Sonic: Project Maria

Maria took a deep breath as she stepped closer to...a microphone. She held up a bright blue guitar in her hands, feeling several eyes on her. The eyes of both family and friends.

Then? She began to lightly strum the strings of the guitar, with its soft tune beginning to fill the air.

"~Can you feel life moving through your mind? Ooh, looks like it came back for more~" Maria sang, still strumming away at her guitar. "~Yeah, can you feel time slipping down your spine? Oh, you try and try to ignore...yeah. But you can hardly swallow your fears and pain...and you can't help but follow. And puts you right back where you came~"

Shadow watched from the audience, actually smiling proudly in front of everyone. He didn't care who saw it. He wanted to show Maria how proud he was of her.

Maria smiled as she kept singing her gentle song. The one she wrote all those years ago on The Ark. "~Live and learn, hanging on the edge of tomorrow. Live and learn from the works of yesterday. Live and learn, if you beg or if you borrow. Live and learn, you may never find your wayyy~"

Gadget felt his tail wagging rapidly as he stood by Gemerl in the audience. While Gadget's starstruck smile was clear, it was hard to tell what Gemerl's reaction was to his teammate's rather calming singing voice.

"~Can you feel life tangle you up inside? Yeah, now you're face down on the floor...ohhh. But you can't save your sorrow. You've paid in trade...and you can't help but follow. And puts you right back where you came~" The yellow hedgehog sang. "~Live and learn, hanging on the edge of tomorrow. Live and learn from the works of yesterday. Live and learn, if you beg or if you borrow. Live and learn, you may never find your wayyy~"

Vanilla was holding her daughter over her shoulders, smiling wide at Maria. Cream was smiling just as big, with Cheese on her head.

Maria gently strummed the guitar's strings for a few moment, letting her voice relax as its melody filled the air. And for a brief moment, she recalled how whenever she would play this song back on The Ark, the stars would twinkle in perfect sync with the rhythm she made. It was a beautiful memory.

"~There's a face searching far, so far and wide...there's a place where you dream you'd never find. Hold on to 'what if'! Hold on to 'what if'...!~" The young Robotnik hummed. "~Live and learn, hanging on the edge of tomorrow. Live and learn from the works of yesterday. Live and learn, if you beg or if you borrow. Live and learn, you may never find your wayyy~"

Then, she took a step forward as she looked into the crowd of familiar faces, repeating the chorus one last time. "~Live and learn, hanging on the edge of tomorrow! Live and learn from the works of yesterdayyy! Live and learn, if you beg or if you borrow! Live and learn, you may never find your wayyy!~"

Maria strummed the strings just a few more times, with her song coming closer and closer to an end. "~Live and learn...yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Live and learn...yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah~"

Then, the song slowly came to a close and Maria pulled her hand away from the guitar's strings and took a bow on the stage as her friends and family quickly erupted into cheers and claps.

"WOOO!!!!" Tangle cheered, using her tail to push herself into the air.

Amy was just smiling wide as she clapped, with Sonic also clapping beside her.

Maria giggled before talking into the microphone again. "Thank you all so much! Each and every one of you deserve to celebrate for all the effort you put into saving this world. This beautiful planet that we call home. Whether I've gotten the chance to properly befriend you or not, I'm honored to know you all and call you my friends."