A HAPPY FAMILY

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Disclaimer:Sonic the Hedgehog belongs to Sega

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Genre(s):Family

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Summary: Every summer to late autumn, an echidna will undergo a long-term hibernation. And Knuckles, alien that he might be, couldn't really escape from his biological instinct as well.

Sonic decided that the Wachowski family should throw Knuckles a celebration as a send-off.

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Warning(s): Typo is my most loyal fan, spelling mistakes because English is not my mother language, Possibly OOC. Not Beta.

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That was what Sonic said just a moment after he woke up from the nightly slumber, but Knuckles was still in confusion here.

Celebration is a thing when you want to, well, celebrate something, isn't it? Why would Sonic want to throw him one when Knuckles didn't win anything? Nor has he achieved an accomplishment over any worthy adversaries for the past couple of weeks he'd been living here. He was just going to sleep. Burying himself inside a burrow not far from the house. Something mundane that should not be glorified.

Yet Sonic insisted anyway. He said that because they won't be seeing Knuckles face to face for weeks to go, they have to leave a long-lasting impression on him or else he'll forget his family's faces.

A ridiculous notion. He is a warrior of a powerful tribe, known not only for their strength but their wits. Going unconscious for days onward won't turn his brain to mush, let alone regress his critical thinking to that of a mere baby.

Nevertheless, his guardians and the fox sibling agreed with the hedgehog's confusing proposal. And, facing three-way attacks without a chance of retaliation caused Knuckles to accept their suggestion, albeit still absentmindedly.

"We are going to have a great time today and you aren't allowed to not join!"

So, Sonic made a list. The first activity of today's celebration was baking a cake. Italian Grape Cake, to be exact.

The ingredients for this particular cake include kitchen staples like flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, and butter. Along with the citrus zest, grapes, olive oil, and cinnamon. From the instructions in the cookbook, it sounded simple. You just have to whisk all of the ingredients together to create the batter, add grapes inside, and bake it in the oven. A simple recipe for a simple cake.

But of course, with Sonic's hyperactivity and Tails' curiosity in trying new things, everything was anything but simple.

It started when Maddie appointed Sonic as the leader of today's celebration preparation. While Tom went out to buy some beverages, Maddie and Knuckles prepared the other miscellaneous snacks—such as finger-sized sandwiches, scotch eggs, and sausage rolls—she wanted the siblings to take care of the grape cake. They have all the ingredients prepared already, the cookbook was slotted right in front of the countertop so they can easily defer to the instruction without fail, and when the batter is ready, they can just pop the tray into the oven and let the machine do the thing. No fire was involved.

At first, it started well. Tails, telling Sonic what to put into the bowl, and the hedgehog doing what he was supposed to do. Knuckles didn't have to split his attention between preparing the side dishes with Maddie and making sure his siblings were on the right track too often. Their mother told him that they needed to start being responsible with a task anyway, so Knuckles would try to believe in them. Yet clearly, he was too compliant. Because, when Tom came back from his supply shopping, shouting for Knuckles' help to bring the goods to the kitchen, they found out that the kitchen had turned into a war zone.

Figuratively, of course.

"What happened?" Tom asked, part in awe, part in concern. Staring right at all the raw batter splattered on the wall. There were some that stuck on the kitchen utensils, the cabinets on top, the dining table and chairs, and of course, the residents themselves. Sonic was the worst contender because he almost had his whole face covered in dripping substances, painting his complexion white.

There was an amused smile on Maddie's colored skin, "Our middle child here," she started, a hand resting on top of Sonic's head and messing up the already messed up blue quills, "Thought that a mixer is too slow and decided to use his super-speed to whisk the batter instead."

Sonic sheepishly laughed.

Tom snorted, "And the burnt cake?"

Yes. Knuckles also saw a smoldering cake on the countertop amidst the mess. Calling it a cake is an understatement, however, when the thing turned so black, it almost resembled charcoal. When did they manage to finish a cake? And how did it get so burnt?

"I don't understand all the equation myself but our youngest," this time, she patted the fur of the two-tailed orange fox, "Summarized that by cranking up the heat to the max, it'll bake the cake faster. Instead, it only ruined the whole tray and that's why Sonic is making a new batch. Was making a new batch."

Tails ducked his head in embarrassment.

Well, Knuckles did have a feeling something would happen if they left these two hyperactive kits by their lonesome, so he didn't sigh too much.

