Tails, Knuckles and Chase hid behind the rocks near the city.
Knuckles still had Shield's old armor on. Chase looked at him little worrily. Knuckles asked her:" What?" Chase looked away and said:" Sorry! It's just that... this armor gives me the creeps." Tails said:" Don't worry, princess! Knuckles knows what he's doing...some times." Knuckles asked:" What do you mean 'some times'?" Tails said:" Let's see...you let Rouge or Eggman take the master emerald, you let Eggman fool you almost every time...you want that i'll continue?" Knuckles replyed:" I get the picture but i learn from my mistakes." Tails shrugged and said:" Whatever you say, Knuckles." Chase wasn't amused by the boys and was looking around the fastest and safest route to the castle.
Chase then said:" Boys! Follow me!" Tails and Knuckles stopped arguing and looked at her. Chase rose up and run towards the closest wall of the closest house, Knuckles and Tails followed her.
They walked very close to the wall and run in caps so knighters couldn't detect them. Chase said:" We're almost there." Then she walked into one of the knighters. Knighter turned around and saw three intruders. He alerted the others. Knuckles punched him and said:" I'll get the lead." He took the chain from the knighter and tossed it to Tails. Tails realized what Knuckles thought. He said:" Great plan!" Tails gave Chase other side of the chain and said:" Tie it around your wrists! Knuckles has a plan!"
Two knighters got there and saw new knighter holding Tails and Chase captive. One of the knighters asked:" You're the new one, right?" Second knighter asked:" Where's the third one?" Knuckles answered:" He got away. I was able to get those two." One of the knighters shouted:" You have the princess! All of us tried to get her." Knuckles said:" She litearly ran into my arms. Now let's get them to the king." Two knighters walked closer and said:" Let us take them." Knuckles shook his head and said:" N-no! I get it. You two should find third one." Second knighter said:" But it's our rule that higher rank should get the intruders to the throne room." Knuckles cursed under his breath and said:" I don't want to let them go. When i give them to you then they could slip away from the grasp." One knighter said:" It's the rules, new one!" Knuckles started to walk with his "prisoners" towards the castle and said:" I really have this!" Then Shield jumped front of Knuckles. Shield said:" Greetings, imposter. You have my armor. And i'm suprised that we both are in same size." Two knighters looked at each other and surrounded three mobians. Knuckles let the chain go, letting Tails and Chase go. Tails started to spin his tails but he remembered that he can't fly for some time, so he abandoned his plan. Instead he said:" Split up! They can't get all of us!" Knuckles replyed:" I don't want to argue with you but there's three knighters and three of us." Chase said:" Forget about that!"
She was about to release the ninja dust when Shield grabbed her arm and said:" No you won't!" Knuckles was about to punch Shield but two knighters jumped on him, making him fall on the ground. Tails turned around and ran away from them, trying to think about the plan. Suddenly somebody threw something into Tails' head. Tails fell on his knees and he felt something warm on his head. Tails looked at the rock next to him and bloody hand what he used to touch his head. One of the knighters ran to him and punched him into the face, making Tails blackout.
King was just sitting on his throne when two knighters bringed Knuckles into the room. One of them said:" He stole one of knighter's armor." Second knighter added:" He was with two mobians. We took care of them." Knuckles shouted:" Oh, yeah?! It was okay to hurt eight year old like that? Normal knights won't throw anything to their enemy's head." King looked at the knighters and said:" There could be rules but i have never ordered them to 'play fair'." Knuckles growled and said:" If Sonic gets his hands on you...!" King cut in and asked:" Then what? I don't think he said that he almost killed himself when he did something stupid." Knuckles said:" He did tell me. But Sonic is real survivour. You try to kill him, he just comes back stronger. Mark my words." King said:" Well then...Shield is looking for him now. And you'll join her." Knuckles said:" No. I refuse to be on your side." King walked closer to him and said to knighters:" Pin him down. Time to try mind control devices." Knuckles tried to fight back but one of the knighters electricied the armor, what Knuckles was still wearing. Knuckles fell on his elbows and knees. King took out small spider shaped device and put it to echidna's back neck.
Few hours later
Sonic and Shield (or Sharvari) were ready to the battle.
Sharvari walked closer to the hedgehog and rose her sword. Sonic put the metal stick in the way of swinging sword. Sonic kicked Sharvari's leg and made her unbalanced. Then Sonic hit her with the stick to her face. Sharvari then did a backflip behind Sonic. Sonic turned around and blocked the new hit. Sonic threw the sword off of the stick and backed off. Sonic thought:" I can't fight her now. I don't want to reopened my wound again. If i bleed out there's nothing what could help my friends."
