No Echidna Is an Island
by K. M. Hollar
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Copyright notice: Sonic, Knuckles, the Chaotix and related characters are copyrighted by Sega and
Archie comics. Slasher, Talon, Zephyer, and all other minor characters are copyrighted by K. M.
Hollar. This story copyrighted 2004 by K. M. Hollar. Do not copy without permission.
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Author's note: Aside from Slave and the Darkness, this story has the most mundane premise of any
story I've ever written. I defy other fic writers to take a custody battle and make it interesting. Heck,
_I_ doubt I made it interesting. But stick with it and see if it comes out being fun by the end.
A lot of stories end with a wedding, implying that marriage is the Happily Ever After of life.
However, I'm of the opinion that marriage is only the beginning of the adventure, which is the reason
this story starts the way it does. I never intended for this story to grow beyond the wedding itself, but
it somehow did, and this fic is the result.
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Do I dare even wear what I was thinking of
My true colors bleeding on my sleeve
Do I chance the romance that I've been dreaming of
Instead of wishing for it quietly
Always at a distance I wish you'd safely stay
Despite my resistance you sought me anyway
Gone are the days of all that I was afraid of
I've left behind the traces of who I've been
I'm no longer able to wrestle with this angel
And the closer you can get I can let you love me
--Gone are the Days, Nicole Nordeman
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Chapter 1: The wedding
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"Zephyer, are you okay?" Sally called through the bathroom door.
"Fine," came the echidna's voice, although she sounded awful.
Sally looked at her watch. "We have an hour until the wedding starts. You need to get dressed pretty
soon."
"I know!" Zephyer wailed, opening the door. She was as white as a sheet, and had the shaky look of
one who has been throwing up. She walked out and sat down on the nearest chair. They were in
Sally's hut, which had been turned into an impromptu dressing room. Knuckles and Zephyer were
getting married, and Zephyer was terrified.
The door opened and Serena Hedgehog walked in. She was carrying two dresses folded over her
arms, and deposited them on Sally's bed. "There! I was lucky to find them, the village is topsy-turvy
right now. Hi Zephyer, why aren't you dressed?"
"I've been working on it," said Zephyer, indicating her slip. "But I--I keep--" She jumped to her feet,
ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Sally looked at Serena. "Nerves."
Serena nodded. "I never realized she had such a weak stomach." She sat down and took off her
shoes. "We might as well get dressed--I wish I was a boy sometimes."
"Why?" said Sally, pulling her own dress over her head.
"They're having a great time over there," said Serena, lifting her own dress and inspecting it.
"Laughing and carrying on. Sonic teased me all the way over here about wearing a dress."
"Thwack him one next time," said Sally, checking herself in the mirror.
"My hands were full or I would have," said Serena, pulling her dress on. "Hey Zephyer, get out here,
I want to see how the wedding dress looks on you."
The door opened and Zephyer emerged whiter than ever. "Can't we call it off?" she begged, as Sally
took the wedding dress off its hanger.
"Too late to do that," said Sally. "Besides, there's no reason to inconvenience everybody like that.
We had to fly in a priest special just for today."
Sally and Serena pulled the dress over Zephyer's head and adjusted it. Zephyer looked at herself in
the mirror and smiled at the echidna looking back at her. The dress made her look taller and older,
and accented her jawline. She tossed back her dreadlocks and wished she felt as brave as she looked.
"Man, you are whiter than that dress," said Serena, who had been studying her. "And you look like a
queen or something."
"She really does," said Princess Sally. "Mother used to dress like this on formal occasions. Zephyer,
there's no way Knuckles deserves you."
"He derobotized me," said Zephyer through her teeth. "I'd say I owe him something. Oh no, look!"
She twisted around and looked at her back in the mirror. The dress had a low back, and it revealed a
long, hideous scar across her red fur.
Sally said, "Look, if you let your hair fall back like this, it hides it." Zephyer shook back her
dreadlocks. Ever since she had been derobotized her health had returned with a vengeance, and her
dreadlocks were thick and healthy.
