Knothole, Act 3

A/N: Speed Me Up is owned by Wiz Khalifa, Lil Yachty, Sueco the Child and Ty Dolla $ign in your world.

As a Hedgehog blessed with speed and incredible energy, Sonic was usually ready to bounce out of bed every morning (assuming he'd had eight hours of sleep), regardless of whether he felt cheery, unhappy, angry or any other emotion. You will likely remember this morning enthusiasm from an earlier chapter, where he woke me up.

But right now, Sonic felt no desire to get up at all. He wanted to just lie here on this comfortable bed and not go anywhere else. And that struck Sonic as mondo weird.

'Come on, Hedgehog,' he thought to himself, 'you're better than this!'

Sonic tried to open his eyes. A bright white light poked him hard in his massive sockets, and he clamped them shut again. Still, it was enough to tell him where he was - the infirmary. Only there could you find such piercing white light.

Sonic cracked open his lids again, slowly this time (another mondo weird thing for him to do), allowing his eyes to adjust to the light. At last, his vision had adapted, and he could see properly. As he'd suspected, he was in the Knothole Infirmary. It wasn't the first time Sonic had been here, of course. Injuries were an occupational hazard of being a Freedom Fighter. However, it had always just been cuts, bruises, burns and, at worst, a broken arm. Sonic had still felt as energised as ever. This heaviness was completely new. Not even missing out on sleep made Sonic feel this drained.

The blue Hedgehog looked to his left and right, which somehow felt as taxing as doing a few rounds on the training course. Then again, Sonic had done just that, and not broken a sweat, so it was no problem for him.

Manic and Sonia lay on either side of him, each in their own bed. Sonia was humming a little as she breathed. Manic was snoring loudly, drool trickling from his lips.

"I sure hope I don't sound as bad when I sleep," muttered Sonic.

At that moment, Doctor Quack came in, undoubtedly to check up on his patients.

"Ah, Sonic, you're awake," he greeted. "How do you feel?"

"As if someone somehow loaded this Hedgehog full of rocks," Sonic groaned. "Actually, make that these Hedgehogs."

Quack nodded. "Yes, from what your friends told me, you three pushed yourselves quite a bit back in Metropolis. You shouldn't strain yourself for a few hours. You've all been out for nearly two days. It is 8:30am, Chaussday, 23rd Solung."

This news nearly made Sonic pass out again in surprise.

"Whoa," he gasped. "That Ring-Boost must have really done a number on us." Then he remembered something. "My friends! The people of Metropolis! Are they alright?" He tried to sit up, but his arms gave way and his head slumped back onto his pillow.

"Easy, Sonic," the doctor advised, with an air that showed he'd dealt of this before. "You'll be pleased to know that your friends are all fine. None of their injuries are serious. As for the people of Metropolis…" He paused. "10 or 20 were successfully taken by Robotnik. 30 are dead. Many more are homeless." The doctor paused again. "I'll tell the others you're awake." And he left.

Sonic sighed deeply. "I could've prevented all of this," he whispered, not caring that he could barely hear his own words over Manic's snoring. He closed his eyes. "Buttnik's gonna pay for this! I will see to it, personally! Only way to make amends for my failure…"

He heard hurried footsteps and lifted his head again. Moments later, an orange-brown fur bounded onto his bed, hugging him so tightly, the blue Hedgehog could have sworn he felt a couple of ribs crack.

"SONIC! You're awake!"

"Hey, lil buddy," Sonic greeted in a slightly wheezy voice as he brought his arms around Tails. "Glad to see me back from Dreamland, eh?"

"We were so worried when you collapsed on Metropolis!" Tails sniffed. "We were afraid that you'd overexerted yourself! That perhaps all that lightning had fried your brain! That you had perhaps developed atrial fibrillation! Or…"

"Hold yer steeds, Tails!" Bunnie laughed, as she entered the ward, followed by Sally, Rotor, Antoine, Longclaw, myself and a Spider whom Sonic did not know. Yes, I was there too. I had to be. I was worried for Sonic's well-being too. "The Sugah-hog's just woken up after two days' sleep! Let him breathe!"

Still sniffing, Tails relaxed his grip on his big brother, but did not let go of him.

"Feeling better, sleepyhead?" asked Sally, grinning.

