Meet the Hodnicks

''All this has happened before, and it will all happen again. But this time, it happened in London. It happened on a quiet street in Bloomsbury. That corner house over there is the home of the Hodnick family, and Knuckles the Echidna chose this particular house because there were people and animals who believed in him. There was Mrs. Hodnick.''

In the bathroom of the corner house, there was an Andalasian woman with strawberry-orange hair and blue eyes, wearing a pink dress and matching ballet slippers. Her name was Giselle. And she was busy fixing her hair in front of the mirror for a ball.

"Proteus dear, do hurry," Giselle called out. "We mustn't be late for the party, you know."

''Mrs. Hodnick believed that Danny Cat was the spirit of youth. But Mr. Hodnick...''

In the bedroom, there was a Norwegian man with black hair, goatee, and mustache, and deep blue eyes, wearing a black shirt, dark brown pants, white stockings, and black shoes with silver buckles. His name was Proteus, Giselle's husband. And he was looking for his gold cuff links through some drawers.

"Giselle, unless I find my cuff links, we don't go to the party," Proteus called back. "And if we don't go to the party, I can never show my face on the boat again. And if I can never--"

Unfortunately, he got cut off by bumping his head on the open top drawer.

"OUCH!" cried Proteus, as he hopped around, holding his head.

''Well, Mr. Hodnick was a practical man. The boys, however, Miles "Tails" Prower and Charmy Bee, who were adopted into the Hodnick family, believed Knuckles the Echidna was a real animal and made him the hero of all their nursery games.''

In the nursery, we see two shadows fighting each other with toy swords. One has one in its left hand and a hanger in its right while the other has one in its right hand.

One of the shadows belonged to an 8-year-old yellow two-tailed fox with blue eyes, a white muzzle, and a white underbelly, wearing a light-blue two-piece pajama set consisting of a long-sleeved jacket with snaps and pants, dark blue goggles, a fake yellow mustache, red and white shoes, and white gloves. His name was Miles "Tails" Prower, Proteus and Giselle's adoptive son. And he was the one with the hanger in his right hand and the sword in his right.

The other shadow belonged to a 6-year-old black and yellow bee with yellow eyes and wings, wearing pink footy pajamas, white gloves backed by thick black ring-shaped cuffs, a black pilot's helmet with red trim and holes for his antennas, and a pair of brown flight goggles with silver and black. His name was Charmy Bee, Tails's little brother and Proteus and Giselle's other adoptive son. And he was the one with the sword in his right hand.

"Blast you, Knuckles the Echidna!" Tails said in a scary voice.

Charmy bonked his brother on the head twice with his sword. "Take that!" he cried. Then he and Tails blocked their toy swords together. "Give up, Captain Eggman?" he smirked, "Give up?"

"Never!" called Tails. Then he opened a drawer that was underneath Charmy's pajama-clad feet with the hanger, and he fell in as Tails yelled, "I'll teach you to cut off me hair!"

Just about then, a 12-year-old pink hedgehog with pink fur, pink quills, peach skin, and green eyes walked in. She was wearing a red undershirt and boxers with pink hearts on them. She also wears a red hair band. Her name was Amy Rose, Proteus and Giselle's adoptive daughter and Tails and Charmy's big sister. She was also carrying a jug.

"Oh no, Tails," Amy giggled. "He had a red mustache."

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Amy." said Tails, as he switched the yellow mustache with an orange one.

''Amy Rose, the eldest and adoptive daughter of Proteus and Giselle, not only believed. She was the supreme authority on Knuckles the Echidna and all his marvelous adventures.''

While Amy was in the hallway, she sighed as she talked to four figures, "Oh, Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette. Must we always take that nasty tonic?"

"Yes, you have to." said a voice. The figures walked out to reveal a dark blue and white kitten named Robespierre, a yellow cat with orange stripes named Jaune-Tom, and a white Persian cat named Mewsette. Robespierre was carrying a tray of three spoons and a bottle of tonic for Amy, Tails, and Charmy.

Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette the butlers and nursemaid, being cats, kept their opinions to themselves.

"We do not!" Robespierre insisted after Jaune-Tom and Mewsette walked over a pillow.

And they viewed the whole affair with a certain tolerance.

