//------------------------------// // The Adventures of Knuckles and Daring Do // Story: Sonic and Equestria Girls // by SonicAKG //------------------------------// The Adventures of Knuckles and Daring Do Angel Island was a gigantic floating island high in the sky above the clouds. It was normally a secure and tranquil place, housing a large amount of vegetation all around which could easily be seen and plenty of wild life as well. The island was vast and contained many different areas on it. One certain place was the Hidden Palace. It was a hidden chamber located deep within the Island. It was a dark blue area with a smooth green road with purple rocks in the background. It's most notable aspect was what it was home to. In the center of it was gigantic golden shrine which held an enormous green emerald. This was known as the Master Emerald, an object of immeasurable power and the artifact keeping Angel Island floating. Standing in front of the shrine with his arms crossed was its guardian, Knuckles. "(It's good to spend some time here with the Master Emerald. I can leave it here hidden where no one knows while I'm away, but it's important to check in every now and then. Productive use of a weekend if you ask me.)" Knuckles thought to himself. "(Besides, being the near Emerald itself is quite calming.)" Knuckles stood guard for a while, not really expecting anything as he just stared out into space for a while. Things were pretty uneventful until Knuckles heard a small buzzing sound around him. The buzzing grew louder and louder and the source revealed itself to be a group of flies. The flies swarmed around him and Knuckles tried his best to ignore them but the buzzing was getting noisier, much to Knuckles irritation. Knuckles tried to keep his patience, but as he kept hearing the buzzing, he eventually lost it. "Ugh, stupid flies." Knuckles said as he tried to swat them away but the flies moved away from it. The buzzing continued and Knuckle sighed in annoyance. "Just get lost already!" Knuckles snapped as he kept trying to hit the flies away but they just moving around. The flies buzzing grew much more rapid an aggressive and they eventually started to swarm around Knuckles. "Hey! Get away from me!" Knuckles said as he flailed his fist around and moved. The flies were directly in his face, so he couldn't exactly see where he was going. Knuckles started moving his arms around more aggressively. He tumbled back and as he did, Knuckles felt his fist collide slightly with something as they scraped a bit of a surface as there was the sound of something being chipped. As he heard this, his eyes widened out loud and the flies flew off, clearing his vision. Knuckles looked out and saw that by mistake, he had taken a small piece of the Master Emerald off from it as the small shard floated above and glowed green. "Oh, no."Knuckles said in a small voice as he facepalmed. The piece of the Emerald began to rise higher into the air before it sped away at light speed and exited the Hidden Palace with a green trail, leaving behind Knuckles as his shoulders sank. "Great, this is just great. I guard the emerald and I end up being the one who endangers it." He said, clearly embarrassed at what he had done. He then lifted his face up. "Well, as it's guardian, it's up to me find the piece back." Knuckles stated as he put his fist together. He then headed for the exit of the Hidden Palace. Down in the city of Canterlot, Knuckles was gliding above it. It was quite busy during the weekend with people moving on the sidewalks and cars moving past. Knuckles was quite high, so he wasn't noticed. As he left the outskirts of the city, he then saw a red house with a large red barn behind it. It was Sweet Apple Acres, home to AppleJack. She was outside, carrying a basket of apples as she walked to the back entrance of her house. Knuckles then descended down a few feet behind her before he landed on the ground. "AppleJack." Knuckles said as she turned around to see him. "Knuckles? What the hay are you doing here? Didn't you say that you would be guardin' that Master Emerald of yers?" AppleJack asked. "Yes...."Knuckles began as he rubbed the back of his neck. "About that, there's been a...complication." "Whaddya mean? What's wrong?" She questioned. "Ahem. Due to an....um, incident, a shard of the Emerald has gone missing, so I need to find it." He explained in an awkward manner. "Only a shard? How in the hay did that happen?" AppleJack asked. "Like I said. It was complicated. Anyway, I just wanted to let you-" Knuckles said before he was interrupted by Rainbow Dash's voice. "Hey, AppleJack as you coming with us to the mall or what?" Rainbow Dash asked as she, Sonic and Tails walked through AJ's house and opened the back door. They all stopped in their tracks when they saw Knuckles, much to his dismay. He really didn't want to see Sonic in a situation like this. "Knuckles? