Red Guardians

Chapters

No Longer Alone
Tour and Training
Stranger
Final Preparations
Sonic 3: Welcome to Angel Island
Sonic 3: The First Act
Sonic 3: Mecha Sonic Appears
Sonic 3: The Trap
Sonic 3: Hydrocity

No Longer Alone

'My name is Knuckles the Echidna... I've been living on this island. This Angel Island for as long as I can remember. I'm the last of my kind, no one else has been seen on this island as long as I have been alive. Angel Island is my home, one I watch along with my sole purpose.'

'My purpose, if you must know, is to guard the Master Emerald, the very artifact that allows Angel Island to float. It is the central power source to the mystical gems known as the Chaos Emeralds, the Master Emerald monitors their power, where the emeralds have a near-limitless supply of energy, the Master Emerald has infinite energy. I guard it to make sure no one, if they ever find this island, uses the emerald for any nefarious purpose.'

'The Chaos Emeralds are hidden away in what I call Special Stages. Strange realms where the emeralds can be retrieved after fulfilling a certain goal. But it changes in each location. Here, the realm is a checker-board world with orbs. I'm not sure what the other versions look like, but I'll most likely never find out.'

'But... I am alone here. With nothing to do and nothing to look forward to, but my sole purpose.'

'Or so I thought... Things changed. And I'll never forget the day they did. The day I was no longer alone.'

Knuckles sighed, sitting atop the Master Emerald. The red echidna kicked his feet in the air, bored out of his mind. Whenever he had nothing else to do, he would traverse the various areas around Angel Island, but he's done it so many times, it's worn out its welcome. "Is this all I'll ever do?" Knuckles asked. "Just sit on top of a green rock, waiting for a threat that will never show itself?"

It was a calm, sunny day. The trees were green, there were no clouds in the sky, and for once the bugs flying around decided to leave him alone for the day. But even then, Knuckles couldn't find any reason to feel happy.

Jumping off the emerald, Knuckles turned around, facing the emerald. The echidna knelt down, raising his spiked hands in front of him, a question he's long asked, he shall attempt to wonder once again. "What is my purpose? Master Emerald... Speak to me, please." he begged. He's done this routine for years now. Be bored, wander around, and wonder what he should do for the rest of his life.

A strange projection appeared in the Master Emerald. Knuckles's black eyes saw an apparition of a blue hedgehog, his legs running in a circular blur. Next to him was a yellow fox, his tails spinning behind him, allowing him to fly. What made Knuckles curious though, was that he could see the Chaos Emeralds in his possession.

"This... Creature got the Chaos Emeralds?" he asked himself. "But how? Only one wielding the maximum energy of Power Rings can hope to enter the Special Stages. Even then, he must face the unique trials that lie within! What are you telling me?!" he wondered, slamming his hands onto the stone floor in confusion.

Another image appeared, showing the same hedgehog, this time with yellow fur. Knuckles could sense the power withdrawing from the hedgehog. "He managed to use the emeralds' energy. This person is something else."

One last image appeared, showing a strange round station orbiting in space. "That can't be good." he muttered, seeing it's strange yet unique design.

The projection within the Master Emerald dimmed, leaving Knuckles to wonder what he saw. "No! Tell me more! I need to know why you showed me that." he pleaded, his kness still on the ground. He sighed, feeling dejected.

A bright light surrounded the emerald, blinding Knuckles greatly. The echidna covered his eyes with his hand. "What the--?" he blurted out loud at the sight. The aura dimmed, allowing Knuckles to lower the hand blocking his face.

He immediately noticed something sitting a top the Master Emerald. He stood back up, his eyes lowering their gaze to find what it was that appeared. What he saw nearly blew his mind. "What in Chaos's name?" he almost shouted.

It was bizarre... It appeared to be a little horse, almost the size of Knuckles's torso, but something about him made him seem bigger than expected. With red fur, and an orange mane. Knuckles looked down, his mind trying to process what it was he was looking at exactly. "What the heck?! Is that a freaking pony on the emerald?" he exclaimed.

"Eeyup!" the horse randomly said, his voice squeaky.

"Ah!" Knuckles screamed, jumping in his spot. He moved backwards, but noticed he had no footing. "Oh crap." he sighed, looking down to see he wasn't standing on anything. Then, gravity took effect, and he fell down the stairs of the shrine, his body flipping all over the place as his body collided with hard stone. Grunts were heard and let out until he finally landed on the grass.

"Alright... I'll admit. I didn't see that coming." the echidna groaned, holding one hand to his side, while the other climbed the stairs. He heard the pony laugh at his misfortune. "I'm glad you found that funny." he mumbled.

Knuckles got back to his feet, wondering what to do next. "Okay. There's a talking horse sitting on top of the Master Emerald. This is somehow the strangest thing that's ever happened to me. And I'm a talking echidna with spiked gloves living on a floating island." his mind processed the past few minutes.

"Okay, since you can talk. Do you have anything to do with the strange creature I saw on the emerald?" Knuckles asked the horse. It remained silent for a second before answering.

"Eenope!" he answered innocently.

"Alright. Do you know where you came from?"

The pony shook his head, "Eenope!"

Raising an eye ridge, Knuckles asked it, "You're not much of a talker are ya?"

"Eeyup."

With a sigh of defeat, Knuckles slapped his own face. 'Okay. This talking horse is already starting to grate my nerves. But then again... I'm actually conversing with something. And not my talking rock, Master Emerald, or my imaginary pet dinosaur!' his brain realized.

Knuckles crossed his arms, "Can you at least give me a name so that way I don't have to call you little red horse thing for the rest of my life?" he suggested.

"B-Big... M-Macintosh..." the pony finally revealed.

Knuckles put a finger and his thumb on his muzzle. "Big Mac, huh? Sounds like a burger. Now I'm hungry." he turned around, a thougnt occurring in his head, something he doesn't want to do, but for once he had to think about something other than himself in his life, not wanting this pony to starve under his watch, "Okay, since I can't just leave you alone, you wanna come with me to get some food real quick?"

Big Mac nodded, "Eeyup!"

The echidna stretched both of his hands, allowing Big Mac to be piggybacked. "Okay, red horse. We'll get you some food. Then, I'll ask the Master Emerald where you came from. If it'll answer me this time. Maybe I'll get two for two!" he ran off, Big Mac held behind him. "But first I gotta feed the dinosaur in my head!"

A few hours have passed. Knuckles managed to scavenge some fruit. He ensured that the horse wasn't able to witness his meat scavenging, which the echidna was even disgusted with. He knew that these animals on his island were sentient, but he needed a proper meal, so at some point he needed actual nourishment, but he's unsure, if Big Mac stays with him or not, that he'll do the same for him.

For some reason, the echidna noticed that Big Mac took an immediate liking to apples. When questioned, the pony merely shrugged and said what he's been saying, 'Eeyup.'. At some point, he may have to teach Mac how to speak more than two words. But that will come later, at least he noticed that he was older than an actual baby, toddler age at the most.

Meanwhile, Knuckles plucked a vine of grapes and eating them. He had to admit, they were his favorite food to eat once he was done what he considered an actual meal. For now, he'll treat Big Mac to small treats, maybe a fruit or two per meal.

He noticed the sun setting as he and the pony returned to the shrine. Snoring was heard, and Knuckles turned his head, feeling Big Mac's heavy breathing. "He's all tuckered out. I gotta find him a place to sleep soon."

Gently, he placed the red pony on the grassy ground, while he walked up to the shrine. He kneeled down again, "Oh Master Emerald." he whispered. "Tell me where this pony is from. Why is he here?" he questioned.

