AN: I know Sonia seems a lot weaker than canon but that's the idea. At this point, she's been so dismissed and ignored that she's lost a lot of what she once was. And her journey is to get it back.
Chapter 1
In his palace, Robotnik stomped back and forth. The brat was just being stubborn. Bartleby knew him. He knew that he could never really harm the boy. He was the last piece of family that Robotnik had.
He remembered the night he lost his best friends and his wife. The night he watched powerlessly as they were murdered and he barely snapped out of it long enough to get his godson out of the mansion. Not even getting to say goodbye to his wife or give them a funeral. Losing his arm and leg had been almost poetic. He felt like he'd lost his limbs.
His only saving grace was Bartleby. After escaping to Grevillea and settling in San Acornicus Bay, he focused on raising Bartleby. The first night after recovering from his injuries, replacing his lost right arm and left leg with robotic prosthetics, Bartleby had woken him with a shrill cry. The baby didn't understand his godfather was convalescing. All he knew was that he was hungry and wet. So he required all of the scientist's attention.
But when Bartleby was asleep in his crib and didn't need his care, his thoughts went to his grief. He missed them. Everyday he thought he saw Maria wandering around outside his flat. But it was just a hallucination. He wanted to play chess with Albern and have tea with Delilah.
Bartleby didn't understand. Everything Robotnik did was for him. To get revenge for his parents, to give him everything he was denied and more.
When the fugitive queen had given up her children, Robotnik had been prepared to leave them be. When his nephew fell in love with the princess, he encouraged the relationship. Then she jilted his boy and left him with a broken heart. Robotnik was the one who had to deal with the aftermath. Even if Bartleby didn't remember due to getting severely drunk that night, he would never forget. He would never forgive. She would pay for that transgression. So would her brothers for encouraging her disloyalty. And their mother would be defeated for good. He could picture that day when he would roboticize the three young hedgehogs. The day she would prostrate herself before him in abject misery before she would join them. Perhaps he would leave her flesh and let her children serve her eternally. He chuckled darkly. He just needed Bartleby to understand. He just wanted to protect him.
He needed to get the boy to talk to him, to forgive him, to understand. "Sleet! Dingo!" His voice echoed through the halls of the palace.
The two wolves raced into the room, throwing themselves at him. "You summoned us, your greatness?" Sleet queried, bowing before him.
"Yes! I'm tired of these hysterics. Go fetch Bartleby and bring him to me. By force if you must!" Robotnik barked.
"Yes, sire, we will bring him at once. We will not let him refuse this time." Sleet promised. He and Dingo ran from the man's chamber.
--
When they arrived at the mansion, Sleet was confused to find the door standing open. He and Dingo walked inside with their guns out. There was no sign of a struggle but in the sitting room, they found a full tea service with very cold tea. An overturned teacup lay on the floor.
He picked it up and smelled it. "Sleeping grass." He growled and looked around for clues, wondering what he was going to tell Robotnik.
"Sleet!" Dingo yelped from the entryway. He held up a slip of paper. "Look! It's a note."
Sleet took the note and read it to himself, shaking his head. "Dingo, we have a big problem." He trembled as he pondered what Robotnik would do when he found out. "We are so dead."
--
His mouth felt like it was full of cotton and the bed was hard and cold. He could feel some splinters of wood scratching him. His head throbbed and there was a strange ringing in his ears. He opened his eyes and immediately closed them as the light burned his eyes.
"Ugh…. Where am I?" He asked. He knew he'd be shaking if he had any strength in his body.
A cool cloth covered his forehead and a soft hand caressed his. "It's okay, Bartleby. I'm right here. You're safe."
He opened his eyes again, squinting against the light that slowly dimmed. "Sonia, where am I? What's going on?" He asked.
She traced his forehead. "You're safe. You're in one of our safe houses. Mother thought you'd be better off until Robotnik is defeated. After what happened."
Bartleby shook his head. "No, you have to let me go. I'm safe at the mansion. He won't hurt me again." He pleaded. "Let me go, my darling."
Her lip wobbled as she tried to comfort him. "Bartleby, I promise. This is for your own good. Robotnik has lost his mind." She rubbed his back. "I love you and I only want to keep you safe." She kissed his hand.
He pulled away, staring at her in fear. The one he loved had kidnapped him. He didn't know what to think. Could he trust anyone anymore?
"Sonia, please… I can't stay here. Let me go." He begged her. "I forgive you just please let me go."
The door opened and Aleena came in with a tray of food. "Dearest one, let me speak with him." She kissed her daughter on the head. "Go eat breakfast with your brothers."
Sonia shook her head. "I think I should stay with him. He's frightened, Mother." She pet his blond hair. "He needs me."
Aleena frowned. "Sonia, dear… I want to speak with him. Go. Now." She ordered firmly. She whispered to the girl. Whatever she said had an immediate effect on Sonia.
Her face went a very light pink and she lowered her head. "Yes Mother." She left the room.
As Aleena approached him, Bartleby felt a chill up and down his spine. "Why did you kidnap me? What are you going to do?"
The woman sat beside him and offered him the tray of breakfast. "Robotnik went too far when he arrested you as bait for my daughter." She said. "He's proving to be unpredictable and he's been abusing you, even if you won't admit it."
Bartleby looked at the tray, the eggs and bacon creating a smiley face on a large pancake. "I think he was out of line too but I'm not being abused. He was just trying to protect me. In his own way. I'm so sorry for what he's done." He met her eyes, hoping to see forgiveness but instead, they were cold.
"I see you won't face facts. So, I won't sugarcoat it," Aleena's voice became hard. "I want you to join us. Help us defeat your godfather and free my people. Do that and I'll be able to let you and my daughter resume your relationship."
