I Want To Be Alone On Valentine's Day

by KatherineTheMoth

When Sonic suggested to Amy that she should hang out with her friends more, she immediately chose Knuckles to be her fake boyfriend to get back at Sonic. Knuckles at first disagrees with the plan, but when Rouge is trying to get into contact with him, he agrees with the plan just to avoid his ex-girlfriend. Why can't he just be alone? Especially on Valentine's Day?

5. Chapter 5: Entertainment Galore!

I Want To Be Alone On Valentine's Day

Part 5: Entertainment Galore!

On Saturday, Knuckles and Amy had agreed to come to the Night Carnival district at 12 PM. They talked on the phone to tell each other where to go and at what time. It was Knuckles' idea that they should come early so that they could go to all of the attractions in Night Carnival. They would go to the amusement park first, go to the arcade next, go to the movie theater then, go take a brief look at the costume center after that, and lastly, go to a restaurant that has a balcony which oversaw the big carnival district. Those were their plans for the day.

They both met up at the entrance of the Entertainment Center. The lights on the buildings are turned off for now, but when it lights up later at night, it will be quite a sight to see. Knuckles looked up at the sign as he waited for Amy again. The sign isn't lit up because it is still daytime, however, it still says "Night Carnival: Entertainment Center" on it. The Entertainment Center is like a round circle. Each of the centers are lined up around the place like a miniature city. There were restaurants in one section of the circle; movie theaters were in another section; some arcade centers were in another section as well; some shops are around in several places within the circle, excluding the popular costume center; and last but not least, the amusement park is up to the north within the circle. There were also stands scattered throughout the place as well as venues. It is no mystery then that this place is a popular tourist attraction. Combined with Casino Park, this place is very popular with Mobians. Everyone in the planet is aware of this amazing place. It's a perfect place for bringing a date or in Knuckles' case a fake date.

Speaking of which, Knuckles was still standing at the entrance with his eyes closed and with a hand on his hip as he waited patiently for Amy to show up again. Hmm... I wonder if Amy is coming today. Did something happen to make her run late? She better not stand me up on a fake date. I was certain that she sounded excited when I had recommended the Entertainment Center to her at the café. Ugh. I knew that I should have brought my new cell phone with me to at least try to call her to see if she's coming or not! The one time that I actually wanted to use modern technology, yet I don't have the resources to it. Well, there's nothing much to do but continue to wait. Knuckles pondered calmly in concern and in slight annoyance with a solemn frown and with closed eyes as he tapped his foot on the ground.

"Knuckles! Knuckles! I'm here! I'm sorry that I'm late!" Amy yelled apologetically yet brightly in reassurance with a sheepish smile as she was running up to him.

Knuckles turned to look at Amy running to his right and was surprised by what he saw. Amy was wearing another outfit. This time, it's a lavender, short-sleeved shirt with a red miniskirt. She is also wearing her regular red boots. She waved her hand at him and smiled broadly at him. Knuckles smiled back gently and waved at her. Again, in his mind, Amy looks objectively lovely.

"Ah, Amy, it's good to finally see you again. I was a bit worried that you might not show up," Knuckles greeted calmly in amusement and in relief with a gentle smile and with twinkling eyes as he stared at Amy.

"Teehee, aw, Knuckles, were you worried about me? Were you really looking forward to our date so much that you got worried that I might have stood you up? That's adorable!" Amy replied calmly yet brightly in happiness with a light giggle and with a sweet smile as she clasped her hands together in a cute way.

"...!" Knuckles gasped in shock and looked flustered as that question had caught him off guard. He blushed furiously and shyly looked away from Amy as he covered his face with his right hand.

Amy giggled a little as she watched Knuckles recover from embarrassment while she commented calmly yet brightly in amusement with a sweet smile, "Hehe, you really do get embarrassed easily, don't you, Knuckles?".

"Ugh. Believe me, you have no idea," Knuckles groaned and grumbled in annoyance with a deep grimace and with closed eyes while blushing a lot in bright red as he massaged his forehead. He doesn't want to get a headache before the fake date began.

"Well, let's go to the amusement park! It will be so much fun! I brought enough money for everything that we will do today!" Amy exclaimed excitedly in amusement with a huge grin while staring at Knuckles as pumped her fists into the air.

"Um, I actually would want to contribute to buying things with you this time. I wasn't able to yesterday, but I just want to make it up to you by pitching in our money together today. Will that be okay with you?" Knuckles replied calmly yet modestly in coyness with a little frown and with upward eyebrows as he looked back at Amy and stared at her.

"Aw, you're so sweet, Knuckles! Okay, fine! If you want to help out by buying some things with me, then I don't mind at all! You really do care about me...Dad!" Amy exclaimed enthusiastically in amusement with a playful grin while teasing Knuckles again as she stared back at him.

"Don't you dare start with that again!" Knuckles yelled back in annoyance with gritted teeth and with a deep blush while staring back at Amy as he felt more embarrassed than before.

"Hahahaha! Oh, lighten up, you! There's nothing wrong with telling a few jokes every now and then!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a little giggle as she smiled innocently at Knuckles and as she stared back at him.

Not unless you and your friends say it frequently! Or that they're not funny to begin with! If there is one thing to kill a joke, then it is to run it to the ground until it becomes brittle and break off into insignificant pieces! Knuckles brooded irritably in frustration while he kept blushing in embarrassment as he crossed his arms and pouted at Amy. She then saw Knuckles' face and decided to cheer him up.

"Hey, relax, Knuckles. You know that I'm only playing around. I'm not going to hurt your feelings. Come now. Why don't we go check out some venues to get your mind off of this? Then when you're ready, we could go to the amusement park! What do you say?" Amy responded gently yet brightly in consolation with a small smile on her caring face as she grabbed one of his arms.

Knuckles then sighed tiredly as he tried to muster a smile while he replied calmly in understanding and in slight amusement, "(Sigh)...Alright. Alright. I'll try to be a good sport about it. Let's go check out some venues. If you want to buy anything, then it's on me. I'll save you some money along the way".

Amy smiled brightly at this as she exclaimed cheerfully in amusement, "Then let's go!".

With that, Amy ran forward inside the Entertainment Center. Knuckles shook his head as he walked casually to where she was. She was looking around the venues in the middle of the Main Center of the Entertainment Center or EC for short. It was easy for Knuckles to catch up to her since she is taking her time observing the venues. There were face painting venues, mask venues, carnival game venues, some comic book venues, picture taking venues, and last but not least...

"Oooh! Fortune telling venues!" Amy exclaimed excitedly in amusement with a huge smile and with wide, twinkling eyes after spotting those particular venues.

Yes, fortune telling venues were also around. Amy is a big fan of fortune telling. When she was a little girl, she used to collect tarot cards because she believes that they could tell the future. In one of her tarot cards, she read that she would meet her childhood hero, Sonic the Hedgehog. Ever since she had met Sonic on that fateful day on Little Planet, she had wholeheartedly believed in fortune telling. She would take every opportunity to collect special clairvoyant charms and go take her fortunes anywhere that she can. She just wants to confirm whether Sonic and her would get together and get married. She just can't help herself into wishing that future will become her reality.

She then decided to choose to go to one of the venues. Knuckles raised his eyebrows in surprise as he saw Amy go and sit at one of the fortune teller venues. He soon frowned deeply and shook his head before he sighed tiredly again as he brooded calmly yet irritably in annoyance. Is she really going to waste her money on this junk? I...I'll never understand her. Doesn't she realize that fortune telling is a scam? I can't believe that she believes so easily in this garbage! Ugh. I suppose that I should join her and pay this fortune for her. I know that I would pay for her today, but this is definitely a waste of money!

He then joined Amy as he walked to her and took the other seat.

Amy was jumping up and down on her seat in excitement as she then calmly yet politely asked to the vender in eagerness, "Hey, um, sir, can we have our fortunes be told? Please?".

Knuckles blanched as he looked at Amy and stared at her with wide eyes and with a gaped mouth after she had said that as he thought loudly in shock. What?!

The old, brown, male dog with floppy ears who was working in the venue didn't notice Knuckles' reaction and replied calmly yet kindly to Amy in amusement with a gentle smile, "Why of course I'll take your fortunes! Six rings total for the two of you. Why it's great that such a lovely couple would want their fortunes being told together! How romantic!".

Oh, please. Don't encourage Amy with that kind of talk! Knuckles brooded calmly yet irritably in annoyance with a grimace and with an eyeroll as he took his six rings out and paid the fortune teller.

