Meanwhile, Eggman was dealing with the aftermath of Sonic's temper tantrum. His bots were in a panic and he honestly could barely feel bothered to deal with this. It was just his luck that someone was knocking on his door during the chaos. "Orbot get the door," he shouted, "I have my hands full with all the bots Sonic just traumatized." "Yes sir," the little red bot said as he floated over to the door. Orbot almost immediately came running back, "Um sir it seems the gentlemen at the door are very scary and looking for you." "What are you talking about," he said when he heard the clicking of heavy boots on his floors. He let out a startled yelp as a hulking orange dog wearing tiny bi-focals walked in behind an imposing figure in armor decorated with skulls. "You are doctor eggman correct," the wolf in armor asked and Eggman could only nod wordlessly, "Good I am Sleet and this moron is Dingo. We served your uncle in the war as bounty hunters and tax collectors. Now we went to put his next of kin on the throne." Eggman felt his mouth open and close at that statement as Dingo pushed his way further in.
"Don't worry good doctor," Sleet assured with a smile that did not feel reassuring, "We are but loyal servants to the empire. After all we have a common mortal enemy. That annoying blue hedgehog after all you certainly wouldn't want him to rule mobius would you." Eggman imagined his life if that blue rodent was the king. Chili dog days and other asinine decrees the blue idiot could make to create mobius a living hell for him popped into his head. "Well I can't argue with that Sleet," he said, "Where do I sign up?" The smile that came across Sleet's face was down right predatory.
Sonic groaned as he slowly woke up his muscles burning from the workout he gave them yesterday. Someone was cooking and it smelled pretty good. He groaned a bit and turned more into his pillow pulling the blanket around himself more. "Nope," said his pillow cheerfully, "Amy said you have to get up to have a conversation about feelings." Sonic groaned at Knuckles, "Can I take my blanket to the table?" "I'm sure she wouldn't object to a table blanket." Sonic got to his feet and shuffled to the table where everyone was sitting around a table stacked high with food. Amy must have been stress baking. There was silence for a minute. "I'm sorry I yelled at you Amy," he said, "That was uncalled for." She smiled, "It's ok Sonic. You were stressed. But now I need you to tell me what happened. We can't help when your Mother comes to get you if you don't tell us what happened."
So Sonic told her and true to word everyone stayed quiet. He told them about his childhood, his mother, his supposed destiny, and the friend she took away with magic. Sonic didn't tell them it was Knuckles and from his description they thought the friend was dead and honestly Knuckles might as well be. He found himself in a group hug that was much needed. "Ok," Amy said putting her hands together, "The royal escort for you is coming today and we can't stop that. You and I know you aren't going to rat out your siblings." Sonic nodded solemnly, "She can't use harmony without all three of us so that buys us time. Even with my warning my siblings aren't going to let her keep me. I know Sonia is actually still secretly working with the freedom fighters and Manic has been trying to help the war orphans. I know they'd drop it in a heartbeat to rescue me." He smiled at the thought and it gave him some hope. He wouldn't go in with her alone thankfully.
Sonic regretted everything as he stood by the mayor who was giving a long winded speech about the great honor their small village had for Sonic to choose to hide here of all places. "We are happy to be the number one place to find fugitives," the mayor said excitedly, causing the royal escort guards to look at each other in confusion. His mother however, just kept smiling through it all. Her hand was on his shoulder and instead of the comforting picture it made. He felt like it was an icy iron collar around his neck. "Thank you dear mayor," she said gracefully gliding forward to address the crowd, her hand tightening slightly and Sonic forced himself to smile, "I am so happy to be reunited with my son. We both fought long and hard against the tyranny of Robotnik and I now feel one step closer to having my family whole once again."
Sonic was pulled into a tight embrace with his mother both of them smiling for the cameras. God he'd forgotten how much this suffocated him. "I am happy to be with my mother again," Sonic said with the same false sincerity of his mother as he laid his own trap, "I'm excited to show my new close friends my old home as it is being restored." His mother's smile twitched but didn't drop her benevolent expression. Amy gave him a thumbs up from off stage. As he followed his mother down off the stage, she sneered at his friends, but her eyes lingered for too long on Knuckles. He watched a smile cross her face and he was grateful Knuckles was distracted at the moment because he was afraid of the episode that would occur when seeing her smiling face. "Well I'm so happy to meet any friends of my dear son," Aleena said, "I am afraid that the main car has no room for extra guests so you will have to ride along in another car. It is the best I can do in such circumstances."
