Author's Note: Oh, wow. I can't believe I'm finalyl posting this. It's taken me forever to work out just this prologue. This thing. . . is almost entirely out of my own head. I can't really tell you whether or not it's any good - it's kind of up to you, because it really depends on if you like the world I set up or not. Um. . . I'll probably write some explanations out in my bio if anyoen gets to confused. Or you can just PM me and ask. No Sonamy in this chapter, but it will eventually wind up that way. Oh, and this takes place a few years before the actual Sonic series. And I played around with MAnic and Sonia's aged - they're no longer triplets, I'm ashamed to say. And I gave them eye colors.

Honestly, I changed so much I can't really list it all here. xD You'll see as you go along.

Disclaimer: Despite how much I've twisted them, I own none ofthe characters listed herein. A lot of the concepts in this story are mine, however.Including the other surname I gave Sonic.You should be able to tell what's mine and what's not without trouble, though. Oh, and both versions of Robotnik exist in this story. However, one is Ivo Robotnik/ Dr. Eggman (He doesn't come in during the prologue, though.),and the other's Julian Robotnik/ Dr. Robotnik.

Prince of Light

Prologue

Mobodoon: the secret jewel of Mobius; A kingdom of unsurpassed beauty, accessible only to those Mobians who proved themselves worthy of entry - merely an ancient myth of heaven on Mobius. Or at least, that's what the citizens of Mobius Proper thought. Mobodoon was very much real, and while certainly beautiful, it was no more spectacular than the majority of the planet. It was virtually inaccessible, but this was due more to its location than any quality its seekers might possess.

Within the great capitol city, Mobodoon Central, the royal palace shone like a beacon, its gleaming crystal walls sparkling in the early evening sunlight. The place had been home to the royal House of Hikaru for more generations than anyone could remember. It didn't show its age, having withstood both the ravages of time and the strain of housing generation upon generation of super-powered hedgehogs. Unfortunately, it didn't appear as though it would survive this particular generation.

Servants, guards, and tourists alike ducked for cover as a streak of bright blue raced past them, followed by a miniature pink tornado that yelled as it spun.

"Sonic; give me back my tiara!"

In response, the blue figure slowed down slightly, revealing itself to be a young hedgehog with bright green eyes and a triumphant smirk on his face. He stuck his tongue out at the whirlwind behind him and waved a delicate silver tiara in the air.

"Can't catch me, Sonia! You're too slow!"

With that, he sped off again, followed by his irate older sister. The two continued to race throughout the palace, scattering Mobians as they went, until they reached the gardens. Sonic slowed down just enough to look over his shoulder at his sister, and wound up tripping over a hill that hadn't been there a few seconds before. He instinctively curled into a ball and rolled ten feet before he came to a stop. The tiara flew out of his hands and was quickly snatched up by Sonia, who set it on her head and looked primly satisfied.

The little blue hedgehog uncurled and sat up. He proceeded to look around the garden with a glare,

"No fair, Manic! That's cheating!"

"Well, you shouldn't have stolen my tiara," Sonia said smugly as she walked up behind him, also looking around for their mutual older brother. Sonic turned his glare on her and made a face.

"Shut up, Sonia; I didn't ask you."

Sonia's gray eyes narrowed darkly, "Don't tell me to shut up! You're the one complaining, so why don't you shut up?"

"You shut up!"

"You!"

"You!"

"Quit it, you two," ordered a new voice, breaking into the eight and ten-year-olds' argument. Both Sonia and Sonic stopped arguing and looked up into the irritated face of their older brother, Crown Prince Manic Hikaru. Manic was irritated, his dark brown eyes sparking with annoyance. His green fur nearly matched the color of the hedge behind him, which was why neither of his siblings spotted him until now.

"She started it," Sonic grumbled, pointedly staring at the ground. This infuriated Sonia, who whirled on him, her small hands clenched into fists.

"I did not! Ooh, Sonic Hikaru, you are so in trouble!"

"Stop it," Manic ordered, preventing another argument from breaking out. "Do you even realize what time it is?" Sonic and Sonia both shrugged, glared and turned their backs on one another. Manic sighed, "I thought so. It's six-thirty. Do you remember what you were supposed to be at half an hour ago?"