Amy beamed until she heard what the fortune teller had said as she then blushed deeply in bright pink while she yelled awkwardly in shock with an alarmed look on her face, "W-W-What?! We're not a couple! We're, uh, just f-friends!".

Knuckles also blushed deeply in bright red as the old man's sentence was processed in his mind. He also agreed with Amy by yelling in awkwardness with a flustered look on his face, "Uh! Um, yes! We're just friends! Nothing more! She just wants to make a fortune about her crush, Sonic!".

"Knuckles! Don't be so blunt about it!" Amy yelled angrily in frustration with a deep frown and with furrowed eyebrows while feeling more embarrassed as she shot a cold glare at Knuckles.

"What do you mean 'don't be so blunt about it'?! It's practically obvious that you want your fortune to be all about him! You want to marry him someday!" Knuckles yelled back in annoyance with gritted teeth and with furrowed eyebrows while feeling irritated as he glared back at Amy.

"Yeah, I do want to marry him, but do you really believe that I wanted to waste a fortune that might never come true?! I believe that anything can happen except for that! I'm not the naïve, little girl anymore, Knuckles!" Amy argued back in frustration with a grimace and with furrowed eyebrows while pointing at Knuckles' chest as she glared hard at him.

"Well, yeah! I...Wait. Huh?" Knuckles exclaimed back in agreement with a frustrated look on his face before muttering in confusion as he looked bewildered instead while staring back at Amy in surprise.

Amy continued by saying calmly yet irritably in frustration with an irked expression on her face as she slightly glared at Knuckles, "Yes, Knuckles. I've changed my mind! Do you really think that I will want to keep dreaming on a hopeless case like Sonic? Ever since he had pushed me away, I've been doing some thinking lately. Why would he want to keep persisting that I should leave him alone? It's clear now that he doesn't love me that way, and he probably will never change his mind! I should stop wasting these fortunes on him and focus on fortunes that probably matter to others! It would at least give some comfort to others that something good is going to happen in their lives, and I want to deliver that message to them! Do you...still think that I'm that obsessive over Sonic, Knuckles? Well? Do you?".

Knuckles awkwardly stared at Amy for a few moments in silence. He was utterly speechless at her bold statement. He didn't know that she had done some self-reflecting lately. He couldn't find a counter argument to that.

Instead, he looked a bit guilty and muttered calmly yet quietly in an apologetic tone of voice, "I'm sorry, Amy. I had misjudged you".

Amy then gave Knuckles a small, sad smile as she calmly yet quietly replied in understanding, "It's okay. I forgive you".

"Er, um, say, you two? Are you, um, done...arguing? I know that friends fight, but this isn't the time nor the place," the old dog muttered calmly yet awkwardly in sheepishness with a little frown and with a sweat drop on his head as he stared at his two customers. Amy and Knuckles both blushed deeply at this and looked away from each other.

Amy then replied calmly yet awkwardly in sheepishness with an embarrassed look on her face, "Um, sorry, sir. May I ask for my fortune now?".

"Ah, go ahead. Ask away," the old dog replied calmly in understanding with a little smile on his relieved face as he nodded to Amy.

Amy then put her finger under her chin as she thought about her question carefully. Knuckles simply looked at the other venues to avoid looking at Amy.

After a few seconds of thinking, she soon nodded and calmly asked her fortune with a considerate look on her face, "Uh, umm, sir? My friend, Knuckles, here...".

What the-?! Huh?! Knuckles thought loudly in shock and in confusion with wide eyes and with a gaped mouth as he quickly looked back at Amy. He suddenly felt his heart pounding fast as he panicked. Just what will Amy ask about him?

"Um...Will he...Will he get to meet his 'special someone' in the future?" Amy asked calmly yet humbly in concern with sad eyes and with her hands folded while frowning a little in sympathy as she stared at the fortune teller.

Wha-Wha-Whaaaaaaaaaat?! Knuckles thought loudly in surprise with a flabbergasted look on his face while staring at Amy in shock as his jaw dropped at that question. The old dog nodded in understanding with a gentle look on his face as he looked into his crystal ball and looked at some cards.

While the fortune teller makes his deduction about this fortune, Knuckles leaned into Amy and whispered harshly at her in frustration with a deep frown on his face, "Just what are you doing?! Why did you make that fortune?! It's not as if that will come true! And you say that Sonic dating or marrying you is impossible! At least, that sounds more plausible than mine is!".

Amy looked at Knuckles with a slightly playful smile as she whispered back in amusement while giggling a little, "Hehe, hey, you never know. Maybe you'll might meet the 'Mommy' of the group. Hehehehehe! Maybe at that point being called a 'Dad' or 'Daddy' won't be so bad!".

Amy kept giggling quietly as Knuckles blushed deeply at that reasoning.

He tried to retort by saying in shock and in embarrassment while blushing furiously with a flustered look on his face, "Wh-Wh-What?! Why would you-you-you say that?! Th-Th-That's r-ridiculous! I...I! I don't believe you! That w-w-won't h-happen!".

"Aww, you're stuttering! You feel embarrassed that a 'Mom' could exist, don't you?" Amy whispered playfully in amusement while she teased Knuckles with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Ack! Th-Th-That! Argh! That's not what I'm embarrassed about! You're speaking nonsense!" Knuckles denied irritably in frustration with a deep frown and with a dark red blush while looking away, closing his eyes, and crossing his arms in embarrassment.

Amy just giggled a lot as she watched Knuckles continue to blush deeply in embarrassment. The truth was that Amy needed to know if Knuckles will be taken care of in the future. She knows that she couldn't fulfill that role. So, she wanted confirmation that someone will be there for Knuckles in his time of need and fill in the empty hole in his heart. It's the least that she could do for her friend.

"Hmmm, hmmm, ah! Yes, I see now! I see. I see," the old dog muttered calmly yet brightly in understanding with an intrigued look on his face as he got a focus on the crystal ball and found the right clairvoyant cards.

Amy looked back up at the fortune teller and asked excitedly in amusement and in curiosity with a bright smile and with hope in her eyes, "Oh! So, what does it say?!".

Knuckles looked at the fortune teller with one eye open and a raised eyebrow. He still doesn't believe that it will happen. There's no way.

The old dog placed his cards down and answered calmly yet wisely in amusement with a little smile on his content face, "Well, it appears that there is a 'special someone' for this young man here, and it appears that she will come very soon, very soon indeed".

That's what they all say whenever they speak about "special someones" all the time. Knuckles brooded calmly in exasperation with a deep frown and with a closed eyelid while feeling a little annoyed as he kept listening to the old dog speaking Amy's fortune.

"Hmm, it seems that this girl appears to be a strange one indeed. Definitely mysterious since no one had ever seen this type of girl before. Very colorful and bright that one is. She may be lacking knowledge about the modern world that we live in everyday because of how sheltered she is, but her vast wisdom makes up for it," the old dog continued jovially in amusement with a little smile.

Huh? Knuckles thought calmly in curiosity as he looked at the fortune teller fully since he suddenly felt intrigued by the description of this "special someone". His eyes went wide and looked a little curious.

"Really?! Wow!" Amy exclaimed happily in amusement with a bright smile and with twinkling, eager eyes as she stared at the fortune teller.

"Yes, it is true. She is quite a wonderful girl to be around. She is easy to get along with considering how empathetic she is. She is such an affectionate, kind girl who would do anything to make others around her happy. Kind of like a humble servant in some ways. She desires to protect others from harm and love those whom she protects unconditionally. Perhaps she does this due to her altruistic beliefs. Even for how young she is, she already holds such strong beliefs and lives by them. She may be childish in some parts of her behavior that might seem to put off people, but her maturity and intuition is what makes her stand out even more. She lives a simple life and has simple desires, but that's how she manages to stay happy and cheerful. That is why she appears so odd to others. It's not just her appearance but who she really is too. For who she is, however, well, that is quite the most interesting part! For some strange reason, I sense a strong, powerful energy within her. A power that no Mobian had ever seen before or would ever believe that could be possible. But despite this raw, awesome power that she has, she is very gentle with others. She would not dare to use her powers to hurt them or do anything wrong to them. She is very sensitive to others and to their feelings. It's because of these traits that she's good at interacting with children. She absolutely adores them!" the old dog listed off these character traits with enthusiasm in his voice while looking rather amused.

"Ooooh, this girl sounds incredible!" Amy exclaimed brightly in amusement with an enthusiastic look on her face while being star-struck. Knuckles blinked in confusion with a blank look on his face. The description sounds too unreal to be true. Yet, he still listened to it.

