I don't own these characters, Sega does. Based on "Unfelt" by Crystal and Krystal. Thanks again Crystal and Krystal for letting exploit this story. Just so you know these are one of two fics that has theories of Sonic's mysterious past, the first being Zero to Hero.

Princess Elise took in a deep breath, inhaling the damp, night air. It was an hour since the Soleanna Festival ended. She wanted to go to her favorite spot, where he could think without being interrupted, where she dreamed of her father.

The red head princess looked above her as she walked. The stars were out tonight. It always made her feel better seeing the stars. She had no idea why, though. Maybe it was just because they gave her a sense of someone there with her, a sense of not being alone.

Elise looked ahead at her special place, and immediately froze. Someone else was there. Because of the dim light, she couldn't exactly see who it was. But she could make out the outlines of the sitting figure, and who she found shocked her.

It was Sonic.

Yes, she still remembers Sonic and she's pretty sure he still remembers her. Even though it seemed that the Flames of Disaster never happened, they're the only one's who remembered the whole thing. But what was Sonic doing here? The girl looked at Sonic, and saw his mouth moving. Another question entered Elise's mind: 'what was Sonic saying?'

Quietly, Elise walked up to Sonic, hoping she could hear without being noticed. Finally, she got to a range where she could. Her ears picked up everything.

"…and then we'll be together again, right?" She heard Sonic sigh, and saw him pick at the grass below. "No…we couldn't…we were to live in different worlds…" Another sigh. "…and I couldn't let my friends down. I couldn't let Earth down…I had to stay…" A sniff. "'Cause after all…it was my fault…"

'Gee, he sounds really sad. But what was his fault?'

Another sniff. She saw Sonic wipe his hand underneath his nose. "Now is not the time to cry, Sonic!" she heard him scold himself. "Besides…Shadow's had a worst past, hasn't he? And he doesn't cry! Why should you?" Sonic sighed and looked down. The blue hedgehog wrapped his arms around his already pulled-up-to-his-chest-legs, and started to rock back and forth.

Sonic sighed. "I miss you all…I wish you were here…"

Elise was confused. Who was Sonic talking to?

Suddenly, Sonic looked around, eyes wide. Seemingly content, he relaxed. Elise waited for a few minutes, seeing if Sonic would do anything, but no. Finally, the blue hedgehog stood up, ready to leave. When he turned around, his eyes went wide.

"Elise! What are-" the blue hedgehog stopped. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that something's wrong," Elise held her hand to her chest.

"Something's wrong? Eh heh…nothing's wrong! I'm just…tired! That's all."

"Sonic…"

Sonic sighed. "What?"

"Don't give me that look. It's not going to slip past me."

Sonic didn't answer. He kept tapping his foot. After a while, he asked, "Can I go now?"

"No. You're going to answer some of my questions first."

Sonic sighed. "Do I HAVE to?"

"Yep."

Defeated, he followed the girl as she sat down in her favorite spot. Sonic sat down as well.

"Okay, first of all, who were you talking to?"

Sonic's eyes went wide and his arms dropped from their position. "You heard me!"

"I thought we already knew that."

Sonic looked down. Elise tried again. "So who were you talking to?"

"Someone," was the quiet response. "Can I go?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Come on, Sonic. You're making this harder than it should be!"

No response. The blue hedgehog kept his green eyes fixed on the grass below.

"Who were you talking to?" Elise asked again.

"I already answered that. Someone," Sonic answered.

"Why won't you just tell me?"

"Because I don't want to!" Sonic answered, looking up.

"And why not?"

"Because I miss them too much!"

Sonic covered his mouth. Finally, he looked away shamefully. Elise didn't understand. Why was it such a bad thing to miss someone? Gently, she wrapped her gloved arm around the blue hedgehog's shoulders. Sonic kept his head down, but looked up with her eyes.

"I miss someone too, Sonic. You should know that. I know how it feels to miss someone dearly, but we have to move on." Sonic tried to hide his smile. "Would it make you feel better if I told you about me dad first?"

Sonic brought his head up, surprised. "You'd…tell me about your dad?"

Elise nodded.

Sonic thought for a moment. Then, he nodded. "I have a question: how was your dad like?"

Elise was taken aback by Sonic's question. "Well…" she began. "I never thought of it that way, but, he was almost like a brother." A sad smile appeared on her face. "The best brother anyone could ever have…"

Elise turned to the blue hedgehog and began her tale.

