Ole!
Alright so apologies for not uploading this chapter last week as I almost forgot that it was Semana Santa on our part and that Easter was that Sunday... so I had to create a one-shot relating to it and put this one on hold lol. It was halfway done already but because of the holiday I focused my attention on that one-shot that I did; plus all the cool stuff that happened last week took my time so I wasn't able to get both of them completed at the same time, but ah well.
So here it is, the last chapter and already I don't even have to tell you who the pair is lawl so I hope you enjoy! ^u^
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations. They belong to Sega and Paramount.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Prelude: Short AU Numbuh 2 Chapter 3
The forest of Green Hills is a vast area of many trees and plants. Surrounding the rural town named in the same way, it was one of the great aspects the small location has in terms of beauty. Many of the townsfolk go through this forest to enjoy some downtime such as hiking, running, or just taking a stroll. For them it was a great way to unwind after a hard day's work or coming out of school if they had already done all they could within the town itself. If anything since Green Hills isn't that big there wasn't much to do after doing everything considered fun within the town in which the forest is the next best thing. It almost made the local sheriff leave for better opportunities, but ironically Sonic's arrival and convincing made him stay. Nonetheless Tom and co. do make some time to traverse beyond the small city in order to gaze upon nature and its unknown wonders.
For Sonic's former enemy turned friend/rival Knuckles, the forest always filled him with a sense of adventure and glory. The latter was very odd in part because of how he was raised, especially now that he was in a new world.
Violet eyes scanned the forest with a hint of focus and determination, a smile present on the red echidna's face as he moved several bushes aside walking along a path set up for hikers. However since some paths are not as well maintained as others there was some overgrown vegetation blocking his path, but it wasn't no problem for the galaxy's strongest warrior.
In terms of Tails' words hehe.
Knuckles noticed a small cliff leading downward and taking a better look saw that it was at least several feet high. With a small jump he did two front flips and landed on the ground effortlessly, standing back up with a grin. "This planet mocks me of these simple challenges. Back home the terrain was more difficult and fit for training. Hehe I see why humans are soft and-."
"Um, Knuckles. May I get some assistance please?" a small voice asked behind him. Knuckles mentally facepalmed almost forgetting his companion as he turned around looking up.
Gazing at the beautiful blue eyes of an orange echidna looking down at him timidly from above the cliff. "Is there another way around this?" she asked.
Knuckles shook his head. "The trail continues through this direction Tikal, but do not worry." The red echidna raised his arms in front. "I will catch you."
Tikal shifted her eyes to the ground and gulped. "I-It is very high up Knuckles. I-I do n-not think I can-."
"Do not worry my friend." Knuckles encouraged keeping the same smile. "I will ensure you do not get hurt."
The echidna priestess looked into his eyes and gained some confidence. Nonetheless she clenched her eyes tight and jumped forward as she felt herself falling.
"EEP!"
Landing into the arms of Knuckles.
"I have caught you as I have promised." Knuckles stated. Tikal slowly opened her eyes and met his own with a smile. "Thank you Knuckles."
Lowering her down Knuckles was curious. "Did the elders not teach you the ways of flight Tikal?"
The female echidna shook her head sadly. "They did not see it was necessary for the priests to possess such a skill. Only the warriors were trained as they are more suited due to their role, while we remain in the temples."
Knuckles hummed lowly. "That is shame to the elders for not giving the priests a means for flight in the event of an attack or to escape." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I will task myself to train you in the ways of being one with the wind."
Tikal smiled and giggled at his offer, nodding in approval. "I am grateful and will be happy to be under your care for training."
"Excellent! When we complete our quest we will start with due haste upon the sun's next rise!" Knuckles announced with a fist raised. Tikal sweatdropped with a sheepish grin. "Hehe, I will fully enjoy it."
The two echidnas continued to walk along the dirt path admiring the sights. Tikal was intrigued by some of the flowers that were present next to the road, liking their colorful pedals and vibrant appearance.
