"And so our adventure began. With Sonic gone, I was more or less left to lead this ragtag group of heroes to find him. We have no current leads, not even a location to go off of, just that Sonic was pursuing someone and no one thought anything of it. Despite my genuine frustrations at Tails' carelessness, I chalked it up to Sonic's equal arrogance. Trying to find any lead on Sonic will be our first and main priority. Here's hoping we find something - anything - from Knuckles the Echidna…"

Maria finishes writing in her diary as the windy gusts of sitting on the Tornado blow against her face. She puts it away as Amy and Cream take notice.

Amy: "Writing in your diary, Maria?"

Maria: "Yeah. I used to do it a lot when I was younger. From when I was five years old to when I was aboard the ARK."

Cream: "Aww~ I wonder what kid you was like!"

Tails: "I'm more interested in the ARK personally. Aside from the awful memories brought on by the previous G.U.N., I'm curious about your life there."

Amy: "Yeah… unless you still feel uncomfortable talking about it."

Maria just smiles as she brings her legs closer to her chin. Though Amy and Cream could recognize this smile to be quite somber. Twiddling her thumbs, the tenrec begins to think of where to begin.

Maria: "Well… My life on the ARK wasn't too… great. For one thing, I was practically forced to leave what little life I had on Mobius behind. My parents… My school… What little friends I had… Grandpa - Professor Gerald - for a while was my only real company. He understood that my education was important and he'd often play with me when he could. In a facility filled to the brim with scientists, you can imagine that there weren't too many people I could realistically associate with… And there were times where I'd… just get very angry and pouty at Grandpa, wanting to go back home…"

Cream: "Yeah, I can see that. You were just a kid in an oversized bubble essentially, huh?"

Maria: "There was… one good thing that came out of my time living in the ARK. Grandpa was visited by someone. I never got to see them, but the most I recall is that he wore a cloak and spoke in a deep, raspy voice. Something about '50 years' and the 'Chaos Emeralds' before I left. My Grandpa never told me what it was about, only telling me that he may have made the biggest breakthrough of all time."

Amy: "And then what?"

Maria then looked up to the sky, placing her hands on the wing of the plane as she let her legs hang off the side again.

Maria: "I never told you about this body. You just know that it holds my mind, soul, and memories, right?"

Tails: "Yeah, and that it was made as some weapon by the- Ahem… Yeah. What about it?"

Maria: "Well… It wasn't… made for me initially. Rather it was the result of another project meant to save me… Project SHADOW. Shadow is the name of an artificially created Mobian hedgehog that was said by Grandpa to be the cure to my illness. To say he was my best friend would be an understatement… He wasn't just my best friend… He was like… my brother. He didn't trust me at first, merely just tolerated me. But as time went on… we began to trust each other. Aside from Grandpa, he was the only other one I had ever spoken to about my desire to go back to Mobius… What tragic irony… I got what I wanted…"

Maria's mind flashes back to the raid in the ARK, how Shadow jumped in front of a bullet meant for her, and her waking up in the hospital with no memory of the ARK or Shadow.

Maria: "...I never want to wish death upon anyone… But those monsters who made me forget… Who tried to control me… I'm very happy they are dead…"

The others didn't say anything to the contrary. More so, Amy and Cream were very surprised an innocent girl like Maria admit to being happy with murder… Tails was a bit more understanding, even if he was a bit surprised himself; Maria had gone through a lot, lost a lot of what was important to her, and almost lost her agency as a person. If he had been in her position, he wouldn't judge.

Amy: "Maria… I know those guys did a lot of bad things… But being happy about that is…"

Maria: "I know… It's wrong… Just… please don't say anything more on it…"

…And there was the underlying guilt. There was a heavy silence as Angel Island slowly came into view behind the clouds. Tails prepares to land the Tornado, hoping Knuckles will just spot them and come to meet them.

On the island, snoring as loud as a lion's roar could be heard echoing in the temple clearing of the Master Emerald's pedestal. Knuckles, the lone guardian of the island, is seen sleeping next to the jewel of legend. The sound of the Tornado flying overhead does catch his attention as he stirs, sitting up as he stretches.

Knuckles: "Huh…? Was that the Tornado? What's Sonic doing here…?"

The echidna wastes no time to go investigate the Tornado's sudden visit. Maria and her friends jump off the Tornado after Tails locks down the plane. Even if no one was around to steal it, you never really know. Before long, Knuckles glides in to greet his friends, landing rather gracefully for someone known for punching things.

Maria: "Hiya Knuckles. Long time no see!"

Knuckles: "Maria? Amy and Cream too? What, did Sonic finally become too much for you, Tails?"

Tails: "Hardy har har, Knuckles. No, but Sonic is involved."

Knuckles: "How so?"

Maria begins to explain the situation, leaving Knuckles to ponder about it.

Knuckles: "So Sonic's been missing for a week and you guys are going out to find him?"

Amy: "That's riiiight~"

Cream: "Adventure was-a callin'! Who can pass it up!?"

Knuckles: "I guess, but I have the responsibility of guarding a very sacred gem. I can't go on adventures just willy nilly."

