A Tale of Two Brothers

Hey Peeps, I don't own anything related to Sonic or his universe, that's SEGA and all other companies relevant to the creation of his various back-stories, and even though most of them have tanked it now that is besides the point… Honestly, I actually own very little in this fic (next to nothing to be exact) but this is my story and even though I am using characters from Archie, DiC and SEGA I will be fleshing many of them out because they were only 2-dimensional so in some ways they will appear very OC… hopefully you'll bear with me! Anyway, I've bored you to tears with this disclaimer so enjoy… and let me know what you think! X

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Nyx27Seth: Glad you like it hun! this chap's longer! Hopefully more reviews will join you soon! X

Dedicated to AJ the Human, Nyx27Seth, DarkPreistessOfHyrule and ERA OF ERICK... Thanks guys! this ones for you! X

Chapter Two:Finding A New Direction

Macey's was definitely not the easiest place in Mobius to find. It was located in a sub-section of Mobotroplis which had once been used for storing rations in the last war between Mobians and their long-time enemies the Overlanders. Nobody on Mobius was certain on just where the Overlanders had come from, these strange furless beings had just appeared out of nowhere. There was stories of how they had crash-landed on Mobius in an enormous spaceship called 'The Ark' but not many Mobians truly believed this. How the Overlanders came to be here wasn't the most pressing issue. At first everything had been fine between the Mobians and Overlanders, both sides seemed rather curious about each other, eager to see if there was something to be learned from them. But this soon fell apart once the Mobians discovered just how cruel and controlling these Overlanders could be without intending it. They experimented in ways that no Mobian would dare to dream, using what they deemed as 'lesser beings' as the test subjects for their 'scientific experiments'… all for the 'quest of knowledge' of course. The experiments the Overlanders conducted and their blasé attitude towards the animals forced to go through them frightened the Mobians. If this was what they were like now just what would they be like if they actually wanted to cause harm? It had been agreed that Overlanders were just far too dangerous to associate with so the Mobians broke off all contact with them. Being naturally sympathetic and warm-hearted creatures, the Mobians left the Overlanders with a sizable chunk of Mobius to call their own and both sides went their separate ways. It was not until an incident involving a young Overlander and a Mobian of a similar age did animosity break out between the two sides. The young Overlander and the Mobian teenager had apparently been friends but something had happened which had caused the young Overlander to shoot the Mobian with a handgun, an Overlander-invention which Mobians disapproved of. In a nasty twist of fate the Mobian teenager that had been shot was a pale blue hedgehog. Not just any hedgehog either, he had been a son of the King of Mobius. When the body of the young prince had been discovered shortly afterwards it was obvious he'd been killed by an Overlander and ever since then the two sides had been enemies. The last war with them had ended in an uneasy truce and everything had been quiet since…

Once the Hedgehog brothers entered the front doors of Macey's they were greeted with a small, dimly-lit reception area that lead to a huge set of double doors. This doorway opened to reveal a flight of stairs that led down into the actual club itself. As Jules lead Charles over to the club entrance the doors flew open and along with the faint strings of music three teenage Mobian-girls came out smiling and giggling. The moment the three of them spotted the cobalt hedgehog their eyes lit up with both recognition and swooning desire. Jules and his friends had been coming here for a year now and were considered 'regulars', couple this with his good looks and it was no wonder the girls had reacted to him this way.

'Hi girls..' Jules flashed them a casual grin, not bothered by their silence as three sets of eyes gazed at him with the kind of stupor one could only get from someone they fancied. It took a few seconds for his words to truly register with the three Mobian-girls. Then a further second for the three of them to glance at each other and let out a squeal of delight.

'He spoke to us!' The three girls all chorused together before errupting into nervous giggling and they passed the Hedgehog brothers, glancing back towards Jules as they did. While Charles let out a soft sigh of relief, pleased he'd been ignored by the three girls, his cobalt-blue brother threw the three females a confused look. He didn't understand what was so funny about him saying 'hi'..

'Is it me Charlie, or are girls just plain weird?' Jules finally turned back to his brother, a slight frown of annoyance crossing his face now.

'Heh, your asking the wrong hedgehog brother..' Charles sighed with a faint shake of the head and a light smile. He had even less luck with girls his age than he did with making friends. It seemed that the girls were not only intimidated by his vast intelligence but also put off by his lack of interest in socializing. Jules threw his brother a pitying smile before it widened into a more upbeat one.

