"It's been two years since that day… The day in which Sonic had fought tooth and nail to save me and the entire world… My name is Maria the Tenrec, formerly Maria Robotnik. A girl who suffered from Neuro Immunity Deficiency Syndrome, an illness in which my brain would slowly lose function and I would have died. Project Shadow would be conducted in order to save my life, but after… the raid… my grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, begged for my life to be spared, and thus I was given a new form and a new life to live.

Almost five decades later, I would meet Sonic and his friends in a chance encounter. And with him, I would meet my cousin, Ivo Robotnik, who, despite visually looking similar to our grandfather, was not even close to his brilliance. Our adventures would eventually take us to the ARK, where my tragedy first started, where many truths were revealed to me. Truths that were lost to me because of G.U.N. - Guardians of the United Nations. I was created as some super weapon, a sleeper agent meant to destroy the Mobian populace. But once again, thanks to Sonic, I was saved.

Two years after that day, a lot has changed. Eggman's demise was reported to be an "incident caused by his own hubris", Sonic denying any involvement in it - just that he was trying to stop him. This has left our world in relative peace, though there are still occasional conflicts that Sonic and Tails have often left to deal with. Heh… Two years later and Sonic still decides to rush headlong into fights instead of just settling down… That's Sonic for you…"

Loud Voice: "YOU KNOW IT!"

A hand is slammed on the table, startling Maria out of writing in her book, causing her to look up to see a familiar pink hedgehog in a cute maid's dress uniform and a white hairband with bunny ears coming out. On the table in front of Maria was a notebook - a diary of sorts - with a black hairband with bunny ears laying just to the left of it. Maria had been seated at a table beside a window with its curtains down, closer to the doors leading in and out of the Bunny Barista Cafe. Cream, who was the only one who didn't have a hairband with ears but wore the same attire as Amy and Maria, simply giggled from a distance as it seemed like Maria just woke up.

Maria: "Amy. You know you could've broken the table from that slam."

Amy: "Oh I'm aware, which is why I only used 1% of my power. …Joking aside, mind telling the class what you're writing while you're mumbling aloud?"

Maria gets very red as her eyes widen. She then turns to Cream.

Maria: "H-How much did you hear…?"

Cream: "Hmm… 'Almost five decades later, I would have a chance encounter with Sonic and friends'... Started about there."

Maria was even more red, almost turning her light blue fur a light shade of purple from how much she blushed in embarrassment.

Amy: "Oh come on, Maria. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. The fact that you think so highly of us, and Sonic especially, really makes us so happy."

Cream leans the broom she was holding next to the counter before joining her friends.

Cream: "Two years have passed since our adventures on the ARK, huh? To think how far we've come since then. Your smile always feels like it could light this entire cafe. …Would save me the electrical bill if it could."

Maria: "Hey, I'm not a makeshift lamp, Cream!"

Cream and Amy just laugh at Maria's reaction, causing her to pout. Amy then leans on the table, smiling at Maria.

Amy: "Sooo? Are you and Sonic still dating?"

Maria: "Dunno why you're asking that. Of course we are."

Amy: "Well, I ask because Sonic does travel a lot. And I do mean a lot."

Cream: "Amy's right. You tend to just stay in Station Square and work here. I love hanging out with you and Amy, but… Why not go traveling with Sonic?"

Maria: "I… Uh…"

Maria seemed flustered by the question, but thought for a second on why she didn't just travel with Sonic. In hindsight, it seemed easy enough to do.

Maria: "I guess it's because I'm so used to the simple life that I've lived since before I met you guys. Almost fifty years is a long time for your life to adjust to a norm you're comfy with. Aside from the Chaos and ARK incidents, it's been pretty much just that norm for me. And… well… Sonic never pushes the issue so I never saw a need to travel beyond my comfort zone."

Amy: "Yeah… Sonic is a gentleman when he wants to be - rarely a guy to ever push things unless he has to. Still though, you should travel more, Maria. It's good to get out of your comfort zone every now and then."

Cream: "Yeah! Just tell Sonic on your next date 'Hey, Sonic, can I please go with you next time you go out?'. Easy peezy lemon squeezy!"

Maria: "You two are not going to let that go until I do it, are you?"

Maria asks as she looked visibly annoyed by her friends' persistence. Their stares gave her all the answer she needed.

Maria: "Sigh… Fine… He should be coming home tonight, so I'll ask tomorrow. Deal?"

Amy: "ALRIGHT!"

Maria: "But now that we've talked about my love life… What about you and Tails, Amy?"

This caused Amy to freeze as she blushed, suddenly feeling very sheepish.

Amy: "Oh… Well… Uh… Tails and I are pretty on and off… I help him with cooking and cleaning when he's busy and he always tells me what he and Sonic are up to on their adventures. We're taking our time, you know? No need to rush."