Maria: "Well… We were hoping you had some lead or some kind of information that could help us out."

Tails: "Sonic was last heard pursuing someone. We're hoping you stumbled upon anyone who Sonic would be chasing."

Knuckles starts to think back on anything recent before one actually came to mind.

Knuckles: "Actually, I did have one encounter with someone. It was just a week ago, one late night…"

One week ago, on Angel Island, Knuckles is seen sleeping soundly next to the Master Emerald. The stars above shined above him and the sounds of tiny bugs chirping gave him an atmosphere that was very calming. That is until something crashed onto his island, no less near the Emerald's pedestal. Waking up, the echidna quickly leapt into action to see what made that noise.

Knuckles: "What an alarm clock… Whatever struck my island better be ready for a… pounding?"

As Knuckles glides, he notices a very bright shine. A shine that was almost like that of a Chaos Emerald. Only… it wasn't a Chaos Emerald.

Knuckles: "Huh…? What's this…?"

The object was hot at first, likely due to being a meteor before it crashed, but after a bit of time to cool down, Knuckles picked it up to examine it. It wasn't a Chaos Emerald, but it was a jewel. A red jewel that was rectangular on both sides, almost like it had been chiseled in such a shape while smoothed out. It was certainly very beautiful looking.

Knuckles: "Just what kind of jewel are you…?"

As Knuckles investigated the jewel, a sudden explosion of fire caught his attention. The bright light blinded him for a moment before his vision adjusted. A figure stood in the fire, a pair of piercing eyes glared at Knuckles.

Knuckles: "Hey, who are you!?"

The figure said nothing. Instead, they lunged at Knuckles, causing him to dart to the side to avoid the lunge. He got a good look at his intruder… They looked like a light purple cat Mobian, with a dark purple outfit, white pants, gloves with some kind of fluff on the cuffs. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she wore high heels. But what stood out was the red jewel embedded in her forehead. Before he could say anything to potentially defuse the situation, the cat girl swung a roundhouse kick in his direction. He manages to dodge this attack, but a second vertical kick came swinging down onto his torso, slamming him to the ground. This forced him to drop the jewel he held in his hand, which the cat quickly grabbed.

Knuckles: "Rrr… Hey! What do you think you're doing with that gem!? What is it and who are you!?"

Cat: "...None of your concern."

The cat ignited fire in her free hand before swinging it in a sweeping motion, stopping Knuckles from pursuing as he was blocked by some wall of fire. When the flames died out, the cat was no longer there…

Knuckles: "What… even was that about…?"

Back in the present, Knuckles had concluded his story…

Knuckles: "After the fight, the intruder got away, taking the mysterious jewel with her. The next day, I ran into Sonic in the city nearby and told him about my encounter. Following his gut instinct, he ran off to find this cat lady and… Well, I imagine that's when he went missing."

Maria: "So a cat girl appeared and attacked you?"

Knuckles: "Might be hard to believe but… Despite the destructive nature of her powers, her fire… didn't leave any lasting damage. It's… weird to be honest…"

Tails: "A cat girl with purple fur and a purple dress… That's a lead at least."

Amy: "Awesome! We have our perp! Now we just have to find them and have them tell us where Sonic is!"

Cream: "Hey, Knuckles? Do you want to join us? I mean… we could use the extra muscle if you want."

Knuckles thinks on the offer for a moment, but he shakes his head.

Knuckles: "Nah. Things may be peaceful now, but I've got to be vigilant. The Master Emerald is my responsibility. And as the last echidna alive, I have to see to my duty fulfilled."

Amy: "Are you sure it's not because you have second hand embarrassment from having your butt kicked by a girl?"

Knuckles: "SHUT UP!"

As Amy laughs at her teasing Knuckles, Tails notices Maria deep in thought.

Tails: "What's up, Maria?"

Maria: "While I'm happy we have something of a lead… That doesn't explain Sonic's sudden disappearance. One person isn't capable of just… causing someone else to vanish… right?"

Tails was unable to answer. This cat girl simply claimed her prize and left without leaving so much as a burn mark on Angel Island and Knuckles only slightly sore, but alive. So unless she killed Sonic, that was still a question that was left unanswered. As they pondered this, a tiny drone - no bigger than a fly on a tree - observes from afar…

In an unknown base, far from any prying eyes, inside a dark monitor room, the glare of the monitors showing Maria, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Cream on screen reflected off the glasses of one certain portly doctor.

Doctor: "Well, well. I wasn't expecting these fools to search for that twerp hedgehog, Sonic, so feverishly."

Orbot: "And why not, sir? They are, after all, his friends."

Doctor: "Quiet, Orbot. From my studies, I've never known her to be so… adventurous. Perhaps I underestimated her in a way, but that only makes this… more fun for me."

The doctor smiles evilly as he leans closer to the monitors, making his white mustache visible.

Doctor: "Oh yes, Maria. You'll make a fine addition to my collection… And the final piece of my devilish, evil plans…"

The doctor begins to chuckle to himself as five glowing jewels rest in display cases just behind him. The jewels in question were the Chaos Emeralds, each resting dormant… until their powers were ready to be utilized…