"Definitely now I can see you guys are alright," Sonic replied. Apart from me (since I hadn't been there), the other Freedom Fighters still sported some injuries from the battle, but they were patched up good and proper. That was the important thing. "How are you guys feeling?"

"We are fine, Soneek," Antoine assured. "It ees you and your seeblings who are the major concern for us right now."

"Y'know, Ant, for once, I share your sentiment." Sonic's eyes then fell on the Spider. "But before anything, who are you?"

"I'm Ferrell; Ferrell Araneus," Manic's guardian introduced, holding out a hand. "And you must be Manic's brother, Sonic the Hedgehog. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Erm, same," Sonic replied, shaking Ferrell's hand. "I take it you're the guy who's been showing the ropes of life; and stealing."

"Guilty as charged," Ferrell acknowledged jokingly, as he moved over to Manic. "When you're in my situation, you gonna scrape by, however you can."

Sonic frowned. "Right. Anyway…" He cleared his throats. "Hey, sibs, wakey-wakey, chilli to bakey!"

Manic grunted loudly, and then, jerked awake. Sonia mumbled and rolled over. "Leave a girl to her beauty sleep," she whispered.

"I think your beauty is sufficient right now," Sally quipped.

"Ooooh," Manic groaned. "Does anyone need something stolen for them, because a good heist would really wake me up?"

Sonic grinned in relief. They were alright.

"I'm sure we can find something of Robotnik's worth taking," Ferrell mused. It was then that Manic properly registered his guardian was there.

"Ferrell!" he cried, sitting up and hugging the old Spider. "Thank goodness! I was so worried about you! How are you here? Wait, was it all a dream? I sure hope it wasn't! It was so awesome!"

"Oh, that was all real, bro," Sonic assured. "'Cause I'm as real as this weird fatigue I've got…"

"You three should avoid straining yourselves for a few hours," Doctor Quack advised. "So no potentially strenuous physical activities; and that includes running, Sonic!"

Sonic rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "Yes, doc, I get it."

As Sonia raised her head, she spotted Ferrell next to Manic. The fuchsia Hedgehog let out a little scream of fright and almost fell out of her bed. Doctor Quack and Bunnie caught her.

"Easy, Sugah," Bunnie soothed as she and the Doctor helped a gasping Sonia back into bed. "It's alright. He's friendly. Sorry about that," she added to Ferrell.

The Spider shrugged. "Eh, I've had that reaction so much that it just rolls off me now. It's fine."

For those of you wondering how Ferrell got to Knothole in the first place; as he would explain later on, he snuck out of Robotropolis, made contact with Longclaw, and the Owl brought him to South Island.

"Anyways, that was amazing, what you three did in Metropolis!" rhapsodised Tails. "All that…" He struggled to say the word. "…lightning! How you three glowed like Fireflies! The way you three hit Robotnik again and again before blasting him with that… storm!" He took a few quick breathes to calm himself. "How'd you do it?"

Sonic shrugged. "Hey, we just did what we needed to do, lil buddy. What else did you expect from the Hedgehogs?"

"I certainly didn't expect that," Manic noted as he lay back down. "But, like, it was so awesome! I wanna do that again!"

"I don't, erm, 'wanna'," Sonia chimed in, shuddering at using such an unsophisticated word. "It was enlightening, sure. But you two have such unusual minds."

She paused. "Although… I guess I still have some adjusting to do," she added, a smile spreading across her face. "And with brothers like you two… I guess I can in time."

Sonic grinned. "Sis, you're stuck with us for life. You'll warm up to us entirely in no time."

Sonia giggled at her brother's confidence. She could definitely see herself in Sonic right now.

Sonic's grin faded as a grim fact came back to him.

"Guys… I'm sorry that I wasn't able to prevent this whole affair from happening,"

Sally shook her head. "Sonic, none of this is your fault."

"The only one to blame for all this is old Iron Lips!" Rotor growled. "And you three gave him his just desserts for daring to invade our Island. The only way it could've been better was by finishing him off!"

Sonic frowned. "Rote, you know I don't do that."

Rotor waved a hand. "Hey, I can dream."

"Well, dream more pleasant things," admonished Sally.

Sonic knew his friends were right about it being Robotnik's fault. Regardless, however, it wouldn't happen again, if he could help it.

