Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Amy’s house was decorated in pretty lights. The soft pink and red lit up the windows and cast a warm hue on the garden below. Sonic smiled, seeing Tails’ yellow fur become a violent orange as they made their way down the flower-lined path. The camellias seemed to glow under the light too, heightening their already pink petals. He took the time to pause and run a finger over one of them, admiring the perfect bloom. Despite the sweltering summer days, the night was pleasant; a cool warmth compared to the morning. A light breeze wafted through, ruffling his fur. But otherwise the night was still.

They were here for a little get together. To celebrate a recent win over Eggman. Though, to be honest, the fight wasn’t all that special. Just the usual: big robot disturbing the peace. Metropolis was going to need some repairs for sure, but there had been nothing out of the ordinary. Standard Eggman battle. He supposed it was just an excuse for them all to hang out really. But Sonic wasn’t sure why they needed the pretence of a victory for that. Amy was probably planning it beforehand anyway. She liked hosting parties. A lot.

Sonic couldn’t hear any music pounding from the house yet, which probably meant they’d arrived before Rouge. Because Sonic had stopped for a moment, Tails was closest to the door. The fox rapped his knuckles on the pink wood and waited patiently, hands clasped behind his back and rocking in place. As Sonic approached, he traced the familiar spiralling rose carving on the door with his eyes.

A muffled call from inside greeted them.

“One moment!”

Sounded like Amy was still setting things up. They must have left the house earlier than expected. No matter; Sonic would be happy to help if it took the burden off Amy. Sometimes she went a little too crazy with the prep. But the house always looked so pretty and the food was amazing. Well worth it.

Amy opened the door, looking a little out of puff. She brightened upon seeing the brothers. Tails gave her a hug while Sonic lingered just out of range. He was in a particularly no-touchy mood today; Tails was his shield.

“Sonic, Tails!” Amy said. “You’re early!”

He loved Amy. But sometimes she really pushed his boundaries, forcing her way into his personal bubble. Sonic wasn’t the biggest fan of physical touch to begin with, but today was a bad day for hugs. He was still recovering from the re-opening of very raw wounds. His new guitar had helped, but last week had been rough. It was always rough.

The anniversary of leaving the palace.

Sonic shook out his fur. He couldn’t think about that right now. It would just make him feel low again. He was only just coming out of that gloomy fog; no need to fall back into it.

But he had to remember to thank Amy for the guitar. He’d already bought his brother a tin of mixed mints but he hadn’t had the chance to thank the pink hedgehog yet. She was the one who had actually gone into the music shop to purchase it after all. Sonic had been thinking about how to make it up to her for a while. Maybe he should have brought her some flowers or something. Oh, why didn’t he pick some flowers this morning? Idiot.

“An accident,” Sonic said with a chuckle. “But perhaps a good one; need any help, Ames?”

“I won’t say no to a couple extra hands,” she responded, beckoning them inside.

He’d escaped without a hug for now. But he might have to be on alert for one later in the night.

The brothers followed Amy inside and awaited the assigning of their tasks. It seemed the pink hedgehog had been in the middle of tacking up some bunting onto the walls when they’d knocked. Little pink and red flags were pooled on the floor. Tails was directed to finish up the decorating, since he could fly, while Amy tucked the stepladder away in the broom cupboard. Then Sonic and Amy slipped into the kitchen.

Some snacks, he could see through the door, had already been placed on the dining room table. A bowl of tortilla crisps had been put to the left. Beside that were two smaller bowls; salsa and guacamole. He snorted. Guac. What a fun word. There was a plate of cornbread too. On the other end of the table were some chocolate chip cookies.

In the kitchen, Sonic could already smell pizza. And chili. And there was a competing sweet smell, not as pungent but still breaking through. There was a cake cooling on the counter. Chocolate. Sonic was happy it wasn’t strawberry; Amy must have noticed that he had avoided the cake last time. She asked him if he could get the pizza out the oven and take the pot of chili to the table. Apparently she’d set aside some hot dogs for Sonic and Tails, but the chili was meant to be served with the cornbread.

Sonic did not like cornbread. He wasn’t sure why. But he appreciated Amy looking out for him. She paid attention. It was nice.

Even if he felt a little guilty for making her work harder…

He turned off the oven first, pulling out the pan inside with Amy’s pink oven mitts. Then he transferred the pizza – pepperoni, a safe choice – onto the provided large plate. The pizza cutter glided through as he cut out the slices. It joined the other savoury items on the left side of the table. Then Sonic walked back through to the kitchen to grab the pot on the hob. A placemat had been set for the hot pot to protect the pink tablecloth, so Sonic knew where to put it. He went back to the kitchen, intending to pilfer some bowls for the chili, but he stopped to watch Amy decorate the cake instead.

It had been cut in half and put back together with a light brown buttercream. Now she was putting some finishing touches to the top. Amy was piping some cute alternating light and dark brown swirls along the edge. A deep red fondant rose was waiting on some parchment paper to the side.

“What’s the filling?” Sonic asked.

“Salted caramel,” Amy replied.

Sonic’s mouth was watering already. The lighter brown was salted caramel flavoured buttercream. He’d definitely nab himself a slice of this one. After his chili dogs, of course.

Snapping back to the task at hand, Sonic scoured the cupboards for bowls. He found them in the third cupboard he tried; he always forgot where she kept them. Then he set them out beside the chili pot. As an afterthought, he grabbed a handful of spoons too. Then, mission completed, Sonic retreated to the living room to see how Tails was getting on.

The fox was just finishing up as the doorbell rang.

“Can you get that for me, boys?” Amy called from the kitchen.

“Sure thing, Ames!” Sonic called back.

Tails ended up being the one to open the door. Shield still engaged. The first guests to arrive – after the brothers – were Vanilla and Cream. Sonic kept his distance, waving to the rabbits. Cream smiled at him but did not try to approach. Sometimes, he thought the little rabbit had some sort of sixth sense for his fluctuating touch-tolerance. When he wasn’t in a huggy mood, Cream instinctively knew to give him space. So did Tails, but at least the fox had known him for a long time now. Even if he wasn’t sure how the rabbit had picked up on that, he was eternally grateful. Chao were similarly able sense that sort of thing, so Cheese didn’t fly over to him either. They were way more intelligent than people realised.

Amy rushed out of the kitchen to greet the rabbits. She’d put her gloves back on, so Sonic assumed she was finished with the cake. Cream gave her a big hug. Sonic admitted that Cream’s hugs were some of the best he’d ever had – not that he’d accepted many in his half-solitary life – but he thought he might actually cringe out of his fur if anyone touched him tonight. He felt very… fragile, for lack of a better term.

The Chaotix weren’t far behind, with Knuckles in tow. Apparently, they’d run into the echidna on the way over. Knuckles went to clap Sonic on the back but Tails thankfully intercepted him first. Sonic turned to talk to Espio instead as Vector and Charmy made their way over to the rabbits. Cream would probably keep Charmy busy; Sonic wouldn’t have to worry about him. And Vanilla almost assuredly had Vector covered. Espio wasn’t a physical sort of person. So that just left Amy and Knuckles to watch out for.

And possibly Rouge. Sonic wasn’t sure how touchy-feely she was to be honest. But he had to account for that, just in case. If he couldn’t avoid everyone’s touch tonight, he had to at least bide his time long enough to mentally prepare for it.

