(Note: This short story is a prequel for my version of the Knuckles TV show coming soon).
~A Young Warrior's New Quest~
It was a sunny spring day as the Wachowski Family were having a small get together in their backyard. They were having a barbecue, enjoying the nice summer day.
Tom and Maddie were talking to Martha and Jorge, Michaelangelo was cooking some food on the grill, and Sonic and Tails were playing together in the small plastic kiddie pool in the backyard.
The only ones missing were Penelope and Knuckles.
"By the way, son, where's your wife? And little Knuckles?", asked Jorge.
"Oh, they both went to the supermarket. We were running low on napkins, cups, chips and hamburgers. I was gonna go get them myself, but Penelope insisted on going instead because she got tired of sitting around the whole time.
"And Knuckles decided to accompany her because he was worried she would get hurt by herself, so he's acting as her bodyguard while she shops", said Michaelangelo.
"I hope the poor dear will be okay, she's in her final month of pregnancy. She could give birth any day now", said Martha.
"Don't worry, Nana. Sis is in good hands, Knuckles will protect her from anything. If anything, you should feel bad for anyone who's stupid enough to try to hurt Penelope because Knuckles will break them!", said Sonic as Tails shot him with a water gun.
Tom let out a laugh, "Exactly. Don't worry, they'll both be fine. Have a little faith in the both of them, they'll be back soon and in one piece too", he said as he took a sip of his beer.
[Time Skip]
Meanwhile at the supermarket, Penelope stood in the meat section, looking for the right pack of hamburgers. She was now nine months pregnant, as evident by her large and protruding belly, and her due date was approaching.
"Sister! I have retrieved the missing items!"
Penelope turned around to see Knuckles walking over to her, carrying a pack of napkins, a pack of cups and a large bag of potato chips. She smiled upon seeing her younger brother.
"Good work, buddy. Let me just grab the hamburgers and then we can go", said Penelope.
As she reached down to pick up a pack of Angus beef burgers, Penelope suddenly doubled over. She clutched her stomach as she groaned in pain; Knuckles was concerned as he set down the items he was holding and rushed to her side.
"Penelope, what's wrong?", he asked.
"I don't know...my stomach really hurts, I think I might--"
Just then, a clear liquid began to trickle down Penelope's legs and onto the floor. Knuckles looked at the liquid in confusion.
"Sister, did you just urinate on yourself?", he asked.
Penelope looked down and gasped in horror, "Knuckles, that's not pee! My water just broke, it means my baby is coming!", she shouted.
Knuckles did a double take, not sure he heard correctly. "What? How is that possible? Did the healers at the hospital not tell you that you would give birth next week?", he asked.
Penelope slowly eased herself onto the floor, leaning back against the meat rack for back support. She breathed heavily, "I guess my baby is a little impatient and wants to come out now, but there's no time to dilly-dally. You need to get some help", she said as she groaned in pain.
Not wasting any time, Knuckles ran around until he found one of the supermarket employees. He ran over and grabbed the young man by the arm.
"You, market worker! I need help, my my sister is in the process of childbirth! She needs to be taken to the hospital!", he shouted as he pointed over to Penelope.
The employee gasped in shock as he ran over to one of the checkout counters and called for the manager. The manager arrived and then proceeded to call for an ambulance. A few minutes later, paramedics came into the supermarket and loaded Penelope onto a stretcher.
They carried her into the back of the ambulance, with Knuckles following, and swiftly drove to the hospital. Once they got there, Knuckles was told to wait in the waiting room while some nurses wheeled Penelope over to the delivery room.
Nearly thirty minutes later, his family came bursting into the hospital.
"Knuckles, Mom and Dad got a call from the hospital! What's going on? Is Sis okay?!", asked Sonic.
"She began having the pains of labor, so the healers took her away to deliver her child. It has been thirty minutes", said Knuckles.
"I gotta get over there pronto, she needs me!", said Michaelangelo as he ran as fast as he could to the delivery room.
