At Area 51, deep in the research and development sector, Dr. Birnbaum was meeting with Jerome, the President's aid, both looking over a massive beetle-like robot.

"Thank you for coming," she greeted.

"Is this it?" Jerome asked.

"It is," Dr. Birnbaum confirmed. "After recovering and analyzing Dr. Robotnik's robots, we've been able to reverse engineer our own working robots. If it all goes according to plan, we'll have our own way of combating Dr. Eggman without having to rely on Sonic and his friends."

Jerome raised an eyebrow.

"Eggman?"

Dr. Birnbaum let out a cough, turning red.

"Apologies. My daughter is friends with Sonic and the other Mobians. She calls him Eggman, and I think it's rubbed off on me."

"Well at any rate, these will really level the playing field. The President considers the work you and your team are doing to be a national priority."

"I understand. Don't worry, we won't let him down."

…

In Station Square, Topaz was sitting on a park bench, dressed in casual wear. She had a coffee in her hand and a pair of sunglasses on her nose. In a tree right behind her, Rouge was hanging upside-down, looking through her jewel scope at a jewelry store across the street,

"They all look so beautiful," Rouge marveled. "Oh if only they were mine."

"Fat chance, thief," Topaz snorted.

"Hey, give me a little credit. I haven't even stolen anything. Yet."

"It's the yet that worries me. Maybe I should go on and call the police."

"You're bluffing."

Topaz smirked, then placed a hand against the side of her mouth.

"Everyone, be careful! There's a thief here!"

Rouge quickly ducked into the tree she was hanging from as everyone started turning in their direction. Once everyone went about their business, Rouge poked her head back out.

"You know, I think I figured you out. You're jealous of me because I'm the more glamorous member of the team."

"If you honestly think I'm jealous of you in the slightest, you're battier than I thought."

Rouge just playfully rolled her eyes, stopping when she noticed a very nice town car pulling up to the Jewelry store. From the car emerged Chuck Kent, though he was dressed much nicer than he usually was, and was not in his usual lab coat.

"Now doesn't he look familiar," Rouge remarked.

"That's Charles Kent, one of the most influential independent scientists of this day and age," Topaz explained, "He also happens to be one of Sonic's human guardians."

"Ya don't say? Wonder what he's doing here."

Chuck headed into the shop, where the two owners instantly came to greet him.

"Good morning!" they greeted in unison.

"Good morning," Chuck replied. "I'm trying to find a gift for my wife. It's our anniversary, our 30th this year, so it has to be extra special."

"Well you've come to the right place," one of the owners insisted. "We've got a full line of matrimonial momentos guaranteed to make every anniversary golden."

He began showing Chuck around, heading for a display case covered in a tarp. Chuck perked, hearing what sounded like a fake hum coming from the case.

"What's under there?"

The owner smiled, grasping the edge of the tarp.

"You have quite the nose for rare jewels. This beauty is a recent acquisition of ours, a truly one of a kind gem."

The owner pulled the tarp off, revealing a purple Chaos Emerald underneath. It shined bright, Chuck having to shield his eyes. Outside, both Topaz and Rouge stared in shock.

"Wow…" Chuck let out. "Tell you what, I'll take the gem, as well as a ring from your matrimonial line. Make sure the gem is big, though perhaps not as big as this beauty."

"Right away, sir."

…

Later, Chuck walked out with the ring and the Emerald in tow, both in identical ring boxes. The owners gave him a happy wave as he climbed back into his car. Setting the boxes down, Chuck drove off, turning on a bluetooth headset as he did.

"Call home," he instructed.

…

At the Kent house, Tanaka was quick to answer the phone just as it started ringing.

"Hello, this is the Kent residence,"

"Tanaka, perfect," Chuck's voice answered. "Is Keith there? I need to talk to him."

"One moment, sir."

Tanaka put the call on hold, then walked into the living room. There, Keith was playing a video game with Kat, both of them incredibly into it.

