DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:
Well, this is it, the moment of truth. Sonic and his friends come back to Chris' world after a long, long, absence. Maria has yet to meet Sonic and the others. And how will Shadow react upon seeing Maria again? Oh, and one more thing: Since this is a fanfic of the anime, there will be anime emotional expressions. Those will be in bold. Now, let's welcome back Sonic!

Chapter 3 - Get Back to Where We Once Belong

On Chris' world, set six years after Sonic's, Maria enjoys a delicious meal at the dining room table in the Thorndyke mansion.

"Mmm," Maria licked her lips. "This is the best meal I've ever tasted, Ella."

Chris sits at the table across from Maria, enjoying his meal. Standing at the end of the table is Tanaka, the Thorndykes' butler, and Ella, the Thorndykes' housekeeper, who is flattered by Maria's compliment.

"Why, thank you, dear," Ella beamed. "There's always more if you want seconds."

Maria holds out her empty plate to Ella, excitedly begging, "Oh, yes, please!"

Chris giggles at this. Ella takes Maria's plate out of the room.

Tanaka tells Maria, "I know you will make a fine addition to the family."

He bows at Maria in respect. She nods to him in response.

Chris tells Maria as she looks at him, "I agree. I'm glad to have you as my sister."

"Me, too, Chris," Maria agrees. "You've all been so nice to me." She looks around and adds, "I think I'm actually gonna like it here."

Chris beams, "I know you will."

Suddenly, Chuck Thorndyke rushes in the room in a panic.

He calls out, "Chris!"

Chris, Maria, and Tanaka look at Chuck in concern.

Chuck contines, "Helen just called!"

Ella peeks her head in the room and looks at Chuck in concern.

Chuck explains, "There's something strange happening over at your lab!"

"What is it, grampa?" Chris asks.

Inside the main lab of the Thorndyke Science and Technology building, the portal to the trans-dimensional gateway, which Chris had built to go to Sonic's world, is glowing as if something is about to come through the dimensions. Chris, Maria, Helen, Chuck, Tanaka, and Ella are in front of the gateway and look in awe at this sight.

Maria wonders, "Is this the trans-dimensional gateway you were telling me about, Chris?"

"Yeah," Chris replies, "and it looks like something's about to come through."

Suddenly, Topaz, still wearing her combat outfit, comes rushing in the room and stands beside Tanaka to look at the gateway.

She explains, "I came as soon as the president dispatched me. What are we dealing with here?"

"We're about to receive a vistor," Tanaka tells her.

Soon, a shadowed figure starts walking through the portal. Everyone gasps in surprise upon seeing this. Then, two smaller figures join the first. Chris, Helen, Chuck, Tanaka, Topaz, and Ella smile as the figures are revealed to be the Chaotix! Maria is puzzled upon seeing the trio since she has never met them before.

Vector stands in front of the humans and cries out, "Well, if it isn't Chris! Man, have you grown!"

Espio stands beside Vector and tells the humans, "It's good to see you all again."

Charmy hovers at Vector's other side and wonders, "Is that really you, Chris? You look so... big."

Chris laughs at this response, "Well, six years have passed in this world."

Maria looks at Chris and asks, "Friends of yours, Chris?"

"They sure are," he explains. "They come from the same world as Sonic."

She gasps in shock as she looks at the Chaotix again, "Really!"

Vector winks at Maria, "You better believe it, kid! And there's more of us where we came from!"

Maria becomes puzzled as she asks "There are?"

Topaz points at the portal in surprise, "Look!"

The others look at the portal in curiosity as three more figures come through. These figures are soon revealed to be Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla and are greeted with smiles from everyone except Maria who had never met anyone from Sonic's world before. The Chaotix clear the way for Cream and her Chao and mother.

Cream excitedly runs to Chris, calling, "Chris!"

She and Chris hug as she giggles and Cheese hugs Chris, too.

Cheese excitedly exclaims, "Chao chao chao chao!"

"Good to see you, too, Cream," he tells her. Then, he looks at Cheese, saying, "You, too, Cheese."

Cheese repies, "Chao!"

Cream and Cheese run to Ella.

