Shadow The Hedgehog just held the one who guided him to the light all those years ago for what felt like hours. But he didn't care, he wanted to be there for her.

When he first woke up on Prison Island, he was just consumed by a need for revenge and the contingency program that Gerald had installed in his mind...and it seems that Maria had awoken similarly thanks to Team Doom. He knew what the Doom Powers could do to someone's mind, since it had nearly transformed him into Black Doom's perfect herald.

He growled softly at the thought of what they did to her, even holding his sister closer to him as she continued to sniffle and let out soft cries.

Commander Tower was just in shock as he stared at the yellow hedgehog, completely silent. He couldn't believe his eyes that the one who had attacked them was supposedly someone who they all thought was gone.

Team Doom had done the impossible and literally revived the dead...even if she was no longer human.

Maria's cries eventually began to slow down as she looked up at Shadow. "S...Shadow...I...I'm so sorry...I-I couldn't remember you...I...I was just so angry...b-but it was like..."

Shadow didn't say a word, trying to show he was listening.

"It was like...that anger wasn't even mine...it was like...it was digging into my brain. That...unbridled rage...I...I h-hated it..." Maria said as she slowly looked at her hands. "But...I remember waking up to see Eclipse's face...I-I thought he wanted to help me..."

"He was using you, Maria." Shadow said. "I don't know who he is...but he has some form of vendetta against me. Alongside that dull copy and Infinite."

Maria then wiped her eyes. "...I-I'm not myself anymore..."

"Maria-"

"But...but I do look pretty adorable, right?" Maria asked with a light giggle mixed in with sniffling. "I'm like you...really huggable."

Her smile returned...it was clearly plagued with sadness, but Shadow could see a familiar sense of hope in his sister's eyes. One he thought he would never get to see again.

Shadow then nodded. "I suppose you do...what else do you remember?"

"It's...it's still a lot to process..." Maria said, holding her head. "I'm sorry, I-I can't think straight right now."

Shadow then slowly helped her to her feet. "It's alright, Maria- AGH!"

The Ultimate Lifeform then quickly fell to his knees, holding his side again. Seems all the attacks he took combined with the massive blast of Chaos Energy did a bit more to him than he thought.

Maria's eyes widened in horror and she knelt back down. "Shadow!!!"

"I...I will be okay." Shadow said, holding up a hand. "I have faced worse than this."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're hurt, dummy!" Rouge finally cried as she walked over and knelt beside Maria.

Maria's eyes widened as she quickly recalled having attacked the Mobian bat in her controlled state, and she then turned around to look at Commander Tower and Omega.

But then, Rouge suddenly set a hand on Maria's shoulder. Maria squeaked and sheepishly turned around, clearly expecting some kind of scolding or punishment...but nothing happened.

The jewel thief just smiled kindly. "Maria Robotnik, right? Shadow's told us a lot about you...it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Rouge, your brother's friend."

Maria's eyes widened again as she looked at Rouge. "Y...you aren't angry at me...? B...but I-"

"We've seen plenty of mind control in our time." Rouge said, laughing as she wrapped Shadow's arm around her shoulder. "None of us can be mad at you for something you had no control over."

Maria was quiet before she smiled, her eyes still watery from her earlier crying before she wrapped Shadow's other arm around her own shoulder, helping The Ultimate Lifeform walk.

"I'm fine..." Shadow said, rolling his eyes.

Rouge sighed. "Sure, buddy. Because people naturally fall to their knees clutching their side when they feel fine. If you were injured, you'd be skipping down a rainbow."

"Forgive him, Miss Rouge." Maria said. "Shadow's never been very good at asking for help..."

"Trust me, kid. I know." Rouge laughed.

Then, Commander Tower finally took his own step forward. "...is that really you...?"

Maria slowly looked up at the G.U.N Commander, her demeanor quickly growing sheepish and timid at not only the fact that she had attacked someone who had nothing to do with Team Doom's plans, but also the symbol of the people that took her life so long ago.