He did yelp in an undignified way though, when in the middle of cleaning, Sonic decided that Knuckles should suffer alongside them and threw the rest of the unfinished dough in the bowl right smack-sab on the back of his head.

With a deadpan stare that could kill a lesser man, Knuckles swiped the batter off of his head, ignoring the rambunctious laughter coming from both of his younger siblings.

(Ignoring how the white gloves that he used to wipe the stain were somehow still free of filth)

Being an older brother can be hard sometimes. But he won't trade it for the world.


The second activity of today's celebration was bringing the foods they made outside and having a joyful family picnic.

Today was a nice day. Soothing breeze that rustled the leaves, blue sky with nary the clouds. Bird chirping over the cacophony and the muted hubbubs from their town washed over them like a calm background noise. It was a perfect day for a leisure venture and almost made Knuckles want to do his daily meditation. Almost. He forgoes it this time, solely because he decided to honor Sonic's plan.

Although, speaking about the blue hedgehog. Maybe he wasn't too happy with the way his out-of-nowhere party plan went on or he just felt like sitting around eating food was a bit too boring, Sonic suddenly begged Tom to bring in the inflatable pool after he was done setting up the picnic cloth.

"Come on, Donut Lord. If we have it outside, we can splash around however we want and you won't have to clean up the mess after us," he whined, "I want to show Tails how cool bubble bath is so he will stop spying on me!"

"Hey! That was only one time!"

Sonic then implemented his most dangerous weapon which is puppy dog eyes, and Tom instantly caved in. Folded right like that savory food called burrito.

The older man brought the said inflatable pool from within the garage. It was blue with a white gradation. Covered in, what Tails had explained, dinosaur stickers in different poses. One of them was sailing with a boat. Another, drinking coconut juice while basking under the sunlight. There was also one that ran around the beach playing volleyball and so on. Clearly, decorations made for kids. Tom refused Knuckles' offer of help in pumping up the inflatable pool—not wanting to re-enact the incident of the car tires. Let's just say, he didn't know there was a limit to how much air the tires need to stay afloat and so they had to buy new tires after the older one popped like a ballon—but he did accept the offer of help in filling in the water.

The pool wasn't even halfway full when Sonic jumped into it with gusto. Followed by Tails and his ducky floaties.

"Eat first, kids," Maddie warned.

"Later!" both giggled.

Hah. Typical of his brothers, to forget their pre-planned activities in the wake of a new entertainment. The parents didn't look too mad, fortunately, just shaking their heads in tired merriment.

Sonic swam closer, folding his hand on the edge of the pool and grinning mischievously, "Come on in, Knux! The water's nice."

Knuckles accepted a sausage in a bun from Tom, still spraying water into the pool via the garden hose. Hmm, delicious. Maybe in need of a bit more mayonnaise, but delicious nonetheless, "I'd like to taste what Lady of Pretzel made, first and foremost," he especially couldn't wait to eat the Grape Cake that Sonic and Tails had baked. Although, prior to the incident, it was mostly Maddie who finished up the main dish, while the two of them were demoted to the 'ingredients fetch-up' courier.

"Well, you're no fun..."

Huh? No fun?

He'll show him no fun.

Knuckles used his privilege bestowed by the patriarch of the Wachowski family and coyly aimed the hose right toward the blue hedgehog. The jet stream of water nailed him right on the face, causing Sonic to squawk at the sudden attack, lose his balance, and unceremoniously fall. This time, it was Knuckles turn to guffawed.

An eye or an eye, he cackled. Sonic threw a slob of batter on him, Knuckles will pay it back tenfold by burying him over gallons of water. Sonic re-emerged from under after eight seconds. This time, with quill more soaked than ever and a pout that resembled the highest mountain. Before long, laughter enveloped the entire yard, uncaring over the water that now splashed onto anyone who was closer.

(Uncaring over the fact that the ground around the make-shift pool was dry as if the liquid that scattered never reached the earth)

Maybe Sonic was right. Sure, he was still not comprehending the purpose of a celebration for his upcoming hibernation, but he couldn't ignore that it did lift his spirit. At least he has good memories he could think of and wish to dream of for a couple of months onward.


Dawn came and the last activity of today's celebration was sitting in a circle around the bonfire while telling everyone ghost stories.

Another thing Knuckles couldn't understand. How did scaring the living daylight out of yourself constitute a good time, especially so when Sonic himself was not good with scary stories? But if his younger brother wanted to challenge himself, build an immunity to what he fears, then Knuckles won't stop him.

