After a little more shopping, lunchtime arrived...but it seemed that Amy had another idea for that. And it wasn't just stopping by a restaurant or diner.

"So, the robot evolved past its original programming and became sentient?" Maria asked, her eyes wide in wonder.

Amy smiled and nodded. "I ran into him a few times...sadly, Gamma's long gone along with the rest of his 'brothers'. But the Flickies inside of them are all free and in the wild where they belong!"

Maria smiled...but then it faded. "I...still can't believe my cousin would be so cruel to use animals as a power source...I guess my family isn't as good as I thought they were..."

Amy's eyes softened. "Maria..."

Nyx, who was in Maria's arms still, looked up at his friend/owner in concern.

Maria, once again, flashed back to her grandfather's declaration of destruction. She then took a deep breath, trying to remind herself that she was okay and that she wasn't alone.

But then, Amy set a hand on her shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better though? It shouldn't matter if you're related to him or not. I've only known you for a few hours, and you're one of the sweetest people I've ever met!"

Maria's bright and hopeful smile returned as quick as it left. "Thank you, Amy. I'm so glad we're friends!"

Amy smiled and the two hedgehogs shared a quick hug before continuing to walk. "And with where we're going, you'll hopefully make even more!"

"Where are we going anyway? You haven't told me." Maria hummed.

Amy just gave her new friend a smile before eventually, they reached their destination. A small and cozy looking house. "We're here!"

Maria looked ahead and then noticed the mailbox with the last name 'Rabbit'. Despite that being a little on the nose of what kind of Mobian they were, Maria's smile grew. "I take it more of your friends live here?"

"Yup! A good friend of mine, Cream is her name, lives here with her mom and her robo-big bro! I've known her for a long time! She's almost like...my little sister in a way!" Amy smiled. "You'll love them!"

Maria's eyes softened at the words 'little sister' and she tried to keep her sadness hidden from Amy, who just seemed so happy. 'I guess the thoughts just won't leave me be...I don't want to fear the worst because that simply isn't a way to live, but...I can't help but be nervous of what my baby sister could have turned into...if she's even still alive...'

Amy then knocked on the door and moments later, what answered was not a rabbit...but rather a peculiar looking robot.

The robot must've been the 'big brother' she mentioned earlier. He had a strange and almost...familiar design to him. Various pieces of his body were black and yellow, with his eyes being red and blue. Interestingly enough though, he almost had some kind of crown or pair of horns on his head, also yellow.

Amy smiled brightly. "Hi, Gemerl! How are you?"

"I am continuing to function." Gemerl replied, his voice in a similar tone to that of Omega's. Very robotic and monotone, yet...still brimming with emotions underneath.

"That's great to hear! Sorry for the surprise visit, but I wanted to introduce a new friend to you, Cream, and Vanilla! If that's okay!" Amy said.

Gemerl then looked behind the pink hedgehog and stepped forward, doing a retina scan of Maria for any hidden weapons or potential dangers that came with her.

Nyx just gave Gemerl a dirty look, as if wanting to fight him if he tried anything.

Maria, however, was just staring in awe at the sight of engineering before her. She then stepped forward, studying his design as her smile grew. "Your design is so unique, yet...so familiar. But either way, it's so nice to meet you! My name is Maria!"

"You show no signs of danger. You may come inside." Gemerl said before recalling what Vanilla taught him about 'manners'. "And it is...'nice to meet you too'."

Maria giggled. "Thank you!"

The two hedgehogs were then led inside by Gemerl, who immediately began walking to the kitchen. But on the rug, there was an adorable young rabbit having a small tea party with a bright blue Chao wearing a red bowtie on the other side of the small table.

"More tea, Cheese?" Cream smiled.

"Chao!" Cheese grinned, trying to hold out his cup despite his lack of fingers.

Cream then reached over and gently poured tea into her beloved Chao's cup with a smile before she noticed Amy and gasped. "Miss Amy!"

Amy smiled and then walked over. "Hi, Cream! How have you been?"

"I've been good! And it's good to see you!" Cream said as she hugged her friend tightly, her ears even somehow lifting her into the air for a moment.

Amy hugged back with a laugh before eventually letting go. "It's good to see you too! I wanted to introduce you to someone!"

Cream tilted her head before noticing the yellow hedgehog at the door. "Oh! Hello!"

Maria's eyes were sparkly and her mouth was covered as she looked at the rabbit. She was clearly trying her absolute hardest not to squeal.

"Cream, this is Maria!" Amy introduced. "She's Shadow's sister!"

"I didn't know Mr. Shadow had a sister!" Cream smiled before walking over. "My name is Cream! It's nice to meet you, Miss Maria!"

Maria had to hold back the urge to hug someone that was possibly even more huggable than Nyx and she smiled. "Thank you! I'm happy to meet you too, Cream! And you can just call me Maria!"

"Okay!" Cream smiled. "I like your quills! They're so pretty!"

