Systems: Online.

Date and Time: November 15th, 1950; 23:00hrs

Specimen: .

oxygen levels: normal.

Project Maria: active.

"Can I speak to them now?"

A blonde head of hair popped up just over the edge of Gerald Robotnik's desk, and just as he suspected, he peered over to see his granddaughter staring wide-eyed in excitement up to him. He gently adjusted his glasses, before gesturing over to the pod in the center of the lab. It was only the two of them, and he'd had quite a long day of making the final fittings for this..Mobian lifeform. Sure, it wasn't stable yet, and there was no way it could function outside the pod, but for now...this was progress.

Upon gaining her grandfather's acceptance, she excitedly made her way over to the pod, sitting down beside it and looking in to see a small, white and red hedgehog floating inside it. They were unconscious, but their vitals were going. It was almost like what her mother had told her about babies still being with their mothers, they can't respond to you, but they can listen. Maybe..maybe they'd like to hear a voice!

"Hello, little one! I'm Maria! I hope we can be best friends! I know we both might need one. It's not very easy living life without one, especially way up here." She paused, quiet for a moment, before sighing softly. Perhaps things could be better now that she had a friend. She hoped They could be her friend. She already thought so highly of them, even if they weren't perfect, they were going to be amazing. A smile came to her face, before she placed a hand against the glass.

"You won't be alone. I promise."

And she kept that promise.

—

Every day for the next two years seemed to repeat itself, and even though it grew to be a repeat, Maria never once complained. She'd wake up, take her tests throughout the day, and never once left the mobian's side when she could. She read to them, sang to them, told them stories her grandfather would tell to her about Mobius. She wanted them to know everything, so that by the time they came out, they knew all her stories and could spend time together playing! Well...whenever they weren't being tested…

Gerald could sense her enthusiasm in the project though, and it worried him in the slightest. What if it turned out like the Biolizard? What if they were putting too much faith into this one? Though at the same time...what if this meant that they'd found what they were looking for. What if it meant that they couldn't give up on this specimen? It was already so much alike the chaos guardian prophesied by the Echidna clans. Perhaps...this would work. Perhaps he needn't worry.

And yet, even with all of this enthusiasm over the project, Maria had quite the trouble picking out a name. It had to be perfect. It had to fit them!

"Snowy? No..that sounds like a cat's name.." Maria sighed, crossing out yet another name in her journal. Gently, she tapped the pen against her cheek, her free hand tapped thoughtful fingers against the arms of her hospital bed. Another day in here thanks to a fainting spell. But at least it gave her time to ponder. Still...she hated being away from her friend. She'd hoped they could talk about this together.

"Mm...maybe not Rose..even though that's a really pretty name..it has to be something Light sounding! Maybe Light? Or Lux! Or...Eos!" She wrote down, before squeaking as the Colony's AI answered her call.

"Hello, Maria. How may I assist you today?" Eos inquired, appearing as a small orb in front of her. Carefully, Maria sat up, setting her journal aside with a sigh.

"Oh, it's nothing really, Eos. I'm just thinking about the project. What if grandfather finishes them and I can't think of a name?"

Eos was quiet for a moment, as if analyzing the situation, before a query popped into her system.

"Most Overlanders such as yourself take, on average, a week to solidify a name for their pet after receiving them." She stated, before Maria grinned, gently shaking her head.

"They're not going to be a pet, Eos. It's more like..a friend. Or actually..a baby sibling!"

The AI searched again, floating just a bit away from Maria's face, before locating another query.

"Parents and older siblings often ponder about the names of an expecting child. Though they never truly settle on one until the day of the child's birth, some are even said to take a few days to figure it out!" Eos presented, hoping this was the correct answer.

"Well, at least I'm not the only. I just...wish I could get some insight. But with me being in here and...whatever it is that grandfather is consorting with in there...I haven't been able to see my friend in days. They must miss the sound of my voice. Their vitals always calm when I'm there." Maria mused, almost forgetting that she hadn't dismissed the AI yet. But she was listening, and immediately gave another query.

"The best of friends often understand when you cannot always be there. You do not have to be together to know you will never be apart."

Maria looked up at this, her tapping halting for a moment as her aqua eyes met the small orb. A small spark shone in them, before she giggled softly.

"You're right. I mean...we're the best of friends. They know I can't always be there. They understand. I hope. We'll be okay."