Cream: "The genki girl with the nerdy boy… Sounds like a romance novel in the making."

Amy: "O-Oh hush! Don't make our private life a book! …But if you do, I claim royalties…"

Maria: "By the way, Cream… How's Vanilla? Or rather how's her job as governor treating her?"

Cream turns to Maria before sighing, leaning against the table as she crosses her arms.

Cream: "I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss her. Cheese keeps me company enough and I'm grateful for him, but I miss having Mom around to help around this place. When word got out that the old G.U.N. was conducting illegal experiments and creating weapons of war, the backlash put the human president in a lot of hot water. Mom elected herself as a governor to act as a mediator between herself and the human populace. Otherwise, according to her, the issue would have led to a potential world wide war between humans and Mobians."

Maria: "A necessary sacrifice… It sucks, but if it prevents lives being lost, your mom made the best possible decision."

Amy: "I agree. Vanilla's a hero and should be celebrated as such!"

Cream looks at her friends before smiling, the seriousness leaving her expression as she agreed with them. Maria then looked up at the clock on the wall. It was 7:50 PM, twenty minutes past closing and the sun was due to fully set in ten minutes. A bit concerned since Sonic is never known to be late getting home, Maria stood up from her seat and walked over to the shop's phone in order to call Tails.

At Tails' Workshop in the Mystic Ruins, which had been redesigned to resemble the fox's head, with even the garage designed like his twin tails, Tails himself was seen working on a tablet-like device on his work table, screwing the last screw into it before wiping off some sweat from his forehead. The fox was a bit taller since the ARK incident, now wearing a pair of aviator goggles on his head along with a strap over his left shoulder going down to his right hip which held up his utility belt for his tools. Beyond that, he was still mostly the same. The phone ringing brought his attention away from his project as he goes to answer it.

Tails: "Hello? Miles Prower speaking."

Maria: "Oh? Hi, Miles. Have you seen Tails? He's missing his late night supper."

Tails: "Pfft… Very funny, Maria. You know, Miles and Tails are one and the same."

The two share a brief laugh before Tails sighs.

Tails: "What's up, Maria? Haven't heard from you since my birthday party last month."

Maria: "I've been keeping busy. Being a stay at home girlfriend tends to fit my style, you know?"

Tails: "You should consider going out more. Me and Sonic do it all the time and we have a blast doing it!"

Maria: "Yes… About Sonic. Is he with you at this hour? He should be back from his usual rounds, but I'm a bit worried…"

There was a pause. A 'not very good' pause.

Tails: "No… He's not with me… He's not with you either?"

Maria: "Well, I'm at work so I can't say if he's home or not. He usually lets me know when he's coming home though. I just figured he was with you. Boys doing boy things."

Tails: "Sorry, Maria. Actually… I haven't heard from him for a week now…"

Maria: "A week!?"

Maria's shouting gets Amy and Cream's attention as they stand up from their chores and get closer to listen in.

Tails: "Y-Yeah. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but Sonic said through his communicator that he was pursuing someone. After that, it's been radio silent."

Maria's mind froze as her grip on the phone loosened before it outright dropped, causing the receiver to hit the floor.

Tails: "Maria!? Are you okay!?"

Amy: "Hey, Maria! Hey!"

Amy gets behind the counter, looking at Maria. The tenrec was completely still, her eyes widened and her expression showing a mix of emotions - panic, worry, fear, upset. This only made Amy worry more as she picked up the receiver.

Amy: "Tails? It's Amy."

Tails: "Amy? What happened? Where's Maria?"

Amy: "She's… processing the information. Anyway, I don't know what you told her, but I think we should have a chat about it."

Amy could almost feel the fear of Gaia as he heard that; just what did Amy have in mind?

Amy: "Cream, do you mind taking Maria home? I think its time we called it a day."

Cream: "Say less. C'mon, Maria…"

Cream grabbed Maria's hand and tugged at her. Maria did break from her stupor just enough to start walking with her friend, going out the door.

Later, after being escorted home, Maria laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling of her room as her mind thought about the news she heard. She wanted to sleep… but her mind just continued to race from one thought to another. But as she laid on her bed, a bright light soon got her attention. A small wisp of some kind floated just in front of her door before it shined its light brightly, reforming into a figure whom Maria had not seen in a long time.

Maria: "...Huh!? Tikal!?"

The figure that stood in front of Maria's bed was indeed the same echidna girl from the Chaos Incident, still as tribal looking as she was before. Tikal smiles as she waves at Maria.

Tikal: "It has been some time, hasn't it, Maria? You seem lost… Is everything okay?"