'C'mon, the guys will be waitin' inside..' The cobalt hedgehog then seized his brother by the arm and pulled him through the double doors. As the brothers descended the stairs they could hear the strings of the band playing tonight. What made Macey's different from other clubs in Mobotroplis was the fact that this club played only live music. As they entered the doors at the bottom the volume of the music increased and the band on stage could be seen while a few couples and groups of Mobian friends danced and cheered. Ignoring the band for the moment the Hedgehog brothers glanced around the large room until one of them spotted a very familiar walrus seated in a booth along with three other very familiar Mobians. Immediately the brothers made a bee-line across the floor towards them and once they were only a few meters away the walrus turned and grinned widely at them.

'Hey guys, glad you could make it.' Sherman sounded jovially as Jules and Charles arrived at the table. Next to Sherman sat Lionel, who was a lion with a bushy blonde mane and friendly blue eyes that were hidden behind a set of spectacles. Out of all of Jules' friends Lionel was the smartest of them. He was also the only one of them that was actually planning to use his Engineering diploma to get into Mobotroplis University. Despite being considered to be a bit of a 'nark' the sixteen year old lion was well respected amongst his peers and had proven many times that having intelligence was not necessarily a bad thing. Jules liked to think that having Lionel as a friend had helped the others accept Charles more openly. The mild-blue hedgehog had slipped down in the empty seat next to Lionel knowing that the lion would not mind if he whipped out his invention to tinker with, in fact it would probably draw his interest. Out of all of Jules' friends Lionel was the one Charles had most in common with and once he started Mobotroplis University they would be seeing each other a lot more. Taking up the entire back section of the booth was an enormous white-furred bear named Augustus or Gus as he preferred. Augustus had been an exchange student from the Artic Regions on the very north pole of Mobius. Although he'd only attended Acorn Academy in the last year the Mobian polar bear had become an invaluable member of their crew. Despite his intimidating size Gus was nothing more than a friendly giant, he couldn't hurt anyone if he tried. He was often described as the 'heart and soul' of the group, willing to go along with anything as long as he was with his friends. Jules took the only seat left which was next to his best friend and 'go to guy' Tiger 'Tig' Stripes. Jules and Tig had known each other the longest and had been best friends since they first met back in their first year of schooling. The white and silver striped tiger grinned as the cobalt hedgehog sat next to him. Clearly Tig had managed to 'break out' of the army barracks without any problems. This didn't surprise anyone around them as Tig was well known for his scheming and strategy tactics. Both he and Jules were considered the two leaders of their crew and were very alike in many ways. The only difference was that Jules was considered the idea-hedgehog while Tig was in charge of making it happen. While in school the two of them were well known for their pranks and hijinx, all in the spirit of fun. And when they got in trouble, which was usually the case, the two of them were able to use their charm and likeability to get out of it.

'What? You guys think I'd let you down?' Jules laughed freely for the first time since his father died, pulling an expression of mock-offence.

'Never doubted you for a second Juice.' The deep rich voice of Gus came from the end of the booth as the polar bear's deep navy eyes flashed with sincerity.

'Neither did I..' Tig added as he slipped an arm around Jules in a quick hug of brotherly affection.

'Hey. There's a first time for everything..' Sherman shrugged good-naturedly before taking a swig of the drink in front of him, returning his gaze to Gus. 'So when is it you go back to the Artic Regions?' He asked casually as this had been the conversation before the Hedgehog brothers arrived. Jules' hazel eyes snapped onto his polar bear friend, this was the first he'd heard of this plan.

'Not for a couple of months yet.' Gus' deep voice seemed to vibrate as he replied lightly.

'Wait? Your going back?' Jules suddenly piped up confused.

'Have to little hog.' The polar bear sounded with a slight smile. 'Got plans to go into the fishin' business with the old bear. Just me an' him on the icy ocean, there's nothin' like it in the whole of Mobius..' Gus sighed heavily with a dreamy expression. 'It's the one thing I've missed since comin' down here. 'Cept for Mama an' the cubs.' He added referring to his two little siblings.

'Sounds like a dream.' Charles sounded amiably, smiling at the large bear beside him.

'Been my dream since I was five.' Gus sounded happily. 'Never forget the first day I went out on the boat..' He then drifted out into a far away smile, clearly reminiscing. Charles Hedgehog only smiled widely at the bear, knowing how it felt to follow a dream. Jules meanwhile blinked in surprise feeling mixed feelings over this new development. He was happy for his friend but at the same time he was sad because he'd not see Gus again once he was gone.

'Did you know about this?' The cobalt hedgehog then leaned into Tig and the tiger's deep grey eyes turned to him.

'Nah. He just told us today. That's why we wanted you to come out.' Tig replied casually making Jules feel better for not being completely out of the loop.

'Well in that case we'll have to see him off in style.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog's hazel eyes lit up as a smirk curved his muzzle.

'Don't worry Juice, I'm already waay ahead of you.' Tig flashed his best friend a matching grin.