Sally and Serena made Zephyer sit down and began fixing her dreadlocks. Each lock ended in a stiff
spine, and the ones in back were the stiffest. The ones closer to her face were softer and more pliable,
and these Serena brushed out and braided with ribbons while Sally fastened clips around the ones in
back.
Midway through there came a knock, and a female voice called, "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Sally called, and Amy Rose bounded in. She was dressed in red as usual, but this dress was a
trifle longer than usual.
"Ooo Zephyer!" she squealed. "You look adorable!"
"Thanks," said Zephyer, holding still under Serena and Sally's grooming. "What'd you do to your
hair? It looks great."
"Mom curled it," said Amy, looking in the mirror. "Oh, this is all so romantic! Do you think Sonic
will let me hold his hand?"
Serena flashed a grin at Sally. "Oh, I'm sure he'd like that. He gets very sentimental at weddings."
Zephyer's eyebrows shot up, and Sally went into a coughing fit to hide her laughter.
Amy was oblivious. "Oh goody! I'll make sure to stand by him when we go up in front. Can I help
do your hair, Zephyer?"
Zephyer opened her mouth, but Sally interrupted her. "We need someone to do Zephyer's makeup."
"Makeup!" squealed Amy. "I can do that!"
Zephyer glared in the mirror at Sally, who sat back and surrendered to a giggling fit.
Meanwhile, across the village, Sonic and Knuckles were dressed, groomed and tossing a ball back
and forth across Sonic's hut. "Gee, I hate waiting," said Sonic, catching the ball and spinning it on
one finger. "What are you guys going to do for your honeymoon?"
Sonic threw the ball to Knuckles, who tossed it back. "She wants an exclusive tour of the whole
island, so we're going to do some hiking."
"Hiking," said Sonic. "No trips to exotic locations?"
"The Floating Island IS an exotic location," said Knuckles, and grinned. "I know what you mean,
though. I was wracking my brains for a place to go until she suggested exploring."
They tossed the ball a couple times, then Knuckles got up and paced. Sonic watched him, reading
his friend's nervousness. "Want to play a computer game?"
"No," said Knuckles, looking out the window. "Looks like the whole village is out there."
"Any sign of the girls?"
Knuckles craned his neck. "Nope." The curtains were drawn in Sally's hut, but he had seen Amy go
inside. "I wish this was over with."
"I plan to enjoy the whole shebang," said Sonic, leaning back in his chair. "The rehearsal was so
much fun, I'm expecting today to be even better."
"Don't mention the rehearsal," said Knuckles, resuming pacing.
Sonic grinned. "At least there wasn't an audience when you knocked over the altar."
"I said don't mention it," growled Knuckles.
Sonic's grin widened. "Well, whatever happens, Tails is getting it all on tape."
"Thanks for reminding me," said Knuckles, walking to the wall, spinning around, and walking back.
He was interrupted as the door opened and a young brown and white anteater looked in. "Hello sir,
hello Sonic."
"Hi Talon," Sonic and Knuckles said in unison.
Talon stepped in and looked at Knuckles's suit. "Wow."
"Looks good, doesn't he?" said Sonic. "I keep telling him that, but he doesn't believe me."
Talon nodded. "Yes. Um, Knuckles sir, do you have a ring?"
"Yeah," said Knuckles. "Why?"
"I'm the ringbearer," said Talon, "and I wondered where the rings were."
Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other. "I gave it to you," said Knuckles. "Last night."
"I handed it back, remember?" said Sonic. "You put it in that coat you were wearing."
Knuckles made a dive for the closet, found a coat and frisked the pockets. "Here it is," he said,
pulling out a small box. He opened it and looked at the gold ring set with a glowing red stone. He
handed it to Talon. "Keep it safe."
Talon looked at the ring, then looked up at Knuckles. "Where's YOUR ring, sir?"
Knuckles went white and looked at Sonic. Sonic burst out laughing. "You made seven rings for her,
and forgot about one for you?"
