Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

⭐️

"So, you're a monocle?" Sonic asked, glancing over to the cloaked figure who entered his house in the middle of the night.

The reptilian blinked, staring at the hedgehog making an unplanned breakfast. "Oracle." He corrected.

"Yea, that stuff. And you give prophecies." Sonic responded. He speedily placed the pancakes on a plate before setting it on the table. "And apparently I'm part of one?"

"Correct. You are one of the three children of our lost Queen Aleena, destined to defeat our tyrant and rise to power!" The seer announced, a spiel most likely rehearsed. "Your destiny calls and-"

Sonic cut him off. "Destiny can call later."

Noting the Oracle's bewildered expression, he continued. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude or anything like that, but I'm being honest. I can't afford uprooting my life like this. I'm already taking care of my uncle and little brother. Grocery prices are skyrocketing, Ro-butt-nik is already snuffing out the Freedom Fighters, and I don't have time." As if emphasizing his point, his forcefully slammed closed a cupboard.

Silence consumed the room as Sonic sat down in the chair across from the Oracle. The quills nestled in his blue hair were bristled upwards, letting him pick them.

"Sorry, dude. Now just isn't the time." He mumbled, as much as this sounded like an adventure. Since Dr. Ivo Robotnik's takeover, and the subsequent suspension of the "girl scout group" (what Sonic affectionately called the Freedom Fighters, a group he made with his friends, Amy and Tangle), things weren't exactly great.

Still, the hedgehog managed to let himself think about adventure. But just think.

It was all too risky- and maybe he was a risk-taker, but putting his family in danger was not an option. It never was. And a prophecy about him and some surprise siblings initiating a war was the last thing he needed.

The Oracle nodded in understanding. "I know this is a stressful time, and I emphasize with your hesitation. But must I warn you of so many stories? Avoiding prophecy only delays the inevitable." He warned, knowing Sonic couldn't afford ignoring this forever.

Sonic didn't answer that, his eyes tired and almost disconnected from the world. "I-I need to lie down, dude. Sorry. See you..." He hoped never. "See you again."

When the Oracle left, Sonic tossed the dishes into the sink- deciding to do them later. The hedgehog zipped off to the next room, the bedroom he shared with his adoptive brother. A two-tailed, eight-year-old fox named Miles Prower. Who Sonic lovingly nicknamed Tails.

Tails was curled in on himself, blankets primarily wrapped around him after Sonic had woken up. He looked just like he did when Sonic left the room.

His frail body was twisted defensively, light brown skin dark against the sheets. His blue eyes were closed in what could be easily mistaken for peaceful sleep- if one did not notice the small twitches and unconscious flinches of nightmares. His golden blond hair was sprawled on his pillow, looking fluffy and wild, and his glasses were still crookedly placed on his face.

Sonic felt himself smile. He always did around his brother. Carefully, and with a mind to not wake him, he reached over and took Tails' glasses off. He placed them on the nightstand and sighed.

He sat back down on the bed, knowing he wouldn't be getting any sleep now. What was he even supposed to do now?

He was part of a prophecy, a prince, and had two siblings apparently. Did Uncle Chuck know about any of this? Why was he even separated from his apparent sibling?

Was anything in his life even real?

'Don't think like that.' He scolded himself, shutting his eyes tightly and reaching for Tails. He held his brother close. 'This will be fine. Prophecies may always happen, but this hedgehog is the best in the kingdom- I can handle it later. Just not now.'

Putting that in his head, he managed to doze off.

⭐️

"What's for breakfast?" Tails asked, climbing onto the chair- the spare metal and bolts clicking together in his various belt-bags.

Sonic slid a bowl of cornflakes to Tails with a tired expression. "We're out of pancake mix." He explained. Tail just shrugged and started eating.

"Uncle Chuck, are you don't have any breakfast?" Sonic asked, looking to the elder hedgehog.

Chuck shook his head, letting out a yawn as he poured a cup of coffee. Sonic sighed, making his own bowl of cereal. "I thought you said you were gonna stop drinking so much caffeine."

"Sorry," his uncle mumbled. "There's just a lot going on." Sonic understood that, but that didn't make him worry less.

With that, Chuck left the kitchen to the chili dog stand he ran out back- probably just to assess if he had enough ingredients.

Sonic sat down next to Tails, his quills bristling up out of his hair. A frustrated response, or one of anger, sadness, or fear. Tails carefully reached over and smoothed them down, letting the hedgehog calm down. Sonic sighed a little and looked over to his brother. "You alright?" He asked to fox.

Tails shrugged a little. "Things are tense. Really tense." He mumbled.

"Are you gonna raid the junkyard? I can join you." Sonic suggested, taking a spoonful of cereal.

The younger shook his head. "Not today, I went yesterday and tomorrow's trash day- higher reward then." Tails explained, already finishing his food. "I am going to disable the badniks in the West Corner. Cream told me that Robotnik forgot to end their 'quarantine' two days ago."

Sonic winced at that. "Gaia, that's..." Robotnik's little "quarantines' were just another awful way of controlling people.

If one of the Corners in Monotopolis (he refused to call it Robotropolis) acted up too much, their new tyrant would put them on "quarantine." No food deliveries, restriction on water access, and Badniks would patrol to make sure no one could go outside.

Oftentimes, it would run a week or two. Other times, Robotnik would just... forget extending it and not bothering with the starving citizens.

Which was when Tails would step in, hacking the Badniks and sending them right back off to the Singularity, where the "good doctor" lived. Tails sighed. "Luckily, he sucks at security. Most of his passwords are literally just 'MeanBean3'." He laughed to himself, grabbing his tablet.

Sonic smiled at that. Oh, how he wished they could leak that and cause a bit of chaos. But he knew Robotnik would make an example of their Corner and execute them. Or at least, most of them.

The kingdom's territory spread in a large square shape. Robotnik had carved the land into quarters, though a large circle for the wealthier classes (also split into quarters) stayed in the center. Meanwhile, the Singularity was in the center of that.

He patted his brother's head, "well, just be careful. Alright, bud?" He reminded. Tails just smiled, hearing that warning a million times before. But he knew it was important. With that, the little fox went out the door.

After a couple minutes of silently sitting at the table, he stood up. "Welp. Back to the grind." He nodded.

⭐️

"And remember-"

Sonic sighed, grabbing the backpack from the barracuda in the alley. His "boss," Snag. "I know, I know. Don't open the bag, don't talk to anyone. And if anyone asks, I'm a 'delivery boy'." He sneered. He did this all the time.

Snag nodded faintly and placed his hand on Sonic's back. The barracuda gave his sharp-toothed smirk. "Well, you are the fastest worker in the Corner. So run along." Sonic rolled his eyes as Snag gave the small of his back a nudge, slowly removing his hand. The hedgehog rushed off.

'Congrats, Sonic. You're pushing twenty and pushing drugs! Who says I can multitask?' He scolded himself while running down the streets.

He felt guilt in the pits of his stomach and his head- like a blinding heat pulsing in his brain. His family had asked him again and again to stop with his little "jobs." But it was easy money, and it was very easy to get "hired" for these jobs from Snag. It wasn't exactly a desirable job, smuggling banned goods across the South Corner as fast as he could, and praying no Badniks asked what was in the backpack. It wasn't exactly desirable to get his hands dirty.

But it wasn't like any regular job would take him.

Sonic did what he did every day- run and avoid eye contact. And it felt awful. Because he wasn't supposed to be like this.

Only three or four years ago - before their new dictator - he was what people called a "joy" to be around. He was friendly and confident, and admittedly a bit of a cocky punk. He wasn't afraid to shout and protest what was wrong. Fight it even. That was why he, Amy, and Tangle formed the Freedom Fighters in the first place. To fight for good in their immature, chaotic, incredible way. And a way that caused them to disband when Robotnik cracked down on them.

And now this was his life. Awesome!

He was nothing like what he was supposed to be. And it sucked.

Wishing a minute, he was on the other side of the South Corner. And it wasn't too long before a hooded parrot approached him and and whispered, "From Snag?"

Sonic tossed the backpack to him. "With love." He snarked.

