Peach fingers plucked randomly at the strings of an old guitar resting in his lap as he sat on top of a grassy cliff over looking the ocean, the breeze blew through his quills and he watched the waves crashing against the sand intrigued, the music and the sight helped settle his nerves of going back to his own birthday party. Sonic smiled fondly when his fingers began to play an off-key song he once played with Manic and Sonia when they were just learning how to play instruments at school. It had been years since he actually played anything which resulted in him playing the wrong notes resulting in a high pitched squeak from the olden strings.

"I can't do this all alone...even though I am strong~" He began to sing quietly, voice starting to match the beat and tune of his aged guitar he found weeks ago. "Need something more than me, someone to push me to victory!" He opened his mouth to continue but he almost froze when he could hear two whispers oh so familiar singing with him. Emerald hues flickered around him, long grass slanted by the gentle winds moved and Sonic waited, almost expecting to hear the voices sing again.

They didn't.

He sighed, speaking to himself to help him feel less lonely, "Probably just getting lost in the memories huh." Sonic quelled his guitar from making any more noise by pressing his fingers down onto the strings, leaving an imprint of lines on the tips of them. His ears pinned down as he sighed heavily, eyes downcast with forlorn and misery aching in his chest. Another year has gone by fast, faster than he could run, without his remaining biological family. How he longs to hear the laughter of his brother, the scolding demanding voice from his sister. His past...it has haunted him for years and it grows stronger around the special days or even just regular days. Like holidays, lazy days, exciting days...

'Birthdays...'

He finished mentally, he outwardly flinched. Perhaps, it was time to get back. Standing up Sonic lifted the guitar up around by it's neck and he was gone, leaving a trail of flying dust and a blue blur.

Sonic couldn't contain the excitement off of his face, his grin stretched wide and his eyes sparkled brightly like the master emerald. His fingers practically twitched as it itched to open up the gifts that were laid out in front of him in a large pile of colorfully wrapped presents that reached up to his knees.

"You guys are the greatest!" Sonic gleefully said, tail wagging much to the amusement or bemusement of his friends. "You threw me a surprise party and you got me gifts? What did I do to deserve such awesome friends?" The blue blur didn't notice how uncomfortable his statement had made the room's occupants become.

"Before you open up your presents Sonic." Tails started, his voice almost solemn. "How about we talk about you...er- you know get to know you before we met you." He meekly finished. Had Sonic not been so full of excitement he would've picked up on the tension hanging thick in the air that seemed to cling onto everybody but him. As fast as Sonic may be, he wasn't fast enough to return from his run as not soon after he left his absence was quickly noticed. Perhaps nobody would've noticed if Eggman didn't decide to send a 'present' to Sonic that everybody heard.

"Uh sure thing buddy. My past isn't anything big or crazy but if you really wanna know, ask away." Sonic lied, his voice cheery and upbeat, he knew his past was anything but normal. But for the sake of his friends and himself he would erase his old past and replace it with a simple one where he was never human. Never experimented upon. Never here. And never Maurice.

"Right-" Tails replied, the fox timidly looked around the room, meeting the eyes of nearly every occupant before his sky blue eyes fell back onto Sonic's form once again. "-Who is Maurice?"

The color drained from Sonic's face, ever so slightly did his eyes widen, and his breath hitched as his voice rose almost an octave higher than normal. "W-what? Who's t-that?" The former human suddenly became aware of all the focus was being fixated on him which left him terrified. How did Tails know about that name? Why does he want to know? Is his cover blown? Sonic felt as if his world was slowly crumbling down at his feet just as he did when he was Maurice. He refused to acknowledge the stares burning into him from everybody. Licking his lips, Sonic took a silent deep breath to calm himself down as he awaited Tails' answer. Only Tails wasn't the one to answer this time.

"Eggman sent out a... voice message. He claimed it was a present for you. We all heard it." Knuckles spoke up, the echidna narrowed his eyes at Sonic who outwardly remained as calmly collected as can be, he tried awkwardly to maintain a curious expression and body language. "Tails. Play the message back again." Knuckles ordered. The boy jerkily nodded and obeyed, his hand reached over to his other arm's wrist where a communicator watch rested, pressed a few buttons and soon there was a crackle of static and the ever annoying bane of his existence began to speak.