As the night wore on the six of them laughed and joked as they enjoyed each others company. The five friends were each doing their bit to make sure Charles wasn't left out of the fun for too long.

'What's that you've got there Chuck?' Lionel asked once the mild-blue hedgehog finally found a moment to pull out his half finished invention. 'Chuck' was what most Mobians knew Charles as, it was only his immediate family that had known him as 'Charlie' and now he and Jules were the last Hedgehogs left. The mild-blue hedgehog smiled at the blonde lion's curiosity.

'This?' he asked casually, waving the wide black gun-like device he was working on. 'I'm calling it a ring-restraint gun.' Charles smiled proudly holding out the gun so Lionel could get a better look. 'It uses the same kind of energy as the rings used to power the city, though the molecular structure of the restraint-rings is not solid itself so it creates a comfortable restraint and is durable enough to withstand any amount of strength.'

'It kind looks like an Overlander handgun.' Lionel sounded as he took the creation off of Charles and studied it closely.

'It does a little.. I got the idea originally from one of those things but this couldn't hurt anybody, all it can do is restrain them.' He took the restraint gun back then pulled out a screwdriver and began to adjust something near the wide rectangular barrel of the gun.

'Neat-oh!' Lionel smiled widely. 'What do you still have to do?' The lion asked curiously as the gun looked almost complete.

'I just need to line-up the sight, finish wiring the 'release' and 'recall' button then load up the gun.' Charles replied politely as he twiddled the screwdriver around once more then pulling it away. As he put the screwdriver back in his long brown coat he pulled out a pair of small pliers and a set of tweezers before carefully setting to work on completing the control button. Lionel watched with interest before his curiosity was peaked again.

'So where did the idea for using ring energy come from?' The lion asked as he took a sip of his drink.

'My lecturer, Professor Morgan gave me the idea.' Charles replied nonchalantly, ignoring the sudden look of amazement that crossed Lionel's face.

'Professor Morgan? As in Nate Morgan, the guy who invented the power rings and brought Mobius out of the Dark Ages?' The lion looked as though he would faint as he said this.

'Yup. That's the one.' Charles replied. 'He's head of the Department of Science at Mobius University. I'm sure you'll see him knocking about once your there.' The mild-blue hedgehog glanced up at Lionel who suddenly looked like he couldn't wait.

'What's he like?' The lion asked keenly, unable to help his curiosity as this guy was like a hero to him.

'He's brilliant.' Charles replied as his pale blue eyes raised up to look at Lionel, awe and admiration in them. 'Always happy to help hone our minds and offer up advice whenever we need it. Plus he's really down to Mobius so you can have a real conversation with him while working on a project.' The mild-blue hedgehog spoke fondly of his mentor and friend..

…On the other side of the table a different conversation entirely was taking place.

'I'm tellin' you Juice, you shoulda signed up for the Army with me.' Tig Stripes was saying to his best friend. 'With your speed and abilities you could easily join my platoon, Bones would love you!' The tiger couldn't help but grin widely. Sergeant Bones was a bull-dog Mobian who was in charge of Tiger's unit and although he was as tough and firm as you'd expect from someone who'd been moulded by the army, his bite was not as bad as his bark. This meant that even though he was tough, he was also fair and one thing he prized in his platoon was 'spit, grit and gumption' which in his opinion made his unit the best. Bones had already taken Tig under his wing and there was no doubt in the young tiger's mind that his unit commander would like Jules too.

The cobalt hedgehog hummed unsurely as he tried to picture himself in the Mobian Army. It would certainly offer him adventure but there was one thing he didn't like about it… having to move into the barracks permanently.

'Gee, I dunno Tig.' Jules finally drawled. 'It's not that I don't like the idea, its just… I don't want to leave home.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog sighed heavily. Now that his father had just died and Charles was all the family he had left in the whole world, he wasn't ready to be separated from him. 'Not now anyway.'

'Well, if you don't wanna leave home then why not sign up for the Royal Guard?' Tig suggested and this caused the hedgehog to blink. 'I hear they're recruiting new cadets and they do the same kind of basic training we do. The only difference between them and us is that they only take the best of the best so competition is steep-'

'Competition?' Jules kinked a brow as he cut over his best friend. 'I hate to remind you bud, but nobody has ever beat me in anything to do with agility.' The cobalt hedgehog's scowl quickly melted into a cocky smirk. This was true, in school Jules had beat the rest of Acorn Academy hands down in every sporting event. He didn't just have quick feet, his reactions and reflexes were just as sharp.

'I know Juice..' Tig rolled his grey eyes in a slightly weary fashion. '-that's why I think you'd be a dead cert if you signed up, they'd be mad not to take you onboard.' The tiger grinned at his friend and Jules stroked his muzzle, seriously considering this surprising career choice.