Maria: "...Not really… I just got word that Sonic has been missing for about a week now and a certain someone decided not to tell me until now… I don't know what happened, but I'm very worried for Sonic…"

Tikal nods in understanding, slowly approaching the tenrec before gently pulling her to the side of the bed.

Tikal: "Take a deep breath, my friend… Ease your troubled mind."

Maria inhales deeply before exhaling just as much, calming down ever so slightly.

Tikal: "Now… I understand that sense of worry all too well… My father, as foolish as he was, would do things that would make me worry… Worry over the fate of my people and over the fates of the Chao at the time… But worry will only bring rash decisions. But a calmer mind will bring clarity."

Maria: "...W-Well… What should I do?"

Tikal: "I cannot make that decision for you. I can only watch over you, as a Guardian. After what you did for Chaos… I owe you greatly."

Maria: "How… How is Chaos?"

Tikal smiles gently.

Tikal: "A lot better. He wanted to come see you himself, but… Despite his good intentions, he isn't one who can speak unfortunately…"

Maria: "I see… Can you tell him that I said 'Hi' for me?"

Tikal nods at this request before beginning to glow brightly.

Tikal: "My time is short. But I will be watching over you. As your Guardian… Good luck to you… Maria…"

The echidna disappears in a flash of light, blinding Maria for a moment. The tenrec is left sitting on the side of her bed for a moment before a determined look painted itself on her face…

The next morning, as Amy was in her bathroom brushing her teeth, the Prower estate phone went off, prompting Tails to answer it.

Tails: "Miles Prower here."

Maria: "Tails. Is Amy with you?"

Tails: "Sure is. Hold on."

Tails puts the phone on speaker as Amy walks out, still in her nightgown.

Maria: "And you should hear Cream too."

A groggy sounding Cream lets out a yawn as she announces her presence.

Cream: "...I'm here… I think…"

Maria: "Sorry for calling so early, but I've made my decision. We're going out to find Sonic."

Tails: "We are?"

Amy: "Where did this come from?"

Maria: "I've had time to think… Something has happened to Sonic. And it's up to us to find out what. It's been a long time since we've had an adventure together and you know what? You and Cream are right, Amy… I do need to broaden my horizons. What do you guys say?"

Amy and Tails exchange a look before smiling at each other.

Tails: "See you in an hour, Maria! Let's do this!"

Tails hangs up before grabbing his utility belt and aviator goggles, running out of the room afterwards. Amy changes from her nightgown and into her traditional red dress and red boots before running out to join Tails as they both hop onto the Tornado.

Cream is seen grabbing a shower, quickly washing herself before then brushing her teeth. She grabs an orange shirt with a yellow star in the center, a pair of matching orange shorts, and a topless orange cap before smiling. As she reaches the exit of the cafe, she puts on her shoes before looking at Cheese.

Cream: "Watch the cafe for us, Cheese! I'm off to adventure!"

Cream leaves the store without even waiting for a response. The dumbfounded Cheese stares at the entrance for a minute before turning on the TV to a cartoon.

Maria prepares herself as she undos one of her Inhibitor Rings to slide on one white glove before doing the same with her other hand, making sure to have at least one Inhibitor Ring on when she's putting on her gloves. She then slides on a white shirt before putting a light blue overshirt over it. She slides on a matching light blue skirt before putting on her light blue shoes. After putting her hair in a ponytail, Maria grabs her hairband before glancing at the mirror.

Maria: "Mom would absolutely hate me having a ponytail. Then again, she didn't like me being a tenrec now so… I don't think I care about that."

Maria then walks out of her house just in time to see Cream run up to her with a smile and wave.

Cream: "Adventure!"

Maria: "You said it. Now… Where are Tails and Amy?"

The two started their run towards the plaza in front of the train station, stopping as they saw the Tornado flying over the ocean.

Cream: "There they are! HEY! WE'RE READY WHEN YOU ARE!"

Tails spots Maria and Cream and starts to prepare for a drive-by pick up. Maria looks at this before smirking. She grabs Cream before jumping, taking off one of her Inhibitor Rings before…

Maria: "Chaos…"

…Maria begins to glow with green energy around her.

Maria: "CONTROL!"

In a split second, she and Cream vanish before reappearing just a little ways ahead of where the Tornado was coming, landing on the wing with just slightly perfect timing.

Tails: "Nice entrance, Maria!"

Cream: "No kidding! This is really starting to feel like the good ol' days!"

Amy: "There's only one thing that could make this better though!"

The trio look at Maria expectedly, causing her to smile and nod. She stands up and points forward with an adventurous smile plastered on her face.

Maria: "Alright, Team Sonic! LET'S DO IT TO IT!"

With a rousing cheer, the Tornado speeds off towards adventure. Their objective was clear - find Sonic. And with this… the first leg of their journey… begins…