The Master Emerald began to glow, a female voice was heard. 'He is a being lost across worlds. His age repressed upon travelling. I cannot reach his world, but we managed to save him. He is under your care for the time being until he can go back. You got your wish, Guardian of the Master Emerald...'

"Woah! You can talk?"

'I am a being within the Master Emerald. But I'll explain later. But as I said, you have your wish...'

"And that is...?" Knuckles asked.

'You are no longer alone.'

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!"

Stranger

Author's Note

Time skip incoming. There will be one more smaller one before the Sonic 3 arc can truly begin.

Stranger

One Year Later...

"Alright, bring it on!" Knuckles ordered. Once again, Knuckles had taken Big Mac out to the Hidden Palace to train. So far, he had managed to get quite a routine in with the young pony. They stayed near the shrine for a few hours, then went to eat, the echidna eating his grapes and occassional protein, while Big Mac stayed with his apples. The guardian thought to ask about the obsession at some point, but he shrugged it off for the moment.

And at sunset, the two would train in the Hidden Palace, where Knuckles continued to teach Big Mac how to defend himself should a situation ever present itself on the island. The colt was enjoying his time with his echidna guardian, learning how to master his abilities, his bucking as he called it. The word just came to him naturally, so it stuck as his main method of fighting.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac shouted. He ran toward Knuckles, the echidna was ready to turn, but the colt managed to land a hit on his mentor's chest, stunning him briefly. The echidna responded by striking down on Big Mac as gently as he could. It took a while for a set routine to arrive in fighting, but Knuckles believed they found a middle ground where they won't be able to hurt each other too badly, but could use the positive energy of Master Emerald to attend to any wounds that need attention. So far, that hasn't happened, and Knuckles hoped that he would never need to do that as he's holding back.

Big Mac grunted, feeling Knuckles's fist collide with his barrel. The colt moved his left forehoof upward, planting his right hoof on the ground, bouncing himself slightly as he landed. Knuckles spun his feet around, deciding to repeat the pony's actions. "You're not the only one who can kick!" shouted the echidna, seeing Big Mac duck underneath the attack in time.

"You're getting faster! Good!" he complimented.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac yelled, jumping away before Knuckles's right fist collided with the ground.

'I gotta remember to teach you some more proper vocabulary at some point. Maybe next week.' thought Knuckles. He raised his fist, seeing Big Mac charging after him. The guardian smirked, leaning his body to the left, moving his fist so that he could catch Big Mac, but he moved his hand wrongly, accidentally curling it, punching the colt harder than he anticipated. His eyes widened when he noticed this, seeing the colt wince harder than usual and gasp.

Big Mac placed a hoof on his stomach, a tear falling down his face. "Ow..." he whined.

"Oh crap!" Knuckles shouted, kneeling down to comfort the colt. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard! Honest." he comforted, placing a hand on the red pony's shoulder.

Big Mac sniffed, "I-I know, Knuckles."

Frowning, the echidna patted the colt's shoulders, seeing him still hold his sore spot. "We should stop for today... You did good. Your speed is improving greatly, and even able to catch up to me!" he complimented. "Let's head back to the shrine, alright?" he saw Big Mac silently nod, agreeing to his idea.

Then, rumbling was heard, alerting the two. Knuckles held down and stood over Big Mac to ensure he was safe from any debris that could fall. "Was that an earthquake?" the echidna asked.

"Um... Knuckles. We're flying."

The echidna chuckled at his mistake, "Right. My bad." he rubbed his head, "We should see what it was. If it made the island shake, then it's big." he looked at the small bruise he accidentally made. "You wanna come or do you wanna stay back at the shrine?"

"I wanna come!" Big Mac bounced, seemingly ignoring his small injury. "Can I?"

"Uh, sure. Just be extra careful." Knuckles warned.

Coughing was heard underneath a pile of metal debris. A hand revealed itself, and someone climbed out. It appeared to be a round man, wearing a red suit, black pants, a small yellow cape on the back, and a large bushy mustache. He rubbed his bald head, picking himself up from the mess. "Stupid rodent..." he grumbled, seeing his creation fallen down like that.

"I guess it's back to Square one..." the man said. He began to look for his tools, but a voice interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Halt."

The man turned around, seeing Knuckles and Big Mac glaring at him. "State your business on Angel Island, stranger." the echidna commanded, raising his fist in a threatening manner.

"Excuse me... But did you say Angel Island?" the man wondered.

Knuckles crossed his arms, "Yes. What about it?" he asked sternly.

"Ah, sorry about my rude manners. My name is Doctor Ivo Robotnik." he introduced himself, "You must be the guardian of this island." he looked down at the pony, "Um... Who is this? I thought there was only one on this island?"

Knuckles looked down, "This is... A new addition. This is Big Mac, the guardian in training."

"Eeyup!" Big Mac said.

"Now how do you know about me? And why is this... contraption here? In fact, what is it? I swear I've seen it before..." Knuckles continued.

Robotnik smirked, 'These two have been alone on this island. He doesn't know of my true motivations... There's no harm in fooling him to further my goals, I suppose.' he thought. But he cleared his throat. "Your island is known, but we choose to ignore it, but I've read the legends of the echidnas. And how you're the last. Now tell me, is the Master Emerald here?"

The echidna nodded, "That's right. Why do you want to know?"

The scientist clenched his fists, "Down below, I am a scientist, the very one that built the space station you see before you. I, er, wanted to use the energy of the Chaos Emeralds to create a way for interdimensional travel with the station for evolution of science, but then he and his annoying friend got in my way..." he grumbled.

"Who?" Big Mac wondered.

"Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails the Fox. Those two are the ones who brought down my space station, the Death Egg. It was a peaceful, totally not dangerous station." Robotnik assured.

Knuckles raisied an eye ridge, "If it was safe, then why is it called the Death Egg?"

"As a warning to ensure no one would use it for any real nefarious purpose. The name is throw others off," lied the scientist. "I wanted to use the Chaos Emeralds' energy to safely explore the vast universe, but Sonic got in my way again of course."

"Who is Sonic? Is he mean?" the colt questioned Robotnik.

Robotnik glared at the ground, "He's the meanest person alive. He and that fox think that just because they can run fast and fly, they can ruin my really nice and good intentions that do not threaten any living soul." he explained.

"So, that's why you're here." Knuckles realized. "Sonic and Tails ruined you... If I ever get my hands on them..." he grumbled.

"I wanna stop those meanies too!" Big Mac agreed.

Robotnik grinned, "That time may be soon. Sonic and Tails will no doubt figure out I have crashed here. I have a few repair robots on standby. I'll use them to repair the station, but I must warn you. When Sonic arrives here, he may come for the Master Emerald."

"He'll have to get through us." Knuckles boasted.

"Eeyup!"

"You do not understand. This hedgehog is able to use the Chaos Emeralds' full power. He has reached a powerful form he childishly called Super Sonic! With the Master Emerald, he'll become an unstoppable menace!"

Big Mac looked at his guardian worriedly, "W-What are we going to do, Knuckles?"

Knuckles said, "Don't worry, Big Mac. This Sonic won't do anything to hurt you as long as I'm here. I'll punch the emeralds outta him if I have to. And Mister Robotnik will be sure to help us, right?"

Robotnik nodded, "Indeed. I can assist you in setting traps necessary to stop the rodent and his companion!" he shouted.

"Yay!" cheered the colt, "We can stop a bad guy!"

"You seem jolly. First, I must bring the necessary forces to help stop Sonic. Then, I will need help finding a spot to launch the Death Egg once it's repaired." Robotnik revealed.

