Knuckles

Written by Historyfan15

(Monday: Knuckles is resting underneath a tree after a busy morning shift at the rock quarry. Unbeknownst to the sleeping echidna, a familiar blue hedgehog is silently creeping up behind him)

Sonic: (puts his hands on Knuckles' eyes) SAVED YOUR LIFE!

Knuckles: (wakes up, startled) GAH, who's there?!

Sonic: (struggles to hold in his laughter) Sorry...it's just...your FACE! (bursts out into laughter)

Knuckles: (angry) Sonic, you little twerp! I'm gonna-

Sonic: You'll have to catch me first, bro! (speeds off)

Knuckles: (grumbles vulgarly under his breath)

(Tuesday, Knuckles is lifting some crates onto some flatbeds waiting to be taken by train. In the background; Edward, Percy, Oliver, Rebecca, and Rosie are seen working or shunting and pulling their own trains. Tails approaches Knuckles to his right)

Tails: Hey, Knuckles. You need any help with those crates?

Knuckles: Thanks, but no thanks. I can manage it alone and these are too heavy for those scrawny little arms of yours.

Tails: My arms aren't scrawny, I'll show you! (process to lift up one of the crates...and already begins to struggle) Hold on, I've...got it…(strains).

Knuckles: Listen, kid. You're gonna hurt yourself, just hand it ov-

Tails: (tries to lift the crate by flying up with his twin-tails) Don't worry, this is eas-(the heavy crate slips from his fingers and lands...on Knuckles' foot)...oops…

Knuckles: (tries to conceal his pain...very badly) What did I TELL YOU?!

Tails: (scared) GAH, SORRY KNUCKLES! (zips off in the opposite direction)

Knuckles: (groans) Kids these days. Too nosy for their own good.

Huckleberry Hound: To be fa'r, your reaction thar' was kinda harsh.

Knuckles: Listen, when you've been dealing with this a lot longer than I have, then we'll talk. In the meantime, either help me or. Shut. Up.

Huckleberry: Uh...sure…

(Wednesday, Knuckles is walking up to an open space in the mountains, awaiting him is a sneering Shadow)

Shadow: You're late.

Knuckles: I know.

Shadow: By half an hour. We were supposed to be training today, or did you forget because you had "so many responsibilities to do" prior?

Knuckles: Listen, I don't wanna hear any of your whinging. It's not like you had anything better to do today.

Shadow: You could at least be more punctual with your arrivals. Besides, I'm supposed to be on coast patrol later this afternoon, so I arranged for us to meet up here in the morning beforehand. I would have thought you'd at least spare some of your time for me.

Knuckles: Look, what are you waiting for, an engagement ring or something? Let's just get on with it.

Shadow: Hmph, very well.

(the two begin to spare with each other, Shadow notices that Knuckles appears to be rather on-edge)

Shadow: Your coordination is off and you seem rather unfocused.

Knuckles: I'm fine. It's just that I've had a little too much irritating me this week. First Sonic interrupts my nap like the jackass he is and then Tails drops a heavy crate on my foot. And now, I have to listen to your baby-crying about me being supposedly late.

Shadow: Honestly, you are way too uptight and it's affecting your concentration.

Knuckles: My concentration is FINE.

Shadow: Those who fight with anger are more likely to be fighting blind.

Knuckles: I'm not angry! I'm just IRRITATED!

(Knuckles lunges at Shadow, Shadow dodges, but Knuckles lunges too fast and too hard and smashes his fist into the rockwall. The impact begins to send some rocks falling from above. The echidna and the hedgehog watch as they tumble down the embankment and onto to the nearby railway tracks)

Knuckles: Oh, now look what you made me do!

Shadow: I warned you, you weren't concentrating and you smashed into the rockface, not me.

Knuckles: If you had actually blocked me instead of dodging like a pussy, this wouldn't have happened!

Shadow: (mutters) Good lord, you need help.

(a whistle sounds beneath them)

Duck: Er, excuse me? If you're not too busy arguing, could you please find someone to clean up this mess?

(another whistle is heard)

James: Oh, great. Just what I need. A blockage.

Knuckles: (sighs)

(Thursday: Knuckles is walking down the city streets, the other pedestrians being Yogi Bear, Usagi Tsukino, Ariel, Courage, Robin Hood, Charlotte, Antoine D'Coolette, and Bloom walking past him, until the echidna comes across Top Cat and Hokey Wolf)

Top Cat: Hey, Knuckles. I didn't know you played Super "SMASH" Bros (snickers)

Knuckles: Excuse me?

Hokey Wolf: So how about it, Knuckles? What say you do to a little game of "ROCK", Paper, Scissors?

(Top Cat bursts into laughter, followed by Hokey and the two of them chortle away. Knuckles just walks onwards, grumbling bitterly to himself)

Knuckles: (angry) Grr! How did those clods hear about that?

Rouge: Word gets around quickly here. But speaking of that, you okay, big guy?

Knuckles: (sighs) I'm...not fine. I've had a rough week so far and I honestly just don't know what to do about it.