There was a collective sort of acceptance that no one was to take any food until all the guests had arrived. Completely unspoken. It just felt right. Even Charmy kept his distance from the table. Like every get together, it was all the same. Everyone mingled in the living room, sharing their news or what they’d done in the day. Sonic drank in the calm atmosphere with Espio for a moment. They were leaning together by the wall, enjoying a moment of peace. There was something about Espio that put Sonic at ease. He was waiting for Cream and Amy to finish speaking though; he hadn’t thanked her yet.

When the rabbit skipped away to play with Charmy, Sonic dipped his head respectfully to the quiet chameleon and made his way over to Amy.

“Hey, Ames,” Sonic started. “I never did thank you for getting me that guitar last week.”

Amy waved him off with a smile. She fixed her skirt and turned to face him fully. He tried not to fidget under her gaze. Which was incredibly challenging. Those warm green eyes stayed glued to his, but eye-contact was just another thing he’d always been bad at.

“Don’t even worry about it,” she said. “Tails told me how you were eyeing it. Why don’t you ever buy yourself anything?”

“I didn’t need it.”

“Well, do you like it?”

Sonic paused for a moment. The guitar meant more to him than she’d ever know. He didn’t have the words to tell her exactly how seeing in it his room had made him feel. It was a swirl of emotions really. Many of which he didn’t even know the names of. So how could he possibly answer her question accurately? Nothing he could say would do his gratitude justice. So he went with he best he could do.

“… I love it, thank you,” he said quietly.

“Then what’s the problem?” Amy asked.

She was frowning, looking at him in that way she did when Sonic did something to confuse her. For a moment, it could have been his sister staring at him with such intensity. But then the illusion melted away. There was a softer, almost sad quality to her expression. But why? If he didn’t want to buy things for himself, why was that such a big deal? His finances were more often than not a factor. Besides, there was no point buying something he wouldn’t use, it would be a waste.

And a guitar wasn’t cheap. He knew that for a fact, even if he didn’t know his guitar’s specific price tag. It was modded. That had to have brought up the price…

“It was probably so expensive, Ames.”

“Don’t you dare try to pay me back for it, Sonic,” Amy said. “I won’t accept even a single ring. Besides, you never buy anything. It’s ok to treat yourself sometimes, you know.”

Amy reached out to pat his arm. He moved to scratch the back of his neck, narrowly dodging her hand. He pulled it off smoothly enough that Amy hardly noticed. Her hand backed off and Sonic felt the muscles in his abdomen steadily relax. Close one.

“I know…” he mumbled.

“Buuuuuut,” Amy sang. “If you want to help me get drinks for everyone while we wait for Rouge, I would be very appreciative.”

“Sure thing, Ames,” Sonic said, returning the smile she sent him.

Amy went to take drink requests from Vanilla, Vector and the kids. So Sonic asked Tails, Knuckles and Espio. Then he converged in the kitchen with Amy once more to pour out the drinks. His teammates had both asked for Chaos Cola. Espio just wanted a water. Once he’d given out the drinks, he helped Amy disperse her own – Chaos Cola for Charmy and Cream too, though he didn’t catch the older mobians’ orders – and then he went back to the kitchen to grab himself a drink. He chose to join Espio with a water.

He did not like Chaos Cola either. Maybe there was something off with his tastebuds? Or maybe he should stop overthinking every little step he took.

By the time he was back in the living room, the doorbell was ringing again. Everyone else was talking, so Sonic waved to Amy from across the room. He mouthed that he’d get the door. She sent him a thumbs up.

Sonic swung open the door, startled momentarily to see Shadow lurking behind Rouge. The grumpy hedgehog didn’t usually attend these sorts of gatherings. Certainly not willingly. He wondered if Rouge had bribed him. It was very possible; the bat could be rather sneaky like that. Sonic supressed a grin at the thought. He bet Shadow fought tooth and nail not to come tonight. Yet, he still showed up.

“Hey guys,” Sonic greeted. “Wasn’t expecting to see both of you.”

“He needs to get out more,” Rouge said, gesturing over her shoulder.

Shadow just grunted. He looked as thrilled as ever.

“I agree,” Sonic said. “You know, isolating yourself isn’t healthy, Shads. You could do with some social interaction.”

Shadow pushed past him, grumbling. But Sonic genuinely meant what he’d said. He knew from experience how damaging isolation could be, especially when it was self-imposed. Because even when you were around people, you could still isolate yourself quite easily. Far too easily… Sometimes, Sonic felt like a lot of the population didn’t realise that. That some people felt alone whether they had a group of friends or not. Whether they had family or not.

Sonic was only trying to help…

But if Shadow didn’t want to hear it, he didn’t want to hear it. There was nothing that Sonic could do about that. He knew that mindset all too well. Often, he still struggled with letting people in. Sonic could acknowledge that. But he was getting better. Slowly.

Very slowly.

But small steps were still steps. He had to keep reminding himself that. Sonic promised himself that he’d talk to Shadow at least once tonight. But if he was particularly grouchy, Sonic wouldn’t overstay his welcome. Boundaries were boundaries and Sonic would try his best to respect them. He’d tried his hand at forcing Shadow to spend time with him, but after his little guitar session last week, Sonic had realised two very important things.

One: pushing Shadow like that was extremely hypocritical and wouldn’t help anything. It would only thrust him away further. That’s not what Shadow needed.

And two: seeking out Shadow like he did was just reflective of Sonic’s desire to overcorrect his own isolation. Sonic had been lonely for a long time. He jumped at any opportunity to make friends now, even if he had to force himself through an interaction to achieve that. It was tough and, he realised, just as unhealthy. It was so hard to find that balance.

So to avoid emotionally exhausting himself any further, he’d make the effort to tone down his efforts. For both their sakes.

That being said…

Sonic waited for Rouge to drift further from Shadow. He watched her spot Knuckles by the dining room door and stalk her way over. The echidna was in for a surprise; his back was turned. Sonic smirked. Then he shook his head and padded after Shadow, who was making his way over to the corner. He had a mission. Laughing at Knuckles’ pain could come later.

The dark hedgehog had predictably picked the quietest corner, so Sonic could make his suggestion without anyone overhearing. Perfect.

“Hey, Shad?”

“No.”

Sonic didn’t let the gruff hedgehog’s response deter him. He had an idea that might just work. And if it would help Shadow feel more comfortable, he had to try. All Sonic wanted to do was help Shadow, even if he didn’t know he needed it. He didn’t want the dark hedgehog to find out how much he needed people around him the same way he had. That had been a painful realisation.

“Maybe you could spend some time with Espio tonight?” Sonic suggested. “He’s quiet and won’t talk your ear off like me.”

He laughed. It felt wrong, but at least sounded normal. Small victories. A  small victory was still a victory. He couldn’t let its size bog him down. Slow breaths. Bright smiles. Anything to appear better than he was. Because he absolutely had to be fine. For everyone else.

After a moment’s pause, Sonic reluctantly forced his walls down slightly.

“Sometimes it’s nice to have a moment to breathe,” he added, a little quieter. “Espio’ll understand, that’s all I’m saying.”

Then Sonic slipped away into the group. He didn’t stick around to see if Shadow would take his suggestion. But he’d said what he wanted to say, so now he could scratch off talk to Shadow from his mental checklist. If he couldn’t help Shadow directly, he’d take indirectly. Shadow assuredly didn’t need Sonic in his life, but he needed more than just Rouge and Omega. And there was nothing wrong with that by itself. Frankly, Sonic was glad he had someone in his life already. He just needed more. Espio could be that.

