Waah! So sorry this took so long to get out! ;; I'm lazy DX But I'm back, with Knuckles no less! And hopefully Amy will be out soon~

I feel like this chapter is longer than the others... Must be cuz I love Knux so much X3

I don't own anything Sonic related in this fic.

I can't believe this is happening... This canNOT be happening!

For what seemed like the hundredth time since he'd woken up here, Knuckles' fist connected with the stone wall. Pulling away from the indent, he glared at the hole, though he wasn't sure why. It wouldn't do him any good. In fact, he wasn't sure if continuing would do him any good either, considering he had no clue where he was or where he was going.

Why does stuff like this always happen? Sighing, he pushed onward. The best he could hope for was to find a familiar face, right?

It had been several hours since Knuckles had woken up, somewhere in a forest he'd never seen before. At first he'd thought he'd fallen asleep somewhere on Angel Island, and that the events of the past night had all been some weird dream. Then he'd noticed the trees looked nothing like the ones on Angel Island, and that in the distance he could hear the purr of vehicles. Definitely not Angel Island. For awhile, he'd wandered around, calling for Amy and Tails -who he was sure had been with him before he'd passed out -and then just searching for any sign of familiarity.

He'd stumbled upon a cliff side, overlooking a large city -a low tech one that he'd never seen before. It hadn't taken long for him to realize that something just wasn't right.

I can't believe that stupid hedgehog got us into MORE trouble... Growling to himself, he paused, listening to the echoes of his own footsteps. He'd found this tunnel after hours of searching in that woods. It had looked sort of like a cave, except that it was long and perfectly circular -like a cement tube. It was dimly lit, and every now and then there was a metal circle on the ceiling, but so far he'd heard nothing. When he stopped, he was overwhelmed by the utter silence.

Holding his breath, he stood stalk still. Glancing around in the darkness, he saw no signs of movement, no signs of life. He was surrounded by a deathly silence. Never in his life had he heard so little. Even on Angel Island when he'd been isolated, there had always been noise. Birds, wild creatures, the wind in the trees or water rushing. There had always been something there to remind him that he wasn't the only living thing, that he wasn't all by himself. Now though, he was alone. Completely and utterly alone, and for the first time in years this idea didn't appeal to Knuckles. In fact, if he were to be perfectly honest... It terrified him.

Being alone wasn't fun. Being alone was lonely. No one was there to praise you when you did something right, to comfort you when you were scared or to scold you when you screwed up. No one would know if you were lost of hurt. No one could notice if you died, if you vanished. No one would care. Knuckles took a deep breath, shattering the silence with the quiet thud of his own heart. He knew all about being alone, and he it wasn't a feeling he wanted to go back to.

Since he'd met Sonic and the others, he was seldom alone unless it was through his own design. Sonic often came and dragged him off on his many adventures, or Rouge swooped in with plans to snatch the Master Emerald. There were even days when Amy or Tails stopped by just to see how he was doing, just to talk. He'd never said anything, never showed it, but to tell the truth he'd been touched by these little gestures: the fact that they cared about him as more than just the muscle of the team, but as a friend. And now... Now, he was alone, and he had no say in the matter.

Shoving these thoughts aside, Knuckles reached out, his palm flattening against the cool cement, comforted by the sturdy surface. It reminded him that despite this lonely silence, he hadn't stumbled off the face of the planet. The world -whichever world it was -was still there, and so was he. The question was, were the others?

That light that I saw before I passed out... That was definitely Chaos Control. That he knew for sure, and if he had to guess, he'd say he'd been sent to a different world. Then again, that city looked pretty old fashioned... Maybe I was sent back in time? Sighing, he rubbed his head. Thinking about whether he'd been tossed dimensions or years away from the others, his home, and the Master Emerald was a stressful subject. The Master Emerald was his life. It was all he had left of his past, the object that had given him purpose all these years.

Except...

Except...

He was more than Guardian of the Master Emerald. He held more purpose than that. He was one of the heroes, like Sonic and Tails. He was protector of their home just as much as he was protector of his own home.

Getting home was a part of his drive, of course. Finding out where he was, getting to the Master Emerald and Angel Island too, but right now he had a different drive. And that was to find the others, his friends. His family.

Knuckles in Sonic X is a jerk- but he's also a butt monkey and I love him all the same. I couldn't help but make him more in touch with his Archie Comic/Sonic Heroes side here. I mean, he's gotta be a little concerned about his friends... Right? Even Knux ain't made of stone...

Again, sorry for the lateness! Please forgive meee!