"Why indeed she is! She is certainly very beautiful and adorable too! Not just on the outside but on the inside as well! Hohohoho," the old dog agreed happily in amusement with a bright smile and with a chuckle as he waggled his finger for emphasis towards Amy.

"Oh, Knuckles! Isn't it great?! You are going to meet the 'Mom' of the group in no time! He did say that she's great with kids after all! Hehehehe!" Amy exclaimed cheerfully in amusement with an excited grin and with a little giggle.

Knuckles quickly looked at Amy with a flushed expression on his face. He tried to come up with words to object to this absurdity, but he couldn't find any. If he was being honest with himself, he was very impressed with the unknown girl's description. He had definitely not met any teenaged girls with that description. Honestly, he was certainly grateful that it wasn't Rouge's description of her character. It's only more proof that they were an unequal match. They were incompatible after all. However, with this so-called "strange and mysterious girl", it sounds like she could be a such a gentlewoman. It's not very common with teenaged-girls nowadays. They are no different than men and teenaged-guys now on how rude they are. Having a girl who is a gentlewoman is really rare. Considering that in mind, it's no wonder that she is a type of girl that no one had ever seen before.

The old fortune teller then added calmly yet brightly in amusement with a gentle smile, "Well, that's your fortune for today. So, sir, what is your fortune that you want to be told?".

Knuckles was startled by the old dog's voice. He wasn't paying attention. He completely forgot that he was supposed to participate in this as well.

He then nodded and asked calmly yet awkwardly in curiosity with a sheepish expression on his face, "Oh, uh, well...Hmm...Say, will Amy and Sonic get any closer?".

"...!" Amy gasped in shock with a surprised look on her face as she covered her mouth with her right hand. She couldn't believe that Knuckles would ask something like that. Was this his way to apologize to her for being too judgmental?

"Hmm, let's see what we have here," the old dog replied calmly in curiosity with an intrigued look on his face as he looked into his crystal ball and looked at his cards again.

Amy looked at Knuckles in shock and in gratitude. Knuckles simply leaned in onto the table with one arm and kept looking down on it while having a solemn, contemplative expression on his face. He was being oddly quiet during this. Amy isn't sure if Knuckles is thinking about apologizing to her about his wrong assumptions or still contemplating on this supposed "special someone" that he might meet in the future. Her bet is probably on the latter.

She was certainly right about that.

Hmmm... Just who is this girl? And how come I couldn't meet her now?! I feel so empty and alone in this world! Can there really be someone who understands my plight?! …...Still, it feels almost too good to be true. Can that girl really be my "special someone"? Can she really exist in this universe? Knuckles brooded curiously yet irritably in confusion while grimacing in sadness as he stared blankly at the table.

"Hmm, hmmm, aha! Yes! Yes! I see now! I see!" the old dog exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile as he deduced the fortune.

Knuckles looked back up and asked calmly in curiosity with a little frown on his intrigued face, "Oh, so you have something? What is it then?".

Amy also looked at the fortune teller with hope and curiosity in her eyes.

The old dog had answered brightly yet confidently in amusement with a bright smile, "Why yes! It appears that this lovely lady here and Sonic will indeed get closer! Much closer indeed!".

"What?!" Amy exclaimed in surprise with an amused yet shocked look on her face as she stared curiously at the fortune teller. Her hope levels had skyrocketed and will never come down.

"Of course, they will get closer! It seems like Sonic feels guilty for some reason, and he feels incredibly lonely. He is going to do something to strengthen the relationship that you two have. In fact, he is planning something this week!" the old dog added enthusiastically in amusement with reassuring smile and with a nod as he stared at Knuckles and Amy with his hands clasped together.

Amy felt very enthusiastic at this. She never thought that the day will come that Sonic might change his behavior. Although she still feels a little doubtful, she is intrigued on how Sonic will make it up to her, even after the argument that they just had.

"Why something tells me that he might even meet you on Valentine's Day!" the old dog exclaimed jovially in amusement with a bright smile while swinging his finger for emphasis as he stared at Amy.

"Awww, really? That's so sweet! Sonic may just have a heart after all! Teehee!" Amy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge smile while giggling a little as she felt ecstatic again.

Knuckles rolled his eyes at that in annoyance. Amy...Please don't tell me that you're going to buy that? I swear. If that girl ends up heads over heels for that blue idiot again after he does something even remotely romantic, then I really do give up on her! …...Well, I suppose that I was right all along. She never changes and neither does Sonic. Knuckles brooded calmly yet a bit irritably in exasperation with a deep frown while looking annoyed as he stared at Amy.

"Well, then, your fortune had been told. Thank you for your patronage. Have a nice day!" the old dog added happily in amusement with a kind smile and with a nod as he waved at Amy and Knuckles.

"Okay! Thank you so much! Come on, Knuckles! Let's go to the amusement park!" Amy exclaimed back excitedly in amusement with a bright smile and with twinkling eyes while pulling Knuckles' arm out from his seat as she got up and ran.

"Uh, uh, okay! Okay! Easy!" Knuckles yelled back awkwardly yet quickly in surprise with an alarmed look on his face as he briskly got up and ran with Amy.

---

The two friends went to the bright and peppy amusement park. They looked around for the high and fast rides. Amy pulled Knuckles to one of the rides. He didn't mind the rides, but the rides still somehow made his heart briefly stop whenever they went on the very tall rides or the fast and twisty ones. Meanwhile, Amy is thrilled with each of the rides. She would scream and laugh in excitement while Knuckles remains silent yet surprised. They would also go on some of the medium sized rides like the tall swings and log rides. Knuckles is fine with the swing rides, but he always had issues with the log rides, however. He wishes that he doesn't get to be suddenly wet all the time whenever he rides one. Still, while being soaked to the bone, he still enjoyed himself even when he doesn't show it.

"Man, that was amazing! You know, you could at least express a little bit of happiness or excitement, Knuckles! Those rides were great!" Amy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge smile while being completely dry as she stared at Knuckles and as she walked beside him.

"Speak for yourself! You weren't the one who got soaked in that ride!" Knuckles yelled back in annoyance while pouting at Amy as he slightly glared at her and as he walked beside her.

"Hehehe! Oh, relax, Knuckles! I'm sure that you enjoyed it just fine!" Amy exclaimed back playfully in amusement with a little giggle and with a bright smile while having her hand up as she stared back at Knuckles.

"Yeah, being covered in water and almost throwing up sounds like an enjoyable time. Why can't we go on more rides like that one? Hmm?" Knuckles replied calmly yet sarcastically in annoyance with a deep frown while narrowing his eyelids at Amy as he stared back at her.

Amy just laughed a lot at that. Knuckles then briefly smiled a little as he was a bit happy that he had made her laugh.

But he soon frowned a little again as he looked down and brooded calmly in sadness. Sigh. Why am I thinking about that "special someone" again? Is it because I wish for that certain person to be here and laugh at my sense of humor? Is it because I want to make that person happy by bringing her here and go on rides with her? Somehow, I just know that if I do that then I would see that beautiful, cute smile on her sweet, cheerful face. It would be the most precious sight that I would ever get to see. The pure, innocent joy that person would express so freely that it will be contagious to me. …...Why? Why can't she be here right now?

Amy soon stopped laughing and felt concerned for Knuckles. She could see that he was grimacing. She frowned sadly and placed a hand on top of his right shoulder as she muttered calmly yet softly in concern, "Knuckles, please tell me what's wrong. If you could just tell me, then I would gladly help you".

"..." Knuckles didn't say anything.

But soon enough, he turned his head and lowered his eyelids at her in sadness while frowning deeply in somberness before he replied calmly yet quietly in a depressed tone of voice, "...There's nothing that you can help me with. That is all".

Amy lowered her eyelids at Knuckles in sympathy. She then nodded reluctantly and replied calmly yet gently in understanding with a little frown and with downcast eyes, "Alright, fine. Let's just go get some cotton candy and go to the arcade. Maybe that could cheer you up".

Knuckles then gave a half smile as he replied calmly yet quietly in gratitude, "Right. Let's go. Thanks, Amy".

"Hey, anytime, Knuckles," Amy responded calmly yet quietly in reassurance with a sad smile on her sympathetic face as she stared at Knuckles.