Sonic shook his head, apparently unable to remember, but Sonia gasped as her hands flew up to cover her mouth.

"The dinner with Sir Julian – Dad's going to murder us!"

"Blech," Sonic gagged. "I don't want to go to a dinner with stinky Sir Julian. He smells like rotten eggs!"

"You shouldn't say things like that, bro." Manic stated, his tone slightly scolding. Sonic just grinned.

"Even if it's true?"

"Even if it's true," Manic said, nodding gravely. "Besides, I always thought he smelled more like sardines, myself."

"Old sardines!"

"Ancient sardines!"

The two brothers, one ten years older than the other, walked back into the palace, arguing about Sir Julian's definitive body odor. Sonia trailed after them, wrinkling her nose in disgust as her brothers' suggestions became more and more revolting. She rolled her eyes,

"Boys!"

The dinner didn't go well from the beginning. Both Sonia and Sonic were reprimanded in front of their parents' guest, and Sonic was extremely disappointed with the seating arrangement, which placed him right next to Sir Julian.

The little hedgehog pleaded with his mother, "Mom! I don't want to sit next to him!"

"Sonic," Queen Aleena warned, her tone telling him he'd best sit down, be quiet, and behave himself for the rest of the evening. Sonic did sit down, but didn't quite manage to be quiet. He folded his arms, pouted, and muttered under his breath.

"I still think he smells."

Sir Julian eyed the youngest prince from his seat next to him. The advisor was an overly large human from Mobius Proper who had lived in Mobodoon for many years and worked his way into the king's good graces. None of the children could stand him, but King Jules trusted him implicitly. Sonic especially hated him – once, he had stated that he found Sir Julian's eyes "creepy". This was understandable, as the human's strange, red-on-black eyes terrified many.

As he turned these eyes on Sonic, the little hedgehog repressed a shiver.

"What was that, your highness?"

Although intended to be non-threatening, Sir Julian's growling voice set Sonic's quills on end. He avoided looking at the human from that point on, instead concentrating on tormenting his older sister, who was sitting directly across from him. He started out simply, making faces when his parents weren't looking and behaving perfectly when they were.

Sonia made a point of ignoring him.

When his faces failed, Sonic turned it up a notch. Using his speed, he ran around behind his sister and dropped an ice cube down the back of her drew. Sonia shrieked and stood up, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"What's the matter, dear?" Aleena asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

Trembling in rage, Sonia pointed an accusing finger at her little brother, who was concentrating on his dinner. "He – he dropped an ice cube down my dress!"

Sonic looked up, pretending shock, "That's not true! She's just making it up to get me in trouble!"

Sonia glared, "Why, you little –"

Sonic widened his eyes, playing the innocent youngster, "Now she's being mean! Mm, make her stop!" The blue hedgehog added just enough whine to his second statement to add effect.

"That's it – first you steal my tiara, then you make faces at me when no-one's looking, then you drop an ice cube down my dress, and now you're trying to make me look bad? I've had it with you, you little twerp!" Sonia slammed both hands down on the table, her electric keyboard-shaped medallion glowing a hot pink in response to her anger.

"S.A.P.! S.A.P.!" Sonic retaliated, his own guitar-shaped medallion glowing bright blue.

"Speedy little dirtball!"

"Cotton-candy quills!"

"Fungus!"

"Miss Priss!"

The two stood eye-to-eye across the table (Or, in Sonic's case, on the table), their medallions glowing brighter than ever. Sonia was clearly infuriated, her hands clenching the tablecloth as tight as possible; Sonic, on the other hand, bore the smirk that would later become his trademark, and seemed quite happy. Manic, Aleena, Jules, and Sir Julian all looked on – Manic and Aleena passively, Jules increasingly irate, and Sir Julian mildly annoyed.

"Snotty brat!"

"Bossy boots!"

"Squirt!"

"Tattletale!"

A loud clap of thunder echoed overhead, stopping the insulting hedgehogs cold. Both the ten-year-old and eight-year-old turned to their father, who was now standing up. His trumpet-shaped medallion glowed with a blue light, slightly lighter in color than his youngest, and lightning literally flashed across his eyes, which had darkened to the deep blue-gray of storm clouds.

