Life & Tales of Mordred Hedgehog!

Spagonia: a country of culture, heritage, and hospitality. Many people often visit it for the food, some for the arts and sciences in the country's rich history, others to attend Spagonia U, one of the premiere universities in the world of Mobius. It was a nation that gathers the hearts and minds of people everywhere…



And right now, the skyline of said country was being used as the personal playground to the Fastest Thing Alive.



"Yahoo!" An energetic voice belonging to a blue figure yelled out as they ran up a sloped roof, soaring through air as they posed dramatically before reorienting themselves as they approached the ground, blasting off in a burst of speed. The figure was a 3-foot tall, antropomorphic blue hedgehog with a tan muzzle and abdomen. His green eyes lit up with glee as he went through another loop-de-loop, his feet clad in red shoes with white straps held by a gold buckle, while he held his gloved hands behind him, allowing him to break through the wind resistance. This was Sonic the Hedgehog.



Right now, Sonic was racing through Spagonia towards the capital university at the center of the city. Just a while ago, he had received a message from his little brother figure, Tails, about how the young fox managed to get a position as a teaching assistant at the college, and the hedgehog wanted to congratulate his brother in person. It just so happened that coming over also gave him the excuse to run around Spagonia again and take in the sights.



He ran past a chili dog vendor, snatching up one of the treats before leaving behind the appropriate amount of rings as payment. Also, Spagonia had surprisingly delicious chili dogs sold locally, which Sonic very much enjoyed.



He quickly scarfed down the food, licking the leftover chili that clung to his fingers once he was done. "Ah, man, that hit the spot!" He said before he went down to the ground. "Alright, that should be enough sightseeing for now. Time to find Tails and give him major congratulations! Not every day a 12-year old gets to be a TA at a place like Spagonia U!" With that, Sonic began to head towards the university. Even though he was making a beeline to it, though, his eyes did dart around to the sights of the city life. He saw a couple enjoying their day at the park, an ice cream man selling to customers, a baby crying in an alleyway, a couple of kids playing with a dog, a family enjoying the birthday of one of their members, a couple of students-



Sonic tripped as he skidded to a stop as he realized what he saw just now. He quickly looked back, wondering if he imagined it, but his ears picked up a sound. He didn't imagine it. There WAS a baby crying in an alleyway! As much as he wanted to book it to see his little brother, he knew that an alley was no place for a toddler. He quickly sprinted back to where he saw the alleyway before slowing down as he approached its entrance. The sounds of a baby crying echoed through it, so he decided to venture into the narrow passage.



He walked through the shadowed alley, listening for the baby as it's cries echoed around him. Despite this, however, he could hear the source of the baby's cries before he saw a box next to a trash bin. Sonic walked towards the box, the baby's crying becoming much easier to pinpoint before he looked inside the wooden box. Inside was a small infant, barely even a year old. The baby had blonde, messy hair held into a ponytail, and they were wearing what looked like to be a red diaper made of fabric. It wailed as it laid in the crate, prompting Sonic to reach down and pick them up. Immediately, the baby began to stop crying as it felt the warmth of gloved hands holding it up. It opened its eyes, revealing a pair of emerald orbs that stared at Sonic before it smiled and reached out to him, letting out a laugh as it looked at its savior.



"Well, hey there, little guy!" Sonic said with a chuckle as he brought the baby closer to him, holding it up to his chest. The baby cooed as it looked up at him, earning a playful grin from the Blue Blur as he grabbed the baby's nose, wiggling it a bit before letting go, getting another round of giggles from the baby. "Alleys like this aren't a place for tots like you to be playing in, ya know? You should be somewhere safer!"



The baby did not understand what the hedgehog said, only letting out happy gurgling sounds as Sonic took another look at the wooden crate. He may not know the entire story, but he assumed that, for whatever reason, the baby was abandoned by their parents. He gained a pensive expression on his face, but the baby's mood brought him back up again. "Don't worry, kid. I'll try to help you out quick. Just gotta figure out how."



As he began walking back out the alleyway, Sonic went deep into thought. He'd have to take the kid somewhere safe, but he wasn't sure if he could just drop the kid off on any of his friends out of the blue like that. It was a lot of responsibility to just give them a kid he found. There were orphanages around, and plenty of people looking to adopt, but getting a kid into one would require a lot of legal stuff that, honestly, he had little knowledge of. He'd need help from someone smart enough to-



He blinked as an idea popped into his head. Of course, he was going to visit Tails at Spagonia U! Tails might have some knowledge of getting a baby situated into an orphanage! He felt kid of dumb for not realizing this sooner! "Alright, little buddy, you might want to hang on." Sonic said as he began to pick up the pace. "It's gonna be a bit bumpy!"



Soon, he began running to Spagonia U, leaving a trail of blue wind in his wake as he ran as fast as he could while trying to avoid hurting the baby in his arms. Speaking of said baby, the infant darted their eyes around as everything around them besides their savior became a blur before they let out a cheerful squeal. Sonic chuckled at the reaction as he raced towards where his little brother would be.



Meanwhile, at Spagonia U, the school day was winding down, and Miles "Tails" Prower was enjoying his new career as a TA at the school. Tails was a young, antropomorphic, yellow fox with blue eyes, red and white shoes, gloves, and his namesake, two tails. He managed to get a position working in the electrical engineering class, the students were very attentive and a pleasure to work with, and some people, including the engineering professor, were looking to him for answers! He may be doing this for a temporary period, until he got wrapped up in one of Sonic's adventures again, but if this was how life being a TA was, maybe he'd try to apply for a full-time job as a professor here! It certainly seemed enticing!



"Hey, bro, how's it hanging!" He heard a familiar voice call out. The two-tailed fox turned to where he heard the voice before he spotted a familiar face amongst the crowd of students walking around him.



"Sonic!" The young fox called out as he ran up to his older brother figure with a wide grin on his face. "It's been a while since I saw you, bro! What are you doing here?"



"Well, when you told me that you got a position here as a TA, of course I had to congratulate you, buddy!" The blue hedgehog said as he shimmied his way through the sea of students. "Plus, do I need a reason to see my awesome kid brother?"



Tails let out a chuckle. "Well, I'm not gonna be a little kid for long, Sonic. Check it, I'm moving up in the world, and soon, if everything goes according to plan, I'll be a professor here teaching Theoretical Quantum Astrophysics and Electrical Engineering!" He stated in a confident tone, earning a whistle from the Blue Blur as he moved closer. "Heck, I might even get another chance to take a look at the Ancients' technology, and those ba-ba-ba-baby." Tails stammered as he looked down at Sonic's arms, immediately noticing the blonde infant in his brother's arms. "You-you have a baby with you. What?" Tails asked befuddled, earning another chuckle from Sonic.



"Yeah, I wanted to congratulate you a bit more before we got to this part, bro." Sonic began explaining as he adjusted his grip on the sleeping toddler in his arms. "But, basically, I found them all alone in an alley, and you know I couldn't just leave them like that, now could I?"



The young fox nodded as he understood his brother's thought process. "Yeah, that makes sense." Tails said as he began to calm down. "I'm guessing you need help finding them a new home, don't you?"



Sonic nodded. "Yeah, I do." He said as he scratched the back of his head. "I can't just drop them at any random house or our friends out of nowhere, and I don't exactly know all the ins-and-outs to getting a baby situated in an orphanage here in Spagonia, so I figured that you might have an idea since you've been living here for a while."



Tails nodded, seeing the logic behind this, but as he opened his mouth to speak, another voice interrupted the conversation. "Ah, Sonic, it's a pleasure to see you, young man! It's been quite some time, hasn't it?" An elderly voice spoke, getting the attention of the hedgehog and fox. An elderly man with eyebrows so bushy, they hid his eyes underneath. He wore a maroon suit with a white dress shirt and green tie underneath. This was Professor Pickles, the Archeology professor of Spagonia U.



"Professor Pickles!" Sonic and Tails said in unison as the aged professor made his way to the duo.



"Now, what's this I hear about orphanage issues?" The professor asked with a smile before he noticed the infant Sonic was carrying. "I assume that it has something to do with the child in your arms, Sonic?"



The hedgehog chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head again. "Yeah, it's got something to do with them." Sonic confirmed. "I know there's a whole process for getting a baby into an orphanage, but I don't know where to start, so I figured I'd come here for some answers."



"Well, you definitely came to the right place, Sonic." Tails said as he gave his brother a smile. "Me and the professor will help you out, no problem!"



"Ah, but of course!" Professor Pickles said enthusiastically before he composed himself. "However, Spagonia law does dictate that the child will have to go through a medical exam before we can deliver them to an orphanage, to ensure that they receive proper medical attention, as well as any medication they need. Thankfully, the doctor in our university's medical wing is qualified and certified for this, plus, she owes me a favor. If you'd follow me, we can help you get the exam out of the way in no time!"



"Really? Thanks, professor!" Sonic said as he and Tails began to follow the aged professor. They walked through the halls of Spagonia U before arriving to a set of doors, which they walked through. Inside was the school's medical wing, which was bathed in a turquoise light that relaxed the soul instead of seeming harsh and overwhelming. The lone occupant in the room was a woman wearing a lab coat over a dark outfit with platform heels. She had short, dark hair in a bob cut, and light makeup on her face, accentuating her brown eyes. As far as accessories went, she had a bright red belt around her waist, and wore a black leather choker on her neck.



The woman heard the door open, prompting her to look up from her seated position. "Ah, Professor Pickles." The woman said with a smile. "How are you doing today? Need me to order some more pain relievers for you?"



The professor shook his head and waved his hand, chuckling at the woman's comment. "Not today, Dr. Takemi." He stated before gesturing to the blue hedgehog behind him. "I have a friend who requires some assistance, and you're the perfect person for the job."



Dr. Takemi turned to look at the hedgehog in question, her eyes widening in surprise before a smirk found itself on her face. "Well, if it isn't Sonic the Hedgehog." She said as she quirked up an eyebrow when she noticed the baby in his arms. "You seem to be on your toes, and your quills have a healthy sheen to them, despite your obsession with chili dogs, but I'm assuming you're here to see me about the baby, aren't you?"



Sonic chuckled at her comment as he adjusted his grip on the sleeping baby. "Yeah, bit of a long story. Basically, I found this kid all alone, and I'm trying to get it situated at an orphanage, but we need to-"



"Get the medical exam out of the way, is that right?" Takemi finished before a warm smile formed on her face as she got up from her seat and walked to a storage compartment. "Well, consider it done." She said as she pulled out a pair of gloves. She put them on her hands before getting more stuff out of the cupboard. The last thing she pulled out was an empty syringe which still had it's protective cap on. "Thanks to some of the improvements that Tails made to the equipment, all we need is a quick blood test."



Sonic blinked as he saw the sharp object before he looked at Tails. "Sheesh, getting a needle already?" He asked jokingly. "Talk about getting the short end of the stick, but are we sure that we need to draw out blood already? I mean, the kid is really young, and we shouldn't make it anemic this early in life. Couldn't we just, I don't know, look up any shots a baby their age would need before drawing blood? Because, I don't know if it's me, but-"



"Sonic?" Tails said.



"Yeah-huh?"



"We're already done." The fox pointed out, drawing Sonic's attention back to Takemi, who was rubbing at the infant's arm with a sterilizing wipe before applying a band-aid where she stuck the needle.



"You just met the kid and you're already acting like a mother hen, aren't you, tough guy?" the gothic doctor joked out as she inserted the blood-filled needle into a machine. "I bet any kids you'd have will be happy to have a helicopter dad."



Professor Pickles and Tails chuckled at the idea. "Now, let's not tease the young man too much, Dr. Takemi." The elderly man said with a smile. "I'm sure Sonic would be an excellent father if he ever decided to be a parent."



"Yeah, big if!" Tails teased out, earning an annoyed look from Sonic, though his eyes had a glimmer of amusement at the joke. "Sorry, bro, but I just don't see you settling down anytime soon."



Takemi chuckled at the brotherly interaction before speaking again as she worked on one of the computers. "Well, as fun as you two seem, I'd appreciate if you'd help out." She said. "I could do this myself, but it'd be a lot faster if I had some help."



"Oh, on it!" Tails said as he Professor Pickles went to sit at their own computers, quickly making short work of the results and prompts that were displayed from the blood test. As this happened, Sonic sat down at one of the chairs meant for patients, swinging his legs as he held the baby.



After a few seconds, Takemi let out a sound. "Hmmm, well, so far, so good…" She muttered before speaking up. "Well, Sonic, it looks like you're carrying a healthy baby girl… She will need some immunization shots, since she is 3 months old… Tails, Pickles, how's it looking on your ends?"



"Everything seems alright, Dr. Takemi." Professor Pickles called out.



"Same here!" Tails replied before he took a closer look at the monitor. "Hang on… that… doesn't seem right. Dr. Takemi, am I reading this right? I think there's a mistake on this end."



"What do you mean?" The woman asked as she wheeled her chair over to where Tails was, with Professor Pickles coming over as well. She took a look at what he was seeing before furrowing her brows. "What in the..? That's weird… How are these readings possible?"



Sonic furrowed his brows together before he walked over to what they were looking at. "Hey, is something up?" He asked as the baby girl in his arms started to wake up. "Is there something wrong with her?"



"No, there isn't anything wrong with the baby," Tails said as he and the others looked at the monitor, trying to make sense of what they were seeing. "It's just… these readings make no sense!"



"Sonic," Professor Pickles began. "Have you had any intimate encounters with any women in the past year or so? "



Sonic blinked at the sudden question. "Wait, what?"



"Well, that's one way to rip off that band-aid." Dr. Takemi muttered before gesturing at Sonic to come over. "To make a long story short, take a look at this." The hedgehog was confused, but walked over to the trio and the computer. On the screen was a bunch of technological nonsense that Sonic couldn't make sense of, but he assumed that it had something to do with the baby. Underneath that, however, was a picture of him next to readings that were similar to the ones up top. "Now, this may seem confusing, but let me explain."



She gestured to the readings at the top of the screen. "This is the kid's DNA." She began to explain. "This machine allows us to identify certain parts in her genetic code that could help with prescribing any medicine she might need in the future, as well as help us track any genetic relatives she might have."



"Okay?" Sonic said in an unsure tone. "So, what's the big catch?"



"Sonic," Tails began as an exasperated look formed on his face. "If these readings are accurate, and they SHOULD be, I designed and wrote the code for this thing… the reason why you're on the bottom means that… you're her father!"



Sonic looked at his little brother with a blank stare. He said nothing for a few moments, even as the baby in his arms began babbling nonsense and baby noises. He was frozen in place. Then, he leaned his head forward, his pupils shrinking as he did so. "Huh?"



Professor Pickles stroked his chin as he stood back up to full height. "Yes, Sonic, it is as Miles says. Somehow, someway, this little girl is your daughter." The aged professor said as Sonic returned his head to normal position. The Blue Blur then rapidly began looking between the baby and the monitor, still stunned by what he was just told, trying to find his voice before he spoke.



"...I… I dunno what to say." He admitted quietly. Sonic then changed his grip on the baby and held her away from him, looking at the toddler as she began to giggle and reach out to him. "I just… I've never even been on a date before, except for that one time with Amy, so how on Mobius is she my kid?"



"That's quite the mystery now, isn't it?" Professor Pickles said cryptically. "We have no idea where the child comes from, nor do we have any idea of how or why she is your daughter. There could be numerous answers, and yet, they seem unimportant to what you'll do now."



The professor turned to look at Sonic, who was staring at him questioningly. He knew what the hedgehog wanted to ask. "Now that you know that the girl is your daughter somehow, what do you plan to do?"



