Hello everyone!

Sorry for the BIG wait all of you had to endure! I would say I have an excuse, but I sort of don't to be honest.

I was doing an internship until yesterday. However, I did also make a whole new movie Sonic fic- wrote 3 chapters- and wrote a one-shot of Sonic Prime after that heart-aching cliffhanger at the end of season 2 since last time I updated this fic. So... I sort of neglected this fic and I apologize for that. I remember telling someone in the comments to expect a new chapter by this time period, but I was imagining that being the worst case scenario- not it actually hapenning lol.

But now that my internship is over, expect quicker updates! So that's good, I suppose.

With all of that said, hope y'all enjoy this new chapter!

Knuckles was the first one to wake up in the Wachowski household. The first rays of the sun began to radiate into their attic. His brothers were still soundly asleep.

These last few days had been completely different from what he could ever have expected. Longclaw's apprentice, or rather Sonic's foster mother, hadn't died after all and had "time traveled,", a term he had learned from those movin- the television.

And Knuckles felt conflicted.

In a way, Longclaw is Sonic's mother (Sonic had two mothers now, which was definitely a foreign concept to Knuckles). So, therefore, being Sonic's brother, he should act honorably towards Longclaw and treat her respectfully and kindly. However, at the same time, Knuckles couldn't help but feel he was somewhat betraying his own tribe by treating Longclaw that way. He knows that the way he's treating Longclaw is the right thing to do. (Especially after his parents' explanation), but he still feels conflicted...

And that's not even mentioning the Master Emerald.

Six months ago, Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails made a pact to protect the Master Emerald in an earthly manner (with a 'fist bump', as Sonic had called it), and eventually Tom and Maddie- his adoptive parents- became part of that pact. And now, Knuckles felt the obligation to extend that pact to Longclaw. Sonic hadn't even asked him about it, and Knuckles knew he probably wouldn't, but he still felt obligated because Longclaw is Sonic's foster mother. She is also considered part of their tribe (Knuckles didn't consider her part of it, but his family certainly did). And she was the one who had secured Master Emerald, after all.

'But the owls stole it from your ancestors', a part of Knuckles thought.

Knuckles got up from bed and stretched himself silently.

Maybe it didn't matter that Longclaw's ancestors stole the Emerald. After all, his ancestors did contribute to the owl's eventual extinction, and while he is very proud of his heritage, that's something that he's starting to not endorse (with the influence of his new adoptive family). And, besides, at least that he was aware of, Longclaw never killed or tried to kill anyone. His ancestors did.

As an attempt to think about something else, he got out of the attic and walked down the stairs to get to the kitchen (so he could have some grapes to eat). As he was heading to the kitchen, he noticed Longclaw sitting on the couch. It seemed like she had just woken up as well.

Both of them made eye contact.

An awkward silence filled the house immediately.

Knuckles found himself stuck. It was the first time both of them had been together without anyone else. He needed to make a choice now. He would either treat Longclaw the way his family wants him to- the right way to treat anyone. Or he would treat her the way his tribe would want.

"Good morning, Longclaw."

His old tribe wasn't alive anymore. His new tribe is his family. A tribe that he would cherish for the rest of his existence. And so, he did what they wanted. But not just to please his brother and his family—no, he truly believed it was the right thing to do.

Longclaw replied with a brief good morning, infused with a hint of distrust. Knuckles immediately sensed Longclaw's wariness towards him, which was only natural. In fact, he also felt the same way. Not only because, until six months ago, Knuckles wouldn't think twice about fighting Longclaw or any owl. But also, since Eggman had deceived him, he learned that trust takes time. Obviously, his family showed more than enough proof that they were trustworthy, and, therefore, he trusted his family just as they trusted him. Which, obviously, included Sonic.

Sonic did trust Longclaw.

But the hedgehog had been nothing more than a toddler when she "died". So, while Knuckles would treat her honorably, he wouldn't let his guard down until he knew for certain he could trust her.

However, Knuckles still knew he had to say something besides 'good morning'. There were things that needed to be addressed, and while he didn't trust her, he still wanted to make it clear that Longclaw knew he was trustworthy. Just in case, she proved to be trustworthy and honorable.

