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"Forever Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Part 3: A Healed Heart Decides

   In the present day, Knuckles continued to slumber, even as the light within the Master Emerald continued to grow fuzzy and dark.  His friends were unaware that he was trying to change the past, and that this in turn was already affecting the future.  The way the Master Emerald was reacting foreboded a negative change, not the positive one Knuckles expected.  Yet there was nothing anyone could do.  In the past, his mind was made up.

  The morning after he met his younger self, Knuckles decided to remain hidden until he had come up with a concrete plan.  He wanted to affect the past as little as possible, although his presence was already doing this drastically enough.  He spent his time sitting with his father, watching the comings and goings of the echidnas in the village below, all the while wondering how he could save them.

   Obviously his younger self was the only way he could warn them of the coming danger.  He couldn’t remember the exact nature or identity of the attackers, but remembered they were after the Master Emerald if nothing else.  He remembered they attacked the village first to cause chaos before moving to the altar to attack his father and the Captains.  Somehow one of them activated the ancient security system, preventing the Master Emerald from being taken, and saving Angel Island from crashing as it fell out of the sky when the Master lost power.  This was not enough to save their lives however, for their enemy, seeing that they had no hope for taking the precious gem, decided killing every echidna they could find would be the only way to make up for this.

   He could remember the night all too well.  Knuckles knew that somehow he had to convince everyone…the village elders, the warriors, the Captains, and his own parents…that they were about to be attacked and slaughtered, and through his five year old self.  Easier said than done.  Simply being a child would make it easy to excuse his claims as fantasy, no matter how serious he seemed.  He might even wind up getting himself punished for trying to trick and frighten everyone.

   Knuckles had to figure out a way to make his story convincing.

   Then, he had a revelation.

   He remembered the tears in his father’s eyes when he found Little Knuckles by the river.  His father was at his most vulnerable and understanding when it came to his young son’s welfare.  Perhaps there was something Knuckles could do after all, and he could use his invisibility to their eyes to do this.

   He decided to kidnap his younger self from the village right in front of everyone’s eyes.  Because he was able to rub Little Knuckles’ head that night by the spring, he’d have no trouble picking him up either, and everyone watching would simply see Little Knuckles floating in the air, crying for help, pleading to be saved from this unseen entity that held him, only to watch him disappear into the woods.

   Knuckles decided he would flee to Sky Sanctuary and hide in the caves there.  While the warriors and village mobilized to rescue Little Knuckles, he could explain the plan to his younger self.  Once Little Knuckles was found, he would warn everyone of the impending attack, describing his captor as a scout that tried to take the young Guardian so they’d have a way to control the Master Emerald once they stole it.  Having seen his son kidnapped by some strange, unseen creature, his father’s emotions would work in Knuckles’ favor; he would believe his young son, ready the troops, and be able to defeat their enemy with ease.  Knuckles knew the warriors would have no trouble winning the fight this time; all they needed was to be prepared.

   The battle would be won, the echidnas would be saved, and Knuckles could wake up in his own time and be happy for the first time in his life, and never be lonely again.

   It was the perfect plan, though it took him an entire day to fabricate.  Two days were left.  He had to carry out the plan that next day.  As he sat with his father that night, he fought to stay awake, realizing if he fell asleep he might wake up in his own time without getting to carry out his plan.

   He listened as his father talked about how peaceful the nights had been.  It tugged at Knuckles’ heart to think his father had spoken such words, only to be murdered two evenings later.  He simply had to save them.  That’s all he cared about now.

   The next morning, with only one peaceful day and night left, Knuckles returned to the village.  He found his younger self following his mother out of the village.  Both of them carried baskets.  He remembered this ritual; they were heading off to pick grapes, now in full fruit, at the same vine Knuckles frequented as he grew up.

   He followed them cautiously.  He didn’t want his younger self spotting him and alerting his mother to his presence.  When they arrived at the grape vine, Knuckles peered at them from behind a tree, waiting for a moment to lure his younger self away so he could explain to him the plan.

   Sitting her basket down, Knuckles’ mother smiled and said, “Alright Knuxie.  We need to fill up these baskets.”  She turned to look at him, and noticed that Little Knuckles was already picking grapes, but not to put in his basket.  He had already popped seven of them in his mouth, and as he chewed them, he saw his mother looking at him.

   He could only smile as he swallowed them, and then with a giggle he replied, “Okay Mama, I’ll fill up my basket for you.”

   His mother giggled.  Kneeling down, she pulled him into her arms and said, “I know you will sweetie.  Let’s just make sure there are enough grapes left to fill them up okay?”  To this, Little Knuckles replied with a happy giggle and a hug in return.  After this, his mother stood up and said, “Let’s get to work then so we can be done before lunch okay?”

   After this, both of them started to pick the grapes.  Knuckles felt his heart strangled as he took in the scene.  His poor mother; little did she know she’d lose her son forever, until he died and joined her again in the afterlife at least.  Knuckles felt anger burning a hole through him as he remembered the panic in her eyes and voice as she hid him in that bush before running to do what she could to help his father.  He just couldn’t let that happen again.

   He sat down and watched them.  As he regained his memory of the day he remembered that he finished before his mother and asked if he could play by the river, which was nearby, until she was done.  Sure enough, this happened, and after his mother allowed it, Little Knuckles ran off to spring, and his older self followed.

   When he arrived at the spring, he found his younger self already splashing in the shallow water by the banks.  He stood there watching for a few moments, in awe of how happy a life he used to lead.  Before he could find the words to speak, his younger self looked up and saw him standing there.

   “Hey!  It’s you!  Where did you go yesterday?” he cried happily.

   Awoken from his thoughts, Knuckles smiled and replied, “I was scouting the island, trying to think of an explanation we can give everyone.”

   Tilting his head to one side, Little Knuckles asked, “Explanation?”

   Knuckles chuckled softly, wondering for a moment if his younger self simply did not understand the word, or had forgotten about what they discussed two nights earlier.  Sitting on the edge of the river, Knuckles pulled his shoes off and said, “I mean, how you’ll explain to everyone about the danger.  It’s coming tomorrow night.  We don’t have much time to save everyone, but if you follow my plan, we should have no trouble getting them to believe you so they can ready the warriors for battle.”

   Soaking his feet in the water, Knuckles let out a relaxed sigh, closing his eyes briefly.  Little Knuckles remembered what he was taking about now, and waded to the river bank, crawling out of the water to sit beside Knuckles.  Looking at him, he asked, “So…what are we going to do?”

