(A/N: To those that have stuck up to this point and read everything, I thank you! Now we have the epilogue. This one will also mean to serve as a bit of a lead-in to any potential sequels or tie-ins if there is a desire or need for one. Anyway, enjoy!)

The Miracle of Love

Epilogue: Never Turn Back

DISCLAIMER: This fan fiction contains instances of profanity, extreme violence, nightmare-inducing imagery, and sexual content. Viewer discretion is advised.

All characters and settings are property of SEGA and Sonic Team

SIX MONTHS LATER…

MAY 23, 2016

10:57 AM – SUNSET HEIGHTS PRISON

Today would be the day. Shadow laid back in his private full-proof security cell, counting the days until he was released from prison. When arrested and later tried for his actions, the black hedgehog pleaded guilty for genocide and instrument of intergalactic terrorism. His sentence would end up being a six month stay in prison without bail. Many believed that was a fair and just punishment for his crimes, and not too severe for someone that had saved the world yet again. However, those that were affected by the Black Arms invasion and lost loved ones were less sympathetic, and believed Shadow should have received a longer sentence, or even been executed. Shadow, during his time in jail, had to reach out to those people; to try and talk with them, to help them cope with their losses. Even he couldn't forgive what he had done. Though the talks were smooth and helped find closure for those people, he knew he was not completely forgiven for what he had done. Or the lives he took on that night.

Now came the day where he would put this all behind him though. He looked over to see Commander Tower walking over to his cell with a few security guards by him. Shadow sat up and walked to the edge of his cell, crossing his arms. One guard swiped a key card and opened the door to the prison cell. Shadow was now free to go. "Your time is now up, Shadow. You're free to go." said Tower.

Shadow smiled and nodded, leaving the cage and walking along with Tower and his entourage. He knew a lot would be different when he came out. The walk was long and droll. During it, Shadow and Tower nonchalantly chatted about their times on the ARK. How similar they were in an ironic sense, and how everything they did was for the people they loved most. Tower, however, felt ashamed of how he treated Shadow. It was kind of funny how he wanted nothing more than to kill this hedgehog six months prior, and here they were chatting up as if nothing was wrong. As they were headed towards the exit, Tower decided to break the ice again.

"Shadow. I know this may seem out of the blue to you," he said, "but just last week, I became a grandfather. I was hoping that I could invite you to meet my family. I'm sure they would like to meet you as well."

"Is that all?" asked Shadow.

"I know much you desire to keep your promises to Maria and your girlfriend. And Rouge has missed your company. I want you to be part of my special agents unit in GUN. I can think of no better person qualified to be apart of the program than you."

Shadow was taken aback by this. He didn't expect this kind of offer to come. This was a little too on the fly to make right now. After all, he still wanted to get settled and rest after all the hell he was put through for nearly a year. It's what Sonic would have wanted him to do. "That's very kind of you, Tower, but I can't answer that now. I need some time to think it over." Shadow said.

"I understand. Take as long as you need to. The offer will be open until then. Now then, I believe you have a maiden in waiting outside…?"

They finally came to the exit, walking outside and through the gates. There with her pink sports car and dressed in her usual red dress was Amy Rose, waiting for her lover alongside Charmy Bee. The two waved to Shadow excitedly, happy he was finally out of jail. Shadow turned to Tower with a salute, who returned the gesture, then ran to his friends. He ruffled Charmy's helmet a bit and then hugged and kissed Amy. He was happy to finally be with her. Everything they had been through was worth it. He wanted to just let his emotions go and show her his love for the first time in six months. However, even Shadow knew when to restrain himself. Finally letting go of her, the three hopped in Amy's car and rode off to a new day.

"So where we headed? And what's been happening since I was locked up?" asked Shadow.

"A picnic at the park. Cream and her mom planned it for when you got out." Amy answered, "As for what you missed… oh boy, hope you got all day…"

12:07 PM – CENTRAL CITY PARK

When the group arrived at the park, they found all their friends gathered for what seemed to be a lovely picnic. Among them were three girls that Shadow didn't immediately recognize. The first was an older rabbit wearing a burgundy and violet dress, who looked a lot like Cream. Shadow immediately knew it had to be her mother, Vanilla. She seemed to be a kind one all things considered. The second was one approaching Amy and doing some sort of secret handshake. The girl was a green canary with ruffled hair covering one eye, wearing a red and black sweater, a light blue skirt, red sneakers, and had two earrings on her as well. It was Tekno, Amy's childhood friend all grown up!

The third one was an oddity to him. She was what seemed like a plant-based alien with blue eyes, green hair with unblossomed roses on the sides, and a white And green dress with a red jewel in the center. This strange alien was sitting rather close to Tails and holding his hand, as if they were dating. However, he wasn't too surprised to see these new arrivals. He had been informed of what had happened during his stay in prison…

Amy constantly visited Shadow nearly every chance she got and whenever allowed. One day, while passing through Westopolis, she ran into Tekno and was overjoyed seeing her best friend again. In the months following, they caught up on old times and what happened to them after. Tekno managed to get her diploma and was studying robotics at Westopolis University. But despite everything, she still missed her friend and was just as overjoyed to see Amy, and really into a lot of the pink hedgehog's adventures.

