NOTE: Mighty's background is a combination of the Archie and Fleetway comics. I actually found it a bit more intriguing and amusing that he'd have a loopy father, as compared to one who was a thief in the Archie storyline ^_^

There is a brief reference to events in "Like/Unlike," which takes place several years before this story.

This is also borrows from the backstory of the canceled game, Sonic X-treme, in that Earth and Mobius are two separate worlds.

. . .

Matilda stood, watching lulling waves of the glistening ocean while standing on Kuta Island. It was late morning, and she breathed in the raw, crisp scent wafting on the shores, a hint of a flowery fragrance mixed in.

This…this is so much like home…

It was her first time here on Earth – which should have felt strange to her, being literally an alien and all – yet somehow, it wasn't. She had no trouble breathing, so it was abundantly clear this world was oxygen-based and the gravity nearly the same.

The sky had a more singular dark bluish hue, compared to the vibrant blue-green one on Mobius. The sea life was hauntingly familiar. It's no wonder this world's anthromorporphic animals found her home planet attractive, and often came in droves to settle down on.

Her late grandmother had fell in love with Earth names, after exposure to the immigrant colonies scattered all over Mobius spanning 100 years. She had named her son Bill, and he in turn named his daughter Matilda. It meant 'mighty in battle' in the archaic German language.

Well, she supposed she was resilient in her own way, having endured a dark and unnatural existence under the Eggman Empire. Her family didn't have Earth origins, but they had always been fascinated with foreign cultures coming to their planet.

She also knew this was the homeworld of Shadow, the Ultimate Lifeform and Rouge The Bat, as well as the D'Coolette and Rabbot families. Unfortunately, this was also where the vile and nefarious Eggman had originated from.

She glanced up at her brother, who was resting in a hammock secured between two palm trees.

"Mighty?"

The titular armadillo's eyes snapped open. "Yes?"

"Can we walk to other side of the cove? I'd like to explore the sea life down there."

Now Mighty sat up, one leg swinging down his makeshift bed. "Sure."

"If you're done resting, that is."

"Eh, why not? Let's go!" he hopped out, grabbing a satchel filled with water bottles and several beachcomber items.

Matilda wondered how he could have so much enthusiasm for a task simple as searching for some kelp or couple of quartz rocks. She was getting accustomed to being normal again, and often found it difficult to coax her emotions to the surface. They were still criminally suppressed, after spending three-fourths of her life as a Robian.

In comparison, Mobians who had spent a short amount of time roboticized had no trouble returning to normal. Their previous personalities came back, and so did their emotions. Love, hate, anger, joy.

Or full-grown adults who were turned into robots but later freed from their mechanical prison also returned to normal, regardless of how much time had passed. That's because their emotions were fully developed at that point.

But babies and children? The damage was more severe, prolonging a series of abhorrent repercussions. Matilda struggled hard to remember her past life, but she couldn't even pick up bits of it. Not even in her dreams. Another cruel casualty being a robot for so long.

The only hint she ever got was during the prisoner exchange at the desert legion's headquarters - but it was a blurry image, and at the time, she didn't know what to make of it. She recalled strong, sudden feelings of familiarity when looking at Mighty tied up to the battle tank, after hearing Ray's indignant plea to remember.

Somehow, she knew he was her brother, despite the lack of clear memories; a newfound urge to defend him from the Sand Blasters' attacks overcame her, like an inexplicable possession.

But she clearly remembered her days as a mechanized minion: enforcing the autocratic rule over hapless citizens caught under the wheels of the Eggman Empire. Looking into the mirror, and seeing those cold, red lenses over her natural green eyes.

The iron carapace that encased her live, warm body. Having no mouth. Being fed through a special IV treatment to sustain her vital organs.

"I believe that's where more sea reefs are." She paused, hearing soft snores coming from a camper tent near the hammock. "What about Ray?"

"Oh, him? Still dead to the world. After that stomachache he got last night from downing three slushies."

"Will he be okay here?"

Mighty waved it off. "Sure. This place is usually safe, after coming here eight times now. You ready to go?"

"Yes."

Both began heading towards a cluster of rocks dotting the edge of the beach, about a quarter mile away. They walked in silence, but it didn't deter her a bit, as she was used to it. That's all she remembered as a mechanized servant – no words, no sounds; just on standby, awaiting her instructions.

Soon, they arrived at the cove and something pale along the shore caught her eye. Curious, she padded over to the object embedded in the wet sands.