Robespierre put the tray on a small table. Then Jaune-Tom went over to the pillow to pick it up while Tails and Charmy were still playing.

"Take that!" Charmy called.

Tails and Charmy played around, hopping around the beds. "Insolent beast, I'll slash you to ribbons!" Tails yelled.

Jaune-Tom went to the bed and placed the pillow there while he fixed the sheets and blanket up. "And I'll cut you to pieces! Aha!" Charmy called.

As he hit Tails, the fox yelped in pain. "Ouch! Careful, Charmy, goggles!"

"I'm sorry, Tails." Charmy said.

Then Mewsette picked up two blocks, and she went with Robespierre and Jaune-Tom to the other blocks. Tails and Charmy hopped back to the bed, messing it up again. "Ah! You'll never leave this ship alive!" Tails shouted.

So both of them bounced up and down as the pillow fell off again. "Oh yes, I will," Charmy shouted back. "Take that!"

When Mewsette placed the ABC on the top, she, Jaune-Tom, and Robespierre walked, but they quickly turned as they realized that Mewsette had made a mistake. She got them to BAC. "Oops," said Mewsette. "I got A and B backwards." So she took the A block, moved the B block, and placed it to the first. She and the others smiled and walked to the tonic for the kids.

"Scuttle me bones, echidna! I'll slit your gizzard!" Tails yelled, as he stabbed as his wooden sword. It ripped through the sheets.

Then Robespierre poured on the spoons. "Oh, no, you won't," Charmy cried. "Back! Back! Back, you villain!" As they moved through the sheets, he pushed his wooden sword against Tails's.

"Insolent pup!" Tails snarled.

Robespierre heard that as he turned, only to get the tonic on his paw. He put it down. "Wicked scientist!" Charmy cried.

"Aha! I got you!" Tails shouted.

"You didn't either. You never touched me!" Charmy smirked. When Robespierre licked it off, he was grossed out by the taste. "Oooh!" he grimaced, "This tonic does taste nasty." "Take that! And that! And that!" When Charmy thrust his sword at Tails, he got it under his arm as if he made it look like he got him.

Pretending he was dead, Tails placed a hand over his chest, groaned a fake death groan, and collapsed to the floor. That's when Proteus came into the nursery.

"Boys, boys. Less noise, please." Proteus said, without looking where he was going. He knocked the blocks down as Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette heard that, and they had to get them back together as they frowned in annoyance.

Tails saw him. "Oh, hello, dad." he said in a normal voice. But Charmy was still playing.

"You old bilge rat!" Charmy cried out.

Then Proteus heard that and was insulted. "Wha- wha-what? Now see here, Charmy!"

"Oh, not you, dad. You see, he's Knuckles the Echidna." Tails told him.

"And Tails's Captain Eggman." Charmy added.

"Yes, yes, of course. Er, have you seen my cuff links?" Proteus asked before he bumped Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette, knocking the blocks down again. "Oh, Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette, for goodness' sake!" Proteus shouted, walking past the annoyed cats, "Where are those cuff links?" Robespierre smashed the last blocks that were standing with his paw. "Here we go again!" said Mewsette, rolling her eyes.

"Cuff links, father?" asked Tails.

"Yes. The gold ones." Proteus answered, still looking around.

"Charmy, the buried treasure," Tails whispered to his brother. "Where is it?"

"I don't know, Tails." Charmy said in an innocent way.

"The map then… Where's the treasure map?" Tails whispered.

"It got lost." Charmy said.

While Proteus was looking around the bed, he then spotted something under the covers, he was shocked as he shouted, "Good heavens! My shirt front!" He grabbed his shirt front.

"Hurray! You found it! You found it!" Charmy cheered.

Proteus put it on, as he turned. He didn't know that it got chalk all over his shirt front, the one that looked like the lost map. "Yes, so I have. And hereafter..." As then, Charmy came and pulled his shirt front "Don't paw me, Charmy! This is my last clean..." It was loose as he has saw something shocking and horrifying. He saw a lost map. "No..." He can't say something, only he covered his shirt front shouting, "NO!"

Giselle, now wearing a crown of leaves, came in and said, "Proteus dear, we really must hurry or we'll be late."

