𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘'𝒔 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚

      A black-scarlet hedgehog on his grinders went to rest and sunbathe in the sun one hot summer day. He covered the long-dried and hardened mud with a large red towel, took out a white Chaos Emerald from the needles on his head, put it on the towel like a pillow and lay down on it, without even feeling discomfort. He easily took the grinders off his feet and threw them into a puddle, next to the dried mud, so that his legs and toes could also rest from such heavy shoes. Next, he took out black sunglasses from the needles on his head, put them on his nose and began to soak up the sun. But where should he sunbathe if he’s already all black? CinemaSins: But Shadow is a genius! He took the Chaos Emerald with a towel to rest, covered the towel in the mud, and placed the emerald like a pillow, and then lay down on it, while throwing off his shoes in the mud. While we all have been living in two thousand and twenty-one for a long time, Shadow has been living in three thousand and one for a long time. AntiSins: Well, Shadow lives for himself and doesn’t bother anyone! Well, he wants to do nonsense at least once in his life, like in childhood. Why did you pester him? He lay there until Sonic suddenly appeared before his eyes, joyfully dancing and singing: — Live during the day and let the day live and the night goes away while you sleep! Shadow just looked at him coldly, removed his glasses from his eyes with his right hand and asked: — Tell me, fake, what have you forgotten here and why are you crying so loudly? — I'm hinting at your birthday. You probably forgot that you have him tomorrow, but I didn’t forget. Because I am your best and most faithful friend and I almost never forget anything from you. — Sonic explained. — Oh great! — the black-scarlet said sarcastically. — I can’t wait for you to tell everyone about this, so that tomorrow a whole crowd of guests will come to me. — Oh no! I can’t just tell everyone this right away. I need to know exactly what kind of guests you are expecting for your birthday, so at least provide a list. — I don’t care who you call there, the main thing is that they are old and familiar, and most importantly close ones, whom we have known for a long time. I'm not expecting any strangers or sworn enemies like Dr. Eggman, as you know. — explained the little black one, pretending that he didn’t notice the blue one, after which he put his glasses back on his nose. — Well, what about some treats? — he asked finally, before running away like a bullet. Shadow just sighs heavily, hoping that he's finally gone. But he restrained himself and calmly answered: — Just... Bring me some alcohol tomorrow! And what we will eat at my holiday, I will come up with and prepare it myself. — Okay, whatever you say! It's your business! So, you were going to sunbathe in the sun, but I won’t let you. — the blue hedgehog said as a joke, but the black and scarlet one was not amused. — That's the last thing I wanted to say! — he added and disappeared. After that, Shadow slightly raised his head and sighed heavily out loud. Sonic at that moment returned like a bullet and asked: — What did you say? — I said nothing. — he answered him. — Okay! Well, I'll go then, right? Have a healthy rest! — says the blue one and disappeared from sight again.

Closer to lunch

      Shadow entered the restaurant and sat down at the table, preparing to eat the chili dog he ordered. But suddenly Amy Rose appeared at the table, sharply approached Shadow’s eyes and sang: — DING-DING-DOU-DING-DING-DOU!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! Shadow is so frightened by her sudden appearance and loud singing that he screams and throws his chili dog back, but before it can fall to the floor, a blue hedgehog running past manages to pick it up in his hands. — Thank you, Shad. — he shouted for fun and disappeared. — AMY!!! — Shadow shouted at the pink hedgehog. — There are only twelve hours until your birthday. It's time for you to move your black belly and get yourself a big, delicious cake! — Amy answers calmly and smiling. — Everyone knows very well that a birthday without a cake is not a birthday. — Oh, that's enough! I understand that tomorrow is my birthday and that you will all come to see me! But please! Don't pester me! Otherwise you won’t receive an invitation for tomorrow! — the black-scarlet one said sternly. — Okay, okay, you’re in charge at our holiday and you decide what to do! - Rose replies and leaves. As she left, she raised her left hand with her index finger and added: — But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

At night

      After sunset, Shadow filled the foam bath for the night and was just getting ready to wash himself for the night, when a wet two-tailed fox appeared from a pile of foam from under the water in the bathroom. — One two and three, take the soap! — Tails sang, smiling and chuckled at the end, and Shadow just gritted his teeth. Everyone got him already this morning with his birthday, which will only be tomorrow. CinemaSins: So he was sitting there all this time and waiting for him? How did he still not choke there without oxygen and how did his eyes not sting for a long time from the foam and water? And how did he sneak into his house unnoticed and get into the bathroom? What is not in the frame does not exist in principle? AntiSins: We don't know this for sure. Although if, of course, you think long and hard about it, then in general you can find the answer. The fox got out of the bathroom, shook himself off like a wet dog, splashing the hedgehog himself with drops of water and foam, after which all the fox’s fur straightened out, it seemed like he had gotten all fat. That was the only thing that made Shadow laugh a little. The black-scarlet spruce hid the smile that appeared with his palm, trying to hold back his inner laughter. — Okay, I won’t bother you! I'll be back tomorrow. — Tails said and left the bathroom. — You little idiot! — still laughing, he said about him.

