"You mean to tell me you willingly started a 5-year relationship with me, accepted my marriage proposal, and made me sign a prenup just so you could CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF THE MASTER EMERALD?!"

Knuckles stood there in his fancy tuxedo, outraged.

"Well, what did you expect, Knux? That I suddenly found your cocky attitude and penchant for stubbornness to be more irresistibly charming than any of my precious gems?"

Rouge was wearing the fanciest bride's dress in all of Mobius, while holding a bouquet of expensive pink flowers with a blue center that glistened like the jewels his bride so desired.

Knuckles was holding back tears. "I thought you'd changed… Even this setting for our wedding…"

He gazed around as they all stood in the center of the ruined temple on Angel Island, where the Master Island stood proudly glistening on top.

"Was that seriously not your first clue?"

"I THOUGHT YOU CHOSE IT BECAUSE YOU KNEW HOW SPECIAL THIS PLACE IS TO ME!"

"Tsk tsk, so narrow minded… But that's what I love about you, you big red honeybun."

"SHUT UP!" Knuckles snapped at her. "You don't love me! I thought somebody finally cared about ol' Knuckles! I thought I finally had something else in life to strive for besides just guarding the last treasured symbol of my ancestors…"

"Oh Knux…" Rogue said softly. "I'm sorry that this feels such a betrayal to you. Y'know, I hate to admit it but…"

The winged bat began to look very downtrodden.

"…I wasn't lying about my love for you. At some point in those five years… it stopped being pretending. The love became real."

A tear fell down her cheek.

"I realize now, gathered here in front of all our dearest companions that… that this was never about finally nabbing the Emerald. I may have loved collecting precious jewels my whole life since I was little but… this feeling. Being here with you. In your loving embrace. As your loyal wife. I think it almost takes up just a huge a place in my heart now as some big dumb green Emerald could ever hope to…"

"Awww. Do you—do you really mean that, batgirl?"

Rouge nodded with a pout lip.

Knuckles sighed. "I'm sorry… I should've trusted how serious your feelings for me became. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. … I love you too, Rouge."

Smiling, Rouge tossed away her bouquet.

"Aww, come here and give us a kiss."

Knuckles and Rouge leaned in, and slowly but surely… their muzzles touched. The two Mobians shared a deep, passionate kiss symbolizing their newfound love and all the hopes and dreams they were ready to share in their new life together.

All of Knuckles' rage was gone. He didn't know why he had ever doubted the love of his life for even a second.

He slowly opened his eyes, mesmerized in how wonderfully intoxicating that kiss was…

…that it took him a second to realize his bride was suddenly gone, nobody here but the incredibly flustered officiator.

"Wh—"

And another second to realize the Master Emerald was gone too.

"HEY!"

The echidna quickly climbed up to the highest pillar of the island, where he spotted a certain somebody triumphantly flying away with the huge asset she now had legal heirship to.

"YOU TWO-TIMING MINX!"

"Well, I did say our love 'almost' mattered as much, didn't I?" Rouge rolled her eyes. She turned back briefly to blow her husband a kiss. "See you on our honeymoon, sugar."

"You get back here right now!" Knuckles instantly took off gliding after his wife. "We're going to negotiate custody over MY Emerald so hard you won't even have the right to look at it!"

And so off the happy new couple did fly away… leaving behind Sonic, Tails, Amy, Shadow, E-123 Omega, and a whole bevy of other very confused and embarrassed wedding guests.

"Well, that was more interesting than I thought going to a wedding was gonna be!" Sonic shrugged.

Tails turned to Sonic. "Do you… think we still get to eat the cake?"

Sonic was about to answer, when suddenly a certain pink-haired girl caught his elbow.

"SONIC!" Amy screeched excitedly, holding something. "Look who just caught the bouquet! You know what they say about whoever catches the bouquet, is the next one to have a super-cute wedding, right?"

Amy giggled while fluttering her eyelashes lovingly at the blue hedgehog.

"…Oh, geez."