   Looking down at the little echidna, Knuckles smiled and said, “I’m going to kidnap you in the middle of the village this afternoon.  Since nobody else can see me they’ll think some terrible creature is trying to take you away.  We’ll hide out for awhile, then you’ll run back saying you escaped, and then tell them that you overheard your captors discussing the attack.  Everybody will have to believe you then, they must.”

   Little Knuckles’ eyes were wide with wonder and fear.  After a few moments he said, “I guess that’ll be okay…as long as we can save everyone.”  Pausing, he added, “Sir, how can you be sure this is going to happen?”

   Breathing a sad sigh that spoke of his tragic memories, Knuckles replied, “I’m…I’m a Guardian from the future.  I live alone, because everyone is attacked and only you survive.  You’ll have a hard life to live, and so will everyone in your time and onward.  Bad days will only get worse.  I have the power to return here to rescue everyone, and when I do, the terrible future will be peaceful and filled with joy. You simply have to trust me.”

   Silence followed his words, as neither he or his younger self knew what to say.  And yet, finally Little Knuckles giggled and said, “It’s a good thing you came along Sir, or everything would have gone wrong.  We’re lucky you came.”

   Knuckles smiled.  He still had no idea how falling down the stairs had brought him here, but he was grateful that it had happened.  At last, he had a chance for a happy future.  Before he could speak, the two heard his mother calling for his younger self.  As Little Knuckles started off on his way, Knuckles said, “Remember, when I come to take you, you have to act terrified.  Once we escape the village, the rest will come easy, okay?”

   Little Knuckles turned around, nodded and said, “Okay Sir, I’ll do my best.”  The small echidna then ran back to the grape vine to meet his mother before heading for home.  Knuckles soaked his feet in the water awhile longer.  He was growing very tired, and wondered how much longer he could possibly stay awake.  He had to hurry.  As long as Little Knuckles was found and able to warn the echidnas of the attack, his mission would be complete.

   With a happy sigh of satisfaction, Knuckles rose up, ready to carry out his plan.  However, fate repeated itself as his foot slipped on the muddy soil, causing him to fall backwards into the river.  He banged his head on a rock under the water and all went dark.

   As Knuckles regain awareness, he found himself surrounded by darkness.  The only light he could see was growing from a small point in front of him.  Once it grew large enough, the white light gave way to a dire scene unfolding on Angel Island.  He saw himself lying unconscious on the ground inside of a tent, with Amy and Sonic sitting at his side.  Amy looked like she had been crying; Sonic looked sick.  Knuckles was in awe of what he was seeing.

   Before either of his friends could speak, Tails entered the tent and said, “The Master Emerald is getting weaker.  Already the island is starting to glide out of the sky.  As Knuckles’ life force gets weaker, so does the Master Emerald.”

   “I don’t understand,” Amy whimpered, “What could have happened to him?”

   Sonic rubbed her back and said, “Who knows Amy?  He could be in a coma.  I don’t think there’s much a hospital can do for him now.”

   Amy looked at him, her green eyes piercing his own as she cried, “You mean there’s nothing we can do?  Are you saying that he’s…dying?”

   Sonic looked away, hanging his head in shame.  Tails let out a sigh and said, “And that’s not the creepy part guys.  I remember now.  Come tomorrow night, it will have been twelve years since he lost his family.  It’s a stretch, but maybe these two events are connected.”

   “Are you saying that he’s dying Tails because the anniversary of the attack is tomorrow?” Sonic asked.  “Why in the world would he want to die?  He’s stronger than this.  It should take way more than a bump on the head to kill him.  He’s a fighter.”

   Sniffing away her tears, Amy whimpered, “Maybe he feels he has nothing left to fight for.”  Sonic and Tails looked at her, and she returned their gaze before continuing, “Think about it.  He’s alone up here all the time, sacrificing his life to guard the Master Emerald so the world will be safe.  We hardly ever thank him for it or try to reach out to him.”  Looking back to Knuckles, she added, “He must think we don’t care at all.  With the anniversary of such a painful memory right around the corner, maybe…maybe he wants to be with them again.  Perhaps he feels that’s the only way he’ll ever be happy again.   We…we’re horrible friends…”

   As Amy started to cry again, Sonic hugged her, and looked back to Tails, both of their faces painted with shock and disbelief.  “She’s right Tails…we’ve never been the kind of friends Knux deserves…maybe now…it’s too late to tell him that.”

   Tails glanced outside; storm clouds were forming over Angel Island as night fell.  The Master Emerald only glowed with a miserable flicker as the security system guided Angel Island as it slowly fell to the world below.  Lowering his eyes, Tails whimpered, “We’re so sorry Knuckles.  Please come back to us.  If you don’t come back…what will happen to the world?  We need you…you’re not just the Master Emerald’s Guardian, you’re the Guardian of life…you’re our friend.  Please…don’t leave us.”

   A roll of thunder boomed outside, and it took Knuckles a few seconds to realize that the storm was much closer than this vision showed.

   Opening his eyes, Knuckles found himself floating face up in the river.  The sky above him was dark, meaning the night had returned.  He had missed executing the plan.  He would have to wait until tomorrow.

   Or would he?  As Knuckles rose to his feet, trying to dry himself off, Knuckles thought about what he had seen.  He had assumed saving his kindred would only alter his future.  Now he realized that the Knuckles he had left behind would die, and that he would wake up in a new future.  He would no longer know any of his friends, and they might not even know each other.  With echidnas to protect the Master Emerald, Dr. Eggman would never dream of attacking to get it.  He would never meet Sonic and Tails, or even Amy.  What would that mean for the rest of them?  Would Amy still love her favorite hero?  Would Tails be Sonic’s adopted younger brother?  Would Eggman try to take over the world, or could he even be the ruler of it already when he woke up?

   And then they looked so hurt when they thought of him dying.  They missed him.  They realized now just how hard things were on him and wanted to make things different.  They couldn’t do this unless he woke up, but after going unconscious and returning to his past, he wondered how he could do this, if at all?

   “Maybe…my life isn’t so terrible,” Knuckles said, “Besides, is it fair to save my family, ensuring Angel Island will remain a peaceful utopia, and completely ignore the lives of everyone else?  I…we echidnas do more than simply guard the Master Emerald.  We make sure the world is at peace in the process…but maybe…if the echidnas survive, we’ll become even more closed off, and won’t help everyone.  Ugh, there’s just…no way to know that the world would be at peace.  I…I’m not much of a Guardian am I?”