Tails started trembling, "Do you think they're gonna be okay? What if something goes wrong? What if...", he couldn't finish talking as he found himself suddenly crying out of fear.
Sonic walked over and pulled him into a hug, "Don't you worry, buddy. Penelope is pretty tough, she'll make it through. I know she will...she just has to, I...I can't lose her too!", he said as he became overwhelmed by his own emotions and started crying as well.
Maddie would've gone over to comfort him and Tails, but she was stopped when Knuckles pulled both of them close to him, embracing them. He held them close, shutting his eyes tightly.
Father, if you can hear me from the great battleground in the sky, then I ask that you please help our sister. She is very dear to us, to me. I want her and her offspring to be safe, please protect them.
[Time Skip]
The family had been in the waiting room for almost an hour and a half. Sonic and Tails had dozed off on Knuckles' lap, but the red echidna remained wide awake. He couldn't possibly sleep, knowing that Penelope was still giving birth and the doctor had yet to come out and say anything about it.
Just then, the doctor came walking over to the family. They all stood up upon seeing him, "How is she? Is she still alive?", said Tom.
The doctor gave him a warm smile, "No need to worry, folks. Penelope has successfully given birth to a healthy baby girl, and they are both doing perfectly fine", he said.
Everyone cheered happily upon hearing the news. Knuckles shook Sonic and Tails by the shoulders, "Awaken, brothers! Our sister has given birth to her child!", he said. At first, Sonic and Tails were a little confused since they had just woken up, but upon being told what was going on, they both started cheering.
"Can we go see her, doctor?", asked Maddie.
"Yes, but try to keep the noise to a minimum. This is a hospital after all", said the doctor.
With that said, everyone began walking over to the delivery room to see Penelope. She was laying in a bed with Michaelangelo sitting next to her, a small bundle in a pink blanket was cradled in her arms.
"Hey, guys. Come see the baby", said Michaelangelo.
Without needing to be told twice, Sonic and Tails were the first to rush over and see the baby. The adults were all much taller than them, so they simply looked over their heads at the cooing baby.
"She looks and sounds healthy", said Tails.
"She's beautiful", said Maddie.
"I'm so happy to finally have a grandchild!", said Martha as she tried to hold back her tears.
"Hey there, cutie. I'm your uncle, Sonic! I can't wait until you're big enough for me to show you how to play baseball, we're gonna have so much fun!", said Sonic.
Seeing an open spot near the left side of the hospital bed, Knuckles walked over to stand at Penelope's side. She looked up at him and smiled, lifting her child for him to see.
"Knuckles, look. This is our baby", she said.
Knuckles looked down at the newborn. She was a spitting image of her mother, the same reddish brown hair and green eyes, lightly tan brown skin, and she appeared to be in perfect health.
But Knuckles was perturbed by something.
"Is there something wrong with the infant?", he asked.
Penelope exchanged a look with Michaelangelo while everyone else stood around in awkward silence. "Um...no, why do you ask?", said Michaelangelo.
Knuckles took a closer look at the baby girl, "She is just so...small", he said.
"That's okay, human babies are supposed to be small. Do you wanna hold her?", said Penelope.
"I can?", asked Knuckles.
"Sure you can. Just make sure to support her head and hold her close to your chest", said Penelope.
She then slowly brought her baby over to Knuckles, slipping her into his arms. Knuckles made sure to hold her close to his chest whilst keeping her head and neck supported; he then looked down at the baby, she was looking up at him with wide eyes filled with innocent curiosity.
"What name have you given her?", asked Knuckles.
"Well, we talked about it for a while and we decided to name her Isabella. It was my birth mother's name and I just know she would've been happy to hear I named my first child after her", said Penelope.
Knuckles looked at the baby girl in his arms again, feeling a strong sense of warmth and love full his chest.
Thank you for making sure this little one was born safely...Father, he thought.
"My turn, I wanna hold her now", said Sonic.
"Aw, come on! Let me hold her next, Sonic!", Tails whined.