"I believe it is now time for you to rest, Maria. Remember to take care of yourself." Eos reminded, causing the tray table in front of Maria to move to the side, and adjusting the bed just the way that she liked it. The lights went dim, but before she could depart, Maria spoke up.

"Eos? Can you play hologram number eleven please?"

"Of course, Maria."

Just as she did, the dark room faintly lit up, and Maria looked around to see a meadow around her, just as she'd wanted. The sound of flickies chirping calmed her, and she soon found her eyelids growing heavy. Eos always worked these like a charm.

"Goodnight, Maria."

"Goodnight, Eos.."

—

When you're inside a dream, you can hardly tell sometimes. Some things that ordinarily would be ridiculous make sense, and somethings that make sense are ridiculous. The only clarity you can truly have is when you wake once more. However, Maria was very good at being able to tell when she was dreaming. She still liked to imagine she could be on planet, experiencing what she normally only could in the holograms. For the brief time she lived on Mobius as a baby, she saw so little. Her parents never wanted to deal with their sick child, which is why they so quickly gave her away to her grandfather when he'd offered. He adored his granddaughter, and never once minded her company. This she thought about as she sat under the tree previously only known to her by her hologram. It was a calm, spring day, and she'd already counted so many different animals. She made a game out of drawing each one. It was nice to see them so up close. Her favorites were the different variations of Flickies, she probably had a million different doodles of them~

Her attention was brought back to the present, however, as he pencil dropped to the ground, rolling a bit across the grass. Oh Maria..dozing off again. She reached to pick it up, but watched as it rolled away from her grasp.

"Hey! That's not very nice!" She huffed, crawling over to grab it once more, she was successful this time. Though as she sat up, she bumped her head against a wooden desk, looking up to see that she was no longer in the meadows. This place was...awfully familiar. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Maria Alice Robotnik! What did I say about interrupting me while I'm in the middle of a call?!"

Was that…?

"I'm sorry, mother!"

This was too familiar…

She hugged her pencil and journal close to her, backing out into the hallway before she upset her any further. So much for reliving that memory. Now that she was free from her grasp, she made her way down the hall, opening her journal to make sure her drawings were all still there, they were. Good. Her journal was important to her. Soon enough though, she heard whispering from down the hall, following it in curiosity. It didn't become very clear when she grew closer, it just sounded...jumbled. She tried to peek into the room she supposed it was coming from, noting that she was now looking into the main lab of the Ark...strange. She never setting jumped this much in her dreams. She could see her grandfather, and that mysterious figure he often consulted with. She never did see what he looked like, but if he was helping with Shadow, maybe he couldn't be so bad.

Wait.

"Shadow…?"

Maria looked up as the whispering went silent, the world around her had turned to black and white, and everything seemed...frozen. Shadow. Where did Shadow come from? They didn't have a name yet. In fact, she'd never even thought of that name before. Why Shadow? He didn't look anything like a Shadow…

Something urged her forward, knowing she was alone now in this frozen dream. She wanted to see them. She wanted to see Shadow. Moving past her grandfather and the dark figure, she looked over their pod. They were resting, but...the white from their fur was gone, replaced with a dark coat of ebony. A calmer color, like the vast space around them.

"Shadow." She whispered it again, and for some reason, it felt right to say. They looked like a Shadow. They were, in a way, supposed to be a Shadow. Perhaps...this was right.

Her hand was placed on the container now, and she watched too, as they slowly moved their hand towards the glass, moving, unlike anything else in there. Their hands almost met…

—

Maria awoke late into the night, trying to calm herself as she registered her vitals quickening from the rush of her...very odd dream. What did it mean? She wondered. None of it really made sense, just as she usually suspected. There was, however, one thing she did know. She had a name now.

Just as she had before, she unplugged her vital monitor, unsticking the pads from her body and unhooking the IV from the wall so she could walk with it for awhile. She was pretty much alright now, but she knew they'd worry if she didn't take it with her. Turning to hop off of the bed, her feet found their way into her slippers, before she grabbed her journal and made her way down the hall. Just as she suspected, most of the hall's staff was either in office or asleep. It was pretty late, only 11:30 in the evening...however odd though, she liked being awake at this time, it felt so mysterious. Probably due to the quiet, and what most people would think creepy, she found...alluring.

Carefully, she made her way to the main lab, about to knock on the door, before watching as it opened. She carefully stepped back, watching her Grandfather leave with a sigh.

"Oh! Maria, what are you doing awake at this hour?" He inquired, noticing she was still in her nightgown and had her IV. She must've left again...she never did like being in the medical ward for too long.