"Hi, Ella!" says Cream.

Cheese adds as he and Cream hug Ella, "Chao chao chao!"

"Hello, Cream!" Ella replies.

Vanilla stands in front of Chris and admires him, "Oh, my. You certainly have grown."

"Uh, yeah, we just pointed that out," Charmy told Vanilla.

Vector, trying to win Vanilla's heart, scolded Charmy, "Charmy, don't interrupt!"

Cream and Cheese stop hugging Ella and look at Chris.

"It has been a while since I last saw you all," he said.

Maria smiles in awe, "Wow. So, you're all from Sonic's world?"

Vanilla looks at Maria and tells her, "Why, yes, dear. We're all such good friends of Chris."

"We sure are!" Cream argees.

"Chao chao!" Cheese agrees.

"And who might you be, dear?" Vanilla inquires.

Maria smiles, "Chris' parents recently adopted me. I'm his new sister, Maria."

Tails' voice rings out, "No way!"

Everyone looks in surprise at the portal upon hearing Tails' voice. Soon, Tails and Amy come through the portal and everyone smiles at their arrival. Tails still holds the sprout in his arms.

Tails looks at Maria in surprise and questions her, "Are you the same Maria from the Space Colony ARK?"

Amy looks at Maria with a gasp in shock, "Is it really true?"

Maria giggles, "Yeah, it's really me, only now, I'm Maria Thorndyke!"

Tails and Amy laugh as they run to Maria. Vanilla stands beside Cream, Cheese, and Ella to clear the way.

"Wow! I can't believe it!" Amy beams.

"Me neither," Tails agrees. "It's nice to fin'lly meet you."

"Thank you," Maria tells them, "but how do you know about me, anyway?"

Tails and Amy reply in happy embarrassment, "It's a long story."

Sweatdrops roll down the sides of their heads.

"I'm just glad you guys made it here okay," Chris tells them.

Tails responds as he and Amy happily look at Chris, "You and me both, Chris." Tails looks at the sprout in his arms and adds, "And Cosmo 2 is excited to be here, too."

Chris notices the sprout in Tails arms, "Oh, is that the seed that Sonic gave to you?"

"It sure is," Tails replies. Then, he looks down sadly and says, "I really miss Cosmo."

Amy looks concerned for Tails.

Chris comforts Tails, "We all do."

Tails and Amy curiously look at Chris and wonder, "Oh?"

"I'm sure she would be proud of you taking good care of her seed," Chris tells Tails.

Tails and Amy laugh upon hearing this.

Tails beams, "Thanks, Chris."

Maria asks in confusion, "Who's Cosmo?"

Amy looks at Maria and explains, "She's a friend we met back in our world, from another galaxy."

"Huh?" Maria asks, still puzzled.

Amy giggles, "Don't worry, we'll explain later."

"I'm surprised to see Maria here," admits Tails.

Amy looks at Chris who asks, "How did you find her, anyway?"

"Well, she was asleep in a capsule on the Space Colony ARK," Chris explains.

Rouge's voice rang out, "Did you say 'Space Colony ARK'?"

Everyone looks in surprise at the portal upon hearing Rouge's voice. Soon, Rouge walks out of the portal and everyone smiles upon seeing her.

Rouge nudges, "Hey, don't keep me out of the loop."

Tails and Amy stand beside Helen to clear the way as Rouge approaches Maria.

"So," Rouge admires Maria, "you must be Professor Gerald Robotnik's granddaughter."

Maria responds, "Yes, that's right."

"Well, what's a nice girl like you doing here?" asks Rouge.

"According to Chris," Maria explains, "I was asleep in one of the ARK's capsules for fifty years until he found me and woke me."

Chris adds, "Yep. My parents adopted her and now, she's my sister. She's staying with us, now."

Rouge remarked, "I see." She turns to Topaz and teases, "So, Topaz, it's been a while, huh?"

"It sure has, Rouge," Topaz tells her old partner. "In fact," she adds as she and Tanaka hug, "Tanaka and I got married after you left."

Tanaka agrees, "Yes. And very soon, we are expecting a little one of our own."

