Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Hedgehog's Legacy ❯ The Prodigal Son ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: Grapes is my own creation, nothing else, so back off.

Author's note: It's a bit A/U since I'm combining a few elements from the comic series and maybe a bit from the games as well. Some things may be off because I've lost track of most of the comics. You have been warned.

Past:

Sonic - 18

Amy - 16

Tails - 10

Knuckles - 18

Future (nineteen years later)

Sonic - 37, deceased

Amy - 35

Tails - 29

Grapes - 8

Knuckles - 37

Ten years after…

Sonic - 37, deceased

Amy - 45

Tails - 29, deceased

Grapes - 18

Knuckles - 47

"Home." Grapes whispered to himself as he arrived in front of a small house. It wasn't much to look at but it had the comforts of home and provided shelter from the elements. He swiftly wiped his boots on the rug when he entered and hung up his jacket and slung his sword on a nearby coat rack.

"You should take better care of that thing." A voice called over from the kitchen, about a few feet away from Grapes. "The Sword of Acorns is no toy."

Grapes grinned at the remark. Normally it was the same routine, he'd arrived home, carelessly throw his sword onto the coat rack and Knuckles, his teacher/mentor, would reprimand him for it.

"Good afternoon to you too. So what's the latest on the front lines?" Grapes asked as he walked into the kitchen. Knuckles was already sitting on a stool, quietly tinkering with a small arm cannon. Undoubtedly it was taken away from some robot. His gloves were off, placed nearby. His hands were exposed, with the natural claws cut off.

"Not good, not good at all... The Acorn resistance is all but wiped out, with only a few survivors scattered somewhere out there. At least I hope so. They've been discovered somehow and the location of their HQ was compromised, but luckily the freedom fighters erased all links and communications to other major bases and affiliations. The Brotherhood and The Legionnaires are safe. For now, at least." Knuckles finally looked up from his work to Grapes.

"I've got their Distress signal a few hours ago. Queen Sally Acorn and her daughter Princess Samantha, they were out as the first line of defense… They didn't make it..."

Grapes only listened intently, trying to be impassive. He never really knew the Queen on a personal level but he had been intimate with Samantha, something only her mother knew about. < That bastard… I'll kill him. The heavens will damn you for this, Mogul… > he thought to himself.

"It seems that the sword is yours now, permanently. Master Mogul… he isn't going to stop `til we're dead. We better move fast. With our backup regime taken out, we're short on fire and man power, much less on intelligence and recon personnel." Knuckles continued on. "At this rate, we'll have to abandon ship."

"You mean surrender?" Grapes replied in shock. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Knuckles looked him straight in the eye before continuing working on the small arm cannon once more.

"Maybe. But I figure we have three options… One, we surrender… which might not be such a great idea. He won't spare us and incorporate us into his empire; we're too much of a threat. Two, we could create a dimensional transporter and get the hell out of here and into some unknown and uncharted dimension while the going's still good… or three…"

This time, Knuckles looked up again from his new toy and grinned at Grapes.

"We could go back in time…"

Grapes only crossed his arms as he glared back at Knuckles.

"What? Not a good enough plan for you?"

"…We're talking about time travel here! What the hell are we supposed to do if this crazy plan actually works?"

Knuckles stroked his chin as he thought. "Hard to say. We need to stop this entire war from happening, without causing too much problems to the time space continuum and such."

"We need to get rid of Mogul. After that, it's smooth sailing from here on in!" Grapes said as he struck his fist into his palm. "Just give me a few more months! I'm almost strong enough to take on Mogul! I've faced off with him a few times already."

"Just barely coming out of it alive! You're lucky your super form is able to take the punishment but eventually it won't be enough to hold against the power of fourteen emeralds! You'll need a few more decades but even after that it might not be enough. And may I remind you, we don't have that much time." Knuckles replied. He then sighed and rolled his eyes. "Listen, why don't you go visit your mother okay? I still got lots to do right now. All this talking isn't getting any of us anywhere."

Grapes shrugged. "Fine. But believe what you want, but I could beat Mogul, and when I do, I'll make sure you're there to see it." Grapes slipped on his jacket and when he reached for his sword, a thought occurred to him.

"You still up for a quick sparring session? I want to try out a few moves that might just put me over the top when I face up against one of Mogul's generals." He said as he went to the living room to get his things.

"No problem, but only if you wanna be beaten by the best. I don't want to hear you whine about how much it hurts later on." Came the casual reply.