In the next morning

      Shadow was woken up early in the morning by some noise from the roof. It was only seven o'clock in the morning, and the black-scarlet planned to get up only at nine. He opened the exit door from his house and saw a blue hedgehog suddenly appear from above, all tied up in garlands, as if the bandits had caught him, tied him up and wanted to hang him. — Oh, Shad! Why did you get up so early? — he asked and didn’t have time to look around when the garland broke and Sonic fell straight to the ground. By the way, Shadow couldn’t help himself a little, trying to hold back his laughter through clenched teeth, which he covered with his palm. — Aren't you hurt? — he asked him. — Are you kidding me? — the blue raven answered the question and, unraveling himself, stood up. — Of course I'm safe. I've fallen so many times and landed even worse. — And what were you doing here...? — after pausing for a couple of seconds, the black-scarlet looked around his house from top to bottom and noticed that Sonic had decorated it all with garlands with lights for Christmas trees, as well as a sign that said “Welcome to the birthday of the Ultimate Life Form — Shadow.” The Real Shadow I would have written my name instead of the abbreviated one. — Do you like how I decorated your house for your birthday? — Sonic asked. — Like? Everything is dark! Hooligans usually do their dirty tricks little by little, but now it really will take a very long time to clean up. — ULF responded. — Don't piss! All of us and our guests will come to you and help you clean up all this trash. — the blue one joked in response. — Well, that's enough! I know that you remember my birthday and that you want to make it better. Now just go away and don't bother me! — the black-scarlet pointed his finger into the clearing so that Sonic would run away like a bullet in that direction, which he did. “Tomorrow morning, when this is all over, I’ll move out of here, away from all of them.” — he grumbled out loud and just went into his house and rubbed his eyes. — Calm down, Shadow! Today is your birthday. You should be calmer and kinder to everyone on this day, because as you celebrate your birthday this year, you will spend the rest of this year. Maybe I should drink some lavender leaf tea. Sometimes he calms my nerves.

Half an hour later

      After drinking tea alone, the ultimate life form tore off a sheet with yesterday from the calendar and on the next sheet there was an image of a cake with candles. Shadow immediately felt a tear flow from his right eye, as if his birthday had become a grief and a moment of suffering for him.

Many years ago — ARK

      While still a young hedgehog, first created and just beginning to undergo all the tests in the laboratory on the ARC colony, when he turned one year old, Maria gave him his first gift on his first birthday. She personally baked a small chocolate cake for him with one black candle with red stripes. No one but her celebrated his first year with him. Not to say that the still young form of life was so happy that he even made his deepest wish, after which he blew out the candle. — Do you want to know what I wished for? — Shadow asked Maria, but she refused to listen to him on this topic, answering: — No, Shadow! You cannot speak your desires out loud, otherwise they will never come true if anyone else besides you knows about it. — But why? — You see, Shadow. The world is divided into two types. One is good people, the other is bad people. If you only blab about your desire to the most faithful and good person, then some bad person may secretly find out about it and he will never allow your desire to come true. Understand? — Yes. — the hedgehog answers, lowering his head. — I promise to keep my secret wish!

Today

— I promise... To keep... My... Secret... Wish! — with pauses and tears in his eyes, repeated the black-scarlet one as an adult in Java. Birthdays usually bring joy to everyone who awaits them. But this day was just the opposite for Shadow. Without tears and heartache, he simply could not relate to this day normally and calmly. After all, his cherished wish was never fulfilled. All because he lost his close friend - Maria. After that, he became convinced that any wish would come true, if you make one on your birthday, it would definitely come true — a lie. Forgive me, children, if I ruined your childhood with this text! But be that as it may, soon the guests, along with Sonic, will return to him, or rather, they will come, and he needs to be calmer in front of them on this day and be more hospitable. At least he will try.