Longclaw stepped forward. It was as she did so that Sonic suddenly remembered another mental burden.

"You three did very well out there," Longclaw began. "You did very-"

"Longclaw, I'm sorry!" Sonic cut in, sitting up so abruptly that everyone started a little.

"Sorry for what?" asked Longclaw, frowning.

Sonic's arms trembled in their effort to hold him up, but he persisted. "For zapping you with my lightning that night! For hurting you! For putting you in that coma! Costing you memories! It's definitely my fault that happened! I should've listened to you! I'm so sorry! I… I…"

Sonic's voice trailed off. He tried to think of other things to his foster mother, but nothing else seemed to come to mind.

The Great Horned Owl gazed at Sonic for several moments. It was impossible to know what she was thinking, since her face was impassive.

Everyone else in the room was gazing between Sonic and Longclaw. Manic and Sonia felt just as anxious as their brother did, and it wasn't just because they were sharing emotions.

Sonic was shaking so much with anticipation, his bed was rattling rapidly. He wanted to beseech a response out of his mentor and foster mother, but again, his voice failed him.

I have to say, seeing how Sonic gazed at Longclaw was quite a surprise to me. In the month I'd known the blue Hedgehog, I'd gotten so used to his confident smirk, the unfaltering gleam of heroism in his eyes and his eyebrows angled towards each other. So seeing them angled away from each other, above eyes staring anxiously with tightly-clenched teeth was… something, I must say.

At last, Longclaw spoke.

"Thank you for saying that, Sonic," she said quietly, and Sonic was surprised to see a sad smile on her beak. She approached the bed, placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder and gently pushed him back down onto his pillow. "And I forgive you."

"Aren't you… aren't you angry with me?" Sonic asked, torn between anxiety and budding relief. "Or are you disappointed? Wait, no, don't be disappointed! That's worse!"

"I was angry and disappointed at first, when I remembered," Longclaw admitted, "but… I've been wondering whether or not it was just your lightning that hit me."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sonic spluttered. "What other lightning could have hit you?!"

Longclaw raised a feathery eyebrow. "Natural lightning? Don't forget, it was a stormy night. It's possible that bolt you used wasn't particularly potent, and it was really the other bolt that did most of the damage." Her face fell a little. "Then again, I can't be sure…"

"Well, regardless, I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you that night," Sonic insisted. "You were right; I should've heeded your advice."

"Sonic heeding advice…" Sally mused, though she was smiling in a genuinely affectionate way. "That'll be the day."

"Sonic, again, I accept your apology," Longclaw concluded, "but there must still be consequences for your actions. We will discuss those later."

"Yes, Longclaw," Sonic conceded.

Longclaw smiled warmly again. "As I was saying, though, you three did very well out there. I'm very proud of you. And… your parents, aunt and uncle would be proud too."

The three Hedgehogs, especially Sonic, all felt their hearts swell with pride at the Owl's praise. Ferrell patted Manic fondly on the shoulder. The rest of us also came forward to offer our congratulations, whether through words or pats on the back. To avoid crowding the beds, we all took turns with each Hedgehog.

Manic was keen to regale us with stories of daring heists he and Ferrell pulled off in Robotropolis. Sonia soon got into a pleasant discussion with Bunnie about various hairstyles. Sonic, of course, gave his usual confident and self-satisfied smirk; his heart swelling with pride at his friends' praise. It definitely eased some of the guilt he was feeling, especially since Longclaw wasn't angry with him.

But as he shot a wink the Owl's way, another worry had reared its ugly, Robuttnik-like head.

"Longclaw," he said tentatively, making everyone zip it, "can I ask you something?"

"You already have, my boy," Longclaw chuckled. "But ask away."

Sonic was sorely tempted to ask Longclaw what happened to his parents. Had they actually been… Roboticized? If so, how had it happened? When had it happened? Had Uncle Chuck known? If so, why had he never told Sonic? Did Longclaw even know? Had she forgotten?

Manic and Sonia sensed their brother's mental whirlwind of questions. But at the question of whether their parents were Roboticized or not, their blood ran cold.

Sonia in particular felt suddenly giddy. It was bad enough that her foster mother had undoubtedly been Roboticized, but her birth parents as well?! What kind of sick joke would that be?!

