Hello everyone! I'm finally back with a new chapter after way too long. I did keep my promise- at least, in the country I'm releasing this, it's still December 31st. So it counts!

However, I'm still sorry that you guys had to wait so long. I just have a lot on my plate and not as much free time as I thought I would have, unfortunately. Thankfully, after June, I'll be finally gone with school and I'll have way more free time :D Which is great, especially for you guys.

Still, hold on tight until July. It's going to be some slow months. Nevertheless, I wanna thank you for all of the support you've been giving me. If it wasn't for all of your kudos and comments, I'm not sure if I was still continuing this.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this :D And I hope you guys are all well :3

Tails looked around the living room, where his family was gathered. After Longclaw helped him, he finally revealed what was troubling him so badly. He realized the rest of his family deserved to know the truth- not just Longclaw.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, but he needed to tell them. And, even though a part of him screamed, saying that he was being selfish, he now knew he wasn't.

"Sweetie, is everything okay?" Her mom said, interrupting his line of thinking. Tails sighed.

It was now or never.

"Everything is okay." Tails replied, with a ghost of a smile on his face. "You guys... have known for a while... that..." Tails tried to continue, but he felt his chest getting tighter and tighter from how nervous he was feeling. He knew he would have to share a lot of his past—a lot of things he didn't want to ever remember—with everyone, including Longclaw, whom he hadn't even shared much with to begin with.

"That…I haven't really told…" Tails somehow, despite the increasing strength of his chest getting tighter, carried on, looking down to the ground. "Y'know, what happened… before we met. I-I had… another nightmare today… and… I couldn't sleep. Longclaw found me and…" Tails looked at Longclaw briefly, who gave him a small smile of encouragement. "...she made me understand that I needed to tell you guys... my past… you're my family, and you deserve to know." Tails finished, after a tremendous amount of strength he didn't know he had in him.

He looked back at his family.

They were looking at him with compassion and care. His chest became less tight, and he let go of a breath he didn't even know he had been holding.

"Little bro," Sonic said, being the first to break the silence. "If you don't feel ready to talk about it, that's okay."

"Exactly, bud. We all want to help you, but only if you feel comfortable sharing." His dad replied while everyone gave their version of agreement.

"You aren't going to burden us, little bud. We only want you to be happy!" Sonic added as positively and happily as he could.

"Thanks… but I want to." Tails eventually replied, smiling softly. His family—his real family—were so caring and loved him unconditionally. Something that was so foreign in his past. His family would never abandon him. They would always be there for him, the same way he would be for them.

Something his biological parents (if they were even worthy of that title) never did. It was also the first thing he needed to address. He had lied to his family… They hadn't died.

"Well… I guess I should start with my parents." Tails began. He briefly looked at his family, who looked quite confused. "They didn't… die."

"That's doesn't suffice for my understanding of your past, brother. Weren't they plagued by death?" Knuckles was the first one to speak, saying what everyone was thinking.

"I…I lied. I didn't want to burden you guys." Tails said, looking down to the ground. He felt his chest getting tighter again. "But… the truth is that they left me in the middle of a forest… when I was three… they- they said I was mature enough…" Tails dropped a small tear. "They never wanted me... No one really did—my village didn't just find me weird; they… hated me." He continued with a small, nervous laugh.

"They thought I was a curse and a monster... They bullied me, hurt me, and… I think some even tried to kill me. I…I had to hide in the forest until I came to find Sonic."

Everything went silent.

He looked back up to see his family's faces, which were full of compassion and empathy, and he felt tears roll down his cheeks.

At that moment, all of his worries and concerns dissipated. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he finally opened up to his family. He had been holding back his feelings for so long, afraid of burdening them, but now he realized he had nothing to fear.

As his whole family whispered all kinds of counseling and as they embraced in a whole big hug, he suddenly couldn't find any reason why he hadn't told everything sooner. He felt all of their support, bond, and unity, but most importantly, their unconditional love. They didn't judge him or pity him. They just accepted him for who he was.

"Some people would become bitter about what you went through. But you still have so much compassion for others. That's a power that so many don't have." Longclaw said after the embrace. She looked at him with admiration and respect, proud of his resilience and kindness. Tails smiled as his heart was filled with warmth instead of a tight feeling. His eyes are tearing up, but this time around from happiness. He felt a surge of gratitude for having her in his life.

"You're more brave than you realize, Tails." Longclaw said with a gentle smile, stroking his fur softly.

"Exactly. This morning, you showed the strength so many warriors could only dream of possessing, brother." Knuckles said it sincerely as he looked proudly at Tails, acknowledging his courage and bravery. Tails smiled as another tear of happiness rolled down his cheek.

"I'm so proud of you, lil' bro." His once-hero and idol-turned-brother said his love for him was radiating. He hugged him tightly, feeling a bond stronger than ever. It was really hard for Tails to share his past and expose his vulnerability, and he could tell Sonic knew that—that he admired his honesty, trust, and willingness to let them in. "We will always be here for you, Tails." He said it with a warm voice.

"And you'll always be part of our family. We'll never stop loving you, Tails." Maddie told him with the amount of care that only a mother could master. She kissed his forehead. She loved him unconditionally. All of them loved him, no matter what. "You're a wonderful person, Tails." She said it with a tender voice.