The mink bit his lip. The offer was tempting but, "I'm sorry, Aleena. I cannot help you with this. I cannot fight him and I cannot betray him. To do so would be an insult to my parents, my aunt, my people, to him. Now if that's all you wanted of me, then I'll be going now." He stood up and went to the door. Upon touching the knob, a jolt of electricity flashed through his arm. "Ahhh!" He looked at her. "You can't keep me here."
Aleena laughed. "Oh but looks like I can. Let me make myself clear, Lord Montclair. I'm in charge and you will help me, whether you want to or not. My offer only determines your chances of surviving this war. You have until sunset to make up your mind."
———————
Finally, Sleet had no choice but to go back to the palace. He and Dingo scoured the mansion for any other clues but there was no getting out of it.
He entered the throne room with the little note in his hand. Robotnik glared at him from the ornate chair.
"Where is Bartleby? Why isn't he with you?" The tyrant demanded. "If you let him go, I will roboticize you both! Where's Dingo?"
Sleet shook his head. "No, sire, we think he's been kidnapped!" He insisted with a panicked tone. "We found this note. Dingo is scouring the city as a fly. We are going to find him!" He prayed silently.
The old man glared at the wolf as he delivered the news. He took the note. "Hmmm. Did you check the surveillance footage from the home?"
"No sire, you wouldn't give us the security codes for his home, remember?" Sleet trembled in fear.
"You imbecile! Fine, I'll do it!" He stalked over to the computer desk and input the commands. "The camera was last activated at 3:30pm yesterday. Almost right after I left." He brought up the video feed and his mouth fell open. He looked down at the note. "This handwriting. It's Princess Sonia. Find the hedgehogs! All four of them! And roboticize them! Then we'll rescue Bartleby."
—————
Bartleby sat in his room, huddled on the wooden cot. He was cold, frightened, and confused. He was regretting the harsh words he'd told his uncle. He hadn't meant them. He was just angry about his betrayal. He didn't know what to do.
He looked up as the door opened. "Sonia…" He didn't know how to talk to her in this moment. "How could you kidnap me?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice." She knelt beside him. "She made threats and I had to do what she said to keep you safe. She threatened to kill you!" She whispered.
Bartleby stood up, throwing up his hands. "She's going to kill me anyway. Unless I join your mother against Uncle! And I won't do that!" He shouted and she stood up, trying to calm him down.
"Then you must agree to join us!" She pleaded. "Please. Just say you will, just agree to whatever she says. I won't hold you to it. But buy me time to get you out of here!" Sonia's dark eyes shimmered with tears.
He pulled away sharply. "I've been very patient, Sonia. I love you but now not only Uncle but you are using me. I don't want to be involved in this war! I don't want to choose between you!" He tried to control himself. "You betrayed me! Uncle's betrayed me! Everyone I love has betrayed me! Why? What did I do to either of you to deserve this! Leave me alone. I don't want to get you in trouble with your mother." He turned and refused to acknowledge her any more.
Sonia's chest hurt. She loved this mink but she knew she had gone too far. He was right. She betrayed him. "I'm going to get you out of this, Bartleby. I promise."
She left the bedroom and marched up to her mother as she penned a letter. "Mother, let Bartleby go. This has gone far enough."
Aleena looked up at her daughter. "My dear, you knew this war would not be easy. This plan will free our people."
Sonia shook her head. "How? Robotnik isn't about to let you win to save Bartleby! We saw that. Robotnik doesn't care about him!" She shouted.
The purple hedgehog woman chuckled but schooled herself quickly. "Dear, we are keeping him here for his own good. He would interfere in the final battle. He would be hurt. He must be kept here. He'll understand."
"He says you threatened him," Sonia pushed. "Mother, please. He doesn't want our help or protection. Just let him go."
Aleena cradled her daughter's cheek. "Dear, listen to me, Mother knows best. I only said what I needed to say to motivate him, You're thinking with your feelings a little too much. Once the danger is clear, he will be released. And in the meantime, he will get a lesson of his own."
She looked at her mother and sighed. "Alright Mother. Alright. But please… don't hurt him. Please…" She left the room, taking a deep breath out in the hall.
Down to the kitchen, she went. Her brothers were there eating their dinners. She bit her lip. "Guys, I don't like this. Bartleby's a good guy, he doesn't deserve this."
Sonic rolled his eyes. "Sonia, we've been over this. I know you like the guy but we have to do anything we can to free our kingdom. To get Robotnik out."
"Well, I think you're wrong. I care about him, very much. And I don't like using him in this way," she argued. "It crosses a few lines that I'm not comfortable crossing."
Manic nodded. "Yeah but… I think this is one of those times that integrity has to take a back seat. He won't be hurt. Hell, he's safest with us anyway. In a few days, we'll take him to Sanctuary. He'll be okay." He threw away his dinner trash and left the room.
Sonic touched Sonia's shoulder. "What did you expect, Sonia? You need to get him out of her head anyway. We're not going to throw everything away because you just can't let that life go."
Sonia's mouth fell open as he joined Manic. How could they say that? When did her family become so unsympathetic? Then as she thought about it, they always were. When she wept for Lady Wyndermere, they comforted her, but they never even tried to empathize with the culture shock she experienced. Going from a life where she didn't need to worry about where her next meal was coming from to squatting in an abandoned warehouse they'd refurbished and stealing to survive. They didn't care how much she missed her friends from college. They laughed when she'd told them about canceling the wedding with Bartleby. It had gotten to the point where she couldn't even talk about her feelings anymore. She pushed it all down and pretended. And she didn't know how much longer she could do it. She sat down at the table and wept.