Although the building their office was got rebuilt, the Chaotix were kicked out for not paying the rent on time. The agency's role in helping Shadow, however, got them enough support for them to be given a new workspace in the capital, where business is beginning to boom for them. They have been contacted GUN several times to solve certain cases, which has helped Espio and Sonar to be given alone time. Charmy was also given the blessing of Vanilla to date Cream after a compelling case from the two young lovers. Now they hang out almost all the time when Charmy isn't out on assignments. Vector has also been noticeably cuddly with Vanilla as of late.

Knuckles returned to Angel Island as guardian of the Master Emerald and has remained such, not much changing. As for Team Dark, Rouge's club ended up contracting massive debt, forcing her to go back to her habit of treasure hunting to try paying it off. Omega, who eventually gave up chasing Eggman, has become her bodyguard. They have managed to pay off a third of what they were owed so far, but business has not improved.

Tails focused all his time and energy into trying to locate Sonic. He took Black Doom's other dimension proclamation very seriously and spent at least a month attempting to create an cross-dimensional portal to find his brother figure. During his test run, something has happened and Tails found himself in outer space rather than another dimension, being resident on a ship with plant based aliens called Seedrians. They were another race devastated by the Black Arms and it's few survivors were seeking refuge. The two-tailed fox had only returned a few days prior with Cosmo, the youngest of the survivors whom he fell in love with. Tails has attempted to try and fix the portal device since returning, while also accommodating Cosmo on her new home.

As for Dr. Eggman, he had grown bored from his evil schemes without his archenemy to fight. Taking inspiration from the recent alien invaders, he chose to find his own entertainment in the stars. He took all of his creations and Badniks, and took them into space, intent on conquering the entire galaxy and expanding his empire. Although Tails ran into him several times, the good doctor has yet to return to Earth. However, GUN has prepared all their defenses for the day that happens.

This left Shadow with a world that was quite different to him, but it was one that he knew he could be proud of and protect well. He sat down alongside Amy and began to dig in to some of the treats Vanilla had made them. The picnic was very nice and a much more chipper atmosphere than what Shadow had been accustomed to. But he didn't complain at all. It pleased him to finally get this kind of closure and happy ending after everything they went through. He just wished that Sonic could have been there as well. Shadow found himself getting quite fond of Tekno as well, almost like a sister in a strange way. He also found it quite ironic that such a hot tempered bombshell like Amy could have a genius builder like the canary as a bestie.

"You know, everyone used to call her 'Rosy the Rascal' back in the day." Tekno recalled to Shadow, "Who'd a thunk it'd be a lot more on-point when she grew up?"

"She has quite the hot streak. But… that's what turns me on most…" said Shadow.

"I can definitely see that. Still not used to seeing her with a hammer, but she did say she lost her crossbow on Little Planet, so gotta take what you can. Hey Shad, you seem like a really good guy, even if you did do some shitty stuff. Take good care of my Rosy, okay?"

"I will. It's what I promised her, after all. I'll literally die to keep her safe."

Tekno smiled as Amy strutted over to her lover, hoping for a little private time with the black hedgehog. Tekno took the hint and moved away to give the two lovebirds some space. Shadow smiled at his pink lover and brought her closer to him. The two held each other close and made out ferociously. Amy's tongue danced around his in a passionate display of feral instincts. However, they probably got a little too much into each other, as Shadow started to move his hands downstairs as he started to kiss Amy's neck.

"Mmm… Shadow, the others… they're over there!" Amy whispered, the two behind a few bushes just seven feet away from the group.

"Then keep it down and they won't hear us…" said Shadow, "Besides, you wanted this right?"

"We're too close. It's too risky. I love you, but we could be…"

"Don't worry, Amy. I'll make sure to pack my get outta jail free card for the occasion. What could even happen anyway?"

Just as he was trying to undo her dress, the two were interrupted by the sight of a bright light a few feet away from them. They turned to see some strange golden portal appear before them, the sight of which also caught the attention of the others. The entire gang stood up and slowly approached it when suddenly, something was flung through the portal, hitting the ground in an electric current and skidding across, smashing the picnic table they set up. Luckily, everyone was able to move away before even one person got hit or hurt by whatever it was that came through. Then the dust cleared up and everyone gasped at the sight of a familiar blue figure.

"Urgh… that was quite the rush…" said a familiar voice. That's when they knew who it was, standing up staggering but proud. And alive. It was Sonic.