---

They soon left the amusement park and bought themselves some cotton candy as a snack. Amy got a blue one while Knuckles got the regular pink one. It was around 4 PM. They plan to go see a movie at around 5 PM. They have an hour to go play at the arcade. They soon finished their cotton candy and went to the left side of the EC where the arcade is. They went inside the arcade. There were plenty of children and teenagers in the dark arcade. Classic video game tunes were played over the speakers which only enhances the retro look of the arcade center. There were some crane games, ski ball games, a bowling alley, a skating rink, and a bumper car arena along with the arcade machines. It is a place that children and adults could enjoy due to its diversity in fun activities.

"Come on! Let's go buy some coins so that we could play these games!" Amy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a playful grin while pulling Knuckles' hand along as she ran.

"Geez! Take it easy, Amy! I'm going! I'm going!" Knuckles exclaimed back in surprise and in slight annoyance with a little frown on his shocked face as he was being dragged by Amy.

They went up to a booth where they could exchange rings for play coins. They could pitch in 15 rings together so that they could play all the games if they are interested or in Knuckles' case, if Amy is interested. Knuckles then told Amy that she should spend 10 rings instead because they wouldn't have enough time to play all these games and go to the movies on time. Amy shook her head and pouted at him.

She then exclaimed back in determination with a pouty look on her annoyed face, "We will make it there in time if we go play them quickly! You will be amazed on how fast time goes by when you're in here!".

Knuckles doubted that. He could easily see Amy act childishly and beg him to play one more game when they have a few minutes to go to the movies to catch their movie. Nevertheless, he shrugged and helped Amy buy the coins for 15 rings. With the coins in the bag, they went to the arcade machines first. As the first ten minutes passed, Amy was enjoying her time immensely as she is winning these games with Knuckles. She was pretty decent in playing old arcade games. Knuckles, however, was doing terrible at these games. He could never get the timing right on pushing the buttons or remember what the controls were. It is understandable since he spends more time watching the Master Emerald than playing arcade games or video games for that matter. He can't help but feel frustrated when he is losing or had lost. He is easily competitive at times like this one for instance.

"Woohoo! I won again! Geez, Knuckles, you really do stink at these games, huh?" Amy teased calmly yet brightly in playfulness while smiling widely in amusement and while pumping her fists into the air as she stared at Knuckles.

Knuckles narrowed his eyelids at one arcade machine and muttered calmly yet coldly in a dead-pan voice with a deep frown on his face, "This game is just broken".

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, Knuckles! You're just saying because you lost again! Hahahahahahahahahaha! It's okay to admit that you suck at these games!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a huge smile while laughing a lot as she clutched her stomach.

Knuckles turned around and looked angry at Amy as he yelled back in irritation, "Oh, yeah?! Then how come you're so good at it?! I thought that you would be more busy chasing Sonic and go shopping than playing these games!".

"Hehehehehe! Silly knucklehead! I do have a life outside of Sonic and shopping, you know! I play these arcade games with either Tails or Cream sometimes whenever we visit here! I know that Sonic is like a pro at these games! So, I want to try to learn these games so that I could try to compete with him in a fair competition someday! Hehehehehe! Even Cream is a better player than you! That's very sad!" Amy explained back brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile while giggling a little as she stared coyly back at Knuckles.

Knuckles growled as he yelled at Amy in a challenging way while looking frustrated, "Grrrrr! Can you not make fun of me for at least one day?! I could beat you at least one of these games!".

"Uh huh. Sure, Dad, whatever you say," Amy teased calmly yet playfully in amusement while looking devious at Knuckles as she stared coyly back at him.

"Grrrrrrrrr! Don't start!" Knuckles yelled back in frustration with barred teeth as he growled deeper and as he held up a fist at Amy while he glared hard at her.

Amy laughed again as she replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a huge smile and with a finger up, "Hahahahahahahaha! Okay, one more game. Then we could play some ski ball. That is... if you still have any fight in you!".

Knuckles crossed his arms and replied proudly in determination with a solemn look on his face while pointing at another game machine for emphasis, "I will find a way to beat you at your own game! How about that whack-a-mole game?! I bet that I can beat you at that!".

Amy smiled widely as she exclaimed back brightly in amusement and in determination while having a fist up, "You're on!".

She soon ran over to the last game and waited for Knuckles to join. Knuckles sighed tiredly and shook his head as he walked over there too. It was a simple whack-a-mole game with a regular, black hammer attached to it. Amy took her turn after she put a coin into the machine. Each mole went up and got smacked by the game's hammer that Amy is holding. She had very quick reflexes and kept slamming the hammer down with precision. She was very consistent with her hits. Knuckles then felt a little worried that he might lose since the score count kept going higher. Maybe he was being desperate in saying that he could beat her at one more game. The game ended by Amy having 25,000 points total. She almost got all of the moles; she had only missed five. She smiled brightly with confidence that she had won.

She soon gave the hammer to Knuckles and told him "Good luck!" in a sing-song voice that it's almost like she's taunting him.

Knuckles took a deep sigh as he took out one of the coins and put it into the machine. He held the hammer very tightly and had the most serious face that one could muster. It was pretty funny to Amy since he's getting so serious over a whack-a-mole game. She covered her mouth with her left hand as she muffled her chuckles. Knuckles was glaring hard at the machine as he waited for his first target. Eventually, one mole went up on his far left. With a slight delay, he then noticed the mole and tried to whack it. He missed as the mole went down fast. Another mole went up, and he tried to whack it a second time...then a third time...a fourth time...a fifth time...a six time...and so forth.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

Knuckles repeatedly slammed the hammer so hard onto the machine as he tried to whack at least one mole. He was exhausted when he got to his last mole as he was breathing heavily. The mole went up, and it looked like that it won't go down. His eyes went wide and had an almost desperate yet hopeful smile on his face as he thought that he could get one hit on this game. He lifted the hammer up high and slammed down as hard as he could.

SLAM!

Unfortunately, he was a second too late as the mole went down quickly. Knuckles got 0 points total.

OH, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Knuckles brooded irritably in frustration with a pout and with furrowed eyebrows while a vein bulged in his forehead as he fumed in anger. He had lost to his own bet. Amy just couldn't hold in her laughter anymore as she saw Knuckles' poutiest face as he glared hard at the machine with his hammer down.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, my goodness, Knuckles! That was terrible! HAHAHAHAHAHA! How did you manage to lose?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! That was just the saddest thing that I have ever witnessed in my life! Only you, Knuckles! Only you would fail this badly because you're a knucklehead! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Amy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge smile on her jovial face as she laughed so hard in hysterics that she's clutching her stomach and wiping tears from her eyes.

Knuckles quickly snapped his head around to growl loudly at her. He already doesn't like losing, but he hates being made fun of because he lost even more. Knuckles yelled back in anger with a frustrated look on his face as he glared coldly at Amy, "Oh, shut up! Stop laughing at me! You only won because of luck! This game is stupid!".

"Hehehehehe! Says the one who encouraged playing this game as his bet! Hahahahahaha! Man, I tell you Knuckles! You really suck at these games! You know you might have a chance in beating someone at these games if you were up against that mysterious 'special someone' of yours! Hehehehehe! Who knows! She might be even worse than you!" Amy exclaimed back brightly yet playfully in amusement with a teasing grin while still laughing a little as she stared back at Knuckles.

"Oh, yeah?! Well-! …...Uh...Um...Mm..." Knuckles yelled back in annoyance with a frustrated look on his face until he muttered awkwardly in sheepishness and eventually stopped talking once he heard Amy mention that "special someone" again.

He then looked down as he felt depressed again. He felt himself weakening as he slowly put the hammer away and turned around slowly. Amy noticed that Knuckles was looking down again and immediately regretted making fun of him. She went to him and placed her hand onto his right shoulder again.

"Knuckles...I'm sorry for being too mean towards you. I must have said something that had hurt your feelings. I'm sorry that I did that. I promised you that I wouldn't hurt your feelings, but I did anyway. I'm very sorry, Knuckles," Amy apologized calmly yet gently in guilt while looking sad as she stared sympathetically at Knuckles.

Knuckles slowly looked up at Amy directly with a depressed frown and brooded calmly in sadness as he stared solemnly into her eyes. It's not that you had made fun of me that's the main issue here. It's because you had reminded me of that mysterious girl again that it hurt me. Amy...You have no idea how much I wish that this girl is here right now. You don't know how curious and wanting I am for this strange girl. The more you keep teasing me about her, the more pain I receive for never going to meet her in my lifetime. You may have gotten lucky and had met the guy of your dreams, Sonic the Hedgehog. But that sort of thing will never happen with me. Nothing good ever happens with me.

Knuckles lowered his eyelids and looked sad. Amy then grabbed Knuckles' other shoulder and shook him.