Manic wondered if it was worth knowing the truth, or whether it was better to remain in ignorance, for the sake of their happiness. He felt happier than he'd ever felt before - he and Ferrell were out of Robotropolis, they had many new friends, and, most importantly, Manic had found his family. How could they stand to have their joy ruined by such potentially terrible news?

"Who were our folks and our aunt, exactly?" asked Sonic at last. "If we are indeed royalty - and I'm still hesitant to dig that - then… who were they? Were they actually called Jules and Bernadette?"

Longclaw nodded. "Yes, those were their names. To be specific, they were Lord Protector Jules and Lady Protector Bernadette Hedgehog, and they co-ruled alongside King Max and Queen Alicia Acorn."

"My parents!" Sally chimed in. "But… how's that possible?"

"It's called a diarchy," I spoke up. "Or a duarchy, or a duumvirate; when two independent authorities govern the same realm."

Everyone stared at me for a moment. I blushed and shrugged. "I read about the Royal families of Mobius in school."

Sonic did a double-take. "Wait, so you knew I was a Prince then, Tommy?"

"No, I didn't," I replied honestly. "Honestly, I'd forgotten until just recently. And can you blame me after all I went through?"

Sonic thought for a moment. "Yeah, I get ya, TC." Then he realised something. "Wait, how come we never knew that? Did you know about it, Sal?"

Sally shook her head. "No, Sonic. Believe me, if I'd known, I'd have said." She looked at Longclaw. "Did you, Rosie and Cat know at all? Or… do you not remember?" she added, a touch of sympathy in her voice.

"I'm afraid that detail currently eludes me," Longclaw replied regretfully.

There was a few moments' silence. Rotor and Antoine seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Sally. Indeed, Sonic himself wondered if he had known his true heritage at one point, but had forgotten.

'Boy, this must be how Longclaw felt when she came to,' he thought.

Ferrell looked as if he had been about to say something. But after looking at how confused everyone was, he seemed to decide to stand mum for now. Manic caught this gesture, but the Spider gave his foster son a look that told him he would learn in due course and that he should be patient. Manic took his word.

"Let's worry about that later," Longclaw decided. "Besides," she added with a chuckle, "memory struggles seem bound to be my burden for the foreseeable future. Don't let it become any of yours."

A few of us chuckled, but Sonic didn't.

A little later, after chatting some more, Longclaw told the other Freedom Fighters (which, naturally, included myself) to leave the room and give the Hedgehogs some space. Though none of the Hedgehogs saw it, she also tipped Sally a massive wink. Sally nodded in acknowledgement as she left.

Once the room was empty but for the Hedgehogs and Longclaw, the Owl turned to Sonic.

"Since it's later now, Sonic," she began, "let us discuss your punishment." She took a breath. "As of tomorrow, you are grounded for the next two weeks, barring missions and exercise. And any practice of your abilities is to be supervised and only used with consent, or if circumstances demand it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Longclaw," Sonic conceded. "But… why tomorrow?"

"All in due time, my boy."

Sonic groaned. Why did people so often withhold info until a 'due time'?

"And, in the likely event of me forgetting," Longclaw went on, "I'm tasking Manic and Sonia to watch over you to make sure you don't try anything sneaky."

"What?!" Sonic cried.

"You heard her, bro," Manic and Sonia proclaimed in unison, grinning teasingly.

Sonic's gaze dipped. A part of him was honestly feeling he deserved worse for his failure. Then again, how could he make up for his failure if it were worse?

"You gotta stop beating yourself up, Sonic," Sonia said. "Be glad you saved the Island as a whole. That's the important thing."

"She is right," said a voice in agreement. Errol Blackthorn, accompanied by his sister Morain, had entered the room "The people of Metropolis are very grateful that you and your siblings came to the rescue," the vulpine swordsman continued. "Once again, you've inspired hope through your courage and determination, despite being so young; a marvel during this dark time."

Although he had heard statements to this effect before, Sonic still smirked, thumbing his nose. "Heh, I always did have a great appeal."

Morain, leaning on the doorframe, rolled her eyes.

Longclaw glanced at Manic and Sonia. "Manic, Sonia, I apologise if the last few days proved… overwhelming to you two…" she began.

"You kidding?" Manic replied. "This has been, like, the best days of my life, thus far!"

