Sonic the Hedgehog - Ups and Downs - Part 1

How hard have you ever worked to be noticed by someone?  What have you put on the line and shown to the world in the hopes that the one individual you want to see notices?  Just what limits can an individual have before they're fed up with trying and either decide to invest their time elsewhere or push even harder for what it is they feel has to be theirs?  Obsession and determination can be difficult to tell apart, more so by the person exhibiting these traits in the first place.  Even if you achieve your goal you might find that it wasn't what you really wanted all along.  While this can apply to anything in life it is all the more complicated when dealing with the heart.  Do you push harder and believe in yourself without doubt or do you relent?  If you're Amy Rose you double down your efforts and break through your obstacles with whatever method smashes the hardest.  

The pink hedgehog mobian girl's life was a complicated and often exciting one.  She'd found herself drawn into adventures involving her friends on many occasions, early on as a damsel in distress to be rescued by Sonic the Hedgehog.  While the heroic blue figure touted as the "fastest thing alive" never hesitated to help her when in need he was quick to leave the moment danger had passed.  Amy at first took this to mean he must have been shy with expressing his feelings and made the attempt to start their relationship for him.  This didn't go as she had planned.  Feeling that maybe she wasn't engaging enough as an individual and wanting to learn to stand up for herself, Amy began to take part in adventures alongside her friends as a hero against various plights of the world.  To this end she'd earned respect for herself and the respect of the hedgehog she desired, but still not his affections beyond friendship.  

Frustration wasn't the word for it, Amy had grown down right upset over her lack of progress in making love bloom between them.  Her friends tried to encourage her to let the fixation on Sonic go and focus instead on other drives in her life.  However Amy had few desires outside of Sonic.  She loved her friends and shopping and trying new and popular things.  She'd even gotten a taste for adventure and truly had fun while simultaneously saving the world against evil forces like the villainous Eggman.  But while all of that made her happy it didn't make her feel fulfilled.  She wanted someone next to her, holding her hand and sharing romantic moments together.  She wanted to feel like the attractive woman she knew that she was.  Sonic never discouraged, insulted or outright ignored her but he still declined to return her advances.  Now Amy had a plan to possible catch his attention, despite the protests of other parties.

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea."  The soft yet polite voice protested behind Amy.  It wasn't the first time she'd made a comment along these lines and the hedgehog doubted it would be the last.  

"It's fine, Cream.  I know what I'm doing."  Amy responded to try and quell her friend's concerns.  At the moment her attention was drawn to her mirror as she was alternating holding a red dress with white polka dots over herself or a different purple dress that was more form fitting.  The polka dot one felt cute but she worried it was too childish.  While the purple one had a more adult tone but she didn't want to give the wrong impression on her intentions.  

"But I don't understand how this is supposed to get Mister Sonic to notice you."  Amy let out a sigh, trying to keep her cool.  Cream meant well but she just didn't understand.  The idea was possibly a bit beyond her years as the little rabbit girl was younger than Amy but she'd been on as many world saving adventures as the rest of the gang.  Cream was an innocent girl but certainly not a slow one.  

"You see Cream, sometimes to get a guy to notice you you have to let him know that he's not your only option.  It raises the stakes and forces them to make a move if they don't want to get left behind."  The young rabbit still had a sour look to her face about the whole idea being posed to her.  

"But a date with Mister Shadow?  Is that really a good idea?  He's so mean and angry all the time."  

"Shadow's not that mean.  He's just... misunderstood."  Amy might have been giving the guy too much credit but she believed Shadow was good at heart.  It was true he often fought with Sonic in a sort of rivalry as they were both hedgehogs with similar skills and abilities.  Though he'd come a long way from when they first met him as an enemy trying to destroy the earth for one villain or another due to manipulation or outright lies about Shadow's past.  Unlike the rest of them he'd been made in a lab as part mobian and part alien of some kind.  Amy didn't really know all the details as it was a sensitive subject and Shadow was already a moody guy.  While the whole thing might have sounded pretty weird to be honest it wasn't the most unusual thing Amy had come across in her time.  Not enough to dissuade her from a first date in any case.  

"I still don't like it."  Cream said as she sat on Amy's bed and held her pet Chao, Cheese, in her arms.  The little blue cherub like creature cooed at her in its odd language that Amy couldn't decipher but Cream somehow understood.  "Do you really like Mister Shadow?"  

"I don't dislike him.  But he's not the love of my life.  We're just going on a date to remind Sonic that I'm a young, beautiful woman and deserve a little attention now and then if he wants to keep my interest."  

"Does he want to keep your interest?"  

"He better."  Amy grumbled to herself.  "Now which dress should I go with?  Polka dots or purple?"  