Knuckles raised a hand, "I have a large empty spot on the island. You can use that as your launch base." he said. "In the meantime, Big Mac and I will move the Master Emerald to a safer spot."

Robotnik cleared his throat. "Can you show me as well? So that way I can place the proper traps to stop Sonic?"

The guardian rubbed his head, "I dunno. You think it's alright, little guy?"

"Eeyup."

"I like how this kid thinks." Robotnik laughed, 'You fools. You're leading me right to ultimate power. With Sonic and Tails out of the way, Mobius will finally become my robotic empire!'

Final Preparations

Some time had passed since Knuckles and Big Mac met Robotnik. The scientist managed to find a few of his repair robots. Which he called Badniks. The Death Egg was moved to a new location, which Knuckles recommended. It was in the middle of the island, far enough so that Sonic wouldn't be able to make it in time to stop it from being repaired. The colt looked at this area, seeing how different it looked in only a week into repairs.

"Thank for you this, Knuckles." said Robotnik.

Knuckles smiled, "It was no problem. I'll fo anything to make sure Angel Island and the world is safe from the hedgehog."

"Um, Knuckles?" Big Mac began to say, "Should we move the Master Emerald?"

Robotnik raised a finger, "That would be a good idea, Knuckles. Sonic and Tails would no doubt find the Master Emerald in that small shrine and use it."

The echidna responded, "It would be smart. We should head back to the shrine then. I know a spot where we can hide it. It's far enough so that Sonic will have no chance of making it."

"Smart thinking, mister Echidna. In fact, I may have something that can help you in the long run." the three stepped into a hidden teleporter. Which they used the ease transportation around the island while preparing it for battle.

Knuckles got the Master Emerald and went to the spot he decided on to hide it. The Hidden Palace. He placed it a top a small platform next to seven others. "There. Sonic would never reach it. Even then, I got a spare hand to help."

"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed.

"So, what else did you mention?"

Then, without warning, the island began ro rumble and the three felt themselves in a freefall. A loud splash was heard, frightening Big Mac and even Knuckles, "Er. Before I continue, may I ask what it was that just happened?" Robotnik wondered.

Knuckles kicked the ground, "Great. When I moved the emerald, I must've accidentally ensured that the island fell. We're grounded now, you two." he revealed.

"What does that mean?" the colt questioned.

Robotnik adjusted his glasses, "I believe he's saying we're no longer in the air. Which means that Sonic will know of this sooner than expected. No need to be worried as I have an idea that may help you stop him."

"Alright, doc. We're listening." the echidna spoke.

The scientist raised a finger, "You see, all around the island I have security cameras installed. Using them, you can be able to track down Sonic and Tails at any region of the island. I was going to use the Hidden Palace as a place to store the monitors. Using the teleporters here, it will give you and advantage in catching the blue and yellow rodents off guard once they arrive."

"Can we see? I wanna see!" Big Mac cheered.

"Aren't you excited?" Robotnik chuckled, "Of course. Follow me this way." he said.

The three walked deeper into the caverns near the Lava Reef Zone. In the middle of a room, where a large amount of monitors. Knuckles and Big Mac haven't seen anything like it before, but for Robotnik this creation was nothing special. "These are monitors I've installed for tracking each camera placed around the island, inside and around the borders." the scientist explained. "I assume the traps are already set as well as the Badniks?"

"Yeah. Sonic and Tails won't know what hit them when they get here." the echidna laughed.

"What can I do, Mister Knuckles?" asked Big Mac.

Knuckles ruffled the colt's mane, "How about you help keep an eye on these monitors? If I need your help, I'll signal you to come over with the teleporters. Sound good, kid?"

"Eeyup!"

Robotnik smiled softly, "Now, the hedgehog and fox can tear through my robots with ease, but I've come prepared for them going through my Badnik army. I can show you my Egg Bosses that I've built while repairing the Death Egg."

"Bosses?" Big Mac repeated.

The doctor nodded, "That's right, Big Mac. I'll show you them back at the Launch Base real quick." Knuckles nodded as well and they all stepped into the teleporter back to the Launch Base Zone.

"Here it is, gents. My Egg Boss army. It's not quite as large last time I'll admit. But I have a foolproof plan that will evade the rodents for the longest time." Robotnik chuckled, pressing a button and opening a capsule. They were right outside the Death Egg, where Robotnik kept a few weapons.

"What the heck is that?" Knuckles asked, crossing his arms at the sight of the creation.

It was a robot shaped like Eggman with a metallic outside similar to his clothes, a laser gun on his hand and a jetback strapped to his back. Robotnik smirked, "This is my Eggrobo! It will be piloting the various mechs I've created to distract Sonic and Tails while they are here on the way to the Launch Base, where I'll be putting the finishing touches to the Big Arm and another creation of mine."

"A Big Arm? It is like a giant fist?" Big Mac asked, "Can I pilot it?"

"No, Big Mac." Knuckles replied sternly, the echidna shaking his head, "You should leave this to Robotnik. He knows more about this stuff than we do."

Robotnik looked over, "Thank you mister Echidna." he gestured to some round designed robots, "These are various remote-controlled drones that will halt the duo in their path. This one is fire-based, and can shoot missiles while this one can create whirlwinds underwater and is designed similar to my Orbinaut Badniks."

"Not bad, doc." Knuckles complimented.

"These are so cool!" Big Mac cheered.

"I'm glad you approve." the scientist chuckled, "Now I have at least two more things to show you and a few other Egg Bosses shall remain a surprise for you all."

"Okay!" Big Mac shouted, "What else is here?"

Robotnik clasped his hands together, "Well, little pony. The first is an airship I've built in no time at all. The Flying Battery. It will make a nice little detour for Sonic and his companion while I continue my plan to launch the station." he showed the guardians a giant airship designed to be launched sometime soon to patrol the island.

"And last, but certainly not least..." Robotnik muttered, he opened another capsule. In it was another robot, this one tall and blue, with spikes on thr back of its head. "This is without a doubt one of my greatest creations. Well, an upgrade of a wonderful invention I made. I call it Mecha Sonic!" he introduced.

Knuckles raised a brow, "Mecha Sonic? Like a robot that looks like Sonic?"

Robotnik raised a finger, "You are correct, Knuckles. Sometime before I built the Death Egg, I had studied Sonic and his abilities. Using my genius, I had managed to create robot capable of being as fast as the hedgehog and put it to a field test: Metal Sonic, but of course, Sonic had to destroy it. So I scavenged what I could find and with my data, I managed to upgrade Metal Sonic to do things he originally couldn't do. He's faster, capable of fighting, and when in a pinch, he can harness the energy of the Chaos Emeralds!"

"Chaos Emeralds? You can use them?" Big Mac questioned Robotnik.

"For purposes of good I assure you." Robotnik assured.

Knuckles spoke, "That's right, Mac. He's only using the emeralds to stop that menace Sonic. I assume Mecha Sonic is being awakened once he arrives?"

"Yes. He will be a challenge for the menaces!"

The echidna decided to say one more thing, "Thanks for showing us all this, Robotnik. But I think Big Mac and I should keep an eye out for Sonic back at the Hidden Palace. Let us know if you need any help." he saw the genius nod as they stepped into the teleporters.

Knuckles looked at the hieroglyph within the Hidden Palace Zone near the Master Emerald shrine. "What are you looking at, mister Knuckles?" asked Big Mac.

Placing a hand on the wall, the guardian answered, "A prophecy. I think I understand what my ancestors are telling me."

"Tell me!" Big Mac pleaded, "I wanna know!"

Smiling, Knuckles continued. The hieroglyph was of a strange glowing yellow hedgehog chasing after an odd egg-shaped being holding the Master Emerald. "This prophecy is telling me that I have to help Eggman protect the Master Emerald from this Sonic person. It is my duty as the guardian."

