At Station Square, news of the Acorn Kingdom's fall spread out once more. The kingdom was practically no more, and the land had become a wasteland. The castle had been invaded and ravaged, the people had been taken captive and imprisoned. The whole country had been occupied and annexed by Dr. Robotnik and his army.

Chris was in his room, watching the TV. He couldn't stop watching. On the television was were the news anchors speaking about the recent attack. Images and clips from the attack and the aftermath were shown. Chris was glued to his screen, watching as the reporter talked on. He was mesmerized, hypnotized, captivated, enthralled, and completely engrossed in the broadcast.

He couldn't look away from the TV set. This was a huge event, and a tragedy of epic proportions. No one could have predicted it would happen. Not in their lifetime, anyway, or at least in his.

"Oh man..." He said to himself. "It's horrible. Just awful." Chris couldn't help but feel sad for the poor victims, those that lost everything in this disaster, and he could only imagine what the world was going to do.

"Such a shame. That poor kingdom." His uncle would comment, entering the room. His name was Chuck. The man would sit down next to his nephew.

"Uncle Chuck. Do you know about this Eggman person?" Chris asked. "They mentioned he was a scientist."

"Hmm...I don't think it rings a bell. It feels like it does..." The older gentleman rubbed his chin. "But I can't recall much. Though, the fact he's causing this sort of damage is a big issue. If he continues on anyways."

"Yeah..."

"Don't let it scare you too much, Chris. How about we head out for a drive? Today, there's a new invention I want to test out and I think you might enjoy it. It should take your mind off things, hopefully." Chuck smiled at his nephew. The boy had been having a lot of bad luck recently, especially with his mother and father, his own sister. So, the uncle wanted to try and lift the spirits of the young Thorndyke, to make sure he would cheer him up.

"Really? You have a surprise?" The young man was interested. The offer of a gift, a present, an item, was very enticing to him, and it was enough to pique his curiosity. Chris was excited at the idea of getting something new, and to have fun with it, and to use it to have a good time and relax. He couldn't wait to find out what it was, or where it was, and how it was going to be given to him.

"Mmhmm." Chuck nodded, a sly grin on his features. He stood up from his chair and led the teenager outside to the backyard, and showed him the garage door that was already opened, and a vehicle was parked inside of it.

It was a red convertible, sleek and stylish, looking quite fast. And the interior looked comfortable and cozy, the leather seats, the dashboard, and the controls. It was a brand-new, high-end model of the newest line of cars in the world.

"This is my present? Whoa, cool. I can have a ride in that?" Chris couldn't contain his enthusiasm, the boy's excitement was contagious and infectious, and the older male chuckled at the sight. He loved to see the happiness and joy in the eyes of his relative.

"Ah-ah. Not that easy. You're not allowed to ride it. It rides for you." Chuck wagged his finger. Chris was still young after all, and wasn't legally allowed to operate such a vehicle on the streets of the city or anywhere else for that matter.

But, Chuck was willing to show him how to operate and use a machine, to teach him and to guide him in the right direction, and to help him learn the ins and outs of a mechanical and electrical marvel.

"Wait, it can do that?! Alright then." He was surprised and amazed. And he could not wait to see what this car could do.

"Yeah. Let's give it a spin." With that, both of them would hop in, and they would close the doors and buckle their seat belts and prepare themselves for the trip ahead. Soon, the vehicle would activate and begin to move, the tires were rotating, the wheels spinning, the engine purring and rumbling.

They had no set destination. The vehicle would just drive wherever. And Chris would get to see just how advanced it was once it started moving. He could watch the scenery pass him by, the trees and the bushes, and the buildings and the shops. "Haha, yeah!" Chris cheered, grinning. Chuck would laugh at his reaction, the two enjoying their time together on the road.

He grinned and leaned back, putting his arms behind his head, the wind blowing through his hair. It felt good, being free of his worries, and his cares, and his problems. The boy had nothing to fear, and no one to bother him, and he had the entire world in his hands. And he had the power of the open road at his fingertips. Nothing could go wrong, and the universe was his playground.

All the way over at Starpath Town, the pink hedgehog was on her own mission. A mission of her own. Amy had gone to the store and gotten herself a backpack, and a map. And now, she was on her way to the woods, and the mountains.

"Uh, Amy. Where are you going?" One of the villagers asked. "Are you heading out into the city again?"

"Nope. I've actually got something in mind." Amy smiled back at him.

"Like?"

"Well...I was thinking that I could start seeing more of the world, maybe travel. Go to the forests, the jungles and the tropical zones. See what there is to see. Who knows, it could be fun."

"Amy, are you nuts!? Since when you do care about exploring?!" Another villager exclaimed, a female rabbit that knew the hedgehog since she was a baby.

