Sonic (AU) Oneshots

An unexpected visit

Characters:
Knuckles
Amy

Summary:
Winters could be harsh, especially if you live on Angel Island. Luckily for Knuckles, he got a very sweet hedgehog friend.

Extra info: Just a lil oneshot starring the canon versions of Amy and Knuckles.❤

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Shuddering at the cold surroundering her once she'd left the store, Amy pulled her scarf tighter around her neck, quickly making her way through the streets of Station Square to get home.

Normally she didn't mind grocery shopping that much, but with the icy wind blowing through her quills like this, all the young hedgehog wanted was to get this over with, so she could snuggle up in her living room with a warm cup of tea.

The last few nights it had snowed relentlessly, not a single part of the City been spared of the fluffy white powder now crunching under the pink hedgehogs weight as she stepped over a huge heap of snow.

Sighing to herself the girl quickly crossed the street. Not many people were out right now and Amy supposed that was a relatable thing. Nobody wanted to be outside during such low temperatures.

Humming the hedgehogs gaze moved up to the blue sky, a few clouds slowly drifting by. Somewhere up there, between the clouds, a certain echidna lived on a floating island.. all alone, with no house to live in.

Amy bit her lip as she pondered over her friends situation. To her it was no secret that Knuckles‘ life was not always easy. He didn’t have the comfort of a warm house, the echidna living in a cave close to the emerald shrine. But somehow, he always made it work.
Not surprising: He grew up like this after all. However, the girl couldn’t help but wonder if the other was doing okay.

Over the years of knowing him, Amy had always checked up on him, made sure he was alright and even given him clothes to wear when it got cold.

Despite all of this, however, this winter was quite harsh and the hedgehog pondered if Knuckles had gathered enough food and firewood and had it warm and comfy.

Amy knew the echidna could take care of himself, but…what spoke against her paying him a little visit? She could even prepare a warm meal and take it with her. Surely Knuckles would like that, despite his many complaints! He was secretly thankful for any help during the cold months, she had that feeling.

Smiling softly to herself she picked up her pace, wanting to get home even faster now. She had a plan!

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Pushing the door open Amy entered her house, putting down her bag and purse before taking off her scarf and winter jacket. Her boots were put in their place easily enough as well as her thick winter gloves, which had not managed to keep her hands warm that much.

Flexing her cold and stinging hands for a bit, the hedgehog then grabbed her bag and carried it into the kitchen, placing it on a chair before beginning to put away the groceries, except for the ones she'll need to prepare some soup.

It always managed to warm her up and from past knowledge she knew, that Knuckles liked it too. So the girl was certain she could not go wrong that way. Surely it would be well-received.

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With a barely suppressed growl Knuckles stepped out of his cave, the fresh snow crunching underneath his weight. It had snowed again last night, which meant that more of this white nightmare was all over his beautiful island. Not to mention the poor Master Emerald hidden underneath tons of snow, the echidna would have to get rid of.

From his position he could catch a faint green glow coming from on top of the altar and he sighed deeply, going back inside his cave to retrieve a makeshift shovel, like he had done the past few days already.

The winters here were truly the worst thing. Everything was icky and cold and Knuckles hated the cold. During these days all he wanted was to sit inside his cave, huddled up in tons of blankets while waiting it out.

But being the guardian of the Master Emerald, meant having to look after the gem and making sure it was doing well. And part of that was freeing it from its snowy prison it had found itself trapped in.

Grabbing the shovel leaning against the cave wall, Knuckles turned on his heels and headed back outside, not wanting to lose a single second. The faster he was done with this job, the faster he could go back inside.

Normally he wouldn’t just spend the whole day inside, rather sit on the shrine and relax, but seeing as he started shivering only after being outside for a minute, he must concede that the former was probably the best option.

He was sensitive to the cold. Of course he would never tell his friends or that would ruin his tough image. He was Knuckles, the strong guardian of the Master Emerald. Him getting cold was something that shouldn’t exist…and yet it did.

Despite him proclaiming that he didn’t get cold, Amy didn‘t listen and got him a bunch of sweaters and coats to wear - which one of them he was wearing right now, actually.

Amy was a kind soul, always making sure her red friend was doing well and Knuckles must lie if he said he didn’t appreaciate the things the girl did for him.

There wasn’t much she could do, but the moment she found out the echidna did not possess any clothing, she’d offered her friend some to wear so he didn't get too cold, at least. And with every new winter the pile just grew bigger.

And Knuckles had been wearing his favorite pieces of clothing, a emerald green sweater and coat on top, everyday since. The moment the temperatures dropped and the guardian found himself shivering, he would wear it.

Making his way over to the shrine was even harder today, the snow having reached up to his hips and making it almost impossible to reach the steps. If it got any worse, the echidna feared he would have to dig his way to the emerald...

Reaching the stone steps with only a plenthora of curses, Knuckles patted the snow out of his fur while shivering visibly. Giving himself no time to hesitate he climbed the stairs, grumbling at the sight in front of him.
A thick layer of snow draped over his precious emerald, the bright green color wasn’t even visible anymore. Only a very faint pulsating glow managed to break through the white powder.

Leaning his shovel against the nearest pillar, Knuckles carefully began freeing the emerald, bottom to top. Once he spotted his reflection in the green gem did he crack a small smile, placing his palm on the cool surface.

He stayed like that for a minute before turning away to grab the shovel. He would free the shrine from this cold stuff next, everything else would be a dishonor. Sighing audibly at all the work he still had ahead of him, the echidna knew he would be occupied with this for quite a while.