"I'm sorry, grandfather. But..I wanted to see Shadow." It felt so natural to say it now that she forgot this was her first time mentioning it to anyone else.

"Shadow? Is that what you call them? I thought you were going to go with Snowy?" He gave a tired chuckle at the name, subconsciously leaning over to check the IV stand connected to her. If she was walking around, she'd probably do fine without it. Still, what a proper girl to bring it with her anyways.

"I changed my mind. They remind me a lot more of a Shadow. They're quiet but..I feel as if they're always watching over me, like a shadow!" She explained, watching him remove her IV carefully, pulling out a bandage to cover the small opening.

"Well, I believe that's the perfect nickname."

Nickname?

"They...have a name?" She inquired, her bluebell eyes a bit saddened now. Gerald could sense this, knowing that even if he had agreed to Black Doom's name for him, it would be at the cost of Maria's feelings. He knew she worked so hard to think of one.

"Indeed. Everyone has agreed to call them Terios, because as the name states, they will be making dreams come true." Gerald explained, noticing Maria was quiet in thought. She knew it probably had something to do with their visitor insisting he leave a mark on the creation somehow, because Grandfather had promised her a name.

Well. She'd still get it.

"May I visit them tonight? We always stay up and tell stories before my birthday."

He wanted to decline, he knew she shouldn't be messing with the specimen a day before their scheduled release...and yet. She'd spent so much time with them, perhaps in doing this, everything would go smoothly tomorrow.

"Alright, but only for stories. Don't be too loud, alright?"

Maria was quick to nod in agreement, hugging him happily before making her way into the lab, over to Shadow's container. He watched her sit in her normal spot next to it, her blanket wrapped around her body in excitement. Yes, she'd be alright.

As she always did, Maria placed her hand against the glass, always feeling that it connected the two. They looked just as they did in her dream, the white in their fur had turned to an ebony hue, though when she looked close enough, there was a bit of an azure highlight, just like the cosmos around them. She barely heard the lab door close as Gerald left, opening her sketchbook and laying it over the glass.

"I drew some stargazer lillies today! They're my favorite next to azaleas. Though, I think they look rather familiar, don't you? The lily is just a bit more of a show off, but the azalea is still beautiful in its own way, it has its own purpose and...it's my favorite." She paused a moment, giggling at herself.

"I'm very opinionated sometimes."

A small beeping from the monitor emanated in response, and she looked up to it. It'd never done that before..but she'd been gone for a few days, it was probably something new grandfather had probably just forgotten to tell her.

"You know, the researchers always bring specimens from Mobius to the chaos gardens. When you're all done, maybe we could sit in there with the chao and I could teach you about all the flowers I've learned about, them we could figure out your favorite."

Another series of beeps from the machine. Were they...responding to her?

She turned back once more, taking the journal off of the pod, and setting it in her lap.

"Are you...speaking to me? One beep for yes, two for no." She inquired, scooting a bit closer to the pod. They were still seemingly unconscious but…

One beep.

"And...you can understand me?" One beep.

"Have you always been able to?" Beep. She smiled, her hand placing itself against the pod again.

"So you know who I am." A definite beep.

"Do you know who you are?" Beep Beep. No? But wouldn't they have heard grandfather?

"But you have a name. Grandfather calls you Terios." The machine seemed to groan in anger at this, they didn't seem to like that name. Oh good, she didn't agree either. Well...maybe she still had a chance.

"That's okay, I don't like it either...but, I might have a different idea...if you're okay with that." A questioning beep.

She flipped open her journal to a fresh page, before scribbling out a small drawing for them.

"I know everyone thinks Terios might fit you, because they want you to make everyone's dreams come true...but...I think Shadow fits you better. Because...I don't want to put expectations on you. I know the reason you're here is to help me, but you shouldn't feel like that's the only thing you can do. A shadow watches over the world, whatever their definition of a world may be...and they protect that world no matter what. Grandfather says you're going to live forever, but I'm sure I won't. If there's ever a day that we're apart, that shouldn't mean you've failed. That just means that it's time for you to find your new world. Because you should never stop looking." She explained, realizing she was over exaggerating her meaning.

"It might sound silly but...I think you're going to be something amazing."

One beep.

—

Maria had fallen asleep soon after midnight had struck, she'd gotten her usual birthday spiel in and Shadow has intently listened. Gerald came in to take her to bed, as per usual, but he soon returned to the lab. Today was the day.