"I like your normal red one more."  Amy thought about that, maybe Cream had a point.  If she showed too much interest in this date Shadow might fall for her girlish charms.  This was just for fun after all, no commitments.  

"Red dress it is then."  Amy returned her other two to the closet, letting them wait for a day they'd find their use.  She was already in her normal attire and thought it certainly was cute enough to be seen out on the town with.

"Isn't going on a date with Mister Shadow just to make Mister Sonic jealous a bad thing?  It sounds like you're just using Mister Shadow to get what you want."  The young rabbit could be rather astute in her observations sometimes.  

"It isn't bad, we're just dating for fun.  This is something adults do every now and then to spend time with one another.  When you're older you'll understand."  Amy fussed with her hair a bit, making sure it didn't fall out of place.  "Besides if Sonic has a problem with it, maybe he should start taking me out too."  That was the plan after all.  Shadow wasn't aware of why she'd set all of this up but that didn't matter.  She planned to give him her undivided attention and have a good time tonight, everything would turn out fine.

"Do you think if you have a really good date you'll fall in love with Mister Shadow instead?  Or maybe he'll fall in love with you?  Maybe you'll have a wonderful date and realize you're meant to be together and get married?"  Amy wasn't able to hold back the grimace that appeared on her face when Cream suggested something like that.

"I'm... going to be doubtful on that one."  Once she was sure she was ready Amy began to head out to the agreed meeting place.  She'd thought setting up a public place to get together might feel less intimidating than going to their respective homes.  "Don't worry though, I won't make him fall for me too hard.  I'm sure he's already stressed enough trying to figure out how to look cool when he arrives."





On the rooftops of a skyscraper, a hero is fighting for his life and the lives of others.  Racing against time, there is a bomb before him set to detonate in seconds.  Two wires exposed on the device, one blue and one red.  Only one choice to make, one wire meant to be cut.  The one that will save everyone.  He has no support, his friends have all be separated.  It's now or never.  Raising the wire cutters up he closes his eyes and chooses the blue wire.

The timer stops.  The day is saved.  The robot is disappointed.

"All that build up and no pay off."  A mechanical man complained from his sitting position next to the couch.  "How do you have a bomb like that and not detonate it?  Such a waste."  

"It would have destroyed the building and the bad guys would have won."  The black hedgehog on the couch explained, currently laid out on his side with the remote control for the television nearby.

"If they didn't want to blow up, they shouldn't have been under a bomb."  Shadow rolled his eyes but kept watching the movie regardless of his friend's complaints.  Omega was a rogue Eggman robot that had decided it didn't agree with its master any longer after it had been put into storage.  Since then his primary objective had been proving he was the most superior robot there had ever been and doing so by utilizing every weapon it could cram inside or onto its body.  While his focus was usually on finding the next target to lock onto, Omega was becoming more intelligent and interested in the world around him as his A.I. took in new experiences.  He still loved firing guns and blowing things up in flames but now you could actually hold a conversation with him as well.  

"Well we have a lot more guns and explosions to go through.  That was Fight Hard.  Next is Fight Hard 2, Fight Harder, Fight for your Rights, Fight Hard 5 Finger Punch, Fight Hardest and Double Punch."

"Human title sequencing is confusing to process."  

"I agree."  Shadow picked himself up off the couch to change the DVD out for their next cinematic adventure, as he did they were joined in the living room by a third member of their household.  

"What do you think you're doing?"  A woman's voice asked with a scolding tone as she eyed Shadow getting ready to place the Fight Harder DVD into the player.

"Watching a movie.  Why, did you want to join in?"  Shadow asked and dropped the disc in the player, though the female mobian bat didn't seem very amused with his offer.  So Omega provided further information.

"Despite the odd title system we have determined it to be the next sequence in the franchise.  I can provide adequate summary of the previous film if desired."  Rouge still declined however and stood in front of the TV as the menu sequence for the movie began.

"Shadow, I hope you didn't forget you already had plans for today."  The black hedgehog stared back at his jewel thief and part-time secret agent friend with disinterest, clearly more concerned with what was on screen behind her than what she was trying to say.  "A date with a girl if you recall?"  He certainly did, but proceeded to lack any interest in the subject as he returned to his relaxed position on the couch.  

"Oh, that.  I'm not going."  

"What!?"  Rouge shouted, looking considerably more upset than usual.

"It's a waste of time.  I don't know anything about dating so why put us both though the misery.  Not that I agreed to it in the first place."  Shadow glared at Rouge but she didn't budge from her standing position.  While many people considered Rouge's figure to be very shapely and enjoyable all Shadow could think of at the moment was he'd rather she put her butt anywhere else instead of in front of his movie.  She crossed her arms to show she didn't have any intention of relenting.  "Why does it bother you, anyway?  Last I recall you two weren't the best of friends."  

