The van was stopped for the night, the residents within it sleeping soundly.
Well, most of them.
Manic lay with his arms behind his head on the roof of the vehicle. His golden eyes reflected the twinkling beauty of the stars he watched above. They had stopped to rest in a nice place this time. A small forest gathered around them, with a sparkling lake rippling only meters from the van. The gentle sounds of the soft breeze brushing the leaves of the trees were soothing to Manic's ears. Woodland creatures could be heard calling to each other or scrabbling quietly at the forest floor. Manic closed his eyes and indulged in the natural calm of the night.
Places like this were so endangered now they might as well be practically extinct. Manic silently cursed Robotnik for tearing up such tranquil beauty, and re-established his vow to stop him some day.
'With Mom...' he thought, opening his eyes again.
Manic had always had mixed feelings about reuniting with Queen Aleena. On the one hand, it would re-join his family and give him and his siblings a purpose and a sense of love and belonging, as well as bring the downfall of Robotnik. On the other hand however, it brought about the end of their journey and the start of his new life of royalty and left him with the awkward question of whether he was comfortable with, or even really trusted, his mother at all.
Sure he missed her just as much as his siblings did—perhaps even more so considering the circumstances he was left in—but Manic had always wondered; why? Why did she have to split up from them? Why did she have to hide herself from them? Why did she always cover her face? And rarely speak? What reason could she possibly supply to answer these questions satisfactorily? Manic shifted onto his side as the biggest question of all re-emerged to the top of his mind for not the first time: Why Abandon Him?
Okay, so she kind of abandoned them all; but she really, really abandoned him. Like, he grew up in a thieves' guild! He hadn't been left with a loving couple like Sonic, or with a plentiful mistress like Sonia. He had been left on the side of the street, crying, alone, until a thief of all things had found and picked him up.
That's what Ferrell said anyway.
Manic sometimes wondered if his mother had wanted him to die that night. Or, if not that, then grow up under circumstances so low, he could never be considered a prince even remotely related to her. Tears came to Manic's eyes at that thought. As recurrent a thought as it was, it still affected him. He sometimes felt as though Queen Aleena did not want him; that she did not like him as much as Sonic and Sonia.
That she didn't love him.
Of course, these thoughts were completely his own. Manic wouldn't even dream about voicing them to his sibs. He knew what they would say.
"Of course she loves you, don't be silly!"
"She probably has a really good explanation for what happened..."
Manic sighed and closed his eyes again for the last time. Guess he'd find out when they found her.
If that ever happened...