If I stretch anymore I might pull something lol.

Morning to whoever is reading the story so far and I hope you are enjoying it! At this point it is nowhere near the end yet so it'll keep on going xD! Anyway here's the next chapter so hope you enjoy! ^u^

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations. They belong to Sega.

Chapter 17: Foe Turned Friend I

"Looks like we're heading toward the center of the base." a voice said.

"That egghead sure loves mechanical things doesn't he? I bet he has one or two spaceships lying around somewhere." stated another. The first person examines a door afterwards, turning back to the second person. "The door is locked. We need a key to get in there."

"No problem, we can find it, right Knuckles?" the second voice said. Knuckles was surprised at this. "What? Why do I have to find the key?" he said.

"We're counting on you buddy! The world's greatest treasure hunter!"

…

A laugh was heard within a dark chamber.

"Huh? Who's there?

The voice turned around to see a giant phantom with multicolored eyes and incredibly sharp teeth inside a large mouth.

"What the… a ghost?"

…

…

…

Knuckles was not having a good day today.

Well, it didn't start off too bad in the morning with having woken up inside a cave with the Shinjin Warriors and Gaia Phoenix after escaping their home due to an invasion of egg-shaped robots being led by more powerful versions that were corrupted by one of the most powerful gems in the universe.

Aside from that he woke up in peace after a storm broke out during the night and cleared away during the early hours next day. Deciding to take a bit of a walk he stumbled upon an ancient ruin that may have some history behind himself in which a shining ball of light materialized out of it and for unknown reasons made his crescent mark glow just as bright. It then led him towards another section of the forest that had an ancient wall featuring old hieroglyphics and drawings that depicted most likely his younger life.

Unfortunately the wall was not complete, the last drawing showing him meeting an elderly echidna woman whom he doesn't know and recognize. This greatly confused him and was about to think on it further until a loud explosion was heard behind him. Bursting at breakneck speeds with a Chaos Control in the end he made it back to the cave in record time and shot into it.

That was the good part of his day.

It turned into the opposite upon meeting familiar faces in there that he preferred burying twelve feet under.

However that never happened and he asked the Shinjin Warriors that they travel north… yet the familiar faces also wanted to tag along as well.

Through some convincing, mainly on a certain echidna princess' part, did Knuckles allow them to travel with him and his group.

Not before he gave one of them a meaningful death threat however.

Currently the red echidna had fangs baring with teeth clenched together, walking a path through the forest that led north. His navigation instincts were excellent in which he knows where to go even in places he hasn't been at. It was a very useful trait of his that was heavily relied by the Shinjin Warriors, knowing where to go for resources and other things.

It also helped them out big time in which a map was never needed hehe.

That wasn't the main issue that was bothering Knuckles though.

He could feel them even if they remained silent.

His former friends… well he sees them as less than that now.

The bane of his existence five years ago…

Walking quietly behind him along with the Shinjin Warriors who were also quiet. They all followed the red echidna in a line with the Shinjin Warriors directly behind him with the others following them.

At least they weren't near him though and already his anger was at an all-time high.

Dulcy looked at him with concerned eyes. For the half a decade that she has known him, Knuckles was normally reserved and quiet but overall he had a big smile on his face. The teal dragon was aware that he had a bit of a temper but she never expected it to be this enormous; heck she can sense killer intent radiating off his expression. It certainly did surprise her that the powerful male fighter she trained with and went together in missions with could harvest such a deep hatred for the people she has met. Nonetheless she remained quiet as to not set him off.

Jian looked at him the same way. The white tiger herself was hard-headed like Knuckles, but she also knew when it wasn't a good time to speak words like right now. The two have immense pride and honor when it comes to fighting but the moment right now wasn't a good time to ask for further answers than what she got back then. Jian did respect him overall in the end, knowing when he needs his space and when was a good time to ask him for anything even when in difficult situations. Right now however was definitely not a good time.

Bunker was known to be very quiet as the teal-green tortoise normally kept to herself and spoke when necessary outside of normal conversation. Just like the others she was worried about her crimson-furred friend, sensing that his chi was acting malicious. However it retained its good spiritual energy as Bunker didn't sense any evil coming out of it; if anything Knuckles just literally hates the people she met and he knew. She didn't poke further on it and got the greetings she wanted but it does concern her that Knuckles would act like this to his former friends. Bunker didn't even ask them what they did in the past to him as for the safety of one of them in the second group. The tortoise has never heard such language that struck like a thousand swords being sent towards another.

