Here for you
"Knuckles! Wait!"
The red echidna stopped running and stood, staring at the ground, as his half-sister ran to where he was standing. The royal blue hedgechidna stopped behind her brother, panting and sweating, but with enough breath and energy still to give him a good scolding.
"Are you completely insane?! Have you finally lost it!? You can't go alone! You'll be… slaughtered if you do!" Krysty yelled between gasps. She was glaring angrily at the back of the guardian's head, shaking with a mixture of fury, fear and exhaustion.
Knuckles allowed a small growl to escape him. "What? You think I can't do it?" He said, whirling around. "You think I can't save her on my own?!" He snarled. The echidna was completely blinded by his rage… And though he didn't want to admit it, he was afraid.
"This is bigger than the both of you, Knuckles! Chrissy wouldn't be able to do this if it were you who were kidnapped! Not alone." Krysty swallowed hard and took a step toward her brother, challenging him. "The only difference is she'd have the guts to ask for help, coward!"
Knuckles jerked back and his expression changed from anger to shock. Anyone else who said that would've been promptly punched in the face, probably incapacitating them for a good long while. But to hear this from Krysty… His sister… It was like a slap in the face.
Knuckles growled. "I'm not a coward…" he said, but the words sounded hollow, even to him.
The hedgechidna's expression softened. "Knuckles… We're all worried about her. But Chrissy can hang in there. We need to be smart about this if we're going to save her. We can just rush in there, guns blazing. She'll be dead for sure if we do!"
"DON'T SAY THAT!" Knuckles cried, falling to his knees. He took his head in his hands and started to snarl, as though there was a war in his head, something he couldn't stop. He felt completely helpless.
A hand on his shoulder caused the echidna to look up. Krysty smiled. "She won't die Knuckles. Not if we play our cards right. I promise you. We'll save her. All of us."
Knuckles looked down at the ground and did something Krysty had never seen her brother do, not since they were kids.
He began to cry.
The red echidna put his arms around his sister's waist and began to sob. Krysty laid her hand on Knuckles' head and stroked his quills affectionately. She couldn't help but feel as though this were Chrissy's job. But Chrissy wasn't here. She was.
She made a damn good substitute.
After a good few minutes, Knuckles composed himself and stood, looking ashamed. Krysty smiled and tilted his head up to face her with a gentile finger.
"Everything's going to be okay." She said softly, gazing into Knuckles' amethyst-colored eyes. "I promise."
The echidna nodded. "I know." He said roughly, before taking his sister in her arms and holding her.
Krysty didn't hesitate to snuggle into her brother's chest affectionately. "I'll always be here for you, big brother." She whispered.
Knuckles let a small smile of his own grace his lips. "Somehow, I already knew that." He said.