Sonic was stunned by the question before he looked back at the baby, who was reaching out to him with a smile on her face. As Tails, Pickles, and Takemi began to discuss possible theories, the world around Sonic and the baby began to fade away. Sonic could only stare at the infant as she reached out for him. He gingerly raised her up, making the infant laugh as it was carried by the hedgehog's arms. Despite the shocking news he just received, seeing the toddler smile like this warmed his heart. He began to think about what he just learned. Somehow, he was the baby girl's father, but there was no clear answer, was there? All that was certain was their genetic relation.



As he pondered this more, Sonic began nodding his head as he lowered the girl back to his chest, a small smile forming on his face. He's faced robots, gods, aliens, extradimensional being, magic. So why should he be scared of a baby, huh?



"Alright, then," Sonic said with a confident smile, silencing the trio at the computer. "If this girl is my kid, then I guess it's time for me to be the dad that steps up, right?"



"Really?" Dr. Takemi asked incredulously. "You're going to try and raise her? Based on what are probably faulty computer results? What are you even going to name her if you DO adopt her?"



Sonic paused before he closed his eyes and began to think of a name. He was so caught up with the fatherly feelings building up inside him, he let himself get ahead. There were plenty of good names for a kid, but none of them felt right for the baby. Manic? Nah. Sonia? Good, but not quite. Shade? He wasn't Shadow.



Then he began remembering the Legend of King Arthur. There was a name that stuck out to him for some reason, but he couldn't quite remember it. What was it?



Sonic suddenly opened his eyes as a smile found it's way onto his face again. "Mordred!" He said excitedly, earning a happy squeal from the now-named Mordred in his arms. "Her name's Mordred Hedgehog!"



"Mordred?" Tails asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Like the Knight of Treachery & Rebellion, Mordred? Are you sure you want to name your kid that?"



Sonic grinned. "Sure am, bro!" He said with a chuckle as he began to gently toss Mordred up in the air, earning laughter from the toddler as she was caught by the hedgehog.



Dr. Takemi chuckled, a smile forming before she gave Sonic a serious look. "As much as you seem like you'll be a fun dad, are you sure you can handle it?" She asked. "People spend a lot of time getting ready to have a kid, and most realize that they aren't fully prepared. Plus, raising a kid is a lot of responsibility. Do you think you're ready for that responsibility?"



"Doc, I've dealt with a lot of stuff that's way bigger than me." Sonic began. "I mean, in the span of one year, I dealt with gods, aliens, secret government projects, robot overlords, genies, knights, and what-have-you. Taking care of a baby? It's just another adventure, just with a friend that needs some teaching."



The Blue Blur pointed his thumb as a cocky grin formed. "But compared to all that? How hard can it be?"



Elsewhere, a black hedgehog with red highlights burst into laughter, blowing his cover to the foes he was sneaking up on.



On an island floating above the clouds, a red echidna leaned against the walls of a ruin, gasping for air as he kept laughing.



In a futuristic city, a green hawk was laughing on his hoverboard, not looking where he was going until he crashed into a fountain.



In the lair of a technological prodigy, a mad scientist was slamming his hand against his desk, laughing uproariously while one of his robots, a silent killer with immense power, let out a noise that sounded like "hue hue hue."



In another dimension, a woman, disguised as a king, furrowed her brows and hummed in concern. A white-haired man walking next to her stopped speaking. "Your majesty?" He asked with worry on his face. "Is something the matter?"



"Nothing, it's just…" The woman began speaking. "I feel as though a stranger that is somehow close to me said something foolish to tempt fate and sealed his destiny in an everlasting struggle entwined with a joy of the same caliber…"



"I see…" The man said as he looked out a window. "I pity the poor fool, then."



In the same dimension, in an abandoned castle, a woman with white hair and black robes stared at the spot where her ultimate weapon against her sister used to be. Her blue jewelry jingled as she began to take deep breaths as her agitation began to rise. "Nine. MONTHS." She began to mutter. "Nine months in my womb, making me suffer, and you came out looking just like your father."



She began to growl as her body began shaking. "And then, not even three months into this world, and just as I'm perfecting a summoning ritual to bring forth a potential ally, you walk into the damn circle and get sent to God knows where, and the plan I was building up for the next ten years goes up in smoke."



Morgan Le Fay closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her her nostrils… before she snapped her eyes open and raised her head to the heavens. "FU-!"

Hey there, folks! Hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long! I promise I'll get back to work on my Chaldea to Life story, but I'm gonna focus on importing some of my stuff from AO3 first! Wish me luck!

"How hard can it be?" He said. "It'll be fun!" He said. Never in his life had Sonic wanted to curse his past self so much for underestimating something by a long shot, and yet, after only one week since adopting Mordred, he has been run ragged to the ground. Every day, he's had to attend to her needs and wants. He's barely had any sleep thanks to her crying every now and then for food, a diaper change, to calm down, for attention, for her toys, to anything in between! His only rest was when he passed out after Mordred fell asleep, but like instinct, he woke up the moment he heard the baby crying.



This evening was no different. His eyelids were heavy, his eyes bloodshot, his quills scruffier than usual, but he pushed through his tiredness as he gently bounced Mordred, clad in a red onesie, in his arms. The sensation worked to calm the infant down, and after a while, she had fallen asleep, sucking on her pacifier as her hedgehog father set her down in her crib. Sonic let out a tired sigh as he cautiously stepped away from the crib, trying to avoid waking her up. He gently closed the door to her room and began to slowly walk to his home's living room and flopped on the couch. After such a long day of dealing with whatever tantrums his daughter's thrown, he was looking forward to some rest.



His eyes began to close when he heard a knock on the door. Wincing, he got up from his lying position on the couch and trudged towards the door as quickly as he could. When he reached it, he quickly opened the door, his eyes drooping with exhaustion until he saw who was standing at his entrance. "Amy? Cream? Vanilla?" He asked the trio as a yawn escaped his mouth. "What are you guys doing here?"



Amy Rose was a pink hedgehog standing at the same height as Sonic. She wore a red dress, boots, and headband. Her quills pointed down as opposed to being spiked up like Sonic's. She let out a giggle. "Well, I heard from Tails that you adopted a baby a month ago, and I wanted to see how you're holding up!" She said excitedly as she stepped inside Sonic's home. "Sorry I couldn't visit earlier, I got held up from the road trip, but we came as fast as we could!"



Next to her was Cream the Rabbit. She was much younger, only 7 years old. She had pale, orange fur, with darker orange markings around her eyes, top of her head, and tips of her floppy ears. She wore an orange dress with a blue ribbon at the front, with orange and yellow shoes decorating her feet. She was also carrying a basket with baby supplies, as well as her Chao best friend, Cheese, on top. Cheese was a blue Chao, with yellow markings on the top of his teardrop-shaped head, and the ends of his hands and feet. He also wore a cute red bowtie. "We wanted to come help you, Mr. Sonic, so we brought some gifts!" The little rabbit said as she held up the basket, with Cheese letting out an adorable "Chao!" sound.



A chuckle came from her mother, Vanilla. She was a rabbit like her daughter, with a tuft of hair coming out from her forehead. She stood at twice the height of the others, allowing her maroon and lilac dress to cascade down her body as she gave Sonic a gentle and motherly smile. "I know how difficult it can be to take care of a little one, Sonic," she began. "So, let us help you out. I know a few things about being a single parent, after all."



Sonic let out a sigh of relief at hearing Vanilla offering aid to him. "Oh, thank Chip, yes. I need a lot of help." He said before quickly lowering his voice. "Right, come on in, but please be quiet. I literally just put Mordred to sleep."



Nodding, the trio of women and the Chao quietly entered the hedgehog's home before he softly closed the door. "So, where's the kid?" Amy asked curiously as Cream set the basket down on the coffee table. "We wanna get a look at them."



Sonic nodded, realizing that he should've expected this. He began to lead them to the room where Mordred's crib was before quietly letting them inside. They all circled the sleeping toddler's bed, and the girls all let out soft "Awws" as the baby gently shuffled around in her sleep. "Aww, Mr. Sonic, she's so cute!" Cream squeed out quietly as Cheese gently floated above Mordred. "Her cheeks look so squishy and chubby! I kinda want to pinch them!"



Sonic chuckled at the compliment that his daughter received before joining their little circle. "Glad you think so, Cream." He whispered. "But yeah, she's a cute kid, isn't she? When she's not crying so hard, of course."



Vanilla giggled. "Oh, I understand what you mean, Sonic. The first few months after Cream was born were difficult, what with all the responsibilities I had to juggle." She let out a sigh as she remembered the fond memories, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. "But I promise you this, young man, you are doing great with her, and I have no doubt that you're doing your best as a father. I'm certain that your daughter will be proud to have you as a father."



Amy nodded in agreement. "She's right, you know." She said to Sonic. "It's difficult right now, but I know you'll get the hang of it soon, like you always do! Soon enough, little Mo' is gonna be super proud of having you as a hardworking father."



Sonic chuckled at the compliment as a tired smile formed on his face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, you three." He said as he yawned. "I guess I needed that to perk myself back up."



However, he glanced down back at the infant sleeping in the crib and grimaced as he and the others watched as Mordred shifted in her sleep, her chubby face scrunching as she let out various infantile noises. Her eyes began to open, and Sonic got ready for the crying that would follow… Only for Mordred to instead look around slowly, staring at the guests with wide, emerald orbs. She raised her hands together in a clapping motion as she let out a muffled giggle, excited to meet the new people.



The Blue Blur let out a sigh of relief as he saw that his daughter wasn't about to cry before gingerly picking her up. The baby let out a joyful sound that was muffled by her pacifier as she stretched her arms towards her father, eliciting coos from the women in the room. "Oh, she's just precious!" Amy said as she held her hands against her muzzle in adoration. She held her finger close to the infant, who looked at it curiously before letting out a laugh and grabbing it with her tiny hand.



"Aw, she's holding Ms. Amy's finger! Her hand is so tiny!" Cream said with stars in her eyes as Cheese let out a "Chao!" Upon hearing this, the baby Mordred turned to see the source of the noise and spotted the floating Chao. In an instant, she had stars in her eyes and began reaching for the creature, but when she saw that it was too far from her grasp, tears began to form. Seeing this, Sonic handed his daughter to Cream, who held her long enough for Cheese to float down and start playing with the toddler, her playful attitude returning once more.



Sonic smiled at how playful his daughter was getting before he decided to start looking for her toys to see what she wanted to play with today. However, as he turned to go look for them, Vanilla placed her hand on his shoulder. "Sonic, I know that you want to make your daughter happy right now," she began to say. "But I recognize that look you have on you. You need to rest. You can barely go out for a run, let alone play with her long enough for her to go to sleep, young man."



The rabbit woman gave him a gentle smile. "Don't you worry too much. We will be here to keep her company. You focus on resting, alright?"



Sonic blinked at the prospect of resting, but taking another glance at his daughter, who was happily giggling in the company of Amy and Cream, he nodded. "Yeah, a nap sounds really good right about now." He said tiredly as he began making his way to the kitchen. "Thanks for the save, Vanilla. I owe you one!"



The older woman smiled. "The pleasure is all mine, Sonic."



Sonic gave her a thumbs up before walking to the kitchen. Upon reaching it, he began to look for something he received a few months ago when he visited Chun-Nan. Soon, he quickly found the jar of tea that, according to the vendor, would help him with sleep. Being the thrill-seeker that he was, he didn't see much reason for it unless one of his friends wanted/needed some, but now, it was his salvation. He quickly got the water heated according to the instructions, and before long, had brewed a pot ready for him to drink.



He blew on the top of the liquid before greedily gulping it down, not caring how much it scalded his tongue. After he gulped down the last drop, he felt the effects begin to kick in, and he began wobbling to the couch in his living room, flopping down as he quickly drifted off to sleep.



Hours later…



Sonic woke up to the sounds of Mordred crying, but before he could think that Amy, Cream, and Vanilla's visit was a dream, he heard them groaning in exhaustion as his daughter wailed on. Thankfully, he was feeling completely refreshed after his power nap, so he got up from his lying position on the couch and began making his way to the source of the crying.



He let out a yawn as he walked into the room, where the three girls were trying their best to calm the crying Mordred down, to no avail. Around them were toys, baby bottles still filled with milk, and other accessories that were probably used in an attempt to satiate her. Vanilla looked rather frazzled as she gently bounced Mordred in her arms, while Amy and Cream were trying to distract the infant with different toys, both of them looking just as disheveled as the rabbit matriarch.



Upon hearing Sonic yawn and walk into the room, the women turned to look at Sonic with tired smiles. "Oh, Sonic, thank goodness!" Amy said as she fell back to the ground with a sigh. "I know we said that we got this handled, but we've tried to calm her down for the past half-hour and nothing's working!"



Sonic sighed as he nodded in understanding, having a first-hand experience of trying to calm down Baby Mordred from her tantrums. "Yeah, I getcha." He said tiredly as he began to look around the room. He was hoping that maybe he'd find something to calm his daughter down, but upon hearing his voice, Mordred opened her eyes. She tearfully began to reach out for her father, babbling incoherently as she sniffled her nose.



Upon seeing this, Vanilla and Sonic realized what Mordred really wanted. "Oh my, it looks like the answer was much simpler than we thought!" The older woman said as she gently handed the baby over to the hedgehog. "She just wanted her papa's attention!"



As Sonic grabbed his daughter and held her close to him, she began to calm down before a happy smile formed on her face. Her babbling continued as it began to sound happier, earning a sigh of relief from everyone in the room. "Oh, I should've guessed that." Cream said in a tired voice. "She's probably not used to her papa being away for so long!"



"Gee, you must be a really attentive dad if that's how she reacts to her papa not being around!" Amy said in agreement, earning a chuckle from Sonic as he looked at Mordred.



"Huh, guess that's all you really wanted, didn't you, kid?" He said as he gave his daughter's belly a quick tickle, earning a laugh from the toddler. "You just wanted papa's attention? Even though you shouldn't tire out the nice girls, okay, young lady?"



As he let out another chuckle, Mordred began to quiet down as her face scrunched up. It wasn't in frustration or anything close, but as though she was thinking about something. She began to recognize a sound that everyone else made and wanted to make the sound, too. She just had to try. "Pa…"



Everyone in the room quieted down as they heard the sound coming out of Mordred's mouth and looked at her. "Oh my Gaia!" Amy gasped out as she realized what was going on. "She's trying to say her first word!"



Cream and Cheese's eyes sparkled as they understood. "I think she's trying to say 'Papa'!" The young rabbit said excitedly as she held her hands together with a wide smile.



Sonic blinked and held Mordred up as he looked at her expectantly with stars in his eyes. "Really, Mo'?" He said in a shaky voice as a smile formed on his face. "Are you trying to call me Papa?"



Mordred continued babbling excitedly. "Pa… Pap! Pa!"



Vanilla leaned down, looking at Mordred encouragingly as she closed her hands in a 'you can do it' motion. "That's right, Mordred! You can do it! Your papa's right there! You can say it!"



As everyone began to cheer the baby on, Mordred began to understand the noise they made. It meant something. It meant the blue person holding her. The blue person took care of her. He gave her food, he played with her, he cleaned her, he did a lot for her. The blue person was called something. He was called the noise that was repeated, and she liked the noise. "Pap… Pa… Pap… A…"



A smile began to grow on Sonic's face as his daughter began to form the word more coherently. She was getting closer to saying her first word! He was about to be his daughter's first word! A feeling of joy and excitement surged in his heart unlike anything else.



"Pa… Papa!" The infant Mordred said excitedly as stars formed in her eyes. She had done it! She made the noise! "Papa! Papa!"



As Mordred reached out to Sonic excitedly, feeling a sense of accomplishment at making the noise she just learned as she squealed in joy and began to repeat it. "Papa! Papa! Papa!" She exclaimed as Sonic hugged her closely while the girls in the room cheered for her.



