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No Longer Alone1,692 words
Tour and Training1,743 words
Stranger1,659 words
Final Preparations1,739 words
Sonic 3: Welcome to Angel Island2,001 words
Sonic 3: The First Act1,636 words
Sonic 3: Mecha Sonic Appears1,123 words
Sonic 3: The Trap1,519 words
Sonic 3: Hydrocity1,523 words

Tour and Training

The sun rose again, signaling a new day for Knuckles. The echidna fluttered his eyes open, stretching his arms and legs as he yawned. While he moved, he felt his back ache. "Agh! That's what I get for sleeping on a rock!" he scolded himself, rubbing the sore spot on his back. With a sigh, he hopped off, his body numb from just waking up. He walked down the stairs of his shrine.

"Man, I had the strangest dream that a talking pony warped here. Boy, am I glad that never happened." the echidna sighed. But he paused in his tracks, seeing something lie on the grass. He turned his head to the emerald, then back to the colt, back to the emerald, then back to the colt. It took a minute for things to process.

"Oh no." Knuckles said in a deadpan manner, almost uninterested.

The guardian saw Big Mac sleeping on the grass, a pile of leaves covering his body. He saw a small fire he made the night before, dimmed from time. "Great. I guess I am raising a pony." he decided. He knelt down, placing a hand on the pony's side.

"Hey, Big Mac. Wakey wakey." he lightly shook the pony.

Big Mac stirred, a light yawn escaping his lips. "Huh? Mister wed guy?" he wondered, his eyes starting right at Knuckles.

Knuckles flinched, taken aback, 'Too adorable! Must resist with manliness!' he thought. A thin smile was seen on Knuckles' muzzle as he spoke. "I never gave you my name. I'm Knuckles. Knuckles the Echidna. And I'll be taking care of you."

"Weally?" Big Mac asked.

The echidna nodded, "It appears so. In the meantime, since you're gonna be staying here. I think I should give you a tour of what the island has." he offered. "You up for it?"

"Eeyup!" Big Mac explained.

Nodding, Knuckles picked up Big Mac and piggybacked him through the forest. "This is Angel Island. I've lived here all my life. We're in the jungle near the outside shrine so I put a lot of traps here to make sure no one gets here." he said while walking.

"Ooh." Big Mac said.

"There's a lot more to this place than you think, believe me." Knuckles responded.

The echidna and pony walked a little farther until they reached a slide connecting to a waterfall. Knuckles sat down, placing the colt on his lap from his back. "Hold on." he ordered.

"What?" Mac wondered.

Then, Knuckles pushed, the two of them going down the slide as fast as possible. "AHHHHH!" screamed Big Mac. Knuckles kept his stoic expression, having done this plenty of times before. Big Mac continued to scream, wrapping his tiny hooves around the echidna's neck, the echidna holding him for his safety.

"It's okay kid! It's over." Knuckles shouted over the water. "You'll get used to it at some point!" the slide ended, and the two slid on a slippery, wet tile floor. He saw Big Mac whimper in his spot, prompting the echidna to ruffle his mane gently. A frown was seen on his muzzle, and he couldn't tell if the water on his eyes were from the slide or tears. 'Oh jeez. I, uh... May have gone overboard...' the echidna thought, realizing his small mistake. He held the kid close for comfort while kneeling.

"Hey now." he said "You, um, don't have to do that again if you don't want to." he hushed the colt with genuine reassurance. Big Mac stopped shaking and faced the echidna. "Now..." he sighed. "Are you ready to learn more about this place? I promise there will be no more slides." he assured the red colt, who nervously nodded.

"Good. And when we get back to the surface, I'll give you some more apples. Sound good?" he offered. Big Mac and Knuckles continued their small journey through the water filled temple. "This is Hydrocity, kid. A small water area in the underground. If you're wondering how these places came about, not even I know. I think my ancestors built this." he tried to explain.

"Wow." was all Big Mac whispered, his nerves calming down. He noticed all the waterfalls, and the giant lake that lied underneath the tiles. "I wike this."

"Glad you do, kid. Now we're gonna make our way back up."

One Month Later...