"This world has beautiful flowers, different compared to the ones in our home world." she said. Knuckles followed her direction and nodded. "This planet which the humans call Earth has many unknowns that even I have not fully explored nor understand, but I do agree with you as the plants do look promising."
Tikal also nodded looking back at him. "So where would we be heading Knuckles? You have yet to reveal our true destination."
Knuckles returned a smile looking forward. "You will see soon enough Tikal. It is only beyond that hill over there and once we reach it you will be amazed hehe." he explained. "Tom took us here for an 'outing' as he calls it in order to obtain fresh nourishment, but I would have called it a hunt."
"A hunt?" Tikal asked curiously… and a bit worried. "Why would he bring you and the others for a hunt?"
"Well the way he trained us does not really suit well for a hunt, but he said it was to 'bond better as father and sons'. Maddie did not join us as she was at this thing humans called 'work'." Knuckles clarified as the two began walking up the hill at this point.
Tikal oh'd at this. "So this is an activity to have you and the others have a stronger bond between each other correct?"
The red echidna nodded. "That is correct. However we do not have the tool needed to perform this hunt, but Tom has said that one can do other things at this location."
Raising an eyebrow in confusion the echidna priestess was dumbfounded. "So what would we be doing?" she asked before the two echidnas eventually reached the top. Knuckles gestured Tikal to look forward to which she did, her eyes widening in awe.
A large lake was presented to them with crystal blue water glimmering from the sun's reflection, gentle waves going back and forth against one another. Several mountains can be seen in the background with patches of green among them in several shapes and sizes, the view itself clearly breathtaking for Tikal as she continued to watch in wonder. Knuckles on his part inhaled deeply feeling the fresh breeze blow against his face as he began to walk downhill. "Come my friend, we will now commence our fun together."
Blinking a few times Tikal followed him. "This is a lovely lake Knuckles! The pools near the temples do not compare to such beauty like this!" she beamed.
"The humans have good awareness on areas such as this and I praise Tom for taking us here to witness it firsthand. It would be wise for me to show you this on our first part of our quest." Knuckles replied.
"And it was a wise choice indeed Knuckles. Will we be gazing at the lake at a closer view?" the echidna priestess asked as the two reached the shoreline of the lake. It was fairly large that it would take quite some time to reach the other side and it was gentle enough that there wouldn't be any big waves headed their way as the nice wind blew in their direction.
Knuckles looked around in the meantime until his amethyst eyes landed on a nearby canoe. "Ah just where Tom said it would stay at."
Tikal watched him go towards it as he began undoing the rope that held it on one end from a stake in the ground that held the other end. "We will be traveling in the lake?"
"That is the first task on our quest. A gentle sail as Tom says." With a grunt he gave the canoe a good push as it drifted further into the water, Knuckles jumping into it after. "Let us set course towards the lake's center! Jump inside my friend!"
The orange echidna was a bit hesitant but it evaporated upon seeing Knuckles offer his hand with a warm smile. Returning the expression she grabbed his larger hand and hopped into the canoe with the both sitting down, Tikal at one end and Knuckles on the other to which the red echidna grabbed the paddles and began rowing them into the large body of water. Tikal looked around more at the scenery and breathed in the fresh calm air.
"This brings back memories of our time together when we were younger Knuckles. When it was only the two of us after we finished our tasks."
Knuckles chuckled lightly. "You are correct Tikal. The leader of my group would not allow much free time after our warrior training as he put heavy focus on battle strategy during recovery." the red echidna sighed continuing to row. "I am glad that once I did get that privilege, that I got to spend it with you."
Tikal smiled shyly. "Do not feel so down Knuckles, even on our end the high priestess would not let us out of the temple much. As devoted to the Master Emerald as I am, even I do wish to get away from praying day and night hehe. Just as you, I am glad that I get to spend my free time with you."
