-DISCLAIMER-

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

-WE'RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT AT ALL-

Part IV: You Are My World

At the sudden appearance of the three, those surrounding the entranceway to New Soleanna Medical Center yelped in alarm. The elderly watched and murmured while the younger parted for them to make there way into the Emergency Room. The staff there reacted quickly and efficiently, transferring Elise gently onto a cot and whisking the half-dead girl out of sight. The two who remained were left to impatiently pass the time in the waiting room with countless others who had all become eerily quiet at the scene.

Shadow wandered off to a decently vacant group of speckled blue seats, closing his eyes and keeping composure. His companion, on the other hand, wouldn't sit still. He couldn't much be blamed. Sonic wasn't conditioned for this, even under normal circumstances. The series of events that finally transpired was not even remotely commonplace. He paced and weaved through the questioning gazes of patients with varying degrees of illness or ailment, leaning against the wall beside a vending machine once or twice. This fidgety panic finally got the better of the other anthrope, who seized him by the collar when he passed for the third time in under a minute, and forced him down at his side. Sonic only briefly glanced at him before shifting his focus down to his feet with a dry swallow. Neither of them spoke.

After what could have been only a moment, or perhaps hours into eternity, one of the nurses came to them. His voice was soft with concern but had a strange edge that was only revealed when he began to explain what had occurred. He lead the two through a pair of automated doors and into a restricted section of the ER. Here it was relatively quiet but for the beeping of working machines and patter of feet. The man told them that Elise was stable and being transported to a private section of the hospital on the sixth floor. At this news Sonic nearly leapt clear through the ceiling, grinning madly with a light shimmer to his eyes. He also explained to them how truly odd her case was.

When she had arrived it was apparent her spine had been shattered with massive internal organ failure. If they hadn't known any better they would have most certainly labeled her as DOA -Dead On Arrival. Once they brought her into intensive care, things began to change. Her body was healing of it's own accord. The arm into which an IV had been placed, and certainly had been broken, was reset. When they propped her head back for oxygen her neck as well had somehow regained its normal range of motion. Color returned before their startled eyes, chest expanding with breath, though labored. He ended by telling them it was a miracle she was even still alive in itself. Shadow allowed a soft grin.

They were then given free reign to go see her. Even though she was stable she would still be monitored heavily for the next few days to ensure this. She was the future ruler of Sea-Shore. There would be no lapse in concern for her wellbeing. Sonic, of course, heard none of this. Once the nurse had said they could leave he took not a second and did so. Only Shadow remained behind to thank the man before doing similarly.

Sixth floor, room B2, was fairly spacious and made to more homey comforts while still being in a medical setting. It appeared to have been made for the elderly who could no longer manage without direct care, and so spent their final days here. Not a comforting thought in itself, but it did mean that the room was free to themselves and tucked away from the main traffic of the hospital.

When Shadow arrived he softly closed the wooden door behind with only a click. There was a brief hallway with a sink that obscure the room itself from view. Sonic stood looking down on his mate with intense, moist eyes. His one paw held her slim digits within, squeezing only as much as he dared. So intent was he on this task that the blue blur took no noticed to the arrival. Unperturbed, Shadow merely sat himself again in a spare chair near the rectangular length of windows.

The bed in which Elise had been transfered appeared remarkably similar to a standard twin found in most homes. Even so, it wasn't normal. It was bolted to the floor with internal mechanizations and rimmed with safety guards to prevent accidentally rolling out. She, herself, had been stripped of her clothing and fitting into a baby-blue hospital gown. However, Maria still remained looped to her neck and appearing little more than jewelry. It was surprising that that had not been removed too. Although, perhaps that was another reason why the nurse had been so thrown. Maybe Maria had spoken softly to them and instructed otherwise.