Three hours later

      Vanilla and Cream were the first to visit. They wouldn't miss the birthday of their daughter's caring uncle for anything. As soon as Cream herself politely knocked on the door, the noise of broken dishes and falling pans was heard outside the door. Shadow immediately opened the door a second after the knock. — Great Chaos! Did you run to Chaos control? — Vanilla was scared. — No, I was just joking. — ULF answered and showed a voice recorder, on which the same noises of dishes and frying pans were heard. — I saw you from the balcony and immediately found myself at the door. — Mr. Sonic usually thinks that you are a grumpy rude person who doesn't take a joke, Mr. Shadow. — says Cream, to which the black-scarlet bared his teeth in a smile, trying to pretend that he was funny at what was said. — Are you sick? — It's okay, Cream. — Shadow lied, continuing to keep a supposed smile on his face. — Well, don’t stand there! Come on in! — he stepped aside and let the rabbits into the house. The female rabbits entered the house and sat down on a red sofa in front of a small table, on which ULF placed a tray with brewed tea in a set with cups and two more bowls. One with carrots, the other with cookies. — This is only for you for now, and I have prepared the rest for other guests. — Yes, Shadow. You are a real cook. — Vanilla praised him. — I’d better not kill my appetite before dinner just yet, Mister Shadow. — said Cream and took only a carrot. Before biting off a piece of carrot, she still had time to ask: — There will be cake, right? — You offend me, Cream! — Shadow answers smiling and stretching his arms forward and went to the kitchen. And in Shadow’s kitchen, a whole bunch of dishes and food have already been prepared in advance on the table, taking into account all the conditions and the quality of friends, as is the case with the rabbits, since although they are anthropomorphic, they still also love carrots. The large, three-layer cake was still cooking in the oven, but was not yet fully cooked. Although the rabbits will be patient and wait. Moreover, not everyone has arrived yet. At this time, the pea soup, which was boiling in a saucepan on the stove, was already ready. He had only just turned off the stove so as not to overcook the soup, when by chance someone knocked on the door. The ultimate life form put a smile on his face again, trying to put on a good mood in front of everyone and even the rabbits, after which he ran to the exit and opened the door. Standing on the threshold was Knuckles, who also smiled and greeted the black-scarlet hedgehog as if he had known him for ten years and trusted him like his own brother. — Hello, Shadow. — he says and hugs him. ULF, in turn, trying to keep herself calm and happy on this day, responds to the echidna’s hug and lets her into her house. Inside, Knuckles gives Shadow a gift, which contains a golden grenade. — Don't be afraid! She's not real. It's just a disguise. — the echidna adds and presses the chica of the grenade, after which a small stream of fire comes out of it. Shadow immediately realized that it was a lighter in the shape of a grenade. — And I thought that you were going to secretly undermine me so that this would be my last birthday in my ultimate life. — Shadow said and pretended to laugh. And Knuckles, in company with Shadow, really laughed at his words. — Okay! Will there be a cake? — Knuckles asked and at that moment there was another knock on the door. Shadow opened it and Tails stood on the threshold, armed with a blaster and smiling maliciously, aiming straight at Shadow. — Drive the money! — he threatened jokingly and laughed villainously. Then he held out the gun and said. — I'm kidding. This is for you, Shadow. — Uh, thanks, Tails. — the black-scarlet answered in bewilderment and accepted the two-tailed man’s gift, after which he, too, entered the house. — Tails, buddy! — the echidna was delighted at the appearance of his two-tailed friend and they hugged in front of the rabbits and the hedgehog. — So romantic! — Cream said with a quiet sigh, looking at the hug between the echidna and the fox. — Nonsense, Cream. They're just friends. — her mother corrected her. — Amy and Sonic are also just friends, mom, but that doesn’t stop Amy from hunting for Sonic and trying for years to get him to marry her. — Cream explained. The black-scarlet hedgehog hung the blaster on the shelf for a regular gun, which was not there, and placed the lighter grenade next to the photo frame in which he, along with Sonic in golden forms, saved the Earth from the fall of the ARK colony to Earth. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door again, but this time Shadow did not have time to open it, because after the knock, impatiently and without waiting for the owner of the house to answer, Sonic himself burst into the house and shouted: — HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHA-A-AD!!! — "Oh no! You were the only one missing here!” — Shadow grumbled in his thoughts, but still he tried to hide his anger. He hid it again with a smile and asked: — Well, where is your gift, Sonic? — Here he is! — the blue hedgehog answers briefly and holds out a jar with peas inside, but as soon as Shadow took it and opened it, a jumping snake immediately jumped out of the jar with the lid flying off, and there were no peas there at all, after which Sonic laughed. ULF did not find this funny at all, but he tried to pretend that he understood the joke and pretended to laugh. — You played me well! — he lied. — Thank you, faker. This is such a compliment to me. — Sonic said a little mockingly for fun and entered the house. Shadow then dropped his shoulders and grumbled in his thoughts secretly from everyone: — “Faker? I don’t call you that on my birthday, do I? Be grateful that I’m still kind right now!” — Mr. Shadow, I'm already bored. Can I watch your TV? — Cream asked, taking the remote control from the table. — A! Yeah-yeah. Of couse. — He immediately agreed, without even hearing what she asked him to do. As soon as Cream pressed the red button on the remote control, the TV immediately turned on to channel nine, which was already showing DuckTales 2017. There was another knock on the door. Shadow opened the door, and on the threshold stood Mighty the Armadillo and his faithful friend the flying squirrel Ray. — Hello, Mister Shadow. You probably don't know us. I'm Mighty, and this is my faithful friend and assistant Ray. — We used to work with Sonic as a team. He told us yesterday that today is your birthday and we immediately ran to get a gift for you. — Aw, that's so sweet of you, strangers! — Shadow said, keeping a smile on his face and stepping aside to let them through. Entering the house, Mighty and Ray presented Shadow with their gifts. ULF first opened the gift from Ray, and there were black socks. He picked them up from the box and was surprised. — Socks? — Not just socks, but camouflage. If you