"That's right, little Mo'!" Sonic said with a wide grin as he felt tears forming on the corners of his eyes. "I'm your papa!" The Blue Blur gently tossed Mordred into the air and caught her as she fell back in his arms, eliciting joyous laughter from his daughter. In that moment, the fatherly joy in Sonic's heart grew tenfold. Though she may have caused him stress and exhaustion, it was moments like these that made him realize: "Yeah, this is worth it!"



As sounds of joy echoed through the hedgehog's home, a sense of excitement swelled. Sonic couldn't wait to see what else his daughter accomplished in the future, as he began to think of the possibilities that she would make. The future was uncertain for the young, single father and his adopted daughter, but the one thing he was absolutely sure of was that, no matter what path she chose, so long as she never used her freedom to take that of others, he would support her every step of the way.



In another universe, a woman disguised as a king suddenly looked into the air. She was in the castle gardens, meditating on herself when she felt something stir in her heart. It was strange. She felt an odd sense of pride for a stranger that was close to her, wanting to congratulate them for something they accomplished beyond victory. It was confusing, but she allowed a smile to form on her face as she resumed her meditation, congratulating this stranger, wherever they may be, and wishing them luck for whatever comes their way.

3 months have passed since Sonic the Hedgehog has adopted the infant Mordred. In those 3 months, he had gone through many, many struggles taking care of the human baby, but like Amy said, he started to get the hang of it! He began to react to any outbursts his daughter had, sometimes before she could even have them! He was starting to get good at raising a kid! But alas, the good times couldn't last forever, as he was now going through something every father dreaded.



His daughter was sick, and currently suffering a strong fever. Dr. Takemi had told him that her illness was something she didn't have easy access to a cure for, but luckily for the hedgehog, she did know someone who, more than likely, did.



Which is why he was currently running as fast as he could to the mountain village in Chun-Nan, where Zonshen resided. He remembered the village doctor from his time when he was afflicted with the Werehog form, and despite his remedies not working against Dark Gaia's power, he did have first-hand experience seeing it work quickly on the more mundane ailments of the people in the village. The fastest he'd seen the medicine work on someone had them cured in a day! If anyone could help his baby girl, it would have to be Zonshen.



Soon, the Blue Blur saw the entrance of the mountain village up ahead. Smirking in elation, Sonic skidded to a stop as his momentum allowed him to enter the village, stopping shortly after passing the gate. Upon hearing the sounds of feet screeching to a halt, a young boy looked up curiously from his seat near the lone restaurant of the village before a smile formed on his face. "Oh, wow! Sonic!" The boy said in excitement, getting the attention of the people around him. "It's been a while!"



"Chun? Is that you, kid?" Sonic asked as he was now looking up at the boy, who was a bit taller than when he last saw him. "Man, you've grown!"



The growing lad rubbed the back of his head nervously as everyone else saw that Sonic had, indeed, returned to their quaint little village and began making their way to him. One of these residents managed to calmly make his way to the front, his tired old eyes squinting as he got a good look at the visitor before an elated expression made its way onto his face. "Ah, Sonic!" Zonshen exclaimed as he happily shook the hedgehog's hand. "It has been some time since you've visited our village! What brings you here?"



Sonic blinked before looking down at the infant in his arms. "Long story, but right now, I need some help." He said as he shifted his arms so the village doctor could get a good look at the baby. "She's got a really bad fever, and the doc I went to see said that getting the medicine the old-fashioned way would take too long, but she also said that you might be able to help with your remedies. Please, man, I don't know who else to rely on!"



Indeed, Mordred was in a bad shape. Clad in a lion onesie gifted from Vanilla, the blonde baby's face was practically glowing a bright red as she took weak breaths. She tried to open her eyes as she heard people around her, curious as to who was there. "Gaooo…" She tried to roar, only to have a coughing fit.



"Hmm, yes, this is rather grave, indeed." Zonshen said as he grabbed the infant before turning around. "Sonic, follow me! Everyone else, please, move out of the way! This is an emergency!" He called out, and the residents of the mountain village did so, some gasping as they saw the sick infant in their resident doctor's arms, allowing him and the Blue Blur to walk towards the doctor's home/clinic.



When they stepped inside, they quickly made their way to Zonshen's examination room, where Charles, a former student from Empire City and the doctor's current student, was studying a medicinal recipe from a scroll when the elder man and hedgehog walked in. "Doctor, is something the matter?" The young man said when he noticed the firm expressions on their faces. "Everything is all good for an examination, but is there anything more to help out with?"



"Yes, get me my tools." Zonshen said in a 'don't ask questions' tone, prompting his student to bring out said tools from a cabinet as the doctor set the infant Mordred down on an examination table. Sonic walked nearby behind him, looking extremely worried and feeling even moreso. Upon seeing the look on the young hero's face, Zonshen relaxed his own expression. "Do not fret, young man. If all goes well, then I believe I can make a cure quickly."



Sonic sighed in slight relief, but the sight of his daughter being sick and him currently unable to do anything about it still filled him with an aching dread. Dr. Takemi said that she never saw anything like Mordred's condition before, and that worried him. Usually when an unknown condition is discovered, the person suffering was considered a "Patient Zero," and he didn't wish for his baby girl to be one.



He blinked and turned his head to Charles, who set Zonshen's examination tools next to the table. "Sonic, do you have a copy of her examination results?" The young man asked, prompting the hedgehog to hand over the papers that he had on him. The student took a look at the papers, humming in concern as he read the notes. "It seems that she's got an extremely weak immune system. Couple that with the recent immunization shots, and it's little wonder why she's having such a reaction."



Sonic felt like something slammed into his heart when he heard that. His daughter was sick, and it was his fault? He tried to get his daughter help, and it ended up putting her in a situation she should never have been in. His heart sank and filled with dread.



He felt Zonshen place his hand on his shoulder and turned to look at the elderly doctor, who had a look of reassurance on his face. "I know that look on your face, young man, and I can assure you, it isn't your fault. You are a Chichiue trying to do his best, and it just so happened that you didn't know everything." He said comfortingly as he then walked back to the baby Mordred, grabbing a note that was close to the feverish infant. "What I do know is that I can make a remedy to help her recover quickly. If she takes it daily, not only will the effects of her illness diminish greatly, but she should be able to make a recovery within half a week."



Sonic's eyes widened as he became more antsy, fidgeting a bit more than usual. "Alright, then, how many rings do I owe ya?" He asked as he bounced his foot.



The doctor chuckled. "Do not fret, my boy, I won't ask for payment from a young Chichiue worried for his daughter." He told the hedgehog before a slightly more serious expression formed on his face. "However, I am missing one ingredient for the remedy: a Azure Chaos Bamboo shoot. They can only be found around the entrance gate of where the Gaia Temple used to be. Usually, I'd go there myself, but time is of essence."



"Consider it done, doc!" Sonic declared as he began to race towards the former location of the Gaia Temple. He made a sonic boom as he left the village and headed deep into the bamboo forest the path was on. He raced through the foliage, using his speed to leap over wide chasms and traverse over the deep rivers that crossed through the valleys. Before long, he managed to reach the stone platform encrusted with gold, jade, and ruby that used to be the main entrance of the Gaia Temple.



As he walked over to the platform, he gasped as he saw the bamboo plant he was looking for. It was so distinct from the rest of the bamboo growing around it, so he knew it must be what he was looking for. He realized he didn't ask Zonshen how much to grab, but he figured he may as well grab as much as he could. As he began to look at the plant, trying to figure out where to grab and break off a shoot, he heard the sounds of massive wings flapping above him.



The sounds drew closer before he heard something land behind him. Turning around, Sonic gasped before smiling at the sight of the Gaia Phoenix standing in its gold and purple glory. "Well, hey there, man! It's been a while!" He said excitedly, eliciting a welcoming screech from the divine beast. "Sorry about your home, but, final battle with Dark Gaia and all that. Chip needed the extra muscle."



The phoenix let out an understanding chirp. "Hey, anyways, I'd like to catch up with you, but I'm gonna need to grab some of these bamboo shoots. My daughter… She needs help. I'm betting you can understand that, right?" Sonic explained as a worried expression formed on his face as he imagined his baby girl lying on the examination table, her fever getting worse.



The Gaia Phoenix looked at him before slowly blinking. It then moved its head down to a group of bamboo shoots that were noticeably more vibrant than the rest. "I'm guessing these ones are more ripe and ready to use?" Sonic questioned, earning a screech of confirmation from the majestic bird. "Thanks, man, that helps out a lot!"



The bird squawked in a cordial manner, leaving Sonic to grab the bamboo shoots he needed for the remedy. Soon, he had an armful of material, more than he thinks he needs, but right now, it was better safe than sorry. However, before he could run back to Zonshen's home, the Gaia Phoenix placed its foot in his path, blocking him from the exit. "Huh? What's the matter?" The hedgehog asked. The phoenix made no motion except to rear its head to one of its wings, plucking a feather off with its beak before handing it to Sonic. The Blue Blur grabbed hold of the feather, marveling at its golden beauty before giving the divine beast a smile. "Oh, well, thanks for that. Sorry I don't got anything to give you, but I'll be sure to get you something once my kid is back up on her feet!"



The Phoenix gave the hedgehog one last smile before it flapped its wings to return to its roost, allowing Sonic to begin racing back to the mountain village. He ran as fast as he could, taking care not to drop anything as he took a less bumpy path back. It took longer for him to get back, but he eventually did so, slowing down as he got to the village before settling into a jog as he made his way to the clinic. "Doc, I got the stuff!" He called out.



Charles looked up from where he was attending a fire that Zonshen was using to mash and mix the ingredients of the remedy in a cauldron. "Sonic, you're just in time!" The young man called out as his teacher grunted in exertion. "Those bamboo shoots are the last thing we need to add! Hand us the biggest one!"



The hedgehog did so, handing a lengthy bamboo shoot for the student to add into the pot that Zonshen was using to make the gooey paste that would serve as the remedy. However, before Sonic could step away, the elderly man caught sight of the golden glow of the phoenix feather. "Hold on, may I see that feather quickly, Sonic?" The doctor asked in a shaky voice, his eyes widening. As he was given the feather, Zonshen began cackling in glee. "Well, I'll be! I can't believe I haven't considered it before!"



"What is it, Doc/Doctor?" Sonic and Charles asked at the same time.



"Legend has it that adding the phoenix's feather to a remedy will amplify its effects manyfold!" Zonshen explained as he added the feather into the goo, making the green liquid become vibrant like jade. "With this, I believe that your daughter will recover by tomorrow!"



Hearing this elated Sonic's mood as a wide grin formed on his face. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"



"Patience, Sonic." The doctor replied. "I must finish the remedy, then let it cool enough so she may drink it safely. It would do us no good scalding her tongue."



After a few minutes of mixing and allowing the remedy to cool down, the doctor poured it into a drinking container and brought it over to the sick Mordred. He placed the spout near the infant's lips and slowly tipped it to allow her to drink it at a comfortable pace. As she consumed the jade liquid, the red on her face slowly began to die down, looking more like a blush than a life-threatening illness. Before long, she managed to consume the last drop of the remedy and let out a coo as her breathing calmed down.



Sonic let out a sigh of relief as he began to let out shaky breaths. "Oh, thank goodness!" He said in a shaky voice. "She's gonna make it! Mordred's gonna be alright!" He turned to look at Zonshen and Charles as he tried to hold back the tears in his eyes. "I dunno what to say, you guys. I owe you big time!"



"Think nothing of it, Sonic." Zonshen replied. "Helping out patients is what we doctors live for, and I cannot, in good conscience, make a Chichiue such as yourself have to pay to save his daughter."



As Sonic smiled and was about to pick up his daughter, Charles held up a hand to stop him. "Hold on a bit, Sonic." The young man said as he grabbed the examination results again to explain. "Even though she's fine right now, these notes from Dr. Takemi… they mention something weird about Mordred's biology." He then looked up at the blue hedgehog, who's eyes widened again. "We want to make sure that the remedy and phoenix feather worked, so, unfortunately, she's going to have to stay here for the night."



Sonic felt the world come to a screeching halt as he processed Charles' words. "What?" He asked quietly. "What do you mean? Is-is there something else going on with my girl?"



"Calm yourself, young man." Zonshen began to explain calmly. "We may not know what is going on with her biology, nor can we promise to figure it out, but what I can say is that she will be safe here in our care. It shall only be for one night, and come tomorrow, she will be right as rain. From one Chichiue to another, I can promise you that."



Sonic looked at the doctor, then to his baby girl, who was still lying on the examination table. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Please, just… just make sure everything turns out fine, doc." He said as he opened his eyes back up again, a worried expression on his face as he walked over to his daughter. "I've only been taking care of Mordred for 3 months, but… she means the world to me. Make sure my little Mordred makes it."



Zonshen walked over and placed his hand on the nervous hedgehog father to calm him down. "I promise you, Sonic: Charles and I will do our best."



Later that night, Sonic sat on the stairs of the home that also served as Lin's meat bun restaurant. Despite Zonshen and Charles' words of reassurance, the hedgehog couldn't help but feel trepidation and worry for his daughter's current state. It didn't help that, technically, it was his fault she was in this state to begin with. Sure, the remedy is working fine on her, but what Charles said about her biology… his stomach was churning with anxiety, his heart clenching with dread. It felt so cold and dark.



He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard someone set something down next to him. Sonic turned to see that Hualin, Lin's granddaughter, had set down a plate of meat buns to his side. "Hey, you seemed kinda down, so Grandma wanted me to give you these." She simply explained. "I'm not a huge fan of these, but I do know that customers love the taste of these pork buns, and they always seem to lighten up a bit after a few bites."



Sonic looked at her, then the buns, before grabbing one and taking a bite out of it. "Thanks," he said after swallowing. "That does clear my head a little bit."



"Yeah, I can tell." The young woman said as she sat down next to the hedgehog. "You're not the type to worry about a lot, so, to see you like this, that baby means a lot to you, huh?"



"Of course she does, she's my daughter." Sonic said in a way that felt like he was stating a simple fact. "Seeing her this sick, and learning that it was because her vaccines freaked out her immune system? It feels like it's my fault. Plus, she's gonna have to stay at the clinic for tonight, and I can't help but worry about her… She means the world to me."



Hualin hummed in thought as she tried to figure out the right words to say. "Well, I guess that's one of the things about being a parent, especially a new, single, and inexperienced Chichiue like yourself: there's gonna be times that will seem hopeless, so the best thing you can do is take a leap of faith… and hold on to it."



Sonic blinked as he thought about those words. "Heh, that sounds like something I would say, not gonna lie." He said as his lips curved into a smile. "Hey, I just noticed, but you guys have been calling me 'Chichiue' a lot. What's that mean?"



"Right, forgot that you're not native here to Chun-Nan." Hualin chuckled as she began to explain. "You see, 'Chichiue' is traditional Chun-Nanese for 'father.' Sure, we use the good old 'papa', 'dad', 'daddy', but 'Chichiue' is usually reserved for those who take those responsibilities seriously… Like you!"



Sonic smiled at the praise. "Huh, never realized I gave off that kinda vibe."



"I'll say!" Hualin said. "Heck, if we were the same species, you might just be my type!"



The hedgehog let out a chuckle as he looked at the young woman with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, are you coming on to me?" He asked teasingly, making the young woman choke on her spit.



"OH, GAIA, NO!" She exclaimed as she began to laugh. "NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!"



Sonic began laughing with her, slapping his knee a bit in amusement at the thought before calming down. "Hey, thanks for that, that talk… It really helped."



Hualin gave him a smile. "Anytime." She said as she got up on her feet. "You should probably get some rest for tomorrow. I'm sure your daughter would want to play with her Chichiue when he's at his best, right?"



Sonic grinned and got back up on his feet. "Sure thing!" He said before he began looking for a place or tree branch to sleep in.



