the-knucklesverse - Tumblr blog

the-knucklesverse · 2 months

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Boom Blows

One of the first bits I wrote on the server for the Knucklesverse. Something something the other Knuckleses are concerned by how they observe Boom's friends treating him and try to talk to him about it.

It doesn't go well.

All drawings are by the fantastically wonderful @quazart

~~ Qwerty

~~~

"They're really not that bad, guys."

Boom tried to shrug it off. Tried to let it go. Sure, his friends could be kinda dismissive. Sure, they could ignore anything he says. But honestly, he's kind of a moron on his world. Why wouldn't they? But deep down, he knows they care. He's sure of it.

Dread shook his head with a sigh. "Lad, those so-called 'friends' of yers treat ye like ye're beneath them. I've seen it with me own eyes. They be treatin' ye worse than trash."

"That's not true. They hang out with me all the time! We just goof off, that's all."

Boom's voice wasn't as strong that time. Wasn't as sure.

"As much as I hate, and I mean really hate agreeing with this guy," Renegade said, stepping forward and hooking at thumb at Dread. "He's right. With friends like those, who needs enemies."

"Are you sure they care about you?" Wachowski crossed his arms. "I have been fooled in the past by someone I thought was my friend, only to have him trick me and leave me for dead when it suited him. Perhaps that is what's going on here."

Boom turned away with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That's not what's going on. I've known them for years. Tails taught me how to ride a bike! Or tried to, anyway. They would've tricked me by now, right?"

His brow twitched. A seed of doubt had been planted. But he was sure, positive that his friends were truly his friends. They wouldn't trick him.

Right?

"Are ye sure, lad?" Dread asked, stepping forward. "Are ye really sure?"

"They are disrespectful," Gawain said, shaking his head. "They do not hold you in the same regard they hold each other."

Boom turned away, trying to avoid the eyes of the others. The same eyes as his, but now looked at him with pity. With sadness.

"That's not true." The tone of his voice changed. No longer light. No longer joking. He didn't want to talk about this anymore.

"Do any of them seem to care that you have no home?" Sinbad asked, crossing his arms. "Do any of them make sure you're all right when it's cold? Or raining?"

"I like being a nomad. I can take care of myself."

Something was flickering inside him. Something foreign, but strong. He'd felt something similar to this a few times, mostly when Eggman was being a real pain, but never this much. It was something he wasn't overly familiar with, but it felt like a hot snake in his belly.

"Ye deserve more than what they give ye," Dread said, his muzzle pulled into a scowl. "They don't see ye as we do. Ye're just a punching bag to them. Something t' make themselves feel better by abusin'. Ye deserve better."

That snake in Boom's belly was moving, writhing in a way he'd never felt before. It rose into his chest, and suddenly he was . . . angry. The most angry he'd ever felt in his life.

How dare they. How dare these people he thought were his family, his tribe say these things about his friends. Sure, they weren't perfect, no one was, but they were there for him. They did care about him. They did.

Boom turned, his muzzle pulled into a fierce snarl, his teeth bared. He was tense, quills bristling and every muscle thrumming with strength and power, and he clenched his fists as he stared at the other echidna. Glared at them. The fire in his chest was in his eyes now, and he was the epitome of absolute fury.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" he shouted, and Little Z, who'd been hovering nearby as he always did, scuttled off to hide behind the twins. "Those are my friends! They've been by my side for as long as I can remember! They help me and I help them, because that's what friends do!"

A collective gasp moved through the group at Boom's sudden change. No one had ever seen him angry. They tensed at his fury, at the fact that it was directed at them.

"What do you all know about friends anyway?" he sneered, looking over the other echidna one-by-one. He shot daggers at Dread. "You double cross anyone who gets in your way." He flicked his gaze to Modern and X. "All you care about is watching over that rock on your floating islands." Turned to Wachowski. "You were the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy. So what right do any of you have to tell me that my friends aren't good enough?"

"Yes, I was the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy," Wachowski said, stepping forward. "But that was the past. I have a family now. And I—"

"I DON'T HAVE THAT!" Boom thundered, his voice echoing over the group. "I never had anyone! My friends are my family! And hearing you talk bad about them hurts me!"

Silence settled over the group then, and Boom took a few steps forward. The twins took defensive positions in front of Little Z, while Dread and Renegade moved to block Gnarly. Sinbad and Gawain moved closer, their hands hovering over the hilts of their swords.

Wachowski stepped in front of Boom, his hand out in front of him, palm out.

"Be calm, my friend. We are not your enemy."

Boom stopped, breathing hard and snarling at each Knuckles in turn. A soft growl pushed out of his throat.

"No. You're not my enemy. But you're not my friends, either. You're not my tribe."

Without another word, the large echidna turned and left the Sanctuary, leaving a bunch of very confused, very shocked Knuckles behind.

~X~X~X~

Boom stormed back into the village, the anger within him still churning.

How dare they. How dare they. They were supposed to be his tribe. His family. They were all him for crying out loud, how could they gang up on him like that and act like his friends were treating him like garbage?

Well, sure, Sonic and others sometimes disregarded him. But it was okay, they didn't mean anything by it. And yeah, they sometimes said kinda mean things. But he usually got them back with an equally snide comment. Sometimes.

He grunted as he stalked past Meh Burger. Those stupid echidna. They put ideas in his head. Doubts. The anger swirled in his chest, and now he didn't know what to think.

"Hey, Knux!" Sonic called from their usual table. "How was your visit to Knuckles-land?"

Boom didn't stop. Didn't look up. He wasn't in the mood for Sonic's sarcasm right now.

“Uh oh,” the hedgehog snickered. “Trouble in echidna paradise, I see.”

That made Boom stop. He turned and pegged Sonic with a sharp look, his eyes still full of that fire from before. He was angry, he was furious and he didn’t know how to get rid of this feeling before it leapt off his tongue.

“Not cool, Sonic!” he bellowed, and everyone at Meh Burger stopped to stare at him. He didn’t care. He was the town idiot anyway. They couldn’t exactly think less of him, could they? “I’m always a joke to you, right? Everything’s always so funny because I’m so stupid, right?”

Sonic looked at him with a shocked expression. “Hey, I was just kidding with ya Knux, ease off.”

Boom pulled his lips tight. He wanted to say more, to let loose this feeling inside him, cast out this anger at those who may or may not be making fun of him.

But the doubt in his heart grew. These were his friends. (Right?) They joked with him because they loved him. (Right?)

Without another word, Boom turned and stormed off. He needed to blow off steam, and the best way to do so is physical exertion.

He was going to go bust some boulders at the quarry until this horrible, hot feeling in his chest went away.

~X~X~X~

Meanwhile, back at the Sanctuary, the other Knuckleses were starting to unravel.

“This is your fault, Dread!” Renegade growled, pointing at the pirate. “If you hadn’t brought up that stuff about his friends, he wouldn’t o’ blown his stack like that.”

Dread sneered at Renegade, his lip curled to reveal his gold tooth. “I called it like I seen it, bucko. I didn’t know he would react like that! I’m going after him.”

Gawain and Sinbad moved as one to block Dread’s path.

“I think that would be a very bad idea,” the knight said, his arms crossed. “You’ve done enough. You’re staying put.”

Dread narrowed his eyes. “Are ye threatening me?”

“Not yet,” Sinbad said, hand on his sword hilt. “But the day’s still young.”

The pirate pulled his lip into a fierce snarl, a growl slipping through his throat. Renegade gave him a shove. “Knock it off. Do you really think Boom’s gonna wanna see you right now?”

“He be me best friend out of all o’ ye. I will not let him think the worst of us.” He paused. “Of me, anyway.”

“Not happenin’. You’re stayin’.”

As the group quarreled, X moved closer to Boom’s portal. Little Z and Gnarly noticed him, and moved quickly to intercept.

“You’re going after him.” It wasn’t a question, and Gnarly glanced over his shoulder at the others. “I’m coming, too.”