"My father was the kindest person I ever knew. He was always caring and generous, always willing to think of others before herself. My dad took care of me well. He was also the best storyteller I ever knew. He read the stories with such excitement and enthusiasm, and even made his voice change for the different people. Sometimes, he over-exaggerated the voices, and it made it all the more fun. But in her eyes, you could tell he was even having more fun than I. That was his joy."

Silence lasted a moment, and finally Sonic stood up. "Well…it's been nice talking to ya, Elise. I'm gonna go—WAH!"

Elise quickly grabbed one of his quills and pulled him back.

"Don't think you can getaway THAT easily. We had a deal, remember?"

"Fine…I'll tell…"

Elise seemed satisfied, and Sonic explained. "The person who I was talking to was my sibs—"

"Whoa, wait, you have brothers and sisters?" Elise asked, surprised.

Sonic nodded. "I'm actually a triplet. My brother and sister are also apart of it."

Elise's eyebrows rose. 'Wow. That isn't something you hear everyday.'

"What were their names?" She asked.

"Manic and Sonia," Sonic answered.

"Where are they now?"

No answer. Then, it struck Elise. "…and then we'll be together again, right? No…we couldn't…we were to live in different worlds…"

"They live somewhere else…?"

Sonic nodded.

"Where?"

The blue hedgehog sighed. "Back on Mobius, our home planet."

"Why?"

"They're royalty."

Elise was taken aback. "They're WHAT?"

"Royalty. They are now officially King and Queen of Mobius. They rule the throne together—just like the prophecy," Sonic informed.

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Elise asked. "And, if you are their triplet, then why aren't you-" Another remembrance. "…and I couldn't let my friends down. I couldn't let Earth down…I had to stay…"

"Ruling with them?" Sonic answered. He shook his head. "I'll get to that later—that is, if you want me to tell you—but as for the prophecy, there was an ancient prophecy about the Council of Four and about how three descendants of Queen Aleena must take the throne. The catch was: we couldn't see our mother or else the prophecy would be ruined. We were to meet at the desired time…"

"Well…then what did your mother do with you three?"

"She separated us. Sent us away. Sonia was sent to an Aristocratic family, where she learned to play the piano very well. Manic was actually kidnapped from the family he was supposed to be with by thieves. He grew up with them, and learned of their sly ways. As for me…I was sent to a foster home that burnt down when I was three," Sonic explained.

"Where did you go after the foster home?"

"I ran to my Uncle Chuck and lived with him," Sonic answered.

"So let me get this straight: you're Prince Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Sonic thought a minute. "Well…not really. I'm royalty, yes, so I guess you could say I'm a king, but not really…"

Elise's eyes went wide. Sonic… royalty? She never thought of Sonic to be the royal type, than again no one else did. Was that why he left them? "'Cause after all…it was my fault…" No, there was a different reason. He left because something was his fault.

A thought struck Elise. "Sonic…how did you meet Eggman?"

Sonic looked at Elise, eyes wide. Then, he looked away.

"I don't want to talk about it… haven't I said enough?"

"Well, at least tell me how you met Eggman and the rest of your past."

Sonic sighed. "Okay…well, before I begin, there's something you must know. Before I was 7, I was living with Uncle Chuck, I started to enjoy running. I always wanted to be faster than I was, but I had a limit. One day, while out running, I accidentally fell into this giant hole. I don't remember much, because my head hit a rock while falling down. When I woke up, I found myself in an underground base. I was lying down in a comfortable bed, but I was scared. I had no idea where I was! But then, someone came towards me. He told me that he found me unconscious, and was worried because I had a big gash on the side of my head. He had taken care of me until I woke up. He was a kind man…slim, orange mustache, and these big spectacles that looked like he had tortoise eyes."

Elise giggled. Sonic saw this. "What? That's what I thought of them when I was 5!" He paused to let the princess calm down, and then continued. "We talked a while, and finally I made friends with him. His name was Dr. Ovi Kintobor…"

Elise blinked. That name sounded familiar…

"…He was really nice, and really funny. But he told me that he changed his last name because his relatives were known for their great scientific discoveries. He wanted to make a legacy of his own. To tell the truth, I kinda acknowledged him that he had such a big dream. Anyway, back to his kindness…He even helped me find my way back to Uncle Chuck's house! From then on, every day I'd come to his underground laboratory and he'd let me use his treadmill that he made so then I could run faster. One day, though, I started to run so fast, I broke it. Ovi Kintobor was amazed, and told me that maybe I could help him with something. I quickly said yes, and waited what he would tell me. He showed me a giant computer. And I mean, GIANT! He told me that he was making an invention to get rid of all the evil on Mobius. But, the only way to make it work was with the seven Time Stones. They're like Chaos Emeralds but a lot weaker. I agreed, and every day from then on, would go out to find a Time Stone. On my way back from finding the sixth Time Stone, something happened that never happened before…"

"I can't wait until Ovi sees I found the sixth one! Now all I have to do is find one more, and then no more bad guys!" a 7-year-old Sonic smiled.