"Not quite for me," Sonia noted solemnly. "Don't get me wrong: I'm grateful to have found my brothers, but… I lost Lady Windermere…" She sniffed and turned her face away to hide her tears. Sonic couldn't blame her.

"Well, this is the best place you can be here to avenge her loss," Morain assured. "And be part of something grand!"

"She's right," Errol conceded. "You have a responsibility with your gifts. You've already demonstrated how effective such power can be against Robotnik. We can help you hone these powers of yours; that's why we're here. Longclaw… might be limited in her ability to help. No offence."

"It's hardly offensive if it's a fact," Longclaw chuckled. She paused. "Manic, Sonia, I know this isn't the life either of you envisioned, but… I feel matters have been taken out of your hands. Robotnik wants all three of you. And we need all the help we can get if we are to free Mobius. As such, I'd like to offer you two a chance to officially join the Freedom Fighters."

Sonic nodded vigorously at this prospect. "Whadda ya say, sibs?"

"You don't have to ask me twice," Manic declared. "I'm definitely in!"

Sonia thought for a moment. Would Mindy, her father or Bartelby approve of such a decision? Bartelby did say the Freedom Fighters only aggravated Robotnik. And Sonia had wondered from time to time whether or not that might be true.

But then, she again thought of Lady Windermere and how much love the sophisticated Mole had given her. Not to mention how she'd been taken away from her!

"So am I," she decided. "I'm in too!"

Longclaw and Errol beamed. Morain's mouth twitched, as if she were going to smile but couldn't quite manage it.

"We won't let you down," Sonic assured. "I won't let you down." Not again, he thought.

"I know you won't," Longclaw giggled. "Now, how about you three step outside for a little? I think some fresh air will do you all some good. But no running, Sonic!"

"Oh…" Sonic groaned.

Manic and Sonia were helped out of bed by Errol and Morain. Sonic had no trouble getting up, although he experienced a moment of dizziness when his feet touched the floor. Manic and Sonia also stumbled slightly, the room around them spinning. The moment their heads stopped spinning, the Hedgehogs pulled on their shoes.

"You guys fancy a little tour of our digs?" Sonic offered Manic and Sonia as they made their way outside. "I could show you our sparring arena. Or perhaps our gymnasium, where I'm constantly pushing the treadmill hard. Oh, why don't I show you our hollow tree slide?!"

"Easy, Sonic," Longclaw advised. "You'll get to show them around in due course. For now, I think you should just enjoy being together on this wonderful day."

Sonic caught the smile on her beak as they neared the exit.

"What are you up to, Longclaw-?"

"SURPRISE!"

The three Hedgehogs started in surprise. All their friends stood outside the infirmary, gathered around a small table with food and drinks on it. There were also a few wrapped presents. In the middle of the table was a large cake with 15 candles - five blue, five green and five pink.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEDEHOGS!" everyone chorused.

"Whoa!" Manic cried.

"Oh my gosh!" Sonia gaped.

Sonic let out a cry of laughter. Of course! He should've known! The 23rd of Solung was his 15th birthday! No, scratch that - their 15th birthday!

"Aww, you guys," he exclaimed. "You shouldn't have! You actually managed to surprise me this time! But that's only because I was a little out of it. You got lucky."

"You weren't at all out of it in the Hidden Palace when Robotnik got you," Sonia teased, a sly grin to match her brother's on her face.

Sonic went red. "Eh, he got lucky too!"

Sally shook her head. "Typical Sonic," she mused.

Manic was at a loss for words. He'd celebrated his birthday before, of course, but it had only ever just been Ferrell and maybe one or two of their fellow thieves. This was something entirely. So many well-wishers; a well-done cake; various presents; friends… and two siblings to share it all with…

"Hey, Mobius to Manic!" Sonic rapped hard on the green Hedgehog's head. "You gonna enjoy your own birthday or what?"

"Oh, err, sorry!" Manic shook his head as Tails and Rotor presented the first gift.

"Manic, Sonia," Tails began, "if you guys are gonna fight alongside Sonic, Rotor and I reckoned you'll be some transportation that can match his incredible velocity."

"Manic, we'd like to present you with his hover-board." Rotor presented a red and yellow striped board with boosters on its underside and fins at the back. "Its' acceleration is 0 to 150 mph in 10 seconds and can reach up to 300 miles per hour. If you'll permit me, I can attach metallic soles to your shoes to help anchor you to the board."