"That is enough!" A second clap of thunder accompanied his words, seemingly right over the heads of the arguing youngsters. The children winced. "Sonia, Sonic, you are both hereby restricted to your rooms for the rest of the evening! Manic, please take your brother and sister; make certain that they stay where they're supposed to."

The three siblings quickly filed out of the dining hall, Sonic and Sonia making faces at one another behind their brother's back. When all three were gone, Jules slumped back down into his seat and sighed wearily, rubbing at his forehead. "Why on Mobius did we have three children?"

His wife smiled gently and put a hand on his shoulder, "You know you love them Jules. Sonic and Sonia just need a little more time to grow up, that's all."

"I know; I know. I just wish that Sonic were a little more . . ."

"Like his brother?"

"Well, yes."

Aleena smiled again and squeezed her husband's shoulder, "Manic is ten years older than Sonic, Jules. Besides, you know as well as I do that Sonic will never be like his brother – he's too much like you."

Jules moaned, "That's what frightens me." Suddenly, he blinked and turned to Sir Julian, who had remained silent through most of the evening's debacle. The obese human appeared deep in thought, his fingers steepled together in front of him as he stared at nothing in particular. However, he snapped out of it when Jules turned to him and said, "My apologies, Julian; this evening hasn't turned out nearly as well as I'd hoped."

Sir Julian waved him off. "Don't worry about it, your majesty. You are hardly to blame or what happened tonight."

King Jules shook his head, "Sonic and Sonia are my children, and as such their behavior reflects upon me. Though I do thank you for the sentiment. Now, what was it you wished to discuss with me earlier today?"

Julian looked blank for a moment, then nodded. "Well, your highness, what with the roboticizer near completion, I thought it might be a wise decision to consult the Oracle about its' future effects on the populous."

"The Oracle of Delphius? You wish to bother him with this?" Jules looked indignant. "The roboticizer is a wonderful invention, Julian; it's going to save and improve lives throughout Mobodoon. Who do you need to consult the Oracle about this?" He appeared ready to refuse his advisor's request, but Queen Aleena spoke first.

"You have our permission to consult the Oracle, Julian."

Jules looked at his wife in incredulity, then took her by the arm and guided her away from the table. "Excuse us for a moment, Julian." Then her glared at his wife and hissed at her, "You can't possibly be considering letting him go! The Oracle doesn't appreciate being bothered with such trivial –"

"He's not going to consult to Oracle about the effects of the roboticizer," Aleena interrupted, her gaze certain. "He's going for another purpose; we must not impede him."

Jules stared at her for a moment before moaning, "Your intuition again, darling?"

"Yes," she stated calmly, golden eyes clear at she met her husband's stare.

"Very well. He may go. But I sincerely hope you're not mistaken."

"This isn't fair! Sonic's the one who caused it all, not me! Why am I being punished?"

Sonia sighed, slumping onto her favorite pink sofa. Manic, sitting on the other end, stifled a bored yawn He'd been listening to his little sister rant for nearly half an hour, and was anxious to leave the ten-year-old to her anger. An eighteen-year-old could only take so much of his siblings. She was partially correct: Sonic did start the whole thing, but what Sonia couldn't see was that she was a part of the problem – if she didn't get upset so easily, Sonic wouldn't bother her nearly as much. He never treated anyone else like he did her, after all.

"Come on, sis'. Don't be so hard on the little guy. He doesn't really mean anything by it."

"Doesn't mean anything by it? Manic, he stole my tiara! The one that belonged to mom when she was my age!" Her gray eyes narrowed her shoulders tensed, and her medallion glowed pink briefly in response. Suddenly, she drooped, and fell backwards into the couch with a sigh, "Sometimes I wish I didn't have a younger brother."

"Don't say that, sis! It's just asking for trouble."

"I don't care! Everything was perfect until he came along – he ruins everything! I wish Mom and Dad never had him!"

Manic made as if to respond, but was stopped by a tiny gasp coming from behind the couch. Both Manic and Sonia jumped as a flash of blue streaked past them and out of the room. Manic turned to his sister and shot her a look that clearly said, 'Now see what you've done?' Then he raced out of the room after Sonic.

