Another year and a half went by and quite a lot of progress happened in that time frame. The Mane Six continued to improve on mending their friendship and they grew closer as time went on. Of course, there were still bumps in the road when times got tough, but they stuck to the vow they made and got through it without issues. Also, they went through some crazy adventures in that time frame as well. They were able to stop and reform Starlight Glimmer, have Twilight's niece Flurry Heart stop an entire snowstorm in the Crystal Empire and defeating Queen Chrysalis for the second time in four years.

All of this had occurred in three years since Knuckles had left them all and it kept them quite busy, but now with things settling down, it made them wonder a bit. Today was special though. It would be the Summer Sun Celebration once again to celebrate the defeat of Nightmare Moon, or rather, the reunion between Celestia and Luna. That's what it now represented after the Mane Six brought Luna back to Celestia from the darkness over seven years ago. However, this celebration takes a lot of time to prepare, so all of Equestria had to come to this event to help set it up when the first day of summer rolls around. It just so happens that this celebration is always on the first day of summer, which is the longest day of the year if you think about it.

Twilight was busy overlooking the setup going on and she was trying to figure out how to make this look the best. She turned to Starlight and asked "Hey Starlight, do you know where these tapestries would look the best at?"

Starlight thought about it and said "I would say to take those tapestries and hang them on both sides of the stage for the extra effect."

Twilight thought how that would look and said "I think you're right, Starlight. That would fit the entire theme for this year." She hung up the tapestries on both sides of the stage and took a good look at it. She was satisfied with it and walked away. As she was walking, she started thinking about Knuckles slightly. She really wished he was here for all this because there was so much to tell him that he had missed over the last three years, but she knew that it was a lost cause. He died three years ago, he would definitely not show up now. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for her and her friends to live and they were eternally grateful for it. He died so that they may live.

Rainbow saw Twilight's slight downcast look and asked "Hey Twilight, what's with the sad look?"

Twilight sighed and said "I know it sounds incredibly stupid of me to be even thinking about this, but Knuckles has still been on my mind." At that point, the rest of her friends had showed up and they noticed the same thing.

Applejack said "Ya miss him, don't ya?"

Twilight nodded and Rarity said "Darling, it's been three years since he left us all. We had all agreed to honor his wish and stay together so that Equestria doesn't lose it's greatest line of defense, but it makes it difficult when it bothers you this much."

Twilight sighed again and said "I know, I know. But I still wish he was here. So much has happened since he was gone and I want him to hear all of it. I know that nothing can be done about it, but I still think he was taken away cruelly from this world. He did not deserve to die that way."

Applejack said "And we don't disagree with ya Sugarcube, but we can't dwell on it forever. We all wished he was still here, but he died for a reason. He did so 'cause he cared about all of us and he didn't want to see Equestria fall. Of course, he wouldn't admit that to us, but that's the reality of it. It doesn't mean we forget about him, but we can let him hold us back, if that makes sense."

Twilight looked up at the group with hope and said "Thank you. I needed to hear that. I guess as long as I have my friends with me, then we'll be able to get through any challenge." The group nodded in agreement and they went to continue to set up.

Up in the castle, Celestia and Luna were watching the event being put together and ponies working to get it to the best as they could possibly could. Luna noticed that Celestia had a forlorn look on her face and asked "Sister, what is troubling you? I can tell that something is wrong."

Celestia sighed and said "I don't know, Luna. Something seems off about this day. I'm glad that the two of us are reunited again after so many years, but seeing how Twilight was feeling earlier makes me concerned. It makes me sad that she was sad. It's still really hard for her not to think about Knuckles, and I don't blame her. When something like that happens to you, it completely changes who you are. I just hope that she can stay strong and not completely crumble."

Luna looked at her older sister and said "Sister, Twilight will be fine. She has her friends to support her through this and they have each other. They have proven that their friendship is inseparable and they have only gotten closer as time has gone on. Also, it's been three years and she's been doing fine. There is no reason to worry. Things will be alright in the end."

Celestia sighed again and said "I hope you're right, Luna. I hope we're all right."

The day continued to go on and into the night where ponies were up the entire time still preparing for the big celebration. There was a figure in the shadows that was watching everything go on and he sighed. He said to himself "I really hope this works. It's been three years since anyone has last seen me anywhere and the last time they did, they had to watch me supposedly "perish" at the hands of some ugly Centaur. They thankfully honored my wish, but I hope they would welcome me again with open arms after what I did to them." He turned around and vanished from the area.

5:00 AM rolled around soon enough and all of Equestria were sitting together in the stands. They were murmuring to themselves about how excited they were for the event and soon, the trumpets sounded off and everyone looked towards the stage. They saw Celestia, Luna, and Twilight take the stage and get into their respective positions. The trumpet sounds died down and Celestia walked towards the crowd.