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be watching the Master Emerald?" Sonic brought up. "Well, you see....there's been a problem." Knuckles slowly said. "What else is new?" Sonic sarcastically responded "Give me a break. Anyway, I was just telling AppleJack that a piece has gone missing and I need to find it. I might be gone for a few days at most." Knuckles informed them. "Only a piece?" Tails said as he lifted an eyebrow. "That's what I was wonderin' to." AppleJack explained. "Isn't it like guarded in some kind of hidden chamber? What could go wrong there?" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Care to explain Knucklehead?" Sonic said quizzically as he crossed his arms. Knuckles was in a tight position. He couldn't exactly tell them how the emerald piece had disappeared. That would be way too embarrassing and Sonic teased him enough already. "What is this? 50 questions?"Knuckles quickly said. "Look, I just wanted to let you guys know I might not be around for a bit. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find the shard soon." "Ok then, Knux. But are ya sure ya don't want any help?" AppleJack offered. "I appreciate the offer, but the Master Emerald is my responsibility. I have to take care of this." Knuckles insisted. "All right, if that's ya want.. Good luck and be careful." AppleJack told him. "Yeah, see ya later Knux." Sonic said as he gave him a farewell salute. "Thanks. Hopefully, I'll shouldn't be gone for too long." Knuckles said as he jumped towards the rooftop of AppleJacks house. He then leaped a few feet in the air and began to glide as his friends watched him take off. Almost a day and a half had passed since Knuckles had left Canterlot. He glided over an entire overgrown rainforest covered completely by tall grassy trees. He could sense the movement of Emerald shards but due to the fact that it was one piece, the signal was faint and he could barely keep track of it. So far, he hadn't had much luck. "(It's a lot easier to track the emeralds energy when there's so many of them. The signals too scarce for me to make any actual progress. But I have to find it. Especially since this is my fault in the first place. How could I be so reckless?)" Knuckles thought as he formed a glum look on his face. However, he then shook his head to snap out of it. "(No time for moping around. I have to do my duty as guardian)" Knuckles decided. Knuckles then felt a sharp sense in his head, catching his attention. "(The signals getting stronger. I better get down.)" Knuckles realized as he began to come down inside the rainforest. In the forest, Knuckles noticed it was a damp, swampy area covered with thick branches, vines, leaves, and trees. It had a few small bodies of water as well as he began to move through it. It was an area known as the Mystic Ruins. "Never thought I'd visit this place again." Knuckle said out loud as he walked through the jungle. "Though I admit, even if the emeralds signal is stronger and I am familiar with this place, it's so crowded and huge that searching might take a while. Knuckles then began to follow where he could feel the emeralds signal getting closer. It was still the same as before, but he was hoping he could at least improve it as he explored the area. Some time passed and Knuckles wasn't sure how long he'd been walking. "Still nothing." Knuckles muttered to himself before he heard the sound of some rustling, which made him stop in his tracks. Knuckles then began to look around to try and locate a possible source for the movement as the rustling became more frequent. He got his fist up for defence. "(An ambush?)" He guessed. He couldn't make out where it was coming from exactly due to a large amount of flora with his eyes, so he decided to close them and focus on his hearing. He listened carefully and heard the noise was loudest on his left side, about a few meters behind. The rustling then went out of control as he turned around. "Aha!" Knuckles yelled as he raised his fist to see a startled figure in front of him who jumped back and landed on the floor. When Knuckles saw who it was, he became astonished. It was a young woman with light gold skin. Her hair was black and gray, which resembled Rainbow Dash's hair style. She wore a military green explorers shirt with white leggings, her feet covered in brown boots which had white laces. Her head was covered by a white pith hat with a black stripe. The figure was ........Daring Do! "Daring Do?! You're real?!" Knuckles said with disbelief as he lowered his fist. It couldn't be another actress from that time he and his friends visited the movie set. Her hair looked natural and not a wig to begin with. The Mystic Ruins didn't attract normal citizens as well. Daring Do rose up from the ground as she dusted herself off and she looked at Knuckles and adjusted her hat. "What's it to you?" She said in a defensive manner. "I mean, you're a book character! I was even on the set of a movie about your books!" Knuckles stated. "How does that explain all those books!? Unless....are you also AK Yearling?! And does that