"You're not gonna beat me this time!" Kat declared. "Eat this!"

"I'm not beat, yet!" Keith threw back.

"Master Keith, I have your father on the phone," Tanaka informed.

"Oh, cool. Kat, pause?"

Kat paused the game so Keith could take the phone. He took the call off speaker, setting the game controller to the side.

"Hey Dad. What's up?"

"Keith, have you heard from your mother as of late? I've been so busy I can't for the life of me remember where she's currently filming."

"Last I heard, she was filming on set in Filmdom City. Why?"

"Gather up everyone, and I mean everyone, and meet me in Filmdom City."

"Ok, but why?"

"I was out shopping for an anniversary gift for your mother and found, of all things, a Chaos Emerald."

"What?!"

"Exactly. So, I figured we can kill two birds with one stone. Now hurry! We don't have time to lose!"

Chuck hung up and Keith handed the phone back to Tanaka. Sonic, who had been snoozing on the window sill, looked over at Keith.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"My dad found a Chaos Emerald. He wants us to meet him in Filmdom City."

"No way!" Sonic instantly leapt to his feet and sped off. "I'll get the others!"

…

Later in the garage, Tails was securing the four Chaos Emeralds they had in the Tornado II, preparing for take off. Kat checked her bag, pulling out the fifth from its cloth sack.

"I can't believe we've found six out of seven," she mused.

"Just one more, and we can go home!" Amy marveled.

"Still, we should be careful when adding this new Emerald to the others," Tails cautioned. "The four we have are ok because they've had time to adapt to each other, but adding in a new one wiithout following the proper steps could cause an electromagnetic reaction that we can't control."

"Is that why you've been so okay with me holding onto the red one?" Kat asked.

"Exactly. It takes time for the Emerald's to adapt properly, and we can't risk the power flux."

"Especially considering that last time the Emeralds were brought together," Sonic remarked.

"Guess we'd better be careful then," Keith deduced.

"We will," Amy reassured. "Now let's get moving! Filmdom City, here we come!"

…

Soon, the Tornado II took off, Tails, Amy, Keith and Kat on board while Sonic and Knuckles hopped onto the wings.

"Filmdon City, huh?" Sonic remarked. "I always wondered what it's like to be in show biz. Heh, maybe someone will wanna make a movie about me."

"If they do, I hope it's a silent movie," Knuckles replied.

Down below Tanaka was driving Helen, Amy, Ella, Cream, and Cheese in the car.

"I've never been to a movie studio," Helen shared.

"Me neither," Cream replied. "This is going to be so exciting."

Cheese chirped happily in agreement.

…

In Filmdom City, Chuck had both of the jewelry boxes sitting on the table in front of him. He was smiling to himself, sitting on a couch as he waited for the others to arrive. Unbeknownst to him, Topaz and Rouge were watching him from the air vent, having followed him after learning what he had. Finally, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!"

The door opened as Keith and the others entered.

"Hey dad," Keith greeted.

"Keith, perfect timing. Is everyone else here too?"

"Yup. Even Helen, Cream, and Cheese were able to make it."

"So where is it?" Knuckles questioned impatiently. "Where's the Chaos Emerald, and why did we have to come all the way out here to get it?"

"Knuckles," Kat admonished. "Chill."

"It's alright," Chuck reassured. "I can imagine you all must be pretty antsy about this."

"So where is it?" Amy asked, less pushy than Knuckles.

"Right here," Chuck answered, grabbing a box and opening it.

Everyone blinked, looking at the box.

"Mr. Kent," Ella let out, "That is a beautiful ring, but it's too small to be a Chaos Emerald,"

"Huh?" Chuck let out, looking at the box. "Whoops, wrong box. That's for Lindsey later. This is the Chaos Emerald."

He grabbed the other box and opened it up, revealing the Chaos Emerald inside. Almost immediately, it began to glow brightly. The red Emerald in Kat's bag also began to glow and spark, Kat looking at her bag in shock.

