Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

*Modulation:*:Elegy*

The explosion is so expansive, it seems to eat even sound. Sonia can hear nothing as she gazes out the window of the van, parked just on the outskirts of Robotropolis. She can see the blast, yet her mind rejects it, as if it's just a figment of her imagination. The detonation was so unexpected, so completely out of left field, that she can do nothing but watch. She can feel her heart beating and hear her lungs taking in air as the flare of light, fire, dust, and debris races toward the van and the city, but she cannot comprehend the situation. The westerly wind coupled with the fact that ground zero is so far away saves the city, and she feels her throat choke up.

"Sonic…" she whispers, so quietly she can barely hear it herself. "No."

Sonic, her stupid, stupid brother had parked the van here, and ordered both her and their other brother, Manic, to stay put. Then, he raced off without another word, bolting across the landscape and right up to Dr. Robotnik's army of robots. She had no idea how he had managed to get the doctor to agree to fight him so far away from the city, and she never got the chance to ask.

And, now, she would never be able to.

She feels her knees quake dangerously and knows that she's going to collapse. The only thing she can do is take in a deep breath and wait for impact. However, before she can get close to the ground, Manic is there. His strong, nimble hands grab her shoulders and hold her up, because she is unable to do it herself any longer. He allows her to sink into his embrace before lowering both of them to the ground. They clutch to each other, and she sobs into his chest, beating her fist uselessly against him, and he simply takes the abuse with a strong face.

Inside, however, he is breaking.

Sonic… Manic's big brother… The one person who always paid attention to him, made him stop stealing no matter how much his fingers itched, who knew him to the core of his being… He couldn't be gone. Yet, as he looks at the remains of Robuttnik's battalion of robots, he cannot deny the fact. There is no way on Mobius that he could have survived that… even if he was Sonic.

Vaguely, he feels Sonia hitting him, her grief too much for her to contain, but cannot find the sense to care. He just hugs her closer, feeling the swell of her stomach and chest as she gasps for breath amidst her sobs. He cannot conjure tears, despite the fact that he is supposed to be the most emotional out the three – two, he corrects to himself, his heart squeezing painfully – of them, and quickly attributes it to the fact that he has to be the strong one now, for Sonia.

He simply rocks her, humming tunelessly under his breath. Her ears prick and she glances up at him, her eyes huge and puffy. Silently, she touches her medallion, not enough to activate it, but the brush makes his own thrum slightly. However, the reaction is not as strong as it used to be, and the medallions suddenly feel cold and lifeless, just like their brother.

He shakes his head, fighting off tears, and buries his face in her shoulder. However, he does not cry, and she does not start up again.

They just sit there, holding each other, feeling as if a piece of them has been taken away.

All is silent, as if the whole planet is mourning Sonic's loss. The explosive force that knocked him away has dissipated, completely vanished, and it has taken both their greatest enemy and their dearly beloved brother with it.

A few moments later, this is how their mother finds them, clutching to each other, their faces in different states of sorrow, and she knows, deep down, that all three of them might never recover from this.

o0o

...:Glissando:...

When Sonic woke, the first thing he noticed was that his head was throbbing. Of course, the fact that he was just in the middle of an explosion probably had something to do with that, and he chose not to dwell on it for long. He had more important things to worry about, like, how he was, in fact, still alive.

All he could remember was Robuttnik gathering an army of robots outside of the city, and rushing after him. He had no idea why he chose to do something so foolish; Sonia was always pressing the teamwork message into his head. All he remembered was Robotnik demanding that Sonic meet him on the outskirts of the city, or else he would unleash his whole force of robots on Robotropolis and round up every single free Mobian for robotization. – and to come alone. So, Sonic barely thought about it before he parked the van far enough away that his sibs couldn't follow him, and bolted off toward the human's massive force.

The hedgehog had easily plowed his way up to the good doctor himself, destroying every robot that dared to each in his way, where he was promptly captured by a surprisingly quick (and strong) SWATbot. The 'bot seemed to have some type of intelligence, because it kept him extended away from its body by his hands. He had been helpless to do much beside kick his feet uselessly like a five-year-old, glaring at his adversary with eyes that resembled hard pieces of flint.

Then, Dr. Robotnik had started ranting about some special gems he had found – six of them, he claimed, as the seventh and final one was lost forever – to power his flying base. They had infinite energy, he asserted, and Sonic, his siblings, and that useless resistance would be helpless to stop him, blah blah blah. The hedgehog had tuned it out, instead focusing on the robot holding him hostage. After spending so much time around Manic, he had learned a little about the SWATbot's makeup, and this one looked to have a fatal flaw in its arm joint. A few simple swings of his whole body would rip it free, letting him go in the process.

Needless to say, he had succeeded in getting free, and had proceeded to try to power down Robuttnik's machine. That was easier said than done, and he literally tried everything from a spindash to a kick, all the while avoiding SWATbots and swipes from the doctor himself, before he simply shoved his fingers around one of the gems and yanked it from its place in the dash.

The result had been less than glamorous but still totally effective, as Robuttnik had proceeded to scream and yell and roar that he had just brought on both of their deaths, but Sonic couldn't be bothered to care, because he was too busy listening as the mecha had started to wail and warn them that the Chaos levels were unstable.

He didn't get to puzzle over what the heck Chaos levels were before the world went up in a flash of white.

So, here he now sat, alive, whole, and completely confused. He slowly picked his hands up, and – after taking note of the fact that his gloves were missing, probably disintegrated in the explosion – pinched himself on the arm, just to be sure that he wasn't dreaming. The sharp pain rippled up his limb, awakening the nerve endings, and he hissed as they screamed at him for the rough treatment. His head was pounding now, and he could do nothing to ease it, so he simply glanced around, trying to figure out why he wasn't a splat of blue jelly somewhere.

After they passed over his shoes – and he took delight over the fact that both they and his socks had survived intact – his eyes alighted on something sitting a few inches out of reach. Green, like his brother, it winked at him in the dying light, as if assuring him that he did the right thing by pulling it out of the machine. It was one of the gems – Emeralds, his brain supplied, that Robuttnik had been rambling about, the very same one he had ripped away from the doc.

With a sigh, he reached over, gritting his teeth as his whole body shuddered in pain, and grabbed it. The surface was cool against his bare palm, and he couldn't help but stare at it, as if he could see for miles into its depths. Suddenly, it flared with energy and he felt power snake up his arm like a lightning bolt. He yelped, but was unable to let go of the Emerald, and it quickly finished siphoning energy into him before unexpectedly flying away from his hand. It winked out of sight seconds later.

Sonic was immediately energized, and he could feel his injuries healing themselves. The cuts riddling his body stitched together with a tug at his skin and his bones quickly realigned, reasserting themselves into place like puzzle pieces. He felt reinvigorated, as if he had just woken from a month of sleep, and he quickly jumped to his feet. His shoes were dazzlingly bright and his quills a healthy dark blue, as if they too had received a face lift from the Emerald. He had no idea what that Emerald was, but he was grateful to it just the same.

He glanced around the carnage, and was surprised to see that nothing had really survived the blast, save a large portion of Robuttnik's control room, which was overturned. Most of the plant matter was gone and the smoke had mostly dissipated. If that struck Sonic as strange, he didn't dwell on it, instead choosing to begin padding in the direction of the city.

Until, that is, his left foot crunched down on something in the dirt, sending a jolt of familiar energy jarring through his leg. He paused and took a few steps backward before dropping to his knees and sending his inquisitive hands sifting through the dirt and ash, sensitive fingers pricking on each grain and rock.

Eventually, his palms came into contact with something smooth and familiar, and he wrapped his right hand around it before yanking it away from its shallow grave. His eyes widened.

His medallion, somehow cleaved cleanly from the dual necks of the guitar, dully shined up at him. He ran his tan fingers over the surface, his face screwing into a grimace when it refused to pulse with energy at his touch, and he immediately knew that it was ruined. He fell onto his backside, a huge gust of air leaving him as he landed, yet he barely noticed as he gazed at the thing clutched in his shaking fingers with an expression of pure shock. The strong, polymer-based, red rope that secured it around his neck was missing, but he barely noticed that before something winked up at him in the waning sunlight, right next to his left foot. He fell forward to grab it, mentally preparing himself for the worst.

His suspicious were confirmed when he was sitting up again and he felt his stomach tie itself into a knot. Sonic's guitar shaped medallion was resting in two pieces in either of his hands, the body of the pendant – with the tell-tale swoops of hedgehog quills coming off the end – sitting in his right while the double necks were situated in his left, both parts looking alien separated from each other. He could only stare, his thoughts streaming quickly through his head. The fact that he hadn't noticed that it was missing as soon as he awoke was telling, but now that he was aware that it was impossibly broken, he felt sick.

The medallion was a connection to his family, something that bound him and his siblings together, but it always came second to his speed. When he was in a pinch, he always relied on his feet, not his medallion, something that irked Sonia and worried Manic to no end. He probably didn't need it, as much as it pained him to think, beyond a bond to his kin and a symbol of his royal heritage, but he couldn't help but sit there and mourn its loss. He had had it his whole life, and now that it was broken, he couldn't help but feel like he had failed in some way. Sure, he had gotten rid of Robotnik – which he still had yet to completely to terms with – but now he had to go back to his family and face them with a broken medallion and a crazy story about magical Emeralds as an explanation to how he had survived. He winced inwardly, mind supplying him with possible lectures Sonia would rain down on him.

With a sigh, he shook his head, sent one last longing look at his wrecked medallion, and secured it in his quills before pushing himself to his feet and glanced around once. The whole area was dead, completely void of any life except for the blue one, and for some strange reason, that calmed him a bit. He had always been a loner, able to defend and take care of himself without much help, and the constant companionship he had gotten from his siblings for the past few months was a very big change from his usual routine. Now though, with the wind blowing through his quills and the sun warming his skin, he couldn't help but miss what he could have had.

Suddenly, it struck him that he was done – finished. Robotnik was gone, and with him, his empire; Sonic's family was free to rule again. If – when – he went back he – as the oldest – would be declared crown prince of Mobius, and would immediately be catapulted into a position of power and responsibility. No more running around for fun; no more rude jokes; no more chili dogs whenever he wanted them…

Sonic shook his head, taking a few steps in the direction of Robotropolis – Mobotropolis, his brain corrected quickly – and forced his thoughts away. This is what he had been fighting for for the last who knew how long, and he did not intend to back out now.

No matter how much he enjoyed the idea of just turning around and taking off.

Sonic Hedgehog had lived most of his life being told what he could and could not do. First by his adoptive parents – 'No revin' in the house, Son.' – then by his Uncle Chuck – 'You're too young to help with the resistance, Sonny-boy.' – and, most recently, by Sonia – 'Sonic, we have to find Mother! Stop getting distracted by chili dogs!' – and he was getting sick of it. He had always been a free soul, liking to make his own decisions and forge his own path, and all of these orders were starting to rub him the wrong way. He loved his family, but they were smothering him, even if unintentionally.

He could only imagine what life would be like when his mother was handed the boss-torch. Of course, she was supposed to have been the one telling him what to do his whole life, but because she was the fourth in a long line, Sonic could only dread it. Add the fact that she was technically his queen – and his mother – and he could feel his freedom slipping through his fingers.

The blue hedgehog grumbled to himself as he kicked at a piece of debris, sending it skittering toward the only surviving piece of Robotnik's flying fortress. He could imagine life in the palace already, with the lessons and the future of Mobius lording over him.

"Pick up your chin, Sonic," he groused sardonically to himself, his tone raised to a falsetto in imitation of Sonia. "Stop smirking, Sonic. It's rude. No, you may not have a chili dog at the banquet Sonic. Do not complain Sonic. Princes never complain." He continued in his tirade at inaudible tones, carefully picking his way across a large section of warped metal, giving it a harsh kick out of spite.

The hollow clang that followed upset a flock of feral birds in the nearby trees – which had somehow survived the explosion – and the hedgehog watched them with huge, dark eyes. They took to the sky, darting away at a speed that even he admired, and he couldn't help but envy them. They were free to do whatever they wanted, including run away when they were afraid. He had never been able to do that, and would never get the chance, because princes never show fear.

Sonic paused as that thought crossed his mind, his feet planting in an almost perfect mimicry of a ballet dancer's first position, and his hands fell into their comfortably familiar position on his hips. Who am I kidding, he thought to himself as he leaned his weight onto his right foot, his eyes staring at the vague shapes of the city in the near-dark of twilight. I'm not cut out to be a prince.

For some reason, that small omission was just enough of a push that he needed, and he turned abruptly on his heel, heading back the way he had come. I can't do it. No running, no chili dogs, and all those rules, his thoughts paused even as his feet kept their pace. Sonia and Manic will be fine without me, he assured himself, picking up his mental assurances. Sonia's been trained pretty much from birth for this type of thing and Manic's a quick learner. They'll be the perfect pair of rulers for Mobius.

Despite his thoughts, he still felt a small niggle of guilt worm its way into his brain as he stepped past the spot where he had found his medallion. Sonia and Manic relied on him for a lot, maybe too much, he retorted to himself, but they were his siblings… But, he had always wanted to see the rest of the planet, beyond Robotnik's reach of control, where the people still lived, not just survived; where they smiled and laughed and enjoyed life. He wanted to make friends… Besides his siblings and Cyrus. He needed the freedom to become who he wanted to be.

Because, this angry, sarcastic joker wasn't what he wanted from himself.

"Hoho, Sonic!" Suddenly, a voice the hedgehog never expected to hear again yelled in his direction and he whipped around, his quills bristling. Dr. Robotnik grinned at him from a floating, rounded machine, his smile possibly one of the sickest things the blue hero had ever seen. "I see you survived the fireworks display! How did you like your first taste of Chaos?" He paused as if waiting for Sonic to speak, but the speedster was too shocked to formulate a response. "Well, no matter what your opinion, I can assure you that there is much more to come! And, you might not enjoy it as much as you did this time!" The human slammed his bulbous fist down on the control panel in front of him and his machine took off in the direction opposite the city, the evil man laughing the whole way. "Until next time, young prince!"

For some reason, that last statement sent Sonic over the edge and his fur ripped up his arms in agitation, his ungloved fingers twitching. How dare Robuttnik call him that, as if he understood what Sonic's life could – would – should be. He practically snarled as he watched the doc disappear in the direction of the mainland's southern border. Immediately, he took off after the human, ripping through the sound barrier in seconds.

Maybe he wasn't cut out to be a prince. Maybe he wasn't cut out to change Mobius in the way that his siblings saw as the only way, but he would make sure that his family was able to enjoy their victory. He was through with the resistance and the good-fight and the rules. He was done following blindly and being told what to do. He wanted to make a change, in his own way, and, right now, that meant protecting those unaware of Robotnik on the rest of the planet. They had no idea what was coming, and he would make sure they had someone who could save them.

Prince Sonic Hedgehog was now Sonic the Hedgehog, and he was not giving up without a fight.

Chapter Text

…:Coda:…

Sonic wasn't exactly sure how he ended up in Green Hill.

His journey here had quickly become a blur as he rushed off after Dr. Robotnik – and unconsciously put as much distance between himself and the mainland as possible – and he knew that he had eventually lost the human's trail somewhere, so he just randomly started to wander. Ultimately, he found himself in Green Hill Zone, lying on the beach with a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, his back buried in the sand, and his hands clasped behind his head in a pose of tranquility. All around him, mobians and humans of all shapes and sizes were enjoying the sunny weather as well, their children running around and splashing each other in the water or building sand castles. The whole Zone was peaceful, something that the blue twelve year old so desperately needed after the last year of his life, and he happily welcomed it with open arms, even giving it a hug when it seemed content to hang around for a while.

Sonic had been here for a few days, and, between siestas on the beach, had taken to running around the unpopulated forests that fringed the beach-front property. The tropical plants offered a nice obstacle course for the hedgehog, as he always took a different path and every inch of the forest was constantly changing and growing. He especially enjoyed the giant stone loops that were hidden in the underbrush, the rock somehow weathered into a strange checkered pattern, as if someone had built the loops and time had forgotten about them. He had had a little trouble getting up and over the first one he came across, but, with a little practice and determination, he could now handle any that he faced – with a bit of a run up, of course.

Other than that, he had been doing pretty much nothing, which was exactly what he needed. The locals were nice and he had taken to talking to a few of them when they showed up on the beach. Two such individuals had caught his attention early on, because they always seemed to be extremely busy in the laid back, relaxed zone. After watching them run back and forth across the beach for three days, Sonic had eventually approached them to see if something was wrong, and they had stared at him like he had grown a second head or something.

They were very different from each other. One a red and black armadillo and the other a yellow flying squirrel, the latter seemed very shy and timid while the former seemed more outspoken and friendly. He introduced himself as Mighty the Armadillo and his friend as Ray, after Sonic had convinced them that he hadn't been stalking them like they had originally assumed (hence the second-head staring). Eventually, the three of them got to talking and Sonic hedged his original question.

"What are you guys running around the beach all the time for?" he had asked, leaning on the table in front of him. Mighty had insisted that they take Sonic out for lunch, as a way to greet him to Green Hill, and he had graciously accepted, because he hadn't really had a decent meal since he had arrived.

"We've been looking for the Chaos Emeralds," Ray answered eventually, after sharing a glance with Mighty. The two of them had been fidgety all day, as if they had found something, but Sonic had chosen to ignore it.

"The Chaos Emeralds?" The name sounded vaguely familiar… Did they have anything to do with the Emeralds that Dr. Robotnik had had?

"You've never heard of the Chaos Emeralds?" Mighty had asked, flabbergasted. Sonic didn't have the modesty to look embarrassed, though he did look down at the table and shake his head. "Where did you come from?"

"The, uh, mainland…?" He had winced when his answer came out as a question, but there was no way to take it back, so he simply picked his head up and stared at his companions, begging them not to press the issue. They relented easily, understanding all about troubled pasts

"The Chaos Emeralds are mythical items of power. They're full of Chaos Energy, which fuels this planet, and, it's said that anyone who posses all seven will unlock an unstoppable power." Mighty answered, sipping at his drink.

Sonic was going to reply, but a waitress sauntered up at that point, asking for their order. Only after Sonic had requested a chili dog with the works and she had left did Sonic get to voice his response. "Are they about this big?" He cupped his hands to about the dimensions of the Emerald he had encountered in Robotnik's fortress; Mighty and Ray's eyes widened. "And, green?"

"One of them is green…" Ray said in awe, moving closer with his eyes trained on Sonic's hands, as if he could see an after-image of the stone sitting there. "You saw one?"

"Well, I guess… It kinda saved my life…"

Mighty sputtered, almost spitting out his drink. "What?" he demanded, his hands hitting the table flat-palmed as he leaned in toward the hedgehog. "The Emeralds haven't been seen for years, and you're telling me one of them saved your life?"

"Uh, I guess…" Sonic repeated, putting his hands up when the armadillo tried to get even closer to him. "Look, at the time I had no idea what it was an-"

"This is incredible!" Mighty exploded, throwing his hands up. "Tell me, what did it feel like? Did you learn anything from it? Where on the mainland did you come from?"

"Um, in order, tingly, no, and the Mobian Kingdom."

"Wait, Queen Aleena's Mobian Kingdom?"

"Yes…"

"Wasn't that taken over by a human twelve years ago?"

"Yeah," he waved off the question, "the resistance got rid of him."

"Huh. Didn't think the Emeralds liked the Kingdom. They usually only show up on the islands down south. How strange…"

"Heh heh, strange…" Sonic laughed dryly, looking away when Mighty tried to catch his eye. Suddenly, something occurred to Sonic and he jerked his head up. "Wait, did you say seven?"

"Yeah, there's seven Emeralds. The last one's lost though… Something about it being the final key and the only person who can find it is destined to unlock the Emeralds' full potential… That's why me and Ray are looking. We want to be the ones to find the seventh Emerald."

Sonic had excused himself after that, not even bothering to wait around for his food. He knew that was probably really rude and Sonia would have had his head if she found out, but he had things he needed to think about.

Which was how he ended up on the beach again. Something about the sun and the sound of the waves helped to calm his mind and allow him to think a little deeper than he was used to. The past few days had been very beneficial to his health, as if something back home had been making him weak. Two days ago, he realized that his head was clear, as if he had had a headache his whole life and hadn't realized it until it was gone. It was strange, and he couldn't put his finger on what exactly could have caused it, but he was doubly thankful he had left.

Robotnik said something about six Emeralds… he thought to himself, turning his face away from the sun. No wait, he mentioned the seventh being lost forever. I wonder if he knows about this legend.

Of course he knew, but Sonic couldn't help but be optimistic. The Seventh Emerald was probably the reason that he didn't bother trying to take over Mobotropolis again. From the sound of it, that last gem could help him conquer the whole planet, not just a small kingdom.

000

A few days passed before he started to hear the rumors. He was barely aware of them at first, as he was too preoccupied with thoughts of Emeralds and running. He had taken to spending less time on the beaches as well, instead opting to keep himself limber and increasing his hand to hand skills. His fighting abilities were lacking, because he had been relying on his medallion more often than he should have, and he had asked Mighty to teach him a bit of fighting. The armadillo didn't seem keen to the idea at the time, because he didn't believe in violence – though when asked why he knew to fight he had clammed up and agreed.

Sonic was slowly becoming more aware of his own body. Before, he had no idea exactly how fast he could run – just that he was fast – and he eventually managed to break the sound barrier with barely any effort. He had only done it once before – when he had chased Robotnik away from Mobotropolis – and he hadn't really been aware of it at the time, but now he was totally mesmerized by the feeling of the air splintering, collapsing underneath the force of his pushing speed, and, when it eventually broke and that wall of sound blasted away on either side of him, he felt an exhilaration that he had never experienced before. It was addictive.

The first rumor came about when he was walking through town, trying to find something to eat. The locals were pretty good about offering up food to someone who looked weary and travel worn – and, with his wind whipped quills, scuffed shoes, and no gloves, he looked seriously travel worn – and they were caring enough to usually offer him a place to sleep for the night, though he never accepted. He had a place; he just needed food.

So, when an older man called out to him as he was walking along, he slowly made his way to him, careful not to jump to conclusions. The older folks were more prone to seeing a starving twelve year old and to feed him, but he felt a little guilty when he accepted their offerings, as if he was stealing. Of course, he knew that he had extended his newcomer welcome a long time ago, but he didn't have anywhere else to go; this Zone had somehow become his home.

"Yes sir?" Sonic asked once he had stopped in front of the man. He was an aged lion, with dark eyes and a long, shaggy mane. His fur was a healthy gold, and Sonic could tell from his hunched form that he had a life left in him, despite his appearance.

"You looked a little lost. Are you alright?" The man's voice was gruff, yet somehow smooth.

"I was just looking for something to eat…" He felt a little sheepish now that he was staring into the man's eyes, but he could not take back his words and he stared brazenly ahead.

"You seem to be in need of something else as well…" The lion looked pointedly at the hedgehog's uncovered hands, and Sonic immediately started to feel self conscious, even if only a little bit. "No mobian I've ever come across has been comfortable without gloves, and I've seen you around quite a bit. Don't you have a pair?"

Sonic stared down at his hands, realizing for the first time that his fingers were filthy, the tan skin almost brown with dirt. He clenched his hands into fists, forcing his eyes away from the thin digits. "Not anymore," he answered truthfully, looking back up at the lion. "My last pair kinda… fell apart."

"Well, then, come with me." The brusque command was punctuated as the old mobian turned and shuffled off down the path. Sonic glanced around, confused, before following at a sedate pace, dodging around people as he went. They walked for a few minutes before the old man entered a small dwelling, holding the door open for the hedgehog. The blue one felt a little apprehensive at entering the stranger's home, but all thought of that left him when the lion barked a quick "Well, hurry up, boy!" at him, and he darted inside almost too quickly for the man to follow.

He was directed toward a table and he sat on the edge of the closest chair, watching as his host hustled into a different room. He reappeared half a minute later, holding out two pairs of gloves for the hedgehog. "Here." He tossed them onto the table and Sonic hesitantly grabbed the one nearest him, running his fingers over the silky fabric.

"But-"

"This isn't a hand out, young hedgehog." The man cut off Sonic's refusal. "I do not work in charity."

"But then what…?"

"Those were my son's." The lion heaved a sigh, placing himself into a chair with a bit of difficulty. Sonic could practically hear his old joints creak with the strain. "I was saving them for my grandson, but I haven't seen either of them in twelve years." His tone was heavy, and the words weighed down onto Sonic, casting dark shadows on his thoughts as he realized what his companion was alluding to.

"You mean…?" the hedgehog trailed off for a second time, unable to put his whirling thoughts into words.

"They were visiting Mobotropolis when Dr. Robotnik attacked and took it over. My grandson was only two at the time, and it was nearly impossible for them to escape. My son helped in the resistance and he managed to get word out to me what had happened. I helped him as much as I could, but there wasn't much I could do from the outside." He heaved another sigh, his voice getting quieter the longer he spoke. "He was eventually captured and robotisized. My grandson took up the resistance work, and he kept the correspondence with me going."

Sonic's eyes were drawn toward the gloves, and he picked up the larger pair, laying his palm against them. They were the perfect size. "I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"Cyrus spoke very highly of you in his letters, Sonic Hedgehog." The words came without warning and they thrummed through Sonic like the stroke of dissonance on his guitar. His eyes widened and he jerked to stare at the lion with an impossibly shocked face. The man chuckled at his expression before continuing. "Even before he knew you were one of the lost heirs of Mobius, he told me of the things you could do – the speeds you could reach. When I saw you walking in town a few weeks ago, I was struck by how much you reminded me of the hedgehog he talked about. I've been watching you, and I realized pretty quickly that that hedgehog and you were the same." He leaned in toward the still flabbergasted blue preteen. "What are you doing so far from home?"

Sonic's expression shut down and he tossed the gloves back onto the table. "Robotnik's gone. They don't need me anymore."

A bit of shock flickered across the lion's face at the former prince's words, but he quickly schooled his features into a blank mask. "You are next in line to take the throne."

"Not anymore." Sonic crossed his arms. "My sister wanted that more than me anyway."

The man seemed to realize that his argument was lost on deaf ears, so he changed tactics. "They think you're dead."

That stopped Sonic. His mouth snapped closed and his defensive ego deflated a bit. "I figured, but I wasn't sure…"

"Your funeral is in a few days, on the twenty-third. A bit late, considering how long it's been since both you and Robotnik disappeared." The man shrugged. "Guess they wanted to make sure you were really dead, maybe tried to find a body or your magical necklace. You didn't leave anything behind though, right?"

Sonic's eyes hardened. "No – maybe a few footprints." Suddenly, something seemed to occur to him. "The twenty-third? That's my – our birthday. I can't believe they would have it then."

"A bit fitting. A celebratory funeral for a cowardly prince. Cyrus always talked about how quickly you can run. Never mentioned you being so fast to run away though."

Sonic bristled, his quills raising into a defensive position. "I'm not a prince," he bit out, his jaw tight around his words. "Never was, never will be."

"Sure been acting like one, if you ask me. Bumming off the locals for food, lying on the beach, running around the forest."

"Excuse me." Sonic's voice took on a dark quality and his eyes turned into hard pieces of flint in milliseconds. Suddenly, the person he had turned into – the calm, relaxed comedian – morphed back into the hedgehog he had left behind – the angry, defensive prince – and he darted to his feet, his fists thick balls at his side and his mouth set in a deep scowl. "For the past six months I've been fighting a war. Forgive me for wanting a few weeks off."

The old man raised his hands in a placating gesture. "You do not have a purpose," he replied bluntly. "A vacation is warranted, if what Cyrus has told me is true, but it has to end eventually. What will you do when that time comes?"

Sonic wilted, the fire leaving him in seconds, and he fell back into his seat. "I – I don't know…" he mumbled after a long silence. "I've been waiting for-"

Before he could finish, the front door of the small house slammed open and a middle aged dog scurried in, wringing her gloved hands. "Apollo!" she called as she caught sight of the lion. "Someone else has gone missing and –" She cut herself off. "Oh, you have company. I'm sorry for barging in…"

"It's fine, Anne," the newly named Apollo soothed. "We were just finishing up." He stood and placed his hands onto the back of his chair to stabilize himself. "Take the gloves, boy." He turned to Sonic, nodding at the pile of white. "Think of them as a thank you from everyone in Mobotropolis." Quickly, he rummaged through a drawer behind him and he threw something else onto the table. "They might be a bit big. Use those straps until you grow into them." Then, he turned and guided the woman from the house, closing the door behind him.

The slam echoed through Sonic's skull, bouncing off his thoughts as they swirled through his head.

000

All hell broke loose four days later.

Sonic was on the beach when it happened, just minding his own business. He had been stewing over Apollo's words for the past few days, steadily getting more and more annoyed with the lion, but he didn't have an answer to the big question. He didn't know what he was going to do with his life. He had expected Robotnik to kick up some kind of fuss eventually – the human had pretty much promised that before running away from Sonic – but he didn't know how long he was going to have to wait. As far as he knew, it could take years to come up with an evil plan.

Luckily – or unluckily, depending on your point of view – that was the day that robots rained down from the sky.

There was minimal warning. The sky was overcast, so the shadow of the giant aircraft only appeared when it descended below the cloud line, and at that point, it was too late. Robots of all shapes and sizes dropped from the sky, landing with sickening clunks all throughout the Zone. They were resilient, staying completely intact when they struck the ground, and they immediately started to terrorize everything in their path. Fliers descended next, equipped with miniature plasma cannons, which they used with gusto. The screams started seconds later, followed by the sound of running feet and burning fur.

Sonic had been resting in the sand, half asleep, but the moment the first 'bot landed – right next to his head – he was on his feet, moving so quickly his whole body was a blur of blue light. He backed away from the small ladybug shaped robot, staring into its blank eyes, trying to gauge what exactly he was up against. The robot was nothing more than a large tire topped with the makings of a metal shell. It was painted red, with black spots completing the ladybug façade, and had small yellow pincers, which it waved at Sonic menacingly, its inner audio processors letting out a hiss of warning.

The hedgehog could only stare stupidly as it tried to lunge toward him, its tire getting trapped in the sand. He was sure that if it was sentient, the robot's eyes would have widened, but, as it were, it could only sit in the sand, revving over and over again in a feeble attempt to get him. He blinked slowly before walking up to it and reaching out a hand to poke it.

His gloved finger came into contact with hard metal and the bug's wheel spun harder still, interpreting his gentle prod as an attack. Sonic was rewarded with a spray of sand to the face and he sputtered, falling away from the semi-trapped robot.

"Not cool," he muttered, swiping the back of his hand across his eyes to free them of sand. "Seriously, what gives?" The robot clacked at him, and his ears twitched upwards a bit when the sound of banging seemed to emanate from inside. "What the…" He padded back up to it, and perilously leaned toward it with one ear raised all way the way. The sound came again, this time louder than before and accompanied with the unmistakable sound of a muffled voice.

Sonic's brow furrowed and he tapped on the metal with his knuckles. He was awarded with a hollow sound and his mind ticked for a few seconds before a crazy idea occurred to him. Quickly, he ran up the beach for a few meters before turning back around and heading straight toward the robot. He curled into a ball when he was a few feet away and slammed into the hard shell. It cracked under his sharp quills and he bounced off, flying into the air. He quickly uncurled and kicked his legs out for some drag and landed on his hands and knees, barely winded but a bit dizzy.

The hedgehog twisted around when a loud pop followed by a hydraulic hiss sounded from behind him, and his eyes widened when he beheld the sight of the slightly smoking robot. A small rabbit was trapped inside, various wires snaking away from its body and into the ruined metallic machine. The wires weren't intravenous, thankfully, though they looked like they were stuck onto the mobian's gray fur with some type of strong adhesive. The bunny was staring at the hedgehog with huge, unseeing eyes, and Sonic knelt next to the metal death trap. He shoved his gloved hand into the tangle of wires and wrapped his arms around the rabbit's body, yanking it free with all of his strength. The cables snapped from their holds on the 'bot, remaining steadfastly attached to the long-eared mobian's body.

As soon as the connection with the robot was severed, the rabbit seemed to come back to himself and he jerked in Sonic's hold. His large feet kicked into the hedgehog's stomach and the twelve year old instinctually let go to curl inward, his breath leaving him in a huge huff. The rabbit scurried away, practically falling over himself to get away.

"You're welcome," Sonic wheezed more to himself than the retreating mobian.

When he recovered, the hedgehog straightened and spied another robot nearby. This one was fashioned after a wasp, and he didn't get a chance to notice more beyond that, because it suddenly zoomed toward him and launched a plasma ball from a gun shaped after a stinger. He jumped as it exploded at his feet and curled into a ball instinctually. The flared blue quills on his back plowed into the robot through more luck than design and it went down in a flaming ball, the mobian inside ejected from the sheer force of the metal crippling inward.

Sonic landed on one knee, his hand fisted into the sand, and he used the planted leg to swing himself around toward the center of town. The bulk of the robots seemed to be condensed there, but a few were escaping into the forest in pursuit of the fleeing citizens. Suddenly, he felt a great heat flare up in the pit of his stomach, eating away at the calm ball that had settled there over the past few weeks. It licked at his heart, awakening the hardened warrior nerves he had been trying to suppress. Images of Robotropolis – of Argus being robotisized, of Sonia disappearing before his eyes, of Dingo almost grabbing his mother, of Sanctuary and the children that hid there, of Uncle Chuck's robotisized body, of his adopted father telling him run, and don't look back – flashed before his eyes, and the screams filtering toward him from the Zone's one village blended with the symphony of carnage in his mind and his psyche shifted – his vision tunneling and his ears jerking to full attention.

Suddenly, he was moving. Sonic's senses sped up, his eyes barely blinking as they categorized threats and paths of attack, his ears flicking with the most minute of changes as they triangulated the sound of motors and cries of people, his nose picking up the smell of plasma charging and fur burning, his skin dulling out the pain of body slamming a crab-shaped robot and then turning around and kicking another with a leg that could reach mach 1. The machines crumpled under his well timed attacks, popping open and freeing those trapped inside, but he barely noticed. Everything was a blur, and, soon enough every 'bot was gone, nothing more than shrapnel at his feet.

He hadn't been in Green Hill Zone for very long, but he felt like he owed these people. They offered him a second chance, unblemished with his title or expectations, and he knew what he needed to do. It hit him with the force of a ton of bricks, feeding the anger building just under his skin. It fueled him and he blasted into the forest, his steps ghosting over the foliage and his breath steady and even.

He went through a loop without thinking. It was natural in that moment, just another part of the path. His inner speedometer sang as he pressed against the sound barrier. Ahead of him, three of the ladybug 'bots rolled toward him, but he simply fell forward into a ball, his momentum carrying toward and through the threat, each and every robot splitting and cracking open. He came back to his feet in-stride and pressed forward again, darting over a bridge with the alacrity of the wind on his heels.

"People of Green Hill Zone, today, June twenty-third, marks the beginning of the future!" an obnoxious voice rang into the clear air, tainting it like the worst smog imaginable. "You are now a part of the Robotnik Empire! Be happy, your bodies will soon be powering my precious badniks! You will allow me to take over the rest of this pathetic planet!" The voice cut off its miniature tirade with a loud cackle, and Sonic could imagine its owner throwing his head back in pure glee.

Well, I found Robotnik… Sonic thought to himself as he bounced off a wasp-bot and used his leftover lift to smash his feet into a spring – not questioning the strange contraption for one second –catapulting himself onto the highest cliff above him. The sky was clearing up, allowing the beautiful blue of the South Island heavens to filter to life, and Sonic easily saw the dark smudge of Robotnik floating at the edge of the Zone in his Egg-O-Matic.

"Resistance is futile!" The human's voice came again, this time stronger than before. "None of you are a match for my robots!"

"That's where you're wrong, doc." Sonic mumbled to himself, emphasizing his point when he cracked through two crab-bots without trying. "These things are a piece of cake compared to those huge SWATbots, and I could take those out in my sleep!"

He quickly exploded through the whole Zone, and came upon Robotnik at the fringe of the forest. Ahead of him, he could see the smoking stack of a volcano and the barest hint of sulfur licked at his nose, teasing him with what was to come.

"Ah, Sonic," Dr. Robotnik's voice came from everywhere and it did not sound surprised when the hedgehog slammed out of the trees, ripping leaves from the palms with the force of his speed alone. "I see you've crashed my party, though I suppose it's reasonable." Sonic jerked to a stop as the human floated in front of him. "It is your birthday after all. I even brought you a present!" More laughter accompanied that statement and, despite his attempts not to, Sonic's eyes widened when a large checkered wrecking ball fell out of the bottom of the doctor's machine, extended by a thick, industrial chain. "Happy thirteenth birthday! I fear it may be your last!"

o0o

*Modulation:*:Requiem*

They don't have a body for the funeral.

They have scoured the whole blast zone, and have come up naught. Manic himself has been out there, and he has nothing to show for his troubles – not even Sonic's medallion. It is like his brother has never existed.

Sonia has been having a tough time with the whole process, so both Manic and Queen Aleena have simply not included her in the preparations. But, even they cannot protect her from the actual event, and she shuffles her way into the ceremony space with a blank face. She is clad in a dress so dark, it seems to embody the depths of space. Every step she takes is silent, and one look at her feet reveals that they are bare, her pink toes peeking out from beneath the fabric. Her hair and quills are pulled back into a ponytail, so tight it seems to pull at the skin of her face.

Manic looks every inch her brother as he stands next to her. Both of their faces are stony, unexpressive, yet somehow eternally sad. He is dressed in a simple suit jacket. It is hanging open in the front and rumpled a bit, as if he shrugged it on without a care in the world. He is wearing his usual sneakers and his spike cuffs, despite his mother's disapproval at the action, and his medallion is dull in the harsh, artificial lights. Sonia's is nowhere to be seen, but Manic knows that she is never far from it – it is too painful.

The two royal heirs are complete opposites, in both appearance and mental stability. While Sonia is very put together visually, her mind is broken. She has no idea how to cope with the loss of her brother, even with her mother and Manic to help hold her up. Her whole life, she has somehow avoided loss and death, despite where she lived. The only close comparison she can make to this situation is when Lady Windemere was kidnapped and robotisized, but, even then, she had her brothers to distract her. It never properly hit her that her adoptive mother was gone, and that kept her strong, provided fortitude that allowed her to fight for her kingdom with everything she had. Now though, there is nothing to distract her. Even with the successful reemergence of her mother as the queen and her future crowning of Crown Princess of Mobius, she cannot break through the fog blocking everything. She can only accept the pain and hurt and try to not let it overrun her.

Manic, on the other hand, looks messy and unkempt, but he is a wall of reason and strength. Somehow, with Sonic's passing, he has managed to come into his own. He is the only man of the family now, and he is determined to keep his sister and mother safe and to provide them with what they need and want. He is sure that Sonia would call his thought process boorish and sexist, but he cannot help but believe that Sonic would feel the same way if he were here. The fact that Sonic died doing just that sends a subdued chill through the green hedgehog's body and he leans into Sonia's side, lending her a bit of support as she offers a condolence-extending noble a small, fake smile, doing her best to seem gracious to their sympathy.

The woman nods in response and moves to take a seat. Manic cannot help but feel slighted for his brother. None of these people knew him; they have no right to be at his funeral. Sonic probably wouldn't have been able to stand any of these people… Rich, stuck up, lazy, and self-righteous, none of them know the meaning of a mobium or hard work. His big brother would have preferred that they have a private ceremony, with only the family, some of his resistance friends, like Cyrus, and maybe Bartleby if he was feeling generous, in attendance. All of these simpering, pretending to be sad nobles are slowly picking at Manic's self control. Every new sweet smelling female that tries to hug him is another chip at the wall, and each large, male hand that slaps on his shoulder, accompanied by a deep voice telling him he is a good man for being so strong, act as a hammer blow to his restraint.

Sonia seems to sense his discontent and she shifts a bit so she is leaning back onto him. They hold each other up subtly as another woman tries to engulf them in a hug, and Sonia easily distracts her with small talk. They are the only two left of a long legacy; they are the only two that can tell the real story – Sonic's story. It is the only story that matters, in Manic's opinion, but he knows that that is not true, if only because of the way that his mother has been going on and on about how they needed to reform political alliances. Of course, she did not come out and say that the funeral was the perfect place to do that – sympathy could go a long way when dealing with a mother that just lost her child – but Manic could not help but suspect that it was implied.

He is being unfair to his mother though. She is just as torn up about Sonic's death as they are. Maybe even more so, if he is completely honest with himself. She never got to truly meet him. Sonia and Manic at least got a few months to get to know their brother as a person and a hero, but their mother is not so lucky. The only thing that she has is Manic's stories, and he feels as if those are not even half as great as the real thing. It is impossible for him to explain to her the sound of Sonic humming under his breath as he strummed at his guitar, the smell of his breath after he guzzled down a chili dog, the feel of those rock hard muscles – coiled like a spring under his plush, blue fur – when he hugged you, the sound of his voice, or the way that he smiled – something so rare that Sonia had been convinced that it didn't exist. Manic has seen that smile though, and it had been one image that burned itself into his psyche, as if his mind had realized that it was important that he remember his brother happily.

Soon enough, the line of people in front of the twins dwindles and ends and they are allowed to take their seats. They sit in the front, right across from the empty casket, and Manic glances away when his mother starts to speak, greeting everyone and introducing the man who will lead the ceremony. She then bequeaths the pulpit to him and pads over to her two remaining children. She sits down beside Manic and places her arm around both of them, pulling them toward her in a hug. Manic is drawn against her side, sandwiched next to Sonia, and he is suddenly aware of the way the queen's hands are shaking. She heaves a deep breath and her whole body shudders against her son, as if relaxing, and Manic cannot help but feel a bit bad for his earlier criticisms.

Peace settles over the small family of three, and Sonia worms her hand into Manic's larger palm, gathering strength from her brother's rough gloves. Manic finally feels safe in that moment. He realizes that he has not felt this way since Sonic departed, but the close proximity with his family – something he never thought he'd have – fortifies his might and security and he starts to think that maybe, just maybe, they will all manage to get through this.

Somehow.

"Happy birthday, my dears," Aleena whispers under the hum of prayer, and Manic fells the tension finally go out of his shoulders. This is a new beginning, and he is determined to live as much as he can. For his brother.

o0o

...:Cadenza:…

Sonic was at an impasse when the factory finally fell. Not literally, of course – there were still newly freed mobians inside, after all – but the whole place was shut down. The six Emeralds in his quills hummed at him as he chased Robotnik to his Egg-O-Matic, urging him to end it, just solve the problem all together and save Mobius from further strife. But, he couldn't. Despite everything, all of the trouble that Robotnik created for his life in Robotropolis, all of the people he robotisized, the families that Sonic had lost and gained and lost over and over again, Sonic could not do as the gems wished. He didn't owe Robotnik anything, but a small part of him couldn't help but think that the human's plow for power had shaped Sonic's life. He had enabled him to get away from that repressive life of castles, posturing, fancy dinners, and rules. Of course, he had caused suffering for so many others, but Sonic granted the human one last free play.

Sonic let him go. He watched him float away, in the direction of Westside Island, and he knew that was where he was heading next. The hedgehog would have to follow, if only because he had just created another responsibility for himself. He had deluded himself for far too long that Robotnik was nothing more than a threat – he was a release, a way for Sonic to justify leaving behind his home and family.

Sonic could not kill, he knew that. Killing was too easy. It was the quick way out, and he could not have such a cheat on his conscience. Besides, only he would be held responsible, and he was sure that he would be praised if he ever did get the nerve to end Robotnik's life. He could not – would not – be hailed as a hero for taking another's life.

So, he allowed the human to escape, gazed after his retreating form as he floated over the Southside Sea, and he felt good. It was almost selfish to feel so great, but as he gazed back at the mobians stumbling toward him, some already thanking him for saving their lives, he felt something click into place. This was what he was meant to do – keep these people safe from threats like Robotnik.

That was why he let the Emeralds go when he made his way back to Green Hill Zone. Someone else might be in need of them – who was he to keep them from their jobs? They tugged themselves out of his hands and circled above him, creating a cyclone of color and light, and he felt that ball of peace settle back into his belly, finally shoving the anger that had been present for most of his life away; it would never return, not if he had anything to say about it. The tension that had held his shoulders taught for as long as he could remember finally released and he smiled, craning his head back to watch as the gems winked out of sight. He allowed his face to show the wonder he was feeling, and his thoughts quickly turned to that fabled seventh Emerald – mentioned to him a lifetime ago. He couldn't help but marvel about it, wonder if he would ever see it, and if the others were joining it where ever they were headed.

That Emerald embodied his future. It was all a mystery, but he was excited to see what came about. He was done living in his past, feeling guilty over his decisions and his failures. He was through with the doubt and indecisive moments where he just did nothing. He was now a hero – the hero – and he felt like it more in that moment than he did in all of his moments in the resistance in Robotropolis. He was finally, finally, no longer Prince Sonic Hedgehog, lost crown prince of Mobius; he was now fully and completely Sonic the Hedgehog, the hero of Mobius, the one who could.

And the future?

All he could do was live and run with whatever came at him. After all, that was what he was best at.

Chapter Text

…:Mezzo:…

Sonic knew he had to get to Emerald Hill.

After letting the Emeralds go in Green Hill, he had ambled aimlessly for a few days before coming across a junkyard on the outskirts of Starlight Zone. It was completely deserted, not a soul in sight, and Sonic's inner compass pulled him toward it. Never one to question whim, he had allowed his feet to take him into the fenced in area, his ears at high alert for any signs of life, and he padded around for a few hours before he eventually found what he hadn't known he was looking for.

It was a beautiful red biplane. Or rather, it used to be a beautiful red biplane. Decrepit and run down, the old thing was gutted almost completely, with only the bare bones of an engine visible and a dangerously bent propeller. Sonic padded up to it, his steps nearly silent, and ran his hand down the side, the peeling paint falling to the ground like small snowflakes as he did so.

"What's your story?" he asked the inanimate plane, patting it. "I bet it's way more interesting than mine." Belatedly, he realized that holding a conversation with something that was nothing more than metal and mechanics would probably put him on a one-way trip on the insane train to crazy town, but he couldn't be bothered to care. He needed someone – something – to talk to that wouldn't judge him. He hadn't had that in a long time.

Manic was probably the last person he had spoken to that didn't automatically criticize whatever came out of his mouth, and Sonic was starting to miss his little brother a bit. It was a dull ache in his heart, one that was barely there, but still noticeable, and he wished he could go and see how he was doing. By this point, Sonia would probably be getting ready to be crowned, but what would happen to Manic? Probably shoved off to the side like always – just the unimportant youngest triplet.

"I miss both of them," he told the biplane, "but Sonia can take care of herself. Manic's still vulnerable…"

It was strange, considering how they had both grown up. Of all things, he expected his brother to be the hardened thief, able to handle any situation and come out on top, and Sonia the simpering princess, begging to be taken care of and protected. In some aspects, they were those things, he supposed, as Sonia had the snobbish personality and high maintenance need to always look good, and Manic could make the best out of any bad situation, but he still felt like his leaving would have hurt Manic more than his sister. Sonic's reasoning was strange even to himself and he scowled before shaking his head, turning his thoughts to other things.

The hedgehog hopped onto the lower wing, landing as lightly as he could. It creaked dangerously and Sonic felt his world sway for a few seconds before the plane settled. Sonic sighed, thanking Chaos above that he hadn't snapped the wing – it would be as good as useless if that happened. He patted the plane again, silently thanking it for holding up, and crossed to the opposite end of the wing. He easily leapt across the gap between the wings and the tail, landing on his toes on the tailplane. The unstable flaps pitched as he landed on them, but he grabbed the tail, using the bend as a spring board to push himself up and into a straddling position on the tail.

The body of the plane was sturdy, despite how run down it looked, and Sonic ran his gloved hand down the tail, rubbing the dirt away. There was the barest hint of white lettering there and he scrubbed a bit more before a large letter T was completely revealed. Quirking an eyebrow, he leaned a little further over so he could get a longer reach on the tail.

"Tornado huh?" he asked once the full word was exposed. The letting was stylized and the paint looked newer than the rest, "not a bad name." The hedgehog slithered to the ground and dusted his hands off. "Well, we've got a lot of work ahead of us if we want to get you back into the air where you belong, don't we?"

The plane was stoically silent, and Sonic shook his head at his own antics before bouncing into the seat. He would start on the repairs tomorrow. For now, he was in desperate need for some decent sleep, and The Tornado's seat was the best place he could think of.

o0o

*Modulation:*:Fortepiano*

Sonia should be happy. It is the morning of her coronation – the beginning of the day that she will be declared the future ruler of her kingdom – but all that she feels is a suffocating depression. It is not the same as the mourning pain she had been plunged into for weeks after Sonic's death; this sadness is sharper, almost guilty, and she can do nothing to keep it away. She cannot help but feel like she is taking something that does not belong to her – the crown belongs to Sonic.

She remembers those days in the van when all three of them squabbled over who would rule. In her mind, they all seem so much younger, so naïve to real life, and she can't help but wish for a return to those days. She fought with Sonic fiercely for the crown back then, swearing up and down that he would be a horrible ruler. He was too brash, too quick to jump the gun, and too unfair. His sense of right and wrong was too strong and he would judge those that he felt were even a little immoral. Really, he was the worst choice of ruler and probably the last person Sonia would follow, but she can't help but feel like she is stealing from him.

Back then, the arguments were fun, promises of a future that they would share together, no matter who would rule. Manic was never that much of an active participant, though he fought when provoked. He never really wanted the crown – not like Sonia. Her brothers were similar in that aspect. Sonic always seemed like he was only fighting with her because she wanted him too. He always shied away from any serious talks on how he would take over from their mother when he was able, and Sonia had always wrote it off as Sonic being Sonic; he would figure it out when he got there.

Now though, she realizes that it didn't matter – he was never going to rule. However he would have taken over was inconsequential, but Sonia can't help but think that it all probably would have had to do with running or chili dogs or something equally unimportant, but he would have eventually gotten everything done. She is sure of that. His methods may not have been normal, but they were effective.

Sonia finds herself padding out of the palace while it is still dark, the light of dawn barely peaking over the horizon. She is barefoot – has not worn a pair of shoes since that day – and the grass is soft on her feet, pleasant almost. The world is near-silent, the nocturnal creatures turning in for a nice sleep and the diurnals awaiting the light of the sun to reemerge, and she quietly makes her way to the clearing behind her home.

It is a small, intimate space, marked off with a three-sided square of trees from the rest of the lawn. At one time, it held the remains and memories of her ancestors, but Robotnik decimated the small cemetery. Now, it holds only one tombstone, a small, rounded slab of granite. It shines like new in the low light, and the pink female pads up to it with her hands fists at her side. The closer she gets, the clearer the words become, and tears are already pricking at her eyes, despite her effort to hold them back. When she gets close enough, she drops to her knees in the wet grass and stares at it, analyzing every chip in the rock.

A small carving, a perfect replication of Sonic's medallion, is etched into the stone, along with the dates of his birth and death. The words are cut deeper, meant to last as long as the grave marker itself, and she reaches out with shaking fingers to trace them, her mouth shaping the sounds as she does so.

Prince Sonic Hedgehog

He will always be waiting.

Sonia's lips quirk as she reads the inscription. Manic designed the gravestone, she remembers. It had been the one meeting her brother and mother had made her attend – not that she paid any attention while it was going on.

"Maybe we should put a chili dog on it," Manic chuckled, glancing at Sonia to see if his joke had hit her. It didn't. "Or maybe a picture of him…"

"We don't have any recent pictures of Sonic, dear," the queen forced out, her tone hinting that that fact was painful for her.

"I can draw one," Manic offered, grabbing a sheet of paper from the center of the table and sketching a rough picture of his brother with a few strokes of his pencil. He held it up for his mother and sister's approval.

Sonia was struck dumb by the perfect depiction of her blue brother. His smiling face was bright, cheerful, yet it was flawlessly him; the swoop of the quills, the hard edge to his eyes, the way he balanced his weight on his toes – always ready to take off at a moment's notice… She turned her shocked stare from the page to her remaining male twin, forcing her unresponsive vocal chords to work.

"You can draw?" It was the only thing she could say and she saw Manic's expression sour at her response.

"A'course." He shrugged. "I had to draw blueprints for my 'board and the van – not that hard to switch to other things. Sonic used to have me draw things for him all the time – the places we went to and stuff."

Of course Sonic knew, Sonia thought to herself, forcing her face into a neutral expression, Sonic knew everything about Manic. Those two were practically married they were so close. She knew she was being unfair to the two of them, but she couldn't gather the strength to care. She had always been the third wheel, the odd one out when it came to the three of them: the only girl, the only one with a proper education, the only one with manners and decorum. Sonic and Manic were more similar than she liked to notice, despite everything that separated them. They always kept secrets from her and they constantly spied on her and got into her business. They were an unstoppable team – always looking out for their sister and constantly aware of everything going on around them.

"It's a lovely picture, Manic." Their mother held her hand out for the drawing and the boy easily bequeathed it to her. She hummed thoughtfully in the back of her throat as she gazed at it. "Can you draw his medallion?"

"Sure." Manic accepted the paper back and he drew a perfect imitation of their brother's necklace. "He didn't use it as much as we did…" he mumbled while he drew, his brow furrowing as he messed up the guitar necks and he flipped the pencil over to erase and try again. "He usually ran when he could. Always told us that he's 'waaaiiiting.'" He chuckled, his eyes far away as he remembered. "He's still the fastest; the first to find out what happens after all of this." He waved his hands around him, the pencil balancing between his gloved fingers. "Guess he'll always be waiting for us to catch up." He sighed and stared at his drawing for a few seconds before handing it back.

"Perfect." Aleena smiled at her son. "What do you think, Sonia?"

The girl couldn't stop staring at her remaining brother, as if he had just unlocked some secret to the universe. She didn't reply. Instead, she rose stiffly to her feet and stomped out of the room, her bare feet silent on the hard floors.

Sonia comes back to herself with a shake of her head. She has slumped forward during her daydreaming and is nearly leaning on the gravestone. She jerks back, nearly falling over herself, and lands on her backside with a painful jolt. She hisses out a breath and glares at the marker as if it is at fault.

"I bet this is just hilarious for you," she mumbles toward the silent rock. She can almost see Sonic sitting on top of it, one leg tucked under the other, the second swinging back and forth, a smirk on his face as he watches her. "Let's watch Sonia fall apart when she gets everything she wants. Haha."

The Sonic mind-apparition doesn't respond and she scowls at her actions. "I guess you think I'm pathetic huh?" She is speaking straight to the tombstone now and she reaches out to touch it again. "I just don't feel right… I'm not supposed to be the next in line. You are."

She doesn't expect a response, so when a male voice says, "Better you than me," she jumps. A chuckle comes from behind her and she jerks around to glare at her visitor.

"That wasn't funny," she reprimands as the other sits down beside her, pulling his vest closer to his body.

"It was hilarious where I was, sis," Manic replies, smiling ruefully at her. When she doesn't smile back, his face turns serious. "What's up? Why this hate fest?"

The pink female sighs, rubbing her eyes with her fisted hands. "I don't know, Manic. I miss him, I guess. I need to talk to him."

"I get that." Manic reaches out and places his arm around her shoulders. The weight is comforting. "It's peaceful – been out here a couple of times."

"The wind reminds me of him," she mumbles, looking down at her hands. "It's calm and free, like he wanted to be. It must have been hard on him…" She trails off, glancing up at Manic to see if he understood what she was getting at.

"Sonic never did anything he didn't want to," the green hedgehog asserts. "He probably would have left if we tried to force him. He was as free as he allowed himself to be." Wise words thus uttered, he breaks away from his sister to lean in and touch his brother's memorial.

Silence falls for a few moments as the twin royals stare at the slab of rock that signifies all that they have left of their brother. Only memories – memories that are fading too quickly for Sonia's liking. Already, she is struggling to recall the sound of his voice, the sight of his happy expression, the thrum of power when he activated his medallion. She crosses her arms, shivering, and Manic pulls her in closer than before.

"…you don't think he just left this time, do you?" she ventures into quiet. She has no idea how her thoughts have become so dangerous, but she has to know – needs to see if Manic has been pondering the same thing.

The green male stiffens, his whole being cracking to attention as if her words have struck a chord in him. "No," he answers, his tone peculiarly without force, "you saw the explosion. There was no way he survived that. We didn't even find his medallion, and it's fireproof."

That's exactly the point… she thinks, but chooses not to respond, instead snuggling a little deeper into her brother's comforting hold. "Do you think he's watching over us?"

Manic snorts. "Oh yeah, and he's probably makin' comments the whole time."

"Wouldn't be Sonic without snide remarks," Sonia hums in response, leaning her head back against his shoulder. She is completely relaxed now, and the wind teases her hair. She can almost imagine that Sonic is agreeing with them.

o0o

…:Mezzo:…

A few months later, Sonic found himself running out of supplies. The junkyard was expansive, but it was still just that – junk. The Tornado's body was worse off than he originally assumed and he was unable to find the correct things to repair the plane. Out of desperation – a combined need to fix the plane and to get away from this island – he traveled all the way back to Green Hill. He didn't realize where he was going until he was standing on Apollo's doorstep. The aged lion had survived Robotnik's attack with a fierceness Sonic had not seen before, and he took a personal affront to Sonic when the hedgehog released him from an Egg-Prison, even refusing to speak to him when he saw him in town once it was all over. Really, Sonic should not have come here. The odds that Cyrus' grandfather could – would – help him were slim, but he didn't have any other options.

Heaving a sigh, he held his hand up to knock, already bracing himself for the conversation that was sure to follow, but before his knuckles could touch the wood, the door swung open, a pair of wise eyes glaring at him like he was a stain on a favorite shirt.

"What do you want, boy?" Apollo ground out, his tone trying and failing to be civil. Sonic opened his mouth to answer, but the lion must have decided that it didn't really matter what his reply was going to be, because he grunted and turned again. "Just come in."

Sonic tried his hardest not to make an affronted sound but he padded through the door nonetheless. The man led him back to the kitchen, sitting in the same chair as last time, and he waited expectantly for the hedgehog to do the same. Hopping into his seat, Sonic suddenly felt even more foolish than before, though he made sure his expression stayed blank.

"Surprised you're still here," the lion began when Sonic failed to offer up a reason for his current occupation of his kitchen table. "I thought you would be on Westside by now; heard that's where Robotnik ran off to."

Sonic winced. Apollo's tone had been judgmental, and the question hanging between those words was obvious enough. Why did you let him get away in the first place? "I can't get to Westside, not yet. I found this old biplane, but I don't have the supplies to fix it."

"And you came here to ask me for help? Don't look so surprised, kid," he continued when he caught sight of Sonic's expression. "I can read you like a book – not a very interesting book, but that doesn't matter. Can you even fly a plane?"

"I learned in the resistance." Sonic's fur bristled at the jab at his abilities. "Cyrus taught me."

Apollo held his hands up. "Don't get defensive. I was just making sure that you're not going to waste my resources and crash this plane right after it's fixed. What's wrong with it?"

"You're going to help me?" The hedgehog's tone was surprised, and his eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, princeling. I don't need a reason."

Sonic forced a huff out of his nose, biting back the scathing reply. "I'm not a princeling."

"Very well. You are the Hero of South Island. You are even with the Savior of Cocoa Island, but you don't see me offering to fix his plane for free."

Sonic's ears rose a bit as that small fact sailed into his brain, burrowing deep into the section labeled 'find out about this'. He didn't know nearly enough about the lands outside of Mobotropolis and any information he learned about them was a precious treasure. "The Savior of Cocoa Island?" He tried his hardest to keep his tone neutral, but it had a revealing lilt that gave him away.

"You've never heard of the Savior of Cocoa Island?" Apollo shook his head. "Figures."

"I was fighting a war, okay?" Sonic declared, his voice a touch too loud.

The lion held his hands up again, placating him. "You're so defensive, Sonic the Hedgehog. The Savior of Cocoa Island was the person who singlehandedly fought off the Battle Kukku Army when they tried to take over the island. He used small explosives – bombs – and managed to collect six of the Emeralds. No one knows what happened to him afterwards. He just disappeared and the Emeralds released."

Sonic's eyes were comically wide. "When did this happen?"

"About six months ago. You wouldn't have heard about it."

"And he found six of the Emeralds?" Sonic whistled. "I'm impressed. Don't tell me he was a hedgehog too…"

"No, he was a fox. Used machines and explosives. That's about it." Apollo's voice left no room for a furthered conversation. "Now, what's wrong with your plane?"

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you see, I found it in a junk yard and there's no telling what exactly is wrong with it…"

Apollo had enough tact to groan.

000

With a lot of luck, elbow grease, and borrowed parts, Sonic finally managed to pull the Tornado together enough to coax it to life. It purred happily at him, despite the way the propeller was still a little bent – not enough to cause a problem, but still a little worrisome – and he managed to direct it into the sky. The flight to Westside was short, but about halfway there, one of the dials fell and the plane started to cough and jerk under his hands. He was lucky to land (crash) on a small beach away from most people, though the close proximity of the water set his teeth on edge.

He had searched the Zone for a mechanic – anyone, really – that could help him, and had come to find out that the closest one was in Metropolis Zone, all the way across the island. He was pretty much stuck. The Tornado wouldn't start, no matter how much he dug around in the wires and engine and pleaded with it, begging and cursing everything, mechanical or otherwise. He was sure that this was karma's way of laughing at him, allow him to get to Westside, but take away his one way off. Har-dee-freakin'-har.

Sonic scowled as he lugged a toolbox across the beach to the Tornado, stepping as lightly as he could to avoid getting sand in his shoes. He had managed to haggle the tools from a local hardware store – a smile and being a hero went a long way – and he hoped that he would be able to at least get a little closer to figuring out what the problem was. The fact that he didn't recognize most of the tools was troublesome, but Sonic didn't let it bother him. He could probably decipher what they did eventually.

"Well, Tornado, let's see if I can finally get you fixed, huh?" he asked the plane, dropping the box into the sand with a thunk.