"Whatever you say, old man." With that sentiment said, he was out the door.

"Grapes don't touch that! I don't want you to spoil your appetite!" Amy chastised as she went to slap Grapes' hand for trying to sneak a piece of meat into his mouth. It proved pretty much futile, but Grapes stopped anyways.

"Sorry, I'm just really hungry."

Amy nodded. "Yes, I know. Your father was very much the same way."

Grapes shifted his feet uncomfortably, afraid that talking about his father might upset his mother. "Yeah, trying to save the world does that to you. But anyways, how's everything lately?"

Amy didn't turn around but kept right on cooking. "Well, everything is good as it could get. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I know I haven't been around as much since I have to help out with the cause and all, and my training with Knuckles… And I haven't talked to you for some time too. I was just wondering if there's anything I could do... to help out, you know?" Grapes shifted again, slightly nervous.

"Well it's quite understandable. Your father always said, `A Hedgehog's gotta do, what a Hedgehog's gotta do.' This isn't any different son." Amy said with a smile.

Grapes only nodded.

"How is Knuckles by the way? I haven't seen him in a while, why don't you invite him over to dinner?" Amy asked while placing plates along the table.

Grapes shrugged. "He's always busy and stuff, he doesn't have the time I guess."

"Nonsense." Amy replied. "He should have time for a good home cooked meal. Go and ask him to have supper with us." She said with authority. In Grapes' experience, to go `ask' usually means to go and `demand'… or else face the wrath of his mother.

Grapes quickly rushed out to the backyard and powered up to his super form. His quills became a pale golden color and stood straight up, extremely rigid. Within a minute, he reappeared back at the house back, and back to his usual color, with an irate echidna in his hand. When Grapes had let go, Knuckles dropped the arm cannon he had been working on and rubbed his sore wrist while mumbling incoherently.

"What a surprise, you made it!" Amy yelled out her kitchen window, her voice filled with satisfaction.

"I'm sure it was…" Knuckles replied with a roll of his eyes while picking up same arm cannon he was working on earlier, from the ground. They entered the house from the backdoor, which led to the kitchen. He gave the arm to Grapes who just took it into the living room

"Well, never let it be said Amy Rose has even been refused anything. I was due for a dinner break soon!" he said amiably as he sat down while tying a napkin around his neck.

About an hour later, Knuckles and Amy had already finished up eating while Grapes was reading a book in the living room while listening to his Walkman. The older two chose to sit in the kitchen and chat over tea.

"You'll be glad to see how your son has turned out. Just like his father." Knuckles said quietly. He observed the young hedgehog reading `War and Peace'. "Well, he has your patience and hair, that's for sure."

"Family pictures would be hell if he had quills like his father." Amy said with a small smile. "As for patience, I'm not so sure at times."

Knuckles cleared his throat. "All idle chit chat aside… I've been meaning to talk to you about something." He took a deep breath and continued.

"Mogul is getting closer to eliminating us, and he's getting closer to finding you. In fact, our informants from the Acorn resistance told us months ago that Mogul is spearheading a search party for you. It hasn't been that bad otherwise I would've informed you way earlier than this, but after the massacre on the Queen's front lines, I can't take any more chances."

Amy flinched. "What does he want with me?" she asked.

"It's what he can do with you. With you as his hostage, there's no telling what's gonna happen with Grapes and the rest of this war. We don't need him to lose his head over this. He's the best we got and we can't afford having him fighting recklessly all because Mogul has you as a hostage!" Knuckles whispered harshly. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see Grapes still reading and bobbing his head to the music that only he could hear.

Amy only took their cups to the sink. "I know you mean well, but I wish you'd stop speaking about Grapes like that!"

"What are you babbling about?" Knuckles asked indignantly.

"I mean, stop speaking about Grapes as if were nothing more than a living weapon! He's your godson! You should be worried about him and not his fighting performance!"

Knuckles laughed, but it was bitter although it didn't sound mocking or derogatory.

"In another lifetime, I'd wholeheartedly agree. But times change. Making sure he lives through the next battle is all that I'm concerned about. That's how I worry, if what I taught him is enough. Does he know guerilla tactics? Would he make a mistake when waging a guerilla war? Would he know how to survive in the wild? What should he do if he's too injured to make it back home? Will he even make it back home? …Don't ever say, or imply that I don't care because, this is how I worry Amy, and this is how I take care of my godson."