"Sonic…? Is it… really you?" asked Amy. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Sonic looked around once he got his bearings. He could see all his friends surrounding him, completely aghast at seeing him. It has been a while for them, after all, and many had assumed he was dead. Both Tekno and Cosmo merely looked on in confusion. Although Tekno was aware of Sonic, she had never met him personally until now, while Cosmo was only aware of Sonic through Tails talking about him all the time. For Sonic, though, it was also quite a bit, but he didn't see the big deal. The Blue Blur did make a flashy entrance, sure, but it wasn't much reason for them to stare as if they didn't know him. Sonic had to break the ice the best way he knew how.

"Hey guys! Long time, no see, huh?" Sonic grinned. That's when the gang knew it was him.

"SONIC!" Tails yelled out and was the first to run up and hug him. Sonic was a little caught off-guard by his friend's sudden embrace but chuckled seeing him again. The rest of the group, sans Omega, Cosmo, and Tekno—all ran to him with quite a bit of joy. Knuckles gave his former rival a fist bump, Cream was crying in joy from the sight of him, the Chaotix and Sonar patted him on the back, and Rouge gave quite the flirty gesture to the big blue boy. Shadow and Amy, though, were too shocked to do anything. They had seen Sonic disappear right in front of their eyes and he was back, just as chipper as he ever was. Eventually, they shook their heads and approached the group, as did Tekno and Cosmo. Tails helped introduce his new girlfriend to Sonic.

"Hello, Sir Sonic." said Cosmo, bowing respectfully, "Tails has told me quite a lot about you."

"Well I'll be damned! Tails, you reeled in quite the catch, little buddy!" Sonic said, ruffling his friend's head, "And who says plants and animals can't get along? Proud of ya, bro!"

"Sonic, please! You're embarrassing me!" chuckled Tails, blushing.

"The world-famous Sonic the Hedgehog. It's an honor to meet ya!" said Tekno, extending her hand, "Name's Tekno! I'm friends with Rosy!"

"Any friend of Ames' is one of mine!" said Sonic, with a wink. Then he turned to Shadow and Amy, the pink hedgehog having to slap herself a few times to make sure she wsn't dreaming. Shadow, however just stared in amazement but smirked at his former rival.

"You never cease to surprise me, Sonic. I saw you turn vanish into thin air and here you are, like nothing ever happened." said Shadow.

"It's like I told ya, Shad: I die hard!" said the Blue Devil.

"But… we saw you get turned to dust! You were gone! You've been gone for six months! How are you alive?!" exclaimed Amy.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up! Six months?! I thought I was only in that dimension for a week!"

"A week maybe for you, Sonic, but times flows differently on another planet or dimensional plane." Tails explained, "You could be gone for years and you wouldn't even realize it."

Sonic shook his head, shaking off that shocking piece of information, then looked at Shadow. He could tell from looking at him that the Ultimate Life Form was fully well and took real good care of everything. "Well since no one seems to be covered in ketchup or salad dressing, I'm guessing you really laid it that triclops motherfucker!"

"Fucking right I did!" said Shadow, giving the Blue Blur a forearm bump, "But where the hell did you go? And how did you even get back?"

Sonic's smirk turned to a genuine smile and a faint blush came across his cheeks. He looked up at the sky and then answered. "Well… I'll tell ya about it in a Knute. But let's just say I got help… from a princess that could burn ya in a Blaze of glory!"

"That sounds so fucking corny it hurts. But I'm sure I'd love to meet 'em. And we're glad to have you back."

"Heh, you didn't think this fic was gonna be edgy enough to kill off their main when he just had his birthday, did ya?"

"Well, maybe not yet. But how about we quit the witty deprecations and dig in before that food gets bad?"

"Works for me, Shad! And by the way…"

"Yes?"

Sonic moved a bit closer to Shadow, putting his hand on his shoulder and patting it, "Sorry for being an ass before. And I know you'll not let Amy down. Thanks for protecting her and the world!"

"Anytime, Sonic…"

With that one gesture, all of Team Sonic returned to their picnic with everyone enjoying the rest of the afternoon and the return of their heroes. They all talked about their adventures, their lives, and where they all wanted to go, what they wanted to do, and who they wished to be. The dark clouds have passed the Earth, and peace has been brought out. And with our heroes defending it, that may stay for a very long time.

…at least until their next adventure.

THE END

(A/N: And like that, one of my longest and proudest fanfics comes to a close. I feel super proud to have done and finished this. My friend, ZekeKnight, is meant to write a potential sequel adapting where Sonic went-though I think most people can probably guess from the end-but his feelings on it have been as mixed as mine of late. This was meant to be a side thing for me, but I grew so attached that I just had to finish it. Once again, to those that read, followed, faved, and reviewed this story I cannot thank you enough. You really help to motivate me to not disappoint!

For those of you that have patiently been waiting for the next chapter of Maverick Hunter X, I will be continuing work on it as soon as I can! It may be a while, so please sit tight! Thank you again... and see you for the next one!)