"Watch it." The parrot warned. He was another fuzzy face Sonic had a hard time distinguishing from another. But Sonic thought his name was Luc. Maybe. With that, Sonic went back to Snag and was sent off to his next "job."

Job after job, the day went on with a blue. Like most of them did anyway. He encountered faces he saw dozens of times and hadn't taken the time to remember, different eyes with the same guarded, watchful, cautious expression of dread. Sonic had to wonder if he had that same expression too.

And as much as he hated it, the Oracle's words came back to his mind. The whole night did. The knock on the door stirring him out of sleep, him shifting carefully as to not wake Tails. And the odd seer waiting for him at the door asking for a chat (and pancakes).

It seemed to strike him there. Most of his life, if the seer's words were true, was a lie. He wasn't the only child, whose parents had died in a boating accident. Whose poor, sweet uncle raised him, all alone and with little to his name.

According to the Oracle, he was a prince, a sibling of three, and something important in this whole mess. It felt so incredibly impossible- how in the world could he believe anything he was told by that stranger asking for breakfast?

But... impossibly, he had a feeling it was true.

That sense of realization gripped him and he stood silently in the roads.

And when badniks started flooding the streets, he had a horrific idea of where they were going.

So he ran. He avoided looking at the confused stares of citizens as he bolted back home. And it felt worse than it ever had before.

⭐️

Sonic didn't care that the house was burned to its foundations. Most of what they owned was either sold or stashed away in a place where Robotnik wouldn't find it.

What he cared about was getting to his family. To his uncle and little brother. He darted around the rubble, too fast for the badniks digging through to see him.

Panic started flooding his senses, his breathing quicker and his eyesight blurry. "Chuck... Tails..." He whispered, voice too choked to carry that far into the still air.

He stepped back into the streets before the charred remains of his childhood home. He braced for a badnik to seize him at any moment and drag him off.

But it wasn't a badnik that grabbed him. It was a hand of a nodded reptilian that pulled him into an alley and shushed him.

Sonic stubbornly pulled his arm from the Oracle. "Where's-" The Oracle pointed to the crate beside him, where Tails was sitting.

The fox's eyes were side and endless as he stared off. Sonic hasn't seen him that shaken since he first met him- curled up and terrified, refusing to let anyone near him until Sonic coaxed him closer with food.

Tails' right forearm was bandaged, the dressings fresh and messy. With his left hand, he clutched the Miles Electric, a tablet of endless programs and abilities that Tails used for almost everything. Slowly, Tails looked up at Sonic and mouthed one word.

'Chuck.'

"The badniks captured your uncle." The Oracle explained. "They've taken him to the Singularity." His tone was grim and rueful.

Sonic felt a crushing pain in his chest. Being dragged off to the Singularity by badniks meant two things. His uncle was either roboticized or dead. And considering they weren't afraid to burn the house to ashes, he wasn't confident in his uncle's survival.

In that moment, the hedgehog felt so many things. Dizziness, fear, grief, confusion.

And hatred brewing in the very depths of his soul.

His mind fogged any rational sense of preservation he had the night prior. Robotnik targeted his family. And for that, he would regret ever coming to the kingdom in the first place.

He forced himself to look at the Oracle.

"So... about this prophecy..."

Chapter Text

⭐️

Manic knew stealing was wrong.

Of course, that didn't stop him- survival was survival, and those who could afford pearls and silk had plenty to go around.

So, a necklace here, a purse there, really couldn't hurt. At least, that was what he thought.

How was he supposed to know the bracelet he stole was from a "visiting aristocrat?" A class Eggman was fond of, for whatever reason.

"Thief!" The woman screeched, standing up and pointing at him as he ran down the street. And there must've been more badniks in the streets that usual, considering so many surrounded him at once. The East Corner was usually so negligent.

The bots grabbed him, shaking the bracelet out of his hand. "Cease, thief." A robotic voice ordered. Manic didn't want to cease, knowing what happened to thieves.

"Fuck. Off-" He demanded though gritted teeth, managing to kick one of the mechanical law enforcers in the head. Unfazed, the badniks dragged him to the Town Center.

Where criminals were made an example. 'At least not executed," he thought as they took his jacket and shirt. They forcefully pulled him onto one of the platforms, chaining his wrists together and tethering them to the hook on the wooden boards.

"Just sit still." One of the enforcers - the few hybrid officers left, the one that could hide their sympathy enough - whispered to him. Switching back to an authoritative voice, he asked, "What else in your possession is stolen goods?"

'Oh, everything.' Manic thought. His jacket, his shoes, his spiked bracelets, every meal he ate.

"That was it." He said.

The enforcer knelt down, noticing the dull shine of the pendant that hung around Manic's neck. The one thing Manic really owned. "It's mine." He whispered, narrowing his eyes at the enforcer.

Without a word, the enforcer nodded and stepped back. He grabbed the whip from the nearby stand and took a deep breath.

"For the theft of the bracelet, five flogs!"

Manic trained his eyes to his hands. Five? That didn't seem too bad, he could handle-

Ripping pained exploded I'm his back- burning through his flesh and spurting blood onto the wood. He lurched forward, letting out a scream before letting his throat close up with phlegm.

The whip came down again, and he refused to scream. To give anyone the satisfaction of watching the tears burning in the back of his eyes fall.

Again.

Then again.

And after what felt like a million years, it ended. He felt his body give out as he felt onto the platform. His lungs struggled to get any air in, his body twitching with pain.

The badniks didn't even give him a minute to recover before the uncuffed him and dragged him off of the platform. He was thrown off into the pavement. The small crowd that had gathered quickly dispersed.

Manic coughed up phlegm and forced himself to his shaking legs. He stepped forward and immediately stumbled into a wall. His blurry vision didn't exactly help him as he pushed himself into a nearby alley.

He fell onto a trashed mattress and tried to catch his breath. The hedgehog shut his eyes tightly and covered his face with his arms.

'Just breathe.' He told himself. He begged himself. If he gave up now, no one was coming to save him. If he gave up now, he would die. That was it.

Manic didn't have any family to take care of him. He did once, but he didn't really count them.

From what he knew, a small group of thieves found him on the doorstep of a moderately rich family. Well, found the basket he was in. Without looking inside, they snatched up the basket, and were apparently mortified when they saw that there was not money or food in the basket. But a child.

Instead of handing him over to an orphanage and risk getting caught as thieves, they taught him how to steal and survive on the streets.

Before promptly leaving when he was ten.

And since then, it was him. And only him.

He had this conversation with himself a million times a day.

'Don't give up now, or else you're gonna die. Because no one is coming to help you. No one is coming to save-'

"Manic, right?"

The green-haired hedgehog nearly fell off of the mattress. No one here knew his name- he didn't tell anyone his name.

He looked up, the blended colors finally separating. He was faced with a blue-haired hedgehog who smiled nervously and waved.

His hair was tied up, though messy and ruffled. He had tanned olive skin with vitiligo patches on his face, and green eyes (though his left one's cataract was milky white).

But Manic's gaze paused on the hedgehog's necklace. A pendant identical to his own. The one left with him in the basket.

"I-I'm Sonic." The stranger said quickly. "And I need you to come with me-I swear I'll explain, I just need you to trust me." He kept glancing over his shoulder, as if he was being watched.

Normally, Manic would respond with a snarky "Screw off" or "As if." But his eyes were glued to the necklace.

Sonic must've taken his silence as acceptance, since he reached over and pulled Manic up to his feet. The movement caused Manic's head to ring again, his vision blurring over again. He blinked for a very long time, and when he opened his eyes, they were at the metal fence separating the East Corner and the South Corner.

"Why... why are we..." He trailed off, watching as Sonic pulled open a lower part of the fence. "It's that electric?" He muttered, having tried many times to climb over it.

"Tails has that under control." Sonic said, helping Manic slip under the now-disabled fence. He didn't bother asking who Tails was, he could only focus on his pain and confusion.

Sonic helped him back up to his feet once they were on the other side of the fence. "Don't worry, we're not too far from a safe space." Sonic assured Manic, who nodded dumbly.

After a bit of walking along the outskirts of the South Corner, Sonic stopped by the fence that separated the Corner from the territory of the kingdom.

