WELCOME HOME?

The people of Mobius feared for the worst. The skies had gotten conceivably darker in the last few hours. It had been a few days since their fighters were sent off and there was no telling if they were even still alive now. King Acorn looked up at the sky, standing where he had when he had sent the Freedom Fighters off with everyone else. 'Why did I let you go, Sally? Why?' "Max, come now," Queen Alicia said as she stepped onto the balcony, "They're fine. I just know it." "If only I had your faith. That is where Sally got hers. I, however, have been a wreck ever since they left. I just keep worrying." "You just need to relax a bit. Don't let the black clouds depress you. Just-" The queen was cut off by a loud rumbling as the clouds began to darken and become more condensed in one area. Thunder caused all to jump to attention and run outside to look up at the sky. "They failed! The end is here! Chaose is upon us!" One shouted. The crowds began to panic, until the King calmed them all and said, "We cannot be sure of that just yet. We-" A loud crash of thunder cut him off as the clouds rumbled even more than before.

Locke stepped forward and raised his fists, ready to fight if necessary. The rest of the Brotherhood followed suite and prepared for the worst. Suddenly, there was a flash, which blinded all. When everyone looked again, the fighters of Mobius were there. The crowds cheered loudly at the sight of them. King Acorn felt his heart lift when he saw his daughter among them.

"Fighters of Mobius! Welcome home! Tell us, who is our champion? Is it Sonic? Or Shadow? Perhaps one of the Ravagers rose to the occasion! Or someone else! Pray tell!" King Acorn said. "As much as I'd love to take the credit," Sonic said as he and the others stepped aside, "Here's your champ." The crowd went dead silent. He would have thought he could feel them staring if he hadn't already lost that sense. All eyes staring. He felt like an alien…a freak…a ghost. King Acorn stared in awe. He must have been hallucinating. Sure he was taller, and more muscular, but the face…the eyes…were unmistakable. "Is this…who I believe it to be? Surely not…for he is…This is the Walker's fighter, Enigma???"

Knuckles hated to admit to it, but the Walkers were right. He was dead. Not in a literal sense, but in the minds of the planet. For some, it was a painful loss, for others, it was the work of God. It was justice for crimes committed. Knuckles sighed and lowered his head. "I…don't belong here," he whispered to himself. He charged up some energy and began to fly away. Julie-Su called after him, but he just kept going. "This sucks," Freezie said. "Hey, isn't he flying a little…I dunno…awkwardly?" Cap asked. "Ya mean like crooked? Yeah, he is," Rotor replied. They watched as he wavered around a bit, and went into a rough descent into the forest. "Knux!!!" Sonic shouted as he dashed for the woods.

Knuckles groaned as he sat up and sat against a tree, unable to stand. He rubbed his head to notice that his hat had gotten stuck up in one of the trees, and was dangling above him. "Awww…crap. G-guess I used…more energy than I th-thought," he said to himself with a chuckle, until his light-headedness got the better of him and the darkness overcame him.

When Knuckles opened his eyes, he was expecting to be in the woods. To his great surprise, he was in a bed, and a familiar face was sitting next to him. "How are you feeling?" Julie-Su asked. "Better," he groaned as he sat up, "Got my strength back. Now I need to go get my-" "Your hat? Heh. Right here," she said as she pulled it out from behind her and placed it on his head. "Come on! There's some people outside waiting for you," she said as she pulled his arm. "What?" She pulled him out the door to a cheering crowd. He paused and blushed as he stood there in front of such a large mass. The King stepped forward and said, "It would seem you are full of surprises." "I…I…" he began, unable to speak. "However it happened, it happened. You are alive and with us. And as for the events several months ago, what you had thought of as a debt has been paid. You have saved us from a most horrid fate, and for that we can never repay you."

Suddenly, the clouds, which had not yet dispersed, began to rumble once again. "Oh no! Chaose!" someone shouted. "He's still alive!" "No way! Knux fried that guy! Well…he fried himself…uh…Yeah!!!" Vipes shouted. "No. Not Chaose. He didn't smell so bad," Knuckles growled. The clouds began to take shape, and the masks of the Ancient Walkers appeared. "It's the Walkers!"

"Well done, Enigma," they said. "My name isn't Enigma. It's Knuckles. That's the name my parents give me, and that's the name I'm using!" "But you have a hatred for both your parents." "I've moved on! That's behind me now! I'm not consumed by hate! And I'm not taking any more orders from you twisted monsters!" Knuckles shouted. "How dare you speak to us in such a manner! We gave you new life!" "After you took it away!" Everyone turned to him as Shadow asked, "Is this true?" "Yeah. Everything in my life involving them is a lie. They made my dad believe I had some great purpose in the future so he would train me harder than he would have, and to make me a mutant freak! They worked everything so I'd have that deep inner-hatred! They're the reason Eclipse was set free! They're the reason Mammoth Mogul was freed! He said it himself." "It was all necessary. Your predecessors were both naturally good, as are you. However, purity did not help them in the fight against Chaose, so we thought it best to fight evil with evil." "Yeah, and screw my life up in the process!!!" "It was all preparation for your training." "You mean the three years I spent in Hell?!?!" Knuckles spat back.