"I didn't realize how fast I was going. I was too caught up in what Ovi would say that I didn't see what was going to happen in less than 10 seconds. Suddenly, I felt a slight tug that was pulling me back, but instead, I pushed forward, not understanding what was going on. And then…"

BOOM!

"For the first time in my life, I broke the sound barrier. I can remember how scared I was and how badly my ears hurt from it. Luckily, Ovi's laboratory was close, and he heard the boom. He came running out to see what happened, and then, he saw me…"

"S…S…Sonic?" The professor questioned his eyes wide.

"Oh, Ovi! I don't know what happened! All that I did was run, and then I felt something pull me, and then a heard a big BOOM and then…"

"All Ovi did was laugh at my confusion. Finally, he explained to me that I had broken the sound barrier."

"…what's a sound barrier?" Sonic asked.

"Well…you wouldn't understand. Now, why don't you go inside and wash yourself. I'll go put the Time Stone in place," Ovi responded, gently taking the green Time Stone.

"Okay!"

"The next day, Ovi invited me over for cookies. I wanted to help cook, and he let me. While he wandered off to get an egg, I went to go and check to make sure the inventions were going to be okay. But what I saw with Ovi's greatest invention scared me."

"OVI! OVI!" Sonic cried, running to the doctor now holding a rotten looking egg. The young blue hedgehog pulled at his sleeve.

"What is it, Sonic?" Ovi asked kindly.

"Your machine! Something's wrong with it!"

"Ovi and I ran to the giant computer. Its screen was blinking red and it was making a weird alarm sound. I glanced at the doctor. In his eyes I could see that he was sad. All that work for nothing…well, not with me around! I couldn't stand seeing my friend's great invention go to waste, so I immediately ran towards it, in hope that I could fix it."

"NO, SONIC! STOP!" Ovi called.

"I couldn't hear him; I was too busy wanting to help him. Suddenly, I somehow tripped, pulling a cord out of its place."

"SONIC! ARE YOU O-" the doctor didn't finish his statement as the alarm got louder.

"I was too scared to move, so I laid there in fear. What did I do? Ovi ran towards the computer, but tripped on something also. Instinctively, he reached out for something, and his hand slammed down in the controls. All I heard was my screaming and a big explosion-like sound. Smoke filled the room."

Sonic stood up, coughing. "Ovi! –cough- Where are you? –cough- -cough-"

"Nothing could prepare me for what happened next."

"I'm right here, Sonic."

"Scared, I turned around. That didn't sound like Ovi! It was way too sinister and low to be my friend."

"…Ovi?" 7-year-old Sonic called, taking a step back.

"From the smoke appeared a sight that made my blood run cold. My friend, Ovi was standing there. Although, I wasn't so sure he WAS my friend. Instead of his slim self, he was big, round, and shaped like an oval—just like the egg he had been carrying. But his grin was what made me scared. He smiled so evilly and menacing."

"No…I'm not Ovi, anymore…" he laughed evilly. "I'm a new person, thanks to you, my friend."

Sonic took a step back in fear. "Wha-what do you mean?"

The now oval-shaped man took a deep breath. "I've thought about it, Sonic. And well…maybe I SHOULD keep my last name the same as it was…"

"Oh…o-okay…" little Sonic stuttered.

The doctor looked him straight in the eye and said, "My name is now Ivo-"

"—ROBOTNIK!" Elise gasped. "I knew it! No wonder Kintobor sounded so familiar!"

"Yeah," Sonic added glumly. "But there's more to the story than that…"

The new man smiled that evil smile again. "Sonic…I have to thank you…"

Sonic blinked a couple times. "Really?"

Ivo nodded. "Yes. I have to thank you for RUINING MY LIFE!"

"I coward back, but he stepped forward, menacingly."

"You ruined my machine by tripping over some cord, you klutz! You were the one I tripped over that made me become this! And most of all… YOU FILLED ME WITH EVIL!"

"…He said what?" Elise asked.

