(Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, the characters or any of the games in the franchise; all credit goes to the original creators at Sega, please support the official release).
(Side Note: This one-shot is based on the Camp Lazlo episode "Hello Dolly", go watch it if you haven't seen it. If you have, then enjoy. Thank You).
~~Knuckles the Brony~~
It was a normal, sunny day on Bygone Island: the sky was clear, the birds were chirping and Sonic and his friends were currently battling another one of Dr. Eggman's robots; yep, it truly was just another normal day on Bygone Island.
Anyway, Eggman had sent out yet another giant robot to attack the village. Why? Well he was actually trying to destroy a local pizza shop because he had ordered a large pie topped with pepperoni and it had arrived to his lair in forty minutes rather than thirty.
Needless to say, he was understandably upset but he decided to resort to childish methods to deal with the problem. So when he sent out his giant two-headed snake robot out to destroy the pizza shop, naturally Sonic and his friends showed up to stop it.
(The battle went on for a while but then it was over when Sonic had struck the weak spot on the robot's back, causing it to self-destruct).
Dr. Eggman: "Curse you, Sonic the Hedgehog! You may have won this time, but I'll"-
Sonic: (Boredly) "Yeah yeah, next time you'll destroy me for sure yada yada yada. Look Egghead, next time you want a pizza, try actually walking to the shop and getting it yourself".
Dr. Eggman: "Wise guy". (Flies away)
Sonic: "Well that was typical, now what do you say we all do something fun together".
Tails: "Yeah!"
Amy: "Oh I know just what we should do".
Knuckles: "Ah, if it's all the same with you guys, I think I'm just head back to my hut and take a load off for a bit".
Sonic: "Alright, Knuckles. But if you change your mind, we'll be over at Amy's place". (He then waves to Knuckles as he leaves.
Knuckles walked to the door of his hut but then suddenly looked all around him before hurriedly running inside and slamming the door shut. He looked out of his windows to make sure no one saw him before pulling down all the shades. Knuckles then reached under his bed and pulled out a Fluttershy plushie the size of his hands and began playing with it.
Knuckles: "Hello Fluttershy".
Knuckles: (Talking in a high-pitched voice to sound like a girl). "Hello Knuckles".
Knuckles: (Normal voice). "My friends and I fought another one of Eggman's robots today".
Knuckles: (Talking in a high-pitched voice to sound like a girl). "Did you kick his butt?"
Knuckles: (Normal voice). "Of course I did".
Knuckles: (Talking in a high-pitched voice to sound like a girl). "Oh Knuckles, you're so brave and strong".
Knuckles: (Moves the doll back and forth to make it look like it's walking). (Normal voice). "Would you like to take a nap?" (He lays the doll on his pillow and drapes the blanket over it).
Knuckles: (Talking in a high-pitched voice to sound like a girl). "No Knuckles, I've been napping all day. I want to play with you".
Knuckles: (Normal voice). "Of course". (He picks up the doll but then tenses up when he hears his door open).
Sticks: "Hey Knucles". (She sees him standing with his hands behind his back but doesn't think much of it). "I was wondering"-
Knuckles: (nervous and internally panicking). "I don't have anything behind my back, so don't look there!"
Sticks: "Umm..."
Knuckles:(nervously) "Um...nothing nothing!" (He begins to back away towards the window).
Sticks: "Why are you backing away towards the window, Knuckles?"
Knuckles: (nervously). "Oh uh, I just thought I'd get some...uh...some fresh air". (He discreetly opens the window with his tail and throws the doll outside, not seeing it roll down the hill). "And you know how we're always walking forward, well I'd thought I'd try walking backwards for a change. So that's all, true story".
Sticks: 0_0 "Okay then, I came to ask if I can borrow some sugar". (She walks over to the pantry and pulls out a box of sugar). "Um...I'll see you later, Knuckles". (She leaves).
Knuckles: (sighs in relief before looking out the window). "That was a close one, Fluttershy. Fluttershy?" (He sees that the doll is gone and immediately has a panic attack). "No...no...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Sonic and the others are at Amy's house currently baking brownies when they hear Knuckles scream of despair.
Sonic: (jokingly). "YEEEEEEESSSSS!"
Tails: "Sonic, what are we doing again?"
Sonic: "Amy said that after that battle, it'd be fun if we got together to make ourselves a snack and she decided we make some brownies. We're just waiting on Sticks to come back with some sugar".