Tails tended to stray off the rails whenever he constructed a tale to tell, anyway, so he assumed Sonic would be confused more than scared.

"I still wonder why ghosts usually laugh when they try to scare us living beings. Didn't they usually perish at the hands of wicked humans? Shouldn't they be screaming in anger or crying in despair?"

"Tails. Tails, seriously, did you just question the logic of ghost psychology?"

Case in point, he huffed.

While the other was absorbed in their little bubble, Knuckles was content just sitting, listening to the clamor instead of joining in. He was a great storyteller, don't get him wrong. An Echidna was supposed to be, as their histories were spread more often by oral alongside drawings. But his tales are mostly about adventures and real-life events. There was nothing scary about them. If fighting to the death was not scary enough. Knuckles had a feeling that existential crisis was not what Sonic wanted though.

So, he opted to perch closer to the fire, cooking up a gooey mess of a snack called marshmallow over the ember. An interesting food he'd eaten over the past few months living on Earth. Sticky when burned yet elastic when not. Very sweet on the tongue as well. It felt somewhat industrial, however, different from all the natural fruits he'd consume. But he's not complaining.

From his periphery, he saw Tom scooting closer, with his own marshmallow in his hand, "Are you having fun?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Knuckles gave an agreeable hum.

"That's great. Tails was actually a bit distressed, you know," he spun the metallic pole, making sure all the side of the marshmallow was evenly cooked, "Unlike you and Sonic, foxes don't really hibernate. And even though he's a genius and knew the theory, the idea of you sleeping outside with nothing but your fur was alarming to him. It took Maddie and Sonic combined reassurance that you're going to be fine."

Huh.

Is that actually the real reason why Sonic suggested to do this party? Not only to give Knuckles a big send-off but to convince Tails that this is a normal occurrence a small percentage of mammals do. Knuckles did notice how clingy Sonic was to Tails today, instead of the other way around. Always doing the activities together, as if the hedgehog was trying to distract the fox.

That was nice of them. Both Sonic, for today's celebration. And Tails, for worrying over him.

It's been a while since he was being taken care of like this.

"Oh, by the way," Tom ate his marshmallow in one gulp, put the metal rod beside him, and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a brown cloth inside of it. A scarf, to be exact, "For you."

What?

"Treat it as a belated birthday gift," Tom smiled at his gobsmacked expression. He came even closer to Knuckles and started putting the scarf onto him, "You'll be awake around late autumn and the weather is usually still pretty chilly. So you should wear this," Tom did the last loop, looking satisfied at the bundling Echidna that now looked warm. He snickered a bit when the dreadlock on Knuckles bunched up because of the scarf, ruffling his head in a circular manner, "You might not be here for long, but we care for you. You always have a home with us, okay?"

Knuckles stared at the older man's sincere eyes. Then back at the gift encircling his neck. It was soft and fluffy. It felt nice to the touch and brought butterflies inside his stomach. He felt his throat considerably tightened and before long, Knuckles hid the lower half of his face into the fabric, covering the flush that started to decorate his cream fur. He felt toasty.

"Alright," Knuckles whispered, tightening his hold on the scarf, "Thank you. For the gift."

(He didn't tell Tom that he could not feel any warmth from it. That the piece of cloth he so painstakingly chose didn't help in chasing away the ever-present chill)

Tom felt and acted like a father. One, that Knuckles sorely missed.

He hoped it wasn't viewed as a betrayal to his late parents if Knuckles referred to Tom as such.


The clock struck twelve and their celebration had finally come to a close.

Sonic and Tails were yawning and rubbing their eyes open, clearly sleepy but did not want to miss the departure of their oldest sibling. Knuckles insisted on helping the humans clean up the mess, a last act of responsibility before he left them for months of hibernation. They packed the dirty utensils into the basket, put dirt on the still crackling fire to stamp it down, folding up the checker picnic blanket. He accepted Tom's and Maddie's hug, pat Sonic's and Tails' head when they came closer for a brief snuggle, and bundling up The Master Emerald closer to him—they decided the artifact would be a lot safer in Knuckles' hand, especially so if he's going into a hiding under the earth—along with the essentials they thought would help in making his sleeping more comfortable. Like a pillow and a teddy bear.

"Goodbye," the siblings cheerfully wave.

"See you soon," his parents fondly grinned.

Knuckles himself nodded and turned around. He walked forward.

Before the air slowly shimmered.