He and Topaz lovingly look at each other.

Rouge congratulates the happy couple, "Well, congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka. And just so you know, I'm expecting a little one, too." She winks, "...a little gem, that is."

Tanaka and Topaz stop hugging.

Topaz teases, "Oh, Rouge, don't you think about anything other than jewels?"

Knuckles' voice rang out, "When doesn't she?"

Upon hearing this, everyone happily looks at the portal as Knuckles comes toward Rouge, carrying his bag on his back.

Rouge shrugs, "Eh, call it a weakness." She flirts with Knuckles, "Of course, jewels aren't the only things that make me weak, huh, Knuckie?"

Knuckles nervously instructs her, "Uh, let's not go there."

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.

"Hey, Knuckles!" shouts Chris. "Great to see you again."

Knuckles happily looks at Chris and calls out, "Hiya, Chris! You sure are a strapping young man, now." He nudges Chris, "Have you been working out?"

Chris chuckles, "When I have some spare time."

Knuckles looks at Maria and asks her, "So, you're Maria, huh?"

Maria smiles, "Yep, that's me."

Knuckles winks, "Well, stick with me, kid, and good ol' Knuckles will show you the ropes."

Rouge responds in disbelief, "Oh, brother. And he thinks I'm batty."

Tanaka and Topaz giggle upon hearing Rouge's reaction.

Maria points at the bag on Knuckles' back, "Could you start by telling me what you have in your bag there?"

Knuckles gasps in shock upon hearing this.

He scratches the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well, uh..."

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.

Rouge happily answers for him, "He's keeping the pieces of the Master Emerald in there."

Knuckles gasps in horror at Rouge's response.

"You mean you brought the broken pieces with you?" asks Chris. "After it was destroyed helping us get Sonic back from the Meterex?"

Knuckles just nervously laughs.

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.

Rouge explains, "He wants to be there when the emerald restores itself."

Knuckles curiously looks at her.

She adds with a sly grin, "I can hardly wait myself."

Knuckles gets annoyed with Rouge and sarcastically responds, "Oh, gee, Rouge, why don't you tell the whole world?"

She tells him, "Nah, I've got better things to do with my time." She then flirts with him, "But if makes you so crazy..."

He angrily warns her, "Stop it!"

A blue vein sticks out of his forehead.

Sonic's voice rang out, "I guess some things never change no matter where we go."

Everyone gasps in surprise upon hearing this.

"Can it be?" Chris wonders.

Everyone looks at the still-glowing portal as a familiar figure comes toward them. Chris starts to smile as the figure is revealed to be... Sonic the Hedgehog. Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla step away from Chris as he laughs and runs toward Sonic. Knuckles and Rouge get out of Chris' way. Sonic laughs as he runs toward Chris. Sonic and Chris stand in front of each other in admiration.

"I really missed you, Sonic," Chris tells Sonic.

Sonic agrees, "Me, too, Chris. Me, too."

Everybody smiles at this sight. They are lined up as follows: Charmy, Vector, Espio, Ella, Vanilla with her arms around Cream in front of her, Cheese, Amy, Helen, Chuck, Tails, Maria who looks at Sonic in curiosity, Knuckles, Rouge, Topaz, and Tanaka.

Sonic admires Chris, "You've... grown."

"Six years have passed in this world," Chris explains.

Maria ponders about Sonic.

"I see," said Sonic.

Maria remarked in awe, "So, that's Sonic."

Sonic and Chris curiously look at Maria and wonder, "Huh?"

Maria approaches Sonic and examines him, "Amazing. The resemblance is so uncanny."

Chris steps out of the way as Maria stands in front of Sonic.

"You look so much like my friend, Shadow the Hedgehog," Maria tells Sonic.

Sonic happily responds, "Yeah, I get that a lot." He winks at Maria, "I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Chris smiles at this sight.

Maria happily replies, "Nice to meet you. Chris has told me all about you."

Sonic blushes and scratches his head in happy embarrassment with a laugh.

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.

"Ah, it's nothing, really," was all he could say.

Chris looks at Sonic and asks him, "How did you get here, anyway?"