run around wearing them without your grinders, everyone will mistakenly think that you are running barefoot. — Ray explained and laughed at the same time as Mighty. — Open mine now! — Mighty asked and the black and scarlet one did so. His gift included a bulletproof vest. — This is so that you don’t get shot by accident. — Mighty explained and laughed at the same time as Ray. — Mighty! Ray! — Knuckles distracted them and they began to talk for a long time about their own things. There was a knock on the door again, and Shadow seemed to guess from the knock who it was. He opened the door and a bat stood on the threshold. — Hello there. — she said, just like Obi Wan Kinobi. — Rouge! I was just waiting for you the most! Come on in! Just don't steal anything! — Shadow joked, continuing to keep a false smile on his face. — Doesn't matter! — Rouge answered him, entering the house. Tails and Sonic were sitting on the couch, between Cream and Vanilla. Sonic drew attention to the bowl of cookies on the table and pretended that he was planning some kind of meanness and quietly took one liver from the bowl. He just wanted to put it in his mouth when Shadow, in Chaos control, took it from his hands in a millisecond. — You're visiting, Sonic! Forgot? Moreover, you can’t eat just dry food! What kind of example are you setting for your children? — ULF asked, pointing his palm at Cream. The latter finished the second carrot and washed it down with tea. Blue only grumbled quietly through his teeth in response and said: — Okay, Shad. Just pour some for all of us too! — Don't get up! I'll bring it myself! — Rouge insisted and went to the kitchen. — Fine! For one, check the cake in the oven! — the black-scarlet asked her and ran to the door again, hearing another knock. Amy Rose stood in the doorway, holding a bag of waffles in one hand and a bag of chili dogs in the other. — Someone take all these bags from me! My hands are about to come off. — she wailed and then Sonic ran up, took her weights from her hands and carried her into the kitchen. Amy ran after him. — Lovers! — Shadow said smiling about them and was just about to close the door when he heard a familiar metallic voice. — WAIT, SHADOW!!! — E-123, also known as Omega, came running to the threshold. — You didn’t think I’d forget about you? — No, no, I had no doubt that you would come too! What is he doing here? — ULF asked, pointing to Metal Sonic behind Omega. — Don't worry, Shadow! Metal Sonic walked with me. He also wants a holiday, just like me. — Omega explained. — I know that I caused you all a lot of trouble and suffering. — Metal repented, lowering his head and clasping his hands together. — But will you at least let me come in? The black and scarlet hedgehog thought for a moment and allowed them both to enter, declaring: — But if you break something, I’ll kick you out of here with a kick in the ass. — Saved in memory! Omega replied as he and Metal Sonic walked in, holding hands like a couple. Rouge at this time gave all the cups and ready-made tea for all the guests on a tray into Amy's hands, after which she dragged them, and the bat herself looked into the oven. — Oh, it looks like it's ready! — she said and took kitchen mittens and removed the tray along with the cake from the oven. — Oh! Heavy! The next person Shadow opened the door to was Big. — Sorry! My Froggy accidentally jumped into your window at home. Can I come in and pick it up? — he asked. — Okay, but just quickly! — Shadow had already acted grumpily with him, allowing him to enter too. Fortunately, no one saw or heard this. — “Get your act together, Shadow, otherwise they’ll think that you’re not at all interested in being with the guests!” — Hello, Sonic. — Big greeted Sonic and pulled out his friend Froggy from under his hat. Sly. — Big, don’t you think Shadow is acting strange? I sense Chaos with my own, he is somehow grumpy in his soul, but he himself pretends to be calm and happy to have guests. — Sonic says, scratching his chin. — No. To me, he's probably just worried. I would be just as worried if it was my birthday. — Big explained. — Am I right, Froggy? — he turned to his frog and it only croaked at him a couple of times. — I could get a short circuit from the molecules of this liquid. — Omega says, taking a cup of tea and spilling it on the table specifically for the experiment. — Don’t you have any lubricating oil? — I have. — Tails intervened and gave him an enema with oil inside. — Thank you, Miles Prower! — Omega said and accepted the oil from his friend. However, Tails grumbled: — Please, Omega, don’t call me that. I don't like being called that. There was a knock on the door again and two hedgehogs stood on the threshold. Green and pink. — Our brother told us that it’s your birthday. — said the pink one. — Who you are? — Shadow asked them, Sonic approached him and answered: — These are my brother and sister. Manik and Sonia. — I told you, only invite your friends. — Shadow replaced his smile with a sour expression. — Yes. They are my familiar relatives, so I invited them too. — Sonic explained and he himself allowed his brother and sister to enter the house. — How are you doing at your concerts throughout Mobius? — "Great! He now invites people whom only he knows to visit me, but I don’t yet. What next? Maybe he'll invite his parents? Or Eggman's nemesis? — Shadow was just thinking when there was a knock on the door again and, by coincidence, Eggman was standing at the threshold, who also kept his head down and repented: — Sorry for not being invited, Shadow! I just heard Sonic babbling to everyone about your birthday. I know we are far from friends. But I was so lonely, and you can’t have a normal conversation with a pile of scrap metal. And I thought, maybe you will take me in? — Yes, we have enough trouble as it is. And in general, you are our sworn enemy. — Shadow said and slammed the door, leaving the doctor on the street. — Shad, who was it? — Knuckles asked. — Uninvited guest, Dr. Eggman. He wanted to invite himself to join us, but I sent him away. — Shadow stated boldly. — Well, you are a hooligan! — Cream snapped, even though her mother told her that you couldn’t do that to elders. The young rabbit opened the door herself and ran out after the doctor, who was about to leave. — Mister Eggman! Mister Eggman! Sorry Mr. Shadow! Come visit us, today no one should be alone! — she told the doctor, took him by the hand and led him to his uncle’s house. — Children! — ULF shook his head, smiling. — Yeah! Children are so naive! — Blaze, who was already standing at the door threshold with Silver, intervened in the conversation, holding each other’s hands. — As I! — added Silver. — Oh, hi. Come in! — Shadow let them through. Rouge was already carrying the cake, and Omega was helping to carry the rest of the prepared dishes for the guests. Sonic at this time was running around the house from Amy, who runs after him and tries to catch him to hug him.