[Time Skip: One year later]
"That is it, young one. Take your first steps!"
It had been a year since the birth of Penelope's daughter, Isabella. The little girl was growing up just fine, surrounded by loving family members.
Now, she was a year old and Knuckles, being a devoted uncle, had taken it upon himself to begin Isabella's training to become a great warrior. Of course, he knew she was still too young for any combat training, so he just focused on the basics.
At the moment, he was encouraging Isabella to stand up and walk. She was already a year old, so it was time for her to start learning how to walk and Knuckles was going to make sure she learned.
Since Isabella was a year old, Penelope was no longer on maternity leave and she was able to go back to work with Michaelangelo. She also found a reliable daycare center in town to drop Isabella off during the week. So Knuckles would drop by on the weekends to do his training with Isabella.
The little toddler stood up unsteadily on her feet and slowly started walking towards her Mobian uncle. She took small and uneven steps, but she was making progress as she moved closer and closer to him.
"Excellent, keep it up. You are almost there, child. Just a few more steps", said Knuckles as he held his arms out to her.
Isabella took a few more small steps before she fell into Knuckles' arms, her cheek colliding with his chest. Knuckles let out a hearty laugh as he lifted the small girl up into the air.
"Excellent, well done! You are growing stronger by the day, my young niece! Soon, you will be mighty warrior!", he said with pride.
Isabella let out a few cute giggles as Knuckles gently tossed her up into the air. Just then, the moment was interrupted by someone coughing.
"Um...when are you gonna let me play with her?"
Knuckles turned to see Sonic sitting on the couch in Penelope's living room, looking a little annoyed. The three brothers had come over to their sister's house like they did every weekend; Tails was upstairs with Penelope in her workshop attic, helping her with her latest project.
Meanwhile, Knuckles and Sonic were downstairs looking after Isabella while Michaelangelo was out running a couple of errands. Sonic was getting a bit jealous of the fact that Knuckles was spending so much time with Isabella that it seemed like she favored him over the blue hedgehog.
"Come on, Knuckles! Let me play with her too, you can't just hog her all to yourself! It's not fair!", Sonic complained.
Knuckles scoffed, "We are not playing, we are training. Isabella must learn and grow strong if she is to become a mighty warrior in the future, and so I will do what I can to teach her", he said.
Sonic laughed as he walked over to take Isabella from Knuckles' arms, "Knux, she's only one. She doesn't need to learn self defense yet, not when we're here to keep her safe. Just let her be a kid, she can always take martial arts classes when she's older", he said.
He then carried her over to where all her toys were and sat down, Sonic played with her as Isabella laughed and cooed at her blue uncle. As Knuckles watched from the other side of the room, his mind wandered back to a memory of him when he was a child and his father was training him.
[Flashback]
Little Knuckles grunted as he swung a spear around, his father sat on a tree stump close by watching him.
"When I grow up, I want to be just like you, Father!", Knuckles said enthusiastically.
"You should enjoy your youth, my son. Trust me, you'll miss it when it's gone", said his father.
"But I want to be a great warrior like you! Can you teach me to wield a spear like you?", said Knuckles.
His father stood up and grabbed his own spear, practicing combat moves with it. "Well, firstly, you simply cannot wave your weapon around like that. You have to focus, be more precise--"
Just then, a large predatory bird that resembled an eagle swooped down and grabbed Knuckles in its talons. The young echidna screamed in fear as the bird carried him away, his father chasing after them.
"Father, help me!", screamed Knuckles.
"Knuckles, fight back!", shouted his father.
Knuckles took the spear and started shaking it around, the sharp spearhead ended up stabbing the bird in the thigh, causing it to screech in pain and drop its cargo. Knuckles screamed as he fell, hitting several tree branches on his down.
His father raced over to the clearing where he saw his son fall, "Knuckles! Where are you, son? Answer me!", he called out. He then heard some groaning and ran over to find Knuckles lying on the ground, as from some cuts and bruises, he was alright.