"Where are we... going?" Manic asked, watching as Sonic again pulled up the fence.

"A secret place my friends and I made years ago." Sonic explained, getting the two under the fence then heading off into the woods.

Again, Manic felt everything blur and watching minutes they were at ... a cabin? A clubhouse of some sort, he guessed.

Sonic led him inside and helped Manic onto the couch. "Alright, Tails, I need some bandages and whatever the heck that gel Amy made for cuts, it works for everything." Light footsteps rushed from the room the two hedgehog were in, then came back. "Thanks, buddy." Sonic nodded and turned his attention back to Manic.

A soothing, cold gel was spread across the welts on his back left from the whip. The room fell nervous and quiet, except for the the small whimpers from Manic and his shaky breathing. Still, he refused to cry in front of anyone here.

Finally, Sonic finished dressing the lashes and helped sit Manic up.

"Okay, here. I picked these up when I found you." Sonic handed Manic his shirt and jacket. "And I should probably explained what's going on..."

Sonic took a deep breath.

"We're siblings, apparently Queen Aleena's lost kids, we're supposed to rise up to defeat Robotnik, and we also have a sister too. I got this from an Oracle, and our necklaces are proof.

The room was quiet for a minute, and for as stupid as all of that sounded, Manic felt inclined to believe him. After all, it explained a couple of things and he wasn't exactly in a position to turn down answers.

"Cool...?" Manic decided to say, tilting his he. He typically rolled with the punches in life, but those was admittedly a curveball.

"Anyway, are you hungry?" Sonic changed the subject, wanting to linger on this topic for as short a time as possible.

"Always." Manic answered, nodding. Sonic nodded back, then retreated to a different room. A small, two-tailed fox with a tired get sweet face followed Sonic. Manic assumed that was the "Tails" Sonic was talking about earlier. The name was very fitting.

When Sonic came back with food, he turned on the small TV. Most likely to avoid further conversation with his stranger of a brother.

The two munched on day-old flicky roast, not that Manic seemed to notice the unfresh taste. They occasionally stole glances to each other, aware of each other's presence and the unsure of what to do about it.

That was when a pink-haired, green-eyes girl came in. Her curly hair was fluffed by the humidity of the woods, while the quills stuck out oddly. Her sun-kissed skin was dotted by scattered freckles, like pepper to the face and arms. And her puffy red dress looked like it belonged on a doll rather than a hedgehog like herself, with all its ribbons, bows, and lace. Her body was strapped with belts stuffed with leaves, flowers, roots, and everything else from the forest. The shine in her eyes reminded Manic of a fairy.

Sonic smiled with something like relief. "Amy! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes..." He said as Amy shut the door behind her.

"Are you aware you have a warrant out for your arrest?" Amy asked, smiling like it was funny.

"And what? Are you here to drag me over to Ro-butt-nik?" Sonic asked sarcastically.

"No way." Amy laughed, making her way to a pulley under a skylight. "Just here for this."

Sonic paused, looking as Amy pulled one of the pulley chains, causing a small dish with a flame on it to rise up- until the skylight automatically opened up and let the dish outside.

Manic tilted his head. "Isn't that dangerous? Having an open flame like that?" He asked.

Amy looked at Manic for a second, as if just realizing he was there. She looked back over to Sonic, pointing to him in confusion.

"My name is Manic." He said.

Sonic just gave a little sigh. "I'll explain later, Ames." He whispered to her.

She nodded and smiled at Manic, "well, I'm Amy Rose. And to answer your question, it's not actual flames. Tails made some sort of a synthetic flame for it. It's a symbol of the Freedom Fighters." Amy explained, closing up the skylight and leaving the flame outside.

Sonic shifted a bit, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation topic. "Amy..."

"I know, I know." Amy crossed her arms, not meeting her friend"s gaze. "The Freedom Fighters aren't a thing anymore, but there's gotta be a little spirit." She tried to encourage, but it didn't have much of an effect on Sonic.

After a tense silence between the two, Amy smiled. "You'll get it, Sonic... You taught me in the first place." She whispered to him. With that, she went over to Manic.

"It was very nice to meet you, Manic." She said, her voice pleasant and friendly as she shook his hand.

Manic paused- most people here weren't this enthusiastic or... nice. At least, from those he met in his life. And he had to admit it was kind of nice. Refreshing to see someone who didn't look at him like they wanted him dead (they, in all honesty, he thought the same.)

He lingered on the handshake for a bit too long, considering Amy slowly pulled her arm back. Manic blinked, now embarrassed. "I- nice to meet you, too... Amy." He mumbled.

Amy smiled, and with that, she left back into the forest as it grew darker. And the two hedgehog were left again in their awkward silence.

"I'm going to check with Tails. He's trying to find our... sister." It seemed odd for Sonic to say, his eyes avoiding him as he fidgeted. "Bye," he said, leaving Manic with his thoughts.

Which weren't nice thoughts.

Manic observed the setting around him, unfamiliar with the warmth the cabin held. It felt welcoming and intimate, like the building had a soul. And that soul was whispering kind words.

He hated that he knew that feeling so little. That he was so unfamiliar with family that he didn't know how to interact with his own brother.

It sucked hard.

In truth, he didn't believe Sonic. He had no reason to not- it was unlikely some stranger would take interest in deceiving him. He was just a homeless thief, nothing that special about him.

But despite believing him, Manic didn't exactly trust Sonic. And maybe that felt unfair or harsh, but he couldn't help that. Even if Sonic was his brother, he was a stranger. And a stranger that seemed far too kind. Sonic had been friendly and had taken care of Manic's wounds. And Manic was also a stranger to him.

Honestly, Manic couldn't assure himself that he would do that for Sonic (like the cowardly, selfish monster he felt himself to be).

Sonic felt like something rare and strange in how Manic viewed people. And that raised alarms. So he didn't fully trust him just yet.

⭐️

"You found her?" Sonic asked Tails, his voice a whisper.

"Pretty easy." Tails nodded, his eyes scanning over to Miles Electric. "Hack into the adoption records the year you were born , sort by hedgehogs, find one that has a majority appearance match percentage, and find the pendant in the pictures."

Sonic paused, smiling at the fox. "Easy?" His short attention could never. Tails just smiled back, holding up the screen for him to see the news articles.

"Got the address. All I need would be your necklace, and we'll be out in less than fifteen minutes." He estimated.

The hedgehog nodded, tapping his foot- an anxious habit. "Are you sure you wanna go? I don't mind talking to her myself." He tried insisting.

Tails shook his head. "Sonic, no. We both agreed that it was less likely they'd spot me sneaking in. And we need to get her quick."

Sonic let out a reluctant sigh, but forced himself to nod. "Okay... just be safe." His gaze went back down to the news article.

'Royal Engagement: Bartleby Montclair and Sonia Windermere to Be Wedded Soon!'

Chapter Text

⭐️

Every night since Robotnik's invasion had been cold.

It didn't matter to Sonia, though. Every night of her life had been cold.

But either way, the balcony was nice. The fresh air burned her lungs and made her head ring. And the sting of cold metal on the railings was merciless.

Yes, it hurt.

But that was fine.

So, she went there every night, taking in the perpetual smell of smog, and trying to find stars that had long since disappeared from the light pollution Robotnik brought in. And tonight was no different.

Well, besides thinking about something very strange that had happened that morning.she'd been getting ready when something slipped under her bedroom door.

Curiously, she'd picked it up. A piece of parchment embedded with the familiar penmanship of her fiancé. A letter from Bartleby Montclair.

It read-

'My dearest Sonia,

Today an odd fellow came asking for you. I was hesitant, so he let me send along a message.

He said, 'Something incredibly strange will happen tonight, but you must trust what he shows you.'

He obviously must've been drunk or such, but I thought it was important to tell you. My apologies for not being able to tell you in person. Mother has requested my presence.'

Sonia had thought about that letter all day. She mulled over every word, even after she had hidden the letter in her vanity.

She had a sinking realization in her stomach that a part of her life was coming to an end. But she always... knew it would happen.

Sonia had an incredible memory. Not exactly photographic, but damn-near close. She remembered things that many would've forgotten in time.