"Fun." said the colt.

Alarms were heard nearby and the two ran back to the exit of the Lava Reef Zone. Knuckles slammed his fists on the desk near the monitors, seeing a light on one of them blinking. "Robotnik's motion sensors are going off. It means something is coming in this direction. And it's on this monitor."

The two looked at the monitor, seeing something in the distance, hovering over the water. It was red biplane, piloted by a yellow fox. Standing on the wings was a blue hedgehog, the one described to the guardians. "They're here." Knuckles growled.

"Sonic and Tails are here? We can finally kick their butts!" Big Mac chanted.

Knuckles stepped away, "Stay here for now, Big Mac. I'm knocking the emeralds out of him." he warped away in a red light, readying himself to face his new rival.

Sonic 3: Welcome to Angel Island

"We're almost at Angel Island." said Tails, his eyes never turning away from the open ocean ahead of him. The two-tailed fox piloted the plane, the Tornado, right over the ocean as they neared the once floating island, now grounded for reasons they can't explain. "And it looks like Robotnik made it there before us."

Sonic gagged, the blue hedgehog tapping his foot, "Typical Robuttnik. Seems he couldn't let the whole Death Egg plan go. Now he's getting a legendary island involved." he said, "You said there was somethin' here he could use right?"

Tails nodded, "The Master Emerald. It's the source of the Chaos Emeralds' power. There are legends saying that it has infinite power unlike the normal emeralds. Robotnik could be using it to power the Death Egg."

"Well, I guess we're going to prove a legend to be real." Sonic playfully responded, his black eyes gazing ahead. "It's about time we find him though. Honestly, he shouldn't have crashed the island if he wanted to remain hidden." he joked, "That only got us closer to finding him instead."

Tails nodded, "So we're going to stop his plans, right?"

Sonic smirked, "Heck yeah, little bro! Robuttnik is gonna get kicked where the sun won't shine by the time I'm through with him!"

"Are you talking about his--" Tails started to say something, but the hedgeog cut him off.

Sonic raised a hand, "Yeah. I thought I told you to never repeat it."

"Sorry." sighed Tails.

The hedgehog nodded, "It's no problem." he turned his head, "In the meantime, I was thinkin' of getting a headstart with the Chaos Emeralds to see if this fabled guardian's willin' to help."

"Go ahead. I'll meet you there soon." replied the fox.

Sonic smirked, "Awesome. Meet ya there!" he hopped off the plane, curling into a ball as he jumped. He extended his hands, allowing seven gens to float and glow around him. Then a golden aura surrounded his body. His fur changed color from blue to yellow and his spikes turned upward. Along with the change in appearance, Sonic also gained the ability of flight and near-invulnerability.

Super Sonic hovered over the water, his speed causing the water to create a trail behind him as he passed Tails. "Almost there! With the emeralds, Robuttnik's plan is done!"

But as Super Sonic flew further into the jungle, he felt something hit him from underneath, knocking him back. "I just had to jinx it. But I thought I was invincible!" he whined. He looked down, seeing the Chaos Emeralds scattered around him.

Sonic turned his head upward, seeing a strange red echidna glaring at him as he sat on the grass. Knuckles scowled as a strange song began to play behind them somehow, "Uh... How are you doing that?" asked the hedgehog.

Knuckles leaned down, clearing his throat. He pointed a finger at Sonic as he began.

"How dare you try to infiltrate my home! And hope you may steal my percious jewels!"

As he sang this, Sonic gave Knuckles a blank stare, both annoyed and unimpressed.

"The Chaos Emeralds belong to me! You shall perish if you break my rules!"

Knuckles tossed one of the Chaos Emeralds in his hand as he spun around before catching it, "I'll take these gems of yours! See how you like it yourself!"

The echidna pointed back at his new rival, "Now leave this island you spiky little fiend! If you know what's good for your heaaaalllttthh!" he finished the last verse loudly. The background noise faded as Knuckles finished his song.

Sonic merely blinked, an awkward silence filling the time. Then the hedgehog glared at his rival, "Give those back!"

Knuckles sang, "Nooooooooo!" then he ran off with the other Chaos Emeralds in his possession.

The hedgehog merely twitched while sitting still, wondering what it was that just happened. "I'm never coming here again..." groaned Sonic, standing up and dusting himself off. The sound of running got his attention and he found Tails.

"Hey, Tails. You'll never believe what happened..." sighed Sonic, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean... I don't even know."

Tails raised a hand, "We can focus on that later, Sonic! Where are the Chaos Emeralds?"

Sonic's eyes went wide, "Oh, uh... About that. This red guy just sorta knocked 'em outta me, sang, then left." he revealed.

Back in the Hidden Palace, Big Mac watched the whole ordeal through the monitors. "Why did Mister Knuckles sing?" he asked himself before pointing something out, "Sonic and Tails seem... nice actually. They don't look evil," he chose not to dig further into those thoughts in case it was all a fake act, then heard the sound of a teleporter, seeing Knuckles walk out of the glowing red light that summoned him.

"Hey, Mac." Knuckles greeted, "Like that little number? Robotnik said to do that to throw him in for a loop. Got this thing called a radio to do the work. You enjoy it?"

At the colt's nod, the echidna continued, "Great. I got the Chaos Emeralds out of Sonic's possession and sent them to the Special Zone, where he'll have no choice but to survive the trials that await him and his two-tailed friend."

"Cool! Can we see that?" Big Mac wondered.

Knuckles shook his head, "The Special Zones exist in a dimension that not even Robotnik can survey. So we're in the dark whenever they find a Warp Ring." he ruffled the pony's mane, "Now, how about we keep an eye on them and next time you get to spring a trap?"

"Eeyup!" cheered the colt. The two turned back to the monitors to watch their new rivals.

Sonic jumped over the Motobug Badnik, curling into a ball in the process, using the move he called a Spin-Dash. Tails repeated his actions, breaking through the robot with ease. "Keep up, Tails! I gotta teach that red guy a lesson!"

"You mean the guardian? I always thought he hated guests anyway!" Tails shouted.

The hedgehog jumped on a rock, seeing a pulley on a swinging vine. Timing his jump right, he grabbed the handle, then he saw another vine at the apex of his swing. Sonic jumped grabbing the handle before jumping off, landinf right on a Caterkiller, tearing off its metal head while avoiding its spiky body.

Tails landed next to Sonic, using his two tails as a propellor on his back to fly. "Hey, Sonic," the fox got his friend's attention, "Look at that trail of rings..." he pointed to the golden rings, hovering in a spot while shaped like an arrow.

"I think either the guardian or Robuttnik is tryin' to tell us something." Sonic noted. The duo turned around, seeing a shoddy put together stone wall. Sonic crouched, curling into a Spin-Dash, and broke through the walls with ease. As he stood back up, Tails looked upward, seeing something form in the small alcove.

Tails spoke, "I think that's a Warp Ring!"

"Haven't seen one of those since South Island." Sonic recalled, "I guess the red guy put an emerald in there. I say we go in, get the emerald and get out!"

At the nod of his friend, Sonic and Tails hopped into the Warp Ring and into the Special Zone.

"Why did you do that?" Big Mac asked Knuckles.

The echidna sighed, "I kinda forget where I put the Warp Rings sometimes. That's like the only spot where I forgot. The rest will be more difficult for him to find."

The colt nodded in understanding, "When can I go out there? I wanna fight Sonic and Tails!"