Manic took the board and examined from various angles, his blue eyes wide. "Wicked," he breathed. "And… and you can totally mod my shoes." He wanted to say more about getting such a great gift for the first time in his life, but he simply couldn't find the words.

"And for you, Sonia," Tails continued, "I saw how you followed the others to Green Hill on that bike. You handled it pretty well, so Rotor and I decided to make it more your own."

Tails raised his Miles Electric and pressed a button. A second later, the sound of a revving engine reached their ears. A pink, streamlined sports bike raced into view and screeched to a halt in front of Sonia.

"Wow," she gasped, running a hand over the sleek frame and padded seat. "It's… it's amazing!"

"Same acceleration and maximum speed as Manic's hover-board," Rotor explained. "Should take turns as smoothly as an ice plain."

"Where'd you guys get the power for such speed?" Sonic wondered.

"We used a couple of your quills," Rotor replied blithely.

"Wait, what?!"

"I can also take you a wrist device that should allow you to call your bike to you when you need it," Tails offered hastily to Sonia. "So you can call it to you at a moment's notice-hey!"

Sonia had grabbed Tails and was now plastering kisses all over his muzzle.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sonia cried between kisses.

"Eww, gross! Get off!" groaned the young Cub, trying to push Sonia off him. "You're soaking my fur!"

The others all snickered at Tails' predicament.

"Anything cool for me?" asked Sonic once Tails had finally managed to free himself and the laughter had petered out.

"Actually, yes," Longclaw replied. "We all know how much you love to play that guitar of yours. So we decided to design a new, much cooler guitar for you."

Sally and Bunnie came forward with a large electric, multi-neck guitar. It had a purple-and-yellow body shaped like Sonic's head, blue necks, and purple-and-yellow headstocks with red tuning pegs.

"Whoa!" Sonic gasped, taking the instrument in his hands. "I've always wanted a guitar like this!" He strummed the strings flamboyantly, releasing a loud sound that made everyone winch. Hurit actually retracted her head into her shell at the sound.

"And Manic, Sonia, we didn't forget you," Longclaw continued. "Ferrell tells me you love the beat of drums, Manic. And Sonia, I believe you've always been partial to playing the keys. So…"

Manic was presented with a set of grey-brown and yellow drums that looked more like circular machine components than proper drums; though the cymbals were traditional. Sonia's instrument was an electric keyboard with a detachable stand.

"Rock-and-roll!" Manic smirked, though he seemed overwhelmed and swayed a little. Ferrell had to hold him steady.

"I… I… I…" Sonia had tears of joy in her eyes. "I don't…"

"Then say nothing," Sally said. "We're just glad to present you with such gifts; and to have you here with us. Speaking of being with us, before we dig in, Manic, Sonia, step up to me, please. It's time for your official induction into the Freedom Fighters."

Manic and Sonia obediently stepped forward and stood before Sally.

"Raise your right hands and repeat after me."

They did so.

"I, Prince Manic and Princess Sonia Hedgehog…"

"I, Prince Manic…"

"…and Princess Sonia Hedgehog…"

"…hereby pledge my allegiance…"

"…hereby pledge my allegiance…"

"…to the Knothole Freedom Fighter cause."

"…to the Knothole Freedom Fighter cause."

"I pledge to use all my abilities…"

"I pledge to use all my abilities…"

"…to help and protect the innocent of Mobius…"

"…to help and protect the innocent of Mobius…"

"…and oppose evil and injustice of any kind, especially that of Robotnik."

"…and oppose evil and injustice of any kind, especially that of Robuttnik."

Sally stepped forward, and placed a medal on each of their chests. "I, Princess Sally Acorn, hereby officially welcome you both to the Knothole Freedom Fighters. May you do us proud!" She gave both siblings a hug. "Though, to be fair, you already have."

"Welcome aboard, sibs!" Sonic congratulated, joining in the hug enthusiastically. "Having you guys here is the best birthday present ever!"

"As is being with you!" Manic replied jovially.

The three turned to the cake, took a deep breath and blew out the candles, before saying: "TO A FREE MOBIUS!"

"TO A FREE MOBIUS!" everyone else cheered.

"Hey, sibs," Sonic offered. "Let's do a jam in honour of this mo, eh?"

