Flower: Yay! People like it! Oh, for those wondering about Shadow...his time will come. (evil laugh)

Chaos: Actually in...(counts)...3 chapters time. Then everyone will want to kill us.

Flower: Yes, I just love torturing the characters. Espcially Sonic. And Shadow. Hahahahahahah! (laughs maniacally)

Chaos: Oh, hi, Ryukovulpix! Nice to see you here!

................................................

Tails waited out side the door, pacing. Knuckles had been in for ten minutes. He carefully placed his ear to the door, listening. Voices. Was it Sonic...talking? Or...or was it Knuckles yelling for help, sound muffled by the thick barrier?

The tension was mounting. He couldn't stand it.

................................................

"Knuckles. My name is Knuckles." Knuckles replied smoothly. He waited.

"Knuh...Knuckles. You are called Knuckles. I am called Sonic...but...who am...I? Why do you...t-trap...me here?" The hedgehog spoke half to himself, still watching. Knuckles decided to explain.

"You are Sonic the Hedgehog, world-renowned hero. You spend your time foiling the plans of Dr. Eggman, who-" He could tell he had lost the hedgehog by the blank look he was giving him.

But...there was something else. A spark of interest. The wild look was fading, he had dropped out of the fighting pose. He was listening...but to the words. Learning. Knuckles continued, eagerly. Just one memory...just one...

Then the door burst open. Tails stood in the doorway, framed by the bright light beyond. And Knuckles could only watch helplessly as, in the green eyes, the spark faded, replaced by sudden fear at the light...and then hate.

.........................................

Stupid! He had been stupid! The echidna had lured him up to the door, with foolish stories. Now, the fox was going to blind him with the hateful light, and attack him! He had even put on the shoes and gloves, covering his claws, disabling him.

No...no! He would fight...give it all he had. If he was going down...he would take them with him! He gave in to the animal instincts inside him, drawing on all the hate and frustration he felt.

After that, he knew no more.

.......................................

Tails stood in the door, paralysed by shock. Sonic was right there, barely two metres away, almost unrecognisable with his mottled fur. He wasn't attacking Knuckles...they had been speaking!

Sonic looked horrified, then...

Then Tails knew that he had made a terrible mistake.

.......................................

Knuckles threw himself forward instinctively. He collided straight into Sonic, who had been leaping at the fox. Then he was trapped in a tangle of limbs, fur, and spikes.

It went against all his training. Keep back, dodge in, and weaken your opponent. None of this was happening. Sonic was completely wild, snapping and clawing at him like a thing gone mad.

He blocked a blow, and felt another collide with his side. He grunted in shock, and tried lashing out himself. His fist collided with...well, he wasn't sure. It could have been a spike, or an arm, or anything.

No point blocking...just hit after hit. To see who would tire first...and he didn't think it would be Sonic. The pair were rolling around in a mad tangle, shrieks and growls deafening.

Then Sonic had kicked the shoes off. As Knuckles rolled on top of him, the hedgehog kicked upwards, lashing out with claws. With a sickening slash, the echidna spun off balance, crashing into the wall.

Knuckles nearly lost control. That hedgehog was going to get it now! No, no...It was Sonic...his friend. His friend gone mad. Sonic flew at him in a rage, teeth snapping.

Knuckles punched out as hard as he could towards the hedgehog, anything to make the fight stop. Sonic was hit in the stomach and gasped, breath knocked out of him. At that point, an orange shape grabbed him from behind and hurled him away.

The blue hedgehog staggered for a minute, but then turned on the new fighter. Tails backed away quickly, and then the scene froze. Knuckles, bent over slightly, clutching in pain at his middle. Sonic, gasping next to the wall, teeth showing. Tails, standing nervously in the middle.

Sonic's eyes flitted back and forth, undecided. Knuckles peered through his dreadlocks at the scene, and bent over a little more, mimicking helplessness. That decided it; Sonic lunged at the fox.

Sorry, Sonic, Knuckles thought as he swung round and up, fists together. The punch caught Sonic and sent him spinning across the room. With a crash, he hit the wall, dropped down and lay still.

The other two paused for a minute. Still the hedgehog did not move. Tails hesitantly walked over, and looked down, poking him with one foot. Still no movement. The hedgehog was breathing raggedly, but his eyes were shut.

"That was one heck of a hit." He murmured with a low whistle. Knuckles dropped back, and slid down the wall into a sitting position. He let out a long breath of relief. Only then did he notice; long, wide slashes ran along his middle, darkening his already-red fur.

"Oh..." he said, about to swear, when darkness hit him.