AND HERE THEY ARE, THE PROMPTS FOR 2026's SHADAMY WEEK!
Day 1: Oblivious / Surprises
Day 2 Different Era / Fake Dating
Day 3 Enemies to Lovers / Height Difference
Day 4 Time / Hammer and Spear
Day 5 Gentle / Colours
Day 6 Coffee / Adventure
Day 7 Comfort / Crossover
As this is our 5th year hosting, there is also the bonus theme of 5 Year Anniversary!
Thank you again to everyone who participated in the voting! We look forward to seeing everyone's creations in June!
He had read stories about her in books long forgotten on the dusty back shelves of the library: a kind-hearted pink hedgehog who wielded a hammer with unforgiving might hundreds of years ago. She was part of a team of heroes who fought countless times against a mad man with robots. 'It must have been incredible to see her in action,' Shadow thought, as he mindlessly traced the cracks that formed in her stone, passively noting that they hadn't grown any larger since his last visit. He came here often; it had become something of a routine. He had grown particularly fond of this spot—of her.
He often thought about what it would have been like to have been born in a different era, so he might have had the chance to meet her.
Featuring a tiny chunk of a Different Era AU I've come up with in which Team Sonic existed long before the Ark, Shadow becomes a librarian for tactical reasons, and Silver is a history professor at the local university.
I intended to write a one-shot to go along this piece but after talking with a friend and reworking some stuff, I decided I had too many ideas and need more time lol.
Written for Shadamy Week 2026. Prompt: height difference.
--
Amy wanted to try skydiving, so she invited a bunch of her friends to join her. Most of them passed because they could either fly or glide and thus wouldn’t get much out of it, and Blaze backed off the moment heights were mentioned.
Sonic was the only one who’d said yes. The two of them had broken up a few months prior, and while they still got along just fine, Amy didn’t want to give him the wrong impression by asking him to hang out one-on-one. She racked her brain for anyone daring enough who couldn’t already fly, and Shadow came to mind. She assumed he’d say no to avoid spending time with Sonic, but he agreed the moment she said the word “skydiving.” Surprised yet relieved, she happily made the plans.
Sonic seemed surprised, too, but Shadow brushed off his questions and strapped himself in next to Amy on the plane. Although Shadow was trying to seem casual, Amy could see his fists were clenched more than usual.
Unfortunately, Amy didn’t have time to think about it because her focus shifted between Shadow and the window. She looked down to the ground thousands of feet below them, and her brain drew a certain parallel, one that she always tried not to think about. Sonic and Shadow both noticed she was tense, but she gave a smile she hoped looked convincing and just said she was excited. Sonic shrugged and smiled back, but Shadow studied her expression for a while longer, making her feel transparent.
Amy’s nerves skyrocketed when the plane leveled out at its maximum height. The attendant was running through the instructions one last time, but her gaze kept flicking back to the open hatch of the plane. Her stomach lurched.
“Miss? Miss?”
Amy jumped. The attendant, a friendly sugar glider who reminded her of Ray, was tilting his head down to try and make eye contact with her, concern wrinkling his forehead. Realizing she was biting her nails, Amy tore her hand away and forced another smile. “Sorry, sorry! What is it?”
“It’s important to remember the procedure, ma’am. Are you alright?”
Shadow’s low voice came from her right side. “They can’t force you to do this.” Amy looked up, and he met her nervous expression with a reassuring nod. “I will get you down from here. Just ask.”
Amy nodded, but her expression remained tight.
It’s not me I’m worried about!
The attendant looked between the two of them, then showed her a kind smile. “Your friend is right. You can always ride back down in the plane if you’re not comfortable.” The pilot cleared his throat from the cockpit, and the attendant chuckled. “No refunds, though.”
Amy laughed stiffly and tried to pay attention for the rest of the explanation, ignoring the rumbling of her stomach and the weight of Shadow’s gaze.
At last, he finished and unbuckled the three hedgehogs in preparation. Sonic sprang up from his seat and stretched his legs with a smirk. “Alright! You guys ready?”
Amy’s smile was wooden as she stood. “Yep! Let’s go!”
She could see Shadow nod out of the corner of her eye, but he remained silent.
Sonic saluted. “Sweet! I’ll see you at the bottom. Last one there’s a rotten Eggbot!”
With that, he bolted toward the hatch. The attendant didn’t have time to protest before Sonic launched himself off the edge.
“Woohoo!”
Amy breathed deeply and took two hesitant steps forward. Even over the roar of the plane, the soft footfalls behind her made her heart race.
Don’t follow me.
Don’t jump.
I can’t do this again.
A hand rested on her shoulder. Gentle as it was, it still made her jump.
Shadow’s expression was equal parts compassion and intensity. “No one will blame you if you change your mind.”
Amy hastily shrugged his hand off and backed away. “I-I’m fine!”
Shadow glanced back and forth between his hand and her expression. His jaw clenched. “No, you’re not.” He stepped closer again, holding his hands up as if she were an injured animal. “Just hold on. I’ve got you.”