mean....everything you've done is real as well?!" Daring Do just squinted slightly but she said nothing. Her silence seemed to indicate that Knuckles was correct. "Well, guess you've found out my secret." She said before she raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, if you're a fan of my books, what's someone like you doing here? A normal person wouldn't come to this jungle. It's usually held visited by archaeologist and you don't look like one." "First, I'm not a fan. Second, I'm not exactly what you'd call normal. I'm a treasure hunter. I'm searching for something very important to me." Knuckles explained to her as Daring Do looked puzzled. "You're a treasure hunter?" She said with skepticism. "That's right. I've dealt with my fair share of adventures. I'm a pro." He confirmed as he folded his arms as Daring Do still didn't look to convinced. "Now I have a question for you. What are you doing here?" "A few hours ago. I began to follow the trail of Dr. Cabballeron, a rogue archaeologist. Apparently yesterday, he and his henchmen spotted a green flash that was flying throughout the sky. I overheard Caballeron say he thinks it some kind of precious item or something. After that, I knew I couldn't let him get his hands on it, so I followed him. However, when he entered the forest, I lost his trail." Daring Do told him. "And no, you can't come with me. I work alone and I don't need you getting in my way." Hearing Daring Do talk about a giant green flash made Knuckle's eyes widened. He immediately knew what Daring Do was talking about as she began to walk off. "Wait a minute, I am coming with you. The green thing that you described must have been a shard of the Master Emerald." Knuckles quickly said, causing Daring Do to pause as she turned around to him with a strange but curious look. "Master Emerald? I mean, I've read about it in some historical records, but it's real?" Daring Do said before she got a defensive look. "How do you know that?" "Because the thing I'm looking for is an Emerald shard. I'm the Master Emeralds guardian. What happened was....complicated." Knuckles clarified as Daring Do looked on with uncertainty. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" She questioned. "I can sense the Emerald Shards. How do you think I knew to come to this place exactly?"Knuckles brought up and Daring Do was silent as she put her hand to her chin. It made sense. "Besides, if I'm with you, you'll probably found your bad guy and the shard as well instead of just wandering around aimlessly. Once we find them, I'll take the piece and be on my way." Knuckles suggested. He had a point there. Daring Do contemplated his offer before she finally sighed. "Fine, I guess I don't have much of a choice." Daring Do finally said. "Ok then, lead the way." She added as she stepped aside to let Knuckles come in front of her. "Ok. Before I met you, the signal for the shard was getting stronger in this jungle. Now....it should be somewhere....in this direction." Knuckles said as he began to walk left into some bushes as Daring Do began to follow. Daring Do and Knuckles continued to explore the jungle as Knuckles lead the way. The two of them walked along for a while throughout the forest. "Are you sure this is the right way?" Daring Do inquired. "It's the best bet I've got. The emerald shard's signal is weak due to it being isolated but I can still feel traces of its power." Knuckles replied. "How can you do that?" She wondered. "I don't know. It's just been something I was born with. A useful trick when the shards are missing everywhere." Knuckles answered. "So you've had to locate shards before? Some guardian." Daring Do said in an unimpressed tone as Knuckles turned around to give her a slight glare but he kept silent. He didn't want to lose concentration arguing. As the two of them walked, suddenly, they came out of all flora and in front of long wooden bridge that extended to the other side. The bridge didn't look too safe as underneath was a series of river rapids. "This bridge looks like it could collapse with any force. Maybe, there's another way." Knuckles suggested before Daring Do quickly walked ahead in front of him. "We don't have time. The sooner we find that shard before Caballeron, the better." She said as she began to walk on the bridge. She took slow steps to make sure she didn't make it collapse as the bridge wobbled. "Hey, wait up!" Knuckles called out as he too began to traverse the path, albeit slowly like Daring Do. His added weight made the bridge shake even more and the two of them had trouble making it across. "Careful...careful..." Daring Do repeated to herself as the two of them steadily move across the bridge. However, when they took another step, it made the entire bridge to tremble dangerously as they both gripped the sides of the bridge. Unfortunately, this caused the bridge to snap loose from the other side as it began to swing down. The two of them were now sent tumbling to the river rapids below. "Wow!" Knuckles