It was very very dark. The rain had stopped, it would no longer mask their footsteps, but the sky was as black as night, it would help them hide. A tall opossum man gives his coat to a young pink hedgehog. She is warm, but still shivering.

(I'm… afraid)

(Am I going to die?)

"Amy" , the man says, "You are going to be ok, I won't let anything happen to you". He gently places his arm on her shoulder and tries his best to smile, blood trickling down his forehead.

BOOM

Thunder cracks in the distance, the destroyed city is illuminated for a moment before fading into the darkness again. Amy breathes in and out deeply as her vision begins to blur, tears fill her eyes. The man turns once more, "Amy, we need to go", the man says as he gets down on one knee, "It's going to be ok, trust me". She feels a warm embrace and fades into the darkness.

Amy's eyes slowly open as she lets out a small yawn. The sun was already out, and her luggage was still unpacked. Amy dragged herself to the restroom and decided to jump in the shower or rather stumble into it. The cold water turned warm and ran down her body. The water traced her quills, down her clavicle, and over her scars. Amy placed a finger on the one under her left breast, the memories of home would never leave her mind, not as long as the scars remain.

The water had gone cold again, Amy dried off and wrapped herself in a towel. As she exited, Shadow was in the door way walking out of the apartment. "Rose, Training Area. One hour", was all he said as he closed the door. It was not the best of mornings, but Amy didn't have time to gripe. Amy pulled out a clean uniform and began to take out some of her luggage. Among the items taken were Amy's Tarot Cards, it was just a hobby, but one that distressed Amy like nothing else.

Amy laid the cards onto her bed and began her fortune telling. The cards shuffled and shifted becoming a stack until only one card remained, the card of destiny.

The Chariot

Amy smiled, "It's good to know fate is on my side", she says placing her cards back in their pack and brushing off her uniform. Amy looks at herself in the full body mirror by her door, her outfit was a bit wrinkled, but that didn't matter today. Amy walked out of the dorm room and made her way to the infirmary.

Chapter 2: Out of His Shadow

Nurse Vanilla pulled the stethoscope off of Amy's chest, "Everything checks out fine, dearie". Amy buttoned up her shirt and hopped off the table, "Thank you very much, ", Amy says. "Such a polite young girl", Vanilla says with a smile, "Your mother should be proud-", Vanilla clasps her hands to her mouth, her eyes open wide. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to", Vanilla tries to apologize, but Amy just waves her hand, "That was a long time ago, It doesn't really bother me anymore". Amy nods her head and walks out of the infirmary, the door closes and Vanilla lets out a deep sigh. "A girl like that shouldn't have that many scars…and not just her body", Vanilla says as she files away Amy's physical.

The gate to the training area was wide open, students crowded around the training area, Amy begins to stumble around when a familiar voice calls to her, "AMY!". Amy turned to see her cool Blue tour guide flashing a smile at her. (This day just got better), Amy thinks as she walks towards him. "This isn't what I had in mind for an orientation", Amy says. Sonic scratches the back of his head and smirks, "Well I had already given you the tour, so I thought this would get you up to speed". Sonic smacked his head with his palm, "Oh wait, you need to change into your combat outfit". Sonic grabs Amy's hand and leads her to the changing rooms in the back of the facility.

"Ok Ames, here we are", Sonic says and looks at Amy staring at their joined hands. Amy's eyes glide up from her hand to Sonic's face, and without realizing it, a smile slowly forms on her face. Releasing her hand, Sonic places his hand on his chin, "You know, you have a really great smile". Amy feels all the blood rush to her face, but rather than be embarrassed, she begins to laugh. "Did I say something funny", Sonic asks, holding back his own laughter. Amy can hardly keep her composure, but manages to say, "You just really brighten up my day for some reason". Amy walks into the changing room and gets into her red combat suit.

The suit is quite form fitting, Sonic gives Amy a thumbs up to show he is a fan. "Alright, its just about time for your test, lets watch from the deck", Sonic says. Amy and Sonic head to the deck to hear the cheers of the students. Inside the arena, a purple cat stands over a purple weasel, scorch marks decorate the walls. "Your test is over, Nack", the cat says, "you're very agile, but running your mouth only made me want to shut it". The cat exits through the door as two red robots with nurse hats proceed to lift the purple weasel onto a stretcher and out the door.