Sonic didn't actually grab himself a seat until the room darkened with the fall of twilight. There was a small end table set beside the oxygen's components inside the wall. Upon it was an bronze, Victorian-style lamp that he released Elise only to turn on. Its flickering glow was soft with age and shaded it's small sphere of influence a dusty yellow. That was more than enough. He finally grabbed a chair and brought it in close so that he could still hold her and hope that she could sense him near. Utterly exhausted, he used the crook of his free arm to rest his chin while continuing to watch over her intently.

All of this action was silently overseen by Shadow. For the longest time the bio-android had hated the blue runt. For years, that one argument had soured any possible friendship they could have managed. Now, though, he felt the deepest sympathies. A goodly portion of his own life had been spent in the Medical Bay of the ARK. Not so much for himself but for Maria. Whenever she had a seizure he was there. Always. He would sit by her side, even before they were lovers, and talk to her in her sleep or hold her hand to let her know someone was watching over her. Someone cared about her. He would do exactly what Sonic was doing. And witnessing this play of events from an onlooker's perspective softened him to Sonic's plight. Not so much as to completely forgive him for calling Shadow's mate a joke, but enough to lessen the malice he otherwise retained.

For once in his life Sonic was thankful he had not been present when Sally was killed. The way Elise had screamed. That single sound would haunt him for the rest of his days. And now, as he gazed up at her heartbroken, returned that feeling of helplessness. How he hated it so! Why was it every time he really NEEDED to protect someone he couldn't? Unintentionally, his paw squeezed her.

Elise's delicate thumb twitched. That otherwise insignificant action jolted him alert like the prick of static. He hopped to a stand and hovered over her, breath caught in waiting. Another eternity went by before she shifted a bit with a gentle groan. She coughed a couple times, the sound muffled by the mask, before cringing. Then she finally opened her eyes. In that moment they were the most precious gems he had ever seen.

Elise smiled gingerly. "Hey."

"Elise…" he breathed, grin widening every second. "You're alright!" Then it contoured. "Why? Why did you do that? You could have… You almost…" He couldn't bring himself to say that one word.

She remained unperturbed. "It's alright."

"No, it's not!" He hadn't meant to yell. He flopped back down, expression curled in melancholy. "Sorry."

Elise watched him, softened by the pain she had not meant to cause him. "Sonic, listen," she began, words lazy with lingering fatigue and bursts of sharpness that radiated from random muscles and joints. "I made a promise. I can't do much to help you. I don't know how to fight so I can't even protect you. However, if ever I could I promised I would. Even if it cost my life. You're so much more important to the world."

At that single statement his eyes narrowed. "But you are my world."

Those steely irises widened slightly. Her body seizing before a rebuttal, a pickling like someone rolling a cactus along her spine got the better of her and she faded into the void again. Her mate sat up and reached for her in panic, but the breather still fogged over in regular intervals. So, instead, he cupped her cheek as best he could, tenderly rubbing his thumb along the thin length of skin below her orbit.

After a minute or two a scuffling to his left divided his attention. He saw Shadow rise and head for the door. "I'm going to get us something to eat."

Sonic nodded and as his rival made to exist he said breathlessly, "thanks, Shadow."

In those words he understood how deep they went. He acknowledged and left.

Occasionally throughout the night and into morning they would be periodically visited by nurses. These individuals would ask questions and take vitals. All retained a somber respect. It was a wonder Elise's father hadn't shown up yet, also that none had made mention of the fact that the only two who who had thus far concerned themselves were anthropes. Sonic was more perturbed by this than Shadow, as he knew well its significance.

Maria felt that the easiest and most peaceful way to keep her charge calm was to encapsulate the majority of her energy in the vastness of the stone that had been made her new body. Even since she had regained enough sentience to bypass the unnatural barriers of the dimension, she had also began figuring its mechanizations. It wasn't a physical space, just a void of consciousness. As such, most of it could be manipulated at her will. This included sending out her own aura or drawing wandering strains of energy inside.