Knuckles sighed, pulling out a map, "If my mapping is correct and everything goes according to plan. Robotnik wants them to reach the Launch Base, where he'll end things himself. Our job is to wear them down. So, they're going around Angel Island to fight one of the mechs and a creation piloted by Eggrobo. Then at the end of the jungle, we'll make them fall into Hydrocity." Big Mac shuddered at the thought of going on the slide again, "But you can press the button that removes the bridge at the end of the jungle. You up for that?"

Big Mac nodded eagerly, "Eeyup!"

Sonic and Tails hopped out of the ring, it vanishing in a white light. Sonic held the green Chaos Emerald in his hand. "One down. Six to go, little bro."

"Something tells me this will be our method of entering the Special Zones. You said it was Warp Rings once, but when we met they were in Check Points. It changes everytime..." Tails pointed out.

Sonic shrugged, "Maybe it all depends on location." he suggested, "Now, let's hurry and kick Robuttnik's behind!"

The duo ran out of the alcove, sprinting through the grassy fields of Angel Island in silence. Sonic saw a small tunnel ahead and an instinct told him to go faster, with Tails spinning his namesakes faster in order to catch up to the speed demon.

Sonic and Tails entered the cave and spun around, finding themselves moving upwards inside a giant tree trunk. Eventually they exited and found themselves back in the jungle. "So far so good. But I still wanna meet that guardian and knock him in the jaw."

"In due time, Sonic." Tails chuckled, "He must've been powerful to nullify the emerald energy in you."

"I know, right?!" Sonic yelled, "Whoever this red guy is, he knows more about the emeralds and what they can do more than we do!" he realized at last.

"That is correct!"

A voice muffled in static got the duo's attention. A round metallic object descended from the skies. It appeared to have weapons on it and ready to shoot. "Welcome to Angel Island! I assume you met one of the guardians of the island?"

Tails raised a brow, "One of the guardians?"

Sonic clenched his fists, "What's your game, Robuttnik?!"

"None whatsoever! You two will never foil my plan! Cause after all, you're the villains!" Robotnik laughed.

"Says the maniacal scientist!" snapped the hedgehog.

Knuckles crossed his arms, "We have no reason to believe those two, Big Mac." he reminded the colt. "Robotnik's been honest with us since the beginning. Those two will play with our minds, don't fall for it."

Big Mac put a hoof on his chin, deep in thought, but for now he pushed those ideas aside, "Alright."

"I must tell Knuckles and Big Mac I am sorry for what I am about to do. But you two won't live to witness what comes next!" Robotnik cackled, his voice silencing.

Sonic and Tails got into a battle stance, ready to face the first of what they believed to be many of Robotnik's robotic creations. "You ready to kick some butt, Tails?"

"You bet, Sonic!" cheered Tails.

Sonic 3: The First Act

Sonic hopped and hit the side of the strange round mech. It seemingly glowed white as the hedgehog and fox collided with it, slightly damaging it each time they made contact. A small flame bursted out of the barrel on the side, prompting the duo to take cover from the fire that seeked to burn them.

Tails spun his tails so that he could fly over the robot, lowering his arms so that he could grab Sonic away before he got burnt by the robot's flamethrower. "Nice save, bro!"

"It's no use, Sonic!" the two could hear Eggman say, "I must apologize to my newest allies, but it's for the greater good."

After that, Sonic and Tails landed, seeing a bunch of missiles shoot out of the ports on top of the machine. "Oh crud." gulped the hedgehog, seeing fire cover the entire forest. In the blink of an eye, the entire jungle was covered in flames, surprising the duo. "H-He burnt the entire island! Robotnik's gone nuts!"

The round robot flew out of their reach as Sonic and Tails processed what just happened. "Did he just do that?!" Tails shouted the question in disbelief.

Sonic shook his head, "Enough about that! We may not be able to do so now, but we gotta trash that bot before he could burn anything else down in his rampage!"

Tails nodded, following Sonic as the two sprinted. The hedgehog jumped atop another Badnik, destroying it and saving the critter inside. Following the path, Sonic noticed a small hole as well as the faint sound of a giant ring. Following the sound, he and Tails leaped down the hole next to a rock and went to the left to follow the noise, finding themselves in a small cavern,

"Uh, Sonic?" Tails pointed upward. Sonic faced up, seeing another Warp Ring above them. Seeing a yellow spring planted on the ground next to them, the duo jumped on it, flying toward the Warp Ring where they vanished inside.

Knuckles slammed his fist on the keyboard in anger, "Why did he do that to our island!?"

Big Mac gulped, "Knuckles... Why did Mister Robotnik do that? I-It's not right!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Mac." the echidna commented, "Robotnik probably had enough of Sonic and Tails and wants them gone through any means necessary... I just wish he didn't blow up my island to do so!"

The colt watched as Knuckles tried to calm himself down as he figured out his next trap. Big Mac looked at the monitors, seeing Sonic and Tails fall out of the ring, back on the spring, and leaping back onto the surface where they continued their trail. 'If Robotnik is a nice guy... Then why did he torch our island?' he thought, figuring out why the scientist would perform such a cruel act.

Grunting, Knuckles looked away from the monitors, "They got another emerald... Great. If anything, the rings in the jungle are the easiest to find. The others should be in more hidden locations."

"Didn't Robonik say Sonic could use the energy?" Mac wondered.

"Yeah," Knuckles answered, "In fact, he used an ascended form when I ran into him to take the emeralds. Luckily, I got him off guard, which allowed me to nullify the energy he harnessed long enough for me to grab them."

"You can do that?" Big Mac asked.

With a smirk, the guardian continued, "Yeah. As guardian of the Master Emerald, I was given many unique abilities to hone Chaos Energy. Once we're done physical training and this ordeal, perhaps I'll teach you as well, kid."

"Cool!" cheered the colt.

Sonic and Tails continued their trek through the burning Angel Island, seeing the small animals run and the trees burning made their skin crawl, but for now they couldn't focus on that as Robotnik's machine was a bigger priority. "Robotnik's always been sick, but to burn someone's island? That's too far!" shouted Sonic.

"Was he like this when you first met him?" Tails asked.

The hedgehog shook his head, "Not quite. He turned animals into robots, be he wasn't crazy enough to burn Green Hill! Then again, he did keep an entire planet enslaved before I met ya." he revealed to his pal, who growled in disgust.

The duo jumped on the platforms, avoiding the water below entirely. Tails lifted Sonic long enough so that the two could avoid the Badniks that awaited them. Once they were away from the water, the two landed on a small pattern and jumped off a small cliff to the right, landing in another area. "Those rocks look strange." pointed out the hedgehog, pointing above him.

"But we can't break them." observed the fox. "We're not able to reach them and even then, there's a spring right there."

Sonic nodded, and jumped on a rock, using it as a stand. He turned to the left, seeing another cliff and then he jumped, destroying the Badnik near the edge. He then saw something familiar to him standing near the right wall. "A monitor? Here?" he wondered. At that moment, Tails hovered next to him, also confused.

"I didn't know Angel Island had shield monitors." Tails noted.

The hedgehog put a finger on his chin, "Wait... The symbol on the screen is different than the other ones. It has flames on this one. Let's see what this is about." Sonic jumped on the monitor, a red orb surrounding his body as he landed. The orb also covered Tails, surprising him.

"Woah. It's a flame shield or something!" Sonic realized. "How is that even possible?"

"The monitors placed on the island seem to be elemental based, judging by this. I wonder if this gives us an immunity to fire." the fox wondered aloud.

Sonic smirked, "I guess we're about to find out!"

The duo jumped up and ran through the empty field, seeing the round robot from earlier descend. "Yo, Robotnik! This tin can of yours can't do anything to us!" the hero bragged. The robot silently responded by activating its flamethrower. Sonic remained still as his shield absorbed the heat. "Awesome!" he cheered. The hedgehog then jumped, but an idea came to him.