Sonic had accomplished two things tonight, so he felt he could allow himself to relax a little.

That was something else he’d been working on recently. Trying not to set too many goals. Sonic had noticed that he did that a lot. And that burdening himself with so many things was causing him to get overwhelmed and fold in on himself. Well, fold in private. Still not a good thing. So instead of taking too big a bite out of a situation, Sonic would nibble and set it aside for later.

But maybe he’d save Knuckles first.

Rouge was doing her usual flirting routine. And Knuckles was struggling, all flustered and frustrated. So Sonic weaved around Cream and Charmy, who were chasing Cheese around the living room, and made for the bat. He sidled up to her, shooting Knuckles a grin. When Rouge noticed him, she turned her head. Her ear flicked.

“You’ve been here for five minutes and the house is still quiet?” Sonic teased. “Rouge, I’m surprised.”

Rouge’s eyes widened. She made a show of being surprised, putting a hand to her chest. Sonic snorted. A bat after his own heart with the theatrics. Though, he had employed them in his own life for a different reason, he was sure.

“You’re so right, Big Blue!” she cried. “What was I thinking? I’ll catch you later, Knuckie; I have a job to do first.”

Rouge ran a hand down Knuckles’ arm as she was walking away, fluttering her eyelashes at him. Sonic laughed when the echidna pulled his arm away from her, affronted. Hey, he may have been trying to help but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the echidna’s frustration as well. Knuckles glared after her before turning those violet eyes on him. The glare had softened somewhat but was still present for a beat.

“You’re welcome,” Sonic said with an exaggerated bow.

“Yeah, whatever, hedgehog,” Knuckles huffed.

But the echidna was smiling when Sonic rose from his bent position. He just caught the tail end of Knuckles’ eyeroll. But he’d missed the warning sign before Knuckles dragged him into a side hug. Sonic grit his teeth behind his lips, forcing his body to relax. He knew someone would break through his defensive barrier sooner or later. It was so hard not to squirm away from Knuckles though. The arm lying across his shoulders, the echidna’s side against his own, felt too warm. Way too warm. Like lava pressed against his flesh. But he endured it. Because sometimes, he had to. That was just how it was.

Sonic didn’t know what his deal with being touched was. It was just one of those things that had been with him for as long as he could remember. He wished he didn’t feel all gross when someone touched him. That’s why, when he was relatively ok, he tried not to shy away too much anymore. But it was still so difficult. And right now was even harder because Sonic wasn’t feeling all that great.

Tails caught his eye from inside the dining room. He looked apologetic. Sonic sent him a smile to assure the fox that everything was ok, even if he wasn’t ok on the inside.

The rest of the night passed pretty smoothly. Rouge picked a soft song to play in the background, something not too intrusive for their little get together. It had a pleasant melody that Sonic appreciated. Sonic noticed that Shadow had drifted over to stand with Espio and the two were actually talking for a moment. It was short lived, but Sonic felt an odd surge of pride. Good on Shadow. He had his chili dogs – three – and had snagged himself a piece of chocolate and salted caramel cake as the gathering was nearing its end. Vector and Vanilla wrangled Cream and Charmy and had just set off to put the kids to bed.

Everything was fine. Better than fine.

That was, until Rouge piped up from the living room. She was talking to Amy at the time, but they’d soon garnered everyone’s attention. And really, it was no surprise they had.

“Really?” Amy had cried, sounding intrigued.

And that was the start of the end for Sonic.

“I swear to you,” Rouge said. “They claim to be the children of the late Queen Aleena.”

Just hearing the name made Sonic feel terribly nauseous. He’d been sitting on the windowsill, plate of cake on his knee. His hand stilled sharply halfway up to his mouth, the piece of cake that had been balancing on his fork tumbling to the plate, then bouncing off onto the floor. He couldn’t even bring himself to pick it back up. Sonic was frozen.

He no longer wanted the rest of his cake. A shame too; it had been really good.

“Wasn’t she the last Monarch of Mobius?” Knuckles asked. “I thought she died.”

Sonic grit his teeth again. He winced when he felt his teeth grind against each other.

“She did,” Rouge confirmed. “But apparently she had some secret children before she passed. At least, that’s what these two are claiming.”

“How do you know about this?” Knuckles asked.

How did she know, indeed? Sonic was dying to know. But also, dying to be away from this conversation. It was agony. Pure agony. Oh, why did they have to be talking about this now? Curse whatever god had set him up. He wasn’t in the right headspace to be hearing any of this. And he certainly wasn’t brave enough to interject.

“Rouge said one of them is coming to Central City soon,” Amy responded. “They’re coming to talk to G.U.N. about something.”

Sonic’s whole body went cold. They were coming… here? One of his siblings was leaving Robotropolis and coming here? His breathing might have been picking up. No one else seemed to notice.

“Something about re-opening Mobotropolis’ borders,” Rouge said. “And re-establishing them as a proper city again.”

“What even happened with that old city anyway?” Amy wondered.

And then his brother, his sweet, informative brother, decided to pipe up. Someone up there really hated him, huh?

“No one knows,” Tails mused. “Mobotropolis had been the home of Mobius’ Royal family for a very long time. But one day communication with the city went dark. The rest of the world assumed the Queen had been killed in some attack and adjusted accordingly. That’s why our world leaders act independently now.”

Sonic widened his eyes, finally turning to face the other occupants of the room. Amy and Rouge were on the settee. Tails was sitting on the floor at the base of it with his own plate of cake. Knuckles had brought a chair from the dining room in to join them. Shadow was still leaning by the wall where he’d been all night, lurking more than apart of the conversation. But they all seemed so disconnect from him. Like he was watching them through foggy glass from outside.

No one knew what really happened? Sonic and his siblings had assumed everyone knew. All of Robotropolis believed the rest of the world were afraid of challenging the man who had taken over the throne. Or that they were wisely strengthening their own defences to deter the man from coming after anyone else. But in reality, no one had even known? No one verified anything? They hadn’t thought to check in with the city properly they just… moved on? Forgot the Queen? Pretended it didn’t even happen?

Why did that feel so much worse?

The world could have rallied together. They could have fought against Eggman back when he’d been Robotnik. With the whole world against him, Robotnik would have surely lost. The city would have been saved before it had gotten as bad as it had. The mad doctor wouldn’t be out there now, causing so many world-ending problems on a daily basis.

His mother wouldn’t have died.

“If I can intercept them, maybe I’ll ask what happened,” Rouge said.

Sonic rose from his spot on the sill, faking a stretch and a yawn. He left his plate there. It felt rude but Sonic just… he just needed to leave. He could apologise to Amy at a later date. But if he didn’t leave right now he might just vomit on her carpet instead. And that would be considerably worse. Not to mention all the eyes on him. Nightmare scenario. Tonight was already bad enough without adding that dumpster fire of a reaction into the pot.

“I’m gonna turn in,” Sonic announced. “Thanks for the party, Ames.”

“Oh, are we leaving?” Tails asked.

The fox looked down at his half-finished cake. Sonic didn’t want to rush Tails or drag him away when he was having fun. That wasn’t fair. Besides, he kind of needed a moment to himself. Desperately. So he ruffled the kid’s head fur, meeting Knuckles’ eye briefly. The echidna seemed to know what he was asking before he opened his mouth. He received a nod in confirmation.