His father rushed over to his side, "Son! Are you alright?", he asked.
Knuckles coughed as he looked up at his father with a lopsided smile, "I-I fought off the bird, Father. I am a great warrior...", he weakly said before passing out in his father's arms.
His father smiled as he lifted the young echidna up into his arms and began carrying him back to their village, "Yes, my son. You truly are a great warrior", he said.
[End of Flashback]
Knuckles looked down as the memory replayed in his mind, serving as a reminder of how much he missed his father.
"Hey, Knux! Izzy's getting all antsy, I think she's hungry"
Knuckles was snapped back to reality when he heard Sonic speaking to him, he looked up to see that Isabella was acting all fussy. "Wait here whilst I retrieve her some milk", he said. He got up and walked over to the fridge, opening it to find several premade bottles of milk.
Knuckles took one, placed it in a pot of water and heated it up on the stove. Once the temperature was just right, he shut the stove off and took the bottle back over to Sonic.
"Here, you feed her. Help her hold the bottle up and support her head, she still requires assistance", said Knuckles.
Sonic did what he said as he fed the bottle to Isabella, she drank down all the milk before letting out a loud burp. Knuckles took the now empty bottle and went to go wash it in the sink; just as he placed it on the drying rack, he heard the sound of crying coming from the living room.
Knuckles rushed over right away to see Sonic holding Isabella in his arms, trying to calm her down as she was crying.
"What happened, hedgehog?", he asked.
"I don't know. After she was done with her milk, I set her back down so she could keep playing with her toys, but then she started crying. She can't be hungry since she just ate and I checked her diaper, it's clean. So I don't know what's wrong", said Sonic.
Knuckles noticed that Isabella kept rubbing her eyes as she cried, that was when he realized that she was cranky and needed to take a nap.
"She is tired, Sonic. She must take her nap now", he said.
"Oh, is that all? But I'm rocking her and she doesn't seem to want to fall asleep", said Sonic.
Knuckles went to sit on the couch, gesturing for Sonic to come sit next to him. Sonic brought the crying toddler over to the couch with him, Knuckles reached over to take her into his arms.
"Shh, it is alright. No need to weep, little one", said Knuckles. When Isabella continued to cry, Knuckles tried a new and rather unexpected way to get her to calm down.
"Come stop your crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand
Hold it tight
I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
"For one so small
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here, don't you cry"
Sonic was genuinely surprised when Knuckles started singing to Isabella, he didn't think he was the type of guy to do that but he wasn't opposed to it; it reminded him of how Longclaw would sing to him whenever he cried. Knuckles actually wasn't that bad of a singer, and it seemed to be working because Isabella was beginning to calm down.
"'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always"
Isabella started yawning as she curled up in Knuckles' arms, nuzzling his chest with her little cheek. As Knuckles rocked her back and forth, he felt a slight pressure on his shoulder.
He looked up to see Sonic leaning against him, his head resting on his shoulder. He smiled at this as he kept singing.
"Why can't they understand
The way we feel
They just don't trust
What they can't explain
I know we're different
But deep inside us
We're not that different at all
"And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
"Don't listen to them
'Cause what do they know?
We need each other
To have, to hold
They'll see in time
I know
When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together"
At this point, Isabella wasn't the only one dozing off, Sonic was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.
"'Cause you'll be in my heart
Believe me, you'll be in my heart
I'll be there from this day on
Now and forever more
"Ooh, you'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
I'll be with you
You'll be here in my heart
I'll be there always
Always
"I'll be with you
I'll be there for you always
Always and always
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
I'll be there always"
By the time Knuckles finally finished the song, both Sonic and Isabella were fast asleep. Knuckles looked at the both of them with a smile, "You are most precious to me", he whispered.
[Time Skip]
The next day, Sunday, Knuckles had taken it upon himself to take Isabella out for a walk. So, he could be seen walking through town whilst pushing her in her stroller, her baby bag hanging off of one of the handles.