Amy’s breathing grew fast and shallow in the thin air, worsening with every step he took closer toward her...and toward the open hatch behind her. She shook her head and pressed her hands against his shoulders, holding him back. “No! Don’t get any closer!”
The sugar glider laughed nervously, extending a hand. “Ah...it’s alright! Plenty of people get nervous. Don’t feel pressured!” His head whipped around, and he hissed toward the cockpit. “We really can’t do a refund? Just this once?”
Amy shoved Shadow back harder than she’d meant to, and both of them staggered. “Stay back! I’m fine!”
Shadow’s eyes flashed, and Amy saw his shoes light up in preparation for a burst of speed. She choked, then whipped out her hammer in the same breath. She adopted a defensive stance, even as her teeth chattered. “I...I s-said stand back! I’m warning you!”
Shadow halted immediately, and Amy heard his breath get caught in his throat. His eyes were locked on the open hatch, wide and unseeing. At last, he gritted his teeth and shook himself out of his stupor. “I’m not letting you do this!”
Shadow dropped into a crouch, as if preparing to strike. Amy’s heart pounded rapid-fire in her veins, and she lifted her hammer in preparation to counter him, but then the plane shook and rumbled around them. The turbulence knocked Amy off-kilter, and the parachute in her pack threw off her balance. A sharp whine of panic left her throat, and she stumbled back a few steps toward the hatch, flailing her arms as she went.
A curse left Shadow’s lips, and he was an inch away before she could blink. He yanked the hammer from her shaking hands. Amy’s heart seized, but instead of attacking, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She could see the flash of an emerald in the corner of her eye, and a frantic but confident voice muttered, “Chaos Control!”
In a blinding flash, they were gone.
The sugar glider flinched, then blinked his eyes open.
The pilot checked over his shoulder, similarly dumbfounded, then sighed.
“How about a fifty percent discount?”
--
Amy froze the moment her feet met the ground, eyes wide and heart pounding.
The arms pulled her closer, and a whisper met her ears.
“Shhhh...it’s alright. I’ve got you.”
A ragged gasp tore through Amy’s throat...and she broke. She threw her arms around Shadow and dug her fingers into his back, shaking as tears spilled from her eyes. He combed his fingers through her quills soothingly. “It’s okay. I—”
“Don’t go!”
Shadow paused again, then scratched gentle fingers along her back. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. It’s—”
“You have to stay!” Amy blurted, still burying her face in his chest. “Don’t go back up there! I CAN’T HANDLE IT AGAIN!”
Shadow finally stopped. He pulled away, holding her by her shaking shoulders. He frowned, searching her expression for answers. “What do you mean, ‘again?’”
Amy’s heart clenched. She tried to blink back the tears, but they kept falling. “Th-the...” Another sob broke through. “Th-the ARK! All those years ago! Y-you—”
Amy’s voice died, and her eyes squinted shut. Shadow’s voice was softer than before. “What are you talking about? We were just standing. I didn’t fall.”
Amy’s head snapped up. She searched his face through bleary eyes, finding nothing but blank confusion.
Somehow, it made her blood boil. A growl, hoarse and weak, rumbled in her throat, and she took ahold of her quills and yanked at the roots. “It’s like I’m the only one who remembers! Even Sonic doesn’t care, and he’s the one who didn’t catch you!”
Shadow remained silent for some time aside from an inquisitive sound...and then he choked. Firm but gentle fingers looped with hers, coaxing them out of their death-grip on her quills and relieving the pain. Amy tilted her head up.
Sympathy and shock clashed on Shadow’s face. “You saw that? When I...”
Amy sniffled and nodded. “Everyone else was at the closest window, watching, but...” She paused to take in another shuddering breath. “They were all crowded around it, and there wasn’t any room for me, so...I...I found a lower one, and it had a better view of—”
The scene that had been seared into her brain for years forced its way to the surface for the millionth time. She pressed against the glass, helpless as the silvery sheen faded from his body, a star losing its luster as it fell to Earth. She’d stubbornly plastered herself to the window alone for what felt like years, certain that a flash of gold would swoop back down to be the hero she knew.
Instead, the doors slid open to reveal one hedgehog. Not two.
Shadow’s voice was quiet, but it still made her flinch as he drew her out of the memory. “It’s okay. I made it. I didn’t...”
Both of them winced.
“I’m here. Really here,” he repeated, his tone heavier than before.
“But you weren’t. For so long,” Amy croaked, averting her gaze. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she held herself. “I had nightmares every night. For months.” Her tears were starting to dry, but her body still heaved with exertion. An involuntary whimper left her. “Sometimes I still do.”
Amy remained there for a few moments, wondering if Shadow would say anything. Instead, his arms wrapped around her once more to hold her close.
“I’m sorry.”
Amy’s muscles locked up, but he stayed put, and the tension eventually melted out of her body. She tucked her head underneath Shadow’s chin and rested her cheek in his fur until she stopped shaking. Her throat was raw and she could feel a headache building, but her breathing and heart rate were evening out.
Shadow pulled away only after she did. “I know what it’s like to have images you wish you could erase. If I’d known you would see that, I...”
“It’s my fault,” Amy cut in.