The next morning, the mountain village was bustling again as its residents got ready for the day. Sonic was enjoying breakfast in the courtyard of the meat bun restaurant when everyone heard a familiar voice clear their throat. "Sonic!" Zonshen's voice said from across the courtyard as the doctor stood near the entrance. The Blue Blur turned to look at the doctor, swallowing his food as he saw the man holding a familiar bundle in his arms. "It worked! She's back to full health, and better than before!"



As if to prove it, the doctor adjusted his grip on the bundle, revealing the infant Mordred in his grasp. Her hair had returned to its healthy, golden sheen as it poked out through the edges of her lion onesie, and her wide, innocent eyes were vibrant with infantile joy as she began reaching for her father from the doctor's grasp, her face, no longer an intense red, but a healthy, peachy tone.



"Mordred!" Sonic said as he got up from the table and began making his way to his daughter. "Oh, I'm so glad you pulled through!"



However, Mordred then began fidgeting as she began to reach for the ground, much to the confusion of her father and the onlookers. Zonshen merely chuckled as he set the toddler on the ground. "I forgot that she's been trying to do that since she woke up." He laughed out as he took a step back.



Mordred puffed her cheeks as her eyes lit up with determination. She crawled a step forward, but then planted a foot beneath herself. Sonic's eyes widened in realization at what his daughter was trying to accomplish as he knelt down and reached towards her. "That's it, Mordred, you can do it!" He whispered encouragingly.



Mordred then planted her other foot before slowly lifting her body up from the ground, raising her arms to the sky in triumph. She wobbled a bit as she looked at her father, trying to keep balance as she then took a step forward. She succeeded, letting out an infantile "huff" as she took another step. Then another. Then another.



As she kept taking her first steps, a sense of fatherly pride swelled within Sonic as Mordred began to walk faster. "Come on, keep going!" He cheered. "Papa's right here, Little Mo'!"



Soon, Mordred began running as fast as her tiny legs could allow, and as she reached her father, Sonic scooped her up in his arms, eliciting a laugh from the both of them as some onlookers cheered for the infant. "You did it, Mo'! Your first steps!"



Mordred simply laughed as her father began to swing her around in his arms. "Chichiue! Chichiue!" She yelled out, much to Sonic's surprise. Not only did she learn how to walk, she learned a new, foreign word! The pride he felt earlier swelled up again to indescribable levels as he gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek, eliciting yet more laughter from her.



Up above from the mountain village, the Gaia Phoenix watched the sight unfold, a smile forming on its face. It felt an intense warmth at the sight of a father celebrating his daughter's recovery, her first steps, and her new knowledge. It knew how much these moments would mean to the hedgehog, especially now that his daughter had become fully human, instead of… whatever she was before.



It didn't matter now what she used to be, though. The combination of the planet's energy and the ambient Chaos Energy will deal with that, now that she consumed the feather added to the remedy. What did matter was that she would now be able to enjoy a proper life with her father, one that will be filled with adventure, excitement, and the warmth only a father could bring…



The Next Day



"Come on, Mordred, say it with me: Papa!" Sonic said as he pointed at himself as Mordred stood on the rug in the living room.



"Chichiue!" She replied.



"Okay, how about daddy?"



"Chichiue!" She angrily stomped her foot.

Ever since he's adopted Mordred, Sonic has been doing things that would've embarrassed any other, more immature men. In his quest to be the best father he could be for the tyke, he's learned how to change diapers, express soft emotions, handle more of the gross parts of raising a baby, and now, signed up for a "Mommy & Me" parenting class, which leads us to the current situation: an impossibility that would never occur, but is.



He was running late.



Sonic had overslept, and if it wasn't for Mordred crying for breakfast earlier, he would've never woken up and noticed the time. It didn't help matters that he didn't remember where the building for said parenting class was, leading to him looking throughout the city in search for it. On the plus side, it did let him run into Shadow and Cream, allowing him to introduce his daughter to her "Uncle Faker," before he finally found the building.



Sonic panted as he ran to the elevator door, his daughter held in his arms, clad in her favorite lion onesie. "Hey, hold it open!" He called out to the elderly man inside, who was carrying a pink-haired infant as well. The human noticed and quickly blocked the elevator doors from shutting, allowing the Blue Blur to get inside. Both the man and hedgehog sighed in relief as they allowed the doors to close. "Hey, thanks for that, you're a lifesaver!"



"No trouble at all." The mustached gentleman said as the elevator began to go up. He took a quick glance at the blonde infant in Sonic's arms and raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming you're also headed to that class?"



"Oh, yeah!" The hedgehog replied as she adjusted his grip on Mordred, who raised her arms and let out a cute "Gaoo" every now and then to nobody. "I'm getting the hang of it, but a little bit more learning doesn't hurt anybody."



"No, I suppose not." The man replied as he adjusted his grip on the toddler he was carrying before extending his hand. "James Moriarty. This is my daughter, Eve."



"Sonic the Hedgehog!" The Mobian responded with a firm handshake before holding up his daughter. "And this cute little terror is Mordred!"



Mordred simply roared playfully in response, earning a chuckle from Moriarty. "Adopted, I presume?"



"Yeah," Sonic answered with a humble laugh. "Been about 9 months since I adopted little Mo. According to the doctor I take her to, her first birthday should be next week! What about you? You're a single dad, too?"



"Yes, I am." Moriarty confirmed as he held up his infant to show her off. "I adopted Eve 4 months ago, making her 8 months old, so when I discovered this class, it was quite the boon to me."



As the two fathers discussed how they adopted their respective daughters, Mordred began to take notice of the other baby in the elevator with her and her Chichiue. The other baby had red hair that covered her eyes and wore a blueish white onesie, and strangely enough, a golden horn that looked like a nub on her forehead. Getting excited, Mordred began to babble to the baby, getting her attention. The other infant, Eve, cooed quietly while Mordred kept making noises of excitement.



Eventually, the elevator stopped and opened its doors, allowing Sonic and Moriarty to step out with their daughters. "So, that class is supposed to be in room 214, right?" The hedgehog asked as he set Mordred down on the floor so she could walk alongside him while Moriarty set Eve down to stand on his feet, helping her walk.



"That is what the pamphlet said, yes." The elderly man replied as the two fathers made their way through the halls. Soon enough, they found a door with a sign of the class they were to attend, confirming their guess. Opening the door, the pair and their daughters walked into a rather spacious classroom. In the center of it all was a small group of people sitting in a circle, while a lamb Mobian stood in front of them. Everyone but her also had a toddler with them, who turned to see the newcomers shortly before their parents did as well.



"Ah, and you two must be the last ones for today!" The lamb Mobian said. "I'm Emily, your teacher in your journey to becoming the best parents for your children! Come on, please introduce yourselves!"



Sonic smiled as he walked up to the circle, taking a seat in an empty spot while setting Mordred in his lap as Moriarty sat down next to him. "Hey, you all might know me, I'm Sonic, and this munchkin," he raised Mordred up by her arms, "is my darling little Mordred!" The toddler let out a giggle before she roared playfully at everyone.



Soon, everyone else had introduced themselves to the class, and Emily beamed in delight as she got ready for the day. "Alrighty, then!" She said in an excited voice. "I'm glad to meet you all, and I hope we can get along!"



Letting out a giggle, she looked over the parents before beginning the introductory lesson. "Alright, so, for our first lesson for today: obedience! I understand that we all want our children to take the best path possible, and to guide them through life's challenges, but for that to happen, they must also learn how to respect your authority and trust your decisions."



As the class went on with the lesson, Sonic did his best to pay attention to the teacher. He was a firm believer in the freedom of choice, to let others make their own paths in their own way, but hearing what Emily was saying… It made him realize just how much the world around him influenced itself, and how much it could influence Mordred.



As he took in the lesson, Mordred began fussing around in Chichiue's grasp. She tried babbling to him as he paid too much attention to the soft lady that kept talking, but he didn't notice. Next, she tried to get the pretty colored girl's attention, but unfortunately for her, the other baby had fallen asleep, a comical snot bubble inflating and deflating as she snored.



By this point, Mordred was getting upset at the lack of attention, and she once again babbled up at her Chichiue. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she tried to get his attention, whining a bit as she began to let out hiccups, which finally got Sonic's attention. "Oh, hey, what's up, Mo?" He whispered to his daughter, who began to cheer up at her Chichiue paying attention to her again. He gently smiled and lifted her up a bit before he noticed Emily continuing her lesson. "Oh, just gimme a bit, Mo, she's saying something important."



Mordred looked at her Chichiue in shock as he turned his attention back to the teacher. She couldn't believe that he wasn't paying attention to her! She began to tear up again, but this time, she didn't whimper. Instead, she opted to screech her lungs out, interrupting Emily and drawing attention from everyone else as the cranky infant began to swing her arms around and kick furiously in her father's grasp. "Woah, hey there, Mo! What's-?" Sonic was able to get out before Mordred kicked him in the face during her tantrum.



Sonic had hoped things would calm down after this incident, but nope. Despite his best attempts to keep his daughter calm, she repeatedly got cranky and threw a tantrum when he stopped paying enough attention to her. Each time, the other parents were losing patience with both the father and daughter duo as it made the class go on longer than it should've. However, there was a silver lining coming in the form of Emily. Her patience was wearing thin, but she was determined to push through for the final part of this class.



"Alrighty, then!" Emily said with a strained smile, hoping that some of the parents wouldn't just up and leave her class. "We have some time left for one last activity, and that is nurturing our childrens' creativity!" She began to bring out art supplies suited for the toddlers, all of whom began looking at the bright and colorful objects curiously, some with excitement on their faces. "Try to help your child draw something, anything, and afterwards, compliment their hard work!"



Sonic let out a sigh of relief as Emily's announcement drew Mordred's attention, making the blonde baby clap her hands in excitement, her earlier tantrums long forgotten. Next to him, Moriarty chuckled as he gently woke Eve up in his arms. "It's been quite the day, hasn't it, young man?" The older man asked.



"Yeah," the younger hedgehog nodded as he was handed a set of large markers and a sheet of paper. "I hoped that Mordred would be a lot calmer today, but then again, she is my kid. I should've seen this coming." He began to put the art supplies in front of him and Mordred, who looked at the items curiously before trying to eat the marker, which her father quickly stopped without looking. "Don't put that in your mouth, Mo, it doesn't work like that."



He then grabbed Mordred's little hand and moved it so that the marker in her grasp was touching the paper in front of her before he began swirling it around, leaving a trail of color on the paper. Mordred's eyes sparkled as she began to babble in excitement at the magic stick giving the flat thing color, and quickly copied what her Chichiue did, leaving behind scribbles of nonsensical mess on the paper. "Yeah, just like that, Mo! You're doing great!" She heard him say as she grabbed another marker with her other hand and began to leave more scribbles. Soon, the toddler finished leaving her marks on the paper and set the markers to the side, showing off a mess of scribbles to her father.



"That looks awesome, Mordred!" Sonic said as he ruffled his daughter's hair. The blonde baby beamed at the praise her Chichiue gave to her as she let out a laugh. The blue hedgehog then turned to Moriarty, who was paying close attention to what his own daughter was drawing. "Hey, Jamey! How are you guys doing?"



The elderly man chuckled as his daughter finished up her drawing. "Splendid, absolutely splendid, young man." Moriarty said in a smug voice as he ruffled Eve's hair, before showing off what his daughter drew. "Eve is quite the bright child. I am so proud of her."



Sonic and Mordred balked at the much neater picture that the redheaded infant made of her father. It was crude, as expected for such a young baby, but it had enough detail that anyone could tell that it was supposed to be a portrait of Moriarty. "I may have only known her for four months, and yet, this feeling of pride I have for her," the gentleman continued, "It feels so natural."



Sonic let out a chuckle, but Mordred wasn't as amused as her Chichiue. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at a blank piece of paper before she grabbed it and another marker. She was determined to make her Chichiue proud, and make something just as good as what the red girl made!



"Chichiue!" Mordred spat out in a cranky baby voice, getting her dad's attention. "Wuk dow!"



"Eh, whaddya need, Mo?" Sonic asked, only for Mordred to turn her attention back to the paper as she began scribbling. Sonic was curious as to what his daughter was drawing, but when he tried to take a peek, she somehow sensed his movement and snapped her head, looking at him with an angry pout.



"No!" She squeaked angrily, the adorable image made even cuter by her lion onesie. "I dwa!" She then returned to her drawing, focusing on it as much as she could. Every now and then, she looked back up to Sonic, a focused expression on her face before going back to drawing. After a few minutes, Mordred set down her marker before lifting up her drawing. "Aw dun!"



It was crude, messy, and nearly nonsensical, but Sonic could tell that the two faces drawn on the paper were of the both of them, smiling with stars around them. The hedgehog felt a sense of pride swell up in his heart again as he grabbed the paper, his daughter practically shaking in anticipation as she awaited his praise. "Aw, I love it, Mordred!" The Blue Blur stated as he gave her headpats, eliciting a squeal of delight from the energetic toddler. "This is going on the fridge for sure!"



After the class was over, and the parents began leaving, Sonic talked to Moriarty for one last time. "It was nice meeting you, man!" He said to the older gentleman as Mordred tried to reach out to Eve from her father's grasp. "I'm also pretty happy that our kids are getting along so quickly!"



"Likewise, young man." Moriarty said as he cradled his sleeping daughter. "It's so good to see my darling Eve making her first friend."



"Same here!" Sonic said with a smile. "And hey, wanna set up a playdate for them? I'm hoping they can keep getting along in the future!"



Moriarty pondered over this before giving the young father a smile. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Sonic." He declared as he and the hedgehog began to discuss the details of the playdate. As the two continued their discussion, Mordred was wriggling in her father's grasp, trying to get Eve's attention, but the red-haired infant was fast asleep, sucking on her pacifier. Seeing that the other baby wasn't going to wake up soon, Mordred began tearing up at being ignored again, but as though she sensed it, Eve quickly woke up. Just before the blonde could throw a tantrum, the redhead grabbed her binkie and placed it in Mordred's mouth, immediately pacifying her before resuming her nap.



Hours later, Sonic and Mordred had returned home, lying on the bed as they got ready to go to sleep. "Phew, what a day, Mo." The blue father said to his red daughter, who was babbling happily on her dad's chest.



"Fun!" She squealed out.



"Yeah, I guess it was pretty fun." Sonic admitted as he gently picked Mordred up and lifted her into the air, eliciting a happy sound from her before he set her back on his chest. "And you made a new friend! I can't wait to see you two get along!"



Mordred laughed at what her dad said, but the day's events began to catch up to her as she began to tire out. Soon, she drifted off to sleep and began snoring. Seeing his little one fall asleep, Sonic gave her forehead a quick kiss and rubbed the lion head of her onesie as if he was ruffling her hair. "... I can't wait to see what you're gonna do in the future, Mordred. I can tell you're gonna be something great someday."



With that, Sonic joined his daughter and went to sleep, dreaming of what days could come in the future.

The Saber-Class Servant, Mordred Pendragon, didn't know what to make of the new Servant her Master summoned a few days ago. It was another variant of hers, an Archer-Class, but this one was different from her and her Rider-Class variant in several ways.



For starters, when confronted with Father, the Archer Mordred never addressed her as such! She always addressed her as "Artoria" or "Arty." When she was questioned about this by Saber and Rider, Archer's response was that "she never even knew Artoria for long, why should she address her as her dad?" Not only that, but she wasn't raised by Morgan Le Fay either, instead, she was raised by another man! How was that possible?!



Secondly, her powerset. When she demonstrated her abilities to Master, she used a strange energy that wasn't Magecraft, but something called "Chaos Energy." Hell, her first attack was always her curling up into a ball before launching herself at an opponent! Not only that, but she demonstrated this "Chaos Energy" by launching bolts of said energy, stating that she learned it from her "Uncle Shads."