'Whatta you think Sherman?' Jules asked turning to the walrus sitting across from him, the only other one paying attention to the conversation as Gus was watching Charles work on his restraint gun.

'I think it's a great idea Juice, but it's gotta be what you want.' The walrus grinned widely, he'd gone into the mechanical engineering side of the Army. His training was centred around transport and keeping everything in working order. And his unit wasn't quite as strict when it came to 'lights out' as Tig's was, thankfully today had been a day off so he could come out without getting in trouble with his commanding officer. Jules flashed his friend a smile before it melted away as he began to muse over his future, something he had not actually done since throwing in the towel on a future career in Engineering.

…Meanwhile at the other side of the table Charles was finishing the final tweaks to his ring-restraint gun. Once he was done screwing the side panel back on, after a final safety check of the complicated wiring inside, the mild-blue hedgehog smiled proudly. It had taken him the best part of two months but finally his invention was finished.

'Now all we need to do is test it out.' Charles sounded amiably to the lion beside him. His eyes scanned across the table to see Tig and Sherman comparing Army-training tales while his cobalt brother was only half-listening, looking off thoughtfully. For a moment Charles wondered what his two friends had said to Jules to make him drift off from their conversation. But he would have to find out that from his little brother later, right now Jules was about to become a guinea-pig. Charles casually pointed the rectangular gun towards his brother, catching the sudden attention of both Tig and Sherman who's eyes widened in surprise, he then squeezed the trigger. The gun only made a soft buzzing noise as it released a bright ball of energy that shot towards Jules.

'What the Chaos?' The cobalt sixteen year old hedgehog cried out in shock as the hand he'd been leaning on instantly jerked down towards the other, forcing him to lift his head before it smacked of the table. He stared at his wrists dumbfounded for a split-second before the sound of ringing laughter struck up causing Jules' hazel eyes to look up. Immediately he saw his four best friends laughing hysterically at him and the source of the blue-lights now shackling his wrists together… Charles holding a hand-sized rectangular gun which was smoking slightly. He quickly realised that he had become yet another guinea-pig for one of his brother's experiments and scowled at the mild-blue hedgehog sitting diagonally opposite him. Instantly the cobalt-blue hedgehog began wrestling with the glowing blue restraints holding his hands together.

'Rrrrr..' Jules growled as he struggled, trying to release himself from his shackles. As he fought with the glowing blue restraints all four of his friends laughed as he was getting more frustrated, the restraints just wouldn't move! 'Charlie, why am I always your test subject!' The cobalt hedgehog glared at his older brother in annoyance and embarrassment.

'Because you're my little brother and that's what you're here for.' Charles remarked casually as he switched the sliding button on top of the gun to 'recall' instead of 'release'. Taking aim once again the mild-blue hedgehog squeezed the trigger. This time however the blue rings around Jules' hands dissolved and the energy was sucked back inside the rectangular barrel.

'Y'know, normal brothers don't use their little siblings as test subjects.' Jules scowled towards his mild-blue older brother. Charles on the other hand narrowed his pale blue eyes at his younger brother as a smile tweaked from under his moustache.

'Ohh yes they do..' He drawled in dry amusement which made Jules glare with deeper in irritation.

'I'll get you back Charlie-Boy..' The cobalt hedgehog muttered sulkily.

Wow Chuck..' Sherman sounded impressed by the demonstration of the ring-restraint gun. '-that is a seriously cool bit of kit.'

'I'll say..' Lionel declared brightly, taking the restraint gun off of Charles and studying it again. '-how did you find a way to recycle the energy used?' The mild-blue hedgehog tapped his nose winking secretively at these words.

'Ah. Now that's my little secret.' Charles replied airily, not giving away anything.

'It'll change the way law enforcement officers operate, that's for sure.' Gus added, impressed with Charles' ability to think up and create ideas.

'Maybe, but I doubt it will affect the armed forces much..' Tig said in a slightly monotonous voice, leaning casually back in his seat. Although he too admired Charles' ability to invent new things he was used to seeing the advanced weaponry the military had to offer.

'Oh… I dunno Tig.' Jules piped up, leaning across the table and taking the ring-restraint gun off of Lionel and sliding back into his seat. 'I'd rather be seen with one of these babies than with a gun.' The cobalt sixteen year old then held the restraint gun in one hand and studied his brother's invention. Beside him the white and silver-striped tiger rolled his grey eyes at his best friend. Jules' way of thinking was very old-fashioned but then that didn't come as a surprise to Tig as his cobalt best friend had been a huge fan of the stories of Kirby since he was just a tiny hedgehoglet. These tales were children's stories of Mobius' past.. They had been written down by a Mobian named Kirby as a way of preserving history for the next generation. The problem was that since Mobian History before this point had only been passed around orally nobody could really distinguish between the facts and the myths.