   The echidna sat down, hugging his knees as he leaned against a tree.  Everything was clear to him before, but now, he didn’t know what to do.  He wasn’t sure if saving his family was good or bad.  He struggled with all these rampant thoughts until finally, he was able to accept one choice.

   He wanted to go home and see his friends again.

   Sure, his life was hard, but it was the path a higher power trusted him on.  Changing the past to spare himself the pain would be admitting defeat.  It would be like saying he could not handle what he was given.  It was shameful.  If he was the last surviving example of an echidna, he was bringing them shame.  He brought himself shame.  Though he would lose them all over again, it was the only thing he could do.  He simply could not give up on his life and future, a life that he was trusted with…that he was strong enough to endure.

   Opening his eyes, he was at peace with his decision.  He was ready to fall asleep and surrender to the past and the future.  He was given a chance to change things, and he was ready to refuse the offer.  He was ready to go home.

   However, before he could close his eyes, he heard the footsteps of a large army.  Looking into the woods he could see the attackers, robed in black with red eyes, thundering for the village.  It was then that Knuckles realized how long he had floated in the river.  He also realized that Little Knuckles, knowing what would happen, would not stay safe in the bush, and would instead try to help everyone.

   Leaping to his feet, horror filled Knuckles’ eyes.  “That’s why I’m dying back home!” he cried, “It isn’t because I save my tribe, it’s because my meddling with the past is going to cause my younger self to be captured and killed!  I have to save him!”

   As Knuckles raced for the village, he knew now that the only way he could make sure the future was exactly how he left it was to make sure his younger self stayed hidden in the bush until the attack was over.  He realized that even if Little Knuckles had tried to warn his family that he would not be able to convince them to believe it.  This meant they would be unprepared and would fall just as they had.  All Knuckles had to do, was ensure he survived the night.

   By the time he arrived at the village, all was in chaos.  He stood looking on in horror as the night repeated itself.  However, he found himself able to stand firm, unafraid of what he was seeing.  It was part of his past.  It was part of what made him strong.  He had a job to do.  He couldn’t let it weaken him.

   He had to find his younger self, before he was captured, before he couldn’t save himself.

   Back in his time period, the storm that had started the night before had only gotten worse.  The rain and wind were blowing so hard, Sonic, Amy, and Tails had to move Knuckles’ body up to the caves up in Sky Sanctuary.  They could see the Master Emerald from where they rested, and it continued to weaken.  There was almost no light left.

   Sonic returned to the back of the cave where Tails and Amy huddled together by a fire, and Knuckles rested beside it.  He shouted, “The storm is getting worse, and Angel Island is headed for the ocean!  We have to get out of here!”

   Amy cried, “But how Sonic?  The storm is so dangerous…even if Tails gets his plane off the ground it’ll probably be destroyed!”

   “Amy’s right Sonic!  We have to stay here!” Tails cried, “It’s our only hope!”

   The blue hedgehog, who now felt powerless unlike he ever had before hung his head in disbelief.  He looked at Knuckles, who was now barely breathing, and said, “It’s him.  His death is causing all of this.  I know it.  I also know this isn’t what he wants.  If he dies, the Master Emerald will die too, and this storm will destroy Angel Island.”  After a long pause, he added, “And we’ll go down with it.”

   Amy crawled over to Knuckles’ body and cried, “Please Knuckles!  You can’t die!  Come back to us!  Please!”

   “Please!” Knuckles could hear her cries in his head, as clearly as he had in the vision from before.  He knew that he didn’t have much time left.  Trying to ignore the carnage as everyone was killed around him, Knuckles ran for the bush that his mother hid him in on that night.

  On his way, he passed her running from the direction of the bush towards the altar.  He forced himself not to look back, for he knew what her fate would be, and so he remembered her as he did that afternoon before.

   He got to the bush, and was horrified to find his younger self wasn’t there.  Standing up, he cried, “Knuckles!  Where are you?  Answer me!”  Not getting an answer, he ran back towards the battle.  Once he made it to the heart of the village, he froze.  Almost everyone was dead now…women, children, elders…everyone.  They appeared just as they did when he found them as a child.  He began to feel sick.  Had they already captured his younger self?  What could he do?

   Back on Angel Island, lightning struck the walls outside the cave.  The small fire began to die, and the three friends huddled together, watching as Knuckles’ breathing became fainter and more labored.  Sonic felt tears seeping into his eyes.  Pulling Knuckles into his lap, he said, “Please Knux…you can’t…go like this.  We all need you.  You’re our Guardian…our friend.  That’ll never change.  You’ll always be our friend.  We’ll always…love you.”

   In the past, Knuckles looked and saw his mother barely breathing.  She was gazing in the direction of the river, and her words echoed the words Sonic spoke, words Knuckles heard them both say.

   “Run for safety my son.  Re…remember, we’ll love you…forever.  I promise…we’ll send others to look after you.  They’ll…be your friends…and they’ll always…love you too,” she whispered.

   As she breathed her last breath, Knuckles felt their words tug at his heart.  He realized changing the future would destroy the promise his mother had made.  Thankfully, he know knew where his younger self had gone.

   He ran to the river.

   However, Knuckles could see several of those creatures run after him.  Horrified, Knuckles ran for the river as well, pushing himself to the limit, taking the shortest, most direct path he knew, to beat them there.

   When he arrived, he found Little Knuckles crying his eyes out.  “Knuckles!” he cried to his younger self.

   The small echidna looked up and cried, “It’s you!  What happened to you?  Everyone…everyone’s gone!”

   Knuckles felt so terrible.  However, he couldn’t take time to comfort him.  He ran, scooping him up into his arms and said, “I’m taking you to Sky Sanctuary.  You’ll be safe there!”

   The echidna ran up to Sky Sanctuary, managing to escape the creatures once again.  Up in the same cave that his friends were in at this very moment in the future, he sat down, cradling his younger self as he wept.  “I’m sorry little guy.  Last night, I…I had a vision, and I realized…that it would be wrong to have saved everyone.  You simply have to be the only one to survive.”

   Little Knuckles looked up at his older self and whimpered, “But…but Sir, you said I’ll be all alone and will never be happy again.”

