Fickle Hedgehog Village

Sticks Knew All Along

Later that morning, Sonic wakes up in a fetal ball, to the sight of his empty hammock. He panics and zooms outside to find Shadow standing in the ocean waves. A memory of Shadow saving him from drowning in the ocean floods his head. Feeling as though he may burst into sobs, he whizzes to Shadow and embraces him from behind.

"Shadow, this is making me so sad!"

Shadow stares at the waterline.

"Don't be sad, Sonic."

"I need to find a way to tell my friends how I feel about you, Shadow!"

Shadow is surprised.

"W-what do you mean? You're not like me. You have Amy Rose and your team. Don't be a fool. This isn't a dystopia. Life is too good in this world for you to need any version of me that way. Let me be the bad guy."

Sonic affectionately turns Shadow to face him and lays one on him, right on the lips, a long one. Shadow is completely shocked but immediately reciprocates... just in time for Sticks to see as she approaches Sonic's shack. She gasps, hides in the bushes, and spies on them.

"I knew it," she whisper yells to herself. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! The gang will never believe me though. They're all gonna think I'm paranoid!"

The two finish kissing.

"We should keep this a secret if you wanna keep your friends and your reputation, Sonic."

Sticks crawls closer and hides behind a boulder so she can hear Sonic reply with...

"The only thing that I'm not sure about is how to break it to Amy. I don't mind the world knowing."

"What if..." Shadow ponders, "what if we find someone else for Amy to be in love with."

"Like who? Amy's been into me since forever but... I've never kissed her like I just did you. I love the attention she gives me and we're great friends. I think she's super cute and enjoy her company but Shadow, it's nothing like this. This is deep, dude."

"There has to be someone else for her. Maybe another version of you?"

"Are you saying we need to go to an alternate universe and find another me to replace me?"

Sticks becomes mortified.

"It's happening, an evil Sonic is gonna be brought here in place of this one!"

Shadow and Sonic look at the boulder.

"Uh oh," Sticks says as they zoom to her and pull her out from behind the rock.

Sonic demands, "Sticks, what are you doing here? How much of that did you see and hear?"

She yells at him.

"You're cheatin' on Amy with our enemy! And now you want run off to some alternant universe with him and leave us with an evil version of you? Are you nuts?!"

"I'm not cheating on her, Sticks. Me and Amy don't have what me and Shadow have. And I only wanna find another version of me so she can be happy!"

Sticks pokes him the chest.

"Why don't you just come out with the truth, huh?"

Shadow blocks Sonic from Sticks.

"Why don't you lay off?"

Sticks stands up to Shadow.

"Hey, we tried to accept you. We never said you can't be on our team. You're the one making this complicated. So you two have the hots for each other. Big deal. Yeah, it's gonna hurt Amy's feelings and yeah it's gonna rub some people the wrong way. But it ain't gonna bother me and it ain't gonna bother your friends. Well, it's gonna bother Amy but still... the truth is better than making us all live a lie!"

Shadow steps aside and looks at Sonic. Sonic sighs.

"Sticks is right, Shadow."

Shadow nods.

"Your argument is valid, Badger Girl."

"Of course it is! I'm the reasonable one!"

Sonic shrugs.

"Usually I'd disagree but right now, you're definitely making a lot of sense. Look, I saw an Eggman spy bot at the volcano last night so he knows too. We gotta find a way to tell everyone soon before Eggman uses it against us somehow."

Sticks recommends, "Let's go tell everyone right now, you can make an announcement at Meh Burger."

"Yeah right!" Sonic laughs, "and embarrass Amy in front of the whole village. Fat chance!"

"This should be done in private," Shadow suggests.

"Fine," says Sticks, "I'll go get the gang, and you can tell them right here on the beach."

She runs off.

"Why do I feel like a fight is on the way?" Sonic says.

"Because it's very likely that one is," Shadow responds.

Sonic tells Shadow, "I won't let them hurt you but still, go easy on them if they decide to..."

"I will," Shadow assures him.