From there the two echidnas began to talk about their younger years during their time at the echidna tribe. From their fathers' friendly bond with each other to the playing Knuckles and Tikal did with each other, they had a great time reminiscing about the good aspects of their past.
"And I still cannot believe you ate all those grapes during the grand feast celebrating our deities haha!" Tikal laughed.
"They were left untouched my friend so to ensure that they do not go bad I easily disposed of them… in my stomach!" Knuckles grinned raising a fist. "Grapes provide incredible nourishment to ensure a warrior is ready at any time needed! The others were fools to not be aware of its magical abilities!"
"Heehee sure Knuckles, especially when one of those abilities made you go to the pit many many times during slumber." the echidna priestess giggled.
"It was a necessary risk but at least the grapes served their purpose." Knuckles replied. "Besides, you and the peaches-."
"Oh my Chaos haha stop Knuckles!" Tikal playfully shoved Knuckles.
"But it is true no? I still question why you-?!"
Tikal tackled Knuckles causing him to fall back and making the canoe rock back and forth, water splashing around them. Groaning from the sudden action Knuckles opened his eyes to see the orange echidna sitting on him with a grin on her face.
"We do not speak of that, and it will only stay between us hehe." Tikal whispered teasingly. Knuckles smiled back and silence fell upon them, the two watching each other quietly. The red echidna gazed at the soft orange quills that ran down her head to her midback, the sunlight glowing behind Tikal making her look like a goddess. Her blue eyes gazed at him with care and kindness to which Knuckles could get lost into them without worry, the cerulean orbs accentuating her youthful appearance. With Tikal she looked down at him and took in his sharp yet smooth amethyst eyes that displayed years of training and dedication to the things he does. Her gaze explored the other features on Knuckles such as the smooth tan muzzle, his cute black nose and his crimson quills that gave a small sheen in the sunlight. The two watched each other with longing, due in part to how many years they had been apart.
Reality began to kick in however and the two echidnas noted their current position, both yelping as Tikal jumped off Knuckles as they sat back on their seats.
"I-I apologize!" Tikal stuttered giving a bow, her face all red with embarrassment.
"N-No I should be the one to apologize!" Knuckles waved his hands equally flustered. "I did not mean to further intrude on it!"
Looking at each other again, they turned away quickly even more red. Knuckles decided to change the subject. "S-So um… a-are you enjoying what Earth has to offer so far?"
"Y-Yes, I-I am grateful to be more familiar with this wonderful land." Tikal's reddened face disappeared with her stare focusing onto the lake. With a smile she brought a hand towards the water and felt the cool liquid graze upon her furred hand. "It is much like our homeworld but has its own unique beauty."
Knuckles smiled with his own blush fading. "There is a lot to Earth that we have not seen yet, even for the hedgehog who does not know to settle hehe. He has told tales of his travels around the world within moments and yet the hedgehog states that he has yet to see everything this world has to offer."
"Hehe, well it may sound like Sonic wants to explore the unknown parts of the world with others. An enjoyable experience can be more memorable when it is enjoyed with others as many say." Tikal replied.
"That does make sense. Your words never cease to amaze Tikal."
Knuckles and Tikal shared another smile as more silence fell upon them. Until the orange echidna noticed something near the shoreline at the corner of her eye.
"What is that Knuckles?" she asked. Turning to where she was looking Knuckles saw it raising his eyelids. "Ah that is one of the land animals that wander within the forest. Let us go greet it." he suggested as he began to row the canoe towards it. Once they reached land and stepped off the pair walked towards it, Tikal's eyes brightening up with a gasp. "Oh my goodness it is so cute!"
Sitting near the shoreline was a small furry brown mammal with black eyes and nose, a small snout and pointed ears with tiny claws on its paws with a fluffy small tail. It was currently grooming its face with its paws in an adorable fashion letting out tiny growls.
Tikal walked towards it and crouched to its level seeing that it was less than a quarter of their height, her eyes looking at it with wonder. "Is there a name to it?"