That was what she had done with Elise. The woman's soul was near depleted when Shadow had brought her near. It had taken quite an effort to catch as much of it as she could before it scattered into the energies Mobius, where she had been. Instead of transferring the ethereal mass back where it belonged, Maria decided it would be best to keep her inside of the stone as well. The princess's metaphysical shell was badly cracked. Even if she had attempted it, more than likely the effort would have been for naught. So, Maria only did so once she knew for sure she had sealed those cracks and the physical being itself would induce little to no pain when returned.

It had been an interesting experience, none-the-less. Granted, she knew nothing of this person other than the fact that Shadow was willing to offer his services to heal her. All of this had been so traumatic, but through it all she understood now that this other girl and hedgehog were on friendly terms with her Shadow. Perhaps, they were his friends? The thought warmed her. He had made friends!

All this was eventually confirmed when the visiting sentience regained enough of itself to be coherent. It wasn't like a normal conversation, more like a string of overlapping thoughts. The other was scared and avoided contact at first. Maria was patient and waited, attempting to explain as best she could. It didn't take long before the two officially made contact, a tentative friendship blossoming.

Maria kept Elise in the void with her conscience, her aural spirit weaving sinew and gluing bone and pausing only when needed in the real. They spoke of themselves, who they were and who they knew. Maria told of her life on the ARK and Elise of the Paradox. Maria learned of her cousin Ivo and why he wanted her so badly. Elise now understood why Shadow was so aloof and allowed very few to get close to him.

When Elise began to sense the outside world same as Maria she caught the helplessness emanating from her mate, whose aura lingered just out of reach. She asked if it would be possible to speak with him and Maria explained beforehand that her body still had a lot of recovery left and would possibly be rather painful in returning. Despite this, Elise requested to go. She had to speak with him, comfort him in knowing everything was alright. So, Maria obliged, leading her newly made friend across the barrier between worlds.

When morning came the scene had drastically improved. The future Empress of Sea-Shore sat up and requested food. Nurses came in a panic, checking her over yet again and recording more vitals. Oxygen was removed and a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon brought. Though not the most delectable feast she still gobbled it down with vigor, making an exhausted but relieved Sonic chuckle.

Then it happened. After having her fill Elise was going to drift back into sleep. Most of her body felt numb and shook as if frigid. There was still some lingering fatigue but, for the most part, she was back to her old self. As she closed her eyes some scuffling mingled with a well aged voice outside the room. She knew who it was and it sent her weakened heart into overdrive. Sonic and Shadow were alerted to the sound as well. Both spun right as the door to the room flung open.

The space now played host to a man well into his fifties but build as thick and unbendable as an ancient oak. It took not even a second for him to survey the scene. Two anthropes and his daughter stretched out on a cot. Hector knew the blue one very well.

The Emperor's angular faced creased in disgust. "You. You did this!"

Sonic had no argument to that statement.

"Dad, stop." Elise's attempt to be heard came out as nothing more than a harsh whisper.

He stomped forward. "Hush. I've had enough. Enough! This circus has been allowed to go on far too long. I will have this no more."

Dark eyes surveyed the weakened form of his most cherished daughter. She could hardly even sit up. What could have happened to her? How could he have allowed her to get involved in such madness? That was when he noticed the amulet. Such an odd trinket, its shape and design. It wasn't of his Empire's make nor of any import he had overseen.

His gnarled palm came down and swiped it from her neck. He could have sworn it yelped. "What is this, some kind of animal magic?"

Distraught and betrayed, Hector flung the tiny gemstone towards the open window a few feet away. The other one, shaded in black and red, was at it in a second, catching it like a feline with a toy mouse. Then its irises shot to him, clutching the jewel in its palm like a lifeline. Within that tireless gaze he could almost physically feel the burn of malice. It was the same beastile wrath all those things held inside them. They may try to hide behind clothing and speech but they were nothing more than uncomprehending demons of Gaia. The Emperor still held his ground despite experiencing, only for the second time, fear caused by one of these sentient animals. Though, this time it was for an entirely different reason.

