Spoiler Warning: This is a direct sequel to Esperança Do Amor and if you have not read that then you might be lost. There is some recap in this opening but you'll still miss a lot.

Warnings: I'll be honest, it's hard for me to do warnings because I don't always know what I'm going to do in each chapter. I follow what feels right in the moment with what's already happened. Assume there could be character deaths. Assume anything can happen. But also know that I love happy endings. So no matter how bad or dark it gets, the ending will be a happy one. But it's a journey. Just like life. Life doesn't come with warnings but that's part of the excitement. You never know which each day is going to be like. You may have a plan in mind but you have no real way of knowing if what you plan will happen nor do you know how that plan will result if it does happen.

AN: Warning, Robotnik is somewhat OOC from the original cartoon. But that's only because the cartoon went unrealistically evil with him, like majorly jumped the shark. A lot of my stories for SU is definitely predicated on the idea that Aleena is not an innocent by any stretch. And a lot of the show actually supports that to the point where they HAD to make Robotnik unrealistically evil so one would say, yeah Aleena is the victim. Problem: mothers do not put their children into dangerous situations. She could have taken them well out of the city and far from Robotnik but she left them in the thick of it with the intention that they would be required to fight so she could come home. No. No and no and no. A good mother fights for her children not the other way around. Seriously, there's no way to write Robotnik that evil yet justify Bartleby supporting him. Not with how he clearly cared for Sonia. He was willing to be roboticized for her sake. If Robotnik was truly evil, Bartleby would have at least secretly helped the Underground.

Prologue

In the dark of night, in a small guest house on the estate of a grand kingdom, a wail pierced the silence. The wail came from a baby mink with a full head of blond hair. The baby wriggled and cried as the light came on in the hallway. A plump man with a long red mustache with a prosthetic arm and leg went to the crib and bent down.

"There, there boy…" The man said as he picked him and rocked him soothingly. "I'm here. You're safe…" He promised as he sat in a rocking chair to comfort the baby. It was too soon to feed him as he'd only eaten a few short hours ago and he couldn't feel or smell anything that indicated it was time for a nappy change. He softly hummed a song he knew from his father and his grandfather. "Soon Bartleby… soon it will be time for me to enact my plans. The bots are nearly ready. Soon I will avenge your parents and restore you to your rightful place. You have my word, boy…"

Robotnik watched his godson, no, his son as he danced around the ballroom with his lovely bride, reminiscing about the boy's childhood. Raising Bartleby, he knew, had saved him from becoming beyond redemption. He had not expected the boy to give him the crown. However, he also understood that Bartleby was still very young, only twenty-four, and he'd been denied much of the emotional growth he should have been given.

Three months earlier, he'd seen Bartleby at his lowest point. He had known, when the boy had broken down over his love for his enemy's daughter, that he'd allowed things to go too far for too long. The only way to save the boy from a dark fate had been to put aside his hatred for the hedgehog family and approach Sonia himself.

It had been one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. Once he'd cared for that girl, helping Lady Wyndemere in exchange for learning how to be a father to Bartleby. He had encouraged their relationship and even given Bartleby his mother's engagement ring when he had expressed a desire to propose. Too easily, the girl had forgotten and ran off to join the resistance when her fugitive mother demanded it. And too easily, the wretch had cast aside his child in favor of her small-minded brothers.

However, on approaching, he'd seen that she was not doing well either. She had the same rings around her eyes that Bartleby had and melancholy hung over her like a dark cloud. When he showed her to footage from Bartleby's home, she had nearly broken down herself. The love and concern she had for his condition had softened Robotnik a little.

When Aleena pulled out all the stops to try and kill Bartleby, she had overplayed her hand and was forced to admit her crimes. All he had to do was stall her long enough for the three hedgehogs to rescue Bartleby. Now she could not enter Robotropolis. The Oracle, whom he had since hired as his advisor, had shielded the city, keying it to recognize her magical signature.

In the cleanup from their battle, Robotnik had found portraits of the Montclair Dynasty hidden in a forgotten room, covered his cobwebs. He had them cleaned up and restored to their place on the wall above the throne. He was glad to see his friends finally remembered.

When Sonia had woken Bartleby with her kiss, she had unknowingly also broken the memory spell that Aleena had long ago placed over the citizens to make them think that it was she who was the rightful ruler. The healing magic had taken time to spread and it had taken them time to accept their real memories and mourn for lost time. It was like waking up from a dream.

Now, things were returning to normal. He wanted so badly to believe that now they would all live happily ever after. However, Robotnik was too much of a realist and knew it would only be a matter of time before Aleena would once again threaten their peace.

"Don't worry so my friend," The Oracle advised him sagely. "Yes, Aleena will one day return but as you've already seen, she won't win. No matter what spell she casts, she will one day be beaten."

Robotnik nodded. "Yes, but my concern is… by time she is… Will she have taken everything from me? I'm even afraid to allow Bartleby to go on his honeymoon. I'm only allowing it because her brothers and Dingo are accompanying them. But I won't be there to protect him. No boy wants his father on his honeymoon with him."

The Oracle laughed. "No I imagine not. It was hard enough convincing them to take those three. But… it is only to his mansion. They won't even be outside the protection spell. Plus I've put an additional bubble spell over his entire estate. And that's on top of the technological protections you've since put on the property. Aleena would have to go out of her way to interrupt their honeymoon."

Robotnik took little comfort in the mage's words. But what could he really do? He couldn't keep Bartleby shut inside the palace for all time. If he did, Aleena would win regardless. He turned his eyes back to the couple as the night continued.

Bartleby was so happy that he felt his heart could burst as he waltzed with his precious bride. A short time ago, he had felt ready to just give up on life but now here they were. Her beautiful black eyes sparkled like a midnight sky. "Oh my love… did you think we'd ever make to this?"

Sonia giggled. "I was starting to wonder." She stroked his brow as she basked in his love for her. Never once had he given up on her. He had refused to let go of their dream. "I just hope that… that mother will not be able to get in the way again. I'm so afraid…" She confided softly.

Bartleby kissed her hair gently. "She won't. Not for while and never if I have my say. I love you so my dear Sonia. I can only count my blessings now. I cannot possibly let myself think anything bad now. We must not let your mother invade our thoughts and ruin our peace. Come what may… I will love you… until my dying day."

Aleena watched the two dancing and growled. "Don't get too complacent. I'll get my kingdom back and all the ones who betrayed me will regret it deeply. Mirror! Tell me what I must do…"

A vision appeared. A voice spoke. "To defeat Robotnik and reclaim your crown, you must find the Chaos Emeralds. Seven Master Emeralds which, when brought together, will grant you all the power you need to take him down and reclaim all that is yours."

Aleena nodded. "Tell me where I can find them." She commanded.

"There, again, are seven. Each one born of the elements. Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Wood, Metal and Aether. The first emerald…" The mirror showed a floating island.

She smiled. "Yes I know where that is. And upon that island, there is a friend who may be able to assist me…" Aleena giggled as she changed the mirror to show her the party again. It was now winding down and the cake was being cut. She watched the mink and hedgehog playfully smush pieces of the seven-tier confection into the other's face. No one laughed louder than the booming Robotnik. "You will pay Robotnik. I will take everything from you. I will destroy your happiness." She vowed.

AN: I don't know if I'll do all of the emeralds in this one book or I'll do one or two for each. Let me know what you think? Think of the previous book as a pilot movie. That is to say, a movie that takes us into a full series. Like Return of Jafar was actually a pilot for the animated Aladdin series (which is why the animation wasn't on par).