"The fuselage is cracked. You're lucky it didn't blow up in the air," the biplane replied. Sonic froze, his eyes widening, and he choked. He had been holding regular conversation with the Tornado for the past few months, and he knew that this wasn't particularly healthy, but he had figured that if it didn't respond he would be fine…

Falling backwards a few steps, Sonic ticked through his mental state. He didn't feel crazy, but wasn't that one of the usual symptoms? You never believed you were insane…

Luckily for the hedgehog's state of mind, a small furry head popped out from under the plane. It was golden, with huge ears and large dark eyes, and that was all Sonic managed to see before his diminutive visitor squeaked in alarm. He – Sonic assumed it was a male – stumbled from under the plane, literally falling over himself to get away.

"I'm sorry!" he yelped, holding his hands up as he rushed away. "I didn't know this was Sonic the Hedgehog's plane!"

"No wait!" Sonic reached out toward the little one, getting ready to run after him, but the other did something completely unexpected. He took off.

Not like Sonic usually did – at a run. He literally took off, into the air. Sonic skidded to a stop, his eyes wide and in full out ogle mode as the fox flew above his reach. He darted away, moving almost as quickly as Sonic at a jog, disappearing into the tree line.

"Well…" It was all Sonic could say, and he felt it was a perfect summarization of what had just happened. "That was—" He shook his head. "I don't even know what that was."

000

The flying fox thing had fixed the Tornado. Not all of it, but he had taken a considerable amount of work out of Sonic's hands. The cracked fuselage had been patched up, some of the loose wires – left that way because Sonic had had no idea what they were for – spliced together, and other small things Sonic hadn't even realized where broken mended. When he started it, it didn't cough and then groan at him like it usually did; it purred. He could only stare stupidly at the dials as they soared to their correct positions, the readouts finally making sense to the hedgehog.

He was stumped. Well and truly stumped. That fox couldn't have been older than six. How on Mobius did he know about advanced mechanics?

Sonic had a sinking suspicion that there was something else going on here. He had heard rumors in the village about a 'freak', some guy that the rest of the people didn't want anything to do with. The hedgehog hadn't really paid any attention to it at the time, as he was too preoccupied with the Tornado, but now he couldn't help but wonder if that flying fox had had something to do with it.

So, he traveled back into town, this time with the intention to find out more about his strange plane-fairy. He figured that the best place to start was in the hardware store. Anyone with enough technical know-how to fix a plane had to have a need of tools; that kind of thing didn't come without practice.

The bell jangled as Sonic walked in and the man at the counter looked up and smiled when he saw the hedgehog. He quickly hopped off of his stool as Sonic approached.

"Mister Hedgehog," he nodded, "in need of more tools?"

Sonic's eyes narrowed a bit as he took in the man. He was a green rabbit in a brown vest and work boots, tool belt slung low on his hips; his nametag declared that his name was Ted and Sonic rocked on his feet a bit before finally answering.

"Nah, I don't need any tools. You pretty much gave me one of everything." He paused when Ted chuckled, sending him a small smile. "Actually, I needed to ask you something… You see, I had a – um – visitor earlier today, and I was wondering if you knew anything about him."

Ted's large ears twitched a bit at Sonic's words. "Depends on the person…"

"I didn't catch his name, but he was a small fox, about this tall –" he held a hand up to the approximate height of the kit "– wicked smart. He fixed my plane."

There was a pause as Ted stared at Sonic, seemingly trying to gauge the hedgehog's expression before he replied. A sigh. "I know him."

"Why'd'you sound so upset about it? He buy his tools from a different shop or somethin'?"

"That boy is… Well, let's just say that most of the village doesn't like him."

"'The rest of the village'?" Sonic echoed, voice and expression confused.

"I don't have a problem with him, honestly. He came in here and bought some tools a few months ago – used rings and everything. Wasn't a problem; extremely polite. But, he's...detached. Something happened to him before he came to Emerald Hill."

"Did he move in from another Zone or something?"

"No," a head shake, "he came off one of the cargo ships that ferry supplies to and from Cocoa Island. Didn't have anything besides a pouch of rings and a screwdriver."

A thrum went through Sonic's mind as the rabbit spoke. "Cocoa Island? Wasn't that place attacked by some army?"

"Yeah, the Battle Kukkus, horrible bunch. They were chased off though. No one knows exactly what happened, and I think that might have something to do with the boy's situation." When Sonic made a confused sound, the shopkeeper elaborated, "He's an orphan – lives on his own. I don't know where exactly, and he avoids the rest of the village. The other children bully him; I've had to break up a few fights because the other adults don't care."

Sonic could feel a bit of anger dripping into his veins, but he took a deep breath. He would not revert back to that – not yet. "Why?" was all he could say.

"The boy's a mutant… I thought you saw him? He has two tails."

Sonic sucked in a deep breath. Two tails? That was one of the most extreme mutations the hedgehog had heard of. However, because he had grown up in Robotropolis, the whole concept of such a thing wasn't a huge shock for him. Robotnik had polluted the water and air, and a lot of children born during his reign had some type of mutation. Most of them weren't noticeable – an unusual eye color, elevated blood sugar level, slightly larger ears – but to have an extra tail…

That didn't matter though – not to him.

"But… why would the village hate him so much?"

"Things are different out here than they are in the city Zones. The people don't like things that are different, and the extra tail along with that brain of his…" The rabbit shrugged. "He's too different for them."

Sonic was struck silent at that. To be discriminated against because of something out of your control… It was a helpless concept, and it made Sonic slightly sick to think about. Suddenly, he couldn't stay in this shop – no, in this Zone – any longer, and he thanked Ted for his help before backtracking out of the store. He needed to run and clear his head, or else risk losing control of his anger.

He blasted toward the beach, leaving behind a trail of blue as he went.

000

…:Coda:…

When Sonic eventually managed to make it back to Emerald Hill Zone, it was with a brighter outlook on life. Running always managed to lift the dark clouds from his life, even if only for a little while. There was something about being able to escape every problem. The feel of the wind going through his quills, the pure agility he used as his feet ghosted over the ground, barely touching down, the way he could center his breathing – in, out, in, out – the way everything slowed down, moving at a quarter of its normal speed as he darted through, avoiding any and everything with ease. It was the purest form of escape, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Green palms and thick grass surrounded him on all sides, the sea between here and the distant island glittering happily. Small Mobians splashed in the water and Sonic felt a small flash apprehension at the sight. A rough twitch shuddered up his backbone and his quills flared out instinctively, as if trying to fend off an attack. He quickened his steps, his shoes tapping on the boardwalk lining the beach, trying to keep his mind off the close proximity of the water.

Suddenly, some kids ran across his vision before cutting across the boardwalk feet in front of him, dripping water the whole time. Sonic's eyes twitched as some of the droplets splashed onto him and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from verbally attacking his peers.

Instead, he watched as they dashed towards what looked like a small pile of sand. They converged on the mound, yelling loudly. The noise overpowered the beach, making almost everyone turn in that direction.

Who knew little kids could be so loud?

But, over all of the clamor, a small voice called in a high pitched tone. Sonic couldn't hear what it was saying but he could tell from the tone that it was a call for help – a call he couldn't ignore.

It took him all of two seconds to dart across the beach and push himself into the crowd of young boys. He was careful as he shoved past them, making sure they didn't nick themselves on his sharp quills, but still rough enough so they got the message to move. Most caught his drift when they turned to see who had grabbed their shoulder; eyes wide, they sputtered at him before he stepped past. Others thought large of themselves and attempted to obstruct him. These he sent sprawling into the sand, hiding his mirth as they stared at him dumbly.

As he worked his towards the middle, the number of those trying to cease his movement increased and outnumbered those smart enough to move out of his way. In a few moments time, he had over half of the large group nursing sore tails and the rest ogling at him, stuck in the disbelief that a living legend had just touched them. He shook his head at the younger males, trying to think of time when he acted that way. Of course, his mind was biased and couldn't pull up a single incidence, but he was sure that if he asked his sister, there would surely be many. However, he pushed these thoughts away as he finally came upon the middle of the group.

What he saw there both infuriated him and disappointed him, if such a combination of emotions was possible.

Three figures wrestled in the sand, two clearly overpowering the third. In fact, it wasn't so much wrestling as beating up. The third person was younger, if the voice being yelled above the cries of the other two boys was any indication, and he was firmly pressed into the ground by the other two. One of the older boys – some kind of cat species by the looks of it – was pounding roughly on the smaller's chest and face, smiling almost gleefully as his victim cried out with each hit. The other – a coyote – was pinning his arms down so he couldn't move to fight back. Sonic couldn't tell what species the one receiving the beating was, because he was so obscured by the others.

It made him sick.

He saw red. His dark eyes narrowed dangerously and his fists clenched, pure rage – a rage he hadn't felt since Robotnik attacked Green Hill – coursing through his veins. The fire was back, engulfing his mind in a sharp, thick heat, and his vision tunneled as he planted his feet into the sand, gathering traction on the loose substance. He was about to pounce on the older boys to give them a taste of their own medicine when one of them spoke.

"Had enough yet, Miles?!" the cat-like one yelled into the face of the one digging deeper and deeper into the sand. "Where're your precious bombs now?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" A broken sob emerged from the sands, and Sonic felt his heart jerk unexpectantly. "What bombs?!" The voice was harsh with disbelief as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening.

"You know exactly what bombs I'm talking about, you freak!" The cat was screeching now, shaking the life out of the other. "The bombs you almost blew up the whole Zone with!"

There came no reply, and the cat looked towards the coyote, nodding his head roughly. The dog smiled smoothly before scooping down and pulling the sobbing child to his feet. Sonic's eyes were immediately drawn to the blood spattered boy, categorizing injuries and wounds. The child was a fox – the same one that had fixed his plane, he realized without surprise – and his face was almost disfigured. His nose was obviously broken and his teeth looked like they had seen better days. Luckily however, he looked young enough for them to only be baby teeth, so he would be receiving his older pair to replace them soon enough. He was hunched over, hand pressed to his chest, an obvious sign of a broken rib, and his eyes were closed as he awaited whatever punishment his tormentors were going to inflict while he was standing.

He couldn't have been older than four or five.

The cat took over sentry duty by the kit's only free arm and the coyote paced in front before stopping and glaring towards his victim. "Well, Miles," he mumbled, grinning maliciously, "you gonna tell us where you hid those bombs?"

It stuck Sonic as weird that neither of the boys seemed to notice that their cheering squad had been silenced minutes before. They seemed so far into their own gruesome world that they didn't comprehend anything about the outside world.

Well, he thought, finally breaking through the spell the confrontation had put him in, it's time to make them realize.

He attacked quickly, slamming into the coyote like a semi-truck, throwing him to the ground. He landed very similarly to a forgotten rag-doll but rolled over moaning, showing a sign of life. The cat was down seconds later, standing about as much chance against Sonic as his buddy.

The hedgehog wasted no time speeding to the fox's side. The little one didn't seem to comprehend that the danger to him was gone, because he didn't open his eyes. He stood shaking, hands wrapped around his torso and tails between his legs.

Wait… Tails…?

Despite having been told about the extra appendage, Sonic still lost himself for a few seconds as he stared at the double twitching masses, but shook his head when he realized what he was doing. Carefully, he forced the cub to move his head towards him, murmuring easily to him. "It's okay, kiddo. They're not gonna hurt you anymore."

The young one seemed to sense the kindness in his words and his ears pricked. Slowly, dark eyes opened and stared at Sonic in pure thanks.

The hedgehog smiled easily at the young one, patting his head simply, and giving him a thumbs up. "You're with me now, kid."

o0o

*Modulation:*: Comping *

The day the Oracle declares that Bartley is to be the Royal Advisor to the Prince and Princess, Manic is tempted to gag himself with his shoe.

It has been months since Sonia's coronation – and Manic's subsequent inheritance of the title Third in Line, which he doesn't live up to at all – and their mother has been making sounds about getting the two of them an official advisor for a while. She has told them over and over again that even though Sonia is officially the one that will rule upon her death, Manic will still have considerable sway – see: less than one sixteenth of a percent – in control of the country. Both are required to attend 'Lessons' which Manic swears is code for 'Mind-numbing, worthless classes to keep them occupied' – one such class is equestrian studies, aka horses, aka Manic didn't know people still rode horses – and both are allowed to sit in on the court sessions the queen holds to hear complaints. Manic never partakes in the 'honor', partly because his complaints are always ignored and partly because court is even more brain melting than the lessons.

Currently, he is skipping his language studies (he can already speak Mobian and English; what does he need to learn Latin for?) in favor of sitting in the queen's private meeting room. His mother is sitting on the other side of the table, pouring over an economic report, but she will occasionally pick her head up to give him a special Mom Glare when she sees his feet still on the table. She is perfectly aware that he is skipping his lesson, but she has allowed him this one transgression. She has not had enough alone time with him.

"Unease in the kingdom, Ma?" Manic asks in a joking tone when he sees her brow furrow.

"Reports from the outlying villages, Manic," she replies, dropping the papers and reaching up to rub her eyes. "They've received information of some kind of disturbance on the mobian islands down south. They're requesting extra protection, but I don't have the soldiers to send. Our army was disbanded generations ago."

The boy shifts so he is sitting lower in his seat, subsequently shoving more of his legs onto the table. "Do you want me and Sonia to go down there and ease a few troubled minds?"

"Wha—? No! That's too close to human territory."

Her tone catches him off guard and he cocks and eyeridge at her. "We've been down there before, Ma. 'T's not that bad."

Aleena sighs, rubbing her temples. "I know, I know, but you're not in the resistance anymore. You have to think of the people now. What would happen to them if the heirs died?"

Manic's blood runs cold at her words and his feet fall off the table. He sits up completely, staring at her for a few seconds before he can force out words. "We're not going to die."

"You don't know that." She takes a deep breath, her next phrase coming out as a whisper. "Sonic didn't know it."

"Ma, Sonic sacrificed himself so we could do this. Hiding here won't do an—"

A knock on the door cuts him off, and the queen sends him a look that tells him they will continue this conversation later before she grants admission to the caller. Manic harrumphs and props his feet back on the table, crossing them and pulling his vest tighter into his torso.

The person that walks in is the last individual that Manic wants to see. The Oracle of Delphius, in full purple robe, strides across the room. Manic's mother rises to greet him with a smile, while the green mobian simply sinks impossibly lower, grumbling darkly.

"Ah, Oracle!" Aleena welcomes cheerfully, gesturing toward the table. "Welcome! Please sit. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Probably forgot how to count," Manic mumbles, rolling his eyes. "Council of Four my spiky green a—"

"Manic!" the woman admonishes in a deadly combination of her Queen and Mother voices. "Excuse him, Oracle. He's not yet… adjusted to life at the palace. I'll need to make sure he attends every one of his etiquette lessons." Her tone is pointed and the prince huffs.

"The boy has a right to be angry," the aged mobian answers prodigiously. "In his eyes, I led you to believe that Sonic would be with us."

"Oh, I'm sure Manic would never—"

"Maybe there was a typo in your visions, Oracle," Manic mutters sarcastically, ignoring his mother entirely.

"No, what I told you was what I saw – four. F-O-U-R."

"Can you spell 'obnoxious'?" the green one shoots back without pause.

"Manic," Aleena grounds out, cutting him a glare so fierce, he is tempted to hide under the table. He hasn't had much experience with mothers in general, so she scares him when she looks at him that way. "Why don't you go find your sister? I'm sure she would love to see the Oracle."

In all actuality, Sonia has declared that if 'that anteater ever shows his face here, he might end up accidentally going through a window' but Manic makes a diplomatic decision not to mention this. Instead, he struggles out of his seat, taking his sweet time, and sends the Oracle a look that could melt paint when he eventually gains his feet. The queen's expression is begging him to hurry, so he sighs and turns on his heel.

However, the doors slam open before he can take a step and Sonia marches in, anger practically radiating off of her form. Manic falls back into his seat, leans forward on the table, and sends his sister a grimace when she cuts a look at him that sums up his opinions on the whole situation. Obviously, someone informed her of the Oracle's visit… The green one silently wondered if they still had a head.

"What's he doing here?" the princess demands, pointing an accusatory finger at the oracle. Her tone is practically indicting him of murder.

"Sonia!" Aleena's voice is even more forceful than before and Manic silently admires his sister for standing so strong against it. "What's gotten into the two of you?! Sit down and let the Oracle speak."

The pink girl stands defiantly for a few seconds for dropping gracelessly into the seat next to Manic. Her ear flicks once out of agitation, and Manic grins at her. She scowls.

"I understand that you are searching for an advisor for the children," the man begins, sweeping his hand toward the fuming twins.

"That's right," the queen answers, ignoring Sonia's indignant "An advisor, Mother?!" "I have yet to come across someone with the correct qualifications."

"I have Seen the person who is destined to help your children to greatness. It is someone that they know well, but you may have overlooked."

For some reason, Manic feels his stomach drop at the words and he sits straighter in his chair. Sonia sees his shift and she sends him a look.

"I believe the person you need to contact is one Bartleby MontClair of Dresdin."

Aleena looks ready to say something, but Manic shoots up to his feet, his voice raised. "What? Not Bartleby! He—"

"Is perfectly qualified, young prince." the oracle interrupts. "He has had all of the formal training and has assisted you and your siblings many times. He has also upheld good relations with many of the aristocrats in the city, which you, I'm afraid, have not."

"That's because Bartleby sucked up to Robotnik! He only worries about himself and his money." Manic sniffs, looking at his sister for support, but she is staring open mouthed at the Bearer of Bad News. "He's an aristocrat. We don't need that."

"You seem to be forgetting, my prince, that you are also an aristocrat."

This shuts Manic's tirade down, and he wilts, falling back into his chair. However, he immediately straightens again as something occurs to him. "I may be an aristocrat by birth, but I have more values in my pinkie nail than Bartleby does in his whole body." He waves his hands for emphasis, nearly hitting Sonia over the head. She doesn't notice.

"You were a thief." The rebuttal is said without malice and as a simple statement of fact, but it Manic's quills still ripple upward in defense. He takes in a deep breath to let the Oracle have it, but a female voice interrupts him.

"Manic didn't choose to be a thief," Sonia declares, glancing at her mother. Aleena seems at a loss as to what to say; the subject of her children's upbringing is still sore for her. "But he's still more honorable than most of the people I grew up with – the so-called 'elite.' Even though he has horrible manners," she grimaces at him through a smile, "he has grown into one of the most well-adjusted people I've ever met. Education and money do not dictate how a person will evolve."

The oracle is struck silent at her words and he nods knowingly to her. Manic smiles at his sister, nodding his thanks while their mother takes over. She directs the oracle out of the room, sending her children a meaningful look. This conversation will be continued later as well.

o0o

…:Stretto:…

One month later. Not a long time span, not even by a long shot, and for Sonic, it was the shortest in his life. But, also, the longest.

The fox had quickly become his friend. It was strange, Sonic reflected to himself, that he would find a comrade in such an unlikely person, but, at the same time, it made sense. The child needed him, and Sonic needed the fox. They balanced each other in a way; Sonic through providing protection, and the fox through giving Sonic companionship. Sure, they were both still a little awkward around each other – because the child was still healing from his injuries and Sonic had been forced to play nurse – but it was a nice awkward.

"So, what's your name, kid?" Sonic had asked once he had chased all of the bullies away and carried the fox to his small camp around the Tornado.

"M-Miles," the child stuttered back, staring at him with huge eyes.

"Got a last name?"

A disgusted expression had spoken volumes, but Miles answered vocally nonetheless. "Prower."

"You don't like it?" A slow shake of the head was his only answer. "You want a nickname then?"

"You want to give me a nickname?" The voice was astounded and the pair of huge eyes made the surprise almost comical. "Why?"

"No sense in you going around being called something you don't like." He paused, staring at the fox with a hand cupping his chin. "How about Tails?"

The astonishment quickly faded to be replaced with a mixture of depression and gloom. "You noticed, huh." It wasn't so much a question as a despaired statement of fact.

"Kinda hard to miss, kiddo, and I don't care," he added, watching the child's ears sink impossibly lower. "They're neat – 'specially that 'copter thing you did the other day."

"You think my tails are cool?"

"Way past, little dude."

From that moment on, Miles had become Tails. That small change had somehow transformed the fox's outlook on life, so much so that Sonic could feel his happiness being affected as well. He was constantly smiling, laughing, and joking around with his new friend. It was a strange change from what he was used to. Life with Sonia and Manic had been so serious and he had had to make an effort to make either of them smile. With Tails, they coexisted so effortlessly, it was like something had clicked into place. Friendship was different from family, he knew, but he hadn't realized how different.

Currently, the fox was digging around in the Tornado's engine, categorizing what exactly was wrong with it. He would occasionally mutter words that Sonic didn't recognize and then be forced to try to explain them, but his blue friend was usually left behind when the more technical terms came into play. Sonic was lying in the sand, getting some well deserved sun, when something occurred to him.

"Hey, Tails," he called. There was a clunk as the fox jumped at his words, presumably hitting his head on the underside of the plane. A noncommittal sound came from the kit's direction, and Sonic chose to take it as a cue to keep speaking. "Where'd you learn all this mechanical mumbo-jumbo?" The clanking sounds of the child working stopped for a few seconds and Sonic's ears rose in curiosity when his friend shifted so his head was visible.

"I'm, um, not sure…" It was clearly a deflection, and Sonic's face dropped into a flat expression.

"C'mon, Tails, secrets don't make friends." The hedgehog's tone was obviously joking, so he was a bit shocked when Tails heaved a deep sigh of resignation. He pulled himself from under the plane and padded over to his friend, sitting down across from him. One of Sonic's eyeridges raised at the fox's actions but he didn't say anything.

However, Tails sitting down next to him was as much as a conversation starter as Sonic was going to get, so he echoed the fox's sigh before hedging again. "What's up, dude?"

The fox's expression shifted minutely, hardening as he stared at his friend. "I'm not sure how to answer your question, Sonic."

"The truth is a good place to start."

Tails flinched. "The truth is really complicated."

Something in Sonic's mind clicked into place and his eyes narrowed a bit. "Does this have to do with Cocoa Island?"

"I don't have any bombs!" The exclamation was so sudden, it blindsided Sonic for a second and his ears flicked downward.

"I didn't say you did, kiddo…"

Tails didn't hear him, because he was too busy rambling over the hedgehog's interjection. "I mean, it's not like I would need bombs, or a fox shaped robot, or rings, or the Chaos Emeralds or—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Sonic threw his hands, open-palmed, toward the fox. The motor mouth paused. "Did you just say Chaos Emeralds?"

"Um, yes…?" Tails winced when it came out more as a question than a statement. "Don't you know about the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Of course I do. I collected six of them on South Island."

"Ah…" the child rubbed the back of his neck. "That sounds like a cool story! I've never heard that part before – just the stuff about how you chased Dr. Robotnik all over and then made him leave. You should totally tell me about the Emeralds."

Sonic chuckled. "Nice try, kid." He rubbed the fox on the head, eliciting a scowl from the small face. "We're still talking about you. Did you get your hands on some of them on Cocoa Island or something?"

"Well, I guess you could say that. I mean, I got six of them… Couldn't find the seventh though."

"Six?" Sonic's eyes widened a smidge. "But… Wait. Bombs, fox, Cocoa Island, Emeralds…" He ticked through each word on his fingers. Tails' expression practically begged him to stop before he got too far. "That would make you… Tails, are you—? Did you—?" The hedgehog was struggling for words, and he eventually settled on, "Battle Kukkus?"

The vulpine wilted in front of Sonic's eyes, and he gave a despondent nod. "Yeah, I guess I saved Cocoa Island from them…"

"But, that would be that you're… Are you the Savior of Cocoa Island?"

"I…guess…?"

Sonic stared at his friend, dumfounded, his jaw practically touching the ground. "That's…"

"I know, I know. I'm a freak." Tails' namesakes curled around his legs, and he grabbed one in a hug, hiding his face in it.

"No, no, Tails." The hedgehog reached out and gently guided the child's head up so he was looking him in the eye. "That's amazing. You're a hero."

"No, I'm not." A sniffle accompanied the words, and Sonic felt his heart lurch. "I'm a freak. Everyone says so."

"I don't say that," Sonic asserted, reaching out and pulling the kid into a hug. "You're one of the coolest people I've ever met."

"But, you're the hero. I'm just some kid that was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"How are you different from me, kid? You stopped someone who wanted to hurt people."

"You didn't kill Robotnik." This was mumbled so lowly that Sonic had to strain to hear it.

"What does that have to do with—?"

"I killed the Battle Kukkus." The tone stayed at the same volume, but those words were impossibly loud as they sailed between the two. Sonic felt his face dropping into a shocked expression, but he forced it to stay neutral.

Really, this shouldn't have surprised him. What did he think when he heard that the Savior of Cocoa used bombs? He just waved them around and the Kukkus ran off? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that a lot of people had died, both good and bad, but having that fact thrown back into his face in the form of a clearly traumatized five year old was like a sucker punch to the stomach. He could only stare at Tails, trying to picture the child with a bomb in either hand, throwing them at living beings… The picture wouldn't click into place.

Suddenly, he realized that Tails was crying. The sobs escaped him as a soft mewling sound, so impossibly young sounding that Sonic could do nothing but reach out and hug him again, rocking him back and forth as the fox fell into the embrace.

"Oh, Tails…" It was all he could say, and he rubbed soothing circles into the golden fur on his friend's back. "It's okay kiddo. It's okay."

"No it's not!" the fox wailed into the hedgehog's shoulder. "I-I kill—"

"No you didn't," Sonic cut in, his voice a little more forceful than before. "You were protecting yourself and everyone else. You were not murdering people in cold blood."

"B-But, you didn't have to kill Robotnik," Tails retorted in a weak, wobbly voice.

"Robotnik was the only living thing I have up against. The rest were all robots. You though, you had an entire army to worry about."

The fox sniffled and leaned back to look up at his friend. They shared a gaze for a few seconds, and a silent conversation passed between them, Tails begging for some kind of reassurance and Sonic freely giving it.

"You won't ever have to do that again." Sonic's sudden declaration seemed to catch the child off guard and he blinked. "As long as you're with me, you won't have to take another life every again, okay?"

This seemed to be the perfect thing to say, because the kit fell forward onto Sonic's shoulder again, wrapping his arms around the hedgehog and giving him a hug. "Thanks Sonic," he mumbled, his voice stronger than before.

"Anytime kid."

000

…:L'istesso Tempo:...

The day Dr. Robotnik finally unleashed his newest battalion of robots on Westside Island was also the day that Tails finally fixed the Tornado. It was the day that hedgehog planned on getting the kid the heck out of the Zone, but, of course, the ego maniac that had brought the hedgehog here in the first place had other plans. They had been in the plane, Tails sitting in front of Sonic so he could watch the blue hero manipulate the controls, when the robots descended on the Zone.

Sonic spat out a very nasty word, which made Tails' ears snap forward, but the fox didn't react past that, as he was too preoccupied with the small monkey robot that landed on the nose of the plane. It was tossing a coconut in its hand, which it immediately lobbed at the cockpit. The kit yelped, falling forward when Sonic pushed his head down. The hedgehog leapfrogged over the kid before jumping off the front console and kicking the coconut away. It exploded in the air in a bright flash, and the monkey chattered unhappily at the hedgehog when he launched himself at it. However, the 'bot leapt away before he could touch it and it swung into a nearby palm. It disappeared toward town, jumping from tree to tree.

"You okay?" Sonic asked, jerking around to look at the fox. The child was sitting up, staring at the remains of the coconut bomb and he scrambled out of the cockpit. He jumped to the ground and swooped down to pick up the outer casing, running his hands over it.

"These are short range, compressive bombs," he noted as his eyes quickly took in its appearance, "intended for stunning instead of killing, though they'll do a lot of damage if they land on top of you." He looked up at the hedgehog. "Why would Robotnik use these?"

Sonic grimaced. "He wants to capture mobians to use them to power his robots – doesn't want them dead."

The fox looked sick. "We need to stop this." It was a simple statement, and he turned toward the village.

Sonic twisted around as well, taking note of the smoke already rising from the settlement. "Are you sure you can handle this Tails? There will be people in the 'bots."

"That's who we're saving, right?" Suddenly, Sonic was reminded of how young the fox was and he winced. "No killing?"

The hedgehog heaved a sigh. He wasn't exactly comfortable with taking such a small child into a battle, but Tails had been in a lot worse situations… "You got it, bud."

000

They found the Seventh Chaos Emerald in Hill Top Zone. Really, it had been a fluke. There they were, ambling through, avoiding the lava pits and the badniks, and there was a Starpost. Through more curiosity than intent, Sonic had activated it, surprised when the rip of stars showed up. Tails had jumped right through without thinking and Sonic had been forced to follow. The Special Zone was different this time – a dark, foreboding gray, and the rings were scarce. It had been difficult to gather enough, but through some fancy teamwork, they had managed.

The seventh Emerald was a stormy gray, so impossibly different from the rest of them. It shone with an inner light, creating starbursts of color when Sonic stared into its depths, as if it was trying to communicate with him. His senses sang as he placed it in his quills with the others. It locked into place, clicking in like a puzzle piece, and he felt a strange energy flood into his body. It was warm and soothing, reassuring. It filled him, pushed at his skin, sailed through his bloodstream, begged to be used.

Sonic shook his head when he realized that Tails was talking to him, and he focused on his friend, pushing the whispering voices of power picking at his mind away. They receded back into the Emeralds, but stayed in reaching distance.

Their son would soon need them.

000

When the Tornado was shot down, Tails with it, the anger came back. It roared to life, overwhelming him as he watched his biplane careen toward the ground, its diminutive pilot struggling to bring it back under his control, and he felt it build behind his eyes. It was thick, burning with the power of the largest of fires, and Sonic allowed it to take control. The Emeralds flared to life in his quills, their brightness embodying the unadulterated hatred that was amassing in his core. Dr. Robotnik would pay for this. He would pay for everything.

Sonic was barely aware that he was flying. Truly, it was more like he was standing still and the planet was moving under him. He was barely aware that he was glowing. Of course, the fact that there was a golden aura surrounding him probably would have caught his attention were this any other situation, but, as it were, the wispy tendrils of power were nothing but extra limbs, extensions of himself. He slammed his way through the Death Egg, unaware that his eyes were a beautiful shade of emerald, shining with their own energy.

Robotnik, though, noticed all of this when Sonic powered his way toward the human, and he could only gulp and launch his Silver Sonic prototype at the hedgehog and hope that the robot would be enough.

Of course, it wasn't.

000

…:Duet:…

When it was all over, Sonic could barely remember exactly what happened. There was the Tornado falling to the ground, the fight with Silver Sonic, the fight with the Death Egg robot, and then the plummet to the planet. Past that, he remembered nothing. When he woke, it was on a soft bed of grass. He was on his back, with his head pillowed and his left arm around something warm and lumpy. With a groan, he forced his eyes open, surprised to see a black sky and stars through a thin canopy of leaves. He shifted, taking his weight off of his tail, and the thing under his arm moved in response, kicking him in the side with a sneakered foot as it did so.

"What the—?" Sonic gagged, forcing his lungs to take in air. He forced his head to move, ignoring the aches that forced their way up neck, and caught sight of a golden pair of ears, attached to an equally gold head. "Tails?"

"Hn," the fox groaned, looking up at the hedgehog with large, shining, dark eyes. "Sleepy."

The hero chuckled, tightening his hold on the fox and pulling the five year old into his side. "Sorry big guy. You can go back to sleep in a sonic sec. What happened?"

"Fixed the plane," the kit yawned, snuggling into Sonic's side like a giant teddy bear, "caught you when you fell, you were unconscious, fell asleep, you woke up, asked me what happened."

"You fixed the plane?"

"Yup," a nod was accompanied by a yawn. "Attached a rocket to it. Zipped right back up."

"A rocket. Tails, what are you?"

"A…fox…?"

"You're a genius."

"Oh, okay."

Sonic chuckled at the exhaustion laced through his voice, and he was sure that his little friend wouldn't remember any of this when he woke up in the morning. "Okay big guy, let's get some rest. We've got some stuff to do in the morning."

"Okay, big bro." Tails seemed unaware of what he was saying, but Sonic stiffened a bit at the words. He hadn't been called that since he had left Sonia and Manic behind. Both he and Manic had the habit of calling each other 'bro' simply because they enjoyed reminding each other that they finally had a family, and he knew immediately that Tails probably felt the same way. He had been alone his whole life; Sonic was as close as he was going to get to family.

And now, Sonic realized, Tails was his family. He made the decision to leave his siblings behind, and now he had found something to fit in that hole. Of course, Tails was more than just a replacement; he needed Sonic, and Sonic needed him, more than Sonia and Manic needed him. Sometimes, family didn't rely only on blood; it relied on fate.

"G'night, li'l bro." Sonic replied, a small smile quirking at the sides of his lips.

Tails relaxed and was asleep in seconds, snoring softly. The hedgehog heaved a deep sigh, relaxing into the quiet of the night, and he closed his eyes, blocking out the sight of the stars.

He had seized control of his life, and it was finally paying off. A fox for a little brother and a bright future of forging his own path – two things he had never thought of having, but, it was perfect.

The only way Sonic could go was up, and he was reaching for the sky.

Chapter Text

*Modulation:*: Trémolo*

When Aleena first mentions a floating island, Manic is tempted to laugh her off.

She is clearly getting her myths confused with real life. But then he remembers the magical medallion hanging around his neck, the unnatural strength his sister has, and the speed that his brother had reached at a 'jog,' and he decides to give her the benefit of the doubt.

They are sitting in Manic's bedroom when she brings it up. The room is the smallest in the palace – so, in all actuality, it's pretty big, considering that he used to live in a bus – with the generic large central, canopied bed, and imperial air. The whole room is snooty, in Manic's opinion, with pictures of people he doesn't recognize past the familiar shape of their faces on the walls, large thick curtains that are only useful in that they look very dramatic when thrown open, and gold fringes the edges of the sheets, just because they can. However, despite all of this, the room is his. The curtains may be cumbersome and unnecessary considering how high above the ground the room is, but he has modified them into a sort-of hammock, enabling him to sit in the dip of the windowpane, creating a hanging bay window. The bookshelf taking up a whole wall is stacked with dusty tomes, written long ago by stuffy mobians – most of them probably related to him – and he has taken to occupying himself by organizing them by size, color, height, title, and author name. So far, the only one that looks cracked is a simple book entitled something equally simple. 'Chaos Theory' is something that he's never heard of, but for some reason, his medallion thrummed when he touched the book. The dark green book is laying open, pages down, on the nightstand, and Aleena runs her fingers down it as she walks in.

Manic is ill. He has been sequestered to his bedroom for the duration of his sickness, doctor's orders. The boy looks tiny in his bed, covers pulled up to his chin, shivers rippling through his body at steady intervals, and coughs coming and going without warning. Aleena's mothering instinct rages at her for allowing him to degrade into this state, and she pads across the room, her steps silent on the plush carpet of his room. She steps over discarded socks, tools, blueprints, and a spare pair of drumsticks before she reaches his bedside. He gazes at her with huge red-ringed eyes, and she drops to sit next to him, sinking into the soft mattress.

"How are you doing, darling?" The question is more of a courteous gesture than a curious one; it's pretty obvious how he's doing.

"Can't sleep." His answer is clipped, annoyed, and the look he sends her lacks the usual fire, but it still pretty scalding. "Wish I could get up."

"I'm sorry, Manic, but you need to rest. Do you want me to get you something?"

He huffs, crossing his arms. "No, the maid lady won't leave me alone about that. I just need to be left alone."

"You've been cooped up in here for days. I think you've been alone enough."

The boy rolls his eyes, but doesn't offer a response past that.

"Would you like me to tell you a story?"

"I'm not five, Ma."

"Yes, but I haven't gotten the chance to tell you a bedtime story yet. Indulge your mother?"

Her face is an open, mixed expression of depression and expectant excitement, and the refusal dies on his tongue. "Sure." The reply isn't nearly as suffering sounding as he expects it to be, and he gives himself a few brownie points for effort. The look on her face is Christmas-come-early and he can't help but smile back. "Gimmie your best."

"Okay." Her voice is practically giddy and she settles deeper into the mattress, getting comfortable for the duration of her tale. "How about the one about the Floating Island? Have you ever heard it?" He shakes his head and she grins. "Well then, you better get comfy, because it's a good one."

Manic makes a show of propping his pillow against the headboard and then leaning back against it. When he is comfortable, he nods to her and she plunges right it, waving her hands around for emphasis.

"The Floating Island is a place of mystery. Few have seen it in living memory, and even less know about it. It used to be the home of an ancient civilization, and when an unknown force attacked them, they took to the sky. There is no explanation for their floating home, and no real record of what happened after they disappeared into the clouds, but many believe that they are still up there, watching over us."

Manic expression is dubious, and he coughs once before speaking. "A floating island, Ma? You can't believe this…"

"I've seen it, Manic dear. I was friends with the Guardian."

Manic's manages to keep his mouth from dropping open in shock, and his mind ticks through that answer. The whole thing needs addressing really, but he decides to get some background info before letting her ramble about what a giant floating island looks like. "Guardian?" His reply is properly interested with the barest hint of cynicism mixed in, and Aleena scowls at him.

"The Floating Island has a Guardian, someone who watches over it and keeps it in the sky. He is usually incredibly strong and brave – a true hero. The self-sacrifice needed to fulfill this ancient duty is commendable and impressive." Her tone is flat, as if she is reading out of a book, and Manic can't help but feel as if she has heard that speech many times.

"So, he's an isolated workaholic?"

Aleena chokes on her response. "M-Manic! What?!" He opens his mouth to respond, but she cuts him off. "You know what, never mind. I guess I should be happy you're making jokes; you must be feeling better."

The prince shrugs. "A bit. Your story helped… Though, it wasn't much of a story – more a book report." He has returned to the dubious voice, and she frowns and stands.

"You don't believe me." It isn't a question and he doesn't bother to correct her. She is his mother after all; that kind of thing might get him grounded. "Well, ye of little faith," the queen crosses the room in a few quick strides and skirt swishes, "I happen to know that there is a book in your private library here that explains all about it." She hops onto the rolling ladder attached to the bookcases and it slides a few feet down the wall before coming to a stop. She deems this the perfect place and scales upward a couple rungs before running her gloved fingers down the spines of a few books. "Aha!" She grabs a book from between the others and slides off of the ladder, landing with barely a sound. Suddenly, Manic realizes where Sonic got his smooth, quick movements from.

The queen stalks back to her son, and she holds the large tome out to him. "Here, nonbeliever, educate yourself." The boy takes it, and his arms collapse under its weight. It crashes into his lap and he winces. His mother raises an eyebrow at him, and his eyes narrow in response.

Quickly (falsely) attributing his inability to hold up what is essentially a bunch of paper to sickness, he pushes the book onto the bed. "How'd you know where it was? I haven't touched that shelf yet."

"This used to be my room, Manic, when I was young like you. All of those books were mine once, though I've given them to you, obviously." She shrugs at his flabbergasted expression. "Treat them well. I picked them all out with care."

"You read all of these?"

"Of course. A queen must be well educated. Besides," she is quick to add, "I didn't have many friends. Your grandfather didn't believe in royalty leaving the palace unless absolutely necessary, especially the crown princess. The future had to be preserved, he believed."

That strikes a chord in Manic, and he flinches. "Sonic wouldn't have gotten along with him." The answer is straight, without emotion, but the mother still looks at him sadly.

"Your brother did what was absolutely necessary to make the future possible." She pauses, reaching out and laying her hand on his head. He is warm, but not in the worrisome way of the feverish. This warmth is life, hope, proof that she still has children to survive for, and she smiles weakly at him. "I think he would have gotten along perfectly with your grandfather." She bends down and presses her lips to his forehead, and he leans into the gesture, wrapping his arms around her middle.

"Get some rest, my dear," she commands softly as she pulls away. "I need to go make sure Sonia hasn't killed Bartleby."

"All right." As she turns to go, he looks down at the book. "Oh, and Ma." When she turns to look back at him, the light streaming in through the window flowing through her long hair and illuminating her face, he catches his breath. He is biased like all children, but his mother is probably one of the most beautiful people he has ever seen. "Thanks for the story. And the book."

Her smile brightens his whole day. "Anytime Manic. I'm here."

Finally, I'm here.

o0o

~Syncopation::Missed Beat~

When the metal ship lands on your Island, you have no idea what to think. The 'Giant, Metal Orb Crash' was never covered in your training, and the Master Emerald makes no warning action against it, so you have no reason to attack it.

This doesn't stop you, and you attack it anyway.

You operate on a punch-first-ask-questions-after-intruders-have-been-flung-off-the-island mentality, so you figure that will suffice perfectly in this situation. It works for everything else, after all.

So, when you slam your first into the metal of the ship thing, and it does nothing but reverberate through the hull, you are dumbfounded. Seconds later, a man emerges from the ship, and you have to fight to keep the shock off your face.

You have never seen a human before – well, to be fair, you haven't seen anyone except your grandfather before – but you immediately decide that they have to be one of the ugliest things on the planet. The eyes are incredibly small, the nose is freakily pushed into the face, and the ears… They are like satellite dishes. (You have no idea how you know what satellite dishes are, but the comparison is a good one.) This particular human is round, and you have no idea if the whole species is this way, but you decide to assume they are for the time being.

The human calls out to you in a language you don't recognize and you resist the urge to hit him.

"I do not understand." The answer is clipped in your deep tone, and the man blinks at you.

"Ah, you speak Mobian! I apologize, fated Guardian, and offer my humble greetings." Somehow, the human manages to bow and you cock an eyeridge.

"I have no need of your human languages." Your hands fist at your sides, and you watch as the man rises back to his full height. "Why are you here?"

"I have, unfortunately, crash landed here because of a great menace threatening the surface. You see, there is this hedg—"

"Get to the point," you demand, tapping your foot.

The man's jaw pulls into an annoyed expression, and you swear there is a vein throbbing his forehead. "Very well. There is a blue hedgehog headed here, and he wishes to steal the source of your Island's magic."

"The Master Emerald?!" you gasp, and the briefest of emotions flashes across the human's face. You are unable to pinpoint what exactly it is before he speaks again.

"Yes, the Master Emerald," he weighs the words as he says them, but you barely notice. "I am here to offer my protection."

You stare at this human, watching his movements. He is openly facing you, not turned away as if shielding himself, and you cast your senses out toward the Master Emerald. It hums against your probe, not warning against malevolence, and you decide that a little help wouldn't hurt. "Who are you, human?"

"I am Doctor Ivo Robotnik, and you?"

"Knuckles," you answer, "Guardian of Angel Island."

o0o

…:Mezzo:…

When Tails first mentioned a floating island, Sonic was tempted to laugh him off.

But, when Tails took him up there, and the hedgehog laid eyes on it, he choked on his proverbial laughter and nearly died of shock.

For some reason, when he heard the words 'floating island' he figured it would have been a small chunk of mobius floating above the planet, not a full landmass. Floating land wasn't that uncommon, especially on the islands down south, but the island with a full mini-ocean and beach and snow-topped mountains and was that a volcano…? Sonic couldn't really come up with a word to explain it. Bizarre wasn't enough, and strange was laughably clichéd.

Freakishly strangely bizarrely unusual was close.

"I believe you, Tails!" he called toward his friend, cupping his hands over his mouth. Tails' ears flicked at him to let him know he had been heard, but didn't reply past that. The plane was being buffeted by the wind this high up, and he was struggling to keep it steady enough for Sonic to remain standing. The hedgehog turned his body so he was standing with his side to the front of the plane, allowing the wind to ruffling through his quills. The change in direction allowed for a more streamlined ride and let Sonic get a good look at the fox and the sky in front of them.

Tails had his hands curled around the control stick, eyes narrowed into the wind, and Sonic made a mental note to get him a pair of goggles the next time he had a chance. The plane jerked under his feet, and Tails overcompensated to keep the hedgehog from tumbling off, sending the blue hero stumbling to his knees.

"Sorry Sonic!"

The hedgehog didn't hear him because the Emeralds stored safely stored in his quills flared to life as soon as his knees impacted, engulfing him in a blaze of gold. He barely had time to compute what was going on before he was rocketing forward, away from the plane. He managed to blink once before his mind informed him that he had turned into Super Sonic and he jerked to a stop, yanking his body around to make sure his sudden departure hadn't messed up anything with the Tornado.

Luckily, Tails was following him at a good clip. The plane seemed fine, despite the huge amount of Chaos Energy that had just erupted on its top wing, and he floated for a few seconds before pointing his body toward his friend. A golden flash rocketed toward the red biplane, and circled around it once before coming to fly just in front of it. The Emeralds hummed happily at Sonic, urging him to hurry to the Island, speaking straight to the energy in his body. His blood thrummed in his veins, trying to push him even faster toward their destination and he obliged.

He managed to pick up a decent amount of speed by the time he blasted across the beach and then through the forest. He was barely aware as Tails broke off to land the plane, and didn't even notice as his body swerved around a tree without conscious prompting. He was just on the fringe of the sound barrier, the wind licking at his quills, yanking him back, and he smirked before pressing forward. He soared.

Until he crashed into a spiked fist. The impact was equivalent to a truck hitting a solid wall, and he heard his nose and jaw crunch in the impact. Luckily for him, the Emeralds protected him from any real damage, and he was sure that his whole face would have been broken without their interference. He was thrown backward, and he landed on his backside, every atom of air in his lungs escaping in a mass exodus that left his head spinning. The Emeralds exploded out of him, scattering in sparkling flashes, and if he hadn't been too busy gasping and cursing, he was sure he would have felt his connection with them sever.

He barely noticed as the owner of the fist – nothing more than a red blob with giant white hands – collected the Emeralds without a care in the world. In the time it took his iron fist'd adversary to stalk around him and pick all of them up, Sonic managed to convince his head to stop imitating a demented merry-go-round, and he leveraged his elbows into the ground to prop himself up in time to see the crimson mobian-like-thing (he wasn't exactly what species this creature was) throw its head back and laugh, voice way too deep to be female.

"Yeah, haha," Sonic laughed dryly as Tails flew his way in, eyeing the situation warily. Instead of saying anything, he simply helped Sonic to his feet, keeping his eyes on the red Emerald swiper. "You're a downright comedian, whoever you are. Give those back, will you?"

"Get off my Island!" The rebuttal nearly overlapped Sonic's statement, and his ears snapped downward at the slight.

"Chillax, red dude. I'll leave if you give me my Emeralds ba—"

"Your Emeralds? Haha! These rightfully belong to me, Guardian of Angel Island!"

"What are you talking abo— Hey! Get back here!"

The red thing turned tail and darted off without warning and Sonic shared a quick glance with Tails before taking off after him. After about two seconds of this however, it became apparent that the Guardian of Angle Triangle or whatever had disappeared.

"Well, this is great," Sonic mumbled, coming to a stop and rubbing his hand up and down his face. "We've been mugged by a bright red thing with dreadlocks," he paused before adding, "that apparently can turn invisible."

"You were mugged, Sonic. I was with the plane."

"I mean, did you hear that guy? I don't think he could understand a word I said." Tails' reply went completely unnoticed as Sonic was too far gone in his tirade. "Did he even have ears?"

"Oh, look, a badnik," Tails called unenthusiastically, pointing at a fast, pig-like robot moving toward them. "Kill it Sonic. It'll make you feel better."

"—where does he get off stealing the Emeralds from me? Didn't he see that I was using the— Hey! A badnik! One sec kid, lemme fix this."

Tails' expression could have leveled mountains.

o0o

~Syncopation::Suspension~

You don't like Dr. Robotnik.

But, you like that blue punk even less.

How dare he come prancing onto your Island? Abusing the power of the Emeralds, on top of that! And then he has the gall to claim the Emeralds as his. Ha, you showed him. His grandkids probably felt that punch.

And that kid. What was he? Were two tails normal on the surface? You don't think so, because the few mobians that you've caught glimpses of seem pretty normal; well, at least by your standards. That blue hedgehog seemed pretty unusual too, all things considered. How could blue be an evolutionary choice? There was no hiding from predators with blue fur.

Of course, your red fur can't hold a candle against that argument, so you give him a pass on that. At least the fox thing is a normal color.

"What did you do with the Chaos Emeralds?" the human asks when you stalk back to his ship, glowering and fuming. His question sets off another round of anger, and you swing at a helpless plant, swiping it with your large hand.

"They're in the Special Zones. Your blue freak won't be able to get them. Those Zones are impossible to navigate."

In all actuality, you had intended to take the Emeralds to the Master to check them for contamination and tampering, but the stones had had their own plans. As soon as you had broken away from the hedgehog and fox, they had flown out of your hands and into the air before disappearing in flashes of lights. You had panicked for half of a second before the Master sent you a pulse of reassurance. You checked a Warp Ring, and it was active, so it was pretty obvious that the Emeralds had returned home.

"You put them where? How do you think he got them in the first place, lying around?"

Your eyeridge twitches at his tone and your curl a hand into a fist, clearly making a threatening gesture. "Do not question me, human. I can still throw you off of this Island." You pause, examining a rip in your gloves. "Without your flying machine."

The man's face pales considerably. He knows that the threat isn't empty and that he's still here only because of your good graces. Good, you have him exactly where you want him.

"Uh," Dr. Robotnik coughs, meekly taking a few steps away from you. "Shall I set up some defenses around the Master Emerald? We wouldn't want Sonic to get his hands on it."

Your eyes narrow and you don't answer for a few seconds, instead opting to stare at him. He squirms. "The Master Emerald is hidden in a place only I know about. You don't need to see it."

"Well, yes but—"

"No."

And that is that.

o0o

*Modulation:*:Trill*

When Manic reemerges from his bedroom, it is with perfect health and a well of knowledge. He has spent a week reading the book his mother handed him, and he feels like his brain is going to explode from the strain all of the information. He had to constantly cross-reference it with the Chaos Theory book he started weeks ago, because the two were so closely interwoven, to the point that Manic wondered if they were written by the same person.

He has been in his room for almost two weeks, and Sonia practically tackles him when she sees him for the first time. She has been unable to visit him – something about her health and lack of antibodies – and when she hugs him, Manic realizes that he missed her too, surprisingly. They have not spent that long away from each other since they met those months ago in that club, and he realizes, she has become a staple feature of his life – something to always expect and rely on.

Of course, now that she has more royal duties than him, they don't see as much of each other, but at least he can accompany her. With his sickness though, he had been forced into quarantine, with only the books and the occasional visit of his mother to keep him company.

"Don't get that sick ever again," Sonia whispers in his ear as she squeezes him. Her head is resting on his shoulder and her hair is tickling his ear, but he doesn't care. When he doesn't answer right away, she leans back and punches his shoulder. "Promise."

He winces and resists the urge to reach up and rub the sore spot. "Jeeze, I promise, sis. Give me a chance to think."

"You had enough time to think," she winks at him and then leans back in for another hug. "We have work to do." Her voice is conspiratorially low, and his ear raises a bit to hear her. "Meet me in my room tonight, at midnight."

He stiffens and suddenly becomes aware of Bartleby's eyes on his back – watching them. "Wha—" he starts, only to have Sonia squeeze a little harder. He can practically hear his spine creak at the force.

"Midnight Manic."

He sighs. He has only just gotten well and she already has a scheme cooked up. He feels a pang and is reminded of Sonic. This is exactly like something he would do. "Fine," he whispers back.

000

When Manic jiggles the door open at three minutes until midnight, he isn't shocked when Sonia reaches out as soon as the door opens and yanks him into the room. The lights are off, the windows open to allow moonlight in, and he finds himself blinking to allow his eyes to adjust. His sister is standing in front of him, dressed in full black with her quills pulled back into a tight ponytail. She glances over him once, lets out a suffering sigh at his bright orange vest and free quills, and stalks across the room to her closet. He quickly follows.

Her room is a lot bigger than his – almost twice the size if you include the closet – and it is a lot more extravagant. The walls have embellished designs, the bed is a four poster with an elaborate canopy designed with grandeur and privacy in mind, and there is no book case in sight. It is the perfect room for her – so very royal and rich.

"Here." He catches the heavy sweater with both hands, and he barely glances at it before he scowls at her. It is a midnight black color, and the knitting is so thick, he is sure he will be unable to move once he puts it on. "Don't give me that face, Manic. We need to blend in."

"I don't think wearing nothing but black is 'blending in' sis."

She plants her hands on her hips. "Stealth, Manic. That kind of blending in."

He sighs and shakes his head before shedding his vest and yanking the sweater on. It slides over the quills on his back, bending them uncomfortably and he sends her a suffering grimace. She quickly comes toward him and adjusts the fabric so the precut slits fit over his quills and he heaves a sigh of relief.

"Have no idea how you do this, sis. Clothes suck." She doesn't answer as she has stuck her head out the door and is looking down the hall. "You might want to tell me what exactly we're doing before you start to go ninja-stealth on me. I'm really bad at sneaking."

"Says the thief."

"Ex-thief."

"Whatever." She rolls her eyes. "We're going into the city to find out some information. I have a feeling that something's up."

Manic resists the urge to groan. "You have me up at midnight to go sneaking out of the palace on a hunch?"

She looks back at him with a bored expression. "I thought you would be all for this. I know you hate being cooped up in here."

"Well, I am, but the principle, Sonia."

"Manic," she pauses, searching for the correct word to describe him, "you're...contradictory."

"Yeah, well, you're a spiny annoying princess but you don't hear me calling names."

"Can we just go? The sooner we leave the sooner we get back."

"Lead the way, SAP."

000

It is a small chore to escape the palace unnoticed. They have to do a bit of running, shadow dodging, and rolling, but they eventually manage it. The guards are laughingly unaware of what's going on around them. Manic is positive that he could have walked through with a blinking neon sign and they still wouldn't have noticed him. When they reach the walls, they stand at the base and look up at the darkening sky.

"Well, this is huge roadblock. C'mon Sonia, let's go back in." Manic turns to do just that, but his sister grabs the back of his shirt and yanks him back with enough force to choke him. He scowls and adds this to the growing list of reasons for him to never ever wear clothes again.

"You think I didn't plan for the wall, Manic? I'll throw you over and climb up after."

"Wait wait, Sonia. Did you just say throw? Do I look like a hedge-pigeon to you?"

"No, but you're starting to sound like a hedge-chicken."

Manic heaves a sigh. "Why can't we just go to the gate?"

"Scott's on patrol. You know how serious he is about following Mother's orders."

The green hedgehog scowls. Scott is one of the few guards that actually takes his job seriously. With Robotnik gone, there is no threat to Mobius and most of the guards are young and inexperienced, so they don't really know what they're doing. Scott, on the other hand, is the new head of the Guard, one of the few remaining of the original guards who served with Argus. He knows what it is like to be a real guard, and won't let them out even if they order him.

Manic glances up at the towering wall and changes tactics. "Why can't we go tomorrow?"

The pink female heaves a suffering sigh. "Tomorrow I'm going with Mother to the lower provinces to check out exactly what's going on."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You'll be in charge until we get back."

Manic laughs, loud and brusque. "Good one Sonia." He catches sight of the expression on her face and his laughter chokes off. "You're jokin' right?"

"Afraid not Manic."

"But, but, Sonia, I can't—"

"Can we talk about this later? We have work to do."

"Yeah fine. Just throw me over already. Maybe I'll break my neck and won't have to face tomorrow."

"That's the spirit." She laces her fingers together and kneels down so he can put his foot in her palms. He does so with a bit of trepidation. "Put your hands on my head." She tightens her grip on his foot, creating a cradle with her fingers, and digs her feet into the dirt. "When I toss you up, I need you to clench your body so you won't hit the wall. When you land, try to pull a Sonic and curl into a ball, okay?"

"Clench and ball." He smirks, looking down at her. "I hope you don't talk to Bartleby like that, sis."

She huffs and rolls her eyes. "You're such a boy. You ready?"

"Clenched and prepared for takeoff—aaaaah!" Sonia heaves, and he soars into the air. His arms and legs flail outward, not at all following her instructions, and he goes over the wall as a clump of screaming, thrashing green fur. She scowls when he lands with a thump.

"Ow."

The princess looks up at the sky and takes a deep breath. "Bet you're enjoying the show, huh Sonic?" There is no response and she shakes her head before hooking her fingers into the stone and heaving herself up, hand over hand, until she reaches the top. She lands on the ground seconds later and yanks Manic to his feet.

"Ow," he repeats, just for her benefit.

000

They city is dark. All of the windows are shuttered and the only signs of life are the streetlights, but even they seem to be hiding in the dark. Everyone is safely in their homes, deeply ingrained instincts from Robotnik's reign still dictating their every move. Night is a dangerous time; a time when people would disappear from the streets.

Manic and Sonia pad quietly down the sidewalk. The whole city is silent. Even their steps seem muffled in the hush.

"What's up with everyone?" Manic ventures into the quiet. Sonia jumps and spins around to glare at him.

"I don't know," she answers when he holds his hands up in a placating gesture. "Though it is late. Maybe everyone's asleep."

"Everyone?" The boy's tone is dubious and he cocks an eyebrow. "Usually cities like this are alive at all times, or, at least, that's what I've heard."

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Sonic told me once…"

Sonia turns again to stare at him. "How did Sonic know that? He never left Robotropolis before he met us."

"How did Sonic know a lot of stuff, sis? He just did."

She huffs and rolls her eyes but doesn't say anything more. Instead, she chooses to flatten her ears against the wind and smooth down her dark trench coat.

They walk along silently for a few more minutes before Manic speaks again. "So, what exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything suspicious," Sonia replies in a guarded tone. "Anything that wouldn't usually be on the streets late at night…" She cranes her head back and forth. "Like that old man!" Her hand suddenly snakes out and points straight at an elderly mobian toddling his way down the sidewalk opposite of them. She takes off toward him, her coattails flapping behind her.

"You and I have very different definitions of 'suspicious,' sis." Manic's voice is low and he turns dejectedly on his heel to follow her, making sure look both ways before crossing the street. "And way to heed traffic, princess."

He reaches Sonia and the man seconds later, but that is just enough time for his sister to go into full out interrogation mode. He interrupts her question of 'where were you on the evening of two Saturdays ago?'.

"Sonia, chill. You can't just take flight because there's some guy walking on a public sidewalk."

"Hush Manic, I'm trying to talk to this nice man. Now, tell me agai—"

"Sonia—" The boy tries to stop her, but he is interrupted by an old, decrepit voice.

"Oh, it's quite all right, young man. I was just about to invite your lovely friend here in for a cup of tea. It's not suitable for a young lady such as herself to be out and about alone at this hour."

"I'll have you know I can take care of myse—"

"Um, I don't think we really want some tea right now. Thanks for offerin—"

"Oh, I insist. Do come in. I haven't had visitors in a long time." He turns to a door that is half set into a wall, cleverly hidden. Manic blinks, mentally scolding himself for allowing this old geezer to frighten him.

"C'mon Manic, it won't hurt. Maybe he can answer some of our questions." Sonia is already through the door, so Manic has no choice really. He mumbles a few choice words before following her.

o0o

*Modulation:*: Lyricism*

"Mommy!" a tiny, high pitched voice yelled, and Aleena looked up from her reports just in time to see the doors to her private meeting room burst open. The finance minister sitting across from her jerked in his seat as a small pink blur darted into the room and burrowed its way into the queen's skirts. "Sonic and Manic are being mean!"

The woman tsked, sending the minister a suffering smile, before bending down and pulling the skirt-mole into her lap. The only princess of Mobius squealed as she was lifted into the air, and she giggled when her mother sent her a huge smile. "What're your brothers up to now?"

"Sonic keeps stealing my doll and running away!" she tattled, crossing her arms and pouting adorably. The finance minister chuckled. "And when I chase him to get it back, Manic throws bugs on me!"

The queen sighed and her ears rose as a round of faint chuckles filtered in through the cracked door. She turned just in time to see a small blue and tan face peak around the door, bright eyes wide. Her eldest had a cheeky smile on his face, and it widened when he caught her looking at him. She sent him a good natured glare and he ducked away. Seconds later, a green head replaced his, and he squeaked when he realized that Aleena was watching.

"Sonic!" she heard him whine to his brother. "Momma can see us!"

"I know, Manic! Be quiet!"

"Boys," she called with a touch of warning. This hissing conversation ceased. "Come in here please."

It took a few seconds of arguing over who would be first before Manic eventually padded in, head downcast and face subdued, the perfect remorseful child. Sonic followed him moments later, blowing through the doors in a ball and bouncing off the table right in front of the finance minister. However, his young mind wasn't nearly coordinated enough for him to comprehend landing, and he crashed onto the table on his belly. He was a resilient child however, and he quickly scrambled to a sitting position on the edge of the table right in front of his mother. He leaned toward his sister, grinning hugely.

"Sonic," Aleena began when Sonia started to squirm at his unwavering stare. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing, Mom." His answer was quick, and she set him with a knowing look. "Sonia's a tattle-tell." He must have decided to cut his losses, considering how his sister was smiling winningly at him. "We just wanted to play with her…"

"I don't want to play with you!" the girl argued back, crossing her arms. "You're mean and you two always team up against me!"

"Well, duh. You're a girl." This was said like it was the most obvious argument in the world. "And it's no fun with only two of us. Mom had three kids for a reason."

Aleena choked on her laughter, causing three pairs of dark eyes to look up at her. "Sonic, that's…" She floundered for a few seconds before deciding to follow her son's example and cut her loses. "Yes, that's exactly why. I had three of you so you would never have to be alone."

"Told ya," the blue child bragged, leaning toward his brother. "You owe me some animal crackers, Manic." The youngest brother scowled in response.

"Look, boys," the queen cut in, glancing toward the finance minister. He seemed amused, but the childlike enchantment would wear off soon enough. "Leave your sister alone, all right? She doesn't want to play with you right now. Girls need some time alone."

"But, you don't. You're always having meetin's with people." Manic's voice was feeble, as if he was scared he was going to get in trouble by speaking.

