Shadow warped Tails and Amy back to the base. The others were waiting, expecting their arrival from what little they could gather. Almost immediately, Sonic snapped. He launched at Tails.

"LIAR! IMPOSTER!"

Shadow halted his counterpart's attack, guarding the fox and grabbing Sonic's arm.

"It's him, Sonic. He's alive."

"He can't be! I saw him die! I killed him with my own hands! It can't be!"

"Try to calm down. I'll explain everything."

Sonic peered into Shadow's eyes, tears streaming as they had the first night. The firm reply centered his psyche, grounding him when he felt so far in the air.

"How...?"

Shadow told them everything - their short stint in Iceland, Amy sensing Tails' spirit, and the transformation she had undergone in their absence.

"According to Tails, Amy is what's known as a dark miracle - an inhabitant of Miracle Planet who gains power during times of hardship. When dark miracles awaken to their true strength, they gain access to all the knowledge of history - the past, present, and future, with the only limitation being she can't see dimensions beyond ours."

"So essentially," Ivo surmised, "she can only predict the history of our universe. What lies beyond is a mystery."

"Based on the amount of time she was transformed, she only saw so far ahead. Her emotional state was blinding her to the picture."

"Can you blame her," Sonic cut in, "Tails died almost a month ago. He's standing right in front of me and I can't believe it."

"The amount of energy she expended just to transform sapped her strength. She'll likely be out for a while."

"Place her in the storage facility," Ivo instructed, "I'll fine-tune her equipment while she recovers. Something tells me we have a long road ahead..."


Amy opened her eyes, lifting her lids slowly. Everything hurt. Her muscles were sore. Her bones were shaken. Such power always came at a price. It took some time for her vision to clear. Still, despite her predicament, she was surprisingly comfortable, realizing they must've brought her back. The fluff of the pillow was cool against her neck. The blanket kept her warm, blocking out the chill of the murky waters. All she could move was her head.

"Shadow...?"

"You're awake. For a moment I thought you wouldn't make it."

"Thank you..."

"Don't worry about it. It's the least I could do. We still have a job to finish."

"Is everyone else okay...?"

"They're fine. Just worry about yourself first. You've been out for half a day already. Your temperature's over 104."

"I saw everything - Tails...Rouge...Sonic...It's truly over for us..."

"What do you mean?"

"Sonic and I...We were never meant for each other. I was never meant for anyone..."

"You know what that means, don't you?"

"Yes...I'm finally free..."


"HARDENING CLAWS OF COLD TELL ME WE ARE CLOSER TO COLDER TIMES! THROUGH THE DAYS OF BITTERNESS, STILL THE TUNDRA LAY UNTOUCHED! BLACKER AND BLACKER, BLINDED BY SHADES FROM CENTURIES BEHIND SHADOWS OF A DARK THAT USED TO BE UNDER HEAVY WINTER'S REIGN! THE BLACKENING SKY NEVER ENDS AS WE STAND THE FALL OF TIME, YET WINDS OF COLD WILL ALWAYS BLOW WITHOUT TOMORROW!"

-Immortal, Withstand the Fall of Time (At the Heart of Winter)