“You stay a little longer,” Sonic said. “I’m sure Knux will drop you off later. I’m just feeling a little wiped.”

With that, he waved to the group and disappeared out the door. He’d made good time too; halfway down the path, his eyes were just starting to burn.

Chapter Text

Sonic collapsed against the front door when he got home. There was a tightness in his chest, a constricting feeling around his throat, that made him breathless and sick. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to throw up or eat a gallon of ice cream. Breathing deeply in through his nose, he closed his eyes and counted to seven. Then he opened them again as he slowly let go of the breath, allowing the air escape through his parted lips. Sonic stepped away from the door, his fingertips lingering against the wood for a few seconds more before he fully pulled away.

His eyes were still burning but he’d managed to stave off a full on cry all the way from Amy’s. Just barely. But he could feel the beginnings of the floodgates about to collapse. Sonic had gotten a little better at noticing the signs before he cried now. The thickness in the back of his throat, the burn behind his eyes, the tightness in his chest like someone was squeezing the life out of him. Often, though, he was still blindsided by the sheer intensity of it.

Drifting into the kitchen in a sort of haze, Sonic opened the freezer, desperately wishing he’d borrowed the plate with the cake on. He couldn’t stand the sight of it a few minutes ago, but he could do with something sweet right now to try and keep the tears at bay. After digging around for a few minutes, he finally found a half-empty box of ice lollies. Not ice cream but good enough. Sonic fished out one of the lollies and put the box back. He might need it again later. He read the lettering on the side of the bright wrapper. Cherry. Not bad but not his favourite. The apple ones were probably all gone anyway; they were always the first flavour to go. Tearing off the wrapper and dumping it in the bin, Sonic stuck the frozen treat in his mouth. It was freezing against his tongue but after a few seconds the taste hit him.

It'll do.

He dragged his body to the living room, but he lost the will to keep going a step from the settee. He lowered himself to the floor and leaned his back against the dark coloured seat. His legs were crossed, elbows resting on his knees. Removing the ice lolly to give his mouth a quick break, he leaned his head against his hand. The sugar in the ice lolly was starting to calm him down, but it did nothing to ease the hollow pit that had settled in his stomach.

Sonic groaned. He needed something to distract him. The red headphones Tails gave him last year for Christmas would be perfect, but they were still upstairs. Forlorn, he stared at the stairs for a while. If he found the energy to lift himself from the floor and go up to his room, he had a feeling he wouldn’t want to come back down. But the ice lollies were downstairs. Such a simple inconvenience; he knew that it was silly but it still mattered to him. For once, he ignored the twinge in his chest telling him others had way worse problems. He deserved to be upset every once and a while, damn it.

The headphones were more important. Besides, if Tails came back with Knuckles sooner than he expected, they’d catch him in a slump. They didn’t need to see that.

So he popped the lolly back into his mouth, pulled himself up with the arm of the settee and slowly ambled his way up the carpeted stairs. He couldn’t even find the energy to avoid the squeaky boards like usual; each one made him cringe. Every step was an ordeal, gravity fighting him all the way up the stairs. But eventually, he made it to his red-painted door. The door opened smooth, gliding over the soft pile of the carpet.

Star-painted walls greeted him like an old friend. The ombre walls and ceiling were dotted with expertly mapped out constellations. They accurately depicted the night sky as it would appear in late June. Sonic threw open his blackout curtains, also painted with stars, allowing the moonlight to give life to his far wall. His door on this side was also studded with white paint, blending into the wall. The whole interior of his room was meant to mimic the night; even his carpet was a super dark green shade, like grass.

He sat down on his bed, running his hand over the fluffy red blanket for a moment. Then he picked up the phone that was lying on his bedside table. The headphones were already plugged in; this phone was not for communicating, it was purely for playing music and surfing the internet while he was restless in bed. He was having a hard time remembering when he’d charged it last. Pushing in the power button, Sonic waited with bated breath.

The screen failed to turn on.

Sonic growled, dropping the phone back onto the table from a tad too high. The screen cracked ever so slightly; enough to be usable but still very visible. His growl deepened and he flung himself back against the bedspread. His ears had finally been defeated by gravity and that stupid achy burn behind his eyes had surfaced again.

He was already in such a fragile state of mind today. He had been woefully unprepared to hear news about his siblings. Truthfully, he hadn’t thought about what would happen when they were finally ready to re-introduce the world to their Robotropolis – Mobotropolis, he corrected. The name still felt so foreign that he couldn’t bring himself to use it. But now it was going to be a recognised city again, he should get used to it.

Would it come out that he was related to them?

Sonic whined, rolling over onto his side. His friends would hate him for lying to them about it. They’d call him a coward for leaving like he did. He was a coward. And his siblings most definitely despised his guts. The news would be over him all the time too. More than now. He’d get no peace. His life would change and he wasn’t ready for that. He didn’t want another massive change; he’d just settled into this life.

What if Tails hated him? Out of everyone, he couldn’t stand letting his little brother know. He’d kept it from him for the longest. They were so close. And Sonic had lied to his face for years. It would shatter the trust between them.

Between Tails and Knuckles, he was in danger of losing another set of siblings.

Sonic took the stick out of his mouth. He could no longer taste the cherry and, upon further inspection, determined there to be no lolly left. Without looking, Sonic threw the stick across the room. The sharp ding of it hitting his metal bin by the door confirmed he’d hit his mark. But he felt too shitty to celebrate.

With a groan, he pushed himself back up into a sitting position. Emerald eyes scanned around the room before landing on the inset, disguised wardrobe – more stars had been painted here too. After a quick mental debate, Sonic stood and walked over to it. His hand hesitated on the handle before pulling it open. Sonic didn’t own a ton of clothes, but there were a number of jackets and jumpers hanging in the wardrobe. Mostly in shades of red, but there was a blue jumper too. And a green one he hardly wore. There was a random assortment of junk on the shelf near the top. He had to stand on his tippytoes to reach what he wanted: a wooden box.

When he finally made contact with it, he pulled it off the shelf, disturbing a brown scarf resting beside it. The scarf was dragged off and it landed on the carpet in a heap. Sonic groaned, placing the box on his bed and going back to retrieve the scarf. He bent down to pick it up. But once he’d moved it, Sonic dropped it again in horror.

Half hidden by the plush carpet, the soft glint of glass.

Sonic’s whole mind shut down when he saw his medallion again. It had been years since he’d even seen it, stashed away on the top shelf of his wardrobe. It must have been wrapped up in the scarf; he hadn’t noticed it, nor had he remembered that he’d left it there to begin with. He never put it with the rest of his childhood belongings because it had hurt too much to look at. Catching the multicoloured glint of the medallion now made him want to cry all over again.

He sunk to his knees, numb to the ordinarily plush carpet. He reached out his hand, intending to pick it up, but his finger stopped millimetres away. So close to grazing the smooth glass, but at the same time it felt so far away. He had to stop himself from pulling away completely; it couldn’t be left there. The longer it stayed on the floor, the guiltier he felt. Finally, he closed the distance, fingers curling around the medallion. Sonic clutched it to his chest. The glass was silky, cold against his gloved hand. He could feel the icy sensation spreading through to his body, his heart. It had never been so cold before and it made him want to throw it across the room. But he kept it close, afraid it might disintegrate if he let it go again.