"Knuckles! Knuckles! Hey! Snap out of it! It's...It's going to be okay, Knuckles! It'll be alright!" Amy yelled out of concern with a worried look on her face as she tried to console Knuckles while she shook him and stared at him.

"Will it? Will it be alright?" Knuckles asked calmly yet quietly in a low, depressed tone of voice with a depressed look on his face as he stared back at Amy.

"Ohhh, Knuckles..." Amy muttered calmly yet softly in sadness as she frowned deeply in sympathy while she stared back at Knuckles.

This was supposed to be a fun date! What went wrong? Amy thought curiously yet worriedly in concern while looking sympathetic as she tried to come up with some way to cheer Knuckles up. She gently rubbed his shoulders as she pondered to herself. It was quiet between the two of them as she did this.

But soon enough, she had a bright idea as she then suggested calmly yet encouragingly in consolation with a sympathetic smile and with half-lidded eyes, "Hey, let's not stay down. We could go into some bumper cars and have fun there. We could then go ski balling and maybe bowling after that. Maybe that could you cheer up! There's no need to be in a sour mood, Knuckles. Just try to lighten up, okay?".

Knuckles looked back up again and nodded slowly to her. He may not have smiled there, but he was grateful that Amy had tried to console him. He is still hurting, but he decided to put that beside him for now. It's their fake date that's important here! Although that still sounds ridiculous considering that's the case.

He then replied calmly yet gently in understanding a little frown on his solemn face as he stared back at Amy, "Okay. Let's go then. We don't have much time left".

"See?! That's the spirit! Let's have fun, Knuckles!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile while taking her hands off of him.

Knuckles gave a small smile and walked past her as he went towards the bumper car arena. She was surprised that he went ahead of her this time. She turned around and followed him there.

It took a few minutes to get past the depressing moment that they had earlier. But Amy and Knuckles had fun riding in the bumper cars. There were other children and teens with them too, but they had fun bumping into each other as they played together. Amy was smiling and laughing; Knuckles somehow managed to smile as he is still trying to forget those depressing thoughts. He was soon enjoying himself again. When the ride was over, they got off of the bumper cars and went to the ski ball section of the arcade. It was now 4:25 PM. They still had time to play some ski ball and play one round of bowling before they leave to see the movies. Knuckles was kind of glad that he doesn't get spend more time here. He certainly didn't want to be humiliated any more by either playing the crane games or go skating. He is also terrible at those as well.

"Alright! I get to go first!" Amy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a proud smile as she put a coin into the ski ball machine.

Knuckles shrugged as he crossed his arms and watched Amy play her turn. Amy grabbed one of the balls and swung underhandedly. She let the ball roll as fast as it could with that underthrow. The ball rolled fast and went into one of the slots. She got a 50 with her first ball. She kept rolling her balls as she tried to get some consistent throws. She still missed some as four of them went to the 10 slot instead of the 50. She didn't dare to try to get a 100. She was fine playing it normally. She ended the game with 250 points. She felt proud of her score and stepped aside to let Knuckles try his shot.

Knuckles then went up to the machine, placed his coin into the slot, and received his nine balls. He then took one of them and tried to go for the 100 that Amy didn't go for. He swung underhandedly, and the ball rolled up to the 100. However, the ball only plinked off of the rim and went down to the 10 instead. Knuckles frowned deeply in annoyance as he tried again. The same thing happened again as the ball went back down to the 10. He then grimaced in frustration as he kept trying and trying again to reach the 100. It would either miss or plink off the rim. He missed all of them except one. He got only one ball into the 100. His total score was 180.

Just when I thought that I had a chance to win this. Who knew that rolling small things would be so hard? Knuckles brooded calmly in annoyance with a deep frown on his frustrated face as he shook his head in disappointment.

Amy just stood quietly this time. She didn't even bother making a comment this time.

Instead, she just suggested calmly yet brightly in amusement with a little smile, "Hey, why don't go bowling right now? That will be the last thing that we will do in the arcade!".

Knuckles turned his head around and nodded while he still frowned solemnly. He is much better off getting things over with than to linger any longer around here. He went with Amy to the bowling alley. Luckily, there was carpeting before the alleys so that they don't have to change their shoes. When they had picked an alley, they went there, and Amy decided to go first again. Knuckles didn't mind her going first in all the times they had competed so far in these games. It's just a polite thing to do.

Amy soon grabbed her bowling ball and tried her best to bowl the pins down. She only managed to get four pins down. She took another ball and got a spare by knocking the other pins down. She soon stepped aside and let Knuckles take his turn. He could easily hold onto the ball without using his fingers to do it. He focused his aim and then threw underhandedly to the pins. He threw the ball fast and knocked all of the pins down. Amy actually cheered for Knuckles once she saw the strike.

"Yay! You did it, Knuckles! I guess that it's my turn now!" Amy cheered happily in amusement with a bright smile and with twinkling eyes while clapping for Knuckles as she stared at him.

"Hmph!" Knuckles grunted in amusement while smiling proudly at his successful strike as he glanced back at Amy.

He then stepped aside and let her take her turn. Only this time, Amy got three pins down and didn't get a spare.

She frowned a little in disappointment as she muttered calmly yet quietly in sadness, "Rats".

She stepped aside, and Knuckles took his turn. He rolled the bowling ball and got another strike. He smiled widely at this as he thought calmly yet brightly in amusement. Heh. It's looks like I finally found a game that I could win at!

It went on like that for a few bowls. Amy did get one strike while most of them were spares. At one time, she got a gutter ball twice. Knuckles tried not to laugh at that time. Meanwhile, he had an easy time getting strikes. At the end, he got all ten strikes. So, he already won. Amy finally got her first loss.

She shrugged and smiled cheerfully at Knuckles while she stared at him as she exclaimed brightly in amusement with a light giggle, "Hehe, congratulations, Knuckles! You finally won a game! I guess that you're really good at this sport!".

"Heh. I guess that I'm both good at bowling and baseball then, am I?" Knuckles responded calmly yet cockily in amusement with a smug smile and with half-lidded eyes while shrugging casually at Amy as he stared back at her.

"Teehee! You sure are! You really are good at anything involving sports!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with another giggle while beaming at Knuckles as she stared back at him with twinkling eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Knuckles agreed calmly in amusement with a relaxed smile and with closed eyes while nodding a little as he felt proud of himself.

Amy smiled back brightly yet hugely as she exclaimed back excitedly in amusement, "Say, it's almost time for the movies to start! Let's go to the movie theater quickly!".

"I agree. Let's leave already," Knuckles responded calmly in agreement with a gentle smile on his relaxed face as he walked towards the entrance of the arcade center. Amy ran quickly towards the counter to dispose the rest of the coins and followed Knuckles out of the arcade.

---

It was 4:50 PM. There were ten minutes left before the movies played. Amy and Knuckles quickly walked to the right side of the EC and went past the venues of the area. Once they walked into the movie theater, there were some people in the lobby getting some snacks and stuff. It was relatively quiet.

Knuckles stood next to Amy as he asked calmly in curiosity with a solemn frown on his grave face, "So, what movie do you want to see? And remember. No romantic comedies".

"I know. I know," Amy replied calmly yet tiredly in exasperation with a little frown on her irked face while feeling a bit annoyed as she stared at Knuckles with lowered eyelids.

She then looked up at the movie listings at the top of the counter. She put a finger under her chin as she thought about what to watch. She definitely doesn't want anything dealing with horror movies or action movies considering how much Sonic makes her watch them. So, it kind of lowered her options. She kept looking around in the theater to see some posters for the movies that were on right now. She wondered what was considered popular at the moment. Her eyes then spotted a poster that was red and had an ominous monster starring in it. She was rather intrigued by it considering that it looked mysterious. She had seen some monsters already while she had her adventures with Sonic. So, she believed that it can't be that scary compared to real monsters that she saw in the past. After considering it, she finally made her decision.

"I know what I want to watch now!" Amy exclaimed brightly to Knuckles in amusement with an enthusiastic look on her face as she stared at him.

"Oh? You do?" Knuckles replied calmly in curiosity with a little frown and with one eyebrow raised as he stared back at Amy.

"Yeah! Come on! Let's go buy our tickets!" Amy yelled back excitedly in amusement with a huge smile as she pulled Knuckles to the counter where a worker stood there smiling at them.

Please tell me that she isn't going to go back on her word. Please. I beg of you. Knuckles pondered calmly in despair with a sheepish frown on his worried face while wishing that it wasn't the case.