Amy looked to Knuckles and was shamefaced. She has always knew it had to be hard for the likes of husband, Tails, Knuckles… always having to worry about others and their own survival. "Oh Knuckles, I'm so sorry. That's not what I meant, please believe me..."

Knuckles nodded and waved his hand to dismiss the topic. "I'd like you to go into hiding with my men back at Haven. The Brotherhood will make sure you're well guarded."

"I don't need that much protection. I'm sure they have more important things to worry about." She said as she sat back down.

Knuckles shook his head. "Afraid not. You are one of our top priorities, at least until this whole mess, or the war itself, is solved or blown over. Until then, you're to be guarded. It's best if we do this as soon as possible."

"I guess you got most of the details taken care of then." Amy stated. Another nod from Knuckles… "Okay then, just tell me when."

"No problem. I'll let you know when everything is arranged, we'll have to smuggle you out secretly and without a hitch. Well, it's been great having dinner here, makes me wish I ate here more often but duty calls." He got up and walked over to the living room.

Grapes felt someone else in the room and looked up, to see Knuckles taking the robotic arm cannon and his screwdriver that was left on the sofa. "Going already?" he asked as he took his headphones off.

Knuckles nodded. "I guess our spar's postponed. I still got things to finish up then I'll probably visit Queen Acorn's palace, if it's still there..." he mumbled out. His gaze wandered to the floor and was about to leave when Grapes stopped him.

"Lemme go with you! It might not be safe to go by yourself."

"Grapes!"

"Mom, it's better this way. Remember all the times you told Knuckles to go hunting with me when I wanted to go alone? Same thing."

Amy sighed. "Fine, but you better come back in one piece, ya hear!?" She screamed that last part since Grapes had already taken off, dragging Knuckles by the wrist.

"I wish you wouldn't do that!" Knuckles yelled as his rubbed his sore wrist again. Grapes only chuckled sheepishly. "I mean really! It's not like I can't fly!"

They both have arrived a mile or so outside the location of the Palace. Standing in a clearing, they were vulnerable but it seemed the area had been vacated a long time ago.

"Sorry, but you fly too slow! Super form or no…"

Knuckles only ignored the youth and reached out for the arm cannon he had dropped earlier. He gingerly checked it for damages and when he was finally through, he placed it on his forearm, and pressed a button. Almost immediately, it started to wrap around Knuckles' arm.

"Whoa! What the hell is that?" Grapes asked in awe.

"I've been working on this. We usually have to fight those rust buckets that carry these babies around so I figured, why not arm every civilian and soldier with the same kinda weapons and armor? They're dangerous all right, but this time it'll work in our favor." Knuckles ran his fingers over the smooth metal. Silver with a black finish, it covered his entire forearm including his hand. And not to Grape's amusement, there were prosthetic claws to replace his old ones. And they were by far thicker, sharper, and far deadlier than his old ones.

"Well, let's get going. Last thing we need is to get caught unaware." They began to walk towards where Palace Acorn used to be. Grapes remembered visiting here for the very first time, how it was built as a sanctuary for all who were enemies of Master Mogul. He remembered how everyone lived, as a tight knit community where everyone helps out another. He remembered how nice everyone was even though a war between good and evil stood outside their very doorsteps. And he remembered the first time he had met the Queen and the Princess Samantha Acorn.

He looked around for anything that could have held any more good memories, but all he saw was death and destruction. Buildings were torn down, rubble strewn about everywhere, and nothing living or dead was found.

"No bodies. I didn't think Mogul takes prisoners…" Grapes muttered to himself as he kicked a rock across the still burning rubble.

"He doesn't. He doesn't even leave anything that would have point to signs of life. You've faced The Master a few times on the battlefield Grapes, but you've never seen him outside of battle, when it's you and me, against him and his army. When it comes to something like this, he's a murderer, plain and simple." Knuckles then noticed something and bent down on one knee to examine the ground.

"What?" Grapes asked. He walked over to Knuckles and tried to catch a glimpse of what he was looking at.

"Interesting…" he said at last. He picked something up, and opened up his gloved hand to show Grapes what he had found. It was a slightly melted silver ring. "Normally Mogul doesn't leave any traces of life left, especially not some petty jewelry. I almost didn't see it, so my guess is, it was hidden for a reason, perhaps by the owner?."

"I recognize that… I gave that to Samantha a few months back…" Grapes said quietly.

"I'm sorry." He passed the ring along to Grapes who just looked at it for a moment and shoved it into his jacket pocket without another word. He continued walking along side Knuckles.