"I can't believe this," said Knuckles, looking at his hands. "Where am I going to find a ring to fit me
in--in one hour?"
Sonic slapped his thighs. "This is classic! What are you going to do when the priest asks for the
rings?"
"If you'd stop laughing for half a second, maybe I could think," said Knuckles.
Talon stepped forward. "What size do you need?"
Knuckles held up one finger, and Talon measured it with his fingers. "I'll see if I can find anything
that might work."
"Good luck," said Sonic as Talon left. "Knux has fingers like cucumbers."
"And a brain like a head of lettuce," said Knuckles. "I can't believe for forgot my ring!"
"Could you take one and stretch it to fit?"
"No time." Knuckles looked miserable.
Sonic fought back another attack of laughter. "Maybe Talon will think of something."
* * *
The center of Knothole had been turned into a wedding pavilion, with the streets roped off and chairs
of all shape and size arranged in rows facing the altar. The altar was a packing crate upended and
disguised with flowers and vines. There were three cameras set up at discreet angles, each one poised
to film a different element of the proceedings. Tails was hooking up the third one to a laptop
computer when Talon ran up, panting.
"Tails, got a minute?"
"Not really," said Tails, looking up. "What's wrong?"
"Knuckles forgot to get a ring," said Talon, grinning. "You got any ideas for something else to use?"
Tails's jaw dropped. "He doesn't have a ring? Where has he BEEN? We've only been planning this
wedding for a month!"
"Yeah," said Talon. "So, any ideas?"
Tails sat for a moment, thinking hard. "How big are his fingers?"
Talon made a circle with both hands.
"What we need is more like a bracelet," said Tails. "Jewelry ... jewelry ... who around here has
something like that?"
"Nobody," said Talon. "That's why I asked you."
"Let me finish this, then we'll look around my workshop," said Tails, typing on the keyboard. "If
Zephyer finds out about this, she's going to kill him."
With forty minutes left until the start of the ceremony, Tails and Talon ran to Tails's workshop and
looked at the piles of machine parts. "Gold," muttered Tails to himself. "I don't use gold, it's too
soft."
"What if it was brass instead?" said Talon, picking up a piece of wire. "It looks gold."
Tails bit his lip. "Getting married with a brass ring sounds like some kind of joke." He took the wire
and bent it into a circle. He grabbed a pair of pliers and looped the wire again, then twisted the two
together and held up the result.
"That looks pretty neat," said Talon.
"Let's try it on," said Tails, and ducked out of his workshop.
Knuckles was tossing the ball up and down when the fox and anteater entered. He and Sonic jumped
up. "Try this on," said Tails, holding out the loop of wire. "Better get a real one as soon as possible,
because Zephyer will kill you for this."
"Brass?" said Knuckles, staring at the wire. "I might kill you myself."
"It's better than nothing at all," said Tails.
"True." Knuckles slid on the ring, and Tails cut off the extra wire.
"It does look pretty good," said Sonic as Knuckles held up his hand and examined it. "How it's
twisted together. It looks gold."
"It looks brass to me," said Knuckles, who saw a lot of ore every day in the tunnels of the Floating
Island. "But I guess it'll work."
* * *
Zephyer lifted the shade and peeked out at the square, where people were taking their seats. She
dropped the shade. "I can't do it," she said, turning to Sally, Serena and Amy. "Let's just say I'm sick
and postpone it until tomorrow."
Sally and Serena exchanged glances and said nothing--Zephyer's protests were beginning to sound
the same. But Amy looked horrified. "Zephyer, you can't cancel it now! We've been waiting for you
and Knuckles to get married since we moved here!"
"So I've heard," said Zephyer, examining herself in the mirror for the thousandth time. "Whatever
you did to my hair, it looks great." Her face was framed in multicolored ribbons that were braided
around her bangs and foremost dreadlocks.
"It'll look good in the pictures," said Serena. She checked her watch. "Ten minutes."
Zephyer had to sit down.
