The speaker was a tiny little fox kit way too young to be by himself. Sonic took an exaggerated breath, "wow little guy you scared me. I'm ok though, how are you?" The kit didn't look very convinced but smiled anyway. "I'm ok," they said, pulling themselves up to sit beside Sonic, "I'm Miles Prower. My parents are sending me out of the city because they are afraid of another revolution."
Sonic blinked at the admission. "Ah we are leaving as well," Sonic said gesturing to Knuckles, "a little village that doesn't even have a name on the coast." "Can I come with you then," Miles asked using one of the two tails Sonic had just now noticed he'd had to point at another fox chatting and obviously uninterested hedgehog, "my cousin's plan is to follow his new soulmate and considering how the initial flirting is going I doubt that'll go over well." Sonic couldn't help the startled giggle he let out. "I guess so Tails," he teased, "to the unnamed village we go."
Miles blinked at the nickname then grinned happily joining them for the rest of the train trip...was it just Sonic or was there a light consuming the train. He started shaking Knuckles in worry when his new buddy Tails put a hand on his arm. "Sonic you gotta wake up man it's four in the afternoon." Sonic groaned as he came back to the present in his hammock. Tails stared at him unimpressed. "For the fastest thing alive you sure are lazy," Tails said teasingly, "if I didn't stop by you'd sleep forever." Sonic rolled his eyes at his surrogate little brother's tone but got up. Yesterday had given him a roller coaster of emotions. For one, he was happy to free his friend's from Beaver's mind control tunes as well as being able to play again gaining a few moments in that familiar power of harmony. On the other hand though, he had immediately begun powering up wanting them to like his band. It had made him feel sleezy, and brought back too many bad memories of...his thoughts were halted by a wall of red muscle.
"Oh hey Sonic," Knuckles said while wearing a rather silly looking chef hat, "Amy was looking for you something about an egg. Anyway want some Crpinic?" He held out a...meat dish. Sonic suddenly felt a fire in his chest but tried to keep it off his face, "Oh what is it?" "Oh it's an echidnian delicacy," he said and Sonic felt the fire grow, "It has uh…." As Knuckles began staring blankly at the plate in his hands and the fire flickered, "oh hey Sonic, Amy was looking for you something about an egg anyway I'm going to show Tails my new pet." He walked off and Sonic had to take a breath. Chaos had that been so close to the old Knuckles. He remembered when the echidna had cooked the same thing for him and his siblings theri first night on his island.
Right, Amy, should probably go and talk to her. It would take his mind off of things to hear her plan. He found her at Meh Burger with just about everyone else in the village. "What's going on here," Sonic asked Sticks. The Badger looked even more nervous than normal. "It's a royal messenger bot," Amy said as she threw herself to grip his arm, "It has a message from Queen Aleena. Sonic felt himself seize up with fear as the bot began projecting the image of his mother. She still looked just as regal and untouchable as he remembered. "My loyal subjects," she said with false tears shining in her eyes, "I come to you for aid. My family has suffered just as yours have from Robotnik's cruel rule ten years ago. I ask for only one thing, my children and home returned to me once more. I offer a grand reward for any information on their whereabouts. Please grant us a happy ending." She smiled that same smile everytime she stared Manic down for kleptomania, the one that made their skin crawl.
With the end of the message, the townsfolk entered a flurry of a meeting about any rumors about him and his siblings that had been heard recently. It sounded so far away to him as his medallion felt heavy around his neck. He..he couldn't be here now. Sonic ran to the forest and climbed the biggest tree he could so he could see the stars. It was easier to breathe here with the air so similar to the old rebel safe house of Sanctuary. Ok he needed to think. His mother only had old pictures of his sister and maybe some blurry surveillance tapes of him and Manic. That was all well and good for them but his signature blue blur of superspeed isn't shared with anyone. Then there was Knuckles. Strong as his friend still was, he couldn't leave him alone here.