The cashier then asked calmly in curiosity with a relaxed look on his face, "How may I help you?".

"Two tickets for the movie, ShinG! (See A/N below for details) We want to see it at the 5 PM showing!" Amy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile while holding two fingers up to emphasize her point as she stared at the cashier.

"That will be 24 rings please," the cashier replied calmly in understanding with a gentle smile and with a nod. Amy and Knuckles looked at each other and nodded in agreement as they both get 12 of their rings out. They paid the cashier and grabbed their tickets.

The cashier smiled cheerfully as he exclaimed brightly yet politely in amusement while waving at them, "Have a nice evening!".

"Thank you, sir! Now, let's get some snacks, Knuckles!" Amy exclaimed more excitedly in amusement with a huge grin as she looked back eagerly at Knuckles and stared at him.

"Hey, calm down! I'll get your food! Are you like a cat or something?!" Knuckles exclaimed back in shock and in annoyance while looking rather panicked by Amy's sudden energy as he stared back at her.

"Hehe, I'm just excited to see a new movie! I think that this one will be really good! This movie we're seeing won 'Best Picture', you know!" Amy exclaimed back cheerfully in amusement with a light giggle and with a huge grin as she stared back at Knuckles.

"Huh. 'Best Picture' you say? I guess that it's worth checking out then," Knuckles replied calmly in curiosity with raised eyebrows and with a casual shrug while frowning a little on his intrigued face as he stared back at Amy.

She nodded happily in agreement as she walked over to the concession stand and waited in line there. Knuckles waited with her. When it was their turn, they told the two theater workers what they want. They got two large sodas and two large popcorn bags. They soon paid for their snacks together, carried their snacks, went to another theater worker, and showed him their tickets.

The man gave a gentle smile and muttered calmly in amusement, "Enjoy your movie".

"Thank you!" Amy thanked the worker with a bright smile on her face as she walked past him.

Knuckles simply nodded to him before he followed Amy. They went to the far left of the hallway and turned right to the door where their movie was about to play. He saw that there were several people there, but it was mostly empty. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that there won't be any distractions at least.

He then calmly told Amy in an apologetic tone of voice while looking slightly guilty, "Um, I've noticed that I'm starting to run low on my money. I'm sorry that I couldn't spend any more if I run out".

"Oh, it'll be fine! We won't be buying anything at the costume center! We could just look and wear the costumes there only for fun! We'll only buy something at the restaurant. It's a good thing that the restaurant we're choosing is a cheap one. But it also serves good food, so, we'll be alright!" Amy replied calmly yet brightly in amusement and in reassurance with a cheerful smile on her enthusiastic face as she chooses her seat near the back row of the movie theater.

"Well...Okay, if you say so," Knuckles responded calmly yet slowly in reluctance with a little frown on his concerned face as he went to the back row with her.

They soon took their seats in the middle of the third row in the back. The movie went through with their trailers quickly before the movie began. The movie then started as the lights in the theater lowered. The two friends got comfortable in their seats with Amy on the right and with Knuckles on the left. They soon heard the famous, loud, booming noises from the movie and the famous roar as the movie's title card showed up. They were immediately focusing on the movie once they had heard that.

Later in the movie, they had been eating as they watched, completely invested in the movie's plot about a mysterious monster attacking a popular eastern country and its citizens. In their minds, they reflected how the government officials in the movie responded somewhat similarly to the Neo G.U.N. Force (See A/N below for details). Their government had always underestimated whether a threat can be easily taken care of or wouldn't be any harm to others. Eventually, they finally saw what the monster is. It is like a deformed version of Biolizard but with spikes on its back and with blood shaking out of its gills. Amy was shocked and a bit repulsed as she let out a gasp. Knuckles' eyes went wide in surprise as he was intrigued by this strange monster. The monster went on its way destroying buildings and property. The people tried to run away as the monster went closer to them while smacking cars out of the way.

Meanwhile, orchestral music is playing in the background as the monster made its rampage across the city. There were English subtitles at the bottom of the movie screen to show the lyrics of the songs being played (A/N There weren't any subtitles to the songs during the actual movie. It's there purely for the sake of the story). As the movie progressed, the monster was seen to be growing larger and larger, looking more deformed and demented with each phase it went through.

Later in the movie, Amy and Knuckles were shocked to see how huge the monster is on its fourth phase. He was taller than most of the skyscrapers in the movie. They watched the monster easily withstanding the military's weaponry and destroying the tanks as it passes by. Soon, they watched the scene where the monster reached the main city that the military had tried to protect. As the monster entered the city, it knocked down the power cables to the city.

Orchestral music was playing again with subtitles shown at the bottom of the screen. The city was pitch black as the power went out, and the monster stood ominously in the middle of the city. Amy felt anxious about what will happen next. She had some hope that the other country's air force will kill the monster. However, Knuckles has doubts that the air strikes would work on the monster. He was proven right. The attacks hit the monster's back, and blood splashed out of it. Yet, the monster was still standing strong. The monster then looked angry as it roared and took action to this attack. Thus, it had created the most famous scene in the movie, and in a way, Knuckles was like in a trance when it happened.

Another orchestral song played with lyrics shown in the bottom of the screen. This time, the beautiful song was like poetry to Knuckles as it reflected on what's going on in his heart these days. As the music kept going, the monster soon unleashed its most powerful attack from its mouth. First, it was dark mist from its breath. Secondly, it turned into fire which started to burn the city into ashes. Finally, the red fire turned into a bright, purple, glowing beam and destroyed the buildings with its nuclear ray. It had easily destroyed the buildings and the flying vehicles. The monster even attacked with its back and tail shooting more purple rays out of it. Amy was amazed yet horrified by the monster's power. However, Knuckles wasn't afraid, but he wasn't paying attention either. He was rather enamored by this scene with its music and visual imagery that it showed. It was like poetry being brought to life in this scene. The dark poetry shown in his heart.

He had deep darkness and secrets hidden in his heart just like how the monster was spewing out dark mist. His pain being the truth of his reality of being the Guardian of the Master Emerald. He already fully understood his place now many, many months ago after the whole Metarex incident when he got time to contemplate about himself and his purpose for being a guardian. The truth couldn't be any more bitter and painful than that. He is in reality a prisoner to his family's and his clan's sins of the ancient past. He can't escape from his life sentence. He must carry out his metaphorical life sentence by guarding the Master Emerald and never abandon his duty or his island. He isn't supposed to live a life on his own, to find his own happiness, to enjoy life for what it is, or to have any sort of fulfillment.

For years, he had thought that he was protecting the emerald out of pride and honor of his people, but now, he knows different. Thus, it was then that he first realized on how unworthy and despicable he is for protecting the emerald. He had realized that he is no different than his ancestors no matter how hard he tried to be good or tried to be a hero. He is still a selfish, greedy, prideful person as them. He is a part of his clan, and that fact will never change. Also, he can't even judge Chaos for killing his people anymore because he is just as bad as them. So, it only produces more pain to his heart. That pain is soon transformed into a dark secret that Knuckles was now fully aware that he had even before he had realized it. He had kept this dark secret locked away in his subconscious for years, but now with the truth being realized, he now knew why he was so unhappy with himself for the past six years. That deep, dark secret that he had is...his own depression.

The aching sadness and the dull pain of living a boring, unfulfilled life of protecting the Master Emerald every day came to be known to him. He soon realized that anyone could protect the emerald and still be fulfilled and happy with their lives, but why can't he? What was his purpose for being here and alive if someone could do a better job in protecting the Master Emerald than him?! That is something that he doesn't understand, and it hurts his soul. He is only a prisoner and always will be. No one could save him from that. If that is the case, then what does it truly mean to be a "guardian"? Does it really mean to be a prisoner for life and never truly enjoy life as a free person? Is that what it really means? These questions had kept Knuckles bounded to the world. He could try to escape from that either physically by leaving the island for a few hours or mentally by throwing away his identity. However, that creates a problem. If he isn't a guardian, then what is his purpose for living if not that? His entire life was about guarding the emerald! If he doesn't have an identity outside of that, then he couldn't live with himself anymore!

…...Because of that, he wonders if others will know him if he died. Even if he...attempts to take his own life. He still wouldn't go with it. He believes that he shouldn't give up on life just like that. But how long could he keep that up? His heart is a big void and full of despair with no hope in sight. There is nothing but darkness. No light in sight. Regardless, he couldn't risk having his dark secret being made known to others. Not even to his so-called "friends". So, like the monster breathing fire instead of mist in the movie, he covers up his depression with anger. He did this for months, and no one had noticed it. His anger came from a deep-rooted hatred for his "friends". As a result, he hurts others just like the monster destroying buildings, people, and military with its fire and purple ray beams in the movie. Thus, he believes that he is a monster because of it. So, like the monster becoming numb or not moving in the movie, Knuckles became numb as he blankly watched the rest of the movie.