A little bit later

      Team Chaotix were the last to be invited by Sonic and they accepted the invitation with great pleasure. They knocked on the door and as soon as Shadow opened it, Vector, Espio and Charmy simultaneously shouted: — HAPPY BIRTHDAY Vector took out one firecracker and shot candy from it onto Shadow's head, and Charmy took out a festive pipe and blew into it. Shadow simply silently stepped aside and indicated with his palm that they could enter. Rouge at this time could not decide for a long time where to put the cake on the table among the pile of snacks that Shadow had prepared. — This is where you should put it! — Amy said. — As you say? — asked Cream. — No no! Let's put it here! — said Manik, shaking off a bowl of Olivier salad, which he tipped over with the salad side down. — ATTENTION TO EVERYONE!!! — Sonic shouted. — NOW THERE WILL BE AN ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE!!! — “What else did this fake come up with?” — Shadow thought, no longer hiding his sour expression from anyone. However, what he saw made his eyes widen and the others laugh. At this time, Sonic put on the long pants of an adult man over his entire body, pulled them up to his neck and, like a long-legged and armless eccentric, began to dance, jumping from one leg to the other, singing and dancing: ♪ Rolling around at the speed of sound ♪ ♪ Got places to go gotta follow my rainbow! ♪ ♪ Can't stick around, have to keep movin' on ♪ ♪ Guess what lies ahead, only one way to find out. ♪ Everyone except Shadow looked at Sonic dancing in such uncomfortable pants and singing. Black-scarlet turned to the stairs to the second floor and went to the toilet. Sitting down on the potty, he sighed heavily and again fell into memories of the past.

Many years ago — ARK

      Even young Shadow, holding Maria by the hands, asked: — Maria, I heard that many guests and close friends come to birthdays. So why are you the only friend I have and I have no one else? You are the only one who celebrates my birthdays, and I am the only one who celebrates your birthdays. Isn’t the professor your loving grandfather who does everything for you and must arrange everything for our holidays? - asked the hedgehog. — Grandfather is sometimes forgetful. He only cares about work and how to find a cure for all diseases. And we are just test subjects for his work. If we want to help him quickly find a cure, then we must continue to remain as unsuspecting and experimental as always. Father sincerely believes that the union between anthropomorphic animals and people can heal any disease. — Maria explained.