Lastly, she was fast, incredibly so. When she competed against the Rider Servants, she did the impossible and won against all of them in a foot race, while debuffed to Hell and back! She almost broke the sound barrier, too! Her excuse was that her dad was the "Fastest Thing Alive," so she learned how to keep up.



She narrowed her gaze at the Archer Mordred from across the cafeteria of Chaldea, watching as her speedy doppelganger scarfed down a mountain of chili dogs with blinding speed. She felt the presence of her Rider counterpart sit down next to her with her own plate of food, looking at the Archer in amusement. "Dang, look at her go!" The tan, bikini-clad Mordred said with a large smile. "Where do you think it all goes?"



"Does it matter?" Saber Mordred said as she chewed on her meal. "She's just another Saberface, nothing more."



"Aw, you gotta chillax, sis!" Rider Mordred said to the knight. "She's pretty cool! She's got those BA energy attacks, the super speed, and check out her threads! She's cool as Hell!"



Saber looked at Rider annoyed before redirecting her attention to Archer, who had finished up her second mountain of chili dogs, but was looking around worriedly before standing up. "Hey, who took one of my dogs?!" She heard the jacket-clad Mordred ask, but her attention was brought to the entrance where Ritsuka walked in through.



"Attention, everybody!" They called out, getting the undivided attention of the Servants in the cafeteria. "We have a new Servant today, and I'd like to introduce them to you all! I hope you can get along with him!"



He stepped to the side, allowing the Servant to step forward. It was an anthropomorphic, bipedal, blue hedgehog with red shoes, gloves, one armored and the other not, and a sword that seemed familiar to the Mordreds and the Camelot Servants assembled. "Hey there!" The hedgehog said. "My name's Sonic! Saber-Class Servant! I just got here, but I'm hoping we can-"



The hedgehog gasped as he saw something. "Mordred?!" He exclaimed, getting the attention of Saber and Rider. "Hey, how's my baby girl doing?!"



Before either two could reply, the Archer Mordred jumped out of her seat and ran to the hedgehog with open arms. "Dad!" She called out, making Saber Mordred spit out her food. "Dad, how have you been?! I've been waiting for you to get summoned soon!"



As the father and daughter reunited, murmurs, whispers, and other comments were heard throughout the cafeteria at the reveal. For the two other Mordreds, however, things were a bit different.



"So that's Archer's dad?" Rider questioned as Saber coughed her lungs out to clear her throat. "Does this mean she's half-furry?"



Saber resumed choking on the air. "...Does this make US half-furry?"



Saber decided she had enough and passed out before Rider could continue asking questions like that.

Mordred watched from the stands with stars in her eyes, her gaze focused on the large screen that displayed two warriors in an arena, their fierce battle taking place in another dimension. She watched as the boy in blue raised his shield to deflect a strike from the blue girl's sword, using the opportunity to try and strike at her with his own blade. The girl dodged it before delivering a sweeping kick to trip up her opponent. As he began falling, the blue girl used the flat of her blade to knock the boy off the arena without a chance to get back up. He soon fell into the void where the arena was, and a flash of bright light signaled his defeat.



"GAME!" The announcer, Master Hand, called out before the screen shifted to the young woman striking a victorious pose, while a smaller display showed her opponent clapping for her, a congratulatory smile on his face. "THE WINNER IS… LUCINA!"



Mordred began babbling excitedly after seeing the match, waving her infant limbs around as Sonic chuckled, clearly amused at his daughter's excitement. "That was awesome, wasn't it, Mo?"



"Awshum! Shors!" Mordred squealed in delight.



"Yeah, they're some of the best swordsmen I know!" The hedgehog said as he got up from his seat. "Come on! I'm part of the tournament, so I'll be able to get into the back area and let you meet them!"



Upon hearing that she was going to meet the warriors, Mordred let out another round of delighted babbling as she and her Chichiue made their way to where the fighters of the Smash Bros Tournament were gathered. The infant shook with anticipation as her father carried her through the crowd before reaching the locker room where the fighters resided, greeted quickly by a chorus of voices as they stepped inside.



"Hey, Sonic, you made it!" Ren Amamiya, otherwise known in the ring as "Joker," greeted as he looked up from his smartphone. "I thought that you missed your invite!"



"Heh, wouldn't miss this tournament for my chili dogs, J!" The Blue Blur said as he gave the Phantom Thief a quick high-five. "Besides, I wanted to give my Little Mo here a show before I stepped into the ring!" He gestured to the blonde toddler strapped to his chest, who squealed and gave a double peace sign with her hands as everyone turned their attention to her.



"So, it's true then…" Solid Snake muttered as he raised an eyebrow at the sight. "17 years old, and you're already a father…"



"She's adopted, but what difference does it make?" Sonic replied cheerfully. "As far as I'm concerned, she's my kid!"



"And that is a very good attitude to have with your child." A melodic voice was heard behind the hedgehog, who turned to see the Space Goddess, Rosalina, walking up to him, with the famed bounty hunter, Samus Aran, and the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach, following behind. "Regardless of circumstances, the bond of a parent and child will always remain strong, for very few loves can surpass it."



Mordred cooed from her position in the harness as she reached out to the two women with stars in her eyes, eliciting Princess Peach to kneel down to pinch the baby's cheeks. "Oh, she's adorable, Sonic!" The princess gushed as the lion-onesie-clad infant laughed at the attention she was receiving. "You must be so proud raising such an adorable child!"



As Mordred roared playfully at the people who noticed and came over to greet her, the blonde toddler saw two familiar figures coming over and let out an excited squeal, turning Sonic's attention to who she was looking at as a smile formed on his muzzle. "Hey, Link, Lucina!" He greeted the swordsmen as they waved to him. "That fight of yours was awesome! My little girl here loved it!"



"Oh, did she, now?" The blue-haired woman asked in an amused voice as she looked at the baby, who was staring at her and Link with stars in her eyes. "I'm glad you enjoyed the fight, little one."



Mordred continued babbling in excitement, much to Lucina and Link's amusement, as the blond Hylian gave Sonic a thumbs-up and a congratulatory smile. The hedgehog grinned and gave his companion a fist bump, which Mordred imitated, much to everyone's amusement as Link responded in kind.



"Well, You are doing-a pretty good job raising her, Sonic!" Mario said as he walked over to his friendly rival. "We can't-a wait to see what she does in the future!"



As the group continued to talk, some playing with Mordred by making funny faces to make her laugh, the sounds of a propeller was heard coming closer to the group. "Hey, Samus!" The high-pitched voice of a young, turtle-like creature with a spiked shell said as the Clown Car raced toward the people. "Ridley's- oh, hey, Mr. Sonic!"



"Hey there, Jr!" The Blue Blur greeted back as his daughter looked at the newcomer curiously. "How's it going?"



"Eh, so-so." The young Koopa prince replied before he noticed Mordred strapped to Sonic's chest. "Huh? Is that a baby? Are you babysitting or something?"



"Nah, Mordred here is my kid!"



"Oh, like dad and the Koopalings?" Jr said as his beady eyes widened in realization, now understanding Sonic's connection to the infant. As Mordred tried to reach for the young Koopa with her tiny hands, Jr let out a chuckle. "Aw, she's kinda cute."



"Hey, did somebody page the king of awesome?" A gruff voice was heard, prompting Sonic to turn to the source, and Mordred's eyes widened as she saw the imposing figure walking to her and her Chichiue. It was a full-grown turtle like Jr, with a much larger build that made him stand in a hunched stance. He wore spiked bands around his wrists, biceps, and neck, complimenting the fiery red mohawk and horns he had on his head, as well as the large spikes on his shell.



Mordred shook in fear at the sight of the beast, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes as her father addressed the Koopa King. "Hey, Bowser, how's it been, man?" Sonic replied with his usual cocky smirk.



"So, you finally got a runt of your own, did ya, punk?" Bowser questioned as he hunched down further to get a closer look at the toddler. "Doesn't seem like much to me…"



Mordred kept shaking from her position in the chest harness, trying not to cry at the sight of the scary monster. She squeezed her eyes shut and raised her arms before opening her mouth. "Gaooooo!"



The Koopa King recoiled in mock fright in an attempt to please and entertain the toddler's attempts to scare him off. "Ah! She's actually really scary!" He said in a playful tone, making Mordred smile and blink away her tears as she let out another playful roar.



Sonic let out a chuckle at the sight of his precious little girl trying to scare the reptilian monarch. "Yeah, she's gonna be really scary when she grows up to be as tough as me someday!"



"Haha, I'll bet!" Bowser laughed out as he stood up to full height before giving Sonic a smirk. "So, you've been raising her all on your own? If so, you're doing a good job, I'll give you that. It ain't easy being a single dad, especially at your age!"



"Yeah, I'll say!" Sonic said in agreement before looking down at Mordred. "I've only had her for about a year at this point, but it feels like she's been with me all her life! But, if I'm gonna be honest about being a dad, I wouldn't trade it for the world!"



The Koopa King nodded in agreement as a smile formed on his face. "That's the magic of being a dad, kid." He said as he closed his eyes. "You're never fully ready for it when you first become one, but when the time starts flying, it gets easier, and soon, nothing else really compares to spending time with your kids and watching them grow up to be something they can be proud of…"



He then opened his eyes as his face resumed its arrogant expression. "Anyway, enough sappy stuff! You were almost late, and I can't wait to see you get slammed into the dirt, runt!" The king laughed out as Sonic smirked with confidence.



"We'll see who's laughing when you get KO'd!" The Blue Blur replied, earning some laughter from everyone in the locker room before they heard an announcement on the TV screen nearby. The fighters all turned to look at the display, which was showing a slot machine-type graphic to choose the next fighters before two familiar faces were shown.



"Huh, looks like we're gonna see sooner than we thought, punk!" Bowser laughed out as he and Sonic saw that the next match was going to be theirs. Turning to the hedgehog, he raised his fist out to him. "Let's see how you stack up now!"



Sonic responded to the fist bump in kind with his usual cocky smirk as Mordred babbled in a challenging tone. "Alright, but I ain't gonna make it easy! I'm not gonna lose in front of Mordred!" He chuckled. "May the best dad win!"



"Oh, I intend to…" Bowser said in a menacing voice before looking at Jr. "Hey, Jr! Mind keeping an eye out on his tater tot? They ain't gonna let her into the ring, ya know!"



"Oh, sure, dad!" The young Koopa replied as he moved his clown car closer to Sonic before reaching his hands out. Sonic understood the message and took Mordred out of her carrier, much to the infant's confusion before her father turned her to look at him.



"Alright, Mo, Chichiue is gonna have to leave you with a friend to take care of you for a bit." He began to explain to her. "I'm gonna go down and fight Bowser, but I can't take you with me. It's too dangerous for you."



As Mordred began to tear up at the thought of not going with Chichiue somewhere, but he anticipated this and gave her a gentle smile as he handed her over to Bowser Jr. "Don't sweat it! I'm gonna be back real soon, and later, I'll get you an ice cream cone! How's that sound, Mo?"



The infant immediately cheered up at the thought of getting her favorite sweet treat and began to clap her hands together as Jr gently set the toddler down in his lap. "Don't worry, Mr. Sonic, I'll make sure she's safe! Scout's honor!" He said as he piloted the Koopa Clown Car away before briefly coming back. "But my dad's still gonna beat you up, ya know!" After blowing a raspberry he quickly leaves again, leaving the hedgehog to chuckle at the child's enthusiasm.



Soon, Jr and Mordred were in the stands, waiting with the crowd in anticipation for the fight to begin. The blonde baby babbled excitedly as she looked at the display with stars in her eyes as the Koopa chuckled in amusement. "Yeah, you can't wait either, huh?" Jr asked the toddler. "Me either! This fight's gonna be awesome, but my dad will win! He's the strongest guy I know!"



"Noooo!" Mordred whined as she shook her limbs. "Chichiue fash! Stwon!"



Before the argument between the two children could continue, they saw the screen display change to show the arena, based on Chaos Island, as their fathers made their entrances. "READY!"



"SHOWTIME!" Sonic and Bowser exclaimed at the same time.



"GO!" The announcer called out, and immediately, Sonic took the lead. He spindashed at Bowser, narrowly avoiding a swipe from his claws and striking the king in the abdomen before delivering a powerful roundhouse kick, sending the Koopa monarch back a few feet.



While his leg was extended, however, Bowser used the chance to grab his opponent's leg and began to slam him into the ground repeatedly before kicking him away and letting out a stream of fire breath at the Blue Blur. As Sonic ran around his opponent to avoid the flames, Bowser kept breathing them out until he felt himself reach his limit. Changing tactics, the Koopa King cut off his flames and retreated into his shell, launching himself up into the air to try and create a shockwave from his bodyslam technique, but the hedgehog was faster.



Sonic curled up into a ball and used his homing attack on the king's shell, knocking him out of the air, but he didn't escape unscathed, as he received a few scratches from the large spikes. Landing on the ground, Sonic began taking another approach and began kicking the air, sending Sonic Booms at Bowser as he tried to defend himself against the rush of attacks with his arm.



After sliding back a bit, Bowser began to run through the barrage. Once he got close enough, he delivered a powerful haymaker, sending Sonic up into the air before continuing with a barrage of claw strikes and punches. With one last strike, he sent the Blue Blur flying away, but the hedgehog had a few tricks up his sleeve.



Before he could go sliding off the arena, Sonic planted his hands and feet to the ground, stopping before he went too far. He then leaped into the air and curled into a ball, bouncing on the ground to gain further height and slamming himself on to Bowser's face before expertly dodging another punch. As Bowser stumbled from the momentum, Sonic then dashed through the air in a zig-zag pattern, building up momentum to deliver a powerful strike at his opponent. He then continued the assault by kicking himself away from Bowser before firing off several homing shots, sending Bowser flying off the arena, a burst of light signifying his first loss.



"Alright, one stock down…" Sonic said as he looked up where a flying platform respawned the Koopa King. "Two more to go!"



Bowser let out a roar as he leaped off the respawn platform, slamming down to where Sonic was as the Blue Blur launched himself at the Koopa again. The unexpected momentum meant that Sonic was smashed into the ground as Bowser bounced off before delivering a powerful punch as he came back down. With the air knocked out of his lungs, Sonic was unable to defend himself as he was grabbed by the leg again and subsequently thrown out of the arena before a blinding light overtook his senses.



Almost immediately, he felt himself get respawned on the floating platform. Cracking his neck, Sonic then jumped off his platform as fast as he could, quickly running towards Bowser. Avoiding another punch, Sonic then began to race around the Koopa King's body, tripping him up and allowing the hedgehog to begin rushing at him, delivering several devastating kicks and punches, Sonic then performed a Spin Slash, sending his larger opponent into the air, allowing him to leap up and deliver a two-handed strike.



As Bowser laid on the arena ground, he quickly shook his head before glaring upwards. He released another belch of flames, scorching Sonic a bit. As the hedgehog tried to put out the flames on his fur, he never noticed his opponent picking himself back up and charging at him with the force of a freight train until he felt himself getting clotheslined by a thick arm. He floated in the air for a bit before being grabbed in a full nelson. As the Blue Blur tried to escape his opponent's hold, the Koopa King jumped up into a backflip, performing a suplex on Sonic.



As he was let go from Bowser's hold, Sonic groaned before his eyes widened as he began to roll away from where the turtle-dragon delivered an elbow drop. The attack left the Koopa trapped in the ground, allowing Sonic to begin pummeling him in the face. Bowser could only take the rapid kicks and punches for a few minutes before gritting his teeth as he pulled his elbow out of the ground, punching Sonic with enough force to send him flying out of the arena, culminating in a flash of light that signaled his second loss.