"You read our minds," Manic grinned. "Perhaps, literally."

Sonic picked up his guitar. Manic settled himself on his drums. Sonia stepped up to her keyboard. Sharing a nod, they began to play.

With my heart and my soul, you see how I ran
Rings of gold and awards sit on my nightstand
We've got something he wants, but it's ours to give
Free our struggles, detach us from this island
Bleed ours knuckles, attack us for our finance
I'm dealing with this pain, I just can't let you come throw it away
Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy!

So I run, keep me up
Creep on me, they speak on me
They slow down when they bring me up like (Huh)
Speed me up (It's Boat, speed, speed, it's Boat, yeah, ayy)

Takin' off quick, too fast, on my tippy toes
Undefeated, bro, no L's, still (Go)
Takin' off quick, too fast, on my tippy toes
Undefeated, bro, no L's, still six and oh
Run around town, profound mentality
Bad young ting, six rings sittin' under me
These dudes actin' like we ain't who they wanna be
Got me tickled, tryna act so selfishly
Pocket full of green stacked up like a pot of peas
Big boy dawg, walkin' 'round with a lot of fleas
Zoom quick, go too fast (Ayy)
Every day, I gotta make it count
Every second, gotta make it last
Roll around, do the double dash
Big glow on my skin, takin' off them tints (Hey)
Lambo (Hey)
Hold up, wait, got a date
Ladies love my speed, quick to run up trees (Yeah)
Who you seen like me? Nobody (It's Boat)
Stayin' in my lane, best friend named Tails
Balance runnin' on rails, I can never fail

So I run (Yeah), keep me up
Creep on me, they speak on me
They slow down when they bring me up like (Huh)
Speed me up (Speed, speed, yeah, ayy)

Many, many miles away, inside a small cave, another hooded figure, this one a woman dressed in a light green and lilac cloak also watched the celebration, via a magical window that she had conjured before her. The window was focussing particularly on the three Hedgehogs; the things that mattered to the woman more than anything else…

She stretched out a hand towards the window, as if to touch the three children. But of course, her hand went straight through the window. The woman withdrew the hand, tears in her eyes. It then clutched at her chest as pain shot through her body.

It was a painful reminder of the mistake she made years ago; a mistake that cost her youth, her love and the closest she had to children.

With a sigh, the woman wiped away her tears and dissolved the window. She then stood up and proceeded out of the cave. She gazed up at the sky for a few moments.

Then, Queen Aleena whispered a soft prayer to the heavens.

"It has begun. Take care, children. Our hopes and dreams rest with you."

Robotropolis

Robotnik sat upon his throne, regarding the three quills in his hand. All the while, micro-bots made the last few touches in cleaning him up, straightening his moustache and smoothing his uniform.

The Hedgehogs had drained the quills of almost all their power. Though still generating some bio-electric power, they were no good for giving Robotnik's machines enough power to match the triplets.

Still, that didn't mean they couldn't be useful in other ways.

Now that he had found South Island, it was only a matter of time before Robotnik made his return. Plus, since the civilians had heard Sonic admit his failure to prevent the attack, it was sure to weaken their morale and trust.

If everything went as planned - and Robotnik was in no doubt that they would - he'd eventually have all three Hedgehogs captured and Roboticized; transformed into his most powerful weapons. And then, all of Mobius would truly be his!

"It'll be a nice little family reunion, won't it, Your Majesties?" he mused to two robotic Hedgehogs standing nearby. One was a sky blue and silver male with a bent white horn on his brow that had once been hair; the other purple female with white lining around her optics with blonde tendrils for hair. Both had blank, expressionless faces, but their heads bowed at his words.

"Weep not for your parents, Hedgehogs, because you'll be joining them soon enough," Doctor Ivo Robotnik vowed, his red eyes glowing malevolently…

And so, my first story about Sonic the Hedgehog concludes. More will follow in the coming months, and I hope you enjoy them, as you journey with me into this world.

With his heritage undiscovered and his siblings at his side once again, Sonic's journey has truly begun. Indeed, it was arguably the beginning of journey, or rather, a saga for everyone; a saga of epic heroics, life-changing trauma, powerful friendships, terrifying evils, and conflicts that would rock Mobius and many other worlds to their core.

This, my friends, would be the beginning of the saga of the League of Freedom!