Today

      Shadow, remembering this, still sat on the potty and never relieved himself. There was a knock on the toilet door and the black-and-scarlet man shouted: — BUSY!!! — It's me... Mister Shadow! — by the voice and address, he realized that it was Cream who was addressing him. — Yes? — Why did you leave all of us from the holiday? Are you not interested? — asked Cream and almost cried. — What you? It is very interesting to me! — ULF came out of the toilet and began to lie so that she would not cry and keep a smile on her face. Swiping his hand, he wiped a couple of tears from the rabbit's eyes. — I just overate yesterday and I was uh... Feeling sick. And now it’s already better. — So you'll come back down to us? — asked Cream and took her uncle’s hand, walking with him to the stairs down. — Of course! I myself can't wait to return. — OH, FINALLY!!! — shouted the pink hedgehog Sonya, who was standing around the corner, holding back her need, holding her hands between her legs and immediately ran into the toilet, tightly locking the door. Don’t ask why she stood there all this time and waited!? The rabbit and ULF, holding each other's hands, went down the stairs back to the first floor, where everyone was having fun as best they could. Big the cat, together with Froggy on his head, talked about his own affairs with E-123. Vector talked to Vanilla about his own business while eating his portions of cake. Mighty and Ray told Tails and Knuckles jokes about centaurs. Espio and Charmy tried to outplay each other, trying to catch their opponent's thumb with their thumbs. However, they both turned out to be smarter, more cunning and faster, which made them play for too long. Metal Sonic and Eggman, drinking cups of tea and butter, secretly talked among the crowd of this noise about their next insidious plans to conquer the world. They weren’t even afraid that they would be overheard and caught, because no one would hear them amid this noise, Manic played the drums, and Silver, Blaze and Amy admired the paintings on the walls in Shadow’s house and discussed them. The only people missing were Sonic and Rouge, except for Sonia, who went to Shadow's bathroom. Rouge, it turns out, was still in the kitchen and carrying chocolate pudding. Shadow immediately calmed down and suddenly Mighty ran up to the ultimate life form. — Excuse me, please! Mr. Shadow, sorry! — he said and lightly tugged the black-scarlet tail from behind. The latter sighed heavily, turned to the armadillo and asked: — Well, what are you sorry for me? — I... It seems... I feel sick... — Mighty groaned in response and vomited a bunch of white liquid from his mouth right onto Shadow’s carpet. — Ugh! It's already better. Thank you. — he said, smiling and walking away. Knuckles the Echidna laughed at this moment, even lightly punching Shadow in the shoulder. — I have never laughed so much since one stupid hedgehog fell face first into a cow dung on the grass. Suddenly, without knocking, the badger Sticks entered the house through the door, shook herself off her sweat and said: — Ah-ah... Sorry, I'm late! — Sticks, we were just waiting for you. Where were you? — Big asked her. — And I would ask something completely different, why did you burst into my house without knocking? — Shadow asked. Sticks sighed heavily, left the house, stood at the threshold and knocked. — It’s a completely different matter! Now come on in! — he added and Sticks entered the house again. — A doorbell would have paid for itself a long time ago. — said Eggman. — Not funny! — Blaze expressed herself. — Where is Sonic? — asked Silver. — Hey, that's my line! — Amy said. — Here I am! — Sonic said, entering the door without knocking and placing a box of alcoholic drinks on the table. — Alcoholic drinks, as you asked, Shad. — Alcohol? This is already without me! — said the young rabbit and went to the second floor, and Sonya was already coming down from above and asked: — Did I miss something? — Let's drink alcohol, baby. — said Charmy. — Aren’t you too young for alcohol? — asked the flying squirrel bee and everyone except Shadow and the departed Cream grinned. — Hey! By the way, I’m nineteen years old! — the bee objected. — Me too. — Mighty stated. — And Ray is a year older than me. Any young moron can lie like that. Mighty's next joke made everyone except Shadow laugh. — I'LL STING YOU NOW!!! — Charmy shouted and flew straight at the armadillo with his sharp sting. The latter curled up into a ball and the bee's sting, as if the stick was slightly bent and, like a catapult, the bee was springed against the wall, crashing with the stinger extended back and its sharp end crashing into Shadow's eye in the portrait. The real Shadow was so frightened by what he saw that he covered his eye, imagining how in reality he would also be stung in the eye. Eggman laughed at this himself. — Not funny! — the cat said to the mustachioed man. The doctor only frowned in response and hissed through his teeth. — My jokes are never funny to you, you bastard! — Don't talk about my partner like that, fatty! — Silver cursed. — Guys, guys, don't quarrel! Let's just have a glass. Today is Shadow's birthday! — the blue hedgehog reassured everyone. — I’ll start right away while you figure it out! — said the black-scarlet one, took out one bottle with an empty glass from the box and poured himself a drink. The alcohol seemed strange to him. For some reason the bubbles did not go up, but down. But the alcohol itself resembled tarragon in color. — Hey, get me out of here! — the bee was dangling with its legs and arms. The crocodile approached his friend and helped him, along with the sting, free himself from the wall captivity. Suddenly, Eggman noticed that the liquid and bubbles in it that Shadow poured himself from those bottles looked strange... And familiar! — U-u-uh, Sonic, where