“Me, too,” Little Z said, sliding up next to Gnarly. He rubbed shoulders with the slightly taller echidna. The little zombie liked that warmth and comfort from physical touch.

“I don’t know how receptive Boom will be,” X said, keeping his eyes on the others. “But I figure I may have a better chance at getting through to him. I know how he feels.”

“Then let’s go before they notice,” Gnarly said, letting Little Z climb onto his back. Dread was still putting up a fight, so now was as good a time as any to slip out without notice.

With a silent nod, X, Little Z, and Gnarly slipped through Boom’s portal.

~X~X~X~

The boulder was the size of a small house. Boom pulled his fist back, and with a loud yell, brought it forward with as much force as he could. He didn’t often use all his strength—Eggman’s robots weren’t exactly a big challenge to destroy—but he dug deep within himself now and pulled out everything he could.

There was a feeling, a surge of power he felt when he was at the Sanctuary. He’d asked Modern about it once, and the boy had said it was the chaos energy given off by the Master Emerald. Boom hadn’t understood what that meant at the time. But now, it seemed to give him a boost of power.

His fist connected a loud smack, and the rock exploded into dust and tiny pebbles. Boom stepped back, watching as the cloud cleared.

He was running out of boulders. And that feeling in his chest hadn’t gone away.

He didn’t like it. Didn’t like feeling angry. Didn’t like being angry at his friends. At any of his friends—hedgehog, fox, badger . . . or echidna. He felt terrible and selfish and guilty for the things he’d said, but at the same time, behind that anger was another emotion.

Hurt.

After everything he’d done for those other echidna, all the help he’d offered with no expectation of any kind of reward, this is how they respond. By telling him his friends aren’t really his friends. That they actually treat him really badly, but he was apparently too stupid to see it.

He snarled. Stupid. He hated that word. But even now, when he was back on his world and the influence of the Master Emerald was weaker, his mind felt clouded. Jumbled. Messy. He couldn’t remember the details of what they’d said, but he remembered how their words made him feel. And he didn’t like it.

Boom grunted and stomped on the ground, kicking some of the rocks he’d created when he destroyed the boulder. He felt like screaming. And crying. And breaking things. And just laying down and not getting back up again. All these emotions, all these feelings, all jumbled up in his chest, in his head, in his stomach. He felt like he was going crazy.

With another yell, Boom brought his fist up and turned, lashing out at whatever was nearby.

His arm came to a jarring stop, and he blinked.

His fist was stopped dead by X’s open palm.

The snarl was back on Boom's lips.

"You here to tell me how horrible my friends are, too?" he asked, pulling his fist back. He turned away, walking toward one of the few boulders left. "Save your breath. I'm not listening. Go away."

X said nothing, but Little Z hurried forward. "Big Boom?" he called, his voice soft and shaky. "Are you mad at me, too?"

Boom stopped, lowering his head. His arms dropped, his large hands clenching and unclenching as he thought. The little zombie Knuckles hadn't done anything. But there was so much in Boom's head right now. It was hard to separate his feelings for the boy from all the rest of them.

"Why are you here?" Boom's voice was even, but there was so much emotion in it, X and Gnarly exchanged a glance. "Leave me alone."

"Big Boom?" Little Z called again, and Gnarly moved forward to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. X moved around to Boom's side, trying to get his attention.

"The others are just worried about you," X said, his voice soft. "We all care about you, you know that. They don't want you to be hurt. That's all."

Boom turned, his brow furrowed. There was still anger in his eyes, but a sorrow joined it.

"They hurt me. They think my friends treat me bad, like I'm stupid. They treated me just the same."

X didn't say anything for a long moment. Then a small smile curled his lips.

"I know how you feel, because I was treated the same way."

Boom didn't expect that. He turned, the furrow in his brow changing from hurt and anger, to confusion. "What do you mean?"

X smiled a little wider, shrugging. "I'm the same as you. I trust too much, I let my friends take advantage of me. They took my Master Emerald to power a spaceship, and I forgave them. I know what you're going through."

Boom seemed to think about this for a moment, before turning to X fully. “Is it . . . is it bad that we don’t hate people for the way they treat us? Even if they can be a little thoughtless, or mean? Does that mean we really are . . . stupid?”

X pulled his lips tight. He never thought of himself as stupid per se. Maybe a little too trusting. A little too quick to forgive, and see the good in everyone, even those who try to do him harm. But those aren’t necessarily bad traits, were they? Aren’t those better than going through life with a cynical, mistrusting outlook?

Before X could reply, Gnarly spoke up.

"When I was growing up in Boscage Maze, I could hear the trees. I could see colors the others couldn't. They all said I was crazy. That what I was hearing and seeing wasn't really there. But I knew. I knew they were. Just because the others couldn't see them didn't mean they weren't there. And yeah, I did question myself sometimes. But deep down, I knew there was something different about me. They just couldn't see it. They couldn't hear or see what I did, because they didn't really hear or see me.

"That didn't mean they were bad friends. Just because they thought I was crazy didn't mean they didn't care about me. They just didn't understand me. Heck, I didn't understand me either, for the longest time. Until I was pulled into the Sanctuary for the first time. Then everything was quiet. Everything made sense. I figured out who I was."

"Our friends may not treat us the best all the time," X said, moving closer to Boom. "They may not understand us all the time. But that doesn't mean they're not our friends. And that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with us. If someone treats us badly, either intentionally or unintentionally, it shows what kind of person they are. The best thing we can do, is just keep being who we are.

“That's how we stay true to ourselves. Yeah, it may mean we're hurt. Or sad. Or tricked. But the times when we're helping someone, or protecting someone, or doing good are much more important."

Boom's face cleared, the anger fading. His brow relaxed, and the tension in his shoulders disappeared. He looked between the three other Knuckles, the anger and hurt he'd felt just a moment ago dissipating like fog on a warm day.

The tall echidna pulled in a long breath, and let it out in a slow exhale. He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a soft chuckle.

"Guess I went a little nuts back there, huh? Ugh. I said such horrible things. They're never gonna forgive me."

Boom dragged a hand down his face, when he felt a small hand grip the fingers of his free hand. He looked down and found Little Z, looking up at him with his big eyes.

"You're not mad?"

Boom smiled down at the boy, shaking his head. "Nah, I'm not mad, Little Z." He reached down to pull the boy up and perch him on his shoulders. "I just . . . had a little hissy fit, I guess."

"So," he said, looking over at X and Gnarly. "How mad are the others at me?"

Before either could respond, a loud shout split the air.

"YE'LL NEVER CATCH ME! I BE ON AN IMPORTANT MISSION!!"

The group turned and watched as Dread came running from the trees nearby, following closely by Renegade, Sinbad, and Gawain. The three bringing up the rear did not look pleased.

"THERE YE BE!" Dread shouted, screeching to a halt before Boom. "Now ye listen here, Boom. Ye be me best mate, and I ain’t gonna allow ye t’ feel such anger towards the fools what hurt you! We be just tryin' t' keep ye from gettin' hurt, and—"

Gnarly moved near him and clocked Dread upside the head.

"It's over. We talked. He's good."

Dread shot a scowl at Gnarly, before looking back at Boom. "This be true?"

Boom nodded. "It be."

Dread seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Well, I woulda got it done faster!"

#knucklesverse #knuckles the echidna #knuckles the dread #sonic prime #qwerty writing #knucklesverse writing #renegade knucks #gnarly knuckles #boom knuckles #sonic x #sinbad knuckles #gawain knuckles #zombie knuckles

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the-knucklesverse · 2 months

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A Bad Idea Made Better

Okay, I'm done staring at this thing. Hopefully it came out better than I think it did, because it's bugging me for some reason.

Anyway, enjoy!