The second car was a cargo car very different from the fancy luxurious looking vehicle his mother had came in. She glided to the car leaving Sonic to say goodbye to his friends. "I'll be ok," he assured, "Look after each other and don't trust any of the guards. They were picked by my mother and she still has some power on her own." His friends looked solem as they climbed into the cargo vehicle, the air so tense no one noticed that the driver was just a bit too big for his uniform. It was cramped in there for the long drive to Mobotropolis. Their driver was no help as he stared stoically forward refusing to strike up a conversation with his passengers. Sonic, on the other hand, found himself in a spacious cabin with fluffy couches. There was food and cold drink with an honest to God chef ready to serve everything fresh.
His mother sat across from him quietly sipping her tea as their car continued on its way to Mobotropolis. "Oh Sonic," his mother said smiling at him, "I am just so happy to see you here again. It means something to have my eldest here with me as we take the first big step to restoring our family to power. The oracle's prophecy of us returning to rule our people will come true. If only I could locate your younger brother and sister." She faked a few tears acting as if she cared about them personally. "Manic was always so wild and unruly that I fear he's returned to criminal ways," Aleena said holding out her cup and a man ran over eagerly to refill it, "Dear Sonia is probably so overwhelmed. She grew up so sheltered as a young girl and I fear she may have fallen into the wrong crowd if they convinced her to join that anarchist group that still call themselves Freedom Fighters." Sonic felt his hands clench tightly as she spoke, but if she noticed she made no comment.
"Anyway I see you took up heroism," she insisted, "From what I've heard you've done well at that even with that red barnacle you insist on keeping around. Maybe a domesticated savage could be useful to make us more inclusive." "Don't call him a savage," Sonic whispered but his mother just kept smiling at him. "Come on my son," she said leaning forward in her chair to look into his eyes, her hand to his face in a mockery of kindness, "I only want what is best for my family. We will return to our rightful place in this world above them all, but don't worry. I'll let you keep your new pets." She patted his cheek as if she was allowing a toddler to keep the scruffy puppy that followed them home instead of the close friends he had made.
The trip had been agonizing for Amy. She was sandwiched between an uncharacteristically twitchy Knuckles and Sticks snoring in her ear. Tails had managed to snag a spot by himself somehow and Amy was trying to burn a hole in the sleeping fox's head. Knuckles suddenly stood up knocking both Amy and Sticks off the chair. Their loud clattering woke Tails as well. "We are going the wrong way," he said, more sure than she had ever heard him. "What," Tails asked, lifting a sleeping mask from his eyes. "Knuckles thinks we are going the wrong way in a city we've all never been in," Amy said from the floor sounding just as done as she felt, "Knuckles you don't even know where you are most days. Just sit down and let the man drive." Knuckles looked her dead in the eyes and repeated, "We are going the wrong way. We need to turn around and take a right."
Tails raised an eyebrow, but before they could keep challenging him Knuckles walked to the front of the car. "We are going the wrong way," Knuckles told the driver, not quite sounding like himself, something in his tone made their minds jump to how commanders would sound in old videos of freedom fighters, "Turn around." The driver refused to look at him and kept driving. Knuckles looked frustrated that he was being ignored and yanked the wheel. Everyone screamed as the bus threw them to one side. The driver was knocked out of their seat and against the wall. A bright light surrounded them and they turned into a hulking orange mobian.
The doors to the bus opened to reveal two individuals dressed in ill fitting guards uniforms. "Wow rad red," the taller one said as he kicked the knocked out mobian out of the bus, "Guess big bro was right that you were still aware in there." "Who are you," Sticks said, brandishing her boomerang at them. The others drew their weapons as well except knuckles who stared slightly more dumb than normal. "Chill dudette," the guard said as he took off the helmet over his head, "we are the calverley." Two hedgehogs with shockingly similar features to Sonic: one a tall green mail with wild spiked rocker spines and the other a pink girl with perfectly styled quills. "We are Sonic's siblings," the girl started but was interrupted by Knuckles, "Sonia and Manic." The two hedgehogs whipped towards him to stare, but in happiness.
Sonia takes a step towards him but Manic pulls her back. "Nice to see you to rad red," Manic said, "But we gotta get you to our base so dear old hag doesn't have leverage over our big bro." He kneeled down near the dashboard and started the bus. "Hold onto your hats boys and girls," He called back to them, "Going fast runs in the family! Punch it Sonia!" Sonia tapped a necklace similar to Sonics to produce a keyboard. She slammed a chord and the bus shot off at a speed they'd only seen from Sonic. They screamed as they shot off into the darkened city with the siblings of Sonic whooping at the breakneck speed as expected. Amy barely caught it but they really did turn around and take a right. It was probably just a coincidence.