It had been quite a while since Sonic was in Knothole, since he or his cousin had visited their homeland. Having been sent an invitation by Queen Sally to celebrate a holiday in honor of the "Sonic Heroes," it was about time to pay such a visit. The Heroes included Team Sonic, Team Rose, Team Dark, and Team Chaotix. Their contributions to protecting Mobius and Earth were on a scale large enough that the ground squirrel felt it was about time they be properly honored. While Shadow was not entirely inclined to go, Sara managed to persuade him it was the right thing to do.

Seven year old Maria was wide eyed as she followed her parents through the village. Even though she'd been to Mobius once before on a camping trip, Boulder Bay was a fair distance from Knothole, and they'd only spent a couple hours in Gate City. As such, she'd never seen so many Mobians, or so many varieties of Mobians all in one place. For her, it was actually weird not seeing humans around, and she checked to see if her parents were reacting similarly.

Sara had a relaxed smile on her face and carried Ash on her hips; the boy, at least, was wowed by all the Mobians in sight, and kept pointing at everyone and everything. Shadow had his usual stoic expression, though a slight frown revealed his dislike of large crowds. He didn't like going to the mall very much, though, so it wasn't something he restricted to Mobians.

"Did I hear we're staying at the palace?" Maria finally asked after they'd walked in relative silence for a while and the gates of the palace were coming into view.

"Yeah..." Shadow replied with a slightly uneasy air.

"Sonic and Sally used to be very close when she was still the princess," Sara commented. "In fact, he was almost king."

"Oh wow...that would've been cool. Why didn't he marry the princess?" she asked, using the human term.

Sara chuckled, "He took Amy as a mate. She had a crush on him for a long time, and he finally returned the feelings."

"They're at the palace already, aren't they?" Shadow inquired.

"I think so," Sara replied.

The family was greeted at the gate by a coyote with blond hair parted in the center. "Bonjour, Monsieur Shadow, Madame Sara. You 'ave brought your family, oui?"

Shadow nodded and gently guided his daughter forward. "This is Maria, and the boy is Ash."

"Oui. Oui. Très bon. She iz very beautiful." He smiled at the girl and took her hand, kissing it in a gentleman-like fashion. "Now, right zis way s'il vous plaît." He nodded and led them inside.

The family was guided into a large marble hall set with long tables and chairs. Blue and gold fabric stretched across the table, and the dishes were a mixture of crystal and glass, which sparkled in a dazzling way. The girl knew a few things about money, and from the shining white marble to the crystal dishes, she was sure the whole place was worth ten times more than their house, at least. "Whoa…." She was totally amazed by everything and wondered why her parents didn't seem nearly as impressed.

At last she noticed a few small clusters of Mobians already present in the room. A bunny with metal limbs and a purple walrus were conversing with Sonic and Amy. Uncle Tails and Aunt Fiona were there with the twin terrors, speaking to a white bat and a lavender weasel. A small female lavender bat was holding onto the older bat's hand. A very fat, stupid looking purple cat was also present, with a young teenage bunny talking avidly to him with a chao at her side playing with a small frog. A crocodile, two chameleons, and a bee made up another group, with a robot being the oddest of the guests. Next to them was a family of echidnas.

"Who are all these people?" Maria asked shyly after a few.

"Friends." Sara smiled warmly.

"Oh hi!" The bee was the first of the guests to come over and look over the dark hedgehog's family. "Long time no see, Shadow! Is this your mate?" He looked at Sara and received a nod. "Wow...and two kids. Heyyy! Don't touch those!" He tried to pry an antenna away from Ash's hands.

"Sorry about that...Ash is at that age," Sara apologized.

"It's okay." The bee smiled. "I'm Charmy, nice to meet you!"

Sara introduced Ash and Maria to the Chaotix, Bunnie Rabbot, and Rotor, since Shadow didn't feel like talking. Espio was the only one of their group who'd found a mate, or at least the only one who'd brought her…. Vector continued to brag about a girl he was dating, but the look on Espio's face told a different story. The robot guest was introduced as Omega. Maria somewhat remembered Rouge from various get-togethers, but the purple weasel she was now mated to needed introduction. Apparently she'd met Nack the weasel during one of her assignments for the government and the two wound up working together. The result of their union was a very pretty lavender daughter named Lilly. Knuckles was proud of his little girl Lara-su, who greatly resembled her mother Julie-su. Big the cat was his usual "talkative" self, at least if fish was the subject.

To Sara and the others, the shapely lop-eared rabbit who had almost sprouted to her full height was the biggest change in the years they'd been gone from Mobius. Cream the rabbit stood as poised and elegant as her mother Vanilla ever had, and her innocent charm was still radiating off of her. She filled into a red dress more resembling the one Amy used to wear, and her figure had become quite admirable. "Hello, Mister Shadow, Misses Sara. Lovely to see you again!"