But, she just tried to remind herself what Shadow told her during their battle. That G.U.N had changed for the better.

"I...I'm so sorry for attacking you earlier, sir." Maria said. "I-I couldn't control myself...if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I'll do it. I-if you need help rebuilding-"

"It is you..." Commander Tower said, his eyes wide before he slowly knelt down to her height. "Maria..."

Maria was clearly a bit confused, staring at him before she gasped at the sight of familiar mismatched eyes. "...Abe...?"

"...guess who got a lot older?" Commander Tower said with a small smile and a few tears in his own eyes.

Rouge laughed before calling out. "Omega, help me keep Shadow standing so Maria can give Abe a hug."

"I was not programmed to be a crutch." Omega grumbled as he walked over, wrapping Shadow's arm around him once Maria let go.

And sure enough, Maria quickly embraced Commander Tower tightly as she shut her eyes. "A...Abe! Y...you're...you're so tall now!!! Look at you!!!"

Commander Tower smiled as he hugged the yellow hedgehog back. "Look at me..."

"And your voice is so deep!!!" Maria cried as she looked at him. "B...but I thought that...that the raid on The Ark-"

"It's a very long story..." Commander Tower sighed. "There's...there's a lot you've missed, Maria. But G.U.N is not the same as it was back then. The moment I became its commander, I made sure that it was something people could depend on instead of dreading our arrival."

Maria couldn't help but smile as she hugged him again. "Oh, Abe...I'm so proud of you! Your parents would-!"

But then, the yellow hedgehog gasped when her hands suddenly began to glow a bright blue and yellow. She quickly backed away from Commander Tower and Team Dark as two Chaos Spears suddenly shot out from her hands, blasting two holes into the already damaged walls of the testing chamber.

Rouge's eyes widened. "...yikes."

"I-I'm sorry! I can't- WHOA!!!" Maria cried as a third Chaos Spear shot out, nearly causing her to fall right on her back. "I-I'm not doing this on my own!"

Shadow then looked at the floor and noticed the broken Inhibitor Rings on the floor and then back at Maria, who was holding her own hands to try and stop herself from firing Chaos Spears. "Maria...take deep breaths. Inhale for 5 seconds."

Maria yelped as a sixth spear fired before she nodded and closed her eyes as she inhaled her breath.

"Exhale for another 5 seconds." Shadow instructed. "You are in control."

Maria slowly exhaled and then repeated the process as the glow in her hands eventually left.

Commander Tower then looked at Shadow. "What happened?"

"...Eclipse not only gave her The Doom Powers, but my blood...and it seems she now has my powers as a result." Shadow said. "And without the Inhibitor Rings to keep it in check, her powers may go wild at random intervals."

Rouge hummed. "Then we'll need someone to fix them...but med-bay's likely already pretty full with soldiers by now."

"And damaged from the attack." Commander Tower said. "Shadow, do you know how to fix them?"

Shadow sighed. "Even if I did, I doubt you'd let me."

"Cease your complaining. You are injured." Omega said. "Keep up this charade and I will be forced to grab the duct tape."

Rouge thought for a moment before she grinned. "Y'know, I think I might know someone who can help us out."

Meanwhile in Green Hill Zone, an all too familiar two-tailed fox you might know of was drawing up concept art for one of his most ambitious projects yet.

Tails hummed as he tapped his pencil on his chin. "...maybe this is leaning a bit too much into Eggman's field...but at the same time, a transforming mecha would be so cool!"

Then, there was a knock on the door of his workshop. Tails turned around, tilting his head before he walked over and opened the door...and his eyes widened at the sight of Rouge and Omega carrying an injured Shadow and a new yellow hedgehog he had never met before.

Rouge then waved. "Hey, Tails. Mind if we ask ya for a favor?"

"...WHAT IN CHAOS HAPPENED?!?!" Tails cried.