It was roughly circular in shape, with notched edges. There looked to be an outline of a flower on it. Bending down, Matilda picked it up, somewhat fascinated by its unusual design.

That's when Mighty peered over. "It's a sand dollar, Tilly."

"Hmm?" She looked up, puzzled.

He nodded towards the dead sea creature. "A sand dollar. It use to be alive."

Matilda turned back to the object, now standing up. "This thing is dead." She should have felt startled, holding a small corpse in her hand. But again, her emotions still felt a bit flat…it was taking time for her true persona to blossom.

Instead, she turned it over, discovering a hole in its center. "Is this its skeleton?"

"You could say that," Mighty replied, noting her calm demeanor. Her voice…still partially monotone. No doubt, the nasty after effects of long-term roboticization.

In an alternate universe, he wondered how Tilly would have turned out had she never been a robot. Would she have been more lively? More cheery? More like him and Ray?

Mighty suddenly felt a pang of sadness. His sister never had a chance at a happy childhood. Eggman brutally went so far as to turn children into his little robot slaves. As they physically outgrew their metal suits, they were brought into a mecha facility and underwent the whole nightmarish process again.

Poor Tilly. Eggman had robbed her and millions of other Mobians of the one essential thing no one should ever live without. It formed the vital foundation of who they would later become in life.

Atleast when an adult, or even a teenager was converted into badnik, they still remembered growing up….with happy memories, I hope, he pondered. By then, they knew such emotions like empathy and love. They knew sacred concepts like helping your fellow Mobian. Learning how to share. Knowing good manners and decent ethics…

"They're echinoderms," he continued, spotting another sand dollar and retrieving it. "They're animals that don't have vertebrates. Instead, their 'skeleton' is called a test."

"Interesting…I've never seen one on our beaches."

Mighty knew she was referring to Mobius. "Well you know, different planet, different species. We have crabs, fish and sea stars, but let me tell you, I found some weird things on Earth that doesn't compare to our world. Or Little Planet for that matter!"

Matilda continued examining it, and Mighty wondered what she was thinking. Nearby, a couple of pelicans were squawking loudly, fighting over a trout fish. An idea came to Mighty from one of his and Ray's earlier excursions to Earth.

"You know, there's a few legends behind the sand dollar," he explained. "They're believed to be the lost coins of mermaids or the people of Atlantis. The reason behind this is that they somewhat resemble the old currency from Spanish and English merchants who traveled the seas here."

"It looks so delicate." She gently thumbed it, her eyes moving over to another sand dollar that was broken up all over the ground. Mighty wondered if someone had stepped on it or if a sea bird pecked it open.

"They are, sis," he agreed. "Another legend adheres to one of Earth's religions: Christianity. It's believed to symbolize the crucifixion of their savior, Jesus Christ."

He then pointed to one of its hollowed out slits. "Those represent the piercings from the nails in his hands and feet. The center hole, which is really the sand dollar's mouth, represents the wound on his body pierced by a Roman's spear."

He knew Matilda was somewhat familiar with the local religions here, since she had spent time at a town in Mercia where most of its citizens were Earth immigrants. They still diligently followed their own cultural beliefs and practices.

"And the five-star 'flower' is said to be a lily, the holy flower for Easter holiday. And—" he brought his own sand dollar up, showing her the back of it. "The outline here is the Poinsettia, a red plant associated with Christmas. If they're cracked open…" he went over to the broken sand dollar, picking up half of its body and shaking it until a couple of white, distinct pieces fell out. "These are said to be small doves, released to symbolize peace and good blessings."

It was a few moments, before Matilda said, "Fascinating, brother. I had no idea the people from this world could have such creative imaginations."

"Me neither, Tilly. You want to take that?" He indicated her sand dollar.

"You collect these?"

"Yeah, it's a beachcomber's favorite."

"But…it's dead."

That didn't seem to bother Mighty as much. "Well yeah, it sounds morbid. I mean, collecting the 'bones' of some leftover sea animal and displaying it for décor. But it's no different to how Mobians do so with dead sea stars and urchins."

"It has sentimental value then?"

"Pretty much."

Matilda mulled over it, before nodding. No doubt, she liked the shape of the object and was intrigued by the folklore behind it. Mighty then took the echinoderm and pocketed it with his in the satchel bag.

"What does a live one look like?"