Upon Maria's removal Elise's body visibly stiffened and then shook as if suddenly induced into a fever. Her eyes then closed in torpor, silent and still. Sonic, of course, noticed this instantly. Utter shock left him speechless and staring intently. Then that dumbfounded gaze shot to Hector and twisted into disdain. Sonic understood full well that this man was the Emperor and, more so, Elise's father.

In the end that Knowledge didn't stop him from hollering "Why would you do that? That was helping her!"

"It's time I put an end to this." Hector's booming tongue came out otherwise eerily hushed, sobering the very air around him. "You are not welcome here. I no longer want you near my daughter or even in my Empire. Leave now. If any of the Sentinels find you within the borders of Sea-Shore you will be killed on sight. Do you understand, beast? Have I finally made myself clear?"

Sonic opened his mouth in want to respond but that vice from before returned to his upper arm. His gaze shot to it and, yet again, found Shadow as the culprit. His rival didn't even say anything, only forcefully pulled him out the door. Two Sentinels had been placed at either side there, having gone unnoticed until just as they exited.

Even so, Sonic still griped, "What'd you do that for?"

"Trust me," Shadow's voice stayed soft so that only those near would hear. "I have way more experience in dealing with this kind of thing than you. Besides, I tucked Maria back with her while he was preoccupied with you. Elise'll be fine."

And Sonic had to be satisfied with that alone, though he wasn't. If not for Shadow he possibly would have made things far worse than they already were, for himself and Elise. Just for once he would have loved to give Hector a piece of his mind. Just once… It would do no good. He had to understand that. Men like Hector didn't see past the end of their nose. If something didn't fit within their reality then it simply couldn't exist. That was that.

The two left the hospital and New Soleanna all together. They skirted back towards the outskirts of Kingdom Valley, back towards the wreckage. When they arrived the mountainside was still bubbling over like a witch's cauldron. Whatever that particular mountain had been called was reduced to nothing more than a mudslide of magma and shrapnel. Most of the Doom Carrier was nonexistent, absorbed into the molten soil. What remained aboveground appeared eerily akin to that of an elephant graveyard. The feet-thick struts once supporting the massive battleship were still dripping and exposed like the ribs of a recently felled basilisk.

What they could make out of its innards was as some macabre painting. Everything from the extreme heat of the explosion had melted into a single sheet of curdled metal. Worst of all, the heads and limbs of the more sentient contraptions peaked out in places or reached skyward as if begging for a salvation that would never come. And, even though they were robots and nothing more, Sonic couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy for them.

In some spots, where the metal had cracked, there were lights. Unapparent at first, only once the sky grew dull did they reveal themselves like land-bound stars. They shimmered in a rainbow of hues against a backdrop of death. The artificial Soul Stones that had been generated from the Replicator were now filled and there was only one explanation. That natural formation had once been home to thousands of living beings. Some of them had maybe even been sentient -anthropes or humans. Those jewels, so tuned to the energy of the world, ravenously devoured what they could of the fleeting eidolons. Those lights, as beautiful and harmonic as they were, revealed the true extent of the tragedy that occurred.

Out of all of this there was no hint of Ivo's fate.

Sometime in the evening, after it had grown dark, Shadow surprised Sonic by saying that Maria had told him that Elise was back home. Sonic's demeanor then brightened significantly, stating he needed to make a pit stop first.

It would do no good if the Sentinels were told to kill him on sight. You can't hit something if you can't see it. Regardless, there were some patrolling the grounds of the manor, per the norm, but none were hanging around Elise's balcony. Despite her father's persistence, she had won out. For some reason the Sentinels listened more to her word than his. Sonic didn't know or understand exactly why this was, nor had the thought ever piqued during conversation. Still, he was grateful, as it made things a lot easier.