   Knuckles smiled gently and said, “Didn’t you hear your mother?  Sure, everyone will be gone in the morning, and you’ll have to go on without them, but…their spirits will always look after you.  They’ll protect you as you grow up, and they’ll bring you to new friends that will be there for you when times get really rough.  Even if you feel alone, your family will always love you, and so will your new friends.  You’ll get to go on adventures, and see new places and creatures.  You’ll see beautiful things.  Yes, there will be times that you struggle, but nothing worth having ever came without a fight.  That simply means you have a life that is so wonderful it simply can’t come without trouble.  It’ll be worth it as you grow up.  I promise.  I’ve seen the future after all.  You just have to trust me.”

   Little Knuckles tried to smile, tears rolling down his face.  He turned and hugged Knuckles, cuddling up to him as he let out a yawn.  “I…I trust you Sir.  I’m still going to be sad, but I…I believe everything will be okay.”

   With a soft chuckle, Knuckles gently stroked Little Knuckles’ hair and said, “You’re a Guardian of all life Knuckles.  So many will come to love you, and that love will last forever.  If you ever feel like giving up, remember that love.”  Pausing, he said, “You’ll wake up in that bush tomorrow morning, and though you’ll be scared, the pain won’t last forever.  You’ll remember how much everyone loves you, and you’ll be alright.  I promise.”

   As the cries of the echidnas died down, Knuckles left Sky Sanctuary and walked down to the bush where his mother had placed him.  In putting his younger self back, he was making sure the past didn’t change.  Before he could leave, his younger self looked back at Knuckles and said, “Sir…before you go…what is your name?”

   Knuckles paused, looking back at his younger self.  He knelt down, wrapping Little Knuckles up in his blue blanket and said, “Me…I’m Marin-Etal.  Now, go to sleep.  Everything will be alright.”

   Little Knuckles’ eyes widened with wonder, before he yawned and closed his eyes.  “Thank…thank you, Marin-Etal.  I’ll never forget you.”

   Knuckles smiled and whispered, “Make sure you don’t little guy.  Never again.”  Standing up, he looked up to the sky and saw the storm fading away.  The attackers were gone, and an uneasy calm blanketed the island as it fell onto the sea cliffs on the coast of the mainland.

   He knew that that next morning he would grieve his family.  He knew that after he buried them all that he would train to become the Guardian.  He knew in a few years he would meet Sonic and Tails, and then Amy and the rest.  He knew that no matter how sad he became, he would never forget the words of Marin-Etal, also known as Forever Love.

   He felt dizzy as he looked around and found himself falling to his knees.  He felt it was hard to breathe, and as he laid down, he tried to regulate his breaths.  He began to fight to stay alive.

   In the present day, the storm that rocked Angel Island began to die.  As Tails ran to see this, he cried, “Sonic!  Amy!  The storm is clearing!”  He paused, then looked and saw the Master Emerald returning to full strength, pulling the floating island into the sky just feet before it hit the water.  “This is incredible!  Angel Island is rising again!  The Master Emerald is strong again!”

   As he ran back to his friends, Amy’s eyes brightened as she looked to Sonic and asked, “Does…does that mean Knuckles will be alright?”

   Sonic shrugged his shoulders, his eyes filled with hope as they looked to Knuckles.  His breaths came easier.  The perspiration streaming from his brow disappeared.  His face relaxed, and after three days, he opened his eyes again.

   “Alright Knux!” Sonic cried, jumping to his feet, “You’re alright!”

   As Knuckles sat up, he felt Amy hug him tightly.  She cried, “Oh Knuckles, I’m so happy you’re alright!  We were so afraid we were going to lose you!  I’m so sorry we don’t come here more often.”

   Tails knelt down beside them and said, “It’s true Knuckles.  We did a lot of thinking and realized we’re not the good friends we should be.  Can you forgive us?”

   Knuckles felt a smile creep to his lips as he shook his head.  “Of course I can.  You were good enough friends to sit here with me this entire time weren’t you?”

   Sonic sat down and said, “Yeah Knux, but…wouldn’t you much rather have the echidnas here with you instead of us?”

   The echidna paused.  His past had not changed, even though those three days of his childhood were different because of his meddling.  However, he did remember one thing, and it gave him his answer.

   “Marin-Etal Sonic.  It means, ‘Forever Love’ in the echidna language,” Knuckles started, “While I was unconscious, I dreamt about the three days before I lost everyone, and realized that my family and kindred will love me forever.  They looked after me after that day and they still do, and I know that they had something to do with bringing us together too.  I think you all are perfect friends.  Sure, we’re not always together, but we come together when it counts.  What you three did proves it.  We’ll be friends forever.  I wouldn’t trade the three of you for another shot at life with my kindred because…I can’t be sure everything would turn out alright.  Sure, things are kinda tough, but they’re alright, and that’s all that matters.”

   Sonic’s eyes widened.  Finally, he gently punched Knuckles on the shoulder and said, “Glad to hear it Knux.  We need someone like you to keep everything in order anyway.”  Standing up, he said, “I say we go to town to celebrate.”

   As Sonic started to leave, Tails stood up and said, “I’m glad to hear it too Knuckles.  Things just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

   Knuckles and Amy stood up and began to follow them.  Amy said, “I am too.  It’s scary when you think you’re about to lose a friend, especially when you realize you might not be able to thank them for all they’ve done.”

   Letting out a laugh, Knuckles said, “I’ll never forget that Amy.  Love lasts forever remember?  That goes for all forms of it, including friendship.  No matter how hard things get, as long as you remember Marin-Etal, you’ll be alright.  It’s how I made it this far.  You all don’t need to feel bad anymore.”

   Making it back down to the forest, Amy smiled and said, “Good!  But still, we’re going to make good on that promise we made Knuckles!”

   Sonic looked back and said, “And we’re gonna start now!  Let’s go guys!”

   Amy ran off after Sonic, and Knuckles started off after them.  He paused and looked back at the Master Emerald, realizing the security system was already on.  He looked at it for a different reason.

   “I always remembered…forever love.  Here’s to hoping, I never forget it again,” Knuckles murmured.

   After this, he ran to meet his friends so they could go enjoy the day together, celebrating Knuckles’ return, and their friendship.  Now that he had remembered that love and friendship lasted forever, Knuckles was once again the strong soul everyone knew him as, because true strength, comes not from brute force and power, but from the love in your soul, a strength that will never fade, and that he would never forget again.