Sally stepped out of the hut to watch for the start of the ceremony, and saw Slasher the winged
velociraptor striding toward her. Slasher was wearing a golden necklace with a large glass stone in
it, and it gave her reptilian face a certain grace. "How's Zephyer?" the raptor asked.
"Nervous," said Sally. "I think a lot of it's for show--she doesn't know how to cope with happiness. Is
everything ready?"
"We're getting there," said Slasher. "The priest wasn't wild about me giving away the bride, since I'm
not even Zephyer's species, but I talked about how we're like a family in Knothole and how it was
suitable and so on. He finally gave in. Oh, thanks for this necklace. I feel aristocratic."
"It looks good on you," said Sally with a smile.
The two watched the villagers choose their seats, and Tails run around, double-checking his
cameras. Amy emerged from the hut and looked at all the people. "Wow, it's almost time, isn't it?"
"Yes, better take your place," said Sally, and Amy ran to stand at the end of the aisle with a basket
of flower petals.
Serena stepped outside and sighed. "A real wedding, right here in Knothole! Sally, when you marry
Sonic, can I be your maid of honor?"
Sally's face grew hot. "What did you say?"
Serena looked at her, then covered her mouth. "Oh gosh, I shouldn't have said that."
Slasher coughed and kept a straight face.
Sally regained her composure. "I doubt I'll marry Sonic for a long time, but if I do, you can be my
maid of honor."
Serena stared at the ground, mortified.
The clock struck two, and across the village, Sonic and Knuckles emerged from Sonic's hut. Sonic
was giddy with excitement and thought Knuckles was walking too slowly. Knuckles had stopped
talking half an hour ago, which was a sign he was terrified. He followed Sonic with his teeth
clenched, dreading the stares of the crowd.
They parted ways at the aisle. Sonic winked and took off around the side of the chairs to meet
Knuckles up by the altar with Talon. Knuckles was down at the foot of the aisle with Amy, who
looked at him and giggled.
Tails had set up the sound system, and pressed play on the audio player. Rock music blasted the
pavilion for two seconds before Tails could find the stop button. Sweating and embarrassed, Tails
switched disks to the appropriate one and put it on. A titter of laughter swept the crowd. Ignoring
them, Tails activated his cameras and gazed at their screens on his laptop.
Amy walked down the aisle, sprinkling flower petals as she went. She waved to various people,
grinning like a celebrity, until she reached the altar and moved off to stand beside it.
Then it was Knuckles's turn, and he strode up the aisle as if it was a passage leading to a death pit.
All he could think of was how he wanted to punch Tails for playing the wrong music. Then he
reached the altar and had a breathing space. All eyes were at the foot of the aisle again, where
Zephyer was approaching, escorted by Slasher.
As the bride began her way up the aisle, murmurs rose from the crowd--Zephyer had never looked so
beautiful. Sally and Serena must be first-class beauticians, for Zephyer was ordinarily rather plain.
Zephyer tried to ignore them all. She had met Knuckles's eyes across the pavilion, and gazed at him
as she walked up the aisle. If she looked away even once, she would chicken out. But she made it to
the altar.
"And who gives this female?" said the priest.
"I do," said Slasher, "as a member of her adoptive family."
Zephyer stepped away from her and stood beside Knuckles, gazing at him. He stared back,
breathtaken by the way she looked in her white dress. He had never seen her in a dress before.
They faced the priest, who gave a little sermon about marriage and all that it entailed. Then he read
the age-old words from a worn book. "Do you, Knuckles Echidna, hereby take this female to be
your lawfully wedded wife?"
"Yes!" Knuckles thundered.
A chuckle ran through the crowd.
The priest turned to Zephyer. "And do you, Zephyer Winstrom, hereby take this male to be your
lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do," said Zephyer.
Then they made their vows, swearing to be faithful for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in
sickness and in health, as long as they both should live. Zephyer was glad they had decided not to
memorize their vows and recite them, for her brain was scattered and she couldn't have repeated
anything from memory.
