Categories > Games > Sonic the Hedgehog > Shadow and Maria
Manic got off his hoverboard as everyone else stopped running when they reached the gates of Mobotropolis castle.
“That’s the castle.” Sonic said, motioning to a crumbling castle behind the gate.
“Do you think our Ma still lives here?” Manic asked.
Argus stepped up to the gate, standing on the opposite side of the iron bars. “Who are you?” He asked. “What is your business here?”
The teens flinched, except Shadow, who crossed his arms.
“I told you they didn’t care.” Shadow said. “Wasn’t that obvious when no one tried to rescue us over the past fifteen years?”
“Shadow?” Argus asked. He immediately opened the gates. “We have tried to find you all for years. Come in.”
Sonic led the others inside.
“Told you.” Sonic said, smirking as he followed Argus.
Shadow rolled his eyes.
Manic leaned closer to Surge. “What do you think?” He whispered.
“If it doesn’t go well, we’re still free.” Surge whispered back. She slipped her hand into Manic’s hand.
Manic gently squeezed Surge’s hand and smiled. “Right.”
Sonia hugged Shadow as they walked along.
Shadow kissed Sonia’s forehead.
*
Queen Aleena was sitting in her living room when Argus burst into the room.
Aleena gasped. “Argus, what happened?”
“They’re here, your highness.” Argus said. “All of the children have been found.”
“What?” Aleena asked.
Sonic, Sonia, and Manic walked in.
“Hey, Mom.” Sonic said, grinning.
Aleena’s jaw dropped. Her babies were nearly grown up.
Sonia looked a little like herself at age fifteen while Sonic looked like a younger version of his uncle Chuck without a mustache.
Manic looked just like his father, his long spines hanging in his brown eyes. He stood there awkwardly.
Sonic and Sonia rushed over to Aleena and hugged her.
Manic shuffled over and hugged Aleena too.
“Oh, my babies.” Aleena said softly. “I’m so sorry. I have been looking everywhere for you. Where on Mobius were you?”
“Trapped in Robotnik’s lab in the mountains.” Sonic said.
Aleena finally let go of her triplets. “Who’s Robotnik?”
“This guy who had a bunch of robots.” Manic replied. “Some platypus guy named Dr. Starline was helping him.”
Aleena sighed. “So that’s why Starline suddenly went missing.”
Sonia rubbed her arm. “Well, we helped the other kids escape.” She replied. “So I figured we all could talk about what happened together.”
“Wait, Manic, you had NIDS.” Aleena said. “How are you still alive?”
“We can explain that too.” Sonia replied.
*
Aleena wept into her handkerchief.
Manic bit his lip and watched as Sonia hugged Aleena.
Shadow simply stared off at the wall.
Surge hugged Manic as Kit hugged her.
Tails and Sally hugged Sonic.
Knuckles and Bunnie stared at the table.
“But we’re alive, Mom.” Sonic said, rubbing Aleena’s shoulder. “Manic wouldn’t have made it to his third birthday if he hadn’t been cured.”
“I know, but none of you should’ve gone through that.” Aleena said, voice shaking. She finally regained her composure. “I-”
Argus came into the room. “Your majesty, we have captured Robotnik.” He replied. “Dr. Starline was already deceased when we found him.”
“Put Dr. Robotnik in solitary until we can put the case together.” Aleena said. “We’ll have lunch served momentarily, children. You can meet us in the dining room. Amy Rose will show you to the room.”
Amy stepped into the room, brushing her long pink spines over her shoulder. “Come along.” She said, smiling. She hugged Sonic. “I know you don’t remember me or our friends, but we’re so excited that we have found you.”
Sonic chuckled nervously. “Uh, yeah. We’re excited too.”
Aleena and Argus stepped aside as Amy led Sonic and the rest of the group out.
“Shadow worries me.” Aleena said. “Manic sorta worries me because of how standoffish he is.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Argus replied. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“Thank you, Argus.” Aleena said.
“You’re welcome, your highness.” Argus replied. “I’m glad your children are home and that Manic is alive and well.”