"I am not going to let you stand up some poor girl and break her heart."  Shadow rolled his eyes and glanced away from Rouge.  He turned towards Omega but his robot friend was currently facing the other direction and playing something on a portable gaming system he kept inside his arm for occasions like this.  Omega didn't understand most things that life forms did but he did understand not to get involved with an argument if he could help it.  

"I think we both know I wasn't her first choice anyway."  Shadow grumbled and now it was Rouge's turn to roll her eyes, understanding what he meant.

"Are you actually letting your ego problem with Sonic get in the way of you going on a date?"  Shadow clenched his teeth in annoyance over having his issues drug out into the open like that.  He hated having to discuss his feelings on any subject, Rouge being one of the few he allowed to get away with it since she was one of his only friends.  "I don't get why you're being such a baby about this."

"I don't get why you thought it was okay to agree to something like this for me?  You didn't even ask, just telling Amy I'd pick her up today."

"I didn't ask because I knew you'd say no."  Well she was right about that one.  "Besides you need this."  However she was wrong on that as far as Shadow was concerned.

"I need to entertain some girl all day and cater to her desires?"  

"You need to socialize!  I can't be there for you forever.  One of these days you're going to have to be able to talk to people without me to act as your buffer."  Shadow sat up now on the couch wanting to correct her but not sure how to go about it.  Instead he crossed his arms as well to convey his seriousness.  

"I do fine speaking for myself."  

"During work, yes.  Intimidating someone, comes natural.  Being a complete jerk, it's like an art to you."  Shadow's eyes narrowed at that last comment.  "But you're going to have to learn how to live with other people some day, Mr. Immortal Ultimate Life Form."  He wanted to be upset but Rouge had a terrible habit of being right most of the time.  Combined with her looking out for his best interests it made it difficult to argue with her.  He sighed heavily.  

"Fine.  It's only one of my precious few days off after all."  Shadow complained vocally and stood up from the couch, the bat woman's face turning to a bright smile when he finally agreed.  

"Good, now go get cleaned up real quick before you have to go.  You smell like a gun range."  

"I'm fine like I am.  Let's just get on with it."  Rouge raised an eyebrow at that suggestion and slipped her hand behind his head, expertly dodging the sharper points of his quills to reveal a bullet casing she'd removed from his hair.  "Okay so something got stuck there the last mission, are we done?"  

"Omega, some assistance please?"  Rouge requested and the robot rose to his feet from the sitting position on the floor.  With careful, mechanical precision he reached into Shadow's quills with sharp talon like fingers and produced four more bullet shells, a grenade pin and what looked like a dirty nickle he must have picked up while rolling around.  Shadow glared at Omega as if he'd been betrayed but the robot responded innocently enough.

"I thought you were keeping them in as a fashion statement... I liked it myself."  Shadow sighed and relented.  It wasn't his fault, when you curled up into a ball and rolled on the ground to attack enemies sometimes you picked up stray trash in your quills.





After a very thorough shower, Shadow was getting ready to leave on his motorcycle for a date he really didn't want to go on when all he'd actually planned to do today was watch mindless action movies.  Rouge was of course in the garage with him to be sure he actually left and Omega tagged along simply to watch if Shadow would go through with it.  The bat woman was looking Shadow over as he hiked himself up onto the seat of his vehicle.  "I really thing you should have worn something.  A shirt or a jacket, anything to spruce yourself up."  

"This is fine, it's a date not a presentation."  Rouge sighed and shook her head.

"You really are hopeless.  This is exactly why you needed me to set this up."  Shadow audibly grunted in annoyance.  "You have money, right?  A girl doesn't like a cheapskate when she's being taken out."  Shadow reached under one of his gloves and produced a debit card for his bank account.  He didn't use it very often as the G.U.N. organization provided him with nearly everything he required, but it was nice to keep on hand.  "What about cash?"

"I have the card, why would I need cash?"  

"You have to have cash on hand, Shadow.  What if you go some place and they don't accept cards or you need to leave a tip?"  

"So I won't tip anybody."  

"Just a ball of sunshine today, aren't you?  Here, I'll lend you some for now."  Reaching between her cleavage Rouge produced several folded bills and counted it out before handing it to Shadow, who was looking away embarrassed as he took the wad of money and slipped it under his other glove.  

"Did you have to pull it out of there?"

"This outfit doesn't have a lot of pockets."  Rouge said with an amused smile at his discomfort.  "Do you know where you're going to take her?"