And it was her few memories as a baby that kept appearing as she thought of the letter. The faint face of a purple-haired woman and two little babies that disappeared until she was handed off to her adoptive mother, Lady Windermere.

Something incredibly strange was going to happen. And she just trusted that Gaia would tell her when it was time.

And that small, rebellious side of her - the side that shaved off the hair on the sides of her head and bit her tongue when the aristocrats expected her to laugh at their cruel jokes - hoped it had something to do with their recent tyrant. Oh, how she wished she could topple Ivo Robotnik and rip that stupid smile off his face. That would be a sight to behold.

Unable to focus, she skipped out on dinner. She wasn't hungry, imagination running wild in an unbearable way. She had expected the balcony and its cold air to freeze the thoughts out of her head.

But it hadn't worked. So, she sat there silently and fiddled with one of her quills until it twisted too much and fell off.

Sonia looked down at it, laying uselessly on the smooth marble. Needing to do something with her hands, she started pulling on the silver bands around her wrists. Inhibitor rings.

They felt itchy, like always. She was dying to rip them off, but she refused to.

That was when, as she stared quietly at the rings around her wrists, she heard something land on the balcony beside her. Her ears perked up first, then her head as she spun around.

Standing before her was a... child?

Sonia stared in utter confusion, slowly backing into the railing as the kid stared back.

"How did you...?" She faintly gestured to the railing and the ground below them. In response, the kid - a fox - flicked his tail...s.

Tails. He had two tails.

"I'm Miles Prower." The fox said awkwardly. "But everyone calls me Tails." Well, that was fair. "I know this is all... very weird, but I need you to listen."

"I'll say this is weird, showing up out of nowhere on a stranger's balcony- have your parents taught you anything about stranger danger?" She tried to play off her confusion. "Why are you here?" She demanded, furrowing her brow.

Tails started to look very nervous, ears flattening to his head. "It's complicated, but there's a reason." He promised, namesakes swishing in front of himself protectively.

Sonia nodded and crossed her arms, prompting him to continue. Tails took in a deep breath and started. "You're one of Queen Aleena's three kids and you're part of a prophecy that means you have to reunite with your brother, find your mother, and take Robotnik down. And I know that's unbelievable and really weird, but I know your pendant matches Sonic's and Manic's and I need you to believe me."

He finished with a quick breath, having taken a large amount of energy, bravery, air, or whatever to say all of that.

And as utterly ludicrous as it would sound to someone without Sonia's memories, she believed him. She recognized those names, as her eyes darted down to her pendant. She had it for as long as she could remember. She always knew it was important.

"Alright." She nodded. "What do you need me to do?" She asked.

Tails blinked in shock, staring at her with shiny blue eyes. "Wait, really?" He smiled.

"I have no reason not to, and your story checks out as far as my memory goes." Sonia affirmed.

"Well then," Tails got closer to the railing. "Meeting me at the ground. And pack up, you'll have to stay with us for a...while. And you can't tell anyone." With that, Tails climbed onto the rail.

Before Sonia could ask what in Gaia's name he was doing, the fox's tails started to spin, lifting him off the ground. Wordlessly, he flew down, off of the railing and to the ground.

Sonia stared for a moment more as his words sunk in. She knew this life was coming to an end, but it felt... cruel to not even get to say goodbye.

Once she forced her feet to move, she ran back inside.

Was she really doing this? Running off to who-know-where with blind trust?

She grabbed a bag and stuffed some clothes into it,

Yes, yes she was.

She grabbed some other things are shoved them into the bag. Her gaze fell onto her engagement ring, her heart sinking.

Slowly, she got down, and reached under her bed and pulled out a small box. It was full of things only for her eyes.

Poems Bartleby had written to her, contraband magazines and newspapers that her mother would certainly burn to keep the aristocracy quiet. Happy. And the burner phones that she'd only bought in case of an emergency.

Sonia gritted the letter Bartleby had slipped her that day and wrote on the back of it:

'Dear,

My most heartfelt apologies for this transgression. I have to leave. Please trust me, don't give anyone else the phone.'

She wrapped one of the burner phones in the letter and placed it into the box. She briefly considered leaving the ring, but that would probably say the engagement was off.

And despite this sudden leave, she didn't want that.

The hedgehog shut the box and left it at the foot of her bed. It was unassuming to most, but only he would know she wanted him to look inside.

She grabbed all of her money and packed it, zipping up the bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Back on the balcony, she tossed the bag over the railing and climbed to the other side,

"You can do this..." She whispered into the unresponsive air.

For once, that fog in her head that kept her quiet and compliant for so long cleared. For once, she felt she was thinking right.

"You can take a little fall." She assured herself, sliding down lower and shifting until her legs were hanging off the edge and she was clinging to the ledge.

A little fall.

She let go.

With a faint thud, she landed on the flowerbed belong to balcony on her shoulder.

Sonia let out a small groan as she sat up, rubbing her shoulder. It stung but it was relatively dull. Her pink hair was mussed, petals and dirt now caught in it.

She forced herself to her feet and searched in the darkness for her bag. Once she had a hold on it, she stepped out of the flowerbed.

"Miles?" She whisper-yelled, slinging the bag over her shoulder and trudging closer to the walls.

"Over here." A small voice whispered, to which Sonia looked over and saw Tails. "Come on," he nodded to the side and took off running.

Sonia rushed after him, the heels of her boots clicked on the stone. The sound then disappeared as they got to the edge fence of the West Corner. She felt uneasy, never having been this far from home.

Tails went closer to the fence. "Aren't those electric?" She hissed. Tails took out a strange tablet-like device.

"Yes," he nodded. He did something on the tablet and the faint, perpetual hum of electricity stopped. "Not anymore." Tails smiled, quite pleased with himself.

With speed, Tails scaled the fence and dropped himself on the other side. Hesitantly, Sonia followed in suite, climbing on the fence and getting onto the other side with no shocks.

When she let go, Tails took out the tablet again and did whatever he was doing. Then, the electricity returned.

"Are you a... hacker or something?" Sonia inquired.

"Something like that." Tails nodded. "Come on, let's keep going." He kept walking through the forests, stopping over rocks and tree roots.

Sonia watched him for a moment, then down to the dirt. She let out a sigh and started to follow him.

The two seemed to walk on forever, the clouds of night churning in the sky. She felt exhausted, and the humidity was probably making her look horrible. She definitely wanted to take a shower.

Then it started to rain- lightly, but noticeably.

That wasn't what she meant.

With a groan, she retreated onto a large rock, watching the dirt turn into mud. Tails looked over, unamused by the scene.

"Really?" He raised a brow. It would've been comical in a less serious context of what they were dealing with.

Sonia instinctively flexed her fingers, tapping them against her palm in a nervous fidget. "I don't like mud." She said. "It's unpleasant."

Tails crossed his arms. "We're in the woods. Mud kinds comes with it."

She made a grimace and walked carefully along the rocks and roots. Tails just went through the mud, looking unbothered.

The cabin they approached looked cozy and somewhat rugged. The lights were on and a candle was burning on the top.

"That's where we're staying." Tails pointed to it. "We've got electricity, but the water has to be brought to the filter when it empties." He explained.

Sonia blinked- it didn't seem necessarily pleasant. But she didn't say anything about it to him. They went inside and Sonia saw a green-haired hedgehog asleep on the cushions, which muffled his snoring.

Another hedgehog, a blue-haired boy that was shorted then her, bolted over in a flash of blue light. He scooped Tails into his arms and hugged onto him.

"I'm alright, I'm alright!" Tails laughed, smiling at him.

He hugged the fox tighter. "I can't help it, I was so worried about you!" Tails hugged him back and the older finally set him down. He looked over to Sonia and waved.

"Uhm... Hey." He nodded at her, "I'm Sonic, and you're Sonia."

Sonia nodded faintly. "Right. He," she pointed to Tails. "He told me everything."

Sonic was quiet for a moment.

"We should probably talk more about this in the morning." He decided. "Amy and I set up a second bed in the guest bedroom..." His gaze went over to Manic, "I guess the room will be all yours tonight."

With that, the tense hedgehog scooped up Tails again. Tails let out a faint purr, seeming tired as he rested his head on Sonic's shoulder.