"Wow, Cream? My you grew up fast!" Sara exclaimed. She introduced her family in short order.

Cheese the chao quickly warmed up to both Ash and Maria. "I've never seen a Chao up close before," Maria said. "He's warm and cuddly!"

Eventually Queen Sally entered the hall, pleased to see all her guests assembled. She hadn't really changed much since she was a princess, though she now wore clothing more befitting her royal title. Her teal top was made of silk and lace, and the long sleeves hugged her slender arms while at the shoulders the sleeves were puffy. She did wear a silk dress, pleated in the front and trailing slightly behind her, though instead of heels, her good old reliable boots were slightly visible. Quick introductions were made between her and the extended guests, the title Queen disappearing from her name among the familiar guests.

"What? You didn't believe your old man knew royalty?" Shadow said to his gawking daughter.

"Please, just call me Sally." She smiled gently at Maria.

"O... oh...okay, Miss Sally...Ma'am." The girl blushed. "You're really pretty, and this place is so big and amazing! Really!"

Sally laughed. "Honestly, I kind of miss the old Knothole. It was a lot more modest.. It's taken a lot of years to rebuild our kingdom, but you probably don't know much about that, do you?" She saw the girl shake her head. "Thought so...well...your dad's done a lot to protect this world, along with Sonic and the others... You should be really proud of him."

"You really shouldn't have gone to any trouble for us." Shadow shrugged. "We just did what we had to."

"Well, how about I wanted to see everyone back together for a reunion then?" Sally smiled a bit, though she was looking past Shadow at the blue hedgehog.

Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. "Sorry...I haven't been able to make him any more social." Sara chuckled, putting her free arm around Shadow. "I don't know about him, but I liked having an excuse to visit home again."

"We already have a home in Station Square," Shadow said softly.

"Ahh...I'm sorry if it's created any trouble for you," Sally said, her smile fading a little. "But it is nice to see you've settled down." She addressed the dark hedgehog, "Looks like you have a nice family."

"Thanks," Shadow replied.

"Well, everyone's probably tired from travel so...!" Sally smiled, addressing the group in its entirety, "We'll be having dinner shortly. You can get settled into your rooms, and we'll meet back here in an hour. There's a feast in your honor, and tomorrow there will be a celebration. I've gone to a lot of trouble setting up Heroes' Day, so I hope you all appreciate it!"

"Hah! As long as there's chilidogs? You better believe it!" Sonic cut in.

If Maria thought her room at their house was big, it had nothing on the palace. She had trouble sleeping that night with all the excitement in the air. Even though the bed she was on now was the softest she'd ever felt, it didn't seem right somehow. Her crimson eyes stared up at the high ceiling for a while before turning on her side. She knew her parents were in the room next door, but she didn't want to be a wuss by telling them she couldn't sleep.

She got up and headed out the guest room's door and looked up and down the hall. It was dark and quiet. She was sure she'd see some guards pass by, but for now the hall was empty. A door opened across the hall and she ducked back behind the one she'd come from, peeking in the hall. A purple hedgehog crept out into the hall, followed by one who was a bit more on the blue side. Relieved to see familiar faces, Maria revealed herself to the edgy hedgehogs.

"Hi."

"Oh...hi, Maria...couldn't sleep?" Blitz asked.

"Nope... Gonna wake up your folks?" She glanced over at the door to the next room over.

"Nah...we're gonna explore the castle." A grin formed on his face.

"But...if you get caught being somewhere you shouldn't..."

"What're they gonna do? We're guests, right?" Blitz smirked much like his father.

Maria looked back at her temporary bedroom, then at the boys. "Awww...wait up!" She hurried after them, as they were leaving her behind.

The group wandered through the halls only a little ways before someone cleared her throat behind them. "Ahem... Excuse me."

"Ahh! I knew this was a bad idea!" Rift whined, and hid behind his brother.

"Who are you?" Maria asked, turning to an attractive dark-haired lynx. She was wearing a purple gown and had a few beads in her hair.

"I'm Nicole. Shouldn't you kids be in bed?" she asked gently.

"We wanted to see more of the castle." Blitz made a big motion with his arms.

"I couldn't sleep," Maria answered. "Are you gonna tell on us?"

"No...but I will show you something special, since you've come this far," she answered with a gentle smile. "Come on." The kids looked at each other, then decided to follow the strange lady. Soon, they were out in the palace courtyard. "Now watch." She waved her hand, and a series of lights illuminated the place. It was a quite beautiful garden, with strands of lights clinging to rose trellises and sculptures. There were lights in the fountains, which streamed water in shifting colors from the light.