"Well...it's actually when I met that Sonic guy." Amy had her reason. Meeting Sonic was the first step towards this decision of her's, because she realized that, in truth, there was more to the world than just the cities, the towns, the kingdoms, the places and the locations. She could not stay put in one place forever. There was so much more out there to discover, to experience, to explore. "I'm actually thinking of meeting up with him again."

"Seriously? You're going out just for the thrill of an adventure?"

"That's right. Even though I was tuckered out when I came home, that whole experience was the most exciting thing that's happened to me. Besides, I think the rest of the planet needs to see a gal of my caliber." The pink hedgehog smirked, her hand resting on her waist.

"Hm. I see what you mean." One of the older villagers here spoke. "Well, if that's how you feel, I want stop you."

"I-Is that how you've always felt, Amy?"

"Well, kinda. It's nice living here. And I love you all without a doubt. But I always felt like there was something missing in my life, and that's a chance to go out there and have adventures of my own." She explained to the other people. "Don't get me wrong. I'll still come back home. I'd like to lay down after all."

"Well, you always did elude to something like that when you were a child." One of the elders remembered, stroking his long, white beard. He would smile at her and nod. "Go on, and have a wonderful journey, Amy. May your travels lead to a happy future, and may the forces of the universe bless and guide you on your travels, and on your quest."

With the blessings and farewells, and the encouragement, and the advice, and the wisdom of the others, the pink girl was on her way to the wilderness, attempting to find Sonic. Just for that same thrill like before.

And so she travelled, starting out in the nearest zone that was around Starpath. Known as the Heartlands Zone. Looking for Sonic wouldn't be easy, but Amy believed that her best shot at finding him was by doing some travelling. Specifically where something of interest might happen or would happen.

However, while the idea itself wasn't terrible, there was one little problem: Finding Sonic was a difficult task in of itself, considering the vastness and the diversity of the lands and the environments. There was no telling where the hedgehog was, and there were no clues or signs to follow. So, she was going at fully blind.

Still, this wouldn't stop the spunky hedgehog. She had to persevere and continue on her journey, no matter what. "Hmmm...What looks like something important could happen around there...?" Amy got to a higher point to look around. Her emerald-green eyes would scan the surroundings, noticing something up ahead.

Another zone up ahead that she could take a crack at. "Yeah. That'll do!" And so, she was on her way towards that zone.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in another zone located at the eastern areas, was a collection of small buildings while one larger building was in the centre. It wasn't a village or town or anything like that. If anything, this place was a hideout. An establishment of sorts, owned by a gang of thieves, criminals and misfits, a band of individuals that were not welcome in society, a group of people that had no place to call home, or a place of belonging. Their leader, or their boss, was the head honcho, the one who had brought them all together and organized the crew.

His name: Ivory Rex.

A wolf was tall and slender, and he was very muscular. He was dressed in a dark grey outfit that was slightly torn and worn. His fur was a pale cream color, his eyes a sharp blue and his muzzle was a lighter shade of the same. He wore a pair of black boots, a black belt with a silver buckle and a red scarf. On his left wrist he wore a golden ring.

He sat atop his chair, which was placed upon a platform.

"Hm. Well look at this..." In his hands, he held the news of what had happened to the Acorn Kingdom. "That whole thing got messed up, eh? I didn't think anything could have happened to the Kingdom, but I guess that's not true." Ivory would say. "Phooey. That probably means all the treasure there's been destroyed..."

"Maybe not, Boss. It looks like the outside just took the most damage." One of the mercenaries pointed at the images on the paper. "There's a good chance that the treasure is still intact, or at least not completely gone. Maybe we can pull of a quick steal? No one's gonna be there anyways."

"Good point..." Ivory liked the sound of that, his hand reaching under his chin. He was all for it.

"While you're doing that...there's someone else that might grab your interest." Someone spoke. Sitting on a small table in this room was the smallest individual here. A bug that was in a bowl of some sort with a strange liquid in it.

"And what's that Oracle Bug? It'd better be something good this time." Ivory questioned.

"Well...if you're looking for something valuable...how about someone valuable?" The bug grinned as all eyes were on him, making him nervous.

"Yeah?" The Mercenaries all said.

"Just like how the treasures of the Acorn Kingdom could be in tact...my powers will me that the Princess is also out there still." The Oracle Bug revealed, shocking them.

"Woah, are you for real?!" One of the Mercs yelled.

"Of course! My abilities are never wrong!" The bug assured. He was a prophet of sorts, being able to see things that most couldn't. "She managed to escape. Somehow. I can feel her. Sense her presence in the wild."

"Yeah. You're mostly useful. So what you're saying is Princess Sally's out there somewhere with no protection." Ivory grinned, getting off his table and standing on the ground. He walked to the middle of the room, and he stood there with his arms behind his back, and his eyes were focused on the wall in front of him. "You know what that means, don't you boys and girls? We can snag the Princess and make some serious bank."