did you get this alcohol? — the fat man asked the blue hedgehog. — Stupid, egghead. This is your liquor. I stole it from you. — Sonic explained. — WHAT??? — Eggman screamed, took out a bottle from which Shadow poured himself a glass and looked at the label of the bottle, noticing on it his signature emblem with a bald head, glasses and a mustache. — OH NO!!! SHADOW, DON'T DRINK!!! — he shouted, holding out his hand. But it was already too late. ULF gulped all the green liquid from the glass and swallowed it, suspecting nothing. — What are you talking about? — he didn’t understand when he asked the doctor. — It wasn’t alcohol, it was my experimental sample of an unfinished truth serum. Anyone who drinks it will speak only the truth and nothing but the truth. — Fi! It's not scary for me. I always tell everyone the truth. — Blaze said and was also about to pour herself a drink, until Eggman slapped her hand, not allowing her to take at least one of these bottles. The pussy hissed slightly, shaking its handle. — You do not understand! This truth serum has a side effect. First, it will color the person who drank it green, and when it finishes acting, his previous colors will return, and gas bubbles will come out like a fiery flame through him... — after a pause, the doctor himself swallowed, afraid to admit it. — Through the fifth point... — WHA-A-AT??? — the black-scarlet got angry and immediately turned green in the literal sense of the word. — You fat bastard, couldn’t you have warned me earlier before I drank this rubbish? Holy Chaos, what did I just say? — All! The truth serum has begun! — Eggman was scared. Shadow was afraid that now he would tell everyone the truth that he couldn’t stand them all and that this birthday reminded him of the pain from his childhood. He immediately took a pillow and stuffed it into his mouth, trying to shut himself up. — Shadow, what are you doing? You'll choke! — Vector said and tried to take the pillow from the black and scarlet hedgehog, but he resisted and tried to remain silent. At one point he could not stand it and shouted: — ENOUGH!!! I DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS BIRTHDAY!!! — everyone gasped at what they heard. — TOTAL PAIN AND MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, WHEN I MAKE A WISH ON MY FIRST BIRTHDAY THAT MARIA AND I WOULD ALWAYS BE TOGETHER, AND IN THE RESULT I LOST HER BECAUSE OF THESE DAMNED G.A. NOVTS!!! AND THEN YOU APPEARED AND STARTED TO RUIN EVERYTHING FOR ME AND ONLY MAKE IT WORSE!!! I WASN'T GOING TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY AT ALL, I JUST WANTED TO BE HOME ALONE AND IN SILENCE, BUT THIS BLUE FAKE ME, TOGETHER WITH ALL OF YOU, HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED ME WITH YOUR BIRTHDAYS!!! AND I SPECIFICALLY PRETENDED TO BE KIND AND CALM IN FRONT OF YOU ALL SO AS NOT TO UPSET YOU, SO I EVEN COOKED SNACKS FOR YOU ALL. AND IN GENERAL YOU ALL ARE PISSING ME OFF ALREADY!!! AMY IS CONSTANTLY NAIVELY CHASING SONIC EVEN IN MY HOUSE, HOPING TO MARRY HIM, EGGMAN AND METAL SONIC SURELY CAME INTO MY HOME TO CALCULATE OUR WEAKNESSES AND CONCERN A NEW EVIL PLAN, SILVER IS A NAIVE IDIOT, STICKS IS CONSTANTLY TREATING ME WITH SUSPICION, I DON’T KNOW THESE TWO HEDGEHOGES AT ALL, THE CHAOTICS ONLY THINK ABOUT MONEY, SONIC DOESN’T RETURN THEM AND I’M STILL FUCKED EVERYWHERE, EVEN WHEN I WANT TO BE ALONE, AND ALSO ITS KIDDINGS ONLY FOR EVERYONE TO BE FUNNY WHEN I'M NOT IN ANY MOOD TO LAUGH, MIGHTY PUT UP ON MY CARPET, ROUGE IS ALWAYS INTENDING TO STEAL MY EMERALDS, AND BIG IS EVEN BRAINLESS AND HE AND HIS FROG HAVE BEEN PISSING ME OFF FOR A LONG TIME, AND KNUCLES WOULD JUST LAUGH AT AT WHAT STUPID THINGS!!! ALL OF THIS ABOUT YOU ALL HAS BEEN IRRITATING FOR A LONG TIME, AND YOU ALSO MADE ME DRINK SOME OF DOCTOR EGGMAN'S JUICE!!! LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!!! AND BY THE WAY, YOUR ALLEGED JOKS PIN ME TOO AND ARE FUNNY AT ALL, ESPECIALLY WITH THESE GIFTS LIKE A SNAKE IN A JAR OR SOCKS!!! IF YOU WANTED TO GIVE ME GOOD GIFTS TO PLEASE ME, THEN IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR YOU TO GIVE ME SOME GUNS AND AMMO TO GO WITH THEM!!! THIS WOULD BE THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD MAKE ME HAPPY!!! I LIKED THE GIFTS FROM TAILS AND SHADOW WAY MORE THAN THE OTHERS!!! — Shadow tried to keep everything that was said to himself and shut up, but he just couldn’t shut up. Because the truth serum forced him to speak the whole truth. He even tried to shut his mouth with his hands, but he said everything even through his closed mouth. And he covered himself with a pillow and even tried to lock himself in an empty room, but at that moment his arms and legs stopped obeying him and forced him to leave the room in order to utter all this out loud for everyone to hear. — Ugh. Even I would never have uttered so many terrible truths. — Blaze stated. — Chaos is green, I don’t want to tell the truth all the time. How long will I continue to talk like this? — Shadow asked. — No, by now the reaction should go through and you... — Eggman didn’t have time to finish when Shadow turned black and scarlet again and at that moment a green flame of green fire splashed out of his ass, between his black buttocks, which enveloped the dry wood in the fireplace and lit a fire in it. — FI-I-IRE!!! — Sonia shouted. The black-scarlet hedgehog, after undergoing the truth serum reaction, felt burns in his ass and cried out in pain. Knuckles, Mighty and Ray laughed at this, even Big laughed like a fool and began to clap his hands, and the others widened their eyes and opened their mouths. Shadow began to jump on the spot and tried to put out the fire from his ass with his hands. — GET DO-O-OWN!!! GET DOWN AND RIDE, SHADOW!!! — Rouge screamed, showing how she herself fell to the floor and rolled on the spot to the