teeth and warning tails…
“Tread lightly fox…”
Shadow sneers, earning a gulp from the recipient…
Suddenly Barry speaks up, having just mostly been witnessing the shenanigans happening currently…
“It seems shadow accidentally ended up printing out the website page… and if you look it’s to book tickets for a band called…
Hot Honey for a live concert…”
Tails continues on, finishing the sentence.
“So the evidence here concludes that Shadow was trying to buy time until he was able to purchase some tickets for you Amy, that’s why he seemed to be in a rush, because he wanted to get you a present…”
The two tailed fox and the bear concluded, giving each other a small high-five with shadow sighing…
“You both deduced that pretty well, I’m impressed… But yes, I was trying to book some tickets for Hot Honey Live to give to you Rose…”
Shadow says with Tails pondering for a second
“Why go through the effort? You being here was enough for her”
“Well…seeing as everyone else brought Amy a present, I didn’t want to be the odd one out so…I…uhhh…fearing for my social status I wanted to get her a gift…yeah…that reason…”
Shadow said, sounding unsure of himself with Tails eying him unconvinced however before he can interrogate Shadow even further, a squeal is heard coming from a familiar pink hedgehog before the ultimate lifeform is tackled by a hug, causing him to stumble back before regaining his footing…
“OH MY GOD THANK YOU SHADOW! SERIOUSLY YOU’RE THE BEST!”
Amy thanks with excitement emanating from her, shadow himself awkwardly just standing there, shocked and unsure what to do with a blush forming on his face, this time visible to the two tailed fox and the bear, causing a small snicker from Tails with Barry nudging him slightly to stop…
“Y-Yeah…you’re welcome R-Rose but do you mind?”
Shadow gestures with the birthday girl jumping off him and putting her hands over her mouth, looking apologetically at the blushing mess.
“Ohmygoshimsosorryididntmea-“
Amy rapidly apologises, known if that shadow is much for physical contact however he stops her.
“Don’t worry about it, a little warning would be good though”
Shadow breathes a sigh of relief, straightening out his costume, he glances at Amy with her hands behind her and looking down, almost like she looks kinda shy? It’s difficult to tell with her…
“Well that was the initial plan but seeing as I’ve been preoccupied with defending myself against murder accusations-“
Shadow quickly dashes over to the computer and opens the website, seeing a giant “Sold Out” over the purchase option, shadow sighs and turns back to Amy.
“Tickets are sold out I’m afraid, I would’ve gotten 2 so that you could’ve taken someone else but it seems I missed out on it.”
Shadow explains with Tails and Barry giving shadow an apologetic look with him just shrugging it off however Amy speaks up, jumping to grab Shadows hand.
“That’s fine! Seriously it’s no big issue. In fact since you were going to buy me tickets, how about we go together to another concert?”
Amy asks, still holding Shadows hand with both her own, smiling and looking at the ultimate lifeform straight in he eyes, a light blush filling his face with Tails glancing at the two and smirking.
“I….uh…I’m not sure….I don’t know if I’m really fit to go to a conc-“
Shadow stutters however Tails speaks up, smirking the entire time.
“That’s a great idea Amy! I’m sure it’d be great for the both of you”
Amy spins around with a lit up face and a smile, looking at Tails, still holding shadows hand.
“Right!? This would be great for us to get to know each other properly”
The birthday girl turning back round to shadow as he just nods and finically manages to form a coherent sentence.
“I suppose it’s not a…horrible idea… but are you sure there’s no-one else you’d rather go with instead of me?”
Shadow enquires, curious as to why she wouldn’t invite Rouge, Blaze or even the obvious pick, Sonic…
“Nope, sure I could go with Rouge or Blaze but seeing as you’ve gone to the effort to try and make me happy, I just want to show my gratitude for your kindness”
Amy says, still clutching Shadows hand however at this point it seems they’ve both not noticed…or they both don’t care at this point…
“D-don’t worry about it Rose…I’d be happy to go with you, I’m paying though seeing as it’s your birthday present”
Shadow says, letting out a soft smile with Amy squealing in excitement yet again..
“Then It’s a date!”
“Quite literally…”
Tails mutters to the bear with him chuckling under his breath…
After what feels like a few seconds to the both of them, Amy finally releases Shadows hands and funnily enough, he didn’t seem to notice the warmth he had from her until she removed her hands and he was suddenly filled with an all too familiar coldness and tiredness. Shadow thinks why, he can’t get sick, he’s not got any injuries this time around from missions…why does he suddenly feel cold aga- his train of thought is cut of by the two tailed fox speaking.
“Well seeing as Shadow isn’t our murderer, who told you it was him Amy?”
Tails asks, continuing the investigation with shadow humming curiously too…
“Good point, I would also like to know who’s been smearing my name through the mud…”
____________________
The following events had certainly been unexpected, with the entire train being a sentient robot of Eggmans and all but thats all in the days work for the heroes of Earth, even when they are celebrating they're always shoved into conflict, granted this time wasn't as high stakes as the earth cracking open or an alien invasion, either way all things considered, alls well that ends well, at least for almost everyone…
After everyone had returned to the train station Shadow kept his distance away from the group, not a huge distance but to those who looked from the sidelines, you'd think he wasn't exactly part of the group. He begins to eye the train and there's a considerable dent on the front of the train thanks to the birthday girl however he could tell that the train was basically on its last legs, though you'd never be able to guess from how fancy the inside of it is.
