Sonic the Hedgehog was best known for his carefree, loyal and stubborn nature. His sense of adventure, justice and the knowledge of how to escape from situations that any normal mobian would have most definitely have been doomed under.
However, lately it was very difficult for the hedgehog to be under his own carefree wings. Within the last few months he had finally made the decision to visit his birthplace, the final kick being the thought of seeing his mother and his old Freedom Fighter team members. Whom he deemed most important seeing as he probably would not have survived if it had not been for their help. After all, one person can make a difference, but not without a little assistance.
Thinking of his homeland always hurt, it seemed he was always needed in some dire, doomed or hopeless situation. And it was growing tiresome. Not being able to travel as he wished, feeling like a caged bird among a huge, unexplored world, even though there were no physical restraints.
He had regretted the decision to return soon after he had arrived. He received the expected reaction from his mother, who immediately smothered her beloved son almost to the point of suffocation. His brother and sister had also been there, they had received news of Sonic's return on their travels and had arrived a day or so before he had. Sonia and Manic were Sonics' right hands, and so he had been delighted to see them. Even if his brothers reaction to him upon his arrival had been a dead arm and a strange handshake sequence Sonic had struggled to remember.
Everything reminded him of his childhood, the castle, the people and the way of life he had almost completely allowed to go astray. Everything was so calm on Mobius, everyone was so friendly. And so he had been treated like the Prince he truly was, and Sonic hated that.
And now he was stood in his old bedroom, dressed in an itchy, frilly shirt and suit, and shoes that didn't feel like his own. Ready for his homecoming party. Sonic took one look at himself in the mirror, and found he didn't even recognise the person standing there, he tugged at the collar and ran his ungloved hands through his quills, before his mother caught him up short.
"Sonic please stop fussing with that" Queen Aleena removed her son's hands from his collar and buttoned it so it was uncomfortably tight again. Sonic almost gagged, but his mother was always so proper he knew there was no use arguing with her, he had too much respect for that.
"Mother is all of this really necessary? I only arrived yesterday and I only wanted to catch up with you and the others" Sonic ever so slightly arranged his collar so that it wasn't pinching him, while his mother wasn't looking.
"Nonsense Sonic, everyone would very much like to welcome you back home properly" Aleena grabbed a brush from a drawer beside Sonics bed and he immediately took a step back. "Besides, i've had all of your old friends invited and some of the nobles from the other kingdoms, King Max and his daughter are attending as well".
Sonic's ears stuck up on his head, so Sally was going to be there. This immediately made him nervous, Princess Sally was an old flame, per say, and she had been by his side throughout the entire war against Robotnik. This means he would have to spend the night trying to make polite conversation with her whilst everyone gawked at him because they were expecting something more.
When Sonic had come out of his dream world he found his mother had already finished brushing back his quills, he hated looking tidy, it made him feel lacklustre. Like he had no personality. He would take care of it later, his mother couldn't very well come over and arrange his quills after he had made his entrance.
"I think you're ready" His mother took a step back and studied him from the tips of his ears to his toes. And she smiled at him. Before stepping forward and burying him in an embrace. "I've missed you Sonic."
Sonic didn't often get into situations where he felt extreme emotion, it wasn't good for him. But at this point he could think of nothing more to do than to hug his mother as sincerely as she wanted him to. He had truly missed her, her smell, her voice, and her general adoration of him. He held her for a moment before she loosened her grip, nodded at her son with the sparkle of tears in the corners of her eyes, and left him standing in the room, with only his reflection.
MOBIUS, QUEEN ALEENAS CASTLE, BALL ROOM.
Miles 'Tails' Prower was twitchy, he hadn't seen his best friend for a couple of months and had been desperately trying to tell himself that Sonic would be alright without him. He had always been by his side and when Sonic had left it had hit the young kit hard. Never the less it had given Tails a chance to grow up a little, spread his wings. Tails didn't have much time to think about it with all of these people around him, fully clad in their best and with immaculate pronunciation, some he had met before, some he had not, Rotor had already said hello to him, he hardly recognised him at first, but was glad to see his technologically interested friend.
"I'm not one for fancy do's Tails, they're not really my thing" Rotor seemed uncomfortable too, Tails supposed that anyone that wasn't brought up around all this couldn't possibly just get used to it so quickly.
"I know what you mean, I've never even owned a suit before all this, I wonder when Sonic will be getting here..." The fox sighed and took a nibble from a long table filled with all of the fanciest foods he'd ever seen, on what probably silver pallets, there a few dishes he didn't even recognise, he couldn't help but think "Sonic, won't be happy with all this, there aren't any Chilli Dogs".
" Well my stars! Look who we have here!" Tails recognised the female voice and turned, but before that he was pretty much knocked over by his old friend Bunnie Rabbot. She was dressed in the most lovely garnet, western-looking dress. Although with her metal arm she still easily managed to look out of place. Tails hugged her back politely and exchanged words with her, before being distracted by a shouting from the top of the staircase that travelled up the middle of the room and widened until it reached the very top.
"Queen Aleena, of Mobuis and Prince Sonic the Hedgehog." The cat, who looked like a butler of some sort, dressed in what looked like a bellboy outfit, had introduced the new arrivals before bowing towards them. Sonic had come out of the double doors at the top of the enormous and elaborate staircase, accompanied by his mother who was clinging to her sons arm proudly. Tails could tell immediately that Sonic was shocked by the turnout, his mouth was hanging slightly open and he couldn't help but look around erratically at all of the faces in the room. He couldn't have looked less majestic, it made Tails grin.
