The basic format of the chapters is like so - each chapter alternates to a different character's perspective. Chapter 1, Mario, Chapter 2, Sonic, Chapter 3, Mario, and so on.

Green Hill Zone was bright with the light of the morning sun. The blue skies were a perfect complement for the deeper blue water in the distance, and the green grass on the rolling hills blew in the soft breeze.

On a high hill, underneath a large tree, a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog was resting. His white gloved hands were cushioning his quilled head from the ground; he was on his back, legs crossed. The trainers he wore were red, with a white stripe and shiny yellow buckles. This famed creature was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog.

He was taking advantage of the peacetime. The world of Mobius was currently safe from the power mad scientist, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, who was better known to everyone by the name Dr. Eggman. Sonic had become well known for foiling his plots to trap critters in robots ('Badniks'), and use an army of them to rule the world. At the moment, he seemed to be between evil plots. But, it was only a matter of time. So Sonic rested.

Sonic was also known for being the fastest thing alive. He had a craving for adventure, and the occasional chili dog. But, even for him, it was nice to get a bit of peace and quiet from time to time…

"Yoo hoo! Sonic!" A girly voice squeaked.

"Shoot…" Sonic muttered under his breath. He sat up and looked down the hill.

He saw one of his friends, Amy Rose, running up the hill towards him. She was a pink hedgehog with a red dress. She was a good friend who cared for him. However, her interest in him bordered on obsessive, and she thought of herself as Sonic's girlfriend, much to his exasperation.

She reached the top of the hill and smiled sweetly at her 'one true love'. "Hey there, Sonic!" She giggled enthusiastically.

"Hey, Amy." Sonic replied, less than enthusiastically.

She fluttered her eyelids provocatively. "You know that Eggman isn't being bad at the moment… And you've probably got a lot of time on your hands…" she leant forward. "Do you wanna go on a date?" she beamed.

Sonic just lied down, relaxed again, closed his eyes and laughed. "The hell I do!" He chuckled.

"Hmph." Amy put on a stern expression, and folded her arms. She was used to getting this kind of a reply. But she was in a persistent mood today, and wasn't going to take no for an answer. "What's it going to take for you to say 'yes' for once?" She growled.

"Helluva lot." Sonic sighed casually, his eyes still closed.

Amy thought for a moment. Then she got it. "The Chaos Emeralds!" she exclaimed.

At that, Sonic opened his eyes. The Chaos Emeralds were seven gems of incredible power, which when brought together create the most powerful force ever known. He sat up again and looked at Amy with intrigue. "What about them?" he asked.

A smile of hope flickered onto Amy's face. "If I found all seven of the Chaos Emeralds, and bought them here to you… Would you go on a date with me then?" she asked hopefully.

Sonic smirked. "You know, Amy, that day… I just might."

Amy's eyes suddenly filled full of excitement. "Ooh! Yay! Okay! I'll go and find them! I'll start right now!" With that, she spun on her heel, and skipped with haste down the hill.

As Sonic watched her skip away, he kept a self-satisfied smile on his face. That made her go. He thought to himself. He knew people had wasted their entire lives searching for the Chaos Emeralds, and never found them. Some even believed them to be just a myth. It didn't take Sonic himself too long to find all seven, but that was probably on account of his speed. Sonic therefore thought it impossible for someone like Amy to find them. So he'd go on a date with her the day she handed him all of the emeralds…

… Never.

But, Sonic didn't see Amy as one of the people who wasted their life away looking for them. It was just a phase she was going through, it'd pass.

Sonic then decided he was done resting for now. He leapt to his feet and begun stretching his legs. Then, in a flash of blue and a gust of wind, he thundered off to the horizon.

The scenery was blurring to either side of Sonic. He had an immovable grin on his face as he traversed the plains, caves, and loop de loops of Green Hill Zone. He just ran and ran, his speed steadily increasing until he broke the sound barrier. The wind on his face was exhilarating. It was times like these when he felt like never stopping, and just seeing where it was he ended up.

The familiar recognisable landscape of Green Hill Zone was beginning to fade, and it was becoming more reminiscent of an arid desert. Sonic used his speed to run up the wall of a large plateau, and he finally decided to come to a stop when he reached the top.

He looked at the landscape. To his right, in the distance, he could see the densely populated city of Station Square. To his left, in the far horizon, he could faintly see the beginning of the sea. And in front of him, very little. Just more desert. In the distance, a snowy mountain range. Closer were sparsely spaced cacti, the odd tumbleweed. More clouds were gathering in the sky…

But wait. There was something in the sky to the left that caught his eye. Sonic squinted and cupped his hand above his eyes to see… Amongst the clouds was a single plume of black smoke, streaking across the sky. It looked as though it was getting closer. A faint rumble could be heard.

Sonic frowned. There was something familiar about this picture, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The streak of black smoke was indeed getting closer, as was the rumbling sound. Much closer.

Before Sonic knew it, he had to jump out of the path of the roaring object, which continued to career through the sky at an alarming speed, now heading roughly in the direction of station square. As Sonic brushed himself down, he remembered where he'd heard that noise before. It was the engine of his own plane, the Tornado, which was currently in the possession of his best friend, Miles 'Tails' Prower the Fox.

And it was currently crashing.