Maybe, he put a hand to where his medallion rested under his scarf, maybe he could try to wake up Knuckles one more time and they could run. Maybe take Tails with them. Sonic tapped his communicator. "Hey Knux," Sonic said, "This is Sonic on Com. Meet me at my hut and I'll treat you to dinner." "Four-ten good buddy," Knuckles replied cheerfully, "Knew there was a reason I kept you on team Knuckles." Sonic laughed a little and hung up feeling a bit better as he ran back to his hut. He stood in his kitchen looking over his food. Okay he had maybe half an hour before he had to go find Knuckles in whatever wrong direction he went so he'd better get started.
Contrary to his eating habits and what his own sister would say, Sonic was a pretty decent cook having been the one to make sure Knuckles and Tails would eat in those early days of living here before they all met Amy and Sticks and became town heroes. Also if he was going to try again tonight he'd need to make familiar foods for Knuckles. He'd always gotten the best results if there were also familiar smells and tastes. He made an easy Pozole, something Knuckles had made him and Manic when they had gotten colds from an icy mission.
While it simmered, he headed out to find Knuckles wandering closer than normal obviously drawn by the smell of food. He guided him inside the hut and they ate. Even if they were the same jokes Sonic heard every time they ate dinner together he still laughed. He could fool himself like this. Everything was ok. His mother wasn't sending search parties after him and he was on the island with Knuckles. It was easy to fall into that rhythm sharing the couch with Knuckles with full stomachs just talking. He put a hand to his medallion to summon his guitar still leaning against his friend as he started strumming a gentle tune.
Ela riu do meu cabelo sem me conhecer
Eu que sou um cara esperto já colei pra ver
Qual que era da morena com sorriso lindo, do olho azul
Começamos papo louco semnem perceber
Sobre es e talvez seja melhor nem dizer
Eu vim lá da zona oeste, Ela é menina da zona sul
Sonic slipped into the old tune easily and he could feel the easy relaxed shift in Knuckles as he joined the next verse.
Menina, mulher que intimida atitude
De que sabe o'que quer
Mesmo que o tempo mude
He was singing just like before. Sonic could feel Knuckles tapping out the beat of the song against that back of the couch.
Ela é sol, é verão
É poema, é canção
Que alegra o meu coração
They were singing together now. Knuckles gaining back the accent that had faded after his mother's magic. It blended in a strange harmony between the two of them.
Morena, me encantei
Com o seu jeito de olhar
Paralisei o tempo só pra lembrar
Daquela cena,
Em que eu tirava tue saia e você beijava a minha boca
As the instrumental began, Knuckles filled it with humming as he pushed his face into Sonic's quills. The hand over the back of the couch still tapping out the beat to Sonic's strumming. He watched Knuckles make an aborted gesture that would have hit Sonia where she usually sat on Knuckles other side as this part of the song would always make her wriggle her eyebrows at the two of them for a reason Sonic didn't know. So far so good.
Dali pra frente a história começou a complicar
Ele foi pro rio embora, e levou meu colar
Até me mandou uma foto, jurando que não foi por querer
Knuckles began his solo verse without prompting, turning a blinding smile on him with his eyes full of an old light.
Eu fingindo acreditar que tava tudo bem
Sei que quando olhar pra ele
Vai me desejar como ninguém
The echidna stood swinging him around in a dance but still allowing him to keep strumming like they had done around old campfires while Manic cheered them on. Knuckles voice picked up speed.
Morena malandra, você não me engana, eu sei que foi por querer
E mesmo que for, isso é bom pra lembrar,
Desse nosso romance quando o peito apertar
Você pensa em mim
To pensando em você
Ta dificil de te esquecer
Knuckles stopped singing. Sonic stopped in surprise as he was dropped from how Knuckles had been holding him up while dancing. He just kept repeating the last verse of a song Sonic didn't understand. He gripped his head and fell to his knees and Sonic allowed his guitar to dissipate to hold him through the episode. Why? Why would it never work? He'd tried this so many times with the same results. Was he insane? Had he finally gone mad following the very definition of insanity so many nights with no change or better result? God he wanted to cry again.