"I'll just ask her what she wants to do, should make her happy."  Shadow could tell by the expression on his friend's face that wasn't the correct answer.  He sighed heavily.  "I don't know?  A carnival?  A movie?"  Rouge didn't seem very impressed with his suggestions but the black hedgehog was losing patience with this game.  "A street brawl?"

"That would be more your style, wouldn't it?  Just try to be a gentlemen and be decisive.  I know you're capable of that.  Be sure to pay for dinner too, it doesn't look good for a man to have a girl cover her own meal on a date."  

"I'm buying her dinner now too?"  

"Well of course, a girl gets hungry when she goes out on the town.  Now get out there and make me proud.  I want to hear good things when you come back."  

"Yeah yeah..."  Shadow said and started his bike, pulling out of the garage and driving away from the military base to where Rouge had arranged his meet up with Amy.  The remaining members of Team Dark watched Shadow drive off.  Once he was out of sight Rouge made her way back into the house and Omega followed behind her like a curious, metal puppy dog.

"Do you believe Shadow will prove successful in his mating ritual with the pink hedgehog?"

"Doubt it."  Rouge answered quickly.  "I'll say this, I don't envy that girl tonight having to take care of him.  It'll be a good learning experience though."  

"If you believed Shadow would fail in this mission, why were you so insistent upon his participation?"

"Because now Mr. Gloom N' Doom is out of the house and I have control of the television."  Rouge said, finally revealing her actual motivation behind this date.  "Sometimes a girl just needs a day to relax, you know?  Order me a pizza while I change into my pajamas, partner.  We have a movie marathon to watch."

"Continuing 'Fight Hard' mission under new parameters."  Omega said with an uplift in his mechanical tone once he realized his day got to continue as he desired.  Rouge went off to her room to change into something more comfortable.  Sure she really did hope Shadow had fun today, but either way he was sure to have an amusing story when she saw him later tonight.





Amy stood in front of a fountain in Station Square's downtown area.  It was only a short walk from the bus stop and large enough to be easy to spot for anyone in need of an obvious land mark.  Perfectly suited for her needs for today.  She wasn't really sure how Shadow would be arriving and figured much like Sonic he'd just roll in at super speed on those weird jet-skate-shoe things he always wore.  Being able to run super fast was useful in a variety of situations but she didn't intend to run around as if she was doing a work out or have her date carry her everywhere for people to gawk.  If he did pop up on foot they'd either have to take the bus or get a cab.  Were Shadow to have a problem with that he'd simply have to come up with a better solution.  Thankfully for her that had already been arranged.

Roaring from down the street Amy could hear the engine of the black and red motorcycle the matching hedgehog was riding towards her.  With little traffic on the road he maneuvered his bike towards the curb and stopped directly in front of the pink hedgehog who was smiling brightly at his method of transportation.  "Am I on time?"  

"Right on the dot."  Amy said with more excitement than she'd intended and hopped onto the back of Shadow's motorcycle without awaiting his permission.  She was still earning some glances from the local people near by but they were welcome compared to what she'd been dreading before.  Thus far Shadow was earning points for showing up looking cooler than expected.  "Where to first?"

"There's a theme park at the docks."  Fair games and rides, huh?  Not what she'd expected from the tough guy with a mysterious past, but she didn't have a problem with it.  Honestly it had been a long time since she'd enjoyed something like that.

"Sounds good to me, let's ride!"  Amy said with enthusiasm and wrapped her arms around Shadow's waist to keep steady, not noticing the sigh of relief Shadow made when she agreed to his suggestion.  Once they were on the road they were flying and the sound of the engine made it difficult to speak without shouting but Amy didn't mind.  Things were starting off well.  She'd been worried that he would have choked at the beginning and not thought of anything for them to do.  Thankfully he wasn't rendered too awe struck by her stunning good looks (as far as she thought anyway).

When they arrived and Shadow parked his bike she came to a sudden realization.  "You don't wear a helmet while you ride your bike?"  

"Don't need one."  Shadow answered curtly.

"But what if you were to get into a car accident?"  

"I'd live."  Amy raised an eyebrow at such a sure response and Shadow took note of her body language.  "I'm the Ultimate Life Form, a car accident isn't going to kill me.  If anything I could jump off the bike before it crashed.  Or just teleport."  That was right, Shadow had some super powers that were even beyond what most of her friends could do that battled against Eggman.  That lead her to another thought though.  

"So you'd just leave your bike to crash and jump to safety?"  

"I'd save the bike if I could."  

"Hey wait, what about me?  I don't have a helmet either and I can't just teleport."  

"You could jump.  I've seen you fight, I know you're strong enough."  Shadow got a nagging feeling and turned his head to see Amy glaring daggers at him for that response.  He realized informing his date she should jump to safety if there was ever an accident probably wasn't the most gentlemanly thing to say.  "Or... I could save you."  