"Goodnight." He whispered.

"Goodnight." Tails echoed. Sonic then went into one of the rooms with the little fox.

Chapter Text

⭐

Sonic didn’t have nightmares often.

The last one he remembered was when he was nineteen, around when Robotnik’s invasion had settled down, their new tyrant resting himself comfortably on his ill-gotten throne. The nightmares had been most rampant when the invasion happened- the bombings, Badniks, and executions spilled into every corner of his dreams until it was impossible to rest.

Maybe his new, current lack came from how he just hardly slept, rather than some kind of peace that had come over him.

But now here Sonic was again, laying awake as he came down from another nightmare. He stared up at the ceiling, listening to the soft patter of rain thud on the roof above him. His heart refused to settle down, loud in his ears and incessantly pressing against his ribs.

He could still see it. The smoldering remains of his home were burned into his mind, and he could see it even clearer every time he closed his eyes. In his dream, he was running to the ashes of the frame, while everything inside was still on fire. It looked like a glass house filled with fire, and he couldn’t get close enough. But he heard screams. He heard them so loudly that they woke him up.

The bed was cold next to him. He looked over and saw Tails’ side of the blankets tossed away, then his gaze rose and he saw the door was open. Sonic groaned, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. His feet touched the cold floor and he grimaced, still pushing himself off the bed and heading out of the room.

Tails was sitting right on the threshold of the front door, looking out into the woods as they stormed softly. His namesakes were wrapped around himself and he was shivering slightly, clearly cold but unmoving. Or maybe he was crying.

Sonic moved closer, the floorboards making a small creak under his steps. Tails’ ears immediately flicked and he looked back at Sonic. The kid was observant. Sonic waved and smiled at him, and Tails waved back.

“Did I wake you?” Tails whispered. His voice was low to try and not wake up Manic, still snoring restlessly on the couch.

The hedgehog shook his head. “No, just the nightmares.”

“You get them, too?” He asked, eyes softening in the low light.

Sonic pressed his lips together, then nodded. “Right… I guess it makes sense for you… with everything…”

Tails looked back to the woods for a moment, then his shoulders hunched. “I don’t know… how I didn’t realize what was happening… I’m sorry…” His voice caught on the edge of the sentence.

“No, no,” Sonic winced, rushing over and sitting by him. “This isn’t your fault, you couldn’t have known. He’s in the wrong for… for everything. All of this is Robotnik’s fault.”

“Do you think he’d be upset with me?” The kid just curled up tighter.

“No…” Sonic felt like he was repeating something so meaningless and hollow. You could tell someone that an event wasn’t their fault, but so long as they believed it, your words could just bounce right off. “Can I tell you something?” His voice dropped even lower.

Tails looked up, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “Yea?”

“I feel a little responsible, too.” He admitted. “I should’ve been there to protect you. Both of you.”

The fox’s voice seemed to choke and he slowly rested his head on Sonic’s shoulder. They didn’t need to go back and forth with “my faults” and “nos.” They understood each other, they could be scared and feel guilty together.

Sonic grabbed the two some crackers, which they ate sitting on the kitchen floor, then the hedgehog carried his brother back to bed.

The two slept much better after that.

⭐️

The TV blaring woke the whole house up as Sonic bolted into the living room to lower the volume.

Birds shrieked outside at the awakening, while everyone arose as Sonic stepped back from the now quieter TV. It was a mandatory message intercepting all signals in the area. Sonic could only hope desperately that there were too many signals for Robotnik to notice this one.

The symbol of the Robotnik empire, the exaggerated caricature of the tyrant’s face with a wide grin, stood in red with a flashing black and white background. “MANDATORY MESSAGE! MANDATORY MESSENGE!” Echoed over and over again in a robotic tone.

“CITIZENS.” Robotnik's booming voice came over the robotic introduction. “We have two new fugitives connected to the brewing insurrection against our great kingdom.”

Sonic sighed, more in annoyance than any type of distress. “Great… wonder who this is about.”

Sonia stepped further into the living room, her nails between her teeth. Her brow was furrowed with worry, but she sat down on the couch next to Manic and sat up straight.

Manic rubbed his face, clearly not awake yet. He turned from his stomach to his side and glared at the TV accusingly.

“As you know, we have already identified the leader of this violent revolution.” A street camera still of Sonic walking through the market with the backpack Snag appeared with his name at the top. “We eliminated his base of hiding and the allies living with him, but he appears to have escaped.”

Tails moved closer to Sonic. The hedgehog was only glad that, if they really thought Tails was dead, they wouldn't be searching for him. That was, if they weren't actually aware Tails survived. Sonic scarcely believed a thing Robotnik said.

“But we've recently identified suspects we are unequivocally sure are associated with this violent criminal.” Robotnik continued, as two more pictures appeared in place of Sonic's.

If this was the picture they chose to make Sonia look like an evil criminal, she most certainly had no “bad” pictures. In the picture, she was sitting at a park under an oak tree, her hands folded politely in her lap as she smiled at the camera. She looked perfectly pleasant, the model of what an aristocrat should be. Her name was printed right above her picture.

Manic’s image was a mugshot. His right eye was bruised and he was scowling at the camera like he was about to strangle whoever was behind the camera. There was something worryingly red under his fingernails, staining the name board he was holding. He had no name above his picture.

“Rest assured, good citizens: these treasonists will be found, and they will be brought to justice.” Eggman continued. “While the pursuit continues, please, kindly allow our Badniks to search wherever they feel necessary. We wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt without reason. To protect our civilians, Robotropolis will be going under lockdown. No one in or out.”

With that, the robotic voice returned, saying, “THIS MESSAGE IS OVER, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR CIVILIAN DUTIES!” Then, the TV shut off.

Sonia immediately whipped around to look at Manic. “You were arrested?” She asked, mortified.

“Legal fugitive.” Manic reminded, pointing at Sonia, whose hand flew to her chest.

Sonic stepped forward. “We can’t argue about these things now, Eggman is going to scour the city looking for us. If we’re going to stay here, best not to drive each other crazy.”

Leaving the two in reluctant silence, Sonic went to grab his shoes.

“Where are you going?” Tails immediately asked.

“Quitting my job.” Sonic responded casually. “If we’re going to be sticking here, I’d rather not have Snag breathing down my neck. Besides, he owes me twenty bucks.” He muttered something else that Sonia tried to ignore.

The fox looked unhappy about this development. “I don’t like him…” He muttered.

“I don’t think anyone does.” Sonic shrugged, opening the door. “I can handle him, buddy, don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry…” Tails echoed, though his expression remained unconvinced.

“I’m coming with you.” Sonia suddenly announced, standing up with a purpose. “I need to get out for a moment, I’m getting restless.”

Manic’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling for a long moment.

“Ah- sure…” Sonic hesitated. “Just let me do the talking, he’s not really friendly. And also don’t draw attention to yourself.”

Sonia looked down at herself. “And how would I do that?”

Sonic grabbed a jacket and a hat, tossing to her. “Cover up anything identifying. And don’t be loud or make a scene, because badniks will notice, and they will bring you to jail.” He grabbed his own jacket and pulled up the hood. “And you can fill in the rest.”

Sonia looked at the jacket like it had personally offended her. She pulled it on and placed the hat over her silky pink hair.

He gave her a nod of approval and gestured to the door. “After you,” he said as Sonia hurried out the door. Sonic looked back inside, giving Tails another assuring nod before shutting the door.

⭐

“So, what was this job?” Sonia asked, sticking close to Sonic as he set the misplaced part of the lower fence back in the dirt.

Sonic thought that “lockdown” meant the fences would be a bit harder to de-electrify. He thought wrong.

“If just looking at a mugshot nearly gave you a heart attack…” Sonic trailed off.

Sonia bristled. “Are you telling me that I’m surrounded by criminals?”

“Are you telling me the royal courts are any better?” He rolled his eyes. “Besides, you’re technically a criminal, too. Didn’t you watch the ‘service announcement’?”

Her eyes widened and she immediately fixed her attention on her nails, gnawing and biting at them nervously.

Sonic decided their conversation was over then.

