FicWad

/SPOILER WARNING! IF YOU DON'T WANT SONIC: NEXT GEN SPOILED, DON'T READ THIS!/

A/N: This started with a question: If Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Silver, and Amy are collecting the Chaos Emeralds in the Last Story, what about Elise and Eggman?

I'm still not sure exactly what will happen, so let's go ahead and see, shall we? =)

Spoilers for the Last Story of Next Gen.

Enjoy!

/Twisted Friendship/
by Danni Katana


As the clatter of shoes faded, there was silence, except for Solaris raging overhead. Elise stroked Sonic's head, able to feel his fur through her thin, silken gloves. He was still warm: More proof that he could indeed be saved.

"For years I've tried to rid myself of him...and Mephiles did it in mere seconds."

Elise jumped; she had forgotten she wasn't alone. Eggman was facing away from her, his tone bitter. "I guess I was always one for dramatic flourish."

The princess inwardly agreed; why else would he have an enormous airship and thousands of robots at his disposal? She no longer felt threatened around him. Sonic was already dead, a voice in her mind whispered, so what was the use?

"I'dve expected you to be more tense, princess," Eggman said, as if reading her thoughts. "But then again, what is there to pursue? My rival is dead, and your use to me is now pointless. The very Flames I sought, I now conspire against."

The mad doctor sounded to forlorn that Elise actually felt sorry for him. "He'll be saved. Solaris will be defeated."

"Not if they don't hurry."

"They'll make it. All of them care about Sonic."

Eggman let out a short, bitter laugh. He said nothing, but both of the humans knew his question which hung in the air, just as tangible as the sun god above them.

Then why am I not out there with them?

Elise then knew that despite all of Eggman's supposed hatred of the hedgehog, he also considered Sonic-in a twisted way-his friend. Eggman wasn't angry because the blue blur had destroyed his Egg Carrier and dashed his hopes yet again. Eggman was angry at Mephiles for killing someone he had a bond with. If the doctor ever actually won and ruled the world, he would get bored of it. But he had always continued to try because Sonic had always been there to stop him.

Had been.

"Don't pity me," Eggman said testily.

Elise did anyway. Yes this man was insane, but he wasn't all evil. If he was, he would have killed Sonic long ago.

"I was so close to doing it once," Doctor Eggman said, turning to them. "I had him right there, the gun to his girlfriend's head."

Girlfriend?

Elise then remembered the pink hedgehog who had helped her escape, who had talked to her about love, who had collapsed into tears on the sight of Sonic's lifeless body.

"I have someone I'm in love with too! The best of luck to us both!"

"In fact, I was certain he was dead," Eggman continued, snapping Elise out of her thoughts. "I had the world under my fingers."

The ARK incident. She remembered hearing about it years ago.

"And then it all changed, and I once again conspired against what I'd previously strove to achieve. But I only did it to save my own skin."

"At least you know now," Elise offered. "You can start to make amends."

"You know how this will end, princess."

Elise flinched and drew Sonic's body closer to her without thinking. Damn duties came before everything else. For once in her life, Elise wished she would be allowed to put her interests in front of the worlds'.

"But."

Elise turned her head to Eggman, who turned his back on her again. His next words were barely audible, released in a sigh.

"If I had my Egg Walker, I'd be out there too."

There was a breeze, and this time, it wasn't only Elise who felt the gratitude on the wind.

"Such a persistent, pesky hedgehog," Eggman muttered, tugging on his bushy mustache.

And despite the gravity of the entire situation, both humans felt heartened as they heard Sonic's amused laugh flowing gently on another breeze.

FIN