Only Sonia remained. "How was I supposed to know he'd hear what I said," She muttered defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. "He's supposed to be in his rooms right now, not mine."

She sat and sulked for a few minutes, before curiosity got the best of her and she peeked behind the couch, half expecting a frog to jump out at her. Instead, sitting on the marble floor, almost touching the velvet back of the couch, was a necklace she had been missing for nearly three weeks. Attached to it was a note written in childish handwriting.

"I founD this behinD yoR Dressur today. I'm sorRy I got you in trubLe.

Sonic

P.S. – I'm not sorRy about the ice cube. That was funny!

"I'm sorry, Sonic," Sonia whispered to herself, knowing her little brother wouldn't hear her. She briefly considered chasing after him as Manic had done, but knew that there was no way she could possibly catch up now, at least not without getting caught and getting in worse trouble than she already was. So she simply sighed and resolved to apologize to him the next time she saw him.

She didn't realize how long that would be.

Up in the high reaches on the Northern mountains lived a hermit. Few had ever seen him, and those who had never could recall exactly what he looked like – simply that he was very old. This convinced many that he put a spell on his visitors so they couldn't recognize him if they saw him again, but the truth of the matter was that his visitors were usually so overwhelmed by what he said to them that they forgot everything else about their visit.

For this hermit was the Oracle of Delphius.

An ancient Mobian of unknown species, the Oracle had long ago moved to the mountains to avoid the hordes that sought him out for their own purposes. He had gotten tired of answering idiotic questions like, "Will my wife really end up like my mother-in-law?" and "Who's going to win the next Mobodoon cup?"; questions that were esily answerable or simply ridiculous – "Of course she'll turn out like her mother – you shouldn't have married her if you weren't prepared for it." "I'm not going to tell you who will win the Cup, because that would both ruin the event and allow you to strike it rich, which, by the way, would be useless in the long run because you'd waste it all and wind up right back where you are now."

Ah, the joys of being a clairvoyant.

At the moment, the Oracle was having tea, and listening to the engine of a hovership landing outside his caves. Mentally, he counted down the seconds. 'Five, four, three, two, one –'

"Oracle!"

Showtime.

Sir Julian was angry; firstly, because he hadn't been able to finish his dinner, thanks to those insufferable little rodents; then he'd nearly been forbidden to come here, which was essential if he were to carry out his plan; then his hovership had nearly crashed twice on the trip north! He felt like smashing something, and would if that dratted Oracle didn't show up soon! "Where is that cave troll? He had to have known I was coming!"

"Julian Robotnik. You wish to consult me."

Julian whirled around, to see an old, nondescript Mobian in a ratty old cloak standing where no-one had been a second before. There were no footprints in the snow; no sign of how he'd gotten there. He just . . .was. For the first time in his life, Julian was spooked. Still, despite his entrance, the old Mobian appeared weak. This wouldn't be too difficult, after all.

"The Oracle of Delphius! At last we meet. Now, tell me - "

"You will be silent," The Oracle stated calmly, and just like that, Julian was frozen in place, unable to speak. "Your rise to power is assured. Many are the ones who will fall by the might of your hand. You will spread terror into the hearts of all who would oppose you."

This was good. Oh, this was very good. At last – all these years of playing the dog loyal to its master would pay off! But then the Oracle continued, and Julian felt his dreams falling apart. "Your rule will last just seven years; your destiny is to fall at the hands of the second prince of light; the kingdom of Mobodoon will be restored to its former glory, and the House of Light will reign once more. So says the Oracle of Delphius." The old Mobian blinked, then looked at Julian, said, "Oh, by the way – during this time, you will earn a host of unflattering nicknames and, and will forever be remembered by the name "Robuttnik"," and vanished.

Julian's scream of anger nearly caused an avalanche.

When he stopped, he growled and tapped a few buttons on his wrist communicator. A bulky orange Mobian with a blonde Mohawk and tiny sunglasses appeared on the screen. He had a distant, none-too-aware look on his face.

"'Ello? 'Oo is it? If you're sellin' something, Sleet says 'e don't want it."