Silent, the two went back into town and Sonic slipped down a nearby back alley of the South Corner. Sonia unconsciously picked up the pace, trying to stay closer to Sonic as an uneasy chill ran down her spine. She didn’t like these places- she didn’t go to these places. They were for criminals, for the awful monstrous people her mother said would be dying to get their hands on an aristocrat like her.

Sonic glanced back at her. “You’re scared.” He noted, voice low.

“How do you know?” Sonia hissed back, her tone sharper than she intended.

“Your quills are raised.” He seemed unaffected, gesturing at the quills in her hair. Like he said, they were shifted upwards, struggling under the hat hiding them. “Mine did that too.”

“Did?” She asked.

Sonic shrugged. “I learned how to control them. You can’t exactly show you’re afraid in my line of work. That’s how you get a Badnik calling you over.” He looked back ahead of them and suddenly stopped.

“Hey.”

Sonia saw a faint gleam a few feet in front of them. The two small lights flicked for a moment before fixing on them. Eyes.

“Where were you this morning?” A low, but angry, voice asked. No hello, not even faked pleasantness.

If Sonic had learned how to control his shows of fear, Sonia didn’t see it. The hedgehog was clenching and unclenching his fists, unsteady on his feet, and avoiding the person’s gaze.

Sonia assumed this was Sonic “boss.”

“I had something come up, dude.” Sonic finally answered. “Didn’t you see the news?”

His boss scoffed and shook his head. “Of course I did, you fucking moron.”

“Snag, I can’t work for you anymore.” Sonic seemed to be easing backwards.

Sonia slowly reached out, watching as Snag stepped closer, wrapping her hand around Sonic’s arm and pulling him backwards.

“Why not? Too much of a pussy?”

Sonic didn’t seem mad, he just looked like he wanted to be out of there as soon as possible.

“You quit and I’m not protecting you.” Snag continued, not stopping as he moved closer. “In fact, I’ll make sure he finds you and all the little brats you’re hiding with.”

The hedgehog opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

Snag’s gaze went to Sonia. “Get out girlie, this isn’t any of your business.”

Sonia, without thinking, removed her hand from Sonic’s arm and took a few steps back. Immediately, she hesitated, like she felt bad for leaving Sonic on his own.

Sonic gave her a dismissive wave, not looking at her. “It’s fine. Get us some food in the market. I’ll be out in a minute.” His tone was flat and tired.

Without any protest, she turned and left the alley.

Snag let out a sharp laugh. “Some army you’ve got there.” He watched Sonic avoid his gaze. “Look at me.”

“I’m not working for you-” Sonic tried to repeat, then Snag grabbed his arm and shoved him into a building wall. The air left his lungs and he coughed, trying to catch his breath. He tried to pry Snag’s hands off his shoulders.

“I said. Look. At. Me.” He whispered, leaning in closer to Sonic’s ear.

“Get the fuck away from me…” Sonic hissed back.

Snag raised his hand and struck Sonic across the face. The hedgehog gritted his teeth as his head snapped to the side.

The barracuda stepped back. “When I’m done with you, you’ll wish you were smuggling weapons.” With that, he left.

⭐

“Your face…”

Sonic shrugged, giving Sonia a smile as he rubbed the sore side of his face. “He gets mad, I’m used to it.” He promised. “Anyway, I’m totally fired at this point.”

Sonia’s face twisted a bit and she averted her gaze from Sonic’s face. “I- listen, I didn’t mean to leave you like that. I’m not used to fights, or… this kind of company.”

He didn’t answer her for a long moment.

“I shouldn’t expect you to try and fight so soon.” He finally said. “Lemme guess, they didn’t really teach you much? In terms of protecting yourself?”

She shook her head, picking at the skin around her inhibitor rings. “Not really. I was told to never involve myself in fights. And that if I was in a fight, to wait for someone to get me out, or to just… appease the other party.” She looked at him. “My mother called it ‘ladylike diplomacy’.”

Sonic looked unimpressed. “Sometimes, Sonia, you just need to punch a person in the face.”

Sonia’s face flushed and she looked a bit mortified. “I-I couldn’t possibly-”

“Do you think we’re going to stop Robotnik by trying to ‘appease’ him? Or waiting for someone else to take care of it?” He asked, gesturing to the badniks monitoring the market. “The prophecy needs us- needs you to stop him. And you can’t back away when that happens.”

Her expression betrayed her for a moment, a look of startled consideration coming over it. “That…” She trained her face to appear neutral once more. “Makes sense… I suppose.”

“Did you get the supplies?” Sonic changed the subject.

Sonia held out a basket full of food packages, some bandages, and painkillers. “The bandages and pills are for Manic. The cuts still… looked bad.”

Sonic seemed impressed by the amount of supplies in the basket. “Cool,” he mused.

“HALT, CITIZENS.”

The hedgehogs froze, hearing the firm, robotic tone of a badnik guard.

“STATE YOUR BUSINESS.”

Sonic pulled his hood down further over his blinded eye, trying to hide such an identifying feature. He turned and looked at the badniks. “Just buying food, friend.”

The badnik moved closer to them, its single, red eye scanning over his face. “I SEE.” It turned to Sonia, still frozen with her back turned. “MA’AM?”

Sonia slowly turned around as well. “Hello.” She squeaked.

The guard took a moment to look over her face. “CARRY ON.” With no other orders, it left.

“How- how did it not-” She sputtered. “It didn’t recognize us…?”

Sonic smiled, glancing at her. “Pretty cool, huh? Tails made a chip that jumbles up their facial recognition. Puts it in hoods, hats, scarves, the like.”

Sonia nodded. “Smart kid…”

“Totally.” He laughed in agreement.

Chapter Text

⭐

Manic and Tails hadn’t spoken the entire time Sonic and Sonia were gone.

It wasn’t the uncomfortable, nervous type of silence (though it certainly started out like that). Over the course of the time alone, they realized that the other didn’t need any talking.

So, a bit more relaxed, Tails settled himself onto the floor of the living room, and began working with some scraps of metal and wire.

Manic turned his head from his face-down position on the couch to look at him. He observed Tails fixed up whatever he was making.

The fox glanced over and held it up for him to see. A cube with a black, circular lens on the front. “Security camera.” He explained.

The hedgehog nodded and buried his face back in the couch cushions.

A knock rattled them both from the silence. Manic attempted to, out of instinct, stand. Instead, he fell back onto the couch with a pained groan.

Slowly, Tails stood up, his hand still clenched around a wrench he’d been using. He went to the door and opened it, peeking through the crack.

With a relieved sigh, he opened the door fully and smiled. “Hi, Amy.”

The fairy-like hedgehog Manic had met previously stepped inside, her heavy boots thumping against the wooden floors. “Good morning, Tails!” She cheered happily, flipping her hot pink curls over her shoulder.

Amy looked over to Manic and smiled even more. “Good morning, Manic.”

Manic managed to wave at her, trying to hide his absolute misery.

“I brought you something,” She reached into one of the many small bags on the straps wrapped around her waist. “Here,” she took out a jaw filled with a green, jelly-like substance with yellow petals mixed inside.

“That does…?” He asked, pointing at it.

She sat on the floor next to her couch, gesturing for him to lay fully on his stomach. “It’s another healing tonic I made. Should prevent infections and promote healing." The hedgehog began unwrapping the bandages covering Manic’s cuts.

Amy opened the jar and scooped a handful of the mixture out. “It might be a little cold.”

Well, she was right about that. It took all of Manic’s self-control to not jump right off the couch and flee from the cold-ass tonic. Even if it wasn’t so cold,  the jolts of pain that shot through him were still awful. However, it was much more muted than before.

“Sorry, sorry,” Amy whispered, trying to spread it faster. “I know it doesn’t feel great, but it’ll make things much better in the long run.”

When she was done, Manic looked up. “Thanks…” He croaked.

“No worries.” She nodded, standing up and brushing off her skirt. “I’ll go get you some new bandages.”

“We ran out.” Tails suddenly spoke up. “Mostly. Sonic and Sonia are going out to get more supplies.” He sat back down where he was working on the security camera. “Did you bring mint?”