yelled as he managed to glide across to keep himself safe. He looked down to see Daring holding on to the bridge sides as they swung back to the other side. "Daring Do! Don't worry, I'll-" Knuckles cried out before Daring Do press her feet against the other side as she held on to the bridge straps. She pushed herself forward and swung to the opposite side using the straps and as she headed toward it, she let go of the straps, launching her in the air. As she was airborne, Daring Do took out a whip from her pocket and cracked it, causing it to wrap around a small branch as she moved put her feet on the wall and was now hanging. Knuckles looked on in amazement as he glided above to where she was and put his fist in the on the surface to stick to it. "-Just watch you save yourself." He said softly. He then looked down to see her. "Need help getting up?" He offered but she shot him a look. "No. I'm fine." She said as she started to make her way up. Knuckles was able to climb up quickly due to his superior climbing skills as he reached the top in no time. When he did, he waited up for Daring Do to arrive. As she got close, Knuckles offered his hands to help her, but she just ignored him and pulled herself up. She then adjusted her hat. "I don't need help. As you can see, I'm fine on my own." She stated firmly. "Now, lead the way." Knuckles resumed following the shards signal with Daring Do behind him. As he did, the went over Daring Do's insistence on being alone. It made him think back to how he was before he met Sonic and the other. Alone, doing his duty.... Knuckles thought was interrupted by a sudden increase in the Emeralds signal as his head snapped up quickly and he stopped, much to Daring Do's confusion. "What is it?" She asked. "I just felt an increase in the signal. The shard is closer. This way!"Knuckles said as he and Daring Do moved forward quickly. As they did, Knuckles felt the signal getting stronger and stronger. The piece was defitnelty nearby as the two of them walked through giant leaves. "It should be somewhere around here." Knuckles said before he and Daring Do heard voices. "Excellent. This is better than what I was expecting." They heard a man's voice say in a thick South American accent. The voice caught Daring Do's attention. She recognized it as her face perked up. "Get down!" She said in a harsh whisper as she took Knuckles down to the ground underneath the leaves. "Hey! What gives?! He said in an annoyed manner. "Shhhhh!! Look." Daring Do instructed as she pointed forward through the leaves. The two of them looked ahead to look at some kind of campsite. In the center was a middle-aged man with brown skin and slicked backed black hair with gray streaks. He had a five o'clock shadow as he wore a sophisticated white shirt with a red polka dot tie and teal pants. His arm had the tattoo of a golden skull with red eyes. He was surrounded by three other men with light tan, dark green and gray skin respectively as they wore explorers outfits. One of them wore a black cowboy hat with a white strap and a red scarf while the other had dark shades over his eyes. The last of them had thick orange sideburns. Around them were many other men, who each wore different colored facepaint and all had their hair slicked back as they held spears in addition to their explorers attire. In the center, the man with the skull tattoo held up the green shard as it glowed brightly. "Ahh, yes, this shard is going to come in handy. I think it is the first step to finding the lost treasure of the ancient civilization in these ruins." The man said with a greedy tone. "Dr. Caballeron!" Daring Do cried in out in a small voice. "And my emerald shard!" Knuckles said with a hint of anger in his voice. "Ok, here's the plan. I-" Daring Do started to say before Knuckles just got out of the leaves and approached the campsite, much to Daring Do's shock as her jaw dropped. "Hey!" Knuckles yelled, making Dr. Caballeron and his henchmen turn to him. They looked slightly confused to see him. "Can I help you, young man?" Caballeron asked. "Yeah. Hand over that shard or else." Knuckles demanded as Caballeron and his goons gave each other strange looks as one of them shrugged. He then chuckled slightly. "Or else what, boy?" Caballeron sneered. "I'll beat it from you." Knuckles threatened as he cracked his fist. "I'm not a fan of practical jokes. Take care of this boy." Caballeron instructed as he snapped his fingers. One of his henchmen approached Knuckles and reached his hand out to grab him, but Knuckles gripped it tightly, bringing him to his knees, much to the surprise of Caballeron and the others. Knuckles then flipped the man on the ground as Caballeron and his lackeys were stupefied. "Now, that shard." Knuckles said as he stuck his hand out. "Get him!" Caballeron ordered the rest of his minions as they charged towards Knuckles, who let out a small grin. Knuckles lifted another one of the henchmen over him before he turned back to punch two of