---

…...

"Hey...Knuckles? Knuckles? The movie is over. It's time to go," Amy muttered calmly yet gently in concern with a little frown on her confused face as she shook Knuckles on the shoulder.

Knuckles was still in a daze almost like that one time when Tikal had showed him visions of his clan's past. He was staring absentmindedly at his half-eaten popcorn. First, he felt depressed whenever he heard the words "special someone", and now this, where a movie had reminded him of the truth of who he really is on the inside. Today is really not a good day for him. Amy soon grabbed both of his shoulders and shook him as she stood in front of him.

"Knuckles! Get up! Are you feeling okay?! Please! Tell me! I want to help you!" Amy yelled in worry with a concerned frown on her face as she tried to get Knuckles' attention.

Knuckles snapped out of his trance and looked up at Amy as he then muttered calmly yet quietly in confusion with a little frown on his bewildered face, "Oh, uh, is the movie over then?".

"Yes! It is! Seriously, you've been out of it for like a minute now! I've been trying to tell you that we should go visit the costume center next! Well...if you're feeling okay that is. We could just go home if you want," Amy replied solemnly yet gently in sympathy with a worried frown while feeling concerned for Knuckles as she stared down at him.

"Uh, um, no, that's okay. I'll go with you. The date's not over yet," Knuckles answered calmly yet a bit awkwardly in somberness with a little frown on his solemn face as he stood up from his seat and as he soon left while quietly asking Amy in curiosity, "Are you coming or not?".

"Oh! Coming!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a little smile and with a nod while feeling a bit relieved that Knuckles is okay for the most part.

She took her drink and popcorn bag and put them in the trash. Knuckles realized that he forgot to put his food and drink away. So, he went back to his seat briefly and threw them away to the trash as well. They soon left the movie theater and went to the costume center next door.

Once they got inside, they were surrounded with costumes ranging from cool ones to funny ones. They walked through the aisles of costumes while observing them in curiosity. There were changing rooms and a runway in the store to show off the costumes there. There were children playing on the runway or are taking pictures in another corner of the store. Some teens and parents were there as well. Amy likes many of the beautiful costumes. She decided to wear one to see how it looks on her. She could come back another day to buy it.

She then brightly told Knuckles in amusement with a cheerful look on her face, "I'm going to wear this to see how it looks on me. I'll be back! Just keep yourself busy by looking at the costumes! Who knows? You might find a costume that suits you!".

"Ah, oh, okay. See you soon then," Knuckles replied calmly yet absent-mindedly in understanding with a little frown on his coy face while waving his hand "goodbye" to her as he watched her leave. Amy then ran to the changing room to test out her costume.

Meanwhile, Knuckles kept walking around the store. He placed a hand on his forehead as he walked and looked at the costumes in a daze. He wasn't paying attention to the costumes. They don't pique his interest. However, there was one costume that stood out to him amongst the rest. He stood still and looked to his left in one of the aisles. He then spotted a costume that looked like the monster from the movie. Except this costume is blacker than the monster from the movie. It was a giant, black, lizard monster that looked fierce in the face. The costume-like monster is staring into Knuckles' soul.

For some reason, he somehow has a strong affinity to this monster. He doesn't know why, but he somehow knows how the monster feels even if it's not real. He turned and walked towards it. He lifted the costume off the rack and held it close to him so that he is staring into the monster's eyes. The monster just stared back without blinking because it is lifeless. Knuckles only stared back while wearing a grave frown on his serious face. One fierce, hardened glare is staring at another fierce, hardened glare, and they are both not backing down from it, even if one of them was a costume.

Hmmm...We really are one and the same, aren't we? We don't belong here, do we? We're just different from everyone. Nobody loves us or wants us. They want us to leave because we only get in the way or just destroy things without meaning to. It's not your fault that you turned out the way that you did. It was everyone else in the world who had hurt you. You only did what you could out of self-preservation. Nothing more. I can see why you hate people. I really do. I hate them too. I hate my friends, my enemies, and anyone else who tries to manipulate me, lie to me, hurt me, and... abandon me. I want to feel safe, but there is no one out there that I can trust completely. I want to be loved, but no one will care for me. I'm a loner, and I will always be alone just like you. No one understands us. No one understands our pain. We had tried to yell or scream, but we couldn't be heard. We're just unneeded here in this world. We are ugly. Monsters...can never be beautiful.

Knuckles contemplated calmly in somberness with a solemn frown as he stared intensely into the black monster. He hadn't realized that Amy had gotten out of the changing room and had been shouting at him.

"HEY! KNUCKLES! LOOK! LOOK!" Amy shouted brightly in amusement with an enthusiastic look on her face while waving her arms up and down as she stared at him.

Knuckles snapped out from his thoughts and looked to his right. His eyebrows were raised as he saw Amy in a butterfly costume. His mouth was agape as he saw how gorgeous the costume looked on her. She was twirling around in her beautiful butterfly costume while giggling sweetly before she walked up to Knuckles with her hands coyly behind her back.

She asked calmly yet sweetly in amusement and in curiosity with a coy smile and with a little giggle as she stared closely at Knuckles, "Well? How do I look? Hehehehe!".

Knuckles only stared while holding onto the monster costume. He was in his thoughts again. Strange...It feels...so close...yet so far...What am I missing here? Knuckles pondered calmly in curiosity with a solemn look on his face as he stared closely at Amy's butterfly costume.

"Aww, you're staring at me, Knuckles! Do you like it? Huh? Huh?" Amy added calmly yet happily in amusement and in curiosity with a bright smile and with twinkling eyes while blushing a little as she stared back at Knuckles.

"Umm, uh, yeah, sure. I like it. Whatever," Knuckles replied calmly yet absentmindedly in agreement with a little frown and with a curt nod while being in a trance as he stared back at Amy.

"Yay! Teehee, I'm glad that you like it! I'll buy this costume sometime this week! It'll be the perfect costume for me to wear on Halloween! I bet that Sonic will even like it!" Amy exclaimed back cheerfully in amusement with a bright smile and with a light giggle as she stared back at Knuckles.

"Uh huh. Yeah, sure," Knuckles replied calmly yet absentmindedly in agreement with a little frown on his solemn face while looking at the monster costume again as he stared deeply at it.

"Hmm? Do you like that costume, Knuckles? You could buy it if you want," Amy replied calmly yet gently in curiosity with a little smile on her coy face as she stared inquisitively at Knuckles.

"Ack! What?! No! I...I don't want this! I can't even pay for this! I'm low on money!" Knuckles yelled back defensively in shock and in sheepishness with a flustered expression on his face while blushing a lot in embarrassment as he looked back and forth at Amy and at the monster costume.

"Hehe, it looks like that you wanted it! You keep staring at it! I could pay for that costume for you!" Amy exclaimed back happily in amusement with a light giggle and with a cheerful grin while pointing at the costume for emphasis as she stared back at Knuckles.

"I said that I don't want it!" Knuckles yelled again in annoyance with an irritated frown on his flustered face while glaring coldly at Amy as he felt frustrated. To prove his point, he put the costume away and crossed his arms with a grumpy look on his face. Amy just laughed at that.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! You're so silly, Knuckles! Hehehehehehehehehe! There's nothing wrong in admitting that you like something! Hahahahahahaha!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a huge smile on her jovial face while laughing a lot and while clutching her stomach as she stared back at Knuckles.

Knuckles blushed deeper and looked down to the ground in shame as he yelled back in embarrassment with a flustered look on his face, "Oh, just shut up! Just put the costume away, and let's get going! Let's go to the restaurant already! I'm feeling hungry anyway!".

"Hehehehe! Yeah, you're right! It's only 6: 45 PM! Let's eat some dinner on top of a balcony to see the gorgeous view of Night Carnival!" Amy exclaimed back excitedly in amusement with a huge smile while giggling a little as she stared at Knuckles and nodded to him in agreement.