Shadow paused with his mouth open, visibly baffled, then sighed and practically rolled his eyes. “You are not going to take the blame for that.”
“But—”
Shadow shook his head. “I told you I was keeping a promise that day, not making one. That promise was made before you were even born. You reminded me of someone very important to me and convinced me to keep it, and I’m glad you did.”
Amy opened up her mouth to speak, but he held up a finger. “I’m old enough to make my own decisions. I chose to help our friends. I chose to fight my prototype. I chose to fly out there knowing there was a chance I wouldn’t make it back, and I chose to push Sonic away because I knew he only had enough energy left to make it alone. I have no regrets about that day, and if you want to blame someone, it’ll have to be me.”
Amy started at the declaration. Her heart fluttered oddly.
Shadow’s intense expression softened. “I know a thing or two about nightmares. I’m sorry I became one of yours.”
Amy’s heart swelled, but then a few laughs escaped her, lightening her mood. “You don’t have to be so dramatic about it. I’m always happy to have you around.” She was rewarded with a shy smile. She soon groaned and held a hand up to her face. “Probably shouldn’t have picked skydiving, of all things. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that...”
Shadow’s smile and stance grew more casual. “I’m still glad you invited me.”
Amy scoffed. “Why? So I could latch onto you and cry all over you?”
Shadow snorted and brushed off his chest fur, smirking. “No. So I could keep you from doing something stupid.” Amy balked, so he nodded. “I’ve never wanted to try skydiving. I just came here to stop you from jumping out of that plane, or at least keep anything from going wrong.”
“Skydiving isn’t that dangerous,” Amy argued. “There are tons of safety precautions. We have parachutes for a reason,” she insisted, pointing to her own pack.
“And what happens if they don’t deploy?” Shadow asked, tugging at one of the straps on her shoulder.
“It will! The attendant said they inspect the equipment regularly.”
Shadow’s eyes met hers. “And you trust him? For sure?”
“Of course I do! He’s nice!” Amy protested, puffing her cheeks out.
“What if he wasn’t in charge of that? What if someone else packed it wrong or there was a defect at the factory?”
Amy stalled out. “Well, uh...that’s what the reserve parachute is for.”
Shadow crossed his arms. “And if that gets torn?”
“Hmph!” Amy pulled out her hammer for the second time that day and held it over her shoulder. “I can propeller hammer to slow myself down. I always have a backup plan!”
“How long?”
The smug smile dropped off of Amy’s face. “Huh?”
“We were ten thousand feet in the air. How long can you propeller hammer?”
Amy gaped, glancing from her hammer to Shadow again. “What do you...”
There was a weariness behind his eyes that wasn’t there before. “I know you get dizzy. How long would you be able to keep that up? Fifty feet? A hundred? The full ten thousand? How long would it be before you were just falling?”
Amy looked back at the hammer, then put it away. “Shadow...”
“What if it does deploy, but you get tangled in the strings? What if you wind up off course? What if you fall in water and no one’s there to disentangle you?”
“Sonic would definitely—”
Shadow gestured to the sky. When Amy squinted, she could just barely pick out a blue dot all by itself. She bit her lip. “Well...the attendant would have...”
“What if it were Eggman?”
Shadow’s arms were still crossed over his chest, and his feet were planted. She shook her head and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “Come on, Shadow. If I let all of that get to me, I’d never get to actually live my life. I’m not going to let a little risk get in the way of a good adventure!”
Shadow kept his steely gaze on her. “I know. You’re a magnet for trouble. You’re the most reckless person I’ve ever met.” He took in a breath, held it for a few seconds, then sighed. He reached up and held her hand, leaning his face into it. “And you remind me of someone I’ll never get back. I can’t not worry about you.”
Shadow didn’t look away. The pain in his eyes ran distant and deep; his tears were long gone, leaving only the resigned visage of one who’d long since decided: never again.
Several moments passed before Shadow let out an exasperated sigh. He uncrossed his arms, but he didn’t let go of her hand. “So that’s why...if you’re going to keep foolishly putting yourself in danger...”
“Hey!”
Shadow scoffed and pulled the Chaos Emerald out of his pack again. Her eyes widened as he held it between them, staying close. “I want you to bring me with you so I can always get you out of it.”
Amy froze. Despite the playful jab, Shadow’s features were stone-serious in the glow of the emerald. His hand didn’t waver in hers. He didn’t even blink. Amy was sure most would find the intensity unsettling, but the idea of someone focused so much on her, caring so much for her safety, after a life like hers...
Amy’s cheeks spread in a slow, easy smile. “Sounds good, but I think we should probably keep our feet on the ground for a while.”
Shadow’s features relaxed, and he squeezed her hand warmly. “That works for me.”
Maybe a little certainty wasn’t such a bad thing.
Years later, Sonic teased them about having landed before him, saying he’d always known Amy fell fast and he wasn’t surprised to see Shadow did, too.
((Ah yes, 10,000 feet. The ideal height difference. We’ve found it))
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Day 3 of Shadamy Week! NOTE: This is a sequel short to Felines & Felicitations, and won't make much sense at all without having read that. If you have, then rejoice: Artemis is back.