"Whoa, what's going on?!"

"The Chaos Emeralds are reacting to each other," Knuckles realized.

"Uh-oh," Tails let out, remembering what happened last time. "Chuck, close the box, quick!"

Chuck quickly closed the box, placing it back on the table. The glow died and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Up in the vents, Topaz and Rouge both exchanged looks, their suspicions confirmed.

"Sorry about that," Chuck told them.

"Let's just be glad it wasn't worse," Tails told him. "Last time two Emeralds came together like that, it shot out a large beacon."

"Right," Chuck nodded. "Well anyway, the Chaos Emerald's not the only reason I called you all here."

"What is it, then?" Keith asked.

"Well, it's your mothers and my 30th wedding anniversary. As such, I want to make it extra special."

"Dios mio," Ella let out. "What do you have planned this time?"

Chuck grinned.

"Picture this: Lindsey's filming the most passionate scene of her latest movie. She looks out into the distance, waiting for her beloved prince to appear. And then, I walk out, dressed in the appropriate costume, taking her hand and presenting her the ring. That's when the rest of you reveal yourselves to be the camera crew, wishing us all a happy anniversary. She'll be swept off her feet from surprise, making this a truly unforgettable anniversary!"

Everyone just stared blankly in response.

"That's… certainly bold sir," Tanaka commended.

"Is he serious about this?" Kat whispered to Keith.

"My parents are hopeless romantics," Keith explained. "They were high school sweethearts and it never stopped after that."

"Well I think it sounds wonderful," Amy commended. "She'll be absolutely speechless!"

"That's one way of putting it," Knuckles muttered.

Chuck smirked, grabbing one of the boxes and handing it to Sonic.

"Here, you hold onto the Emerald," he declared, snagging the other box for himself. "I need to get ready."

"Don't worry, we'll keep it safe," Sonic reassured, tucking it into his fur.

Chuck headed out as everyone turned to Keith.

"So, on a scale of one to ten, how bad is this gonna flop?" Tails asked.

"Eh, I'd say about a seven."

"I think it's really nice how your dad wants to surprise your mom," Cream insisted, "I think she'll be very happy."

"Well whatever happens, there's no way I'm missing the fallout," Kat declared. "Come on, let's get to the set."

In the vents, Rouge smirked in response to the situation.

"My my, this is going to be interesting."

…

Later on the set, everyone was getting into position, Chuck hiding on the set as he adjusted his prince costume. Everyone else was off to the side, all of the humans wearing hats and glasses as some form of disguise. The Mobians all stood off to the side watching it all go down.

"Six out of seven..." Knuckles said softly. "We're so close..."

"Just one more and we're going home," Sonic realized. "It's hard to believe."

"Tell me about it."

"Alright," the director spoke. "Let's try this one more time. And try to get it right this time. Ready? And… action!"

"The prince swore he would return some day," Lindsey let out, leaning against a tree. "And I know he will keep his word."

She then looked up, his eyes going wide as she spotted a silhouette in the distance. It was too far away to make out, but her expression became hopeful.

"My prince? Is it really you?"

The figure walked towards her, only to trip and fall to the ground. The box he was carrying tumbled out and opened up, revealing the Chaos Emerald inside. Immediately, Kat's Chaos Emerald began glowing as well, both gems emitting enough energy to start shorting out all the equipment everywhere.

"The Emerald!" Keith shouted.

"Oh no!" Sonic realized, "Chuck gave me the wrong box!"

"Charles?" Lindsey questioned, plucking the wig off of her husband. "What are you doing?!"

"Forget that!" Kat screamed, diving for the purple Emerald. "We need to box the gem before-"

She touched the gem and there was a sizzling sound, smoke rising off her palms. She recoiled in pain, the two gems now right next to each other as a large beam of light suddenly shot up into the sky.

