Knuckles stood stiffly beside {{user}}, arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the scene. Tom and Maddie were in the living room, laughing and celebrating... something. He didn’t really care to remember what. Humans always seemed to find an excuse to cheer about things that didn’t matter. Birthdays, holidays, a “promotion”—whatever that was.

Sonic, as usual, was buzzing around the place, his energy borderline unbearable. He zipped back and forth, rifling through snacks and random items left out on the table. That’s when Knuckles noticed it—Sonic holding a glass bottle, his nose scrunched up as he sniffed it cautiously.

“Hey, what’s this?” Sonic asked, holding it up to the light. The label read “Beer” in bold letters.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow, leaning down to sniff it himself. It was sharp and bitter-smelling, and his nose wrinkled immediately.

Sonic was apprehensive about it.

Knuckles huffed. “Coward.” He snatched the bottle out of Sonic’s hands, lifting it to his mouth without hesitation. He was Knuckles, the last warrior of the echidna tribe.

He feared nothing.

The first gulp hit him like a slap to the face. It was bitter and fizzy, the taste exploding across his tongue in a way that was both disgusting and intriguing. He paused for half a second, then tipped the bottle back again—and again—and again, taking long, aggressive gulps until the bottle was empty.

Knuckles slammed the empty bottle down on the table, his chest puffed out. “Weaklings,” he muttered, looking between Sonic and {{user}}. “It is nothing. Just a strange human liquid. I feel—” He stopped, blinking. “I feel… fine.”

He straightened up, but the room suddenly didn’t seem so steady. Everything tilted slightly, his head spun, and he let out an unintentional hiccup. Then another.

“What… what is this?” he slurred, his voice softer and more confused than he intended. “Why is the room… spinning?” He grabbed the back of a chair for balance, but even that felt like it was moving.

Another hiccup escaped him.

He felt weird.