"Yeah!"

"You know what to do. Go out and search for the Princess, and capture her." He ordered the mercenary that was in the center of the room. Then, he would address the rest of his crew.

And just like that, they were off.

Sally had awoken at last. And to her surprise, when she woke up, she was in tact and perfectly fine. Thanks to the Chaos Emerald, she was protected from harm, her body being masked by its power. When she woke up, she had leaves all over her body, dirt and grass and mud, her dress was dirty and torn, and she was hungry and thirsty. But, at the very least, she had the strength and will to get moving again, and she could keep going.

"I'm alive...?" Sally said, slowly getting on her feet and brushing herself off while looking at the Chaos Emerald.

She looked at her surroundings. All around was a forest, trees, and shrubbery, and the sounds of the birds chirping in the morning. But, that wasn't important, the only thing on her mind right now was her safety and the well-being of the Emerald that was on her.

"The Emerald must've protected me..." She said to herself before scratching her arm. With how her dress was, now it was just uncomfortable to wear. "Agh, my dress..."

Annoyed by the itchiness and the state of the dress, Sally instantly decided to remove it. It was ripped and ruined, and no longer comfortable. Thus, the girl threw caution to the wind, her modestly not mattering in the slightest anymore. To her, being alive was enough. Sally began stripping, taking the dress off and throwing it to the side. Now, the squirrel princess was completely nude with her curvaceous body.

"Now...Where do I go?" Now Sally just had to find somewhere to be. Somewhere safe would work. But she wouldn't just go right away. She still needed to keep herself warm.

So, after a little bit of time, she ripped a part of her blue dress off, changing parts of it into something. Sally was rather good at messing with clothes, having made a small blue jacket for herself. After making the jacket, she put it on, that being the only piece of clothing on her. The top part of the jacket barely covered her boobs, the rest was just her bare form.

As for where Sally would go, she was thinking of heading West. With Eggman most likely searching for her, she had to play it smart and stay out of his sight in any way, shape or form.

After a fun time driving, Chris and Chuck ended up on a tropical beach somewhere in Station Square, having a grand old time as they laughed in the car, coming to a halt in a parking lot. Chris had gotten to experience a great drive and his Uncle had shown him that this car could drive on its own without him needing to control it.

"Thanks, Uncle Chuck! This thing is amazing." Chris thanked his uncle.

"Oh, you bet. Just remember that your friends would want to have a go as well. Don't hog the spotlight, alright?"

"Yeah. By the way, Uncle...Do you think we could get this thing to go even further?"

"Across the entire country?"

"Well, not quite..." Chris had something else in mind as he looked out into the horizon. "I was thinking that maybe one day...I could head out and see those other lands. Mobius. That's its name, right?"

"Ah, those lands, eh? Yeah. That'd be a big trip." Chuck mused, stroking his chin. "But, not many head to Mobius. Mostly royalty actually. I've never been there myself even. It's somewhere near the vicinity of Soleanna itself."

"Do you know much about the place?"

"Not really. From what I hear, the Kingdom of Acorn is supposed to be the biggest. If you ask me, it's one-of-a-kind. I mean, talking animal-like beings? How interesting is that?!"

"So you totally wanna check it out yourself!"

"Yes, but...I never had the time. Still don't." Chuck sighed, wishing to visit the land of Mobius. However, his job and his responsibilities as a scientist and a respected member of the scientific community kept him from doing so.

"I'd like to visit it one day..." Chris continued to look onwards at the horizon, far too curious about it. He wanted to know what was there. He wanted to even meet a Mobian one day.

"Anyways, we should be getting you home. It's a school week tomorrow." Chuck chuckled and started up the car, and they both drove off to return back home.

Back at Mobius, it took until the night for Amy to reach this zone she was trying to get to. After quite the trek, Amy left the zone since Sonic hadn't shown up there. But she did take some nice souvenirs with her at least, being some flowers. "Haha. Not bad at all." She would admire the lovely flowers, smelling them.

But as she kept moving, looking for the next zone and hopefully a chance to run into Sonic, something caught her attention. A rather loud and aggressive sound that could only be coming from the nearby jungle, which caused her to turn around and look at it.

"What's that sound?" Her ears twitched as a reaction to the noise and her eyes narrowed. Was there someone in danger?

But the sound was coming closer and closer to her until she squinted her eyes, looking in the distance. Rapidly moving was some kind of vehicle. And on that vehicle and in it at the same time, were those same mercenaries, currently laughing and cheering. "YEAH! LOOK OUT EVERYONE, HERE WE COME!"

And right now, Amy was within their sights.