~~~~~

“You can’t be serious.”

Maddie and Callie were sitting at the counter in the ‘kitchen’ of the Sanctuary. A handful of Knuckles mingled in the various areas—the game corner, the sparring area, behind them rummaging through cupboards in search of snacks—and the moms were there in case anyone needed anything. The redhead cast a cocked eyebrow to her friend. “Tell me you’re not serious.”

Maddie shrugged. “He’s already started three fights in the last half hour,” she said, and a commotion drew their attention to another starting. “Make that four.”

Callie turned toward the noise with an annoyed sigh. “Dread, KNOCK IT OFF!”

“I be innocent as a newborn babe, lass! T’ain’t me fault that Rennie here be so easy to rile!”

“DON’T CALL ME RENNIE!”

The two continued to bicker as Callie rolled her eyes and turned back to Maddie. “And you want me to take him to my house? Why not just ship him back to No Place?”

Another shrug from the vet. “He came in today with a note pinned to his back from his crew.” She slid it toward Callie. ’Don’t let him come back until he’s less of an ass.’

The redhead snorted out a laugh. “He’d never go home, then.”

“Right?” Maddie sighed, rubbing her temple. “Look, I know it’s not ideal, but if he stays here, he’s gonna cause a multi-versal brawl. Just . . . take him for an hour. Two at most.”

“Have you forgotten I have my own gremlin at home? You think I can handle two of them?”

Maddie sat up straighter, clapping a hand on Callie’s shoulder. “I have the utmost faith in you, Madam MacPherson. Keeper of the Gremlins. Controller of the Most Troublesome.”

Callie heaved a defeated sigh. “Fine. I’ll take him. But if, no WHEN, this blows up in my face, you owe me.”

“I’ll make you a batch of my incredibly tantalizing lasagna. With extra ricotta.”

The redhead hissed in a breath. “Oh, you temptress.”

“I may even make it for you anyway. I know this is a big ask.”

“Yeah, but you’re right,” Callie said, glancing over to where Dread and Ren were starting to throw hands. “He’s in rare form today. Maybe a change of scenery will help.”

“Thanks, Cal.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She pushed herself away from the counter, clapping her hands as she walked closer to the two fighting echidna. “Break it up, boys! Dread, you’re coming with me. We’re going on a field trip.”