'Well it's just as well your not trying out for the Army then, you get a gun issued as standard.' Tig responded to Jules' statement with a smirk. The Mobian Army were the only part of Mobius that kept a Mobian-replica of the Overlanders' firearm invention. Unlike the rest of Mobius the Army was not quite as sympathetic towards the Overlanders. This was not surprising as over the many wars the Army had lost hundreds of good Mobian-soldiers to these murderous aliens. And since they had seen the full brutality and cruelty of this furless race of beings they were not willing to let these creatures near enough to harm their fellow Mobians… If the Overlanders were going to use fire to try and defeat them then that same 'fire' was their best defence.

'Yeh..' Jules chuckled at his best friends words. The cobalt hedgehog then slid the button at the top of his brother's invention from 'recall' to 'release'. 'If I joined the only place my gun would be going would be in the trash!' As he laughed at his own words Jules turned the barrel of the restraint gun towards his brother and fired.

'Hey! What was that for?' Charles cried out as the blue rings shackled his wrists together, his pale blue eyes turning to the smug grin on his little brother's face.

'I told you I'd getcha back Charlie..' Jules drawled with a hint of mischievous pleasure in his voice.

It was either very late at night or insanely early in the morning when Charles and Jules returned to their little wood-cabin home in Knothole. As Charles pulled his motorbike into the garage around the back of their home he lent over to the side-car and nudged his sleeping brother awake..

'Huh..? What?' The cobalt teenage hedgehog stirred from his curled up position in the passenger cart and stretched out yawning. 'We back already?' He asked absent-mindedly. Jules had originally been planning to run home alongside his brother's motorbike but the temptation of a kip in the side-car had been too good to resist.

'Yeh. Now come on Sleepy Quills it's time for bed..' Charles sounded as he hopped down from his bike and moved around it to his brother. Jules yawned a second time and opened his hazel eyes just enough to wipe the sleep out of them. He then hauled himself out of the side-car and walked in a slow, drowsy pace towards the door leading to their home.

'How 'bout a snack first?' The cobalt hedgehog suggested, now that he had woken up he was suddenly feeling peckish.

'Sounds like a good idea, let's see what the kitchen has to offer.' The older mild-blue hedgehog replied with a grin as his hand clamped over his rumbling stomach. All he'd eaten today was just over half a pizza.

When the two brothers entered the small kitchen, which was located just across from the garage, they immediately began to see if they had anything they could cobble together into a 'midnight' snack. Since neither one of them had done any kind of grocery shopping recently they would just have to be creative with whatever they could find.

'Alright!' Jules sounded brightly as he opened a high-level cupboard. 'We have hotdogs!' He pulled the only tin in the cupboard out with a grin and waved it unnecessarily at his older brother.

'We also have a couple of rolls left.' Charles beamed in return after finding four long-fingered rolls in another cupboard.

'Awesome. So what we gonna have on them?' The sixteen year old cobalt hedgehog kinked a neat brow, his hands resting on the edge of his red vest that was covering his hips.

'Let's see what we got.' Charles replied and opened the fridge with a smile. Inside he found only a few cloves of garlic, half a tin of chopped tomatoes, a small block of cheese, a medium onion and a fist-sized lump of mince. The mild-blue hedgehog pulled out all these leftover items and set them on the table before throwing his brother a smirk. 'You thinking what I'm thinking?' He asked Jules and immediately the cobalt teen's hazel eyes narrowed.

'Oh yeh..' He drawled back in response mirroring his brother's leer.

'Chilidogs!' Both brothers declared together before they turned away and began pulling a pan out of a lower cupboard and spices out of the spice rack. While Charles prepared to boil the hotdogs Jules made speedy work of dicing the onion then frying it with the mince. It took both Hedgehog brothers no time at all to create their 'midnight' snack. So once the cheese had been grated and the pots were in the sink the brothers sat down at the breakfast nook with their two chilidogs. Since the dining room had now become Charles' temporary lab the two hedgehogs had taken to eating in the kitchen. Not that this bothered either of them, sitting eating at the breakfast nook reminded them both of being little hedgehoglets.

'Mmm..' Charles made a noise of satisfaction as he chewed his first bite slowly, savouring the taste. Jules had practically demolished his first one by the time his older brother was halfway through. '-this reminds me of when mom used to make us a snack before sending us off to bed.' The mild-blue hedgehog smiled at his brother. Jules who had been sucking the chilli off his fingers paused and blinked blankly at his older brother. Suddenly his hazel eyes saddened slightly and he poked his second chilidog as if he'd suddenly gone off it.