Aleena smiled weakly. “I wish his cure hadn’t come at such a high physical and psychological cost.”
*
Manic laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was grateful he was home, that he and his family and friends were safe.
He thought it would be over now, but he had a vivid nightmare about the lab. He and Sonic had a panic attack when he stepped in Uncle Chuck’s lab to get their collars off and for blood tests.
On top of that, his own mother was like a stranger to him and he didn’t remember his father.
Manic got up and went over to his and Sonic’s window seat. He sat down and listened to the crickets and let the cool breeze drifting through the half opened window rake through his spines. He looked at the stars and the streetlights.
Sonic sat down across from him. “Can’t sleep either?”
Manic shook his head.
Sonic picked up his guitar that Uncle Chuck had given him. “Mind if I play?”
“Can you play ‘Would it Matter’?” Manic asked.
Sonic started softly playing.
Manic relaxed and hummed along.
*
Shadow jolted awake, breathing heavily. He sat up and reached for his water cup on his nightstand. He knocked the cup off the table and cursed as he spilled water on himself and his bed. He got off the bed and walked to the open window. He glanced to his left as he heard a guitar softly playing.
Sonic was sitting by his window, staring out at the palace’s hanging gardens as he played the guitar.
Shadow sat down on his window seat and listened to the music for a moment before going to get a bottle of water out of his mini fridge.
He got his water and sat down again. He stared down at the city.
Unfortunately, his room overlooked the monument for the victims of the attack.
He had seen his parents’ names on it, the pictures of his family that he didn’t remember.
He had nothing but Sonia now.
Sure, he was given a place in the palace and could potentially be the king of this country if anything happened to Sonic and Manic, but that didn’t ease the pain.
Fifteen years of his life was stolen. The life he had now was filled with nightmares, flashbacks, and panic attacks whenever something triggered a memory.
And the man who caused him such pain was still alive with a possibility he could escape.
Shadow exhaled slowly. “They’ll give him the death penalty, then I can rest easy.” He thought. “It’ll finally be over.”
Shadow fell asleep.
“That’s the castle.” Sonic said, motioning to a crumbling castle behind the gate.
“Do you think our Ma still lives here?” Manic asked.
Argus stepped up to the gate, standing on the opposite side of the iron bars. “Who are you?” He asked. “What is your business here?”
The teens flinched, except Shadow, who crossed his arms.
“I told you they didn’t care.” Shadow said. “Wasn’t that obvious when no one tried to rescue us over the past fifteen years?”
“Shadow?” Argus asked. He immediately opened the gates. “We have tried to find you all for years. Come in.”
Sonic led the others inside.
“Told you.” Sonic said, smirking as he followed Argus.
Shadow rolled his eyes.
Manic leaned closer to Surge. “What do you think?” He whispered.
“If it doesn’t go well, we’re still free.” Surge whispered back. She slipped her hand into Manic’s hand.
Manic gently squeezed Surge’s hand and smiled. “Right.”
Sonia hugged Shadow as they walked along.
Shadow kissed Sonia’s forehead.
*
Queen Aleena was sitting in her living room when Argus burst into the room.
Aleena gasped. “Argus, what happened?”
“They’re here, your highness.” Argus said. “All of the children have been found.”
“What?” Aleena asked.
Sonic, Sonia, and Manic walked in.
“Hey, Mom.” Sonic said, grinning.
Aleena’s jaw dropped. Her babies were nearly grown up.
Sonia looked a little like herself at age fifteen while Sonic looked like a younger version of his uncle Chuck without a mustache.
Manic looked just like his father, his long spines hanging in his brown eyes. He stood there awkwardly.
Sonic and Sonia rushed over to Aleena and hugged her.
Manic shuffled over and hugged Aleena too.
“Oh, my babies.” Aleena said softly. “I’m so sorry. I have been looking everywhere for you. Where on Mobius were you?”
“Trapped in Robotnik’s lab in the mountains.” Sonic said.