Tails: (Sees the Fluttershy doll rolling until it stops by their picnic table). "Hey look, what is that?"
Sonic: (picks up the doll). "I'm not sure, but judging by how it rolled down the hill like that, I'm guessing it's some kind of...action figure!" (Makes it look like the doll is flying like a ship). "Woosh, engaging turbo thrusters!"
Tails: (He and Sonic run off). "Hey I want a turn now".
Amy: (Noticing the boys leaving and chases after them). "Hey you guys! Come back!"
(Meanwhile Knuckles is looking all over, desperately trying to find his beloved plush doll).
Knuckles: "Fluttershy? Fluttershy?" (He quickly ducks behind a tree as Sonic, Tails and Amy run past him. He also notices Sonic was holding his doll). "Fluttershy?" (He starts weeping before immediately slapping himself in the face). "Get it together, Knuckles! I can't let 'em know she's mine".
Sonic stops running and tosses the doll onto the ground.
Tails: "Can I have a turn with the action figure?"
Sonic: "Sure Tails". (He passes the doll to Tails).
Tails: (Holds it up and looks confused). "How does it work?"
Sonic: "It's an action figure, do something action-y".
Tails throws the doll in the air and as it falls onto the ground, he body slams it. Then he jumps up and elbows it while Sonic laughs and Amy just watches in amusement.
Sonic: (notices Knuckles). "Oh hey there Knuckles". (Then he notices his nervous facial expression). "Um...you okay, Knuckles?"
Knuckles: (shaking and trying not to hyperventilate). "F...f...f...fine, thanks for asking. W...w...what do you have there?"
Sonic: (Holding the plush doll). "This awesome action figure".
Tails: "We found it".
Knuckles: (still shaking nervously). "Oh that's cool. Can I...hold it?"
Sonic: (Holds the doll out of Knuckles' reach). "Well actually I was gonna let Amy have a turn next, right Amy?"
Amy: "That sounds like fun".
Sonic: "Then after that, I was gonna let Sticks take a turn. Right Sticks?"
Sticks: (Shows up walking backwards). "Sure. Look Knuckles, I'm trying out you're walking backwards technique".
Sonic: (Tosses the doll over to Amy). "Here you go, Amy".
Amy then throws the doll onto the ground and starts pounding it with her hammer. Knuckles watches in horror as his eyes roll to the back of his head and he faints.
?: "Knuckles? Knuckles?"
Knuckles: (Wakes up to see his beloved plush doll over him). "Fluttershy?"
Sonic: "Who's Fluttershy?"
Knuckles: (Snatches the doll away from Sonic and cuddles with it). "Oh Fluttershy, I'm so glad you're back safe and sound!" (He hugs the doll tightly before noticing that everyone saw him and then drops it).
Sonic: "Knuckles, is that a plush toy from that girls' cartoon "My Little Pony"?"
Knuckles: "It's not mine!"
Sonic: "But you called it 'Fluttershy'".
Tails: "And you were hugging it very tightly".
Amy: "You also looked like you were crying over it, like you really love it".
Knuckles: (picks up the doll). "Well it's not mine. Would someone who really loves this doll do this?" (He grabs the doll's hair in a gesture that looks like he'll rip it off, but he let's go and instead straightens it out).
Sonic: "You know, it's okay if you like watching that show or playing with your doll. We won't judge".
Knuckles: "I said it's not mine! What do I have to do to prove it to you?! Blow her up?!"
Sonic: (He looks at Amy and Tails who shrug). "Sure okay".
Knuckles: "Okay its settled then, I'm gonna blow her up in front of the whole freaking village!" (He then quickly walks away while cuddling his doll). "Ha! Those guys totally bought it, I got you back in one piece Fluttershy. They have no idea you're mine or that I'm a fan of the show, and all I have to do is blow you up". (He then stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes widen and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach). "I can't blow you up! Who am I gonna watch new episodes of the show with? Who will I confide all my deepest secrets to? Who's gonna give me an adorable big eyed smile when I'm feeling mad or blue? Wait a minute, I'm sure they didn't take me seriously, they've probably forgotten about the whole thing".
Sonic: (Standing in the middle of the village with a megaphone). "Attention everyone, Knuckles is gonna blow up a doll right here in front of everyone on Bygone Island".
(All of the villagers became very excited, after the battle with Eggman earlier, everything went back to the boring and mundane droll of everyday life. They needed something exciting; merchants closed their shops and people were setting up chairs in the square to watch).