Sonic looks at Amy, "Ok, you're up". "A-already?", Amy stammers and hurries to the arena entrance. "Would you prefer any accessories for your evaluation", a young voice from behind asks Amy. A small blue robot with a propeller on it's head floats before Amy, "Um, do you have anything with a bit of weight to it"? The small robot lights up and chants, "Omochao requisition process in progress". A guard robot hovers in, carrying a large red and green hammer, Amy takes it and swings it a few times to test the weight. With a wink and a thumbs up, the robot hovers away with Omochao fluttering close behind.

Amy looks up above at the observation deck, Sonic flashes a smile and Amy grins in reply. The loud speaker sounds off, "Commencing with the examination of Amy Rose", Amy felt like a spotlight had been placed on her, "the proctor for this exercise will be Shadow". Amy's eyes opened wide, her hands clenched, her teeth grit. Shadow appeared on the edge of the deck and stared at Amy's shaking arms, "Nervous, Mrs. Rose?", he yells from up above. A student chimes in, "Yeah being a new kid and having to fight Shadow, I bet shes scared". Amy keeps her head down to hide her smile, (This could not be anymore perfect). Amy lifts her head and stares at Shadow from down below without saying a word.

Shadow jumped from the deck slowly descending towards Amy, his eyes never breaking contact. Their strong red reflection only served to heat up Amy more than before, her heart set to pound out of her chest and beat the crap out of Shadow. Shadow landed with a strong thud and assumed a fighting stance as the dust was still lifting.

"Don't hold back", Shadow says

"I won't", Amy replies, her fists clenching tighter than ever.

Amy and Shadow stared straight at each other, neither wishing to take the first move. Shadow sighed and dropped his guard as he walked towards Amy, "I wanted to see your abilities, but if you want me to end it that badly", Shadow said. Quickly Shadow dashes behind Amy and raises his hand to deliver a light chop, only to be met with her emerald eyes, staring right at him, her hammer inches from his head.

BANG!

The hammer impacts the wall leaving a large crack in the side. Sonic scans the arena for a moment before spotting Shadow catching his breath as far away from Amy as possible.

"Ohhhhh!", The students jeer at the usually calm and collected Shadow, nearly getting annihilated by this new girl. Shadow, still catching his breath, stares at Amy unwedging her hammer from the wall.

"What the hell is with those reflexes", Shadow says under his breath, "And those eyes…". Amy unwedges her hammer and turns to Shadow, once again readying herself for a second strike. Shadow stares at her for a moment before dashing once more towards Amy.

This time Shadow dashed straight towards Amy, hoping to close the distance before she could swing, but just as he got within striking distance, Amy lept back several feet, swinging her hammer downward. Shadow avoids the blow, but the wind from the impact stuns him for a moment, just long enough for Amy to use her hammer as a pole vault and propel herself towards Shadow. His reflexes were put into overdrive as he dodged attack after attack before making some distance between Amy and himself.

Amy and Shadow once again locked glances, observing each others movements with absolute scrutiny. Amy inched towards the hammer slowly as Shadow inched towards her, the tension was palpable as the audience awaited the trigger that would cause the explosion. Sonic smiled from up top and decided to speed it along, two finger were placed into his mouth and then…

FWEEEEEEEEEE~

The whistle had been the spark that reignited their blood. Amy dashes for the hammer at full speed, with Shadow following close behind. The distance closed between Amy, Shadow, and the hammer, Amy's arm stretches out to grasp her weapon, Shadow's arm pulls back for a finishing blow. Amy's arm pulls back and her fingers clench into a fist as her feet stop and her body turns around to face Shadow.

Shadow sees those eyes tearing into him once more, he chops right at Amy's neck. He feels the hand make contact, but only with the side of her arm now in a guarding position, her other arm quickly approaching his head. Shadow bobs to the side, the fist missing, but the arm brushing against his cheek. On instinct he grabs the outstretched arm and turns his body for a flipping maneuver…but something is wrong.

