"Jeeze Tails, can't you make this thing go any faster? I think even Eggman could run faster!"

"I think it's a miracle that it hasn't fallen apart after the LAST stunt you made me pull when you decided to pay the Eggcarrier a visit."

The blue hedgehog laughed heartily. "Yeah but it was worth the look on ol' Egghead's face when I made his precious new cannon back-fire and take out that new pool he installed on the deck."

All Tails could do was sigh and laugh. He knew nothing he'd say to his friend would prevent him from pulling yet another crazy stunt in the future, but deep down he really didn't mind.

"Don't worry Sonic, we're almost there."

The Tornado II sailed through the clear skies toward the lonesome Angel Island. Even from this distance the green glitter of Master Emerald could be seen shimmering playfully in the early morning sunlight.

"Now approaching Angel Island. See, that didn't take so long! Let me just bring the plane around so I can land it."

"Hey! Is that who I think it is down there?"

Sonic leaned over the edge of the vehicle and pointed at the figure rigidly relaxing in the shade of a pillar on the Master Emerald's altar.

A faint glimmer of light reflected off his sunglasses which rested upon is blazing red dreadlocks. His view was fixated on the horizon, with his arms crossed firmly over his puffed out chest. As the aircraft approached, he shifted his focus and walked toward it; letting out a small chuckle to himself.

As the plane began to pass over the island, Sonic turned back to Tails, "Well buddy, see you on the island, I'm gonna go say hi to Knucklehead down there!"

"Wait! SONI-" but before Tails could scold the adventurous hedgehog, he had already jumped off the plane. Descending through the air with the wind blowing through his spines, Sonic dove straight and true toward the lone Echidna. Before the unwary Knuckles could react, Sonic had landed right on top of him.

"Hey Knux, how's it going?" He greeted him with a mile wide grin that only further enraged the crushed Echidna. Just as soon as his sentence ended, Knuckles swiftly wrestled the hedgehog off.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Do I LOOK like some squishy cushion you can just land on whenever you want?!"

Sonic dusted himself off, all the while laughing at his rival's reaction to his choice of entry. "Well, you do look a bit soft around the middle, so in the right light, I guess you could say you DO look like one!" the hedgehog quipped back. "You sure you're getting enough exercise all alone out here Knuckles?"

Knuckles without another word lunged, fist forward toward Sonic in a furious rage, just barely missing the hedgehog by a hair.

"I am NOT soft!" he growled. Then letting out what seemed like a sigh (his anger still very noticeable) he asked, "Why do you come all the way out here just to bug me Sonic, you KNOW I'm supposed to be watching the Master Emerald."

By this time Tails had landed and had approached the bickering pair.

"Not even five minutes and you two are already at it…"

Rolling his eyes, and completely ignoring Tails, Sonic replied to Knuckles,

"One: I'm bored as hell. Two: Lighten up Knucklehead, Eggman hasn't made a move since that incident with the Ark, what are you so damn worried about! You should get off this island every once in a while and have some fun!"

"Whether danger is present or not, it is my sworn duty to guard this Emerald with my life, don't you get it? I can't leave this thing for one second! And besides, I never said I was bored in the first place; you're the one always dropping in a bugging me out of boredom!"

Sonic snickered out loud.

"What's so funny you spiky headed dork?"

"Oh nothing, just the fact that every time something bad has happened to the Master Emerald, you were never more than a few feet away to watch it happen!"

"Why you- !"

Just as Knuckles began to charge Sonic the Master Emerald began to glow incredibly bright, to the point where the light blinded the whole group. When the glowing subsided, the Emerald had vanished.

All of them were in complete shock. Knuckles, after realizing no matter how hard they gawked at the empty space that the Emerald would not be coming back, turned to Sonic.

"Not. A. Word."