"Before you'd save the bike, right?"  Shadow's eyes nearly broke contact with hers at that question but he managed to keep himself solid.  

"Yes, of course, without a doubt.  Oh look, we're at the front of the line.  My treat of course, just a minute and I'll pay."  Happy to end that conversation as soon as possible, Shadow made his way to the ticket booth and purchased entry into the small theme park on the docks.  He didn't know how long they'd be there for so he just purchased a pass for all day for both of them.  When Amy was presented with her bracelet to allow her access to all the rides it seemed to soften her up from their previous conversation and Shadow felt thankful for the power of a few kind gestures on her temper.  After that they were off.

While Amy seemed to enjoy herself Shadow found the rides boring for the most part.  It wasn't that they were poorly made, he simply found it difficult to be thrilled by roller coasters when his daily life had him battling robots and performing deadly stunts while running at super speeds.  But this wasn't for him, this was supposed to be for her.  He still didn't see the point of it though as he felt disconnected from the dating experience.  It was as if he was an accessory to her day out.  Amy would chatter about herself, how much she was enjoying the rides and where she wanted to go next but for Shadow it was just time being filled.  Rouge was going to get an earful when he got back to base.  

When they'd exhausted the amount of rides Amy had desired to go on (finally), the couple found themselves walking past the midway games.  Amy was glancing at the games and Shadow was sizing them up as well, wondering if any of them were something he might find entertainment out of.  Though while he was spying on a game of darts where you had to pop a series of balloons on a wall Amy had wandered off to another booth.  Shadow followed after the pink hedgehog to see her admiring a stuffed, plush Chao doll.  "You want that?"  Shadow asked her directly.  

"I bet Cream would love it."  So she was thinking of someone else when she looked over the prizes.  That... impressed him actually.  He was sure she was just looking to get what she wanted for herself.  Reaching under one of his gloves Shadow approached the human teenage boy working behind the booth.  

"I want to win that."  Shadow thumbed up at the stuffed toy, but the teenager didn't even look up his way.  Instead thumbing through a magazine while he worked at the booth.  Thankfully he at least heard Shadow when he spoke.  

"Gotta knock down all three bottles, bro.  Five bucks gets you three chances."  The disrespect wasn't appreciated but Shadow ignored his rude behavior and lifted his glove to pull out the wad of cash Rouge had given him.  Shadow slapped five dollars onto the counter and the teenager produced three wooden balls in exchange for them.  

"Would you like to try?"  Shadow asked Amy and offered her the carnival balls for her to throw, the pink hedgehog smiling slyly as she took them.  At least she wasn't mad at his dumb slip up.  

"One prize coming right up."  Amy said confidently as she threw the first ball and managed to hit the trio of bottles stacked like a triangle dead center.  Though unfortunately it only knocked off the top one as the other two remained standing.  "Oh come on."  

"That's one."  The teenager behind the counter said and earned an annoyed glare in unison from both hedgehogs.  Amy reeled up and threw the next ball with more strength than Shadow had anticipated.  There was a loud "thunk" as the ball hit the second bottle and it rolled off the table.  They must have been weighed down heavily.  "That's two, one more for the win."  Amy grinned confidently as she threw the final ball and hit the bottle at the edge of the lip, making a smaller thunk and causing the bottle to tip but not fall over.  "Oh, so close."  The lack of enthusiasm was met with equal measure by Amy's agitation.

"Are you kidding me!?  I hit that thing perfect!  Is it chained to the table or something?"  

"Five dollars, three balls if you want to go again."  Amy put her hand out for another five dollars from Shadow and the black hedgehog sighed and gave her the money.  It was pretty obvious she wasn't leaving without that prize for her friend.  Slapping the money down in a manner very similar to Shadow's own earlier she was provided three more wooden balls and lined up in front of the next set of targets.  Shadow noted there were only three stacks of bottles set total and thought if Amy missed he'd still let her go again if just to force this kid to stand up.

The balls flew, all in rapid succession like they were being fired out of a turret.  The resounding sound of wood slamming against thick plastic rung loud enough to get a few passer-byes to look her direction.  Once the assault had flown the top bottle had shot off the stack, the second rolled to the floor and the final one slid but didn't fall.  Amy's eyes were practically burning.  "This game is rigged!"  

"Five dollars, three balls if you want to go again."  If looks could kill that teenager would have hit the floor of the booth dead with the glare Amy had for him.  Shadow however pulled out another five dollars and laid it on the counter.  

"I'll give it a go."  He said with surprising calm for having just been robbed.  

"Shadow just... it's okay, we don't need to give this cheat any more money."  Amy said feeling defeated but it didn't deter Shadow.  