Cinder was also quiet, skipping to herself as she jumped over some tall grass and flowers. Her eyes were kept on the ground with sometimes her feet kicking away rocks and pebbles to occupy herself. In her mind she was also thinking about Knuckles but Dulcy specifically told her to keep it to herself and not ask any questions. The orange pheasant was the loudmouth of the Shinjin Warriors and her cheerful personality almost always makes everyone feel at their best. Right now though even she knew it wasn't a good time with how much tension was felt in the air. Also she felt down with how Knuckles was looking at her earlier and was close to crying. However the bird girl knows he didn't mean it; he loved her like a little sister and wouldn't dare hurt her in anyway. She just knows he's in a bad mood and will turn around soon.

Right behind them were Knuckles' former friends also quietly walking, none talking as well. They were aware on how mad the red echidna was right now and just a small word from them would have them annihilated immediately. With how he took almost all of them down single-handedly with no effort meant that the former emerald guardian has surpassed the Blue Blur and Ultimate Lifeform in terms of power.

Speaking of the two, they were part of the second group walking behind the Shinjin Warriors.

Sonic was looking around and enjoying the scenery with a smile on his face while Amy held his arm, also taking in the sights. The blue hedgehog got over the death threat sent to him if he did something that'll remind Knuckles of his past so as an alternative he just stayed quiet like the rest.

Amy on her part has changed out of the dirt-stained brown clothing he had before and into a more modest one before they left the cave. The pink hedgehog had a red buttoned-down blouse with a red skirt and dark purple leggings that reached up to her knees with shoes of the same color. Her signature red hairband laid above her head and the attire she wore made her look more mature, noted by the many years that passed which made sense. Not only that but it did catch Sonic's interest a while ago which made the rose-colored girl really happy she ditched her bright red dress back then.

Rouge and Blaze followed suit with expressionless faces as they traversed the near technical path of the forest. They were also silent just like the others and knew how much fury Knuckles has and how powerful he was compared to all those years back. The two were also changed out of their dirty wares and into more modest attire: the ivory bat had a dark purple spy suit she kept during her adventures with Team Dark back then and decided to wear it once again for the occasion. Even if it wasn't a good occasion at the moment. Blaze herself changed back into her original outfit which was a long purple cloak with a white jumpsuit underneath and her signature high-heeled shoes. If anything they also looked a lot cleaner than their previous outfits and made them look more like their original selves, except Rouge was still missing a wing and Blaze had some bags under her eyes.

Tikal carefully treaded the path behind them looking ahead. Her gaze was to the back of Knuckles' head with a calm expression. To the see the modern-day echidna so furious at them made her sad but she didn't speak of it, heck just convincing him for her group to join him felt just as difficult as sealing Chaos back in the past. Although she did miss her old water mutant friend, she knew that Chaos moved on towards a better future and she respected that. Right now her concern was of Knuckles and how to convince him to return as guardian. It would be an EXTREMELY difficult task and if she wasn't careful, his wrath would be set upon her. Aside from that all that she didn't change out of her current green tribal dress as she didn't have that much clothing to begin with and was content with what she had.

Shadow was at the very end of the line throwing mental daggers at the red echidna through his own angry crimson eyes. His arms were crossed as he followed the others quietly while seething in the inside. The black hedgehog wasn't over the fact he got easily beaten by someone who in the past was a rival to Sonic. Having taken the mantle after meeting with the blue hedgehog, Shadow's power was on par with Sonic's while Knuckles' own dwindled to the point that he wasn't relevant in anything anymore. The only battle that made Shadow go beyond his limit against Knuckles was during the time the latter forced him to remove his inhibitor rings. Just that made his blood boil even though he did manage to beat Knuckles that time; now however the scales have been tipped to the red echidna's favor… by A LOT. The self-proclaimed Ultimate Lifeform's pride was undeniable ripped to shreds by this, having been beaten twice already. Shadow was aware like the others of Knuckles' anger at the moment so to ensure he doesn't make a fuzz and also not anger Rouge he remained quiet, resorting to simply mentally shooting at him.