them, sending them against trees. Two others with spears tried to stab Knuckles but he lifted them up and slammed them together. The one he flipped over earlier came behind Knuckles who turned around and punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him as he fell to the floor. Due to this, another man with a spear ran to Knuckles as his back was turned but Daring Do came out and kicked him onto the ground. She then looked at Knuckles as if he was crazy. "Just what do you think you're doing?!" She yelled. "Fighting henchmen, what does it look like?" Knuckles answered as he punched another flunky on the floor. "What were you thinking? Just charging into them like that?!" Daring Do scolded as she kicked a goon in the face. "I had a plan! "So did I. Get the shard. Knuckles responded. As Caballeron observed Knuckles and Daring Do taking out his henchmen, he retreated deeper into the campsite and came across four cages. Using a key, he unlocked them and 5 growls were heard. Out of the cages emerged a tiger, a panther, a leopard, a lynx and a small white cat. They all roared and hissed, getting Knuckles and Daring's Do attention. The tiger and panther pounced on Knuckles, pinning him to the ground as he struggled with them. The remaining 3 cats began to chase after Daring Do, who managed to evade them as she ducked and jumped. "Look what you've gotten us into!"Daring Do shouted as she took out her whip and released it at the lynx's legs, causing it to fall over on other cats. "This is the easiest way for me to get the Master Emerald shard back!" Knuckles yelled back as the cats tried to bite him. From inside a tent, Dr. Caballeron heard Knuckles words. He then gained an intrigued look on his face. "(Master Emerald? It actually exist? This is most excellent news.)" He thought to himself. He then turned to see a table housed many darts as he formed a grin. Using his strength, Knuckles lifted up the two big cats and he tossed them on the floor. Before he could do anything else, a gun shot was heard and Knuckles felt something sharp piece the back of his neck as he suddenly felt very weak and tumbled to his knees. "What the?" Knuckles said as he removed a dart from his neck and turned around to see Dr. Caballeron with a rifle. He then fired three more shots which hit Knuckles in the shoulder and chest as his vision became much weaker and he felt as if he could barely stand. He then began to wobble. "Tranquilizer darts strong enough to put down an elephant." Caballeron said smugly as Knuckles was then pinned down on the ground by two of his cronies. Daring Do noticed this and gained a concerned look on her face. She then reached for Knuckles before a rope was thrown around her, slamming her to the ground as two other men tackled her. Daring Do struggled but she was trapped. "I must admit, I am for once, grateful for your prescence Daring Do. Thanks to you and your sidekick, I am now aware of the existence of the Master Emerald. I only thought it was a rumour, but now that I know it is the real deal, it is going to make me a very rich man." Caballeron boasted. "You won't get away with this!" was the last thing Knuckles heard Daring Do say before he blacked out. Later, Knuckles started to slowly open his eyes and he could feel as if he was moving. He raised his head to see that he was being dragged on across the floor. He noticed that he was wrapped around in chains alongside Daring Do, who had an extremely displeased look on her face. He turned ahead to see the chain was being held by three of Dr. Caballeron's men as he and the rest of his underlings walked forward. "Oh, finally awake."Daring Do noticed in a sarcastic tone. "Wha? Where are we?" Knuckles said weakly. He felt sore all over and he could barely feel his body. "I don't know where Caballeron is taking us, but we're captured. And it's your fault!" She scolded in a harsh tone. Knuckles then put his head down. He couldn't argue. She was right. He had acted too impatiently. "We're here." The two of them heard Dr. Caballeron say as they stopped moving. Knuckles and Daring Do looked ahead to see they were in front of a large temple that resembled a shrine of some sort. "What is this place, Caballeron?" Daring Do demanded. "This is the shrine that belonged to the ancient civilization that once lived her. Inside, I'll get all my answers to find the Master Emerald!" Caballeron explained. "No, you won't!" Knuckles managed to say as Caballeron chuckled. "I wouldn't resist if I were you. The chemicals in those darts is still running through your body." Caballeron informed him. "Men, let's get moving." Knuckles and Daring Do were then dragged ahead as Dr. Caballeron and his henchmen marched up the steps into the entrance of the temple. Inside the temple, it was dark for a bit as they made their way through the entrance. However, a small light then began to shine at the end and when they approached it, it revealed the inside of the temple. There were large pillars protruding out of a body of