"Give me a chance."  He said confidently enough for Amy to believe him.  Walking over to the final batch of bottles Shadow tossed the first one and knocked over the top bottle much the same as Amy.  Naturally the booth attendant chimed in with all the enthusiasm of someone that would rather be doing anything else.  

"First one, right on target."  Picking up the second ball Shadow gripped it in his hand and it started to glow with a green energy.  One of the abilities he could do with the energy that allowed him to teleport was also fire said energy at a target with great results.  An attack he named Chaos Spear to reflect the source of the energy and shape it took when he used it.  Normally he reserved this kind of power for enemies he planned to thoroughly destroy but there were a few non-lethal tricks he could pull with it as well.  Tossing the now glowing, wooden carnival ball it flew with enough force to break the remaining two bottles on the table.  The second one flying off into pieces while the third snapped in half with the bottom portion still stuck to the table.  The booth attendant looked up for the first time after bits of plastic bottle rained down onto the booth floor.  "Uh... second one..."

"I think I win."  Shadow said smugly and Amy was nearly jumping for joy seeing her date beat the rigged game.  

"Well, technically bro the bottom of the bottle is still on the table, so..."  Shadow held up his last ball and covered it in the same green glowing energy as before.  "You know what, that's good enough.  Here you go."  Handing over the plush Chao doll that had probably never intended to come down from its hook since it had been placed up, Shadow took it and passed it along to Amy.  Leaving the kid to clean up the aftermath of the game.  Amy was giggling to herself happily and Shadow had to admit he felt good after that.  Few things cheered him up as much as beating someone at their own game.  Hot off that success Amy requested they ride the Ferris wheel as it was the last thing at the park they hadn't been to.  He wasn't thrilled to get on another boring ride but Shadow felt good enough right now to go along with her.  





Once they were in the Ferris wheel car it closed up and began to rise slowly to allow other couples to fill in the remaining seats before it would spin consistently for the ride.  Amy was taking the time to look out over the water and see the sunset against it.  The view was nice and it was a great end to their time at the park.  She sat the stuffed Chao nearby, a tiny symbol of her victory against what nearly ruined her date.  She looked across the car to see Shadow was staring out the opposite window, looking at the city instead of the sunset.  His posture was slumped and his eyes weren't really focused on anything as he watched the skyline.  "Um, Shadow?"  

"Yes?"  He asked just as gruff as ever.  

"Thank you, for winning this for me.  I appreciated you stepping in like that."  

"Don't worry about it.  Never liked anyone that takes advantage of people."

"I guess that's what was happening, even if it was just a midway game."  Amy sat forward and crossed her hands onto her lap, tapping her fingers together nervously.  Shadow took note of her behavior and sat up as well, crossing his arms and sitting up straight.  

"You look like you have something to say."  

"Well I was just thinking... I don't know a lot about you, do I?  I've never asked before.  Or maybe I never had the chance to ask, we don't usually see each other unless the world's in danger."

"Or you're preoccupied with-"  She was sure he was going to mention Sonic but the name caught in his throat.  "...with other things that are important to you."  In a weird way she was happy he didn't bring him up.  While Sonic was usually her favorite subject to talk about at the moment she didn't want him to make their situation even more awkward.  

"Yes, well, right now it's just the two of us."  Shadow raised an eyebrow and she wished she'd phrased that better.  Did it sound too forward?  She wasn't trying to make it a situation like that.  Best to just keep going like nothing was wrong.  "Soooo um, can you tell me about yourself?"  Shadow's body relaxed a little more in the seat as he talked but his arms stayed crossed as if to put up a wall between them.  

"What do you want to know?"  

"I dunno, anything really.  All I know about you is you work for the G.U.N. military and you hang out with Rouge and Omega.  Do you have other hobbies?"  Shadow was quiet for a moment as he thought and Amy was about to repeat the question to test if he'd even been listening when the hedgehog finally replied.

"I like watching movies."  With the blandest answer Amy could have asked for.  

"Well that's... nice, I guess?  What kind of movies?"  

"Action movies, usually.  Omega likes those the most."  

"You watch them with Omega?  I didn't think robots would like movies."

"He eats them up, anything with explosions and gunfights."  Shadow's arms dropped out of their defensive cross in front of him as he talked.  "Rouge doesn't care much for them so we usually have the television.  I don't think she likes T.V. much."  

"You all... live together?"  Amy wasn't surprised the robot lived with Shadow, they were in essence both guys and seemed to make good room mates with their jobs involving a lot of violence.  But the idea that Rouge lived with him too was unexpected.  She thought the jewel thief would have secured her own home and hideout a long time ago.  

