Hello, this is a one shot based on Sonic's story ending in Sonic 06. This was something I had in mind, and thought it would be rather cute and fun to make. Hope you enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Elise do not belong to me, they belong to SEGA.

Sonic and Elise had escaped Dr. Eggman's flying airship. A loud warning siren rang as the airship was coming down in smoke and it started to detach itself as it was getting destroyed. Sonic had defeated the doctor once again and saved Princess Elise, taking her and escaping. Upon running down a corridor, Sonic looked ahead at the destruction that had occurred once reaching the end, looking outside to see nothing but debris and fire from the airship itself.

"Sonic!"

Elise had pointed to an opening that led to a cliff so they could get to safety. Sonic saw this, seeing how dangerous it was too, not only because it was a pretty far jump, but because of the destruction from the debris of the airship. He looked at Elise, with a grin but obvious concern in his eyes too.

"Aren't you worried?"

"If you have time to worry, then run." Right?" She said almost immediately.

Sonic gave her a grin before getting himself ready. He ran towards the edge and jumped as far as he could to another piece of the airship that had detached itself and was on fire as a result. He moved and jumped his way to other detached parts before making one last jump and reached up towards the cliff, but it wasn't enough to get either of them up, making them fall back down. A piece of debris from the airship had crashed on the side of the cliff and the explosion propelled them up towards the cliff. They tumbled on the grass with both of them being faced down when they stopped. Sonic immediately looked up toward Elise and saw as she turned to her back, arms spread out with her eyes closed too.

He walked up to her, and she opened her eyes, looking over to see the blue hedgehog, who extended his hand out for her. She took it and he helped her to sit up. They both looked at each other for a bit before Elise started laughing. Sonic chuckled for a bit before erupting into laughter himself. They both laughed for a few moments, likely reflecting on the near death experience they just escaped from. Elise let out a content sigh and Sonic looked over to her and admired the look she had on her face. One he always encouraged and was happy that she was showing the look he pretty much wanted from her.

"Nice smile!" He said, giving her a thumbs up as well.

He brought his hand down and winked at her. Elise let out a small giggle and gave him a wink back. They both stayed there for a while, enjoying the view of the ocean over the cliff, happy to have gotten out of that situation and they were able to have a moment of peace. They both looked at each other after a few moments and Elise giggled again. Despite having a good laugh just a few moments ago, Sonic was still a bit curious. He chuckled a bit too but cleared his throat.

"Something on your mind, princess?"

She giggled again, closing her eyes as she shook her head.

"Not really." She said, "Nothing in particular that should be of any concern. Promise."

"Alright then, if you say so." Sonic said and looked out at the field behind him. "Should we start heading back or did you wanna stay for a bit?"

"Let's stay for a bit." She said and went to lay back on her back. "I think heading back to the castle can wait a bit. I just want to stay here and enjoy the moment."

He crossed his arms, keeping his eyes on her and he chuckled again.

"I'm assuming you don't get a lot of moments like this then, huh?"

"Not as much as you would think." She confirmed.

She let out a sigh and opened her eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder how I do it all the time. Staying inside the castle all day and all night, not really going outside, other than to greet the kingdom from inside the castle over the balcony. Or at the very least, not being too far away from the castle and with an escort most of the time too. I always have to stay close to the castle. Not that I mind it, I love it and I wouldn't change a thing, but still."

He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I get what you mean. It definitely sounds like being a princess isn't easy now." He chuckled a bit and looked at her. "So then I'm guessing this whole adventure was really something else for you then, huh? Despite all the kidnappings, this was a change of pace for you, wasn't it?"

"It sure was." She smiled and nodded, looking over at him. "And I wouldn't change a single thing about it."

"You're a lot more daring than you appear. Much more than I would've given you credit for, that's for sure." He said.

"Honestly, same here. But things have changed and I feel a lot more confident than before about all of this. I guess this whole journey really awakened something in me. A side of myself I never knew existed."

"Either that or you just needed a little push to really see the world with your own eyes instead of just the same few things everyday."

"Well, there's that too." She giggled.

He looked at her and he couldn't help but smile at her smile.

"Elise?"

"Hm?"

"Do me a favor. Don't ever let that smile of yours disappear." He said. "Promise me that no matter what life throws at you, you won't let that get in the way. Always find happiness and never let that smile fade away forever. It won't help you get through everything, but it can help bring you confidence. More than you think."

She took in his words and reflected on them for a second. She nodded knowing that he was right, she trusted him.

"I promise, Sonic."

"And hey, the people will see that you're confident too, which I'm sure will give them a huge confidence boost and make them feel safer to have a strong princess like you when there's doom and gloom everywhere. Sounds like a win-win to me."

She giggled and nodded to that.

"You're right. I'll keep those words and that promise to heart." She said getting up. Without really thinking either, she leaned down, getting on her knees and hugged Sonic tightly, nuzzling her face on the crook of his neck.

Sonic wasted no time and hugged her back. He patted her back and she got up after a few moments and looked at him.

He chuckled.

"You ready to head back now?"

"Yeah, I am." She nodded.

Sonic smiled and they both started their long journey back to Soleanna's castle town. Elise looked at Sonic and smiled again.

"Hey Sonic?"

"Yeah Elise?"

She stopped in her tracks for a bit, looking up towards the sky and sighed happily. Sonic stopped and looked back at her.

"Thanks for all of this. Had it not been for you, I think I'd be Dr. Eggman's prisoner for a lot longer than any of us would've wanted. But thanks for rescuing me and for being a really great friend, showing me what it truly means to look at life in a much more different and exciting way. I'll never forget this."

He smiled back and nodded, giving her a thumbs up.

"No problem, princess. I'm glad I could be the one to guide you through this crazy adventure, and I'm really glad you got something out of this whole journey too."

She nodded and they both continued to make their way back to the castle.

Hope you enjoyed the fanfic. This was just a short fic I thought of and it was fun to make too.

I know not everyone likes these two together, but they're harmless to me for the most part and the more representation I can give, especially to Elise herself since it feels like there isn't much stuff about her (I think it's rather unfair since I know it mostly has to do with Sonic 06's reputation) so if I can help to contribute to her having more fics, I'll gladly make it happen and make more.

Sorry for the ramble. Please leave a review if you enjoyed the story and until the next fanfic, take care.