Knuckles was also treating his young niece to a tour of the town, believing that she should learn the layout of the place in case she'd ever get lost.
"And there is the office of post, where we send and receive mail. And that is the supermarket, where we purchase food from the merchants...", he said.
Knuckles then decided to take Isabella for a walk through the woods, he figured it would be a good idea to introduce her to nature and show her how to navigate the forest. They stood in a clearing filled with trees, looking around and admiring the scenery.
"This, dear niece, is the forest near our home. When I was but a small child, my father would take me into the forest to teach me how to find my way. I did get lost a few times, but that never discouraged me from learning. My father was proud of me when I finally found my way through the forest without his help", said Knuckles.
Isabella didn't really understand what he was talking about, but she smiled and gestured for him to pick her up. Knuckles smiled as he reached down to lift her up into his arms.
"You are quite the spirited child, aren't you? I just know you're going to grow into a fine warrior, and in the meantime, I will be here to protect you when your parents cannot", he said.
Isabella cooed as she reached up and grabbed Knuckles by his nose, making him laugh. "Quite a strong grip you have there, one step closer", he said. Just then, Knuckles heard a twig snapping not too far from where he stood. He immediately tensed up, his warrior instincts kicking in as he placed Isabella back into her stroller.
Then, he heard some rustling in the nearby bushes. The intensity of the situation was scaring Isabella as she began to tear up, Knuckles noticed this and tried to calm her down.
"Do not cry, little one. I am here to protect you. Here, play with one of your trinkets while I access the situation", he said as he absentmindedly reached into her baby bag and pulled out something.
It was a small and round white object with cyan markings and a single red button. Knuckles slipped the object into Isabella's hands just as something emerged from the bushes.
It turned out to be a fully grown grizzly bear. Knuckles immediately took up a fighting stance, standing right in front of Isabella in a defensive manner.
"Begone, Earth beast! You will not harm my niece this day, so leave if you do not wish to be harmed!", Knuckles shouted in a threatening manner.
The growl stood up on its hindlegs and roared, clearly indicating that it was not going to back down and leave. Knuckles braced himself as he ran up and gave the bear a punch in the gut, it reeled back and snarled, rushing over to swipe at the echidna with its claws.
Knuckles dodged the swipes as he punched the bear again, but then he had his back turned for a second and the bear managed to slash him across his left arm. Knuckles let out a quick shout of pain, gripping his arm as he hissed through gritted teeth.
The loud noises were scaring Isabella to the where she started crying, the bear was drawn to the noise and started rushing towards her but Knuckles performed a running tackle and knocked it away several feet.
"Don't you dare lay a paw on my niece! As I said you will not harm her this day, I will fight to defend her with my last breath!", he shouted.
He continued to fight the bear, getting bruised and scratched up but still putting up a decent fight against the aggressive animal. Isabella, meanwhile, was still crying. She then looked down at the device in her hand and started slapping the red button, unknowingly pressing it, which caused it to make a beeping sound.
Back in Penelope's house, up in the attic, a large white cube sitting on a workbench began beeping. A propeller emerged from the top of the cube and began spinning, lifting it into the air as it flew out the window.
Back in the forest, Knuckles was still fighting off the bear. Cuts and bruises marred his body and his fur was a disheveled mess, but he didn't back down; he was determined to fight until his opponent gave up, it was how he was taught to fight after all. The battle didn't end until someone would admit defeat.
Just then, the white cube that was in the attic flew over and landed just in front of Isabella's strollers. Knuckles looked to see the strange object as the whirring of the propeller caught his attention.
Then, the cube opened up and began changing its shape. It grew and expanded until it resembled a robotic wasp that was white with cyan markings; it was large, almost twice the size of the bear. It also had two rubberhose arms, four pincer legs, black eyes and a large set propeller wings.
The robotic wasp then leapt in front of Knuckles, staring down the bear as it reared up and stood at its full height, which was almost seven feet. Then, a speaker emerged from its chest cavity and emitted a loud roar that resembled that of another bear.