All in all the walk up north continued on uneventful.

SNAP!

Knuckles disappeared faster than lightning itself.

So fast that not even Sonic and Shadow were able to register that he left and it took the entire group a few seconds to realize he was gone, surprised expressions on their faces.

"Hey where'd he go?!" Cinder shouted looking around. Dulcy shrugged also looking around. "Beats me the guy has always been crazy quick."

"Dang he's fast… but not faster than yours truly hehe." Sonic gloated on his part. Amy pinched him lightly in an annoyed expression. "Don't brag Sonic. He might still be around." she said.

"Hmph, good riddance that he's gone now." Shadow added. Rouge rolled her eyes. "I heard a snap Shad. I think something might've startled him."

"No, Knuckles isn't one to be frightened easily. I heard that it came from that direction." Jian corrected pointing towards the left that showed a separate path to the main one.

"We should follow it and see where our friend has gone and found." Bunker stated afterwards.

Blaze stood quietly not saying anything until she noticed Tikal looking slightly distressed. "Hey you okay?" the purple cat asked. The orange echidna was startled out of her train of thought. "O-Oh u-um yes! I am quite alright."

The Sol dimension princess wasn't convinced but she wasn't going to pry any further. Blaze knew that Tikal was sensitive and against all forms of fighting, but with what they experienced in the past five years made the latter less confident that whatever is happening won't end anytime soon.

Dulcy turned back to the group. "Alright everyone let's go see what's-."

BOOM!

They all shielded themselves from a violent explosion that occurred several meters ahead, the trees and bushes in the distance being blown away or set on fire. Smoke arose in the air that covered parts of the sky with ash falling to the ground.

"Never mind it looks like we found him! Let's go!" Dulcy stated as the Shinjin Warriors took off in a sprint.

"Hey wait for us!" Sonic yelled as he began running. Unfortunately due to the prosthetics he couldn't go his normal Mach speeds so if anything he was running as fast as an average runner.

"Don't leave me behind Sonic!" Amy cried out following the blue hedgehog in pursuit.

Rouge sighed. "Looks like Knucklehead used his brawn rather than his brain. Typical." she muttered before turning to Shadow. "C'mon hon let's go."

The black hedgehog growled. "Like I'll help that-." he didn't finish with the death glare aimed at him. Simply sighing out the duo took off to follow the others.

"Let's go Tikal." Blaze grabbed the orange echidna's hand and sprinted through the path towards the source of the explosion. Tikal had other things on her mind however.

'Please guardian… please be careful… we need you…'

Everyone arrived at the location where the explosion took place and were surprised with how badly damaged the surroundings were. Huge cracks were formed within the ground that scattered in all directions and several of the plants and trees were burning away. The air itself was heavy in smoke which made it somewhat difficult to breathe, but luckily there was wind that cast it off away from the area though it did nothing to extinguish the flames.

"Man what the heck happened here?" Cinder said.

"Not sure but I'm hoping Knuckles wasn't involved in this. Already seeing this reminds me of Chun-nan." Jian muttered.

Sonic looked around in concern. "Man didn't know a snap would follow up with a boom. I do hope Knux is doing-."

WHOOSH!

His words were broken as a huge gust of wind burst forth. They all looked at its direction.

Seeing Knuckles about to meet fists with a being hidden under a black cloak.

BOOM!

Another explosion was let off with the group covering themselves yet again, the two opponents in front of them clashing with a large eruption upon meeting their fists.

Once the smoke dispersed Knuckles and the hooded figure teleported in various places, the sounds of punches and kicks being thrown at one another at high speeds that they appeared as blurs. Metallic sounds were also heard meaning the two opponents used more than just their fists and legs.

They fully appeared opposite to one another in the large blazing field. The red echidna's expression was one of anger and with a start did he raise his fist up which glowed a vibrant golden. He then quickly punched the ground which caused not only quakes and tremors to rattle the environment, but it unleashed sharp pillars of stone to rise quickly from the ground that headed straight towards his opponent.

The hooded figure raised a hand and a sphere of purple energy began charging up with black lightning surrounding it. Once it was fully charged the being fired the attack which pulverized through the stone and headed straight towards Knuckles.