"Give me that, you great buffoon," a voice from off-screen insisted, before an angry-looking wolf took his place. Upon seeing Sir Julian, he adapted a submissive manner of speaking. "Greetings, Dr. Robotnik, sir! Do you require our . . . services?"

"Yes," the humangrowled out, a twisted look of pleasure appearing in his eyes. "I need you to kidnap and kill Sonic Hikaru."

"'Ey, isn't that the little pri-oof!"

"Shut up, idiot. We would be happy to assist you in this matter, sir, but there is the slight matter of our pay-"

"Your payment is your lives! Now get to work!" Julian cut the transmission and got back in his ship, rubbing his head as he went. Dealing with those two always seemed to give him a headache.

Back inside the cave, the Oracle smiled to himself as he sipped anoth cup of tea. Everything had been put into motion. It was now up to destiny to carry it out. Not that he was worried; after all, he already knew what would happen, and how. It wouldn't be an easy road for anyone involved, but in the end, light would triumph.

It always did.

It was hours before Manic found his little brother. By then, he had covered the entire city and had begun searching the surrounding area. He discovered Sonic sitting beside a small pond, skipping stones – or at least attempting to. Every time he tried the rock would skip no more than once before plunking into the water. Every now and then, the little blue hedgehog glanced up at the moon, which, due to the distortion separating Mobodoon from Mobius Proper, constantly shifted colors.

As Manic drew closer to his brother, he saw the tear streaks on the small hedgehog's face, and watched in silence as the eight-year-old half-heartedly tossed another rock into the pond, which dropped straight to the bottom. The older hedgehog then walked up beside him and sat down, using his power to manipulate earth to levitate a rock and skip it across the pond. He purposely made it skip halfway across before letting it sink, and turned cheerfully to Sonic.

"See; that's how you do it."

Sonic sniffed and glared at him, "Nuh-uh! You were using your power – that's cheating!"

Manic laughed and ruffled Sonic's quills, resulting in the younger of the two making a face and frantically trying to smooth them back into their original position. "You can't cheat at skipping stones, little bro'! It's not a contest." Sonic glowered and picked up another rock to throw, but Manic stopped him. "Whoa, not that one."

"What's wrong with it?" Sonic asked, refusing to let go of his rock.

"It's too big, for one thing. And it's not flat enough. Here, try this one," the green hedgehog said, offering his brother a much small, more suitable stone. When Sonic hesitated, Manic encouraged. "Go on, bro; try it."

Sonic did so, and the stone skipped three times before sinking into the edge of the moon's reflection.

"Hey, I did it! Manic – didja see? Didja?"

Manic nodded, "That was pretty good bro'. Why don't you try throwing it a little more 'out' instead of 'down' this time, though?"

For the next half hour, the two brothers skipped stones and said nothing, unless it was related to what they were doing at the moment. Finally, after Sonic successfully skipped his latest stone five times, he turned to his brother questioningly.

"Manic"

"Yeah? What'cha need, little bro'?"

"Do I . . . really ruin everything?"

Manic shook his head, "No way, kid. All you do is make life a lot more interesting."

"But – but Sonia said – "

"Sonia was mad; she didn't mean it."

"Oh. . . I guess I shouldn't bug her so much, should I? Then she wouldn't get so mad at me."

"Probably not," Manic agreed, thankful he didn't have to suggest the idea to his painfully stubborn little brother.

"But then again, she sure is fun to tease!" The little blue hedgehog grinned, eyes sparkling. Suddenly, he jumped, and his ears twitched to his right. "Do you hear that?" Manic shook his head, not sure what his brother was talking about.

"No, I don't hear anyth – Sonic, get down!"

The next thing Sonic knew, he was laying on the ground with his brother on top of him. Something went over their heads and hit a tree behind them, causing it to catch fire.

"W-what's going on?"

"I don't know," hissed Manic, "Don't talk. Whoever fired that laser is coming this way." Then the older hedgehog shifted the ground around them so they weren't in plain view. Sonic tried to speak again, but his brother shushed him, pointing to something to their right. Then the two brothers exchanged wary glances.

Voices.

"Uh. . . what're we doin' 'ere, Sleet?"

"I've told you this a thousand times, you idiot – we're here because the hedgehog is here. Now be quiet before he notices us."