Knuckles placed a hand under his chin. "If what Tom has spoke of it, he said the humans call it a 'bear'. I do not recall the other thing he said about them apart from what they look like."
The orange echidna raised a hand towards it which caught the bear's attention. Curiously the tiny animal sniffed her gloved hand and looked at her blue eyes which showed happiness. Upon getting a little closer the bear's nose made contact with her hand and seeing that she was no threat began to nuzzle its face into her hand as it made happy growls. Tikal's smile widened as she giggled. "Oh it is so adorable! Earth has very wonderous creatures!"
Knuckles grinned watching Tikal caress the cub's face gently. "And there are more to be seen. This is just one of the animals that roam the forest, but now that I think of it Tom did say to avoid them for some reason."
"Why is that?" Tikal questioned as she continued her ministrations.
"Well now that I remember Tom said that when it comes to bears, the child will sometimes wander off from their parent. He spoke to never be near the child as-." Knuckles' eyes widened, realization hitting him. "As the parent-."
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!"
Knuckles reacted quickly activating his chaos powers and bursting towards Tikal. "Look out!"
Tikal gasped feeling Knuckles pull her away just as a VERY large bear nearly clawed at her. Knuckles held her in his arms as his feet skidded across the watery shoreline causing splashes. Looking back up Knuckles saw the large bear in front of the cub glaring at them with a ferocious expression ready to kill with sharp teeth and claws.
"You alright?" Knuckles asked looking down to see Tikal shivering in fright but nonetheless nodded to him. "Y-Yes, t-thank you."
Slowly releasing her Knuckles moved her behind himself as he stared intensely at the large bear. "Stay behind me Tikal, I will fend off this feast."
"GRAAAWRRR!" the bear roared and began running towards the two echidnas on all fours.
"I shall defeat you swiftly!" Knuckles bolted towards it at high speeds with his fists at the ready.
"Please do not hurt it Knuckles!" Tikal cried out.
'Chaos I forgot she dislikes fighting!' Knuckles thought just as the two opponents met each other in the middle. The bear raised itself up on two legs and threw a downward strike towards Knuckles, but he caught it just in time with his hands. 'I will have to figure out how to repel the beast without harming it!'
Tikal watched with worry at Knuckles and the bear, the two in a stalemate trying to overtake the other in a test of strength. Her ears suddenly picked up small growling and shifted her eyes to see the small cub running towards her and nuzzling her legs.
"O-Oh! My apologies little one but you must stay away from me or-!"
"GRAAAAWWWWRRR!"
The large bear saw its cub next to Tikal and entered into a frenzy. Knuckles gasped feeling the carnivorous mammal shake off an arm from his grasp and smacking the red echidna into the lake with a large splash. The bear then ran towards Tikal and the cub with the former frozen in fright as she screamed. "KNUCKLES!"
WHOOSH!
The bear threw a strike.
Yet Tikal felt nothing.
Slowly opening her eyes she looked in front of her. Only to widen them considerably upon seeing Knuckles holding off the bear before it struck her, but that's not why she was shocked.
Crimson liquid ran down his back with three deep scratches noticeable on his fur.
"T-Tikal you must flee!" Knuckles painfully spoke before letting out a grunt and pushing the bear away as it cried out falling backwards. "I will try to exhaust it!"
Tikal could not move seeing how Knuckles was hurt and wanted to help, until a nudge came to her leg. Looking down she noticed the cub still near her, Tikal's eyes lighting up with an idea.
"O-Of course Knuckles!" Tikal answered and she ran towards the forest looking back. Just as she assumed the cub also followed her and if she was correct.
"GRAAAAWWWWRRR!"
The bear roared out noticing the cub running away and got on its paws after it. Knuckles was ready however. "You will not escape this duel as I will be victorious in this-!"
"Do not stop it Knuckles! Trust me!" his ears picked up Tikal's voice from within the forest. His expression turned into surprise as he did what he was told and lowered his battle stance, watching the bear disappear into the thick woods. The red echidna held a worried face after that but if anything he trusted his friend.