Why had he ever banished it to the shelf? Why hadn’t he put it with everything else? With the pictures, the bracelet, the guitar pick? Why had he ever left it out to the dust? An overwhelming sense of grief engulfed him. He tightened his fist around the medallion and scrunched his eyes closed, refusing to let himself cry.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there on the floor. At some point, he’d sat down properly, folding his legs beneath him again. After a few deep breaths, he slipped the red cord of the medallion over his head, letting it rest where it should have always stayed. His hand folded over the medallion again for a few moments. He couldn’t wear it all the time. But for now, it would stay where it was, an apology of sorts for neglecting it for so long. If his siblings were still wearing theirs, he would just be incriminating himself.

The box on his bed caught his attention again. He didn’t particularly want to relive any memories, but he was compelled to open the box. He needed to see a picture of his siblings again. Just one.

He hadn’t looked at any of the old pictures for years.

Sonic rose to sit at the foot of the bed instead. Then he set the box beside him on the carpet. After trailing his hand over the intricate, nonsense carving on the lid, Sonic pulled the key out from under his bed. It turned in the lock with a satisfying click. He opened the box and pulled out a stack of photographs wrapped in yellowing white fabric. Sonic gently untied the pink ribbon that was holding it all together. The ribbon may have been stolen from Sonia’s collection. He hoped she didn’t miss it or even notice its absence. She probably blamed its disappearance on Manic. Sonic found himself hoping she hadn’t chewed him out for it.

The first picture he saw drew a wonky smile from him. He could remember the moment clearly.

Manic, his grass-green quills all over the place, had an arm wrapped around Sonic’s shoulders. He really missed those spiked wristbands of his sometimes. Sonia was on Sonic’s left, arm disappearing out of frame. She’d been holding the camera, he remembered. Her dress was without wrinkle, quills and fur brushed down immaculately, despite the conditions. And there he was, dead centre, one gloved hand over his face, the other held out to the camera. His ears were pinned to his head, face turned to the side. Sonic allowed a sad chuckle to escape his throat. Sonia was laughing, Manic was pulling a silly face, and Sonic was dying of embarrassment. Chaos, he used to be so shy.

They’d been together for just over a week when this picture was taken. Sonia and Manic were already so close by then. Like they’d never been apart. And Sonic was just… horribly distant. He couldn’t connect with them. Part of it had been on purpose because he’d been afraid of losing someone else, afraid of allowing himself to get too close. But part of it had to have been the way he was wired. Subconscious. Because sometimes he’d found himself longing for that closeness that his siblings shared. But he could never take that step; the road was too long. What if his legs had given out before he’d reached them?

What he would give to be in that moment again. To do things differently. But then, if he hadn’t left, he would have never met Tails. Sonic didn’t think he could live without the yellow-furred genius anymore.

And he wouldn’t give the fox up for the world.

But he definitely still had problems connecting with others sometimes. Certain interactions still felt foreign, even when he’d had them hundreds of times. Some days were fine. Others were a struggle. Tails never gave him any shit for being a little aloof on occasion though. It’s not like Sonic even liked himself when he was like that either. He couldn’t help it.

Sonic flipped to the next photograph. This one was only of his siblings; he had been behind the camera. Manic looked rather sheepish. Sonia had her hands on her hips. She was glaring at her green-furred brother, mouth open mid-lecture. Manic appeared to be trying to side step away from her, like it would stop her from yelling at him. His shoes were caked in mud, a trail of conspicuous footprints ending at his feet. The snapshot was taken at a slight angle, almost hastily. Sonic shook his head. The picture had perfectly captured both their personalities in one shot. That was why he’d had to take it. Manic and Sonia, diametrically opposed, yet so very, very close.

He tucked the photo away and his eyes flicked to the one behind it.. It made Sonic’s blood freeze. What had been a gloomy but happy flick through some old memories had taken a turn.

The last picture they’d ever taken.

Manic had been the one to take this one. He was standing in the foreground, giving a peace sign to the camera and angling it over his shoulder. Sonic was over by the van, tucking some things into an old, beat up backpack. The same one that he’d left the palace with. The same one that had housed all the pictures, the ribbon, the guitar pick, the medallion, before the box had. He’d looked up, startled, at the flash. Sonia was closer to the camera, dumping a bottle of water onto the half-lit campfire. Already, a plume of smoke was rising from the charred sticks. There was another backpack at her feet. She was giving the camera a small wave.

They’d been getting ready to… This was before the… the…

The SWATbot.

He saw a flash of Manic’s wide, horrified eyes. The tears streaking down Sonia’s face as she was screaming. And then the blood came. The blood. There was so much blood. It was all a blur. The commotion had been deafening. But he could barely hear anything at the time over his own panicked breathing. And his mother.

Her head had been at the wrong angle.

Sonic dropped the stack of photos. They cascaded over the carpet like playing cards but he couldn’t even bring himself to care. He pulled himself to his feet, dashing to his ensuite. There, he collapsed against the toilet, body convulsing as he heaved out dry air. A hot wetness had gathered in the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision. The tears had finally come. Half from strain, half from emotion. Nothing was coming up. But he couldn’t get that image out of his mind. The one of her lying there, all limp and red.

Lifeless.

“Come on, Sonia. It’s just a couple weeks. You sure you won’t come with?”

“I’m not our diplomat,” Sonia replied. “Besides, Mobotropolis needs me.”

Her brother had been asking her to go with him all month. But Sonia didn’t think she could leave. While they were getting ready to re-join the rest of the world officially, there was still so much work to be done in Mobotropolis. They’d only just gotten around to the west side of the city a few months ago. Reconstruction and restoring buildings and streets took a long time, especially with their limited access to resources. That was why Manic was traveling to Central City tomorrow. To represent Mobotropolis as well as ask for assistance.

They’d hit a wall, so to speak, recently. The fixing up of the whole of the west side and half of the north had been put on hold. Manic’s job was to make an appeal to the government entity known as G.U.N. for resources. It was more proper to do so in person.

“Just one day?” he tried instead. “You don’t have to stay the whole time.”

Sonia couldn’t meet his eye. It was hard turning him down time after time. But the journey was several days. Either way, she’d be out of the city for at least a full week. The one day plea meant nothing. And he knew it. Perhaps Manic was just hoping she’d conveniently forget. Sonia may have been almost wholly absorbed in the city, but she wasn’t completely oblivious to everything around her. Granted, the exact day of him leaving had slipped her mind. It sort of creped up on her yesterday when she’d realised. She’d been faintly ill at the prospect. But it had to be done.

“Manic…”

“If you don’t mind me saying, Your Majesty,” the Oracle said. “I’m sure a day away from the city would do you some good.”

Sonia almost jumped when the old hermit opened his mouth. He was so quiet, sometimes, she genuinely forgot he was in the room. The Oracle of Delphius had officially been her advisor now for a year, only ever opening his mouth if he felt she needed help. If she asked for advice, he would happily provide. But he also encouraged her to think with her heart as well as her head, to make the choices she felt was right. The Oracle was not there to impose, only to guide. He’d made that very obvious. Sometimes, Sonia thought he might have been cowed slight by their mother’s death. Manic hadn’t been very pleased about the whole prophecy thing…

And it had been a bit alarming at first, but she’d since gotten used to his quiet support. In fact, she was grateful for his presence most days. He really lightened the burden when she was struggling with making decisions. The Oracle pushed her in the right direction subtly with calm wisdom.