"I know our ancestors had history." Knuckles began, looking at Longclaw attentively. Breaking the awkward silence that had followed once again. "However, I want to make clear that I wish we treated each other how we would treat one of our species if they were still here—in an honorable and respectful matter. I genuinely don't wish to harm you or deceive you, owl."

Longclaw looked at him, studying his eyes for a second, seeing if she could find any kind of dishonesty in Knuckles' statement.

"I- Thank you, Knuckles." Longclaw began, perhaps certain that Knuckles' words weren't deceiving, which was indeed the case. "I feel the same way, and... that would be great, actually. I'm glad we were able to come to a consensus. There's just one thing."

"The Master Emerald, right?"

"Exactly." The owl replied, and Knuckles knew what he had to say. Even if he didn't agree with it, he knew that, in case Longclaw proved to not be trustworthy, he was fully capable of fighting her. He hadn't received the title of most dangerous warrior in the galaxy' for no reason, after all. And he did have Sonic and Tails, too (even though they were quite untrained and inexperienced). Thankfully, that occurring is very unlikely. Even with their extremely limited time spent together, Knuckles could tell Longclaw was a good mother figure to Sonic. Still, if that were to happen, Sonic would be devastated and he would make sure Sonic's suffering wouldn't go in vain.

"I'm willing to make you part of our order. Part of our order to protect the Master Emerald. For that, you must make a vow to keep the universe safe and to never misuse the Master Emeralds' power." Knuckles said it as seriously as he could. "However, if you do anything that could indicate you are breaking that promise, our deal is off."

Longclaw processed, for a few seconds, everything that Knuckles had told her.

"Alright… I agree with those terms. Thank you for allowing me to protect the Master Emerald." Longclaw said gratefully.

Longclaw, then, finished her vow the same way Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails had, six months prior, with a power bump. That is, after Knuckles told her what it was, and then she did it somewhat awkwardly—she had wings, not hands—or fists, for that matter.

Sonic is going to be ecstatic when he learns about the new addition to their order.

However, it didn't go unnoticed by Knuckles (nothing ever goes unnoticed by Knuckles, he was trained for that) that Longclaw made the vow with a hint of... hesitation? Knuckles sensed that Longclaw was still afraid that he would betray him and Sonic but decided to cooperate.

Because of Sonic.

The same exact reason he is even allowing Longclaw into their order-

Because of his little brother.

Maybe they shared more similarities than they both thought...

Sonic woke up long after the sun had already filled his and his brothers' rooms with its radiant light. He lingered in bed for a while before finally getting up lazily.

Last day couldn't have gone better.

Not only was he able to be with Longclaw again, but Longclaw processed and reacted way better than he had expected! He was staying on earth with his family and Longclaw!

And Tails had been right! She had time traveled! Which meant she hadn't abandoned him and actually cared about him! And she had accepted (or, at least, tolerated) Knuckles! The little breakdown he had had a few days prior felt so alien to him now.

He headed to the kitchen, finding his whole family, including Longclaw, there eating breakfast. He looked at the clock and saw that it was already kind of late to have breakfast—10:47 AM, to be exact. Generally, when there were no plans for the morning, when he woke up, everyone had already eaten their breakfast.

Even before he came to live with Tom and Maddie, Sonic was not a morning person. And he still isn't, and he probably never will. His brothers, however, were—especially Knuckles. He always was the first one to wake up in the family—even when Tom and, or, Maddie, had work—part of his training apparently.

Both of his parents were here since their respective bosses gave Tom and Maddie a few days of vacation, so they could handle everything and help Longclaw get comfortable with them and with Green Hills too. His people (the Green Hills' residents, obviously) are what make Green Hill the best place on Earth!

Sure, he hadn't lived anywhere else, but in what place would anyone be this caring?

And that's exactly why he has no doubt that, the same way Green Hills accepted Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails, they will accept Longclaw, and she'll become part of their community, too.

Sonic then, after wishing everyone good morning, started to eat his breakfast as well. Talking to everyone about some random thing he thought of. Sharing some laughs and genuinely having a good time with his, once again, expanded family.

When he moved into Tom and Maddie's house and Green Hills accepted him, he didn't think his life could possibly get better than that.