The priest called for the rings, and Talon stepped forward, grinning his lopsided grin, and held them
out. Sonic was grinning, too. Zephyer took Knuckles's ring and put it on his finger, noticing only
how large it was. Then he put her own ring on her finger. They had had to remake the band to fit her
derobotized finger, and the red gem glowed in the sun with a steady fire.
"You may now kiss the bride," said the priest. Knuckles pecked Zephyer on the lips, then they
turned and faced the crowd. Zephyer's mind was blank--despite the rehearsal, she couldn't remember
what to do next. Fortunately Knuckles was beside her, and he guided her forward, down the aisle.
She looked at him and smiled at the expression of determination on his face, as if this was an
unpleasant task he was trying to finish.
Everyone clapped as they exited the pavilion to an additional burst of music, and the bride and
groom led the way across the village to the community hut, where the reception was being held.
"Are you okay?" Knuckles whispered as they stepped into the big room.
"Fine," said Zephyer. "Now that it's all over. Do we have to stay for the reception?"
"Well, they're giving it for us," said Knuckles. "Here, have some punch. You'll feel better." He
ladled her a cup of red punch from a bowl, and made her sit and drink it. The rest of the crowd
trooped in at this point, talking and laughing. "Look, Knux is already the doting husband!" someone
shouted, and there was a guffaw of laughter.
"Was that Sonic?" said Knuckles.
"Yes," said Zephyer without looking up.
"I'll pound him for that," said Knuckles, smiling as the crowd swarmed around them.
Even Zephyer had to admit that the reception was fun. They cut the wedding cake, which had a
custard filling. There was a dance, and Zephyer and Knuckles danced as close as they liked. There
was the bridal bouquet toss, which Amy caught. Starry-eyed, she turned to look at Sonic, who edged
out the door. Amy screamed his name and ran after him, and Knuckles laughed and decided not to
pound Sonic after all.
Knuckles brought in two papers and read them aloud to Knothole. They certified that Zephyer was
legally his wife, disregarding all echidna social custom and rank. He and Zephyer signed it, along
with five witnesses. This was done to alleviate Zephyer's worry that her social rank was too low to
allow her to marry the Guardian.
The reception ended at dusk, and Zephyer fled to Sally's hut to change. Sally and Serena followed
her.
"I am so glad to get this thing off," said Zephyer, pulling off the wedding dress. "I never want to
wear one of these again as long as I live!"
"Hopefully you won't have to," said Sally, retrieving the dress and hanging it from the back of the
closet door. "What're you going to wear? You got enough clothes as wedding presents to open your
own store."
"Did you see anything like a toga?" asked Zephyer, untying a ribbon from her hair.
"A toga?" said Serena, who was rummaging through the boxes of clothes. "Why in the world would
you want to wear that?"
"They're like what we wore back home," said Zephyer. "I didn't think I'd get one--I'll have to make
one later. Find me a dress, that'll work."
Serena produced a green cotton dress, and Zephyer pulled it on and looked in the mirror. "It works."
"It goes with your fur," said Sally. "Why don't you take what you need for tonight? We can bring the
rest of this to the island tomorrow."
"Okay," said Zephyer. She picked out two more dresses, then sat while Sally and Serena took the
clips and ribbons out of her hair.
Zephyer was collecting her things when there came a light knock on the door. Serena opened it and
Knuckles looked in. "Is Zephyer in here?"
"Right here," said Zephyer. She walked outside, then turned back and hugged Sally and Serena.
"Thank you guys so much! I would have wimped out if not for you."
"Oh, it was our pleasure!" said Sally. She and Serena waved as the echidnas departed.
Zephyer and Knuckles strolled through Knothole toward the teleporter. Without their fine clothes
they were anonymous in the gathering dusk. "Tired?" said Knuckles.
"A little," said Zephyer. "What do we do now?"
"You move in with me, duh," said Knuckles.
"No," said Zephyer. "I mean, what about the Master Emerald?"