"I don't think we'll find much here. I was hoping to find the Queen and the Princess, at the very least a few survivors." Knuckles said quietly. Grapes placed a comforting hand on Knuckles' shoulder.

"I can't even bury their bodies."

Grapes only stood next to him in silence. Knuckles breathed out, and began to speak again…

"Once upon a time-"

"Is this really a time for fairy tales?" Grapes interrupted.

"Quiet…"

Grapes only stayed silent next to his mentor.

"I met the queen, when she and her father visited the floating island so many decades ago, and after that we've been friends and a bit more at times. Years passed and I helped her whenever she needed my help, and when I needed hers. I've been at her side almost as much as your father was. Soon, a new threat came about and she asked for my help as well from my father and forefathers. They refused, and I sided with them."

"What? Why?" Grapes asked in shock.

"I would've… We all would've gladly given our lives for hers... But there was only one little complication… Would she and the rest of her people be willing to risk lives, to go to any means necessary, to think and act like the enemy, to win?"

"I see." Grapes understood the values the Queen and Samantha held for life and war. To both mother and daughter, the methods the Guardians would and most likely use would violate their own code of honor.

"Now look around you. If I hadn't refused her help, none of this would've happened! Because of my own stubbornness, and my believing that the past guardians knew what they were doing… led to all of this!" Knuckles screamed into the night air as he made a sweeping gesture with his arm. He turned to Grapes, a maniacal glint in his eyes, his voice was barely controlled, but he was still calm.

"If I had helped her, the threat of Robotnik would have been gone, and we could have taken his technology and use it against the war with Mogul! We probably would have finished him before a war could start, but because I didn't help her, and didn't help her to understand that war means death, Mogul had time to plan! When Robotnik was keeping her busy, Mogul took time to mobilize his generals and his army!"

He pointed to where the palace was, now only a burning foundation surrounded by rubble.

"Now look at this. Robotnik imprisoned and his resources taken over by Mogul. Another war to fight against a near invincible enemy. More death. More killing. Not one body to bury and another glorious loss, one more loss of life to add to the scoreboard."

Grapes only stood silent throughout his tirade and he didn't know what to say to most of it until now.

"Don't think of their lives as the score, this isn't a game Knux." Grapes said coldly.

"But I have to Grapes. I have to, because that's the way of war. We need-"

"You, need to understand the value of life. I thought you of all people would understand that by now. I knew your father raised you for a while, and I know how your father thinks, you did train me for a while, and you taught me all that he had taught you… I thought the loss of my father and many others would wake you up, but I guess it made you worse." Grapes spat out.

"You don't understand Grapes--!"

Grapes only turned away with his back to Knuckles. "I want to help you, Knux. Just because you feel that way and you want to die, doesn't mean I'm gonna let you take everyone else with you. Don't you get it? Once you go down that road, everyone else will follow. That's how important you are to everyone. Without you, there is no hope. And the people will lose faith in what they believed in, and then where will we be?"

"Don't try to lie to me about it either. I knew this hit you hard along with everything else. My dad's death affected you, that much my mom told me. Tails giving his life to destroy Mogul, that hurt you, maybe even killed whatever decency you have left, whatever respect for life you have left. Face it, you're immune to death, but not to guilt, and now you want die for the cause, to make it all go away!"

Knuckles was already on his knees, gripping onto the blood soaked earth. Grapes turned around and continued.

"You thought I couldn't see it? That I wouldn't notice when you mentioned time travel?" Grapes ask sardonically.

"If you can't die, what's the next best thing to do? Erase yourself from existence. Destroy the menace, and then save the future. We'd all be changed, different, for the better or for the worse but even you'd take that chance rather than the guilt and the pain. That was your plan, wasn't it…? …WASN'T IT?!"

Knuckles tried to speak but nothing came out.

"A wise echidna told me once… Life is joy and it's also sorrow. It takes more guts to live than to fight hundred Moguls in battle."

"Sally…" It was the only word that could have been heard from Knuckles' mouth. It was almost as if that word contained all he had to say, to respond to Grapes' speech. To Grapes, it seemed more like an excuse. Grapes only curled his lip in disgust and walked away.

A/N: To AoStH Unlimited, don't worry, I'll have Grape's name explained soon! (Chapter four) And once again, I thank those that took time to read my fanfic. Oh, and normally I would wait longer to post up a chapter… Three weeks, tops. But it seems that my fanfic is being piled up on top with other works. Maybe it's peer pressure? I don't know. Don't let me down people! Please read and review!