But of course, it did.

When he got two brothers, he truly believed that now, his life could possibly never get better than this!

However, he was so wrong... He has never been so glad he was wrong.

Against all odds, the speedster now had his first mother back, and he couldn't be happier! He's so grateful for the life he has now. Long gone are the days of being all alone and isolated from the world. Forced to only interact with himself and with the animals around him (and Crazy Carl, if pranking him counted as interaction).

And then, right after breakfast, Knuckles told him that he had decided to bring Longclaw to their order. The Master Emerald order

He immediately went to cloud nine and sped towards Knuckles, hugging him tightly.

He had already been very ecstatic, but that truly sold it. His brother's willingness to trust Longclaw made him genuinely happy. Sure, the only reason Knuckles was even willing to do this was because of him. Nevertheless, he didn't think Knuckles would open up Longclaw to their pact that fast. The rest of his family definitely looked surprised too, but they were happy Knuckles was willing to trust Longclaw as well.

Sonic then, when only Longclaw was present, asked her if she wanted to meet Green Hills and his people.

"Your people?" Longclaw asked, clearly confused. "You mean the Green Hills' residents?"

Sonic nodded.

"Y'know, I'm famous around here," Sonic began, now supporting his head with his two hands. "And since I've observed them for so long, I like calling them my people. Cuz' I really feel like they are."

"I see…" Longclaw said, looking at Sonic and processing what he had just told her. "Your reveal certainly had to leave an impression on those humans."

"It really did!" Sonic answered excitedly. "You should've been there! I kicked Eggman's butt, and they all clapped in the end! It was so cool!" Sonic finished, the excitement from that night invading his mind and making him almost jump repeatedly.

Longclaw laughed and then smiled at Sonic. Sonic smiled back. He really had missed hearing Longclaw's laugh. He had been so young when he last heard Longclaw's laugh, and while he did remember bits of Longclaw's voice before she came back, he had fully forgotten how Longclaw's laugh sounded. He is so grateful he's able to listen to her laugh again…

Then Sonic told Tom and Maddie he was going to show Green Hills to Longclaw. Even though Longclaw looked a bit apprehensive and uncomfortable (which was only natural, she had never been among humans until yesterday), she assured him that it was okay and that she would like to meet the town and his adoring public. Sonic cast away the thought that, perhaps, the only reason for seeing the Green Hills' residents, besides making him happy, was to see if they were safe enough for him.

However, as they were about to leave, Tails, who had been in his workshop after breakfast, passed by in their entrance hall.

"Hey buddy." Sonic started, making Tails stop going to… whatever place he was going to in the house. "I'm going to show Green Hills to Longclaw. Do you want to come?"

"I would love to," Tails replied, smiling at his brother, "but I'm working on a thing in my workshop."

That peaked Sonic's interest.

"What kind of thing, little bro?" Sonic asked, genuinely interested. His little brother's inventions were really great! And even though he didn't understand half of what Tails was saying, he loved hearing Tails ramble about his projects. It was kind of cute to see Tails so passionate (not that he was ever going to admit that, though).

"It's a surprise." Tails replied in a mysterious, but fun, way.

In the past six months, Tails has started seeing Sonic as not only a hero but as his big brother too. And Sonic was so glad that was the case!

"Oh, you're making me curious!" Sonic smiled. He wondered what Tails could be doing. Whatever it was, though, Sonic was sure it would be great. "But remember to not overwork yourself, little bro."

Tails rolled his eyes in a half-hearted way. His little brother had a habit of overworking himself with a lot of projects, especially when those projects were for the whole family. He couldn't blame Tails, though (Especially considering Tails had… a rough past). Sonic knew what it was like to adjust to a new life, to not be alone anymore, and to remember that he has people who care for him. He went through a very similar phase when he first moved in with Tom and Maddie. And, while it would take time, his little brother would surely get there eventually.

Tails then went to the living room, where his dad and m- second mom was. He needed more oil, apparently.

They headed out of his—well, their house—it was Longclaw's house, too. She was living with them, after all.

"What kind of things does Tails do in his workshop, exactly?" Longclaw asked, as they were heading towards where most of the Green Hills' residents lived.