She said "We are here to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration once again for another year and to welcome the first day of Summer. As we all know, this holiday was created after the defeat of Nightmare Moon, but thanks to Princess Twilight and her friends, it became a celebration of the return of my sister, Princess Luna, and our happy reunion. Without further ado, I hereby decree the start of Summer 2017!" The crowd gave loud cheers and Luna flew up into the sky to lower the Moon. Celestia took that as her cue and flew up to raise the Sun.

Everypony watched the Sunrise with amazement and Twilight pulled her stunt that she did in the Season 4 premiere over three years ago. She landed and she smiled at the two princesses. They went off the stage and Twilight said "For centuries, this holiday was always a solemn one, but for the last seven years, it has become a celebration of the reunion of the two rulers of Equestria. We also look forward to first day of summer here in the year 2017 and we can celebrate another year. Take this moment to appreciate the family you have because it won't last forever. It can be taken away from you in a heartbeat."

The crowd started murmuring to each other and it left Twilight confused. She was wondering why they were all whispering to each other and then she saw them have a shocked look on their faces. Twilight took that as an opportunity to turn around and she saw Knuckles standing right there with the Sun shining down on him. There he was. Standing right there behind her. He had a slight smile on his face and he said "I'm back."

Twilight couldn't believe it for a second and she didn't know what to do. She asked "K-Knuckles? Is... that really you?"

Knuckles chuckled a bit and said "It's me. I have returned." Twilight was overjoyed to hear that news and she tackled him to the ground in a hug. The crowd roared with cheers and Knuckles finally stood up.

Twilight looked at him with excitement and asked "H-how are you alive? I thought you were dead! I literally saw you get blasted to death by Tirek's magic!"

Knuckles chuckled some more and said "I'll tell you a little later." Twilight had the tears running down her face out of happiness, but there was one thing she had to do first. She put her hoof back and slapped him across the face. That caught him off guard and he said "OW! What the heck did you do that for?!"

Twilight looked at him with pain in her eyes and said "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Knuckles sighed and said "I guess I deserved that. Twilight, I want to sincerely apologize to you and your friends for my disappearance over three years ago. I never intended to dismantle your friendship nor ruin the fate of Equestria. I have no excuse for doing that and I'm deeply ashamed in myself. I was a coward and a fraud and I should have never put you through that pain. With that, I hope you can understand that and eventually find your way to forgive me someday."

Twilight still felt quite upset at him for putting her through emotional turmoil like that, but she could tell that he was genuinely sorry for what he did and he tried to make up for it. Twilight broke out a smile and said "I already forgive you." She hugged him again with a tighter grip this time and soon, Knuckles returned the hug.

Afterwards, Knuckles met up with rest of the Mane Six and he told them all the story of how he faked his death and escaped at the last moment. All of them were shocked to say the least and their minds were officially blown. Rainbow asked "So, you're telling me you rolled out of the way at the last second and got inside your vehicle to fly away without getting caught?!" Knuckles nodded and Rainbow said "That's awesome!"

Knuckles chuckled and said "That pathetic Centaur seriously thought he could take out someone like me, but he was wrong. I might have been beaten down, but I was never out. That fool could never truly defeat me anyways. I only made him believe that he had won." The group gave some loud cheers with that statement and they spent some more time together.

Eventually, Knuckles went up to Celestia and Luna and said "Your Highnesses, I sincerely want to apologize for my crappy behavior towards you two and I'm ready for whatever punishment you have for my crimes."

That threw off Celestia and she asked with a raised brow "Your crimes?"

Knuckles said "Yeah, you know, all the stuff I did. The abductions, attempted first degree murder, property damage, and assault. Surely, no one would let someone walk free like that after committing that many crimes against the crown." He wasn't entirely wrong because with that many bad things done by someone, that could serve you some time in prison.

Celestia seemed to get the idea and said "Oh I see. Normally, you would be correct, you would have to serve time, but a certain somepony was willing to bail you out of it in exchange for something else." Knuckles seemed confused for a second, but then, he had a giant rock thrown at him from the back which definitely did not feel nice. He turned around and saw the Mane Six laughing which made him slightly grumpy, but he knew it was coming.

He said "I guess I deserved that too. I was really that terrible, wasn't I? Anyway, who decided to bail me out?"

Celestia said "Look behind you."

Knuckles turned around and saw Twilight smiling brightly at him which allowed him to connect the dots. He said "You were willing to bail me out?" Twilight nodded and Knuckles was left speechless. He asked "Why?"

Twilight smiled and said "Because I believe all creatures deserve a second chance no matter what sins they may have committed in the past. You are no exception."

Knuckles didn't know what to say. Here he was committing so many sins and he was let go by the Princess of Friendship bailing him out. The amount of kindness she showed him blew him away and he didn't know how to react. After a few seconds, he hugged Twilight with a firm grip, but not too tightly, and he shed a few tears in the process. To him, it felt like walking out of federal prison and feeling the Sun for the first time in years. He looked at her and said "Thank you. Nothing I do could ever show how much I'm grateful for you doing this for me."