"Hmmm…" Mighty looked around, before walking into a shallow part of the water. As he scanned the muddy surface, he spotted what looked to be a purplish sand dollar. Reaching out, he grabbed it as Matilda was coming from behind him.

"This one here is alive," he said, holding it up.

She stared at it, but didn't bother to touch it.

"Oooh, their cilia tickles!" Mighty turned it over. "See that? It's their little appendages that they use to move food along, towards their mouths."

"That looks kind of creepy," Matilda remarked. "Like moving hairs."

Mighty let out little chuckle. "Hey, can't judge the way nature made them. Or you can, it's your choice. But that's just how they function. It's their arms and fingers, you could say."

"Can it think like us?"

"Nah, they're simple creatures. Not as intelligent as us, so this poor thing probably has no idea what's going on."

Matilda decided to take chance and held it in her hands for a moment, feeling the soft brushes from the cilia. It wasn't as unnerving as she first expected. Mighty then dropped it back on the ocean floor.

Soon, they arrived at a spot that was part shore, part-rock flats. A cluster of limestone boulders blocked their view from the rest of the beach. Situated among slightly hilly ground were several tide pools, filled with various fish, little octopuses and crabs. Mighty heard a couple of humans and anthropomorphic animals nearby, but they were obscured by the chain of boulders.

Meanwhile, Matilda knelt down to examine what looked to be a dead sea urchin.

"I recognize this life form."

"Yep, Earth has these little creatures too. Though, they're not as colorful as ours." His eyes lit up. "Hey, let me show you a live one. I think there are some over there…"

Mighty hopped up on some large rocks, as he overheard one of the humans announce they'd caught a live urchin. Maybe there were more congregating in that area, where a lively sea reef resided.

"How long is this going to take? I need to get back from lunch break," he heard a male human grumble.

"Oh, you won't regret this," another voice assured.

As Mighty peered over the boulders, he saw an older man holding a live sea urchin, indigo blue and spiny in color. He then stabbed into it with a butcher knife, cutting a slit down its body. The armadillo silently gasped, not expecting the horrid action. The man then cracked it open like a coconut.

"Oh wow! I see its gonads!" their badger friend squawked.

"That's the part that's so delicious!" the older man replied excitedly.

He then proceeded to pick inside the urchin's internal cavity of organs. Several more slaughtered ones lie nearby.

Mighty couldn't take his eyes off the scene; it was like watching a train wreck as the man handed over pieces of the urchin's flesh to his other friends to eat.

"Mmm mmm, finger lickin' good!" the other human crooned.

Disgusted, Mighty covered his mouth and hurried back down the rock boulder. When Matilda glanced up at him, he wore a big, uncomfortable grin.

"Eh…maybe not look there! Perhaps there's uh…ones in these waters here!" he said in an overly cheerful voice.

Tilly only shrugged. "Okay."

Damn, how could they eat those things? he decided he really didn't want to know.

After a few minutes, they came across a small octopus that looked exhausted. It seemed like it was trying to move to another tide pool, so Mighty helped it along. Carefully picking it up, he deposited it in the aqua blue waters.

"There you go, little guy."

Matilda managed a small smile. "You're so kind, Mighty."

"Thanks, Tilly," he replied, warmed by the compliment.

"Was…our mother like that?"

"Oh well, sure! She was kind and helpful. She cared about others, even volunteering at homeless shelters sometimes. She was part of a conservation wildlife group and so taught me to care for things in nature."

"I think you take after her more than our father. You even have her eyes and shell color."

Mighty contemplated this for a moment. "Well, I do take after her love for fitness; teaching it the others as well. Plus, an appreciation for wildlife. She didn't have the travel bug though. " He then touched Matilda's cheek with a gentle, playful fist. "But kindness isn't always inherited. It can be learned too."

She nodded in understanding. "I think I would have liked getting to know her."

As always, it hurt him that Matilda never got a chance to meet their mother again. She had died when he was only 14.

"But father is...strange."

Mighty recalled how off-putting his sister was when she first met their father, Blockhead Bill, after so many years. He had always been eccentric, even in his youth. He was an accomplished crime fighter, but his quirks often got more odd reactions than anything else. But he didn't start getting real loony until later in age.

For one, Bill first thought that Matilda was his grandmother. He kept calling her 'grandma' and clobbered her in a bear hug with smack kiss on the cheek. Matilda wasn't too happy about it, which was an awkward reunion indeed. He still mistook Sonic for the Crimson Cobra fugitive. At one point, he thought Ray was a scammer that kept calling him on the phone. The poor squirrel's feelings were hurt when Bill ripped him a new butthole.