The bear, being confronted by this creature that was bigger and more intimidating than itself, became scared and ran off. The robotic wasp dropped back down onto all fours before turning around to face Knuckles, who found the robot to be quite familiar.
"E.B.?", he asked as he panted from exhaustion.
"I am E.B. Unit ver. 2.0, a new and improved model of the original. The previous model, E.B. Unit 1, was repurposed to create me. I was made to be a personal defense droid for the child of my creator, summoned via homing device", said the robot.
Knuckles looked over at Isabella, who had stopped crying and was just staring at the two, the small white object still clutched in her hands. That was when it clicked in Knuckles' mind: he remembered Penelope slipping it into Isabella's baby bag before they went on their walk.
She said that it was something to be used in the event of an emergency. Knuckles didn't fully understand what she was talking about but he acknowledged what she said and went on his merry way with his niece.
Knuckles looked towards Isabella, who was still a little shaken up. "She's safe...I'm so thankful...", he muttered under his breath before suddenly passing out.
[Time Skip]
When Knuckles regained consciousness, he found himself in the room he shared with Sonic and Tails in Tom and Maddie's house. Unlike the other two, his bed was actually a hammock in one corner of the room.
He slowly sat up to see bandages wrapped around different parts of his body, a red blanket tucked around him. He groaned as he rubbed his head, "Ugh...what happened? How did...oh no, Isabella!", he said as he quickly realized he didn't see his niece anywhere.
Knuckles quickly leapt out of his hammock and rushed down the ladder, groaning in pain from his injuries but ignoring them. He ran into the living room to find Isabella sitting on a blanket on the floor with Sonic and Tails whilst her mother sat on the couch with Tom and Maddie.
"Knuckles!", everyone said when they saw the red echidna.
Knuckles ignored them as he rushed over to Isabella's side, looking her over as if she were an expensive vase. Once he saw that she was completely unharmed, he sighed with relief as he pulled her into a hug.
"You are safe, you are unharmed! I am so grateful!", he said in a shaky voice.
Penelope got up from the couch and walked over to Knuckles' side, placing a hand on his shoulder. That was when she noticed he was shaking.
"Knuckles, are you crying?", she asked.
Knuckles pulled away from Isabella and quickly wiped his eyes while sniffling, "No! I merely have something in my eyes, that is all", he said.
He then felt a hand being placed on his other shoulder, he looked over to see that it was Tails. "It's okay, Knuckles. We know you were worried about Isabella, you did take on a bear to protect her, so it's okay to cry from relief that she's alright", he said.
Knuckles sighed, "I apologize for taking her to the forest and putting her in danger, I wanted to show her how to navigate the forest as my father showed me.
"I was not expecting a bear to appear but I was not going to let that beast harm my dear niece, she is too precious to me. She reminds me so much of myself when I was put a little puggle, growing up in my village.
"I see so much of myself in her and I am always reminded of my time spent training with my father, and how he would protect me while teaching me. I want to do the same for Isabella.
"I may not be her parent, but as her uncle, I feel the need to be by her side. To shield her from danger and to express my deep love for her. So again, I apologize for inadvertently putting her in danger. I hope you can forgive me for my reckless behavior", he said.
Everyone took in what Knuckles had said with a mix of awe and warm smiles. Penelope reached over and pulled him into a hug, "Aww, Knuckles! You are such a a sweetheart, and thank you so much for keeping my daughter safe. I know she'll always be in safe hands when she's around you, my sweet little brother!", she said as she gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"Plus, buddy, we're supposed to spoil little Izzy. We're her uncles and its our job, but don't hog all the love to yourself. Let us get in on it too", said Sonic.
Then Maddie came walking over to sit by Knuckles' side, "That's right. We know you love Isabella, Knuckles, but you're not the only one and you don't have to feel like you're the only one to protect her. She's got a big family.
"She has her Mom and Dad, her grandparents and she has her three wonderful uncles. Isabella is gonna grow up just fine, so you don't need to act like all the weight of making sure she's alright lies squarely on your shoulders.