A few minutes later a scuttle was heard in some nearby bushes and Knuckles was at the ready, chaos powers activated full force.
"WAH!"
Only to see Tikal pop out of them and roll onto the dirt below.
"TIKAL!" Knuckles shouted running towards the female echidna and leaning down. "Are you hurt?! Did the bear harm you?!"
Tikal shook her head panting. "N-No… it is alright… it was only protecting its young. Knowing that… I led them away and escaped."
Knuckles sighed in relief. "That is good to hear, but that was reckless nonetheless."
"Nonetheless doing that has saved us Knuckles hehe." Tikal then remembered the scratch marks, a horrified look on her face appearing. "But you are hurt!"
The red echidna placed a hand behind his back and winced feeling it. Returning it his violet eyes caught the appearance of blood on his gloved hand. "I see that I am."
Tikal grabbed his hand. "Please sit on this rock so I can tend to you."
Doing just that the two walked over to a large boulder as the red echidna sat down with the orange echidna standing behind him with raised hands. Letting out a breath of fresh air she poured magical energy into her palms which began to glow green and placed them onto his back, Knuckles sighing at the gentle feeling.
"Thank you Tikal." Knuckles spoke softly.
"No worries Knuckles… but I got us into this…" Tikal's eyes started to brim with tears. "I-It was my f-fault… and y-you got hurt…"
Knuckles looked back and his heart tightened at her downed expression. "Do not feel shame my friend. I should feel shame for not knowing more about the creature."
Tikal sniffed and lowered her hands after a few seconds to see that his wound has fully closed up. Knuckles stood up after and looked down to her. "We both do not know much about this planet and have much to learn Tikal. No matter what happens you will not be at fault and I will see you no less of a friend either way."
Blue eyes looked up at violet ones sadly as Tikal nodded. "O-Okay…"
The red echidna could still tell she was hurting from that so he instead gave her a gentle hug and felt Tikal instantly hug back tightly. "It is alright my friend. It will be normal for me to receive wounds from battle, but it will hurt me so much more seeing you weep." he said. Knuckles hugged her tighter and took in her flowery scent just as Tikal took in his own earthy one, the two calming each other with physical touch.
After several seconds they released each other with a smile now apparent on Tikal's face sniffing a last time. "Thank you Knuckles, for having a great heart."
Returning a grin Knuckles nodded once. "We are great friends and will continue to be. I will be there for you to make sure you remain happy and kind."
GROWL!
Both echidnas flushed upon hearing not a bear's roar… but the roar of their own stomachs as they gave a small laugh.
"I see will we need nourishment." Knuckles grabbed Tikal's hand and led them back to the canoe. "We will now head towards the next part of our quest: to the shop of cream with ice!"
"Cream with ice?"
…
…
"Welcome to Baskin Robbins what can I get-?!" the male voice stopped upon seeing two echidnas walk into the shop. Immediately the owner of said voice walked backwards quickly hitting a metal counter, clutching the sides of it with panic on his face. "W-W-What are y-you doing h-here?!"
Knuckles gave a deadpan expression and sighed. "Do not be afraid human. I will not toss you out this 'window' you people speak of and I have calmed myself from this settlement of not having the grape flavor that I sought before." he explained. Tikal looked back and forth between them in confusion. "Um?"
"LIES! I won't believe a crazy alien like you! I like Sonic better and if you don't get out of here right now I'll-!"
"Ah zip it Paul!" a female human came in from a back door and slapped the back of Paul's head. "OW! What was that for?!" he shouted. His response was a glare from the female worker with crossed arms.
"We respect our customers and he had every right to be mad. It's our fault that we didn't have grape icecream stocked that day, but it's also YOUR fault for escalating the situation." she said. Paul gave an incredulous look. "Are you siding with him?! He wanted to throw me out the window!"