—

Maria rubbed her eyes tiredly, not having very many odd dreams this time around. As expected, she'd ended up back in her room. What to do today, she wondered? It was her birthday, so she had to make it a bit more exciting than usual. Perhaps she could skate down the recreational hall like last year? No, that would just worry grandfather again. He'd told her not to do so without help from someone else…

Perhaps she could entice the chao to listen to her singing. They seemed to enjoy that! But...she did that regularly as well. And really the only one that never stopped singing with her was Sparkles. So maybe no on that one two.

Of course...she could always just hang out with Shadow. They could talk to her now, right? Perhaps she could spend the day with them...and maybe grandfather too! After all, it was the one day he took off.

Excitedly, she threw on her favorite blue dress which puffed out on the sleeves, and slipped on some plain white slippers. On her way out she grabbed her journal and scurried out into the hallway. It was odd though, the hallways weren't as lively as they usually were. Had everyone taken the day off today? It was a nice thought...but that didn't seem to be the case. As she walked past one of the test chambers, she watched as a researcher stumbled through, all cut up from something and complaining to another one of the crew. Strange. She wondered what they were testing…

She figured she'd pay a visit to her grandfather, seeing as he always oversaw all of the tests. Maybe he'd forgotten what day it was…? Or maybe something important came up, she understood if that was the case. Either way, she moved into the testing chamber, sneaking around researchers and walking over to where Gerald sat watching the experiment.

"Grandfather? Has something come up? What are you…" She paused, turning to see what experiment they were working on today, only to see familiar black and red quills from the other side, seemingly curled up tightly in the corner of the testing chamber.

"Maria, dear...this is Terios. We've been trying to stabilize them all day. They don't seem to want to comply." Gerald briefly explained, not sounding as angry as his words made him seem, but rather...curious.

"Whenever we try to help, they reject it. It's as if they want to be eaten up by all of that energy.." Gerald sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He thought it could be different this time. Perhaps Black Doom had lied to him. He was being used yet again.

"What if they're scared?" Gerald looked up at her words, his eyes drifting to meet hers as she watched the Mobian hybrid tuck itself into the corner of the room.

"They're lonely. And they don't know anyone else that well. Maybe if I could just-"

"No."

Maria paused, looking up to him in shock now. No? But she didn't understand...Shadow wasn't going to respond to anyone else. Clearly she needed to talk to them!

"But grandfather, I-"

"That's out of the question Maria. If it harms you, we have to shut down the project immediately." Gerald spoke in a more frantic tone now, trying to get the point across to her. This had to be perfect...they couldn't mess up now…

"Grandfather, they need me! They trust me! They wouldn't hurt me! I know they wouldn't…"

He couldn't argue with her anymore, so he simply stood his ground, and sighed.

"Maria, this project isn't finished yet. You have to leave."

She was silent now, not letting the tears welling in her eyes spill over. She wouldn't let him see that. She exhaled through her nose, before turning to go. As she did, she could hear the researchers mumbling about closing shop for the day, watching as the last scratched up subject was grabbing a new coat as they excited the chamber. And then, just as quickly, Maria turned on her heel. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but she swore in that moment, she'd never acted as quickly as she did in her life. She pushed past a researching on the way over, and slid her way in before the doors could close. They locked behind her as they would if anyone entered or exited. They were alone now, though she knew that soon, anyone who saw her would be alerting her grandfather. She couldn't hesitate.

Looking to the Mobian still tucked in the corner, she spoke.

"Shadow…?"

She watched them look up in attention. They recognized her voice. Their name. That was the one they'd agreed on. She clenched the skirt of her dress in hope, inching closer to them. They wouldn't hurt her. Friends didn't do that.

"It's okay. It's just me, Maria. I'm not supposed to be in here right now...but I saw how scared you were, and I wanted to…" to what exactly? She hadn't thought that far ahead. She could talk to them, but this was different. They were here. There was no more glass between them. Gently, she knelt down a couple feet away from them, her hands in her lap.

"I wanted to ask...if you could celebrate my birthday with me? It's okay if you don't want to, I just thought I'd ask you since you were the first person to come to mind."

They seemed to unwind a bit at her casual conversation, unfolding from the corner now and turning to face her. Just as she suspected, their eyes matched the red streaks in their quills. Their eyes were amazing…

"I'm not very exciting, but I could show you how to roller skate...and teach you about the flowers like I'd promised." She continued, inching forward as she spoke. They didn't seem to recoil at all. They wouldn't hurt her.