At that moment, Tails finally fully understood he had something truly precious—a family that would always stay by his side, unlike his traumatic past. And he felt the warmth of those who loved him unconditionally…

After the surprise party, but before Tails had revealed everything, Tom and Maddie had surprised her with a special bed for Longclaw in the living room, stored in the corner. They used some cushions, blankets, and pillows to create a cozy nest for the owl. Longclaw was very touched by their gesture and thanked them for their hospitality.

It was a bit of a childish thought—not one of a warrior like her—but she felt like, even if for a second, that she was part of the family.

And Tails... until this morning, she had no idea—no one did—how much he had to go through… and the bravery he possessed was truly admirable. And while she still didn't particularly like agreeing with an echidna (a bias she had yet to eradicate), he truly was a warrior.

But, at the same time, while impressive, the kid should've never even had to be this strong, especially so early on in life. And he wasn't even two digits yet.

She was just glad that he finally had time to be a kid. He had such a good family with the Wachowskis.

That Sonic... could be a kid again.

And thanks to his- their son, she knew that, at least, she could trust this family. There are humans who could be trustworthy.

And for that, she was grateful. And for so much more. She was grateful that she could be with Sonic again. Grateful that someone took care of him for a little bit in the long period that she 'time-traveled'. Grateful that their Sonic had never forgotten about her.

The only one she still couldn't help but not to trust was Knuckles.

As she was getting ready to go to her new bed, supposedly the last one awake, she noticed... Knuckles going to the kitchen? A strange repeat of what happened yesterday with Tails?

"Hey, Knuckles. Can't sleep?" She asked as she reached the kitchen as Knuckles picked up some grapes.

"Yes, I couldn't enter the world of slumber, Longclaw. I feel... conflicted." Knuckles confessed, sitting at the kitchen table and rubbing his eyes. He had been tossing and turning in his bed for an hour straight, unable to find peace. He looked at the owl with a mix of respect and anxiety.

"Care to share?" Longclaw asked, pouring him a glass of water. She didn't really care much about what was troubling the young echidna, but she felt obliged to help, being Sonic's brother and all. She had to admit that she was biased against his kind, especially because of… everything that had happened.

"My time on Earth has weakened me. At first, I hated it. I hated being weak, being vulnerable, and being dependent. I was the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy. Knuckles said, looking down at the grapes and the glass of water. "But when I met my family, I understood that I didn't have to be who I used to be. That I am not in constant danger. And my tribe isn't either. That my guardians are there to watch over me, not the other way around."

Longclaw listened to Knuckles' words with empathy and concern. She understood his struggles and tried her best to be as neutral as possible. However, even when she wasn't being neutral, it was undeniable how much he loved his family and Sonic too. And he took his rule as a big brother very seriously as well.

Maybe… Sonic was right, after all.

Maybe… Knuckles could be trusted…

"However… It is quite difficult to accomplish that kind of mentality, since I was, for a long period of time, the biggest warrior in the world. And it kept haunting me tonight. That's why I'm here." He finished, looking at Longclaw with a hint of... shame?

Even though she wasn't totally certain if she could trust him yet… She was finally getting rid of the bias that still haunted her judgment and her being, which included helping him. She felt like this sometimes when she first adopted Sonic, and she hoped that, not only that their son was actually right, but that she would help Knuckles properly.

"Knuckles." Longclaw began, looking at the echidna's purple eyes. "I've felt like that sometimes."

"You have?" Knuckles asked, looking surprised at her.

"When Sonic first came into my life, I was worried about the exact same things. What helped me was to remember that…" Longclaw stopped for a second to properly continue what she was going to say next. "... that while I've faced a lot as a warrior, I have a life outside of it, and I have Sonic, too—it doesn't define me. And I realized that I shouldn't be afraid of my feelings and that I should just be myself." Longclaw continued, as Knuckles nodded and seemed a bit more uplifted.

"You don't have to be the strongest or the toughest anymore. You are not weak for having feelings. Don't let your past haunt you and prevent you from enjoying your present and future."

She reached out and gently touched his hand. He flinches at first, but then relaxes and lets her hold it. She looks into his eyes and sees gratitude. She, in a flash of a second, felt maternal towards Knuckles. Her heart was filled with warmth.

Wait… maternal?

It… couldn't be…

"Longclaw… Thank you. You're a very honorable owl." He whispered, gratitude apparent in his voice and face. "And I sincerely apologize for everything my… old tribe may have caused… They- they erradicated your parents, didn't they?"

Longclaw paused, her face filled with surprise. She nodded slowly. What… what was he trying to say?

"You don't have to apologize for that, Knuckles." Longclaw replied sincerely. She meant it; they weren't enemies anymore, and it wasn't like they could change anything.

"We both lost everything." Knuckles said, and Longclaw finally understood what he meant. She felt her chest warm up from how thoughtful and empathetic he was being.

"I guess we have more in common than we thought…" Longclaw continued Knuckles' line of speech as she continued denying any sort of maternal feeling she felt for other than Sonic's…

Agent Stone smiled as he looked at his masterpiece. He had finally done it. He had created Metal Sonic, a perfect replica of that annoying blue hedgehog. He had used Sonic's few golden-blue-ish left-over quills that he had collected from the last battle (where D. Robotnik probably died) and infused them with his advanced technology. He had copied Sonic's speed, strength, agility, and appearance.

He activated Metal Sonic and watched him open his eyes. They glowed red with malice and obedience.

"Hello, Agent Stone. I am Metal Sonic, your faithful follower. What is your command?" He said it in a metallic voice.

Stone grinned and clapped his hands. There was no way they were going to escape this time around. not even that mysterious owl...

Mother Longclaw go brrrrr