~X~X~X~

Silver sat on the couch with Eclipse, trying to catch up in Mario Kart. He’d gotten better over the last few months, but still had trouble with curves.

“I’m so gonna beat you!” the darkling laughed as he maneuvered his way around the track. “You’re so slow.”

The hedgehog didn’t answer. He focused on his car, moving his thumbs over the controls to try and gain some ground.

He’d just started the second lap when the portal that led to the Sanctuary opened. He didn’t quite understand everything about this magic place his mom went to. Something about it being another dimension, one that didn’t follow the normal rules of time. She would go through, and then come back a few seconds later, even though she would say she’d been there for a long time.

Silver kinda wanted to see what this place was like. Mom said there were a lot of different Knuckles there—like that one Spiderman movie with all the different versions—and they have fun sometimes, but sometimes there are fights, or it’s sad and she helps them not be sad. He didn’t doubt that—his mom was really good at helping people feel better.

He normally didn’t pay a whole lot of attention when she came back, but today she wasn’t alone. The portal opened in the archway between the living room and kitchen, and she walked out as usual, but someone followed. He looked a lot like the Knuckles they knew, but he was dressed in funny clothes.

He looked like a pirate!

“Cool!” Silver gasped, dropping his controller and rushing over to where his mom and this new Knuckles stood. “Hi! You look so cool!”

The echidna startled, his hand going to the hilt of his sword, when Callie reached down to grab his wrist.

“No swordplay,” she said, her voice stern. The Knuckles flicked his eyes to her, then back to Silver, a look of confusion on his muzzle. “These are my boys. My sons. Silver the Hedgehog, and Eclipse the Darkling.”

Silver gave a little wave at his name, and he heard Eclipse pause the game and wander over.

“Who’s that?” the darkling asked, crossing his arms. “Why’s he dressed so weird?”

“Eclipse, don’t be rude,” Callie sighed, and a frown passed over the echidna’s face.

“I be the legendary captain Knuckles the Dread.” He raised his hand in a flourish as he flashed a smile, the light shining off his gold tooth. “The strongest, most dangerous pirate on the seven seas of No Place.”

Silver’s ears flicked back slightly. A pirate? Weren’t pirates mean? His mom wouldn’t bring a mean pirate home, would she?

Beside him, Eclipse’s body language changed, and he wore an excited smile.

“A pirate??” he exclaimed, moving forward and bouncing on the balls of his feet. “That’s so cool! Do you attack other pirates? Do you swing on ropes around your ship? Do you have sword fights?” He gasped. “Can I see your sword??”

“Eclipse, pull it back, kiddo,” Callie said, moving to push the darkling back a little. “Dread is here as a guest for a few hours today. You will both be polite and not crowd him, or ask all sorts of nosy questions.”

“Nonsense!” the pirate cried, moving forward to pat Eclipse on the shoulder. “They be curious ‘bout the life and adventures of such a far-traveled pirate! Ye can’t begrudge them a few tales, can ye, lass?”

“Yeah, Mom!” Eclipse said, trying his best to give her puppy dog eyes. “C’mon! I wanna hear some pirate stories from a real life pirate!”

Silver flicked his eyes back and forth between his brother, the echidna, and his mom. She seemed pretty calm. If Dread was dangerous, he theorized, she wouldn’t have brought him here in the first place, and would be much more protective. He relaxed some, his ears returning to a more upright position.

Pirate stories did sound pretty cool.

“Did you ever find treasure?” he asked, and Dread smiled wide.

“Oh, lad,” he said, throwing an arm around each boy and bringing them close. “Ye have no idea.”

~X~X~X~

Dread was in his element. He stood before the boys, telling tales of his greatest adventures, gesturing and miming his actions as he spoke. They were enthralled—eyes wide and cheering in just the right places.

He flicked his eyes over to Callie, and the lass sat to the side, a small smile on her lips. She shook her head slightly occasionally. Okay, maybe he was . . . embellishing a bit. Just a bit. Just enough to keep the boys’ attention.

This felt good. Felt right. Having all eyes on him, admiring his feats. No one at the Sanctuary gave him this much attention. Not without ridiculing him, or doubting every word he said. There he felt as though he were constantly being judged, constantly dismissed. Tolerated at best.

But here? He felt welcomed. Valued. Appreciated.

And it made a warmth spread in his chest. It was a feeling he’d never really experienced before, and he liked it. He liked it a lot.

Yessir, this was a nice change of pace.

~X~X~X~

Callie gave a little eye roll as Dread continued his tales. She’d heard most of these before—Dread wasn’t shy about telling others of his deeds—but the details seemed to be a bit . . . stretchy. There were more foes than she remembered, the kraken was much bigger, (oh, and now there were two), and some of the timelines didn’t seem to add up.

But, whatever. He was having fun, no one was fighting, and the boys seemed completely spellbound by his stories. She was checking this as a win.

~X~X~X~

Eclipse leaned closer as Dread spoke of monsters and battles, treasure and triumph. He was so cool! Not like the Knuckles they knew. Knuckles Wachowski may have been the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy at one time, but now he was more interested in gardening and doing yoga. Always talking about how ‘fighting is only a last resort’ and ‘live a life of virtue’ and blah blah blah.

What a load of bunk. Eclipse was a weapon. A soldier built specifically to fight and win. Sure, he liked not having to fight now, and living with his mom and brother was a lot better than his life on the Black Comet, but that didn’t mean he was some weak pushover! Dread’s life sounded so fun!

The pirate finished up another story, and Eclipse cheered.

“That was awesome! I wanna be a pirate! Mom, can I be a pirate like Dread?”

“’Course ye can, lad!” Dread answered before Callie could open her mouth. “In fact, both ye and yer brother here c’n be honorary members of me crew!”

The two boys moved in sync, hopping to their feet and flashing him a salute. “Aye, aye, Captain!”

“Okay, let’s not get carried away,” Callie said, just as her phone rang. She pulled it from her back pocket, giving it a tap to answer. “Hello? Linda? What’s wrong?”

