A/N: Slight alterations made to SA2 and the revival of Shadow.

Space Colony Ark, 6:30 am.

Maria stared through the window of the space colony ARK, placing a hand on the cool glass. She breathed a weary sigh, staring longingly at the Earth below. Maria would often wonder endlessly about life on the vibrant blue planet, today was no different. Daybreak was reaching the western hemisphere, and Maria imagined the sunrise. A fruitless image compared to the real thing.

To say that she was somewhat envious of the people that partook Earth's daily pleasures would be an understatement. Maria longed to feel the sun's warmth on her skin, to feel cool wind whip through her hair, to know what it was like breathing fresh, unrecycled air, and in the midst of her earthly fantasy, she spoke. "Shadow. . .do you believe in reincarnation?" Maria asked, breaking the long-standing silence that stood between her and the black hedgehog by her side.

Shadow,―most commonly referred to as the Ultimate Life Form by all excluding Maria and her grandfather―glanced up at her, confused. "Rein. . .carnation?"

"Yes," she smiled, glad to have piqued his interest. "It's when one's soul lives a new life after death, through rebirth. I read about it in one of grandfather's books," she explained. "If I could be reborn. . ." she trailed off for a moment, exploring the possibility. "I'd want to live my new life on that planet. Healthy and strong, energetic―" Maria noticed the gradual drooping of Shadow's ears. "What's the matter, Shadow?"

"I don't think I have a soul." he murmured.

She felt a pang of guilt verberate in her chest. It was either that, or the NIDS starting to act up again."Oh Shadow. . ." she frowned, but even in the still silence of the room, a smile found its way onto her lips. Maria outstretched her arms, laying her hands out in front of him. "Shadow, give me your hands."

He shot her a questioningly look, but abided to her command nonetheless, his enormous, white-gloved hands hovering over Maria's pale, small ones. She closed her eyes, appearing concentrated as the warmth of her fingers transferred through his own. "There," she said, gently pulling her hands away from the hold.

He blinked, confused.

"I've given you a part of my soul to keep, forever."

Chapter 1: The Return of A Stranger

Amy Rose could recall two incidents in her life where situations have brought her out of her character.

The first incident had occurred when she first met Eggman's robot, E-102 Gamma, an intricately powered machine that proved to be a greater threat than his more advanced, E-series brothers. He'd deliberately disobeyed his programmed commands from the doctor and had freed Amy and birdy from captivity. And Amy, the ever-optimistic pink hedgehog, had seen through the robot's heavy metal exterior and had found a heart, a pure, good-natured heart that powered behind his green led lights for eyes.

She'd then done something she shouldn't have. Instead of escaping the moment the bars had lifted, she'd paused, deciding to reach out to the robot. Amy had offered him friendship, sparking Gamma's disobedience. And it was his disobedience that had destroyed him.

But Gamma's destruction had been necessary. If Gamma hadn't been destroyed, then birdy would have never have found his parents, one of them being the main source of energy powering Gamma's metal shell. This is what Amy would tell herself during the late nights when guilt overtook her being.

"It's not my fault. . . It's not my fault. . . It was necessary. . . I'm sorry. . . I'm so sorry." Her repeated mantra.

Amy never wanted to relive such anguish. She refused to be the cause of someone's downfall, and so, to avoid such feelings of culpability, Amy had adapted into a more shallow, one-dimensional character. To be honest, it had been such a subtle alteration in character, not even Cream, one of her best and closest friends, had noticed the difference in personality. She supposed she hadn't changed much. Amy had stayed more or less the same, her bubbly yet clingy nature had remained intact, but if anyone had stopped to take a close look at her, REALLY look at her, then maybe, just maybe, they'd notice one of the more notable adjustments made to Amy's character.

Amy Rose had stopped caring.

Well, to say that she'd stopped caring would be a bit of a stretch. She still cared for Sonic and Cream, Tails and Knuckles, The Chaotix, even Rouge once she looked past their petty rivalry. Amy Rose still cared, but you could say she didn't let herself get too attached to anyone. Looking at Amy's desperate cling to Sonic, one might disapprove of the notion, but appearances were deceiving.

Amy limited her emotional bonds with others. She would never dig too deep into others true thoughts and feelings, especially not her own. Never again would she pry into the lives of others, never would she look into the eyes of a tortured soul and see the goodness hidden behind the pain and agony of life that had beaten a poor, little thing into the villain that stood before her.

But then came Shadow the Hedgehog.

There had been something about him that Amy thought was almost familiar, somehow. Excluding the time Amy had mistaken the black hedgehog for her beloved Sonic, she could have sworn she recognised that piercing, crimson stare. As if his gaze had met with hers many times before.

The months of living under a shallow light had turned off, bringing Amy out in her falsities to shine in her own, true light. And when the world had needed Shadow most, Amy had worked up the courage, reminding him about the goodness of Earth and of the people that lived on it.

"Shadow, I beg you, please do it for them. Give them a chance."

Her words had sparked Shadow's memory of Maria and the revelation of his promise to her.

And overwhelmed with emotion, Amy had witnessed a tear run down the cheek of the once stoic hedgehog.

He soon ran off, telling Amy that he had to go and keep his promise to Maria. . .and her. Amy wouldn't lie, she'd been flattered by his words, but as she watched him leave the base of the ARK, she couldn't help but wonder if the decision she'd made had been the right one. The earth would be saved, Eggman's plans for world domination, foiled, peace would settle once more, but at what cost?

