Shadamy one shots.

Thread Of Fate (Shadamy week 2023- Day 5)

Love: the most potent of all powers. It encompasses all, absorbing poor souls into its trenches, never freeing their miserable minds; consumed by a single thought, of a single person at every hour, every breath and every waking moment.

To Shadow that sounded like a curse of the worst kind.

And Cupid was the merchant of madness.

"Pathetic," He smirked, sliding out of the cherub's aim lazily, hovering over the ground on his rocket-powered skates. The puffy, red-faced archer grew more furious.

Cupid swirled to face the hedgehog, his wings flapping wildly.

"Dost thou not understand thou art to be loved most pure?"

Shadow scowled, "What I understand is that I determine my own destiny," warping out of the way as the round, angry, winged Cupid let out a volley of ivory arrows towards him.

"I beg thee stand still and claim what is meant for thee!"

The cherub cried out, now chasing the hedgehog with an arrow, but to no avail. Shadow sped off on his rocket-powered skates, warping away in time for Cupid to crash head-first into a tree. The poor winged creature groaned in pain, falling into the thorny bush below.

Shadow leaned against a tree, arms folded, smirking as he watched the cherub extract himself from the bush, plucking leaves off his curly brown locks.

"Playtime is over, baby face."

He smirked, warping beside Cupid and plucking the quiver of arrows off the cherub with one swift motion.

"You have tortured souls enough, and for that you will pay!" He lifted the quiver up, about to bring it down onto his knee and destroy all of the arrows in one go when the cherub let out an agonizing scream, grabbing his foot.

"Spare me! All I doth is unleash what heart's true desire! Have mercy!"

The ebony hedgehog let out a low chuckle, amused.

"Really? And what do you think my heart desires?"

The cherub's eyes grow wide and he whispers,

"The pink one."

Shadow the hedgehog, Ultimate Lifeform, bringer of destruction, suddenly stills. Silence.

"And why didn't you start with that, you idiot?" He grumbles, dropping the quiver at the cherubs' feet.

Cupid begins to gather his arrows as Shadow looks away, frowning, lost in thought.

"You say that you just bring out what heart's desire?"

"Yes."

A pause.

"Then does her heart desire me?"

"The lady heart doth desire thee."

A soft growl.

"Liar. She has always wanted Sonic. No one else."

Cupid senses the pain, agonizing pain, behind his words, and flaps over to Shadow, floating by his head.

"That may once have been, but no longer."

He moves his open hand to the valley beyond the cliffside on which they stood. There sat Amy under a tree, drawing peacefully. Sonic looked at her sadly from a distance before he walked away, hanging his head, the sting of rejection etched on his face.

Shadow could not believe his eyes.

He felt a small poke on his side and growled, whipping his head around to glare at the cherub. The ivory arrow that the winged tyke was holding up was now laced with a tinge of gold that was definitely not Shadow's blood, but rather a thread-like substance that Cupid alone could draw out with his arrows and magic. Cupid smirked mischievously, but, to Shadow's surprise, the cherub handed him the bow and the arrow with a drop of gold on its tip. The thread of fate.

Shadow hesitated.

He had always hidden what he felt for the sweet pink girl. She had brought out a side to him that he would never have imagined having. The walks in the rain, the baking in summer, sharing their love for the chao at the chao garden. Looking back, he realized maybe, just maybe, Amy felt for him the way he did for her.

After all, Cupid was right about him, wasn't he? Maybe it was time for Shadow to learn to trust, to believe that he deserved to love and be loved.

"Take thy aim. Do not miss."

Shadow the Hedgehog smirked as he took the bow and arrow, and took aim.

"I am the Ultimate Lifeform. I never miss."