Eclipse sighed, rolling his eyes. Linda was one of the other ladies who worked at the library. She was nice and all, but kinda boring. She always seemed nervous around him. He didn’t know why—he’d only almost bit her that one time. Almost. Hardly something to hold a grudge about, really.

“Is he okay? Good. Come in? Oh, I can’t, I have . . .” She glanced at Dread. “Company. From out of town. Call Karen and see if she can . . . oh she can’t?” She sighed. “Okay. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

She hung up and turned to the three by the couch. “I have to head into work. Linda’s son broke his arm and they’ve gotta run him to the hospital.”

“Oh,” Silver said, his ears flicked back. “Is Jake okay?”

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. Just needs his arm set.” She chewed her lip slightly, her eyes on the echidna. “Dread, can I talk to you for a sec?”

“’Course, lass.”

He followed her to the kitchen, just as Eclipse turned to Silver.

“Remember when I said Knuckles wasn’t cool?” Silver nodded. “I take it back. This one is soooo cooool.”

~X~X~X~

Callie led Dread into the kitchen, around the island to speak quietly with him.

“I’ve gotta head into work, and can’t take the boys with me.” She paused, pulling her lips tight. These next words out of her mouth were really gonna hurt. “I need to know I can trust you to watch over them for an hour.”

Her voice was soft, but firm, her eyes locked with his. She didn’t want to do this. This wasn’t an ideal scenario. On any other day, she would have simply closed the library for emergency reasons, but there was a book club meeting there in 20 minutes and she couldn’t leave them in the lurch.

Dread looked back, a little scowl on his face.

“Lass, ye offend me,” he said, crossing his arms. “When have I ever shown meself as untrustworthy?”

She gave him a look. One that essentially said ‘Do you want that answer alphabetically, or in order of importance?’

He seemed to catch her meaning, and dropped the scowl with a guilty smile.

“Aye, that be a bit of bad phrasing on my part,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. He stood straighter, bringing his fist to his chest. “I give ye me word, lass. I’ll guard them with me life.”

A little smirk curled her lip, and she gave a slight chuckle. “Not sure that will be necessary, but I appreciate the thought.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a little squeeze. “God forgive me for what I’m about to say, but . . .”

She took a breath, pulling her lips tight.

“Dread, you’re in charge.”

~X~X~X~

Silver sat at the kitchen table, watching Eclipse and Dread rummage through the fridge. There were plenty of leftovers, and before his mom left she said they could have what they wanted if they were hungry.

“Blimey!” Dread had exclaimed when Eclipse opened the fridge door. He reached his hand inside with an expression of wonder. “It be colder than a witch’s—” He caught himself, flicking his eyes to the boys before clearing his throat. “I mean, heh, it be mighty cold in this cupboard.”

“It helps keep food fresh,” the hedgehog said as he moved closer to pull out some leftover macaroni and cheese. “The cold makes sure it doesn’t spoil as fast.”

“Bloomin’ brilliant,” the pirate muttered as he peered into the shelves.

Eclipse piled leftover spaghetti on his plate, shoving a forkful into his mouth before crinkling his nose. “Ugh, too cold.”

“I’ll warm it up,” Silver said, priming his power to move the plate to the microwave. Eclipse balked, waving him away as he carried the plate over himself.

“I can do it!”

“Mom says you’re not allowed to use the microwave. Not after what happened last time.”

Eclipse waved a dismissive hand, uttering an annoyed ‘tch’. “Mom’s not here, is she? And that was weeks ago. Ancient history.”

The darkling popped the plate into the microwave and pressed a few buttons. The machine hummed to life, but shortly thereafter it began to spark and issue loud snaps. Silver gasped.

“You forgot to take your fork off the plate again!”

“You distracted me!”

“Get it out!”

“I will, don’t rush me!”

Eclipse turned to reach for the microwave door, when Dread jumped in front of him, pushing the boy back and drawing his sword.

“Watch yerself, lad! That be dangerous!”

And with that, the pirate swung his sword, slashing the microwave and cleaving it in two. It fell to the counter with a mighty crash.

Silver’s eyes went wide. Oh. Ohhh no.

“You killed our microwave!” he yelled, his hands pressed to this cheeks. This was so bad. “Mom’s gonna kill us!”

Dread looked confused, snapping his head back and forth from Silver to the now greatly deceased machine. “I thought . . . it be sparkin’ like a lightning storm, and I didn’t . . .”

The cats’ automatic feeder kicked in then, startling Dread, who spun and hurled his sword toward the new sound. It struck the feeder, splitting the side and spilling dry food all over the floor. Much to Bloom’s delight.

Silver shrieked. “Stop breaking things!”

“It ain’t me fault!” Dread cried back, hurrying over to pull his sword free.

“What are we gonna do??” Silver cried, wringing one of his long head spikes. “Mom’s gonna be so mad when she sees this!”

“Calm down, we’ll just . . . fix it,” Eclipse shrugged, poking at the pieces of microwave littering the counter. “Think Tails could come over?”

Silver shook his head. “Tails can’t fix that! It’s destroyed!”

“Then we’ll just get a new one!” the darkling yelled, throwing his arms over his head. “How much could they cost? $20?”

“Do you have $20?”

“No!”

“THEN HOW ARE WE GONNA BUY A NEW ONE??”

“I DON’T HEAR ANY IDEAS FROM YOU!!”

“QUIET!!”

Dread’s shout snapped the two out of their argument, and they turned to him. He sheathed his sword, walking toward them with a contemplative expression.

“Yellin’ and fussin’ ain’t gonna solve nothin’,” he said, stopping with his hands on his hips. “We need a plan. Be there any shops in town that carry those warming box things?”

The boys exchanged a glance, and Silver nodded. “Charlie’s should. They have a bunch of stuff like fridges and washing machines and stuff.”

The echidna nodded. “Then we go to this Charlie’s and see what we can do to get a new one.”

“But we don’t have any money.”

Dread smiled, in a smirky, confident kind of way. “Ye leave that to me.”

