A/N Thanks for again for all the reviews! I always love seeing a new review on my story. I never expected people to enjoy it so much!

Sonic skidded to a halt just inches away from Knuckles, who was smirking at him. "Guess you're feeling better, huh?"

Sonic grinned and replied dramatically, "Nah, I totally feel like I'm gonna die."

"Gee, I guess you'd better go lay down again!"

"Not a chance!" Sonic zipped away before his friend could try anything, and Knuckles smirked even more widely at the energetic display. When Sonic returned again, his expression was a bit more serious. "Hey, Knuckles?"

"Yeah?" Knuckles asked, his eyebrows uplifted slightly in question.

"There's something I need to talk to you about... It's kinda important."

"Okay. What is it?"

"Well... I've kinda gotta show you, first." He led the way back inside. They walked down the short hall to his room and he opened the top drawer to his dresser, carefully extracting the three emeralds from it and turning to face his red-furred friend.

Knuckles's eyes immediately latched onto the white emerald, seemingly recognizing it as the gem he'd given the young hedgehog. Still, he apparently needed confirmation. "Is that the gem I...?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah."

"And... there are more like it?"

"Yeah."

Knuckles looked them over for a moment longer before glancing back up at Sonic. "Why is this so important?"

Honestly, Sonic was more than surprised. He can't sense it? He'd assumed that, with his connection to the Master Emerald, Knuckles would be able to sense the immense power housed inside them. "These... Well, they're not regular gems. They... They're like the Master Emerald. They have the same power. I can feel it."

Knuckles's scrutiny of the emeralds intensified. He glanced back up sharply. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

Knuckles sighed heavily, one hand on his hip while the other ran across his head in such a way that it pushed his hat back. "I can't believe it. I'd heard rumors, but... I never suspected that they might be true." Sonic looked at him questioningly and Knuckles continued, answering the unspoken inquiry. "My tribe has long suspected that there existed a group of smaller gems similar to the Master Emerald, even going so far as to guess that they were as powerful as it, or at least close. There was just never any proof of it..." His gaze returned to the emeralds and their glow intensified infinitesimally. "...until now."

Sonic carefully shifted the trio in his arms. "So... what do we do with them?" He prayed Knuckles wouldn't try to take them away. He didn't know why he felt so connected to them, but he just felt... wrong without them. Empty. He especially prayed that no one would ever take the green one from him. He'd be hard pressed to explain why it was so important to him, but the fact of the matter was that it was important to him. Very important.

"For now? Keep them here. They're safe with you. Robotnik wouldn't think to look here for something like this. And with him scouring Angel Island for the Master Emerald from time to time, the Master Emerald may have to be moved as well."

Sonic nodded, his heart pounding painfully. Robotnik was getting bolder, more confident, more aggressive. This did not bode well. Sonic had suspected for some time now that Robotnik was planning something big, and that feeling had only grown stronger since he'd discovered the power of the Chaos Emeralds. A storm was coming; Sonic just prayed that this time, he didn't get caught in it.

I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but I got excited. Posted 02-08-15.