Mighty looked up at him and began "I though you said-" "I lied! When I first opened my eyes after dying, I was in another zone. Another dimension maybe. I'll never know, nor do I want to. Time there was faster than time here. One month here was six there." All stared in awe as he continued, "My training began with Master Osaki, an eighth generation master of martial arts. He was brutal. The only sleep I got was when I either passed out from exhaustion, or was beaten into unconsciousness. The tattoos on my shoulders, the ponytail, the outfit…all his uniform which I wear out of respect. The old man was brutal, but he taught me well, and I can never repay him. However, that was the easy part. When there were only six months left, my time with him was up. Suddenly, all became dark. I couldn't see. I heard the Walker's voices, telling me to continue training. I did, but I never knew how hard it would be. Wherever I was, the environment reacted with my emotions. Whenever I became angry, there was fire. Black fire that shed no light. It burned like nothing you can imagine. When I became depressed, it would rain. It would rain tears. The tears of my loved ones, crying over me. I could hear you, you know. Everything you said…every thought, I could hear it while I was in that place. I almost went insane. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore…I became so depressed, I began to become encased in cold, cold ice. I figured death would get me out of there. When I was encased, I thought of you…and I couldn't let it end. I unleashed the power of Eclipse and finally gained control. All that, just for one fight."

All stared in sympathy for the poor echidna that had suffered so much on their part. "It is because it is the will of the Walkers," they said. Now it is well known that Freezie starts talking smack to the wrong people. All of them happen to have the power to smack his ass into the ground and blast into a subatomic level. But alas, he does it anyway. "Question. If you're the 'Ancient Walkers', how come you don't got any legs?" he asked. Swiper, Morph, and DJ couldn't help but snicker. "I mean, 'Ancient Talkers' fit's so much better!" "Silence fool!" they beckoned. "Uhhh…okay."

"So…do you want to cleanse yourself of this evil forever?" they said to Knuckles. He looked up at them and said, "You don't mean…" "Yes. But perhaps the cost is too high for you." "You twisted…" "What shall it be? Will you do the right thing as you always have, or will you be selfish? The choice is yours to make." Knuckles' eyes widened as he stared at the ground. "Knuckles? What are they talking about?" Julie-Su asked. How could he do it? He had everything he wanted…He fell to his knees and shouted, "DAMN IT!!!" as loud as he could. He let out a long shuddering sigh as tears fell from his eyes. "It was too good to be true. Too good for me," he said as he got up. He turned to Julie-Su, who stared with great concern. "I'm sorry Julie…but," he began as he took his hat off and placed it on her head, "I need you to look after this again. Her eyes widened in realization. When she went to tell him to stop, he drew her close and kissed her before flying up into the air. "Knuckles! Don't!!!" She pleaded. No. His mind was set. "You realize this will be painful," the Walkers said. "SCREW IT!" he shouted before growling as he powered up his energy.

Like before, he flared a hot pink, then a bright green. "It's Eclipse! He'll kill us all!" "Shut up!!!" Rouge shouted at the crowd. "Sir Knuckles, your debt has been paid already! No one expects any more of you!" the King shouted. "It's not about repaying anyone! It's about doing the right thing!!!" he shouted before he let out a huge burst of energy that tore apart his black outfit. He began screaming as the energy made the ground rumble. They watched in horror as cuts and wounds began to open up all over his body and began to bleed. "NO! I…I won't…give…UP!!!" he shouted before he let out one last burst of energy, blinding everyone.

When they looked again, they noticed there were more in the crowd that there had previously been. "It…It can't be…We're alive!" one of them shouted. "My troops! And Remington's! And Stryker's!" St. John shouted in joy. This was not the only place of rejoicing. All over Mobius, those who had died appeared out of nowhere. Loved ones were re-connected as many cheered for joy. However, the cheering stopped to the sound of someone crying. All looked to see a pink female echidna crying over the smoking body of a red echidna, who wasn't moving…or breathing. She lifted his head and hugged him as she continued to sob. Mighty fell to his knees and stared with tearful eyes as he shook his head. All of the others shed their own tears. Rob hadn't been there for his first death, but he was here to feel the pain now. Cap growled, and in a blind rage screamed in anger and charged at the Walkers. "I am so God damn tired of beings like you pulling the strings!!! KENZO FIST!!!" His noble effort, however, was futile, and he only phased through them.

Julie-Su couldn't believe it. After all that had happened, he was gone again. "No…It can't happen…Can't end like this…" She suddenly felt something grasping her hand. "N-never…l-let…g-g-go…" a quiet moan said as she watched his eyes crack open. "Oh my God! He's alive!!!" The others rejoiced as Mighty and Julie-Su helped him stand. She looked at him with concern, because of the scars all over his body. "Your body…" "Will…heal in time…like my heart," he replied. "But how are you alive?" Shadow asked. "Your greatest power is your heart, Knuckles the Echidna. It has led you to overcome so many obstacles, so many opponents. Your strength in not in your chaos energy, but your heart, and the love you have for your friends. We leave you now." The Walkers began to fade away, until only clouds were in the sky.