"Giselle! Look!" Proteus said, showing Giselle his shirt front.

Giselle saw that and was shocked. "Proteus!"

"It's only chalk, daddy." Charmy said.

"Why, Charmy..." Giselle was about to say something when Tails cut in.

"It's not his fault. It's in the story. And Amy said..." Tails said.

When Proteus heard what Tails said, he now knew what was up. "Amy? Story? I might have known." He walked to the door as he called out, "AMY?" He crossed his arms and called out even louder. "AMY!"

Amy heard him, walked in, and asked, "Yes, dad?"

"Would you kindly expl-" Proteus was about to say something. But Amy walked by him when she saw the radiance of Giselle's dress.

"Oh, mom! you look simply lovely!" Amy said.

"Thank you, dear." Giselle smiled.

Proteus turned to her in annoyance and said, "Amy..."

"Just my old gown made over but it did turn out right. And I-" Giselle was about to say.

"Giselle, if you don't mind, I'd..." Proteus said, as Amy turned and saw his shirt front.

"Why, dad! What have you done to your shirt?" Amy asked.

Proteus couldn't believe what she was saying. "What have I...?" He then turned and screamed in shame. "AAAAAOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"

Giselle walked to him with a damp washcloth "Now, Proteus, really. It comes right off." She washed off the chalk on his shirt front.

"That's no excuse!" He frowned while Amy, Tails, and Charmy were putting the toys away. "Amy, haven't I warned you? Stuffing the boys' heads with a lot of silly stories."

"Oh, but they aren't!" Amy protested.

"I say they are! Captain Egghead! Knuckles the Scientist!" Proteus said.

"Knuckles the Echidna, dad." Amy told him.

"Echidna, scientist," Proteus shouted, trying to put on collar around his neck. "Poppycock!"

"Oh no, dad."

"Daddy, have you ever-"

"You don't understand." The children tried to tell him.

"ABSOLUTE POPPYCOCK!" Proteus shouted, finally getting the collar together. "And let me tell you, this ridiculous..."

"Now, Proteus..." Giselle said, about to help him put on his purple vest.

"Now, Proteus! Now, Proteus!" He repeated of what Giselle said, while Mewsette and Jaune-Tom were almost done helping Robespierre put the blocks back up. But they stopped to listen. "WELL, 'NOW, PROTEUS' WILL HAVE HIS SAY!" He put it on himself, but he put it on hastily.

"Please, dear." Giselle said, adjusting the vest on him.

"Giselle, when we adopted Amy to our part of the family when she was orphaned, she's growing up," As when Robespierre picked up two more blocks, he listened very carefully. "It's high time she had a room of her own!" He pointed at the hall as it shocked them all.

"Dad!" Amy gasped.

"Proteus!" Giselle gasped.

"What?!" Tails gasped.

"No!" Charmy gasped.

Robespierre dropped all the blocks while he, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette gasped in shock and couldn't believe what's they were hearing and what Proteus was doing. "I mean it! Young lady, this is your last night in the nursery!" he said, as Amy lowered her head in sadness. "And that's my last word on the matter!" He walked away, only to nearly stomp on Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette and tried to get out of the way. Proteus couldn't move around and was ready to fall. And he was losing his steps!

Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette moved away, as they fully stopped. But they nearly knocked the blocks again because Proteus bumped into them and knocked them down. Now they must move away before it happens. But Robespierre stepped the wagon, rolled back, and fell as Proteus stepped on it and rolled around here. "NO!" And when Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette were rolling by, the wagon made a tear in the rug, and Proteus was sent flying as he yelled, "NO!" And with a large crash, he fell into the dresser, knocking the toys down. Amy, Tails, Charmy, and Giselle were shocked that Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette were against the wall.

As for Proteus, he was on the floor in pain, and last of the toys fell on his head, the last was the jack-in-the-box, and up popped the jack, as it stood on his head, which made Proteus mad and annoyed.

"Oh!" Amy, Tails, Charmy, and Giselle all said together. Proteus heard them, and knew that they saw him get hurt, and caring of him. So he closed his eyes and waited for them. But suddenly, they ran past him, which made Proteus open his widened eyes in shock. As they ran to Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette, but Proteus.