He came back into reality when somebody jumped behind him. Sonic turned around and sighed from relief. It was Knuckles, who was wearing the armor and had mask piece on his face. Sonic said:" Thank godness you're here! I feared that something happened to you and Tails." Sharvari started to laugh. Sonic was confusied by her movement. Suddenly Knuckles punched him into the stomach, making him fly to the tree. Sonic slid down and asked:" What was that for?" Knuckles was ready to punch him again. Sonic jumped out the way and grabbed the other tree's branch in midair. Knuckles hit the tree next to Sonic, breaking it into half. Sonic jumped on Knuckles' face and asked:" What's wrong, buddy? No matter what's going on, snap out of it!" Knuckles punched him into the face and made Sonic fall into his own back. Sonic looked at Knuckles and said:" Please, Knuckles! Don't do it!" Knuckles grabbed one of the Sonic's arms, locking him into place.
Sharvari said:" I like to see you being finished off but i need to plan the attack on the resistance." Then she ran away, taking her helmet with her.
Sonic closed his eyes, ready for the blow. He said:" Knuckles, snap out of it! Please!" Knuckles was ready to punch Sonic but some reason he wasn't doing anything. Echidna was just holding his fist in the air. Sonic opened his eyes and looked into Knuckles' eyes. Knuckles did the same and released Sonic.
Sonic backed away and rose up slowly, still his eyes locked on Knuckles. Knuckles fell into his knees. Sonic gasped and ran next to him, putting his hand to Knuckles' back. Knuckles said weakly:" Look for mind control device! Quickly! I can't fight against it for long." Sonic started to rub his hand in Knuckles' quills, trying to feel anything out of place.
Suddenly Knuckles punched Sonic's chest. Sonic fell backward and he landed on tree's root with his already injured leg. Sonic yelped and saw Knuckles running towards him. He rolled out of the way and tried to rose up only to lower himself back because of the pain. Knuckles was after him again. Sonic jumped out of the way and grabbed the stick he used before Knuckles came. He dropped it when Knuckles first punched him. Sonic hit Knuckles into the face with it, took the laser gun and shot Knuckles to the back, knocking the device off of him. Knuckles fell on his stomach.
Sonic rose up and limped to his friend. Sonic said:" Wow! If this was a movie then i should hear Star Wars theme song!" Knuckles rose slowly up and chuckled quietly. Sonic helped Knuckles stand and Knuckles said:" I'm very sorry! I wasn't able to protect Tails." Sonic looked away and sighed. "Is he alright?" Sonic asked with worry. Knuckles shook his head and said:" Knighters injured him. He was out cold when i last saw him." Sonic asked:" Where is Tails?" Knuckles answered:" In the castle. I think that Amy's there too." Sonic replyed:" I knew you both forgot about Amy. I know why Tails forgot about her but you... it's just natural for you." Knuckles growled and said:" If we both aren't banged up then i'll pound you so much that you're one with the ground." Sonic backed up little bit and said:" Same to you, Knuckles! And by the way, it was you and Tails who forgot about Amy, not me." Knuckles said:" Good point."
Sonic walked up to the tree and sat down near it. He leaned his back to that tree. Knuckles sat next to him and asked:" What's next?" Sonic said:" Let's rest for a minute. And then worry about next step." Knuckles started to search something in his quills and said:" You missed a spot." He reached the same hand to Sonic. On it was blue chaos emerald. Sonic took it and said:" We can search the other chaos emerald! I...kinda lost... chaos emerald." Knuckles asked:" You had a chaos emerald? And then lost it?" Sonic asked:" Roy didn't tell you? I asked him to say it!" Knuckles said quietly:" I knew he wanted to say something!" Sonic rose up and said:" I have an idea! Follow my lead!"
Later
Knuckles walked into the throne room. King asked:" Did you got him?" Knuckles walked closer to him and gave something red round thing into king's hand. King said:" Unbelievible! You actually did it!" Knuckles bowed and walked away. King looked at the thing in his hand and said:" Looks like our 'rookie' is better than other knighters. He was able to bring me chaos emeralds' protector's heart!"
Shield, who just got there, heard it. She said:" I'll show him." She walked away from the door and followed Knuckles.
At the same time Sonic chaos controlled into the castle's dungeon. He looked around, trying to locate at least one of his friends. Suddenly he heard quiet:" Sonic!" Hedgehog turned to the left and saw Chase and Amy with unconscious Tails. Sonic forgot about being quiet and shouted:" Tails!" Chase looked away and said:" I wasn't able to help your friend." Amy, who held Tails' head on her lap, stroked the fox's head and said:" Laura bringed me here. She..." Sonic cut in:" I know, Ames. Knuckles told me." Sonic reached to his head and said:" Let's get you all out of here." Sonic took one his quills and picked the lock.
When he was almost done then he heard a gasp and felt strong grasp on his shoulders. Sonic didn't turned around but looked behind him.
Two knighters were right behind him!