Shadow grunts for a moment and widens his eyes in shock, Amy's fist meets his side and cause him to crumple before leaping away. Shadow's arms held his side, even Sonic rarely got off a solid punch like this. Saliva formed in his mouth, sweat began to cover his brow, his vision refocuses to see the pink demon staring him down again.

"Pffffffft HA HA!", Sonic laughs from above, "Shadow, what the heck happened there?". Shadow turns with a wince, "She's too heavy", he manages to grunt.

"YOU ASSHOLE!", a student yells from the bleachers, "THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!". Another student rises, "You didn't even hesitate, you really are the worst". Shadow releases his side, truly dumbfounded by the barrage of insults being hurled his way. "I can't believe you would say that about a new student, especially a girl!", another student chimes in, "KICK HIS ASS, AMY!", "YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL, ROSE!", "YOU'RE WAY CUTER WHEN YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, SHADOW!". Sonic sits back and smirks, "Really have to work on your social skills buddy", he says to himself.

Shadow shakes his head and closes his eyes, it was time for a new approach. Shadow stuck out his right arm and pointed his index and pointer fingers towards Amy, next he grabbed his right wrist and took aim. Amy began to slowly move, maintaining a defensive stance all the while Shadow's arm began to crackle with electricity. Amy moved closer, circling around the left side of Shadow while keeping an eye on his fingers, she didn't know what he was up to, but she needed to close the distance.

A bolt flies straight into Amy, and before she can see it, she is thrown back and left rolling on the ground. Everything goes bright, the lightning runs through her body, the sky is dark, the rain has stopped. Amy falls to the ground, her dream flashes into her mind briefly and fades away. Shadow moves towards her slowly, her stance changed, now her hands were on her head and she was hyperventilating. "Did I use too much power", Shadow asks himself, as he approaches cautiously. Amy grits her teeth and shakily begins to stand.

Shadow is hesitant for a moment before speaking, "Rose, I think our fight is done-", Amy jumps to her feet and yells at Shadow, "Wait, it can't be over yet". "Dammit, Amy", Shadow says, "This is an evaluation, you are speed and strength are excellent, but your endurance is lacking". Shadow lowers his stance, "It's over, you can go to the infirmary if you want".

"Hit me again", Amy says

"What?", Sonic yells, "Amy, you don't need to-", Amy interrupts Sonic, "This is an evaluation of me at my best, then I won't hold back any more". Shadow exhales loudly, "I'm tired of this, Sonic, I'm going to knock her out". Sonic reaches one hand behind his head and winces, "She's just a little hotheaded man, can you cut her a break this once?". Shadow grits his teeth and almost relents, before he notices Amy standing on her feet once more, no hammer in sight, but a look of determination.

Shadow walks up to Amy, holding nothing back, he runs behind her and delivers a strong kick to her side. Amy winces and goes flying towards the wall, kicking off the wall before impact and flipping high into the air. Shadow takes a second and calculates her landing, launching himself forward and preparing a roundhouse kick. Amy begins falling towards Shadow as he swings his leg powerfully and…misses. Shadow looks up and Amy lands her fist solidly in Shadow's face, knocking him back a few feet.

Shadow retaliates with an open palm striking Amy's clavicle and pushing her back. Amy slides back and braces for Shadow's next attack, A second strike to her stomach meets it's mark, but Amy is unmoved. Shadow grunts and rolls to avoid Amy's grab. Shadow looks at her frame and cracks a smile. "You really are something special, aren't you". "I told you!", Sonic yells from the observation deck rail. Amy caught that and couldn't help but smile. Shadow continues, "Weaving your magic into your fighting style is impressive", Amy's grin begins to fall, "Especially gravity magic". The curtain had been pulled, Shadow had seen through Amy's advantage.

Amy lets down her guard and breathes in and picks up the hammer,(I guess it's time to shift gears). Shadow once again dashes at Amy and strikes her hammer, knocking her back slightly. He turns and holds two fingers out towards her back, lightning crackles from his arm and funnels to his fingertips. Amy throws the hammer behind her as the lightning leaves Shadow's fingers. The now lightning infused hammer hurtles towards Shadow, forcing him to dodge right into her oncoming fist. Shadow bounces off the ground and is immediately slammed back down. Amy assumes a boxing stance and weaves side to side, using strong hooks as she weaves.