Description
"Forever Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Part 3: A Healed Heart Decides

   In the present day, Knuckles continued to slumber, even as the light within the Master Emerald continued to grow fuzzy and dark.  His friends were unaware that he was trying to change the past, and that this in turn was already affecting the future.  The way the Master Emerald was reacting foreboded a negative change, not the positive one Knuckles expected.  Yet there was nothing anyone could do.  In the past, his mind was made up.

  The morning after he met his younger self, Knuckles decided to remain hidden until he had come up with a concrete plan.  He wanted to affect the past as little as possible, although his presence was already doing this drastically enough.  He spent his time sitting with his father, watching the comings and goings of the echidnas in the village below, all the while wondering how he could save them.

   Obviously his younger self was the only way he could warn them of the coming danger.  He couldn’t remember the exact nature or identity of the attackers, but remembered they were after the Master Emerald if nothing else.  He remembered they attacked the village first to cause chaos before moving to the altar to attack his father and the Captains.  Somehow one of them activated the ancient security system, preventing the Master Emerald from being taken, and saving Angel Island from crashing as it fell out of the sky when the Master lost power.  This was not enough to save their lives however, for their enemy, seeing that they had no hope for taking the precious gem, decided killing every echidna they could find would be the only way to make up for this.

   He could remember the night all too well.  Knuckles knew that somehow he had to convince everyone…the village elders, the warriors, the Captains, and his own parents…that they were about to be attacked and slaughtered, and through his five year old self.  Easier said than done.  Simply being a child would make it easy to excuse his claims as fantasy, no matter how serious he seemed.  He might even wind up getting himself punished for trying to trick and frighten everyone.

   Knuckles had to figure out a way to make his story convincing.

   Then, he had a revelation.

   He remembered the tears in his father’s eyes when he found Little Knuckles by the river.  His father was at his most vulnerable and understanding when it came to his young son’s welfare.  Perhaps there was something Knuckles could do after all, and he could use his invisibility to their eyes to do this.

   He decided to kidnap his younger self from the village right in front of everyone’s eyes.  Because he was able to rub Little Knuckles’ head that night by the spring, he’d have no trouble picking him up either, and everyone watching would simply see Little Knuckles floating in the air, crying for help, pleading to be saved from this unseen entity that held him, only to watch him disappear into the woods.

   Knuckles decided he would flee to Sky Sanctuary and hide in the caves there.  While the warriors and village mobilized to rescue Little Knuckles, he could explain the plan to his younger self.  Once Little Knuckles was found, he would warn everyone of the impending attack, describing his captor as a scout that tried to take the young Guardian so they’d have a way to control the Master Emerald once they stole it.  Having seen his son kidnapped by some strange, unseen creature, his father’s emotions would work in Knuckles’ favor; he would believe his young son, ready the troops, and be able to defeat their enemy with ease.  Knuckles knew the warriors would have no trouble winning the fight this time; all they needed was to be prepared.

   The battle would be won, the echidnas would be saved, and Knuckles could wake up in his own time and be happy for the first time in his life, and never be lonely again.

   It was the perfect plan, though it took him an entire day to fabricate.  Two days were left.  He had to carry out the plan that next day.  As he sat with his father that night, he fought to stay awake, realizing if he fell asleep he might wake up in his own time without getting to carry out his plan.

   He listened as his father talked about how peaceful the nights had been.  It tugged at Knuckles’ heart to think his father had spoken such words, only to be murdered two evenings later.  He simply had to save them.  That’s all he cared about now.

   The next morning, with only one peaceful day and night left, Knuckles returned to the village.  He found his younger self following his mother out of the village.  Both of them carried baskets.  He remembered this ritual; they were heading off to pick grapes, now in full fruit, at the same vine Knuckles frequented as he grew up.

   He followed them cautiously.  He didn’t want his younger self spotting him and alerting his mother to his presence.  When they arrived at the grape vine, Knuckles peered at them from behind a tree, waiting for a moment to lure his younger self away so he could explain to him the plan.

   Sitting her basket down, Knuckles’ mother smiled and said, “Alright Knuxie.  We need to fill up these baskets.”  She turned to look at him, and noticed that Little Knuckles was already picking grapes, but not to put in his basket.  He had already popped seven of them in his mouth, and as he chewed them, he saw his mother looking at him.

   He could only smile as he swallowed them, and then with a giggle he replied, “Okay Mama, I’ll fill up my basket for you.”

   His mother giggled.  Kneeling down, she pulled him into her arms and said, “I know you will sweetie.  Let’s just make sure there are enough grapes left to fill them up okay?”  To this, Little Knuckles replied with a happy giggle and a hug in return.  After this, his mother stood up and said, “Let’s get to work then so we can be done before lunch okay?”

   After this, both of them started to pick the grapes.  Knuckles felt his heart strangled as he took in the scene.  His poor mother; little did she know she’d lose her son forever, until he died and joined her again in the afterlife at least.  Knuckles felt anger burning a hole through him as he remembered the panic in her eyes and voice as she hid him in that bush before running to do what she could to help his father.  He just couldn’t let that happen again.

   He sat down and watched them.  As he regained his memory of the day he remembered that he finished before his mother and asked if he could play by the river, which was nearby, until she was done.  Sure enough, this happened, and after his mother allowed it, Little Knuckles ran off to spring, and his older self followed.

   When he arrived at the spring, he found his younger self already splashing in the shallow water by the banks.  He stood there watching for a few moments, in awe of how happy a life he used to lead.  Before he could find the words to speak, his younger self looked up and saw him standing there.

   “Hey!  It’s you!  Where did you go yesterday?” he cried happily.

   Awoken from his thoughts, Knuckles smiled and replied, “I was scouting the island, trying to think of an explanation we can give everyone.”

   Tilting his head to one side, Little Knuckles asked, “Explanation?”

   Knuckles chuckled softly, wondering for a moment if his younger self simply did not understand the word, or had forgotten about what they discussed two nights earlier.  Sitting on the edge of the river, Knuckles pulled his shoes off and said, “I mean, how you’ll explain to everyone about the danger.  It’s coming tomorrow night.  We don’t have much time to save everyone, but if you follow my plan, we should have no trouble getting them to believe you so they can ready the warriors for battle.”

   Soaking his feet in the water, Knuckles let out a relaxed sigh, closing his eyes briefly.  Little Knuckles remembered what he was taking about now, and waded to the river bank, crawling out of the water to sit beside Knuckles.  Looking at him, he asked, “So…what are we going to do?”

