White sky…white ground…even white particles falling from above…so much snow everywhere.

The air felt cold against my face as I sat on a hilltop, alone in a world of white fluff, but I was too distracted with getting the saucer moving to care. Leaning forward on my hands and knees was all it took, and I began sliding. First slowly, but picking up speed the further I went, zooming through icy flakes, my excitement rising as I descended. I whooped defiantly against the frigid air, feeling like nothing could stop me as I raced toward the bottom of the mountainous hill- until a well concealed snow mound sent me airborne. My proud whooping changed to comical shrieking as I flapped my arms, attempting to stay off the ground, but it was a losing battle and I was inevitably claimed by the whiteness below. It didn't help that I went in headfirst.

Panicked, I struggled to get out, fearing suffocation. Try as I might, however, the snow was too thick and I was in too deep- far deeper than I should have been. My cries turned to whimpering when I began to realize how trapped I was. Unable to think coherently, I let out the only word that made it into my mind: "MOM!"

Soon after, I felt a pair of strong hands lift me out and pull me into a bear hug.

"Are you alright?" asked a woman's voice

"HmMm," I murmured in response.

"Good boy," she cooed, hugging me tighter.

...a little too tight.

"So good..."

Looking up, I felt myself go cold inside as I realized mom now had black eyes dripping dark ooze, and her mouth was full of razor sharp teeth displayed in a vicious grin.

"M-Mom?" I hissed, hoping this wasn't her.

"...good enough to eat."

Her shark teeth parted to reveal a mouth that grew in size as it extended toward my face.

I flailed futilely in her embrace, closing my eyes and screaming helplessly, but was interrupted when she shook me...

(…)

I opened my tear stained eyes to see that same purple furred woman now leaning over me from my bedside, her eyes now a calm white with forest colored irises. Just a dream- and a weird one at that. The creature in it was a stark contrast to the angel by my side.

As everything came back to me, I wondered if this was, in fact, Aleena Hedgethorn? Was Manic's mother really here with me?

"I'm here for you, Maurice," she whispered, putting a hand on my cheek as her own eyes watered over.

Sitting up, I pulled her as close to me as I could, not wanting her to drift away again. The relief I felt from feeling her own arms closing around me like armor was beyond words as the fears brought on by my nightmare began to fade. This was the real Aleena! The only one I would ever know- and she would never hurt me. Even the abuse I had endured left my mind as her embrace brought me somewhere else, where nothing could reach me.

If this was a dream, I hoped that I would never wake up again.

It was interrupted anyway by the sound of a door past Aleena, I recognized Jules and Sonia entering. That was when I noticed Sonic getting up from a nearby chair he'd been sleeping in, judging by the groggy look on his face.

"Manic!" squealed Sonia, running forward and nearly tackling me off the bed.

I didn't have time to regain my senses before I found myself buried in arms, all trying to close around me like snakes, and all I could do was giggle softly. This wasn't something I was used to, but that could change.

"No one is going to hurt you ever again, bro. We won't let em!" Sonic assured me.

My ears immediately folded. As much as I appreciated that, I was all too aware that his promise wasn't intended for me, but for someone they couldn't protect.

"You're safe with us, Manic," said Jules, addressing me by Maurice's nickname rather than the one that rightfully belonged to him. Appropriate.

The bliss I'd lost myself in had dissipated as quickly as it started. Resting my head against the nearest shoulder, all I could do was ponder where to go from here?

Sure Manic probably wouldn't remember much after being kidnapped for so long, but wouldn't his family find it odd when he couldn't remember anything at all about them? Could he pretend he remembered? If so, for how long? Could he convince them that 'Maurice' had simply forgotten everything? Could that actually happen to someone?

Opening my eyes again, the first thing to escape my mouth was, "Am I dreaming?"

In the midst of No's, I felt someone pinching me and scooted back as I yelped in pain. Sonia pulled her hand back, attempting to hide it, but she was too late.