"Poor Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette." They said together again.

Proteus couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Poor Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette?" Now he was very angry as he hopped up on his feet when he stomped up and shouted, "This is the last straw!" He pointed his finger out the door shouting, "OUT! OUT, I SAY!"

Charmy was hugging Mewsette, Jaune-Tom, and Robespierre. "No, daddy, no!" Charmy pleaded.

Proteus grabbed Jaune-Tom by the tail while he, Mewsette, and Robespierre were still hugging each other and shouted, "YES! There'll be no more cats for butlers or nursemaids in this house!" Charmy grabbed Robespierre's tail. But Giselle stopped him by picking him up as Proteus was dragging Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette out the room.

Charmy started to cry as he waved to his friends. "Goodbye, Robespierre. Goodbye, Jaune-Tom. Goodbye, Mewsette."

"Goodbye, Charmy!" Jaune-Tom said cheerfully, as he, Mewsette, and Robespierre waved goodbye back. As Proteus walked out to the back, he muttered to himself, "Poor Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette. Oh yes, poor Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette. But poor father? Oh, no." He let go of Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette and looked for some ropes, and couldn't find any. "Blast it! Where are those ropes?" He turned as he saw Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette holding three ropes in their mouths. Proteus walked to them and said, "Oh, thank you." As he was tying the ropes to Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette's collars, Robespierre, Jaune-Tom, and Mewsette gave him sad looks. "Oh, boy!" sighed Jaune-Tom. Proteus saw that and couldn't bear the sight. "Oh, dash it all, you three. D-Don't look at me like that."

He walked to the fountain and filled up Figaro, Pluto, and Br'er Rabbit's dishes and got some fish pellets for Cleo. He picked them up and filled them more. "It's nothing personal. It's just that- Well, you're not really a butlers or a nurse at all You're… Well, a cat, a goldfish, a dog, and a rabbit. And the children aren't kittens, goldfish, puppies, or baby rabbits, they're a mouse, a man cub, and a penguin." He placed the water dishes near Figaro, Pluto, and Br'er Rabbit and put the pellets in Cleo's fishbowl. "And sooner or later, Figaro, Cleo, Pluto, and Br'er Rabbit, like Mowgli, Minnie and Pudge have to grow up." He pet Figaro, Pluto, and Br'er Rabbit's heads, and he stroked Cleo's back.

Inside the house, the kids are in their beds, as Tiana knew that Aladdin didn't mean to do that to Figaro, Cleo, Pluto, and Br'er Rabbit.

Minnie looked depressed. "But mother, I don't want to grow up." she pleaded.

"Now dear," Tiana said, as she kissed the mouse on the forehead and covered her up with a dark red blanket. "Don't worry about it anymore tonight."

"He called Danny Cat 'absolute poppycock'." Mowgli said to himself after what his father had said.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, Mowgli," Tiana said, as she removed the glasses from his eyes and top hat from his head. "Father was just upset."

As for Pudge, he was using a dog basket as a bed. He had tears running down his beak. "Poor Figaro, Cleo, Pluto, and Br'er Rabbit," he sniffled. "out there all alone."

"No more tears, Pudge. It's a warm night. They'll be all right." Tiana said, as she covered him up with a blue blanket, kissed his forehead, and left.

Then Pudge remembered something. "Mother?" he asked.

Tiana turned around and asked, "What is it, dear?"

"Buried treasure." Pudge had the brooch that Aladdin was looking for, and he gave it to Tiana.

"Now, children, don't judge your father too harshly. After all, he really loves you very much." She walked to the window door, and was about to lock it up.

But Minnie stopped her as she said, "Oh don't lock it, mother. He might come back."

"He?" Tiana asked in a puzzled way.

"Yes, Danny Cat. You see, I found something that belongs to him." Minnie said, as she lay down.

"Oh, and what's that?" asked Tiana.

She yawned and said, "His shadow."

"Shadow?" Tiana asked, very surprised.

"Mm-hmm. Figaro, Cleo, Pluto, and Br'er Rabbit had it, but I-I took it away." Minnie said, as she drifted off to sleep.

"Oh? Yes, of course. Good night, dear." Tiana said, as she turned off the light, walked out, and left for the party.