'Your lucky you can remember her..' The cobalt hedgehog sighed before his eyes turned back to his brother. 'If it weren't for photos I doubt I'd even know what she looks like.' He leant on the counter of the breakfast nook and gazed at his brother as he chewed his chilidog. Jules had only been three when she'd died while his brother had just turned seven. Every time the cobalt hedgehog tried to remember even the smallest detail about his mother he always drew a blank. He'd obviously been too young to remember her and in a way this was maddening to him, it felt so unfair that he wasn't allowed to remember the hedgehog who'd loved him with all her heart. Charles could recall her perfectly. From her thick cobalt quills which had been curled neatly and the soft canary dress she wore with a crisp white piny, to the warmth of her happy hazel eyes and the smell of her fresh zesty perfume as she'd doted on her boys.

'And in some ways your lucky you don't remember her.' Charles sighed heavily. He remembered when their mother had fallen ill and the heartache her death had caused their father. How the old hedgehog used to hold the tiny form of Jules close to him and watch his son as he slept. And now, their father had gone too…

Jules threw his brother a confused look but decided not to say anything more. Just for something to do the cobalt hedgehog picked up his second chilidog and took a bite of it, chewing it more slowly than his first. There was a hollow silence as the brothers sat chewing their second chilidogs and thinking about the parents that they had lost.

'Hey Charlie..' Jules' voice broke the solemn silence that had been building between them. The cobalt teenager looked slightly tense as his eyes turned to his older brother. 'What would you say if I told you I wanted to try out for the Royal Guard?' Jules' hazel eyes were both nervous but also curious too. Ever since Tig had mentioned that they were looking for new cadets the idea had actually stuck with him... It was something he could really picture himself doing. The mild-blue older hedgehog actually paused before taking his final bite of chilidog and turned to look at his little brother in surprise. A sudden wave of understanding hit Charles as he realised that this must have been what his brother had been lost in thought over earlier that night.

'Are you seriously considering signing up?' The mild-blue hedgehog looked curiously at his brother as he finished his chilidog.

'Yeh..' Jules replied softly a slight smile curved his lips. 'I always wanted to serve Mobius in some way.'

'So why not sign up for the Army?' Charles asked curious as to why he'd want to work as a palace guard rather than a soldier.

'Aw Charlie, that's not for me..' Jules sighed, shaking his head ruefully at his brother's question. 'I don't like the idea of leaving home… I'm just not ready for that right now.' The cobalt hedgehog flashed Charles a slightly coy smile. The mild-blue hedgehog was touched by his little brother's admission that he didn't want leave him just yet and a gave a smile back, grateful for his honesty. He wasn't ready for Jules to leave home either but he would never dream of stopping him if that had been what he wanted.

'Besides, they issue firearms as part of standard kit in the Army and you of all Mobians know how I feel about them.' The cobalt sixteen year old hedgehog sounded firmly, a frown forming on his brows at the thought of the Overlander-invention.

'And they don't use them in the Royal Guard?' Charles asked inquisitively. He didn't know a whole lot about how the guards at the palace operated. This question made Jules perk up, finally he knew something his brother did not.

'No. They carry swords rather than guns.' The cobalt hedgehog replied brightly. 'I've passed them while they've been on patrol around the palace.' He added this part rather proudly as his delivery job had let him see many different aspects of Mobotroplis he would not have seen otherwise. Charles nodded thoughtfully noting that Jules looked excited by this new career idea. The mild-blue hedgehog had no doubts about his brother getting in. He had excellent hand-eye coordination and he was a fast learner, when he actually put his mind on the task at hand.

'Well, if this is really what you want to do Jules then I'm happy for you..' Charles' smile widened at his brother. '-and I'll help you out any way I can.'

'You will?' Jules' expression turned to mild surprise before the smile returned.

'Of course.' Charles smiled widely. 'I'm your big brother, that's what I'm hear for.' At these words the cobalt-blue hedgehog suddenly had a gleam in his hazel eyes.

'Y'know, I could use your help in designin' and riggin' up an assault course.' Jules looked surprisingly serious now. 'Tig says they only take the best and I wanna make sure I can handle anythin' they dish out..' His gloved hand swished across his body as he smirked widely. Charles quickly cottoned onto what his brother wanted. He wanted this assault course to be difficult and challenging. Most of the ones who tried out for the Royal Guard had had some kind of army barrack training and he would be going in with nothing. Charles couldn't help but smile widely at his brother's idea for an assault course and ideas immediately came to the mild-hedgehog's mind of how he could push his brother to his limit.