Tails: (Standing at a booth selling shirts). "Pony Doll Explosion T-Shirts! Get 'em while they're red hot!"
(Meanwhile from his base, Eggman could hear the whole commotion while he sat on a lawn chair reading a magazine).
Dr. Eggman: "Orbot, what's all the noise about? I'm trying to read".
Orbot: "It appears that Knuckles the echidna is going to blow up a doll from that children's cartoon about talking horses, Dr. Eggman".
Dr. Eggman: "Huh, that's nice..." (He then panicked). "What?! He's gonna blow up a "My Little Pony" doll?!" (He then got up and ran towards a closet containing a large number of plush dolls of the characters from "My Little Pony"). "Okay everyone here is all present and accounted f...wait, Sunset? Where's Sunset?!" (He spots the doll knocked over and stands it up). "Oh there you are. Phew, thought I lost one for a second".
Sonic: (Walking through the village with the megaphone). "The doll's mane is curled and the explosion will be heard around the world".
Knuckles: (Having seen and heard everything from his window). "Oh it's no use, I'm gonna have to blow you up". (He cuddled the Fluttershy plushie as he started to cry). "I'll never forget the fun times we had...like, the day I first became a fan of the show".
~~Four years ago~~
Mailman: (He knocks on Knuckles front door). "Package for Knuckles the echidna".
Knuckles: (Opens the door and signs for the package). "Oh sweet, this is probably the new dumbells I ordered". (He pulls it into his house, opens it and finds a note). "Watch this show, Knuckles. It's the single greatest thing you'll ever watch on T.V." (He then pulls out a Fluttershy plush doll). "I knew it, this is a prank. Someone sent this to me as a joke; well jokes on you because I'm not a little girl, and I'm not watching some kids show about talking magical horses". (He is about to throw the doll away when he looks at its face). "You know, you are pretty cute. Okay maybe I'll watch just one episode out of curiosity". (He sits down, turns on the T.V. and puts on the channel the show is played on. It was currently showing the season premiere of Season 2. After an hour and a half, Knuckles sat with his mouth agape and his eyes wide). "Wow…that was…the single greatest thing I've ever seen! I can't wait for the next episode".
Sonic: (Knocks on the door). "Hey Knuckles, we're going to the beach. You want to come with us?"
Knuckles: "No thanks, I'm working out. Maybe I'll join you later".
Sonic: "Okay, see you later". (Walks away).
Knuckles: (He pulls out a computer and searches up full episodes of "My Little Pony" Season 1). "Yep, I'm working out…my fingers as I catch up on what I missed. And I'm gonna need you to do it, Fluttershy". (He picks up the plush doll and hugs gently).
~~Present Day~~
Knuckles: "And now we have to say goodbye. Goodbye to your fluffy marshmallow like mane, and your hot dog bun body and your long kabob skewer legs". (Suddenly he got an idea).
(Outside in the square, the villagers are sitting in rows of chairs waiting for Knuckles to come out. They all start cheering his name as he walks out to greet the crowd wearing a welder's mask and mitts, and carrying a burlap sack).
Knuckles: "QUIET! Okay, now who's ready to blow up a doll?"
The Crowd: "Oooh".
Knuckles: "I can't hear you!"
The Crowd: "Doll! Doll! Doll! Doll! Doll!"
Knuckles: (Reaches into the sack and pulls something out). "Okay, here's your doll!"
(The Crowd stops cheering for a minute to notice that the Fluttershy plush was actually a hot dog bun with a marshmallow head and kabob skewers for legs).
Random Villager #1: "Hey, that's just a hot dog bun with a marshmallow head!"
Random Villager #2: "Yeah, what are you trying to pull?"
Knuckles: (sweating nervously). "Uh…obviously you people have never seen a doll before".
(The Crowd starts booing until Sonic walks out in front of them).
Sonic: "Quiet! I think we all know what's really going on here".
Random Villager #1: "Who's that?"
Sonic: "Obviously Knuckles spent so much time looking for a welder's mask and mitts, that he accidently grabbed this really stupid looking hot dog thing".
Random Villager #2: "Ohh".
Random Villager #3: "That makes sense".
Random Villager #1: "I still don't know who that is".
Sonic: "You wait here, Knuckles. I'll go get the real doll from your hut, I wouldn't want you to get distracted". (He walks towards Knuckles' hut).