water. There were three platforms, each covered in green grass and rocky pillar remains. Across, there were two sets of thick stairs which led to another chamber. "Incredible." Caballeron said before he turned to Knuckles and Daring Do. "You." He said as he pointed to Knuckles. "Tell me, where is the rest of the Master Emerald is." Knuckles then began to laugh slightly, which puzzled both Caballeron and Daring Do. "What is so funny, boy?!" Caballeron yelled. "You think the Master Emerald is here? Hahaha! It's not here. You couldn't even begin to imagine where it is." Knuckles told him with a haughty look. "What?!" Caballeron yelled in rage. "You're telling me I came across in this temple for nothing?!" "Looks like it." Knuckles just stated as Caballeron turned red with rage before he took a deep breath and calmed down. "This is not a complete lost. I did this find shard, which should make me a fortune. And...." He said as he looked at the exit from across the room and flashed a malicious grin. "I think I can finally get rid of Daring Do!" Caballeron and his men traveled across the platforms as they brought Knuckles and Daring Do towards the entrance to the rest of the temple. They then gave them a shove as the two of them were sent falling down a large hole "Farewell Daring Do!" Caballeron called before he let out an evil laugh. Knuckles and Daring slid down the large hole for a while before they crashed into a chamber. It was a spiral one and the walls were decorated with blue murals. "What is this place?" Daring Do wondered as she and Knuckles looked around. This area seemed familiar to Knuckles and his face broke out into one of panic. "This is a-" Knuckles began to say before the two of them heard a rumbling sound. Across from them, a series of stone pillars started to emerge from the walls alongside multiple bursts of flames, leaving them trapped. "-Booby trap." He said with a sigh. "I have to get out of here and stop Caballeron!" Daring Do stated as she tried to remove herself from the chains that held her. It was no use. "No, we have to." Knuckles stated as Daring Do stopped and gave him a glare. "I think you've helped enough. You got us captured, remember?" She harshly reminded him. "Yeah, I know. But, you can't do this on your own. And neither can I. I should have realized that from the start." Knuckles confessed. "I know you say you work alone, but it' s not always the best option. Trust me, I used to be like you. I......have this friend. Sure, he gets on my nerves sometimes, but thanks to him, I've learned how valuable it is to have a helping hand every now and then when the situation calls for it. And this is one of those situations. Daring Do listened to Knuckle's words and she considered what he said as she was silent for a while. The pillars and fire started to close in. "Ok. But, you got any bright ideas to get us out of here?" She asked him. Knuckles looked around the chamber and he noticed there was a series of spikes located on his right side on top of a square structure. It gave him an idea. "Follow me." He instructed as he and Daring Do lifted themselves up. The two of them made their way towards the spikes. "Ok then. Do as I do." Knuckles said as he and Daring Do came back to back. In this position, they threw the middle of the chain that surrounded them over the spike. Knuckles then pulled in the opposite direction as did Daring Do, forcing the chains against the spike, applying pressure on it. The two of them managed to tug harder away from each other before the chain collapsed as it broke into many pieces due to their force. They were now free. "Nice idea." Daring Do praised as she and Knuckles faced each other. They then turned around to notice the incoming pillars and fire. "I don't suppose you have a way for us to get out of here?" Knuckles then put his fist together. " The sedatives still might be in my body, but I can still try to make our way out." Knuckles turned towards the floor and using whatever remainder of his strength he could manage, he began to dig through it rapidly, making a large person sized hole as he continued to dig forward. Daring Do looked in, impressed as she followed Knuckles down in the hole, saving the two of them from their impending doom just as it came on top of them. Knuckles started to dig a pathway for them out. Later, outside the skirts of the temple, the ground began to rumble a bit before Knuckles emerged out of it as he crawled to the surface. Daring Do then came shortly afterward. As he got up, Knuckles found it difficult to stand and almost collapsed but Daring Do caught him as he wiped his brow. "Guess that took more out of me than I thought." He said as he stood up and tried to get his composure. "We have to stop Caballeron and get the shard back. But like this, I'm not sure if I'm in any shape to take them all head on." "Don't worry, I have a plan." Daring Do informed him as she got a grin and put her hands on his shoulders. Back at the campsite, Dr. Caballeron and