He looks back at the group to see sonic speed off for a split second before coming back with a cake in his hand, smiling as he always does, everyone cheers in excitement with shadow smirking, the blue blur certainly had a way with people, for better than he did…not that he'd ever be caught dead saying that to him.
Soon after everyone begins to cheer, saying happy birthday to Amy as she looms around smiling, shadow leaning back on one of the pillars of the train station mumbles happy birthday, he's not one for shouting but sonic of all people catches that and grins right at him, almost as if saying
"Yeah i knew you'd enjoy hanging out with your friends"
Shadow slowly shakes his head and closes his eyes, hearing everyone taking turns to say their own thing about today, even that newcomer barry, whether it be about Amy or the situation. Hell even the newcomer, Barry was it? Anyway he's seemed to have made himself integrated into the group somewhat.
"A ride from start to finish"
Shadow says with everyone agreeing and the ground begin to chat away, still standing around…Shadow is ready to head off before the a gruff but kind voice speaks…
"You should speak to her you know…"
Shadow turns around to see the Conductor of all people speaking go him, he man lolls a bit bruised but he's said he'll be fine. As Shadow is about to disagree, the conductor just looks at him and speaks.
"I was scared to ask my wife when we met too, thought she liked someone else but it worked out…maybe it will for you too"
"I suppose taking her up on that date wouldn't hurt…thanks…"
Shadow says with the Conductor nodding his head and smiling before returning to his wife, Whadow then puts on his ear piece and calls Omega…
After a few seconds the machine answers
"E-123 OMEGA SPEAKING…"
The voice on the other end speaks with shadow slightly wincing at the volume, he swears Omega messes with him on purpose with the volume settings…
"Hey Omega? Did you manage to do what I asked?"
Shadow asks in a small whisper…
"Wha-now? Can't it wai- ok, ok fine i'll be there…"
____________________
"So that was an eventful birthday…"
Amy fans herself and yawning, it was getting late as everyone had agreed to go to a restaurant so everyone could eat, as nice as the cake is, it's not very filling…
"You're telling me? I was tranquilised"
Sonic shrugs whilst eating his, what could only be 50th chili dog causing espio to sigh and respond.
"I was doing what I was told, plus there would've been no way for me to catch you otherwise…I think I made a cunning murderer if I do say so myself"
The Chameleon beams with pride causing the table to laugh, saying Espio had a point about taking out sonic first…
As everyone begins to finish up with their food she begins to look around, not being able to see Shadow at the table which causes her to sigh, not annoyed but sad that he didn't stick around…she supposes it was a miracle for him to actually show up for her birthday, as everyone had finished up their food along with arguing who'd pay the bill, eventually Blaze and Rouge decided to pay, mainly to sp thay Rouge could show off and it allowed Blaze to keep up her act until the day ended.
As everyone left the restaurant, they began to say their goodbyes with everyone going their separate ways, team chaotix returning to see if Charmy had burnt down their agency, Knuckles had planned to return to Angel Island, Rouge was headed back home with Blaze headed back to her dimension. Last but not least sonic and Tails were returning back to the foxes workshop, where the two usually hung out. After a few goodbyes the Conductor of all people had said he'd be back, he was sure of it.
Amy was confused by that statement, it was obviously who he was talking about but why was he so confident? Well lucky for Amy her question was answered almost a few minutes later…in the form of a flash of light illuminating in front of her with shadow appearing…
"Bit dramatic ain't you?"
Amy mocks slightly before taking a look at him, he's got some burn marks, shadow chucks before speaking…
"I did end up managing to get those tickets, so if you're still want to take someone, I'd be willing to join you"
Shadow says…almost looking shy? He seems to be looking anywhere but at her direction. That was a thought she couldn't shake but at the same time, it causes her cheeks to redden up…
"O-Oh…I'd love to, I wasn't sure if you wanted to join me but I'd love for you to come"
Any jumps up excitedly latching onto his hand once again and smiling however a small frown forms…
"you should have stayed for dinner though it wa-"
Before Amy could continue shadow embarrassingly looks away before scratching the back of his head.
"Well I got help from Omega to secure the tickets…in doing so I told him I owed him…and he cashed it in right away, saying he wanted to test a move on…and I quote…
'The planet's closest challenge to me'...
"And trust me if i disagreed…Lets just say Omega can be very petty"
Shadow explains, earning a small laugh from Amy as Shadow speaks up again…
"I can teleport you home if you wish…"
Amy thinks about it and then walks in front of the ultimate life form, looking back at him.
"That would be nice…but I've had enough excitement for today. How about instead you walk me home…"
She says, looking back at him az shadow closes the gap, nodding his head before the two walk off into the night.