Shadow blocks and deflects the punches, but finds himself still grounded. Amy doesn't relent on her assault and continues throwing punch after punch at Shadow, anchoring them both with an intense gravitational field. Shadow chops at Amy's neck, the gravity pulling the blow down to her clavicle. Amy grabs his arm and attempts to pull him down to the ground, but Shadow resists. Shadow stares into Amy's eyes as he is pulled closer and closer to her face. "Fatal mistake", Shadow whispers as he goes along with the force and palm strikes Amy's sternum. The gravitational field vanishes as Amy takes a strong inhalation.

Shadow stands above Amy, unphased by her assault. Amy's breathing is slow and shaky, the lights above fill her vision, with only Shadow's silhouette visible. Amy rolls over and begins to rise to her feet before stumbling back down. A young girl stands up in the crowd and yells, "C'MON AMY!". Similar chants are heard throughout the arena while Sonic begins to smile and join in, "You can do it, Ames!". Amy struggles and tries to stand, even using the busted hammer as a crutch until is slips from under her. Finally, Amy stands up tall with both arms above her, seeing Shadows face up close. Amy smirks at Shadow and everything suddenly goes black.

THUMP

Amy jolts up and clenches her fists, "I'm not out, yet", Amy shouts in the dimly lit infirmary room. A tapping grows louder as Nurse Vanilla opens the door, "Amy are you ok?", she asks. Amy looks around, Sonic and Shadow are no where to be found, the sun is setting on the horizon, and the sound of the crowd has been replaced with a steady hum of electronics. Vanilla walks along the side of Amy's bed, Amy places her hand on her head, her skull throbbing slightly.

Vanilla lifts her fingers and Amy correctly counts them three times, her vision is a bit blurry. "I recommend you stay her for a few more hours, you can head back to your room after", Vanilla says, "But I want to see you in here tomorrow morning, okay". Amy nods and plops her head back onto the pillow, closing her eyes breathing steadily. "When I saw those boys bring you in, I gave Shadow an earful he won't forget", Vanilla says. Amy chuckles as Vanilla continues, "He really is a sweet boy though, he apologized so many times while you were out, he wanted to stay with you until you woke up". Amy's eye opens up, "Are you sure it was Shadow?", she asks. Vanilla nods, "Shadow and Sonic wanted to make sure you were ok, but those boys have to evaluate all the students, so I couldn't let them stay here and worry about you".

"So…who carried me in?", Amy asks. Vanilla places a hand on her chin, "I'm sorry dearie, I don't remember". Amy pulls the sheets over her shoulders and smiles, "I bet it was Sonic". Vanilla giggles and claps her hands together, "Oh I know that look, young lady". Amy covers her head with the sheets before the nurse can see her reddening face. Vanilla pats the sheets and walks to the door, "Let me know if you need anything else", she says. "Thank you", Amy's muffled voices emerges from the bed sheets.

As Vanilla exits the room, Amy pulls the sheets back down and closes her eyes, "Sonic…", she mumbles as she falls asleep to the hum of the room.

Shadow returns to his room, Amy had not returned from the infirmary. In Amy's room, her cards remain on her bed.

"What's this?", Shadow says as he lifts a card

The Emperor

"Is this some kind of meditation aid", he says, placing the card down. Shadow returns to his own room and lies on his back on his bed, "She's going to hate me when she gets back". Shadow sighs and closes his eyes, "Maybe I'm overthinking this", he says before pushing all thoughts from his mind.

"She did great, you should have seen it"

"..."

"Shadow got a bit too into it, I think he was enjoying himself"

"..."

"No, he still held back"

"..."

"Not yet, he definitely has that under control"

"..."

"Good, she's a fine teacher…I mean a good teacher"

"..."

"I was worried when you assigned her to our unit, but I think she will be just fine"

"..."

"I will, see ya around"

Beep

Sonic hangs up his phone and stares out his window, "Practice is over, time for the real thing".

Next Episode Preview

Amy, Sonic, and Shadow are assigned to the same unit with Knuckles and Tails. Details of the first assignment emerge and thrust the students into action. When the mission goes awry, the team is pushed to their limits to stop a secret weapon from being unleashed.

Will they be able to stop this invincible machine?