   Looking down at the little echidna, Knuckles smiled and said, “I’m going to kidnap you in the middle of the village this afternoon.  Since nobody else can see me they’ll think some terrible creature is trying to take you away.  We’ll hide out for awhile, then you’ll run back saying you escaped, and then tell them that you overheard your captors discussing the attack.  Everybody will have to believe you then, they must.”

   Little Knuckles’ eyes were wide with wonder and fear.  After a few moments he said, “I guess that’ll be okay…as long as we can save everyone.”  Pausing, he added, “Sir, how can you be sure this is going to happen?”

   Breathing a sad sigh that spoke of his tragic memories, Knuckles replied, “I’m…I’m a Guardian from the future.  I live alone, because everyone is attacked and only you survive.  You’ll have a hard life to live, and so will everyone in your time and onward.  Bad days will only get worse.  I have the power to return here to rescue everyone, and when I do, the terrible future will be peaceful and filled with joy. You simply have to trust me.”

   Silence followed his words, as neither he or his younger self knew what to say.  And yet, finally Little Knuckles giggled and said, “It’s a good thing you came along Sir, or everything would have gone wrong.  We’re lucky you came.”

   Knuckles smiled.  He still had no idea how falling down the stairs had brought him here, but he was grateful that it had happened.  At last, he had a chance for a happy future.  Before he could speak, the two heard his mother calling for his younger self.  As Little Knuckles started off on his way, Knuckles said, “Remember, when I come to take you, you have to act terrified.  Once we escape the village, the rest will come easy, okay?”

   Little Knuckles turned around, nodded and said, “Okay Sir, I’ll do my best.”  The small echidna then ran back to the grape vine to meet his mother before heading for home.  Knuckles soaked his feet in the water awhile longer.  He was growing very tired, and wondered how much longer he could possibly stay awake.  He had to hurry.  As long as Little Knuckles was found and able to warn the echidnas of the attack, his mission would be complete.

   With a happy sigh of satisfaction, Knuckles rose up, ready to carry out his plan.  However, fate repeated itself as his foot slipped on the muddy soil, causing him to fall backwards into the river.  He banged his head on a rock under the water and all went dark.

   As Knuckles regain awareness, he found himself surrounded by darkness.  The only light he could see was growing from a small point in front of him.  Once it grew large enough, the white light gave way to a dire scene unfolding on Angel Island.  He saw himself lying unconscious on the ground inside of a tent, with Amy and Sonic sitting at his side.  Amy looked like she had been crying; Sonic looked sick.  Knuckles was in awe of what he was seeing.

   Before either of his friends could speak, Tails entered the tent and said, “The Master Emerald is getting weaker.  Already the island is starting to glide out of the sky.  As Knuckles’ life force gets weaker, so does the Master Emerald.”

   “I don’t understand,” Amy whimpered, “What could have happened to him?”

   Sonic rubbed her back and said, “Who knows Amy?  He could be in a coma.  I don’t think there’s much a hospital can do for him now.”

   Amy looked at him, her green eyes piercing his own as she cried, “You mean there’s nothing we can do?  Are you saying that he’s…dying?”

   Sonic looked away, hanging his head in shame.  Tails let out a sigh and said, “And that’s not the creepy part guys.  I remember now.  Come tomorrow night, it will have been twelve years since he lost his family.  It’s a stretch, but maybe these two events are connected.”

   “Are you saying that he’s dying Tails because the anniversary of the attack is tomorrow?” Sonic asked.  “Why in the world would he want to die?  He’s stronger than this.  It should take way more than a bump on the head to kill him.  He’s a fighter.”

   Sniffing away her tears, Amy whimpered, “Maybe he feels he has nothing left to fight for.”  Sonic and Tails looked at her, and she returned their gaze before continuing, “Think about it.  He’s alone up here all the time, sacrificing his life to guard the Master Emerald so the world will be safe.  We hardly ever thank him for it or try to reach out to him.”  Looking back to Knuckles, she added, “He must think we don’t care at all.  With the anniversary of such a painful memory right around the corner, maybe…maybe he wants to be with them again.  Perhaps he feels that’s the only way he’ll ever be happy again.   We…we’re horrible friends…”

   As Amy started to cry again, Sonic hugged her, and looked back to Tails, both of their faces painted with shock and disbelief.  “She’s right Tails…we’ve never been the kind of friends Knux deserves…maybe now…it’s too late to tell him that.”

   Tails glanced outside; storm clouds were forming over Angel Island as night fell.  The Master Emerald only glowed with a miserable flicker as the security system guided Angel Island as it slowly fell to the world below.  Lowering his eyes, Tails whimpered, “We’re so sorry Knuckles.  Please come back to us.  If you don’t come back…what will happen to the world?  We need you…you’re not just the Master Emerald’s Guardian, you’re the Guardian of life…you’re our friend.  Please…don’t leave us.”

   A roll of thunder boomed outside, and it took Knuckles a few seconds to realize that the storm was much closer than this vision showed.

   Opening his eyes, Knuckles found himself floating face up in the river.  The sky above him was dark, meaning the night had returned.  He had missed executing the plan.  He would have to wait until tomorrow.

   Or would he?  As Knuckles rose to his feet, trying to dry himself off, Knuckles thought about what he had seen.  He had assumed saving his kindred would only alter his future.  Now he realized that the Knuckles he had left behind would die, and that he would wake up in a new future.  He would no longer know any of his friends, and they might not even know each other.  With echidnas to protect the Master Emerald, Dr. Eggman would never dream of attacking to get it.  He would never meet Sonic and Tails, or even Amy.  What would that mean for the rest of them?  Would Amy still love her favorite hero?  Would Tails be Sonic’s adopted younger brother?  Would Eggman try to take over the world, or could he even be the ruler of it already when he woke up?

   And then they looked so hurt when they thought of him dying.  They missed him.  They realized now just how hard things were on him and wanted to make things different.  They couldn’t do this unless he woke up, but after going unconscious and returning to his past, he wondered how he could do this, if at all?

   “Maybe…my life isn’t so terrible,” Knuckles said, “Besides, is it fair to save my family, ensuring Angel Island will remain a peaceful utopia, and completely ignore the lives of everyone else?  I…we echidnas do more than simply guard the Master Emerald.  We make sure the world is at peace in the process…but maybe…if the echidnas survive, we’ll become even more closed off, and won’t help everyone.  Ugh, there’s just…no way to know that the world would be at peace.  I…I’m not much of a Guardian am I?”