"Shh," said Knuckles. "Wait until we get home."
Get home. Zephyer felt a thrill at the thought. The Floating Island was no longer a place to visit--it
was her home. And she never had to be separated from Knuckles again.
The teleporter whisked them away and set them down on the receiver plate on the island. Crickets
chirped all around, and Zephyer could hear frogs croaking in the banana palm grove to the left. She
took a deep breath of the warm tropical air.
"It's different from Knothole, isn't it?" said Knuckles.
She nodded, eyes suddenly moist. "Every time I visited, I wanted to stay so bad that leaving was like
dying."
"Here now, don't cry," said Knuckles. "Let's run up to the house before we go to Hidden Palace."
Hand in hand they walked up the path to Chaotix Central, where Knuckles's house was. It had
started out as a one-room shack, but over the years Knuckles had expanded it, so now it was a
sprawling cottage that threw out unexpected wings. "What if the Chaotix are waiting in ambush?"
Zephyer asked, looking at the darkened windows.
"I told them we weren't coming home until tomorrow," said Knuckles. "Besides, they were all
helping with the reception, didn't you notice?"
"I noticed Vector provided the sound equipment Tails used," said Zephyer, grinning. "Poor Tails."
They laughed.
They went inside long enough for Zephyer to hang up her clothes, then they went outside again in
the warm June night. They were halfway back to the teleporter when Knuckles stopped. "Zephyer."
"Hmm?"
"Our kiss at the altar ... I didn't do a very good job."
She put her arms around him. "All right--let's try it again."
He kissed her and she kissed him back, each one taking longer and longer. Finally he reluctantly
drew away. "We're going to be late."
"For what?" she whispered.
He kissed her forehead. "The Master Emerald ceremony. See, the Knothole wedding didn't really
count. The real wedding is still coming."
Zephyer turned pale. "Oh no ... you mean we have to do all that again?"
"Not quite," said Knuckles. "Come on." They walked to the teleporter. Knuckles changed its setting,
and it whisked them to a tall, dark cave underground.
"Zephyer, there's someone I want you to meet," said Knuckles as they walked down the passage
toward the blue glow of Hidden Palace.
She gripped his hand in sudden panic. "Who?"
With a proud smile, Knuckles stepped across the threshold and said, "Locke Echidna--my father."
Locke rose from his seat beside the Master Emerald and walked forward. He was the same height as
Knuckles, and a shade heavier. The fur around his eyebrows and muzzle had a sprinkling of white,
and he had Knuckles's eyes.
"Dad, this is Zephyer Winstom," said Knuckles, placing her hand in his.
Locke bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Zephyer. It's nice to be able to put a name to a face."
"It's an honor to meet you, sir," said Zephyer, liking him at once. "I see where Knuckles gets his
good looks."
Locke smiled. "And I'm glad my son has good taste in women. Won't the two of you step this way?"
The three walked to the Master Emerald's pedestal. "What do we do?" asked Zephyer, unobtrusively
taking Knuckles's hand again. He could feel her trembling.
"It's a simple ceremony," said Locke. "Place your hands on the emerald, and you will swear two
oaths--one, your vows of marriage, and two, the Guardian's oath."
"But we already said our vows," said Zephyer, bewildered.
Locke looked at her with amusement. "Knuckles has neglected your training, hasn't he? All oaths
sworn on the Master Emerald are unbreakable. That's why Knuckles can't leave the island for long
periods."
Zephyer looked at her husband, who nodded sheepishly.
Zephyer placed her hands on the Master Emerald's smooth top, and Knuckles did the same. The light
within the gem brightened. "Now repeat after me," said Locke, and began speaking in Old Mobian.
It was a shock to Zephyer, who had only been studying the language for six months, but she
understood enough of it to perform the ceremony. The echidna wedding vows were long and
involved, and in much fancier language than the ordinary vows. She and Knuckles repeated the
ancient words, and the Master Emerald slowly brightened, as if they were feeding it.