"Oh; it's a surprise party?"

"No, it is not a party! We're here to kill him, remember?"

"Who're we supposed t' kill?"

"Prince Sonic, you nincompoop!" Both hedgehog's eyes widened at that and Sonic started shaking. Manic tightened his arms around his younger brother in an attempt at comfort. "The Doctor wants him out of the way, and we are the ones to do it. Now, Dingo, do you see him anywhere?"

Manic pulled Sonic closer and whispered into the younger hedgehog's ear, "When I tell you to, I want you to run as fast as you can back to the palace and tell Dad what's going on. Whatever you might hear, I don't want you to come back, do you understand?" Sonic nodded, and the two hedgehogs slowly stood up, moving as one.

"'Ey, look over there!" Footsteps came pounding toward them, and Manic shoved his brother away.

"Run!"

Sonic ran.

He had only gone a short distance, however, when he began to wonder what was happening to his brother and raced back to find out. At first, Manic appeared to be holding his own just fine, shifting the ground underneath their feet and pelting them with the largest rocks he could find. Sonic started to relax and calm down, when the big orange Mobian, disregarding the rocks he was being pelted with as if he didn't even feel them hitting him, grabbed Manic and threw him against a tree, knocking him out instantly.

"Manic!"

"Well, well, little prince. It seems we have you."

Sonic faced the assassins, and was suddenly seized with defiance. HE stuck his tongue out at the wolf, then while he was reaching for his laser, ran behind him and blew a raspberry.

"Nyah nyah – can't catch me!"

When Sleet turned around, Sonic ran behind him again. This continued several times, until Sleet grew dizzy and began seeing stars.

"Stand still, you little – "

Sonic fell to the ground laughing, losing track of the situation for a moment. It was just long enough for Dingo to sneak up behind him and grab him.

"I got 'im, Sleet! I got ''im!"

Sonic struggled to get away, but the large Mobian was too strong for him, and was either not bothered by the quills pricking him, or too oblivious to notice. Sleet seemed surprised that his partner had done something right for once, but after a moment shook off his shock and walked over to the two, aiming his laser pistol at the prince.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but good job. Now, Prince Sonic, I'm afraid I must kill you."

Sonic fervently wished he was anywhere on Mobius but here.

His wish was granted.

Manic opened his eyes in time to see his brother's medallion fill the area with a bright blue glow, and Sonic vanish into thin air.

Sleet and Dingo looked at each other and shrugged, not sure what to do now that there target had vanished. Manic lay still, hoping they'd forget about him so he could get out of here and tell his father what happened. Maybe then they could get Sonic back.

Meanwhile, Dingo scratched his head. "Uh . . . what do we do now?"

Sleet smiled. "That's easy – We simply tell Dr. Robotnik that we finished the job."

"But – but we didn't finish it! 'E got away!"

"I know that and you know that, but does Dr. Robotnik know that?"

Dingo blinked in a confused manner, "Is. . . Is that a trick question?"

Manic nearly jumped up when he heard who had hired the two thugs to kill his brother. His mind was racing in circles, trying to process what he'd just heard. Sir Julian wanted to kill his brother? IF so, this was bad – not just for Sonic, but for all of Mobodoon.

Sonic was falling.

He was going to land in water.

That was all he had time to notice before he impacted and the water closed in around him and he began to struggle. As Sonic couldn't swim, this didn't help the situation any. At some point in his panicked thrashing, Sonic's medallion slipped from his neck and sunk.

The medallion's defense programming kicked in as is separated from his person, taking all memories associated with Mobodoon with it, so that its owner, were he approached by greedy Mobians who wished to harm Mobodoon, wouldn't be able to tell them anything.

Sonic never noticed it vanish into the water.

Some hours later, a young blue hedgehog with no memories other than the name "Sonic" awoke in the hut of a raccoon couple on Christmas Island. He was taken in by the couple, who had found him, half-drowned, washed up on the shore of their tiny island.

Not far off the coast of the island, a guitar-shaped Mobidium Royal Medallion lay on the rocky seabed, pulsing with a bright blue glow, and holding the memories of Prince Sonic Hikaru safe until he would find it again.

Unfortunately, seven years passed before he did.

-TBC-