Aleena finally let go of her triplets. “Who’s Robotnik?”
“This guy who had a bunch of robots.” Manic replied. “Some platypus guy named Dr. Starline was helping him.”
Aleena sighed. “So that’s why Starline suddenly went missing.”
Sonia rubbed her arm. “Well, we helped the other kids escape.” She replied. “So I figured we all could talk about what happened together.”
“Wait, Manic, you had NIDS.” Aleena said. “How are you still alive?”
“We can explain that too.” Sonia replied.
*
Aleena wept into her handkerchief.
Manic bit his lip and watched as Sonia hugged Aleena.
Shadow simply stared off at the wall.
Surge hugged Manic as Kit hugged her.
Tails and Sally hugged Sonic.
Knuckles and Bunnie stared at the table.
“But we’re alive, Mom.” Sonic said, rubbing Aleena’s shoulder. “Manic wouldn’t have made it to his third birthday if he hadn’t been cured.”
“I know, but none of you should’ve gone through that.” Aleena said, voice shaking. She finally regained her composure. “I-”
Argus came into the room. “Your majesty, we have captured Robotnik.” He replied. “Dr. Starline was already deceased when we found him.”
“Put Dr. Robotnik in solitary until we can put the case together.” Aleena said. “We’ll have lunch served momentarily, children. You can meet us in the dining room. Amy Rose will show you to the room.”
Amy stepped into the room, brushing her long pink spines over her shoulder. “Come along.” She said, smiling. She hugged Sonic. “I know you don’t remember me or our friends, but we’re so excited that we have found you.”
Sonic chuckled nervously. “Uh, yeah. We’re excited too.”
Aleena and Argus stepped aside as Amy led Sonic and the rest of the group out.
“Shadow worries me.” Aleena said. “Manic sorta worries me because of how standoffish he is.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Argus replied. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“Thank you, Argus.” Aleena said.
“You’re welcome, your highness.” Argus replied. “I’m glad your children are home and that Manic is alive and well.”
Aleena smiled weakly. “I wish his cure hadn’t come at such a high physical and psychological cost.”
*
Manic laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was grateful he was home, that he and his family and friends were safe.
He thought it would be over now, but he had a vivid nightmare about the lab. He and Sonic had a panic attack when he stepped in Uncle Chuck’s lab to get their collars off and for blood tests.
On top of that, his own mother was like a stranger to him and he didn’t remember his father.
Manic got up and went over to his and Sonic’s window seat. He sat down and listened to the crickets and let the cool breeze drifting through the half opened window rake through his spines. He looked at the stars and the streetlights.
Sonic sat down across from him. “Can’t sleep either?”
Manic shook his head.
Sonic picked up his guitar that Uncle Chuck had given him. “Mind if I play?”
“Can you play ‘Would it Matter’?” Manic asked.
Sonic started softly playing.
Manic relaxed and hummed along.
*
Shadow jolted awake, breathing heavily. He sat up and reached for his water cup on his nightstand. He knocked the cup off the table and cursed as he spilled water on himself and his bed. He got off the bed and walked to the open window. He glanced to his left as he heard a guitar softly playing.
Sonic was sitting by his window, staring out at the palace’s hanging gardens as he played the guitar.
Shadow sat down on his window seat and listened to the music for a moment before going to get a bottle of water out of his mini fridge.
He got his water and sat down again. He stared down at the city.
Unfortunately, his room overlooked the monument for the victims of the attack.
He had seen his parents’ names on it, the pictures of his family that he didn’t remember.
He had nothing but Sonia now.
Sure, he was given a place in the palace and could potentially be the king of this country if anything happened to Sonic and Manic, but that didn’t ease the pain.
Fifteen years of his life was stolen. The life he had now was filled with nightmares, flashbacks, and panic attacks whenever something triggered a memory.
And the man who caused him such pain was still alive with a possibility he could escape.
Shadow exhaled slowly. “They’ll give him the death penalty, then I can rest easy.” He thought. “It’ll finally be over.”
Shadow fell asleep.
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