(Disclaimerrr~) (This uses the legacy version of Curse's lore, basically outdated since a newer lore is in HEAVY Work In Progress, alongside other aspects of the legacy version) (BUT YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT, DIDN'T YOU??!?!?!?!?!?!?)

The grass was soon green... Green Hill was so quiet, and he was so loved! So were his friends, his pals... his buddies. Their heroic acts made them the way they were, foiling Eggman's plans every time he tried them, with more or less difficulty. The job was done, either way. He could remember running in Green Hill, exploring new sections, and overall, enjoying his time there. The thrill of being the fastest thing alive, knowing how... untouchable he was, cocky, condescending, but at the end of the day... friendly. It was like there was no other place better than this... no other place that made him feel like he belonged.

But alas... he didn't know what was to come, and how everything would spiral downward. The landslide. Unsuspecting, unstoppable... it shattered everything. Knuckles was gone beneath the rubble, suffering the fate of death, while he had only suffered injuries to his legs. He wasn't so fast anymore, and even if he tried, he couldn't risk further damage to his legs, not anymore. He was so loved, his friends, his pals... his buddies. And now, he was so hated. The world turned on him: blurting accusations, sidelong glances, and Tai–.... Myla, stalking him, deadnaming him, poisoning every memory. Myla's rejection cut deeper than anything else, not to mention what he did to Eggman... and the rest afterward. Maybe she was right... Maybe he really was to blame.

.....

No. It wasn't his fault. He doesn't deserve any of this. He knew that much, though he really hoped things could have gone differently, a different timeline where they weren't so... narrow-minded. 'Surely, my future won't be too bad,' he assumes. As these thoughts ran through his head, going between guilt, remembrance, and sometimes irritation, he sat up, relaxed at the riverside, away from his home, away from Green Hill, just somewhere away from the Mobians. This place seemed to clear his mind, among the other areas he's seen. Curse lifted himself from the surface, a smooth pebble in hand, a symbol of his life from then to now; its smoothness, yet cold and solid.

He flicked it across the water, watching as it skipped off the surface, the ups and downs of his life, yet remained steady as it bounced further. Then, the pebble lost its momentum, sinking into the water. Just like him... he came to think of it as his future, a challenge, or something of his own doing. Curse lowered his arms, now looking at the horizon as he slowly sat himself back down. Maybe the drop was a challenge, but a challenge he can tackle and soon move on from. Hopefully.