"What are you doing?" Jules asked, visibly irritated.

"Proving that he's not dreaming," she replied, sheepishly.

"I think he can do without that," he assured.

"Sorry, bro!" laughed the deep pink hedgehog apologetically.

I laughed with her, mainly to blend in, but also because it took my mind off of my predicament. If I was gonna be Manic, I'd have to think and feel like him.

"It's okay," I chuckled, lamely- at a loss for words, yet again. At least they didn't seem to notice anything off about me…yet.

"It's good to hear you say that," choked Aleena, "When we heard how badly you'd been hurt, I'd never felt so sick in my life."

My mind flashed back to that day. I remembered the deep gash, the desperate phone call, the amount of blood I'd lost, even closing my eyes for what should have been the last time...

"How…how did they find me?" I asked nervously, now hoping this wasn't a dream.

"They were able to trace your call since it was still up," replied Jules, "You nearly died from blood loss. Had they taken another hour or two, you wouldn't be here with us."

I felt Aleena hug me tighter and I relaxed a bit. Perhaps I was overthinking it, but with the fear of being discovered hanging over me, I was having a hard time thinking straight.

"Mom gave you enough of her own blood to keep you alive," chimed in Sonic.

"She almost fainted afterward," added Sonia.

Aleena kept me alive by giving me a part of herself. I felt my eyes tearing over again upon realizing the depth of this woman's devotion to the very son whose face I wore.

"It was worth it," Aleena whispered, the love in her words audible., "I'd give my very life to bring you back."

I sunk my face into her arms, wanting to lose myself in the embrace of someone who genuinely cared for me.

"And I'll give mine before I let anymore harm come to you," said Jules, hugging me from behind, leaving me sandwiched between both parents.

"I won't fail to protect you ever again," he promised.

He had no reason to apologize to me, this was the first time we'd met and already he was willing to die for me. It was all so wonderful, yet so wrong because it was all meant for someone else. Try as I might, I couldn't lie to myself; I was wearing the face of the son they'd never see again.

"I don't deserve you," I confessed, the words spilling out almost by accident.

"You don't deserve what was done to you!" countered Sonic, "Don't believe anything that soulless bastard told you!"

What if he told me I was unwanted when he found me? What if he told me I was nothing? What if he was right?

"No matter what he said, we care about you and will do whatever it takes to help you heal," Sonia assured me.

What was there to heal from if I was never whole to begin with? I had to become somebody else just to show my true face.

"Never forget who you are," Jules told me, "You're our son Maurice Hedgethorn, a member of our family, and you always will be."

No, I'm not. Only Robotnik knew who I was, and in the end, he was more right about me than they knew.

"How do you know that?" I asked, almost hoping these angels would see me for what I was, "How do you know I am the same son you lost?"

"Because I can tell," said Aleena, "You have the same eyes, the same smell, the same fur, even the same voice- a bit older, but still the same."

My eyes were too full of tears to see and my throat was too tight for words to come out, it was good that my face was still hidden in Aleena's warm embrace, lest they see more of the same weakness I'd tried so hard to suppress. I truly did not deserve this wonderful family, yet they accepted me even to the point of seeing someone who wasn't there. So desperate to have their baby boy back that they couldn't recognize a fake in his place. Maybe...maybe it would have been better if I had died from that knife wound, after all...

"Besides," Jules added, "They checked your DNA to make sure it was you before they called us. The doctors confirmed you were Maurice before we arrived."

Despite my face being hidden, my eyes shot wide open as I processed what I'd just been told. The hadn't merely compared my face with a picture, they'd taken measures to verify my identity and concluded that I was Maurice!

"How else would they know whose blood to give you?" chirped Sonia.

My eyes, my scent, my fur, my voice- the signs were there. Was I simply blind to them?

"Never forget who you are..."

Had Robotnik lied to me? Was I really Manic this whole time and simply didn't remember...?