Knuckles: "Wait, Sonic…"
The Crowd: "We want the doll! We want the doll! We want the doll! We want the doll!"
Knuckles: (nervously shaking). "Hee hee…doll. Doll."
(Meanwhile Sonic enters Knuckles' hut).
Sonic: "Fluttershy, you're wanted for a big explosion! Now where can she be?" (He looks in the pantry). "Okay she's not in Knuckles' pantry". (He then looks near Knuckles' work-out equipment). "And she's not near Knuckles' work-out stuff". (He then looks inside Knuckles' shoe closet). "Not in Knuckles' shoe closet". (He looks in a shoe). "Not in Knuckles' shoes. Now where haven't I looked?" (He realizes that Knuckles' bedroom was the only place he hadn't looked yet. He opens the door and finds that the room was filled with "My Little Pony" merchandise. There were posters on the wall, play-sets and figurines on the shelves, CDs near the radio, DVDs near the T.V. and plush dolls of several characters, including Fluttershy, on his bed). "Wow, how much did Knuckles spend on all this merchandise? It must've cost him like a hundred rings or something". (He then picks up a photo of Knuckles holding all the plush dolls with his face nuzzling the Fluttershy doll in particular. He sighs sadly). "Oh Knuckles…"
(Back outside, the crowd continues to chant for the doll until Sonic walks back towards the square).
Random Villager #1: "Hey look, what's-his-face is coming back". (He notices his empty hands). "And he's empty-handed!"
Random Villager #2: "Where's the doll, Sonic?!"
Random Villager #3: "Yeah you promised us a doll!"
Sonic: "Enough!" (He grabs Knuckles' hand holding the fake doll). "This is your doll!"
Random Villager #1: "No, that's just a hot dog bun!"
Sonic: "Dolls look like hot dog buns in person".
Random Villager #1: "Oh…um, Knuckles!"
(The crowd begins cheering for him now).
The Crowd: "Knuckles! Knuckles! Knuckles!"
(Sonic smiles and winks at Knuckles before walking away. Knuckles then ties a stick of dynamite to the fake doll, picks up a match and lights the fuse. He then dropped it on the floor and lowered the welder's mask over his face. The fake doll then exploded, blasting bread scented air everywhere; the explosion even reached Eggman's base and blasted him in the face).
Dr. Eggman: "Hot dog buns?!" (He suddenly runs back to that closet from before).
(Back in the village, the blast finally dissipated and suddenly hot dog buns and marshmallows began falling from the sky).
Sonic: "Oooh!"
The Crowd: "Awww!"
Random Villager #2: "It's raining hot dog buns and marshmallows".
(Random Villager #1 sitting next to him sticks out his tongue, caught a few and ate them. The crowd then cheers for Knuckles who was currently trying to get over the shock of the explosion, the ringing in his ears finally stopping).
Sonic: (Approaches Knuckles). "Good job, Knuckles. I'm so proud of you".
Knuckles: "Yeah sure. You…you didn't rearrange any of my collectibles, did you?"
Sonic: "Nope".
Knuckles: "Really? Well, I'm gonna go reorganize everything just in case. Oh and Sonic?"
Sonic: "Yeah, Knuckles?"
Knuckles: "Uhh…I think we should take care of this mess".
Sonic: "Sure, Knuckles". (He's then surprised when Knuckles suddenly hugs him).
Knuckles: (blushing in embarrassment). "Seriously, thanks Sonic".
Sonic: (smiles and pats him on the back). "No problem, buddy". (He watches him go back to his hut).
Tails: (holding some marshmallows). "I'll collect the marshmallows if you collect the hot dog buns".
Sticks: (holding some kabob skewers). "And I've got the kabob skewers".
Sonic: (pondering). "Hmm…I think I know just what to do with these".
(That night, Sonic and his friends sat by a campfire enjoying chili dogs and s'mores. And the next morning, the others decided to sit with Knuckles to watch the Season 5 premiere of "My Little Pony". Knuckles also didn't have to worry about his friends mocking him for liking a show for little girls; they may not understand the appeal, but they love their friend and understand that some people just love different things).
~~The End~~
Author's Note: Well this ends my first Sonic the Hedgehog one-shot. This came into my head the other day and I wanted to write because I thought it'd funny and cute; Knuckles the echidna is my favorite "Sonic the Hedgehog" character, next to Shadow the Hedgehog and I wanted to write a story showing a softer side of himself.