One by one, his environment changed. Gone was the tranquil ambiance of Green Hill. Instead, it was replaced by a metropolis full of smog and bright light that pierced the night sky. Tall glass buildings were erected across the horizon. Holograms full of ads and soon-to-be-shown movies hovered about without the need for any support. A bunch of rails were looping about the bustling town, upside-down trains were using the path to reach its destination. Everything that the eyes could see, was all sophisticated. Man-made. Unnatural.

Futuristic.

Knuckles didn't notice the changes in scenery. Changes that happened in literal seconds. He walked. Amongst the previously trimmed grass that was now wild to the point of shrubbery. His head held high. His eyes were flat and lips created a thin line.

He didn't look back for the second time. He didn't see his previously quaint two-story house was reduced to rubble. Wall cracked, roof crumbled down. Lights turned off and dust clumped on. He didn't need to. He didn't want to.

He saw it often enough, the state of the destruction was fresh in his mind still.

So he walked.

(Knuckles wiped the batter out of his head yet his gloves were free of stain)

(Because the batter was not real)

He trotted.

(Knuckles' siblings were rambunctiously playing inside the makeshift pool yet the water splashing around didn't drench the ground)

(Because the water was not real)

He jogged.

(Knuckles tightened the scarf around his neck yet the cold was still seeping through his fur)

(Because the cloth was not real)

He ran.

(Knuckles' family waved and sent him off with a big smile. But then they turned transparent before the wind seemingly washed their image away. The sound of bonfire smoldering petered off till it turned to silence)

(Because his family was not real)

He sprinted.

(Because Knuckles was alone. Always alone)

Until he arrived at the burrow—old and tattered, overgrown grass covering the opening and rocks upon rocks scattered around the territory—with tears streaming down his cheeks.

(Because everything he experienced today was just an illusion. A memory projected by the Master Emerald)

Knuckles fell on his knees, palms on his face as he tried to quell down the gut-wrenching sob yet to no avail.

(Because his family was already long gone)


One thousand, thirty hundred and fifty-five years had passed.


Over the last three millennia, the echidna was appointed as the guardian of the Master Emerald. They were tasked to keep it safe. To keep it from wandering hand and wicked intention. To keep the balance of the world and let peace be present forevermore.

It never imagined that the protector itself would get corrupted. Never imagined that they would initiate a war that perished either side of the clans. The greed of a single man had doomed their successors. Leaving him with nothing but an empty land.

Master Emerald is powerful. An artifact that could destroy a balance of the world if used incorrectly. That's why it needed a guardian still. Not just to preserve the tradition, but to make sure the folly of a predecessor would never be repeated. Master Emerald needed someone to be with it. To always be ready to take arms and defeat the enemies.

And Knuckles, the only Echidna left behind, was chosen.

The rest...is history.


From the book Tails had read for the sake of their older brothers' psyche years ago, there are five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Knuckles knew. As he crawled into the burrow with the Master Emerald tucked close to his chest, he knew.

That he would never escape from the first stage no matter what.

(One thousand, thirty hundred and fifty-six years had come)

(An echidna ready for hibernation. A family prepared a celebration to send him off)

And the cycle will start anew.


(A/N): a good dose of angst to celebrate the news of the third Sonic movie~

(Yeah. The true genre of this fanfic is Hurt No Comfort haha. Sorry not sorry)

I re-read my fanfic about an Immortal Knuckles story (you can read it HERE: www dot fanfiction dot net/ s/ 13622069/1/It-s-Your-Duty) and I thought 'You know. I kinda wanna write this again but with Knuckles Live Movie as the main character'. That's how this fanfic was born #evilLaugh

Well, tbh I had a hard time writing this. I think I'm still having writer's block. Definitely blaming it on that massive Person crossover one-shot fanfiction that I wrote in March. I meant...I split it into 10 chapters but mostly because 43k+ words are too much for a one-shot fanfiction haha.

If the ending wasn't clear enough, Knuckles had been visiting his happiest memory over and over again with the help of Master Emerald. Because in games, it can preserve the memories of Tikal and her tribe, so I'd like to think this Master Emerald can record the memories of the Wachowskis family as well. He'd been doing that for a thousand years. Sleeping through the months, waking up only on this particular date in early summer. Viewing the same memory over and over, before he went back to sleep once again. Willingly trapping himself in a loop, never to be healed...

Man, I wrote this fanfiction myself and I am crying :'D

One day, I will write a fanfic about Silver. One day. That boi is a mine full of angst as well, you see #smirked.