Knuckles a Prisoner/If I Never Knew You

*(Back at the Azteca Village later, the Azteca Tribe warriors carried Seifer's lifeless body to Pachacamac and the villagers, and as some of the women sobbed at the sight of their beloved warrior now dead, the rest, on the other hand, were calmly shocked. Then Pachacamac got concerned)*

Pachacamac: How did this happen?

*(Then two Azteca Tribe warriors brought Knuckles, his hands now tied behind his back, up to Pachacamac roughly and forced him onto his knees to show their chief)*

Azteca Tribe warrior 1: It was because Tikal was out in the woods. After Seifer made Therru confess where Tikal went, we went after your daughter to make sure she was alright.

Azteca Tribe warrior 2: (Roughly holds Knuckles' head up to make him look at Pachacamac) And then this echidna outsider attacked them both and murdered Seifer in cold blood.

*(In the crowd, Therru is watching this in concern, then felt ashamed for letting both Tikal and Knuckles down. Pachacamac then looked at Therru in calm shock)*

Pachacamac: Is this true?

*(Therru didn't respond, just hung her head calmly in shame. Then getting calmly angry, now realizing that it is true, although the part with Knuckles murdering Seifer is not true, Pachacamac then turned to Knuckles and pointed his spear blade point near his neck in calm anger)*

Pachacamac: (In calm anger) Your weapons are strong, but now our anger is stronger.

Knuckles: (Trying to speak) But you don't under...!

Pachacamac: (To Knuckles) Silence! *(To his people)* At sunrise, he will be the first to die!

*(The Azteca Tribe, except the concerned Therru, whooped in cheers when it ended upon Tikal arriving in concern and sadness)*

Tikal: Father, listen...!

*(Then Pachacamac, upon hearing her, began scolding her sternly, his voice filled with calm rage over these events)*

Pachacamac: I told you to stay in the village, yet you disobeyed me. You have shamed your father and people!

Tikal: But that's not true! I was just trying to help what's best for both sides!

Pachacamac: (To Tikal) Yes, well, because of your foolishness, Seifer is dead! *(To the Azteca Tribe warriors holding Knuckles)* Take him away!

*(Then the Azteca Tribe returned to the village with the captive Knuckles in tow, leaving Tikal alone. Tikal collapsed on her knees in sadness and hung her head down in shame. Then someone approached her calmly; It was a guilt-filled Therru, feeling sorry for her)*

Tikal: (Sadly) I'm sorry Seifer made you confess.

Therru: (Nods in an understanding way) I know. I really did try to keep my promise to you like any friend would.

*(She kneels down to her)*

Therru: If I hadn't confessed, none of this would've happened.

Tikal: No, it's not your fault, it's mine. All of this happened because of me. And now I'll never see Knuckles again.

*(Feeling sorry for her even more, Therru then gently took Tikal's hand and she helped her up gently)*

Therru: Come with me.

*(Then they head for the village as well. In the village, they approach a lone teepee for prisoners in the corner, its entrance guarded by two Azteca Tribe warriors)*

Azteca Tribe warrior 1: May we help you both?

Tikal: Yes.

Therru: Tikal wishes to visit the outsider that killed Seifer.

Tikal: Just to say "Goodbye," alone.

*(After contemplating, the two Azteca Tribe warriors gave in calmly, stepping aside)*

Azteca Tribe warrior 1: Be quick.

Azteca Tribe warrior 2: And when you leave, we'll return.

*(Then with that, the two Azteca Tribe warriors left while Tikal and Therru approached the entrance. After Tikal opened the flap door, she and Therru then saw, to their calm sadness, Knuckles sitting in the center of the teepee, his hands tied behind his back to the wooden pole support in the middle of the teepee, his head hung down in calm shame. Sadness and guilt overcoming them, Tikal and Therru entered and while Therru stood back to watch in calm silence, Tikal approached Knuckles and kneeled down to his level. She then gently touched his cheek, getting his attention)*

Knuckles: (Calmly surprised upon noticing her) Tikal.

*(Then he noticed Therru standing nearby)*

Knuckles: And her friend.

*(Then Tikal, on the verge of crying calmly, hugs Knuckles)*

Tikal: (Whispering, voice breaking) I'm so sorry this happened.

Therru: (Agreeing) And I'm sorry for spilling the beans.

Knuckles: (Reassuringly) Hey, hey. You both don't blame yourselves. I’ve gotten out of worse scrapes than this. *(Shrugs in reassurance)* Can’t think of any right now, but….

*(Tikal ended her hug gently and hung her head in shame calmly, tears in her eyes)*

Tikal: (Tearfully) Maybe it would’ve been better if we’d never met, then none of this would’ve happened.