“Are you sure, Oracle?” she asked. “I don’t know…”

She let her eyes wander over the Throne Room. The old one, the one closer to the entrance of the palace, was boarded up. This one was more central. A smaller room, but one without the horrible memories attached. Or the evidence of what had happened. She’d been crowned in this room, in this chair. Sonia’s hand fiddled with the purple velvet armrest, eyes lazily drifting over the tapestry of her mother on the wall to her left.

No image could ever truly do her mother’s beauty justice, but the tapestry was definitely close. Violet fur and amethyst quills. Flowing white, immaculate gown. Brilliant blue eyes filled with so much love. Love she could no longer give. And, of course, the crown; the very same that was resting between Sonia’s ears now. It was all captured so stunningly.

She wished she’d had the chance to really know her mother.

“Go, Sonia” the Orace insisted. “Make your brother happy. Mobotropolis will be fine.”

“Yeah, sis,” Manic added. “You’ve been working almost nonstop since we started! You need a break.”

Sonia was silent for a good while, weighing up the pros, the cons. Thinking about her advisor’s guidance. He had not steered her wrong yet. And her brother wanted so desperately for her to go…It felt risky and incredibly silly. But Manic would only sulk the whole time and Sonia would worry about him in his absence.

She sighed.

“A week and a half. Including the trip here and back.”

Manic cheered, grabbing her hand and practically dragging her down the hall. Sonia allowed herself to be ferried to her room to pack. She just hoped she wouldn’t regret this decision. Still, she couldn’t help but smile as Manic excitedly hovered beside her as she was choosing a couple dress options, perfume and jewellery. She tossed some essentials in the bag too, like her quill brush. And out of habit, Sonia tucked away some rope, a lighter, a torch and a canteen. Manic watched her but said nothing.

She assumed he’d done something similar. Sometimes, they were both still wired for survival even when the city was more or less safe now. But a few things here and there wouldn’t hurt. The objects were light enough and compact. They wouldn’t add too much weight or take up too much space. It was just practical, she reasoned.

Besides, Manic had refused an escort. They were on their own.

But she didn’t have to pack much; Manic was planning on taking the van anyway. Which meant their stash of explosives, travel hotplate and all their old supplies would be with them. They’d be set, like they used to be, for any situation. It really would be like old times. And something about that was oddly… comforting for Sonia. Scary but comforting. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

She told Manic to remember to pack his Consort crown. They’d had it specially made to designate him as Royalty for formal occasions. It would be appropriate to wear it to the meeting they were to attend. The State crown was the one that she was already wearing and would take the trip with her. They’d discovered, stashed away in the treasury, the official Coronation crown – they’d found it after her coronation, of course, since they hadn’t known about it at the time – but that one was to stay in the palace at all times to keep it safe. Part of Sonia didn’t want to take her crown with her. But she must. That would be packed away tomorrow morning, when they actually left the palace.

It suddenly hit Sonia what she’d just agreed to. She was leaving the city she was born in properly for the first time ever. Manic seemed excited about the trip. But Sonia was overcome with dread. It felt wrong, intimidating. At the same time, her brother’s enthusiasm was so infectious that in managed to quell the anxiety somewhat.

Chaos, she was actually setting foot outside of Mobotropolis tomorrow.

Chapter Text

The day had rolled around that one of the supposed Royal children was coming to Central City. Shadow and Rouge had been “asked” to attend the first meeting with G.U.N. Which basically translated to they were being forced, though Rouge seemed pretty excited about the prospect of meeting Royalty, whether that was confirmed or not. Shadow was almost positive the only reason they were attending was because they were the only mobian agents the organisation had. They wanted to set a good impression, he supposed. Kind of scummy, but who was he to question the Commander’s decision? The man barely considered him a living being anyway.

Suffice to say, Shadow wasn’t looking forward to the meeting later today.

But Rouge was buzzing. She flitted from one room to another at H.Q. restlessly, gossiped with Topaz for an excruciatingly long time, and drank way too much coffee than what was probably healthy. He overheard the two women speculating on whether these mobians really were who they claimed to be. But as far as Shadow knew, the hedgehogs weren’t trying to unite the world back under the monarchy or anything. He didn’t see what the issue was if they were lying.

Shadow hated gossip. But he would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little intrigued about the whole situation. He wasn’t completely familiar with the history of Mobius’ old Monarchy, but what he’d gathered from the party a few weeks ago and listening to Rouge prattle on about it, it was complicated and shrouded in mystery. Particularly around the very last Monarch, Queen Aleena. One day, some attack had occurred on Mobotropolis, the city where the palace was. An assassination of sorts. The Queen was presumed dead. And there were no official records of her ever having children. Essentially, it was believed that day had been the end of the Royal Family. The world descended into panic. The leaders that had been previously appointed by the Queen herself took charge. Now, instead of keeping in contact with the Queen and getting her input on matters, the world leaders worked independently, just as Miles said. But past that, apparently not much was known about Queen Aleena.

She’d ruled for a while but it seemed like most of her time as Queen had been lost to the years.

There were so many things that seemed wrong with the brief order of events Shadow had been able to piece together. After the attack on the city, why hadn’t anyone verified that the Queen was dead? What was the attack? Why did the city lose contact with the rest of the planet? Why had no one been there since? Presumably, there were still mobians there to this day. So why now? Why reach out now?

He supposed he’d find out soon.

Rouge rushed back into the room, another coffee in hand. Shadow snatched the wax-lined paper cup from her and dropped it straight into the bin.

“Shadow!” Rouge snapped. “I was going to drink that.”

“Exactly,” Shadow growled. “Sit down, for Chaos sake. If you don’t end up giving yourself a heart attack, you might just give me an aneurism instead.”

“Awww, look at you, looking out for little old me,” Rouge sang.

Shadow huffed, pushing her backwards into a swivel chair a tad too roughly. But the bat just giggled as she spun away. She didn’t care. She never did. Rouge was used to Shadow’s personality and she knew he wasn’t actually mad at her. And he did genuinely worry about her, it was just hard to show it sometimes. He had difficulties with that.

Rouge did stay seated after he had to force her in a chair, to her credit. And that’s where they stayed, Rouge absently swinging her chair from side to side, Shadow leaning against the desk that was supposed to be paired with said chair. It took maybe ten minutes before there was an obvious commotion in the hall outside. Rouge hopped up from the chair and ran for the door. Shadow dragged her away from it slightly. Just so he could keep her there while he cracked the door open. Unlike Rouge, Shadow liked to be cautious.

He waited until the sounds had moved past the door before opening it. In the hallway, surrounded by G.U.N. agents, Shadow caught glimpses of pink and green. It seemed like they’d come with an escort. Or both of them had made an appearance. Either way, it was hard to make them out properly. Rouge wriggled in his grasp, trying to get out into the hallway. He wouldn’t let her.

“You’ll see them in the meeting,” Shadow hissed to her.

Rouge pouted but stopped fighting him. She went back to her chair with a groan, going back to her aimless spinning.

Another fifteen minutes passed before Shadow and Rouge were called into the Commander’s office. Rouge couldn’t seem to get there fast enough. She practically ran through the halls, dragging him along with her. It didn’t take them long to reach the office. It was a fairly small room, tucked away in the corner of the main building. They arrived before the Royal and were stationed on either side of Commander Tower behind his desk. There was one other human agent in the room with them.

Shadow had a feeling his previous assumption was correct.