~X~X~X~

Ten minutes later and they were walking into town. Most of the townspeople didn’t really bat an eye at them, but Dread’s outfit drew some double takes. Eclipse supposed they weren’t expecting to see the red echidna they were used to dressed up like a pirate.

“What’s it like being a pirate?” the darkling asked. All of Dread’s stories sounded so fun. “Is it hard?”

“Oh, the pirate life be full of danger and adventure,” Dread said, a fond smile on his face. “Sometimes more danger than adventure, and there be plenty o’ times I nearly got me head handed t’ me, but it be the only life I know.”

“Don’t you have to . . . hurt people, if you’re a pirate?”

Eclipse flicked his eyes to his brother. Part of him wanted to feel annoyed at the hedgehog’s sensitivity to things like this, but another part fully understood Silver’s point of view. The world Silver came from was hard and violent and scary. Not something he wanted to relive.

Dread seemed to sense the boy’s mood, and he curled an arm around Silver’s shoulders to pull him close.

“Aye, sometimes there be no avoidin’ a battle,” he said, his voice soft. “Sometimes fighting be all we can do to keep ourselves safe. We try not to seek out fights, but we deal with ‘em if they come to us.”

Silver seemed to think about this. “So you’re . . . defending yourselves.”

Dread nodded, that smirk on his face again. “Aye. We defend ourselves and what be ours.”

“I guess that’s okay.”

“It’s not just okay, it sounds awesome!” Eclipse said, moving to walk backward in front of them. “Think you could teach me to sword fight? Man, I wanna come to your world and fight a kraken! I bet I could take it!”

The echidna cocked an eyebrow at the boy. “Do ye even know what a kraken be?”

Eclipse felt his muzzle warm. “I dunno. Like a big turtle?”

“’Fraid not, me lad,” Dread said with a chuckle. “It be a giant leviathan from the depths of the ocean. A creature longer than most ships and bearin’ a grudge against anything that breathes the air. It wraps its thick tentacles ‘round yer boat and drags it below the waves, to drown everyone aboard and eat them at its leisure.”

A beat of silence. “I could still take it.”

Dread barked out a loud laugh. “I bet ye could, lad. I bet ye could. Ye have the soul of a pirate, ye do, with the bravery to match.” He leaned a bit closer, dropping his voice. “Though don’t tell yer mum I said such a thing. She’d box me ears somethin’ good.”

Eclipse nodded with a smile. He wasn’t exactly sure what ‘box me ears’ meant, but he got the gist of it. His mom could get a little scary when angry. And a little over protective when it came to him and Silver. If she found out Dread was encouraging any dangerous or risky behavior, he’d be on the receiving end of that anger.

And even a seasoned pirate didn’t want to face her wrath.

“There’s Charlie’s,” Silver said, pointing across the street.

Dread nodded. “Aye. Let’s get what we came for.”

~X~X~X~

The building was larger than any shop Dread had ever been in. It held many different machines, and he could only guess what they were made for. Since they were designed for humans, most were larger than him. This world made him feel so much smaller than his own. It was unnerving.

He let the boys take the lead, since this was their world, and they were more comfortable navigating it. He still kept a sharp eye and ear on their surroundings—he’d promised the lass he would care for them, and come hell or high water, he would. They would not be harmed under his watch.

“Over here,” Silver called as he headed down an aisle. Dread followed, and they soon found themselves before a row of boxes with a picture of a microwave on the front. “This one looks like ours.”

“Aye.”

Dread stepped forward, and pulled the box off the shelf. It was heavier than he expected, but nothing his strength couldn’t handle. He hoisted it over his head, turning to the boys.

“Now what?” Eclipse asked.

The echidna paused. He was at war with himself.

Part of him wanted to do this the right way. Callie had trusted him, and he wanted so badly to make her proud, to do right and prove her trust in him was well placed. That part said to go to the owners of the shop, discuss terms, and see if there was some deal they could make. He had some gold in his jacket pocket, but he didn’t know how it compared to the currency of this world.

“What be the price on this?”

Silver looked at a little tag on the shelf. His ears flicked backwards. “Two hundred dollars.”

Eclipse grimaced. “That’s . . . a lot more than $20.”

Dread gave a little hum as he thought. He had no idea what a ‘dollar’ was, but he didn’t have that many gold pieces on him. He supposed he could have gone back to No Place to get more, but honestly, that was a lot of hassle, and he was getting impatient. He didn’t know when Callie would return home, and wanted this solved quickly.

And the other part of him, the part that told him all that ‘do the right thing’ stuff was a load of bollocks, slowly got louder.

It looked like there was only one solution.

“Ye know, this Charlie be pretty selfish to keep all these to himself,” he said, keeping his voice casual. “Look how many be on the shelf. He won’t miss one.”

Silver turned to him, eyes wide. “What do you mean? Are you saying we should . . .” His voice dropped low, and he looked around. “Steal it??”

“It all be a matter of perspective, lad. If ye were really hungry, would ye steal a loaf of bread?”

The boys exchanged a glance. Eclipse shrugged.

“I guess,” Silver said, pulling his head spike around to squeeze and twist. “But this isn’t the same, is it? You can’t eat a microwave.”

“Nay, but ye can make food in the thing.” He shrugged. “It be a gray area.”

The hedgehog continued to worry at his head spike, and now pulled his lip in to chew on. Dread flicked his eyes to Eclipse, who seemed less bothered with the whole situation. “Ye understand, don’t ye, lad?”

Eclipse seemed to consider things for a moment, before turning to his brother.

“C’mon Silver,” the darkling said, his voice tinged with annoyance. “It’s not like he’s even gonna notice it missing.”

“Can I help you kids?”

The three froze, and slowly turned to see an older man standing at the end of the aisle. His eyes flicked up to the microwave over Dread’s head, and the echidna’s pirate instincts kicked in.

“RUN FOR IT, LADS!”

And without bothering to check on the boys, Dread sprinted toward the front door.

~X~X~X~

Eclipse’s tail went rigid when Dread took off. He left them?? He was this cool pirate and he left them??