"Wow...it's beautiful! How'd you do that?" Maria stared in wonder.

Nicole chuckled, "Well...I'm actually a computer program."

"No way!" Blitz gaped.

"Mm hmm...I started out as a handheld computer Sally owned...and eventually I developed a way to project myself. The palace is full of holographic-energy emitters, so I can walk around freely within its walls. Ahh...you might not understand, but it works. I also have control over things hooked up to any computer in the palace, like the lighting system," Nicole explained. "You're Sonic and Shadow's kids, right?"

"Uh huh." The group nodded.

"Sonic's part of the reason I have so much personality; he treated me like I was real." Nicole had a reminiscent smile.

"Hey, what's under the big sheet there?" Maria asked.

"Ohh...that's a statue. It'll be unveiled tomorrow." Nicole smiled. "Now, since you've had a chance to see things a little more, I think it's time you kids went to bed. If you need me, I'll be nearby, okay?"

"Okay…. Can I call you Auntie Nicole?" Maria queried as they were taken back inside.

"Hmm...I don't see why not." She chuckled. "Come on, off to bed now!"

The next day was filled with celebration, as Sally had promised them. A parade was marched down the main street of the city, and the Heroes' families were all privy to riding in the lead car. Maria and the other kids felt like celebrities as cheering crowds rose to greet them everywhere they looked. Sonic adored the attention and hammed things up, running circles around the parade cars at times and cheering back at the crowds. Shadow simply stood tall with his arms folded and looked rather bored at the whole thing. Amy, Sara, Fiona, Julie-su, and Rouge were cheerful over the event, but understandably subdued, as they had to pay close attention to their children.

It wasn't until the festivities were over that the real celebration began. The group gathered in the courtyard the following day for a cookout. The chilidogs and hamburgers were more gratefully received and eaten than the elaborate meals that had been set before them the two days prior.

"Mmm hmm…. Did you get my unc's recipe for this, Sal?" Sonic asked, taking a big bite out of a chili dog.

"Hmmm...maybe." Sally smirked. She was dressed in a simple vest and boots and lacked the crown she'd been wearing before. "Miss Knothole much?"

"Sometimes." Sonic shrugged.

"You know…if you wanted...your efforts have more than warranted position as a royal knight," Sally said in a calm tone to her old friend. "The offer's open to any of the Heroes."

"Thanks, Sal, but I don't think so...I'm fine working and living on Earth. Besides, I got Amy and the kids with me." He smiled over at the pink hedgehog, who was flanked on either side by the boys.

She nodded. "We really have drifted off to two different worlds, haven't we?"

"Still friends, though." Sonic said with a classic smirk on his face. "So just enjoy that you got us here for a while, right?"

Sally gave a good-natured smile. "Yeah. There's that at least."

Sara was seated with Rouge on one side of her and Julie-su and Fiona on the other, and before them was a group of two-year-olds tumbling on the grass. Maria had lost track of Blitz and Rift, so she gravitated toward the young crowd. "Hi, Mom."

"Hey, baby! Enjoying it here at the palace?" Sara smiled and looked back on the kids.

"Yeah it's great, did you live here when you were little?" she asked and sat down on the ground.

"Nope...the palace wasn't rebuilt at that time. It was still partly under construction when I went to Earth," Sara replied.

One of the fox twins toddled up to Maria and sat down in her lap; it was Tails' and Fiona's daughter Tracey. "Do my hair," she said.

"Mm...okay." Maria had plenty of practice braiding pony tails, but she was surprised the girl had gone to her for styling rather than her mom. She was the same bright orange as her father, but had mouse brown hair on her head like her mother.

Lilly watched Maria braid Tracey's hair, then practically pushed her out of the girl's lap and took her place. "Me now!"

"Hey! No pushing!" Rouge scolded. She was dressed much more modestly than she had in the past, and had grown out the ends of her hair so they trailed half way down her back these days, cutting off at her wings. She still had a certain sultry charm to her, though she still looked good wearing less makeup.

"Only mommy does my hair," Lara-su said and worked her way into the pink echidna's lap.

"How long are we staying?" Maria asked after a while.

"Hmm...Sally said we could stay as long as we want, but I don't think your father will want to stay more than a couple days," Sara replied.

After a few minutes, Maria finished braiding hair and caught sight of Blitz and Rift again. "Okay, well...I kinda like it here...there's lots of other kids like me." She stood and then hurried over to her friends.

Sara watched her little girl join the boys and noticed a few other kids with them. They were probably the children of palace staff, but she thought she saw an orange hedgehog among them. Could he have...? ...Nah….