Right. With so many things they needed to tell Longclaw, they ended up forgetting to mention how much of a genius Tails is. And of course, his little brother didn't say anything. Even though Tails talked quite a bit with Longclaw yesterday, when they were telling her everything that had happened, his little brother's self-esteem wasn't high enough for him to even mention that. And, later, he had so many things to show and tell Longclaw that he ended up not bringing up Tails' technology (he had talked a lot about his family, but he still should've brought that up).

"You remember me showing you what technology is, right?" Sonic asked his first mother.

Longclaw nodded.

"Well… my little brother is a total genius!" Sonic proudly exclaimed, his smile beaming with pride as he spoke about his brother. Longclaw looked somewhat surprised but remained silent, absorbing the information. "And, so, he makes a lot of tech. It's a passion of his, and he's really awesome at it! Back when Tails and Knuckles started living with us. Knuckles thought they were people inside the television. You remember what a television is, right?" Longclaw replied with a quick yes. Clearly still trying to process everything—it wasn't every day that you found an eight-year-old like Tails, after all.

"And, so, he broke the whole TV, and Tails was able to fix it! But he has done way cooler stuff than that! I'm really proud of him! And that's also why my mo- second mom and dad made a workshop for him. So, he could have more space and privacy." Sonic finished, pausing as his first mom stopped walking too.

"I didn't know Tails was such a prodigy." Longclaw replied, once she assembled everything Sonic had told her.

"I know… There were so many things to tell you that we forgot." Sonic said, slightly embarrassed. Longclaw smiled.

"It's alright, Sonic. I understand." Sonic smiled, and then they resumed their walk together. "However, I do not understand how Tails has problems with overworking himself. He's still so young."

Sonic didn't understand either.

At this point, everyone knew Tails' past had been a really bad one. And that his village didn't just think he was weird. But Tails didn't feel ready to talk about it, and he had to respect that.

"He didn't have anyone… until now." Sonic answered in the best way he could, considering how few details he had about Tails' past.

"He was all alone?" Longclaw asked, concern written all over her face.

"Yes..." Sonic began, as he thought of the best way to describe the whole situation to his first mom. "His whole village thought he was weird cuz' of his two tails. And he doesn't even remember his parents! He thinks they died before he could remember them. So, he had no one until six months ago." Longclaw looked really concerned. And, honestly, he couldn't blame her. He and Knuckles felt protective over Tails, and they were concerned with his well-being too. "And there's some other stuff, but he doesn't feel comfortable telling us yet. I think the whole village did more than just think he was weird, y'know? I think they bullied him and… a lot."

Longclaw was shocked.

"How could they do something like that to Tails? He's just a child!" Longclaw exclaimed, maintaining her composure but still very much outraged by the situation.

"I know… I don't get it either! His two tails are awesome! He can literally fly with them! How awesome is that?!" Longclaw nodded immediately, responding with a very convinced 'right?!' "And I genuinely believe that's the case, cuz' during one of our movie nights, Tails fell asleep and was having a nightmare. He was saying in his sleep, 'stop hitting me', 'leave me alone' and other really bad things. When he woke up, crying, he refused to say what he was dreaming about. Neither what happened in his past—I just really wanna help him, y'know? We all do." Sonic finished, letting out everything he should've told Longclaw before.

"It's totally normal to feel that way, Sonic. You only told Tom and Maddie your personal stuff when you felt comfortable, right?" Longclaw answered, clearly trying to make Sonic understand that these kinds of things take time. He already had, though. He just wished Tails would have told them already.

"I know what you mean... But I—all of us, really—just want him to be better. Knuckles has a lot of trauma, too, like I do. But he's very open to it. I've been trying to get better at it. But Tails…"

"Still doesn't feel comfortable?" Longclaw finished for him.

"Yeah…"

"The only thing you—all of you—can do is be patient, Sonic. He'll come to you eventually." Longclaw replied softly.

"I know." Sonic smiled, happy that he's able to, once again, share what concerns him with his first mom. "My second mom and my dad said the same thing too."

As Sonic finished saying the last part, he realized they were almost there.

Hopefully, Longclaw would love his people as much as he does and hopefully his people would love Longclaw, too…