"Look, it's a long story. To sum it up, G.U.N was attacked, Shadow got hurt, and we need you to fix a pair of Inhibitor Rings." Rouge said. "And you're pretty much the smartest fox around, so..."

Tails was still in a state of surprise for a moment before he nodded. "Well, I don't exactly have a medical degree...but bring him in."

Omega then stepped in, carrying a silent (and clearly ticked) Shadow and setting him on the worktable.

Tails then hummed before grabbing the Miles Electric and scanning over Shadow's body. "Hmm...according to these readings, Shadow only has a few bruises and a fractured rib-"

"WHAT!?!?" Maria cried as she quickly rushed to her brother's side.

Tails yelped a bit at the shriek before clearing his throat. "T-that's already starting to heal...my personal hypothesis is that the Chaos Energy inside of his body heals up any serious internal injuries. Plus? Shadow tends to take a lot worse punishment."

Maria sighed in relief, a hand on her chest as she felt her own panicked heartbeat begin to relax.

Shadow did his signature 'hmph' as he sat up. "I told you all I would be fine..."

"Well, sorry for caring about your well-being." Rouge said, rolling her eyes.

Tails then hummed and then walked over to the yellow hedgehog. "Hi there! I don't think we've met! I'm Tails!"

Maria then turned to the young fox and smiled as she shook his hand. "I'm Maria! And you're quite possibly the most adorable fox I've ever seen!!!"

Tails laughed. "Aw, shucks!"

"Wait...do you have two tails?" Maria asked, her eyes sparkling with fascination. "Is that a genetic mutation...? Did you inherit it? Or is it rare?"

Tails hummed as he looked back at his tails. "Well, I sadly never knew my family...but I think it's exclusive! Cause I eventually taught myself how to do this!"

Then, he spun around his tails and lifted himself into the air with a cheeky grin.

Maria gasped as her eyes went starry at the sight. "That...IS AMAZING!!!"

Tails then landed, laughing. "Thanks!"

Maria smiled before her hands began to glow again and she yelped as she quickly aimed her hand out the door, firing yet another Chaos Spear on accident.

Tails' eyes widened at the sight of Chaos Powers being used by someone other than Sonic or Shadow without the use of a visible Emerald. "...UMMM?"

Maria then began to take deep breaths again, trying to calm herself down while Rouge sighed and went over, showing Tails the broken Inhibitor Rings. "That's why we need these fixed. Maria here is...still getting used to her new powers."

"Still...getting used to them?" Tails asked before shaking his head and taking the rings to a table. "Nevermind. You can explain later."

"I-I'll try to keep my spears away from your workshop! I promise!" Maria said as she kept her hands out the door in case more were to fire. "And I love the design of your biplane by the way!"

Tails smiled at her before eventually grabbing a few high-tech devices (one of which almost resembled a welder) and quickly got to work.

Rouge then patiently waited as she took a seat. She then looked at Shadow. "So...we both know why Infinite hates you. What about the other two?"

"Does it matter? I will massacre them either way." Omega said, clenching his robotic fist.

Maria's eyes widened at the word 'massacre' and turned her head. "Y-you'll what?!"

Shadow gave Omega a bit of a look before he sighed. "Maria, Omega tends to be a bit...enthusiastic when it comes to combat. He doesn't always mean what he says."

Omega turned. "That's not-"

"Yeah, so ignore his murder talk." Rouge reassured before giving Omega her own look to not talk about brutally murdering a pair of villains in front of a 12 year old girl...or however old she was now.

Due to all the time traveling they've done, they quickly lost track of how old they all were.

Maria then sighed in relief before eventually giggling. "Well, Shadow...I'm really happy that...even with everything that happened, you made friends!"

Shadow just crossed his arms as he got off the worktable, looking to the side and not saying anything in response.

Rouge just smirked. "C'mon, Shadow...just admit it. We're your friends."

Even Omega gave a thumbs up.