She soon turned around and went to the changing room again. She got dressed back to her normal clothes and put the costume back onto the rack. Amy and Knuckles left the store and went to the left side of the EC again. They went into a restaurant that is relatively tall. It was a semi-fancy restaurant with somewhat cheap prices. It was a clean, good business because the restaurant cared about the tourists that would come here to visit the EC. So, it was convenient for Amy and Knuckles to buy their food there. They made their reservations for the top part of the building. The waiter nodded and told them to follow him up to the balcony. The three of them went up to the balcony. When they got there, Knuckles and Amy took their seats and stared at the gorgeous view. All of the lights turned on, and the neon signs and buildings looked spectacular! Amy can't help but gush at the view. The waiter gave them their menus and left them alone.

"Oh, my gosh! This is amazing! Knuckles! Do you think that this place is beautiful?!" Amy yelled in excitement with a huge smile and with twinkling eyes while she continued to gush about the view as she stared at it before looking at Knuckles.

"Hmm, well, it looks nice. I'll give you that," Knuckles agreed calmly in amusement with a nod while giving a small, gentle smile to Amy as he stared at her.

"I knew that you would agree! Knuckles, can I just say that this date had been lovely?! I didn't know that you could be such a romantic in your ideas for dates! Hehe, and you said that you didn't know much about dating! Well, I'm starting to think that you're just feigning ignorance! Hehehehe!" Amy exclaimed brightly with a playful grin and with twinkling eyes while giggling a little as she stared back at Knuckles.

"Wh-What?! Hey! I was telling you the truth! I don't know anything what girls like! I just chose these places because...well...Um... I just...think that they're...Uh...good places that we can have some...Um... fun together," Knuckles snapped back in shock with a flustered look on his face before mumbling shyly halfway through his last sentence. He suddenly felt embarrassed as he was blushing again. He really did have no idea what girls like. It was just good guessing that had pleased Amy here.

"Hehehe, you're blushing again, Knuckles! So, you really think that we would have fun at the beach yesterday and here?! Man, you're even more romantic than Sonic! You really are such a catch, Knuckles! No wonder Rouge wanted to date you in the first place!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a little giggle while beaming at Knuckles in joy as she stared back at him.

Knuckles blushed even further in embarrassment. He covered his face with his right hand as he leaned onto the table with one elbow. He groaned in embarrassment while not saying anything. He gave up trying to insist to Amy that he's not romantic at all. Amy noticed Knuckles' embarrassment and decided to change the topic to something else.

"Hmm, you know, Knuckles, I hadn't seen Sonic around here or at Neo Green Hill at all when we went on these dates. Maybe he felt so jealous that he doesn't want to see us having fun together. Well, even if we didn't see him, I still had a good time hanging out with you lately. You really are such a good guy, Knuckles. I do hope that you will find someone someday. You really do deserve it," Amy added calmly in amusement and in warmth with a gentle smile on her face as she stared caringly at Knuckles.

Knuckles still didn't move his hand from his face. He kept it there as he frowned deeper in sheepishness while he simply muttered a quiet "Thank you".

Amy smiled sadly at Knuckles and stared at him with sympathetic, half-lidded eyes as she calmly yet gently replied in consolation and in fondness, "Really, Knuckles. I really do think that there is someone out there who will love you for you. Even if you can't find someone for Valentine's Day, we could still go out together just like the past few days so far. I think that it will be fun. What do you say? Do you want to go out with me on that day?".

Knuckles was silent for a few minutes. The only thing that's on his mind right now was the main message that was being told at the end of the movie he saw with Amy. He calmly pondered on that for a while in somberness with a solemn look on his face. Is it really true? Does everybody have to live with a monster like me? Do they really have to deal with me and not enjoy my company? Is this the reality that I have to live with for the rest of my life? Amy may be enjoying these dates, but does she really enjoy them for the places that we go to or for me? ...No. Who am I kidding? It's obvious that she would like them even more if Sonic was the one who came up with them. She may say that I'm more romantic than him, but I know what's on her heart. She's just saying that because she wishes that Sonic will act like that. She's just trying to fill in the void in her heart with me instead of Sonic. …...And... I'm trying to do the same thing with her by trying to fit her into my heart too. We...really are desperate creatures, aren't we?

"Um, Knuckles? I said do you want to-?" Amy calmly asked again in concern with a little frown on her sympathetic face while feeling worried that Knuckles hadn't listened to her until he had finally spoken up.

"I'll go with you," Knuckles answered calmly yet quietly in agreement while hiding his face behind his right hand as he frowned deeply in sadness.

"Ah! Really?! That's wonderful, Knuckles! I can't wait for our next date Friday night! Why don't you surprise me by taking me to a place that you like! I just know that wherever you take me will be romantic!" Amy exclaimed back happily in amusement with a bright grin and with twinkling eyes while being clearly unaware of Knuckles' depressed mood as she had her fists next to her cheeks.

"(Sigh)...Yeah, it will be nice," Knuckles replied calmly yet tiredly in exhaustion with a quiet sigh and a sad frown as he kept covering his face with his right hand while not making any eye contact with Amy.

The rest of their dinner went on pretty smoothly. Amy told the waiter that she will be the one paying for the meal once it's over. The waiter nodded as he gave them their meals. They ate their meals which were lean steaks for the two of them. Knuckles just ordered the same thing because he wasn't paying much attention to the menus. They talked some more while they ate and had enjoyed the view. Amy did talk about what she had liked about the movie that she had watched. Knuckles nodded and agreed with her. He told her what he had liked about the movie too. He even said that the movie is not bad, and that it clearly deserved the reward for "Best Picture". Amy smiled gently and agreed with Knuckles on that. He smiled gently as well, and they continued talking for the rest of their meal.

It was around 8 PM that they had decided to go home after a long, tiring day. They certainly enjoyed the date, but it got pretty tiring at the end. As they left Night Carnival and its Entertainment Center, they soon walked along the long path towards Amy's house. Amy said that she could go home by herself, but Knuckles had insisted to stay by her for the trip as a way to protect her. She smiled gently and complimented Knuckles for being so chivalrous. He blushed deeply at that and shyly looked away from her as he walked by her side. Once they got to her house, Amy turned around and faced Knuckles. He was about to ask what else she had wanted until he suddenly felt her hugging him by the waist. He felt like the hug was unearned, but he returned the hug back to her. He smiled a little in coyness as he hugged her. He sometimes wondered if getting a hug from his "special someone" would feel even better than this.

Amy soon released him and exclaimed cheerfully in amusement with a cheerful smile as she stared at Knuckles, "Good night, Knuckles! Have a safe trip home!".

"Good night, Amy. Rest easy now," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement and in warmth with a gentle smile and with a nod as he stared back at her.

Amy beamed cheerfully at him before she turned around and walked to the door of her house. She opened the door, looked back at Knuckles, and gave him a small wave before she went inside. Knuckles waved back while smiling gently at her. Once he saw that she's inside, he turned around and walked back home. Today was quite a strange mess for his heart. He did enjoy himself, but at times, he felt depressed as he and Amy did activities together. He shook his head as he tried to get rid of his depressing thoughts. He has full confidence that he could spend more time with Amy tomorrow. Maybe he could convince her to have him just hang out at her place for the day. He would do anything to stay away from his home at the moment. Especially find more ways to avoid Rouge. Luckily, he didn't see Rouge yesterday or today either. So, he took it as a good sign. Maybe Amy was right. Maybe hanging out with friends can be fun. He surely is ready for anything this week. He certainly can't wait to hang out with Amy tomorrow!

That would be the case until what he had found out tomorrow morning.

And another chapter done! Will this be longest chapter in this story?! I don't know. We'll just see in later chapters. At least, this will be enough for you to read back in this story again for the next few days. I'll try my best to get another chapter out. It'll take a few days to get it out so don't worry, I'll get it done soon. Also, a lot of dark stuff had been mentioned in this story, huh? Well, we are definitely into some angst territory now, and it won't stop there. The last few chapters might get even sadder. In fact, the next chapter is a flashback chapter. Certainly can't wait to read it now, huh? But please be patient. It'll come soon. Anyways, please R&R if you had enjoyed this! And for some clarifications!

A/N 1: Yes, the name of the movie in this story, ShinG, is actually a reference to Shin Godzilla or Godzilla Resurgence. The movie being described in other paragraphs is clearly summarizing some events from the movie.

2: The name Neo G.U.N. Force is for my head cannon for the military in Sonic's world. After Sonic and his friends got back from Earth, Rouge applied for job as a spy in the military in Sonic's world. It was her idea to rename the government military to that name after her experience as a spy in the human world in the original G.U.N. government. So, that's why it's named like that.

3: Lastly, who is that "special someone" I keep mentioning? Well, you'll find that out in a future fanfic of mine. Just not this one.