*(Seeing the tears and sadness in Tikal's eyes with a sympathetic Therru, Knuckles then spoke reassuringly again)*

Knuckles: Tikal, look at me.

*(She does as she lets out a calm sob)*

Knuckles: I’d rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you.

*(Tikal got calmly surprised. She looks at Therru, who grimly nods in agreement)*

Therru: He has a point.

*(Then as she stood back and then sat down silently, Therru watched as Knuckles begins singing to Tikal, who is calming her sadness down slowly)*

Knuckles: **If I never knew you**

**If I never felt this love**

**I would have no inkling of**

**How precious life can be**

**If I never held you**

**I would never have a clue**

**How at last I’d find in you**

**The missing part of me**

*(Then they noticed some shadows approaching the entrance, much to their concern, when they realized, to their relief, that it's Pikachu's group, Zazu, Meowth, and the Dazzlings coming in in calm silence and sadness, wishing to visit Knuckles one last time, which they let them as Knuckles continued singing)*

Knuckles: **In this world so full of fear**

**Full of rage and lies**

**I can see the truth so clear**

**In your eyes**

**So dry your eyes**

**And I’m so grateful to you**

**I’d have lived my whole life through**

**Lost forever, if I never knew you**

*(Tikal, feeling calmly somewhat better, wiped her tears away and gently nuzzled her forehead to Knuckles', which he does back at her. Seeing this with calm sad smiles, the Gangreen Gang and Dazzlings cuddled close to each other like any lovers would while Pikachu, Meowth, Zazu, and even Therru, with calm sad smiles, sheds a tear of their own and wiped them away. Then as soon as Knuckles finished singing, Tikal joined in, giving a sad smile and, with Knuckles, looked up at the starry nightsky above the teepee's opened sunroof from the support pole Knuckles is tied to)*

Tikal: **I thought our love would be so beautiful**

**Somehow we’d make the whole world bright**

**I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong**

**All they’d leave us were these whispers in the night**

**But still my heart is saying we were right**

*(Then they reminisce the good times they had together, from the day they first met to possibly their last tender moment at Starfire's glen)*

Tikal and Knuckles: **For if I never knew you**

**(There’s no moment I regret)**

**If I never knew this love**

**(Since the moment that we met)**

**I would have no inkling of**

**(If our time has gone too fast)**

**How precious life can be**

**(I’ve lived at last)**

*(Back in the present, Tikal and Knuckles finished looking up at the sky and then Therru, Pikachu's group, Zazu, Meowth, and the Dazzlings spoke up)*

Therru: Tikal?

Zazu, Meowth, Gangreen Gang, and Dazzlings: We have to go now.

Pikachu: (Calmly nods in agreement) Pika.

*(Tikal, knowing they're right, then looked at Knuckles in sadness)*

Tikal: I can’t leave you.

Knuckles: (Reassuringly) You never will. No matter what happens to me, I’ll always be with you. Forever.

*(Giving a sad smile, glad to hear that, Tikal then, in calm reluctance with Pikachu's group, Zazu, Meowth, the Dazzlings, and even Therru, left Knuckles alone in the prisoner teepee and left the village secretly. In the prisoner teepee after watching them leave, Knuckles then gave a sad smile, and looked up at the nightsky again as he resumed singing)*

Knuckles: **And I’m so grateful to you**

**I’d have lived my whole life through**

**Empty as the sky**

*(At the river, Tikal's group, including Therru, are gently rowing in Tikal and Therru's canoes to Starfire's glen as Tikal joined in the song separately from Knuckles in calm sadness)*

Tikal: **Never knowing why**

*(Then Tikal looked down at the river's water at her reflection, and envisioned Knuckles, in calm politeness, holding his hand out to her, as if wanting to take her hand and kiss it, and this time, unlike when she envisioned Seifer before, she calmly and politely accepted)*

Tikal and Knuckles: **Lost forever**

**If I never knew you**

*(Then in the imagination in the reflection as soon as the song ended, Knuckles politely kissed Tikal's hand, leaving some ripples from the wind, as if responding to the kiss, and then his image vanished, ending the imagination. Then with that, Tikal's group, including Therru, in calm sadness, headed their way to Starfire's glen)*

***Coming up: After Tombo returns to the Jamestown settlement and reports Knuckles getting captured by the Azteca Tribe, Dick then decides, for the sake of the gold, to lead his army, including a reluctant and remorseful Tombo, into war to "Rescue Knuckles" and take the gold. At the same time, the Azteca Tribe are also getting ready for war against the settlers and Knuckles' upcoming sunrise execution. Then, Tikal, thanks to her group and Starfire's encouragement, will make a surprise discovery and realization regarding her mysterious dream and decides to put an end to the upcoming war and save Knuckles, now understanding her true path. But will she and her group succeed?***