Maria then smiled. "Oh, don't worry! He's not angry, he's just shy! It took him a while to start speaking to the other scientists back on The Ark! For a long time, he would only speak to me or Grandfather."

Then, Tails walked over with repaired Inhibitor Rings. "Wait...The Ark? You've been there?"

"For most of my life, yes." Maria said.

Tails' eyes then bulged out of his skull as he slowly looked her up and down. "Your name's Maria...as in Maria Robotnik?!"

Maria tilted her head as she gently took the Inhibitor Rings. "Yes? Did Shadow tell you about me too?"

"I-I mean, yeah, but...he said you-"

"How about we explain what happened?" Rouge said as she walked over and began to explain the whole story.

But as Rouge explained the situation that Maria herself was still processing, the yellow hedgehog slowly walked out of the workshop and then just looked outside.

The grass was a bright green, there was a gentle breeze blowing each blade to the side, and the sky was a beautiful blue. The clouds were fluffy, forming shapes that either vaguely resembled things Maria had seen throughout her life or things she could just make up in her head.

Maria was quiet as she felt the breeze go through her quills and she took a gentle step forward, now looking at a palm tree close to the workshop. She slowly walked over to it and put her hand on it, feeling the texture of its bark through her glove.

...Earth...she was finally here...

The young Robotnik slowly began to smile as she looked up at the large leaves of the palm tree just gently blowing. To her, hearing the wind at all was like a beautiful melody.

"I...I almost forgot what it was like..." Maria whispered. "I'm finally here..."

Then, footsteps were heard behind her. "It's as beautiful as you said it was."

Maria's eyes widened and she turned to see none other than Shadow. She smiled and then looked back out at the view. "...Shadow, can...can you believe it? We're...we're here! And we're here together! Just like I said we would be!"

She then held his hands, even pulling him closer so they could both enjoy the beauty of a peaceful Green Hill. "Everything looks so...big now! From The Ark, it all looked so small...barely noticeable."

The two hedgehogs of The Ark then slowly sat down on the grass, with Maria even running her hands across the several blades of it. "But here...there are so many details. Every blade of grass is slightly unique from the others, whether it be through their shape or height...the wind sings as it blows through the field...even the dirt has its own texture that I...I almost forgot..."

Shadow couldn't help but smile, just a little. "...there's even more to see...there are a lot of sights I wished to show you..."

Maria slowly looked at him. "But...now you can show me everything! All the sights, all the places, all the friends you've made! I-I can't wait!!! My sickness is gone and I'm finally here after...after 50 years!!!"

But then, Maria's smile faded as she looked at her new gloved hands. "...50 years..."

"Maria...?" Shadow asked.

Maria sighed. "...I knew that it would take a lot of time for Grandpa to find a cure for me...but I never thought that it would be 5 whole decades...I...I never thought The Ark would suddenly be attacked...and then I'd wake up as a hedgehog like you. Or to see the only other child on The Ark now a fully grown man..."

Shadow's eyes softened. "...when I first learned how much time had passed, I was in a similar state...there's a lot to tell you, Maria. A lot to explain. A lot to show."

Maria nodded. "...Eclipse told me a few things...but I don't know which ones were lies or not. One of them was that I'm the last of my family...that Mama and Papa are...are gone...and so is Grandpa..."

Shadow then looked down for a moment. It was then that he realized he would have to tell her two horrible things.

How his creator and her grandfather had been driven to madness...and how she wasn't the last Robotnik and that her cousin was a mad scientist hellbent on world domination. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep that from her...

"...but at least I still have you." Maria smiled. "And if I really do have your blood and that's why I'm like this? I guess I really am your sister now!"

Shadow hummed as the two then went back to admiring the sights ahead of them. "Family doesn't end in blood. I learned that a long time ago. You were always my sister."

"When did you get so wise?" Maria giggled.

Shadow couldn't help but grin a little...there was still so much to tell her...but some part of him looked forward to the future that now awaited them.