With dogged patience, Mighty had to keep reminding him that Ray was his adopted son and Matilda his long-lost daughter. Oh, and not to throttle Sonic again.

"Er, yeah sis, he can be a handful at times," Mighty agreed with a sweatdrop.

"I like his friend though."

"Society Max?"

"Yes, he is cultured and polite," she replied, watching a baby crab scuttle towards the shoreline. "He loves classical music, thriller novels and is very knowledgeable in crime laws and astronomy."

"That's true. I just don't know how he puts up with dad all the time."

Matilda frowned, as suddenly a memory surfaced of her a couple of years ago, after she'd been free from robotization. Her and Beauregard Rabbot, aka the Baron, were walking along a pristine beach. The rest of their legion clan was relaxing in the background at Teetle Island, just a few miles off the coast of Mercia.

He too was showing her the beauty of the shoreline – taking time out from their Dark Egg Legion duties, it was a luxury she found herself strangely looking forward too. Her heart may have been closed off and emotions nearly non-existent, but that niggling feeling always pulled her to this one pastime.

"Baron use to take me places too," Matilda reminisced. "A few times it was on a beach. Though, he didn't do beachcombing. He would tell me stories about his times sailing on the waters. He knew the sea life there too. He taught me about the fish, sharks, trees and birds that lived on Teeter Island."

Mighty smiled, grateful that his sister was never alone without a 'family.' True, the Baron had been a surrogate parent to her. He wouldn't be surprised if she preferred the rabbit Grandmaster as more of a father. As it is, Matilda didn't remember their own father; she didn't know what to make of his crazy, boisterous behavior. Blockhead Bill was almost an epitome for chaos, whereas the Baron was more grounded, possessing an excellent paternal instinct.

But one day, I hope she warms up to dad, Mighty thought. After all these years being heartbroken over thinking she was dead, he atleast deserves that.

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad that you still had someone in your life that cared for you."

Matilda merely nodded, eyes serene. She crouched down to study a conch shell.

And then, another memory…

To her surprise, it was when she was two years old. Wait…how was this possible? As far she knew, she had absolutely no memories of that time! The roboticizer machine had zapped her neurons dead in the hippocampus and amygdale areas of her brain, which stored those precious life events.

"What the…"

It was on the coastal edge of New Tek City…a nearby beach, teeming with citizens enjoying the warm, pleasant weather. Swimming in the ocean…colorful parasols, patio chairs and towels littered the beach.

Laughter, joy…

She was walking with a young Mighty, her little hand grasped around his own. He was eager to show her the rolling waves of the sparkling blue waters.

"You see, Tilly? See how pretty the sea is?"

Matilda chortled happily. "Yes, pretty!"

Her tiny smile reflected his own, as they had identical mouth structures.

"Now be careful she doesn't get in too deep!" their mother called. "The waves could swallow her up."

As she was instructing Mighty, their father sat up from his lounge chair, adjusting his sun glasses.

"Son, be sure to find Matilda a sea cucumber!" he called out. "She's gonna love those little critters!"

Their mother glanced at him, skeptical. "Oh really, Bill? Those are some of the most disgusting, slimy-looking creatures I've ever seen!"

"They're cool-looking!"

"They're eww! - looking."

Mighty then spotted a cowry shell that was floating along the foaming waves. "Hey Tilly, check this out!"

He trotted over to the shell. But as he did, he tripped over a huge kelp and fell face flat into the water.

Alarmed, little Matilda ran over, concerned for her big brother.

"Mighty-?" she uttered. "Is okay?"

A small wave of water washed over him, also getting her wet in the process. He then lifted his head up, a yellow sea star stuck to his face.

"Eeeh!" Matilda yelped in fear.

He managed to prop himself up on his knees, and pulled the echinoderm off of his face. Noticing his sister's frightened look, he reassured her, "Ah, don't worry Tilly! It's only a sea star. Here…"

He handed it over to her, its body wriggly and squishy. Gingerly, she took it. After the moment passed that it wouldn't bite her, she curiously studied it.

"See? An awesome creature, don't you think?"

"It feel tickly!" she answered giddily.

"I still gotta show you that one shell over—AAAH!"

Mighty jumped up, as a lobster had latched onto his butt. He turned around, seeing its angry eyes and promptly tried pulling it off.

