Work Text:
1957 a car pulls up outside where team ARK reside, out emerges a small family one father one mother and one little girl, “Maria!” the girl loudly calls out to her sister before rushing into her arms. Maria smiles hugging back “hello you rascal, what have you been doing while ive been up in space?” the younger girl laughed and divulged “Dad took us to this huge dig site! Apparently it was once a secret base of an ancient society, Dad thinks it could be connected to the echidna’s!”
“Oooooooooh,” Maria responded before her sister but in
“But what have you been doing sis! I saw you on the news! With grandpa and a bunch of scary men”
The father spoke out his daughters name, trying to reverse the direction of the conversation, this attempt however was unsuccessful, Maria sighed before starting
“Well Abe, Ivo and Me are fighting the bad guys, to make them pay for what theyve done and make sure they cant do anything mean ever again!” her sister gasps “So your like superheroes now! Like you said you’d be back when you were sick!” Maria paused, remembering the reason she told her younger sister that she, they would be superheroes, remembering her younger brother, who stood by her in sickness and health and stayed by her side till the very end “Maria, why are you crying? Whats wrong? Was it something I said?”
“Oh, no no im fine, im fine, I - I just, … I was just remembering, someone very important, who i would like to tell you about after were finished, he was an amazing superhero, who gave everything to protect me and grandpa, he was a beacon of hope, A guiding shadow to help us towards the light,...”
“Honey, why dont you go say hi to Ivo while dad and I talk to your sister for a bit?”
“Oh okay!” the sister sped of greeting ivo who reacted with mild irritation at the unwanted disturbance from his work
“You sure have been busy kid, taking on GUN, revealing their dirty laundry,” the father started
“Yeah, its- its been alot, between losing shadow and grandpa, I, I guess it helps to have something to focus on”
“Its a dangerous hobby tho dear,” said the mother
“Yes,” the father continued “Look Maria, youve already got GUN on the backfoot, why dont you let the lawyers and folk finish the job,”
“Dad no, this, this is important, I cant just abandon the fight and leave the reigns to someone else, I have to finish this, for grandpa, for shadow,”
The father pauses “its a shame i never got to meet your brother, he sounds like a great guy,”
“Yeah…”
“Well I guess it would be remiss for a Robotnik to abandon their post, GUN’ll have to count their days.”
The mom interrupted “Maria, im worried about you darling, GUN is a ruthless agency who’ll stop at nothing to beat you, I dont want you to end up like-” the father stops her
“Your mum, has a point, but looking at you here and now, I know that theres nothing on mobius that could get you into that car with us and back to spagonia, we’ll be rooting for you from the sidelines kid, Ill make sure to check in as much as i can anyhow.”
The family car would be found totalled in a ravine, official investigators said it was a tragic accident, investigators working under the United Federation that is, for GUN
Maria found herself surrounded by Ivo and Abraham as tears flowed from her face “o- oh god, dad, mum, sis, I- this is my fault, I- I shouldve listened”
“If you went with them youd be dead,” abraham stated plainly, patting maria on the back to comfort her,
“Oh please as if Maria would go down at the hands of a measly-” Ivo mutters before abrahams elbow sharply hits his chest “not helping ivy,”
“- sorry, abe” Ivo says winded
“T- they were just with us yesterday, a- and now their, they, I, why does this keep happening,”
Ivo pats maria on the head, trying to help abraham begins “Were going to beat them Maria, were going to make them pay” Ivo nods at abraham
“Under the robotnik name we’ll WIPE GUN FROM THE FACE OF MOBIUS!!” Ivo loudly and violently declares, “WE’LL MAKE THEM PAY!” he says in a almost silly villainous tone, Maria stares at him, tears still pouring from her face “did i do it, did that help?” he asked receiving a giggle from abe before maria tightly hugged them both, Ivo gasped “to tight! cant breath!” Maria loosened her hug slightly as they both hugged back and maria calmed slightly, “hey whatever, happens, we’re a team Maria, were never leaving your side” abraham promised
Three years later
Maria stood silently, staring down at the 2 graves before her, Ivo Robotnik, and Abraham towers,
She glared at the soil where her 2 best friends lay, her heart empty of all emotions, all bar one, hate.