The hedgehogs were escorted in a little while later. It was definitely both Royals, which was a surprise. And Shadow got his first real look at them.

The female hedgehog had deep magenta fur and violently pink quills that she wore brushed out over one side of her face. Her eyes were a clear blue shade. She was in a dark purple dress that flared out just above her ankles with matching heels. A golden crown sat nestled on her head, sporting an orange gemstone. She certainly held herself with the grace of a princess or queen, back straight, head high, and hands clasped in front of her.

Her brother had mossy green fur and the wildest quills Shadow had ever seen on a hedgehog. They stuck out every which way from his forehead. Even the quills on the back of his head had a few strays sticking out of place. He looked fairly scruffy compared to his put-together sister. He was wearing an orange vest and sneakers. Around his wrists sat spikey wristbands that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a rockstar, but certainly seemed strange for a prince. Shadow had to wonder if he realised where he was. But he was wearing a crown.

The magenta hedgehog dipped her head respectfully to the Commander.

“I am Queen Sonia of Mobotropolis,” she said. “And this is my brother, Prince Manic. My apologies, I understand that you were under the impression that only one of us would be here today.”

“Not at all, your Majesty,” Tower said, offering her a slight bow. “It’s a pleasure to receive you both. May I ask exactly what the nature of this visit is?”

Prince Manic stepped forward. He held his head high but his posture was far more relaxed than his sister. Shadow still couldn’t put the Royal label to this young man. And he was quite young; both of them were. He couldn’t tell quite how old they were, but their ages might fit with the timeline of Queen Aleena’s death and the silence of the city. It was hard to say though. When exactly did the Queen have them? Why was there no record of them existing? Something about that felt odd. Shadow was sceptical.

“We come seeking an… agreement of sorts,” Prince Manic said.

“An agreement?” Tower repeated.

“Or perhaps, like, an exchange?” the Prince continued. “We need resources to finish the repairs on our city.”

Shadow perked his ears. Repairs? So the rumours about an attack were true then. But just how bad were the damages and why did it take so long for them to reach out for support? It sounded like all this started just over twenty years ago. Shadow was still having a hard time figuring out why this was happening now.

The Prince’s manner of speaking was not very proper either. Certainly not like the Queen’s. How could this mobian be Royalty? He could sort of see it on the Queen, but not on the Prince. Maybe it was to do with the Queen’s death? If they had no mother to raise them as Royalty, perhaps that would explain it. But then, why was the Prince’s sister more proper than he was? That discrepancy didn’t make sense to Shadow either.

The only thing that was even remotely Royal about the Prince was the silver crown that sat on his head, studded with smaller pieces of the same stone the Queen’s crown had. Shadow didn’t know what it was. He’d have to ask Rouge later; she was good with gemstones.

“We do wish to open our borders again too,” the Queen seemed to rush to add. “But at the moment, resources are our more pressing issue.”

Shadow eyed the Commander. He could see the man’s dual-coloured eyes narrow slightly. Suspicion was evident there. The man either didn’t believe their legitimacy or thought the same as Shadow did – that it was odd to be coming forward at this point in time after radio silence for two decades. The timing seemed terribly off. A few years at most, but twenty seemed like a stretch.

“Why ask now?” the Commander asked.

Shadow had been right.

The two hedgehogs exchanged a look. Confusion. The Prince shrugged and the Queen frowned at him with a shake of her head. They had some sort of silent conversation, perhaps even a debate. The magenta hedgehog turned to face the Commander again after a beat. She was frowning. One of her ears was quirked back, eyes tightened and brow furrowed. Her shoulders seemed to set, tense, perhaps even hunch ever so slightly. Like she was getting defensive but trying so hard not to show it outwardly.

“What do you mean?” Queen Sonia asked hesitantly.

“I mean, why ask for assistance after over twenty-two years?” the man said. “Why not sooner?”

“We… couldn’t,” the Queen said slowly, once more looking bewildered. “After the assault on Mobotropolis, Robotnik forcibly cut off our access to the rest of the world. He had power for seventeen years before we managed to take back control. Forgive me, but it takes a while to undo all the damage that man did.”

The effect of the Queen’s words were immediate. Now was Shadow’s turn to exchange a look with Rouge behind the Commander. And the man himself was looking perplexed. What Queen Sonia had said didn’t quite match up with the patchy story they all knew. But perhaps that had been the main issue – no one outside of Mobotropolis knew what happened there. No one outside of the city seemed to question it.

Shadow frowned. There was something else she’d said that was bothering him even more. More specifically, a name the Queen had mentioned. He was intimately familiar with the name. And there was only one Robotnik that Shadow knew of who was alive today. One Robotnik who was known for his heinous actions. Still, he had to check.

So he inserted himself into the conversation.

“Robotnik?” Shadow asked. “Surely you don’t mean Ivo?”

Prince Manic hummed in thought. Or agreement. Shadow wasn’t sure which. Maybe it was a bit of both.

“I suppose the world knows him as Eggman now, right?” the Prince said. “But yeah, that’s who we mean. Are… are you telling me no one knew that he was the one who’d gained control of our city?”

“No,” Rouge breathed. “We had no idea he was involved. We thought the attack on your city was an attempt to assassinate the late Queen, not a complete takeover. We didn’t even know she’d had children.”

The two hedgehogs across the desk shifted uncomfortably. Queen Sonia lowered her head for a moment, as if in grief or something else. Her brother seemed torn with something, some decision that was weighing on him. He shook his head, looking angry when he turned back to them. Shadow didn’t think it was directed at them specifically. But the sudden change was a little alarming. He wondered where it was coming form, what words Rouge had said that specifically seemed to trigger the Royals. And why were their reactions so opposed?

“Yeah, I suppose you didn’t,” Prince Manic said.

There was something bitter in the way the green hedgehog had said it. Something deeper had disturbed the two Royals by this reveal. Something no one else in the room understood. A sort of gloom had encompassed them, one of grief and anguish certainly. But of something more too, deeper, more complex. Shadow could still see that anger lingering in the Prince’s eyes. Or, perhaps not anger. Resentment maybe? How interesting. Who exactly was that resentment aimed at? There was a story there. Perhaps entirely separate from the one they were already talking about. Shadow found himself wondering what it was. It seemed rather loaded. And obviously to do with the Queen. It was clear she was dead, since her supposed children were the ones running the city now. And they’d also dealt with Eggman before on top of it? How didn’t the world know about that?

It did seem like the man had showed up out of nowhere five years ago. The timing lined up quite well, corroborating their claims. Still, Shadow wasn’t sure how that was even possible.

“Manic,” The Queen said sharply before taking a deep breath. “Clearly, there’s a disconnect happening here. Our stories do not seem to line up. We had assumed everyone knew what was going on in Mobotropolis. We were obviously wrong.”

The Commander dipped his head to the Royals. He seemed to have recovered from the shock that had gripped them all. Finally, he was trying to regain control of the situation.

“Perhaps this confusion needs to be cleared up before we can go forward with making any plans,” Tower said.

“Yeah,” the Prince replied, strained. “Seems like it. But that also probably means my stay is going to be extended…”

The Queen’s eyes widened. She turned back to her brother, looking mildly panicked. She pulled the Prince towards the corner of the room, speaking to him in hushed tones. But, as the Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow’s hearing was enhanced. Far more enhanced than a normal mobian. His hearing was even better than Rouge’s. He could pick up every word clear as day.