'Jules, I'd be honoured to help you out.' Charles sounded amiably, privately thinking that all those childhood tests he'd done on his brother's speed limits would finally pay off. 'But it will have to wait until tomorrow..' The eldest Hedgehog brother yawned then hopped down from the stool, taking with him their dirty plates and dumping them in the sink with the pots. He'd wash them tomorrow when he woke up.

'Yeh, it's late and I'm bushed..' Jules yawned loudly, complete with a long stretch.

'Definitely time for bed now.' Charles sounded in sleepy agreement and both brothers vacated the kitchen, turning out the light as they went.

Over the next two weeks the two Hedgehog brothers began to settle back into their routines while getting used to the fact that it was now just the two of them in the house. Charles returned to Mobotroplis University, coincidently right at the beginning of Freshers Week when all next year's students were on site getting to know the campus. As a result he was now seeing Lionel on a daily basis and had taken the young lion under his wing, showing him around campus and introducing him to lecturers who he would find helpful and inspiring. His mentor Professor Morgan was glad to have his brightest student back and had been impressed with his ring-restraint gun. So impressed infact that he wanted to share it with the Mobian Council and see how they felt about putting them into circulation. Charles Hedgehog was overwhelmed when his mentor and friend suggested this. If his ring-restraint gun was approved he'd be a legitimate inventor before he'd even achieved his doctorate next year.

Spurred by his success the mild-blue hedgehog began working on a design plan for his little brother's assault course. He started by researching what kind of challenges his brother was likely to run into during interview and introduction to basic training. Once Charles had found out everything he needed to know the mild-blue hedgehog began to design an assault course that would not only test his brother's agility and nerve but also require him to use his speed to it's full potential, which would be his best asset to flash to the Gentlemen of Arms that would be considering him. Lionel, who was now acting as a temporary lab-partner, was keen to offer his input once he learned of Charles' new project. The young blonde lion was pleased that his indecisive best friend finally had a sense of direction about his future and wanted to help any way he could. Lionel even suggested that they call the rest of the crew to help them construct the assault course. The lion knew that Gus, Tig and Sherman would no doubt insist on helping out once they learnt what was going on.

Unbeknown to the two young Mobian scientists their lecturer Professor Morgan was discreetly observing the two of them collaborating on this new project, pleased that Charles now had someone his own age to share ideas with. Nate Morgan himself was not a Mobian, he was an Overlander who had been exiled by his own kind. When he was found in Mobian-territory he had been brought before the King to explain himself. Nate had told the story of how his people did not like his way of thinking and that his ideas of living alongside the Mobians peacefully was 'laughable'. The Overlander assured the hedgehog King that he only wished to join the Mobians and live a peaceful life alongside them. Nate Morgan, being an extraordinarily clever man, had even offered the King his latest invention, Power Rings,. He explained how this new renewable source of energy could be used to power cities and bring Mobians into a new 'Golden Age' of 'green' technology which would not destroy the planet they lived on. The King of Mobius at the time, which had been the current King's father, had been so impressed with Nate's brilliance that he not only readily granted him rights to live amongst his Mobian-citizens he insisted that Morgan was made Minister of Science and in charge of seeing that Mobotroplis and the rest of Mobius was brought forward into the future. Under this King's rule Nate Morgan flourished and with him so did Mobius. And by the time the new King was crowned the aging Overlander was ready to retire from his position of Minister of Science. He left the Mobian Council and settled into Mobotroplis University to help hone young scientists to carry on the work he had started..

While Charles was re-immersing himself back into his University studies Jules had begun working out, getting himself ready for his chance to show the Royal Guard what he was made of. As well as going out for a daily training run, he was back doing press-ups, sit-ups and weight lifting. He was fitting his workouts and training runs around his delivery job at Lickety-Split Pizzas which meant that he was barely seeing his brother during the day at all. The two brothers had started leaving little notes on sticky labels stuck to the fridge as a means of keeping in touch. These ranged from little shopping reminders to where they were going to be that day so the other wouldn't worry.

At first Jules found his new training routine hard to stick to but after the first week of persevering through it the cobalt hedgehog was beginning to notice a difference. His stamina was improving as he was able to run faster for longer, his body shape was beginning to change and become more toned and the hedgehog was beginning to experiment with different ways to use his speed. How the cobalt teen had discovered his speed could be used for more than just getting from A to B and back again had been a complete accident. During one of his training runs Jules had accidentally tripped over a tree root while running at a comfortable running speed of one hundred and twenty kilometres an hour. The result of this had caused the teenage cobalt hedgehog to spin around at an incredible speed for a further kilometre before he crashed upside down with his back against a tree. Although he was irritated with himself for not noticing the sticking out root he was also curious about how far he'd spun and whether or not this spin could be controlled. So after that day Jules began experimenting with the discovery of this new move by running and spinning in sequence. It took a little while to get the balance and speed needed to control this spin but after a week and a half of perfecting it Jules finally had this new move mastered. Proud of himself for his achievement the cobalt hedgehog began to incorporate this new 'spin-dash' move into his training run. Using the move to move across small sections of water, launching himself off of fallen trees and into the air and flying across large section of land before landing and running on. Due to his busy schedule Jules was too tired to deal with any aspect of the design of his assault course but that didn't matter because Charles and Lionel seemed to have completely taken over that side of his training. The two of them were not letting him see any aspect of his course saying they wanted to keep it a surprise until it was complete, so in retaliation Jules decided to keep his new 'spin-dash' move to himself so he had something to surprise them with too.