Maria giggled as she brushed her hand through them for a moment. "I'm still getting used to them-"

"CHAO!!! CHAO, CHAO, CHAO!!!" Nyx suddenly cried, seeming...angry?

Maria yelped. "N-Nyx?! What's wrong?!"

Amy then looked behind her and when she saw Cheese, she gulped. "Ohhh..."

"A-Amy, what's wrong?!" Maria cried.

"Well...Nyx has actually met Cream's Chao a few times before and, umm-"

Nyx then leapt out of Maria's arms and suddenly ran over to Cheese, growling at him. Cheese was startled, but held his ground as he frowned at the Dark Chao.

"...they're kind of rivals." Amy said with a sigh.

Maria rubbed the back of her neck. "Looks like Nyx inherited more than just Shadow's look..."

Nyx and Cheese kept staring each other down before raising their tiny stubs like they were about to punch each other.

"Cheese! No!" Cream cried, pulling her Chao away. "We do not fight in the house! That's so rude!"

Maria pulled Nyx into her arms. "Exactly! Nyx, we're these nice people's guests! We don't start fights no matter the reason!"

Nyx just huffed, crossing his small arms and looking away. "Chao..."

Maria sighed. "Nyx, can you please behave? For me?"

Nyx slowly glanced at Maria and witnessed the yellow hedgehog giving him what was known as 'puppy dog eyes'. The Dark Chao was quiet before he grumbled and then nodded.

Maria smiled and nuzzled him before setting him back down. "Thank you, Nyx! We can get you a treat after this, okay?"

Nyx's look said it all:

'You better.'

Cream then set Cheese down as well, giving her Chao a disapproving shake of the head before facing Maria and Amy. "I'm really sorry about that. I guess it can be hard for rivals to stay in the same place for long without being mean to each other."

Amy sighed. "I think we all know exactly what you mean, Cream...but anyway! Where's Vanilla?"

"I'm right here, dear!" A voice said.

Maria turned and saw Gemerl walk back inside with a much taller rabbit that looked very similar to Cream, but with a tuft of hair on her head and a much longer dress that covered just about everything except her feet. In her eyes was this kind and for lack of a better word, motherly look.

Then, snapping her back to her senses once more, the rabbit held out a hand towards her. "You must be Maria! You have a lovely name, young lady. My name is Vanilla!"

Maria smiled and then shook her hand. She seemed to be shaking hands a lot lately. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Vanilla returned the smile. "I hope you're hungry! Cream and I probably won't be able to finish the pie I've made!"

"We were actually hoping you'd say that!" Amy laughed.

"Wonderful! I'm almost done, so make yourselves at home!" Vanilla said. "Gemerl, can you set up the table for us, please?"

Gemerl nodded and then walked over to the dining room and with his arms suddenly moving at lightning speed, the table was set up with plates and silverware in just a few seconds.

Maria then sat down on the couch alongside Amy before Cream sat across from them, with Cheese by her side.

"I wish Mr. Shadow introduced you to us sooner! You seem very nice!" Cream smiled. "A lot like Miss Amy!"

Maria and Amy looked at each other before laughing, with the yellow hedgehog facing the young rabbit once more. "Well, believe it or not...this is actually kind of a recent development."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Cream asked, tilting her head.

Maria, realizing that explaining that she was dead would probably terrify a child who was likely only around 6 or 8 years old, then hummed. "Well...I used to be human actually!"

Cream gasped, her eyes going starry. "Really?"

"Mhm! But a long time ago, I became very ill. I needed to be taken up into the stars so my condition could be managed and so that one day, I could be cured!" Maria smiled before gesturing to herself. "And...seems this was that cure!"

Cream's eyes softened. "I'm very sorry that you were sick, Miss Maria...but I'm happy that you're better now!"

"I am too." Maria said. "And the people here have been so kind to me...and the new sights of the planet are all wonderful. Things I've always wanted to see and things I couldn't have ever dreamed of seeing!"

She then took out her journal and showed the young rabbit a few of her sketches. "See?"

"Wow...!" Cream said.

Maria nodded, flipping the pages. "My brother and I have been traveling the world. And we aren't even nearly halfway finished! I can't wait to get to other countries too! See all the different cultures and landmarks, it'll be such an adventure for us...at least I hope so, ha! Apparently, he's been through a lot of exciting things!"

"That sounds like so much fun!" Cream said. "Miss Amy and Mr. Sonic sometimes like to take me out on adventures too! Maybe we'll run into each other!"

Maria's smile only grew. "That would be really nice!"

Amy walked over. "Maybe invite some of us?"

"Of course! It'll be more fun with friends!" Maria cried.

Then, Vanilla's voice called out. "Girls! The pie is ready!"

Maria then sniffed the air before immediately, her mouth started to water. "Whatever she cooked smells...amazing!"

Amy laughed. "That's Vanilla's cooking for you."