"I get alone time at night, when you three are asleep." This was a fib, as she usually spent her nights with them, sitting in their room and listening to them breathe. "How about you guys go play in the garden? I bet Argus would love to play hide-and-seek with you."

The little boys' eyes lit up at the idea and Sonic was gone in a flash of blue, already yelling her captain of the guard's name. Manic followed at more subdued pace after rushing forward to give her a hug. He even apologized to Sonia and asked if she wanted to play too, to which she replied with a resounding 'yes!'.

"Thanks Mommy," the girl squeaked at her as her younger brother left the room.

"Of course, darling. Us girls needs to stick together." Aleena smiled as her daughter dropped onto the floor and disappeared out the door.

"What charming children you have, Aleena," the minister chuckled, folding his hands over his ample belly. His mustache twitched. "They have such strong character."

"Yes," the queen sighed, turning back to the reports. "Shall we get back to work? We need to sort out this mechanical shortage down south."

"That we do…" the minister chuckled.

Outside, a childlike squeal could be heard, and Aleena's heart lightened a bit. All was well in her family.

The minister's chuckles grew louder for a few seconds and her stomach heaved upwards in warning. Then, it passed and she turned back to her reports. There will be time to worry over the human sitting across from her later; for now, she needed to focus on her kingdom.

00

The scene shifts in time and place. It is months later, and she is in her children's bedroom, straightening their beds for the tenth time that day. The Oracle is standing near her, hands clasped in front of him.

"I implore you, my queen. Get rid of that human. He will only bring suffering to you, your family, and your people."

The woman pauses in her fidgeting. Her triplets are at the doctor – all three have contracted a cold, and she is worried. She allowed the Oracle into the room because she believed that he would have a message on their health, not a doomsday prophecy. "What will you have me do? I cannot just dismiss one of my senior ministers."

"Why not? You are the queen."

"It simply isn't done, Oracle. The decorum of societ—"

"Are you so bound by decorum that you will threaten your eldest's life?"

"What? What are you talking about?!"

"That human is going to take over this kingdom." His voice was matter-of-fact and the queen can already feel herself going faint at his words. She stumbles to sit on a small footstool. "And you and your children are going to go into hiding. You must separate them, allow them to grow up without knowledge of you or each other."

"But, they're already old enough to speak and walk! They know who I am."

"They are young. They will forget. They will grow without knowledge of their heritage, and, when they are old enough, their lives will be ripped out from under them, torn asunder by the very human you will not dismiss because of decorum. They will know of a Prophecy, a Prophecy that tells of a Council of Four, and it will spur them to fight. One day, you will get rid of this minister, but at a great cost. The blue child will die, and you will have led him there."

"What! But, how can I stop this?"

"You mus—" He cuts himself off, his whole body going ridged for half of a second. "The decision has been made," he beings again solemnly. "I have received another vision. The end is coming, for your kingdom and your son. The choice is out of your hands now."

Aleena wakes with a gasp. There is something wrong. Terribly wrong. She forces herself out of bed and yanks down the pull cord hanging only inches away. Seconds later, the closest housekeeper rushes in, straightening her night clothing.

"What's the matter, my queen?!"

"Gather my children. I fear there is something in the city. Something that threatens all of us."

o0o

…:Coda:…

"Well, that was easier than I expected," Sonic commented, tossing the green Emerald between his hands as he walked out of the cave the Warp Ring had been hidden in.

Tails glared at him, heaving for breath, harried and exhausted. "I did all of the work."

"Oh, c'mon, Tails, you just flew me over a few of those red spheres. Give me some credit."

"If I hadn't grabbed you, you wouldn't have that Emerald right now. Give me some credit."

"Fine, you get twenty-three percent of the credit."

"What?" Tails squawked indignantly. "There's no way you did over seventy percent of the work. I freaking told you which way to go!"

"Yeah, but I did all of the running."

"You think flying above you is easy?"

"You didn't have to deal with the ground speeding up, did you?"

"No, but I had to carry you when you screwed up."

"You encourage cheating." Sonic's tone was scandalized, but his smile gave away his lack of meaning.

Tails threw up his hands and tried to keep the answering grin off his face, but he failed. "Next time, I'll just run behind you, okay? Then you can claim all one hundred percent of the Emerald."

Sonic picked his hands up in a placating gesture. "Okay, bro, fine."

That ended the conversation and they tromped forward in comfortable silence after that, only the natural sounds of the forest interrupting the quiet. Sonic was struck by how different this type of adventure was to what he had been doing before, with his siblings. In the resistance, they would wait for assignments and then carry them out to the best of their ability before returning back to Robotropolis and doing it all over again. It was tedious, restraining, and boring in Sonic's opinion. Now though, he decided where and when he went. There were no missions and no obligations besides the ones he set out for himself.

The fact that Tails was there made the whole experience even more enjoyable. In the few months between the Death Egg and now, life had been slow, easy even, and Sonic had actually enjoyed it. It went against his nature, lazing around, not doing anything, but it suited him. Tails quickly morphed from his timid, post-Cocoa Island self into a snarky jokester. That was the true fox; Sonic could tell from the effortless way he smiled and laughed. The kid lived in a way that made the hedgehog jealous: without a care in the world. The hero had resolved to try to do the same, but his past seemed intent to come back and bite him.

Really, it shouldn't have surprised him when news of Sonia's coronation and his funeral finally reached Westside Island. After all, some of the people that lived there were refugees from Mobotropolis, so they were bound to have newspapers shipped in. Besides, word of mouth was quicker and more effective than any type of mass media, and he had heard a few people talking about it.

The first time he saw the newspaper though, he almost had a heart attack. He had been taking Tails to get a decent pair of gloves in Metropolis Zone – as the extra pair the hedgehog had received from Apollo was way too big for the fox, despite the straps he wore over them – when a boy standing on the side of the sidewalk practically threw it at him. It wasn't until after he had it in his hands that he heard the kid yelling.

"Free surplus newspapers from Robotropolis! Get 'em while they're here!"

Sonic quickly hid the paper under his arm to keep Tails from getting curious about it, and hurriedly dragged the kid away and to a privately owned glove shop. He sent Tails off to find a suitable pair before pulling the paper back out and giving it a good once over, taking note of the date at the top.

The headline was bold and in all capital letters, and it blazoned itself into his mind, silently accusing and consoling him.

PRINCE TAKEN, PRINCESS CROWNED

For some reason, that title seemed empty and patronizing at the same time. In black and white, the story of his kingdom – his family – could be summed up in two statements, four words, and Sonic couldn't help but feel slighted, as if all that time he gave to the resistance didn't matter. The end result was all that counted, and, in their eyes, he was dead. It stung for a few seconds before he reminded himself that he chose to leave it all behind.

When he finally got past the headline, his eyes trailed down the page and his thoughts were shocked into stunned silence when he saw the picture. It was a drawing, nothing more than a sketch, but it was a perfect representation of him. Sonic immediately recognized Manic's signature in the corner and his thoughts zoomed back to life, pelting him with memory after memory of Manic sitting next to him, drawing and sketching. He stumbled to lean against a wall, staring at his reflected smiling face. The caption under the picture was simple, but it tugged at Sonic's heart.

The prince as seen through the eyes of his brother; no recent pictures of the prince are available at this time.

Sonic forced his eyes away from the drawing, ignoring the thoughts that annoyingly prodded at him, demanding that he figure out what had prompted Manic to draw it. They tracked to the text of the article, and, after a round of speed reading, he was relieved to see that his mother had decided to keep his name out of the press. It was a small gesture, one meant to mirror the ambiguity the whole family had shared since Robotnik's hostile takeover of the kingdom, and Sonic sent a silent thank you to her. She may not have known it, but he was still watching over him, in a small way.

The funeral had been a small ordeal, the paper reported, with only a few dozen noble families in attendance. The local Chaos temple had offered to host it, but Aleena chose for a nonreligious ceremony, allowing her remaining children a bit familiarity. It had been held on June 23, the same day as the triplets' birthday, and there had been refreshments afterwards.

One paragraph. That was all his memorial service received. For some reason, he was thankful for that. He was happy they didn't dwell on him for long. Instead, they turned to happier things.

Sonia's coronation had been a big event, involving the whole city. The celebration lasted all day, and, in some parts of the city, well into the night. Princess Sonia was beautiful, Queen Aleena ravishing – showing no signs of having been on the run for the past twelve years – and the accompanying nobles properly dressed up as well.

Manic, Sonic realized, wasn't mentioned anywhere. It was almost as if he didn't exist. In the picture – a full color shot, no doubt splurged for – showed Sonia and his mother elaborately dressed, standing on the steps of the palace, a large, newly white-washed building with the proper flags flying from its spires, waving at the large mob of people standing in front of them. The Crown of Mobius gleamed on Aleena's brow, properly shined and cleaned, and a new, smaller crown was hidden under Sonia's hair fringe. It was a simple gold band, not nearly as elaborate as the queen's, but it had enough embellishment to establish her as the future ruler. He could see the barest of green quills hiding behind the two of them, and Sonic scowled, looking back at the words printed on the page.

Ah, there he was, in the last sentence. The coronation ball was a joyously successful occasion, though Prince Manic did not attend.

Sonic didn't have a chance to puzzle over that, because Tails chose that moment to rush back, waving a pair of gloves over his head.

After that day, Sonic had been looking for excuses to get away from Westside. His name might not have been brought up, but that picture was a perfect reflection of him, and he had been receiving second looks when he was in the city. When Tails mentioned a magical floating island, Sonic had jumped at the chance to go check it out (after deciding that Tails wasn't insane), and here they were, walking through a dense forest, chasing a red Emerald stealer, and—

"Hey, Sonic," Tails inquiry jolted the hedgehog out of his thoughts and he looked down at his friend, "how come there's badniks up here anyway? Do you think Robotnik's here?"

"Wouldn't surprise me, kid." He rubbed the fox on the head. "I mean, his Death Egg didn't land back on Mobius. Where do you think it went?"

Tails shrugged, unable to form a decent enough response, and instead chose to lace his hands behind his head. "I wonder what that red thing's name is. He seemed really angry we were up here."

Sonic's expression dropped. "Yeah well, I'm angry he punched me in the face."

"He didn't hurt you, Sonic." Tails' tone was dubious and he sent his older brother a look that said as much.

"He hurt my pride," Sonic sniffed. "C'mon kiddo, let's speed up. We need to figure out where this path heads."

"Race ya!" Suddenly, Tails was a few feet ahead of him, running with all of his might. Seconds later, he was hovering above the ground, his tails pushing him forward at a speed Sonic could admire. The hedgehog grinned and followed, catching up to and overtaking the fox in a heartbeat.

000

When they came across Robotnik, Sonic wasn't surprised.

The giant fortress dropping bombs though, now that was surprising.

It wasn't that hard to outrun though, and the human's fire machine was even less of a threat. Sonic grinned after him as he sputtered and sparked in a feeble retreat, declaring that this wouldn't be the last of him blah blah blah. Sonic high-fived Tails and sent his friend a thumbs up.

"So, where next?" the fox asked, eyes hooded against the sun.

The hedgehog looked around, shading his face with his hand. "Do you think you could fly me up ther— Oh, crud."

"Don't relax just yet, hedgehog!" a deep voice yelled. Tails' ears snapped up while Sonic's did the opposite in order to match his flat expression. He heaved a deep suffering sigh. "The fun's just begun!"

The hero rolled his eyes, craning his neck back to look at their aggressor. The red Emerald thief was standing on the ledge Sonic had pointed out with his right foot poised over what looked like a giant gray button. "What is this, a carnival?" Sonic snarked back, ignoring the sinking feeling in his belly.

"No, I can assure you, it's not." The red one's face morphed into a cruel smile. "Carnivals are fun." He threw his head back, cackling loudly.

Sonic twirled his right index finger next to the side of his head to signal to Tails just how crazy the crimson one was. "You just said that the fun's just started…"

The thief huffed, abruptly cutting off his own laughter. "For me." He grinned. "I heard that you can't swim! Guess where you're headed?" Without waiting for a reply, he rocked forward, pressing the button all the way down.

Unexpectedly, Sonic felt his sinking feeling morph into a plummeting one as the bridge suddenly disappeared. Gravity grabbed him greedily, jerking him downward in a dizzying freefall. He was barely aware of Tails falling next to him, screaming like a banshee.

When they landed, it was with a splash.

000

Mushroom Hill Zone was interesting, that was for sure. Tails was having a blast bouncing around on the mushrooms while Sonic was constantly on the lookout for chicken tornados. It wasn't taking them that long to get through the Zone, all things considered. There was a lot of climbing and swinging, but most of it was easily avoidable. Sonic was seriously starting to wonder if Robotnik had lost his touch, if there was such a thing.

When Knuckles stuck his head out of a secret passage, it was only by luck that Sonic saw him. He was lying on his belly, waiting for Tails to decide that the mushrooms in this area were no longer springy enough, with his head extended over a small drop off. The red echidna had appeared from nowhere, as far as Sonic was concerned, and emerged from a cave similar to the ones the Warp Rings were hidden in. He took a look around before apparently deeming it safe – never looking up – and stomped on one of his magical switches, making Sonic stiffen. The ground didn't drop away and the sun didn't go out, and Sonic scowled out of disappointment. Then, the echidna stalked away.

"Tails," Sonic summoned his friend with a snap of the fingers and he waited until the fox was standing next to him. "Stay here. I need to check something out."

"Okay!" the kit chirped, turning around to go back to his makeshift trampoline.

Chuckling at the childlike actions of his friend, Sonic couldn't help but grin before jumping down to the lower level. He easily stepped on the switch, rocking onto it to keep most of his weight on his other foot in case it was booby trapped. The wall in front of him cranked open without a hitch and his eyes narrowed a bit.

Inside the cave-thing was a Warp Ring, but this one was different than the others. It wasn't so much the fact that it was flashing different colors – though that sure was different – as the energy that was radiating out of it. It filled Sonic, and the Emeralds hiding in his quills sang in a deep chord, emitting what could have only been the purest form of their essence through sound. Sonic's inner musician celebrated the perfect sound, and its festivity escalated with every step he took toward the Ring.

The trip through it was dizzily disorienting and Sonic was spat out of the ring with a splitting headache. Starbursts of light and the swirling colors coupled with a spinning landscape upended his inner sense of vertigo and it was all he could do to keep his lunch where it properly belonged in his stomach. Sure he was accustomed to pinball-like Special Zones with bright colors and strange, forever changing backdrops, but that didn't mean he enjoyed them; his stomach had fallen out of practice. He fell forward onto his hands and knees, breathing deeply through his nose and his whole body shuddered, his quills rising and his ears snapping down. The hedgehog resisted the urge to curl into himself, instead opting to force his head upward to take a look at his surroundings.

The chamber was nothing more than a glorified cave with an elongated hole on the colossal ceiling far above his head. All around him large stalagmites were raised from the ground, each of them holding an eerie blue sheen. Scattered infrequently around him were yellow crystals, the gems hanging off of flat surfaces in clumps. He was standing on an elaborate platform built onto a particularly wide and flattened mesa inside the cavern, the tile beneath him a soft pastel green tint. Around every edge laid a dark abyss that lead into deep into the earth and far beyond what the eye could see. Set into the floor of the wide room were eight large foundations, the seven identical ones smaller and closer to the ground. The However, the eighth pedestal, the largest one, was occupied by a luminous green stone.

The gem was huge, pulsing, singing in a way the twanged in time with his heart and yanked at his soul. He felt his senses expand, increasing and vacuuming inward at the same time. His eyes bore deeply into the Emerald, and it swirled with power. It invited him forward and he forced himself to a standing position, anchoring himself on his feet.

Then, without warning, the world went black.

o0o

~Syncopation::Even Note~

When you come back to the Hidden Palace and find that hedgehog bent over the Master Emerald with his hands splayed flat on its faceted surface and his forehead touching it, you nearly have a heart attack. You take a step to charge at him and demand what the heck he thought he was doing, touching the Master, but a pulse of Chaos Energy suddenly flares up. Your finely tuned senses pick it up as a wave of green, and it smacks into you, throwing you off your feet and onto your back. You land roughly, all of the air in your lungs escaping in a great huff and your head is left spinning from the backlash. The Energy buzzes through your head, purposely trying to confuse you, and you force up your mental filters, using the training your grandfather forced into your head those many years ago. The walls block the Energy and you struggle to sit up.

The hedgehog is unharmed. You fight back the wave of shock that threatens to overwhelm you and you instead focus on the Master Emerald, reaching out to it with your senses. You skirt over the fingers of Chaos Energy flowing to the walls of the cave, dance over the lines going to the seven gems clustered in the hedgehog's quills, and ignore the strong gold band that is connecting the intruder's head to the Master. You flow up your own line – a pale yellow in comparison to the hedgehog's glowing gold – and probe at the gem.

It snaps back at you, severing the connection like it is nothing. You are sent skittering backwards on your hands and knees before you realize what you are doing and you scowl. The Master has rejected you, you realize with a sinking feeling. It has turned to this hedgehog – this imposter, this tormentor of Angel Island – and has formed a connection stronger than yours with him. Suddenly, you feel your life – your duty slipping through your fingers – and you fight off the desperation already building in your belly. Instead, you replace it with anger, and you clench your fists.

You get to your feet and move to attack the hedgehog, but the spike of Energy comes again. You are ready this time, and you plant your feet. You manage to stay standing, but it does push you back a few feet. Okay, the Master doesn't want you to touch its new choice. Fine.

"Hey!" You bark forcefully. The hedgehog jerks away from the gem like he has been burned and you resist the urge to grin. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Wha—? I-I don't know." The blue one's voice is incredibly confused and you are tempted to believe him. But then you notice the band of gold still snaking into him and that temptation goes away.

"Get away from the Master Emerald!" You try to move forward again, but the Chaos Energy pushes back, buffeting you almost all the way to the opposite wall. "You don't know what you're tampering with!"

"The Master what? Look, dude, I don't even know how I got up here." He gestures to the dais the stone is set in and then to the five foot drop to the ground. "Last thing I remember, I was standing where you are."

"Get away from it!" you repeat, growling.

"Jeeze, I will, once I figure out how to get out of here without breaking my leg...and how to keep you from clocking me into next week."

You grind your teeth at his tone and pound your fist into the open palm of your opposite hand. "I'm going to count to three and you are going to be off of that pedestal before I finish."

"I can't," he presses back. "Do you see this drop? Do you want me to leave here or not?"

"I've seen you jump off of higher things." Your tone is on the edge of whining, but you don't care. There is something about this blue character that pushes your buttons.

"Yeah but that was when there was grass or snow to catch me. In here, there's just stone. Stone plus gravity equals splat."

You throw up your hands. "Why not ask the Master Emerald for help? It's already chosen you over me—" You abruptly cut yourself off. Did you really just say that out loud? One look at the hedgehog's face and you know that, yes, you did.

"Chosen? Look, whatever your name is, I think the thin air up here has seriously messed up your head. This giant Chaos Emerald can't choose—"

Suddenly, the Master flares and the seven Chaos Emeralds trapped in the blue one's quills answer with flashes of their own. They dislodge themselves and circle both the hedgehog and Master Emerald once before floating merrily to the seven smaller daises and depositing themselves to their rightful places. Their color seeps away, draining into their very hearts, and the hedgehog blanches.

"What?!" He rounds on you. "What did you do?!"

"I do not control the Emeralds, hedgehog! They do as they please!" You pause as a low hum meets your ears and you cock your head to the side. "They have returned home to recharge and reach their potential. It will take them seven decades to grow to their proper sizes."

"Seve— Wait, you mean seventy years? What."

"Get down hedgehog." You realize that you have let him dawdle for too long, have told him too much; you might have to kill him to keep the Island's secrets intact. "You cannot tamper with the realignment process."

"Realignment my ass," he mutters, turning away from you and facing the nearest Emerald. It is a good five feet away. He takes a few steps backwards so the quills on his back are nearly touching the Master Emerald, and your heart seizes as you realize that he is doing. He can't possibly be thinking…

But then, he takes those precious few strides of run-up and launches himself off the main pedestal. He soars through the air, curls into a ball to control his trajectory, and smacks into the Emerald platform. He bounces off of the plinth and the ball flares open to become a mess of quills and limbs; he lets out a yell as his fall becomes unpredictable. He slams into the Emerald, landing right on his belly, and you can hear the wind being knocked out of him from across the room.

"GET OFF THE EMERALD!" You roar, rushing toward him. You only make it a couple of steps before the Master sweeps you off your feet with a wave of invisible Energy again. The hedgehog wheezes and rolls over, his hand stretched across his torso. Already, the gem under him is glowing, feeding off of the strong connection he has with the Master Emerald, and his form is flickering, blurring around the edges. "You're being pulled into the Other World!" you yell, but he cannot hear you. He is half invisible. "Even I don't know what's on the other side of the pathway!"

He looks up at you with wide, green eyes and tries to sit up. But, the Emerald flashes once and then, he is gone.

o0o

…:Allegro:…

Approximately two days later, Sonic and Tails emerged from a seventh Warp Ring (fourteenth if you counted the normal Chaos Emeralds), out of breath, but smiling. They finally managed to collect the seventh Super Emerald, and it now sat nestled with the others in the Emerald Chamber. They had seen less and less of the Guardian dude as they had slowly collected them, but they knew their luck wouldn't hold for long.

When Sonic was transported to the 'Other World' as the red one had called it, it had been another Special Zone. This one was a little more chaotic than the usual ones, but it was traversable and he had easily gotten the first Super Emerald. He had been spat back into the Emerald Chamber afterward but the Guardian had been gone. Sonic had shrugged it off and trudged back out, intent on telling Tails what had happened and to get moving. The fox hadn't believed him at first – 'a giant Emerald that kidnapped your mind?' – but one trip through the next Warp Ring had changed his tune.

Currently, they were walking through a volcano. Or, what seemed like a volcano. The whole Island seemed uneasy, and this Zone was especially volatile. There were pools of lava, waterfalls of lava, and spike traps mixed in amongst a multitude of robots disguised to look like rocks.

"Oh yeah! Did you see that?! I totally just owned that rock robot! Ten points to me!"

Tails had decided to make the whole thing a game, much to the hedgehog's chagrin.

"Kid, this isn't a video game."

"You're just upset because I'm beating you." Tails spun around so he was walking backwards in front of the hedgehog, his hands laced behind his head.

Sonic's ears twitched at that but he chose not to comment, instead deciding to plow forward. Tails was humming a lazy tune as they walked forward. The blue one turned his head to stare uneasily at a nearby lave pool before looking away with a grimace. It was only by sheer chance that he happened to glance up to see a large stalactite hundreds of feet above them crack and plummet to the ground – directly over Tails. He barely had time to compute the danger before he kicked off of the ground in an ungodly burst of speed.

Time seemed to stop as a massive wave of pure, unadulterated energy exploded over the area. A sharp crack pinpointed the exact moment the sound barrier was shattered, and in a split second he was moving faster than he ever had before. As he passed through the invisible barrier that tried and failed to slow him down, the deep blue color of his fur, the hue that he had always been so proud of, drained away leaving nothing behind but a brilliant whiteness akin to the sun shining off of new fallen snow. His ears pricked up in surprise a split second as he noticed that he felt perfectly content and more at ease with himself than he'd felt in a very long time.

He was literally shining, something that he only noticed with a mild interest, and his fur was shifting through the colors that he barely recognized as the ones within the seven emeralds. He could feel little crackles of energy rippling along his skin like sweet caresses and the ends of his mouth twitched up briefly.

He scooped up Tails moments later, three long seconds – a lifetime in this form – before the jagged rock sliced into the ground. They were gone, nothing more than a speck, instants after.

Sonic eventually stopped – literally, he just stopped, no skidding or sliding involved – a few thousand feet later. Tails dropped out of his arms, shaking and shivering, and fell on his backside facing the hedgehog, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"What…?" The hedgehog's voice echoed around them, fueled with pure power. A few feet away, a large chunk of rock fell into a lava pool.

"You're a rainbow," the fox breathed, his namesakes curling around his feet, "and you're sparkling…" He reached out and closed his small fist around one of the sparks floating around the hedgehog. He pulled his hand away and was pleasantly surprised to see the energy still in his hand, floating merrily up and down in his palm. "Your eyes are green…" This seemed the biggest shock of them all and he glanced up at his friend.

Suddenly, the sparkle sitting in the cup of his glove zoomed up and hovered at eye level with the fox. Then, it rocketed into his forehead, disappearing in a small flash of light. Tails made a noise of surprise and his eyes crossed in an attempt to see his brow.

"Your eyes are blue, kiddo."

Tails jerked and he slowly looked back up to Sonic. "Huh?" It wasn't exactly the most eloquent response, but it was all Tails could come up with due to the circumstances.

"That spark turned your eyes blue. Looks like the Emeralds like you too."

"Well, I did get to know them before you." Tails' voice had a playful edge and he pushed himself to his feet. "We got really close on Cocoa Island." He paused, running his eyes up and down his friend's form. "Does it hurt? Being so full of Energy?"

"No." It was a simple answer, but it was so full of force, there was no doubting him. "This is like the first transformation. Except… more."

"Hyper Sonic."

"What?"

"The first was Super Sonic and this is Hyper Sonic."

Sonic stared at him for a few speechless seconds and Tails couldn't help but feel like those green eyes were searching his very essence. Then, the hedgehog nodded.

"Let's get moving, huh? We have a date with Robotnik."

o0o

~Syncopation~

When Dr. Robotnik takes the Master Emerald, you have no one to blame but yourself.

You're just thankful that the hedgehog has enough tact not to say 'I told you so.'

"C'mon." This comes out as a grunt. The kick back of electricity from the human's machine was stronger and more damaging than you first anticipated. The pain is snaking its way up your torso, every nerve on fire. Your ribs have taken a beating courtesy of the hedgehog and it is getting a bit hard to breathe. But, you must get the blue one to Sky Sanctuary if he has any hope of getting the Master Emerald back.

You hate to think this, but he's your last hope.

You lead him to a Warp Point. The red sphere is cold to the touch but it warms at the contact, and suddenly, your world is spinning. You feel a pull at your stomach and then you are shooting through the air, nothing more than a few scattered atoms. You slam back into being with enough force to knock the breath from your lungs and you can only sit on the Warp Point and heave for breath. Sonic jumps off, quick to get away from you in case you changed your mind about being on his side, and looks up. Something has risen in the distance, and your stomach drops out.

The Death Egg. That damn fortress that you let the human build on your Island. It is fully functioning and free floating. It releases a battalion of robots into the air and they shoot off, no doubt to wreak havoc on the Island.

You shake your head. You can't think about Angel Island right now. It is slowly sinking below you, the ambient Chaos Energy from the Super Emeralds fighting to keep it in the air. Sky Sanctuary is your only hope. Robotnik did not count on the free floating landmass, separated from the main Island by everything but a thin cord of Energy. In the distance, you can just see the central tower brush the bottom of the Death Egg and, in that moment, you know there is a chance.

"You okay dude?" Sonic's voice has an edge to it you haven't heard before. Concern laced with desperation. It is an unusual combination. You wonder slightly if he knows that he has cocked his head to the side, his eyes wild with adrenaline and his fingers twitching at his sides. He is barely bouncing on his toes and you force yourself to stand.

"I'm fine. I'll get the bridge."

You leap across the chasm separating the Warp Point platform from the rest of Sky Sanctuary and fall on top of the switch. The bridge extends and the hedgehog darts across. He leans down to help you up, but you wave him off.

"Go. Get the Master Emerald back." You try to sound forceful but you know you fail. Still, he nods all the same and turns on his heel.

"Stay safe, Guardian."

"Knuckles." You have no idea why you offer him your name. This is no time for introductions.

"I'm Sonic. I'll be seein' ya Knux."

Then, he blasts off.

You watch him go, track the blur of his movements. You can only hope that he will be successful. He really is the last hope. He has to achieve what you have so royally failed at. It may have started out your responsibility to guard Angel Island and the Master Emerald, but the torch has been passed to him for now. You have done all that you can.

You have no idea how long you sit there, your body half-collapsed on the switch, before the rumbling starts. At first, it is nothing but a vibration in the ground. Then, it grows to a dull roar. You look up in time to see the Warp Point platform start to crumble and your eyes widen. You pull yourself to the bridge and gaze downward.

Angel Island is a large dark shape. It has moved too far for the Super Emeralds to keep Sky Sanctuary in the air.

It is falling.

o0o

...:Allegro:…

They dropped the Master Emerald off in the forest.

Then, they got out of there as quickly as they could.

"Knuckles likes his privacy!" Sonic yelled at Tails over the wind. "I don't think he'll want to see us again for a while."

"But, don't you think he'd want to thank you?"

Sonic glanced toward the ground as the plane slowly looped around the back of the Island. It was already slowly lifting out of the water. Knuckles had found the Master Emerald and was standing next to it with his arms crossed, a satisfied look on his face. He glanced up at the plane and gave a barely perceivable nod.

"I think he appreciates it."

Tails paused and followed his friend's sight line. He smiled when Knuckles nodded to him as well. "Where to next?"

"Hm. I was thinking the Mystic Ruins. It's back under mobian control, and I hear they have prime real estate up for grabs. Dirt cheap."

Tails laughed. "How'd you hear that? We were on a floating island for a week and a half."

Sonic smiled winningly but chose not to answer. Instead, he remarked, "What do you think about a workshop? We could use some roots. A home base."

"A workshop?!" The plane dipped slightly as Tails jerked the controls in surprise. "Really?! I'd be able to do some real work on the Tornado or–" He cut himself off with a gasp. "–or I could build my own plane! That'd be sweet!"

The hedgehog chuckled. "It's settled then. Let's go build us a workshop."

"Can it be named after me? Please Sonic?"

"Tails' Workshop… I like the sound of that."

The fox let out a sound that was half way between a squeal and a yell and Sonic grinned. It was so easy to make his little friend happy. Just give him a few tools and a space to work in and he was over the moon.

He owed Tails that much. Seeing Knuckles protect his home so vehemently had reminded Sonic just how homeless he and the fox were. They had been on the road for a while now, and the kit was a growing child. Their type of lifestyle wasn't exactly ideal for the developing youth. Even Sonic had had a steady place to live when he had been that age. Tails was family now, and Sonic took care of his family. He made sure with his siblings had a steady home and he would do the same for Tails.

"Thanks, big bro."

What kind of big brother would he be if he did otherwise?

"Of course, kiddo."

Chapter Text

*Modulation:*:Dissonance*

The day Aleena and Sonia travel to the lower provinces and leave Manic alone to rule the land is also the day that everyone working on the palace grounds – save the guards, as they won't leave no matter how much he orders them – get dismissed by said green prince. They leave quickly, ready and eager to take advantage of the paid vacation.

Everyone except Bartleby, apparently.

"Manic, I must insist that you get started on this list your mother left." The pompous prick (a name the youngest royal keeps to himself, as it will no doubt get his mouth washed out with soap) storms into Manic's bedroom, waving said list over his head.

Manic barely glances up from where his head is bent over the innards of his hoverboard. It has been on the fritz since he moved into the castle, and he hasn't had a chance to look at it until today. "You didn't knock," he grouses, digging into the wires and pulling one free to glare at it with narrowed eyes, "and it's Prince Manic to you, Bartlebutt."

Bartleby makes an offended noise at that and Manic smirks to himself as he puts the wire back and grabs a new one. There is a few seconds of silence before Bartleby grabs the back of his chair and swings it around so the green boy is facing him.

"The list, my prince!" The title is hissed, laced with contempt, and Manic can't help but smirk again. "Are you not aware—"

"Know about the chore list, man. She taped it to the 'frigerator." While he speaks, the prince pushes away from Bartleby and the chair rolls across the room, toward the bookshelves. Randomly grabbing a tome, Manic makes a show of flipping through it. "Supposed to upgrade the palace computers, arrange the music festival for next weekend, and be fitted for a suit or somethin'. Chillax, I'll get it done."

"I find that hard to believe, considering you dismissed everyone for the day."

"'Cluding you, if I 'member correctly. Go away." Snapping the book closed, Manic shoves off the wall with his feet and rolls back to the workbench, nearly knocking into his Royal Advisor. Bartleby lets out a groan of frustration and, out of the corner of his eyes, Manic sees him grab his head.

"Stubborn mule… Just as bad as Sonic."

It is barely whispered, but the green one still hears it. He whips around, brandishing his screwdriver like a saber, and his voice is hard when he manages to summon the words past the lump that always forms when Sonic is mentioned. "Bartleby, you're fired."

"Wha— What?"

"I didn't stutter." His voice is resigned, and he picks at another wire, ignoring the sputtering coming from behind him. "Get out. You're fired."

"You can't do that!"

"Sure I can. I'm in charge. Go."

Bartleby stammers out a few sounds that could or could not be words. Manic easily reaches up and grabs the taller mobian's shoulders to steer him toward the door. In the hall, Scott is standing at the ready, and he barely quirks an eyebrow when the Royal Advisor is pushed out of the prince's private quarters.

"He's fired." Manic hardly looks up at the cocker spaniel guard as he pokes his head out to make sure Bartleby doesn't wheel around and shove his way back in. "Escort him out."

"Yes, your highness."

"Don't call me that, Scott. It's Manic."

With that, he ducks back into the room. His board still needs fixing.

000

"My prince! Stop!"

Manic grins back at Scott as he zooms away on his hoverboard, easily losing the guard in the maze of halls. The private section of the castle was designed with safety in mind, so the corridors are thin and complex – to confuse an invading army and force them to line up two-by-two if they try to swarm the palace. Unfortunately, this design also made it nearly impossible for a guard on foot to keep up with a speeding prince on a newly repaired hoverboard.

Manic hears Scott let out a curse, and he laughs as he swerves around another corner, leading the guard away from his room and toward the main part of the castle. Scott follows at a steady jog, and the green boy can't help but be a little impressed at his stamina. He's pretty in shape for a thirty-something, carrying at least two hand guns and wearing those unpractical boots the queen designed. Spiffy they may look, but they weren't exactly fit for running.

A fact that Scott becomes painfully aware of when they lose traction on the tile as he tries to turn the corner and ends up crashing onto the floor on his stomach. Manic barely makes out the sound of the guard's wheezing over the purr of his board's thrusters and he grins again.

After taking a few more turns and blasting down a long hall, his hoverboard coughs and jerks under his feet, sending the prince falling forward. He smacks into the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of his lungs and he rolls head over heels for a few feet before coming to a stop against a wall, his feet in the air above him and his back bent painfully.

"Ouch," he mumbles for his own benefit as his malfunctioning hoverboard skids to a stop next to him. He glares at its lifeless form and resists the urge to kick it across the room.

Manic is content to lay there for a few minutes, waiting for his head to catch up with the rest of his body, but the sound of running feet and Scott's voice calling for him forces him to his feet. He snatches the board under his arm as he passes and ducks into the closest open doorway, pulling the door closed behind him. The head of the guard pounds past seconds later, yelling the green one's name between pants.

The game of aerial tag had started almost as soon as Scott had gotten back from escorting Bartleby out. Manic had been stepping onto the board right as the guard walked back up, and after taking once glance at him, Manic had decided he needed some time for himself. With a cocky smile thrown over his shoulder, the youngest royal had jumped onto the hoverboard, wobbled a bit as it tried to correct for his weight, and then zoomed away, tossing "I'm outta here!" over his shoulder as he disappeared around a corner.

Scott had been quick to chase him. Manic had overheard his mother order Scott to keep Manic safe, which the boy immediately took an affront to. He didn't need a babysitter; he had practically taken care of himself since before he could remember. The escape had been two-fold: ditch the security detail, and get some well deserved exercise on his hoverboard.

Too bad his board had decided to choke.

Again.

The stupid thing had been malfunctioning since he had accidentally slammed it into a wall at full speed. He assumed he'd knocked some wires loose, but after constantly trying to fix it, it was pretty much a lost cause at this point. He had stripped it of all of its parts and replaced them, but it still refused to work. It was just as well anyway; the board was over seven years old and it had been ridden into the ground by both Manic and sometimes Sonic. The green boy could still remember those lazy days when his older brother had commandeered the board after barely asking for permission. He rode with the same grace and ease that he ran with; the board seemed to just as much a part of him as his feet were. Manic had always had to repair it after getting it back, but it was worth hearing Sonic laugh and yell as he did loops and tricks. He never had the heart to tell Sonic that the hoverboard had been designed for speed, not tricks, and his abuse always left the boosters shorted out.

The reality is that his poor hoverboard had lived a hard, long life, and it is about time he put it to rest. No matter how much he tinkered, stripped, replaced, or rewired, it will never be at full capacity. It is time to retire his trusty old friend.

He is sure his mother will love the sound of that. She has been unsure about Manic riding the thing after the crash into the wall and won't let him ride it out into the city anymore. Sonia also suffered backlash from his little accident; her motorcycle is only allowed to be ridden within the castle grounds and only when a guard is watching. She hadn't been happy about that.

Of course, she had managed to diplomatically plead her way back onto said motorcycle for her trip down to the provinces earlier today, while he is stuck at the palace ducking guards on his half-broken hoverboard. It is amazing the way she can negotiate the things she wants. First getting him to sneak out of the palace yesterday night and now her motorcycle. What's next? Convince him to leave so she's the only heir to the throne?

Manic scoffs at himself and shakes his head. Sonia is a lot of things – conceited, superficial, and pushy all jumped to mind immediately – but she loves her family. After the loss of Sonic, she has clung tightly to what she has left, and she goes out of her way to spend time with both Manic and their mother. It's amazing how she can juggle her heir to the throne duties with her family time; Manic's not sure he could do the same were he in her shoes.

Luckily for him, he only has to be an active royal when his mother and sister are away being diplomatic. And, he has already decided that he is best filling the absentee royalty role. He will do what his mother asked, but not right away and definitely not in the way she wants. That music festival for example. She wants him to book one of the new bands popping up in the newly liberated kingdom, but he has other plans. Sonia's been writing some music on her keyboard and he himself could use a few jam sessions on his drums. It's about time they get back to what brought them back together: music.

"Captain Scott!" Manic is yanked out of his thoughts as a female voice calls from outside. He recognizes it as Angie, the second in command, and holds his breath when he hears her stop in front of the door. "No sign of him!"

Footsteps join her and Scott replies, incredibly close to the doorway. "Well, we have to keep looking. He can't have gone far."

"He was on his hoverboard, wasn't he sir?"

"You know just as well as I that that thing is broken. Besides, he knows better than to leave the grounds without an escort."

"He left last night, didn't he?"

Manic starts at that and his hoverboard almost slips out of his grasp. He barely manages to grab it before it clatters to the floor.

"I have a feeling that was the princess's doing. Besides, the queen didn't seem upset when their absence was reported, especially after they miraculously reappeared in their beds." There is a pause as Scott takes a deep breath. "Look, sweep the north hall and the east wing again. Check with Bartleby – he's been sulking out front – if the prince left through the main hall. I'll keep looking here and I'll send a few men to the south hall."

"Sir!" There is a click of boots as Angie snaps off a sharp salute and then spins around, her footsteps disappearing quickly. Scott takes off in the opposite direction and soon enough Manic is alone again.

He releases the breath he's been holding and lets his hoverboard fall to the ground. It barely makes a sound and he glances down, surprised to find that he's standing on plush carpet, not stone like he originally assumed. One glace up and around and he realizes exactly where he's hiding.

His mother's chambers.

The room is dim, but there is just enough light coming in from under the curtains to allow Manic to catch sight of her large bed and expansive armoire, as well as the huge bookshelves taking up a whole wall.

He freezes at the sight. The bookcases are nearly identical to the ones in his room and from this far away he can tell that some of the books are the same. Quickly padding forward, he runs his fingers down the spines. Something feels off, even through his gloves, and he pads across the large space to the very edge of the cases. The Chaos Theory book is sitting snugly against the end of the shelving, its spine shiny from constant use. He hooks his finger on the lip of the top of the book and yanks it out.

There is a click as the book comes free and he nearly jumps out of his skin as the shelf furthest from him jumps from its place. A sliver of light snakes out, escaping across the room and casting itself across the far wall. He tentatively pads across the carpet and peers at the bookcase. There is just enough room for him to worm his fingers between it and the wall and he does so, squashing down his trepidation.

Manic heaves with all of his might and the shelf swings away from the wall, well oiled hinges silent in the dark. He whistles lowly. "Nice work on the espionage Mom…" he mumbles to himself as he peeks his head around the shelf-turned-door.

The room is barely illuminated by a bare bulb hanging in the middle of the space. The floor and walls are a dark gray stone and there is a draft that snakes its way up Manic's back as soon as he steps inside. A single wooden table sits in center of the room, and the wall across from the door has been converted into a bookshelf. He twitches at the thought of even more books but pads forward nonetheless, his shoes making the barest of clicks against the rock.

The shelving is covered with all kinds of book keeping methods: scrolls, loose parchment, crudely bound diaries, spiral notebooks, and holo-note takers all share the same shelves. He blinks as he runs his eyes over the small library and plucks a random book – a dark brown, older tome – from the shelf. It is hefty in his hand and he easily opens the cover, ignoring the crack the spine makes.

The book releases a smell that soothes him. Despite his inexperience with books – Robotnik had burned every page he could get his hands on – the smell of the old ones is always comforting. Perhaps it is because books are so hard to come by these days, or perhaps because the knowledge held within manifests as a smell after so many years of being contained; he doesn't know.

The front cover is covered with a small inscription, so faded that he has a hard time making it out. He has to bring the book so close to the light that it nearly touches the bulb and then he finally makes sense of the swooping letters.

To my darling Genevieve, may you keep your history just as I did before you.

It isn't signed and Manic shrugs before flipping through, catching only certain words as they flash past.

…Father's coronation…

…brother was killed by a visiting royal…

…war…

…betrothal…

…oracle came to me today.

Manic pauses at that, wondering just how old the Oracle is. This book was paper, not holographic like every book printed in the modern age, and it shows signs of being older than even the most modern of print books. He flips through faster, looking for a date, but his search is fruitless and he turns back to where he started, reading a bit deeper now.

The oracle came to me today and told me a prophecy. I do not remember the exact wording, but the gist is thus:

There is to be a hero, a hero so fierce he will put gods to shame and tame chaos. He will transcend even death itself. He is to have many forms but his spirit shall remain the same. He is the treasured son.

Manic scoffs low in his throat and closes the book. Figures – a vague prophecy in a vague book hidden in a vague room. He returns the book to its place and grabs what he assumes is the most recent addition to the small library – a holo-book at the end of the shelf. Holographic books are more the norm now, opposed to paper. Nothing more than two screens that fit together like a laptop, they record a person talking and convert their words into text. The green boy flips open the holo-plates and slots them together. Automatically, a password box pops up, and, on a whim, he easily taps Sonic's name out. It pings and he's in. After taking a second to roll his eyes, he calls up the very first entry.

Hello journal, this is Aleena… Chaos, this is awkward. My mother gave me this for my sixteenth birthday. She told me to record something every day, but my life isn't that interesting really. I'm a princess, but I'm not allowed out of the palace. Papa doesn't want me to get hurt, especially with the humans spreading across the planet. The other mobian cities, the ones not under Papa's control, are welcoming them, but Papa wants nothing to do with them.

My brother Charles is on a trip to the biggest human city – Station Square, they call it. I wanted to go, but I was forbidden. I'm heir to the throne and Papa wants to keep me safe… Still, how am I supposed to rule one day if I don't know what the world is like?

The Oracle is supposed to visit tomorrow. Mother says he has big news about my future. I'll tell you all about it, journal.

Manic pauses as the entry ends. It is basic, but there is so much revealed through those few words. He knows nothing about his family, and he feels his breath catch at the mention of Aleena's brother. He has an uncle somewhere…

Suddenly, he hears a creak from outside and his heart jumps into his throat. Slamming the holo-journal closed with more force than necessary, he drops it onto the table and scrambles to get out of the room. After shoving the bookshelf back into place, he whirls around to escape.

And slams right into Scott's chest.

"Scott!" Manic yells as he wheels backwards, trying to keep his balance. The guard's face is flat as he reaches forward to steady the prince, and Manic can feel his limited freedom slipping through his fingers. He doesn't say anything for a few moments and Manic is left staring up at him with what he hopes is an apologetic expression.

With a sigh, the dog brushes off his uniform before speaking, "we've been looking for you, my prince."

"Manic," the addressed stresses with exasperation, "it's Manic."

"Very well, Manic. Did you know that you're in the queen's private chambers?"

There is a beat of silence before Manic quirks an eyebrow. "Haven't you ever snuck into your parents' room, Scott?"

This gives the guard pause and he blinks once before sighing. "Very well. We should probably get to work on your chores. Bartleby is having an aneurism out on the front step."

Manic grins as he picks up his hoverboard and scoots out the door. "Bartleby's fired; he can leave."

Scott smothers a laugh with a cough. "The queen is going to make you hire him back, you know."

"Yeah." Manic shrugs. "But that's not for two more days. He can stay on the step until then."

o0o

…:Etude:…

The next two years passed quickly. Sonic's fourteenth birthday came and went, celebrated by the hedgehog and fox in the barebones of the workshop. Said building was only halfway complete when Dr. Robotnik attacked again, this time by breaking the Master Emerald and releasing Chaos. Months after that, the human tried again, this time with the Space Colony ARK, Shadow the Ultimate Lifeform, and the Biolizard – each adventure presenting a new challenge for the hedgehog and his friends.

A quiet lull followed and they finally got to finish building the Workshop. Once complete, it had two floors: the bottom a kitchen and living room and the upper two bedrooms and a bathroom. The basement served as the actual workshop and Tails spent the bulk of his time down there while Sonic hovered around the living room between jogs around the planet. For a supposed hyperactive hero, he wasted a lot of time as a couch potato, watching TV and playing video games.

Sonic enjoyed the quiet life in his small home in the middle of nowhere. Tails was usually his only company, and he made sure to drag him out of his work every so often to go for a run or play a board game or watch TV – just enough that he didn't go stir crazy and Tails didn't forget about life outside of the workshop. There were no rules, no expectations, no servants, no grand balls, but there was camaraderie, relaxation, laughter, and freedom. Sure, it wasn't a castle, but it was perfect for the two adopted brothers.

Soon enough, the newly renamed Dr. Eggman reared his head again and Sonic and Tails dragged Knuckles along to stop him. It was strange to be back in a group of three, especially since Tails and Knuckles were so similar to Manic and Sonia – brains and brawn. However, the similarities ended there; he could fight with Tails and Knuckles by his side seamlessly. They made up for each other's weaknesses in a way that Sonia and Manic never could. He didn't have to be constantly aware of where they were or be prepared to save them at a moment's notice, and he could trust them to always be there when he needed; watching his back as much as he watched theirs.

Sonic's fifteenth birthday was on the second day of this adventure. It almost went unnoticed by the hedgehog as he was too distracted by everything whirling by them. This was the most fast paced of Eggman's plans, leading them to traverse seven Zones in two days. It was starting to catch up with all of them, even Sonic, and that was why they made camp early in Rail Canyon. The sun was just sinking in the west when they stumbled to a stop under an overturned train. Knuckles immediately set out to make a fire while Sonic left to gather wood and Tails plopped down, his young body giving out before either of theirs.

Thirty minutes later, all three were sitting around the fire, the only sound between them the occasional crackle of the flames and the whipping of the wind outside. It was strong this high up, and it whisked the smoke away as it lazily floated through a hole in the train above them. Knuckles leveraged himself onto his side, staring deep into the blaze, the brightness reflected back in his amethyst irises.

There was a shuffling sound as Tails scooted up to Sonic's side. With the barest sound, he held a wrapped box out to his best friend, a small smile on his face.

"Happy birthday."

Sonic blinked at the fox, accepting the present without a fight. Tails' blue eyes were dancing with mirth as he saw the surprised look on his friend's face. Suddenly, Sonic was reminded of the first birthday he had shared with Tails, back in the barebones of the Workshop. The fox had baked him a small cake which they had shared after a short squabble over who would get the bigger half. It was a perfect birthday, calm and boring – just how he liked his days.

Tails made an anxious sound that yanked Sonic from his memories and large green eyes blinked again. "It's my birthday." The hedgehog's voice was shocked and he weighed the box in his hands for lack of anything else to do.

"It's your birthday?" Knuckles sat up quickly, caught unawares just like Sonic.

Tails huffed. "Yes, and I'm the only who remembered apparently." He rolled his eyes. "Open it already!"

Sonic did so quickly, siding his finger between the seam of the paper and ripping it open. The box followed suit and he stared down at the object resting inside, a smile widening across his face. It was a cake, exactly the same size as the one Tails had given him last year and cut haphazardly down the middle so one half was bigger than the other. Sonic chuckled, tossing his arm around Tails' shoulder in a half-hug.

"It's exactly what I wanted. Thanks, bro."

Tails' smile was like the sun coming up. "You're welcome. It was the least I could do, considering how the rest of the today went."

Sonic grimaced, recalling the many close calls they had experienced – near drownings, gut wrenching plummets off the ends of rails only ended by a jerk to his arms as Tails managed to barely get his namesakes going, dark bruises from bingo slides… The list went on. Still, the hedgehog chuckled as he gazed down at his one and only birthday present this year. He wouldn't trade these days for any others, simply because he was spending them with his friends.

"Hey Knux," he called across the fire, watching as the echidna's face fell into an annoyed expression at the nickname. "You ever eat cake before?"

"Once," came the clipped reply.

"You want some now?"

There was a pause as Knuckles looked from Sonic, to the cake, to Tails, and back to the cake. He swallowed once before nodding slowly.

"All right, but Tails gets the biggest piece. He baked it."

"What?! No! It's your birthday Sonic!" Tails sounded annoyed despite the joking smile on his face. "You get the biggest piece!"

"But you did all the work, bro. Just because it just so happens to be the day I was born doesn't mean I should enjoy more of your hard work."

"Yes, it does! C'mon Sonic, just cut it again so Knuckles can have some. He looks like he's going to attack you."

The hedgehog chuckled, ignoring the indignant sound that came from the Guardian and he set about to cutting it as best he could with only the things around them. The hedgehog's friends took to squabbling between themselves and they passed the rest of the night in this amicable atmosphere.

The rest of the adventure passed quickly after that, and Sonic found himself back at the Workshop, wasting away his days. Tails' eighth birthday came and went, followed by the Winter Celebrations. At the beginning of March, Sonic heard about Eggman's movements, and he quickly made his way to stop him. The planet split apart after that, and stayed that way for three weeks. The Werehog showed up at night, Sonic rushed through every major city on the planet during the day, and the continents were slowly put back into place.

It was currently early May and life had slowed down once more. Sonic had picked up playing the guitar again to help pass the time between Eggman's attacks, while Tails was working rather diligently on a Chaos Energy manipulation theory. He had happened upon a breakthrough one day when Sonic had been plucking out a few notes on his newly salvaged instrument and realized that he could minutely control the Energies through the use of infrasonic pitches.

The day that became known as the Beginning of the Return in Sonic's mind started off normal enough. Sonic woke early, did his morning stretch routine, and went for his sunrise run. He didn't make it back to the Workshop until around lunchtime, and, by then, it was already too late.

He came home to an excited Tails sitting in Sonic's obscenely bright green room – the hedgehog's favorite color – the drawers of his dresser thrown open, gloves and socks scattered everywhere, and the covers of the bed overturned. At first he thought Tails was finally doing the laundry – it was his turn this week – but when the fox turned to look at him with what could only be described as sparkly eyes, he felt his stomach drop. One glance down at his hands revealed that the fox had found Sonic's broken medallion hidden amongst his socks.

Sonic quickly cycled through at least three stages of anger, disapproval, and shock before he settled on annoyance. "Tails—" His voice was forceful, but the kit steamrolled right over him with his excitement.

"Sonic! Since when have you had this?!" It was clearly obvious that he had no idea what this was, and Sonic sent silent thanks to Chaos that Tails had grown up on the islands down south, away from the kingdom. He had no idea about the place of Sonic's birth besides the basics, as Sonic had made a point to avoid it unless absolutely necessary. Luckily, Eggman had done the same so there had never been a need to go back.

There had once been a time when Sonic felt guilty about never sharing his past with Tails. After all, he knew everything about the fox, while Tails knew only the barebones of Sonic's history – that he was an orphan (well not technically but he was mainly addressing the parents that had raised him), and he had run away from his original home. But, to Sonic, the rest of his past didn't really matter anymore. He was Sonic the Hedgehog now, not Prince Sonic Hedgehog, and he never would be. That wasn't him, never had been, and never would be, so it wasn't like Tails needed to know about it anyway. He really was just the orphan boy who stepped up to stop Robotnik on South Island – the rest was just technicality.

"You— That— What are you doing in here?" It wasn't often that Sonic's quick brain couldn't give him something to say and that made this whole situation even more annoying.

His expression must have said as much because Tails' ears dropped down and his expression fell into an apologetic dejection that left Sonic reeling. Really, it wasn't fair that the kid was so cute, even at eight years old. "I was looking for your amp." He was mumbling and Sonic fought to keep the exasperation from showing on his face. "I needed it to, well, amplify my pitches."

Sonic let out an audible sigh. "What possessed you to look in the drawers?"

"Well, I had this with me," he held up a silver pitch fork, and Sonic felt his eyes narrow, "and I accidentally bumped it into the dresser. This thing," now he held up the medallion, "reacted to the pitch so I dug through and found it and here we are. What is this?"

Sonic stared at it, trying to come up with a way to wiggle out of this situation. Eventually, he decided it was a losing battle, and replied with, "a present from my parents."

Tails' return stare was unnerving, as if he knew that Sonic wasn't telling the whole truth. "I can fix it," he said bluntly.

Sonic very nearly fell over. It was only his natural instinct to lock his knees that kept him upright, though he did sway a little. "What?"

"I think I can fix it. It's got some type of Chaos sustaining it – kinda like an Emerald. I'll just need to hit it with the right pitch and the Energies should realign and it'll be good as new."

"But…" Sonic didn't know what to think. That broken medallion had helped along his decision to leave his family; it was what drove him to follow Robotnik to South Island. But, if he was honest with himself, it hadn't really been a major player in anything after that. It had simply sat in his drawer once he had a room and he hadn't thought twice about it. But, now that Tails was telling him he could fix it… "I don't know if I want it fixed…"

Tails stared at him, trying to discern what Sonic meant. Eventually, he gave up trying to puzzle it out himself and he asked, "What do you mean?"

"That thing being broken… It…" Sonic floundered for a few seconds before he sighed and looked up at Tails with large, expressive eyes, hoping his face got across what he couldn't say. "It's better in two pieces."

"But, Sonic…" Tails held the two sections of the medallion close to each other. They hummed happily as they came near each other and Sonic felt a thrill go up his spine. "Look at it. It needs to be fixed. I don't know what this thing is, but I can tell you that it doesn't deserve to be shoved into the back of your sock drawer." He paused, his eyes lowering. "Especially if it's from your parents."

Sonic felt his heart tug. Parents were a sore subject for the fox, because of his nonexistent memory of his own and the fact that none of their friends – save Cream – knew of their own as well. One look at his hopefully dejected face told Sonic that he wasn't going to let this go no matter how much he begged. The medallion was a connection none of them had, and it was his job as Sonic's best friend to keep that connection alive.

He just didn't know that that connection would do nothing but cause the hedgehog grief.

But, one look at his large, expressive blue eyes, and Sonic was reminded of those same eyes, dark and tear stained after they received a beating on a beach on Emerald Hill. There was determination swimming there – a determination that would not go away.

"Fine." A sigh accompanied the blue hedgehog's word and he turned on his heel. "I'm going for another run."

Tails stared at him and Sonic was sure he was going to call after him, but he remained silent.

The speedster quickly darted out of the Workhouse and off the plateau the building was situated on. After jumping onto the tracks that led to Station Square and then blasting through the city, he headed off in a westerly direction. He had no idea where he was going, letting his legs take him where he needed to go, but he wasn't surprised in the least when a giant white washed building appeared before him, flying flags he had never seen in person but dreamed about nonetheless.

He hopped the fence and darted in through an open window on the second floor, no one the wiser.

o0o

*Modulation:*: Counterpoint*

"Now, Manic, put your feet together, hands at your sides, and for Chaos' sake, pick your chin up. You're a prince, not a child." Sonia's tone is sharp as she corrects her little brother, taping his shoulders as she circles him like a shark. The green mobian sighs, his face twisting into a scowl.

"Chill a bit, Sonia," he drawls, his voice soothing. "No one'll notice me with you in the room. You know how these things go."

"Not this time," the girl corrects, coming to a stop in front of him. She reaches out and straightens his vest, eliciting a deeper scowl from her brother, before continuing. "This ball is in honor of our birthday," she ticks under her breath, catching sight of his scuffed sneakers, "which means you can't skip it this time."

Manic grins easily in response, placing his hands on his hips and leaning his weight onto his right foot. "Someone's gotta be the black sheep royal – might as well be me."

Sonia's expression darkens at his pose, but she chooses not to comment on it or his response. Instead, she backs up a few feet and places herself into a ballet dancer's stance. "Now, pretend that I'm a pretty girl you just saw across the room and you want to ask her to dance. How would you do it?"

A sly smile slides across his face and he makes his way toward his sister with a practiced swagger bouncing his step. As he approaches, he cocks an eye ridge toward her and, once he reaches her, he leans toward her conspiratorially. "No," he answers, immediately jumping backward to avoid her swing at his head.

"You're impossible," she huffs when he successfully gets away. "No wonder Mother never seems upset when you don't show up at the balls."

He smiles again, though it was a bit more subdued than before. "No wonder."

The years have passed just as quickly for the twins. Their fourteenth birthday was filled with fun and laughter and presents – the total opposite of the one before it. Manic received another hoverboard from Cyrus, along with a letter about life in Green Hill Zone. The board, called an Ex Gear, was sleek and fast, nothing like Manic had ever seen, and he had taken to it with gusto. Every day, without fail, he would fly along the corridors of the palace. The year after went by without incident, though the queen and Sonia left Manic alone at the palace at least six times. He had done quite a bit of secret reading during those long weekends, learning a lot about his family's past. Their fifteenth birthday was uneventful, besides another letter from Cyrus. Then, the earthquakes hit.

In their small kingdom, they were quite isolated. News did not travel quickly, and, by the time it reached the royals, it was outdated and twisted beyond belief. But, when the quakes hit, Manic had been hell bent to find out what was happening. His mother, of course, had a problem with that and forbid him from leaving the palace. That didn't stop him from taking off at night on his hoverboard. He never got very far, because the board had a limited air supply, and it always ran out before he got past the outskirts of the city. He never really found out what happened during the quakes, just that the whole planet had been broken into pieces and eventually fixed. He was still kind of pissed about that, but there wasn't anything he could do – not while he was under his mother's control.

He had considered leaving multiple times, but his conscience had stopped him every time. What would happen to Sonia if you did that? How do you think she would take it? he always asked himself when he was halfway through the window, backpack on his shoulders. He always ended up back in bed, ready to struggle through another misinformed day.

"C'mon Manic," Sonia pleads, jerking the boy out of his thoughts. "At least try to pretend you're paying attention."

"I'm trying, Sonia. I can't help it I don't want to be here."

"Manic…" she trails off with a sigh. "You need to learn to preset yourself correctly. You're going to embarrass Mother, the kingdom, me—"

The green hedgehog tunes her out as he sees something move out of the corner of his eye. He jerks around to face the back of the ballroom, eyes narrowing. The curtains are settling, as if something just brushed past them, but he knows for a fact that Sonia is the only person in the room beside him.

"Manic! What are you—?"

"Ssh!" He creeps forward, nearly on his toes to keep his shoes from tapping on the floor. Hands straining toward the medallion pinned to the inside of his vest (a useless gesture now that the necklaces have no power left in them), Manic's eyes narrow further when the curtain shifts again, as if sensing his approach.

He is inches from his destination, arm outstretched to grab the curtain and jerk it backward, when Sonia finally gets fed up. She grabs his shoulder and yanks him around, her expression stern. "Manic, please. We're stuck in here until you learn—"

Suddenly, a blast of power slams its way into Manic's chest, right above his heart. His medallion burns – through his gloves – against his reaching fingers and he jerks them back as he nearly falls over. Next to him, Sonia yells out as she stumbles forward, reaching for her own chest. Pink energy snakes its way up her body, heading straight toward her ponytail, where her medallion is fixed in her hair. A glance down at himself, at the green energy dancing toward his own medallion, makes his eyes nearly pop out of his head. He lets out a curse as another wave of energy smashes into him and forces him to his knees as well.

"Manic what—?!"

Before he can answer, there is a crash in front of them, and both jerk upward in time to catch sight of a large, antique piece of pottery crash to the ground. Manic's eyes widen impossibly more as he spies the barest hint of a blue afterimage, nothing more than a faint blur. His breath catches.

"Did you see…?" Sonia's voice is just as breathless as he feels and he can do nothing more than nod. "But that was…"

"That looked a lot like Sonic."

o0o

...:Coda:…

When Sonic made it back to the workshop, he was breathless and in pain. His chest was throbbing as wave after wave of familiar energy coursed through his body. The medallion's influence still had a hold on him, even after being broken for the past few years, and an influx of Chaos Energy was trying to fight it off. The two Energies didn't get along, he realized after about five seconds, and he had barreled back to the workshop, running against the crippling pain.

He blasted through the door, nearly knocking it free of its hinges, and zipped down the stairs to the workshop. Quickly spying Tails at the table in the middle of the room, he stumbled to a stop, using the table to keep himself upright.

"Sonic! I—"

"You fixed it." Sonic's tone was resigned and he almost fell over as another wash of power hit him. "Let me see it."

Tails' face was worried and he looked like he wanted to say something, but he bit his tongue and slid the medallion across the table at his friend. As soon as the hedgehog's fingers came into contact with it, the surge of energy swelled, nearly overwhelming him, and he jerked his hands away, trying and failing to hold back a pained sound. "What's this thing made of?" Sonic hissed, falling away from the table. He landed on his backside and all of the air in his lungs escaped with a woosh.