Amy smiled at Tails, reached into a different bag around her waist, and picked out two long sprouts of mint. “Here you are,” she handed it to him.

Tails smiled excitedly, plucking off a leaf and popping it into his mouth. He chewed on the leaf as he went back to working on his camera.

“How do you make that?” Manic asked, looking at Amy, who turned her attention to him. “You’re… what’s-it-called- an alchemist?”

“Apothecary would be more accurate.” She smiled. “But I’ve been living in the woods for a while now, so I’ve learned a few things. It was my family’s practice where we… used to live.” Amy gestured to her bags. “What heals what, what’s good for what sicknesses, what calms the senses.”

She gestured to Tails. “For him, it’s mint.” The hedgehog paused for a moment. “I think he only eats mint at this point.”

Manic laughed at that and shook his head.

“You know, you’d think Sonic would be back by now,” she looked back to the door.

“Why?” He asked, furrowing his brow. “Only been a few minutes. Town’s a good walk away.”

Amy looked at him in surprise, her eyebrows raised. “Well, you know… the whole speed thing?”

He must’ve given her a very funny look, because she continued. “His super speed. It shouldn’t take him so long to get back here. I-I guess maybe being with Sonia, that might make him need to slow down a bit, but I didn’t-”

“The what?”

They stared at each other for a long moment.

“Super speed?”

Manic’s jaw dropped and he felt nothing but pure confusion.

“You… don’t?” She asked, her voice rising a pitch. She looked thoroughly embarrassed.

“No?” He sat up, and was surprised to feel the pain had dulled significantly to a noticeable sting. “He does?”

Amy grimaced. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to reveal anything I wasn’t supposed to. I just keep talking sometimes and things sometimes just slip out-”

Manic let out a long sigh. “No, not mad. Just…”

He hesitated. What was there to say? Sonic apparently had powers, and what could he say that wouldn’t sound at least mildly envious? Having super speed surely would’ve gotten him out of a lot of trouble in his life.

Was that trip to the cabin not just lost to his half-conscious mind? Had Sonic been using his speed then? This was getting weird.

The door opened and Sonic stepped inside. “Guess who’s officially fired!”

Manic looked at his face and his eyes widened at the sight. The right side of Sonic’s face was a muted red, bruised in the rounded shape of knuckles.

Amy covered her mouth in horror. “By Gaia, what happened to you?” She stepped closer, reaching out and tilting Sonic’s face to see the bruise better.

Sonic smiled sheepishly and let her examine the injury. “Ames, it’s fine. I’ve dealt with worse, some bruising won’t kill me.”

She pulled her hand back and placed her hands on her hips. “Was it him?” Her voice turned grim.

He didn’t respond, his smile becoming more awkward.

“You told me you quit months ago!”

“It’s hard to find jobs!”

As the two continued their back-and-forth, Amy becoming more and more concerned, Sonia entered the cabin. She spotted Manic on the couch and approached him.

“I got you new bandages. And some painkillers.”

Manic blinked up at her. “Uh- thanks.” He honestly hadn’t expected that from her.

She hesitated for a moment, looking at the basket she was holding, then to Manic’s injuries. “I don’t really… know how to do this…”

Tails plucked the bandages from the basket and got to work. His dressings were rather amateur and messy, with odd knots and a couple tears, but they were better than the two expected from a kid.

Once he finished, the fox tugged Amy’s sleeve and pointed at his work.

Amy inspected the bandages and smiled at him. “Good job, Tails.” She mused. “You’re getting much better.”

He didn’t reach much to her praise, instead turning her attention to Sonic.

“Him?” He asked, his tone flat.

Sonic hesitated, looking a little concerned. “Yes…?”

Tails’ expression hardened into a scowl and his fingers twitched.

“Buddy…” The hedgehog’s tone became warning, but almost nervous. “I’m fine. Okay?”

“Okay.” Tails echoed, but he didn’t seem convinced. Considering Sonic’s reaction, Manic decided Tails didn’t take very kindly to people who hurt Sonic. And considering Tails immediately knew who it was, this wasn’t a new scenario.

He handed the now finished security camera to Sonic. The hedgehog nodded, taking it, and headed back outside.

“I don’t like him.” Tails continued, looking at Amy.

Amy nodded in agreement, but she said nothing. Instead, she turned her attention to Manic and Sonia. “You’re alright?” She asked Sonia.

Sonia nodded, straightening up at the attention. “Yes. Yes, I’m alright.” She hesitated. “You are…?”

“Amy Rose,” she gave a playful curtsey. “I’m a friend of Sonic’s. And a Freedom Fighter.” Her green eyes shined with a playful light. “It’s a pleasure to meet his sister.”

“Right,” Sonia furrowed her brow, like she was confused by something. “Apologies, did you say Freedom Fighter?”

“I am. Despite what Sonic - and Eggman - say, we haven’t died out.” She affirmed. “We’ve just gotten pretty good at laying low.”

“We have a visitor.” Sonic’s voice drew everyone’s attention to the door. He was standing with a cloaked reptilian at his side.

⭐

The Oracle sat politely in a chair before everyone, who had circled around him like children readying themselves to hear a story.

“We need some answers.” Sonic said, trying to hide the desperation in his tone.

“I understand, I understand,” he nodded, gesturing for him to settle. Sonic only looked more restless in return.

The man shook his head with a sigh. “There is much to explain, so many secrets I’ve had to keep for nineteen years.”

Manic tilted his head. “Sonic said something about a prophecy. And us being siblings, why did we never know about that?”

With a deep, sorrowful breath, the Oracle of Delpius explained.

“I was your mother’s advisor long ago, when she used to reign over Mobotropolis. She was a lovely woman, but she was paranoid. The Queen thought that, if she had someone with my sort of foresight, she could protect her people better. And she wasn’t exactly… wrong.

“Sortly after you three were born, I had a terrible vision. Our kingdom in flames and our people wiped out completely. But I also received a prophecy, telling me how to avoid this fate.

“I told your mother to separate you three as babies, to make sure you didn’t know of each other’s existence until the time was right. Then, I told her to go into hiding, to not return until we had joined you three. And when power was great enough, she could use her great powers to overthrow whatever evil was trying to destroy us. She understood, you three were separated, and she went out of the kingdom into hiding. But now is the time for you three to rise and lead the rebellion to overthrow Robotnik. To find your mother and save our people, and take your rightful place on the throne.”

They were silent for a long while, absorbing everything they were just told.

Sonic leaned forward. “And our father?”

The Oracle’s gaze lowered sadly. “Your father was a good man, but he perished during Robotnik’s first invasion.”

“Wait-” Sonia shook her head. “So we need to find our mother to defeat Robotnik, where is she?”

Manic felt a sharp sting of concern and pain in his heart. “Does she even know it’s time now?”

“Children…” He looked back up at them again. “In order to keep her location safe, in the case I or a member of our closest allies were captured, we were never told where she hid. I have no idea where the Queen is.”

Chapter Text

⭐

A week had passed since the Oracle had left them with the few answers he could provide. The triplets hadn’t gotten much sleep, but they didn’t exactly know how to talk to each other either.

Manic’s injured state had seemed to largely pass, and he - like Sonia before - had gotten restless. Sonia then decided something, as the group was lingering in the main room of the cabin.

“We need defenses.” She said. “Weapons, traps, alarms. Anything. Even with Sonic’s speed, we’re practically sitting ducks if Robotnik’s troops decide to check out the forests..”

Sonic nodded in silent agreement. He’d been… off ever since the visit from the Oracle. He kept pacing about outside, sitting on the floor of his room at night instead of sleeping, and hardly touching the food provided to him.

“When’d you get so… strategic?” Manic looking up at her from the plate of food he was eating.

Sonia swore, if Manic wasn’t actively being made to do something, he was trying to eat anything he could get his hands on. It had been more than once that she had to literally pry him out of the kitchenette so he didn’t run through their rations.

It annoyed her, but considering how panicked he seemed to get at the prospect of not having food, she assumed there was some sort of reason.

“Since we found out we don’t even know where to start when it comes to looking for our mother. You can laze about all you like, but I would prefer to not get killed immediately." She spat back, and he gave her a small scowl in return.