   The echidna sat down, hugging his knees as he leaned against a tree.  Everything was clear to him before, but now, he didn’t know what to do.  He wasn’t sure if saving his family was good or bad.  He struggled with all these rampant thoughts until finally, he was able to accept one choice.

   He wanted to go home and see his friends again.

   Sure, his life was hard, but it was the path a higher power trusted him on.  Changing the past to spare himself the pain would be admitting defeat.  It would be like saying he could not handle what he was given.  It was shameful.  If he was the last surviving example of an echidna, he was bringing them shame.  He brought himself shame.  Though he would lose them all over again, it was the only thing he could do.  He simply could not give up on his life and future, a life that he was trusted with…that he was strong enough to endure.

   Opening his eyes, he was at peace with his decision.  He was ready to fall asleep and surrender to the past and the future.  He was given a chance to change things, and he was ready to refuse the offer.  He was ready to go home.

   However, before he could close his eyes, he heard the footsteps of a large army.  Looking into the woods he could see the attackers, robed in black with red eyes, thundering for the village.  It was then that Knuckles realized how long he had floated in the river.  He also realized that Little Knuckles, knowing what would happen, would not stay safe in the bush, and would instead try to help everyone.

   Leaping to his feet, horror filled Knuckles’ eyes.  “That’s why I’m dying back home!” he cried, “It isn’t because I save my tribe, it’s because my meddling with the past is going to cause my younger self to be captured and killed!  I have to save him!”

   As Knuckles raced for the village, he knew now that the only way he could make sure the future was exactly how he left it was to make sure his younger self stayed hidden in the bush until the attack was over.  He realized that even if Little Knuckles had tried to warn his family that he would not be able to convince them to believe it.  This meant they would be unprepared and would fall just as they had.  All Knuckles had to do, was ensure he survived the night.

   By the time he arrived at the village, all was in chaos.  He stood looking on in horror as the night repeated itself.  However, he found himself able to stand firm, unafraid of what he was seeing.  It was part of his past.  It was part of what made him strong.  He had a job to do.  He couldn’t let it weaken him.

   He had to find his younger self, before he was captured, before he couldn’t save himself.

   Back in his time period, the storm that had started the night before had only gotten worse.  The rain and wind were blowing so hard, Sonic, Amy, and Tails had to move Knuckles’ body up to the caves up in Sky Sanctuary.  They could see the Master Emerald from where they rested, and it continued to weaken.  There was almost no light left.

   Sonic returned to the back of the cave where Tails and Amy huddled together by a fire, and Knuckles rested beside it.  He shouted, “The storm is getting worse, and Angel Island is headed for the ocean!  We have to get out of here!”

   Amy cried, “But how Sonic?  The storm is so dangerous…even if Tails gets his plane off the ground it’ll probably be destroyed!”

   “Amy’s right Sonic!  We have to stay here!” Tails cried, “It’s our only hope!”

   The blue hedgehog, who now felt powerless unlike he ever had before hung his head in disbelief.  He looked at Knuckles, who was now barely breathing, and said, “It’s him.  His death is causing all of this.  I know it.  I also know this isn’t what he wants.  If he dies, the Master Emerald will die too, and this storm will destroy Angel Island.”  After a long pause, he added, “And we’ll go down with it.”

   Amy crawled over to Knuckles’ body and cried, “Please Knuckles!  You can’t die!  Come back to us!  Please!”

   “Please!” Knuckles could hear her cries in his head, as clearly as he had in the vision from before.  He knew that he didn’t have much time left.  Trying to ignore the carnage as everyone was killed around him, Knuckles ran for the bush that his mother hid him in on that night.

  On his way, he passed her running from the direction of the bush towards the altar.  He forced himself not to look back, for he knew what her fate would be, and so he remembered her as he did that afternoon before.

   He got to the bush, and was horrified to find his younger self wasn’t there.  Standing up, he cried, “Knuckles!  Where are you?  Answer me!”  Not getting an answer, he ran back towards the battle.  Once he made it to the heart of the village, he froze.  Almost everyone was dead now…women, children, elders…everyone.  They appeared just as they did when he found them as a child.  He began to feel sick.  Had they already captured his younger self?  What could he do?

   Back on Angel Island, lightning struck the walls outside the cave.  The small fire began to die, and the three friends huddled together, watching as Knuckles’ breathing became fainter and more labored.  Sonic felt tears seeping into his eyes.  Pulling Knuckles into his lap, he said, “Please Knux…you can’t…go like this.  We all need you.  You’re our Guardian…our friend.  That’ll never change.  You’ll always be our friend.  We’ll always…love you.”

   In the past, Knuckles looked and saw his mother barely breathing.  She was gazing in the direction of the river, and her words echoed the words Sonic spoke, words Knuckles heard them both say.

   “Run for safety my son.  Re…remember, we’ll love you…forever.  I promise…we’ll send others to look after you.  They’ll…be your friends…and they’ll always…love you too,” she whispered.

   As she breathed her last breath, Knuckles felt their words tug at his heart.  He realized changing the future would destroy the promise his mother had made.  Thankfully, he know knew where his younger self had gone.

   He ran to the river.

   However, Knuckles could see several of those creatures run after him.  Horrified, Knuckles ran for the river as well, pushing himself to the limit, taking the shortest, most direct path he knew, to beat them there.

   When he arrived, he found Little Knuckles crying his eyes out.  “Knuckles!” he cried to his younger self.

   The small echidna looked up and cried, “It’s you!  What happened to you?  Everyone…everyone’s gone!”

   Knuckles felt so terrible.  However, he couldn’t take time to comfort him.  He ran, scooping him up into his arms and said, “I’m taking you to Sky Sanctuary.  You’ll be safe there!”

   The echidna ran up to Sky Sanctuary, managing to escape the creatures once again.  Up in the same cave that his friends were in at this very moment in the future, he sat down, cradling his younger self as he wept.  “I’m sorry little guy.  Last night, I…I had a vision, and I realized…that it would be wrong to have saved everyone.  You simply have to be the only one to survive.”

   Little Knuckles looked up at his older self and whimpered, “But…but Sir, you said I’ll be all alone and will never be happy again.”