…

Elsewhere, the Egg Fort II was hovering idly above the ocean, Dr, Robotnik taking a nap in his chair. Orbot and Cubot were both flopped over their consoles, completely and utterly bored.

"I spy with my little eye..." Cubot declared. "Something… round."

"Is it me?" Orbot asked.

"Yep! You're really good at this game!"

"You've picked me every time it's your turn."

"Not true. Let me prove it. I spy with my little eye… something… round."

"Just a guess, but me?"

"Ok, can you read minds or something?"

Suddenly, the beacon shot into the sky, the sudden light waking Robotnik from his nap.

"Wha-" he snapped up completely. "That's a Chaos Emeralds energy signature! Pinpoint its location, now!"

The two robots instantly got to work, zeroing in on the Emeralds energy signature.

"Location found," Orbot reported. "It seems the Emerald is in Filmdom City."

"Filmdom City, eh? I always wanted to break into show biz. Set a course for Filmdom City on the double!"

...

The emeralds were still glowing and sparking, stage lights exploding before dropping to the ground. Everyone was ducking for cover, unable to get close. Kat looked at her burnt hands, then at the Emerald. Bracing herself, she grabbed the gem, crying out before shoving it into the box and slamming the lid down. The energy finally died out, allowing everyone to relax a bit, just as a stage light fell to the ground.

"Is everyone alright?" Chuck called out.

"We're okay," Keith assured him.

Kat was grunting in pain, kneeling on the ground as she looked at her hands. Both of them were burned pretty bad, much to Knuckles' horror.

"Kat!" Knuckles let out. "Your hands!'

"What, this?" Kat winced, trying to play it cool. "It's nothing..."

"That is not nothing," Keith told her, coming over. "We need to get you medical attention, now."

"The Emerald is more important," Kat insisted.

Mr Tanaka scooped up the box.

"I will take care of the Emerald. Master Keith, Mr. Knuckles, please escort Miss Winters to the medical center."

"I'm on it," Knuckles replied, picking up Kat.

Keith let Knuckles and Kat out the room, leaving everyone else in the now destroyed set. Almost immediately after they were gone, Lindsey turned on Chuck angrily.

"What is the meaning of this? Do you have any idea how important that shot was? We've been doing retakes all morning!"

"I was just trying to surprise you," Chuck tried to defend.

"By making an utter fool out of both of us with your antics?!"

"You don't have to put it like that!"

"Oh, I don't think you realize just how asinine that was! How would you feel if I barged into one of your patent meetings and made a complete fool of myself?!"

"Well at least I have the decency to be home for our son!"

"Uh, excuse me," Tails spoke up. "Is now really the time?"

"Keep out of this!" they both shouted.

"Sorry."

Tails wordlessly stepped aside.

"Well, that didn't go well," Amy noted.

"Come one, we should go check on Kat and make sure she's okay."

Suddenly, a loud crashing rang out throughout the building. Everyone looked up to see the Egg Fort II crashing through the room, spitting out the Eggmobile, as well as Orbot and Cubot.

"Hand over the Chaos Emerald!" Robotnik demanded.

"Eggman," Sonic let out. "Figures."

Sonic instantly took off towards Robotnik, leaving Tails and Amy to deal with Orbot and Cubot.

"Hey, Eggman!" Sonic called out, leading him towards one of the sets. "This way!"

He made his way onto a Jurassic Park movie set, where a couple was cowering in the car as a T-rex closed in on them. Sonic leapt onto the top of the T-rex and taunted Robotnik.

"Over here, Eggman!"

"Why you!" Robotik let out, following him.

As Robotnik chased after the speedy hedgehog, the T-Rex turned, smashing its head right into Robotnik.

"I'll get you, Sonic!"

…

Meanwhile on a sci-fi movie set, Amy and Cubot were in the midst of a heated duel, with Amy clashing her hammer against a broom Cubot found.