He pushed himself forward, creating a small burst of fire as he lunged, hitting the robot. Tails mirrored his actions and the two bounced atop the robot with ease, taking the missiles that it launched and absorbing their heat as well. Sonic and Tails stopped once they heard the robot explode and landed on the ground.

Then, out of nowhere, a spinning sign began to fall toward the ground. As if he saw it before, Sonic decided to play around and jumped, causing the sign to bounce in middair. Tails laughed as he joined in on the fun before finally allowing the sign to land, it showing Sonic and Tails' proud faces. The two posed as they cheered.

"Too easy! Piece of cake!" boasted Sonic, wagging a finger.

"That wasn't too bad!" Tails bragged, raising a fist.

Knuckles and Big Mac blinked. The colt was the first to break the awkward silence, "Uh, mister Knuckles... Where did the sign come from?" he asked.

The echidna answered, "Your guess is as good as mine... What I'm wondering is how it has Sonic and Robotnik's face. Maybe it's like a territorial thing. I should make one with our faces on it just to rub it in theirs." he heard the red colt laugh at that.

Then, Knuckles looked back at the monitors, seeing Sonic and Tails run again. "Soon they're gonna be at the bridge. You ready for the trap?" he wondered.

"Eeyup!"

Sonic and Tails ran on the field, ready for what was ahead. "That was a little too easy." admitted the hedgehog, "Robuttnik's got somethin' waiting for us ahead."

"Most likely." Tails replied, "We should also keep an eye out for any Warp Rings. From the look of things, they're hiddn in strange areas this time, so we should be careful."

Sonic nodded, "You got it!"

Something tackled Sonic and Tails, getting rid of the flame shields that surrounded them. "Ah!" grunted the hedgehog, picking himself up off the grass. "What the heck was that?"

Metal clanging was heard, bringing shivers to the duo's spines. "What is that?" Tails gulped.

"You! Hand me the Chaos Emeralds!"

Sonic's eyes went wide at the sight of the familiar tall, blue robot that threatened him. "Metal Sonic!? I thought I trashed you back on Little Planet!" he shouted, getting back on his feet and helping Tails do the same.

"My loathsome copy... if you must know, I was upgraded. I am now Mecha Sonic! And I will be your end." Mecha Sonic revealed. "Now, hand me the Chaos Emeralds you have if you value your pitiful life!" he repeated his command.

Sonic clenched his fists, "And what if I don't you bucket of bolts?"

Mecha Sonic spoke, "Then you will suffer the consequences."

Sonic 3: Mecha Sonic Appears

Mecha Sonic charged toward Sonic, the hedgehog jumping out of the way of the assault. "Gotta go fast, slow poke!" the hedgehog taunted, hitting the robot, seeing it flash white for a second. He landed on the burnt grass, seeing his rival stand back.

The robot lunged forward, bringing his elbow into Sonic's muzzle, making his head snap to the side. "Ah! You're gonna regret that, Metal." he boasted to the robot.

"I am not Metal Sonic. I'm far superior to him."

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Sure."

Tails spun his tails around, hitting Mecha Sonic as hard as he could. Mecha responded by elbowing the fox in the side of the head. "Foolish fox. You will regret doing that." the robot boasted, his hand morphing int a cannon.

"Oh no ya won't!" Sonic shouted, bouncing off his rival with a Spin-Dash attack. Uncurling, Sonic divekicked the robot, but Mecha grabbed his foot and threw him onto the burnt grass facefirst. "This better not become a trend..." he sighed, spitting out blades of grass as he cleaned himself off quickly.

"It's no use, Sonic. I am the ultimate robot." Mecha Sonic then started to laugh.

Tails curled into a ball and whacked Mecha with his own Spin-Dash. "I didn't know robots were capable of laughing!" he pointed, spinning his namesakes in midair to hover over the robot. "Why did Robotnik send you here now?"

Sonic roundhouse-kicked Mecha Sonic, "Don't bother askin' questions, bro. Robotnik just wants us gone. Although another Metal Sonic wasn't the way to go about it." he groaned, going into a handstand before flipping back onto his feet. The hedgehog smirked, seeing Mecha Sonic morph his fist into a cannon.

Then, Mecha Sonic began to shoot at the blue blur. Sonic vanished in a second, appearing behind the robot. The hedgehog jumped, grabbing his friend's hands in order to gain flight. Sonic then dropped himself, curling into a ball in the process in order to attack Mecha Sonic with a powerful Spin-Dash stomp.

But Mecha saw the attack coming and extended a hand, grabbing Sonic while he was still in ball form. He threw Sonic on the ground, making him slide a little. "How did you do that?" he asked, wondering how the attack didn't destroy the metal casing of the robot.

While Mecha was tending to finish Sonic, Tails swooped down, hitting the robot with both of his fists. In response, the robot wrapped a hand around the fox's throat, choking him. He raised Tails's body as he did so, intending to end him then and there. "You shouldn't have intervened, fox. I only seek the Chaos Emeralds you've obtained." he threatened, tightening his grip, making Tails gag in pain.

Then, Mecha was attacked by a blue blur, knocking him back a little and releasing Tails, who inhaled sharply in order to breathe again. "You alright, bro?" Sonic asked the fox worriedly, who nodded as he breathed slowly. The hedgehog narrowed his gaze at the robot, clearly not amused at what happened.

Sonic glared daggers at the robot. Adjusting his gloves, he took a single step forward. Mecha Sonic didn't say anything, but he aimed his cannon directly at the hedgehog's temple. "Look, Mecha..." he said calmly, "I'll make this clear and simple. You don't ever dare to touch a hair on that fox's head."

"He was in my way. My objective is to collect the Chaos Emeralds plain and simple. If you had complied, I wouldn't have had to punish him for his disobedience." Mecha responded coldly, his targeting system focused directly on Sonic.

The hedgehog smirked, "Time to take you to the trash heap like Robotnik's other creations."

Sonic jumped up, hitting Mecha Sonic with a Spin-Dash. In response, Mecha curled into a ball and intended to hit Sonic once he uncurled himself. The hedgehog noticed the attack and dove out of the way, seeing Mecha practically drill himself into the ground. After a few seconds, Mecha reappeared directly next to Sonic, popping out of the ground and floating.

To counter, Sonic uppercutted Mecha and hit him with a powerful Spin-Dash launching him across the burning fields. As Mecha Sonic was about to strike, he got a transmission, making him pause. 'Mecha Sonic. Retreat for now. You can try again once the two obtain more emeralds.' Robotnik said from his end. 'My mech is ready for them once they arrive at the spot.'

Mecha Sonic lowered his weapons, "You got lucky, Sonic. I will come back soon enough." he threatened before activating his jet thrusters and flying away.

"I can chase after him if you want." Tails suggested.

Sonic grinned, "Nah. Let him run. That just means we won." he turned his head, seeing a camera drone hoverinf nearby. So, feeling boastful, Sonic stuck out his tongue in jest at the camera, hoping that his nemesis could see.

"Well that was a little overkill."

Knuckles grumbled to himself, seeing the battle between Sonic and Mecha Sonic. "Y'know for a guy claiming to be good, he can make some seriously deadly weapons." he shrugged, "Ah, well. At least he's on the side of justice, isn't that right Mac?" he asked his apprentice, glancing at the red colt.

Instead of responding, Big Mac resisted the urge to laugh at something. "Huh?" what's so funny?" Knuckles asked, seeing Sonic stick his tongue out on the screen and giving him a thumbs down.