Respawning on the floating platform, Sonic jumped down and spindashed into Bowser, who responded by curling up into a similarly spiked back. Though he wasn't as fast, his weight and strength allowed the Koopa King to briefly match the force of the Blue Blur's attack. Eventually, however, he faltered, allowing the hedgehog to spin kick the king and carry him into the air. Following this, Sonic landed several devastating kicks before looping in the air and landing one last blow, sending the turtle flying off the stage.



Landing on the ground, Sonic dusted himself off as he heard Bowser respawn above him before narrowly avoiding the king slamming down where he stood. The Koopa got back up, blowing out steam from his nostrils as an angry expression was written on his face. "Alright, last round, runt!" He growled at the Blue Blur, who smirked in response. "Time to settle this!"



"Way ahead of ya, big guy!" Sonic replied as he revved up his legs before dashing towards his opponent, who lunged at him in rage.



Meanwhile, back in the stadium, Bowser Jr. and Mordred cheered on as they watched their fathers fight. "Yeah, go get 'im, dad!" The Koopa Prince yelled out as he bounced in his Clown Car. "Show him what we're made of!"



"Chichiue! Go!" Mordred cheered in an infantile manner as she waved her arms up and down from her position in the chest harness.



"Yeah, your old man is pretty cool," Jr admitted before a cocky grin formed on his face. "But he's got nothing on my dad! My dad's the strongest guy I know!"



"Bu-bu Chichiue swong!" Mordred exclaimed as she looked up at the young Koopa in annoyance. "An fash!"



"Yeah, Sonic's fast and all, but that's basically all he's got!" Jr retorted quickly. "Against my dad, he's got no-!"



The Koopa Prince gasped as he saw something appear on the screen. "OHOHOHO, he's in big trouble now!" He declared as he and Mordred saw the Smash Ball appear above their fathers' duel. "COME ON, DAD! GET THE SMASH BALL!"



"Chichiue! Baw!" Mordred exclaimed as well. As if they heard their children call them out, Sonic and Bowser turned their attention to the rainbow orb that would allow them to access their trump card. They pushed each other away and began jumping at the orb, striking at it to obtain the power within. As they kept hitting it, cracks appeared on the orb's surface, growing in size before it shattered.



With one last strike, Sonic and Bowser broke the Smash Ball at the same time, causing a rainbow aura to form on the two fighters. As their skin glowed with power, they gave each other a smirk.



"Showtime!" Bowser growled out as the rainbow glow intensified.



"Now I'll show you!" Sonic declared as the aura turned into the Chaos Emeralds before the gems went into his body. The hedgehog glowed a bright light before it dissipated, revealing his golden transformation, Super Sonic!



"Heh, let's finish this!" The golden hedgehog said before realizing that the weather around him had changed. He then realized why when he saw the black mass spinning in the air before it exploded with a purple flash, followed by the colossal form of Fury Bowser to crash down on the ground, his hair, teeth, eyes, and belly glowing with a flaming orange glow as the beast looked up with a snarl.



Sonic blinked at Bowser's new Final Smash… before his trademark smirk appeared on his face again, and the music began to kick in.



We wooooooon't back doooooown! We woooooooon't!



Boosting towards his gargantuan foe, Super Sonic was met with a massive punch, which he countered with his own, only to parry another strike before Bowser let out a stream of flames that made him sweat, even in his current form. He hadn't expected such a massive being to be able to move this fast, but that just encouraged him to go a bit faster.



I'm here to go beyond my limit, not to compromise! And you can tell me if I mean lookin' in my eyes!



Going around the blackened form of the Koopa King, Super Sonic delivered a powerful kick to the turtle-dragon's shell, sending him stumbling forward a great distance before he turned around to deliver a devastating backhand at the super-powered hedgehog. The Golden Comet was knocked back, but he recovered quickly by spindashing back into Bowser's chin, causing him to roar in pain.



'Cause I've been waiting for my moment to strike, so come close! Let me show you what it's like, yeah!



The enraged beast roared before bringing his hands together on Sonic, dazing him with the shockwave of the clap long enough to try and bite down on him. Sonic was able to recover quickly, catching the jaws of the beast just before he got crushed in its maw. Mustering as much strength as he could, the hedgehog was able to kick down on the lower jaw and push the upper jaw to escape as Bowser stumbled back. The furious expression on the Koopa's face somehow got even angrier as he then retreated into his shell before jumping into the air and spun around, firing off heated spikes at his opponent.



You can try to stand in my path

But you're gonn a regret it

I'll be the one w ho laughs last

While I'm makin' my exit



Super Sonic dashed around, avoiding getting clobbered by the massive spikes before he charged headfirst to one about to hit the ground. This was just another attack, after all, meaning that if he timed it just right, he could parry it!



'Cause this is only for the strong of heart

Nod if you get it

And no matter what the outcome

You better accept it



As he thought, Sonic was able to parry the spike with a swipe of his hand, and he immediately began his counterattack. First, he parried the spikes at random, watching as they flew away from him and landing on the ground before exploding. Then, he managed to start parrying them back at each other, creating explosions in the air.



Eventually, one of the spikes he parried broke through the torrent that was raining down and struck Bowser, sending the Koopa tumbling up into the air before he came crashing down.




I can cut right through steel

I can bury the pain

So don't doubt for a second

Just gеt out of my way (Out of my way)



As he fell, Bowser readied both his fists and slammed down on the ground, creating cracks in the earth and causing fire and magma to erupt from them. As Sonic weaved around the hot terrain, his opponent pushed through the flames to deliver a punch that sent Sonic flying back before the hedgehog rocketed back to the colossus just as he readied another punch.



You cheat and you steal

I'm not letting it go

So takе this as a lesson

'Cause it's all that we know



Sonic clashed against Bowser's giant fist as they began to parry each other's strikes rapidly, sending shockwaves throughout the arena that could be felt all the way in the stadium. Soon, Bowser let loose another stream of flames, which Sonic dodged by flying upwards before coming back down to slam his feet on the beast's nose. The titanic Koopa King raised his head to intercept the strike with another breath of fire, but Super Sonic's invulnerability allowed him to push through the attack and land a strike that sent him tumbling down, bouncing off the ground a bit and allowing the hedgehog to grab his tail and spin him over his head, only to slam him down again.



Will the whole world know your name

When we dance with destiny?

I've been there, and I've seen it

I'm never gonna stop believing

You'll find your flame



The downed Koopa let out an echoing growl before he retreated back into his shell, causing Sonic to lose his grip on the king before he began to spin around rapidly. Within moments, he was spinning around fast enough to create a tornado, dragging the loose bits of terrain up into the vortex.



Oh, we can save the day

(The day!)



As Sonic dodged the debris flying around in the tornado, all while fighting off the pull of the wind that tried to suck him into the vortex. As he fought back against the tornado's pull, Bowser spun out of the twister and popped out of his shell, getting back up to launch a fireball at the tornado, setting it ablaze.



We won't back down

We won't (Yeah, alright)



As the raging inferno began to spin faster, Sonic tried to think of something to counteract it. Then a lightbulb went off in his head as he then allowed himself to go in the direction of the wind and began to release some leftover energy from Cyberspace. Going around the tornado, he did his best not to lose concentration and maintain a straight path back to where he started the cyloop. It wasn't long before he was able to fly back to the starting point and connected the circle, which caused an effect on the flaming twister.



It's like I'm seein' double vision

Take a seat, I'm on a mission

We got everything to gain (Everything to gain, yeah)

To become everything you're not

You just give it all you got

And take the pleasure with the pain, yeah



The twister began to lift itself off the ground before it barreled towards Bowser, who caught the attack with his bare hands. He was pushed back a bit before mustering up the strength to lift it over his head, compressing the tornado into a fireball that he then launched back at Sonic, who was able to kick it back at the colossal Koopa, dazing him before his fury snapped him out of it.



I can feel my fire awaken

No time for being complacent

If there's a dream on the horizon

You know we gotta chase it

And when we get to where we're going

Then we start the invasion



Letting out another furious roar, Bowser fired off spikes from his shell, which began to hit the ground in rapid succession. Sonic was able to dodge the attacks, but upon seeing this, Bowser let out another growl and picked up one of the spikes that landed near him, tossing it like a spear at the golden blur.



Best me? Nah, you must be mistaken

Hey



Moving fast, Sonic performed another cyloop on one of the spikes embedded in the ground, hurling it up into the air as he kicked it towards the incoming spike, creating an explosion big enough to distract the Koopa King and allow Sonic to repeat the trick on another spike. When the spike broke through the fire and smoke, Bowser simply responded by punching it away before charging to where he believed his opponent was.



You know I'll turn you into rust

Grind you right down to dust

You thought you were the best

Well, you haven't met us!

I'll bring the fire and rain

Call me the hurricane

I'm not letting it go

'Cause it's all that I know



As the Koopa King lunged through the flames and smoke, Sonic flew down, allowing his opponent to fly above him and set up for a devastating kick in the abdomen, knocking him on his shell as he tumbled to the ground. He quickly got up to parry another strike from the superpowered hedgehog, but not from his fist, but from a spike he was now using as a sword.



Will the whole world know your name (Know your name)

When we dance with destiny? (Destiny, yeah!)

I've been there, and I've seen it

I'm never gonna stop believing

You'll find your flame



Bringing the spike back up again, Sonic swung down from another angle, which Bowser parried with ease before grabbing hold of the spike. He began to pull it away, dragging the hedgehog with it as he tried to hold on to his makeshift weapon before he was flung off into the distance before stopping himself, just as he saw that Bowser threw the spike like a javelin.



Now here we go, it's the end of the show

Hear them? They're calling your name



Acting fast, Sonic mustered up as much Chaos Energy as he could and prepared a Chaos Spear in his hand, one as big as the ones he used against the Knight Titan back on Chaos Island, before firing it at the spike hurtling towards him, creating another explosion as the two attacks impacted.



'Cause in the end

It's you and your friends

You'll find your flame (Go!)



Deciding to end this now, Sonic began to curl up into a ball, spinning as fast as he could before Bowser could counteract. However, the King of the Koopas had a similar idea, curling up into a Spike Ball and spinning as fast as he could towards the Golden Comet just as Sonic hurtled towards him as well. Their spinning forms clashed as they began to try and overpower the other, sending sparks flying between them.



Now here we go, it's the end of the show

Hear them? They're calling your name

'Cause in the end

It's you and your friends

You'll find your flame



Soon, the sparks grew as a light built up between the two spinning forms of the fighters, before it suddenly exploded in a blinding flash, knocking the combatants away from each other. But before they could return to the fight, their bodies glowed with a weak rainbow aura, signalling their transformations nearing their end.



With a small burst of rainbow and black flashes, Sonic and Bowser returned back to normal, landing back on the normal arena, with the weather turned back into a cloudy sky. The two fighters got back on their feet, a bit annoyed that they ran out their transformations, but eager to get back in the fight. "Guess you got lucky, punk!" Bowser laughed out menacingly as he began to walk over to the Blue Blur. "But I can still beat you with pure Bowser Power!"



"Heh, bring it on, tough guy!" Sonic retorted as he got ready to throw down again. But before he and the king could clash again…



"GAME!" The Master Hand announced, much to the confusion of both combatants before they realized something. They still had a stock left each when the timer ran out. In a tie like this, the only way to settle this was…



"SUDDEN DEATH! GO!" Master Hand declared once again as the arena shrunk. Bowser looked around with shrunken pupils before remembering his fight, letting out a stream of fire at Sonic, who dodged it as he ran up to and all over the Koopa's body. The reptilian monarch tried swiping at his furry opponent, only to trip over on his own feet as he reached around too fast, too wildly.



With his opponent laying on the ground, Sonic grabbed his tail and began to pull. Slowly, but surely, he began to swing Bowser around, the momentum making it easier as the king tried to flail around and escape.



There was only one joke that Sonic could make at this moment. It was too easy, but everyone loved it. Every kid and their mother made reference to it many times in their lives. Plus, as much as they say that they hated the joke, even Mario and Bowser chuckle from time to time hearing it.



"So long, Gay Bowser!" Sonic yelled out in his best Mario impression as he let go of Bowser's tail, sending the Koopa King flying off the arena. He tried to get back on the platform, but he fell short of grabbing the ledge. All he could do was let out a high-pitched roar as he fell into the void in a burst of light.



Soon, Sonic was teleported to the victory area, where he ran around a bit before striking a victorious pose. "THE WINNER IS… SONIC!!!" Master Hand declared once again as the crowd back at the stadium cheered at the Blue Blur's victory, though one voice pierced through the crowd.



"YEAH!" Baby Mordred screamed her little lungs out as she clapped her hands in celebration. "Chichiue won! Won!"



"Aw, man, that was awesome!" Bowser Jr agreed as he held the blonde infant close to him. "I thought my old man had that, but your dad was cool! And then when they used their Final Smash!" He began to move his Clown Car through the seats, excitement visible on his and Mordred's faces. "Come on, we gotta go see them!"



As the two children quickly entered the locker rooms, they saw their fathers walking towards them, congratulating each other on the fight. "Gotta admit, that was a lotta fun, hedgehog!" Bowser laughed out as he gave Sonic a pat on the back, almost knocking the Blue Blur over, before his face returned to its usual arrogant expression. "But I'm winning next time, ya hear?!"



"Heh, we'll see about that, Bows'!" Sonic retorted as he straightened his posture with his usual smirk. "You ain't pulling any surprise tricks on me next year!"



As the fathers began to laugh, Mordred began to call out to her dad. "Chichiue, Chichiue!" The infant cried out with giddiness in her voice, grabbing the attention of the two animal fighters. She motioned to Jr to put her on the ground, which he promptly did so, allowing the toddler to begin walking over to Sonic. "Won! Won! Go Fwooom!"



Sonic chuckled as he picked up his daughter. "That's right, Mo! I won that fight by going Super!" He said as he gently tossed Mordred up in the air, earning laughter from the infant. As he ruffled the fake fur of her lion onesie, he saw Bowser and his son talking animatedly amongst themselves as the prince showered his father with praise and adoration, no doubt still in awe of the spectacle they put on during their fight. "Hey, Bowser, me and Mordred are gonna go get ice cream! Wanna come with?"



Hearing this, Jr gained an excited smile on his face. "Oh, I wanna get ice cream!" The prince said as he grabbed his father's arm in delight. "Can we, papa? Can we?"



Bowser's response was to laugh. "GWAHAHAHA! Sure, why not?" He stated before giving his fellow combatant a smirk. "As long as he's paying!"



Sonic chuckled as Mordred let out another playful roar. "Oh, sure, what the heck? I got enough rings." He said as he began walking down the hall with the two royal Koopas next to him, carrying his daughter in his arms. He gained a cheeky smirk. "Betcha I can eat mine faster without getting brain freeze."



"Oh, it's ON." Bowser growled out amusedly.

"Woah…" Artoria Lily said as she looked upon Sonic's sword in awe, especially at the hilt, where a face could be seen on it. "I never thought I'd ever meet a talking sword like you before…"



"Nor I ever expected to encounter a version of Arthur that was a woman," the sword, Caliburn, replied. "Nor did I expect to see so many of you…"



"Indeed," Saber Artoria replied as Sonic chuckled. "Though, to be quite frank, it's rather strange for us to see a version of the Sword of Selection such as yourself. I'm rather envious that Sonic had someone to guide him in his journey to becoming a knight."



"Heh, I'm more jealous that people trusted you right off the bat instead of nagging you like this oversized letter opener!" Sonic said in a teasing voice that signified he meant no offense, which Caliburn was able to pick up quickly.



"Ah, but it would do you good to learn manners from these fine women, Sir Sonic." The sword retorted in jest as the other Artorias chuckled before the Lancer variant hummed in thought.



"I must wonder, however," She began as she crossed her arms under her bosom, "how is it that you came across the need to pull out Caliburn?"



