Work Text:
Knuckles never knew why they always followed Citrón. They just felt a deep, innate desire to go after him, wherever he went. Neither of them denied this action, and neither did anyone else. So when the pull of Chaos energy (the kind that had been described to them as a child) flooded their body they couldn't believe what they were considering.
Knuckles swore that they would never leave Citrón and that Citrón would never leave them. They made that promise 10 years ago when they first arrived at the arena, that they would never let each other be alone again. That while Knuckles earned both their keep in the ring, Citrón would always cheer from the pit. That when the sun finally set and the mess hall was flooded with hungry competitors and their medics, that they'd sit together, trade food, and laugh about nothing.
Knuckles came to the conclusion that they could bring their friend to the source of it. This was a quick decision because the signal was brief and nobody knew if it was a one-time event. Of course, Citrón looked out for Knuckles better than he looked out for himself and readily accepted. The dog knew they both needed a break. They found their guards unconscious upon arriving, seemingly thanks to a strange, bald creature with admittedly impressive muzzle fur. Or whatever that bristly thing was.
Knuckles easily got what they wanted out of this man, apparently called Robotnik. The origin of the Chaos-infused quill he sent a signal with came from a planet called Earth. The quill itself came from a "blue menace", as Robotnik labeled them. And when Knuckles saw this blue menace, they became even more determined to find the Master Emerald. This… hedgehog was the apprentice of Longclaw, the last owl warrior. And he had been the one to lead their tribe to their death, and to his own abandonment. Knuckles never gave Citrón the full details, but the last owl had apparently gotten Knuckles' father killed, and that was enough to get him angry, too.
Knuckles trusted him. When they found the hedgehog at his house, they mistakenly told the doctor about the ultimate power the Master Emerald holds, and that became his only object. Robotnik, Citrón, and Knuckles followed Sonic (and his new friend, a fox,) into a temple in Siberia, littered with owl imagery. They got what they wanted, a compass to an underwater maze. Robotnik's genius had gotten them through the traps, while Sonic's speed and reflexes got him out alive. (..barely.) While the three Mobians fought each other for the Emerald, they completely tuned out the doctor greedily circling the glowing gem. It was only when Sonic (who was about to be crushed) yelled a warning to his assailant that the duo turned around. Robotnik touched the emerald, and disappeared in a flash of green lightning, taking the temple down.
Knuckles was going to drown. A pillar had fallen on top of them, trapping them under the steadily rising water. (If it wasn't for the fleeting oxygen and debilitating head wound, they easily could've lifted it.) So Citrón dove after them. It's not like he could lift it either but there's no harm in trying, right? Sonic came after him. With the three of them lifting the pillar, Knuckles slipped out and started swimming upwards, led by Citrón. When the two got to stable(?) ground, they realized the hedgehog was missing. Knuckles would have cared less, on any other occasion. But Citrón's gasp and their own honor led them both to dive after the enemy and lift him out of the water before he could drown.
Knuckles was confused. They could understand Citrón saving them, but why did Sonic? And why had they saved the hedgehog in return? Sonic explained how they could both find a better life on Earth, and how neither of them had to be alone again. How being a hero means taking care of others, and whatever a "Wachowski Family Special" is. (Did Sonic ever tell them what that was?) The fox appeared from the clouds in a (stolen) plane, apparently having woken up after the explosion in Siberia. The propellers roared in the distance, and before they knew it, Citrón was holding out his hand, Sonic babbling and cheering for Tails in the background. And Knuckles followed Citrón.
Knuckles ran alongside their newest allies, Citrón in hand. They just discussed the plan, for Sonic and Citrón to distract Eggman, and for Tails and Knuckles to get in the giant robot and get the Master Emerald out of the doctor. Citrón didn't have the speed that Sonic had, but they could pull a pincer if they worked together. Robotnik got himself caught in the taunting trap, both boys angering him to no end. Knuckles and Tails wormed their way into the robot, the fox and his holograms messing with Eggman while the echidna snuck around his back. Taunting him one last time, Knuckles punched the Master Emerald right out of his body. The robot lost its power source and crashed to the ground, taking both boys with it. This plan was working pretty well, except for everyone forgetting that the doctor was a genius and had backup power. (In hindsight, the echidna thought this development should've been obvious.)