"I'm not sure," Tails answered truthfully as he dodged around the table to drop down next to Sonic. He had the medallion in his hands and the speedster shied away. "But I think it's some kind of Chaos Energy. It works as a filter, extracting neutral energy from the air and siphoning it into whoever is wearing it. I thought if I kept it away from you it wouldn't affect you but…"

"I wore that thing for twelve years!" Sonic's voice was more forceful than he intended, but the pain was overwhelming now, almost like being stabbed in the chest over and over again by a hot knife. "It's connected to me!"

"What is this thing?!" Tails demanded, eyebrows pulling together. He had had enough of the half-truths and simple answers.

"I don't know, Tails – I don't know! My mother gave it to me the day I was born, and a giant explosion of Chaos Energy broke it when I was twelve! It can turn into a guitar, and, when I play it, it can make lasers! I don't know what it is!"

"A Chaos Explosion? You mean Chaos Control?"

Sonic would've hit himself if he wasn't too busy writhing. "I guess! Do something with it!"

"What should I do?!" Tails voice was almost hysterical now and he reached forward as if he wanted to grab Sonic and shake him.

"I dunno! Smack an Emerald into it! Do something!"

Tails disappeared from Sonic's side, the medallion with him. There was a sound of shuffling and then, just like that, the energy war disappeared. Sonic couldn't help the gasp that escaped as the pain dissipated, ebbing until there was nothing left. He sat up straighter, waiting to make sure the fix was going to hold, before pulling himself to his feet. Tails was at the table, green Chaos Emerald in one hand, medallion in the other. He had the two smashed together and Sonic smirked when he looked up at him.

"Did it work?"

"Yup. Good job bro."

"Don't congratulate me just yet…" Tails warned, glancing back down at the table. "I still have to break up these two."

Sonic winced but nodded, steeling his nerves. Tails took a deep breath before jerking his arms apart. The Emerald flashed as it was separated from the medallion, and there were a few seconds of silence before Sonic heaved another deep sigh. "I think we're good."

Tails sagged down in relief. "I guess the Emerald negated whatever this thing is… It should be okay for now…" Easily, the fox tossed the medallion at his friend. "There. It's fixed."

"Tails…" Sonic trailed off, running his fingers over the worn medal. "This isn't… This part of me is dead." The hedgehog's voice was hushed, almost a whisper, and Tails' ears inclined forward so he could hear him.

"I know," the fox answered as he dusted his hands off. "I shouldn't have pried. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"No, no. It's good it's fixed. I've been running from my past for too long. Thank you."

"You're welcome…" Tails paused for a beat before adding, "You're not alone, ya'know."

"I know, kid. Thanks. I'll be back. I need to clear my head."

Then, he was gone, the medallion clattering onto the table as he went.

o0o

*Modulation:*: Portamento*

The next day finds Manic in his mother's secret room, scouring the books. He has the old brown one propped open, the holo-journal unlocked in front of him. His eyes scan the digital text, looking for any clue, any hint at that original prophecy. His mother quickly became a prolific writer, and her words flowed together easier and easier with every entry. Still, he has only managed to read up through her twenty-first birthday, and was currently battling through her engagement to whom he could only assume was his father. So far, the Oracle has only visited her once, on her sixteenth birthday, and that was to tell her she would have triplets.

Manic heaves a sigh as he scrolls through another entry. "The wedding is in five days," he imitates in a falsetto. "Jules is sooooo handsome and I love him so much. His fur is a light green and his eyes dark brown like mine and he will make a fine husband…" He chuckles to himself, and shakes his head at his own antics before shoving his hand into the hologram and forcing it forward two years.

"Here we go…" He leans forward to get a better look at the words, and his medallion – now hanging on a chain around his neck – hums against his chest. He brushes a finger over it as he reads.

The oracle visited me today. He told me of my children – two boys and a girl. One will be Chaos Touched, though he won't tell me which. He promised that whichever it is will reach great heights, but I'm worried. I've read about the Chaos Emeralds and I've seen the Master Emerald, and that kind of energy isn't something that should be shoved onto an infant. I've spoken to Jules about it and he agrees. We've commissioned the Master Emerald Guardian to fashion a charm out of the protective stone and metal of the Hidden Palace. He tells us it should filter the positive Energy enough to keep the child sustained, but controlled. Of course, we will have to make sure the charm is removed before their thirteenth birthday or there will be reverse effects.

Athair hasn't told me much about what will happen should we fail to take the medallion away, but I can only imagine. My great-great-great-grandfather was Chaos Touched, and he was ruthless to anything and everyone around him. I can only hope stunting the growth when they're small will help build benevolence…

The Oracle told me that the medallions will be shaped after the children, and Athair has been told of their personalities. I have no idea what to expect, but I trust them. The two normal children will not be affected by the charms, though they will be able to use their mystic abilities. They will be connected, so they normal two's medallions will feed off the Chaos Touched's and gain their power that way.

He left me with one last assurance. Great-Great-Grandmother Genevieve's prophecy will come true during this generation. I don't know what he was talking about, but I'm sure it means something. I'm going to look into it.

Manic jerks away from the holo-journal, falling forward to grab the paper book lying across from him. He flips the pages roughly, nearly ripping them free, searching for the page he read over a year ago.

Seconds later, his hands find what he's looking for and his eyes wrench across the page and light on the scratched prophecy.

There is to be a hero, a hero so fierce he will put gods to shame and tame chaos. He will transcend even death itself. He is to have many forms but his spirit shall remain the same. He is the treasured son.

"Transcend death…" Manic mumbles, hands fisted around the book.

His mind is awhirl. The explosion… The medallions… The earthquakes… The pain in the ballroom… The medallions. He grabs the medal hanging around his neck and it thrums at the touch, the total opposite of how it was a few days ago – how it had been for the past three years.

The blue blur.

Suddenly, he knows. Beyond the shadow of a doubt. He closes the books and swallows past the ball that's lodged in his throat. The medallion hums in beats now, matching tempo with his racing heart.

"Sonic's alive."

000

Accelerando

Manic sneaks out of the palace two days later.

With his hoverboard under his feet, and a fanny pack around his waist, he jumps from his bedroom window. The board is nearly silent as it catches him inches from the ground, and he ghosts across the grounds and over the fence, nothing more than a green blur escaping into the night.

He travels for two hours before he has to change the air canister, and, by that time, the city lights are only a smudge in the distance. He has no idea how far he is from the border, but if he hasn't passed it yet, he's sure to soon.

Four hours later, the board finally uses up every last bit of air in the second canister and it's near seven o'clock in the morning. He sets up camp under a tree, hiding his board in some scrub grass and nearly collapsing next to it.

He is in the open.

This is his first and only mistake.

o0o

Sonic saw the kidnapping in passing. Literally, he was just passing through when it happened. The only thing he saw was a small platoon of Egg Fighters converge on a sleeping bulge of fur and he knew he wouldn't be making it home this morning. Quickly pulling a small communicator from his quills, he called Tails up to let him know what was going on. The fox confirmed his position as somewhere outside Monopole and said he would be there is fifteen minutes with the Tornado.

Ten minutes later, Eggman appeared in his Egg-O-Matic, and Sonic heard him express extreme delight over his new captive from his hiding spot. It took three minutes for the doc to get his robots to tie the poor mobian up and load it onto the floating mech.

Two minutes later, on the dot, the Tornado swooped in, flying dangerously near the ground, just low enough for Tails to reach out, grab Sonic's hand, and heave him onto the bottom wing. As they gained altitude, the hedgehog used the stabilizing bars to swing himself up to the top wing.

Eggman only had a few minutes head start. This would be an easy rescue; they would be back at the workshop in half an hour.

That was their first wrong assumption.

000

Really, Manic should have figured that something like this would happen. He actually takes the initiative to leave Mobotropolis for the first time in three years, and he is immediately kidnapped. The fact that it had happened while he had been asleep is insulting, and he wastes no time voicing that fact to whoever is on the other side of his blindfolded eyes. His hands are tied behind his back, but he has managed to move his wrists around so they aren't chafing against the ropes, and his legs are anchored together and tied to something that is obviously bigger and heavier than he, so he can do nothing to get away.

Doesn't stop him from cursing his captor to high kingdom come though.

"This ain't cool, whoever you are," the fifteen year old declares for the sixth time in ten minutes, shifting his hips a tad so he isn't leaning on his hands. "Really, if you wanted to have me over for dinner, you could've just asked. Props on the blindfold though."

A large sigh follows his declaration, and he is sure he hears the only other sentient mumble, "Should have gagged instead of blindfolded him," under his breath before his voice rises to address Manic at full volume. "Shut up, hedgehog." The aircraft they are traveling in jerks a bit to the right, upending Manic from his perilously balanced position. The mobian hisses as all of his weight falls onto his tied hands, bending his wrists past their meant pivot point. "Now that I have you, prince," he spits the title as if it is laced poison, "the rest of my plan will fall into place like puzzle pieces."

"Look dude," Manic tries again, rolling onto his side to save his hands from further torture, "I ain't worth jack squat. Sonia's the crown princess. I'm just her handsome younger brother."

His adversary lets out a laugh that sends shivers up Manic's spine. He knows that cackle… "You think I want your kingdom? Ha! That is a fool's prize compared to what I have planned! All I have to do is get you to the Station Square, where your idiot of a br-"

The soft sound of something impacting the ceiling of the vehicle is the only prelude to the sharp dip the suddenly take. Manic's stomach takes a dive, dragging his heart along for the ride, and his captor lets out a curse. His sensitive ears can barely pick up the sound of buttons being pressed, and they are suddenly rising again. The sound of a propeller and an older engine circle past outside, followed quickly by the sharp rat-a-tat of gunfire striking glass. Manic's heart heaves itself back into position just so it can jerk hopefully. But, before he can contemplate which part of his mother's nonexistent air force uses old airplanes, the voice of his kidnapper yells out, enraged.

"What," it isn't so much a question as a demand. "That was bullet proof glass! Ugh! You've annoyed me for the last time, fox!"

Manic's well trained ears pick up the sound of a missile booster powering on and he takes in a sharp breath when the craft rocks as the projectile leaves its home. It whistles away, and, approximately two seconds later, it detonates, letting off a hollow sound as it impacts something moving almost as quickly as it.

There is a muffled yell, and then suddenly the aforementioned bullet proof glass shatters inward, raining down on Manic in tiny pellets. He squirms down into a ball, tucking his face into his chest, but leaves his ears at attention. They swivel in an attempt to hear every single sound.

"'Sup Doc?" a deep voice questions, tone and timbre somehow familiar to Manic, though he is sure that he has never heard it before. "You know, you really shouldn't have shot Tails down."

"Now, why not? Come, Son-!" The voice cuts off mid-word as something strikes the man, ending his sentence with a gargle. There is a jerk, a groan, and then a thunk as someone hits the ground. Manic is unsure of what to expect until there is a sound of shuffling and something taps his foot as it is rolled by him. As his supposed savior passes, the green hedgehog hears him mumble,

"Jeeze, wouldn't kill Eggman to lay off the chili dogs."

Something inside of Manic drops, like a downbeat, and he sucks in a breath.

His intake of air catches the other's attention and the voice comes again, obviously directed at him. "You okay back there?"

Manic chokes, unable to say anything other than a stuttered "Y-Yeah." That voice is familiar to him, despite the softer tone; the edge of sarcasm and smugness is the same as ever, but there is something else now… wisdom and an almost… endearing quality that begged to be trusted. Before, that voice had demanded respect, commanded it with harsh words and tone. Now though, it receives that same respect without trying. It is the voice of someone who has looked death in the eye, laughed, and come back stronger. It is a voice Manic wishes he had heard for the past three years.

Yet, despite all of this, he doesn't allow it to get his hopes up. There are so many people in the world who could have that voice, and the one person he wishes it could be has been dead for a long time. There's no way…

Manic cuts off his own thoughts as he hears steps pad toward his still cowed form. They are sure, and seconds later he feels gloved hands pick at the ropes. They are loosened and then gone seconds later.

"Some master thief," the other jokes in a low voice, moving down to Manic's feet while the green one rubs at his wrists. The prince bristles at the jab, but he chooses not to respond, instead pulling himself to a sitting position once his legs are free. The other person moves in front of him and places his hands on either side of his head, pulling the blindfold free moments later.

Manic blinks once and looks up at his savior. Immediately, he is impacted by bright emerald eyes, dancing with mirth and life, so impossibly calm despite their surroundings that he sucks in a deep breath. Then, his focus widens and he sees the blue brow surrounding them, the tan muzzle twisted into a familiar smirk, and he falls backwards, scrambling away on his hands and feet. However, the further away he moves, the clearer the picture becomes, and he feels himself starting to hyperventilate.

Tan arms and belly, surrounded by blue. A dark blue. Darker than Manic remembers. He is thin, all of his leftover baby fat and chili dog weight gone and replaced with sinewy muscle that barely ripples under his fur when he moves. He isn't buff by any means, but he has definite muscle tone there, something Manic thought he'd never see considering how much the blue one enjoyed scarfing down food. The legs are impossibly thin and strong, obviously well exercised.

Then, when his eyes track to the shoes, his mind is shocked silent. They are perfect, almost the same save the buckles that now decorate them, no scuffs in sight. There is obvious care, and he is struck by the significance of it. After all these years, he still wears the same shoes… Sure they've been upgraded, resized, and resoled, but they are the same. The red and white shine in the sunlight coming in through the large glass dome covering their heads, and the buckles wink at him.

Manic's eyes track back up, past the strong legs, the lean stomach, the tan muzzle, and back to the emerald eyes. They are the only thing that is different. They should be dark, like Manic and Sonia's. Like their mother's. Yet, the pupils are the same – dark and deep and all-knowing. The green is freedom, telling of a life led without a crown hovering over his head, of thousands of things seen through that emerald. But, his world view has not changed completely. There is still the dark trap of royalty at the center of his eyes, and perhaps his being, reminding him every time he looked in the mirror of what he left behind.

And what he gained.

"You okay?"

The voice is deep, thick with adrenaline and veiled with something Manic can't decipher. The green hedgehog feels his ears flick upwards and then down again as it meets his inner ear, beating a familiar beat against the drum. Those eyes are wide, a swirl of emotion alive inside of them, and Manic can only stare, pushing himself further away as the blue one moves closer. Soon enough, his back makes contact with the outer wall of the ship. He winces.

"Ma—" The other hedgehog catches on the first syllable and goes silent. He continues creeping forward before falling to his knees in front of Manic. They are eye level now. A gloved hand snakes up to the green one's shoulder and grips firmly, forcing him to look at his savior. "Are you all right?"

Is he? He's probably dead, considering his long gone brother is kneeling in front of him with green eyes and buckles on his shoes. The fact that he looks aged is troublesome, but who says you can't age in the afterlife?

"I'm not hurt." He goes for the easy answer so he doesn't have to lie.

He most certainly is not all right.

Ever the older brother, even after three years, the other can see right through his feint. "But are you all right?"

"I…" There is a pause as Manic schools his thoughts and tries to put together a response that's not all together stupid- or rude-sounding. "I'm not sure."

The blue hedgehog stares at him for a few seconds, gauging that reaction, before he sighs and backs away, gracefully standing as he does so. He swivels around and pads back to the controls, where he deftly pilots the craft to the ground. It takes what seems like seconds before they feel a bump and the glass above them hydraulically hisses before sliding open. Then, the other hedgehog is hauling Manic to his feet with a simple 'c'mon'. He heaves the green one out of the ship in a huge grunt, and Manic lands on his backside in the dirt with an oomph; a blue streak bounced out seconds later, pulling the prince up once again.

The cobalt hedgehog leads Manic away from the craft, barely explaining that it's called an 'Egg-O-Matic', and they continue north in silence. In the distance, there is a string of smoke rising, and Manic quickly points this out, watching as the other's face drops from a neutral expression to a shocked and worried one. "Oh, no…"

Suddenly, Manic feels his arm jerk, and the world narrows in front of him. The landscape becomes a blur as his savior drags him along behind him, and the green hedgehog feels his stomach roll.

He was running.

"Sonic…" He doesn't much as say the word as it escapes, rushing out against every other thought trying to convince him that what he was seeing wasn't possible. His medallion hums and he is sure that the other would have stopped right there, had his words not been snatched away by the wind. "You're alive."

Chapter Text

…:Mezzo:…

Sonic the Hedgehog was a lot of things – hardheaded, impatient, snarky, and unemotional were some of the most common adjectives – but prone to overreaction was not one of them. He had gone up against a megalomaniac more times than he could count, fought a giant water demi-god, faced the destruction of the whole planet at the doing of a wayward space station, and had been turned into a half-wolf-half-hedgehog for a few weeks without batting an eyelash. Facing his twin brother after three years wasn't a thing that begged a reaction in the long run. If you factored in the fact that he had just seen Manic a few hours beforehand – granted, he had been breaking and entering and hiding behind a giant vase at the time – it wasn't so shocking to be seeing him now. In the back of his head he knew that his family was alive and well, and when faced with one of them, all he felt was a bit of pride that his sacrifice had yielded such a nice result. Manic was healthy and thriving.

And really, really stupid.

It was one thing to witness the kidnapping of a hapless mobian camper, but another entirely to see that it was Manic that had been idiotic enough to pass out without attempting to conceal himself. If this were three years ago, Sonic would've shook his brother hard enough to dislodge something, yelling that sleeping in the open was number one on Sonic's List of Things You Never Ever Do.

Now though, he simply tugged the green one behind him as he made a beeline for the smoking Tornado, his stomach affixing itself in his throat the closer he got. All thought of Manic fled his mind as he skidded to a stop feet from the crash site, kicking up a spray of dirt that pattered against the red hull of the aircraft. The plane was tipped on its side, wings bent at a peculiar angle, cockpit facing away from the hedgehog. The paneling was strewn across the ground, crimson paint glinting in the light of the morning sun like spilled blood. There was a creaking noise as the plane settled, and Sonic could hear a dim, familiar hum.

He let go of Manic's thin wrist, barely heeding the green one as he followed close behind him. With sure steps, Sonic hopped over stray pieces of shrapnel, making his way around the tail. The plane had taken a few wide shots to the fuselage, wings, and fuel tank. Luckily, Tails had converted the old biplane from fossil fuels almost a year ago and had been running the plane on the stored Chaos energy. The prime Chaos Drive that had been feeding directly into the engine had taken the brunt of the hit and it was nothing more than small purple flecks on the ground now. From what Sonic could tell, Tails had managed to guide the plane to the ground before it lost power completely, but the Chaos Drive had been blown to bits so the little fox hadn't gotten the landing gear completely extended before he touched down.

Tails was a skilled aviator, the most capable pilot Sonic had met in his life – and that included his time in the resistance. The fox would give his own life before letting a plane suffer a crash, so the fact that he aircraft was sitting in ruin around him – though he suspected that the damage looked worse than it was – told him that his little friend was probably injured. This kick-started his heart and he darted toward the overturned cockpit, practically diving inside. There weren't many places the fox could be hiding – unless he had managed to crawl away from the crash – and the main chamber was his best bet.

Manic watched with tired eyes as his brother disappeared into the body of the demolished plane. He had seen a lot of damaged aircraft in his short life and this was no different from some of the stuff that haunted his dreams. Granted, the shrapnel looked old – older than anything Manic had ever seen – and he didn't recognize some of the parts, but he could tell that the plane was in no danger of further damage. It was peacefully resting, and with no fuel to catch flame, it was safe enough for children to play on.

There was a muffled "Ah!" and then a shuffling noise as Sonic backed out of the seat, cradling a golden lump in his hands. Barely sparing the green one a second glance, Sonic darted away from the crash and to the shade of a nearby tree. He laid his burden on the soft grass of the field, nearly gasping at the sight that met him.

Sonic took a deep breath as Manic came jogging up. He ignored his brother as he took a quick catalog of Tails' injuries, starting from his head. There was a gash running the length of his forehead, right above his eyes, and it was bleeding profusely, staining the kit's golden brow a strange dark pink color. There were cuts riddling his face, though they were tiny and superficial, and his arms looked fine besides the bruises that were already forming. His stomach and chest were perfectly intact and his tails were twitching, a sure sign that he was alive inside his battered body.

When Sonic's green eyes came to rest on Tails' legs, a lance of fear shot up his spine. The fox's left ankle was a large swollen ball and the speedster gently poked it. Tails tensed under his hands and Sonic pulled back, his fears perfectly confirmed. It was broken, that much was obvious, how broken was beyond his reach, but Tails wouldn't be able to walk for a while, let alone make it to a doctor.

Now was the time to overreact.

o0o

*Modulation:*:Triad*

Manic sees Sonic's hands tense when he looks at the fox's ankle and he leans forward to get a closer look. Sonic tenses, leaning further over his friend in a subconscious move to keep his brother's prying hands away. The green one falls back, shocked and a little betrayed, but one look at the tight emotion hovering just under the surface of Sonic's eyes sends a zing of realization through him. He has only seen Sonic look at one person that way, a long time ago. It had been a fleeting glance, nothing more than a micro-expression really, but Manic's sharp eyes had caught it.

He remembered that day well. They had been running a supply raid on one of Robotnik's food stores when they were ambushed. Manic had jumped in the way of a stray laser blast Sonic hadn't seen coming, and had been knocked unconscious for his trouble. When he woke, he was in a resistance hideout, IV dripping in his arm and bandages wrapped around his bruised ribs. Sonic had been there, hovering by his bedside, his eyes a storm of dark emotion – fear, desperation, and, most of all, guilt. When he noticed Manic's eyes flickering open his eyes had lightened and turned back to their normal shade, but Manic had seen. He had caught the flicker of guilt that plagued his brother, and he had wondered just how long he had carted that hidden blame around with him.

Now, as he watches Sonic gaze down at this unfamiliar mobian, he sees it again. The guilt is heavy and unconcealed now, swimming deep in his dark pupils. His eyes skate over the fox's form, his hands hovering uselessly over the body as he tries to decide what he needs to do next. But, more than the guilt, he sees the fear, the deep seeded terror that sits heavy on his shoulders; it is holding Sonic hostage and he can sense the frustration building in Sonic's hunched form. He needs help, Manic realizes, help with this new territory, this injured comrade. It is unreal to see Sonic grasping at the air, trying and failing to get a grip on himself. He knows Sonic has battlefield medical training – they all had – but all of that seems to have left him in the face of this hurt friend. Manic knows the feeling well, the way the mind loses traction when faced with a familiar, injured face.

But, the mobian now stirring under Sonic's hands is not familiar to Manic, and that helps steel his resolve. He places a hand on Sonic's shoulder, catching his brother's attention, and the blue hedgehog's head turns slowly, cranks as if he has a hard time taking his eyes off of the prone form lying in the grass. "Sonic," he whispers with just the barest catch on the first sound. Green eyes widen as sense returns to him, as if hearing his name has jostled loose something in his mind. "Let me look at him, okay?"

The other hedgehog stares at him for a few seconds, gauging his face with his deep, expressive green eyes. Distantly, Manic wonders if this is his brother – he distinctly remembers Sonic having black, blank pits for eyes, not these communicative, animated emerald pools of emotion. The orbs blink, once, twice, and he nods, backing far enough away so Manic can reach the golden form. He lingers anxiously behind his brother as he leans forward, eyes moving down the fox's body the same way Sonic's had minutes before.

The fox is nothing more than a child, Manic realizes with a shock of surprise. The youthful curve of the face, plump with baby fat, and the short limbs are illustrative enough, but the way that Sonic hovers around him is what really pounds the realization home. Sonic has always had a soft spot for children, even back when he was one himself, and he would fight until his dying breath to save them. Still, it is so unlike his brother to bring one onto the battlefield – though, to be fair, a fight with a kidnapper in the middle of nowhere is far from the war Manic has seen – and he wonders idly what makes this kid so special.

He must've spoken that aloud because Sonic pauses in his anxious movements to look at Manic. "I met Tails when he was five," he begins as he turns his eyes back to his injured friend. The fox's eyes are flickering and his mouth is twitching, sure signs that he will wake soon. "He was emaciated, nothing but huge eyes and skin and bones, and he was being bullied. I saved him when he was being beaten to a pulp one day. After that, he just stuck." A beat of silence. "We needed each other." He pauses again as he looks down at his friend, lost in memories. "He's a mechanical genius. Fixed my plane when he was five with only basic knowledge, and then he flew it. Better than I ever could, and I had training… You would'a liked him."

Manic feels a ball of irrational jealousy lodge itself in his belly at the thought of this fox hanging around Sonic for the past three years. A replacement, that is all the kid is, down to the technical know-how. Betrayal comes next and the expression he sends Sonic must've said as much because the returning look Sonic cuts him is sharp, his eyes suddenly turned into hard chips of emerald. "You and Tails are two different people, Manic." His voice is hard as diamond and he holds Manic's eyes with his own. In the back of his head, Manic's brain pings as his name passes Sonic's lips, the familiar Old Brother tone coloring it in a way that makes Manic's heart ache; three years have passed since he heard Sonic say his name, and now it's being used in reprimand.

"You're strong," Sonic continues again, oblivious to the green one's inner musings. "You didn't need Big Brother hanging over your shoulder. Tails… You should've seen him when I found him… He was so thin and broken. He's got no family." Manic jolts at that and he looks down at the fox with new eyes. "And he's been through more than most people twice his age. He fought off an army singlehandedly when he was four, and when he finally reached relative safety, he was bullied by children who had been coddled their whole lives. He needed me more than you did."

It hurts to hear those words, but Manic can feel the truth in Sonic's weighted tone. It's painfully obvious that Sonic had abandoned them now; he could tell from the guilty way Sonic glances at him. Surprisingly, the anger he wants to feel doesn't come. There will be a time for yelling and accusing later, but, for now, the relief that Sonic is alive is more than enough to overshadow the treachery of his absence.

"It's broken." Manic sits back, releasing the fox's leg delicately. The child groans as his leg is jostled and Sonic sighs next to him.

"Figures. It was only a matter of time before one of us got hurt." The blue one sits back, looking up at the sky. "Closest hospital is in Station Square." He stands and laces his hands behind his head, kicks at a tuft of grass on the ground. "And I need to get you home. Mom's probably worried sick about you."

There is a catch to Sonic's voice on the word 'Mom,' as if he has just remembered that she exists. Manic looks up at him, craning his neck back. The early morning sun is behind him, silhouetting Sonic's body and highlighting the sharp angles of his form – once again reminding Manic just how thin he has grown. It strikes him that Sonic is totally different from he remembers – slender, tall, muscular, green eyes, dark blue fur, long limbs, sure movements, calm, relaxed demeanor. He can't decide if he likes the change, but he will have time to puzzle over that later.

"Kid's more important," Manic says shortly, swiping a gloved hand under Tails' bangs. The bleeding has slowed but his forehead is a little warm, which sends a spike of worry through Manic's belly.

"Even if I could get him to Station Square, it would probably do more bad than good," Sonic answers. "That ankle needs splinting and if I carry him I'll just make it worse."

"Yeah but—"

"S-Sonic…?" A weak, raspy voice cuts into Manic's objection and the blue hedgehog whirls around, dropping to his knees in the same movement. "Where are we?"

"No Tails, don't get up," Sonic orders with a firm hand on the kit's shoulder. The child is halfway sitting in the time is takes Manic to blink, and he shakes his head. Of course the kid is quick, he'd have to be to keep up with the blue one. "You need to lie down. The plane was shot down."

"What?!" The voice is more forceful now and Manic can see now that the golden one was pretty strong for one so small. He forces himself up past Sonic's fussing hands, his eyes immediately drawn to the downed aircraft. "Oh Chaos…" he breathes, blinking large blue eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sonic…"

"Don't be dumb." Sonic looks ready to cuff the child across the back of the skull but then he stops himself as he remembers Tails' condition. "It's not your fault."

"But…" He catches sight of Sonic's expression and cuts himself off. "Did you stop Eggma—?"

"Yeah," Sonic barks with a touch of force. "Saved him," he nods toward Manic, "and left the doc in the Egg-O-Matic over there." He raises a hand and lazily points in the direction they had come from. Manic glances over as well, expecting to see the broken machine they had left behind, but his eyes are greeted with the sight of an empty field. He opens his mouth to say something, but Tails cuts him off.

"Looks like he got away again." The tone is resigned and he lies back, placing a hand against the side of his head. "Ugh. What's wrong with me? I'm really sleepy."

"You've got a cut on the forehead and your ankle is probably broken."

"Really?" Tails glances down with the air of someone looking at a piece of art in a gallery, a sort of blissful detachment. "Well, I'm glad I can't feel it then."

"You can't feel it?!" This is the first time Manic speaks and he sees Tails' ears perk and swivel toward his unfamiliar voice.

"Nope," he lets out a deep breath, "I'm really sleepy though." After his initial adrenaline rush, the fox seemed to have lost the fight to stay awake. He blinks up at the two hedgehogs hovering over him, blue eyes clouding with exhaustion. "Where are we?"

"Outside Monopole," Sonic answers after Manic looked at him helplessly. "A few hundred miles to the east, I think."

"Robotropolis," Tails wheezes through a cough. "We can go there. It's close and I'm pretty sure they have a hospital."

"Mobotropolis," Manic mumbles, earning a glare from Sonic.

"I'm sure I can get you to Station Square, Tails. We don't need to go to Mobo—"

"Sonic," Tails' voice is sharp, "I've got a broken ankle and a fever. There's no way I'm gonna make it to Station Square intact. Besides, we've never been to Ro— Mobotropolis. It's about time we explored it."

"Yeah…" Sonic's replies with a hollow, weak voice. He blinks at Tails for a few seconds, an unmasked question hanging on his face. Tails smiles at him and that must be the answer Sonic's looking for because he sighs. "Fine. I happen to know the prince of Mobotropolis," he sends Manic a bright smile and the green boy can only scoff, "so you'll get the best medical attention money can buy."

o0o

…:Allegro:...

Tails slipped off not long after that and Sonic set to looking for something to splint his ankle. Even if it wasn't broken, it didn't need to be bumped around, and no matter how positive Tails had seemed before he fell back into unconscious bliss, Sonic was still worried. They were in the middle of nowhere, the closest major city a day's walk away. He could probably run Tails to Mobotropolis in a few hours, but the rough trip wouldn't do his ankle any favors. Not to mention Manic; he couldn't leave his brother here. It had already been proven that whatever survival skills they had learned in the resistance had been forgotten in the wake of pampered life at the palace.

Sonic scoffed as that thought crossed his mind. He didn't want to believe that Manic was that easily swayed to forget his past – but then an evil voice in the back of his mind piped up that Sonic himself had tried to do just that. Running off, letting them think you were dead – isn't that running away from your past? That's worse than just forgetting it.

Manic tracked his movements as he padded up to the tree that offered them limited shade. There were a few dead limbs littering the ground around the trunk and Sonic stooped down to grab the thickest one. After weighing it in his hand, he cracked it over his knee and tossed the longer piece over his shoulder. He zipped back to Tails' side in a spark of blue light and measured the stick against the fox's leg. It was a little long so he snapped a few inches off, and, when he measured it again, it was perfect.

"I need your vest," Sonic grunted, sitting back on the balls of his feet. Compulsively, Manic clutched at the orange fabric before sighing and passing it over without complaint. "Thanks." Without preamble, Sonic leveraged the cloth under his foot and ripped it along the left seam. Then, with barely a pause, he tore the smaller piece into strips. "Need your help."

Manic sighed again and dropped down next to his brother. Sonic nodded at the stick. "Hold that against his foot while I wrap these around it." The green hedgehog did as he was told, gingerly pressing the broken limb against the inside of his leg, away from the swelling. Sonic's fingers deftly tied the orange remains of Manic's vest around the ankle, hands never pausing even as Tails hissed and tried to twist away in his sleep. When the stick was steady enough, Manic moved from his position to hold the fox's shoulders in an attempt to ease the squirming.

"There." Sonic placed his hands on his knees as he sat back again. "That should hold until we get to Mobotropolis."

The splint was rough, but it extended up to about mid-calf, well above the joint of the ankle. Really, it should've gone above the fox's knee, but Tails didn't need to walk on it, and Sonic didn't want to risk having a tree limb poking into any hidden wounds in his friend's leg. Manic's vest was high quality, so the fabric would hold well, even when stretched as it was. Sonic was confident it would do its job.

"If only we had something flat to lay him on…" Sonic sighed, running a hand across his brow. It was getting warmer now that the sun was moving across the sky and, in mid-May, this far into the mainland, far from the ocean, it got hot quickly.

"Well," Manic's voice began, "I rode my hoverboard out here…"

Sonic's ears perked upward and he looked at his brother. "What kinda hoverboard? It's not that dinky piece of crap you carried everywhere is it?"

Manic's expression soured as his old, trusty board was insulted. "Nah," he answered, despite the agitation that snaked its way up his spine, "crashed that thing into a wall like two years ago. Got a new one from Cyrus. Called an Extreme Gear I think. It's sweet."

Suddenly, a maliciously happy grin broke across Sonic's face and he rocked back onto his heels before pushing against his knees to get to a standing position. "Do you know what kind of Ex Gear is it?"

"Uh, Cyrus mentioned it once…" Manic closed his eyes and Sonic could practically see the wheels turn as his brain called forth the memory he needed. "Speed type, Blue Star line."

Sonic's smirk widened further and he clapped his hands. "Perfect. Where is it?"

"Back where I was kidnapped, why—?" He cut himself off as Sonic darted away.

He was back in seconds, hoverboard clutched firmly in his hands. Sonic whistled as he set the hoverboard down, resting the extra empty air canister next to it. "Man, Cyrus must've spent a fortune on this thing… He even got you a spare canister…" He whistled again, eye ridges rising as he took it in.

It was sleek and blue, with double boosters at the end to give it an extra speed boost. The gray foot panel was striated to add traction to the rider, and the front was aerodynamically pointed, while yellow strips ringed the outer edges. It was a beautiful piece of machinery, and Sonic probably would've been twice as impressed if he didn't have a board identical to it sitting in his closet back at the workshop.

"What'd you mean?" Manic's brow was furrowed as he glanced between Sonic and the board. "Cyrus never said—"

"I don't think he paid for it," Sonic amended, thinking of Apollo, the old grumpy lion that lived in Green Hill. "Does Cyrus still live in Mobotropolis?"

"No, but, Sonic, bro, what's the big deal about this board?"

Sonic stooped down and flipped the hoverboard over, exposing the gray underside and double air boosters. His eyes swept over the whole thing before he pointed at a spot beside the front air booster. Just barely, a small insignia, what looked to be two fox tails, was visible, nothing more than a few raised bumps on the metal. "See this, the logo etched into the metal?" He waited for Manic to lean forward and look. "That's Tails' signature. Everything he builds has that hidden somewhere on it. This board was hand built by the little gear head over there," he inclined his head toward the golden form, "and I know for a fact that his custom work doesn't come cheap."

Usually, Tails modified any board to several specifications for anyone that bothered to lug their hoverboard to the Mystic Ruins for a reasonable price, but Blue Star, Yellow Tail, and Red Rock mods cost enough to buy twenty hoverboards. Tails flat out refused to modify a pre-existing board to those specs, instead choosing to build it from the ground up, and Sonic could remember a time when Tails wouldn't consider selling his precious designs; a few people had finally worn him down though. Still, that didn't stop him from charging an arm and a leg, and Sonic could understand why. It took Tails weeks to build the boards, and then they had to be tested, tweaked, tested, and tweaked again.

Manic's eyes were wide as he stared at the board. He blinked a few times before bending forward to get another look at the etching. "He built this?"

"Yup, that's actually a replica of a board he originally designed for me, but it can't go as fast."

"Wait… He designed a board for you… and he builds hoverboards…? How do people know about—?"

"Don't get much news in Mobotropolis do you?" It was meant to sound teasing, but it came out clipped. "I competed in a few high profile Ex Gear Tournaments – pretty well known. Tails is my mechanic and I sure as heck won't trust my ass on any old board, so he's a household name amongst Ex Gear enthusiasts."

Sonic refused to mention the other things – impeding Eggman from taking over the known world a few dozen times, stopping Shadow from obliterating his good reputation and the planet, the Chaos incident… The list went on. If his mother really kept her kingdom as isolated as he suspected, Manic wouldn't know a thing about the world outside those borders, and he didn't want to shock his brother too many times in one day. It was enough to be faced with the fact that he was alive, let alone the Hero of Mobius.

"You… compete in Ex Gear Tournaments?"

"Well, yeah. Gotta pay the bills somehow."

"But…" Despite Sonic's good intentions, Manic seemed to be on the express train to mind meltdown. "I had this all this time… And I never knew… You could've touched the parts that went into this and I would've never—"

"Woah, woah," Sonic waved his hands in a cease and desist motion. Hero worship was the last thing he wanted, especially out of his brother. He needed to end this now. "I never touch Tails' stuff. It's liable to blow up in my face if I even sneeze around it. Besides, as far as you were concerned, I was de—" The blue one cut himself off before he got too far into dangerous territory. This wasn't the time to talk about that; Tails had a growing fever and a messed up foot. "We need to get moving."

He flipped the hoverboard over and stood, using his toe to activate the switch between the speed boosters. The Ex Gear coughed and lurched so it was only inches above the ground, barely bobbing up and down. Sonic narrowed his eyes. "Air canister's empty. What about that one?" He pointed at the extra.

Manic shrugged. "Empty too. These things don't get very far."

The look Sonic sent him could've leveled mountains. "You're kidding me…" he mumbled as he stepped onto the foot plate, receiving a pathetic whine from the weak air boosters, "doesn't even know how the thing works." With a powerful kick, he blasted away as quickly as the depleted fuel supply would allow.

Manic could only watch as his brother made a beeline for the nearest hill – which turned out to be nothing more than a molehill really – and catapulted himself off it, knees bending double so he could grab the board as he left the planet's surface. He spun through the air, yanking the board in a full circle with his body, his apex far higher than Manic expected, and landed perfectly, board barely bouncing as the rejuvenated boosters flared to life at the last second.

Three jumps later, and Sonic floated back, eyes alight with adrenaline and quills a hint windswept. "There, that should do for now."

"Wha…?" It wasn't the most eloquent response and Manic's face was alive with confusion.

"Tricks refill the air canisters," Sonic replied as he stepped down. The Ex Gear bobbed happily, engines whirring with invigorated anticipation. "The harder the difficulty of the trick, the more air you get."

"But…"

Sonic wasn't listening. He was at Tails' side, arms scooped around the fox's small form. He quickly bundled the child onto the board, tucking him as well as he could on the foot plate. It as a tight fit and Sonic had to fold the fox's namesakes against his sides to keep them from brushing against the ground, but he fit pretty well between the side paneling. The raised ridges along the sides were to aid with aerodynamics and allowed the airflow to bypass the clunky footwear most hoverboard riders wore. Now though, it worked well as a way to keep the fox from rolling off the board, and Sonic smiled happily when his charge wrapped a compulsive hand around one of his tails for comfort.

"C'mon," he grunted to Manic, jerking his head toward the north, "we've got a ways to go, and we're walking."

o0o

…:Coda:…

Sonic nudged the board forward with his leg, kicking it a few feet, catching up with it, and then kicking it again. It wasn't the smoothest ride, but when faced with the alternative – carrying the kid all the way – Sonic's reserves were quickly squashed. Besides, they made good time. Manic's stamina had improved since the last time Sonic saw him, and he was easily able to keep up. His stride was longer than Sonic's, and, when Sonic thought about it, his twin was taller than him by a good inch and a half. In any other circumstance, this would've annoyed him, but as it were, he was thankful that Manic's legs had a longer reach. Sonic's steps were quicker, but when it took two to fill Manic's one, they matched stride.

They stopped once to check Tails' fever with the tried and true palm-to-the-forehead method. His temperature was holding steady, a touch too warm for Sonic's tastes, but at least it wasn't spiking. Nearby, Manic looked beat, and he practically fell onto his backside, letting out a sigh of relief once he was off his feet. Sonic could've gone for another few hours at this pace, but Manic looked ready to pass out. He didn't complain, but his face said it all, and Sonic feigned fussing over Tails' ankle to allow his brother to get off his feet for a few minutes.

Sonic plopped down across from his brother in the grass a few minutes later. The wide open spaces west of the mountains were sparsely populated, nothing more than fields after field of grass, scrub, and the occasional tree. The further north you went, the more likely you were to run into trees, while a trip south offered beaches, mobians, and farmland; west led straight to the mountains, Chun-Nan nestled in a little pass. They were headed north, skirting around the outskirts of Future City – which, being the human equivalent of Monopole, didn't have mobian hospitals or doctors trained in mobian physiology. After that, they had more expanses of tree mottled plains to look forward to. Monopole was to the south, farther from them than Mobotropolis, and Sonic had half a mind to drop Manic in Future City and double back. Anything to keep his blue pelt away from the place of his birth.

It was around eleven o'clock, so the trek to Mobotropolis would take the rest of the day and at least half the night if they kept up this brisk pace. But, Sonic wasn't sure how much more Manic could take. Sure, they weren't running, but they were walking pretty quickly, nearly at a jog.

Suddenly, Sonic was painfully aware just how different he was from his family. They were normal, with regular limitations; Tails was closer to him when it came to physical condition. The fox could fly or run at nearly the same speed and for almost the same amount of time as Sonic. He could keep up and didn't require much rest, the total opposite of Manic.

"What's it like," Sonic found himself asking as he plucked at the grass around his feet, "living in the palace?" The question came unbidden, a divergence from his spiraling thoughts.

The green boy looked up at the hero with an unreadable expression, his eyes searching Sonic's face. "Stiflin'," he answered stiffly at length. Sonic made a noise that begged continuation and he sighed. "Can't do anything, man." He shook his head. His speech patterns were changing again; his mother had tried to refine Manic's speech into something more akin to princely, with mixed results. Some days were better than others, when his relaxed way of talking was gone completely, while others were a regression back to his youth – back to before Sonic die— left. "Ma doesn't let us leave, scared we'll get hurt, and she's stuffin' our heads with all this useless crap – Latin, horseback ridin', etiquette, croquette." His voice was tight, frustration boiling just under the surface of his eyes.

"And, worst thing is, she tries to pass it off like she's protectin' us. She's scared, more scared than I've seen her, that we'll get hurt. She doesn't say it, but she's scared we'll end up like you."

Sonic studied his brother. Three years was a long time, but there was something in the way that he spoke that gave Sonic the feeling that Manic had been forced to grow up more than he should've in that time. The coddling life of the palace had done nothing but stunt the free spirit hidden in the green boy, and he seemed lost as he blinked back at Sonic, dark eyes huge. "You don't want to end up like me, bro." Sonic tried to sound consoling, but the exhaustion and stress of their situation caused his voice to come out flat. "Going AWOL and running away from responsibility…" He once again neglected to mention that he'd left to protect the planet from Robotnik, but that didn't seem important in the long run. He had come to peace with his leaving a long time ago, even if he still felt a little guilty about it.

"No, she's afraid we'll bite it like we thought you did." There was a bitter note to Manic's voice that ended the conversation and he stood, glaring over Sonic's head. "We should get goin'."

Sonic blinked at him. Manic had always been a forgiving boy, more likely to offer his own apology before anyone else could get a word in edgewise, so it was slightly jarring to hear him be so harsh. But then, he'd been abandoned; there was no getting around it. The brother he had worshiped and idolized had run away from him without looking back. He was probably juggling some pretty pointed emotions in that huge head of his.

"All right," Sonic moved toward the hoverboard. "Ride the board for a while. I'll carry Tails. We'll move faster that way."

Manic stared at the board for a few seconds before sighing and shaking his head. "Fine, whatever man."

o0o

…:Pentatonic:…

They traveled quickly after that, Sonic picking up the pace to a fast jog, just at the peak speed of the Ex Gear. They had to break twice for air refuels, during which Sonic passed Tails to Manic and did a few tricks. Tails woke once during the second of these, questioning Manic about their whereabouts. The prince was as lost as a blind puppy without its mother, so he was left floundering for a few seconds before Sonic appeared. He gave the fox an approximation of their location – between Future City and Mobotropolis, maybe another two hours of travel to the border – and Tails nodded, his eyes glassy. His fur was clammy, wet with sweat, and his forehead was hotter than ever. Yet, despite this, shivers were now wracking his form, a sure sign that some sort of infection was setting in.

Sonic decided that speed was more important that Tails' comfort at this point and he ordered Manic back onto the board. The rest of the trip zoomed by in silence and they eventually slipped over the border between the mainland and Mobotropolis in the dark of night, easily avoiding immigration patrols. Once safely inside the small country, with the city lights just ahead of them, Manic dropped off the hoverboard and they slowed to a walk.

As they approached the palace, Sonic unconsciously tightened his hold on the small fox, eliciting a small murmur of pain from his charge as his foot was jostled. The hedgehog's brow furrowed and he shifted the child gently into the crook of his left elbow, enabling his right hand to run over the kit's head. He pressed Tails' springy bangs away, allowing his green eyes to analyze the still slightly oozing gash. It wasn't that horrible, all things considered, though his fur was slightly sticky and tacky from blood flow. It looked worse than it actually was – a few stitches should fix it right up – and his attention shifted to Tails' foot.

Manic was a few feet in front of him, walking with his board under his arm, so Sonic felt comfortable stopping for a few seconds to check out Tails' hanging left foot. He propped his right foot onto his left knee; balancing both his own weight and Tails' on one foot with only a slight bobble when he shifted the fox to rest on his makeshift table. The hedgehog hoisted the fox's leg up, keeping a firm hand on his back.

The splint had held against the rough treatment of Sonic's pounding feet and the increased speed, but there was bruising just under the halo of gold fur. The swelling had increased, pressing sharply against the orange strips holding the splint in place, and Tails murmured in pain as Sonic prodded a gentle finger into it.

"Everything okay back there?" Manic called and Sonic jerked his head up. His green brother was standing a few meters in front of them, staring at the blue one with worried eyes.

"Yeah," Sonic replied without feeling, pulling the fox completely into his arms once again. "Let's keep going. We'll be there in an hour at this pace."

They sped up to a light jog, so they arrived at the front gates forty-five minutes later. It was dark, close to midnight, but someone still yelled out at them as they approached.

"Stop! Who's there?"

"It's me!" Manic called. "Open up!" He glanced back to send Sonic a grimace, and nearly couldn't see his brother in the gloom. Sonic's dark blue fur hid him well in the dark, but his pearly white teeth flashed from a few feet behind him. He stayed back a few feet, well out of the sight of the guard.

"Prince Manic?" the guard replied. "Your mother and sister have been worried sick about you!"

Manic grimaced, his shoulders hunching toward his ears, but he didn't respond to that. "Go get the palace doctor! I've got a hurt child out here!"

"What, but my prince-!"

"Go get the doctor, Scott!" Manic's voice turned a bit more forceful and he pointedly ignored the snicker that escaped from Sonic's direction. "And open the gate!"

"Yes, sir!" The guard's voice was subdued and he quickly allowed them inside before hurrying toward the main doors, disappearing inside.

"C'mon," Manic grunted, hefting his hoverboard under his arm. "Let's get inside."

"Lead the way." Sonic gestured forward with his fingers.

The green hedgehog did so at a subdued pace, his head drooping low with exhaustion. He pushed through the large, main doors and padded his way across the giant foyer, taking note of Sonic's silence as he went. He couldn't quite tell if it was stunned or stoic, and, he realized, he really didn't care.

For Sonic's part, he was impressed. The fact that he was in his childhood home wasn't lost on him, though the wide wood floors, crystal chandeliers, and large paintings of long dead relatives helped to kill the sentimentality that was trying to rear up inside of him. The whole place reeked of money, from the grandiose staircase to the unnecessary stain glass windows, and Sonic stared at his brother, trying to place the former thief in these new surroundings. He quickly found that he couldn't – the two were too different, almost exactly like the blue hedgehog himself and his royal heritage.

"Manic?" A familiar voice pricked at the hero's ears and he winced right as Manic flinched. It was older, no doubt, but that voice still held that timbre that he would always remember. "Where have you been?! Mother was ready to send out a search party for you!"

"Uh…" the green hedgehog floundered for a second, subtly moving to block his brother from view. "I just needed to get away. You know, take a bit of a vacation."

"Without telling anyone?" The newcomer's voice was incredulous. "You had us all worried sick! What about a note?! You could've spent a few seconds on one of those!"

Sonic could barely see the owner of the voice over Manic's shoulder, and he strained upwards onto his toes to peak over. She was exactly what he expected: pink fur, strong, muscular build, feminine curves hidden by the straight cut of her night clothing. She was perfectly his sister, Spiny Annoying Princess, Sonia. But, there was something different. It wasn't the longer quills pulled back into a tight cluster behind her head, or the sharp angles of her face, now free of the curse of childhood baby fat. No, there was a confidence there; she held a presence in the room that drew his eyes to her, despite the fact that it was gone midnight and she was a mess from sleep.

"Look, can we talk about that later?" Manic's reply was brusque, and Sonic jerked a bit when his brother seemed to straighten in the face of her scrutiny. Seems Sonia isn't the only one to have grown. "I have a kid here that needs some help."

"A kid—! Manic, why'd you bring it here?! There're perfectly good doctors in the city."

Really, Sonic should have expected this from her, but he was still a little disappointed that she hadn't changed much in the three years he had been AWOL. He mentally sighed before sidestepping around Manic too quickly for either of them to comprehend. Sonia blinked at the blue and golden blur before her eyes widened when she realized what exactly she was looking at.

"He brought the kid here," Sonic announced as he padded forward a few steps to stand in front of Manic, "because he's with me."

As soon as her gaze whipped to him, Sonia collapsed onto her knees, her expression utterly shocked, gasped sounds escaping her mouth. Her eyes grew impossibly wider, zeroing in on Sonic while her hands gripped at her dress, fingers twisting the fabric. Sonic watched as her brain clicked through surprise, disbelief, a bit of anger, and then settled on shock all in a flash of emotion that dashed across her face at a speed he could admire. Her dark eyes traveled down his shape, taking in his form, and he smirked mentally.

"Hey sis." Sonic winked at her, and he watched her eyes track up to his face, categorizing every dip and curve. Her gaze hovered over his green orbs for a second, holding his stare, before she fell backwards to sit completely, her legs splaying forward. Her mouth worked mechanically, unable to form coherent sounds, and she settled for staring at him unblinkingly, her breath coming quicker and quicker.

Before either of the males could do anything to address her further, the doors behind her were pushed open, soft footsteps barely perceivable on the plush carpet. "Sonia? What's wrong?"

It was a voice that Sonic heard only in memories, and he nearly dropped Tails as a cold chill thrummed through his body. It was like a bath of icy water, cascading from his ears down through his chest and belly to the tips of his toes. His fur rippled to attention and his quills rose, making him look twice his size, his surprise tangible.

"M-Mother…" Sonia choked, scrambling to turn around.

Aleena barely heard her as she stumbled to a halt, her eyes immediately drawn to her long lost son. The proverbial elephant in the room shifted a bit, his fur falling back to its normal position as he finally got his surprise under control, and he straightened, securing Tails in his arms. The fox whimpered as Sonic jostled his ankle, but still didn't wake.

This soft sound awakened Aleena's mothering instincts and she shook herself out of her shocked stupor. Sonic watched as his mother padded toward him, her white robe swirling around her ankles and her dark purple hair rippling in her wake. "Sonic?" Her whisper was barely audible, and Sonic didn't so much hear it as feel it, deep in the pit of his stomach. He nodded once, his neck moving in a jerky movement, nearly snapping his chin into his chest. She reached toward him, her long sleeve falling to pool in the crook of her elbow, revealing shaking tan fingers.

When the pads of her fingers brushed across his face, she gasped. That gentle touch was enough of an assurance that she wasn't dreaming and her other hand moved to join the other. She cupped his face in her palms, staring into his eyes, her own dark irises swimming as they tried to take in his face.

"Hi, Mom." His voice was unnaturally husky and deep, and he realized that he was close to tears.

"Sonic." The queen's voice broke, and a few drops of moisture escaped her eyes, leaving dark purple tracks in their wake. "Where have you been…" It wasn't a question, and he leaned into her hands, hoping that his expression was enough of a reply.

"Group hug!" Manic suddenly cannonballed into the moment, blowing it to pieces as he threw his arms over his mother and brother, pulling them into an embrace. "Get over here, Sonia!" His voice was painfully loud in Sonic's ear, and the prodigal son winced before playfully digging his elbow into the green hedgehog's side. Seconds later, the fourth member of the family timidly joined the huddle, wrapping her arms around Sonic and Aleena.

The next few seconds disappeared amidst painful squeezing, the small family making up for two years of lost hugs in moments. They would have surely continued, if not for the groan of pain from the middle of the huddle.

Sonic jerked away from the hug, almost taking Sonia and Manic to the ground, before looking down. Tails was looking up at him with pain-glazed, confused eyes. Sonic sent him what he hoped as a reassuring smile before looking back up at his family. "Can I get some help here please?" His request was surprisingly feeble, as if he had just realized how dire the fox's situation was.

"Of course," Aleena answered. "Go wake the doctor, Sonia," she ordered, and her daughter immediately turned and sprinted away.

"I already sent Scott to get him…" Manic trailed off. "I wonder what's takin' so long."

"You know how Doctor Knox can be, Manic. He probably thinks one of the guards nearly shot themselves in the foot again."

Sonic cocked an eyeridge at suffering tone, but decided not to say anything about it. Instead, he shifted Tails once again, tightening his arms around him when Aleena approached. She laid her hand across his forehead, ignoring the dried blood there, and hissed as she was met with the fever. Her gaze flickered up to meet Sonic's. "How long has he been like this?"

The speedster opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off. "What is all this ruckus?" a familiar, pompous voice demanded. Sonic's ear twitched and he glanced over his shoulder. At the sight that met him, his expression went flat.

"Bartleby," he hissed in subarctic tones. Tails, who had since dropped back into oblivion, shuddered, as if sensing Sonic's discomfort. Sonic's fingers curled around Tails' body firmly in response, and Aleena's ears rose as she watched her son curl almost protectively around the small fox. "What're you doing here?"

"S-Sonic?!" the pompous tone died as he stuttered and froze. "You're alive!"

"Looks that way, Bartlebreath," the hedgehog answered in an emotionless voice. "Today's just full of surprises, ain't it?" He directed this at the queen, his green eyes sparking with hidden anger.

"Uh, Bartleby's the Royal Advisor to your siblings, Sonic…" she offered lamely. "The Oracle picked him out himself."

Somehow, Sonic's expression became impossibly flatter and his quills rose a few inches. He didn't say anything, but, with the agitation washing off of him in waves, he really didn't have to.

Luckily for all present, the doctor barreled his way into the room, knocking into the Royal Advisor with barely an 'excuse me'. Manic jumped out of his way as he rushed toward Sonic, Sonia hot on his heels. At the sight of Tails, the chimp let out a sound of discontent and dropped a bag at his feet as he pressed his hand against the fox's face. As the heat met his fingers, he glared at Sonic.

"What happened?" he demanded, hands assessing every piece of the fox's body. When he reached the ankle and Sonic's improvised splint, he spat out a curse that made Sonia sneer.

"Plane crash," Sonic ground out after sharing a glance with Manic.

"Any medical history I should know about? Allergies to any drugs?"

"No," the hedgehog answered, voice sure. "He's not very fond of painkillers, but he doesn't have any problems with them physically."

"Fine," the doctor waved a hand at the guard that had entered behind them. "Hand him over to Scott and I'll get to work."

"Wait but—"

"Sonic," Aleena cut in, eliciting a sharp glance of surprise from both the chimp and the cocker spaniel, "Doctor Knox knows what he's doing. You need to give him room to work. Your friend will be in good hands."

Sonic looked back and forth between his mother and Knox before sighing and holding his arms out. Scott padded forward, looking at Sonic with an appraising face, and the blue one passed the fox over without further complaint, his face a stormy expression.

"What's his name?" Doctor Knox asked as Scott disappeared through a set of doors on the right side of the room.

"Tails." Sonic ignored the intent way the chimp was looking at him and he waved his hands. "He's got two – tails that is. Might want to watch out for those when you're working on him. They whip around when he's in pain."

"Very well." With that, the man was gone, following the guard.

There were a few beats of silence as Sonic took a few deep breaths to diffuse the tension in his shoulders. He felt his sister come up behind him and lay a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze and offering him a soft smile, silently welcoming him back. A glance to the right revealed Manic looking much the same, though his grin was much wider. Aleena was beaming too, and she blinked a few times to clear the tears from her eyes.

"Well, this is a surprise," a male voice sneered. Sonic's shoulders ratcheted up to his ears, knocking Sonia's hand away. She scoffed, sensing Sonic's anger, and twisted toward the speaker, her expression like a miniature thundercloud.

"Bartleby, this really isn't the time—"

"Where have you been, Sonic?" The Royal Advisor ignored the princess. He was standing with his hands planted on his hips, elbows akimbo, face twisted into an impressive expression of contempt. "I'm sure we'd all like to know."

"I'd like to finally punch you in the face, Buttleby, but we don't always get what we want." Sonic's hands were fists at his sides and he was fighting with himself to keep from clocking the smug bastard into next Thursday.

"That's enough." Aleena's voice was firm. "Go back to bed Bartleby. We'll send for you tomorrow if we require your assistance."

Bartleby looked like he wanted to say more, but the queen sent him a sharp look, sending him skittering away with his tail between his legs. Sonic glared after him, barely squashing the need to stick his tongue out when he glanced back one last time.

"Sleep sounds like a wonderful idea. I'm sure you're both exhausted." Aleena sent her two sons an affectionate smile and Sonic felt warmth creep into his heart. "You can stay in Manic's room tonight, Sonic." When Sonic opened his mouth to politely refuse, she held up a hand. "Manic's bed is plenty big. We can get a room set up for you tomorrow, all right?"

Sonic sighed, knowing he couldn't refuse her. "Fine."

"C'mon bro," Manic padded up, his bad mood from earlier completely evaporated. He bumped his shoulder against Sonic's, sending the shorter hedgehog stumbling. "I'll show you how the other half lives."

"Can't wait." Sonic sent one last fleeting glance out the window before turning to look at his brother, grin tight across his face. "Lead the way, my prince."

It took all of the princely lessons he had been through the past three years for Manic to hold in the groan that bubbled up.

000

In the morning, Sonic was allowed to see Tails. He woke before most of the household, including his family, and easily followed his innate sense of direction to the west wing. Once there, it took mere seconds to zip along the hall and check all of the rooms. His friend was in the last one on the left and the doctor was just leaving, looking harried and exhausted.

"Hello Dr. Knox," the hedgehog called warmly, raising a hand in greeting. "Just heading off to bed?"

The simian glanced over his shoulder as he pulled the door closed and blinked slowly, taking a deep, tired breath. "Prince Sonic," he heaved out, bowing lowly at the waist in respect. "Good morning."

Sonic had to fight to keep the agitation off of his face. "Just Sonic, doc. I'm not a prince."

The look the doctor sent him clearly said that his surroundings begged to differ, but he left it at that before changing the subject. "Your friend has a broken ankle." Sonic winced at his bluntness. "No concussion, just a scratch. Slight infection, gave him some antibiotics. Put his ankle in a cast. No weight on it for at least a month. I'll follow up in three days and I was just on my way to order a wheelchair from Mobotropolis General Hospital so he can get around."

"A month?!" Sonic demanded. "I was planning on taking him home tonight."

"Pri— Sonic, he needs rest and constant access to a doctor to make sure it sets properly. Traveling back to wherever you live would not be advisable, especially on foot."

Sonic felt his face fall and he quickly schooled his features. "What about a car?" He allowed a tad bit of the desperation swimming in his belly to come out in his voice, if only to prod a little sympathy out of the doctor. "Station Square has one of the best hospitals on the planet. I can take him there."

"The queen has banned all hovercar traffic in and out of the kingdom to cut down pollution. The nearest cab service is in Future City and the cars aren't allowed across border checkpoints."

"Future City?!" Sonic felt his resolve slipping. "That's a day's walk from here! I can carry him that far." He ignored the niggling voice that reminded him he had done just that, and Tails' health hadn't really changed since then.

"Pr— Sonic, vulpine bones are very fragile when broken. If jostled even a little out of position, he'll have to live with a messed up ankle, or I'll have to re-break the bone and re-set it. He needs to stay in the care of the original physician when healing. Do you understand?"

Sonic deflated. He knew the doctor was making sense, but his mind still tried to refute him. As much as he enjoyed seeing his family, he needed out of here as soon as possible. It was only a matter of time before they tried to con him into playing prince.

But, he couldn't leave Tails behind. It was his fault the fox was in this mess, and he would be damned before he abandoned his friend. He had made a promise a long time ago, back on a beach in Emerald Hill, and he was going to keep it.

Even if it meant pretending to be something he wasn't for a little while.

"Fine. How much does he know?"

The doctor winced. "He heard Scott and me talking, so most of it."

Sonic sighed, rubbing a hand across his eyes. "Can I see him?

Knox moved so he wasn't standing in front of the door. "Be my guest. He's on some mild painkillers so he's probably drowsy."

"Thanks." Sonic watched him amble sleepily down the hall before opening the door. It was dark save for the green numbers of an alarm clock, and he opened the door a little further to allow the light of the hall to slice through the room, highlighting a lump hidden beneath a pile of blankets.

"Tails," he hissed into the room, "are you awake—?"

A pillow smacked into his face at full force, choking any further words in his throat. "That's for not telling me you're a prince!" Tails' high pitched voice squeaked from the bed, tinted with a little rage. Another pillow sailed through the air and Sonic barely avoided it. He jerked to the side, hand searching for the light switch. When his fingers happened across it, he flicked it, flooding the room with light.

Tails was sitting up in bed, his blue eyes seething. There was a dark line on his forehead – stitches, his brain supplied – and a few bandages lacing up his arms, but beyond that, he seemed his regular energetic self. A third pillow was lobbed before Sonic got the chance to say anything, and this one landed true, hitting Sonic square in the chest. "You have a mother!" he continued his tirade, oblivious of Sonic's smirk.