Snapping his head back around, he saw the look on Mr. Charlie’s face. First he was confused, then shocked. Then he was mad.

Oh. Oh no.

“It’s not what you think!” Silver was saying, his hands held out in front of him. Eclipse lunged forward to grab his brother’s wrist, before teleporting them back to the front of the store.

~X~X~X~

The door was in sight. Dread ran for it, holding his prize high above his head. All he had to do was get through that door, and he’d be good as gold.

Right now he wasn’t thinking about Callie. He wasn’t thinking about the two boys he left back in that aisle. He was running on ‘pirate brain’, consumed with winning and doing what he wanted, what he needed, to get his mission accomplished.

And that’s when he was hit in the middle by a screeching darkling.

“You’re gonna get me in trouble!” Eclipse yelled as he wrestled with Dread. The microwave went flying, and the echidna was surprised at the strength and agility the boy possessed. He tried to grab him to pull him off, but the darkling was too quick.

“Get off me!” he bellowed, right before he suddenly realized he couldn’t move. Glancing to his left, he found Silver with his hands extended out. A strange cyan glow surrounded them, the same glow that held him and the microwave captive. “By Neptune’s beard . . .”

“I’m sorry!” Silver said, his voice shaky and high-pitched. “I’m sorry but you can’t steal!”

Dread tried to break free from this strange hold, but his muscles would not obey him. It was as if he were completely frozen. Paralyzed. He struggled for another moment, before uttering a frustrated growl and giving up.

“Aye, lad,” he said with a sigh. “Ye got me. I surrender.”

~X~X~X~

Callie sat at the red light, lips pulled tight and feeling like the top of her head was about to explode.

Dread sat beside her, in the passenger seat, and he kept his gaze out the window. Her boys were in the back seat, and the microwave she apparently had to buy because the one at her house had met with an unfortunate fate was tucked in the cargo area of her Subaru.

No one said anything. She wasn’t sure she would have been able to speak anyway, considering how angry she was. At least not without a lot of colorful words sprinkled into the mix.

When she got the call to come to Charlie’s, she’d just seen the last of the book club out and was about to lock up anyway. Good thing. Because apparently the supposed adult she put in charge of her children had thought it a good idea to take them to be accomplices to attempted larceny.

At least Charlie had been understanding. Well, as understanding as he could be in such a strange situation. Trying to explain to him that this was a Knuckles, but not the Knuckles he was familiar with had taken a few tries. But when it suddenly clicked—”Like that Spiderman movie?”—he’d been much more willing to just let everything go.

Which was more than she was willing to do.

The light turned green and she pulled away. The ride to her house was a quiet one. She flicked her eyes to the rearview mirror, and saw two guilty looking kids in the back. Well, one guilty, and one pretty pissed kid. Eclipse kept shooting Dread dirty looks. He’d really been enthralled by the pirate, and when Dread essentially ditched them in favor of saving his own skin, it apparently left a sour taste in the darkling’s mouth. She didn’t blame him, really.

And she honestly wasn’t mad at them. They had done the right thing in the end and stopped Dread from running out with the microwave. That made her pretty proud, actually.

She pulled into her driveway, killing the engine and turning in her seat to talk to her boys.

“You two head on inside. We’ll be in in a minute.”

They nodded quickly, and hurried into the house. Callie turned to Dread, a finger tapping on the steering wheel.

“An hour. I was barely gone for one freaking hour.”

Dread said nothing, his back still turned to her.

“I trusted you.”

A beat of silence. “Aye. I know.”

She sighed, sitting back in her seat, tilting her head back against the rest. “Suppose it’s not your fault. You are how you are. I knew that and trusted you anyway.”

Now he turned, his lip curled in a snarl. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What do you think it means?” she asked, turning to him with her own snarl. “You’re a pirate! Knuckles the Dread! I should’ve known you’d do something to try and warp my kids’ minds to your pirate ways.”

His snarl became more pronounced. “I did nothing to those lads. I would not hurt them.”

“No, instead you dragged them off to shoplift a microwave!”

“There be a problem, and I found a solution!”

“A problem YOU caused!”

“It weren’t me fault! I was tryin’ to make ye proud!”

Callie uttered a sharp laugh, her temper flaring. “Proud?? For making my boys accomplices to your crime?? I trusted you! THEY trusted you! Do you realize just how badly you messed up? Those boys come from really bad childhoods! They were both used and abused by someone they trusted, someone who should have taken care of them. They—”

“SO WAS I!” he shouted, his hands curled into fists. “Ye don’t know anything about me childhood. I be a child of five when taken by a cruel man. He . . . his crew . . . they did the most awful things to me. I be just a child and they hurt me. Tortured me. I had to turn into this to survive.”

Callie quieted, and just stared at him. She didn’t know that. She didn’t really know anything about his childhood. He had always acted like being a pirate was the only thing he’d ever wanted. But, now that she thought about it, he’d always said it was the only thing he’d ever known. That was different, wasn’t it?

“Yer boys be good lads,” he said, some of the anger fading from his tone. “And aye, I admit it made me feel good to see them look up to me. To see their excitement when I told me tales.” He sighed, sitting back in his seat. “And ye be right. I could’ve done things diff’rently. Seen if I had enough gold on me to cover the cost. But instead I let me pirate instincts kick in and caused ye all this trouble.”

Silence descended over them, and Callie’s anger dissipated. She saw Dread in a different light now, and recognized the hurt little boy he used to be. Yes, he was a gremlin. Yes, he caused trouble and poked at the others and started fights. Yes, he seemed to behave in ways that were almost self-destructive.

But she’d seen that before, hadn’t she? When Eclipse first came, he’d acted out very similarly before he acclimated to the family. (And honestly, even now he could devolve into gremlin mode every now and then.) It was all a cover for the hurt he still carried. The pain from a life of abuse.

And sometimes that pain caused anger, and selfishness, and violence born of fear. Fear of being loved. Fear of being hurt again.