The young Empress leaned over the alabaster balustrade in wait. From her vantage point, overlooking the garden her mother had tended, Soleanna flickered in golden starlight as the deep navy velvet of evening blanketed the foreseeable horizon. The air of spring bit deep, each diminutive breath a puff of white that fluttered swiftly into nothingness. What made the scene even more serene was simply the quiet. At this time of year everything was hushed, no birds to tweet or insects to chirp. So much so that, even at this distance, one could pick up the faint blare of traffic horns. That and the thunder of a young dragon's snout only a few feet behind.

They're here.

Elise perked from her vacancy, ears picking up an unnatural rustle of foliage that could mean only one thing. Another second and something cradled her shoulders and head tenderly but with purpose. The heat and safety of his fur retreated before she could return the favor and in her line of sight was a small bouquet of lilies, alabaster edges fading into a deep magenta center. She took his offer gingerly, stroking the silky petals like one would the head of a newborn kitten.

"How are you feeling?"

Elise's gaze finally met his, still warped in concern. It was a horrible expression for him to wear and she hated having to have been the cause of it.

"Fine, really. Still a little weak but I think I'll manage."

She turned back through the doors of the balcony and placed her gift next to the ones already on her nightstand from what felt like ages ago. This had to be done as quietly as possible. On her bed lay curled Winter, no more than a lump under a fluffy, ebony quilt that rose and fell in rhythmical intervals.

The first thing she did upon returning was to go up to the other of the pair. Shadow stood leaning against the outer wall of the balcony, appealing to his usual aloof nature. It had been a while since they had spoken, though briefly it was. But, she knew this anthrope, dark in fur and demeanor, kept himself that way not out of unkindness. Elise bent slightly and presented her palm. Within it was the Adhyatman, Maria, safe and sound.

"Thank you."

He tenderly scooped up the stone from her, relishing the return to wholeness. "It isn't really me you should be thanking."

A tiny grin cut her still unnaturally pale cheeks. "Don't worry. Maria and I talked a lot while I was… incapacitated. I already did."

And Shadow mirrored her expression in return. Perhaps, in the end, some good had occurred through what otherwise could have been catastrophe.

Elise shifted her attention to Sonic, who now sat himself in his usual spot. Even before the Paradox he had made that section of rail his. It was perfect, too. When there his height topped hers by a few inches.

"I'm sorry, by-the-way. I wish I could have told you it would be alright." Ivory fingers reached for her ear and fiddled with her ember locks.

"Wait, you can see THAT far ahead?"

"Sort of," she shrugged. "All I knew was that if you had been struck with me the outcome would have been drastically different."

He chuckled uneasily, swiping his paw across nothing. "I don't want to know. Besides, I think we now have something even more fun to deal with."

"I heard what he did, or, what he wants to do. Legally, he can't but he's still going to try."

It was this kind of thing that made her grateful that the imperial family were more-or-less figureheads. In order to do anything as drastic as to actively hunt down a single individual entering the country one would need the full support of the Counsel. Among other things, her father had also attempted, and failed, to reinstate arranged marriages. Her mother had been the one to spearhead its outlaw some years prior to Elise's birth. This little fact had been something she kept from Sonic.

"I wouldn't worry about it overmuch. Ever since mom died and we intervened with Solaris he… hasn't been keeping himself well with the Counsel." She finally admitted while holding herself. This fact was hard to finally voice. He was her father. She loved him and knew that, in his own way, he loved her dearly but this madness needed to stop. "It's something I need to take care of on my end."

Their eyes caught and in that gaze her mate understood. With that simple statement she was taking up her mantel. She would begin the process of becoming Empress of Sea-Shore, potentially usurping her own flesh and blood. What that exactly meant for him he couldn't say. He would have to be content to let her go for the time being. And, if she needed him in any way, he would be there.

In the meantime, he figured he and Shadow would continue to salvage the wreckage of Ivo's carrier. Maybe they could attempt to release all the souls trapped from the holocaust. Ivo!

"Elise?"

The woman perked slightly from his drastic decent in tone.

"Do you know -did you see- what happened after you…"

"The ship crashed into mount Corine. Is that what you mean?"