He had been expecting an angry reaction from his friend, maybe not one this explosive, but still, he had been ready for backlash. Tails didn't have any family, and the fact that Sonic had been hiding his wouldn't sit well with him. However, Sonic was just happy the fox was feeling well enough to scream at him; he would take screaming over moaning from pain any day.

Tails seemed to have run out of pillows so he threw whatever he could get his hands on. A red and white sneaker flew through the air and Sonic ducked to avoid it. "A brother and a sister!" The other shoe followed, sailing high above the hedgehog's head. "For almost three years—"

Sonic reached him just as he was reaching for the alarm clock. With strong hands, he grabbed the fox's arms, careful of the bandages, and forced them to his sides, away from any possible projectiles.

"—you lied to me!" Tails spat in his face, squirming against his friend's hold.

Okay, that was a bit much. "I didn't lie to you Tails. I omitted—"

"Same thing!"

"I left out the things that didn't matter anymore! I left my family behind before I met you and I didn't plan on coming back!"

"But, you're a prince!" Tails wiggled a little more, trying and failing to get free. "You have a family! Why would you leave that?!"

Sonic's voice was amused even as he held onto his little friend a tad bit tighter. "Look at this place, Tails." He waved his hands around the room. It was small, but extravagant in a subtle way – large bed, elaborate settee at the foot of the bed, intricate upright wardrobe – and the fox stopped in his struggles long enough to look around with narrowed eyes. "Does this look like the kind of life I could stand?"

"But… Your family." That would always be the sticking point with Tails. Family was a sacred idea for him, ranked higher than planes, research, and mechanics.

Sonic sent him a small smile and finally released the fox now that he seemed subdued. He placed a heavy hand on a tiny golden shoulder, forcing Tails to look at him. "Family ain't just blood, Tails. I have you. And Knuckles, and Cream, and Amy too if she weren't so crazy, Espio, Vector, Charmy, Blaze… You're all family to me." He paused, watching as the fox looked back down at his lap. "But, especially you kiddo. You were the first person that I got to choose to be in my family. You're the one that protected Cocoa Island from invasion, saved my life more times than I've saved yours, and you're always there, ready to fly into danger. Do you really think that these people here mean more to me than you do, just because we happen to share a little blood?"

Tails was fiddling with his hands and Sonic tipped his chin up so he could see the fox's blue eyes. They were brimming with emotion, compassion and sadness and regret, and he looked close to tears. "Hey, you'll always be my little bro, okay? Nothing can change that."

The fox nodded despite his swimming eyes and he tried to put on a brave face. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking back at his hands, "for throwing stuff at you."

"It's cool. You've got quite an arm on you, kid. All that heavy lifting in the workshop is doing you some good."

Tails laughed thickly at that before leaning forward so his head was resting on Sonic's shoulder. "We're in for it, huh?"

Sonic sighed and wrapped his arms around his friend to give him a little hug before moving his hands so he could push the fox back up by his shoulders. "You feeling okay? Doc said you were on painkillers."

Tails' face soured at the mention of drugs and he rolled his eyes. "Don't need 'em. But, yeah, I'm sleepy."

"Get some rest then." Sonic stood, patting the fox's leg as he moved away from the bed. He stooped down and gathered the scattered pillows before darting back to the bed and stuffing them back under the child's head. "We're gonna be stuck here for at least a month, so you may as well get comfortable."

"Mkay," Tails hummed, sinking into the soft confines of the mattress. "Don't go having family meetings without me, okay? You could use some backup."

Sonic smiled fondly as he dropped onto the settee, propping his head on the armrest and tossing his huge feet over the opposite end. "Wouldn't dream of it, bud."

Chapter Text

...:Throwback:…

"Sonic?" Tails landed next to him in a squall of air, his namesakes puffy from flight. The sudden gust sent ripples across the water surrounding him on all but one side, and Sonic watched them with a distant expression. "You okay?"

Tails' voice caused one blue ear to flick up and the emerald optics zoomed back into focus just in time for the fox to see the mist hidden there. Sonic looked at him, face schooled into a perfect expression of neutrality. Seconds later, a small smile quirked his mouth, though it did nothing to change the flat look to his eyes, and he breathed in through his nose for three beats before answering.

"I'm great, buddy. We got 'im."

Tails didn't believe his friend for one second and he knew his expression said as much. Sonic, however, wasn't looking at him. He was gazing back out at the water, eyes carefully skating over the buildings sticking out, ignoring as much of the destruction as he could. "We got 'im," he repeated, more to himself than to the fox.

A deep silence followed, nothing but the whispers of the wind escaping from the resting city. There were people out there, the child knew, people he should be helping, but, right now, Sonic needed him more. He could see the cracks forming in that blue armor, the glue that precariously held him together slowly melting away, and he knew that if he left him now, Sonic would spiral into his thoughts, lost in a tangle far deadlier than South Island's Labyrinth Zone. "It's not your fault," Tails hedged, placing a tentative hand on a dark blue shoulder. "You did your best."

Another fathomless silence, this time punctuated by a yell for help and a baby's cries. Sonic heaved a sigh that wracked his whole being, as if he were trying to breathe his very soul away, and finally looked away from the sinking ruins to his shoes. They shined in the later afternoon sun, so out of place against the devastation that Sonic blinked a few times.

"I damn well didn't." The blue one's voice was low, but the acid behind the tone was thunderous. Tails' ears snapped down and his hand dropped back to his side as Sonic shrugged it away. "I blew it."

"You're not the one who released Cha—"

"Might as well have been." Sonic sounded tired, and that, more than anything, worried Tails. There was no fire, no anger, just despondence that seemed to reach his very core. The inferno that fueled his movements was gone, replaced with a sadness that dipped into his movements. As he looked up at his friend, he moved slowly, with measured patience, and Tails blinked at the open expression of depression that greeted him for half a second, before once again being replaced by neutrality. "I didn't do—. I wasn't fast enough."

"You stopped him." Tails matched his volume to Sonic's, not wanting to shatter the faux peace that had settled over the two of them. "He would've destroyed the whole city if you hadn't done something."

"'Something.'" Sonic barked out what could've been considered a laugh from anyone else. "I used the very energy fueling him to stop him. What makes me better than him?"

"Sonic." The force behind his voice shocked Tails himself, but he managed to rearrange his features into a scolding expression to match. "Chaos embodies all types of Chaos Energy – positive, negative, and neutral. You, however, only use the positive, so you tell me what makes you better than him."

Sonic didn't reply, instead looking back at what was left of Station Square, eyes losing focus once again. The pause that grew between them was different this time. The wind changed direction, causing the lapping water to spray into their faces. Sonic's face screwed up into a perfect example of disgust and he swiped a gloved hand across his brow. As he brought it down, his eyes caught on the dark white fabric, categorizing every blemish of water. "You're right," he heaved out eventually, as if it pained him to say so, "like always."

Tails quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything, instead scooting closer to his friend so he could wrap his arms around him in an awkward side hug.

Sonic threw his arm across his friend's shoulders in return and gave him a small squeeze. "Chaos Energy is strange, isn't it? It's crazy how it sustains everything, but can destroy it all."

"Not as crazy as how intertwined it is with you." Tails looked up at his friend before laying a hand over his heart. "I've studied you while you were sleeping –" Sonic's face went flat "— and the flow through you is nearly identical to that of an Emerald. I think you were the only one capable of stopping Chaos – you're made of the same stuff."

Sonic looked away, this time up at the sky, the distant form of Angel Island just disappearing over the horizon. The Island was rising, and the hedgehog could imagine Knuckles fussing over the Master Emerald, scolding and praising in the same breath. "I'm not the only one," he whispered, pulling Tails close again, "there's you, and Knuckles, and who knows who else. I can't be the only one who's attuned to Chaos."

Tails followed the hedgehog's line of sight and his ears jumped upward as something occurred to him. "Attuned… Hm, you might be onto to something."

Sonic smirked down at his friend before releasing him from their huddle. "I always am, kid. Now, how about we get back to the city? There's some people out there who could use our help."

"I thought you'd never ask."

o0o

*Modulation:*:Stringedo*

When Manic wakes in the morning, it is to a silent room. The sunlight is slanting in through the small gap in the curtains, casting strange shadows across the darkened space, and the barest of shuffling noises filters in through the cracked doorway, more than likely a servant padding down the hall. He sits up in bed, rubbing his eyes, and glances around, looking for something. What exactly, he can't remember, but he knows that there's something missing – something important.

His eyes land on the bunched blankets on the floor and his sleepy brain pings against his skull, trying and failing to place the oddity and connect it to the nagging absent thing. Slowly, the cogs start to turn and his mind goes back in time, recalling flashes of the night before – a gruff, familiar voice insisting on a shower, large gloved hands refusing to take up any room in his bed, a blue form falling into a heap on the plush carpet…

Sonic.

He is out of bed and nearly through the door before he realizes that he moved at all. When his mind catches up with his body, he crashes against the doorjamb, sending the door swinging out into the silenced hall. It swishes and then hits the wall with a crash, louder than Manic thinks possible. He shakes his head, dislodging the thoughts clogging his mind.

Sonic… Sonic is alive. Sonic is back. Sonic is back, where he belongs.

His face twists as the next thoughts come unbidden, replacing his fresh, happy reality with its dark sibling.

Sonic had left. Sonic had abandoned them.

The only reason Sonic is back is because his friend needed quick medical attention.

With a stone of betrayal and depression lodged in his gut, Manic turns back to his dark room, pads back to the bed, and falls face first onto the mattress. Sonic isn't even there, didn't stick around long enough for him to wake up. Didn't stay long enough to ensure Manic that this isn't all a dream.

"My prince?" Trisha, the day maid, sticks her head into the room, her tone incredulous. "Prince Manic?"

The green hedgehog shoves his face into the blankets, trying to suffocate himself. When his efforts come up for naught half a minute later, he heaves a sigh and flops over onto his back. Trisha is still standing there, hands clasped in front of her plain black dress. "Yeah?" he asks gruffly, voice hoarse.

"Your mother requests that you join her for breakfast." Her tone is way too giddy for Manic's state of mind and he scowls, ears snapping into his skull. "Your siblings will also be in attendance."

This elicits a loud, expressive groan from the boy and he rubs tan fists into his hooded eyes. "Tell 'er I'll be down in ten. I need to beat something up."

"Yes your highness." She bows and backs out of the room, voice light and airy, as if she is trying very hard to hold in laughter.

Manic scowls after her before proceeding to do just as he said, pummeling his poor pillow into a feathery pulp.

o0o

…:Allegro:…

Sonic had been summoned to the kitchens with a short brusque demand from Scott. Apparently, someone had gotten around to labeling him a flight-risk – his money was on Sonia – and they sent the toughest guard they had to make sure he made it all the way there and didn't take a sharp right out of hell and straight into splitsville. As if. He wouldn't leave Tails behind like that. Besides, he could take Scott with his eyes closed, arms tied behind his back, and moving at normal speed. If cocker spaniel was the best they had, Sonic could understand why his mother was so jumpy.

Of course, Scott's rather rude and very, very unnecessarily loud order had woken Tails, which resulted in the fox laying on some demands of his own. Number one being 'get me out of this bed, I'm coming too,' which threw a wrench in Sonic's damage control plans. Sure, Tails was a skilled negotiator, always calm under the toughest of pressure, but he had never gone up against Sonia on a rampage. And, with his mother factored in, Sonic was sure they were both toast.

"Okay, here's the deal Tails," Sonic muttered with his head dropped low so no one could hear his voice besides his friend. That wheelchair had yet to arrive, so Sonic was forced to carry the fox bridal style through the palace, cast banging against his thigh with every step. Tails had suffered the indignity with little fuss, though his puffed fur hinted at retribution to come. "I'm not sure how much they know about the outside world, so try to keep the yammering to a minimum."

"Yammering?" Tails demanded, giving Sonic a glare that could melt paint. "Me? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

Sonic rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, barely catching the backwards look Scott sent him as he turned a corner. "You know what I mean Tails. Think before you speak."

"Hello pot, meet kettle." The fox crossed his arms, jostling himself enough that if Sonic weren't so coordinated, he probably would've ended up a heap on the floor. "Is hypocrisy a royal thing, or are you tapping into those years you spent with us peasants?"

The internal sigh that had been building inside of him all morning finally escaped, puffing Tails' bangs as it left the hedgehog's mouth. "Tails, I thought we already—"

"We did," the fox mumbled, sagging against Sonic's chest. "I'm bitter at the situation, not you. Sorry."

Sonic sent him a tiny grin that silently accepted his apology. Tails hummed, painkillers still raging in his system, and Sonic felt his breathing even out moments later without warning. Ah, the magic of medication. If it kept its hold, the fox just might sleep through the whole meal.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Tails to keep his mouth shut; on the contrary, he freely gave all of his secrets to his friend and knew that they would never escape him. No, he was worried about the kid's recovery. All the stress that was about to be lobbed at his young body – stress that didn't belong to him in the least – would surely hinder his healing time, which would set back their leaving significantly. Tails' health was number one in Sonic's book, and he feared for how all of this was going to blow over. The fox deserved to be resting in bed, not playing cavalry for Sonic's war.

"We've arrived, my prince," Scott announced as he stopped in front of a door that looked no different from the dozens of others they had passed. Sonic scowled and hugged Tails closer to his chest, glowering coolly at the guard.

"Call me that again, and I won't be held responsible for my actions." His tone was a low hiss and he poured every micron of intimidation he had in into it, resulting in a manner that sounded suspiciously like Shadow. Distantly, he was glad that Tails was out for the count, or he never would've lived that down. "My name is Sonic. Not prince, highness, lord, or any variation thereof. Are we clear?"

Scott's eyes were wide, so his intimidation tactic must've worked. He gave himself a mental pat on the back. "Yes my pr— S-Sonic." He turned to the door and grabbed the knob. "Have a good breakfast." Bowing the hedgehog through, he pushed the door open, and the lost prince was immediately attacked with delicious smells. In his arms, Tails stirred.

"Go back to sleep, kid," Sonic mumbled as he ducked through the door. Inside, cooks ran this way and that, servants dodging around them like worker ants as they collected food and took it to the medium sized table in a far, secluded corner of the room. He could see his siblings and mother sitting there, silent and stony faced, even from here.

"I smell food," Tails answered, struggling to sit up in Sonic's arms. "I'm hungry."

"The doc didn't feed you?"

The fox shook his head. "He said I wouldn't be hungry for a few hours, but he didn't know about my fast metabolism."

"No one knows about your fast metabolism, bud."

Tails scowled at the poor attempt at humor and squirmed against the hedgehog's strong arms. "Put me down, would you? I can walk from here."

"No can do, Tails. Doctor said no weight on that foot for at least a month or you can't go anywhere. We gotta get you better as fast as possible."

Tails scowled, settling deeper into Sonic's hold. He cast a look at the table and sniffed. "I don't see what your problem is. Why don't you want to spend time with your family?"

It took all of Sonic's self control to keep his eyes from rolling, and it was a close thing. "I'd love to spend time with them, kid. It's the inevitable politics and brown nosing that I'm not looking forward to."

The fox sighed and looked up at his friend. "That comes with the territory, Prince Sonic."

"Not you too…" Sonic groaned good-naturedly and shook his head. "Well, if you're intent on staying awake, then let's get this over with."

"Yay," Tails deadpanned as Sonic resumed his slow trek to the table, trying to stay out of his mother's direct sightline until the last second.

The table was a rectangle, Sonia and Manic sitting on the far long side with Aleena at the head. There were three extra chairs, two across from the twins and the other at the foot of the table, and Sonic barely spared his family a second glance as he eased Tails into the seat across from Sonia, careful of his foot. The cast was large and bright red, hard to miss, and Sonic was sure Tails had picked the color just to annoy him. Pushing Tails' chair in, he heard his mother clear her throat.

"Good morning, Sonic." Her voice was a little too chipper, as if she was relishing the feeling of his name in her mouth. "Did you sleep well?"

Sonic grunted, falling into the chair next to Tails. His rough movements jostled the table and a jug of orange juice sloshed over, splashing a bit too close to Sonia. She scowled and, seconds later, a servant appeared to clean it up. "Slept fine," he answered after a few moments when Tails jabbed a forceful elbow at him.

"Good, good." She turned her bright eyes onto Tails, who returned her smile with one twice the size, channeling the innate cuteness that was second nature to him. Aleena wavered almost immediately, the guarded edge to her expression slipping away in the face of his youthful innocence. "It's lovely to see you awake, my dear! I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thank you, Queen Aleena." He beamed, setting his brilliant cerulean eyes to maximum adorable mode. "I can't thank you enough for letting your doctor see me."

"Oh no, it was no trouble. Dr. Knox was getting a bit bored, I'm afraid. He never has many patients, being cooped up here in the palace."

"Reminds me someone else I know," Sonic muttered under his breath as he propped his feet on the table and leaned his chair back. Green eyes sought out an equally green skull and Manic scowled back at him, expression stormy.

"I see your manners are as atrocious as ever," Sonia remarked absently as she unfolded her napkin and placed it onto her lap. "It took forever to get Manic to stop putting his elbows on the table, but I see that'll be the least of our problems with you."

"Won't be staying long enough for that to be a problem, sis." Sonic's feet dropped to the floor and he leaned forward, slamming the offending elbows down with enough force to rattle the dishes. He leered at her in silent challenge. "Five minutes and you're already complaining. New record, Sonia."

"I'm surprised you've sat still long enough for there to be a record. At least you've gotten over your fidgeting problem," the princess shot back as she folded her hands in her lap.

Sonic glared at her but didn't deign that with a response, instead looking down at the table with appraising eyes. The spread was impressive, from pancakes and bacon to eggs and hash browns to oatmeal and cereal, there seemed to be every type of breakfast food imaginable. The hedgehog could see Tails eyeing a large platter of ham and he pushed it toward his friend without a word.

"I hope the food is to your tastes," Aleena began as she watched Sonic reach for a plate of sausage. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about you…" She trailed off with a depressed sigh, and, against his will, Sonic felt his heart seize. He had no idea if she was being sincere or trying guilt tactics on him, but either way, it was working.

"It's perfect, Mom." He speared a small frank with his fork and popped it into his mouth. "I'll eat anything."

"Yes, we are all well aware of that fact," a low voice rang from behind and Sonic felt his quills rise slightly in response. He didn't react beyond that however, and simply sipped at his juice, "the way you used to scarf down chili dogs was simply atrocious. It's refreshing to see you eat something healthy for a change."

"Well, Bartleby," Sonic began as he put his cup down and completely ignored Tails' curious look, "we all must grow up sometimes." He easily mimicked Bartleby's normal demeanor, nasal lilt and all. "We can't constantly be caught in the throes of childhood, dabbling in the same pleasantries we did when we were young. Wouldn't you agree, my dear noble?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about." Bartleby had made his way around the table so he was standing beside Manic, looking almost completely lost as he gazed at the table. There was a scrapping sound as a servant rushed up with a chair and the royal advisor easily fell into it, close enough that Manic scoffed and scooted over, knocking into Sonia. The princess sighed and moved toward the queen.

Sonic took another sip of his drink, left eyeridge raised. Bartleby stared back formidably as he reached for a piece of toast, refusing to look away from Sonic's stare. The hedgehog smiled slyly at him, lips curled up to show off sharp canines.

"Good morning!" a new voice boomed, startling Bartleby so much he jumped and glanced away. Sonic snickered to himself and shoved another sausage into his mouth, chewing loud enough to cause Tails' ears to twitch irritably. Manic and Sonia shot dark looks at the newcomer and Sonic's other eyeridge rose to meet its twin. "What lovely faces we have here so early in the morning!"

"Torin!" the queen called happily, face lighting up. "Welcome, please take a seat! Sonic, this is my head advisor, Torin Cleary. He's been training your siblings in diplomacy and public image."

Sonic swallowed a bit of egg he had shoved in his mouth before looking up at the man. He was a round, gray goat with a long beard and horns that curled toward the ceiling. The hair that grew between them was slicked neatly back, and his face was wrinkled. Still, the longer Sonic stared at him, the less he was sure of his age; he could've been sixty or twenty. His eyes were a dark brown like his siblings' and his face was bright and open as he reached forward with one cloven hand to shake. "What a pleasure to meet you! Again, I must add, as you used to dart around my feet when you were a toddler. Still the same, if your siblings' stories are to be believed!"

Sonic blinked as the man smiled down at him, feeling a peculiar sensation snake its way up his spin. Threat, he realized. Never one to question his instincts, he flipped to the brilliant fake smile he used on Eggman. Cleary grinned back, just as bright, and Sonic could see a calculating pit in the core of his eyes; the hedgehog squinted back, green eyes sparking. The head advisor seated himself at the foot of the table across from Aleena, never taking his eyes from the prodigal son, sandwiched between Bartleby and Sonic, and he finally broke his gaze as a servant rushed up and inquired if he wanted his regular coffee.

After receiving such a cup, he grinned at the assembled table. "I hope you've had a nice reunion." He smiled at Sonic then at Sonia and Manic, whose frowns only deepened. "We've a lot of work ahead of us, now that you're back, my prince."

Sonic hadn't had the penchant for growling after he'd turned his back on this place, but he could feel the urge resurfacing only twenty minutes of the first morning. He felt a hand rest on his arm and glanced over to see Tails sending him a meaningful look. Sonic shook his head at his friend and fisted his hands in his lap, focusing on taking deep breaths to keep himself from exploding. After a few seconds, he looked up at the goat, brittle smile on his face. "Sure you do," he cut across in a voice that tried too hard to stay neutral, "but you can leave me out of it. Pretend I'm not here."

"Why, we can't do that!" Cleary was quickly making his way to the top of Sonic's Hate List with each word that escaped his lips. "Your people think you're dead – we must let them know that you've returned to us!"

Manic snorted up some orange juice and Sonic shot him a look across the table. His little brother glared back, cold heat burning under dark irises. Mentally, the hero reeled back a few steps, wondering just what he had done to upset his brother so quickly.

Not breaking his gaze, Manic muttered in a dark voice, "That was the plan, Cleary. He wanted us to think he was dead."

Oh right. He'd jumped ship and left his brother and sister high and dry. How could he forget.

"I'm sure Sonic had his reasons." Aleena cast a soft look at her boys, trying to keep the peace. "But now he's back, for a little while anyway," she added when Sonic sent her a meaningful glance. "We need to celebrate. Our family is whole again."

The blue mobian sighed and looked down at his food, which suddenly seemed very unappetizing. Pushing the plate away, he flopped back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Tails shifted next to him, fidgeting against the silence that descended. "Sonic hasn't been sleeping well," he offered into the hush, voice nearly a whisper. "Maybe you should let him get some rest before talking about all of this…?"

"Oh!" Cleary's voice boomed loudly after Tails' muted tone. "I didn't see you there. Who are you, child?"

"Um… I'm Tails. Sonic's friend."

"'Tails' hm? What a strange moniker."

Tails shifted again, as if suddenly very aware of the two appendages sandwiched between his back and the chair. "Well…"

Sonic cracked an eye open just in time to catch Bartleby's start. However, Cleary leaned forward, blocking the younger noble from the hedgehog's view. From his vantage point, Sonic could barely see the perfectly concealed suspicion in his eyes and he sat up straighter, protective instincts flaring to life. "That can't be your real name. Come now, what is it?"

"Not important," Sonic answered as he propped his feet on the table again. Cleary made a sound that begged to differ and one of Sonic's eyeridges rose imperceptibly. "He's with me. That's all you need to know."

There was a long moment of silence while Cleary seemed to be puzzling over whether or not he had just been threatened. Aleena broke it eventually with a clap of her hands, making everyone beside Sonic jump. "Now that…introductions are complete, we should discuss what we are going to do about Sonic." She sent her son a fond smile, and Sonic felt his stomach drop. He had very fuzzy memories of his mother smiling at him like that when he as tiny; it was always followed with some kind of order disguised as a suggestion. "I believe it would be best if we announce his survival to the people." Yup, she hadn't changed. "They have mourned for far too long."

Sonic sank lower in his seat, trying to disappear under the table. Tails glanced at him and sent him a sour look. The hedgehog glanced back with what he hoped was a desperate expression, and Tails must have read something there because he glanced back at the assembled breakfast club and sent Aleena his widest, most sorrowful eyes.

"Excuse me, Queen Aleena—"

"Just Aleena is fine dear."

"Um, okay. Aleena, I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm very tired. May I be excused?"

Aleena blinked at his polite tone and Sonic watched as she took in the fox's face and then promptly melted. "Why yes dear. Do you need help? I'm sure I can get a servant—"

"I'll take him!" Sonic volunteered, feet hitting the ground with enough force to spring him up from his slouched position. "C'mon Tails, let's get you to bed!" Standing completely, he pulled his friends' chair out and scooped him up as if he weighed nothing. Tossing a wave at his siblings' faces, one astonished and the other still sulking, he quickly backtracked his way through the kitchen, ducking around servants.

o0o

*Modulation:*: Melancolico*

Sonia numbly watches her brother disappear through the door. She can feel a bit of betrayal lance its way through her mind as soon as the door clicks shut, but she shakes it away and tries to distract herself by glancing at Manic. His face is almost sympathetic as he looks after Sonic, but then their mother makes a small sound and they both turn in time to see her face crumple. Manic tenses and his features twist into an unfamiliar expression of contempt.

"Ignore him, Ma." He is obviously trying to sound consoling, but to Sonia's ears he comes across bitter. "He doesn't want to be here."

"But—" Aleena stops herself and takes a few breaths to center her emotions. "Well, regardless," she begins again, calm and collected once more, "we must take care of him however long he decides to stay."

Manic cuts a glance at Sonia but she doesn't react. She is too busy going over the last few minutes, wondering just what they had done to chase Sonic away. He was so different… Physically, it was obvious that he had grown, but mentally and emotionally he seemed the same, but, at the same time, completely changed. His eyes were no longer the guarded, hard pieces of flint from her memories. Instead, they are a swelling emerald, emotive and expressive.

Those eyes are so strange, so much so that she had been convinced that her own perceptions were tricking her last night. Distinctly, she remembers Sonic sharing the brown-dark-enough-to-be-considered-black of their family, the irises of royalty. It had been a shock to see that familiar cobalt head with those green orbs where the brown should have been. The only people who had eyes that pure a color were the Chaos blessed, and, sure, Sonic could do some strange things, but so could she; there had been no sign that he was a being of Chaos. For a long time, she attributed their amazing abilities to their heritage, but seeing him with those brilliant green eyes – and accompanied by a child with just as radiant a blue – makes her think that there is more to her brother than they realized.

Something happened to him, something he is determined to keep a secret.

"—happened to him?" Aleena asks, mirroring her daughter's thoughts. Manic is sulking again, she notices next, and Bartleby is sitting straight up in his chair, still staring at the door. Advisor Cleary is calmly cutting something on his plate, and, when no one answers the queen, he obliges her.

"I have no idea, my queen. Would you like me to look into it?"

Sonia feels her lip curl without her permission. A year after they returned to the city, Torin Cleary had appeared at the front gate, requesting an audience with the queen. Neither of the royal children had been privy to the following conversation, but when their mother and the man emerged, he was declared her royal advisor. He had subtly made their lives a living hell thereafter, writing messy laws that required them to comb through every single word, trying to convince the queen to pass a blanket ban on all solar or air powered vehicles (which had been shot down quite spectacularly by their mother, to the twins' delight), alienating over half of the staff, and brown-nosing with every visiting royal that walked through the door. Manic had tried multiple times to get him fired, to no avail, and even Bartleby expressed an extreme dislike of him.

"That won't be necessary, Torin." Aleena folds her napkin before standing and placing it into the chair. "I'm sure he'll tell us in time. It is probably just as shocking for him to be here as it is for us to have him here."

Somehow, Sonia thinks to herself as she watches Manic sink further in his seat with a scowl on his face and Cleary's face morph into a calculating hardness, she finds that hard to believe.

o0o

…:Allegro:…

Sonic was pacing, something he only did when he was extremely stressed. Tails watched him from the bed, already fidgety after only thirty minutes, and he felt that frustration settle in his gut. "You'd probably wear a hole through the carpet faster if you ran in place," he offered helpfully, pulling Sonic from his thoughts. The hedgehog sent him a look that was decidedly not amused but stopped his endless trek across the short expanse of the room.

Sonic set him with a look of extreme concentration, brow furrowing with the force of his thoughts, and Tails resisted the sarcastic comment that slipped through his brain. This wasn't the time, no matter how much Sonic's deep thinking expression looked pained. "Is there any way you could convince your ankle to heal faster?"

Tails blinked. Of all things, he hadn't been expecting that. "Um…" he replied eloquently, "I don't think so."

"C'mon Tails, use that big brain of yours to focus all of your energy to your foot."

"I'm pretty sure that's impossible."

"You're a scientist. You can't say that until you try."

Tails blew his bangs out of his face, staring up at Sonic with narrowed eyes. "Look," he began, ignoring the last thing the hedgehog said, "I know you want out of here, but since you're determined to wait with me, you're gonna have to deal."

"What if I get some rings?" Sonic nearly interrupted Tails. The fox glared. "Those should heal you right up."

The injured child rolled his eyes and leaned against the headboard, ignoring the throbbing in his ankle that begged for more painkillers. "You know rings only prevent injury. Once it's done, it's done."

"Yeah, sure, but have you ever tried?" Was it his imagination, or was Sonic's voice getting desperate? "Can't knock it till you try it Tails."

Yup, definitely desperate. "Don't you remember when you nicked yourself on one of those rusty arrows in Aquatic Ruin?" Tails asked tauntingly as he laced his fingers together behind his head. "You whined about the pain for a while before placing a ring right on top of the wound." Sonic flinched at the mention of his fall from hero-like grace and the fox grinned. "It didn't work," he added helpfully, driving the point home.

"Fine, so rings are out. What about a Chaos Emerald?"

Tails paused. The Emeralds were a nice power source, but he was pretty sure they only healed Sonic, and only when there were seven of them. He shook his head, watching as the hedgehog's face fell. "No dice, dude. Though, if you want to give it a shot, there was one onboard the Tornado."

Sonic froze and Tails watched as his expressive face dropped from composed hysteria to shocked confusion in seconds. "You grabbed the Emerald before you carried me here, right?" Tails' eyes narrowed again and he felt the barest beginnings of annoyance creep into his mind. Sonic wasn't that dumb. He didn't leave an Emerald just sitting out in the open—!

"I'll be right back," the Hero of Mobius cut across before Tails could yell at him. He darted out of the room in a blur and Tails groaned.

000

He didn't have to wait long before Sonic came back, juggling the green Chaos Emerald and a small, yellow tablet. Tails' eyes alighted at the sight of his Miles Electric and he eagerly reached for it. Finally, he wouldn't be isolated from the outside world.

Ignoring Sonic's fussing near his ankle – he felt the Emerald touch the cast and a zing of power, but beyond that nothing – he turned on the device. It took a little longer than usual to power up, probably jarred from the crash, but the bright backlight of the screen eventually greeted him. Immediately, a few messages from Amy and Knuckles filtered through. Ignoring them for now, he called up the news, searching for any sign of Eggman.

"Eggman's still sleeping," he informed Sonic as the hedgehog brushed the Emerald against his cast again, this time from a different angle. "Would you quit? It's not working."

"Cranky," Sonic observed, but nonetheless stowed the stone in his quills. "Well, this bites. What now?"

"You talk to your family for longer than five seconds?" Tails scrolled past a story about Little Planet and settled on one that touched briefly on a strange construction project that had popped up just north of Station Square.

"I can't… Tails, they want to announce that I'm back. Once the people know, they're gonna try to blackmail me into staying, and you know I can't."

"Well, duh, but it's not like you can't pretend for a while." After booking marking the page, he locked the device and tossed it toward the foot of the bed. Sonic watched it soar and land with a dull thud, ears falling back as he squinted at it. That should be enough to get him to look at it later. "Look, I should be healed by your birthday. If you can hang on that long, we can book it out of here right after the inevitable party."

"But… that's at least six weeks away."

Tails sighed. Sonic wasn't usually this whiny, but he quickly attributed that to his surroundings. The hedgehog didn't appreciate being forced into doing anything, and Tails knew that he had a personal vendetta against almost everything royal. At least now he knew why.

Scooting to the side carefully so as to not jar his foot, he patted the bed next to him. Sonic immediately sank down next to him, all of the tension leaving him as his shoulder brushed against his best friend's. Tails cocked an eyebrow at him. Sonic wasn't particularly touchy-feely, and he much rather preferred to give noogies and high-five than hug anyone, so when he nearly slumped completely against Tails' side, the fox felt a bit of alarm.

"You all right, bro?"

"'m great Tails, just stressed out of my mind."

"You know," the child began, "you could just leave."

"I can't leave you here, Tails." He sat up so he could look at his friend, and Tails felt his heart wrench at the sight of his pained expression. "I already left them behind. I can't do the same to you."

The fox sighed again and leaned over to toss an awkward arm over Sonic's thin blue shoulders. "Well, if you're determined, maybe you should talk to your mom. Maybe explain that you can't stay and that you can't be the prince she wants you to be."

There was a beat of silence as Sonic took in the words before he smirked, an expression that Tails was very familiar with. "Good idea Tails." He climbed to his feet before giving his friend a lazy two fingered salute. "Be back in a few."

o0o

Sonic didn't get the chance to knock before Aleena's voice called from inside her private study. "Come in." It was soft, and there was a ruffle of papers before Sonic pushed all the way through. He tried to look sheepish when she glanced up and started.

"Oh, Sonic! I apologize. Every time I see you I have to remember I'm not looking at a ghost. Come in. Have a seat." She gestured at the chair across from her large desk, a stiff armchair that looked abandoned and lonely. The hero fell into it, slumping lowly like a child ready to be scolded.

They sat in silence, Sonic watching as his mother signed a few more pages before stacking them, tapping them along the edge to straighten them, and then sliding them into a drawer. She looked at him then, face relaxed and content, and he immediately wished he hadn't come. She was having a good day – her dead son had come back to life and was sitting in her study – and he was about to ruin it.

"Is there something you wanted, dear?" Her voice was low but he heard it easily. He'd never realized it, but he was attuned to her, as if he were the needle of a compass and she north. She could have been mumbling and he probably would have heard her.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sat up straight. Might as well get it over with. "I can't stay, Mom." He paused, watching for a shift in her face. Her expression remained schooled, years of training coming into play, no doubt. "Once Tails is healed, I have to go."

She blinked once, twice, laced her fingers together in front of her, and blinked again. "Why?" The tone was neutral and that hurt more than the pain he was expecting.

"There's things I gotta do. I'm— I have responsibilities."

"You'll come back?" Her voice caught, as if she realized too late what had escaped her mouth. Aleena leaned across the table, reaching for his hand. He gave it to her, looking up at his mother with huge emerald eyes. Her orbs were a stormy brown, alive with a mixture of emotions that he couldn't identify.

"I'm not sure…" He looked away as he spoke, unable to watch her face crumple.

There was a sigh and he looked back in time to see her roll her eyes in a very unqueen-like fashion. He blinked once and suddenly saw not the Queen of Mobotropolis, but his mother – the woman who had given birth to him, given him up, lost him, and then found him again. And now he was telling her she would lose him again… He felt is stomach twist uncomfortable, unused to the dynamics between mother and child.

The truth was, he wasn't sure how one treated their mother. For much of his early life he was raised by adoptive parents who he loved dearly, but those days were so far away now. He didn't remember how to interact with parents, mothers especially. Siblings he could do, but parents?

"What's your life like?" She pulled him back to the moment, gesturing to the window with a sweep of her hand. "Out there?"

Sonic was fully prepared to make up a lie. Maybe build off of the story he had told Manic – that he was an Extreme Gear champion who had saved an orphaned fox kit along the way. But, one look at her face, so open and hopeful, and he couldn't.

He told her everything.

o0o

"I don't know what happened." Sonic was clutching his head with both hands, eyes wide and staring. "I've never felt so vulnerable in my life." There was chuckling from the direction of the bed and the hedgehog twisted around in his seat to glare at his friend. "This isn't funny Tails! That woman has a gift."

"She's your mom," Tails emphasized, closing the book in his hands with a snap. "Of course you told her everything."

"Everything, Tails! Everything! I didn't leave out the werehog or Shadow or being pulled into two different storybooks! And she believed it all!"

"Why wouldn't she? To her, you just rose from the dead. After that, I think she'd believe anything."

"I didn't mean to though. I didn't want them to know that I've spent most of the past three years nearly dying over and over again. You should've seen her face when I told her Eggman was still alive. That terror…"

Tails hummed and leaned back against his pillows. "I know this is hard for you, bro. But I think it's good you told her. She deserved to know what you've been up to."

"But now she's just gonna worry about me when we leave."

"Better worrying than mourning."

Sonic blinked and squinted at his friend. "You're being very agreeable today," he said suspiciously.

Tails shrugged. "I figure that if we're gonna be stuck here, I might as well enjoy it. There's a soap opera unfolding in front of me, and as much as it bites being stuck in this room, your family drama is making up for it."

"You're the worst friend ever," Sonic grumbled, crossing his arms and turning back to the table. Before he had left, his mother had passed him a few files that reeked of pomp and circumstance. They hadn't gotten around to discussing this coronation or reintroduction nonsense, but he was sure she had some kind of plan forming. When the forms were pink, trouble always followed. "Why do I keep you around?"

"Because you'd be dead without me, as you so helpfully reminded me yesterday. Hey wait," he called when Sonic pushed away from the table and took a few quick steps to the door, "where are you going?"

"The Young and the Restless is going for a run. I'll be back with more delicious drama later, you snot." There was no heat behind his words and he tossed a wink over his shoulder. Tails glowered back at him.

"Let me come," he whined. "If you get me some momentum, I can totally fly. C'mon dude, I'm gonna go insane stuck in here."

"Maybe next time kid." He took a few steps out of the door before turning back. "If you can, you should scan those files with the Electric. I've got a bad feeling about our future."

"Yeah, yeah," Tails muttered, bitterness cracking through his voice. "I'm gonna be rolling around at the speed of wheelchair while you're gonna be playing both parts in The Prince and the Pauper… We're in for a fabulous future."

"It's gonna be great…" Sonic moaned facetiously, turning back to the hall.

o0o

A few days later, Sonic was lounging in a nondescript sitting room as far away from the central area of the palace as he could get. With his head on the armrest of a very hard couch and his legs bent at the knees so he could stare with a furrowed brow at his borrowed-without-permission Miles Electric, he trawled through a few rumor-steeped gossip news articles. The construction project Tails had been looking up had been halted so local authorities with a few consulting GUN officers could make sure it was legally certified. A company called Wyau was behind it, but Sonic had a few itching suspicious that it was a shell, and he was tempted to zip by for a few hours. Problem was, it was a closed site, and as much as he would have loved to do so, he didn't want to have trespassing charges laid against him.

Again.

A large, tower like building has gone up, which raised a few alarms with the Station Square government. Wyau issued a statement that expressed unhappiness at the halt in their work, but claim they are going to be fully cooperative with the legalities. The authorities have released some information, which some conspiracy theorists have interpreted to involve something with the adjacent planets around Mobius.

Sonic rolled his eyes and pushed a few buttons to make the screen go dark. Conspiracy theories would do him no good. He needed to weasel his way in. Maybe Rouge could get him—

"Prince Sonic?" An unfamiliar face framed with blonde fur appeared in the doorway, expression pinched and nervous. "I have a message from the queen."

The hedgehog sighed and leaned his head back, tipping the dull ache that had pooled in his forehead into the back of his skull. It flowed like water, as if the headache was conscious and affected by gravity, and he barely held back the groan.

Great. Add sentient headache to his list of Things That He Didn't Need Right Now.

"My prince…?" the servant hedged after a silence that lasted for a touch too long, "the message?"

"Sonic, my name is Sonic," the hedgehog replied, exasperated, reaching up to rub his temples. "What does she want?"

"She requests your presence in the east atrium at your earliest convenience for a family conference."

Sonic nodded once, still staring at the ceiling, before moving to sit up. His headache slithered forward again, resting against the front of his skull and he resisted the urge to groan. "Tell her I'll be right there."

The servant departed and Sonic stood slowly, head letting out a twinge with every movement. He would need to hunt up some medicine if the ache escalated to a pound, but he could deal with it for now. Making a mental note to bribe Tails to ask the doctor or some, he stepped lightly toward the door. The corridor was empty, the soft footfalls of the blonde servant barely a whisper around the corner. Running a hand across his forehead, Sonic turned to the right, intent on taking the long way to the east atrium so he could get his thoughts in order. Miles Electric under his arm, he padded toward the main foyer, where he would be sure to run into a guard he could pester into returning the gadget to Tails.

He could only imagine what his mom wanted to talk to him about. The pesky business of his presence here was on the down low for the time being, so it wasn't like he had done anything that was of Code Red level or anything. He had been actively avoiding his siblings, so it wasn't like they had a grievance to lob at him. Besides the obvious, of course.

Maybe she wanted to bond with the three of them. He could only imagine how that would go over. Manic was giving him the cold shoulder, finally expressing the anger Sonic had seen the beginnings of on the way here. Sonia kept stealing glances at him with a haunted look on her face, as if she didn't believe he was fully there. Sonic himself had taken great care to stay away from them to give them the chance to adjust.

Or, maybe she wanted to know what was with Tails. The fox had taken to rolling around the castle in his newly acquired wheelchair with near-suicidal abandon. At first, Sonic had thought there was a method to his madness – perhaps he was doing an experiment on the top speed of wheelchairs hurtling down stairs – but soon found out that the kid was bored out of his mind. So bored, it seemed, that he was content to practically injure himself further and extend their stay indefinitely. Nothing had happened beyond a small tumble at the bottom of the main staircase, but that was enough to push Sonic to demand that he cease and desist or face his Blue Wrath.

She could possibly want to kick him out. Maybe everything he'd told her a few days ago had finally sunk in and she was ready to call him a bold faced liar and then chuck his blue butt onto the street. At this point, that type of thing would be welcome, if only so he would have an excuse to skirt around formality, take Tails, and officially peace out.

"Hey Sonic!" It was a testament to his current state of mind that he heard the voice and not the rhythmic thwaping of copter-tails at work. Of course, when one spent the last few years of their life with that sound following them around, one tended to get used to it. "Where you headed?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Sonic said ominously as Tails flew up to him, toes barely a centimeter above the ground. "You're not supposed to be out of bed."

"And that's where you're wrong, friend," Tails replied jovially, hovering a few feet away so he didn't hit his friend. "I now have a wheelchair, so that means I'm free to be up and about. And, as long as I don't put weight on my foot, I figure I can do that in any way I please."

"Tails." The urge to groan was a strong one, but Sonic had an iron will. "Where did you learn to be this stubborn?"

"You." There was an underlying 'duh' right after that answer, which Sonic chose to ignore. "Where are you going?"

"Family meeting," he answered, immediately shoving the Miles Electric in the fox's direction to distract him. "Been doing some reading on that construction project. Thinking about checking it out soon. I think it's a front."

Tails scowled at his misdirection, but allowed it. He unlocked the device and glanced at the screen. "You think it's Eggman?" The question was rhetorical, and the fox continued without waiting for an answer. "What could he be doing that far north?"

"I dunno. Last time he went that far he tried to harvest geothermal energy."

"Do you think he's using it as a resource for his newest robot?"

"Don't see why he would." Sonic glanced around, making sure they were alone. "Chaos Energy is nearly two hundred times more potent. Don't look so surprised," he added when he caught sight of Tails' face, "I can read too."

"Could he be converting it into weapons?" Tails ignored the quip, instead focusing on the tablet as he scrolled through the story. He didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "G.U.N.'s covering it for now. We can probably wait a few weeks before making a move."

Sonic nodded. "Speaking of moving, aren't you getting tired of flying?"

Tails made an affronted sound. "I've increased my stamina, thank you. I can fly for fifteen minutes at a time going full speed. Hovering's at almost thirty."

The hedgehog rolled his eyes, and stretched upwards, releasing the tension in his shoulders. After lacing his fingers behind his head, he blew out a deep breath. "Fine, whatever, you know your limits. Just don't do anything that could mess up your foot worse than it is. That includes," he added as Tails opened his mouth to argue, "the wheelchair X Games. We clear?"

"Yeah fine," the kit replied in a tone that said he was decidedly not fine.

"I know you're bored, kid. I am too. We're both gonna have to suck it up for now."

It was Tails' turn to roll his eyes, which he did with gusto. "I'm gonna head back to the bedroom and research more on this Wyau company." He pivoted himself around with no visible difficulty after Sonic nodded and took off down the hall.

The hero wilted as soon as his friend was gone, immediately feeling a deep exhaustion creep into his bones. He hadn't slept well for the past week or so, and it was slowly catching up with him. Quickly, he decided to head to bed early that night.

If this meeting didn't give him too much to think about, of course.

o0o

…:Coda:…

The east atrium was a small, open room with a ceiling made of delicately stained glass. Lattice work broke the sunbeams that streamed down, creating splashes of color. Antique furniture was scattered around, as if this were a sitting room instead of a foyer. The large double doors that led to the east garden were latched shut and the queen was throwing open the heavy curtains when Sonic padded in. Sonia was perched on a nearby couch, ramrod straight.

Sonic took a few steps in, foot falls echoing loudly on the marble floor. The door swished shut behind him, latch catching with a small snap, and he watched his mother turn to him with a beaming face. Sonia glanced to him for half a second before looking at her lap, and Sonic felt a small butterfly of trepidation flutter in his stomach.

The buzzing in his head had quieted for now, allowing him the full capacity of his mind. Light streamed across his fur as he walked and though he couldn't feel the heat of the source, it warmed him through. Like the rest of the palace, the delicate glasswork and plush furniture had somehow survived Robotnik's wrath. Sonic hadn't been in the palace much before the good doctor vacated the place, but he distinctly remembered nothing but rough angles, dark rooms, and sharp surfaces – nothing like what was before him now. Absently, he was reminded how much heart and soul his mother had poured into this place, replacing much of the old décor and somehow reinstating a grandeur that reminded him of the fairytales he used to recite to Tails. At the same time, this realization crashed against him, creating a myriad of thoughts that came all at once, shaking him.

Just what would he have been like had he stayed? He had always thought he would angry, writhing in rage at being caged, but, the freedom of light and sound that the queen allowed here in this room made him think otherwise. But, at the same time, Sonia was so stiff, Manic so confined, and the queen herself subdued, as if the crown was holding them back as much as it was freeing them. To reign and to also be reigned… What must it be like, being the most powerful people in the country, but also the most vulnerable?

Suddenly, the door that had been carefully closed behind him sliced open, slashing the air in two with a harsh swish. Manic stomped his way in, Ex Gear caught under one arm as if he had been on his way out when he received the summons. His expression was formidable and he seemed to be doing his best impression of a thundercloud, which Sonic could commend him for. The blue hedgehog hadn't gone so far as to spit out lightning himself, though he had caused a few claps of thunder since his arrival.

"Ah," the queen began, catching sight of her youngest boy. A flash of unease flickered across her face before she schooled her features once more. "Manic, were you going somewhere?"

The green prince shifted the board conspicuously. "Uh, yeah," he muttered sarcastically, sending a spike of irrational anger through Sonic's belly. It was one thing to be mad at him, but he had no right to disrespect their mother. "I was headin' out to town to help with rebuilding. They're planting trees in the park today and—"

"Go," Aleena ordered, waving her hand toward the window, "take your sister." At Sonia's start and indignant sound, the queen gave her daughter a hard look. "You haven't been out in a few weeks, Sonia. You could use the fresh air."

And, just like that, the fight left Sonia, the girl who would argue with Sonic until she was red in the face when they were younger. Silently, Sonic chalked it up to the motherhood thing and left it at that. Manic turned on his heel almost immediately, disappearing through the door without a sound; Sonia followed quickly, muttering under her breath.

When the door closed once more, Sonic turned back to his mother with a raised eyebrow. "And then there were two," he murmured, watching her as she watched him.

He had no idea how long they stood in silence. The queen was gazing at him, eyes far away, and he found himself falling back on instincts that usually lay dormant. Silence had never really bothered him, contrary to popular belief, and the stillness of the room helped settle his fried nerves. He happily leaned back on his heels and stood there, allowing her to drink in her visual fill. She had never really gotten a good look at him since his return; hell, since he was a baby probably. He wasn't going to ruin it for her.

"It truly is something," she ventured into the silence an indeterminate amount of time later. "You were a wide eyed baby, more so than either of your siblings. I could always count on you to look around, take in everything you could. And, now that I look at you, I can see that you're the same, even though you might not have the same eyes." She paused, once again watching him closely. He stiffened minutely, resisting the urge to close said eyes. He had never been self conscious, and that wouldn't change with the All-Seeing Eyes of Mom, but the compulsion was still there, as if he was hiding a dark secret in his skull.

The truth was, he had carried around those dark, inherited eyes until sometime after everything that had occurred on Angel Island. Either the Hyper Sonic transformation or the Island itself had affected his irises, changing them so slowly he didn't notice it until the transformation was almost complete. Tails' eyes had followed shortly after, turning a brilliant cerulean, and, when they saw Knuckles again a few months later, his were a deep lavender instead of the brown they had been expecting. The Guardian, upon seeing eyes that were the same shade as the gem he protected so valiantly in place of Sonic's brown, had promptly taken a swing at him before demanding to know what he had done. The resulting fight was very one-sided, seeing as Sonic had a policy to not hit his friends unless they were formally sparring, and Tails had to swoop in before Knuckles strangled him. They didn't get very far into figuring it out before Eggman attacked a small village, distracting them from then on.

"Your sister is worried," Aleena continued, breaking Sonic's thought process. "She hasn't heard much about the Chaos Touched beyond the horror stories that her adoptive parents told her. I haven't told her much, beyond assuring her that you are who you say you are."

Sonic's smile was strained. "I already told you everything, Mom. The Chaos Emeralds—"

A hand came up, silencing him. "I know, Sonic. I am simply warning you that she might corner you for information, if she ever gets over her shock of seeing you here." She smiled at him in a way that was both pitying and praising and Sonic felt his stomach flutter with nervous energy. "Now, for the reason I called you here." She turned toward the servant hiding in the corner, the blond that had summoned Sonic here, and nodded in her direction. She shot a small smile back at the queen and then backed out through a door the blue hedgehog hadn't noticed before.

"I've been thinking about everything you've told me," Aleena turned back to her son, hands clasped in front of her long purple skirt, "and I must confess that it's quite a fantastic story. I believed everything you told me dear," she cut across when Sonic opened his mouth to butt in, "but I've looked into it. There wasn't much information I could get my hands on quickly, but," she paused, eyes warm as she gazed at him, "I'm proud of you, Sonic."

She moved toward him, arms open, and he quickly did the same, falling into her hug. She was taller than him, like his siblings, so her arms enveloped him, winding seamlessly around his quills in a way that only another hedgehog could. "You've done well, my son," she whispered into the top of his head. "Your friend told me that he would have died had you not saved him, and I can only imagine how many other lives you've touched. You've done more than a mother could've hoped, and I'm so very proud of you."

After planting a kiss on his forehead, she guided his attention to the door the servant had disappeared through, leaving an arm resting across his shoulders. "Manic once told me how you used your guitar to keep yourself calm when you were angry or depressed, and I know that you no longer than access to the power of your medallion." She looked down at him and he quickly glanced away guiltily, for once speechless. "So, I have a gift for you."

Sonic was ready to refuse, to claim that his staying here was gift enough, but then the servant returned with a beautiful instrument clutched in her hands and the words crashed to a halt in his throat. Speechless for the second time, he could only stare as the woman brought it closer.

The body was a deep midnight black that gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the ceiling. The curves swooped gently, rounded and smooth, and, along the long plane where the bottom curve turned upwards, there was a simple stenciled design of his emerald eyes and smirking mouth. The fretboard was a simple brown, silver strings climbing toward a head that was painted to resemble his sneakers, golden buckle and all.

The servant was holding it out to him now and his mother released him so he could accept it. With clumsy fingers, he wrapped his hands around the neck and bottom of the body, holding it out so he could stare at it for a few more moments. It was the total opposite of his old guitar, completely different, yet perfect. The guitar he had received from his medallion was ostentatious, bright purple, orange, blue, yellow, and red, an instrument that begged for attention. It had been ideal for a young hedgehog that didn't know his place, a child that yearned for attention in the same way he craved a purpose. Now though, he knew, knew where he was needed and what he needed to do. This guitar… It was sophisticated and simple, not too flashy, but still with enough personalization that it fit right into its place.

"— like it." He mother was speaking, he realized as he came back to himself. He brought the guitar down to hold it properly, resting it against his knee for lack of a proper strap, and beamed at her.

"It's perfect," he replied, putting as much genuine awe and thanks into his voice as he could. "Thank you."

Her face broke into a smile bright enough to blind him. "Well, go on, play something." Behind her, a few servants rolled in an amp, and Sonic smirked.

"All right!"

o0o

*Modulation:*:Moto*

The next few days pass in a quiet sort of serenity. Manic is sick of it after the first day. He can only watch as Sonic darts around the castle, familiarizing himself with its layout, and the anger inside him grows and grows. The betrayal of his leaving sticks to his mind like a mosquito, except, instead of pumping discontent out, it shoves it in. These sustained angry emotions are unfamiliar to him, so he has no idea how to deal with them. He knows, intellectually, that seething and sulking will get him nowhere; he needs to talk to Sonic, get the full story from his brother. But, he can barely get time alone with him between his mother and that kid he brought with him.

He is getting tired of being angry, and his pride is the only thing keeping him upset. He wants nothing more than to bask in Sonic's return, but a small part of him just wants him to leave, to forget what had actually happened, to believe that he had given up his life for them. He curses Sonic in the same thought that admires him. Admires that he survived that explosion; curses him for putting them through three long years of mourning. Curses him for leaving; admires him for the same reason – because he had the guts to do what Manic couldn't.

He left.

He made a life for himself, went against the prophecy, and explored the world the only way he knew how – free with only his feet. Sonic has always been the most gutsy of the three of them, and that is one of the things Manic respects the most. He is jealous that his brother got the life he wanted, he realizes now, and that envy is slowly being translated into anger. Because, no matter how you look at it, Sonic had abandoned them.

And that, more than anything, still stings the most.

Manic is skulking through the palace, avoiding everyone, especially Bartleby, who has been chasing him all morning, when he catches Sonic sneaking back into the palace through an open window in the west hallway. His brother doesn't see him as he slides into the building before latching the window behind him and glancing around. Manic has to dive back behind the corner he just came around to stay out of his sight, but he manages, and when he pokes his head back around, Sonic is already a few meters down the hall. Pouring every ounce of energy he has to sneaking, he follows him, curiosity piqued, around another corner, and sees him disappear into the bedroom he has been sharing with the fox.

This doesn't surprise him in the slightest. When he's not in secret meetings with the queen or missing entirely, he's in that room, keeping his friend company. An irrational surge of jealousy spikes in his belly, helping to steel his nerves. He creeps closer, prepared to press his ear to the door and listen, and is shocked to find the door cracked. Holding his breath, the prince drops to his knees to decrease his body size, and leans toward the door, spying through the slit.

Sonic is pacing, a trait Manic remembers well from their time in the resistance, and his friend is sitting in bed, books discarded around him. The fox is staring at Sonic with a furrowed brow, and Manic catches the tail end of his brother's sentence.

"—expect me to do with this, Tails?" He gestures wildly in the direction of the table, where, just barely, Manic can see a cloth covered lump. He squints, trying to see it better, and barely makes out a pulsing light snaking its way from underneath the cloth. "I can't take it back to the Workshop and Knuckles is who knows where!"

"I already told you," the fox begins quietly with the air of someone who is very done with this conversation, "we'll keep it here. We just need to find a place to hide it."

"Where?" the hedgehog demands, stopping so he is standing in the middle of the room, back to the door. Manic can see him moving his hands excitedly, quills raised in agitation. "There's nowhere in here beside the obvious wardrobe and even fewer places out there!" He waves his hand toward the door, and the fox's bright blue eyes follow the movement. Manic's heart seizes as the kid's gaze lands on him and he prepares to leap away. However, the kit surprises him and shakes his head in a subtle movement that he wouldn't have seen if he hadn't been looking for it.

"Why don't you ask your brother for hiding places?" Manic nearly curses when he hears the fox's next words, and begins backing away.

"I can't," Sonic's voice is pained, stopping Manic's resumed hasty retreat. "He's mad at me, and I can't blame him… I mean, I left. How would you—?"

"Sonic," the fox's eyes flicker to Manic to make sure he's still there before continuing, "have you ever considered talking to him?"

The blue one starts pacing again, this time close enough to the door that Manic can feel the swish of air as he passes. "When, Tails? Between you and Mom and this damn headache, I can't find a moment for myself. And," he adds, as if it something just occurred to him, "there's something going on here – something that doesn't sit well with me. I'm angry when I shouldn't be and I get dizzy when I move too quickly." This sends a pang of worry through Manic; Sonic doesn't simply move too fast. Ever.

Sonic stops pacing once more, turning toward the bed, and the expression Manic catches on his face makes his heart stop. Sonic looks like he is in pain… He has never seen that expression on his big brother's face before, and he feels a flutter of apprehension in his gut.

The fox looks at Sonic with wide eyed concern, and Manic knows that he sees the pain as well. Quickly, he schools his features except for a furrowed brow, shakes his head, and sighs. Then, he nods at the window, the command obvious.

Go. Run. Come back when you feel better.

Sonic's shoulders droop gratefully and he rubs the child's head affectionately as he passes. Then, he throws open the window and is gone.

The kit watches him go before turning back to the door. When his voice comes, it is strong in spite of his injured, small state. "He needs your help."

Then, the fox turns away from him and goes back to his book, as if nothing had happened at all.

o0o

…:Rallentando:…

The evening was warm, as was the predisposition of the end of May, with the barest of gusts that ruffled fur and hair alike, taking the edge off the heat. The sun was just taking its grand exit, painting the sky beautiful shades of light, orange, red, and yellow. The beginnings of the night sky were already poking through the clouds, familiar stars sparkling down.

The world was silent, as if mourning the holy site sequestered behind the palace. The idea of punctuating the serenity, the peace of those resting under the soil, was sacrilege, and Sonic padded forward just as silently, nothing more than a ghost on the wind. This far north, the evenings dropped into cool temperatures, and moving as slow as he was, he could feel the chill creeping up his spine. Sonic pulled the dark green vest he had snatched from a random closet closer.

Trees surrounded him on three sides, and freshly cut and tendered grass softened his footfalls in this sacred place. Emerald eyes gazed deeply down at a small slab of granite. The lone gravestone acted as a silent sentry, standing guard over all the other decimated graves of royals past. Sonic stopped a respectable few feet in front of it, hands shoved into the pockets of the vest.

The date of his birth was etched deeply, and his gaze lingered there, remembering years past and celebrations long gone. Green optics skated to the right, past the hyphen of his life, to the date he had started over, the day his family had mourned for three years now. For all intents and purposes, the Sonic before that date was dead, never to take control again. Now that he was back in the place of his birth, Sonic could feel the familiar anger, that deep seeded frustration that made him scoff at and scorn every person he spoke with, churning in his belly like lava in an active volcano. It pushed against him, scorching and begging and yearning to be released. He fought with it already, barely two days after arriving, and he refused to give in.

He was no longer that angry, pessimistic, weighed down creature from before. He was free – free to run and laugh and sleep and do whatever the hell he wanted because damnit, he wasn't a prince, no matter how much his family wished otherwise. He had his own friends, friends that were just as free, who could fly without wings, who lived above the clouds, could lift hammers twice their size, could solve mysteries if they put their minds to it, could attach rockets to biplanes, could keep up with him.

He had a life liberated of rules and stuffy people and posturing; he didn't have to listen to anyone tittering at him for sleeping for too long, laughing too loud, or living too much. He only had himself and a choice few, the ones who had held on and never let go.

Now that he was back, he was doubly glad he had left. The guilt he expected never came, and the guilt he had been harboring for years had evaporated. Manic was upset with him, Sonia was wary of him, and his mother was proud of him; three things he realized he probably could have done without. His mother's pride especially, because… How proud would she be when he left in a few weeks and never came back? She had been proud of him when she thought him dead – he had given his life for them, she believed. Now, she knew the truth, and it would hurt twice as much when he sped out of their lives again, probably for good this time.

His belly was roiling again, nothing more than a molten ball that tried to fight its way to his heart. It had been years since that angry fire had settled in his chest and he knew that if he allowed it, he would be miserable. He could feel a familiar ache in his mind, a pounding that had existed for much of the first twelve years of his life, but had been absent as soon as he took those first few relaxing breaths on a beach in Green Hill. There was something here in his homeland that made him physically ill, something that affected his core. It threw him off balance, which made him angry and depressed and a whole bunch of gross emotions he couldn't identify.

He wasn't sure how to get all of this across to Tails. He was sure that if he managed to properly articulate it, the fox would look at him, see an expression that Sonic never allowed to cross his face, his brow would furrow, and he would shake his head. He would say something about maybe going for a run, and Sonic would go.

He knew all this because they had already had the conversation, without so many words. There had been loaded looks, something akin to a sigh from the fox, and then a nod at the window. Sonic had been gone for four hours, returned, and here he was, standing in front of a tiny tombstone with his name on it. It was surreal, standing in front of his own grave, hands in the pockets of a vest that wasn't his, thoughts going a mile a minute.

He reached out a hand and touched the top. The cold of the stone seeped through his glove almost instantly, but he didn't pull back. For the first time, the whole situation felt real, as if he had been moving through a dream for the past few days and this chilly evening with its equally chilly grave marker was the wake up call. He smiled for the first time in what felt like ages, releasing the tension that had already built up in his shoulders.

"Thank you," he murmured to the etching of his medallion, right below his hand, "for making the right decision."

He had no idea how long he stood like that, stuck in a staring contest with a slab of rock sticking out of the ground. But, when he shifted an immeasurable amount of time later, his muscles twinged and the world had turned to twilight.