The two hedgehogs and The Rabbit Family then all sat down at the dining room table, with Gemerl only sitting down to be polite...since he physically couldn't eat anything.

Maria kept looking at Gemerl's design before gasping. "Wait a moment...now I know why I recognize you! I think my grandfather had a robot much like you aboard The Ark! I think he called it a...Gizoid?"

Gemerl turned. "You are correct. I am not a Gizoid, but my design and purpose was very much inspired by The Gizoid known as Emerl. My creator, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, wished to recreate that power for malicious purposes...I was however reprogrammed. My prime directive is to keep Cream and Vanilla safe at all costs."

Maria then smiled, even if her heart clenched at the idea of her cousin once again trying to hurt people. "So, are they like family to you?"

Gemerl was quiet for a moment...before nodding.

Cream smiled wide. "Gemerl is like my big brother! He's apart of our family!"

"And he's a big help around the house." Vanilla giggled before serving all of them a slice of the pie she made.

Maria once again sniffed the air and physically couldn't hold back a smile at the wonderful scent. It had been so long since she had a pie of any kind.

Then again, there was that pizza she and Shadow had during their travels. Did that count? She wasn't 100% certain.

"Thank you, Mama!" Cream smiled.

Vanilla kissed her daughter's forehead. "Of course, sweetheart."

Maria smiled at the mother-daughter bond before taking a bite of her pie...and then, her eyes nearly bulged right out of her skull.

Amy blinked. "Maria? Everything okay?"

"...I think I have been served a slice of Heaven itself."

Vanilla giggled. "Thank you very much, dear."

Maria kept taking more bites and each time, her description became more and more accurate. She was almost curious as to what kind of magical recipe Vanilla had stored away to make it taste this good.

"Goodness, you have quite an appetite!" Vanilla said. "Has Mr. Shadow been feeding you alright?"

"O-oh! Yes, don't worry! It's just...this is really good!" Maria smiled. "It reminds me so much of when my mother used to-"

The young Robotnik then immediately went quiet, freezing in between her own sentence. And once again, her smile faded.

Cream quickly became concerned. "Miss Maria...?"

"Ria...?" Amy asked.

Maria didn't speak for a moment, and when she did, she nearly tripped on her own words. "I-I...I'm sorry...it's just that...m-my mother loved to bake and cook too. B-before I got sick, the whole neighborhood knew about her from her recipes alone...and tasting this now makes me think of her..."

Vanilla's eyes suddenly widened in horror as she realized what that could've meant. She didn't say anything.

"Can...can you not go see her...?" Cream asked.

Maria's heart clenched once more. "N-no, I...I can't...she's in a better place now...I-I hope anyway..."

Then, she felt tears form in her eyes. She tried to blink back her tears, but a single one dripped down her face anyway. She lifted her arm, wiping them away. "I-I'm really sorry, Miss Rabbit...I-I just...I-I've been learning a lot of things lately. Some good and...s-some bad...I am so grateful that I've been given a second chance to live, but...b-but I guess I didn't think about the possibility that the people waiting for me wouldn't be here anymore...a-and I guess that you remind me of my mother...even Cream makes me think about the sister I couldn't even meet..."

Vanilla didn't say a word. She just got out of her seat and began walking towards the yellow hedgehog.

Maria sniffled. "I-I'm so sorry, I'm ruining this w-whole afternoon...I'll-"

Then...Vanilla suddenly pulled the revived Robotnik right into a tight hug.

Maria's eyes widened and she slowly looked up at Vanilla, the tears once again starting to build up in her eyes.

"...oh, my child..." Vanilla whispered, wiping away her tears with her thumb. "I can tell that you've been through so much...you've probably had to keep strong for a long time. I may not know what happened to you, but what I do know is that you will not be alone with whatever you're going through. If you want to come here for another meal, to talk, or even just to have a roof over your head? You are more than welcome here, sweetie."

Those words and the comforting hold of Vanilla were more than enough.

Maria wrapped her arms tightly around the rabbit, letting herself begin to cry once again. She buried her face in Vanilla's chest like she would her own mother, even if she felt bad about staining her dress with her tears. "T-t...t-thank you..."

"Shhh...shhh..." Vanilla whispered, stroking Maria's quills. "Just let it out, dear. You don't have to be strong this time."

Then, not even a second later, Cream suddenly joined the hug. She had her small arms wrapped around Maria as if she was trying to literally squeeze the sadness out of her.

Amy was next, hugging her new friend. "Sometimes we just gotta let out a few tears...it's gonna be okay."

Gemerl then walked over, holding a box of tissues. He didn't join the hug, but his intentions were loud and clear.

And as she was told, Maria let the tears fall and the soft sobs leave her throat. She let the memories of her family, her grandfather, and even the dreams she had of spending time with her sister fuel her tears, feeling free to just...cry it out.

They stayed there for her, not daring to leave her side for even a moment...and even with all the tears?

Maria smiled.

She didn't just have Shadow by her side...she truly wasn't alone.