"Well, that's a funny and kinda long story, I already told my friends and family about this," Sonic began to answer, ignoring Archer Mordred's exclaiming "THAT STORY WAS TRUE?!", as he set Caliburn next to him. "The long and short of it is that, in the Camelot I went to, Arthur didn't exist, so that Merlin created a fake one to pull out Caliburn."



"Oh, that can only end so well," the magus in question said in a sarcastic voice. "Surely, there weren't any negative side effects to THAT decision…"



"But the power of Avalon kinda drove him nuts, made him summon Knights of the Underworld, forcing Merlina, Merlin's grandkid…"



"Merlin has a granddaughter?" Gawain muttered in disbelief.



"Merlin got some action?" Saber Mordred followed up in shock.



"To summon me. Bada-bing-bada-boom, I pull out Caliburn and have to fight King Arthur." Sonic continued. "Look, there's a whole lot more to the story, but we should probably do this when we get the time."



"Hold on a second," Saber Artoria Alter interrupted with a growl. "You said that the King Arthur you fought was a fake, right?"



"Yeah?" Sonic asked as the gears began turning in everyone's heads.



"That would mean," Archer Artoria began. "That by pulling out Caliburn from his stone, you would be the actual King of Camelot."



"That is indeed what Sir Sonic is saying…" Caliburn said in agreement before realizing where this was going.



"Then by that logic, you are also a King Arthur, and one of our counterparts." Lancer Artoria Alter said as everyone came to the same conclusion.



"Oh boy, I see where this is going." Sonic muttered.



"All hail Furry King Arthur!" Sir Gareth said to her fellow Knights of the Round Table.



"ALL HAIL FURRY KING ARTHUR!"



"NOOOOOO!!!" Sonic yelled to the heavens as his daughter and her Rider variant began laughing on the floor.

She ran as fast as her little legs could allow her to run through the green hills. She had been chased by her pursuer for quite some time now. The chase would've ended a lot earlier if he wasn't taking it easy on her. Her hunter was leagues faster than her, but he wanted to enjoy the game.



As she ran through the fields, she saw a nearby log on the ground, hollowed out by the wildlife. She quickly ran towards it, sliding inside and through the log. She'd try to change directions when she got out the other end, hoping her chaser would end up going on another path on accident and buying her enough time to get to a safe point.



But her hunter anticipated this. As she slid to the other end, she saw a pair of hands reach down from above the log's exit, grabbing her as she slid out. She let out a scream as the arms raised her up to her captor's face.



"Tag, Mordred!" A 21-year-old Sonic the Hedgehog said with a smug grin as his daughter laughed.



"Ah, no fair!" The 5-year-old girl said with a wide smile as she was tossed up in the air. "I almost got to the checkpoint!"



"Aw, you're gonna have to be faster than that, Little Mo!" The Blue Blur said as he set his daughter down. It had been nearly 5 years since Sonic found Mordred back in Spagonia, and the baby had grown into a happy tomboy that brought a shining light to each day. She had her messy blonde hair in her signature ponytail, any attempts to fix it with either combing or hair gel actively defied by the golden locks. The young girl was wearing a red, hooded t-shirt, blue shorts, and a pair of red boots that resembled her father's shoes.



"Mou, but you're way too fast, dad!" The young girl complained as she pouted adorably, making her adoptive father chuckle.



"Don't worry, Mo!" Sonic said as he ruffled his daughter's hair, changing her expression to a toothy grin. "You're already on your way there! In just a few more years, you might be faster than I am!"



"You really think so?!" Mordred said with stars in her eyes as she bounced in excitement. "But you're the Fastest Thing Alive! Your song says so! Do you really think I can be faster?!"



"I know you can, Mo! Wanna know why?" Sonic asked his daughter as he gave her head a pat. "Because every time I look at you, I don't just see my kid, I see a young girl with a lot of potential just waiting to be tapped into! Someone who's gonna do lots of great things in her future."



Mordred blushed and smiled at the praise her father gave. "Thanks, dad!" She said in a cheerful tone. "I'm gonna do my best when I grow up! I'm gonna be a hero just like you!"



Sonic smiled at his daughter's earnest joy and determination, chuckling as he placed his hands on his hips. "I can't wait to see when that happens, then!" He said with an adoring gaze on his face. "But being a hero takes a lot of work. You gotta be able to push past your limits."



He looked around, a smug smile slowly forming on his face as he focused on Mordred, who was paying close attention to his words. "Sometimes, to push past them, you gotta go as fast as you can, and then go even faster, such as…" He quickly booped his daughter's nose, making her yelp in surprise. "Right now! Tag! You're it!" He said rapidly before speeding off while Mordred shook her head and laughed.



"No fair, that's cheating!" She exclaimed as she revved up her tiny little legs before blasting off, giggling as she began to speed through the green hills.



Meanwhile, a distance away, a group of people were quickly setting up several tables and decorations under a tree, getting ready for an event shortly about to happen. "Alright, guys!" A 17-year-old Miles "Tails" Prower announced, getting the attention of everyone gathered. "We're almost done with the decorations, and just in time, too! Sonic just told me that he's bringing Mordred around!"



"Then it's a good thing we're finishing up!" A red echidna wearing a hat and leather vest said as he tied the rope holding up a piñata to the ground. This was one of Sonic's friends, Knuckles. "This party is gonna be practically picture-perfect!"



"You say that, but we still have to anticipate whatever might happen." A black hedgehog with red highlights in his quills said in a raspy voice as he looked at Knuckles with a neutral expression. This was Shadow. "A lot of things can go wrong in this party if you're not careful."



"Don't be such a downer, Shadow!" Amy, now sporting longer quills and a longer skirt, said as she narrowed her eyes. "We've been planning this for months, and we can't let anything bring down little Mordred's special day!"



"I'm not trying to, I'm just saying." The Ultimate Lifeform replied as he crossed his arms, looking almost offended by the insinuation. "And besides, we're all pitching in to make this work, not to mention all the gifts we got for Sonic's kid. On a side note, I have no doubt that I got her the best gift."



Hearing this, some of the other guests let out fake laughs. "Oh, is that a fact, Uncle 'Faker'?" Tails said in a challenging voice, making everyone else around chuckle as Shadow let out an annoyed grunt. Before he could say anything else, however, the sounds of rapid footsteps approaching were heard, preventing the conversation's continuation as everyone turned to see that Sonic arrived.



"Alright, is everything ready?" The Blue Blur of Mobius asked the group as he quickly looked back to see a dust cloud rapidly approaching. After receiving affirmative nods, he smirked. "Good! Everybody, get into position! She's here!"



Hearing this, the guests began to huddle around the table, just in time for Mordred to arrive. The 5-year-old girl panted a bit in exhaustion before her face regained its usual excited expression as she walked over to where her father was. "I got you now, dad!" The little girl exclaimed as she let out a giggle before realizing everyone else standing close by, huddled over something. "Um, what's the big idea? Why are you guys here?"



She received no response, aside from her father counting down from 3 with his fingers. The attosecond he reached 0, however, he and everyone gathered turned to look at her with wide smiles on their faces, moving out of the way to reveal a cake, party decorations, balloons, and a banner that said "Happy Birthday" on it. "Surprise!" Everyone assembled yelled out as some of them popped their party poppers.



Mordred looked at the group in surprise as she leaped back a bit before a wide grin broke out on her face. "You guys got me a surprise party?!" She asked with stars in her eyes before she almost got toppled over by a pink and white blur. She blinked at the sudden feeling of arms wrapping around her neck before letting out an excited yell of delight. "Eve! You made it!"



"Aaagh!" The pink-haired child grunted in joy as the two best friends hugged each other, all while their fathers looked at them in amusement.



"It's good to see you, Mordred." Moriarty said as he walked over to the blonde and pink duo, who looked at him excitedly. "Apologies that it took us a while to get you two together again, but I hope it was worth the wait. We wished to surprise you on this momentous day."



"Yeah, I'm super happy you two are here, Uncle Mori!" Mordred said in an excited voice before grabbing Eve's hand. "Come on, Eve! Let's see if Charmy and big sis Cream wanna play!" The blonde then dragged her best friend to the sibling figures, earning a chuckle from Sonic who looked on as his daughter's birthday began to swing into high gear.



Everyone was having fun at the party, but none as much as Mordred. She took delight in all the activities available, from frolicking with Cream, Amy, and Eve, to roughhousing a bit with Charmy and her Uncle Knuckles. She had fun with the games, which included smashing a watermelon for everyone to eat, even if she didn't break it on the first try.



Soon, it was time for the young girl to receive her cake. Mordred gasped at the sight of the confection shaped like a castle, her smile wide as she zipped around it, bouncing all over the place. For a long while, she's been extremely fascinated by knights and medieval fantasy, often trying to emulate them whenever she could. Mordred's wide smile grew more bright when she received her slice of the cake, revealing it to be Red Velvet, her favorite flavor.



After the cake was the moment the young girl was looking forward to the whole party, besides the games she played with her friends and family: the presents.



The young, happy-go-lucky tomboy took immense delight in the gifts she received from the guests. Her Uncle Tails got her a pair of green goggles for her when she goes out for a run. Uncle Knuckles got her a hat like his, making her feel extra cool. Aunt Amy managed to get her a small version of her Piko Piko Hammer, perfect for practicing how to fight. Eve and Moriarty got her antique trinkets and toys they managed to find during their travels around the world, something that gained a wondrous expression on Mordred's face when she saw the cool and unique trinkets.



Eventually, it was Shadow's turn to give the blonde her birthday present: a large box, wrapped in colorful foil. Mordred immediately got excited as she began to think of the possibilities, wondering what her Uncle Faker managed to get her.



"It took me a while to find this," Shadow began as he handed the gift-wrapped box to the young girl, who began to rip apart the wrapping. "But I can tell that you're going to have a lot of fun with this one."



As soon as she finished unwrapping the present, the little girl let out a gasp of excitement as she lifted the box to reveal a well-modeled dart gun. "Woah!" She exclaimed with stars in her eyes. "This is the coolest present ever! I wanted one for a long time! Thanks, Uncle Shadow!"



Shadow smirked in satisfaction at Mordred's approval of the gift, while also pumping his fist in front of him in quiet celebration at having gone from being called "Uncle Faker" to "Uncle Shadow." He looked over to Sonic with a smug grin, as if to tell him, "beat THAT, Faker."



The Blue Blur chuckled at the challenge, eager to regain his daughter's affection as he took a quick swig of his soda float before grabbing a rectangular box off the party table and walking over to Mordred. "Alright, Mo." Sonic said, getting his little girl's attention away from the toy gun. "You've been a good girl this year, and you've proven yourself responsible a bunch of times, which is why I think you're ready for this present, BUT only if you let me teach you how to use it, and you follow my instructions."



"Yeah, dad!" Mordred said as she bounced a bit in anticipation, eager to receive her father's present. "I promise!"



Sonic smiled before handing the box over to the excited toddler, who began tearing away at the wrapping paper before unveiling the brown box inside. She set it down on the ground and carefully lifted the lid before gasping at what was inside. Setting the lid down, Mordred reached inside and pulled out…



"SONIC!" Amy exclaimed as she and some of the other, more mature guests at the party gasped at what Mordred's gift from her father was. "A broadsword is NOT an appropriate gift for a 5-year old!"



Sonic looked back at Amy as Mordred lifted the sword in the air, gazing at it with some of the other, younger members of the group in awe as she began to take a practice swing with the sword. "What? She's been wanting one for a while, and since I know how to use a sword, I figured I could teach her how to swordfight!"



Hearing this, Mordred and the other children turned to look at the girl's father with stars in their eyes. "You know how to use a sword, dad?!" The blonde asked as she dashed towards him. "How did you learn?!"



"Well, it all began when I was getting ready for a date with Amy…" Sonic began in a dramatic voice, only to receive groans from the other party guests. "Hey, what gives, guys? I barely even started the story!"



"Yeah, but we've all heard it, and we still don't believe it, man!" Silver the Hedgehog replied after palming his face. "I mean, come on! Getting sucked into Camelot? Pulling out Caliburn? Merlin's Granddaughter?"



In another world, a half-Incubus mage sneezed.



"Beating King Arthur only to find out YOU'RE the real one?" Silver finished, laughing at the absurdity of his statement. "Come on! That's such an obvious self-insert, it's not even funny!"



"Aw, but it did happen! I bet Mordred would believe me! Right, kid?" Sonic retorted as he turned to look at his daughter, who was staring at him with a blank look on her face.



"... Sorry, dad, but that sounds super fake." Mordred said plainly, making her father hold his hand against his chest in mock pain. However, his mood quickly elated when she then said, "But it also sounds super cool! Can you tell me that story?"



Sonic's eyes lit up at the statement while Shadow coughed into his hand, forcing a smile on his face. "The sword is nice and all, but the dart gun is a way better present, right, Mordred?" The Bio-Engineered Hedgehog asked his niece figure, who looked between him and the sword she currently had.



"... Sorry, Uncle Faker. Swords are cooler." The sweet child plainly said, emotionally wrecking Shadow as he fell to his knees, much to the uproarious laughter of Rouge the Bat. Mordred looked at her Uncle Faker with a confused look before she turned to her friends with a wide grin. "Come on, guys! Let's see who can break the piñata with this first!" She declared, earning a cheer from the children as they ran to the hanging ornament to take turns beating it open.



Sonic chuckled at how enthusiastic his daughter was with the sword, going ham on the piñata with the other kids before they managed to break it open, freeing the candy inside. Afterwards, the party kept going as normal, with much joy and laughter from everyone gathered.



Dusk eventually began to fall, and things began to slow down. As the party continued on the ground, Sonic and Mordred managed to climb up a tree to eat their slices of cake in peace. As they looked at the moon together in peace, Sonic spoke. "Man, hard to believe it's been almost five years since I found ya, Mo." He said in a warm voice. "It's been so long, but it felt like yesterday that I saw you learn how to walk. You barely had enough time to be a baby, and now, look at you! Five years old and about to enter Kindergarten!"



Mordred giggled at her father's statement before responding. "Yeah, that's cuz I'm the fastest kid alive!" She said in earnest, getting a laugh out of Sonic.



"Heh, you got that right, Mo!" He said before an idea formed in his head. "You're getting pretty fast already, aren't ya? Fast enough to learn a super cool trick."



Mordred looked at her father in confusion before her eyes widened in realization at what he was trying to say. "You think I'm ready?!" She asked excitedly as stars formed in her eyes.



"I don't know, do you feel ready?" The Blue Blur retorted, earning a rapid nod from his daughter that looked more like headbanging. Chuckling, Sonic picked Mordred up and jumped down the tree branches, landing softly on the ground before setting the tomboy toddler down. "Alright then! Let's get started, Mo!"



Hearing this, the other guests at the party turned to see what the father-daughter duo were excited about before they saw Sonic get into a starting position. "Sonic, you're going to teach her how to do that?" Knuckles questioned while Rouge told Omega to begin recording.



"Alright, so, here's how you start!" Sonic began instructing his daughter as everyone watched. "First, you get down on the ground." Mordred copied her father's actions. "Then you get spiky." They curled up into balls. "And then…"



Mordred turned to see her father spinning in place, forming a blue glow around his body that made him seem spherical before he uncurled, falling to the dirt and leaning back on his hands. "And you uncurl when you're done! Got that, Mo?"



"Yeah, yeah!" The little girl replied as she got ready. "Okay… Ground… Get spiky… and…"



A brief burst of red appeared around Mordred as she tried to spin, only for her to collapse on the ground almost immediately after. "Woah, Mordred! You okay?" Sonic asked a bit worriedly.



"Yeah, I'm fine!" His daughter replied as she sat up, shaking her head a bit. "I got it!"



"Well, don't worry if you don't get it on the first try. It takes a bit of practice to…" Sonic began before Mordred attempted to spin dash again. This time, she lasted a bit longer before collapsing again. Instead of getting discouraged, the headstrong girl puffed up her cheeks in determination and got ready again. She got on all fours, curled up into a ball, and…



She began spinning.