"Must be weird," a gruff voice said from the shadow of the trees, impossibly loud in the silent yard, "lookin' at your own gravestone."

"Not the first time," Sonic answered cryptically, turning to see Manic push himself away from where he was leaning against a tree, "not the last."

"This one had people mournin' in front'a it." Manic's tone matched his expression, angry and hard, and if Sonic were any weaker of a person, he probably would have flinched back from his dagger eyes. As it was, the blue one stared back blankly before casting a look back at the memorial.

"Yeah, I'm glad you were able to mourn."

Manic glared impossibly harder. "'Able to mourn'?!" he parroted, voice reaching squawk range as his anger finally reached coherency and took over his mind. "While you were off… gallivantin' around?! Ridin' hover boards and makin' friends and explorin'?!"

"Glad to know those lessons are working for you, bro." The quip wasn't exactly the best choice at the moment, but the word 'gallivanting' was strange on its own, doubly so when it came out of Manic's mouth.

His little brother let out a groan and looked ready to attack him, but he held himself back – barely. "Me, and Sonia, and Ma… We thought you were dead." He waved his hands, face twisted into a painful expression that spoke of months of pain. Sonic forced himself to stare back, gave his brother the respect he deserved after everything he had gone through.

"I had to watch as Sonia almost lost the will to live, had to tell Ma stories about you so she could at least pretend she knew you, had to put on this act that I was the strong one, but guess what Sonic, I was just as broken as they were! But, my big brother died and I had to step up and take his place, because I knew that's what he would have wanted." He paused for breath, gasping and choking as he fought back angry tears. Sonic was still a blank canvas, though the blue one could feel the anger coming back again, the golf ball of molten lava growing to a softball.

"But, news flash Manic! Big bro Sonic left. He abandoned his family to go globetrotting! And, the only reason he came back is because his friend needed medical care! Never mind that his family might have needed him, or maybe his little brother is lost!" He choked on the words, forcing them into the air after denying them for so long. "I could have used some help Sonic. I needed you. We needed you. But, you left."

He had run out of steam by the end of his speech and his voice had grown lower and lower until it was nothing but a dull whisper. With every word that passed his lips, Sonic felt a sharp dig of guilt, though that quickly faded to be replaced with a low boil of resentment.

"Typical spoiled prince," Sonic scoffed, finally – finally! – giving in to the metamorphic stone sitting in his gut. The heat climbed into his chest, up his throat, and settled, blessedly, around his mind, battling away the headache. "The world needed me Manic – way more than you did. I gave my life to protect Mobius so you could sit in your palace, whine about lessons, and have every meal brought to you on a platter. Sure, I didn't die. Yeah, I left. But do you really think so lowly of me that you believe, for one second, that I left to run around without responsibility? I've been nearly drowned, shot at countless times, come close enough to falling into lava that I could smell my nose hairs frying, I've fallen from space, for Chaossake! Don't you dare rant at me for leaving. I'm not that selfish."

He kept his voice low, so unlike how he had been three years ago, but the anger was still there, and he could tell that Manic recognized it. The green one was looking at him with a familiar expression, the guarded, reprimanded one he reserved for those special times Sonic had reamed into him after he extravagantly botched a mission. Sonic remembered relishing that expression back then, because he knew that he was finally getting through that thick green skull.

Now though, it just made him tired.

The anger receded back, slithering back to its cave like a wounded snake, and Sonic took a deep breath to calm himself. The headache was back, but it added clarity to the rapidly darkening world, and he leaned back against the headstone, suddenly more exhausted than he had been after staying up all night as a werehog. "Look, Manic— Bro," he emphasized when the prince refused to meet his eyes, "I didn't leave to hurt you. I left— hell." He fisted his hands into his eyes, pressing starbursts of color into existence. Might as well tell him now that Sonic had pulled a Mr. Hyde. "I followed Dr. Robotnik."

Manic blinked at him, but didn't make a sound. Suddenly, he was on the ground, falling onto his backside, all of the air in his lungs leaving in a mass exodus that must have left him dizzy. Sonic made no move to go near, sure that his brother wouldn't appreciate close proximity just yet. "What," he finally demanded at last. It wasn't a question.

But Sonic didn't hear, and he plowed forward, exhaustion heavy in his words. "I know you needed me, but I didn't belong here. I can't— I'm not— I'm just – not suited for royal life. I was so angry and I hated everything and always had this headache all the time and when Robotnik took off for the islands down south, I followed him. I know it was selfish, and I know it hurt you. I never wanted— I never thought about how it would affect you, Sonia, and Mom. I always assumed you would be fine without me…"

It was hardly the best speech he had come up with – and he had come up with some miraculously motivating speeches, if he said so himself – but the missed sleep from the past few days was finally catching up with him. Add to that that he had spent most of the day worrying over Tails and his leg, and the pounding in his blue skull; the bone tiredness was compounded into his nerves, increasing the ever present aching that was becoming more reliable than breathing.

"But…" Manic looked at him – actually looked at him – and his expression was open, curious, maybe even sympathetic. Suddenly, Sonic was reminded of his brother's merciful demeanor – how he granted forgiveness to everyone that bothered to apologize, and Sonic could not have been more thankful for that in that moment. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You didn't need me to distract you. They needed you here to clean up Robotnik's mess. Besides, if I had told you where I was – that I was alive – you know that Mom and Sonia would have tried everything to keep me here, and I can't stay here. Just like they need you, there are people out there who need me." He didn't bother to say that he himself wanted to be free; that was better left unsaid.

Manic stared at him for a few more seconds before finally sighing. It was a deep sound, a huge gust, as if he was breathing away all the anger he had been holding onto. "Fine." The younger boy rolled his eyes toward the sky. "I guess I have to believe you. Not exactly happy 'bout this whole thing, and I'll probably always be pissed you took off without askin' for help, but I guess I can't be mad at you for savin' the world and junk."

Sonic smiled fully then, the stone in his stomach dissolving away for now, and padded forward to offer his brother his hand. "Glad to hear it," he answered as he yanked him to his feet. "And I forgive you for making me the martyr." He clapped a hand on Manic's back, as close as they would ever come to a make-up hug. "You know I don't die that easily."

Manic shrugged as he turned away from the gravesite, a small grin on his face. "We needed something to bring the people together. You were a convenient out. Can't fault us for seizing the opportunity."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Guess not. Now, how 'bout we go raid the kitchen? Tails is probably starving, and he'd love to regale you with tales of my amazing heroism."

o0o

...:Throwback:…

They were sitting in silence, the crackling of the fire and the howling wind the only sounds that punctuated their peaceful world. Tails was asleep, head resting on Sonic's thigh, breathing deep, tiny face screwed into a troubled expression. Sonic laid a hand on his head, trying to calm his rough dreams, and the fox relaxed minutely.

Knuckles was staring down at the last piece of cake wistfully. The bickering between Sonic and Tails and then Sonic and Knuckles led to the cake being separated into four even pieces so they could all have the same amount. That left them with an extra piece, which Tails had pointedly shoved in Sonic's direction. The hedgehog hadn't touched it; his appetite had taken a dive as soon as Tails had dropped into slumber and he was left alone with his thoughts. He was tired as well, but knew that laying down would be futile at this point. The adrenaline coursing through his body was too strong, and the sugar from the cake was mixing with his blood, creating a mixture that was nearly volatile. Knuckles had been dozing, and, after jerking awake for the third time, had taken to staring at the fire, then the cake, then the fire again. He seemed intent on staying awake now though, so Sonic patted Tails' head before leaning forward toward his red friend, squinting.

"You want the cake, Knux?" he asked quietly. Knuckles tensed and glanced up at him.

"Nah," he answered, the feigned nonchalance in his voice easily giving him away.

"You sure?"

There was a pause. "Yeah."

"You can have it if you want it. If," he added as Knuckles sat up completely, "you tell me about your family."

Knuckles' face shut down for a few seconds before he leaned toward Sonic, nearly singeing one of his spikes in the fire. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

Sonic shrugged. "Been thinking about my family lately. You and Tails remind me of 'em. Was wondering if your parents were as tight-assed as you are."

Knuckles rolled his eyes and sat back. "Keep your cake, hedgehog. Those are secrets that will die with me."

"The Secret of Tight-Assery?" Sonic grinned at Knuckles' sour expression. "Hate to break it to you Knux, but the surface world happened upon that particular skill set a few millennia ago."

"Get stuffed, hedgehog."

Sonic smiled in a way that was more like a baring of teeth than an actual grin and leveraged his hands behind him, leaning back. "C'mon Knuckles, when's the next time you'll have cake?"

"The Guardian cannot be bribed." His voice was clipped and without inflection, as if he had said that many times before.

Which was ridiculous. Sonic knew for a fact that Knuckles' social interaction extended to himself, Tails, and a giant green rock on Angel Island. What purpose could he have for such a rehearsed response – wait a second.

"Did your dad teach you to say that?" Sonic inquired innocently and then grinned again when Knuckles tensed.

"That's none of your business."

"Dude, c'mon, throw me a bone. Did your mom teach you how to paint with the colors of the wind?" He ducked as a rock flew at his head, upsetting Tails from where he rested. The fox yelped as he hit the ground and sent Sonic a glare.

"If you didn't want to be a pillow, you could'a said something."

Sonic's arm whipped out. "Knuckles is throwing stuff."

Tails turned his eyes skyward before rolling over so his back was to the fire. "Too old for this," he muttered.

"Yeah, Knux, let the old man sleep."

"You're lucky I'm too tired to smother you."

"Noted."

They sat in silence for a few minutes while they waited for Tails to drop back to sleep. Once his breathing had evened out, Sonic's eyes whipped back to Knuckles, but the echidna beat him in their verbal race.

"You have a family?" He sounded genuinely intrigued, which immediately made Sonic genuinely suspicious. He cast a look at Tails, confirming that he was fully asleep. Usually, he wouldn't keep something like this a secret from his best friend, but Tails was a little fragile when it came to family. He didn't remember his parents, Sonic was the only family the fox had, and vice versa as far as Sonic was concerned; he intended to keep it that way.

"Yeah," he answered, looking back with a formidable expression.

"I meant other than Tails."

"I know." Sonic sighed. "What of it?"

If Knuckles noticed his rapidly shortening temper, he made no move to accommodate it. "Where are they?"

Sonic considered being a smartass again but decided against it. This conversation deserved sincerity, if only because Knuckles looked to be taking it seriously. "Mobotropolis."

Knuckles' eyes widened. "No…" he whispered, barely loud enough for Sonic to hear.

"Uh, yeah," the hedgehog answered, having already grown bored with the conversation, "pretty sure I know where I was b—" He glanced up from his close inspection of his shoes, finally taking in Knuckles' horrified expression. "What? What did I say?"

"Mobotropolis. You. You shouldn't've survived past infancy."

"Gee thanks. Remind me not to invite you to my next birthday party."

"No, you don't get it," Knuckles pressed. "A Chaos Adept of your ability wouldn't survive for long in a place like Mobotropolis. There's something there that chokes the Energy, making it a death sentence for anyone gifted with Chaos. Even a siphon like Tails would feel negative effects."

There was a lot to take in from that little spiel and Sonic floundered for a few seconds before deciding what was most important to him. "A siphon? What the hell does that mean?"

Knuckles' eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as realization hit. "I said too much," he clipped out. "Stay away from Mobotropolis," he added as an afterthought.

Sonic squinted at him again. Really, there was more that needed addressing here, but he could tell that Knuckles was clamming up. Instead, he decided to let him slide for now; he might be able to catch him off guard later. "You don't have to worry about that, Knux. I'm never going back there."

"Good."

Chapter Text

~Syncopation::Missed Beat~

It's a gradual thing. A niggle that begins in the back of your brain and then slowly moves forward at a creep, bringing unease with it. Perhaps it's the extended of the silence – something that hasn't happened in years – or maybe it's the sight of the storm clouds below, swirling around a central eye. Either way, you begin to think of Mystic Ruins, specifically the quiet that lives there, save when there's a storm, and that eventually brings you to thoughts of Sonic. And, that's when the niggle turns into full blown restlessness.

You haven't heard from Sonic in a few weeks.

The hedgehog had insisted that you take one of Tails' communicators, a small version of that Miles Electric gadget the fox carried everywhere, so he could get into contact with you whenever he needed to. He usually made a habit out of checking up on you every three days or so – something about you possibly falling off a cliff and splitting your skull open and everyone on the surface being none the wiser. Thoughtful, but unnecessary. You could take care of yourself.

Still... You had started looking forward to your chats, if only because Sonic had a way to both aggravate and calm you. While you bickered, you let off steam, and that allowed you to center yourself easily. You would be lying if you said you didn't notice when he didn't call on schedule, but you figured he was busy. Perhaps Eggman had finally popped up out of whatever hole he was hiding in. Sonic would take care of it in a few days and then call again, this time with a story to tell. But, then the communicator didn't ping after a week, then two. You didn't notice at first, too caught up in the day-to-day affairs of the Island, and now you're cursing yourself.

This could be very, very bad.

You sent a few messages to Tails. The readout showed that they had been read, but he hadn't replied, which meant he was either preoccupied or in a situation where he couldn't. It was disquieting, this uneasy peace you tried to keep up as you habitually checked the communicator every few hours, only to find no change.

Eventually, you had enough.

You stalk up to the Master Emerald with one goal in mind. You think of the golden cord the Master has attached to Sonic at all times, a source of eternal annoyance for you, the rightful Guardian, and center your thoughts so you can view the Chaos fields. The neutral green springs into focus, coating everything, and your eyes sweep this way and that, searching. Ah, there it is. The aurous band is slack and dull, as if strained beyond its limits. Your breath catches, but you take solace from the fact that it is still there. If it were gone...

Taking a few uneasy steps, you approach the Master Emerald. It hums at you and you spread your hands along its surface and press your forehead to it. Green light flares as the ambient neutral Energy sucks inward, disappearing into the center of the gem. Apprehensively, you mumble into its surface, voice barely escaping your throat. "Sonic," you beg, "show me Sonic." The humming increases, splitting into a chord that makes the Chaos inside you leap happily. The overtones force the gold rope to brighten, and an image appears in the depths of the gemstone. It zooms away from the Island, following Sonic's positive Chaos connect to the source. Swooping through trees and grasslands, you wait with baited breath for the blue hedgehog to appear.

The vision goes dark.

The Master Emerald seems to hiss and a note of dissonance escapes into the chord, turning the Energy sour. You fall back and a burst of dark energy blasts outward, sweeping through the trees and sending feral animals skittering to safety. Your senses blink out for a few seconds and then you find yourself back on the dais, as if you had never moved. The Emerald is dull, seething with angry power. You move to place your hands on its surface to try to calm it.

"Stop," a quiet female voice calls. You freeze and turn, locking eyes with a familiar face. Her light blue eyes are troubled and her orange fur disheveled, as if her physical appearance is reflecting the turmoil inside the Emerald. "Knuckles," she greets with a small nod.

"Tikal?" you ask breathlessly, gaze flickering from her to the gem. "What—?"

"Sonic is lost," she replies, hard tone suggesting that there is no time to beat around the bush. "We cannot locate him."

"He's lost?" You throw your arms up. "The Master Emerald can detect anyone anywhere."

She shakes her head slowly. "There is one place we cannot go."

You pause and your thoughts turn to the planet, categorizing the Master Emerald's range. One place... No. No. Sonic wouldn't be that stupid—

The revulsion must have shown on your face because her mouth pulls into a grim line. "It is the only place he could be, unless he is off-world. However, we would be able to sense him if he were in orbit, and the Energy is still feeding to the Servers, so he is not using them."

Which means that he is most definitely still on the planet. "Mobotropolis," you growl. "That blue idiot! I told him! I warned him!" You turn away and practically stomp down the stairs.

"Knuckles!" Tikal calls, hand outstretched toward you. Distantly, you remember that she can't move far from the Master when it's intact. "Where are you—?"

"Going to get that damned idiot. Keep the Island above the clouds, will you?" Your tone is short but she understands your desperation. "It'll take me a few days to find him in that freakin' city since I can't sense him, but I'm getting him out. Tails too," you add as an afterthought, knowing full well that Sonic drags that fox everywhere, "he won't last there either."

"Take care, Guardian." Her voice is strong and it carries you to the edge of the Island. Without pause, you launch yourself over the side and point your body into a dive. Usually, you would glide the whole way down, but time is of the essence. You could afford to drop a few thousand feet before putting on the brakes.

You just hope that you're not too late as it is.

o0o

…:Mezzo:…

Sonic and Manic happily raid the kitchen, to the chagrin to the staff. The princes laugh and joke as they dart around the room, grabbing every type of snack food they can find, and Manic can't help but notice the apprising glances the cooks send them as they exit, laden with the fruits of their pillaging. What they must look like, brothers who hours ago were at odds, one who has returned from the dead and the other with newly returned life in voice and movements. Manic has no doubt that the news of their reconciliation will reach their mother in no time; he hopes it will bring her a little peace.

Sonic playfully jostles him as they make their way swiftly through the halls, heading toward his shared bedroom. "Whatever you do," he says conspiratorially, "don't give Tails mint candy. He's liable to knock you out in his fight to get it."

Manic glances down at his haul. No mints in sight. "Guess I'm lucky I don't have any then."

Sonic smirks and turns a corner without conscious effort. "You'll meet the beast another day."

They walk in silence for a few minutes before they arrive. Sonic stops in front of the door to glance at Manic, and the green boy sends him a weak smile. He's not exactly apprehensive at seeing the fox again - it's by his doing that the air has been cleared, after all - but he's not exactly sure how to act around the kid. The blue hedgehog gives his brother an appraising look before nodding and pushing the door open.

The room is dark, and Manic is suddenly struck by how late it must be. Ready to turn and declare that he doesn't want to wake anyone, a sleepy voice stops him, calling strongly from the pitch black despite the exhaustion hanging off the words.

"Sonic?" There is a sound of fumbling and then the lamp on the bedside table flares to life, blinding Manic for a few seconds. "Did you talk to your broth— Oh. Hello."

"He-ey, bud," Sonic begins, pushing Manic into the room in front of him so he can close the door, "we brought food."

As Tails expresses his delight and Sonic moves to dump his load on the bed, Manic is left floundering, countless thoughts swirling in an amalgamous mass that seems bigger than his brain. Tails is an unknown integer, the person who Sonic gravitates around, the chink in an armor that seems rock solid from every other angle. He had the injury that brought Sonic back; the bedridden puppet master, pulling the strings to ensure that Sonic had everything he needed. His mind called up a memory of his weak, injured voice, suggesting and commanding that Sonic travel to Mobotropolis instead of Station Square, the voice of reason even in a weakened state; that first breakfast, how he immediately requested to leave when Sonic looked even a little uncomfortably desperate, despite his own obvious contentment to share a meal with Sonic and his family; then the conversation he had eavesdropped on, how Sonic waited for the fox's recommendation before taking off for a run, then his manipulation to make sure that Manic sought Sonic out later. He recalls Sonic naming him a technological genius, but now, with all of these small moments at the forefront of his mind, Manic realizes that he is a bit more.

Tails is aware, aware of every single aspect of every single situation that occurs around him. He soaks in information, categorizes it, and then turns it back around and produces the best possible reaction. He works hard to make sure that Sonic is successful, whether it be in escaping a family meal or a deadly situation, and Sonic repays that blunt reasoning in kind with quick reactions. They make a deadly pair, one with the intellect to process every possible outcome of any situation, and the other to react to the subtle clues in a way that works in their favor. Vaguely, Manic remembers that Sonic had an orthodox way of thinking, a quick sense of intuition that allowed him to take in information quickly and form a response. Most of the time, it was the dumbest, fastest way to get from point A to point B, but it was effective, despite the danger that always danced after him. However, with Tails, an invisible, silent force that everyone, himself included, seemed to overlook, Sonic would be able to make those incredibly stupid decisions, and still succeed.

Somehow, Sonic had managed to unearth the one person who could compliment his fighting style, his speed, and even his thought process; the fact that it was a small, double-tailed fox who needed him just as much was icing on the cake. It was no wonder they were so close, and Sonic's protective actions finally made sense. In the world of a thirteen-year-old who had just left his only known life behind, the prospect of a friend must have been appealing, and when he stumbled upon the tiny bullied child, his hero-like tendencies must have flared up. Tails had likely latched onto him as well, in desperate need of companionship, and it was obvious they had been inseparable since then – best friends and brothers according to everything but blood.

If this were yesterday, Manic would be seeing green, a serpent of jealousy snaking into his belly to ignite indignation and anger, but now, watching as Sonic hooks an arm around Tails' head so he can get better leverage to give him a noogie, he feels relaxed, at peace with the knowledge that someone has been watching Sonic's back when he couldn't.

"Hey, come down from orbit, spaceman." Sonic's voice cuts into his thoughts and Manic comes back to the here and now in time to see Tails throw a pillow at him. It smacks him in the face and he scowls while Sonic and Tails laugh good naturedly. It is a nice sound, and Manic can't help but join them.

"So, how 'bout it, kid? How about you tell Manic about my amazing feats of fearlessness?"

The fox gives him a comically blank face. Manic decides right then that he likes Tails.

"How about the time you snuck into the slots in Casino Night Zone, lost all our rings, and had to use me to get breakfast in the morning?" the fox asks as he chews on a sandwich. He leans toward Manic and adds in a stage whisper, "I was tiny then, and anyone who looked at me always felt this strange compulsion to chuck money in our direction. I think they thought Sonic wasn't feeding me."

"Okay!" Sonic declares with a sweeping hand motion. "That's enough! No stories."

"Aw, but we're only getting started. What about that one time you— hmp!"

Sonic claps a hand over Tails' mouth, effectively ending whichever embarrassing story the fox is going to cook up next, and Tails' blue eyes swivel toward him, sparkling with a promise to share awkward tales later when Sonic wasn't around. Manic finds himself grinning as Sonic lets go of the kit with a grimace.

"No biting!"

"All's fair," the fox advises, smiling lazily. He turns to Manic, eyes alive with laughter. "So," he begins, smile stretched lazily across his face, "you're Sonic's brother, huh? You don't look related..."

Manic raises his hands, tipping them with his words as if they are a scale. "Sonic's a freak of nature... I am not."

Sonic's mouth drops open and the fox grins wider. "Fair enough. Though, to be fair, I'm not exactly normal either." Two golden tails wrap around his midsection in a tight hug. "No one's normal when they hang around Sonic."

"I dunno," Sonic says seriously, eyes darting back and forth between the fox and his brother, "Knuckles is pretty normal."

"Except the part where he lives on a floating island, protects the source of all Chaos Energy on this planet, and can lift things like one hundred times his weight."

Sonic scowls and he says something in retort, but Manic doesn't hear it. His thoughts are a thousand miles away, memories of that story his mother tried to tell him a few years ago springing to the forefront. "Wait..." His voice comes suddenly, surprising even himself. "You're telling me that the Guardia is real?"

"Well..." Sonic and Tails share a look and Manic can sense the silent conversation that passes between them. "It's a long story..."

The green boy holds his arms out. "I've got nothing but time."

o0o

…:Coda:…

The next morning brought a loud pounding on the door that slammed into Sonic's frail patience and worked his headache up into a lather. His eyes opened to a darkened room, and could feel Tails snuggled up against his side. He could hear Manic quietly snoring from the chaise at the end of the bed, and the hedgehog could only assume that they had dropped off to sleep sometime late last night. He vaguely remembered telling Manic to crash in his and Tails' room, as it was so late it was actually early, and there hadn't been much argument from the beat green prince.

"Prince Sonic!" a loud voice called over the pounding, drawing Sonic's weakening attention. Vaguely, he identified the voice as belonging to that annoying guard Scott, and he growled lowly. He wanted to yell back, but his headache demanded that he keep the noise down, and he extracted himself from bed with physical difficulty.

His head felt like lead and he barely had the strength to hold it up, let alone wade his way across the room. He blinked sleepily at the great expanse of carpet that stretched between him and the door and decided that he didn't have the patience or time for this, so he swiped at Manic's foot, hanging as it was over the end of the chaise. He didn't think that he put that much force behind the move, but the hit sent the green limb over the end and Manic half followed before he awoke with a sputter and managed to catch himself. Manic sleepily glanced around for whoever had assaulted him, and, when his eyes landed on Sonic standing next to the bed, expression contorted in pain, he lost the will to chew him out.

"Make it stop," Sonic croaked, glancing toward the door with emerald eyes that wavered in a way Manic had never seen. The green prince blinked again and seemed to realize that someone was incessantly pounding on the door; he glared at nothing

"Shut up," Tails groaned from the bed, rolling over so he could stuff his head under his pillow. "Sleep now, knock later."

Sonic watched as Manic rose shakily to his feet. He traced a beeline to the door and yanked it open to Scott's closed fist as it was about to hit the wood again, and he translated Sonic's pain, Tails' annoyance, and his own exhaustion into a glare that could cut diamond.

"Dude, what?" he demanded, voice as hard as nails.

"P-Prince Manic?!" Scott was clearly surprised.

"Nah man, the Oracle of Delphius – a'course it's me!"

Scott stuttered something that neither brother caught and Sonic decided to take pity on both the guard and his pounding head. "What do you need?"

Reminded of his mission, the cocker spaniel straightened and coughed to clear his voice. "The queen requests the presence of her children in her private meeting room immediately."

Manic sighed and spun away from the door to fish his vest from the floor, while Sonic rolled his eyes, ignoring the pain that shot up into his brain right behind them, and planted his hands on his hips. "I think we need to have a talk about what a guard's duties are, Scott. Pretty sure 'messenger' or 'page' aren't in the job description."

"I do as the queen asks," he ground out in response, apparently waiting to escort them. "If you would hurry..."

Sonic sighed with the air of an aggrieved soul and turned to the sleeping fox lump still submerged under his pillow. "Up and at 'em, Tails. Super special family meeting."

There was a muffled groan and a pair of annoyed eyes appeared. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get up."

Scott shifted uncomfortably and spoke before Tails could reply. "Um, I'm not sure if the queen wants your friend to join you, my prince."

Three pairs of eyes swiveled toward Scott, one narrowed, one bland, and the last wide in innocence. "He's coming," Sonic answered in a blank tone, pointing toward the end of the bed. "Get the wheelchair." Scott was caught in indecision for a few seconds before Sonic coughed lowly, demanding that he move, and the guard darted forward to push the chair toward the blue hedgehog. "And don't call me prince."

Scott didn't reply, standing patiently as Sonic dragged Tails bodily from the bed and dumped him into the chair. The fox huffed but didn't complain and the hedgehog motioned the guard to go ahead of him. He and Manic followed at a subdued pace, ignoring the pointed looks Tails sent them over his shoulder.

They arrived at the queen's private meeting room in no time and Sonic grimaced as Scott passed the chair to him so he could open the door. The walk over had impacted his headache, each step increasing the pounding around his brain. Couple that with that fact that last night had been the first time in a long time that he had gotten more than four hours of sleep, and he could feel his patience take a precipitous drop.

They walked into the room and Sonic took in the large mahogany table, scattered papers, and mother and sister sitting expectantly before noticing the small form of Torin Cleary. He felt Manic bristle next to him and Tails visibly stiffened in front of him. Sonic let a touch of acid worm its way into his expression, souring his features into a scowl that made his mother frown. She rose from her seat to greet them, casting quick glances at Cleary and Sonia, and they followed her example. Sonia's expression was unreadable beyond the pinched position of her mouth and she sent Sonic a glance that made him want to turn and run. Her eyes held warning, of what he wasn't sure, but he knew that look; months in the resistance had seen her throw it at him many times.

"Ah, there are my boys!" Aleena happily greeted them, frown turning up into a smile when her eyes landed on them together. Word of their reconciliation had obviously reached her, and Sonic could sense the contentment that this news brought. "Finally together I see! And Tails too, how perfect! Scott, you may go, we've got a family meeting to attend to."

There was a rustle of fabric as Scott bowed and then the door closed. Sonic turned his green gaze onto Cleary, eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"Family," he stressed unhappily. His mother's eyes flickered over as well and Sonic caught a hint of anger there before she turned back to him, angelic smile wider than ever.

"Torin and I have decided what to do about your coronation," she began, watching his face carefully. "I know," she held up a hand when he opened his mouth to argue, "you don't want the crown, but you have to officially renounce it before it can legally pass to your sister. At first, we were planning on keeping everything quiet and letting you renounce here, today, but..." She paused to search his face, and Sonic made sure to keep it completely blank, despite his swirling thoughts. "There are rumors already, despite our efforts to keep your presence here a secret. We," she gestured to Cleary, "have decided that the best course of action for you, your siblings, and the kingdom is to announce your survival and have you publically give up your birthright in front of the people. I know," she repeated, once again cutting him off, "you hate ceremony and formality, and, after everything you've told me, I didn't want to make you go through this, but..." She moved around the table to approach him, sending Tails a small smile. Aleena reached forward, silently asking for his hand, which he offered her after a moment's hesitation. She took it in both of hers, gazing down at it with trepidation and, when she looked up again, her eyes were swimming with tears.

"But, I believe that it will be best for the people to know that you are alive." Sonic watched as she spoke, her love for her kingdom thick in every word. Behind him, he could hear Manic shift, and then he was there too. The blue hedgehog felt a hand lay itself on his shoulder, and when he glanced over, Manic had one half of his mouth quirked upward, obviously supporting both him and their mother. "Morale has taken a serious hit recently," Aleena continued after smiling at her second son. "Rebuilding has slowed as trading ties with the humans have become unfavorable, and I believe that if they see that you are alive and well, having thrived out there amidst the other peoples on the planet, we can get back on track. As your mother, I am asking that you perform one royal act before you give your title up for good – for the people that you fought for in the resistance."

Sonic stared at her unblinkingly as she finished before casting a look at Tails. The fox was pivoted in his chair so he could watch Sonic's expressions, and when he caught the hedgehog's green eyes, he nodded. Sonic sighed, and pulled his hand away from his mother to run it across his forehead. His headache had taken a backseat for the time being, but he could still feel it gnawing at him. His decision making skills weren't always the best, and with this newly found pounding, they were even worse, but even he could see the sense in what she was asking.

"If I agree to this," he began, casting a look at his mother and then his sister, Manic still an unmovable rock at his side, "will we be free to do what we want for the rest of the time we're here?"

Aleena's expression brightened at the beginning of his inquiry, but fell at the end, as if that was the last question she wanted. "Well, you see Sonic, even if you give up your title, you will still be known as a prince of this kingdom, and there were laws written long ago that dictate that every royal child must be in some form of lessons as long as they reside in the palace and—"

"You're the queen, rewrite them."

Sonic had forgotten that Cleary was in the room until he stepped forward, speaking before the queen could. "It isn't that simple, Prince Sonic." He avoided Sonic's eyes, which darted to him and stayed sharp on his form as he moved toward their small huddle. The blue hedgehog immediately shook off Manic's hand and passed the wheelchair to his green brother so he could meet the goat before he got too close. "These are ancient laws, unreachable from current rulers. They were put in place to police the royalty and if the queen can simply change them whenever she feels like it, they would be pointless. Laws of succession, education, and power cannot be undone by anyone, including the queen."

Sonic's headache roared back to life as soon as he stepped away from his family, but he ignored it in favor of staring down the head advisor. He was sure his eyes were daunting, years of staring down megalomaniacs providing plenty of practice, but Cleary didn't flinch, standing coolly in Sonic's gaze as if he were still a child.

Sonic was, for once, at a loss for words. This was why he had left this place behind; rules to protect rules to keep rulers from touching those rules. He didn't have time for this, Tails didn't deserve to be stuck here, and his headache wasn't helping anything. He had half a mind to turn on his heel and rush his way out of here, dragging Tails to the nearest hospital and damn the consequences. His deepest instinct told him to get out of this situation; these classes were only the beginning. Next it would be making public appearances to hear grievances and then a declaration that he didn't really mean to give up the crown, and then he would be shunted into this life forever. He couldn't – wouldn't do this.

"Tails," Sonic began, turning away from Cleary after their stony silence had stagnated into a staring match, "we're outta—"

"Sonic," that was the Mother Voice, not the queen voice, and Sonic fell silent, "may I have a word with you and Tails – alone?"

There room cleared at record speed, Sonia and Manic disappearing deeper into the queen's chambers, and Cleary departing through the main doors. Unseen servants slipped away with ease, and, before he knew it, Sonic was alone with his mother and Tails. The fox was fidgeting, obviously wary, and Sonic paced back to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't we sit?" She gestured toward the table and Sonic had no choice but to follow her.

"Way ahead of you," Tails quipped as Sonic pushed his chair. Aleena chuckled and sat on the right side of the table while Sonic positioned himself and Tails across from her, the distance providing a bit of breathing room.

"First," she began, "Tails, I would like to formally thank you for taking care of my son. I know that he saved you but," she pressed forward even as he opened his mouth to argue, "you have saved him as well. I have nothing but respect for you, and have decided to make you an honorary part of this family. Officially, that is. You were already a piece of us when you and Sonic started your grand adventures, but now that I've met you I can happily extend my love to you as well. Thank you, again, for taking care of my boy."

Tails sputtered, obviously at a loss for words, and she smiled at him before turning to Sonic. "Now, Sonic, I think we can reach an understanding."

Sonic was smiling from his mother's commendation regarding Tails, but his face shut down when she addressed him. "Look, Mom, I love you, but I don't see how any of this can work. I'll officially give up the crown, fine, but after that we're outta here if you try to make me take lessons. I've got a responsibility to this planet, and I can't waste my time in classes."

She nodded. "I understand, of course. But, I can't let you take Tails and potentially harm him further simply because you're too stubborn to give us a chance." Sonic bristled, sensing the command in her voice, and she raised a hand. "I can't legally keep you here, but I had hoped that you would want to catch up with us as much as we have wanted to with you. I know that you worked out your differences with your brother last night, but Sonia is still confused and trying to sort out all of her thoughts regarding you. Would you leave her with that turmoil?"

Sonic thought back to his sister, wary and still trying to warn him. She was trying, he could tell, and he would have to talk to her soon, if she didn't corner him first. "Of course not."

"I have a proposal." She slid a piece of paper across the table. Sonic gingerly picked it up and studied it, eyebrows rising as he took in the words. "That's a list of the classes we have tutors available for. According to the law, you must have a minimum of four hours of class a day, though anything less than six is frowned upon; I'm skirting the law as it is, but I know how busy you are. You may choose three, one from each column, and if you test out of each, then your schooling for the year will be considered complete. You will be free to do whatever you want once you successfully prove that you are knowledgeable. Is that agreeable?"

"You said four hours, right?" Tails had leveraged himself up in the chair to get a good look at the classes. "Three classes only cover one hour each, right? Where does the fourth hour come from?"

The queen sighed. "Etiquette is compulsory. Sonic will have to take that class as well as any three."

"No way." The blue hedgehog slammed his fisted hand onto the table. "I don't need to know which fork to use with which dish or any of that crap."

"Sonic," she sighed again, as if Sonic were a particularly annoying young child, "the etiquette tutor can only teach on Tuesdays, so the class would only be once a week—"

"For five hours a day, right? I'm not dumb, Mom. You expect me to survive through five hours of table manners?"

"If you prove proficiency—"

"We both know I'm an uncultured idiot when it comes to the asinine rules royalty practices."

Aleena threw up her hands, queen persona evaporating away as they argued. "It's the law, Sonic. I can't—"

"What if I just didn't show up?"

"What?"

"What if I was always gone on Tuesdays?"

She paused, thoughtful. "As long as you attend the first class, you will be considered enrolled. Anything that happens afterward will reflect on your final score."

Sonic clapped his hands, grin reappearing on his face. "Excellent. I guess we can stick around then."

Aleena couldn't help up smile back. "Very well. I'll give you time to look over the list. I won't need your official choices until after your coronation in a week."

"Don't need time, Mom. I already got 'em picked out. Mobian history and geography, English, and fencing."

"English?" Tails demanded, tossing Sonic an incredulous look. "You can barely speak Mobian sometimes! How long has it been since you've spoken English?"

"A few months," Sonic declared proudly. "I ran into some humans who weren't from around here and had to give them directions. They made it fine. Besides," he continued, ignoring Tails' rapidly flattening expression, "it was either that or Latin and you know I only have room for two languages up here." He poked himself on the side of the head twice.

"It's settled then," Aleena began before Tails could retort. "I shall get everything settled and we'll have you free from the crown in a few days. Now, if you'll excuse me..." She rose from her seat and turned toward the doors to her chambers, where Sonic's siblings had disappeared. "I must talk with your brother and sister. You two may go."

"Hey Mom," Sonic called after she had taken a few steps. "Thanks."

She smiled softly back at him over her shoulder. "Of course, my dear."

o0o

…:Capriccio:…

The day of the coronation dawned early for Sonic. He wasn't nervous per se – after all, all he had to do was wave, say that he bequeathed the crown to his sister, and then pass it over – more antsy than anything. He wanted this done; wanted to move on with his life and shrug off this whole thing. The days since the family meeting had passed sluggishly with conference after conference, followed by assemblies of the staff, and then more meetings of varying attendance – all of which Sonic was forced attend and then remain silent during. He had taken to doodling rude things in the holonotebook he had been given in lieu of taking notes, which he and Tails then laughed over for hours. Manic tried to keep him company, but, being third in line, he wasn't needed much anywhere, so he spent most of his time around Tails. The little fox had astounded Manic with his knowledge of mechanics and the green boy had been enamored with him ever since, leading to many late night brainstorming sessions that Sonic easily slept through, slumber being the only escape from the surmounting headache that threatened to overwhelm him at any time.

After the fourth day of this, Tails approached him with a request.

"Yo, what's up kid?" Sonic asked when Tails rolled his way into the small room Sonic had sequestered himself in after a particularly long meeting.

"I made the mistake of checking my messages earlier and there's an extreme backlog of Ex Gear requests. Do you think you could stop by the Workshop on your next run and pick up some of the stock? I'm bored out of my mind and since you banned me from having any real fun with this thing –" he tapped the armrests of the wheelchair "— I need something to do. Plus, I figured I could show Manic a thing or two."

Leaping on the chance to get out of the palace, Sonic sat up with a smile on his face. "Yeah, sure. I'll go do that now."

Tails easily read the eagerness for what it was and nodded. "Thanks, bro."

Sonic grinned wider and rubbed him on the head as he passed. "I'll be back in a few hours."

What followed was days of technical jargon that Sonic avoided like the plague. Their bedroom became the site of a quasi-bomb blast of mechanical parts, screws, bolts, hoverboard casings, and a few spare screwdrivers that overwhelmed the small space. Eventually, Sonic had to demand that they move the impromptu workshop somewhere, because this room was his happy place and he really wanted a good night's sleep without having to worry about metal hiding in the sheets. The two mechanics agreed easily enough and Sonic barely saw them after that, only at night when Tails brought his little butt back into the room to collapse.

All of this was fine. He was glad Tails was occupying himself, and Manic could learn a thing or two from the fox, but he was getting a little lonely. Sonic the Hedgehog did not mope in any sense of the word, but with a headache bigger than his skull, hours of meetings that he couldn't sleep through no matter how much he wanted to, and a sister that still avoided him, he could have used a little company. He refused to acknowledge this, especially to Tails, but the fox was damnably perceptive, and the night before the coronation he made sure to abandon whatever project he had been working on to spend time with Sonic. They talked for hours – about what, Sonic couldn't tell anyone, as the conversation changed topics at least twenty times – but Sonic felt better afterwards. He actually got a decent amount of sleep.

That morning he rose with the sun for his morning sun. As per usual, he slithered out of a window, leapt the fence, and ran wherever his feet would take him. After a quick trip to Spagonia and Apotos, he begrudgingly made his way back, in time to catch Tails as he lowered himself into the wheelchair.

"Oh good," the fox greeted, smile strained. "Your mother was looking for you. I was just going to look for you."

Sonic put his hands out in a lackluster show and moved to push the wheelchair without a sound.

Tails sighed. "You ready?"

"Are you?" Sonic shot back.

"I don't have anything to worry about, Socrates," Tails answered, and Sonic had to pause for a few seconds to understand the allusion. Socrates, human, Socratic method – right.

"Stop that. It's too early."

"Stop what?" Tails' voice tried too hard to be innocent and Sonic glared at the back of his head.

"Bringing up dead humans all the time. I get it, you're smart."

"So are you, if you got that."

"I know things."

"I know."

Sonic knew Tails was trying to distract him, and it worked. The debate over his intelligence was one that had flourished for years between them, and Tails swore up and down that Sonic soaked up more information that he realized. The hedgehog's brain was adaptable, the fox argued, and it held on to almost everything, even if Sonic didn't actively need it. Sonic wasn't convinced; he knew that he wasn't dumb, but he also knew that he couldn't go up against Tails in a battle of wits and come out ahead. His knowledge was specialized, refined, while Sonic's was hodgepodge and random. It matter much in the long run, but it was a familiar banter, this argument that neither one of them was content to win, and it soothed him all the way to his mother's meeting room.

They were laughing when the page opened the door and permitted them. Aleena glanced up and smiled when their chiming voices met her and Sonic couldn't help but grin back. She looked relaxed, despite the formal dress that flowed off her form, and in control, like always. The purple gown was a more extravagant version of her regular attire, with tulle and velvet and just the right about of sparkle. The Crown of Mobius glinted from her head, completing the ensemble, and Sonic was immediately put back into his place. He saw his mother, like always, but also the queen, pressed, proper, and powerful. His breath caught and his smile dropped a bit in the face of such formality.

"Ah, good, you're early," she greeted, rising from her seat. "Go get dressed!"

"...dressed...?" Sonic asked as Tails cast a confused look over his shoulder.

"Your suit! I told Bartleby to deliver it this morning!"

"Oh, right, Bartleby..." Tails began sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in a move that reminded Sonic of himself. "I might have ignored him when he knocked... What?" He caught Sonic's hard look and crossed his arms. "I was asleep."

The queen sighed and motioned toward the servant standing in the corner. "Please go find Bartleby. I'm sure he's hiding in his rooms." The man skittered away and Sonic watched him go before turning back to his mother.

"Sorry about that. I was... out."

"It's fine. Your siblings aren't even awake yet, so we have plenty of time." She paused and twisted to gesture to another servant, who backed out of the room quickly. "In fact, I have something I want to give you."

"Not another present, Mom. I can't accept—"

"No no, this is just as much for you as it is for all of us." The servant returned, holding a dark mahogany box in her hands. Aleena took it easily and padded toward him, skirts swirling around her heels and curls bouncing in her wake. "We must appear united, especially today, so I hope that you will wear this with pride."

Somehow, Sonic knew what it was. Maybe it was his mother's expression, or the way it was presented, but Sonic knew what was in that box. He had to pry his hands from the wheelchair handles to accept the box, an action that took far too much effort than he was comfortable with, and he grabbed it with loose fingers. For a few seconds, he stood on the edge of oblivion and stared into the polished top of the box, watching his warped, dark brown reflection blink and grimace. Then, he swallowed the trepidation and hooked his fingers under the lid and pulled it open.

Red velvet greeted him, framing a pillow for a small piece of jewelry to rest on. His stomach twisted as his suspicions were confirmed and he swallowed the ball of spit that lodged itself in his throat, trying to keep his breathing intact.

A medallion – his medallion – sat amidst the crimson, glinting dully in the light of the room. It was whole, intact, and it made Sonic very, very nervous.

"It's not the real one," Aleena began, as if reading his thoughts, "only a replication. I would like to request that you wear it from here on to promote unity."

Sonic didn't reply, instead opting to poke the trinket. There was no surge of power and the hedgehog let out the breath he hadn't know he had been holding. "All right," he agreed apprehensively, grabbing the cord attached to the pendant and looping it around his head.

"Excellent." The queen clapped her hands. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." She disappeared quickly, and Tails turned in his seat to set Sonic look with a calculating look.

"You're being very... agreeable lately."

Sonic sighed and reached up to rub his temples. The headache had receded back again for now, but he could feel it coiled, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "We're kinda stuck here, bud. I don't want to cause too may waves. Besides, I can't really think straight anymore. I'm gonna have to leave the arguing to you."

Tails sent him a worried look, but a knock at the door stopped him from saying anything. Suddenly, Aleena was back in the room and sweeping past them to open the door.

"Ah, Bartleby! Excellent! Here we are, Sonic! Put this on!"

Sonic took one look at the suit, carefully tailored to fit his quills, glanced back at Tails' still worried face, and looked back at his mother, expression set in stony determination.

"No."

o0o

"I can't believe she got me into this," Sonic groused as he tugged at the lapels of the suit jacket. "It's demeaning."

"It's only a jacket," Tails consoled as he draped a thin blanket over his legs. The coronation was to occur on the third floor balcony, just above the heads of the citizens, and for some reason or another it was decided that Tails' cast was too risqué for the masses, leaving him with no option but to cover it up. Sonic, meanwhile, was clad in his sneakers, gloves, and tight fitting tuxedo jacket. He had narrowly avoided the pants and shirt, but his newly recovered determination had won him a small mercy.

Even if he still was stuck in this mockery of a penguin suit.

"Look at it this way, bro," Manic walked up behind him and slapped a hand on his back, igniting his headache, "we're twins now."

Sonic cast his eyes over Manic, taking in his matching attire, down to the monkey suit, and rolled his eyes. "Haha," he deadpanned, "you're a real comedian."

"Is everyone here?" Aleena bustled up, Sonia on her heels. The pink hedgehog was wearing a dress that made Sonic's breath catch and he couldn't help but smile at her. She sent a soft grin back before turning to their mother as she continued. "Good, good. Are we ready? The courtyard is full already! Ah, Sonic! You need the crown... Where? Oh, yes, thank you Torin." The goat had appeared with another wooden box, this one with a small golden band that Aleena picked up with reverence. Easily, she moved toward Sonic and placed it on his brow, resting it snugly in his fur. "There. Now, we must get moving. Tails, Manic will roll you out after me, and then Sonic, you and Sonia will walk out after we announce you. Are we all prepared?"

After a group of nods, she smiled brightly and clapped. "Then let us move forward. Torin, if you and Bartleby will get the doors?"

A dull roar rolled into the room as the doors slowly swung open and Aleena stepped out gracefully, hands raised as if to embrace the crowd. Manic moved forward to grab the wheelchair and Sonic was forced to step aside, watching as Tails turned to give him an encouraging smile before Manic wheeled him forward. The sound was swelling as the royals appeared one by one and Sonic felt it crawl its way into his head, poking at his headache like a stick at hot coals. The pain hissed and sparked and he grimaced, hoping and praying that this wouldn't last long.

He realized a bit belatedly, as Sonia stepped up and he offered her his arm without thinking, that this was the first time he had been alone with her since he had arrived here. She was staring ahead, trying not to look at him, but he couldn't turn his eyes away, now that she was so close. He had missed his sister, he realized, missed her nosy personality and kindhearted ways. He had missed the sweet smelling perfume she insisted on wearing, the annoying way she took time every morning to get ready, missed the way she swatted him when he was being obnoxious... He missed Sonia.

"Sonia, I—" he began without realizing. She tensed and kept her eyes forward, steadfast in her refusal to turn to him. "—I'm sorry, you know... That I— That I left."

She relaxed a bit, a small move that made Sonic's heart soar. "I wanted to hate you," she began as the voice of their mother began speaking, telling a story of hope and pain that mirrored Sonia's voice perfectly. "I tried to hate you. But, Sonic, I... I couldn't. I watched you, saw how you treated Manic and your friend, saw how you smiled, so completely happy and free, and I couldn't hate you. You're still my boorish, uncultured older brother, but you're so... different. You're— You're— Content. You've grown up, and... I can't hate you for doing what you needed to do."

Sonic stared at her, thoughts of a response completely missing as she finally turned her eyes upon him. They were shining with tears, trails of dark pink fur already decorating paths of descent. "When I first saw you, I thought I was dreaming. Then, the next morning, reality set in and I had to face the possibilities of what had happened. You... left. And then you came back, and now you're here. But, you're not you – not completely. Your eyes are... they're... they glow Sonic."

"Only sometimes," Sonic choked back, ignoring the increasing sounds of the crowd as they applauded something the queen had said.

Sonia chuckled. "But, regardless, I'd like to get to know you again, the new you – after you finally fork over that crown to the person who actually deserves it, that is."

There was a teasing note to her voice and Sonic grinned. "So that's how it is, huh? You'll only forgive me after I finally give you what you want? You're such a spiny annoying princess."

"There's nothing to forgive," she whispered lowly enough that Sonic almost missed it. "You did what made you happiest. I can't fault you for that."

"Sis," he sighed and reached forward to give her a hug, surprising her, "when did you become so incredibly amazing?"

She shrugged, and hugged him back. "It's always been here. We just had to grow up a little to find it."

"Now, allow Us to introduce Princess Sonia, and Prince Sonic – finally returned to us!"

Brother and sister pulled apart and grinned at each other. Once again, Sonic offered his arm. "Shall we?"

She took the appendage happily. "Yes."

000

The crowd lost it when Sonic stepped out. Cries of disbelief and glee filled the air as he and Sonia trailed a path to stand on either side of their mother. She was smiling softly at them and she embraced them separately, taking the time to touch each of the medallions hanging around their necks. Then, she turned back to the mass of people and gestured for quiet.

"As many of you remember," she began, voice amplified by a small microphone set in front of them on the railing, "there was an explosion outside of Mobotropolis a few years ago that we believed took Sonic from us. But, we were mistaken. He survived and flourished, taking time to explore the outside world before returning home! He is alive and well!"

The crowd exploded in a swell of yells, yelling happy sentiments about Sonic's return. It would take a few days for them to think over what all of this meant, and they would eventually figure it out, but, for now, Sonic would allow them to celebrate.

Tails rolled forward so he was next to him, eyes barely high enough to peak over the rail that separated them from the open air above the heads. "They love you," he practically yelled, wary of the mic, "just like the rest of Mobius!"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "I never asked for this!"

Tails chuckled and turned to look at the crowd. Sonic followed suit, analyzing all of the people who had turned up to see him. It was surreal, really. These were the people he had fought for, had risked his life to save.

And, also the people he had left.

He shook his head, refusing to feel guilty. Today was a day of celebration and happ—

Next to him, Tails stiffened.

Sonic immediately dropped down next to him, ignoring his mother's immediate tutting. Manic darted over as well, leaning over Sonic's shoulder to hear. "What's up, Tails?"

"You don't hear that?" Tails yelled significantly louder, as if he couldn't hear his own voice. "There's a loud buzzing... Like... Oh no. Get down!" His eyes widened and he immediately lunged out of his chair, grabbing the closest person around the middle and dragging them down. There was a huff as Bartleby hit the ground, Tails covering his head with his body.

Sonic was seconds behind, shoving Manic down and jumping to tackle both his mother and sister. They slammed into the floor, Sonia's elbow smashing into his chin hard enough to make his teeth crunch, and Aleena yelled, demanding just what was going on.

A laser sliced through the railing and cracked against the wall right where Aleena had been standing, leaving a hole as big as Sonic's hand in its wake. Screams erupted from the crowd and Sonic pushed himself away from his female family members, crawling over to his friend and brother.

"You guys okay?" he asked as he grabbed Tails' head in his hands, checking the fox for any head wounds. The kit's blue eyes were wide and his ears swiveled around, trying to pinpoint the direction the laser had come from.

"Fine," Tails and Manic replied at the same time. Manic looked shaken up but unhurt, and Sonic turned his attention to Bartleby. The aristocrat had hit his head against the railing on his way down, but he looked fine, despite his dizziness.

"What was that?!" Sonia demanded from across the way, crouching as low to the ground as she could while still protecting the queen.

"Tails can hear the high pitched whine of laser canons!" Sonic called back, eyes stuck on the fox as he closed his eyes to get a better read on the sound. "It's a canine thing!"

"Laser canons?!" Sonia's voice screeched. "Who on mobius—"

Tails' eyes snapped out and Sonic held up a hand to silence his sister. "That way," he said simply, pointing into the crowd. "Southwest, about five o'clock. It's small but powerful; takes some time to recharge, which is why we're not ducking for cover right now. Probably hidden under some clothes."

Sonic rose immediately, struggling to free himself from the restraining hold of his jacket. It fluttered to the ground at his feet and he turned to his family. "Do what Tails says. He'll keep you safe." Then, he looked to the fox. "Stay with them. Don't come after me."

Tails looked ready to argue, but Sonic twisted away and bounded toward the railing. Planting a hand, he leapt over it and dropped into the still panicking crowd.

Then, he was nothing but a blue light, disappearing in the direction Tails had indicated.

Chapter Text

It took a laughably small amount of effort to herd the royals back into the building, despite his throbbing ankle and inability to do more than crawl uselessly across the ground. Tails urged them forward with a low tone, ears pricked to catch any suspicious sounds, and they responded quickly, as mindless as worker bees. Sonia crawled across to urge Bartleby to his feet while Manic peered into the mass of people below, trying to catch sight of his brother. Tails called his attention back as the queen, Sonia, and Bartleby scurried through the door, and the green boy turned to him with a troubled expression, brow furrowed.

He managed to leverage himself back into his wheelchair in time for Manic to grab the handles and push him back across the threshold. Inside, guards swarmed, checking over the queen and her children, peeking through the doorway, and Tails heard a woman bark orders to pull the doors closed. The sounds of a panicked crowd dropped away to a dull roar and the fox sighed.

"Call Knox," the queen ordered, spying Bartleby's dazed form slumped on the floor next to the door. Tails felt a stab of guilt in his gut but he shook it off. Bartleby was lucky to be getting off with just a knocked skull – compared to the alternative.

Speaking of...

"Manic," the fox called lowly under the guards' incessant questions, "did you see what color the laser was?"

There was a pause, deliberate and long, and then Manic's voice came, subdued, "blue."

Tails grimaced. "They were trying to stun then, not kill..." He trailed off, glancing back at the door.

"What're they trying to do – stun the queen?" Manic's voice was almost intelligible over the rising voices of the guards. "What would that get them?"

"It's obvious isn't it?" Tails' expression was grim. "From far away, a stunned person looks like a dead person. The crowd would be a mob in seconds."

"That still doesn't... There aren't any long term effects. Yeah, there would be chaos for a while, but it would eventually die down when it got out that she wasn't dead."

"Unless they only wanted the knee jerk reaction," Tails cut in, rolling his chair closer to the door. He grasped the handle and pulled it open, his actions flying right under the radar of the frazzled guards still fussing over the queen. "Who do we know that always leaps without thinking?"

A bright flash of blue near the edge of the crowd caught Manic's attention and his face paled. "They wanted Sonic to jump into the pandemonium – away from the palace."

"And us."

o0o

...:Allegro:...

Sonic zigzagged through the throng with a touch of difficulty. The pandemonium of a frightened and confused crowd put a limit on how fast he could move, but it kept him well concealed; he easily became nothing but another person, hidden in the mayhem. Faces flashed past his eyes, terrified and lost, screaming in broken sentences with loaded words like assassination and gunfire. He ignored it all, snaking around people as well as he could, pushing squirming children and panicking adults out of the way. They stumbled and flinched, sending him shocked glances. One look at his grim expression and they practically jumped out of the way; he wasn't sure if it was his familiar features, the determination on his face, or the crown still set on his brow, heavy and restricting.

Tails had pointed at a far off corner of the plaza where cherry blossom trees offered shade in the heat of June. The corners had cleared quickly after the first shot, everyone surging toward the middle and then the gates, keen on escaping the preconceived danger. He made good time despite the squirming mass of individuals hindering his movements, and he paused under the first tree, peering into the cluster.

The child caught his eye almost immediately. Sitting against a tree in the middle, blossoms scattered around him like pink snowdrops, he was a small form, hunched and obviously scared. A cat, golden in color, no more than five years old, and dressed in beige shorts and a green shirt, he was fidgeting – probably wanted to get up and play. Obviously a kid out for the coronation.

The gun sitting in his lap was the exact antithesis of the innocent visage, and the mask resting over his face – a skull, how fitting – painted a grim picture. Sonic felt a surge of anger go through his heart. He was no idiot: this child was not to blame for the pandemonium, but he was obviously being used as a pawn in someone else's scheme.

He padded forward, crushing fragile cherry blossoms under his feet, and the kid's head swiveled toward him at his approach. Behind the mask, Sonic saw a pair of brilliant blue eyes widen and the child shuffled as if to get up. "Don't move," Sonic commanded, throwing his hands out in a quick movement. Toward the center of the plaza, the guards were swarming, barking orders in tandem with the hedgehog and he shook his head, blocking out the excess noise.

Sonic knelt down next to the child. Quickly, he ran his eyes over the gun, looking for any sign of tampering or wiring. It didn't look dangerous, but he knew that even the smallest cable could turn it into a bomb. "What's your name?" He turned from the gun and reached forward to pull the mask off. The child's face that met him sent another strike of fury through him and he flashed back to a few years ago, when Tails looked at him with that same big-eyed expression.

"Ben..."

"Okay, Ben. Do you know what's going on?"

The kit shook his head. "I was playing with my brother during the ceremony and this strange man came up to me and told me that I could meet you if I went with him! My daddy always told me not to talk to strangers, but you're not a stranger! You're a hero!"

"You should listen to your parents, kiddo," Sonic replied, easing his hands around the gun and feeling for triggers. So far it was clean. "Did you get a good look at the man?"

Another head shake. "He was wearing a hood, which I thought was strange because it's summer and all, and his voice was really deep. He brought me over here and told me to sit. Then he put this mask on my head and handed me this. He told me it was a toy and it would get your attention."

"Well, he was right about one thing..." The hedgehog muttered. The gun seemed clean. In fact, now that he thought about it, it was almost too light to be a real laser weapon. Those things were dense, the mechanics inside making them heavier than the humans' bullet shooters; it could have been a toy. "I'm gonna take this from you now. If I suddenly run off, don't move, okay?"

A firm nod. "Yes sir."

It took a simple jerk to remove the gun from the child's limb grip and Sonic waited half of a second for any tell-tale clicks or beeps before tossing it over his shoulder. His original suspicions were right: it was a toy.

Danger now eliminated, Sonic turned back to the child, resting his hands over his bent knees. "So, Ben," he began, ignoring the innocent thrill that passed over the kid's face as Sonic remembered his name, "a hood and a deep voice. That's all you've got for me?"

Large cat ears lowered as if Sonic had insulted their owner. "Well..." A look of deep concentration crossed the five-year-old's face. "Oh!" A small hand disappeared to fish around in the pocket of his shorts. "He gave me this! Told me to give it to you when I saw you!"

The kitten passed Sonic a crumbled piece of paper, folded into a small square. His name – Sonic the Hedgehog, not Sonic Hedgehog... suspicious – was penciled on the front almost like a note children would pass in class. The handwriting was messy and rough, the hand inexperienced, and Sonic felt his eyeridges rise in surprise. An assassination attempt, a kidnapping, and now a suspicious note – this kept getting weirder and weirder.

"Thanks, champ," Sonic grinned despite the uneasy hand of agitation that had grasped tightly around his heart. Quickly, he shoved the piece of paper into his glove; he could deal with it later. "How about we find your parents, huh? They're probably worried sick about you."

He stood, hoisting the kid into his arms and settled him on his hip. The plaza had cleared almost completely now, only a few guards and civilians left. The gates were nearly closed, wide enough to let people out single-file, and the flat area in front of the palace was swarming with people, trying to get a look inside while a line of guards pushed them back. Sonic rolled his eyes – the danger didn't end at the gates; the shooter could be right outside in the crowd and none of the citizens seemed aware.

It didn't take long to find Ben's family. A tall golden feline was juggling a nearly identical child in his arms, looking harassed as a guard tried to get him to leave. The kid in his arms was crying, repeating something over and over again amidst broken sobs.

"—my son is missing! I'm not leaving until I—"

"I understand sir," the guard, a stressed collie, sounded anything but understanding, "but this area isn't safe. You need to leave."

"He's five! He's probably scared and lost! I need to look for him!"

"Look, we'll keep an eye out for him but you need to get out—"

Sonic stopped a few feet away from squabbling pair, jacking Ben higher up on his hip. The kit squirmed in his hold but Sonic held tight. The area might have been nearly deserted, but he wasn't letting this kid go; he had already proven that he didn't have the best sense when it came to strangers yet.

The arguing reached a crescendo, louder than the other kitten's crying. Now that he was closer, Sonic could tell that he was saying a name, more than likely that of his missing brother. With a sigh, Sonic took a deep breath and let out a loud, high pitched whistle. Silence immediately fell and three heads turned in their direction.

"Benjamin!" a child's voice called and suddenly Ben pushed himself out of Sonic's arms. He landed on his feet and met his brother halfway, crashing into a hug full of muffled sobs and short limbs. Looking at them now, there was no way they were anything but twins, and Sonic felt his heart go out to the relieved brother. He knew that he would have been much the same if Tails had gone missing like that.

Hell, he reflected, he'd probably be in a state if something like that happened to Sonia or Manic.

The father looked shocked for a few seconds before he dropped down to wrap his arms around his boys, matching their tears with a few of his own. The relief was clear and Sonic turned to the guard.

"I've got this," he said softly, looking back at the small family. The father was holding Ben close, scolding even as he dropped small kisses onto his head. "Go help clear everyone else out."

The guard looked ready to argue, but then his eyes tracked up to the crown still set on Sonic's brow and he nodded once. He left without another word.

Ben was chattering at a mile a minute, giving an amended account of what had happened in the face of his father's reprimand. He wisely skipped over how he had been tricked into going with a shady dude in a hood and simply explained that he had wandered too far, had gotten lost in the crowd, and the hedgehog had found him. Sonic couldn't help but grin. The little cat reminded Sonic of Tails when he had been that small, all big eyes and big ideas, the world nothing but new possibilities. It was refreshing to see such untouched innocence, especially in this scene of near-death.

"Prince Sonic, I don't know how to thank you." The elder cat directed this at Sonic as he stood, taking each of his kids by the hand. "You brought my boy back safe and sound..."