"Sort of, we all have a house on the base that was set aside for us.  Omega and I really don't have any other place to live but I'm sure Rouge has some places she hides out at.  But the base pays for our power, water and food so it's convenient."  

"I guess that makes sense."  The more she thought about it she figured it was okay, boys and girls could live together without there being anything romantic involved.  Besides Rouge wouldn't have agreed to set up this date if there was something between them.  At least she didn't think she would.  That woman was hard to understand.  Almost as difficult as the guy in front of her.  "Do you like living with them?"  

"It's convenient for work."  Shadow replied and didn't elaborate further.  Talking with him was frustrating but she wasn't going to give up just because he was playing it close to the chest.

"Alright then, why did you decide to work for G.U.N.?  Didn't they give you a lot of trouble before?"  Shadow's posture changed again at that question, his legs crossing and arms folding over his chest once more.  If nothing else Amy was learning how to gauge his body language and reactions with each question.  Which boiled down to various levels of "defensive" and "stand-offish".

"I had a debt to pay."  

"To who?"  

"To... to everybody.  I caused a lot of problems, you were there for that.  I needed to do something that would help someone."  Shadow's body tightened up some more, clearly not comfortable with this question.  Amy figured she understood part of the reason at least, what with the terrifying events of the aliens that invaded earth and tried to get Shadow to join their cause.  In the end though he decided to help everyone instead, and it was that kind of behavior that made her think deep down he must have been a good guy.  "What about you?"  

"Me?"  

"Yes.  You.  You go out of your way to help people when trouble arrives.  So why bother when you're not getting a paycheck like I am?"  She didn't expect to have her question turned around on her like that.  Amy thought about the answer to why exactly she got herself caught up in dangerous situations one after the other.  

"I guess I did it for..."  Don't say Sonic.  Even if that was partly true don't mention him.  She could even feel Shadow watching her and waiting for that name to come out.  "For myself."  

"Oh?"  

"I don't have some kind of debt to repay, or any kind of great power or responsibility, you know?  I mean I'm really just getting lucky most of the time when things work out for me on adventures.  But before when I'd get in trouble someone else always had to save me.  I started to hate that.  I wanted to be able to stand up for myself and help others too.  So I just kind of... fell into it."  It felt nice to confess that to someone.  She'd struggled with gaining her own self-respect for years but never actually said it out loud before.  "I suppose that isn't as exciting as your reason, huh?"

"It's a good one."  Shadow said.  "Standing up for yourself and others because it's the right thing to do.  Not everyone's as pure as that."  

"Oh.  Well, thank you."  Amy said with a cheerful smile.  "I don't know if you still feel you have some debt to pay, but I'm glad you're friends with us Shadow."  

"Yeah... I suppose I am."  Shadow looked away with his response and seemed to be uncomfortable in his chair.  Amy couldn't figure out what she'd said that bothered him but at least he didn't seem upset.  "Do you want to go to a movie?"  

"After the ride ends?  Sure!  That sounds like fun."  It was the only thing he'd said he enjoyed doing after all and Amy wanted to give a little back after he'd taken her out to have such a good time.  Besides she didn't have to be home any time soon.  May as well enjoy the evening to the fullest.





After hopping off the Ferris wheel and onto Shadow's motorcycle the couple was off again to the closest movie theater they were both aware of.  Shadow had shared that even though he did like watching TV with Omega he had never actually gone out to see a movie in a theater before.  Amy wanted it to be a good time for him so she decided that he could pick out the movie.  Even though action films weren't something she normally watched the experience wouldn't be so bad.  Besides if he enjoyed it then she'd have done something nice for him on this date.  

Arrival at the theater stuck them in line to get their tickets, which was fine because it gave Shadow a chance to look over the movie posters and decide what he wanted to see.  Since the concession stand was separate from the ticket booth Amy took it upon herself to get them some snacks.  She hadn't eaten much today so when she came back from the counter it was with an armful of sodas, pop corn and candy.  Shadow looked her pile of snacks over and retreated a little from the site of them all.  "Well I thought you might be hungry too."  Amy said innocently.  

"Are you sure you want that much?  Won't we be eating dinner later tonight?"  Amy's eyes widened at the suggestion.  

"You're going to take me out to dinner too?"  

"Well, yes.  Is that a problem?"  

"No!  No, not at all.  I'll be glad to go."  Amy smiled happily and walked with a little more bounce in her step.  Shadow didn't seem to understand why she was so cheerful but it didn't matter to him.  Things were working out pretty well so far.  Once they were in the theater and had chosen their seats Amy set herself up to get comfortable and enjoy the film.  "Oh I forgot to ask, what did you get us tickets to?"  

"Some film called The Green Hills Have Eyes.  I'd never heard of it but the guy that sold them to me said it was the most popular movie out right now.  Sound familiar to you?"  