   Knuckles smiled gently and said, “Didn’t you hear your mother?  Sure, everyone will be gone in the morning, and you’ll have to go on without them, but…their spirits will always look after you.  They’ll protect you as you grow up, and they’ll bring you to new friends that will be there for you when times get really rough.  Even if you feel alone, your family will always love you, and so will your new friends.  You’ll get to go on adventures, and see new places and creatures.  You’ll see beautiful things.  Yes, there will be times that you struggle, but nothing worth having ever came without a fight.  That simply means you have a life that is so wonderful it simply can’t come without trouble.  It’ll be worth it as you grow up.  I promise.  I’ve seen the future after all.  You just have to trust me.”

   Little Knuckles tried to smile, tears rolling down his face.  He turned and hugged Knuckles, cuddling up to him as he let out a yawn.  “I…I trust you Sir.  I’m still going to be sad, but I…I believe everything will be okay.”

   With a soft chuckle, Knuckles gently stroked Little Knuckles’ hair and said, “You’re a Guardian of all life Knuckles.  So many will come to love you, and that love will last forever.  If you ever feel like giving up, remember that love.”  Pausing, he said, “You’ll wake up in that bush tomorrow morning, and though you’ll be scared, the pain won’t last forever.  You’ll remember how much everyone loves you, and you’ll be alright.  I promise.”

   As the cries of the echidnas died down, Knuckles left Sky Sanctuary and walked down to the bush where his mother had placed him.  In putting his younger self back, he was making sure the past didn’t change.  Before he could leave, his younger self looked back at Knuckles and said, “Sir…before you go…what is your name?”

   Knuckles paused, looking back at his younger self.  He knelt down, wrapping Little Knuckles up in his blue blanket and said, “Me…I’m Marin-Etal.  Now, go to sleep.  Everything will be alright.”

   Little Knuckles’ eyes widened with wonder, before he yawned and closed his eyes.  “Thank…thank you, Marin-Etal.  I’ll never forget you.”

   Knuckles smiled and whispered, “Make sure you don’t little guy.  Never again.”  Standing up, he looked up to the sky and saw the storm fading away.  The attackers were gone, and an uneasy calm blanketed the island as it fell onto the sea cliffs on the coast of the mainland.

   He knew that that next morning he would grieve his family.  He knew that after he buried them all that he would train to become the Guardian.  He knew in a few years he would meet Sonic and Tails, and then Amy and the rest.  He knew that no matter how sad he became, he would never forget the words of Marin-Etal, also known as Forever Love.

   He felt dizzy as he looked around and found himself falling to his knees.  He felt it was hard to breathe, and as he laid down, he tried to regulate his breaths.  He began to fight to stay alive.

   In the present day, the storm that rocked Angel Island began to die.  As Tails ran to see this, he cried, “Sonic!  Amy!  The storm is clearing!”  He paused, then looked and saw the Master Emerald returning to full strength, pulling the floating island into the sky just feet before it hit the water.  “This is incredible!  Angel Island is rising again!  The Master Emerald is strong again!”

   As he ran back to his friends, Amy’s eyes brightened as she looked to Sonic and asked, “Does…does that mean Knuckles will be alright?”

   Sonic shrugged his shoulders, his eyes filled with hope as they looked to Knuckles.  His breaths came easier.  The perspiration streaming from his brow disappeared.  His face relaxed, and after three days, he opened his eyes again.

   “Alright Knux!” Sonic cried, jumping to his feet, “You’re alright!”

   As Knuckles sat up, he felt Amy hug him tightly.  She cried, “Oh Knuckles, I’m so happy you’re alright!  We were so afraid we were going to lose you!  I’m so sorry we don’t come here more often.”

   Tails knelt down beside them and said, “It’s true Knuckles.  We did a lot of thinking and realized we’re not the good friends we should be.  Can you forgive us?”

   Knuckles felt a smile creep to his lips as he shook his head.  “Of course I can.  You were good enough friends to sit here with me this entire time weren’t you?”

   Sonic sat down and said, “Yeah Knux, but…wouldn’t you much rather have the echidnas here with you instead of us?”

   The echidna paused.  His past had not changed, even though those three days of his childhood were different because of his meddling.  However, he did remember one thing, and it gave him his answer.

   “Marin-Etal Sonic.  It means, ‘Forever Love’ in the echidna language,” Knuckles started, “While I was unconscious, I dreamt about the three days before I lost everyone, and realized that my family and kindred will love me forever.  They looked after me after that day and they still do, and I know that they had something to do with bringing us together too.  I think you all are perfect friends.  Sure, we’re not always together, but we come together when it counts.  What you three did proves it.  We’ll be friends forever.  I wouldn’t trade the three of you for another shot at life with my kindred because…I can’t be sure everything would turn out alright.  Sure, things are kinda tough, but they’re alright, and that’s all that matters.”

   Sonic’s eyes widened.  Finally, he gently punched Knuckles on the shoulder and said, “Glad to hear it Knux.  We need someone like you to keep everything in order anyway.”  Standing up, he said, “I say we go to town to celebrate.”

   As Sonic started to leave, Tails stood up and said, “I’m glad to hear it too Knuckles.  Things just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

   Knuckles and Amy stood up and began to follow them.  Amy said, “I am too.  It’s scary when you think you’re about to lose a friend, especially when you realize you might not be able to thank them for all they’ve done.”

   Letting out a laugh, Knuckles said, “I’ll never forget that Amy.  Love lasts forever remember?  That goes for all forms of it, including friendship.  No matter how hard things get, as long as you remember Marin-Etal, you’ll be alright.  It’s how I made it this far.  You all don’t need to feel bad anymore.”

   Making it back down to the forest, Amy smiled and said, “Good!  But still, we’re going to make good on that promise we made Knuckles!”

   Sonic looked back and said, “And we’re gonna start now!  Let’s go guys!”

   Amy ran off after Sonic, and Knuckles started off after them.  He paused and looked back at the Master Emerald, realizing the security system was already on.  He looked at it for a different reason.

   “I always remembered…forever love.  Here’s to hoping, I never forget it again,” Knuckles murmured.

   After this, he ran to meet his friends so they could go enjoy the day together, celebrating Knuckles’ return, and their friendship.  Now that he had remembered that love and friendship lasted forever, Knuckles was once again the strong soul everyone knew him as, because true strength, comes not from brute force and power, but from the love in your soul, a strength that will never fade, and that he would never forget again.