The red echidna was quick and raised his arms to cover himself, a green energy field encasing him as the attack hit him dead on and caused another explosion. When the smoke dispersed did it reveal Knuckles still hidden behind the shield as it faded away and he uncovered himself, violet eyes staring down at the hooded figure along with clenched teeth.

WHOOSH!

Before disappearing and initiating another round of high-speed combat with his enemy that left sonic booms in their wake.

"OKAY THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Rouge shouted trying to maintain her balance. The battle caused shockwaves throughout the area that shook the ground causing some in the group to stumble a bit.

"We have to help him Dulcy!" Jian was about to go in but Bunker gently grabbed her arm. The white tiger looked back to see Bunker shake her head. "The fight will end soon. I can sense it." the tortoise said. Jian looked back ahead and crossed her arms. "I hope you're right."

Shadow remained angry throughout, but now he was slightly intrigued. 'Just what has this echidna been doing? How did he get this powerful?'

"Knuckles sure did get a lot better!" Amy shouted through the loud shockwaves. Sonic smiled covering his eyes from some of the incoming debris. "Yeah and that's the way I like to see my bud!"

Blaze, Cinder and Tikal all watched in awe. "C'MON KNUCKLES YOU GOT THIS!" Cinder cheered on. The purple feline was quite amazed at his skill in her part. "He has really improved since the last time we met." Blaze muttered.

Tikal didn't like what was happening in front of her, but she was concerned for Knuckles' safety. "Guardian you must stop this! Please do not get hurt!" she shouted clasping her hands.

Knuckles and the hooded figure reappeared once again. The red echidna threw a fast roundhouse kick that BARELY grazed the head of his opponent, the latter dodging backwards.

However, it grazed the ebony hood which flew backwards and away to reveal the figure's identity.

Red glowing irises stared at violet orbs.

Knuckles was surprised along with the others.

…

…

"Is that… Metal Sonic?" Amy said to herself. Sonic himself was incredibly surprised on his part with emerald eyes widened. "That's not possible… I destroyed him…" the blue hedgehog whispered.

"Hey that thing looks just like you!" Cinder said to Sonic.

"Cinder not now!" Dulcy shushed her.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "That's surprising to see faker number two here. To think having one faker isn't enough."

"Oh hush Shadow." Rouge simply said.

"I didn't know that your Eggman even built a robotic version of you, Sonic." Blaze asked. Sonic grinned sheepishly. "Well he wanted to get rid of me so bad that he made one that has my speed and everything hehe." he answered back.

Jian and Bunker silently watched with surprise on their own part while Tikal remained concerned for the red echidna. "Just stop fighting guardian I beg of you." she said.

Luckily her wish was granted but not before Knuckles threw a punch to which Metal Sonic simply teleported away a few feet back to dodge. It then did something that further surprised them all.

"I do not wish for further combat." Metal Sonic said in a mechanical voice as he lowered his guard.

Knuckles however charged up a blue sphere of energy in his palms. "I don't believe you. You're one of Eggman's creations and I've already been fooled enough to know where this is going!"

Metal Sonic shook its head again. "Let Dr. Eggman explain." the blue hedgehog robot then took off its cloak to reveal the familiar form that mimics the real Sonic himself, except with a yellow power core on its chest.

Which began glowing blue on its part and in a few seconds shot out a beam towards the ground which slowly materialized a hologram right in front of it.

Showing a hologram of a familiar egg-shaped human with a bald head with mechanic's goggles over him, round dark shades over his eyes and his signature long and unkempt mustache.

Dr. Eggman stood with his hands behind him and a grim expression on his face.

…

…

…

"Knuckles… if you're hearing this then that means Metal Sonic has found you." Dr. Eggman said in a low voice.

The red echidna was surprised, his energy attack fading away as curiosity got to him. "What is this Eggman and no tricks."

"This is a recorded message from Dr. Eggman. You may only listen." Metal Sonic informed. Knuckles grunted but allowed the message to go on.

"By the time you have received this… it may already be too late. The Phantom Ruby has taken over the entire planet."

End of Chapter 17

And that is it!

-Le gasp!- Metal Sonic's back and this time he wants to side with the heroes?! Blasphemy!

It looks like Eggman is still in the game field so what is his reason for focusing on Knuckles this time and not Sonic? Does he know of any more info regarding the Phantom Ruby? Where will the group head next?

Stay tuned to find out and til next time! ouo/