At the cost of Shadow the Hedgehog, that's what.

The others had met at base, using radio signals to communicate with the super-formed hedgehogs, all showing their support, recognising the risks Sonic and Shadow were taking in order to save the Earth. However, once the mike had been given to Amy, all hope seemed lost as time was of the essence.

"Can you both hear me? The ARK is close to the Earth. Please hurry up!"

Those had been her last words to Shadow; she just hadn't known it yet.

Amy quickly abandoned her mike, nearing the window of the ARK, watching as a small golden speck's hold onto the ARK had loosened for just a fraction of a second. It floated through the pitch blackness of space before it was caught in the Earth's atmosphere, falling, falling, falling, until the bright gold of Super Shadow faded into nothing.

"M. . .Maria. . ."

The name rung in the blankness of her mind.

OoOoOoO

Amy had maintained her cheeriness during the aftermath of the battle, letting a smile plaster her face all throughout her ride home. However, that night, as she returned home to the darkness of her own apartment, Amy had walked off into the far corner of her room, sitting herself down into a fetal position, crying the night away.

Amy placed her freshly baked cake on the cooling rack, breathing a weary sigh as she shut the oven door. "Alright," she sighed, tugging at her oven mitts. "That'll have to cool for about fifteen minutes, then it's the icing." Just as Amy was about leave, the shrill ring of the telephone brought her back to her bakery-war-zone of a kitchen.

She sighed once more, picking up the receiver, answering it. "Hello―"

Cream's scolding soprano could be heard from the other line. "Amy, you're late!"

"What are you talking about, I'm only. . ." She checked her watch. "Twenty minutes late!?" she said with questioned disbelief. Where had the time gone? She'd gotten up an hour earlier than usual to bake Sonic's birthday cake. It seems the failure with the previous cake had set her back after all. "Cream, I'll be there as soon as I can. Can you stall for me? Tell the others I'm stuck in traffic, or something."

"You don't even drive."

"Well, make something up!" she snapped. "Anyway, I just have to put icing on the cake and then I'll be right over."

"Remember, we're at Station Square Park."

"I know, I know. I haven't forgotten."

She hung up. She quickly walked over to the counter, leaning over her cake to prop open a window, a warm breeze whisking through the screen. Amy closed her eyes, taking a moment to submerge in the feeling of thermal wind blowing through her quills. Ah, this is nice, she thought before pulling back.

She tucked a quill behind her muzzle. "Well, that should speed up the cooling process."

She headed down to her room, pulling out her signature red dress and pump boots from her closet, promptly slipping into the dress and briskly zipping up her boots before spraying herself in a rose scented perfume. She glanced at her reflection in her room mirror, nodding in approval before returning to the kitchen with a batter-stained apron.

By the time she had gotten ready, her cake had cooled, finally ready for icing. She brought out blues, whites, red and brown coloured icing, creating an almost life like image of Sonic and his oh-so-famous love of Chilli Dogs. She hummed in approval. "Sonic's going to love this!" If there was anything the blue blur would ever openly admit about liking the pink hedgehog, it was, of course, her superior baking skills.

Carefully placing the cake in a simple white bakery box, Amy left her apartment, heading out into the bustle of Station Square. It really was a beautiful day. Amy couldn't see a cloud in the sky, the sky was breathtakingly beautiful, crystal blue, the air, warm and inviting, just perfect for a day outdoors.

Amy quickened her steps, manoeuvring her way around Station Square citizens. She wanted to arrive at the party as soon as possible. There was no doubt the others had already started the party without her, and she couldn't help but feel a little disheartened by the thought. She'd wanted to be the first to arrive at the party, it was, after all, Sonic's special day.

A shadow cast itself over Station Square. Amy looked up, frowning. Had an unsuspecting cloud come to ruin this wondrous spring morning after all? She hoped not, but as she continued with her walk towards the park, she noticed quite a few of the Station citizen's travels had come to a halt, their stares all directed upwards, and Amy found that her own boots had also slowed to a cease.

Tightening her grip on her pastry box, Amy stared up towards the sky.

"What is that?" she asked no one in particular.

The shadow over Station hadn't been cast by a large cloud as she originally thought. For a moment, she believed it was the magnificent, yet ominous Egg Carrier here to declare Eggman's promise of world domination, but again, she was mistaken.

It was as if a black hole had opened itself up in the sky. It sparked with green, electric bolts of light, flashing the sky with a hypnotizing, almost sinister intent. The view, capturing the eyes of all its viewers before the image dispersed, disappearing as soon as it'd appeared.

There was a moment of silence. A single moment of silence before a thundering boom crashed through the city. There was an uproar made on the streets. The ground rumbled, car alarms went off, drivers sounded their horns, people cried out in awe and fear for the thing that was laid out before them and pedestrians gathered round, wondering what all the commotion was all about.

It was a crater. A crater about ten meters in diameter and twenty-feet in depth, but it was not the impact of a meteor that had created the impressive basin shaped hollow, but the presence of a small, anthropomorphic being. He was laid on his back, powdered in with dirt, his pained, crimson stare directed ahead.

The cake box slipped from her grasp, crashing onto the ground.

"Sh. . .Shadow?"