"Ah. Happy birthday rodent. Surprised you made it another year. I've decided to leave you a present for you and all of your animal freak friends. A gift of the truth of who you truly are. Where ever shall I start? Oh ho ho! I know! Let's start with your name. Sonic is quite a different name from Maurice. What else are you hiding from your friends? Maybe you should tell them where you're from and what you are. No don't bother I'll just do it myself. How is it being a hedgehog? Must be a big change to hide, human to hedgehog. Earth To Mobius... Oh ho ho! That's it vermin, that's your gift. Happy birthday Maurice!"

"Pfft. You're all seriously getting worked up by Egghead? Notorious liar and manipulator?" Sonic laughed after Eggman's ugly voice stopped cackling, the laughter almost echoed in the silence and he stopped, looking around at all his friends waiting for a reaction. He met the eyes of his friends, most would turn their head away and a few would stare heatedly at him. "Seriously guys? This is a party not a funeral!"

"Yet you continue to evade." Shadow's deep monotonous voice added, Sonic tilted his head and took a glance to said ebony hedgehog.

"Alright." Sonic said, dropping his hands at his sides to signal his surrender. "I'm pretty sure Maurice is the name of some kid I saved back in Green Hill not too long ago." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know." Unintentionally Sonic found himself tapping his foot rapidly, his shiny red and white streaked shoes tapping on the ground.

"Is Maurice your name?" Tails tentatively asked, the kitsune stared worriedly and lost towards the former human now hedgehog. "I'm sure we'll all drop this if you just-" Tails rubbed his head and fidgeted with his communicator aimlessly. "-Tell more about you, there's plenty of things that we don't know about you. And it seems like Eggman knows more about you than us."

"..." It was a rare moment where Sonic couldn't find any words to speak, where he hadn't been able to come up with anything to say as a response. "'Course not. My name is Sonic not whatever that name is."

"Maurice." Knuckles emphasized and Sonic did his best to not flinch. It was scary how close Knuckles voice matched Sonia's, that Sonic almost reacted to the name.

"Nope. Look guys, this party is great and awesome, but you're killing the mood." Sonic sighed, "You're all really going to let that Egghead get to you?"

"Well...yes and no." Said Amy, some eyes went to look at the pink hedgehog while others remained watchful of the enigma Sonic. "See it this way, we'll never trust what Eggman has to say. But it made us think, we...don't really know who you are-"

"I'm Sonic the hedgehog. Why are you making a big deal out of this? Of course you all know me. I've been your friend for years!"

"-Please let me finish Sonic." Amy said exasperated, throwing her hands to acknowledge the crowd of friends. "-I'm rephrasing okay, Eggman made us all think that we don't know who you were in the past. Before we met you. You just...appeared here...like magic almost." 'Like Eggman was telling some truths, and that Sonic was actually brought here instead of born.' This wasn't said, but it didn't need to be. It was like a silent, nonverbal agreement amongst the people.

Sonic turned around so nobody could see the contorted look of pain on his face, his muzzle flamed red with embarrassment and anger. How dare Eggman reveal things that were definitely best unsaid. Things that should've have been a secret! The former human wanted to deny more, but inside his heart hidden down to where he pushed his sorrows, the grief he felt. But no matter what, nothing can be a secret forever.

A gentle hand lightly gripped Sonic's shoulder, his body tensed up when a shock of fear stabbed his chest. The hand was pulled away when Sonic's quills instinctively stood up, they were deadly sharp that they cut cut through the toughest of metals with ease.

Spinning around, preparing himself to argue some more Sonic's emerald eyes narrowed into a glare, but his expression had faltered when he saw the scared look on his brothers face. Tails stood in front of him, nearly stumbling over his own feet as he took two step backwards.

"I-I'm sorry Tails..." Sonic apologized, "You scared me." Tails shakily nodded. Tails stood up straighter and pretended he wasn't that scared but Sonic couldn't unsee just how...terrified the kitsune looked...because of him. He didn't expect his little brother to approach him, and now he would continue to see the fear in Tails eyes like an imprinted memory. Balling his hands up into fists, Sonic avoided the boy's gaze, he refused to look anybody in the eyes as he open his mouth, "I'll admit...I've got some secrets I shouldn't be keeping. I-if you give me the chance...to explain before you judge me...I'll tell you."