"Knuckles!" two voices shouted. Knuckles looked up to see his parents running towards him. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. How long had it been? They threw their arms around him as he wept. "Son! I can't believe this!" Locke sobbed. "Oh honey! Your voice is so hoarse! Those scars…the tattoos…the ponytail!" his mother said as she lifted it with her hand. "You don't like it?" he asked with a smile. "I don't care! I just want you!" Suddenly, she stood and looked at Julie-Su. "Does he know?" she asked. "Oh man! We were so stunned at seeing him we forgot to mention it!" Julie-Su replied. "Tell me what?" Lara-Le smiled and turned to the crowd. "Wyn! Come here!" When Wyn came over, Knuckles' eyes widened and his jaws dropped when he saw a baby in his arms. "Knuckles, meet Kneecaps…your little brother." Knuckles couldn't believe it. He had…a little brother! "It's short for Knecapeon Mace. So…what do you think?" his mother asked him. "I…I don't know what to say…" "He was born a few hours after you…you…" "I'm here now, mom. The baby began to stir and reached its arms up. "I think he wants you to take him, Lara," Wyn said. "No…I think he wants to go to Knuckles!" Lara-Le said, "Are you able to hold him?" Lara-Le asked, looking at the scars on his arms. "I…I'm alright, I guess." Lara-Le took the baby and placed him in his arms.

He stared down at him for a minute, still trying to accept that he had a little brother. "Hey there, big guy. My name's Knuckles. I…I'm your big brother. That means I have to take care of you. Show you the ropes. Heh. You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" The baby looked up at him and smiled. "Kn-Knu-les!" it muttered. Knuckles' eyes widened as Lara-Le smiled widely. "He said his first word! Sort of…" "But isn't he kinda young to be talking yet?" Espio asked. "Echidnas tend to talk sooner," Wyn answered. Kneecaps reached up and hugged Knuckles' neck. Knuckles' eyes became teary until he brought his sibling closer. "I love you too, kid," he said before kissing the baby's head, "I won't let anything ever hurt you. I promise!" Kneecaps yawned and drifted off to sleep, and Knuckles handed him carefully back to his mother.

"WHY?!?!" a sickly familiar voice yelled out. Everyone looked to see none other than Dimitri walking out of the woods. Why can't I beat you? You even overcome death itself!!! How do you always manage to pull through?!?!" Kommisar ran out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back, "Grandfather, no! You're delirious!" Dimitri pulled free and continued to walk towards Knuckles. King Acorn's guards seized him, until a voice shouted, "No!" They all looked to see Knuckles glaring at Dimitri. "Let him go. He's mine." The guards let the robotic echidna go, and Knuckles slowly walked over to him. "You've finally done it. You've taken the once proud and mighty Dimitri and laid him to waste. I have nothing now. You even took the pleasure of your death away. I know that you've wanted me dead for so long now. Just do it. Finish me," Dimitri said as he lowered his head. Kommisar stood between them and pleaded, "Please spare him Guardian! Have mercy!" "Mercy? He doesn't know the word," Knuckles growled as he pushed past her. "You've made me kill, taken my sanity, tortured me, drugged me, the damn list goes on and on!" Knuckles growled as he raised his clenched fist. "You have no idea how much I want this…but," he said as his voice softened and his fist lowered, "It's wrong. Master Osaki told me…that when given two choices…always pick the harder path. So…in spite of all you've done to me…I forgive you great-grandfather." Dimitri looked up at him, thinking he was insane. "You can't be-" "I am. Go. Live the rest of your life however you want to. Just know that I hold nothing against you." Dimitri stared and said, "If my eyes were organic, they would be crying right now. I turn myself in. I have done enough." Kommisar followed suite and turned herself in, and the two were taken away. "You've made me proud, son," Locke said as he put his hand on his son's shoulder.

Suddenly, the sunlight broke through as the clouds began to disperse. Many cheered at the first sight of the sky and sun in weeks. Knuckles looked with tearful eyes. He had never before appreciated the sun as much as he had now. It had been years since he had seen it's light. He tugged on Julie-Su's arm, took her up into his arms, and flew them to one of the towers of Castle Acorn. "Why up here?" she asked him. "Right now, I want to share this moment with you the most. And besides, we're alone up here, and no one can see us," he said with a smile. She smiled, and both turned to see the sun finally break through the clouds. "Kinda symbolic, actually. A time of darkness is over, and a new life begins. I want things to be different this time. I have so many things to tell you. My hopes, my dreams. There's so much to tell," he said as they took each other's hands. "Yeah. And we have all the time in the world to tell it," she said before kissing him. She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest as they looked out at the sun, knowing that whatever happened would happen, as long as they had each other.

Author's Note: Well it looks like everything works out in the end. Hope you enjoyed it! In terms of my next story, I have an idea for a high school story. I know not too many people like that kinda thing, so I figured I'd ask for an honest opinion. I have a plot idea, so it isn't just a random high school-themed story. It would have a plot. With this in mind, please post an honest opinion with your review. Anyway, hope the tournament satisfied you! Later!