"He said that I was the one who made him become evil—and he was right. I was scared to death, and started to run off, but all I heard behind me was his evil laughter echoing through my mind...but nothing prepared me for when I got home…"

"When I arrived there, I stopped. Uncle Chuck's house was on fire!"

"UNCLE CHUCK!" Sonic screamed.

"You'll never find him in there!"

"I turned around to see my ex-friend in a hover craft of some sort. There in the seat beside him was my Uncle Chuck, tied and gagged. I was too hurt to speak, but Ivo laughed at my sadness."

"Now I can get payback at you for doing this to me! Now you shall feel pain as I feel now!" with that, he started to float away.

"NO! UNCLE CHUCK!" Sonic screamed.

"I tried to chase them, but the sadness in my heart was like a great weight, and I found myself on my knees, wondering what I had done…"

"…when I went to rescue him, I found out he had been robotized, such as many other innocent Mobians. I learned by spying on him that he wanted to take over the world. But that didn't hurt as much as the thought that I was the cause of all that havoc…" Sonic's voice started to break, but then he regained control and continued telling the story. "Soon, I was found and taken in by two elderly women who were trying to get as many children as they could to safety. I told no one about my past, and hid it with my laid-back attitude. I was thankful I had my own hut, because at night, I would cry myself to sleep. That is, for a while. Then, I met Tails, and we shared a hut together and became best friends. I told him everything, as he did to me. What brought us together were our similarities. Both of us didn't know our parents, while everyone else had known them… but were taken by Robotnik. Finally, we all came together, all us children, and formed a group with a dream. A dream to overthrow Robotnik's plan and make sure Mobius was a free planet. At that time, the Acorns were royalty. They had made an oath that if the descendants of Queen Aleena rise to take the throne, they would not stand in their way. Anyway, we called ourselves the Freedom Fighters. From then on, at night, we would sneak out and raid Robotnik's facilities, causing damage to delay his plans. After a while, when the two elderly women found out, they let us do so. Tails' knowledge of mechanics and hacking skills helped us out big time. But when I was 13, I met my two twins: Sonia and Manic. When we learned of the prophecy, I was forced to abandon the Freedom Fighters and join my sibs to go and find our mother. We knew that if we found her, the Council of Four would be complete and Robotnik would be overthrown. Finally, that day came and not only had we found our mother but I also met my old friends again and we all ready to overthrow Robotnik once and for all. Unfortunately, Robotnik was aware that his days were numbered, so he devise a machine so deadly, it could destroy an entire world. But instead, it acted like a Chaos Control machine and it sent me, Tails and Robotnik to Earth, where we are now."

Elise stared dumbfounded.

"Well?"

"How can you remember that?"

"You kinda do if it haunts you all night."

Elise gave a short laugh. "Sorry about that."

Silence lasted between the two.

"…and then we'll be together again, right? No…we couldn't…we were to live in different worlds…and I couldn't let my friends down. I couldn't let Earth down…I had to stay…'Cause after all…it was my fault…" Now Elise understood everything. Sonic must've had a second chance to go back to Mobius and rule with his twins…but no, he couldn't. Eggman was still around, and he couldn't leave him here to wreak havoc… especially since it was his fault. So he had to be left behind.

"Sonic?" Elise began. She took a deep breath. "I know what it's like to believe that everything is your fault…I did when the Ibils fused inside me and my father warned me not to ever cry in his dying breaths. And when Mephiles killed you and I mourned over your death, causing Ibils' seal to be broken. It does seem like a great burden… but, you have to look at the results because of it."

"What results?" Sonic asked. "All the results I see are people being thrown out of their homes because of Eggman, and Eggman evil because of me."

Elise shook her head. "Sonic, think about the great friends you made because of it. If you hadn't made Eggman evil enough to make people on Mobius robotized, then you wouldn't have met Tails. Think about it. If you hadn't done everything that you did, you would have never even met me!"

Sonic thought a moment. "Yeah, and life would be boring!" he added with a smirk.

"Yeah! See?" Elise exclaimed. "Because of what you've done, you've met fantastic people, and, in a way, made Eggman's wish come true."

"How?"

"You know how he wanted to make a legacy of his own? Well… I think he got himself a place in history, right!"

Sonic laughed, and Elise smiled. It was good to see the blue legendary hero back to his cheery self again.

"All right, that's enough for tonight. We'd better turn in—it's getting late," Elise said.

Sonic nodded, standing up alongside the princess. As the two began their walk home in silence, neither of them realized they were thinking about each other's past.

"Hey, Elise?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…for understanding."

Elise smiled. "No problem."