AN: I know it should be impossible for Mobius to have the Wizard of Oz a thousand or so years in the future but let's just make-believe that pets heard the stories that humans told their children and watched the movies and passed those stories down to their babies who later became mobians. I'm using it because in some ways my version of Robotnik is male Elphaba.

Chapter 6

The next day, Sonic insisted on putting on his uniform and going to school. Lady Wyndermere and his siblings assured him there was no shame in it if he would prefer to stay home but Sonic didn't really like to wallow in self-pity. While listening to the adults talk about the situation, he found his sadness changing to anger then to determination. He would be stronger for this. He would not be lied to again.

The morning classes were private tutoring with Bartleby while Manic went to beginner's algebra and Pre-Mobian History Alpha. Free of his uncle's lies, Bartleby was not surprised to see that the teen learned the letters at a fair rate. He wasn't at Sonia's level but he picked up the letters and syllables easily enough and by the time lunch came around, he was reading a beginner's novel about a white feral swan who couldn't make a sound until his father stole a trumpet for him to give him a voice and learning the order of operations.

At lunch, he sat down at the lunch table across from Fawn with a plate of the homestyle chef's pot roast. "Hey, I didn't get to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean to cause trouble or anything."

Fawn lowered his voice. "Resistance?" He asked simply.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?" He asked. "He didn't tell anyone did he?"

The young buck looked down at his meal. "No, of course not. I was also one of their victims, they kidnapped me when I was eight years old. Up until about a year or so ago. They were getting ready to take me to Sanctuary when Robotnik's forces raided the safehouse. That's why you're in our homeroom."

The blue hedgehog ate his stew quietly. "I'm sorry… so everyone in that classroom was… Wait… Sanctuary, that's right. The kids in Sanctuary. They're victims too… Aren't they?"

Fawn bit his lip. "At least some. There are a few who are the kids of their commanders." He ate his lunch until Duke came over and took the bowl of chocolate pudding.

Sonic's head snapped up. "Hey! That's not yours. Give it back to him."

Duke growled at him. "What are you gonna do about it?" He asked snidely.

Sonic was about to show him when Fawn stopped him. "Don't, it's okay. It's just a cup of pudding. I'll go buy another one, they're only fifty cents." He got up and went to do so.

Sonic watched the bully stomp off and sighed. That jerk was bullying his friend and his friend seemed to be just fine with that. "What class do you have next?" He asked as he changed the subject.

"Physics class, we're studying Faraday's Law and how it relates to Lenz's Law…" Fawn began rattling a lecture of science but while Sonic found it interesting, he couldn't quite understand. So he simply sat and nodded at appropriate times while he ate until at last the bell rang. Bartleby arrived to walk with him, to help him with the harder words in his classes (though the official word was that he was Sonic's guide this week while Sonia was Manic's).

Manic sat, his eyes glued to a television in the middle of the room. A young human woman holding a feral Yorkshire terrier was skipping down a brick road that was all yellow. In the cornrows that stood at the peak of a fork in the road, a scarecrow hung. After several minutes, the girl discovered the scarecrow could talk but…

"How can you talk if you don't have a brain?" She asked.

The scarecrow shrugged. "I don't know but some folks without brains do an awful lot of talking." Manic laughed out loud at the line. It was so true.

As the movie played, he and the rest of the students were tasked with taking notes on key points in the film, making note of the actors' lines and the expressions they portrayed. The teacher finally pushed paused as the characters approached the Emerald City. "Now, can anyone recall what each of our protagonists wants from the Wizard and why?"

Several hands shot up but the teacher, Miss. Polly pointed at the green hedgehog at the front of the class. "The Scarecrow wants a brain because his head is all straw and he wants to be intelligent." He said eagerly.

Miss. Polly smiled. "Very good, Mr. Hedgehog. Fenrir?" She asked a gray wolf in the back of the room. The questions had Manic eager to read more of the book later that night.

In chemistry class, Sonic wore a white coat over his uniform and a pair of goggles. Bartleby was dressed similarly. They weren't actually near the equipment that the teacher was working with but a safe distance away. The gear was just an added precaution.

With a pair of tweezers, she held a small piece of metal over a two-hundred and fifty-milligram low-form beaker. "Now, when we drop the sodium into the water, the water begins to fizz and bubble and because we added a phenolphthalein indicator to the water, the reaction is accompanied by a bright pink trail." She laughed. "This is called an exothermic reaction." She picked up a marker and wrote on the whiteboard, 2 Na + 2 H2O → 2 Na+ + 2 OH- + H2(g).

