Summertime

Amy was running over to Sonic's house after he sent everyone a Emergency Meeting text. Amy wondered what possibly the meeting could be about... As she arrived at the steps she looked down to make sure she was presentable, she didn't want to look dusty in front of her friends...and Sonic. She blushed, she had a crush on him ever since the first time he saved her from Eggman. She tried to chase after her blue blur, but she was too slow for him. Sonic on the other hand liked Sally. He couldn't stand the small pink hedgehog who would constantly chase after him, everyone else in the gang was already dating one another, they all expected Sonic to date Amy and stop breaking her heart.

Amy knocked on the door, "Come in!" Yelled Cream. Amy entered slowly analyzing her friends expressions, they all had serious looks, except for Cream and Tails who arrived a minute before she did. They both were as confused as she was. Amy looked at sonic, hoping to get a seat beside him... Too late Silver and Blaze were sitting to the left of him and Knuckles and Rouge were sitting to the right, they were all sitting around Sonic's round kitchen table, Cream indicated that she should sit besides her and Blaze.

"Glad you could make it team." Said Sonic in an almost dramatic voice. "As I texted you this is an emergency meeting, concerning the fact that there is a new hedgehog in town."

"Who?" Asked Blaze.

"Shadow..." His expression filled with rage. Everybody but Amy joined his expression.

"Why are we having a meeting over the fact someone new is in town? Shouldn't we be welcoming him?" Asked Amy. Everyone stared at her, she looked down at her hands in her lap, embarrassed.

"Amy..." Silver slowly said making her face him, "Have you heard the rumors about Shadow?"

"Nooooo???" Amy was extremely confused.

Sonic groaned, "Somebody tell her besides me..."

"Shadow is the ultimate life form, rumor has it out of pure chaotic energy he emerged with the eyes of a devil. Blood Red." Stated Rouge.

"Yes, and it is also rumored he has a chaos emerald." Said Blaze.

"It is also said that he has killed many people in the night where his quills help disguise him, his quills are black and streaked with red." Growled Knuckles.

"It is also rumored he might be working for either Scrooge or Eggman." Explained Silver.

"He is also evil beyond comparison," Stated Sonic, "Gang, if you ever spot him text all the rest of us so we can help eliminate him from the picture." Pure hatred displayed on his features. "Do you all understand?"

Everyone, but Amy, nodded. She raised her hand. "Yes, Amy???" Sonic stated annoyed.

"Where is the proof to all of this?" Everyone stared at her again, shocked that she didn't agree with them.

"What do you mean?" Asked Tails.

"I mean where is the truth to these rumors? Evidence? Photos? All you told me so far is rumors." Amy restated. Sonic reached under the table and grabbed a folder. He tossed it to Amy, photos slid out, revealing none other than the so-called villain. One of the photos showed him taking out the emerald, another of him walking in the park under a streetlight showing his sad red eyes, another showed him running in a black and red blur. "And these mean?"

"Nothing yet but he is still to be wary of, understood?" Said Sonic.

Amy wanted to agree with her crush but something about the photo with his sad eyes, made her want to reach into the photo and hug him. But this is Sonic we are talking about, so she slowly nodded her head.

"Good, meeting adjourned." Said Sonic. Everyone got up from the table and went back to what they were doing, leaving poor Amy all alone. She walked home in silence, not noticing the red pair of eyes following her from the roof of Sonic's house.

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Christmas Eve

8:30 pm

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Amy's POV:

I was walking over to Sonics Christmas party, my arms full of presents for my friends, I could barely tell where I was going. I was taking a shortcut through the park, trying to admire the beautiful scenery through the boxes and bags. And from the bits and pieces I'm seeing, its beautiful... Snow making everything white, little icicles hanging off the branches of trees, and the moonlight shining clearly in the sky making everything have a bluish tint.

A small cold breeze would gust in every now and then, chilling my legs through the thin, red pair of leggings I'm wearing, I'm also wearing my normal red dress and boots, but I have a red coat keeping my arms and torso from getting chill, and on top of all that a green scarf that Blaze gave me last year.

I looked to my left and watched as the gust would blow loose snowflakes about, making miniature whirlwinds. As I was watching I bumped into someone, and no sooner as I did the top boxes and bags feel off the stack. I winced and closed my eyes, waiting to hear the snow crunch as they hit the ground.

Nothing reached my ears, I slowly opened my eyes, seeing that the guy I bumped into had caught them all. "Oh my gosh, thank you!" I gasped.

"No problem," sounded a male voice, "I'm sorry I bumped into you." Strange... I don't recognize that voice, I knew just about everyone around here.

"No I'm the one who should be sorry," I said "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Neither was I." Chuckled the guy, I tried to get a glimpse of him, but a bag was in my face. "Here," he carefully placed the boxes and bags on top of the ones I was holding.

"Thank you." I smiled behind the presents.

"Welcome, where are you taking all of this?" He asked.

"To my friends Christmas party, where are you going, to your friends and family?"

"No, I don't have any friends... Or family..." He sounded extremely sad.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you..."

"It's okay." A not so gentle breeze pushed at Amy and the other guy, Amy managed to hold all the presents, but her scarf was loose and it was whisked off her neck, the cold bit at her now exposed skin.

"Oh no!" Exclaimed Amy. "What am I going to tell Blaze, when I arrive and I'm not wearing her scarf, that she gave me..." I shivered as the cold bore into my skin.

"Oh, here..." The guy walked around me and placed a jet black scarf around my neck, "Don't want you to catch cold."