side. But Shadow didn’t do this, he just continued to run and jump on the spot, feeling like the fire was enveloping him all the way to his entire body. — HURRY, SONIC, BRING THE WATER!!! — Tails shouted and the blue hedgehog ran to the second floor to get water. — CALM UP, SHADOW, WE HAVE EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL!!! — HERE IS THE WATER!!! — Sonic shouted and poured it on the black and scarlet hedgehog. The fire was put out, but Shadow himself was already all wet. — Oh no! — everyone said at once, and Vanilla just lowered her head and shook it. Shadow himself could no longer stand it. He clenched his teeth, growled, and anger washed over him. He was so angry, his head was all red, and steam was coming out of his ears, making a kettle whistle. ULF pointed sharply with the finger of his right hand at the door and shouted: — O-O-O-O-OUT!!! Everyone immediately ran away from the house in a crowd. Vanilla was the first to run out the door without Cream, followed by Silver and Blaze. — SEE YOU TOMORROW, SHADOW!!! — shouted the older rabbit. — WAIT FOR ME!!! — Big shouted, trying to squeeze through the doors. — GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!! — the ultimate life form continued to scream. Eggman, covered in soot, ran out through the chimney and jumped off the roof like Santa Claus. Jerzy Manik and Sonya ran out the door. Espio, Vector, Rouge and Knuckles ran through the windows and ran away. Mighty, Amy Rose and Tails followed through the door, and Ray and Charmy flew out through the windows. Then Sticks ran out through the chimney, came down covered in soot from the roof and ran after the others. And Metal and Omega ran out through the windows last. Then Shadow came out through the door of his house and, holding Sonic by the throat, threw him out into the street, throwing him face first into a dirty puddle. He stood up, spat, shook his head and began speaking sarcastically: — Yeah, Shad! Your birthday turned out just right! I can't say anything! You treated your guests well! — A! So, when you behaved like this at my house, it was normal? And when I already started treating you like this, you don’t like it and you immediately become offended? — asked the black-scarlet one. In addition, he pointed his finger at his ass. — AND ALSO, YOU ROASTED ME??? — You know! If you behaved so brazenly on your birthday, then you can’t even dream of a good gift! — Blue said sternly. — Do you want to give me a nice gift, faker? THEN GET OUT!!! THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANTED!!! — Shadow shouted, pointing his finger towards the street. — WELL, OKAY!!! DAMN YOU!!! AND LET YOU KNOW, WE ARE NO LONGER FRIENDS!!! I HATE YOU AND STAY OUT OF MY EYES AGAIN, EBENEZER SHADOW!!! — Sonic shouted. — YEAH-YEAH!!! THAT'S WHAT I AM ICE CREAM!!! — Shadow shouted at the end and slammed the door. The blue hedgehog didn’t answer anything, he just spat in the direction of Shadow’s house, turned around and fell face-first into the same puddle again, crying bitterly. Well, just like a girl! And at this time Shadow sat down at the table, trying to calm his nerves, took out a calming bottle and drank the entire bottle without a spoon in order to finally relax. The drops helped a little and Shadow lay down on the sofa, as if in bed, sighing heavily. Rabbit Cream at that moment, singing and skipping down the stairs from the second floor. As soon as she came down, she looked around and asked: — What happened here, Mister Shadow? Where is everyone? I only went to take a leak for a minute, and everyone disappeared somewhere! And where is my mom? Shadow was already panicking, gritting his teeth and bulging his eyes. How can he avoid trouble and prevent the girl from being sad? — You see, Cream. I... — twirling his index fingers, Shadow wanted to explain everything to her as it is, but the rabbit immediately interrupted him. — Come on, Mister Shadow! I still wanted to come to you alone and be with you. My mother told me that of course it’s sad and disappointing to be left at home all alone on your birthday! But sometimes you need to know when to stop and not stand over the birthday boy’s soul! It’s one thing when you celebrate your name day only with your only best, faithful and close friend. But when you have a whole crowd in your house who, in addition, do not know how to behave properly when visiting, it’s something completely different! — Cream explained. ULF stood up from the sofa and looked at the rabbit as if he was amazed that the young girl, who is younger than him, is smarter than him and knows a lot, unlike him, giving him useful morals. — I have a gift for you too, Mister Shadow. — said Cream and handed the black and scarlet hedgehog a box, which the hedgehog immediately opened without hesitation, and inside was a plush toy carrot with a face. — What is this? — Shadow asked, perplexed. — This is my favorite toy. I played with her since childhood, until one day I got tired of her. I want you to have it as a keepsake too! — Cream explained and memories floated before Shadow’s eyes again. He remembered how Maria, on his first birthday, when he was still young, gave him her doll as a souvenir and which remained on the ARK colony after Maria sent him in an escape capsule to Earth. The ultimate life form could no longer hold back his tears. With tears in his eyes and smiling, he hugged the rabbit and said: — Thank you, Cream! — Come on, Mister Shadow! Is it necessary to cry like that over some children's toy? — Cream answered and hugged the food back. That’s how the little rabbit, although she didn’t save Shadow’s birthday, did make his holiday good on that day. Now let's hope that after this day, on his next birthdays, he will no longer suffer and be sad!? Let's hope this day gives him at least this good memory for the rest of his life!

The End