Maria Robotnik, the hedgehog

Settling in

Shadow

If this is all a dream I never want to wake up. Maria is back. My sister who I saw get shot in the chest is back!

Of course I have Blaze and Silver to thank for it and Caspian I guess but words couldn't describe the emotions of utter joy I have now that she's alive again.
We were now headed to my house, I called into GUN and said I needed the rest of the day off and Tower allowed me to.
I wasn't going to focus on paperwork, not today, Maria is alive and I'm going to spend every moment I can with her.

It's so weird now though. She's still the same age she was when she died, 18. Now I'm 25, but I was only 15 when she was killed. I guess that makes me the older sibling now.
We always called each other siblings on the ARK. Maria was an only child and the only child on the ARK until I was created. She immediately started calling me her little brother as we got older, and I got used to calling her my sister. Even though Gerald reminded us we weren't actually related.
But now it seemed normal. She's a mobian hedgehog like me now.

She looks the same though. Same blonde hair in the same style, same blue eyes, and same skin tone on her muzzle, chest, and arms that she had as a human. Except now she was a hedgehog. She had softer ears and one of them bent downwards slightly, and the paw pads on her hands were a darker shade of brown.

But chaos be damned it was still Maria.

We were currently walking down the street, getting a few stares from passerby. Maria was observing the sights around us, but clutching tightly onto my hand so she wouldn't get lost. She was so fascinated with everything, but then again I couldn't blame her. She had only ever seen earth from space.

"Shadow, Blaze mentioned you had job now! Where do you work?" She asked, looking up at me.

Oh that's right. I worked for the agency that technically killed Maria.
Although I don't know if she knew that.

"Uhm, I work at an Agency with a few humans....You met my team earlier, remember, Rouge, Midnight, and Omega?" I said.

"Oh yeah! What did Rouge say about your work...some place called uhm...."

"GUN. It's an acronym for Guardian Units of Nation. It's a cheesy name I know but you can bother Commander Tower about that." I sighed.

I looked down and saw her thinking deeply. She always got a concentrated look on her face whenever she was.

"Wasn't that the people who broke into the ARK? To take you away?" She asked, her eyes filled with confusion.

I sighed and nodded. "Yes, they offered me a job alongside Rouge. Later we recruited Midnight and Omega, but it's a solid job that pays well. I don't know why I even work there. They're the reason you died."

She was quiet for a moment then spoke up again.
"It's always nice to give people another chance, also I don't think they were planning on shooting me. I remember just before my hearing went out when I was dying, one of them screamed at the agent because they didn't want me shot. Also you've made friends! So I'm not mad!" She said.

I sighed and smiled. Oh Maria, you're always too forgiving.

"I've done some things I'm not proud of though Maria, I'm truly sorry. I've hurt people, I've killed people. I don't think I deserve your forgiveness." I sighed, looking away from her.

"But you're doing the best you can now, right?" She asked.

"I-I guess I am..." I hummed.

"Then you're forgiven. You've been through a lot Shadow, I can see it in your eyes." She said, patting me on the arm.

"Thank you Maria." I said, trying not to cry again.

We then stopped at the small condominium I lived in. "Well, welcome to my house. I guess you'll be living with me for a while." I said, walking up and opening the door for her.

She walked in, her flats clicking against the hardwood floor.
She looked around. I did admit my house wasn't much. I had a few photos, one of my team, one of me and faker, one of me and Cream and Vanilla, and the oldest photo that I had of Maria when she did photography from the ARK. All of them hung neatly on the walls.

"Hey I remember this one!" Maria said, pointing to the photo she took on the ARK.
"Aw, I loved that camera, and you look so young!"

I chuckled lightly.

She then walked into the living room and flopped down on the couch.

"Everything here smells like coffee and lavender." I could hear her muffled voice say through the couch cushion.

"Yeah, those are kinda my favorite smells..." I said.

She sat up and cuddled into the couch.
She patted the spot next to her, motioning me to sit down.

I sat down next to her and she immediately cuddled up close.

"I wanna know everything that's happened while I was gone! Have you visited anywhere? Been to some cool places? Made any friends other than your team? *GASP* HAVE YOU FALLEN IN LOVE YET?!?" She asked, her eyes widening with curiosity.

"Okay okay! Calm down.
A lot has happened in 10 years..." I said.

"To answer your questions, I've visited Europe, Asia, and yes I got to see the Great Wall, and it's actually a decently good race track against Faker." I hummed.

"Who?" She asked.

"Oh right. He's another hedgehog. His name is Sonic, but he's the most annoying piece of shit I've ever known. And somehow he's as fast as I am. And he doesn't use air shoes." I explained.

"That's so interesting! So is it like a power?!? In his DNA?? Tell me more!" She squealed.

"Well, he's had it since he was born. And he's Mobius's hero, and the self-proclaimed fastest thing alive. I suppose we used to be enemies but now we're friendlish rivals." I said shrugging.
"I've helped him save Mobius with his friends a few times. However that doesn't make up for how annoying he is."

Maria nodded. "So you've made other friends?" She asked.

"Yes, Rouge and Midnight and Omega are close friends, and then there's Vanilla and her daughter Cream. I suppose I have a solid friendship of sorts with Rose and Blaze, but other than that I'm not as close to everyone." I said.

"Well, now ya got me again! Also, where am I sleeping tonight?" She asked.

"I have an extra room for guests so we can turn that into your room." I said.

"Woo! Alright! Let's get me settled in!" Cheered Maria, jumping up from the couch.

I chuckled and stood up after her.

Life was gonna be a lot better with my sister around.