When they finished, Locke switched back to New Mobian. "I pronounce you Guardian and wife, and may
this power hold you true and bind you as the Guardian is bound to the island."
A jolt of power flowed up Zephyer's arms, and for a second the cave swam in neon colors--then it
drained away, leaving Zephyer shaking and fatigued. Beside her, Knuckles was also shaken.
"Now, Zephyer Echidna," said Locke, turning to her, "you must swear the Guardian's Oath, because
you are now co-Guardian."
Zephyer nodded, planning to see this through. Again the words were in Old Mobian, and this time
only Zephyer repeated them. She noticed, however, that Knuckles's lips moved, as if he knew them
by heart and found it amusing to hear someone else say them.
This time, at the conclusion of the oath, the Master Emerald blasted its power into her body and
mind. She was flooded with images of the island as if the memories of all echidnas were being given
to her. They were so fast and vivid that she dreamed about them for weeks afterward, and the red
stone on her finger glowed in response.
Then it was over, and for a moment Zephyer was unsure if she could stand. But she willed herself to
stay strong. "Is that all?"
"That's all," said Locke. "And now I must be going."
"But Dad, didn't you want to look around the island?" asked Knuckles.
Locke shook his head. "I can't, son. The longer I'm here, the stronger its hold on me. You have my
blessing." He hugged Knuckles and Zephyer, then strode for the teleporter.
As it lit up and carried Locke away, Zephyer saw the desolate look on Knuckles's face, and she
wondered how many years Knuckles had been alone. She laid a hand on his shoulder. He ducked his
head and turned to her. "Well, that's done. You're stuck with me, now."
"When did he leave the island?" she asked.
"When I was six," said Knuckles.
Zephyer had a sudden vision of a small echidna child standing alone beside the Master Emerald, and
threw her arms around Knuckles. "You poor thing!"
"Poor thing?" said Knuckles. "I liked it. Now, do you want to stay here or go up to the house?"
"Whatever you want to do," said Zephyer. She took two steps and knelt, holding her head.
"What's wrong?" asked Knuckles, kneeling beside her.
"That last oath really took it out of me," she whispered.
"I knew you weren't strong enough yet," said Knuckles, glaring at the Master Emerald. "Come on,
let's get you home."
Zephyer tried to get up, but her equilibrium was off. In the end Knuckles picked her up and carried
her to the teleporter.
As they landed on the receiver plate near the house, Zephyer said, "It's traditional to carry the bride
across the threshold, isn't it?"
"I guess it is," said Knuckles. "I don't think most brides were still recovering from derobotization,
though."
"Ugh, don't remind me," said Zephyer.
"You don't weigh anything," said Knuckles. "It's only been two months."
He stepped up on the porch and opened the door with one hand. "Welcome home," he said as she
stepped through the door.
He set her down on the couch in the living room, and sat beside her. She rested her head back on the
cushions and sighed. He smoothed her hair back from her face and kissed her temple.
"Knux," she whispered.
"Yes?"
"This couch has got to go."
Knuckles straightened. "What? What's wrong with it?"
"Its springs are hanging out," said Zephyer, pointing to one beside her head. "And it's this hideous
green."
"Hey, this couch and I have been through a lot together," said Knuckles.
Zephyer closed her eyes. "We'll get a new one."
Knuckles plucked at some exposed stuffing. "I suppose it could use a few patches, and the cushions
are shredded underneath from the time Kardot went after Talon with a sword .. but I think it has a
lot of use left in it. Maybe we could get it reupholstered." He looked at Zephyer again to see her
head had drooped sideways. He sighed and picked her up again.
He carried her to his bedroom--their bedroom, he reminded himself--and laid her down. She stirred a
little, then sank back into sleep like a child. He pulled off her shoes and covered her with the
blanket. He stood looking at her, feeling an immense shyness about the sleeping arrangements. He
removed his own shoes and eased under the blanket, trying not to wake her up. As soon as his head
hit the pillow, he realized how much of his strength the Master Emerald had taken.
He was asleep in three minutes.