The hedgehog shook his head. "No thanks necessary, just don't call me prince. We were all here today so I could give that title away."

A smirk crossed the man's face. "All right then, Sonic." He turned to his sons. "Benjamin, what should you say to Sonic?"

The boy's grin was bright, like sunlight in the morning. "Thank you for saving me, Mister Sonic!"

The little kid next to him had remained mostly silent through the whole exchange, but he looked up now, gazing at the hero with huge purple-blue eyes. "Thank you for bringing my brother back," he mumbled quietly. "He can be a bit of an airhead, so he was lucky you found him."

"Ah, c'mon Danny! I'm not that dense!"

The father chuckled as his sons dissolved into a playful argument. Sonic grinned as well. "Daniel's right; Benjamin gets easily distracted so I'm not surprised he disappeared..."

Sonic let out a short laugh. "You're lucky he's stuck on the ground. I have this kid I watch over – he can fly. Yeah," he added at the cat's mixed expression of surprise and parental pity, "it's as bad as you think it is. Luckily, I can easily out run him."

The man laughed. "Ah yes, I've heard stories of your abilities. You were hell on mobius when you were younger." He paused as he took in Sonic's pinched expression and sighed. "You know, this isn't my place, but I'm not like most of the people here. The queen kept most of the information from the outside from getting into the kingdom so the citizens could focus on reuniting and rebuilding everything, but my spouse and I— We got out before everything happened, you know? We adopted Ben and Matt in Green Hill Zone and we only moved back here two years ago. You're doing a lot of good out there, protecting everyone and everything. But, there's still a place for family in that life. Give it a chance."

Sonic stayed silent for a few beats, casting his eyes toward the twins, who had stopped bickering and we now whispering and glancing back at Sonic and their father. He had memories like that, not with Sonia and Manic, but with Tails. Moments shared with siblings, whether adopted or blood, were important, but Sonic didn't feel any remorse at his lost chances with his actual siblings. They represented a life that only offered repression and anger, but he supposed he could try to go back to before – when they were traveling in the van, fighting to liberate everyone. He had been so against the castle and all its grandeur that he had missed the people that lived in it. They were rebelling against it just as much as he was. He had seen Manic's sullen expression at the mention of any duties and Sonia had become testy when faced with certain things. It was a matter of perspective, and, of course, this small family with a set of twins and an adoptive father had to be the thing to give it to him. The universe had a strange way of toying with him.

"I'll think about it," he replied after a long stretch. The man nodded and looked back at his kids. The boys were giggling now, glancing back with greater frequency.

"Okay, what are you scheming, you heathens?" The cat planted his hands on his hips and set them with a mild glare.

"Can Mister Sonic come over and play?" Suddenly, Sonic had two boys clutching to his knees. Ben was the one pleading with his father, but Matt was pulling some pretty good puppy dog eyes, turning his brilliant purple-blue eyes up towards him. They would've worked if Sonic wasn't used to ignoring Tails' master puppy blues. Sonic grinned.

"Not today, boys," the cat tried to peel them away but they only held tighter. "Sonic's very busy today."

"Awwwww!" they chorused.

"I'll tell you what," Sonic broke in before the dad could. "I'll come to visit next week with one of my friends. He's super cool and can build all kinds of stuff."

"You mean Tails?!" Ben gasped, and when Sonic nodded he let go and jumped once in excitement. "Yeah! C'mon Matt, let's let him go so he can come over later!"

The quieter boy let go almost immediately but his smile was huge and Sonic felt his heart lift. The kids were charming, he gave them that, and he definitely needed the innocent pick-me-up after the last few weeks. "Where do you live?" He turned to the man as he struggled to grab both of his children's hands once again.

"We're at the very end of Maple Drive."

"All right. I don't know what day I'll be free but I'll definitely stop by. Tails loves kids."

The man shook his head. "That isn't necessary. You've already done enough."

Sonic chuckled. "You're giving me too much credit. I need out of that palace or I'm gonna explode. You guys are the perfect excuse. I hope you don't mind...?"

"No no, we'd love to have you. But, we should probably get out of here. The guards are starting to look this way."

"Yeah, you guys get going. Go home, it's safer than hanging out in the crowd."

"We will." The cat reached out and Sonic grabbed his palm with his own for a handshake. "Thank you again, Sonic."

"You're welcome..." He trailed off, half hoping the man would give him his name.

He didn't disappoint. "Arthur." And, with that, he turned away, leading his kids towards the gates. Once they had disappeared, Sonic finally had the chance to glance around. The guards were slow to act, but once they go moving, things sped along pretty quickly. The last of the civilians had been cleared out and the gates were closed, on the balcony, Scott was waving his arms around, angrily yelling at the poor man standing next to him. The smoldering hole in the wall behind him sat in sharp contrast and Sonic felt a sharp stab of anger in this stomach.

Someone was threatening his family.

000

...:Mezzo:...

Sonic had to take the long way around to get back inside. The palace guard didn't seem that numerous when he was actively avoiding them in the halls, but now that they were spread around the perimeter with itchy trigger fingers, he became acutely aware of their presence. Really, they were a hazard all on their own.

But, they were trying their best, and Sonic had to give credit where it was due. Mentally, he made a note to convince Knuckles to come down here and teach them a few hand-to-hand skills – it would help with his peace of mind.

He had to knock – yes, actually put knuckles to wood – to get back inside. He half expected someone to crack the door, peak out, and demand a password, but, as it was, he was faced with a jumpy guard, who nearly closed the door in his face. The crown stopped him though and Sonic slipped through without a word, internally ready to scream at all the wasted time. That damn crown had to go. Sonic wasn't one for symbolic reasoning, but it was heavy on his brow, and not only because it was pure silver. Once in the foyer, he threw it onto the floor with a clatter and stomped off, ignoring the stab of anger at his own hypocrisy. Who was acting like the spoiled prince now, Sonic?

He found Tails easily enough, scooted into the middle of a circle of guards, looking incredibly put out as he leaned on the armrest of his wheelchair. His family was nearby – Manic with a hassled expression, Sonia demanding that everyone get out of her way before she employed her superspin, and the queen somehow managing to look both calm and annoyed at the same time. The guards tensed when he entered, some of their hands reaching for the guns at their sides, and that was Aleena's breaking point.

"Oh, for Chaos sake! That's Sonic! Don't pull your guns, you fools!"

Tails' head jerked up from where it had been lolling in his palm and the relief on his face was strong enough to make Sonic feel guilty. Damn that kid; the hedgehog was wrapped around his little finger. "Finally," the fox greeted, pushing the chair forward. He rolled over a few toes, but Sonic figured they deserved it, treating him like he couldn't take care of himself.

Another hypocrisy point to him.

"Could you move any slower?" Tails continued, ignoring the pained squawking that he left in his wake. "We've been waiting for twenty years."

The sarcasm was a welcome distraction in his frazzled state and Sonic actually felt a genuine smile touch his lips. "Had to rescue a kid and find his family. You know how it is."

"Ah yes, the your charity knows no bounds. Did you find anything?"

Suddenly, Sonic was aware of all of the ears pointed in their direction, and he felt his eyes narrow. "Nah," he waved a hand dismissively, "shooter got away. I'm just glad I could get that kid to safety."

Tails' eyes narrowed in an identical move to Sonic. The hedgehog knew that the kid could see right through him, so he sent him a grimace. Tails' returning nod was so small, there was no way anyone but the hedgehog picked it up, and the blue one thanked chaos that Tails was so perceptive. "That's too bad..."

The hedgehog nodded once again and turned to the room at large. "Everything's safe down in the plaza, but they need more guards outside the gates to get rid of the people."

Almost immediately, the queen clapped her hands, startling the guards enough that some went for their guns. Sonic resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You heard my son. Get down there and help. We're perfectly safe in the palace." A few beats of silence. "Go on, shoo. That's an order."

The shuffle of movement that followed was busy enough that Sonic managed to grab Tails' wheelchair and scoot them both out of the room undetected and around a few corners. He pulled to a stop in a secluded room, far from the main part of the palace.

Tails pivoted in his seat to set Sonic with a terse look. "Okay, what's up? I haven't seen you wound this tight since we got here."

The hedgehog blew out a breath, running a hand nervously through his quills. "That kid I rescued didn't just happen to get separated from his family."

"I figured as much."

"When I got there he had a gun in his lap and a mask over his face." Sonic's tone turned dark as he was reminded of innocent Ben, who wanted nothing more than to meet a hero. "I managed to get the gun away without any problems, and he gave me a note." He pulled the folded paper free from the cuff of his glove and passed it over. Immediately, Tails pulled out a scanner and ran it over the lined sheet. "His kidnapper had on a hood so he didn't get a look at his face, but he said that he had a deep voice. Not much to go on, but it'll get us somewhere."

"It's clean," Tails replied, holding the note up between two fingers. "No prints, no powders that could poison us. You can open it."

Sonic sighed and snatched it back. It was simple work to unfold it and he blinked at what met his eyes. The writing was the same as the outside – childish, uneven, unsure. Sonic had to squint to make it out.

Trust no one, especially those that seem to know too much.

"What the—"

"Let me see." Sonic held it out so the fox could get a look and watched his golden brow furrow. "Huh? That's not— I expected a threat... Not— What?"

"A warning," the hedgehog replied ominously, "from someone on the outside."

"Or someone trying to get under your skin," Tails pointed out, leaning forward a bit in his seat. "I wouldn't take it at face value. After all, they did shoot at the queen just to give you this."

"Crazy way to get someone's attention..." Sonic closed his fist, crumpling the note into a rough ball. "I'll get rid of this tonight. We don't need anyone seeing it and getting any bright ideas. As far as anyone's concerned, the shooter disappeared without a trace, got it?"

Tails nodded once, uncertainly. "Are you sure it's a good idea to keep this from your family? I mean, maybe they can help—"

"They have enough to worry about." Sonic sighed and closed his eyes. His headache was peaking again. "We can handle this."

Tails reached up and patted Sonic's arm; the hedgehog relaxed minutely. "Yeah, we can..." He trailed off and mirrored Sonic's sigh. "I put in a call to G.U.N. a few days ago about the construction outside Station Square." Sonic blinked at the change of subject, but quickly decided that Tails was trying to distract him. Chaos bless that kid. He wrapped his hands around the wheelchair's handles and started down the hall, heading in the general direction of their bedroom. "They haven't gotten back to me yet, so I guess we're alone out here. Not that we need backup."

Sonic snorted. "We've been alone for years. What made you think G.U.N. would send help now?"

Tails shrugged. "We're kinda stuck here, so I figured they could send Shadow or someone to check it out until we could."

The hedgehog turned a corner at the sight of a guard jogging towards them. "Shadow's probably disappeared again, knowing him."

"Prince Sonic!"

"Last I heard, he was trying to sneak onto Angel Island to study the Hidden Palace Zone, but Knuckles won't let him."

"Prince Sonic! Please wait! Your mother wants to speak with you!"

Sonic sighed and pulled to a stop. That guard was persistent, he gave him that – persistently annoying. "How many times—? Don't call me prince, damnit."

"My apologies... Sonic. Your mother wants to talk to you."

"Yeah, I have ears. I heard you. Notice how I didn't turn around." Tails sighed audibly in front of him, but Sonic ignored him in favor of glaring down the guard.

"But, the queen—"

"Tell her I'll talk to her tomorrow. I'm tired." And if I don't lay down soon my gonna's explode.

That last bit was better left unsaid.

"But, she specifically requested—"

"She'll understand." And, with that, he patted Tails on the head once and disappeared down the hall, nothing more than a flash of blue.

Tails turned a sheepish smile on the guard. "You'll learn soon enough. Sonic operates on his own time."

o0o

*Modulation:*: Estinto *

The next few days pass slowly for Manic. The queen orders that no one is to leave the grounds until the shooter is found, so he is stuck twiddling his thumbs. The monotony is broken only by the televised redo ceremony, broadcasted to everyone with a computer, where Sonic finally manages to get rid of the crown. He practically throws it at Sonia, which brings a frown from both the queen and her advisor, but Sonic is obviously happy to be free.

After that, everyone in the palace falls into a sort of half-hibernation. Everyone is quiet as they move through the halls, and family meals are few and far between. Sonic is nowhere to be found more often than not, and Sonia spends her time directing preparations for a birthday party for three.

Tails is nearly out of hoverboards to tinker with, so the fox has less to teach him. Not to mention, Tails seems to have caught the same irritable disease Sonic has been suffering from, so he's not as much fun to be around. He angrily strips wires and splices them together, barely saying anything to the green hedgehog watching over his shoulder. He mumbles of a headache at some point, and Manic feels a stone of apprehension drop into his stomach, sending waves of dread rippling through his heart.

A coincidence, that's all it is. Or so he tries to tell himself. Something stinks. There's something rotten going on here, and he seems to be the only one taking notice.

He disappears into his room, looking through the countless books he has organized over the years. They cover nearly every subject, but he knows exactly where he needs to look.

The Chaos Theory book turned out to be the first in a series of three, each going further in depth than the last. He had stopped after the first – the advanced concepts were too much for him – but Tails had mentioned a few things about Chaos Energy to him in passing, things that he's sure will help fill in some of the holes. He isn't sure what led him here, headaches aren't usually a symptom of Chaos contamination, but he has a hunch.

It's slow going – he has to reference countless other books and even face the anger monster that Tails has become to ask a few questions – but he eventually manages to puzzle together a few of the chapters. There isn't much in the way of angry, headache ridden Chaos Users, but there is mention of a Chaos Touched – he doesn't waste any time trying to figure out what on mobius a Chaos Touched is – who went insane from too much exposure to neutral energy – something about imbalances and Energy backups.

Manic feels the apprehension in his belly growing into full fledged panic. He isn't even sure if Tails is Chaos gifted – his headaches might be disconnected from Sonic's entirely, a side effect of the medication for his ankle perhaps – but the books don't paint a pretty picture. If his assumptions are true, Sonic and Tails are both in big trouble.

o0o

...:Codetta:...

Exactly five days after the horrendous coronation, the door slammed open.

Sonic should have expected this, but is still – he was surprised. Sonia barged into his and Tails' room and threw the covers back. Before Sonic knew what was happening, he felt a hand wrap itself around his arm and was tugged out of bed against his will. "Formal classes start today!" the pink hedgehog chirped to his blank stare. Sonic took one look at the clock, then a glance out the window – taking note that the sun wasn't even awake yet – and sent his sister a scalding glare. He easily wormed his way out of her grip and threw himself back onto the bed, burrowing under the covers.

Sonia snapped on the light, ignoring the groan that came from the direction of Tails' head. "Come on, Sonic! You need to have these lessons. Me and Manic took them."

"Manic and I." Sonic's correction snaked out from under the covers, accompanied by a weak glare. His green eyes were rimmed in red, silent testament to a sleepless night.

"Don't be a brat, Sonic."

"S. A. P," Sonic snapped back, squirming away when Sonia tried to pull the blankets away. "Hypocrite." He punctuated his insult with a yank and she was sent sprawling onto the floor.

Sonic poked his head out from under the covers to peer at her, but didn't get one glance at her before something very solid smacked him in the head, clocking him and sending him falling backward. Tails' left sneaker landed on the edge of the bed and the hedgehog stared at it, trying to comprehend its shape this early in the morning.

"Get out of here!" the fox commanded, sitting up with his arms akimbo and the blankets pooled around his hips. "You two are keeping me up."

"But, she—"

"Go, Sonic. You promised to play prince until I'm healed and I'm not gonna heal if I don't get enough sleep."

"That makes no sense whatsoever Tails."

"Doesn't need to; it's too early to make sense." He reached down and grabbed his other shoe off the floor, brandishing it like a weapon. "Now get. Or do I need to throw this one at you too?"

"Better listen, Sonic. I think he's serio— Hey!" Tails' sneaker cuffed Sonia on the head with deadly accuracy. "What the—!"

"You're worse than him," Tails barked crossly, glaring at her, "making him do something he doesn't want to. There's a reason he ran off, you know."

"Attacking a princess of Mobius is a criminal offense," she sniffed, ignoring his statement entirely. "I could have you imprisoned for high treason."

"Oh please," the fox chuckled, rolling his eyes, "I'm not a citizen in your kingdom. You can't do anything."

"And he's under my protection, so I can just override your imprisonment, sis," Sonic added cheekily. He pushed himself to his feet and tossed Tails' sneaker onto the foot of the fox's bed. "Sorry about waking you, buddy. I'll go play nice. C'mon, sis." He grabbed her bicep to haul her to her feet before shoving her gently out the door.

"Good luck, bro," Tails called as the blue one snapped off the light. "You're gonna need it."

"Thanks kid." He closed the door as the fox threw himself back to his pillow, and turned, ignoring Sonia's smirk. "Let's just get this over with."

Sonia showed him to a small room set off the main hall. It was set up like a classroom with a chalkboard and three wide tables with two chairs each facing it. Manic was seated that the middle table with his head pillowed on his arms, shoulders moving up and down slowly. It was obvious that he was asleep and Sonic snickered when he heard Sonia huff and mumble something about their brother reading into the wee hours of the morning. She pushed Sonic into the chair next to the green boy and smacked Manic over the head as she walked away. The green hedgehog jerked awake and Sonic chuckled when his face fell into a deep scowl. "Wasn't necessary," he mumbled toward Sonic.

Before he could answer, Sonia began speaking, full lecture mode installed. "Now, we decided to start you off on something easy so you can get the hang of this, Sonic."

Sonic's eyeridges rose and he chose not to say anything, instead cutting a look at his brother.

"Geography and social studies of Mobius." Sonia's tone was a touch too excited for this early in the morning and Sonic's ears lowered in agitation. He just had to make it through one class. One class, one class, one class. One.

"Why am I here?" Manic's lethargic voice came as a low hum.

"Because you're awful at this stuff," she answered as an unhappy expression flickered across her face, "and Bartleby thought it would be better for Sonic to have a classmate."

Sonic's expression darkened at the mention of Sonia's used-to-be fiancée. He mumbled a very rude phrase under his breath and Manic snorted. "Sonic doesn't need to learn geography and social studies," the blue hedgehog groused in an almost perfect imitation of Sonia's voice, "Sonic has been to every region of the planet and probably knows more than Sonia and Bartleby put together."

"What is the primary export of Hill Top Zone?" a new voice fired off.

"Fruits and vegetables," Sonic replied, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. The newcomer, revealed to be the pompous Bartleby, scowled. "Speak of the devil." Sonic grinned toward him.

"Why?" the Royal Advisor demanded, ignoring his jab.

"Volcanic soil is incredibly fertile," Sonic replied without pause.

"What is the festival in Shamar called?"

"Festival of the Sun and Moon."

"What's special about it?"

"They sleep during the day and party at night."

"Where are the Mystic Ruins located?"

"Across the canal from Station Square." Sonic propped his feet on the table and leaned the chair back so it was balancing on the back legs. Manic and Sonia were staring at him with wide mouths and eyes, while Bartleby just looked pissed.

"Who used to live there?"

"Knuckles Clan."

"What were they?"

"Echidnas."

"How many are left?"

"One."

"Wrong." Bartleby's voice was overly malicious, taking a great satisfaction in Sonic's perceived screw up. "There are no echidnas left."

"Wrong," Sonic mimicked, lacing his hands together behind his head. "There's one. He lives on Angel Island."

"Angel Island doesn't exist."

"Wrong." Sonic seemed to be taking too much enjoyment out of this. "Been up there. It's real. You would know that if you paid attention."

Bartleby stared at him, trying to figure out if he was bluffing or not, and he seemed to eventually decide that calling his bluff would be a fruitless venture and he went back to his quizzing. "Who lives in the Mystic Ruins now?"

"Tails, me, this cat named Big and his pet frog," Sonic rattled off without pause, counting each person on his fingers, "Knuckles lives there sometimes when he brings the Island down."

"Incorrect, no one—" Bartleby, Sonic reflected, most likely didn't care about the meat of his answer as long as he could prove him wrong, which really made him look stupid. Manic cut in before he could finish.

"You live in the Mystic Ruins?! No way! I heard that place is awesome!"

"Yup, Tails has his workshop there, and I bunk there. It's pretty quiet, all things considered."

"I heard there was floating land there! And ruins left over from the ancients!" Manic was in full out fanboy mode, with his hands clasped around his mouth and his eyes wide. "Is it true?"

"Oh yeah," Sonic smirked at his brother's expression, his eyes dancing with mirth. "I can take you to see it when Tails is healed, if you want."

"Really? Sonic, dude, that'd be awesome!"

"Of course, we'd have to fix the plane first, and Tails can't get started on that until his cast is off and…"

"I can help him!" Manic's expression could only be described as 'puppy-like'. Sonic was half expecting to see his tail wagging.

"Manic," Sonia sighed, "Mother doesn't want us leaving. And Sonic, stop playing him like that. You know that you can't take him to Mystic Ruins."

"Why not sis? I can take him to Angel Island too. I can take him anywhere. Freedom and all that."

"But you're not a normal citizen, not anymore. Mother doesn't want us to leave, because she's scared we'll get hurt."

"News flash Sonia, I've already left and come back at least two dozen times since I got here, and no one's known."

"You what—? How?!"

"Fastest thing alive," Sonic replied from behind her. She jerked around, eyes wide, before darting back around to look where he had just been sitting. Manic was staring wide eyed at Sonic's empty chair and he looked up in time to share that startled glance with Sonia. It was bad decision making on Sonic's part, but he was exhausted, had a headache, and was willing to say anything to get out of here. He would undoubtedly regret the next thing that came out of his mouth, but he couldn't stop it. "Really, sis, would you expect less from Mobius' hero?"

"Mobius'—" That was from Bartleby and he cut himself off. "You're Mobius' hero? The guy that fought off Chaos and Dark Gaia?"

"The one and only." Sonic put his hands out in a lackluster show. "What, you were expecting someone taller?"

"Chaos? Dark Gaia? Mobius' hero?" Sonia demanded. "What're you two talking about?"

Sonic stretched his arms over his head before turning toward the door. "I'll let you handle this one, Bartlebutt. I'm going for a run. Need to see about getting the Tornado hauled here."

Then, he was gone in a flash of blue, nothing more than the wind ruffling through their quills.

Sonia jerked to set Bartleby with a glare. "What's going on here?!"

000

...:Coda:...

It had occurred to Sonic a few days ago that the Tornado was still laying in a field, and that was no way to treat his beloved plane. Originally, he tried to get into contact with Knuckles to see if the echidna could do anything about it, but he didn't answer the messages Sonic sent him – probably sore about not getting a call for the past few weeks. Knuckles liked to act tough, but Sonic knew he looked forward to their weekly communications just as much as the hedgehog. The guy could pout, even if he denied it at every turn, so it didn't come as much of a surprise when his call rang into oblivion with no answer.

Fine, he didn't need Knuckles anyway. From what he remembered, the plane wasn't in that many pieces. If worst came to worst, he could cash in a few hero points and get some of the people in Monopole to help him. He was gonna get that plane to either Mobotropolis or Mystic Ruins if it killed him.

It took him a few hours to travel across the continent at a light jog. The fresh air helped clear his head and he felt his ever present headache disappear in the face of the open world. Chaos, he needed to get out of that kingdom more often. Usually, he ran around the perimeter of Mobotropolis so he didn't leave Tails alone for too long, and this was only the second time he had been away since he had arrived – the first when he was so overwhelmed that he didn't realize where he was going until he was in Spagonia and it nearly dark. Now, he was reminded why he had left. The freedom of his pounding feet, the weightless thoughts that weren't filled with pain, the endless possibilities that yawned in front of him...

He arrived at the crash site far too soon and took in the plane with a trained glance. The body was intact, only a few pieces of paneling missing. It would be an easy fix, he reflected, but he didn't dare touch it. Tails was very particular about the plane, and a wrongly spliced wire would end with the whole thing blowing up in his face. No, he couldn't fix it himself. He had to either get it to Tails or Tails to it. Both seemed impossible. If it were in more pieces it would be easier to move, as much as he hated to think it. As it was, the whole thing was a hulking mess.

All he could do today was zip into Monopole, get a few tarps from home improvement store, and cover the aircraft. It was pretty simple to throw the tarps over considering he could dart around and grab the corners before they settled. A few big rocks served as weights to keep the tarps down and he dusted his hands off when he was finished. The red, sharp lines had been transformed into a blob of blue, and he hoped that would protect it well enough until he could decide what he wanted to do.

Now, he decided, to head to the Workshop and pick up some of Tails' overstock to keep the fox busy. He had run out of boards a while ago and Sonic had noticed him getting frustrated and irritable. Maybe he could distract Manic from whatever he was busy researching in his room. Two birds with one stone.

Then, he could probably stop by that construction site. Mystic Ruins was close enough— What am I doing?

Sonic sighed as he cut himself off. He was stalling. There was no reason to be suspicious of that damn site – the humans had it under control. He needed to worry about Tails and his ankle. He needed to go back. He needed to take a damn geography test so he didn't have to face Bartleby's dumb questions ever again.

He needed to go back.

But, everything inside him demanded that he stay as far away as possible.

Chapter Text

~Syncopation::Missed Beat~

Two weeks ago

You're not sure how you ended up here. One minute you were stalking through Mobotropolis, ignoring the foreign energy that probed at your senses the deeper you got into the city, asking about Sonic, and then next you are neck deep in some kind of resistance movement. Except, they aren't resisting the monarchy—oh no, they're the original resistance that worked to get rid of Robotnik, driven underground now that the royals are back in place, except now they work in secret. It is no secret that the castle guard is a joke, and the resistance is working to undercover and remove any threats to the monarchy. They were a vigilante group now, and somehow, you got caught up in it.

You only consider one person in this joke of an organization as a potential ally—because The Guardian does not have friends—and he isn't around nearly enough to keep you from wanting to punch someone into next Tuesday. Your firsts are itchy, and you need to take your aggression out on someone, especially since Sonic is unreachable. Yes, you know exactly where he is; that was the first thing the resistance told you. You were so pissed when you found out where—and who, damn prince, of course why wasn't it surprising—he was, the spineless resistance members had to skitter out of your way or risk never breathing again. Chaos, what an idiot. Sonic would be on the receiving end of your aggression first thing, mark your words. You told him this place was dangerous, and now he's playing prince—!

Deep breath, Knuckles, you can do this. This is an equal opportunity partnership. You provide the resistance with muscle and they get you intel. Chaos, you hate subterfuge. Spies and secret tunnels under the palace—pointless when you can just stroll through the front gates, but oh no, that would get you shot.

You hate monarchies.

"Hey Knucker," greets your only ally, immediately being bumped from near friend to potential punching bag with the utterance of that terrible nickname. At this rate, you'd prefer to be called Knux.

"Caleb," you grind out, ignoring the cat's golden smile. All dark blond fur and brilliant violet eyes, Caleb is prim and proper. He's the antithesis to you, really, but he has a certain likeability that you can't ignore. Charisma, your brain supplies, the same insufferable trait Sonic is so talented in. How annoying.

"How're you fairing, my friend?" Caleb continues, closing the door to Knuckles' temporary quarters.

"I'm a laser gun," you supply, waving a lazy hand from where you are seated at the only table in the room, staring down at a piece of paper in front of you. Caleb's brow furrows in confusion and you blow out an annoyed breath. "I'm a weapon."

Caleb's mouth drops into a small 'oh.' "No, you're not! Well..." He tries to argue, but you send him a look that brings forth a sheepish smile. "Maybe a little. Don't look at me like that!" he continues when you glare. "I don't make any decisions. Hell, I'm only here because you talk to me. I'm supposed to be home with my family, but the higher ups want me here. My husband is probably pissed."

"You got kids?" you grunt, not really caring, but you could use the distraction to keep you from thinking too deeply about the information on the sheet of paper.

"Two boys—the most adorable twins you'll ever meet. They'd love you, Knuckles!"

"I wouldn't like them."

"See, that's what I mean! You're hilarious!"

You sigh. The last thing you want an extensive background on Caleb's kids. Oh no, he's reaching for his wallet; he probably has pictures.

"Can you get a letter to Sonic?" you burst out before Caleb's hands can brush his pocket. "I need to tell him something—something that could save his life."

Caleb pauses and seems to contemplate the words. "We don't have anyone inside the palace, but I might know someone who can get a message in. He's a little shady, but he's reliable. I'll have to run the letter past the higher ups though. It needs to be vague, in case it gets lost before it gets to where it needs to be."

You nod and grab for a fresh piece of paper. "Fine, I can do vague."

o0o

…:Mezzo:…

Now

Sonic aced his geography test, just like he knew he would. Bartleby was shocked into silence—a golden thing that Sonic would never take for granted again—and he let Sonic off with a pass. The hedgehog celebrated by rushing out and hiring a team of men in Monopole to dismantle the Tornado and transport it to Mystic Ruins. It was unfeasible for them to bring it all the way to Mobotropolis, so he slapped down enough mobiums to keep them quiet and careful, and they got to work. Sonic returned that evening smug and headache free, to find Tails curled into a small ball in bed, fists pressed to his temples and eyes screwed shut. He whimpered when Sonic placed a hand on his shoulder, nearly beside himself, and demanded what was wrong.

"Too loud," Tails whispered, "headache, gonna die..."

Sonic felt his heart plummet to take up residence in his shoes and he nearly cursed out loud, stopping the loud expletive when Tails sobbed into the blankets, incoherently mumbling about pain and throbbing and why won't the light shut up.

The hedgehog had two responses to Tails' tears: 1. Punch whatever was causing the them; 2. Cuddle him until the storm ended.

This was obviously a job for the second one—because, almost assuredly, punching Tails in the head would only make it worse—so he kicked his shoes off and crawled into bed. He gathered the fox into his arms like he did when he was tiny and there were thunderstorms and the fox was quaking and mewling and terrified. The kit burrowed into his chest almost immediately, hands grasping Sonic's arms, tears staining both blue and gold fur. Chaos, what on mobius was going on here?

Tails relaxed minutely as Sonic rubbed small, comforting circles into his back, hyperventilating turned to breathy gasps, and Sonic wanted nothing more than to take the headache onto himself. He had been trying to shake migraines all week, but he would shoulder Tails' in a second if it meant the kid would go back to being happy, carefree, and pain free. He had no idea why, but he was sure that these headaches were connected in some ways. There was something wrong here, and he needed to get Tails out.

It's not like you can just take him and run, a nasty voice in his head broke in, potentially screw up his foot because of a hunch? Yeah right.

Tails' breathing was slowing down, stabilizing, and his sobs were quieting. Sonic felt his heart lift and he ignored the voice in favor of focusing on the ocean eyes that blinked up at him.

"Sonic?" Tails' voice was cracked and broken, the exact opposite of the voice he had had this morning, declaring and strong. "Head hurts..."

"I know, I know it does buddy," Sonic soothed. "It'll pass. You'll be fine in no time." Quickly, he extracted an arm from Tails' grip to pull the blankets around them. "Get some sleep, okay kiddo? The headache will be gone when you wake up."

"Promise?" Suddenly, Tails was no longer the snarky, self-assured genius that Sonic knew; he was a terrified eight-year-old, big eyes and death grips and shudders and clinging, a child. Sonic felt his mouth go dry.

"I promise."

Tails was quiet after that, only the random sniffle escaping, and he eventually relaxed as he managed to slip into a light sleep. Sonic didn't move, both because he didn't want to disturb him and because he wasn't sure his legs would hold him up if he managed to slide out of bed. Something had to change. He cast a look at the table, where their single Chaos Emerald was still hiding under a cloth. Maybe he could convince Tails to carry it around? The extra Chaos Energy might help his ankle heal faster...

Who was he kidding? They were lost, adrift in a world Sonic hated. Tails was slipping just like him, and they would both drown soon enough. It was only a matter of who would go first.

For now, all he could do was continue as if nothing was wrong. The last thing he needed was someone finding out they were off their game. It only took one set of loose lips to bring hellfire down on them. There were sinister ears everywhere.

So, he simply wrapped his arms around his adopted brother and rocked him, singing nonsense under his breath. He didn't notice the light that escaped from the cloth—usually a dull green—flare to a vibrant emerald, nor did he realize he was drifting off himself until his eyes were closing. He was asleep in seconds.

It was the deepest, most peaceful sleep either of them had gotten in a while.

o0o

*Modulation:*:Trill*

At the same time, Manic sleeps fitfully, rolling under his sheets, sweat bulleting on his forehead, gasping and grasping and keening and dreaming.

The old mobian's house is cozy and comfortable with little touches of personality here and there. Newspaper clippings decorate the refrigerator and the table is overcrowded with books, stacks that tower over Manic's head as he follows Sonia to the table. The old man who had picked them up off the street puttered about the kitchen, putting a kettle on to boil before turning to face them, wrinkled face parting into a smile. Manic can't pinpoint the features as belonging to any one subspecies of mobian—there is a dog-like nose and large cat ears, brown eyes that remind him of a bull, and fur that has long since lost any sort of pattering or coloring—and this puts him on edge.

"What brings two young people such as yourselves out into the city at this time of evening?" he begins, the smile still on his face. Manic feels trepidation snake its way up his spine, and he keeps him mouth shut.

Sonia, on the other hand, does no such thing. "We're looking for something."

"Oh? Have you lost something?"

Sonia shoots her brother a look somewhere between questioning and apprehensive, as if she isn't sure how to answer that. Manic sighs.

"Not lost—it just needs to be found."

"Ah, well, maybe I can help—" The kettle lets out a harsh whistle, drawing all of their attention. The man tutts and turns to pull it off. "Please, have a seat."

Manic and Sonia glance at the table, take in the books that will make conversation impossible, and then look back at each other. Sonia sighs, pulls a chair out, flips it around, and sits facing the room at large. Manic chooses to remain standing, one hand hovering over his defective medallion.

"You have a lot of books," Sonia begins, for lack of anything better to say. Manic lets his eyes skate over the spines, taking in the titles. History and science with a bit of mythology thrown in—heavy reading for a long life.

"Well, yes, I suppose I do. I haven't cracked most of those, but I hope to, one day. Would you like to take a look?" The man brings over a tray with three teacups on it, ceramic rattling as his hands shake with his age. Manic quickly relieves him of the burden.

"We couldn't," Sonia answers before Manic has the chance to throw the tray down and dive in to the pages. "We can't stay long."

"That's too bad," he answers, handing her a cup. She sniffs it, trying to be inconspicuous, and then takes a small sip. Manic trades the tray for his own cup and the gulps down a large swallow, regretting it instantly. It burns all the way down, and he coughs harshly.

"You can tell a lot about a person from how they drink their tea," the old man remarks sagely. "You mustn't jump into things so quickly, son. You'll only end up burned in the end."

"Yeah yeah," Manic rasps in return, throat nothing more than ashes suspended in his airway. "Look—we're not looking for anything specific, but if you have any information about strange things happening in the city, that'd be appreciated."

"The city is new. I would be hard pressed to pinpoint something strange in the middle of all the change."

Manic sighs and looks down at his teacup. The liquid is still and amber, opaque enough to offer him a vague reflection of himself, and he scowls and knocks back another gulp, just to spite the old man. It scalds the ashes, turning them to dust, but he refuses the gag that works its way up from his stomach.

"Nothing that struck you as out of the ordinary, something that didn't fit the changing city?" Sonia tries, sipping at her drink. "I know it's not much to go on but—"

The old man shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but everything has been as normal as expected in a newly liberated land." He pauses, as if something has struck him, and Manic is sure that he hears something creak outside, but he doesn't have time to think on it. The man clangs his cup down on the counter suddenly, and waves his hands. "I'm afraid I'm going to need to ask you to leave. Something just came up."

"What? But we were just—" Sonia sets her cup down on the table as the man hurries to her, pulling her to her feet by her elbow. "Wait! What's the matter? We can help!"

"Nothing you have to worry about, my dear," he answers as he herds her toward the door. Manic is left behind, forgotten in the shuffle, like usual. He places his drink down next to his sister's and one of the books catches his eye.

Blessed, Touched, and Siphon, the Forgotten Chaos Classes by Edward Grant.

It is a shorter, fatter book than the rest, spine cracked, obviously well-read, and he feels his hands reaching for it before he knows what he's doing. It's at the bottom of the stack, so there's no feasible way to get it out without toppling the whole tower, but he has to try—

"Manic!" Sonia's voice shatters the spell and he whips around. She is standing right outside the door, the old man holding it open, waiting for him to evacuate the premises. Manic casts one last look at the book and sighs before obliging is sister. He can't steal the book—he can't steal anything anymore.

Once he is outside, the man turns to them. "I'm sorry for kicking you out right after inviting you in, but I have business to attend to. Your company was lovely."

He moves to close the door and Manic's eyes zero in on the books again; something occurs to him. "How long have you lived here?"

A smile parts the wrinkles again and Manic feels the fur on the back of his neck rise. "My whole life, son. Please, come back and visit sometime." Then, the door clicks shut.

Sonia sighs and turns away, but Manic doesn't move, staring into the wood grain as if it held all the answers.

"Manic?" she asks once she's realized he hasn't moved. "What's wrong?"

"Sis..." he begins, feeling a snake of worry slither into his gut, "didn't Robotnik burn all the books in the city?"

He wakes with a gasp, hands flying to his heart. Chaos, he had almost forgotten that old man—lost that witching hour trip to the shuffle of memories. That had been when Sonia insisted they search the castle town for... something. They never found it, had returned empty handed and exhausted.

Maybe not, Manic thinks now, sliding from bed. His bare feet hit the cold stone floors and he resists the urge to shiver, distantly wondering how the chill manages to hang onto the stone even in the pit of summer. He pads to his bookshelves, stares down the only books that should have survived Robotnik's raid, reaches forward impulsively, and then pulls back, thoughts spinning out of control.

The old man had somehow kept books hidden from the doctor's patrols—that, or he was lying. Either way, he was smart... Perhaps too smart. If he managed to get away with that—and, that many books, that much knowledge... if Robotnik had found him, he would have been dead hundreds of times over—who knew what else he had hidden in his little house? He had been jumpy during their visit, he remembers now, pushing them out the door with barely a warning.

And that book. Manic had never seen that book before and he had his mother's collection at his disposal. He needed that book.

He spins around, and makes it all the way through pulling his shoes and vest on before logic throws a wrench in his determination. Who's the say that that old man is still there? Who's the say that he hasn't gotten rid of his books? And, besides all of that, it is four in the morning and the city is alive with the underground. Thieves and criminals own the streets at night—does he want to venture into that?

Of course he does. He's been itching for that life for months—years—now, but does he want to risk it for a hunch?

He thinks back to the dream—memory—sees the book at the bottom of the stack, thinks of Sonic and his insufferable headaches, and decides.

Yes, he does.

000

Just... Maybe not tonight, Manic retracts, watching the guards as they circle the palace like sharks in the moonlight. Definitely not so soon after a near assassination.

Sometime in the next week, for sure.

o0o

...:Repente:...

The next morning brought a rested Sonic—a rare sight these days—and he practically skipped through the halls, Tails coptering behind him with an unfamiliar lightness surrounding him. Both were sunny, cracking jokes at breakfast and chasing each other up and down the corridors like they were children. It was almost like the whole palace was alive with positive energy, which drew smiles even out of the most sour of the staff.

Now this, the housekeepers whispered to each other as Sonic's tenor echoed down the halls, breathless and laughing, is the Sonic we remember from his childhood. The Sonic of lore—stories passed back and forth as linens were folded and meals prepared—the child that did everything he could to make everyone smile. That was the Sonic that blasted down the halls, delivering flowers to everyone he passed, regardless of position or gender. His fox friend was a breath of fresh air, high, chiming laugh warming hearts and souls all at once. Yes, today was a good day.

Sonic had a fencing lesson in the afternoon, which he bounced to, head held high, smile wide. Tails hovered behind him, bright red cast hanging a few inches above the ground, swaying as he bobbed up and down. The fox was convinced that Sonic didn't know how to fence, was convinced that Sonic would flail his way through the lesson and fail with flying colors, so. So, Sonic would show him.

Granted, he didn't know fencing so much as one handed broadsword, but how different could a foil be anyway? Yeah, there were rules and junk, but he didn't give a flying flip if he could get his hands on a blade and slice the air with it. Call him a dramatic, but he liked that kind of thing. Blades and the clang of steel and the swish of a close call—he sorta missed it, in an abstract, 'chaos I could'a died' kind of way, which only heightened the danger-o-meter that lived in his head; it directly correlated to the adrenaline rush that made him such a thrill seeker—and a health insurer's nightmare.

So. So, he found himself face to face with M. Pierce, a pinched faced little porcupine that spoke Mobian with a French accent and angrily swung his sabre as he talked. The man was the walking embodiment of fencing, and Sonic had to swallow at least six gallons of laughter throughout the first proctoring session. He totally and effortlessly bombed the vocabulary part of the aptitude test, much to M. Pierce's complete and utter horror, but that was all okaaay once he got his hand around the hilt of a foil.

It was a lot thinner than he was used to, sliced through the air with a thwip instead of shunk, and didn't talk. Really, it both better and worse than Caliburn, all for the previously stated reasons. Still, it would do.

He didn't know the rules, probably shattered at least seven fencing laws, and quite possibly failed the whole thing, but he managed to get quite a few hits on Pierce. The porcupine seemed flustered at the end, obviously dangling between professionalism and Sonic's insufferable ignorance, but gave him a pass. Sonic figured it was so he never had to teach him again.

Tails was a ball of cackles, constantly recounting Sonic's many flips, kicks, and shortcomings, all of which were very, very illegal.

"And then—Sonic, and then—he called en garde and you swung at him. You're supposed to wait for Prêt. Allez! You should'a seen the look on his face! He totally looked like he swallowed a lemon or something!"

"Look Tails, I don't speak French so how was I supposed to know? What does en garde mean anyway?"

"Ready... It means, ready. Like get ready."

"So, like a yield sign? I don't do yield signs." Sonic laced his hands behind his head as they walked back through the southern doors, letting out a deep breath. "Today's been nice."

Tails was a miniature squall behind him, thwapping and hovering like the helicopter he was. "Totally. Man, I wonder what got rid of those headaches."

"No idea," Sonic answered, turning to walk backwards so he could watch his friend, "but I hope they stay away. I could get used to this."

"What? Living in your extravagant palace with servants who fix your bed and cater to your every need?"

Sonic scowled lightly, rolling his eyes. "You know what I mean. It's nice not to have anything major to worry about. No headache, no crown, nothing but this beautiful, new day and the sunlight."

Tails grinned. "You're a total sap. Like, tap a tree and you'll seep out."

The hedgehog scoffed and opened his mouth to reply, but promptly collided with someone from behind. He jerked back, twisting around to make sure that he didn't accidentally skewer the other person and his jaw hit the floor.

"Watch where you're going, damnit." The voice was gruff and low, familiar and anger inducing all at the same time. Sonic nearly choked on his own tongue.

"Shadow?" Tails gasped as his brain finally caught up with mother mobius. "What?"

The red and black mobian's face was a cool mask, so indifferent that Sonic wanted to hit him. "Sonic..." he greeted, ignoring Tails completely. "So, this is where you've disappeared to."

Sonic tried to talk, he really did, but his vocal chords had up and died out of shock or protest or something. His jaw worked soundlessly, and he watched as Shadow's face somehow became even more smug.

"You're just as dense as I remember," the artificial mobian continued, somehow looking pleased without moving a single emotive muscle.

"What. The hell. Are you doing here?" Sonic finally managed. "This is like, Mobotropolis. This is the palace." He waved his arms for emphasis. "What are you doing in the palace?!"

"Official G.U.N. business." Was it Sonic's imagination, or did he sound offended?

"Oh! Oh, good! G.U.N.—guardian units of nothing!" Behind him, Tails coughed to cover up a laugh, and Sonic felt a stab of victory. "What on mobius could G.U.N. have to do here?"

"None of your business," Shadow grit out. He looked like he wanted to say more, but a door behind him opened, cutting him off. Torin Cleary stuck his head out, took one look at the assembled trio, and blinked once, surprise plain as day on his face.

"Ah, Agent Shadow. I'm ready for you now, if you're done here."

"We're finished," Sonic hissed, spinning on his heel, good mood evaporating as if it never existed. "Have a great day, Agent Shadow."

"You as well," Shadow replied, venom dripping off his words. "Tell the queen hello."

Sonic whipped around and ripped through the air, slamming the heels of his hands into Shadow's chest in the same second. The other mobian crashed onto his ass, huffing as all the air in his lungs escaped. "If I were you," Sonic began, standing above Shadow, eyes alive with green fire, "I wouldn't let me find you here again."

Shadow glared back, far too proud to deign that with a response, and picked himself up, brushing himself off right there. He looked Sonic up and down, rolled his eyes, turned, and disappeared with Cleary without a word.

"Chaos," Sonic cursed, wanting nothing more than to punch something, "I hate that guy."

Chapter Text

…:Mezzo:…

Sonic didn't see Shadow again, but he knew he was still there, skulking around the castle like a... well...

Shadow.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't going to be a poet anytime soon, but he could probably make a decent living as an aura reader or something, because he was one hundred and ten percent sure that Shadow was following him around, sending him bad juju. That, or he was just paranoid.

"All I'm saying," Tails began helpfully as he gazed at the Emerald perched steadily in his fingers, eyes reflecting the light, "is that you were kinda rude, yeah? Maybe he wants an apology."

Sonic sniffed and crossed his arms, even going so far as to turn his head away and gaze at the wall like it was interesting. "He's probably too busy with official G.U.N. business to stalk me." Was it just him, or was his voice bitter? What, Sonic, do you want to be G.U.N.'s personal errand boy? No? Then shut up.

That voice sounded suspiciously like Knuckles. Which was worrisome, because he already had a real Knuckles to yell at him. He didn't need a mental Knuckles.

"Shadow can be kinda obsessive." Tails shrugged and put the Emerald down, covering it with the cloth again. He turned and set Sonic with a serious look, grim expression painting across his face. "I think it's because he never knew his mom."

Sonic sputtered and choked all at once, gasping as some air got caught in his throat. "Whoa, Tails! You should do standup."

Tails grinned and gave a half-bow in his seat. "Thank you, I'll be here for like three more weeks. But," he changed the subject quickly when he caught sight of Sonic's reaction to that little factual tidbit, "seriously dude, why'd you go all berserker on him? You should'a at least asked him for specifics about his 'business.'"

"I did! He totally stonewalled me! Told me it was none of my business." Okay, yeah, he was bitter, but he wasn't going to acknowledge that fact. No sir, they had other things to worry about.

"Why didn't you push it?"

"I did! I pushed him!"

"Sonic..." Tails sighed and rose to his feet shakily so he could hop to the bed. Sonic jumped up to help him, but Tails waved him off. Once he was seated, he looked up at his friend with large blue eyes, and Sonic was hit with the realization that he was totally and utterly screwed. "What's with you? You've got mood swings and anger management issues and—"

"I'm fine," Sonic cut in, not really needing a symptom list when he was pretty sure the prognosis wasn't good, "just a little stir crazy is all. I need to get out and stretch my legs."

Tails sent him a critical glance over and sighed. "Fine, I'll drop it for now. I need to go into town tomorrow and pick up a few things. Maybe you could help me out?" He tapped his cast once for emphasis, and Sonic grinned, happy for the distraction.

"Yeah, sure buddy!"

Tails nodded and turned away to grab his tablet, probably to make a list. Sonic watched him for a few minutes before rising silently and slipping out the window. He just needed to clear his head, that was all. No biggie. Tails was worried for nothing. Maybe he should take an extra long run today, especially since he wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring. Yeah. Good plan.

And, if he conveniently ignored the icy feeling of eyes on his back the whole way, that was his problem to figure out. Later.

00

Sonic spent the bulk of the next morning playing pack mule. Which was fine, really, except his arms weren't—how would you say—strong, at least not in the I-can-carry-five-times-my-weight sorta way. Sure, he could flip and twist on bars all day with those arms of his, but load him up with junk and he was pretty much man down. Tails knew this, which was why he totally went to the shop with the heaviest stuff on purpose first thing, Sonic was sure of it.

"I didn't know—" he grunted, shifting his load a little with the vague hope that it would help (it didn't), "—that hoverboard parts weighed his much. I figured— Urk!" He overbalanced and nearly sent everything to the ground, but Tails managed to catch him, hands pressed into his back, tipping him back the other way like a good little sidekick. "Thanks. I figured this stuff would be light, considering how it has to, y'know, fly."

"Sonic," Tails began in that tone of voice that said I'm sorry you're dumb here let me enlighten you, "we have hovercars that weigh more than a standard car and they fly. It's all about the aerodynamics." He paused for dramatic effect, but that little smartass wasn't a thespian so Sonic wasn't impressed. "You should know all about that."

Sonic winced—that was a low blow. Sure, Sonic weighed more than he looked—muscle!, his Knuckles voice cried, which was pretty par for the course with him—which was why he sunk like a rock, but Tails didn't have to bring it up. Totally wasn't fair. Sonic was half convinced Tails had hollow bones considering all the flying he did. His namesakes were pure muscle and he was pretty bulky himself what with all the heavy lifting he did in the workshop, but he didn't show it and he absolutely didn't feel it, especially considering Sonic could throw him around like a doll even now, even with his... lacking upper body strength. "Child, you wound me."

"I try." Tails buzzed on ahead, legs dangling a few inches off the ground as he zip-a-dee-do-da'd all over Mobotropolis. "C'mon slowpoke! We gotta get chaos drives next!"

Sonic had a very brief moment of panic because chaos drives were delicate and there was no way on Chaos's blue mobius that he was going to be able to juggle those and all this heavy metal. And, if his half memories of Tails' lecturing—damn, shoulda paid attention, Knuckles informed him—were anything to go by, those things could explode.

"Whoa wait!" He most definitely did not squeak. He just had a chew toy or something stuck in his throat. "Don't you think we should... I don't know... take this stuff back to the palace? Y'know, to fend off pick-pockets?"

There was a very long pause wherein Tails glanced at the huge, swaddled packages of metal, to Sonic, and then back to the metal. "I think we can risk it."

"Okay, you say that now, but what if—"

"If you're worried about the drives—" Was it just him, or was Tails laughing at him without actually laughing? That was one of his skills, up there with perpetual annoyance and spontaneous brain wrinkling. "—we feed them to Chao."

Sonic froze as the mental image of a Chao taking out a few city blocks because someone jostled it the wrong way soared unbidden into his mind. What the hell— "Are you telling me that Chao are tiny, adorable, floating bombs?"

Tails shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm telling you that chaos drives aren't dangerous until they're primed."

Okay, he was definitely doing that not-laughing-totally-laughing thing. This was fine—not like he needed that dignity anyway.

"Oh, har-dee-har, you freakin' clod. Let's just go so we can get back. My arms hurt."

Tails rolled his eyes and Sonic saw him mouth something about a whaambulance, which was just... rude.

The morning followed this give-and-take procedure up until lunch. They had made three or four trips up to the palace at this point, and Sonic was considering sawing his arms off; the only things keeping him from doing it were his lack of saw, the Knuckles-voice, and the fact that he needed said arms to stuff chili dogs into his face. What a rough world he lived in.

"Do you think you could build me some bionic arms?" he asked Tails, apropos of nothing other than curiosity.

Tails, who was looking a little worn from the constant flying, sent Sonic an alarmed look. Haha alarmed. Chaos, he cracked himself up. "Why...?"

"Just thinking about the future."

Tails squinted down at him, as if trying to read his mind (which he might be capable of very soon, if his IQ kept climbing at its current rate—terrifying, terrifying thought), and sighed. "I guess. I could probably enhance them so you could carry even more weight."

Sonic stared into the middle distance as he felt his expression flatten. "You know what? Never mind. I'm good."

Tails hummed in a way that said mmhm thought so, and Sonic wondered what he had done to deserve a life where he was constantly being savagely burned by an eight-year-old.

The hedgehog kicked at a pebble and sent it spinning down the street before picking up a new conversation thread. "Where are we going anyway?"

"There's a bookshop around here I want to check out. They might have something rare."

Sonic nodded but didn't say anything. A bookshop would actually be a nice change of pace from the oil and grease stores of the morning. He liked books—they were quiet, smelled nice, and didn't give him backchat.

They walked on—well, in Tails' case, flew on—in quiet after that, allowing the early summer sun to warm their skin. It really was nice to get out, especially with all the stuff going on lately. Sonic hadn't felt this good in a while—no headache, no worries, just him and Tails and a lazy day with no expectations. A hedgehog could get used to it.

The air smelled of baked goods and freshly cut grass, and Sonic could just hear the low muffle of voices with every turn they made. The city was doing well, thriving. It was pretty quiet with the car ban, but that led to more people on the sidewalk, smiling, chatting with their friends as they passed. Many nodded to Sonic, but didn't go out of their way to talk to him, so everyone seemed pretty chill. It seemed like a good place to live, all things considered, now that Eggman was gone and the people were in charge again. His mother and siblings had done some good work here; he was proud of them.

"There's saplings everywhere," and there went Tails, reading his mind. "Robotnik really did a number on this place back then, huh?"

Sonic nodded. He didn't remember much of the city beyond twisted metal, the scrape of robots skittering down the street, terrified eyes peering at him out of the darkness. Trees were the last thing on his mind, but it made a sick sort of sense for Robotnik to get rid of them. When you wanted your city to be a robot's haven and to keep your citizens scared and in control, trees were the first ones to go—along with books. "Yeah," he answered shortly, speeding up a bit. "Where's this bookshop?" His voice was thick, clogging up his throat, and he coughed to clear it.

Tails sent him a critical glance but didn't say anything about his behavior. "At the end of this street."

Sonic nodded and they continued on. They were in a residential area now, and the street was quieter than ever, which was both refreshing and a tad disconcerting. What was a shop doing all the way out here? As they marched down the road, it occurred to Sonic to wonder how Tails knew where all these places were. It was pretty feasible that he had talked to someone, but Sonic was with him almost 24/7, so... when?

He didn't get to ask as they had arrived at the door and Tails was bobbing expectantly, waiting for him to open the door. The brick house was well tended with trimmed hedges and carefully mowed grass, but there was no signage outside to set it off as a shop. A lone open sign sat in the window, nearly hidden by the stacks of books surrounding it. Sonic sent Tails a look. "You sure this is the right place?"

Tails rolled his eyes and gestured to the door. "Open it and we'll find out."

The hedgehog sighed but did as he was bidden. It was easier just to indulge Tails most of the time. As much as he hated to admit it, the little fox was usually right.

A bell jangled above their heads as Sonic pushed the door in, which was reassuring. "Welcome to Mobotropolis Books!" a male voice called next, which was doubly encouraging, and Sonic had to ignore Tails' smug look. Chaos, he hated when Tails was right. He was an insufferable gloater these days.

The shop was stuffed to the ceiling with books. The walls were nothing more than shelves upon shelves, each bowing with the weight of their burdens, and the floor was littered with stacks up to Sonic's waist. It was pandemonium, though there was a small nook towards the back of the store that seemed well cared for. Plush couches and armchairs surrounded a low coffee table, a tea kettle sitting on a convection burner in the center of the table with tea bags and cups surrounding it in haphazard order. Most of the books were old, paper, Sonic realized, as he nearly kicked into a pile, and the store smelled like it. Spice and time, the musty scent of uncracked spines, the plumy smell of ink pressed between pages—it was relaxing, still. There was a counter to the right of the door, long and low, nearly taken over with books. Just barely, Sonic could see the shadow of a person back there, and then the voice came again.

"How may I help— Oh, well, this is a pleasant surprise!"

Sonic was used to this kind of treatment. Being a world hero came with its fair share of instant recognition, but here in Mobotropolis it meant a whole new kind of adoration. Prince Sonic this and your highness that—it grated on the nerves after a while. Especially when he hated it.

Sonic sighed and opened his mouth to correct the shopkeeper, but then his eyes landed on the man and widened. Blond fur, large cat ears, a doting and calm smile—Sonic knew this guy.

"A-Arthur?" he asked, hoping he had it right. This could only be the father of little Benjamin, the kitten Sonic had saved almost a week ago.

The cat's smile widened, so Sonic had it right. "Sonic! I was wondering when you were going to stop by! The boys have been asking about you every night."

Guilt smashed into Sonic. Right, he had promised to come visit. He had completely forgotten in the whirlwind of last week. "Heh," he reached up to rub the back of his neck, "well, I'm here now. Where're the squirts?"

"Upstairs, hold on, I'll get them." He disappeared through a door Sonic hadn't noticed, and the hedgehog could just hear the sound of fast footfalls disappearing up stairs.

Tails coughed, a sound that meant Sonic was in trouble, and the hero turned to him with a sheepish smile. The fox was squinting at him, hands on his hips. "Care to explain?"

Sonic's hands rose in a placating gesture. "Remember how I told you that I saved a kid out in the plaza last week—during the ceremony?" Tails nodded, expression clearing into understanding as he put the pieces together before Sonic could even present them all. "That's his dad. I promised to come visit because the kids wanted me to come over and play."

Tails ahh'd and opened his mouth to say something, but the door crashed open again and two little voices overtook him, yelling and screaming nonsense as they rushed to hug Sonic. The hedgehog laughed then, both at Tails' baffled expression and the children, and fell to his knees to hug them, one arm wrapped around each of their shoulders.

"Hey guys! Did ya miss me?!"

Ben, or at least he assumed it was Ben—damn, these kids were identical—hollered an exuberant "Yes!" and pulled back so he could tug on Sonic's hand. His brother followed his example and soon Sonic was being towed toward the back of the store. "C'mon!" the boy continued, "let's go upstairs so I can show you my room!"

"Whoa whoa," Sonic pulled back, halting all their forward motion, "I just got here. Maybe we should stay down here. I wanna look at the books."

The twins' faces fell into mirror images of shock and disgust. "That's lame!" Ben declared and Sonic distantly heard Tails chuckle. "Books are boring!"

Sonic couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're right about that, big guy, but Tails here," he gestured to the fox and watched as their eyes followed his hand and then widened into saucers as they took in Tails, bobbing very close to the door so as to not disturb any of the books, "he loves to read and I promised to look with him."

"Tails!" the children lunged, abandoning Sonic like yesterday's dirty laundry. They surrounded him, tugging on him now, bringing him down to the ground, where he promptly fell onto his backside to keep his weight off his foot. Then, he was tackled by a pair of yellow kittens, nearly overwhelmed as they asked questions faster than he could answer.

"What happened to your foot?! Are you okay?!"

"Did you really build a plane from scratch!?"

"What's it like, being famous?!"

"Can you build me a hoverboard?!"

A pair of legs appeared in Sonic's peripheral vision and the hedgehog looked up, trying not to look devastated. It wasn't everyday that anyone deserted him for Tails, but then, he retracted, catching sight of Tails' big smile, it wasn't everyday that Tails received all the attention either. You're such a softie, the Knuckles voice remarked. Sonic wasn't sure if it sounded reverent or annoyed, but he ignored it all the same.

Arthur was standing here, arms crossed, dressed impeccably in a waistcoat, and he looked every bit a bookshop owner. "They're nuts for Tails. Did I forget to mention?" He sent Sonic a sly smile and offered a hand up, which Sonic took.

"Maybe." Sonic shrugged once he was upright, smiling a bit as Tails finally managed to get a word in. "It's not every day we run into people who prefer him over me, especially little ones."

Arthur shrugged and turned to walk back behind the counter, where there were stacks of books waiting for him. "For all of Ben's books are boring mantra, he loves to read. He's going to be my astrophysicist. Daniel..." he trailed off, eyes softening as he gazed at the quieter twin over the counter, "Daniel's got a soft heart. He identifies with sidekicks, especially the kind that remind him of himself. Tails is a good influence on him—teaches him to stand up for himself."

Sonic sighed and leaned back against the counter as Arthur began to palm the books, checking their pages, more than likely trying to keep his hands busy. "So tell me," he began, picking up a book of his own—gardening, he thought absently as he flipped the pages, "how'd a bookshop end up all the way out here?"

Arthur grinned and turned to drop his book onto a different stack. "You'd be surprised how many people ask that." He sighed and placed his hands on the counter, looking exhausted as his children laughed at something Tails said. "We were some of the lucky ones; we escaped after Robotnik attacked Mobotropolis and we made it all the way to Green Hill." His eyes were far away, back in that terrifying time, and Sonic put his book down to give him his full attention. "We wanted to move back here after Robotnik was chased out, but we couldn't manage it. My husband and I—we had just adopted the twins and we didn't have any money. Then, Robotnik showed up in Green Hill and it all started over. We were nearly captured, but we managed to stay hidden. We went underground with the boys and we waited. Then, you showed up, and it was like Chaos was smiling on us. We had heard the rumors—that you were dead—but you stepped up and stopped him. The boys were only three years old then, but they understood, somehow, that you had saved us, and they loved you. Everyone loved you."

Sonic felt a small smile float across his face. "I'm not that great. I did what needed to be done because I was the one that could."

Arthur shook his head fondly at that. "There are many adults that wouldn't have the courage to do what you did, never forget that. You mean a lot to a lot of people in this world, not just this kingdom. Don't forget that."

Sonic chuckled, a near hysterical thing. "No pressure."

Arthur chuckled. "Yes, no pressure. Anyway, after the battle of South Island was over, we scraped together what money we could and got our asses over here. By this point the kingdom was in the process of rebuilding and we wanted to help. An older man sold us this house, everything included, and we inherited his book collection. I was totally floored, and we added on, set up shop. I sell what I can bear to part with, but, most of the time, we operate as a book exchange. You bring a book in and we'll trade you for what you want. There weren't many books left in the kingdom, you know, and we wanted to give back in some way. These days, we run a little library as well." He sighed again and went back to his books. "I'm still going through them. The basement is full of books and it's taken me years to barely put a dent in them. It's incredible that they survived Robotnik's reign."

