(Sonic is property of SEGA and Sonic Team.)

Sorry I haven't been updating a lot but my real life is so messed up right now, it's just… ugh! Sometimes it seems like being Maria would be so much easier. Someone who loves me and is prepared to defend me from anything. Sometimes… but then, if I were Maria, I wouldn't have my life, my good times, I guess… Maria is best left to the dreams. Anyhoo, on a different note, today I got a sugar high and my teeth were chattering. My friends would say, bubble gum, what, and I'll give her time to relax, just before I'd go into a crazy laughing fit, after it was over… I had a smartie. Yeah, I make a whole lot of sense.

Maria's POV

"Shut up!"

I heard Shadow scream.

"Ugh, that little… if he lays a hand on my brother…"

I turned around and headed straight for the base again.

"Maria! Don't… ugh! You're so stubborn!"

Breeze shouted and ran after me.

I flew down the blood stained halls.

"You heard me! Home wrecker! If not for you, I'd be at home, rich, living it up with my sister!"

Sonic hollered.

"Maybe Maria doesn't want the cushy life…"

Sonic interrupted him.

"Why would you care! You never cared about Maria! You never cared about anybody!"

"That's not TRUE! I lo…"

I jumped down several flights of stairs to find Shadow strangling Sonic in the dungeon.

"SHADOW!"

His hold on my brother tightened.

"LET GO OF HIM!"

"why…"

Shadow said softly.

"HE'S MY BROTHER!"

Tears ran down my face.

"Maria…"

Breeze had never seen me so protective of Sonic.

"He's a liar…"

Shadow hissed.

"UGH! WHY!"

At this point I didn't even know what I was saying anymore.

"Maria!"

Breeze tried to grab my arm as I charged toward Shadow.

He whipped around and caught me by the throat.

"Why don't you just die and leave me ALONE!"

He growled.

"Shadow…"

'This couldn't be him… I just know it… but why had he earlier… why…'

"DIE MARIA…"

Shadow stopped and dropped me.

He jumped back a few feet and stared at his hands.

"Maria… Hedgehog… but…"

Shadow continued to ramble.

I was so confused.

"Shadow… you… you LITTLE! I don't care who you are! You'll pay for even touching my brother!"

I ran at him.

He looked up at me mournfully.

"Maria…"

He said again.

"Ultima…"

He looked back at his hands.

"Maria WHAT?"

Breeze and I said in unison.

"Those little…"

Shadow ran past us, up the stairs and started shouting cuss words right and left.

"What'd he call me?"

I asked quietly.

"I was pretty sure he called you Maria Ultima."

Jwan walked over to me slowly.

I shook my head.

'Yeah, that's definitely not Shadow… But that look, like he was actually sorry… it looked so sincere but it couldn't possibly…'

"Ugh. If that is…"

I told myself and grabbed Breeze by the wrist and ran up the stairs to make it off this crazy planet and back to the Dawgz Team. For once they seemed a little bit more comfortable.

'Wait a second… WHERE'S OGWA!'

"Ogwa!"

I said and stopped suddenly.

"I was wondering when you'd miss me. I wasn't stupid enough to go inside. I was the only one smart enough to stay behind to make sure another alien army didn't come after you!"

"You stayed behind cuz you were scared, didn't you?"

I countered.

"I did NOT! Now come on! Let's get back home!"

She pressed a button on her shoulder and a faint noise came from it.

In no time the ship landed and Breeze, Ogwa, and I boarded.

"This planet is incredibly mixed up; let's get out of here before I get a head ache."

I told Roxxi and we left as soon as possible.

Jwan's POV

"Maria's not comin' back is she?"

I asked Tikal.

"Nope."

She replied.

"Sometimes…"

I sighed and tossed a coin up in the air and caught it.

"Hey, something to do!"

Tikal was almost hypnotized by my coin.

"Lemme have it!"

"No! My coin!"

I hollered and ran off.

"I'm bored."

Sonic growled.

"Wanna jump off the roof and see who falls fastest?"

Knux asked.

"Sure!"

We all stood outside to watch.

Sonic jumped off.

"Idiot."

Knux laughed and walked away.

"Jerk!"

Sonic mumbled through concrete.

"Hey Sonic, I'm sorry. Hey! I have a good idea! Let's go see if we can fly!"

Knux said picking Sonic up.

"Okay, but you jump off first."

Sonic murmured.

Knux went back and jumped off.

He glided perfectly and landed safely.

"Hey! Cool! Lemme try!"

Sonic jumped off and almost like a bull's-eye, landed in the same exact spot.

Knux laughed so hard I thought he'd get a hernia.

"Sonic, have you ever tried paddle ball with the paddle faced towards you?"

Tikal asked.

"No, I haven't! I should though!"

Sonic, somehow, went and go a paddle ball and, immediately, smacked himself in the eye with the ball.

"You, guys, that's not nice."

I told the pair of laughing echidnas.

Despite the fact he just got hit in the eye Sonic kept trying to paddle.

"1… ouch… 2… ouch…3…ouch"

I started to laugh a bit myself.

I took the paddle form sonic.

"Besides, Sonic, wouldn't it be much more fun to go chasing cars and grabbing the mufflers?"

I asked him.

"You're right!"

Sonic ran off.

A few seconds later I heard…

"OUCH!"

From down the street.

I just about died laughing.

He came back a little later.

"Mufflers give my hands boo boos."

He sniffed.

"Ooh! I have the perfect remedy for that!"

Haley piped up.

"Stick them in a tank full of water and aggravated lobsters!"

"All right."

Sonic shrugged and walked off.

"YOUCH! Why you lobsters be mean to Sonic! Sonic nice! Sonic save you lives!"

We roared with laughter.

"Hey Sonic! While you're at it, why doncha go stick yer finger in an outlet?"

Cream screamed.

"Dang it! What's these thing's problems! They got anger management issues! You jerks! Get lives!"

Sonic yelled at the wall.

Maria's POV

The TV that never shuts off was… guess what… on.

And so, Carlos was watching the news, which sorta freaked me out a bit.

"We're live at Shadow the ruler's base with Sonic Hedgehog!"

The TV boomed.

"With who!"

I ran into the living room and stared, stunned, at the television.

"Sonic, tell us, how did you become hospitalized?"

The reporter asked.

"Shadow…"

I growled.

"Well, first off I jumped off the roof to see how fast I'd fall, then I decided to see if I could fly… I couldn't. After that I tried to use the paddle ball backwards. Then I went and chased cars, when I caught up with them I'd grab the mufflers, but the mufflers burnt me. Haley suggested I soak my hands in a tank of water filled with lobsters, but the lobsters didn't like me, so I stuck my finger in an outlet…"

Sonic concluded.

"Oh, Sonic, I knew you were stupid, but this…"

I moaned.

"Oh no!"

Shadow ran into Sonic's hospital room.

"Ugh! Those stupid! Sonic, you… at least you're not dead… My idiotic servants did this."

Shadow turned to the camera.

"He's not really this stupid. Oh yeah, he's stupid, but not this stupid."

He said.

"Duh… thanks!"

Sonic said from behind him.

"Oh… He'll be okay in a few hours. You guys! Why'd you tell him to do all that stuff!"

The camera turned towards the Sonic Team.

They all started laughing.

"Did you see him jump off the roof?"

Jwan giggled.

"Did you see him do the second time?"

Tikal followed.

Shadow looked back at Sonic for a moment.

"You'd better have taped that for me."

He whispered to Knux as he walked away.

"Shadow… is that really you?"

I asked the air.