Bartleby watched the young hedgehog focused on the lesson. He could see the pink from the beaker reflecting in his eyes. "So… that's what happens when you put sodium in water. What do Na and H2O mean?"

The mink indicated the period table that was etched into one of the desks. "Na means Sodium. H means hydrogen and O means oxygen…" He explained. "Water is two hydrogen atoms added to one oxygen atom. When you add at least two sodium molecules to two water molecules, the reaction is…" The water bubbled and fizzed and smoked until a great pop came with a splash that made everyone except Bartleby jump.

As class ended, they hung up the coats and goggles. Sonic looked at him. "What's next? I know there's one more period."

"You'll like this. I took the liberty of talking to the track coach. I told him how fast you were and he wants to see it." Bartleby said.

Robotnik went through the emails from Sleet. He was so frustrated with himself. He should have followed his instincts to roboticize Sir Charles then and there. "Damn it!" He slammed a fist into the desk. They had to find him.

Bartleby came in with a chuckle on his expression. "Well, Uncle, everyone is doing so well. Sonic seems to be very interested in chemistry." He sat down.

"I'm glad to hear the hedgehogs are adjusting well. Where is the boy now?" He asked curiously.

Bartleby smiled. "He's with Coach. He's showing off his skills. He asked me to come to get you. He said you wanted to see it."

Robotnik stood up. "Yes, but I told him to call. I don't want you leaving that boy for even a moment." They walked quickly to the track. "The track is the only outdoor area the kids go when class is in session. I wanted to be here just in case Sir Charles tries to take advantage of that."

Sonic was on his fiftieth lap already, much to the teacher's delight, when he saw something that brought him to a crashing halt. Sir Charles was standing behind the bleachers. Sonic forced himself into standing while Uncle Chuck beckoned him over urgently.

"Sonny, quick, come here." He said. "I have to explain."

Sonic looked and saw the teacher was talking with Robotnik and Bartleby. "Uncle Chuck, what are you doing here?" He trembled as he zipped over. He could dash away if he needed to. "Why? Why, Uncle Chuck? Why did you kill them?"

Charles sighed. "I'm sorry my boy but… I was a different man in those days. Robotnik murdered your father and it drove me mad." Sonic met his eyes.

"Then you have to come turn yourself in," Sonic said plainly. His face was stern.

Chuck shook his head as they both heard voices calling his name. "I can't, boy. But I had to see you. Just for a moment. I'm sorry I was such a horrible uncle to you."

Sonic looked down. "But Uncle Chuck…" he pleaded. "Why can't you?"

"I can't explain now but I must go… You're better off with them. My… you do look so grown up in your uniform…" The old man said wistfully just for a moment before he ran off. Sonic could have caught him but he was too confused by his duplicitous Uncle.

"Sonic! Here you are!" Robotnik's voice caught his attention. "What are you doing over here?"

Sonic bit his lip. "My feet caught that mud puddle at the straightaway and I slid into the bleachers when I couldn't slow down."

"He certainly needs his speed trained, Your Lordship." Coach, a broad-muscled rhinoceros said with a chuckle.

Sonic shrugged. "I'm already trained though. My… former uncle… taught me that much." His eyebrows crooked as the two adults chortled while Bartleby came over.

"He taught you to run, that's for sure. But he hasn't taught you how to properly use your speed. So that you don't slip in mud puddles." The rhino said. "Speed is only useful if one knows when to use it and when not to. It's, honestly, a skill that is best kept as little known as possible because most of the time that level of speed won't be necessary. Save it for when it is and have the element of surprise." He explained as Sonic focused on the words.

"So, you're saying, if I can learn to… run slower then my true speed will be more useful?" He asked. "Can you teach me?"

Coach thought about it. "I think I can. To start, I want you to walk everywhere you go unless necessity dictates otherwise." He instructed the lad.

The bell rang, signifying the end of the last period. Robotnik nodded. "It is time to go home, so Bartleby will see you back to your siblings and Lady Wyndermere." He had doubts as to Sonic's story. He couldn't see a skid mark that showed any sliding. But he would allow the boy his fib for now.

AN: The plot thickens.