"You, random fist guy! If you can hear this, eat my dust!" Sonic yelled at the camera. "And Robuttnik! We're comin' after ya, and stopping your twisted plans! And no fake version of me is gonna stop us!" at that boast, the hedgehog and fox ran off, intending to stop their enemy.

"That robot was so cool!" Big Mac said, "It looked really strong if it can fight Sonic and Tails!"

Knuckles huffed, "I'm just getting a bad vibe from it. Like it could potentially destroy the planet if it wanted. Ah, I'm probably just being paranoid."

The echidna looked at the map, "Okay. They're nearing the waterfall where Eggman's mech is located. Big Mac, it's time for you to head there."

"Eeyup!"

Sonic 3: The Trap

Sonic and Tails arrived deeper in the burning jungles of Angel Island, having survived their bout with Mecha Sonic and gaining another emerald soon after. Obviously, the hedgehog was more than confused, "Alright. So it looks like the blue metal copycat made a comeback. And from the looks of it, that won't be the last we'll see of him."

"You fought him when you went to Little Planet, right?" asked Tails, flying above his best friend.

The hedgehog nodded, "Yeah. But it seems somehow the doc managed to pile him back together for revenge. If Metal's back, then I hope that fangirl didn't follow me here." he added with a slight shudder, making Tails chuckle.

"Heh. Maybe not." the fox responded, turning his gaze around, "I think we need to bust through those rocks. There's no other way around." he observed, seeing the giant rock wall that towered over them massively in height.

Sonic kicked the dirt, "You might be right, little bro." he smirked, "Let me take care of this."

And so, Sonic curled himself into a ball, revving his Spin-Dash so that it was powerful enough to break through the boulders. Within a few seconds, and with some assistance from Tails, they bursted through the boulders into a secret small tunnel.

In their ball forms, Sonic and Tails sped through the snake-like tunnel until reaching the other end. Once they were back in the wilderness, the uncurled, running at full speed. "Woo!" cheered the blue blur, "Didn't expect that at all." he admitted.

"Neither did I. At least we're getting further in the island." Tails noticed.

Then, a loud humming got their attention. "Huh?" muttered Sonic. A shadow covered the duo as something came over them. The hedgehog raised his head to see what was happening. "Wha--?" he couldn't finish his surprised gasp, grabbing Tails' wrist and he moved his legs faster to outrun what was above them.

It was an airship with holes underneath it, directly on top of Sonic and Tails. The hedgehog saw something pop out of one of the pipes and sped up, narrowly dodging a missile that exploded. "Holy--!" screamed the blue hedgehog in shock. "Robuttnik's not kiddin' around!"

"C'mon, we gotta hurry!" Tails declared.

"Hold on tight, buddy!"

More missiles were launched from underneath the airship as Sonic ran, with Tails doing his best to speed his friend up by propelling his tails as fast as he could. The two barely avoided the barrage of explosive projectiles tossed right behind them. The two could feel the heat of the miniature explosions behind them and were glad that they weren't hit at all.

Luckily for them, the ship seemingly ran out of explosives and decided to retreat to the sky. "Yeah! You better run!" Sonic screamed at it, deciding to slow his pace to allow Tails and him a moment to breathe.

Knuckles shook, "And now he plans to nuke the stinkin' island?!" he shouted in anger at Robotnik. "This stupid hedgehog better be worth the effort."

"Um... Mister Knuckles?" Big Mac called out, "A-Are we sure they're the bad guys in this?"

The echidna folded his arms, "Robotnik has given us no reason to doubt us yet, Mac. So far, Sonic and Tails have gotten their hands on more emeralds than I hoped. If this keeps up, they can destroy the Death Egg, and that's the only thing that could possibly stop those two. Although, we should question him on the name of the station at some point." he muttered the last part to himself.

Big Mac blinked, "Okay, then. I trust you."

Knuckles smiled softly, "Alright. Should Robotnik's robot fail to stop the duo, I need you at the ledge on the bridge. There should be a warp ready. It's about time they know that I'm not alone." he put his hand on the stallion's shoulder, "This is the kind of stuff I trained you for. And don't worry, they'll land in the Hydrocity once the button's pressed." he revealed. "Are you ready?"

Big Mac grinned and ran into the Warp Point, "Eeyup!" after that, he vanished in a red beam.

Sonic and Tails ran past a bridge in front of a waterfall. Suddenly, something popped from behind it, revealing a robot mech and the pilot sitting in the cockpit. "Robotnik!" Sonic growled, "It's about time you showed your chrome dome!"

Robotnik slammed his fists on the rim of his ship, "Enough of the quips, Sonic! It's about time I ended our game!"

"They always say three (or four) times the charm, doc. But I don't think this is yours." Sonic quipped.

Instead of talking, Robotnik used his machine to burn down the bridge to escape. His machine had two guns that shot fireballs from them. Once he burned the bridge he hid behind the falling water, waiting to strike his hated nemesis. Sonic looked around, hoping to gain the upperhand against his scientist enemy. He turned his body, barely able to see a shadow behind the water, unable to fully see where he's going to strike.

"Look out, Sonic!" Tails yelled, spinning his namesakes to grab Sonic once Robotnik appeared, shooting a series of flames at the blue blur. Once high in the air, Sonic fell and dropped down in his ball form, hitting the robot with a Spin-Jump, bouncing off the glass to land a perfect second hit in.

Sonic gave his pal a thumbs up, "Thanks for the save, bro!"

Robotnik reappeared, "Take this!" he yelled. More fireballs were shot out of his machine, the duo hopping over them with ease. This time, Tails landed a hit before Sonic, the both of them bouncing back onto the grassy platform.

"Heh heh." chuckled the hedgehog.

"You'll pay for that!" Robotnik snarled, aiming his gun diagonally, trying to catch the duo off guard.

Sonic and Tails jumped over the flaming projectiles with ease. "Would that be with credit or rings?" he joked, diving down and curling into a ball to hit the scientist, having Tails do the same before hanging onto his flying buddy.

"Ha!" laughed Tails, "Good one."

Robotnik knew his systems were failing and gave one last effort, combining the spheres into one single blast. The duo landed, seeing the guns turn red. Their eyes widened as Tails mustered the energy to fly one last time. "Just give up!" the doctor yelled.

"Hm... Nah." Sonic decided, performing one last Spin-Dash down on the pilot's seat, cracking the glass and the wiring with his spines. Once he landed, Sonic tore through the metal with ease. Tails cheered his actions on, seeing the machine fall apart in seconds.

Once the hedgehog was done and landed, Robotnik was covered in ash, ejecting his Egg-Mobile from the remains of the machine, coughing in the smoke and yelled, "I'll be back, Sonic and Tails!"

"Heh. Please forget to write then!" Sonic joked, high-fiving his pal for another win in their count.

The two saw a capsule descend and jumped, pushing the button, freeing the captured animals onto the platform, allowing them to roam free. "We did it, Sonic! The animals here are safe!" Tails cheered.

"Yep! Now we gotta see what's ahead!"

Sonic and Tails ran forward, finding themselves at a dead end. "Hey, buddy. Think you can fly us up to that platform up there?" he wondered to his friend.

"I-I can try."

But they saw something step forward. It wasn't the echidna guardian like Sonic initially thought, but a red horse. "A horse? Didn't see that coming." he admitted.

"I've never heard of you!" Tails shouted. "Are you new?"

Big Mac didn't respond, and put a hoof to the silver button on the floor in front of him. "Are you with that singing guardian jerk I met earlier?" asked Sonic.

Silence again. Sonic put his hands to his hips and asked, "You're not a horse of many words are ya?"