"What do you say, Shadow?" She finally asked, reaching a hand up now in habit, expecting to touch the glass between them, but instead...she felt quills. She barely gasped as she looked to her hand, resting just over the centered streak on their head. They were right here. No more glass.

It was the most calming touch they'd received, their curious, scarlet eyes meeting Maria's gentle, blue ones. Their ears lowered, leaning into her hand and exhaling through their nose. Gently, they nodded, earning a smile from the girl. Her other hand gently came up to cup their cheek, and they were absolutely tranquil. They stayed like that for a moment, Maria's thumb gently brushing their cheek, before the doors to the testing chamber slid open, and Gerald stood in the doorway.

"...Perhaps Shadow is a better name after all." He sighed, causing Maria to giggle softly. She knew it would stick.

"They're alright now. Can I take them around the Ark? It's their birthday too after all." Maria asked, keeping the Mobian close to her. He honestly couldn't argue with her now. She'd quite literally thrown herself into the face of danger and come out unscathed. Better even! She'd tamed potential danger within a matter of moments! Maybe...she knew better than he did. That would be going around the Colony. Gerald Robotnik, infamous professor, outwitted by his granddaughter because he'd told her no. He sighed, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"Don't wander too far. I've only given them level one clearance."

Maria grinned, turning back to Shadow with a fire in her eyes.

"Let's go have the best birthday ever~"

—

They could very well say they spent the entire day exploring what they could around the Ark. Maria was Shadow's faithful tour guide, while they silently observed. They liked to hear her talk, they felt like she'd needed someone to actually talk to for awhile, and they were very good with listening. But after traversing the many rooms, such as the chao garden, the observatory, and even, to their hesitation but Maria's excitement, the bathroom, they'd landed back in her bedroom...well, their bedroom now. Maria had insisted.

"I really don't understand how how those poor sisters can argue like that. Drizella and Anastasia are both very beautiful too. Even if they're not like Cinderella. They could just as well find princes someday as well, if that's what they decide they want." She studied the movie, turning to see that Shadow was rather engulfed in the movie themself, their tail wagged as the prince came on screen. Maria giggled, gently brushing back his quills.

"I think the prince is your favorite character. Am I correct?"

She watched as a green hue came to their cheeks, causing her to smile. She sat up now, gently taking one of their hands. They looked over now, tilting their head in question.

"I'm curious. I know you're able to understand what they're saying, but can you repeat them?" She asked, gently playing with their hand. They nodded, pointing to their mouth.

"Voice?"

Maria jumped slightly, hearing her own voice echo right back to her from their mouth. Oh...so they couldn't figure out a voice.

"That...sounded a lot like me! But...we probably shouldn't keep that. Grandfather will be very confused." She giggled, before an idea came to her mind. She sat up now, going over to the small television on her stand and pointing to the characters.

"Okay so...usually there's feminine and masculine voices. Feminine would be like...Cinderella, and masculine would be like the prince." She watched as they lit up at the mention of the prince, nodding in agreement. So, Shadow would be a boy then. She always wanted a little brother.

"Right! So...would you like me to call you a boy?" She asked, watching him shrug now in indifference. She nodded, before going over to her desk and pulling out a couple tapes.

"I may have a couple in mind, actually. I like to listen to a lot of talk shows from Mobius. These are my top three. Dirk Horton, Mason Griffin, and Daveed Mumphrey. Wanna give them a listen? Then maybe you could figure out what you like best!"

Shadow nodded, before picking up the first one, and pressing the green play button. The man speaking through it sounded a bit rough, too old for his taste. He had conviction but he wouldn't do. He shook his head, handing the tape back to her.

"Yeah, I didn't think so either. Dirk can be a bit old sounding."

Picking up the second one, he listened a bit longer. Mason seemed interesting but...a bit sad sounding at times. There were so many voices he could do but...the one he liked the most almost put him to sleep. He handed that one back to her too, another shake of the head.

"Yeah, I'm thinkin he sounds a bit too varied, huh? Well...the last one I kinda like so...maybe you will too? If it changes anything, Daveed can sing like Prince Charming. He's in this musical called Nebraska, and his singing voice is my favorite." Maria encouraged, watching Shadow click the last one before listening intently. She was right...his voice was very nice to listen to. He found himself moving to it. He'd later find out this was called 'dancing.' When the tape was over, he handed it to her, nodding in agreement.

"I like that one."