Rouge: You should really consider finding a way to channel all that negative energy of yours. We don't want you going around causing anymore rocks to fall on our heads (chuckles).

Knuckles: (sarcastically) Yes, thanks for the motivation, Rouge. Very helpful.

Rouge: My point stands. Perhaps going to an anger management class would do?

Knuckles: Oooooh, no. You would NOT catch me in one of those "let's talk about our sob stories to one another" sessions. Besides, those things make me very uncomfortable.

?: I think I can be of assistance.

Knuckles: Huh?

(Fluttershy walks up to Knuckles and Rouge)

Fluttershy: Meet me in the park later this evening.

(Fluttershy departs)

Rouge: Well…(shrugs) why not, it's worth a shot.

Knuckles: (sighs) Fine, but don't expect me to become all "frilly with the ponies." (walks away)

Rouge: (chuckles) Oh, Knuckles.

(later that evening, Knuckles is walking along the pavement. Rei Hino and Ami Mizuno are seen walking in the background)

Knuckles: Okay, where's Little Miss-...well, that didn't take long.

(Knuckles sees Fluttershy feeding some birds bread crumbs while seeing on a bench. She turns and smiles warmly at him)

Fluttershy: Ah, Knuckles. You're here. Come and have a seat. (Knuckles proceeds to sit down next to her) Now, you seem tense. Is there anything that's bothering you?

Knuckles: (turns away) Hmmmm.

Fluttershy: Come on, you can tell me.

Knuckles: Look, I've just been having a really shitty week. It just seems at least ONE thing has to come up and spoil my day and I'm in a funk for the rest of it.

Fluttershy: Do you think that, maybe, you're being a bit too temperamental? Oh! Not that I'm saying you are, of course.

Knuckles: (sighs) No, you're fine. It's just...I dunno.

Fluttershy: How about we try a little thing that I'm sure you're familiar with?

Knuckles: That being?

Fluttershy: A little something I like to call: Meditation.

Knuckles: (under his breath) Oh, great. (normal voice) Alright, let's give it a shot to see if it actually does something.

Fluttershy: I knew you'd see it my way. (gets up from the bench) Come on, let's go.

Knuckles: Hey, wait up! (chases after Fluttershy)

(soon, the two of them find an empty spot on the top of a little hill. Fluttershy sits down, prompting Knuckles to do the same)

Fluttershy: Now, let's take a deep breath (inhales...then exhales). Now, it's your turn.

Knuckles: (inhales...then exhales) Okay, now what?

Fluttershy: Now, close your eyes and clear all your negative thoughts out of your head…

Knuckles: (closes his eyes) Okay...clearing negative thoughts…

Fluttershy: And try to find yourself in the most tranquil and peaceful environment possible...somewhere you feel calm, relaxed, at peace with the world…

Knuckles: Calm...relaxed...peace…(imagines himself in the tranquility of Angel Island, with the whispering rush of the waterfall, the illustrious mountain landscape, the home of his clan...he cracks a small smile, for the first time that week, he feels perfectly at ease...he opens his eyes) Woah, just...woah…

Fluttershy: Feel any better?

Knuckles: I feel...alright...um, can I ask you a question?

Fluttershy: Alright, go ahead.

Knuckles: Could we...maybe...do this again some other time…?

Fluttershy: (smiles warmly) Of course we can, Knuckles. How about tomorrow? Oh, if you're not too busy, that is.

Knuckles: I think I can make some time for tomorrow...heh, same time, same place?

Fluttershy: Same time, same place.

(with that, the echidna and the pegasus depart from each other, with Knuckles feeling a little more relaxed than he has ever felt all week)

(Friday, we see Knuckles walking away from the quarry to his usual resting spot underneath a tree by the pond. However, he spots Sonic taking a nap in that exact location. At first he grits his teeth...but then stops...and pauses...and simply smiles and walks away...with a plan in mind)

Knuckles: (chuckles to himself as he approaches the tree once more, he gets up close to the sleeping Sonic and whispers in his ear) Oooh, Sonic…

Sonic: (groggily) Mmmm, five more minutes, ma'm…

Knuckles: (whispers) Breakfast is ready, dear…come on, let's get up now (gently lifts Sonic up...and directs him to the pond)

Sonic: (groggily) Mmm, yes...mo-

(SPLASH!)

Sonic: (splutters) WATER! WET! BAD!

(Tails, who has been fishing nearby, comes off from the dock in alarm)

Tails: Sonic! Are you okay?!

Sonic: (pulls himself out of the pond) I'm fine, but who-(notices Knuckles who has a smug grin on his face)

Knuckles: Had a nice swim, blue? Think of this as a "reward" for waking me up from my nap the other day. (walks away)

Sonic: (pauses, unsure of what to say at first...until) Touché, Knuckles. Touché.

(Knuckles walks up to the other end of the pond to see Shadow, having watched the whole spectacle)

Shadow: You know...that was rather satisfying to watch.

Knuckles: Heh, tell me about it.

The End