The stallion smirked, "Eeyup." was all he said, pressing the button at last as hard as he could.

The bridge underneath the hedgehog and fox suddenly disappeared, surprising the duo. They stood in midair for a second, looked down and then plummeted seemingly to their doom. Their screams were heard, but Big Mac knew that their heading to their next stop.

Sonic 3: Hydrocity

Sonic and Tails screamed as they fell, seeing that they were no longer in the jungle, but instead some kind of underground labyrinth well below their intended destination. The duo continued to plummet downwards, that is, until Sonic felt himself fall into a pool of water. Once the hedgehog realized this, his eyes widened, reaching out for his friend to bring him to the surface.

Tails noticed his plea for help and swam towards the hedgehog, reaching out a hand to grab. The fox carried Sonic to shore and the two let out a sharp exhale, finally able to breathe. "Woo! I was not expecting that kind of fall. If those red guardian punks wanted us dead, they should'a done a better job of it."

"I don't think they want us dead, Sonic. We're still here after all. Perhaps it was some sort of device to divert us?" Tails suggested, keeping Sonic afloat.

Sonic nodded, jumping up and landing on a rocky surface. He coughed some water. "Yeah... You might be right, buddy. Wherever Robotnik's rebuilding the Death Egg, they don't want us to get there. Why? No clue, but they're on the wrong side."

Tails put a finger to his chin, "What I don't understand is that mysterious horse. No legends about Angel Island have stated that the guardian of the island had a partner." he hummed, wondering who this newcomer was and what he wanted.

The hedgehog gave the fox a blank stare, "Well, clearly he's like that knucklehead. Can't trust 'em either." he stretched his legs, "...Anyway, looks like we have to go..." he paused, his body shaking at the water below, "T-Through the w-water..."

Sonic inhaled and scratched his neck nervously, "U-Um... You go on ahead, Tails... I m-might just find another way around." he gulped while he shook.

Tails gave his older friend a deadpan stare, "It can't be too bad, Sonic. I still remember your nervous breakdown at the Chemical Plant and Aquatic Ruin."

"But Tails... Laybrinth, man. That place messed me up bad. All that water. You know I can't swim. I had to run underwater! Do you know how difficult that is?" Sonic groaned.

The fox rolled his eyes, "I'm gonna be by your side this whole time. Plus, what if one of those Special Rings are down there? We need to find the Chaos Emeralds, remember?" he reminded the hedgehog.

Gulping again, Sonic relunctantly nodded, "Fine. Let's just get this over with..."

With a sharp inhale, Sonic dived in behind Tails, his feet slowly reaching the ground. He paced behind the fox, who was managing to swim next to him. The blue blur rolled his eyes and the duo made their way to a small tunnel, where they hoped to reach an end.

As they wandered in, Sonic and Tails inhaled some bubbles that were popping out of the ground, giving them time to breathe and continue their underwater trek.

But then the two felt themselves getting pushed aside. They couldn't respond as the only sounds made were the sounds of gargles and near choking. Sonic and Tails quietly gasped, holding onto a disintergrating pole. Turning around, the hedgehog saw a spiked ball behind him and prompted himself and Tails to shimmy upwards so they would be pushed above the obstacle.

Luckily, the underwater pressure pushed them above the ball and they found themselves able to move freely again. They inhaled another set of bubbles before continuing on.

Sonic jumped in the water, smashing through a series of Badniks named Bubbles before their spikes protruded from their metal bodies. The hedgehog held onto the belt of a conveyor belt and felt his body spin above a moving fan. Once he saw the surface, he and Tails timed their jumps so that they could reach it.

Once they did, the heroic duo knelt down and panted, relieved to finally be on the surface once more. They inhaled as much air as they could as Sonic gasped, "Finally... It felt like a living nightmare in their." he shook his body to dry himself off.

Tails spun his namesakes around to do the same, and coughed, "Y-Yeah... At least we're okay."

Sonic nodded, "Yep! Now let's get movin'."

"Nice work, Mac." complimented Knuckles, "Good thing I taught ya the construction of the Hydrocity. Those two will not anticipate the next trap Robotnik sent after them. Another Badnik planted within the pools of the zone."

Big Mac blinked, "Was that how it was pronounced? I always thought it sounded like velocity. That's how it looked when spelled anyway according to those diagrams you gave me a few months back." he pointed out and admitted sheepishly.

Knuckles shook his head, "Wha? N-No, it was always meant to sound like Hydro-City. But it being spelled as one word makes it look cooler." he shrugged, "Eh. What do I care? I didn't name the place. I just found it like this, all I did was add the traps."

The two heard a ching and looked at the monitor, seeing Sonic and Tails hop out of a secret tunnel, a gem in tow. "Darn it! Another emerald?! I seriously have to do a better job of hiding and remembering those Special Zone Warps next time." the echidna cursed himself.

"It's not your fault, Mister Knuckles." assured Big Mac, patting his mentor's back.

Knuckles huffed, "Figured. Those two are more capable than I thought. Y'know, they'd be pretty alright if they were on our side."

"Eeyup..." muttered Big Mac to himself, secretly wondering that was such the case.

Sonic drove his feet down on a spring and jumped, curling into a ball to destroy the Bubbles in the air. "Wow. Seems Robuttnik can't keep originality! All we've seen are Crabmeats and Bubbles! I'm actually kinda hopin' the next mook will be a challenge." he admitted, bouncing on the ground before getting a full sprint.

Tails hit a boostpad, which Sonic followed. The two sprinted over the water, completely ignoring any obstacle that awaited below them. They ran over a waterpipe that sloped upwards, where they curled into a ball to gain momentum as it descended, allowing them continue skidding on the surface of the water.

"Wahoo!" cheered the hedgehog, "Now this beats underwater running!" he declared, uncurling.

Tails flew over a small platform. "Ditto!" he waved to his friend. Sonic then used a fan to ascend, narrowly avoiding the spikes on the ceiling.

Finally, Sonic and Tails reached a half-pipe with a large cylinder in the middle and on the other side was a closed door. The hedgehog smirked and chuckled, "I dunno, Tails. I'm gettin' mini-boss vibes from this little area." he observed.

"Looks like Robotnik planted a trap for us once we got here." Tails noticed as well.

The hedgehog rolled his eyes, "Underwater of course. At least it looks a little more shallow than the literal ocean we ran through not too long ago." he was grateful.

"That's where you're wrong."

Sonic scowled, recognizing the voice. A large blue ball came down, holding a piece of the supposed Badnik, and tossing it to the ground next to the heroes. "I shall be your challenge this time, my hated enemies." he growled.

Sonic and Tails got into a battle stance, "Mecha Sonic!" growled Sonic, as he curled his palms into fists.

"Ah, I see you recognize me. A shame our rivalry has to end here." Mecha declared. "My purpose will be fulfilled."

Sonic frowned, "Not on our watch, Metal 2.0!"

And so Mecha Sonic luned forward, intending to attack the two straightaway.

Knuckles' eyes widened, "What the heck?! He wasn't supposed to be here! What is that robot thinking?" he groaned. His eyes lowered and he saw Big Mac sitting on a lawn chair, eating a small bag of popcorn, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Where did you--?"

With a defeated sigh, Knuckles summoned his own chair and sunglasses before putting them on, looking back to the screen. "You know what? Hand me a bag. Might as well enjoy the show. Mecha would give them a good fight. You have any spare anywhere?"

The echidna sat on his chair while Mac handed him a separate bag with a grin, "Eeyup."

"Thanks." replied Knuckles, "For now, even though this wasn't part of the plan, let's just watch the show. I'm getting tired of doing this work. That hedgehog is a piece of work."