Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are property of SEGA. Ashura is mine though. I am writing this for entertainment purposes only, and am getting nothing tangible in return.

Return of the Elders

Chapter 0: Prologue

"It's been a year since I got out of the hospital after the ARK incident, and things have been pretty peaceful, other than the Metal Sonic attack and the Black Arms invasion."

"Could you hold the light a little higher Tails? I can't quite see what the problem is."

"Sure." He raised the flashlight a bit.

"Perfect."

I connected the wires to the terminal and the machine whirred to life.

"There we go."

"Thanks for the help, Ashura."

"No problem."

"I'd moved in with Tails at his workshop in the Mystic Ruins. I helped him with some of his inventions and soon tried making some of my own. It turned out that I had real a knack for engineering. I actually had several patents and a steady income from an electronics company where my creations were being sold."

Tails came into the living room where I was watching the news and fine-tuning my latest invention.

"Your check came today Ashura."

"Great! Let's see how much I made this month."

I opened the envelope Tails handed me and stared at the contents in shock.

"What is it?" Tails asked. I handed him the check and he nearly fainted. "Half a million dollars! I can't believe it! That new CD player must've sold really well!"

"I really enjoyed the Mystic Ruins. There was plenty of space to run, and there was even a Chao garden nearby. I got a really big surprise the first time I visited."

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I don't know, Sonic. I've got some projects back at the workshop that I wanted to get done today." I replied.

We were at the entrance to the Mystic Ruins Chao garden. Sonic wanted me to come with him to visit his running-type Chao, Speedy. I didn't want to go, but Sonic kept pestering me until I relented. We entered the portal that would take us to Chao World. Sonic passed through the gates to the Hero Garden, and I followed him.

"DADDY!"

A white blob flew through the air and attached itself to my leg. Daddy? I thought as I pried the large Chao off of my leg.

I held it up to get a better look. Its skin was a milky white, with a triangle of red around its neck and patches of pink on its hands and feet. There was a small pair of wings on its back, and a trio of reddish horns were sprouting from the top of its head. And finally, there was a golden halo floating a few inches over its head.

No way... It can't be... "Tango?" I said the last part out loud. Tango the Chao cooed and fluttered its wings.

"Tango was the Chao I was raising in my copy of SA2B. I had no idea how he got here, but I was glad I had something to connect me to the days this was all just a game. When I first came here, I guess I was in denial that I had actually been transformed into a hedgehog, and been brought into another universe, one where Sonic the hedgehog was a real person. It didn't really hit me until after I was released from the hospital. When it did, I spent the entire day pining for my home. I'd never been very close to my family, but I missed them anyway. Still do, in fact, though not as much."

"The pain quickly faded, being replaced by a sense of elation at the thought that I was close friends with Sonic the Hedgehog, defender of the weak and protector of the people. I could hardly believe that I was one of the few people in the world who spoke to Sonic on a regular basis."

Sonic had come over for our weekly pizza and video game night. I grabbed a slice of cheese and sat down.

"Ready to lose again?" I asked him.

"No way!"

I grabbed my controller and turned on the power.

"In all the times we've played, Sonic has never beaten me once. It's pathetic, really."

"Tomorrow I'm gonna try to tell the others the truth about me. They'll understand, right? What's the worst that could happen?"

A/N: Dun-dun-DUUNNN... We all know what happens when someone says that...

This was the first chapter of my newest story. This one will uncover the truth of Ashura and why I became him. I hope you all like it and leave plenty of reviews!

Shin-Ashura