By the end of his third week of training Jules worked up enough courage to head on down to the royal palace in Mobotroplis and sign himself up with the other potential-cadets of the Royal Guard. The cobalt-blue teenage hedgehog brushed his quiff of blue quills with his gloved fingers as he waited for his turn to see the recruitment officer. He had scoped his completion out as he had entered the building where potential cadets had been sent to upon arrival at the royal palace. When it was Jules' turn to go into the small office he found himself face to face with a kind-looking Mobian fox with short light brown curls and blonde fur. His sky blue eyes surveyed the cobalt teenage hedgehog curiously as he entered the room and took the seat in front of him.

'Amadeus Prower, nice to meet you.' The twenty-something fox suddenly smiled at Jules, extending a hand in greeting which the sixteen year old hedgehog shook.

'Jules Hedgehog..' He replied, feeling justified to introduce himself since the fox had already done so.

'So…' Amadeus sighed gently as if looking to get this over with quickly. '-thinking of joining the Royal Guard, are you?' He asked casually causing Jules to blink then smile.

'Yes, I want to serve Mobius to the best of my ability.' The cobalt hedgehog replied seriously and his reply made Amadeus kink a brow though it was hard to say whether he was impressed or surprised by this answer.

'You could have just joined the Army, y'know..' Amadeus finally responded as curiosity crossed his features.

'The Army doesn't suit my needs.' Jules said in answer to this statement and again Amadeus looked intrigued.

'May I ask why not?' The fox asked politely as his hands clasped together on the desk.

'Because I don't agree with the Army's leniency towards firearms.' The cobalt hedgehog couldn't help the scowl of disgust as these words escaped him. For a long moment Amadeus seemed to look at the hedgehog as if seeing him plainly. Then amazingly he smiled lightly.

'Well that would make two of us then.' The twenty-something fox replied softly before picking up a stapled questionnaire and holding it out towards Jules. The hedgehog took the stapled sheets curiously and scanned the first few questions on it.

'You don't agree with Mobians carrying guns either?' The cobalt hedgehog's hazel eyes returned to look curiously at the blonde-furred fox.

'No. I don't.' He responded firmly, his sky blue eyes flashed in a breif moment of warning to show that Jules wasn't really supposed to be asking him questions. 'Alright, fill that questionnaire out and return it within a week and we'll be in touch with details regarding training trails.' Amadeus got up from his desk and as Jules got out of his seat the Mobian fox began ushering him to the door. 'We only accept the best amongst our ranks so good luck.' Amadeus flashed the teenage hedgehog a genuine smile.

'Thanks, but I won't need it..' Jules sounded confidently, crossing his arms and closing his eyes with a self-assured smile.

'In that case I look forward to seeing what you have to offer Hedgehog.' Amadeus kinked a brow, now he really was intrigued by this potential-cadet before him. Jules saluted to the Royal Guard recruitment officer and turned walking away from the building with his questionnaire rolled up in his hand. Amadeus Prower watched the young hedgehog disappear, still intrigued to see what he had to offer the Royal Guard. The fox then turned and signalled for the next candidate to come forward..

Little Notes:

Hey peeps, another chapter up for you and thank you to everybody who is taking the time to read this. I know breaking into a new section is tough, especially one which is as active with updates as this one but every view means something. Hopefully reviews will pick up as the chapters go on and I do accept guest reviews so if you don't have an account or are too lazy to log in, I've gotcha covered.

Ok, some new characters introduced here which are from both SATAM and Sonic Underground that are either parents or heroes of Sonic and his friends. My reasons for basing my fic around these shows are simply because I like them and I just can't take Robotnick/Eggman seriously in anything else. I loved how dark and sinister he was in these shows and recently Eggman has become somewhat of a joke compared to his former self, but I blame bad writing and new censorship laws for that. Anyway enough ranting about him, he's not part of the story… yet.

I hope you'll stick around for more soon!

~Ditzy

P.S. Although I'm not a massive Sonic X fan I threw in a little nod towards Project Shadow! Cause I actually like Shadow.. X