"OW! Get off me!" the lobster wouldn't budge, its pincers latched onto him in a vice-like grip."Mom! Dad! Heeeelp!"

He frantically ran over to them.

"Noooo! Mighty baby!" his mom cried.

"Alright, you found a lobster!" his dad beamed. "Did you show Tilly?"

Matilda couldn't help but giggle as her brother hopped up and down, begging for their parents to get the crustacean off his toosh. She found it amusing, even though he was in a not so happy place right now. But somehow, she knew that he would be okay…

She would be okay…

And like that, the memory vanished, the link to the past broken. But she suspected that it didn't come from her mind.

No, this one memory had literally come from her heart. It was recently discovered via scientific research that the heart had cellular memory; it often kept a copy of some life events first recorded by the brain. Atleast with Mobians…it's unknown whether this was true for Earthers.

It's probably where the first scant memory came to her during the battle with the Sand Blasters.

Eggman had succeeded in erasing her old life, but he failed to completely annihilate her identity. Her heart was like the back-up needed to restore what she should have been.

What she could still be…

Tears welled up in Matilda eyes, as long-buried emotions of sadness and joy overwhelmed her.

"Oh my…! Mighty, I remember!" she choked out.

She glanced up at him with such a poignant look – as if she had recovered something so precious, so very special after many years of it going missing.

"You—you took me to the beach," she recalled. "You showed me the ocean…you had a sea star latched onto your face…"

Mighty was stunned. "You remember that?"

She nodded, shuddering in a breath.

"Oh my goodness! Then all your memories aren't really gone!"

She suddenly grabbed him in hug, burying her face in his chest. She sobbed loudly, finally letting out many years of insurmountable hurt, anger and despair. Fifteen years of being a victim, just as much as the innocent citizens that she oppressed.

It wasn't her fault, of course. But she still felt great guilt and horror over the harm she did while in the service of the evil doctor. It was going to take time to heal.

Taken aback at first by her outburst, Mighty then wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace.

"Hey, hey now sis," he soothed. "You're gonna be alright."

"I'm sorry, I…ever since I was de-roboticized, I've had trouble handling my emotions whenever they surface. I never learned how to master them."

"It's not too late. You still have a chance. It'll take time since that crucial opportunity was taken away from you." He rubbed her back. "Besides, every once and awhile we lose the grip on our emotions. It happens to the best of us. But we're in this together."

She raised her head, wiping away the tears. "Thank you, brother, for never giving up on me. Thank you for searching me out, all these years."

Mighty could only smile, that strange serenity appearing in his eyes again…like it did when he was comforting Ray from his nightmares. When Mighty was resurrected after his bloody fight with Metal Sonic, he had changed.

It made him seem more wise and ethereal. Like an older soul had been unleashed.

"You're welcome, little sister." Matilda noticed he sounded different as well. But she didn't care to question it at the moment. Right now, she only basked in the welcoming respite, knowing that they were never going to be separated again.

"If you like, we could all go to get some ice cream later," he suggested.

"I'd…I'd like that."

Overhead, an osprey cawed as it flew by, accidentally dropping something below. Neither of them noticed.

"Hopefully, Ray'll be awake when we get back. If not.." Mighty shrugged. "We can still go into the shopping center and-"

He froze, his body becoming rigid against her own.

Matilda looked up. "And what, brother?"

Mighty's blue eyes had gone wide with terror, as he slowly turned around. On his rear end was a lobster. These Earth ones were even bigger than the ones on Mobius….and more menacing.

Matilda was startled and nearly fell backwards when he cried out, leaping several feet in the air.

"Not again!" he yelled, trying to get it off by shaking his butt. "Ow! Ow!"

When that didn't work, he grabbed it by its appendage and tried yanking it off. Of course, he was being painstakingly careful not use too much force, since he could literally tear the lobster in half by his super strength.

Once again, Matilda found herself amused at his sticky predicament, the pleasant memory of long ago still fresh in her mind. The osprey must have dropped it when it flew over their heads.

What are the chances of this happening again? She thought, deciding to help him out.

Now he was bouncing around in the shallow waters, still yelling at the lobster to get off him…which it didn't, of course. His cheeks were also red with embarrassment at Matilda watching him; too bad she didn't have a camera or cell phone to capture this farcical moment.

"Don't worry Mighty, I'll help you," she laughed, running into the water after him. Now if only he could be still long enough to get the little bugger off…

. . .

~Fin~