"Ah ha," Sticks said bursting in, "I saw the whole thing and I KNEW that you…" She slowly stopped mid rant when she saw how close Sonic was to tears and how badly Knuckles was shaking during this episode. Then she stopped her angry stance and helped Sonic tuck Knuckles into the guest bed. Sticks set a cup of questionable tea into his hand and sat beside him on the couch. "So Princey," she asked, "Want to tell me your backstory now?" Sonic let out a wet chuckle. Of all his friends to find out he didn't expect Stick's reaction to it.
So he told her. He told her about the freedom fighters, about his siblings, about his mother, and about Knuckles. She was uncharacteristically quiet the whole time and nodded solemnly when he was done. "I knew you had to have been at least in the freedom fighters when you first got here," Sticks admitted, "But I'm glad I was also right about the royal family using popular music to control our minds. Wait till I tell the others!"
"NO," Sonic said darting forward to grip her wrist, "Sticks don't. Tails would maybe understand but Amy would tell my mother. She'd want us to work out family trauma and that not what my manipulative narcissistic mother has in mind for us." Sticks looked put out, but sat back down. "Alright but you owe me hedgehog," She took a sip of her muddy looking tea, "So you've been in love with Knuckles for years then, poor Amy." Sonic spat the disgusting tea across his coffee table in shock. "Wh-what no," he sputtered, "I'm not in love with him, I swear. We were just good friends." Sticks gained a very Amy look in her eyes. "Uhuh," she said, "Keep telling yourself that."
Sonic tapped the side of his mug in thought. "Hey sticks," he said an idea forming, "how would you like to help me start a conspiracy?" She slammed her mug down with a feral grin, "I'm listening."
"Breaking news this morning as our little unnamed village searches for its own prince charming," Soar said, "Rumors circulating lately of the prince possibly in our very woods. Citizens have come together to hunt him down." Leeta wolf walked behind the eagle carrying an enormous crossbow which Amy takes from her and switches for a net launcher. "This reporter is even joining in." He sets down his mic to show off a pair of bolos. He throws them only for them to ricochet and trap his wings to his sides. "I am ok."
Tails led a group of villagers through the woods. "Oh look, an old campfire," he said pointing out an area with a doused campfire. He put his hand over the coals. "They are probably nearby. The coals are still warm." The villagers began crowding the campfire to look for clues probably trampling any real ones. Something shifted in the tree tops and Tails went on high alert. He stared at where it came from for a long time before firing his electric whip into the leaves.
A cloaked figure darted out moving near to Sonic's speed as it darted in the tree tops around them causing the villagers to huddle together in fear. Tails tried again but wasn't able to hit the figure but he did manage to cut off the branch he had been trying to land on. The figure slid across the ground and Tails could feel the glare. Tails shivered but shook it off. He cracked his whip, "Are you the prince hedgehog?" The figure returned the whip cracking by causing a pretty sweet two necked guitar appear. "That's the royal guitar," Mrs. Walrus shouted before the figure let out a loud riff that launched them all backwards by a blast of wind and light. It took off again having knocked them all back.
Tails scrambled to call Amy, "Amy he's here!" "Oh goodness," she said, "a real prince. Dave, how is my hair?" "No Amy, listen he's probably hostile so be careful." Just as Tails said that, Amy was blown back by a figure barreling into her and throwing her to the ground harshly. "How rude," she snarled, "don't princes learn manners!" She swung her hammer at him which he blocked with the neck of his guitar. This kid could fight pretty well. He threw her off easily to take off into the woods. The two groups quite literally ran into each other running after him.
Meanwhile, Sonic got to the cave where they had found the mech months ago where Sticks was waiting for him with a change of shoes from the dirty old boots he had been wearing for the chase. "Good to know your freedom fighter instincts aren't gone," Sticks said as he changed shoes. He rolled his eyes at her and put a hand to her back to speed them to his hut so it looked like they hadn't left. He led the villagers on a wild goose chase for several weeks. He and Sticks got a kick out of seeing Tails and Amy hunched over plans to catch him.