his goons had returned there as Caballeron displayed the shard to his men proudly. "I'd say this was a good day. I get rich and Daring Do dies."He said Suddenly, he and his goons heard a loud noise. It sounded as if something was being hit a strong force. They all stopped and looked around. "What was that?" He said as he and his men frantically looked but saw nothing. They then heard the same noise coming from a different direction, making them turn around but still nothing. "An intruder?! Daring Do?! But that can't be!" Caballeron said in an angry tone. This time, the noise was heard multiple times all around the place and Caballeron growled. He wasn't sure where it was coming from and where to look "Spread out and find whatever that is!" He commanded as he and his men left the campsite a bit to go search around in the leaves. As they did, from the back, Knuckles sneaked into a large tent. A few feet from the camp site, Caballeron and his men then heard a loud gunshot, making them become alert as they looked back. "What was that?! It was coming from the camp!" He realized as he and his men rushed back to their site. The moment they entered, many of Caballeron's men were hit in the shoulder with darts as they fell to the ground as multiple shots were heard. Caballero and the rest of his men then looked as if they had seen a ghost as they turned to find Knuckles and Daring Do. Knuckles held the rifle as Daring Do displayed a few rocks in her hand with a smirk. She had used them as distractions. "Daring Do?! But how?!" Caballeron screamed "Let's be real, Caballeron, how many death traps have I escaped from?" Daring Do mocked as Caballeron grit his teeth. "Stop them!" Caballeron ordered. Before his men could react, Knuckles fired a series of shots, hitting them all in their shoulders as they fell to the floor due to the darts. Only Caballeron was left as he looked around in desperation. "Curse you Daring Do and her sidekick!" Caballeros managed to yell before Knuckles fired two rounds, hitting him in each of his shoulders as his eyes got a droopy expression and he fell to the floor, out cold. As he did, he released the piece of the Master Emerald from his hand, which Knuckles gladly took. "I'll be taking this."Knuckles said as he clutched the shard into his hand. "And I'm not her sidekick." He then walked over to Daring Do. "That was a good plan." He complimented. "Yeah, it's a good thing Caballeron super paranoid." She joked. "I'm glad you got your piece back." "Thanks. I couldn't have done it without your help." Knuckles said. "And I couldn't have escaped that trap without you. We make a good team." Daring Do admitted. "By the way, I never got your name." "Knuckles." Knuckles told her as he stuck his hand out and Daring Do did the same. They then shook hands. "Knuckles, eh? I'll remember that name. I might put you in my next book." She said with a smile. "Maybe then I'd start reading them." Knuckles replied as he did the same "About that, do you mind keeping what you've learned a secret? I think you can imagine how things might turn out if people knew." Daring Do requested. "Sure thing. Your secret's safe with me." Knuckles promised. "I better head out." "You sure you'll be fine getting out of here?" Daring Do asked. "Yeah, I'm still a little droopy, but not enough that I can't find my way back home." Knuckles said. "What about you?" "I'll just tip the cops off to come get Caballeron. After that, I'll just go where the adventure takes me." Daring Do answered as she adjusted her hat. "Got you. Take care, Daring Do." Knuckles said as he leapt in the air and began to glide his way out of the Mystic Ruins as Daring Do looked on. At Sweet Apple Acres, AppleJack was heading out of her house with Rainbow Dash. As she looked up, she noticed something coming towards her from the sky. She squinted her eyes to see that it was Knuckles. "Knuckles, he's back." AppleJack said as she pointed to the sky, causing Rainbow Dash to see Knuckles coming towards them. He then landed on the ground. "Hey A.J. Rainbow Dash." He greeted them. His eyes looked slightly droopy. "Did ya find the piece?" AppleJack asked before Knuckles displayed the glowing green shard in his hand. "Way to go!" "Did you get into some kind of crazy, awesome adventure?" Rainbow Dash questioned. Knuckles remembered Daring Do's words. He knew how much of a super fan Rainbow Dash was, so if he told her what had happened...... "Nah. Nothing eventful. Just some *yawn* treasure hunting." Knuckles said as he was finding it harder to stay awake. "Knux? Are you ok?" AppleJack said quizzically as she noticed the tired look on his face. "*yawn* Yeah. I'm fine. Just need to-" "ZZZZZZZZZZZ"" Knuckles then fell down on the ground suddenly, knocked out as he began to sleep silently. Rainbow Dash and AppleJack looked on with perplexed expressions at the sleeping Knuckles before they turned to each other. "Yeah, 'nothing uneventful'." Rainbow Dash said with a slight smile as AppleJack slightly laughed.