"Then it's settled! You've got your voice now." Maria chimed, setting the tapes aside and taking his hands.

"Now when you meet people, you can introduce yourself to them. I know you'll be meeting a lot of people since you're so important, so we've gotta make sure you've got it down!"

Shadow tilted his head at this, his ear flickering in question at her query.

"Introduction?"

"Well sure! For instance, I'm Maria Robotnik, I'm 11 years old today, and I hope we can be the best of friends!" She gave an example, gently shaking his hand.

"Now you try! Maybe something like my name is Shadow, I'm a hedgehog...and...Maria is my best friend!" She giggled, placing her hands on her hips now.

"Whatever you come up with will be fine, I'm sure! Don't worry about it too much for now though! It's our birthday! Which also means, it's time for cake!" She squeaked, before going back over to her desk for a moment, carefully, she set a plate with a small cupcake between them, one that she'd had delivered to her this afternoon, but thanks to them being out all day, she hadn't seen it. She stuck the candle next to it in, before looking around for a match to light it. Shadow watched as she did, looking over the side of the bed to watch her fumble around before speaking up.

"Maria?"

"It's okay! I just...usually the tip of the candle is lit, you know? Just like my other two birthdays I had. Then we make a wish and we blow it out so it gets sent out!" She explained, brushing her headband back as she felt it falling out of place. She swore it was around her somewhere…

Meanwhile, Shadow watched the candle, looking to his hands for a moment, before pinching the tip of the wick, and quickly brushing his fingers up against it, causing a small spark, and then a flame, he leaned over to tap Maria on the shoulder, pointing to the cupcake.

"I think I figured it out."

She was speechless to say the least, but she wouldn't complain, it was lit now. And they'd be able to eat soon. She then clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, motioning for him to do the same.

"Now, we make the wish! But you can't tell anyone or it won't come true!"

Well, it didn't make a lick of sense, but Shadow shrugged anyways, following her lead and closing his eyes for a moment. What would he wish for? Maybe...for Maria to be alright. He wanted to fulfill his duty to her. To be her friend and to cure her...so perhaps that. Whatever would make her smile.

"Ready to blow out the candle?" He heard her ask, opening up his eyes to see her smiling eagerly.

"Maria, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"...What would make you happy?" He asked, watching her hands unclasp, her head tilting in question. There were a lot of things that made her happy. Flowers, Chao, Mobius, her family. Shadow. But she was sure he was asking about himself. Now that he could, he had a right to be curious. Gently, she took his hands, squeezing them gently.

"I'm already happy. The day I met you, the day I made a friend...I was happy. Because I'm not alone. And I knew you wouldn't ever be either. You made me happy by listening to my stories, and answering my questions and...letting me be myself. So I want that for you. I want you to be yourself. I know you have this purpose...that's what everyone wants you to be. But I don't think that's what you should build yourself around. I think...you should love being you. Whatever you decide what that means. I mean, you've already decided a couple things! You have a voice that you like! And a favorite character! If you continue to find things like that in life, well...then I would be happy. Because you're doing what your mind is telling you to do. You're being yourself. That's what makes me happiest."

Shadow nodded, and then he leaned in

And blew out the candle.

—

"That was a bit different from the last time you told me about your birthday."

Shadow looked up from where he was twirling his fork in the melted ice cream puddle on his plate, realizing that...he had recalled the story rather differently, but...it felt right this time. Not like the last time where he'd explained it as Maria telling him what his purpose was...no. This one was right. He knew it. Picking up his plate, he carried it to the sink, washing the vanilla ice cream from it before turning to the azure hedgehog relaxing back on the couch in front of him.

"Well...I just finally remembered how it went this time. That's all. You know I'm not the best at these things. Besides, you wouldn't be able to tell me about how you fell off your bike as a kid because you were showing off and ran into a mailbox, and then tell me exactly what your siblings teased you with after it. It's just like that. A memory from a long time ago that you get wrong sometimes." Shadow defended himself, before relaxing back next to him.

Sonic simply shrugged, it wasn't like he minded. In fact, he liked hearing Shadow talk about his past, knowing that it wasn't all seriousness and sadness up there. He could have little moments like those. A small childhood. And yet…

"So….you liked Prince Charming, huh?"

"Oh don't even go there…" Shadow sighed, knowing already that Sonic was going to try and brag and tease about his princely side to him. But alas, he simply stuck his tongue out at him, that was for another time.

"Happy Birthday, Shadow. And hey, Happy Birthday to Maria too."