She could have kicked herself. Dread was suffering from the same trauma her own children were. And she’d never seen it.

“Those pirate instincts are what kept you alive,” she said, her voice softer.

Dread stared at his feet. “Don’t make what I did right.”

“No, it doesn’t.” She quieted. “Dread, I didn’t know.”

He shrugged, letting out a tired sigh. “I didn’t want ye to. Didn’t want anyone to. Me childhood be something I try to forget. Try to ignore. Pretend it happened to someone else. ‘Cause if I think about it, remember it, it would drive me mad.”

A quiet moment passed. The familiarity of his past trauma was almost funny. She seemed to attract the aliens with the abusive childhoods, while the Wachowskis attracted the ones with the abandonment issues.

Considering her own past, she supposed it was a case of like attracting like, only on a much more universal scale.

Callie reached over to cup his muzzle and turn his face back toward her.

“Our pasts hurt us whether we want to remember them or not,” she said, a sad smile on her lips. “My boys . . . they remember their pasts. Still have nightmares about them. I can’t change their past, or take those memories away. But what I can do, is try really hard to make sure their present has as much love and happiness as I can possibly give them.”

He stared at her, and his eyes grew shiny.

“They be lucky to have ye,” he whispered.

Callie’s heart nearly broke in half. For all his bravado, all his boasting and confidence and arrogance, Dread was still a lost little boy, trying to find someone who would love him.

“Ya know,” she said, rubbing her thumb over his muzzle, where a tear may or may not have fallen. “The boys seem to be under this really weird impression that you’re cool. So, I guess, if you wanted to, you could hang out here whenever you wanted.” She gave him a more stern look. “So long as you keep the crime sprees to an absolute minimum. Like zero.”

His eyes grew wide. “Ye . . . ye still want me around?”

She shrugged. “What kind of person would I be if I let a little thing like microwave destruction and attempted theft push away someone whom I consider one of my best friends?”

He froze. “B-best . . . ?”

“One of,” she said, keeping her voice light. “In the top five. It varies. Sometimes minute-by-minute.”

Dread stared at her for another moment, before a smile spread across his muzzle. “Ye be an angel, lass,” he said, and he blinked quickly to hide his tears. “An absolute angel made flesh.”

Callie wrinkled her nose, uttering a little grunt. “Ugh, don’t get all mushy and make this weird. C’mere.”

She pulled him to her, and took his hat off to rest their foreheads together.

“You ever need anything,” she said, her voice soft, “you come to me. Understand? You ever feel like you’re gonna explode if you don’t talk about something, or if your past is poking at you more than usual, or just need someone to be there, you come to me. Anytime. No judgment. My home is your home now. And you are part of my family. Don’t argue with me, just accept it.”

At first Dread didn’t seem like he knew what to do, how to feel. But after a moment he relaxed against her, and brought his hand up to cup the back of her neck to hold her to him more firmly.

“Aye,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It be an honor to join your family.”

They sat like that for a moment, before pulling away. Callie gave him a little smirk, and dropped his hat back in place as she turned for her door.

“C’mon. Let’s get the new microwave in and then you need to have a little chat with a couple of boys.”

“Aye. Yes, ma’am.”

~X~X~X~

Eclipse sat on the couch with Silver. He crossed his arms, trying not to look at the stupid pirate standing before them.

His mom seemed to have forgiven Dread. They’d sat out in the car for a while after getting home and he’d watched through the window. They seemed like they were yelling for a bit, which was good because he wanted Dread to get into trouble. He was supposed to be this cool guy, this much cooler version of the Knuckles they knew. But instead he was just some jerk who ran off to let him and Silver get in trouble for something that was his idea.

Dread stood with his hands behind his back, a serious expression on his face. After standing quietly for a moment, he coughed into his fist before speaking.

“Yargh, I suppose an apology be in order for the way I behaved back in the shop.”

“You ditched us!” Eclipse snapped, his muzzle curled in a snarl. “You were gonna leave us to get into trouble!”

“Aye. I did.”

“The Knuckles we know wouldn’t do that,” Silver said, crossing his own arms. He wasn’t as angry as Eclipse, but wasn’t overly happy with Dread, either. “He’s a good friend and always does what he thinks is right.”

Dread shrugged. “I ain’t him.”

“No kidding,” Eclipse asked, jumping off the couch to get in Dread’s face. His arm spikes flared, tail flicking in angry whips. “I thought you were cool. You told such awesome stories. But you’re just a jerk and all those stories are probably lies, too!”

The echidna kept his composure, but a little smirk curled the corner of his lips. “Oh lad, they all be true. They be the more tame stories. There be many others, some would give ye nightmares for a week.”

Eclipse paused. More stories? With more danger?

He narrowed his eyes, casting a suspicious glance at the pirate. “Like what?”

A grin split Dread’s lips, and he tossed a glance over his shoulder. Callie was distracted in the kitchen, cleaning the messes from the old microwave and split cat feeder. The echidna turned back, leaning forward and speaking in a low, conspirator-like whisper.

“Like the time I single-handedly took down two pirate ships, while in the middle of a monsoon, and a kraken decided to have me for its lunch!”

Eclipse’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“May lightning strike me down if I be lyin’.”

Silver took a moment to look to the skies outside, while Eclipse grabbed Dread’s wrist. He dragged the pirate behind him, heading for the kitchen door.

“We’re going outside, just to play and not to hear any more pirate stories that may be too scary for Silver!” he said, barely putting space between his words.

“Hey!” Silver whined, hurrying out after them. “I’m not scared!”

~X~X~X~

Callie smiled as she watched her boys through the window. Silver and Eclipse sat on the deck, watching as Dread gestured and mimed and told his grand—and in no way embellished—stories of his life as a pirate.

An eventful day, but everything worked out.

Her boys were happy. Dread was happy. She was happy.

Yep. She’ll call that a win.

#knucklesverse #knuckles the dread #eclipse the darkling #silver the hedgehog #callie macpherson #maddie wachowski #qwerty writing #knucklesverse writing #sonic prime #sonic fanfiction

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