"Ivo went back inside. When we checked it over we didn't see any sign of him -if there even would be a sign. I mean, that whole mountain is gone now. Is there any way he could have survived?"

"I… don't know. Solaris has shown me some vague visions of a robotized anthrope and a sense that Ivo is somehow controlling it. So, I would think he must be in some way, somehow."

That statement wasn't a comforting one. That man would never die. He was damn near immortal! Maybe the incident would at least calm things for a bit. Whenever the genius was halted in his tracks after some big scheme there was a decent stretch of peace for well deserved R&R by the Freedom Fighters. It was always a gamble how long they lasted. Sonic, though he couldn't sense the future the same as Elise, did feel as if something significant had befallen or was about to.

Shadow and Maria said their goodbyes soon after, going to be off by themselves and officially get reacquainted. It had been far too long. Elise wanted to have them stay at the manor but, as things were, it would not have been wise. She still felt awfully cruel in not doing so and promised herself to make it up to them as soon as possible.

Sonic stayed. He didn't give a crap what her father thought and, while he wouldn't voice it out loud, wanted to defy the man for nearly giving both of them a stroke. Winter, of course, was more than thrilled at this after she awoke. The room was locked up tight, balcony and all, before all three snuggled under the covers. It was a good thing the bed was king-sized, allowing the near two hundred pound baby to wrap around her parents protectively. Tomorrow was another day, another beginning to another story.

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Up until this point in the series Shadow and Sonic have a somewhat strained relationship. Sonic, as always is generally laid back. Shadow had always been of the mindset to avoid him. This is because of the event that was mentioned at the beginning of the previous chapter. When Sonic confronted Shadow of his broodiness over Maria, and Shadow explained, the two wound up having a fairly large and detrimental argument. Sonic was pretty much anti-human at the time, due to Ivo and what happened with Sally. As well as the fact that, in Knothole, where he grew up, there were no humans and the species as a whole was viewed by anthropes as evil. Sonic, being young at the time, had this mentality imprinted on him. And then, when Ivo took over, it pretty much solidified. As he traveled the world and matured this thinking slowly subsided. At the time this confrontation happened, Sonic had not met Elise or formed deep bonds with any humans. So when Shadow mentioned he and Maria were mates he took it as a literal joke, which resulted in Shadow pretty much loathing him.

The events of this story finally have them becoming more on friendly terms. Sonic's horrid distress over having witnessed Elise almost die brings up sympathy from Shadow who, as we know, had to go through something similar. There is also the hospital scene that, again, hits home.

When Elise's mother was killed an anthrope was blamed. Though proven innocent, the incident brought up a lot of malice towards the species which caused a mass exodus of them from Sea-Shore.

Also, after this fic the 'New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Season 4: Heart' pretty much draws to a close. After this the only fic left is "Beginning of the End" before the events of 'Season 5: Future' begin. Even so, every season is pock-marked with One Shots. So, while I say that is the last fic, it may only be so in the sense that it is the last major one of the season (having 3 or more chapters).

There are seven seasons, of course. I always write seven of everything when it comes to STH. If anyone cares they are, in order:

1: Past (the ARK - Chaos and Tikal)

2: Beginnings (Archie - Underground - STH 1/2/3/CD/OVA)

3: Adventure (SA 1/2 - Shadow the Hedgehog - Sonic X (the final season))

4: Heart (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006)

5: Future (Main cast settles down)

6: Apocalypse (Children of the main cast)

7: Revival (Very distant future events)

Nothing from Revival has ever been written, though I do have notes and time line info for it. Honestly, it's the only season that I don't entirely care too much for -oddly enough.

Fun fact: The majority of this chapter was written while listening to the instrumental version of 'Lullaby for a Princess' by Ponyphonic. Honestly, I'm not a big MLP fan at all. However, I will admit the musical pieces created by fans are breathtaking. The one mentioned and 'Gypsy Bard' are two of my favorites.