Sonic's doubt about the party immediately vanished as he reached the bottom of the staircase; his mother pecked him on the cheek before he could stop her, and wandered off to speak to some of the relations. And he was left standing there for a second, looking dumbfounded at the people who had turned out to see him. Before being surrounded and bombarded with phrases like "Its good to have you back Sonic" and "Where HAVE you been all this time?"
He lapped up the attention, before having his hand grabbed by something cold and steely and pulled out of the crowd, it took him a second to realise that Bunnie was saving him from the masses.
"Where in the world have you been sugar-hog!" The mechanical rabbit hugged him tightly around the neck before letting him answer.
Sonic laughed "Just travelling Bunnie, you know me, I never stay in one place too long" He winked at her before noticing there was a little group of old friends gathering nearby. "Tails! Man am I glad to see you..." he ruffled the top of his imitation little brothers head.
"It's good to see you too Sonic, I'll bet your mother gave you a running through for disappearing for so long huh?" Tails chuckled as his friend pulled one of those 'You have no idea' faces.
Another person wandered over towards Sonic and bowed, it took the hedgehog prince a minute to realise exactly who it was but it became all too clear when the figure spoke.
"Sonic, it iz good to 'ave you back" Antoine hadn't changed very much, his hair was still pristine and his accent obvious, but Sonic couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be displaying himself in such a polite manor if it had been years ago and he wasn't considered as being in such a noble position. Sonic shook the hand that Antoine had extended and asked him how he had been, it turned out that Antoine had been made one of the head guard a couple of years back and was relishing the authority.
Sonic was exhausted within an hour or so, he hadn't felt so exercised in his whole life, everyone wanted to speak with him and congratulate him on his latest feats. As well as discussing where he had been, but Sonic didn't give much away, it was probably better that his mother didn't hear of his sometimes near death experiences, she already worried about him enough. Each one wanted to know in great detail. He felt like his voice would not be present with him the next morning. He wandered over to one of the tables and filled a crystal cup with some of the bright red punch in a crystal bowl at the centre, before sighing and taking a sip. He was glad to be able to relax, it seemed like everyone had become satisfied with his stories and had decided to leave him be. His mother had told him to mix as much as possible, he had been, as far as they were concerned, vanished for years. The last time anyone had seem him was when he was a child, now there was catching up to do.
Sonic sunk into one of the chairs dotted around the decorated tables in the ball room, and was quickly joined by Tails and then Knuckles who had arrived shortly after Sonic had. Knuckles hadn't changed at all, once a guardian, always a guardian, and for some reason Sonic found he was glad of the familiarity.
"You alright Sonic?" Tails asked concerned about the mental beating his friend had just received.
"Man Tails, this prince stuff is hard work, I don't know if I can take much more" Sonic rubbed the space in-between his eyes and closed them tightly.
"You want me to tell them all to shut the hell up?" Knuckles offered, and Sonic snorted at his once rival.
"I don't think mother would be best pleased with that pal, but thanks" Knuckles smirked at him before being called away by Rouge. Who apparently Knuckles was seeing now. According to Tails. It could have been a joke, but Sonic made a mental note to provoke him about it later.
Tails looked his drained friend up and down, he hadn't changed all that much, still the old Sonic he knew and looked up to. But he was worried, would the royal life change his friend? And how could Sonic face leaving this place again? Queen Aleena had obviously set her heart on the idea of her son staying in Mobius. Tails doubted his old companion could handle that. And if Sonic did decide to stay here that would mean he wouldn't see his buddy as much, he would probably be expected to take on the responsibilities of any prince. And that ultimately meant that if anything happened while Sonic was away then he would be the one to be depended on.
"You ok Tails, you look kinda pale?' Sonic raised an eyebrow at the fox. And Tails shook himself.
"Yeah I'm fine, Sonic, I was just wondering..." Tails looked at his feet, he didn't want to seem like he was lecturing his friend, but he had to ask. "...will you be staying in Mobius very long?" He looked Sonic in the face and he had a contemplating look.
"Im not sure Tails, everyone seems so happy to have me back but..." Sonic thought about the wide open spaces he loved, the fields, the mountains, the forests, everything he lived for "...this royalty stuff really isn't easy, and I've never stayed in one place longer than a couple of months".
Tails sighed with relief, at least he knew Sonic hadn't set his heart on staying yet, if he had there would have been no changing his mind, Tails wasn't ready to face the world without Sonic yet, he still felt young, naive and vulnerable.
Sonic could sense that something was troubling his younger brother, without really knowing what it was he couldn't really comfort him, his mind was too fatigued to think about it too much. So he opted to lean over and grasp his shoulder, and offer a smile. Tails took this as a 'don't worry' from his pal and smiled back, feeling a little more comforted.
But then Tails felt the fondness between himself and Sonic stolen by the announcement of latecomers. Sonic stood abruptly from his seat and stared in the direction of the arrivals. Tails looked on as Sonic brushed himself down quickly and watched with wide eyes, panic on his face as the party descended the stairway.
"King Max of Acorn, and Princess Sally!".