“We’re not going to get killed.” Sonic sighed, clearly exasperated. “The prophecy said that we take Robotnik down, it’s kind of hard to argue with that.”

“Do you even know where we’d get some weapons?” Manic asked, looking pointedly at Sonia.

Sonia sat up straighter. “Of course I do.” She huffed. “There’s an above-ground weapons storage that I have to code for.”

“Wh- why do you have that?” Sonic looked up at her.

“I needed to get in there for crossbow practice. I would’ve grabbed it when the fox collected me, but there wasn’t exactly time.”

“Well shit,” Manic shoved the rest of his meal into his mouth. “Let’s get going then.”

⭐

Tails had assured them all that he could handle the cabin on his own, and if they weren’t back by midnight, he’d call for Amy or Tangle.

They still had Sonia’s bag from when she ran off, so they emptied that out and headed off to the West Inner Quarter.

The weapons shed was relatively easy to find. What with it being a rather large, thin, metal building labeled “AUTHORIZED ACCESS ONLY” with a smaller sign saying “Robotropolis Weaponry.”

Sonia had never seen guards around the weapon storage, but tonight there were three badniks circling the building. Thankfully, Tails’ chips worked just as well as in the market, and they managed to slip by them without too much trouble.

The access code wasn’t even changed. Sonia was starting to think this was too easy.

While Sonic and Manic went on collecting weapons by the front of the building, Sonia walked with a purpose to a certain section.

Her crossbow was right where she left it, resting on a hanger next to the others of its type. It was sleek, black with silver detailing, with that stupid pink heart painted onto its handle from years ago. With a smile, Sonia lifted her weapon from the hanger and inspected it. It appeared no one had touched it in the time she’d been gone.

After a brief look at the shelves of supplies beside it, she found a sling. She attached her crossbow to it and swung it over her shoulder, then began collecting ammo.

Oddly, here, she felt at home. Not just in the weapon storage, but in the West Inner Quarter in general. As much as it seemed to poison her, without it she felt lost. Sonia wasn’t used to anything else, she felt like she belonged in the courts, no matter how corrupt they were.

For a moment, a dread came over her and she wondered if that made her a bad person.

No, she decided. People liked being comfortable, that was a normal thing in life. It wasn’t her fault, it was just a nature she couldn’t control. Yet, as much as part of her wished to stay, she knew they had to leave. This was home, but it wasn’t safe anymore.

Sonia looked back at her brothers, seeing them collect various types of weapons, alarm systems, and traps. Sonic seemed particularly focused on mechanical tools; meanwhile, Manic was grabbing whatever he could, showing it to Sonic for approval, then either tossing it back to the shelf or placing it in the bag.

She stood up, her arms full of ammo, and went to the other two. “Do you actually have any weapon skills?” She asked.

Manic shrugged. “Figure it out mostly. Can use a knife though.”

“I smuggled weapons for a job.” Sonic said vaguely.

Sonia opened her mouth to respond, when the whole building was flooded in red. A shrill, earbleeding alarm echoed throughout the hall, synching with the flashing light.

“What the-” Sonia looked around. “The doors!”

The metal doors of the building slammed down to the ground, shutting the three inside. The alarm was amplified by the closed off space, blaring in their ears.

“Shit.” Manic whispered, looking down the hall.

The door on the far side of the building opened, and a trio of badnik guards filed out. They fixed their glowing, red gazes on the triplets and rushed towards them.

“The chips,” Sonia looked at Sonic desperately.

Sonic shook his head. “It doesn’t matter who we are to them, they only see threats!” But all three of them knew that, if they were captured, they would be faced by Robotnik.

“I can’t run us out.” Sonic informed unhelpfully, looking back at the closed doors. “Best I can do is run past them.”

“That won’t work.” Manic grabbed the nearest weapon he could and, instead of firing it properly, threw it at one of the badniks.

It was deterred for a brief moment, the red light of its eye flickering before it continued on its path.

“Good job.” Sonia muttered.

“Oh, fuck off, like you know what to do!”

She unhooked her crossbow and grabbed an arrow. Her hands fumbled slightly, unused to needing to load her weapon in such a high-stress situation. Sonia lifted the crossbow and fired the arrow at the badnik closest to them.

The projectile hit the metal of its body, missing the grooves between its armored plates, and fell to the ground.

“Oh, come on!” She bit back the urge to curse.

She felt Sonic grab her arm and back up, his other hand guiding Manic. They were cornered.

Sonia suddenly remembered the feeling of a very familiar itch, looking down at her inhibitor rings. The silver bands stared back up at her mockingly. She had always been told to never remove them, that what they prevented should be kept a secret.

And yet, this secret was their way out.

Sonic yelled in alarm as she broke free from his grip. She knew he was concerned, knew he – even if he wouldn’t say it to her face – didn’t believe she could handle this on her own.

She held out her arm, rushing towards the badniks closing in. The edge of the band caught on the shelves along the wall, but she didn’t stop. She didn’t stop.

The pins that held the bands to her wrist ripped from her skin. She hadn’t anticipated the amount of blood, but she didn’t focus on that. The metal tore apart and she felt a jolt of energy course through her arm.

Sonia looked up at the badnik right before her and took a swing.

Her fist crunched against the badnik’s head, the metal bending and crumbling under her hand. The robot made a noise, like it was startled, skirted unsteadily to the side, and collapsed. The red light flickered, then shut off completely.

Immediately, Sonia retracted her fist, gritting her teeth in pain. Despite the renewed energy she felt, her hand hurt.

The other badniks hesitated for a moment, their strategy unfurling. Then, they surged forward.

Sonia grabbed the other inhibitor ring around her left wrist, ripping it off, then punched the next coming at her.

It collapsed at her feet, oil spurting from its broken head. She jumped back, though it still splattered across her skirt.

The last badnik stared, seemingly going through how many scenarios in which he could best her. Deciding that wasn’t likely in the slightest, it turned and retreated.

In a panic, Sonia ran after it and grabbed it by the arm piece. With a rush of… energy? Excitement? Fear? Whatever it was, she gripped the badnik and threw it into a shelving unit.

She regretted that instantly, as the metal supports creaked, tilted, then fell forward. Sonia ran out of the way, towards her brothers, then stumbled to a stop. The shelving unit crashed behind her.

Sonic and Manic stared at her in shock.

Sonia’s arms ached with pain. The bleeding was slowing down, though it still felt warm against her wrists. Her head began to ring and she steadied her against the nearest shelf.

“You- how-” Manic sputtered, almost looking offended.

She pulled herself up on the shelf, but it squeaked and crumbled. The hedgehog almost fell over, but Sonic caught her.

Sonic looked over to Manic. “We have the weapons. Let’s just go home, we’ll talk about it later.

Sonia nodded. The idea of home felt lovely, in theory. But where was that?

⭐

“Sire, the weapons storage in the West-”

“I know.” Robotnik cut his advisor off, not turning his chair to look at the wolf.

The hunter hesitated for a moment. “Who was it?”

Robotnik scoffed, finally turning around. “Who do you think, Sleet? The cameras show those three blasted hedgehogs.” He stood, stalking closer. “I want no one to hear about this, do you understand?”

“Yes. Yes, sire.” Sleet nodded, backing up slightly. “I’ll be sure the guard cleans it up, and- and keeps the public from spreading the news. I assure you, Dingo and I will-”

“No,” the tyrant shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sleet’s brow furrowed. “No? If not me, then who?” He sputtered. “We are you loyal hunters, I swear we’re very close to finding the triplets and the rest of those… those Fr-”

Robotnik snapped, “Don’t say that name!”

He fell silent.

“I trusted you to find them when I first came to this kingdom and took the throne. Time after time again, you have failed me. Even burning the blue one’s home couldn’t land him in your grasp.”

Eggman turned his back to him and sat down before the camera feed screens again. “You cannot be trusted on your own.”

“Then who?” Sleet whispered, his voice sharp.

He considered it for a long moment, then a smile overtook his face. That unsettled Sleet more than his glare.

“Bring in my dear cousin.”

Sleet’s expression morphed to confusion. “The girl? But she-”

“Not her, you moron!” He shouted. “The weapon! My ultimate weapon…”