“Manic, I reluctantly agreed to come out here for a week and half, but we were to return together. How am I supposed to get home now? I can’t stay here. Oh, I should never have agreed to this…”

“It’s all good, sis. I can drive you home and just come back.”

“That seems highly inconvenient. Besides, it’s a five day drive from here to Mobotropolis. If G.U.N. needs to discuss anything with you, you won’t be here for almost two weeks. A complete waste of their time and ours. Not to mention, fuel isn’t cheap. We can’t just go around stealing it like we used to; our funds need to be focused on the city.”

“Well, maybe you can’t-”

“Manic. Don’t even think about it.”

“Hey, I was joking…”

“We need you back home, Manic. You can’t stay here indefinitely either. We agreed on that. Two weeks and no longer. I need you.”

“I know.”

Shadow chose not to share the exchange he’d overheard with anyone else. It seemed very personal; he knew he shouldn’t have heard it to begin with. And he was sure that part about stealing was wildly out of context, though still quite concerning. Still, it was bizarre. He filed the information away to unpack later. But it seemed the Royals had a conundrum on their hands.

How bad were things back in their city? And then another thought: how long had they been ruling? Presumably about five years. And they were obviously new to it all too, what with their mother being dead before they could learn from her. Presumably, none of that information had been passed down. It must have been difficult, trying to figure it all out on their own. Where would you even begin? Shadow could admit to himself that he wouldn’t have a clue. But again, he didn’t know their story. With no grasp on the true events, there was no way to accurately assume anything about Mobotropolis and its rulers.

 “Is there an issue?” the Commander asked.

The two were startled out of their private conversation. Prince Manic turned back to them. The Queen seemed to be taking deep, calming breaths. Was it really that big of deal though? Again, Shadow didn’t know their situation. Feasibly, it was a massive deal. At least to the Queen.

“Ah, we may have a tiny issue,” the Prince said. “We can’t really stay long. We have to get back to our city.”

“Then perhaps two of my agents can go with you back to your city instead?” the Commander suggested. “You will have more time to discuss the true events as they happened. And they can report back to me so that we may sort out this agreement. It can take as long as it needs to, and you needn’t worry about spending too much time away from Mobotropolis.”

The man had gestured to him and Rouge as he’d said it, the sneak. Shadow could thrash the man for thrusting him into another situation he had no control over. But it might not be the worst thing. He’d get the answers to questions that were starting to bother him. And Rouge would be overjoyed at spending time with a couple of supposed Royalty. She’d certainly have a lot to ask. It would be just like a holiday for the bat. And Shadow could already envision that he’d get stuck with all the reports and real work. What a headache.

But it was decided. Shadow and Rouge would accompany the two hedgehogs back home. That seemed agreeable to the Royals. And to Rouge. It didn’t really matter what Shadow wanted, but that wasn’t new. He’d deal with it. Besides, it wasn’t a typical mission. And getting the real story of what happened might be interesting. There was something sort of invigorating getting to be among the first people to know what really happened to the mysterious city. Shadow hated that it was true. He was getting sucked into a mess of drama that he’d had no interest in before.

But now, he had to admit, he wanted to know. It had all gotten a lot more appealing.

As all four of them were leaving G.U.N. H.Q., the Prince had a request for them. One that the antsy Queen didn’t seem to object to.

“Could you show us around Central City?” the Prince asked.

He sounded excited about the prospect. But if the hedgehog been stuck in the same city all his life, Shadow supposed he would be delighted to see some new surroundings. His sister didn’t share his enthusiasm, but she too seemed content with a tour around the city. And Rouge, ever the entertainer, was more than happy to show off the city she lived in. Shadow was along for the ride, as usual.

He trudged along behind the other three mobians as Rouge guided them along the city streets. He wasn’t paying attention; this was his city, he knew it well enough. Rouge was telling them about some of the landmarks – shamelessly promoting her club as she went, of course – and Shadow just tuned it all out. Occasionally, the Prince would ask questions. Shadow caught him looking up at their skyscrapers in utter awe. But Shadow thought he came from a city? The skyscrapers in Central City were average; they weren’t anything special. Metropolis had way more impressive buildings in terms of height. And, of course, there was Empire City.

Queen Sonia was quieter, taking in her surroundings with a reserved sort of fascination. But she was paying attention to what Rouge had to say. The Queen was attentive but silent. Somehow, it added to the Regal air that followed her.

And then, something weird happened.

Shadow saw Prince Manic start out the corner of his eye. He rose his head in time to see the green hedgehog grip his sister’s arm, bringing her to a stop with him. Rouge kept walking, missing the interaction entirely. The Prince’s quills were bristling. When Queen Sonia turned to question her brother, her mouth opened but no words came out. She’d frozen, stock-still in place. Gripped with a mix of surprise and… something else. Something Shadow couldn’t place. Prince Manic’s face was not visible to him. But too many emotions seemed to cross the Queen’s face for Shadow to pin down them all.

With a furrowed brow, Shadow turned his head to follow their gaze. But what he saw just confused him more.

Sonic was standing on the other side of the road. Like the hedgehogs in front of him, he’d stalled in place. But among the swirl of emotions on Sonic’s face, Shadow could clearly pick out one. Horror. Complete and utter horror. And his eyes were locked on the Royals. After a few seconds, Sonic’s ears flattened.

Then the blue hedgehog sped away down the pavement. He wasn’t just running away, it seemed more like he was fleeing. A frantic sort of fleeing, like he needed to get away as fast as he possibly could. A crack echoed though the sky. It was followed with a high-pitched, loud crashing sound – all the windows on the street shattering. And that’s what the most alarming thing to Shadow about all of it was.

Sonic had broken the sound barrier inside the city limits. He never did that. Because it was dangerous and caused so much damage to the surrounding area. Even now, Shadow could see citizens crouching along the pavements, terrified, trying to shield themselves from the glass raining down on them. Others had startled, looking around worried and confused. The sound had made Rouge jump too; she’d finally turned to notice that they were all way behind her.

The brief moment that had passed between the three hedgehogs was very suspect. And it brought Shadow back to the party three weeks ago.

When Rouge had first started the conversation about the Royals, he’d seen Sonic’s reaction out the corner of his eye. And he’d continued to watch him for the whole conversation. It had been odd to say the least. His whole body had seemed to lock up, the cake on his fork falling to the floor – where it would stay until Amy noticed it just before he and Rouge left. Sonic had stayed like that, all stiff, until Miles opened his mouth. Sonic’s eyes were wide but unreadable when he turned to the rest of the room. Shortly after, he’d stood with the fakest yawn Shadow had ever seen. But no one else seemed to even notice.

Then, he just left.

The blue hedgehog had a tendency to disappear; he often did not like staying in one place for too long. But Shadow thought his sudden departure was rather odd.

‘Just Faker being Faker,’ he’d thought at the time.

Sonic was an odd one. He hadn’t thought much of it back then. But they’d been talking about Mobius’ Royalty at the time of the reaction. And just now, he’d spotted the hedgehogs themselves. But he hadn’t been given a description three weeks ago because they hadn’t known themselves. He’d have no way of knowing that’s who they were.

But he had. And he’d been horrified.

How did he know Queen Sonia and Prince Manic? Why was his reaction so intense and why was it bad? What problem did he have with them? And why did they seem to share the sentiment?

Shadow narrowed his eyes. What the hell was going on here? And why did it seem so much more complicated than it had a moment ago?