"What about you? You need it too." I said as he gently tied it around my neck

"It's okay, I don't feel the cold as much." I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw a black coat with a small bit of white fur peeking out, "Consider it a Christmas gift from the guy who saved your friends presents from falling into the snow." I giggled. He walked back to my front.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Shad."

"Shad, oh my name is Amy. Oh here my gift to you," I stood on one leg using my knee to hold the gifts up, while I reached into a bag near the top.

"I don't need anything. You can keep..." He stopped talking when I brought out a five inch wide double chocolate chip and vanilla cookie.

"Are you sure? I made them myself." I held the cookie out to him.

"I guess I'll take it." He took the cookie out of my hand.

"You can have more if you want, if you want to go to my friends party with me." I repositioned my hand and leg making it easier to stand.

"Na I'm good."

"Are you sure? No one should be alone on Christmas."

"I'm sure, thanks for the offer though."

"Your welcome, if you change your mind follow my footsteps."

"Okay goodbye Amy, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Shad." I walked around him and after ten more minutes reached Sonics house. I knocked by kicking the door.

"Coming!" Yelled Rouge. She opened the door. "Hello Amy, we were waiting for you before we opened our gifts."

"Hello Rouge, hi everyone!" I said as I walked in. Rouge shut the door behind me.

"Here let us help you out." Said Cream. Blaze, Cream, and Tails started to unload me. Everyone was sitting in their same place as last year, the only thing different was Sally sitting next to Sonic. In my spot...

I was upset by this but I didn't let my feelings show. I sat in the recliner next to the beautiful Christmas tree. It was decorated in silver and gold ornaments, that glittered by the fires flickering flames. This year I got the job of passing out all the gifts from under the tree. Everybody got an even number of gifts except for me and squirrel girl. I got everyone two gifts while they only got me and each other one gift, and Sally only got two gifts, and only got a card for Sonic.

We did it like normal, when opening gifts we would go in a circle opening one gift at a time. It was Blazes turn to start this year. She opened a gift from Silver, inside the small box was a Purple Heart Locket, with a silver chain.

"Thanks Silver it's beautiful," said Blaze. Silver opened his gift from her it was a comic book.

"No way! The Deluxe series! How did you get this!"

"E-bay." Everyone laughed, cream opened her gift from Tails. It was a CD from her favorite band. Tails received a new video game from her. Rouge received a ring from Knuckles, he got a football from her. Sally got a thin necklace from Sonic and he read the card from her. It was my turn I choose a present from Rouge. Omg... She got me a two piece skimpy swimsuit...

"That's for when we go swimming next year." Rouge told me. After another round it was Sally's turn, she opened a card from Sonic.

"Out of all the snowflakes in the world I would choose you, for no other can compare to you, will you be my girlfriend? YES!!!" She hugged Sonic, he instantly hugged back. Everyone started to cheer, except Amy. I was trying to back tears and looked excited so nobody knew my true feelings. Another round and it was Sonics turn. He was opening my gift, it was a light blue scarf that I made myself. What I didn't notice was while I was opening my gift, Sonic placed the scarf in the trash pile.

After about ten more seconds everyone had opened their gifts, Knuckles decided we should play truth or dare. "Cream truth or dare." Said Knuckles.

"Truth."

"What do you do in your house when you are all alone."

"I listen to songs by Skrillex." Said Cream in a small voice. "Sliver truth or dare."

"Dare," She walked over and whispered it in his ear. "He'll kill me..."

"Do it!" Said Cream. She walked over to the door and opened it. Silver sighed got up, ran over to Knuckles, picked him up, ran over to the door, and chucked him outside, then he slammed the door, while we were all laughing. Silver ran and hid behind the couch, as Knuckles opened the door with snow covering him.

"Knukie..." Said Rouge "Don't be mad at him, he was only doing a dare." Knuckles nodded.

"Alright Sonic," said Silver after he climbed back out from behind the couch, "truth or dare."

"Dare,"

"I dare you to watch Sally, use the restroom."

"Gross........" Said tails, everyone nodded their head with him.

"Fine..." He and Sally got up and left the room, four minutes later, Sally and Sonic return with a look of disgust on both of their faces. "Amy," said Sonic "Truth or Dare."

"Dare." Please be easy, I thought to myself.

"I dare you to put on the swimsuit Rouge gave you, and sit outside for ten minutes without anything else on, and we will have the shades drawn, so nobody exits and helps you out." Everyone was shocked at this, she would most certainly freeze. I was scared.
I grabbed the swimsuit and went into the bathroom, I returned a minute later. I exited and sat by the front step as Sonic closed the door with a smirk on his face. It was freezing.

I rocked back and forth trying to keep warm as I drew my knees into my chest and warped my arms around them, I shut my eyes as my teeth started to chatter. I tried to focus my mind on other things, and not the fact that I was shivering to death and everything was going numb. I thought about many things Sally and Sonic, summer, the 'Shadow' issue, one of the last things I thought about was the nice guy I meet in the park, I don't know why but it brought me warmth, as it spread through my body I thought how kind he was to give me his scarf when I lost mine, and how he saved the gifts.

It's true what they say when you freeze so does time, but as the heat spread through me it almost seemed to speed up, because a few second later Sonic opened the door.

"Alright Amy times up, how..." He paused, "You cheated!"

I lifted my head and looked down and saw... Shad's black jacket zipped up around my legs and arms, my green scarf, and their was a black hat on my head. What just happened?