Mordred felt herself falter for a moment, but quickly righted herself, as she held her spinning position for ten seconds, then fifteen, twenty…



"Aw, yeah, way to go, Mo!" Sonic whooped out as the party guests cheered for the girl. "You're spin dashing like a pro!"



Mordred grew excited within her orb of rotation hearing this. "I… I did it! Look, dad! I'm spinning!" She hollered out as she tried to look at her father from her spinning position. The sudden distraction, however, proved to be her downfall, as she suddenly rocketed forward to a nearby tree, slamming into the trunk facefirst and making her fall on her back.



Everyone gasped at the sudden impact, and Sonic's heart filled with dread and worry as he ran over to his daughter. "Mordred! Are you okay?!"



The little girl simply sat up and spat something to the dirt. "I'm okay!" She said as she grinned at her father and gave him a double thumbs up, revealing that a tooth got knocked out of her mouth.



All in all, it was simply another day in the life of Mordred Hedgehog.

Saber, Rider, and Archer Mordred were heading back to their room in Chaldea, having finished a training session in the Simulator, ready to relax for a bit before Ritsuka called them for the next mission. "Man, I'm beat!" Archer Mordred said as she stretched her arms. "My shoulder's sore from tossing all those Chaos Spears a bunch! Hey, wanna go get chili dogs later? I could go for some."



"You're always in the mood for those things, Archer." Saber Mordred retorted in an annoyed manner. "Those things can't be good for you! They're greasy, sloppy, and runny…"



"Ah, don't be such a killjoy, Saber!" Rider Mordred said as she looked at Archer with a friendly grin. "I could go for some lunch, too! Maybe with a soda float, but what flavor to get?"



"Sounds like a plan!" Archer said before she and the other Mordreds heard a conversation going on from a nearby room. Curious as to what was going on, the blonde trio headed over to the source of the noise, which was coming from the Round Table Knights' Assembly chamber. Walking inside, the Mordreds raised an eyebrow as they saw the other Knights of the Round Table all adoring slips of papers in their hands, while Artoria and her many counterparts were huddled over Sonic, who was holding up a picture album for them to see when he noticed them.



"Oh, hey there, Mo!" The Blue Blur said as he waved over to them, ignoring the look of shock and despair that formed on his daughter's face. "How's it hanging?"



"It's going alright, Sir Sonic." Saber Mordred replied, quickly glancing at her Archer counterpart for a moment before turning back to the hedgehog. "Are we interrupting anything or something?"



"Nah, just showing off the photo album to everyone here!" The Fastest Thing Alive answered before noticing his daughter running towards him. He simply leapt over her, backflipping with the album in hand as he smirked. "Ooh, almost had me there, Mo! Gotta be faster than that!"



"HAND ME THAT ALBUM, DAD!" Archer Mordred screamed out hysterically as she began to race after her father, who cackled as he ran out the room.



"Uh, I'll bite, what was that about?" Rider Mordred asked the room curiously. "I've NEVER seen Archer freak out like that before."



The Lancer-Class Artoria Alter was the first to respond. "Well, we asked Sir Sonic about his history and relationship with his variant of Mordred." The Embodiment of the Wild Hunt answered as a soft look formed on her face. "One thing led to another, and he revealed he managed to bring a photo album along with him."



Before the two Mordreds could ask what that meant, Gareth swung an arm over Saber Mordred's neck to pull her close. "Ooh, just look at this, Mordred! You were so cute back then!" The Human Embodiment of a Cartoon Puppy gushed excitedly as she showed the tomboys a picture of Archer Mordred in her infancy, wearing a lion onesie and tangled up in her blanket.



Saber and Rider felt dread fill their hearts as they realized what was in the album before they heard Gawain chuckle in amusement. "Indeed. You were such a precious and adorable girl back then. It makes me wish we could've given you such a childhood in our world." The Gorilla Knight said in a warm tone, much to the horror of the two Mordreds.



"She was such an adorable bundle of joy, wasn't she?" Sir Tristain, of all people, said in agreement with a calm smile as he revealed a picture of a young Archer Mordred trying to somersault. "It makes me want to write a song about the preciousness of raising a child."



"She was so cute back then…" Lancelot stated as his Berserker counterpart let out a warbled sound of agreement. "I wish I was able to raise Galahad or Mash properly like this. They could've been so cute…" Was all he was able to say before he was struck down by Mash throwing her shield at him, even though she wasn't even in the room.



Hearing the continuous gushing coming from their father and the other knights made Saber and Rider want to curl up and hide under a table, but then they remembered: Sonic ran out into Chaldea with the album. There was a chance he'd show EVERYONE the pictures. There was a guarantee that they'd all gush over the pictures.



Almost immediately, the two counterparts raced out the door, intent on helping their sister capture the furry father before he could embarrass them further.

Two speeding streaks, one blue, the other red, raced through the landscape of Apotos, the sounds of laughter emanating between the two of them before the blue one caught up to the red streak, revealing Sonic catching Mordred in his hands as he kept running. "Hahaha, that was fun, dad!" The blonde girl exclaimed as her father ran, the wind blowing her hair like crazy.



"Yeah, it sure was, Mo!" The Blue Blur replied before noticing the sunrise's position. "But, it's time we make our stop soon. It's almost time for you to get to class!"



The energetic tomboy pouted. "Aw, do I have to?" Mordred complained as tears began to form in her eyes. "I don't wanna go to school! You're not gonna be there, and I won't know anyone there!"



Seeing his daughter distressed, Sonic began to slow down as they reached the entrance to the small school, setting her down in front of him. Wiping away the tears from her eyes, the hedgehog gave the child a gentle smile. "I know it may seem scary for you, Mo, but you don't have to worry about anything at all." He began to explain. "I don't know everything in the world, but being here will help you learn more about stuff you never knew about! Plus, look around you. All these kids are probably feeling the same way you do, but that's why you're all here: to learn and become friends."



As Mordred looked down, sniffling a bit at the thought of her dad not being with her, Sonic knew exactly what to say to lift her spirits. "Plus, you won't be alone! Mori told me that Evie is gonna be here, too!"



In an instant, the girl's mood shifted, a wide, beaming grin on her face as her eyes sparkled. "Why didn't ya say so?!" She exclaimed for all to hear. "Me and Eve are gonna be the coolest kids here now! Everyone's gonna want to be our friends!"



Sonic smiled at his daughter's renewed enthusiasm as she began bouncing on her feet. He ruffled her hair, earning a giggle out of the blonde. "Heck yeah, you are, Mo!" The Blue Blur said in an encouraging tone before taking on a softer look. "I know you're gonna do great at school, and even if you don't, it's only the first day! There's still a lot of time to do stuff later down the line!"



"Yeah!" Mordred said before giving her father a hug. "I'm gonna make lots of friends! Just you wait!"



Sonic chuckled at Mordred's excitement as he returned the hug. "I'm sure you will!" He said, ruffling her hair as she let go before running into the school, waving back as she did so. Sonic stood up with a gentle smile, proud to see his precious daughter off on her first day of school. He knew that her education was important, but he couldn't wait to see how many friends she'll make while there.



Sure, she could be rowdy at times, but what kid (besides Eve) wasn't? They all had energy and a desire to play all day, which makes it easy for them to bond.



What could possibly go wrong?



Later that day



Sonic waited in the principal's office with the other parents for their children, sweating a bit under their intense stares. He and the other parents had received a call from the school about how Mordred and another student got into a fight. A fight on her first day!



Slightly embarrassed, Sonic forced himself to wait patiently until a teacher walked in. Behind her were Mordred and another blonde girl, both of them looking indignant while sneaking glares at each other. After the two girls sat down, there was an uncomfortable silence for a rather long moment until the principal took a breath. "Now then, I'm sure you all know why you are here." She said, addressing the girls and their parents. "Would either of you two like to start by telling us what happened?"



Immediately, the two girls began to argue over who started the fight, yelling over each other as their parents began to try and calm the pair down. "Alright, that's enough, one at a time!" The other father, a short-maned lion Mobian said.



"She started it!" The younger lion exclaimed as she tried to reach to Mordred with an angry expression, who glared back.



"You hit first!"



"You can't take a joke!"



"It wasn't funny!"



"It is if you're smart!"



"Hey, take it easy, you two!" Sonic said as he pulled Mordred away from the girl, careful not to let himself get bitten by his angry daughter. "Calm down, Mo!"



"Why? She's a jerk!" Mordred growled out as her father picked her up to hold her back. "And she's mean!"



"So?! You're just mad cuz I said the truth!" The other girl yelled back as her father pulled her away.



"Nuh uh! You're lying!" Mordred yelled back as the two girls squirmed in their fathers' grasps, trying to lunge at each other.



"That's enough from both of you!" The principal said in a firm voice. "Now, I don't know what exactly started this fight, but whatever it was, that is no excuse to start throwing fisticuffs at one another!"



"Yeah, your principal's right, Mordred." Sonic stated in a firm voice. "You shouldn't let whatever she said get to you! You should try to make friends with the other kids, not antagonize them!"



"Yeah, listen to your fake dad, brat!" The other girl said. "Maybe then, he'll help you find a real one!"



Sonic turned to look at the lion Mobian with a shocked expression on his face before looking back at Mordred. He saw the tears forming in her eyes as she tried to maintain her angry expression, but he could tell that it affected her more than she let on. Closing his eyes, Sonic felt his heart beating in anger at what the girl said to his daughter before taking a deep breath to calm down. He opened his eyes to look at the other father with a frown, noticing that he and the principal were staring at the little lion Mobian in shock.



"Me and Mordred are going to leave now, if you don't mind." Sonic said to the others as he picked up Mordred in his arms, who curled up in his grasp.



"Yes, that is quite alright." The principal said with a nod as she turned to the other father. "Mr. Xiao-Long, if it is alright with you…"



"Yeah, I get it." The now-named Xiao-Long said as he turned to his daughter with a stern gaze. "We've all had enough excitement for today. Once we get home, I'll be having some words with Yang about what happened."



Sonic nodded as the lion cub began to complain, but he didn't listen as he ran out the school, still holding Mordred in his arms.



A while later…



Sonic looked across the table of the ice cream parlor, staring at Mordred worriedly as she laid her head down on her arms, sniffling as she wiped her tears out of her eyes. Usually her favorite sundae would make her feel better, but whatever the other girl said must've really affected her, since she hadn't touched it at all since it reached the table, allowing it to melt a bit. Knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere just by sitting there, the Blue Blur reached out and placed a gentle hand on his daughter's arm, getting her attention.



"Hey squirt." He said in a soft voice. "You mind telling me what happened? You can tell me whenever you're ready, but I won't know how to help unless you let me."



Mordred sniffled a bit before turning to look at her father, her eyes still red with tears. "I was just having fun with Eve at school." She began to explain. "We were in recess playing tag. We even made a new friend, a boy. His name is Jekyll."



She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears forming. "And then, that jerk ran to us. She said that she heard that I was your kid, and I told her that I was. She said that there was no way I could be your kid, and that I never would because I'm a human and you're a hedgehog."



Her voice began to crack. "I told her that you loved me, but then she said that I was adopted, so that meant that even my real family didn't want me, and that you'd give me up too, and then, we started fighting, and, and!"



As Mordred broke into tears again, Sonic gently rubbed her shoulder to comfort the little girl as she pressed her face against the table, hiding behind her arms as she wailed. "Hey there, Mo. It's alright." He said reassuringly. "Listen to me, whatever that jerk said, she's wrong. Just because I adopted you, doesn't mean we're not a real family."



Mordred began to calm down as she raised her head off the table, snot dribbling down her nose as her father continued speaking. "What matters in a family isn't the blood between them, but the love they have for each other. You know how much I love you, Mo?"



"A whole lot?" Mordred asked in a groggy voice as she wiped away her snot with a napkin.



"More than you can imagine, Mordred." Sonic stated in a firm voice. "You're my daughter, and I will always protect you. I will always love you, no matter what. There might be some days where I might raise my voice if and when you make a mess, but only because I'd be worried about you, and I would NEVER do anything to hurt you on purpose."



He shifted his hands to wrap them around Mordred's own tiny ones. "If anyone, and I mean ANYONE, ever tells you something like that or makes you feel that way again, you tell me, so I can always remind you how wrong they are."



Mordred's lips quivered at what her father said before she lunged forward across the table, wrapping her arms around his neck as she leaned into the crook of his neck and shoulders. "I love you, daddy." She said.



For his part, Sonic smiled and wrapped his arms around his daughter, rubbing circles on her back. "I love you too, Mo." He replied.



After a few quiet, calming moments, the two separated from their hug with smiles on their faces. "You feeling better?" The Blue Blur asked the toddler, who nodded in response. "Alright. We'll go back home and rest up a bit, but you might wanna finish up that sundae before it completely melts."



Mordred looked at the half-melted dessert, eyes widening as she realized that her ice cream was, indeed, turning into sugary cream, the cherry on top sliding off of it. She began to scoop up as much of the sweet cream as she could, earning a chuckle from her father as she smiled in appreciation at him. She had a crisis of faith today, but as always, her beloved father helped pick her back up. She felt warm, knowing that her dad would never turn her away, and that their bond will forever remain strong.



Today brought her a setback, but thanks to her father's words and love, she'll remain strong.

Saber Mordred grit her teeth as she was knocked back by Sonic's strikes, holding her ground as she pushed against the Simulator floor to try and rush at him again, swinging Clarent wildly as her opponent dodged the attacks. "Whoops, gonna have to be faster than that!" The hedgehog said in a cocky manner as he danced around her swings, blocking some of them with Caliburn.



"Mind your head, Sir Sonic!" The sword cried out as the Blue Blur parried a strike from above. With her guard left wide open, Sonic then slashed at her chest piece before kicking the knight away, forcing her to drop her sword and ending the duel.



"Grr, dammit!" Saber Mordred growled in defeat as her Rider and Archer counterparts walked up next to her, looking just as disheveled as she was. Ever since she found out that Sonic was, somehow, a counterpart to her father, Saber Mordred had repeatedly tried to defeat him, thinking that he fought in a similar manner. Imagine her surprise when she discovered that his abilities meant that his moveset was far, FAR different from what Artoria uses.



As a result, she has failed numerous times in trying to defeat him, and even her Rider variant failed with her Noble Phantasm. Her latest attempt with the aid of her Rider and Archer counterparts just now being the most recent.



"Heh, gotta admit, you three almost had me a couple of times!" The Blue Blur stated as his daughter walked up to give him a high-five.



"You were pretty cool yourself, old man!" Archer Mordred said with a wide grin, ignoring the scoff from Saber as she picked Clarent up from the ground.



"Just you wait, hedgehog." She muttered angrily as she began walking away. "I'll get you next time."



However, as she was about to leave, she was stopped when Sonic moved in front of her, a smirk on his face as he addressed the knight. "Hey, don't sell yourself short, alright?" He said in a reassuring tone. "You did great in that fight! I really mean it when I say that you almost had me."



Saber Mordred blinked at the praise, a strange, heartwarming sensation blossoming in her chest. "I… Thank you." She said.



"You could use some work, but I can tell that you're gonna be a great knight!" The hedgehog continued praising his daughter's counterpart. "Even though you're not the Mordred I raised, I'm still really proud of you!"



Saber Mordred felt her heart skip a beat at the words as a sense of giddiness formed in her heart. Never had anyone said such a thing to her, let alone coming from her father. Even though Sonic clearly wasn't Arthur, it still somehow resonated with the knight's desire for acknowledgment from a parent.



Nervously, she looked down. "Hey, Sonic?" She began. "Can… Can I call you 'Cooler Father?'"



"Sure!" The hedgehog said with a smile. "Wait, what?"