LONENESS AND WASTEFUL

By

Darkness09

Stars twinkling in the night sky, the moon reflecting the sun's ray to the dark side of the world, Knuckles the Echidna laid rested on the jewel that his entire generation has guarded, the Master Emerald. He lay on the side of it, getting some rest from the day that has past. He woke up during the middle of the night with his eyes filled with fear, as if he just had a nightmare. He was sweating with the stench of fear and anger. But his attitude remained the
same as if he was used to this kind of situation.

"The same dream again." He said as he got up. He turned his head and looked at the emerald. His eyes started to calm themselves as he no longer felt any fear. He stopped sweating as he did not felt fear or anger anymore. He closed his eyes as he felt calm and at peace with himself. "At least the Master Emerald is safe." He continued as he put his hand on the emerald. It started to glow brightly to the point that he closed his eyes shut. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a place he never been, in a strange realm.

The realm was filled with what looked like a green sea to what he saw. "What is this place?" He questioned himself, as he turned his head side to side to see his surroundings, though it was pointless, since there was nothing to look at. But all of the changed when he saw a light orb come from above him. The light turned to an oval shaped mirror. He felt partly weird out and partly amazed. He noticed an image on the mirror, so he decided to approach it. He took a look and saw his entire friends all playing around on the beach, having a great time. He looked around and found himself at the same beach. He started to run towards his friends and called out to them. Sonic called out to him to join them. So he decided to join them in all the excitement, but he notices that something was wrong.

As he was running more and more, he notices that he was getting farther and farther away. He notice them waving good bye to him. "Hey wait" He replied as he was distancing himself from the rest. Until the entire beach was gone and he was back to the green sea he was before, but not for too long as a white flash appeared and he was transported to another place. This time, he was on the plains, and saw everyone else playing and enjoying themselves, but something was different then last time. No one appeared to notice him anymore. He was calling out to them, but they did not listen, they only ignored him, as if he was only a ghost to them. His image was all white when he left the plains and back to the realm only to get transported to another area.

This time he was ported to the temple which contains the Master Emerald. As he turned to the emerald, he notices that there laid someone that look familiar to him. He walked up to him and was shock to see that the one standing there was an echidna just like him, but older, then he realize that it might be him. He was in total shock to witness himself in what he thinks is his far future self. He looked almost like him, only that he had a white beard and wrinkles on the echidna's face. He saw the old guy putting the hand on the emerald and started to let out a sorry look. "This is just getting to weird for me." He said to himself as he was clearly not talking to the guy he thinks is his own self.

"For years I have guarded the Master Emerald." The old echidna said as he continued to speak. "I have guarded you for my life, only to leave my own social life behind." The old echidna said as he turned and listen closely. "My social life started to get in my way from my duty and during that time, I would have had a choice to live this life and continued on my normal life, but I made my decision then. And I wonder if I made the right one. I was foolish at that time. Never cared much about others and wanted to be alone as much as possible. Even disliking some of the ones I wish were still my friends." He started to open his eyes as he notices that his life resembled to his and he now believed that this has to be the future. He turned side to side and wonder why everything around was all desert and no life. Then he heard the old guy speaking again.

"If only I helped my old and dear friends as they went off to go and fight that old doctor. But I was selfish and thought that the duties of my work would be more important then our friendship. And now, they lie on the ground surface and are in a long and peaceful sleep. Unlike me, having to think about that day as my days past by and time can only be the thing that can finally let me go and be at peace." The old echidna then turned to him. "Please, don't make that mistake; I don't want to live this life anymore." Then his vision started to turn bright as he could no longer see anything until he finally returned back to the present time of Angel Island. The emerald stopped glowing and he continued to stare at the reflection of himself on the surface of the emerald.

He continued to remember the visions that were shown and to him, it was more familiar then he thought, but not for too long as he remembered what those visions was similar to. "This was almost the same thing as I had in my dream this few days." He said to himself as he continued to think more on that subject. He was thinking that maybe those dreams and visions are telling him to leave his duties or leave his friends and to do it now, before his remaining life span will just be a wasteful thing. He now realizes that he can no longer expect to do two things at once. "So now what am I supposed to choose." He knows that if he goes and guards the emerald, he will only be getting loneness and he might waste his whole lifespan protecting something that anybody else could do. If he goes to his friends and leave his duty, then he might leave any sort of existence and the fact that he might put everyone in the world in danger.

As he notices the sun starting to rise up, he now sees that even as he thinks, time will never wait for him, but instead he should try to keep up with it. So he tries to think of one or the other. He closed his and started to clam his mind. He listens to his mind and heart to know the decision that he must make. Then he heard someone calling out to him. He opened his eyes and saw his long time rival and friend, Sonic, and the hedgehog's best buddy, Tails. They called out to him, to come and have some fun. He couldn't think of the chose that he had to make, so he just decided to join them and relax for a while. He didn't notice it then, but he had made up his mind. He is Knuckles the Echidna, former guardian of the Master Emerald.