Knuckles took Big Mac around nearly all of Angel Island. Through the Marble Garden, the Ice Cap, Carnival Night, the Mushroom Hill, Sandopolis and into a hidden cavern past the Lava Reef zone as time passed. "Okay, kid. It's about time I show you one last thing." the echidna revealed. It was a bright blue cavern with sunlight showing, or what was left of it at this late time of day. The two traveled far, and the pony learned about his guardian and the island he resided on. Now a month had passed, and the echidna was ready to have the kid learn a few more things.

"Weally?" Big Mac asked.

"Yeah." Knuckles answered, putting the colt on the ground. "If you're going to be here, then I think you should know something about me." he explained.

"You farm apples?" Big Mac wondered.

Shaking his head, Knuckles had no idea to respond. "Um... No. I don't think so at least. I guard the giant green rock you randomly showed up on. You know what I'm talkin' about, right?"

"Eeyup!"

Nodding, the echidna clenched his fists, "That's the Master Emerald, a gem of infinite power. It's my duty to protect it." he heard the colt snicker, which as much as he tried to ignore it, even he did his best not to chuckle. "If you're going to live with me, then I should prepare you for anything that could happen."

"Why?"

Knuckles looked at the colt, "Because as a guardian I have to be ready for anything. And now so do you." he declared, raising a fist. "With the spikes on my fists, I'm able to break through rock and punch hard." he boasted with a smirk.

"Everyday. We're going to come here to the Hidden Palace to train ourselves. You seem old enough to handle yourself. So, I at least want to get you started." he assured. "So, you ready to learn a couple new things?"

Big Mac nodded, "Eeyup!"

Smiling, Knuckles lowered his arms, "Alright then. Give me everything you got, Mac. Hit me as hard as you can!" he ordered. Big Mac raised a brow at his command.

"Won't that huwt you?" the colt asked.

Shaking his head, the guardian assured, "Don't worry. I can take a lot. Nothing you do will hurt me." he grinned, "So, you ready to show me what you got?"

"Eeyup!" Big Mac ran forward as fast as he could. He then jumped, spinning around, hitting the echidna's chest with his hindlegs. Knuckles was launched across the room, the wind knocked out of him as he panted. "Uh oh... D-Did I huwt you?" he questioned, seeing the guardian lying on the ground.

Stars were seen circuling his head, a crack seen on the wall behind him. "Don't worry, grandma... I know I don't chuckle." he slurred, the wound on his head dazing him. Then, he shook his head, "Sorry about that, kid." he eased the colt's worries, ruffling his mane while still on the floor. He dusted himself off while standing up.

He sighed, "Not bad kick you got there. Where did you learn that?"

"Um..." Big Mac studdered, unsure of how to answer.

Knuckles smiled, "It's fine if you don't know, Mac. But we'll try this again, and this time, I'll dodge." he ordered. "You got it?"

"Mh hmm!"

The echidna ran forward slightly, creating some distance between the colt and himself. "Alright, red! Do what you did before!" he shouted. Big Mac ran ahead, repeating his earlier actions. But unlike last time, Knuckles swerved his body to the side, avoiding Big Mac's kick. He held the colt while he was still in middair. "Got ya!"

He held Big Mac in his hand, seeing the confused look on his face. "Like I thought..."

"What?" Big Mac wondered.

The guardian put the colt back on the ground, "Your speed. You have serious strength, but all of it is useless if you can't even touch your opponent. Over the years, I've honed my abilities the best I could so I can use speed and strength."

"What does that mean?" Mac asked, "I'm stwong wight?"

Knuckles nodded, "Yes. But you're also slow. With enough time, I can teach you what I've learned and hone your abilities to their full potential. Although, it's gonna be weird teaching a horse how to fight with their legs, while all I ever used were my fists."

"Can I have spikes on my hooves?" Big Mac begged.

"Um... No." Knuckles answered.

The colt pouted, looking at Knuckles with his big eyes. 'Must resist! I'm too manly to give in!' his mind pleaded. "Sorry, kid. But I was born like this. But with how strong your legs are, you wouldn't need them. Maybe I'll find another way to give you climbing abilities like I can." he suggested.

"Okay!" cheered the young pony.

"Now..." Knuckles began to say, facing Big Mac again while walking backwards. "Try again!"

Big Mac sprinted forward, "Eeyup!"

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