Twilight smiled and said "You are welcome." Knuckles set her down and he was still trying to take it all in. But soon, that turned to joy and he started shouting expressions of excitement like he was just healed from being unable to walk and moving on his feet for the first time. Some time passed to where Knuckles turned around and asked "What are the conditions I must follow?"

Twilight said "In exchange for you being a free man, you must study friendship. I'm not saying you must live in Ponyville, but you would come as often as you could to learn about it to the fullest extent and tell me your findings in however way possible."

Knuckles thought about it and then said "That seems like a fair trade to me. Although, I must warn you, I'm so rusty at it that I don't even know where to start."

Starlight came over and said to him "I've been in the exact same boat you were in. Trust me, they'll set you on the right track."

Knuckles seemed satisfied with that and the group caught him up to speed on what had happened in the three years he was gone. After they told him that, it left him in a whirlwind and he was left speechless most of the time. He couldn't believe that he missed that much in three years, but then he figured that was what happens when you rarely leave the city of Baltimare.

Some more time passed and Twilight had an idea. She knew about Knuckles' musical talents and guitar skills, so she wanted him to put on a concert showing it off to everypony. Knuckles objected to this idea at first, but after some strong convincing from Twilight, he agreed to do it. He never had done this before and it left him very nervous, but he must not show weakness to anyone. He let out a sigh and pulled out his electric guitar.

This was his favorite song from Skillet and he figured it would fit for his big return to Equestria. He sung the song with passion and jammed out to his heart's content. Everypony was amazed at his brilliant singing voice and amazing guitar skills and they listened intently. At this point, Knuckles didn't care what the audience was thinking, he was just focused on this song. This was a tribute to everyone he was close to in his life: his grandparents, David, and Maddi. If they were here right now, they would all be proud of him. After he concluded the song, he looked at the crowd and they all erupted with cheers.

It left Knuckles stunned that everypony was cheering him on. He was sure that there would be at least some boos because of the style of music being played, but not one could be heard. He smiled and said "You all like that one?" They all shouted yes very loudly and Knuckles had an even bigger smile on his face. He said "Alright then, well I got another one for you that I'll think you'll like." He changed the tune on his guitar and started playing it again.

Even though Skillet was his favorite rock band to listen to, he still liked Thousand Foot Krutch very much and he would play songs from them as well. Once again, everypony was amazed at Knuckles' singing voice and guitar skills and they were fully enjoying it. Most of them even joined in with the singing and sang along as well. Twilight was also amazed and she was excited that she was able to see Knuckles play and sing for the first time in her life. Her friends told her that he was good, but she didn't think he was this great. Nothing could ever compare to something like this. After the song was over, the crowd erupted with loud cheers and Knuckles waved his left hand as he left the stage.

The Mane Six met up with him and Rainbow said "That was awesome! That was the greatest performance I have ever seen in my entire life!"

Applejack said "That was some mighty fine work for ya, fella. From the guitar skills to the singin' voice, it did not disappoint."

Rarity said "Darling, you simply must tell me how you were able to perform like that! That was the first time I have ever seen somepony perform that well and you could even be part of the Canterlot Orchestra with how well you were playing."

Pinkie said "Best concert ever!" No one was surprised by that reaction because well, that's what Pinkie always does.

Fluttershy said "That was a great performance Knuckles. You should express your talents more often."

Finally, Twilight said "Words cannot describe how great of a performance you put on, Knuckles. I don't even know what to say. When my friends told me that you were amazing at singing and playing the guitar, they were definitely not lying. You have an extraordinary gift and you should take that to heart."

Knuckles smiled a bit and said "Thanks guys. It was always something that I kept to myself for years, but I now see that everyone here also seems to enjoy it, so I might do this more often. Who knows? You'll just have to wait and see." For Knuckles, this was considered untapped potential and it could turn into something great if given some time. He thought that ponies would reject it, but so far, they seemed to love it which definitely boosted his confidence. So, whatever he does, he knows that he has the support of six ponies behind him.

Author's Note

AN: Well, we've reached the end of another chapter fellas! How did you like that grand entrance? I'm sure most of you saw it coming, but for those of you that didn't, this is what happened. Things have definitely settled down and are heading in the right direction, but there is some more left to go before we are finished. It doesn't have a romance tag for no reason. Hint for upcoming chapters. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Next Chapter: Friendship lessons! After agreeing to learn friendship in exchange for being a free man, Knuckles frequently travels to Ponyville to reexamine what friendship really was to him and how it's affected him. However, he starts to get weird feelings in his stomach anytime he is around Twilight, so he goes to Cadence to figure out what is going on. Will she be able to give him an adequate answer, or will Knuckles have to face this one alone on the road?

Until then, my fellow readers