"We'll work together as a family to make sure Isabella grows up into a proud young woman", she said.
Knuckles looked around the room at all the people he had in his life now, his new family who loved him. His new tribe held together by a strong bond that would last forever, it made him feel very grateful and happy for the life he had now.
"Knules!"
Everyone gasped as they looked towards Isabella, a big smile plastered on her face.
"Did...did she just...?", Tom stuttered.
Isabella pushed herself up on her shaky legs and waddled over to Knuckles, falling over into his lap.
"Knules! Knules!", she said.
Everyone gasped a second time. Penelope got up in an overly exaggerated way and laughed in a dramatic manner, "Oh sure! Why wouldn't I be her first word? I'm only the one who gave birth to her, after all!", she complained.
"Aw, I thought it'd be me!", Sonic pouted.
"I feel forgotten...", Tails said with a defeated look on his face.
Knuckles looked down at Isabella continued to say his name, she was pronouncing it incorrectly but that didn't matter to him at all. All that mattered was the overwhelming feelings of love that exploded in his chest.
He picked Isabella up into his arms and tossed her up and down into the air, "Haha! My niece finally speaks, and she speaks my name! This little warrior has found her voice, now you can unleash a battle cry that will make your enemies quake with fear!", he said as he laughed heartily.
His moment of jubilation was interrupted by Tom clearing his throat, "Um, Knuckles...while we're relieved that you're alright, you're still in trouble for taking Isabella out into the woods. You protected her, and Penelope's robot stepped in, but that doesn't change the fact that you did a pretty reckless thing, even if you did apologize", he said.
Knuckles understood as he set Isabella down and got on his knees before Tom, bowing his head. "I humbly apologize for my wrong actions, Lord of Donuts. I shall accept whatever punishment you and the Lady of Pretzels deems fair", he said.
Tom and Maddie looked at one another before they came to their decision.
"Okay. You're grounded for a week, Knuckles. No TV or video games or going outside to play/train", said Tom.
"But you'll still be allowed to visit Isabella at Penelope's house, you just won't be allowed to take her anywhere outside without adult supervision", said Maddie.
Knuckles raised his head, "That is fair, thank you", he said.
That was when Sonic and Tails patted him on the back, "We'll tag along during the visits too. Like we said, we're Isabella's uncles too. So... we're gonna keep you from becoming the favorite uncle cause that's clearly a more fitting title for me", said Sonic.
Knuckles looked at him indignantly, "Oh please! Isabella had said my name as her first word, clearly I am the favorite uncle!", he said.
Sonic smirked at him, "No way! You're the stuffy and boring uncle who's way too much of a stick in the mud! I'm the cool and fun loving uncle, so I'm gonna be the favorite!", he said.
Knuckles stood up with a huff, "Perhaps we should settle this is a battle, and since I cannot challenge you in the Smash Brothers because of my grounding, then I challenge you to an arm wrestling match!", he declared.
Sonic cracked his knuckles, "Challenge accepted! Let's see how good you are even when all scratched up!", he said.
As they went over to the coffee table to have their arm wrestling match, Tails bent down to pick up Isabella and hold her in his arms.
"Feel like a third wheel, huh? Yeah, me too. Those two are something else, but that's how brothers are. You'll get used to it...but I really hope you call me your favorite uncle, don't tell them I said that", Tails whispered to her.
Isabella merely smiled as she tried to play with ears. She may not have understood a single word that was said all around her by everyone in the room, but she was still a happy one year old.
Penelope walked over to pick the both of them up, "Well I'm just happy to have all my precious babies in my life, and it looks like our little project worked out perfectly, Tails!", she said.
Tails smiled, "I'm glad too. So, we gonna move on to our next big project then?", he asked.
Penelope smiled as she kissed her daughter and watched her other two brothers arm wrestling each other, "Yeah but I'd like to rework my schedule to spend more time with the family", she said.
[The End]