Sonic proudly looks at Chris and explains, "With the Chaos Emeralds, of course." He rubs his finger under his nose, "But even Shadow wasn't sure what time period we would end up in."

Chris and Maria gasp in shock upon hearing Shadow's name.

"Shadow?" Maria bursts out.

Chris wonders, "You mean he's...?"

Shadow's voice echoes through the room, "Did somebody call my name?"

Sonic, Chris, and Maria look at the portal as a familiar figure walks toward them. Everyone else looks at this in wonderment. Soon, the figure stops in front of the portal. The portal stops glowing, finally powering down. This reveals the figure, from the feet up to the head, to be... Shadow the Hedgehog!

Sonic teases, "'Bout time you showed up. You sure know how to make an entrance."

"Yeah, whatever," Shadow bushes off Sonic.

"You mean you did all this?" Chris asks Shadow.

Shadow explains, "Well, I know how much Sonic and the others wanted to see you again."

The Chaotix, Vanilla, Cream, Cheese, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge smile at this.

Shadow continues, "It was the least I could do."

Sonic compliments Shadow, "We really appreciate this, Shadow."

Shadow just responds, "Hmph. Don't mention it. Please."

"So, where are the Chaos Emeralds now?" wonders Chris.

Shadow tells Chris, "They arrived in this world, too. I can feel their presence here. They're obviously scattered across the planet. ...as usual."

Maria asks, "Shadow?"

Shadow curiously looks at Maria and wonders, "Huh?"

Maria smiles brightly at him. Shadow gasps in shock upon seeing her. A past memory of her flashes in his mind before returning to reality.

"It's you," he says at last. "The girl in my memory."

Maria becomes confused upon hearing Shadow's comment.

She approaches him in concern, inquiring, "Don't you remember me, Shadow?" She smiles, "I'm your friend, Maria."

Shadow stutters, "Ma-... Maria?"

He groans in pain. He holds his head and gets on his knees. Everyone gasps in shock over this.

Maria calls to the black hedgehog, "Shadow!"

She, Sonic, and Chris kneel beside Shadow in concern.

"What's happening to him?" Maria worriedly asks.

Sonic explains, "Shadow still has amnesia."

Chris adds, "He's trying to remember, but it's hurting him."

Maria wonders, "Amnesia?"

Rouge approaches Sonic, Chris, Maria, and Shadow in concern for Shadow.

Rouge tells Maria, "He's been like this ever since he woke up from that capsule on Eggman's spaceship."

Maria looks at Rouge in confusion and asks, "Eggman? Who's Eggman?"

Sonic looks at Maria and explains, "He's this round chubby guy who's always trying to control the planet."

Chris remarks as he and Sonic look at each other, "Thank goodness he's not here."

Maria becomes angry over Eggman and proclaims, "He sounds like a bully."

Cream agrees, "He is."

Topaz approaches Maria, worriedly. Topaz kneels beside Maria who curiously looks at her.

Topaz explains to Maria, "I hate to tell you this, Maria, but Dr. Eggman... is your cousin."

Maria gasps in shock upon hearing this. Meanwhile, outside the building, Eggman and his robots float high above the building in the Egg Mobile.

Eggman chuckles, "Oh, ho, ho, ho! I couldn't have planned this better myself! It feels so good to be back on this fragile planet."

"They have absolutely no idea we are here, too!" Decoe pointed out.

Bocoe stated, "We should take advantage of this situation while we have the chance."

Bokkun agrees, "Yeah, what're we waiting for, anyway?"

Eggman assures his loyal companions, "All in good time, my impatient little minions. We just got here. We have to formulate an evil plan, first. Now, let's get to the ol' HQ, shall we?"

He and his robots fly away in the Egg Mobile. A star twinkles, indicating that it was Eggman going off in the distance. Soon, three streaks of smoke fly across the sky. The streaks are different colors - The left one is purple, the right one is gray, and the middle one is green. The streaks then dissipate.

A/N:
So ends the first episode of my fanmade season of "Sonic X". I'll write more someday, but it takes time to think up the dialogue and such. So, 'til then, send your reviews!