He should have seen Mephiles's attack coming.
He knew he was going to die.
Well, no going against it.
He closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
When something wet came upon him, he had a feeling it was blood.
But he didn't feel anything in him.
Opening his eyes, he saw something he probably shouldn't have wanted to see.
Impaled on that beam... was Elise.
"Well, what do we have here," the crystalline abomination mused. "Looks like I can become one with Iblis again through a different method."
As the fading laser exited the princess's chest, she collapsed, the hedgehog grabbing her before she hit the ground.
"Elise... You..."
"I... I didn't want you to die, Sonic."
A small trickle of blood came from her mouth as she attempted to smile.
"Why? Why would you do that?"
"I couldn't stand to see any more people I care about die. Father told me never to cry no matter what. I didn't want to mourn you if he killed you... So I wanted to spare your friends the loss of their hero and trade my life for yours instead."
"But... That's crazy... You wouldn't..." He was in disbelief. She wouldn't really do that... would she?
"Sonic... You have to live. The world needs you."
He didn't say anything. He was still too stunned by this sudden turn of events to come up with anything.
"Remember me..." she whispered. "Please..."
He could see a glimmer travel down the side of her face.
A solitary tear.
She closed her eyes, having breathed her last breath...
Princess Elise Agni III was dead.
A somber silence fell upon Sonic and his companions as they witnessed it unfold.
Mephiles was surrounded by a bright light as he silently made his exit, awaiting the final battle, though only Silver noticed.
His friends had left a long while ago, but he was the only one with the lifeless body.
What he didn't realize, however, was that Shadow and Silver had stayed with him.
He still couldn't believe it.
Elise really sacrificed herself to save me from Mephiles?
"Sonic. We can't mourn Elise now. We don't have much time."
Silver.
"He's right. He's waiting for us. We need to get the Emeralds now, before he destroys the world as we know it."
Shadow.
"They won't bring her back, but we need their power to stop him once and for all."
The two were right.
He followed them as they, too, now began to leave.
Mourning would have to wait.
Mephiles, no, Iblis, no, Solaris needed to be stopped.
Elise would have wanted him and the others to do it, and boy, was he going to.
Elise... This is for you.