"Oh.  That movie."  Amy gulped as she sat still in her chair.  "Yeah, yeah I've heard of it."  

"Is it good?"  

"People seem to like it.  Y'know, if you like horror movies."  Which Amy didn't.  Something about them always spooked her and she usually couldn't sit through one without screaming at least once.  But she vowed to let Shadow choose what he wanted to see and she was going to sit with him and not ruin the experience.  Her sudden stiffness wasn't lost on the black hedgehog though.

"I can ask for a refund and choose something different if you want."  

"I'm good!"  Amy said, raising her voice a little higher than necessary.  

"You're sure?"  

"Positive.  Don't worry, everything will be just fine."  





A little over an hour later two hedgehogs were exiting the theater together while the movie still played behind them.  One looking ashamed of herself and the other annoyed through the mess of popcorn covering his head and stuck on his quills.  "Sorry..."  Amy said feeling humiliated.  

"If you didn't like scary movies you didn't have to force yourself into one for my sake."  Shadow flicked off several pieces of popcorn but managed to keep finding more.  Amy had succeeded in covering him with the snack food almost completely right before they decided to exit the theater.  Previous to that she'd managed to scare everyone else around her with a frightful scream and leave an imprint of her hand in Shadow's arm where she'd been gripping tightly ever since the monsters started to appear.  Now that she was out of the dark theater the pink hedgehog had regained her composure but was still embarrassed.

"I feel so stupid."  Amy said and kept her head down low.  "And I made you leave the movie before it was done."  Shadow wanted to be upset but his features softened when he saw how hard Amy was being on herself for causing them to walk out.  

"It wasn't as good as they said it was anyway."  Shadow admitted.  "I've seen a lot of dumb movies but that one was just messy for cheap scares."  Despite him trying to lighten the mood Amy still was looking depressed, obviously taking this a lot harder than he was.  His body tensed, wanting to tell her to get over it but he could already see in his mind Rouge's angry face if she found out he made a girl cry on a date she set up.  Forget about it, just push to the next thing on the check list.  "Where did you want to eat tonight?"  

"You still want to go out?"  Amy said looking at him hesitantly.  

"Yes, the movie didn't matter to me."  That didn't seem to cheer her up either so it left him scrambling for how to correct that problem.  "What I mean to say is you ruining the movie didn't matter to me."  Amy's eye scrunched up as if she might begin to cry and Shadow panicked.  "I mean I'm not mad at you!  I just... I don't know what to say but I don't want you to be sad anymore and I want us to eat food."  Amy's face went from being teary eyed to smiling and laughing lightly at Shadow's outburst.  "What...?"  

"That is the most straight forward way to try and cheer a girl up I've ever heard anyone say.  'I don't want you to be sad anymore and I want us to eat food.'  That sounds like something you'd hear from a robot."

"Well I do work with one almost every day."  Amy kept smiling and seemed to be over her embarrassment now.  She was a confusing girl to predict, very emotional and sensitive, but also energetic and with a little bit of a selfish side.  Not that he could complain too much, Rouge regularly reminded Shadow that no one else could work with him but her and Omega.  Once the couple was out of the theater Shadow shook his head repeatedly to try and remove all the popcorn that had been stuck on his quills.  It didn't work perfectly but he got most of it out.  

"Can I help?"  Amy asked and after being sure no one was watching Shadow relented and allowed her to clean him of the offending snack food.  She quickly removed each of the obvious pieces and ran her fingers through his quills to find any others hidden a little deeper.  "Wow, I really got you good with these."  

"Hmph."  Shadow responded, crossing his arms and hoping this would be over soon.  Being covered in snack food was humiliating enough without a girl fawning over him like a fussy mother.  "You're able to move your hands through my spines without hurting yourself?"  

"Well I take care of my own on a regular basis, you know."  Amy said proudly.  "Besides yours are sharp but not that difficult to move through.  They just curl differently."  Shadow's eyes turned downward as he considered that.  It was such a small thing to mention but it was refreshing.  Usually he focused on what made him different from everyone else, rarely did he consider the similarities.  "One is in here really deep.  I just have to... there!"  Amy said as she pulled her hand out, looking at the offending item that had been stuck in Shadow's hair.  "Wait, is this a bullet shell?"

"Hm, thought I got all of those out."  Shadow wasn't very bothered by her discovery, so Amy discarded it thinking it must not have been important.  He did work on a military base after all.  "Ready?"  Mounting up on his bike Shadow started the engine and Amy hopped on behind him, getting used to this method of travel.  

"You bet, let's just head into the city and stop wherever looks good."  That was as good a plan as any to him.  Revving the engine he took off into the street and began to drive.