"Yeah..." Sonic muttered hollowly. He had vague memories of the book burnings, funeral pyres that painted the sky in bold strokes of gray, sparks dancing off the warping pages like vengeful sprites. His adopted parents didn't speak much for days after they burned their own books, faces heavy set and old and tired and surrendering. Sonic had been too young to understand the heavy implications of the burnings, but he remembered. He remembered raids when rumors of books reached the wrong ears. He remembered smaller fires, each a bigger loss than the last. He remembered neighbors and friends led away, never to be seen again because they dared to keep one measly book. He didn't understand it then—just give up the books, he thought, just give them up and keep living.

He knew now, surrounded by knowledge, listening as two smart kids led another, smarter kid around, Arthur a steady presence as he juggled books like they were gold, he knew now that, for some people, books were the only thing to live for. They were the future, the past, the present—all of progress caught in their pages. "It..." he began, unsure how long he had sat in pensive silence, "it sure is a miracle."

o0o

...:Adagio:...

*Modulation:*:Roll*

Sonic and Tails aren't in the castle. This isn't anything new, except Manic caught a few housekeepers whispering about seeing them in town before their shift started. Manic isn't one hundred percent on this, but he's pretty sure that Sonic hasn't spent a long time in town. He's been more of a hit and run—hit the castle, run through town—so it's sorta monumental that the lost prince is mingling with the common folk. Manic is pretty sure that Tails is responsible for this (the fox seems to know exactly what Sonic needs before Sonic himself does, sometimes), and he resolves to find them. He hasn't had nearly enough time with Sonic lately.

And, if he just so happens to slip by that old man's house and beg for that book, then that would just make this the perfect day, wouldn't it?

He rides the street on his hoverboard, the only person not on foot, and receives a few nods of respect as he floats past. A few people actually saw Sonic and point him in the direction of his last known location, which sends Manic on a wild goose chase through the city. He traces them to a metal shop, a chaos drive stand, an ice cream shop, a fabric store, and loses the trail when they drop out of the market center and head into the suburbs. He sighs as he flies to and fro, asking anyone who will stop if they've seen his brother, but Sonic is really hard to pin down. Not surprising, annoying, but not surprising.

Eventually, he decides to cut his losses and at least try to get that book. Once he has it, he might be able to figure some of this out, especially his brother's terrible headaches. And, he thinks, maybe it'll help me puzzle together some of those weird journal entries in Ma's secret room.

Those journals are always in the back of his mind, making him anxious. Genevieve's prophecy has kept him up many a night, if only because he doesn't trust the Oracle as far as he can throw him. It'd be pretty easy to control the future using those visions of his, and Manic has been subject to his whims one too many times already. The prophecy is too cut and dry anyway: There is to be a hero, a hero so fierce he will put gods to shame and tame chaos. He will transcend even death itself. He is to have many forms but his spirit shall remain the same. He is the treasured son.

Translation: There's gonna be a dude who'll use Chaos Energy. Check. He'll transcend death. Check, though that one's still up in the air because Sonic didn't technically die; his family just thought he did. The many forms thing was a bit tricky, but his spirit will stay the same? He'll still be a hero. Check. Treasured son. Yeah, Sonic's pretty treasured all right. Everyone loves him.

So, whoo, we did it, kids. The hero exists. It's Sonic. Bring out the cheerleaders.

He isn't sure what the Oracle hoped to accomplish with that prophecy. He guesses it might've been scary to hear that one of your descendents is going to be Chaos endowed. Chaos is volatile and if the spirit isn't strong enough it can very well turn you into the ultimate evil. It definitely scared his mom, if her own journal was anything to go by, but Sonic is fine. Well, beyond that whole death thing, but, as previously covered, he didn't really die.

This is why he needs the book. He has a nagging feeling that there's something more going on here, and it has something to do with the stuff in that book. He's searched his own books and can't find any mention of siphons or chaos touched or... what was it? Blessed? Chaos blessed? Hell, he can't find anything beyond a basic definition of what Chaos Energy is, let alone what it can do. Sonic's mentioned some stuff about positive energy, which was news to him, and his mother talked about Emeralds and floating islands. There was more to learn, that was for sure.

He wants to know more about his brother, and that means he needs to do some digging on his own. He's already tried looking his brother up online, but the internet filters in the kingdom are fierce. He doesn't understand his mother sometimes. She wants them to band together as a kingdom, so she blocks out the rest of the world. Honorable, but also very stifling and kinda scary. He's working on cracking through the filters, but might need to ask Tails for help—the programming is that strong. (He thinks his mother got those things programmed with him in mind, which is flattering, in an annoying way. Yeah, he's a bit of a computer whiz, but c'mon. Even he can't break through two hundred layers of encryption overkill. And, the passwords change every fifteen minutes, locking him out if he's not fast enough. Totally not cool.)

So, the book is his only hope. He prays to every deity in existence that the old man still has it.

He finds the house easy enough, though it looks very different. Sure, it still looks like a house, but it has a lawn now, and it's bigger. There's two new floors just dropped on top, and there's two giant windows looking out onto the street, stuffed full of books. He honestly thinks he's on the wrong street until he sees the books. But, there's only one person with that many old books, so he decides to just hold his breath and jump in.

He knocks on the door and waits a few seconds, receives no answer, before trying the knob. The jingle of a bell greets him, makes him pause, and his eyes widen as he sees the room. Books, so many books, but it's not a house anymore. There's a cash register shoved into a back corner, a reading area, and shelves upon shelves—more than should have fit in the small space this used to be. The books are still in a constant state of chaos, but this is absolutely a store.

"Hello," a warm voice greets him, and he wrenches his eyes away from their ogling to find the source. A golden furred cat is sitting on a stool behind the counter, a small tub of glue in his hand, book in the other. Fixing the binding, Manic's brain supplies. "How can I help you?"

"Uh," he begins eloquently, "I was, uh, looking for the man who used to live here?"

The cat's brow furrows. "I'm sorry, lad, but he moved out years ago. If you're looking for one of his books, I can probably help though. He left—" He is cut off as a loud crash comes from somewhere in the back of the store. He sighs and hops off the stool. "Excuse me for one second. My children are—"

"We're good back here!" Manic blinks at the familiar voice and his eyes nearly bug out when Sonic's head appears in a doorway toward the back. "Tails totally tried to show off and knocked some stuff over. We'll clean it up—" He breaks off as he finally spots Manic. "Manic? Bro? What're you doing here?"

Manic feels like he's been dropped into some kind of alternate dimension or something. In the past, Sonic wouldn't have been caught dead in a bookstore. Haha, dead, wow. Good one. He manages to wrangle his tongue out of the ball it managed to get knotted into. "I'm looking for a book. What're you doing here?"

"Same, bro. Well, and I promised to come see these little monsters." He steps out from behind the doorway to reveal two identical children, each with surprised expressions on their faces. "Meet Benjamin and Daniel, Arthur's kids and resident boookworms. Don't let their cute faces fool you—they're deadly."

It occurs to Manic that it doesn't surprise him that Sonic managed to know at least one family in the city. Dude has connections everywhere. He waves to the kids and receives bright smiles in return. "Hey."

"Is anyone gonna help me up?!" And that's Tails. Well, that solves where they've disappeared to, at least. "You know I'm handicapped until further notice!"

Sonic grins, sheepish, and disappears again. "Jeeze, sorry," Manic can just hear his voice. "Manic showed up out of nowhere, thought I should greet him. Said he was looking for a book."

Sonic comes around the corner with Tails in his arms. The fox looks exhausted, though that's to be expected, considering that Manic heard that he was flying all day. The kids follow like ducklings, and Manic hears the shopkeeper—Arthur, right?—chuckle.

"Manic, dude," Tails calls from Sonic's arms, "I'm wounded. Why didn't you tell me about this bookstore? I've been dying of boredom and you've been holding out on me."

Manic can't help but smile at the good natured teasing. "This place is a diamond in the rough. Why would I share?"

Sonic deposits Tails onto the couch and one of the boys wastes no time climbing into his lap. Sonic follows him and picks the other boy up before he can start to fuss. Then, he motions Manic over by patting the couch next to him.

"Go on," Arthur encourages. "We'll start looking for that book once I get Benjamin and Daniel down for their naps in about half an hour. Go enjoy some peace for now. I think you need it."

Manic hovers there for a few seconds, watching as Sonic answers one of the little boys' question, hands moving through the air to illustrate. Tails laughs at the answer and quickly interjects to correct him, causing both of the children to laugh. It's the first time he's seen Sonic totally relaxed, which is sad. His brother deserves to be able to let his guard down more often.

Sonic throws his head back to laugh, and it's a true laugh, not the fake one that Manic is used to from years ago. It's a refreshing sound, and he immediately feels at ease as well.

"Manic?" Sonic sends him an inquisitive glance once he catches his breath. "You coming?"

Manic moves immediately, sinks down onto the couch as the kid in Tails' lap asks another question, and lets Sonic's calm voice wash over him. Yeah, he could get used to this.

Chapter Text

...:Intermezzo:...

They didn't find the book, but Manic wasn't very forthcoming about what he was looking for. At the end of it all, all they got out of him was that it had a cover and pages and words and was probably written by someone. It was all very secret, this book of his, but Sonic didn't exactly have the right to call someone out on their secret keeping considering the fact that he had been dead for a few years to his family... Yeah, he was just gonna let this one go and let Manic figure it out.

Still, his brother seemed really bummed as they walked back to the palace. It was getting dark, the sun painting in the sky in thick brushstrokes of orange and pink, and only one of the moons was visible on the horizon, just at that level of darkness before the streetlights came on: dark enough that it was hard to make out fine details, but Sonic could still see the disappointment on Manic's face as he tried not to look downtrodden. His brother kicked at the ground as he walked but answered Tails's gentle prods as the fox buzzed around him.

"I can look it up online if you know what it's called." Tails was trying to be helpful. He looked exhausted from the day's nonstop flying, but he was sending Manic's looks that said that his gently-forming hero-complex (to match Sonic's own) needed to fix this small problem. He probably wouldn't give up until he found the damn book and had it droned in.

Manic shook his head and scuffed his foot along a crack in sidewalk. "It's rare. I've only seen it once in my life. Hell, Mom's library doesn't have it, and you've seen how many books she has!"

Tails cast a look at Sonic, one of those we have to do something looks that usually ended with Sonic doing fundraising for some poor Girl Scout or crawling under someone's sink to play plumber. The kid had a bleeding heart that always landed Sonic right into the middle of things that were not his business.

Okay, but this was his business wasn't it? Manic was his brother and if he was this bothered by the book, he'd find it for him. Being the Hero of Mobius meant he had incredible reach after all. All he had to do was get in contact with a few people and—

"Don't worry about it," Manic cut in. "I don't need it that bad. It was mainly curiosity. It can wait."

Tails relaxed at that—Sonic saw his shoulders slump, that was how tense he was. "You sure?"

Manic nodded firmly. "Absolutely. We should focus on other things."

Tails smiled, a bright thing that made Sonic feel a bit better even as Manic looked back at his feet. "If you say so bro..."

They walked on in silence, Tails casting looks between Sonic and Manic so maybe he wasn't as fooled as he made it seem. Sonic, for his part, held his head up and smiled at the the people they passed, trying to act as normal as a risen prince, his two-tailed, helicopter sidekick, and depressed brother could seem.

o0o

*Modulation:*:Roll*

Okay, so Manic lied. Big time, pants on fire lying. He found the book within the first fifteen minutes of searching. It was in one of the unsorted piles, probably because where would you even begin to file a book like this on a shelf, and he pulled it right out. He's not happy about it, but he panicked and straight up stole it after that. Stashed it right in a hidden pocket in his vest. Luckily it was a smallish book so it didn't bulge.

Deed thus done, he then had to pretend to continue to look, all the while his inner thief was singing with the thrill of it and the book was bashing against his chest as he moved. One of the little kids started giving him the eye, as if they knew what he had done and he'd been forced to avoid him. Then, of course, he lost track of which twin it was, so he had to avoid them both. It was nerve-racking, especially because Tails kept asking him probing questions like who wrote the thing and what was it called. Granted, it was stuff he knew, but it wasn't stuff he wanted them to know. Why oh why did they have to be in the shop when he walked in? He wants to know more about Sonic, but he doesn't want Sonic to know he's doing it—at least not until Manic has something to show for it.

Maybe it's because he's still conditioned to the Sonic of before, but he really can't stand the thought of Sonic finding out about his prying like this. Chaos seems to be something both he and Tails keep close to their chests, and if they don't want to talk, it must be important considering how much they blabber on about everything else. Plus, Sonic used to be a shark when it came to his secrets. Tug at them at your own risk; you might get the teeth.

Or, maybe it's just the Sonic of now. Something about his welcoming, warm personality makes Manic want to prove something to him. Hell, even Tails does it. The fox practically preens when Sonic compliments him as if it's some big accomplishment. Sonic just has that effect on people. Please him and you'll be rewarded with that smile, the one that makes you feel like flying.

So he stole the book. He's not proud of it, but he did it. Now, at least, he can try to begin to figure this out. He wants to get to the bottom of these headaches—even if they've gone away for the time being, he has a sick feeling in his gut that they'll be back—and he wants to make Sonic proud more than anything. At his core, he's still Sonic's desperate younger brother. For all his slacker joking, he really has always worked hard to make Sonic proud. Now that he's back, Manic can feel that urge resurfacing and it makes him feel good, driven, like he has a purpose.

The walk back was tumultuous because he was probably laying it on a bit thick. Tails seemed genuinely concerned as if Manic was going to fall into a depressive spell right in front of him, but he was trying to convince them that he was upset about not finding the book. They clearly bought it, even if they kept glancing at him sideways. That was probably because he was acting too upset. Well hell, he wasn't an actor. What do you want from him?

He peels off from them as soon as they get to the palace, citing a headache—not a lie. All this subterfuge (against two people who were far better at it and good at seeing through him too) really was making his head hurt.

He practically bolts to his chambers when they're out of sight, blowing past servants as he goes. He slams the door behind him, heart hammering, because finally, after all this time, he has it. The cover is purple, etched with unfamiliar runes, and the title is written in small, flowing, gold script. Blessed, Touched, and Siphon, the Forgotten Chaos Classes by Edward Grant.

He can feel his heartbeat in his fingertips as he reaches to open it. This is it. This is it.

He throws the cover back, flips a few blank pages, catches sight of the table of contents, and his heart sinks. A few more page flips to random pages reveals much of the same.

Gently, slowly, with the presence of mind of a man heading to the electric chair, he closes the book and sets it down. Then, he throws himself onto his bed, buries his face in the sheets, and groans.

Of course. Of course it's written in a language he doesn't recognize! Of course!

He groans again, closes his eyes, and has to bite his lip to keep from crying out of pure frustration.

o0o

...Maestro...

The next day, Sonic was finally confronted with the dreaded etiquette class. After everything, he'd honestly forgotten, and now with Manic sadly moving around because of some book he claimed was cursory reading, he doesn't want anything to do with it. He'd much rather be helping Tails look for the thing using every avenue possible, including hitting up every single library on the planet. But first, they have to find out which damn book it was didn't they? And Manic wasn't talking.

Until then, Sonic had to pretend things were as normal as they could be, and that included the asinine schooling he was "required" to take.

The thing about the etiquette class was that Sonic had every intention of showing up for the first class. Granted, he was going to show up late—around hour three of the five-hour ordeal—but he was planning on being there. He owed his mother that much after all she had done for him. (Plus, he wanted to make her happy, as much as he hated to admit it.)

The problem was that Torin Cleary kept changing the damn day and time on him. One second it was next Tuesday at one in the afternoon, the next it was shifted to Wednesday at nine in the morning (which was illegal proceedings in Sonic's mind; his mom clearly said etiquette was a Tuesday affair). He was always parsed some gentle reminder that Mr. Cleary is a busy man, Sonic, with responsibilities, which was always met with a snarkedthey're still using you as a messenger, aren't they Scott?

Finally, finally, they agreed on Friday at ten in the morning with a break for lunch. Ha, perfect. He could saunter right in after a meal with the fam.

What he didn't count on, of course, was Torin Cleary's absolutely short patience. He wasn't at lunch and the look the queen passed Sonic was one that would probably send a weaker child running for cover. As it was, Sonic was quaking in his boots. Er, sneakers.

"Torin is attending to more important business, Sonic, seeing as you couldn't be bothered to show up," she informed him shortly, though Sonic could just see her smile behind her glass as she took a drink. "But, there is someone else who would like to meet with you, if you wouldn't mind going to the atrium."

He acquiesced easily because he's already caused enough trouble. (This was new for him, the no trouble thing. It was really putting a damper on his chill with the breeze attitude, this worry and awareness of how his actions were received.) The queen seemed pleased and she turned to question Manic about his moping, now a whole day strong, but Sonic's brother was mum about the whole book thing. Sonic and Tails stood in solidarity with him and didn't say a word either.

So, after the eating was finished, Sonic zipped right to the atrium as requested after dropping Tails off in his new workshop (really, it was nothing more than a cast off room in the west wing a few halls over from the bedroom they had claimed, but for Sonic's sanity Tails had agreed to move all of the very loud drills and hammers and the dangerous machinery there until further notice), and it was only while he was pushing the very large doors open that it occurred to him to wonder just who would want to meet with him—the black sheep, self-exiled ex-prince.

(Also, Hero of Mobius. But only on weekends these days)

"Ah, it's been a long time Sonic." The voice was old and familiar. So familiar in fact that it hadn't changed in all the years that Sonic had known it's owner. "All comes in time, however."

The Oracle of Delphius was seated on one of the settees, the sunlight highlighting the strange shadows caused by the folds of his skin. He waved one claw in Sonic's direction to draw him in, and the hedgehog tentatively moved toward him, walking as if he was painfully aware of his feet.

He stopped a good yard away. "Nice to see ya, Orc." He placed his hands on his hips as he faced him fully. "Been a while. You haven't aged a day."

The Oracle laughed. "And you are as cocky as ever. It's nice to see you alive, after Seeing you for so long."

Sonic, who had had a good many run-ins with the Oracle, knew exactly what he meant, even through his strange phrasing. (That, and having to translate Tails's technobabble for years had given him a sixth sense when it came to context clues.) "Hm, well, I guess I should thank you for not telling my family. Too bad about your prophecy though."

The Oracle tensed, just there, in the hunch of his back. "Yes..." He hummed. "Well, it may well come to pass. I have come too late to stop you from giving up the crown, but I must beseech you, Sonic. Remain with your family."

It was Sonic's turn to tense. "No offense Orc, but if you Saw all the stuff that I did while I was gone, you'd know that I can't do that."

"I know of your heroics, yes, but I have come to warn you. Please... If you leave, a great misfortune will befall them."

Sonic had never really believed in any of that prophecy nonsense. It was a bit too screwy for him, a bit too up to the interpretation of the seer. He was a very much a worldly, sensory person—didn't believe anything unless he could see it with his own eyes. Still, his mom seemed to believe in this stuff, so maybe he should give the Oracle a chance. "Care to elaborate?" he managed, trying to be maintain the pleasantry the royalty expected. This man had been a friend of his family's for a long time, after all.

"I cannot say. It will not become clear until you make your decision—"

"Orc, until you started talkin' to me, there wasn't a decision. This was never a permanent thing. You should have no problems Seeing anything."

The look the Oracle sent him could have curled milk and Sonic took a few metaphoric steps back. Right, right, probably shouldn't tell the seer how to... seer. Especially because he was like a thousand years old. Really, he should be good at this by now, if he was that old.

"I assure you, Sonic, there is a choice to be made. The same way you had to choose between using the seven Chaos Emeralds in your first large battle with Dr. Robotnik on South Island. Great power comes at a cost, does it not? Knowledge is the same. If I give you too much, it will cloud your judgement."

That struck Sonic right between the eyes. Seven...

His mind whirled with it. Seven. Seven. Seven. South Island had only seen six Emeralds and the tantalizing possibility of Super Sonic hadn't existed. Of course, every retrospective news article done about him after the events on Westside Island had included Super Sonic—or the lack thereof—often toting some great denial narrative. Sonic the Hedgehog Tempted by Chaos Emeralds, Refuses Their Song. But, there hadn't been a choice then.

He shook his head and deliberately looked the Oracle right in the eye. "I guess you're right," he said slowly, numbly, feeling the consonants with his teeth. "We wouldn't want my decision making to be swayed by too much information."

The Oracle looked pleased. Sonic felt his headache tumble out of its hibernation and blink into the light. A gentle throb began at the base of his skull.

"Excellent," the Oracle clasped his claws in front of him as he stood. "I hope that Fate will guide you to the right decision."

"Yeah..." Sonic's head was lightly beating the bass drum, but the rest of the kit was to come. He looked up to focus. "You too, Oracle."

The Oracle chuckled low in his throat. "I assure you, Fate and I are good friends."

Then, he teleported away in a flash of light that left Sonic seeing spots. He groaned and put a hand against his head, right over the epicenter of the percussion concert. "Man, what the hell..."

Chapter Text

*Modulation:*: Enharmonic*

After Sonic's meeting with the Oracle, he disappears into the room he shares with Tails, citing a headache. He doesn't show for dinner either, and when Manic, on his mother's behalf, sticks his head into the room, he finds Sonic asleep with the pillow over his face, Tails sitting at the small table there with a book. He looks up when the door opens, and, upon spying Manic, holds a finger up to his lips, ever the buffer between Sonic and the world. Manic backs away and lets the door close softly behind him.

This is his moment. After stewing over the book for a whole day, he's realized what he needs to do—and he has to act while Sonic is out for the count. The last thing he needs is his brother happening upon him with the book he claimed to be unable to find (and was so sad about), especially because he doesn't know if Sonic still frowns on stealing. Manic doesn't know why, but he just can't stand the idea of Sonic being disappointed in him, even after everything that's happened.

So, he turns from his brother's room and marches away, feeling approximately like he's headed for the gallows. There's only one person who can help him with this, but he's loathe to bring them into this whole situation. The last thing he wants is to involve too many people, especially because news travels fast around here, but he has no choice—not if he wants to actually help his brother.

The room he needs isn't too far, but the walk is still far too short. He's rehearsed what he needs to say multiple times and he's on the clock now, but he still hesitates. And then curses himself. Who knows how long Sonic will actually sleep for? Just suck it up, Manic, and do it.

He knocks.

And he waits.

And approximately two seconds later, when the door doesn't open, he turns to flee.

"Manic?"

He only gets a few feet down the hall before he hears his sister's voice. A glance over his shoulder reveals her peering at him from around the frame, eyes squinted in suspicion, and he holds a hand up in greeting, feeling like a child caught ding-dong ditching.

"Heeeey Sonia!" He turns slowly. The book is in his inner vest pocket, close to his chest, and he feels it swing into him as he goes. "I, uh— Fancy meeting you here."

"I— My room's always been here. Did you knock?"

She doesn't sound amused, which isn't a good sign. Manic has no idea what she had on her schedule today, just that she usually disappears into her room after dinner, so he can only hope that he didn't interrupt something important. "Uh. Yeah. I did. Uh... I need your help with something."

"Okay... Manic, are you all right? You look like you—" She trails off as she tracks his hands, spies one of them gripping tightly to the square bulge in his vest, and her eyes narrow further. "What you got there?"

"What? Oh this? Nothing. It's just a book." He tries to sound nonchalant, innocent, but she can see right through him.

"Where'd you get it?"

"Not important." Manic pushes toward her and scoots into the room. She lets him by, even though she's more than strong enough to stop him, and stands, arms crossed, in front of the door while he darts across the room. She allows the door to slide closed and then it's just the two of them.

"Did you steal it?" She's not beating around the bush today, not with him, and he flinches.

"No! Well... Yes! Maybe? Okay, yes, technically, but I'll take it back, or like... Bring them a different book. They have a book exchange."

"Uh huh..."

"Listen, Sonia. It's— This book is important. I think it can tell us why Sonic has been so weird lately."

There's a moment's pause, wherein Sonia looks at him, honest to Chaos just looks at him, and Manic beings to fidget. Sonia's face is unreadable, which is so unlike her, and then she sighs and leans back against the door, arms crossed. "Manic... Sonic is always weird. He's Sonic. He's so weird that it's weird when he's normal."

"I know! But no, I mean! Why he's been so..." He waves his hands, trying to illustrate his point without words. "Y'know? I— He's got headaches all the time, and he keeps flipflopping from mean to happy to anxious to happy again! That's weird, Sonia! At least in the past he was grumpy consistently! Now it's a crapshoot."

Sonia doesn't look convinced. "He's been fine the last few days. I'm sure the headaches are just because he's so annoyed at everything. You know how he used to be."

"I do and that's the problem. I know I'm not the only one who noticed how carefree he is when he doesn't think we're watching. Sonia, think about it: Sonic left, made friends, he's a hoverboarding star, he travels the world. That's all he ever talked about wanting! But ever since he got here, there's only been a hint at that. Don't you think—"

"You just answered your own question, bro." Sonia sighs and crosses her arms, leans against the door. "He's mean because he's here. I'm afraid that we'll never really get to see the real Sonic... Unless we leave with him, I guess, but you know we can't."

Manic throws his hands up. The book sails out of his vest pocket and Sonia doesn't move as it lands at her feet. "C'mon Sonia! Aren't you a little worried? He's curled up in bed with migraines like all the time. Tails too! Have you been around him recently? He's testy and mean—just like Sonic. There's something up around here."

The mention of Tails makes Sonia stiffen a little. As far as Manic knows, Sonia hasn't interacted with Tails much, but she seems as fond of him as their mother does. It's clear that he means a lot to Sonic, and Sonia appreciates his politeness and tact, and especially the way he seems to be able to read their brother better than they ever will. She's fond of him both as their brother's friend and as a Sonic translator, even if she's still wary of him. His strange double tail situation and his bright blue eyes have her on edge; it's the same sort of flinch that she still can't quite control when Sonic makes direct eye contact with her.

"But..." Sonia is looking down at the book now, worrying her hands in front of her. "They were both so normal yesterday..."

Manic feels his mouth set in a grim line. "I think that was a bad sign, sis. You know how when people are dyin' they have one last good day?"

Sonia takes a second to process that. She blinks, once, twice, and Manic sees her hands curl themselves into fists. She doesn't speak, just stoops down to pick up the book.

Manic pads toward her, careful, quiet, trying not to startle her as she opens the pages and flips through them. Finally, she breathes out and snaps it closed.

"You think this... this Chaos stuff has something to do with it?" Her voice is quiet. Manic knows that she's terrified of Chaos because of the stories her adopted mother told her about the terrible powers it granted certain people, so he carefully extracts the book from her hands.

"Yeah," he says, choosing his words with care, "I do. Sonic has some kind of Chaos ability. You can see it in his eyes."

Sonia winces. "I—" She sighs. "Mother told me that, but I didn't want to believe it. But it has to be true. There's a reason he's so... Like that."

"He's a hero, Sonia. You heard what Bartleby told us about him. He's in touch with Chaos Energy, but he's doing good."

"I know." She sighs. "I know. I'm just kicking myself that I was so blind. I should've realized before. But..." She takes a deep breath. "What do we need to do to help him? What do you think is happening?"

Manic shakes his head. "I don't know." It's the truth. He wouldn't be here if he knew what to do. "But I've read some stuff. There are a few Chaos theory books in Ma's collection, but I think this one holds the key."

He holds the book out again, sure that she's not going to do anything to it now, and she takes it from him cautious.

"I can't read it though," he continues, watching her flip through the pages. "It's written in a language I don't know, but I know you've studied more than me. I need your help. Sonic needs your help."

"Well," she says, as she settles on a random page. "You would know this language if you paid attention in class."

Sonia sends him a small grin, and Manic can't help but laugh in return, throwing his head back. "No way—you tellin' me it's written in Latin?"

She points at a random passage and easily reads it out. Then, continues with a rough translation: "This says something about a Chaos user who can... filter energy. What did the cover say?" She flips it over again. "Siphon... You know, it's weird that the cover is written in Mobian..."

Manic shrugs. "I guess they wanted everyone to know what they were missing out on."

Sonia hums, barely listening, and Manic sees her push at the cover with the tip of her finger. It gives way easily, bunching up, and she glances up at him. Another tug and the leather cover bunches up more, pulled taught against the top corners of the book.

"I think someone added this to the cover..." Sonia smooths it back down. "I don't want to rip it, but yeah, someone did want everyone to know what they were missing out on."

"Weird... But, Sonia, do you think you can translate it?"

Sonia sends him a small, smug grin. "Can I translate it? Who do you think you're talking to? C'mon, let's get to work."

o0o

...:Mezzo:...

The Oracle didn't disappear from the castle completely, like Sonic thought. Instead, he saw the Oracle three times over the next week.

After a fitful night's sleep, he ventured into the kitchens for breakfast, only to find his mother and the Oracle eating together. As he approached, silent, blending in as well as he could with the servants that scurried to and fro, he heard the Oracle explaining something to his mother, something to do with prophecy: sometimes... inconsistent... can't See around certain events... Thank Chaos this one was wrong.

Sonic coughed as he approached, the better to get the Oracle to shut up, and waved off his mother's excited greeting. He had intended on taking his food to go, citing the fact that Tails was still asleep and would be for the next few hours, and he was still going to, but he had the distinct feeling that there was something off here—more than usual, anyway. His mother was watching him closely, and his siblings were nowhere to be found.

So, instead of grabbing and jetting, he placed himself carefully in the chair in front of his mother and signaled for one of the servants that stood at the ready nearby. After requesting some sort of platter that could travel well and quickly receiving it, he leaned forward to begin plucking food off the spread. It was a wide selection again, mostly leaning toward the vegetarian side, with a few meat options (probably more for Tails than anyone else), and Sonic grabbed dishes that they could eat with their fingers. All the while, he felt eyes on him, one set worried, matriarchal, and the other critical.

Sonic wasn't stupid. He knew that they had been talking about him. He seemed to be the only thing worth talking about around here, despite the fact that his mother was leading a small country and his sister was preparing to do so in the future. All conversation always circled back to him, and usually he wouldn't care, but recently he'd been getting a little annoyed at the constant conversation. What he wanted more than anything was to fade into the background as much as he could, hang out with his family, wait for Tails to heal, and then move on. However, it seemed that everything and everyone was determined to get in the way of that.

But Sonic himself was feeling okay this morning, despite how crummy he had felt last night. What little sleep he had grabbed, cradling his friend close, had done him a lot of good. His headache hadn't come back yet, and, for the first time in a while, he was feeling more like himself, centered in the face of the puzzle the Oracle posed.

"Morning, Mom," he said as he piled small sausages onto Tails's plate. "Where's the sibs?"

"They won't be joining us," Aleena muttered, casting a careful glance toward the Oracle. She didn't elaborate further.

"Neither will I," Sonic shot back, scooping a small bundle of grapes onto his plate. He ignored the way they reminded him of Knuckles.

(What he neglected to mention was that Tails had accidentally woken Sonic at half past two in the morning; his migraine was so fierce that he couldn't hide the desperate sobs that hiccupped out of his chest, no matter how hard he pressed his face into the pillows, and it had taken Sonic only five minutes of convincing (begging) to get him to take some of the painkillers that sat at his bedside. The bottle was still full because he refused to take them for his leg, so it was a testament to how extreme and painful his head was, that he acquiesced so quickly.)

His mother's face fell, but Sonic didn't have time to reflect on it, because the Oracle spoke: "Now, won't you let us monopolize a little of your time? Neither one of us has seen you in so long."

Sonic smiled then, like Tails when he finally figured out how one of Eggman's machines worked—gleeful, pleased, and a little smug. "Now, now, Oracle." He paused in his foraging to shake a finger. "We all know you've Seen plenty of me."

If the Oracle picked up on his barb, he did a good job of hiding it. Sonic didn't see him flinch. "Be that as it may, I believe it's always good to catch up, especially in informal settings. Why don't you sit and tell us about your adventures? I'm sure your mother would love to hear it."

Sonic's grin widened further, transforming from Tails's smug quirk of the mouth to something harder and far more threatening. "I already told Mom everything. Don't you know that, Orc?"

There was the flinch, just there, but it was enough for Sonic to pick up on. He felt a flash of victory, and he went back to scooping food onto the plates, arranging it so that nothing would fall when he took to the halls. He wasn't one to gloat during power plays like this, and his mother was watching carefully, so he decided to keep his head down.

"Yes, I'm well-versed in Sonic's adventures." That was the queen, finally speaking up after listening to the exchange with a narrowed expression. "I might know even more than you, Oracle..."

The Oracle chuckled. "Well..."

"I think the only person who knows more than me is probably young Tails," Aleena continued, ignoring the way that the Oracle leveraged Sonic with a long, quiet stare. "I must come visit him soon. How is he doing?"

Sonic flinched then. He didn't want to lie to his mother, but he also didn't want to reveal too much about Tails's condition in front of the Oracle. "He's fine. Just tired."

Not technically a full lie. It would have to do.

"Probably to do with all that flying. I bet that tires him out. I'll have some food sent by at lunch, so don't worry about getting him here."

"Thanks, Mom."

Sonic had finished his food collection, and his mother seemed done with this small conversation, if the way she was glancing toward the papers that were stacked in the chair next to her was anything to go on. The Oracle was still watching him closely, and Sonic passed him a small smile, not quite goading, but not completely innocent either.

"I better go," he continued as he gathered the plates. "I'll see you at lunch?"

Aleena nodded, and Sonic was off.

000

A few days later found Sonic venturing out of the bedroom less and less. Tails wasn't getting better, and Sonic was getting worse. His headaches were back in closer and closer frequency, and his runs were getting shorter. The pounding of his feet combined with the pounding of his head led to him bent in half sometimes, heaving in his stomach, woozy, somewhere remote, unsure of how he was going to get back to Mobotropolis. But he also couldn't stay. His feet were itching, like always, and he felt like if he didn't get out at least a few times a day that this castle was going to eat him whole and refuse to spit him out.

There wasn't anything specific that anyone was doing. His mother wasn't making noise about him staying; his siblings were largely absent and, when he did run into them, groggy and exhausted, as if they were battling their own form of illness. It was just a vibe that he was getting—like one day he was going to come back from a run and never leave again.

Sonic was never one to ignore his gut, which was why he was balanced on the side of the bed that day as the doctor checked over Tails. Usually, he tried to make himself scarce when the doctor showed up, both because he could tell that the poor man was twitchy around him and for Tails's privacy. If the fox wanted him to know something, he would tell him.

But, that day, he sat on the side of the bed, watching the doctor closely as he checked the mobility of Tails's knee while Tails squinted into the bright light of the room. Sonic's little friend had gotten increasingly less and less patient as the days had gone by, even with the painkillers protecting him from the worst of the headaches, and more and more testy and mean. It was so unlike him that Sonic didn't like to leave him alone for too long, scared that he was going to snap at some poor servant who dared to turn the light on in the room.

"Well," Dr. Knox said as he let Tails's leg rest back on the bed. "It's about the same. Have you been resting?"

Tails scowled and opened his mouth to let out what Sonic was sure was a scathing retort, but the hedgehog cut him off.

"He hasn't left that bed in almost three days."

The doctor didn't react to that, which was what set Sonic's inner alarm bells clanging. Dr. Knox's mouth set in a grim line, and he carefully removed the stethoscope hanging around his neck and pressed it under Tails's knee.

Tails hissed at the cold metal but didn't otherwise react, and Sonic watched with a bit of impatience dripping into his blood. Couldn't he just come out and say what was wrong?

"Pulse is strong." He looped the stethoscope back in place and sighed. "I don't understand—"

Tails sat up then, struck with a moment of clarity in between the waves of his migraine. "I'm not healing."

It wasn't a question, but it sent Sonic spiraling anyway. "What? How—?"

"Please," Dr. Knox broke in. "Let's not jump to conclusions. He's just not progressing as far as—"

Tails let out a loud, angry sound. "Just give it to me straight. There's something going on. You haven't been able to do anything about the headaches, and now my ankle isn't healing. What should we do?"

"We should leave," Sonic cut in. It came out before he could stop it.

"No." Knox's voice was strong and assertive. "If he was too fragile to travel before, he's far too fragile to travel now."

"There's something wrong," Sonic and Tails said at the same time.

"Sonic, can I speak with you outside?"

For a second, Sonic opened his mouth to say no, of course not, but Tails sent him a look that very much said that he should one hundred percent get up right now. The little fox's glare was clear: Sonic had to get his butt outside and figure out what was going on, because there was no way Dr. Knox was going to tell Tails. He had been adamant that Tails was to rest with no stress.

Sonic sighed and stood. "Fine."

The hallway was quiet, which was disconcerting. Usually, there was always the rustling sound of someone walking down the hall, or the low murmur of voices, or any noise at all, but today there was nothing but the sound of Sonic's short, sharp steps as he paced away from the room and Dr. Knox's muted, careful footfalls following him.

"Sonic," Dr. Knox called, once they had marched a good distance away, the better to avoid Tails's superior, canine hearing. "I don't have to tell you that this is bad."

Sonic drew to a stop, not quite turning around. Dr. Knox didn't appear common enough for Sonic to be cheered by his presence, but he still appreciated the doctor's no-nonsense, to the point personality. It helped calm him—and reminded him a lot of Knuckles, which was comforting for unknown reasons, probably to do with the voice that still cropped up in his head every now and then, reminding him when he was being stupid. Dr. Knox didn't beat around the bush, which Sonic really needed right now. He always preferred the company of blunt people.

That was another thing about royal life that didn't agree with him: all the posturing, the not saying what you mean, the talking circles around things so to not offend. He'd rather someone tell him the truth than have to try to figure out a puzzle. Luckily, his siblings hadn't had rough edge of their non-royal upbringing sanded out of them yet: Manic was as blunt as you could get, and Sonia seemed to still enjoy needling and goading her brothers, to the point of sharpness when necessary. But their mother could talk circles around anyone, and both royal advisors—Bartleby and Torin Cleary—along with Oracle and most of the guards and staff seemed to take great glee in this masochistic practice.

Yet another reason to get out of here.

"Understatement of the century," Sonic shot back, testy. Immediately, he regretted it and fell to lean against the wall, scrubbing an anxious fist across his eyes. "Sorry. There's just a lot— What's happening to him?"

The doctor drew close to him and leaned back next to him, letting his head rest on the cool, white stone that made up the walls of the castle. "Honestly, Sonic, I'm mystified. I've been doing research, but I can't figure out what's going on with either of you. These migraines are unlike anything I've seen, and Tails isn't healing nearly as quickly as he should be. It's like his body has ground to a stop. I—"

"Wait. Both of us? How'd you know I—"

"The walls have mouths around here. Plus, I've been doing research about you. You're a far cry from the go-lucky, smiley, positive person that you are out there." Knox waved a hand toward the general direction of the front of the castle and the land beyond. "There's something very, very wrong."

Duh, Sonic wanted to say, but he knew better. It would do him no good to offend the one person who might have a chance of helping them. "You said Tails isn't healing?"

The doctor set him with a hard diamond of a stare. "He is. It's just so slow that it's negligible. At this rate, his ankle will be completely healed in six months."

"Six—" Sonic felt his knees quake at that, and he put his hand on the wall to steady himself. "That's impossible. Usually, he bounces back from stuff like this way faster than most doctors predict."

Knox shook his head. "Not this time, and I think whatever the hell is going on with you and that head of yours is also going on with him. If he doesn't improve..."

Sonic couldn't comprehend this. His headache was flaring up now, crawling from the deep cave where it had gone to sleep, raking its long claws along his gray matter as it heaved its heavy body back into place. He hissed and fell back against the wall, clutching his temples, and lost himself for a second. The world went a little fuzzy and dark.

"Sonic? Sonic, stay with me."

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he focused on that, drawing himself back from the darkness that chewed at the edges of his vision. Carefully, he let his legs lower him to the ground, and he landed on the ground in a slump.

"We have to leave," he repeated, in a much more concentrated and direct tone than before. "There's something here—"

He cut himself off, even as the doctor fussed over him, ordering him to shut up and lay back so he could take his pulse. Sonic barely heard him. All he could hear was Knuckles's voice, cast all the way back from that small night in the middle of that big adventure, crouched there under that overturned train in Rail Canyon. Knuckles had warned him, hadn't he? Something, something, Mobotropolis, bad for Chaos Energy and the people who used it... Even someone like Tails would feel it there...

Sonic leveraged his feet under him and forced his quaking knees to lift him. Knox squawked, hands rising to push him back down, but Sonic wouldn't be stopped. He ignored the pounding in his head and placed one foot in front of the other, pointed squarely back the way they had come. That was all his life was: one foot after another, always moving forward, and he would keep doing that simple mechanical motion, the smooth movement of one foot lifting, sliding forward, landing again, and then the next, until he wasn't physically capable of it anymore.

There would be no more waiting around. He knew what he needed to do. He knew now that the doctor was right; he couldn't move Tails until the fox was more lucid. He could fly and Sonic could run. They would get out of here come daylight. He just had to get Tails back on track.

And he had just the Chaos Emerald to do it with.

The doctor watched him go, unable to keep up with Sonic's quick pace, and eventually would find himself locked out of the room that Sonic called home. Sonic, for his part, only paused once on his walk back to his bedroom, and it was because he saw two people at the end of the hall, silently watching, one with a hand placed carefully on the wall to hold him up. The Oracle, Torin Cleary, and Sonic stared at each other for half a beat, a catch of breath, and then Sonic twisted and pushed his way into the room.

o0o

~Syncopation::Fermata~

That morning, you wake early, far too early, even for you. Sonic always liked to say that you were far too much of a morning person—Knuckles, think of the rest of us, he cried when you kicked him to wake up. It always only made you kick harder.

But, this morning, it's too early. There's no natural light, and everything is asleep. You know you've only been asleep for a few hours—and that makes you twitchy.

As you lay there, in the thin bunk that you've unfortunately been calling home for far too long now, you feel, for a moment, the same. That's normal, feeling the same, and a relief, because you take stock every morning, waiting for the moment when you don't feel the same anymore. Inconsistency is the moment you need.

But then, something shifts, something cracks. It's not within you, like you thought it would be. It's worse: it happens in the place that's both in you and not, the place where your connection to Chaos flickers like a small flame. It splinters, like a lost shard of the Master Emerald, and you sit up, gasping, clutching desperately at your chest, your head, the sheets, the air, trying to grab something insubstantial.

The crack spreads out in front of you, leading right in the direction you've been watching for weeks now. That damned castle.

The castle is dangerous. That's all you know. You were told explicitly to never step foot there—doing so would lead to your direct and quick death—and you had never bothered to wonder if that directive was simply superstition or based on something substantial that had never been explained. But now, having been in this city for so long, you can see it now. The castle is a drain, and even someone as stable as you, as Blessed as you are, would be sucked dry in no time.

You'd hoped that there was an easier way to do this. Maybe Sonic would wander out, right into your waiting, agitated arms, but that hadn't happened. When you received reports of Sonic actually spending time in town, they had come too late, and Sonic was locked back up in that cursed castle.

But now, there's no time to wait. You have to go in.

You have to be fast. You have to be direct.

Because there is something impossibly wrong, both with the castle and with the Chaos here. Something just broke.

You just have to hope that it wasn't Sonic.

o0o

...:Soli:...

Sonic hadn't made it to the Emerald. So overwhelmed by the day, his revelation, and the headache that was beginning to consume him, he merely swung into the room, saw Tails there, sitting up in the dark, waiting for him, waiting for the news he would bring, and couldn't bear to do anything but crawl into bed. Gone was all the forward momentum; there were no more steps to take. All he could do was throw his aching, exhausted body on top of the sheets and pass out.

He woke sometime in the middle of the night. The clarity of sleep was instant; the memories of the day smacked him hard, and he took stock. He'd missed dinner and the English test he was supposed to take, and, most importantly, he'd left Tails without answers or explanations. He vaguely remembered falling face first on the bed, the small hand of his friend on his shoulder, the questioning tone, the words he couldn't make out, the release of tension as his friend comforted him. He remembered muttering something about gonna fix this, before he wormed his way up to the pillows. He remembered nothing after that.

He remembered his plan.

Sonic's bones had the penchant for loud, explosive pops first thing in the morning. Tails liked to joke that he always knew when Sonic rose from the sounds of popcorn that came from his room and, usually, he just laughed it off. It was nothing a little stretching couldn't fix.

But just now? He was painfully aware of every creak of his bones. Tails was fast asleep, but his ears flicked with each small noise, following Sonic as he clambered over the edge of the bed and crept across the room. They'd relocated the Emerald from the small table to the wardrobe—it was the best they could do, given the circumstances—and Sonic carefully pried open the doors and look for it. Tails had rigged up a small cloaking device, no bigger than the palm of his small hand, and Sonic had to root around blind, searching for the shape of the Emerald amongst the cast-off coats, scarves, and miscellaneous bed linens that seemed to multiply every time he opened this thing. Eventually, after much foraging, his hand closed around something sharp, and he pulled the Emerald out, dislodging it from the cloaking device's influence, and it flared to life in the dark of the room.

Sonic hissed and almost tossed it away. It was bright, brighter than he'd ever seen it, like a bulb right before it popped and went out for good. It made his stomach turn to see.

There was no time to lose.

He had no idea what he was doing, but he knew that the Emeralds had healing properties. Of course, as they had discovered weeks ago, the Emeralds didn't like to heal Tails, or anyone really, but Sonic was desperate, and he had an idea.

He'd seen Knuckles pray before the Master Emerald a total of one time, and only because he'd been... Well, he'd been hiding behind a tree and Knuckles had no idea he was there. Tails called it spying, but Sonic liked to say he was just getting to know his friend better. It wasn't like Knuckles would ever willingly let Sonic see him commune with the Emeralds or whatever. And really, that was selfish of him. What if something happened to him and Sonic had to... pray or whatever to help him?

Plus, there had been that time, way back at the Emerald dais in Hidden Palace, when he had pressed his head and hands onto the Master Emerald and had some kind of communion with it. Sonic wasn't a believer in any sort of higher power by any stretch of the imagination—his habit of picking up stray gods along the way and returning them to their rightful resting places had robbed him of any spiritual bent—but that moment had been the closest thing he'd ever gotten to a religious experience. He didn't remember what exactly the Emerald had shown him, but remembered the sensation of it, how right it had felt, how he'd felt his consciousness expand, his senses widen, and how he'd almost been drawn to hum and sing for the first time in a long time.

Knuckles had mentioned once, when he was exhausted and feeling generous, that Chaos Energy resonated like sound, which was absolutely why, that day when Sonic hid behind that tree, he had heard Knuckles humming, strange half-tones, notes clanging against one another, and the Master Emerald had responded in kind, creating dissonant chords that made the very fiber of Sonic's being light up. He'd blacked out then, and woken to Knuckles above him, grumbling about him being ill-suited to handling certain tones. Sonic hadn't gotten the chance to ask what that meant before Knuckles chucked him off the side of the Island.

That was all he had to go on, but he was Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic the Hedgehog wasn't exactly known for planning ahead. That was more Tails's job and Tails was... Well...

Sonic shook his head and held the Emerald carefully between his hands. It was still far brighter than it should be, and it winked at him as he stared into its depths. Just there, he could hear a hum, a singular note that called to him. That was something else Knuckles had mentioned, when he owed Sonic after Sonic had caught him from falling to his death somewhere in Frog Forest—the Master was capable of harmonization within itself, weaving chords in order to direct the Energy, while the Emeralds were vessels for one note each. This made them easier to manipulate, which was why Sonic was able to harness them so easily.

Tails shifted in his sleep, turning his face away from the brightness. Sonic would need to work fast if he wanted to get this done before Tails inevitably woke up and tried to clobber him for wasting time on this. They'd already proved that the Emeralds didn't like Tails like they liked Sonic, he'd argue, and did he really need to wake the whole castle with this? Sonic shook his head and pushed the covers back, careful not to jostle Tails too much.

The red cast was a sickly color in the green light of the Emerald, and briefly Sonic worried this wouldn't work because of the plaster. No, he decided. The heart. He needed to aim for the center of Tails's being if this was going to work.

He placed the Emerald carefully there, over the pump of Tails's chest, and cupped his hands around it. The resonance grew louder, drawing small goose flesh on Sonic's arms as he felt the Energy travel up his limbs. He tried to hum in tune, but the Emerald resisted, dimmed, drew quieter. Sonic forced himself into dissonance, matching with a note that clashed harshly against the Emerald's preferred tone.

Another flash of green. Bright, bright, so bright Sonic's vision went up in spots. His headache, a threatening beast, receded, even as his nerves resisted the close dissonance. All his musician's mind wanted was to resolve the chord, but he held on, and the Emerald's power grew.

At its peak, Sonic felt something reach into him, grasping hard to his very soul, and he was drawn forward, all the way into the Emerald. Vision whited out, all he could see was Tails, withered like a cornstalk in the sun, looking up at him, and Sonic reached for him, took one step, then another, and another, like he always had, and Tails rose up to meet him.

There was a loud, cacophonous blast of sound, and Sonic was ejected back into himself. The Emerald flared, nearly searing Sonic's shadow to the wall, and then everything went still and quiet.

The Emerald fell out of Sonic's hands, dark, with a spiderweb of cracks across its surface.

Tails sat up, with clear, bright eyes.

And Sonic fell backwards.

000

Three days later, Tails delivered food to Sonic's bedside and shook his shoulder sharply. The hedgehog hadn't emerged from this room since the day he'd collapsed after his talk with the doctor. He'd only had brief stints of consciousness since then, during which Tails managed to weasel information out of him—Tails wasn't healing, there was something wrong, Emerald helped—but it had been slow and almost impossible. Sonic was barely lucid enough to put together sentences, and sometimes it was all Tails could do to get food into him.

He'd spoken to the doctor, but Knox had had no answers for him other than to call him if Sonic stopped drinking water.

The Emerald was back in the wardrobe, delivered there by Tails at some point in the middle of his panicked awakening, fresh-faced and migraine free. He'd woken with a clear mind just in time to see Sonic collapse, and no number of vigorous shakes or loud yelling had awoken him. It was like he'd dropped into a coma.

When he finally did open his eyes, a whole day later, it was with a pained groan and half-sentences. The relief he'd had upon seeing Tails sitting at his bedside in a chair, far too worried to sleep, had brought Tails such intense pause that he'd barely heard what Sonic said: "Now we leave."

Tails had had to gently explain that no, now they don't leave. Sonic had responded with indignation and tried to rise, only to have his knees give out on him when his headache spiked in such intensity that he fell forward with his hands clutched around his skull. Tails had managed to airlift Sonic back into bed, and he hadn't tried to rise again after that.

That... That was a problem. Sonic liked to complain that Knuckles was hardheaded, but Sonic was just as, if not more, obstinate and determined. Usually, if he was conscious, he was struggling to get out of bed. But, after the initial burst of stubbornness, he'd wisely kept himself in bed, even as he slowly came back to himself. Tails had honestly never seen Sonic so defeated. After all their adventures, all the dangerous situations, Chaos, Dark Gaia, Metal Sonic, Eggman, this was the thing that laid Sonic up in bed.

Tails had no idea what was going on, but from what he'd gleaned, it had something to do with the drained and cracked Emerald. He'd scanned and scanned it, tried to message and call Knuckles to no avail, and even considered leaving in the dead of night for help. But he was realistic; he knew he wouldn't get far. The closest city was too far for him to fly, and if he couldn't fly he was out of luck. His ankle was still broken, a fact that Sonic had been so despondent to learn that Tails wished he could take back reporting it.

So, here they were. Sonic laid up in bed with a migraine bigger than his body, and Tails trying to figure a way forward. They had functionally switched places, a fact that Sonic seemed pleased with—"Smarter one on the case. Believe in you."—but Tails didn't have as much sway or power here as Sonic did. He wasn't a prince; he couldn't demand things. Plus, Manic, Tails's only real ally, had been sparse and hard to pin down. It was like he and Sonia had disappeared into thin air. Tails hadn't let news of Sonic's condition slip, only allowed the doctor in to see him when Sonic was up and semi-lucid, and Sonic's siblings never stopped by to visit.

Tails sighed and shook Sonic's shoulder again. He had to get him up and eating, if they had any chance of getting out of here.

"C'mon Sonic," he called. "It's chili dogs!"

Not even that was enough to rouse him, so Tails sighed and reached for the glass of water that sat at his bedside. After dipping his fingers in, he flicked a few droplets right onto Sonic's face.

Sonic, who was very familiar with the sensation of drowning, jolted awake, and then immediately hissed and grabbed his head. "Chaos, Tails. Why?"

Tails shrugged. "You weren't waking up. I thought you were dead."

Sonic sent him a weak glare. "No way. You know I'll never die."

The humor was welcome. That meant he was feeling better than he looked, and Tails felt his shoulders relax a touch. Sonic saw that easily and sent him a small smile.

"I brought you dinner." Tails placed the tray of food in his lap. "Please try to eat at least half of it."

It was a simple meal: some broth and a few pieces of buttered toast. Sonic turned his nose up at it, but then saw Tails's upset expression and grabbed for the spoon.

"Anything happen while I was out?"

Tails knew he wanted to know about the state of affairs outside the castle, but things had been quiet. "Nothing to report. Eggman's still underground. Can't get ahold of Knuckles. The doctor is close to ordering a portable MRI to get your head scanned."

Sonic grimaced. "Is that all?"

Tails smiled then, deciding that he seemed well enough to be picked on some. "Well, there were some headlines..." Tails liked to collect headlines like he was scrapbooking, and the newest additions to his digital compendium were doozies: Mobotropolis's Lost Son Found; Human Nations Open Trade Negotiations with Mobotropolis After Sonic the Hedgehog Crowned; World Shocked to Learn Sonic the Hedgehog is Royalty; Look Out Ladies! Sonic the Hedgehog Just Became an Even More Eligible Bachelor!

He rattled these off to Sonic, watching as his mouth thinned more and more with each one, and couldn't help but giggle when Sonic groaned.

"Great," Sonic moaned only to see Tails smirking at him. "Why do you do this to me?"

Tails shrugged. "Well, according to all my reading, you're a narcissist, so I'm just helping you out."

"If that were true, you'd be an enabler."

Tails opened his mouth to reply, but there was a knock at the door, and they both turned to look as it opened with barely a pause. A strange man poked his head in, snout and robes long. Sonic immediately stiffened, nearly knocking over his broth, and Tails stood, ignoring the twinge that sent through his still-healing ankle.

"Who are you?" he demanded, deciding against politeness. Sonic didn't react like this to most people, and Tails trusted his judgement.

The man looked him over, took in his defensive posture and cast-clad foot, and smiled at him. Tails felt his fur stand up a little.

"I'm just a concerned bystander," he said as he stepped into the room.

"Funny, no one said come in." Sonic's voice was like acid.

"Why, I was just—"

"He's right," Tails said. "Sonic is still recovering. Please leave."

"You must be Tails. I've Seen so much of you. You're the one who freed Cocoa Island, correct?"

For a second, Tails froze, thrown back to the painful past, suddenly tiny and crouched in a cave with a slew of explosives around him, deciding once and for all to do something about the cruelty he'd witnessed for as long as he could remember. He could feel the dampness of the cave, the weight of the decision he'd just made, the terror of what it would do to him.

But then Sonic placed a hand on his shoulder, and Tails fell back into himself. The man was peering at him with expressionless eyes, and Tails felt his clenched hands release.

"I am," he said. "And you need to leave."

His voice was strong, and he didn't waver. The man took in his small frame and seemed to smile to himself. "Very well. You're strong, nothing like what I've read. I'll leave Sonic in your capable hands."

Sonic groaned. "Get out of here, Oracle. You're giving me a headache."

That made the Oracle laugh, and Tails watched him leave before rounding on Sonic.

"Oracle?"

Sonic glared down at his bowl. "It's a long story."

"That man can see the future?"

Sonic spooned some broth into his mouth. "I'm not sure."

"Explain."

Sonic sighed. "He's the one who gave Mom the prophecy about the Council of Four or whatever. That all went up in smoke when I left, and the other day he said something that... You know how I found the seventh Emerald for the first time with you?"

Tails nodded.

"Yeah, he said that he Saw me get it on South Island. Like, he had a vision that I found it before I met you."

Tails immediately put it together. "But that's— Is he getting his information from the newspapers?"

Sonic shrugged. "As far as I can tell, yeah." He clanked his spoon on the side of the bowl. "This is good."

That was Sonic for I'm done with this conversation, and Tails knew better than to press him. It was a relief enough that he was sitting up, eating, and speaking so clearly. He would press him for more details later. Or, he would find answers on his own.

o0o

*Modulation:*:Coda*

After seven long nights, during which they got maybe half the amount of sleep necessary, much to the chagrin of their mother, Bartleby, and even Sonic, once he recognized their grogginess for what it was, Manic and Sonia are ready to give up. Their work has brought them no closer to discovering the cause of their brother's sickliness, and has, in fact, only netted them two sore backs and a list of vocabulary words that they've barely parsed meaning out of.

It turned out that Latin wasn't the only language the book was written in. There is another, foreign, even more ancient-looking language interspersed throughout—leading Sonia to mutter, "Who is this book for?" multiple times during their crusade—and they have no hope of understanding most of the important bits. They've only gathered about two and a half pages of notes by the time they're done, and only because Manic's chicken scratch is large.

Through their bickering they've only managed a couple conclusions: all three Chaos classes, as they're referred to, are incredibly rare, but the differences between them are kind of an overlapping Venn diagram instead of separate circles. Sonic is almost definitely what the book refers to as a Chaos Touched, AKA someone who creates their own Chaos Energy and can harness other sources easily. They'd bickered incessantly over this, because Sonia has reason to believe that Sonic is just an over-powered Chaos Blessed, but, Manic argued every time, Chaos Blessed were mostly Echidnas.

Sonia had simply pointed at the pair of damning lines that had sent them both spiraling: Chaos Blessed are the one and only genetic Chaos class, but Chaos abilities can skip generations and even siblings within the same generation. Well known groups of Chaos Blessed individuals include the endangered and isolated Echidnas of the Knuckles Clan, and the royal family of Mobotropolis.

That explains Sonia's abilities at least, but, Manic insisted at multiple points, trying to keep his voice low so that no one passing in the hall would hear, that didn't explain Sonic's crazy abilities. Chaos Blessed are known for having one ability that's passed down the line—for the Knuckles Clan, it's strength; for the royals in Mobotropolis, it's something more akin to Sonia's superspin—but Sonic can do way more than Sonia. And, Manic maintained, the book was adamant that any given individual could only inhabit one of the Chaos classes, so Sonic had to be Touched. He just had to be.

Sonia still isn't convinced, which was why Manic had attempted to take her to the secret room in their mother's quarters. He hadn't visited in a while, so distracted by Sonic and everything that was going on around him, but, as they argued over Sonic's fate, he couldn't help but think of the prophecy that their great-great-great-great-whatever grandmother had received. He hadn't bothered to memorize it, so sure that it wouldn't matter with Sonic dead and gone, and he wasn't sure if Sonia would believe him if she didn't lay eyes on it herself, so he led his unwilling and hesitant sister on a stealth mission into their mother's chambers.

Only to come face to face with the Oracle.

He was in the secret room, sitting at the little table with an ancient-looking book, and lifted his head when the door slid open to admit them. Sonia let out a small hiss of warning when she spotted him and placed a careful hand on Manic's shoulder. Manic, for his part, stood tall, because it was one thing for a child to be sneaking into his mother's secret room; it was a whole other thing for a strange old man to be doing it.

But, the Oracle had simply stood, placed a finger over his lips, and gestured them out. There was a silent agreement between them then, almost against Manic's will, to not mention this incident to anyone, to allow the three of them to continue sneaking around. It makes Manic feel dirty, even now, but he knows if he reports the Oracle's wrongdoing it'll be tantamount to reporting his own, and he can't give up the opportunity to get back into that room.

Because, he realized last night, as he laid in bed, pondering all of this, trying to decide if they should talk to Sonic—another argument: Sonia thinks it's a bad idea and also doubts Sonic knows anything about this; Manic thinks he deserves to know and maintains that Sonic knows a little about everything—he remembered something else from those books, something more recent.

His mother had mentioned a great-grandfather (or granduncle? Manic can't keep his own family tree straight.) that was Chaos Touched, and how he was cruel and mean and had gone insane with power. There had been mention of something to do with Chaos Energy backup or poison or something, and he was sure that the real, in-depth account was in one of the older books. Every royal kept an account of their life; there had to be one by the mother, sibling, aunt, uncle, or father of the man who had gone off the deep end.

He just has to find it.

000

Sonia doesn't want to break into their mother's room again, but her curiosity clearly is too much. She trails Manic as he goes to check on Sonic—to establish an alibi—and stands next to him as they stare at Sonic and Tails, sleeping fitfully. Tails has been feeling better, something that has everyone walking a bit lighter, but Sonic hasn't emerged from this room in the last few days. Tails won't say what's up, just gathers food at mealtimes and wheels his way back to this bedroom with plates balanced on his lap, but Manic thinks that Sonic's Chaos Energy is being depleted somehow. It's the only explanation for his behavior: mean, distant, impatient. He's in so much pain he can't cope with it.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Sonia mutters as they watch their brother sleep. He's so still. It's eerie. In the past, when they were on the road together, Sonic was active even in sleep, constantly twitching, moving, talking, as his dreams took him to places they could never hope to follow. Now, he's so still Sonia runs a hand under his nose, just to be sure he's breathing.

"Calm down, sis," Manic shoots back, trying to maintain the airy, relaxed quality that Sonic always managed when they were putting themselves in danger. "We're just snooping through Ma's private diary. What's the problem?"

Sonia grimaces but doesn't argue. Just sighs, a long, suffering thing. "It's for Sonic... Hopefully the Oracle won't be in there again..."

"Yeah." Manic pats the foot of the bed, where Sonic and Tails's feet are two small bulges under the covers, trying to keep his expression from souring at the mention of the Oracle. "We gotta figure out what's wrong with him. It's the only way to help him."

Sonia's mouth sets in a grim line, and she watches their brother for another small stretch of time before nodding once, a sure thing. "Then let's go."

As they leave, Manic casts one last long look back at his brother, and he swears, for a second, that he sees a small, singular twitch of a fox ear. But, Tails's breathing is steady, and he doesn't move otherwise, so Manic shrugs and turns to follow his sister.