"And if you don't go organize the tubs in the back soon I'LL throw you out the window!" the female human grabbed the collar of his uniform shirt and pushed him through the back door. "Now you stay there until ALL the tubs are in alphabetical order!"
Fading mutterings of workplace violence followed after from Paul as the female worker shook her head and turned to the two echidnas. "Sorry about that, he's having a rough day. So what can I get you two?"
Knuckles and Tikal were stunned at the display yet gave an awkward laugh, the red echidna starting off. "Um yes we came here so that my friend can explore the many aspects of this world and we became malnourished. We wish to receive the cream of ice from this settlement."
The lady laughed. "Haha I'm sure you do if you walked into this store that sells icecream. Since I got informed about the incident a while back between you and Paul, I can happily say that we are freshly stocked with grape icecream!"
Knuckles' expression brightened up with a grin. "Excellent! We will request a scoop of cream of ice! One for me and one for my friend Tikal."
The lady set her sights on the orange echidna who smiled shyly. "Oh wow so there are more out there, and she's really cute! Are you two dating?"
"Dating?" Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "What is this 'dating'?"
Tikal turned red from the lady's question while the lady herself gave a sigh. "I see that you are still not used to Earth's customs yet, but it's quite alright haha. I'll only say is that you are pretty lucky to have someone like her." she said as she began to grab a scoop from within the many icecream tubs.
"Absolutely! She is my childhood friend and we share a bond like no other!" Knuckles said proudly with a raised fist. "Our bond will claim victory over the many challenges we face and together we will achieve glory forever and more!"
At this point the echidna priestess had steam rise from her head of how flushed she was. Tikal was delighted that Knuckles cared for the friendship they had, but her heart sank a bit upon hearing their bond being only as childhood friends. If only…
She shook her head from those thoughts regardless and smiled. "Y-Yes! We have known each other ever since we were born from the egg."
"Aww that's so sweet! I love bonds that go that far back and I kind of wished I had some on my own like that!" the lady finished scooping icecream into two cones and sighed happily. "But we humans are somewhat different. Anyway kiddos here are your icecreams!" the female worker handed the icecream to Knuckles and Tikal who took them happily.
"Thank you human lady!" Knuckles said.
"We give many thanks for the offering." Tikal gave a small bow.
"Ah don't worry about it! Also it's on the house so I don't need payment from you, but please say hello to Sonic for me won't you?" the lady asked. Knuckles grumbled to himself yet agreed. "I will state your greeting to the hedgehog…"
"Thanks! I'm happy to serve and if you need anything later on just ask for me, Melissa!" the lady named Melissa introduced. "Have a great day and don't worry, I'll make sure Paul doesn't give you any more trouble if you come back again!"
"Thank you human Melissa! We will depart now!" Knuckles said as he and Tikal began walking out.
"Thank you so much!" Tikal also said waving back. Once the two left the echidna princess looked at her icecream in wonder and awe. "Do humans consume this cold delicacy?"
"Yes and it tastes incredible Tikal. Worthy of both a warrior and priestess such as us so please give it a try." Knuckles said. With a nod Tikal bit into the sweet dessert, her eyes immediately widening upon tasting the grape-flavored goodness and gaining a large smile. "IT TASTES AMAZING KNUCKLES!"
Knuckles chuckled and gave his own a bite, grinning afterwards. "I give my word when I say that this cream of ice is one of the humans' greatest creations. However a fair warning that if you consume it too quickly you will-."
"ACK!" Tikal winced and clutched her head with one hand, eyes tightly shut gritting her teeth. Knuckles let out some air and patted her head with his own hand. "I see that you have received the 'brain freeze' as they call it in this world."
"K-Knuckles!" she let out as the red echidna laughed softly. "Do not worry my friend, it will not harm you morbidly. It is an annoyance for the most part and even I have experienced this 'brain freeze' the first time I consumed the cream of ice." he explained.
Tikal stared at the cone and sighed. "Well it would have been best if you gave warning ahead of time Knuckles so that I may not have to experience it." she said slowly licking the icecream.