"You think you stand a chance against me? I was swinging this hammer long before you were assembled!"

"I know I do. Because Amy… I am your father."

Amy blinked in confusion.

"...huh?"

"I heard that somewhere, and thought it sounded-"

Amy took her opening and smacked Cubot, knocking him back.

…

On a Titanic movie set, Tails ran across the deck, Orbot floating right behind him. They weaved in between the crowd of extras before reaching the front of the boat. Tails hopped onto the railing when Orbot grabbed his tails.

"You're not getting away that easily."

Tails growled, then twirled his tails hard, flinging Orbot over the side of the railing.

"Never let go!" Orbot called out before plunging into the deep.

…

Watching from the skywalk, Rouge and Topaz observed all the madness.

"Now's my chance," Rouge decided, diving down.

"Rouge, wait!" Topaz let out.

The bat dove right for Tanaka, snagging the Emerald box right out of his hand. The man gasped as it was ripped from his grasp.

"Thief!" He shouted. "Return that gem at once!"

"Sorry, pal," Rouge replied. "But a gem as valuable as this needs someone as glamorous as me keeping it safe. Not some snot nosed kids or a clueless romantic."

Unbeknownst to her, Robotnik's Eggmobile was hovering right above her. He reached down, plucking the box from her grip.

"Let's check to see if this is the real deal."

Robotnik opened up the box, revealing the Emerald inside.

"Jackpot."

Rouge instantly swooped in as he closed the box, trying to reclaim it.

"Give it back, Eggman! I stole it fair and square!"

"Right back at you, bat girl!"

Wanting to help her partner, Topaz vaulted off the railing, landing on the Eggmobile and grappling with Robotnik for the box.

"Give it up!" She demanded.

"Not a chance!" Robotnik snapped. "Orbot! Cubot! I have the Emerald! We're leaving!"

"Yes sir," Orbot replied, pulling himself out of the water.

"Coming boss!" Cubot called back, dislodging himself from a styrofoam asteroid.

Robotnik meanwhile continued fighting with Topaz and Rouge over the Titanic's water set.

"Just drop it, Eggman!" Topaz demanded.

"I'd rather drop you!" Robotnik replied.

He then accelerated the Eggmobile forward before slamming the brakes, throwing them off and sending them splashing into the water. Robotnik just chuckled in response.

"Eggman!"

Robotnik turned, seeing Sonic standing on the skywalk with Knuckles, Keith, and Kat. Keith had his goggles on, a fire extinguisher in his hand. Kat's hands were wrapped in bandages, awkwardly holding what looked like a crowbar.

"Hand over that Chaos Emerald or else!" Sonic and Knuckles said at the same time.

"Or else what?" Robotnik replied.

Robotnik then pressed a button on his console, summoning a green, dragon-like robot with a long, snakey tail. The bot came crashing through the window, landing in front of the entire Kent clan.

"Weazo, take care of these clowns!"

"Weazo?" Kat repeated. "That sounds like some reject from clown college. How scary can he-?"

The bot then spewed fire from its nozzle, causing everyone to move.

"That answer your question?" Knuckles asked.

"Yep," Kat replied, her voice somewhat higher pitched.

Weazo then turned towards the Kent family, prompting Chuck to step in front of them.

"Stay back!" Chuck insisted. "No tin can harms my family!"

"Hold it, chump!"

Weazo turned to see Tanaka standing before it.

"Before you lay your claws on the Kent family, you must first deal with me!"

Tanaka took a karate stance as Weazo approached him.

"Well robot? Do you feel lucky?"

Weazo just used his tail to slap him aside, knocking him into a wall.

"What is wrong with that guy?" Knuckles asked.

"Too many kung fu movies," Sonic answered.

Keith quickly used the fire extinguisher to put out the fires on set, while Sonic and Knuckles engaged the robot head on. Sonic homing attacked Weazo in the head as Knuckles rammed into its chest, toppling it over. It began picking itself up as Kat let out a whistle.