Knuckles scanned the field for the dog or the hedgehog. The scene was littered with rubble, the robot having crashed through a bridge and taking Sonic and Citrón with it. Upon finding him, the orange dog seemed merely roughed up, not nearly as bad as Sonic. He was was injured, and it looked like his only object was the Emerald. In his crawling toward the jewel, he seemed to not notice the giant fucking robot about to crush him. Thank Chaos for his parents (they were his parents, right?) in human transport grabbing him at the last second.
Knuckles, holding Citrón at their side, refused to let themselves tremble in fear as Sonic held tight to Lady Pretzels and The Lord of Donuts. The Master Emerald's dull shards laid on the ground and mixed with the smaller Chaos Emeralds inside. A ring of fire stopped all three bystanders from saving the three trapped inside. The robot let his foot down on the happy family, crushing them. Or so they all thought.
Knuckles watched in awe as Sonic, having absorbed the awesome powers of the Emerald, flew into the air and glittered gold. Robotnik tried retaliating with a fist, but the hedgehog blocked it with one hand, never flinching. Within seconds, he had decimated the robot and it fell to the ground with the doctor in tow. However, the echidna knew to be cautious. The fearsome power of the Emerald changed Sonic, as it often did to its holders. They held back both humans from touching the hedgehog, not wanting anyone to get hurt. Sonic reached to the sky and summoned a thundering cloud, a…chili dog coming down? They had heard of these. One flew down from the sky and landed on their face. Obviously, he hadn't changed a bit. Citrón giggled as Knuckles wiped their face.
Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic wondered about how they all would protect the Master Emerald now that they have it. Citrón was a short distance away holding his ribs, and the echidna worried about him. However, they decided to focus on the new order of heroes that would use the Emerald's ability for good, and the…power bump? They "power bumped" with their new friends and vowed to protect the Emerald and the world from those who would use it for evil, like Robotnik.
Knuckles stepped up to a white plate on the ground with a wooden stick in their hand. They still had no idea what was going on, and it seemed Citrón didn't either. He sat at an amplifying device hesitantly reading a script Sonic wrote for him to read. Announcing both Knuckles and Tails' appearances, the hedgehog shot him a thumbs-up and instructed the echidna once more about how to play this game called base of ball. It has bases and a ball, so Knuckles decided it was well named. This should be easy. They power bumped the ball and tossed down the stick, very happy with themselves! They began to run around the bases, announcing their victories as Citrón cheered for him. Eventually, they finished running around and came back to the start, the dog offering them his hand for another new gesture, a high-five. Their hands met, Citrón interlocking their fingers and leading them back to the human transport.
Knuckles was surprised to hear that Lady Pretzels and The Lord of Donuts had offered to let all newcomers stay at their house, at which everyone cringed at the sight of. Sonic had forgotten to tell them, hadn't he? The upstairs was unaffected, however. Citrón was offered a bed, but he instead chose to stay with Knuckles in the mattress they were offered. The adults were taken off guard, but allowed it. Which was quite convenient, considering that this has been a very bad couple of days for them and they were very tired and they couldn't sleep right without Citrón. So they laid together on the thin mattress with a thick and fluffy blanket to make up for it, with the Master Emerald between them.
Knuckles just realized something. Sure, it took a life threatening event to make them see it, but they see it all the less. They don't really know Citrón. And Citrón doesn't know them. They spent almost 11 years and thousands of nights sleeping in the same bed and they don't know a damned thing about eachother.
"What's your favorite color?"
The question caught Knuckles off guard, but they thought about it for a second.
"Um… Green. Wait no, uh.. purple. Wait, like, oh, like a…bright orange?"
"What's your favorite animal here?"
"Horses. They're so strong, like me."
"What's your favorite food?"
"Grapes."
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"I do not know. Everything? Is that an answer?"
Knuckles sighed and held Citrón and the Emerald closer, then repeated the answer.
"Everything."