"Hehe, I got a good laugh in the end." Knuckles lowered his eyelids and watched her gently. "But I will promise to provide fair warning in the future. You are important to me in the end."
Tikal's face reddened up more and subconsciously she inched closer to the red echidna as they walked along the main street of Green Hills. A few minutes of walking did they find a lone bench and sat on it as they silently enjoyed eating the last of the icecream and watching the streets become busier as the day led to the afternoon. The pair looked on in content with a small breeze passing by them, their eyes enjoying the rural scenery within the small town.
On Tikal's part her small smile turned into a slight frown. "My father led our tribe into a terrible war with the owls and have paid a heavy price with their lives. I did not think that anyone would have survived and assumed that I was the last of our kind. Meeting Amy and Cream who shared a similar experience as we did, we traveled to many worlds in search of peace and tranquility. The thought of finding another of our kind was only a dream for many years and I would have had to accept that it was just that, a dream." Tikal turned to Knuckles whose violet eyes met her own blue hues. "When you have rescued me from being crushed by the boulder and seeing you… I was in awe. I felt immense relief knowing that there was another of our kind still alive… but I felt even more than that when that other was you, my closest friend." Tikal's eyes began to tear up at this point and a smile made its way on her face. "I cannot thank you enough for bringing hope that our people will live on through us."
Knuckles was speechless at all this, but after several seconds he gave a warm smile and raised a hand to brush her tears away. "I was the same way Tikal. I did not expect more of our kind to have survived that war and much less the priestesses. To see you once again relieved the burden that I carried on being the sole survivor of our tribe. To see you, my greatest friend, once again after many years is a blessing that only an angelic deity can give. To having met once again on Earth among the humans is a strange occurrence… but if anything is a most excellent one." Knuckles lowered his hand from her face keeping that same smile of his own. "We may not reside in our homeworld anymore, but this planet does have that aspect of being our new home. Just as the wise words you say Tikal, I also cannot thank you enough for bringing hope that our people will continue to live on… but also I cannot thank you enough for being alive and well so that I can see my friend's glorious smile again."
Tikal whimpered at his words and unknowingly began to lean closer.
Ironically… Knuckles also began doing the same.
"Knuckles…"
"Tikal…"
…
…
…
BOOM!
A sudden explosion engulfed the area they were in with black smoke and debris flying into the air. People began scattering around with screams of panic and fear all around as they fled the scene. The smoke began to dissipate and reveal the destroyed part of the road with the sidewalk in the same state as well. The bench that the two sat on was nothing more than twisted metal and burning wood.
Luckily thanks to the red echidna's highly trained reactions he was able to dodge the blast having curled up into a ball. Knuckles then began uncurling himself from the ground to reveal Tikal within his arms shaking.
"Are you okay?" Knuckles asked. Tikal gave a shaky nod looking up frightened. "Y-Yes, t-thank you."
Pulling themselves up Knuckles scanned the battered area for any other signs of danger, his angry expression showing he was ready to find the source and end it.
A flapping of wings caught his attention and he turned towards the road to see a silhouette hidden within the fading smoke lowering down.
"My my I see he wasn't kidding. You can take quite a punch." a feminine voice announced.
Knuckles gritted his sharp teeth putting Tikal behind him. "Reveal yourself or else you will be defeated!"
"Heh now don't get too feisty hun. With that kind of mindset you won't even lay a finger on me." the being landed on the ground and walked forward as the smoke dispersed.
Revealing a white female anthropomorphic bat with purple wings and a tight black spy suit. Turquoise eyes watched them mischievously with a devious grin.
"Shall we get started, handsome~?"
Fin.
Dat ending...
If I wanted to continue... but then I'll have to create another story arc and the movie coming out next year...
Very very difficult choice lol but nah that's basically it. That's the end of the Prelude. No more. Zip. Nada. End of story!
Hope you enjoyed the read and check out my other works if you haven't! Til next time! ouo/
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