"Hey! Over here you overgrown toaster oven! Come and get me!"

Weazo roared as Kat took off, the robot following close behind.

…

Back up in the Egg Fort II, Robotnik looked over the purple Chaos Emerald, reveling in his victory.

"What a shiny prize. And soon, I'll have the rest of the Emeralds to go with it."

"And then you'll have the prettiest necklace on the planet?" Cubot asked.

Robotnik sighed, shaking his head.

"You're lucky I'm in such a good mood, or I'd whack you. Prepare the ship! We're leaving!"

...

Back in the studio, Kat was running as fast as she could, dodging and weaving to avoid fire blasts from Weazo. She even baseball slid under a mechanical godzilla, letting the oversized lizard take the heat for her. Unfortunately, she soon reached a dead end in a room painted like an underwater scene, a large, thin tank of water blocking her exit.

"Not good..."

She turned around, seeing Weazo closing in on her, the tip of its flame thrower ablaze.

"I think I made a terrible mistake..."

…

Sonic and Knuckles tore through the building, both of them looking around frantically.

"Where's that scrap pile gone?" Sonic questioned.

"Kat!" Knuckles called out. "Hey Kat! Where are you?!"

They entered a room, seeing Kat up against the wall with Weazo closing in. Because they were adjacent to her, they were seeing the confrontation through the water tank.

"Is she… underwater?" Sonic let out.

"No, it's just some kind of effect," Knuckles realized. "But it does give me an idea."

Weazo let out a torrent of flames, Kat curling into a ball and covering her head as they drew ever closer. Knuckles quickly punched through the glass, causing water to flood in and douse the fire. Kat kept her head down as Knuckles busted through, lobbing Weazo in the head as Sonic performed a spin dash that tore right through its chest. The robot exploded, raining debris down on the three. Kat straightened up, spitting up some water and dumping water out of her messenger bag.

"Well… that was embarrassing. Thanks for the save."

"Don't mention it," Knuckles replied. "Just glad you're ok."

…

'Are you ok?" Chuck asked, moving over to Lindsey.

"You put your life at risk to protect us," Lindsey said softly.

"Of course. Nothing is more important to me than my family."

Sonic and the others came walking in, seeing the Kents making up. With a smile, Sonic sped over, pulling the ring box from his fur.

"Here, I think you need this."

"Uh, thanks," Chuck replied nervously, taking the box and presenting it to Lindsey. "Happy anniversary, Lindsey."

He opened the box, revealing the ring he had intended to give her. She gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

"Oh Charles, it's gorgeous..."

She instantly embraced him, prompting him to return the gesture. Keith just smiled before turning towards Tanaka, who was picking himself off the floor.

"You ok, Mr. Tanaka?" Keith asked.

"I have failed in my duties to your family… I do not deserve this uniform."

"Whoa there," Keith insisted. "You did your best, and that's all that matters."

"Besides, Tanaka, it's not your fault Robotnik stole that gem," Lindsey assured him.

"We all make mistakes, Mr. Tanaka," Kat told him, ringing out her shirt. "Now come on. We have an anniversary to celebrate."

Cream and Cheese quickly pulled a rope, causing confetti to rain down on the group.

"Congratulations!" Everyone cheered, clapping for the happy couple.

"Thank you everybody," Chuck and Lindsey responded at the same time.

As the others celebrated the anniversary, Sonic and Knuckles stepped back, talking to each other.

"Eggman finally got his hands on an Emerald..." Knuckles muttered.

"We'll get it back," Sonic reassured. "Somehow…"

Up in the rafters, Rouge and Topaz looked on in disdain.

"Sonic has five Emeralds, and now Eggman has one," Rouge lamented. "Now there's only one left. When all seven Chaos Emeralds are put together, the power they create will be unimaginable." She then clenched her fists, whispering to herself. "I'll get those Emeralds… no matter what."