S: Hello everybody! This happens to be the first chapter of my next story! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope it lives up to your expectations. By the way, I have not mixed up the ARK and the Death Egg. It's supposed to be like this.

Please, enjoy.

He could feel the burning pain already leaving him. The hot, seething feeling of power had scarred his body and mind in close to an instant. Even now, though it was gone, he could sense the presence of the gems that caused the transformation.

The Chaos Emeralds. The seven jewels of power, hidden for ages past in the Special Zone, only to be resurrected from their eternal prison by an insane scientist. As the hero understood it, based on garbled words from his friend, the Doctor had used the limited strength of the emeralds from that dimension to summon them back to Mobius from the Special Zone.

He had used the jewels to power a devastating weapon: the Eclipse Cannon. Just thinking of the awesome power of that one device, pointing at him from thousands of miles above, made him shiver in fear. Not even he could outrun that.

…Not that it mattered quite so much as it used to. He turned in midair, realising it was the power of the Chaos Emeralds that had saved him from a horrible fate burning in Mobius' atmosphere. He could see the monstrous Death Egg from here, red and orange flashing against the constant blackness of space as it crumbled. The machine would come crashing down from space, taking its terrifying weapon, and the Doctor, with it to its grave.

And meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog fell. He fell, and then he fell some more. Sonic would yawn in boredom, if he weren't busy panicking from imagining himself as a small red speck on the grassland below. At least he did his job, to the best of his ability.

But that wasn't what being a hero was about, was it? You couldn't just nearly save the world, nearly save the helpless child from an oncoming boulder. Fortunately he had succeeded in defeating not only Metal Sonic, but also the Doctor's Egg Emperor machine. Although he had to admit, if he hadn't been in the middle of losing the fight when it happened, he probably wouldn't have won.

Sonic knew that the Chaos Emeralds were needed for the Eclipse Cannon to fire. Even if he couldn't stop the Doctor, he knew that wrecking the precious console of his vile weapon would save the world from its horrible fate. But as soon as he had got close to the shining jewels, they had done something to him. Suddenly even the Egg Emperor seemed incredibly slow to him. He had smashed straight through the space station before losing control, and falling back to Mobius.

And he was still falling. Almost afraid to look, Sonic turned his head a fraction. Did he want to see the ground as it got close enough? Did he want to witness his incredibly frail body get closer and closer to the crushing impact of his death? Sonic shivered, picturing it in his mind. If he looked, then first his face would pop like a ripe fruit, closely followed by his arms and chest, stabbing themselves with his own bones before he completely shattered like a glass filled with red juice on the nearest rock.

On the other hand, if he didn't look, he would never see when the impact would happen. It could be right now…

Sonic panicked and looked. The green smudge of land was still a comfortable distance away. He sighed. Wait… what was that?

There was a red shape coming closer to him, coming straight towards him. What in Mobius…?

"-ic! Hang on!"

Tails!

The kid must have managed to repair the Tornado! Relief flooded the hedgehog; at least he was all right! He had thought…

No good thinking like that, Sonic! It didn't happen, and that's all that matters! Now… er… how was Tails gonna save him? He couldn't just catch him, he must have been going hundreds of miles an hour, it would just be like hitting the ground, wouldn't it?

Tails seemed to have the same thought, as he quickly veered away from his course and passed Sonic, going straight up. The fox and his plane quickly faded from view, and Sonic's spirits dropped just as quickly again. Well, he couldn't have done more than he did…

Don't be ridiculous! Tails wouldn't abandon you!

How can he possibly save me? I know I wouldn't want to see me splat into a planet at hundreds of miles an hour.

You underestimate him.

Look, I can feel the wind through my spines, ok? Hitting the plane would be just like hitting the ground. I'm not that stupid, you know.

Unless the ground was moving at the same speed you were.

…What?

Just then a flash of red burst past the hedgehog, and his eyes opened wide, uncaring about the harsh wind. Tails had went straight up, but then came straight back down again, now flying at the same angle the hedgehog was falling.

The fox opened his mouth and screamed at Sonic, but he couldn't hear. Tails' face was like a demon's, and Sonic was uncomfortably aware of the kid's sharp teeth as he yelled his lungs out to his older brother. Sonic got the general feeling of it though.

Sonic twisted in the air and flailed, desperately trying to grab the plane's wing. He glanced at the ground below, and saw it incredibly close. He could make out trees!

His white gloves scraped along the metal wing, but did not find purchase. Sonic was still plummeting in freefall, and soon Tails would have no choice but to pull up.

Oh gods, I can see roads!

His arms seemed to be made of syrup. He couldn't move them fast enough! Tails was staring straight ahead, his face a mask. Sonic grabbed at the plane again, and if he could just… yes… yes…

Got it! Sonic pulled with all his might, and dragged his unyielding blue body onto the dull grey wing of the Tornado. He held onto it with both hands, not daring to even move as the plane lurched through the sky. The individual trees seemed to rise up, throwing themselves towards him like starving dogs deprived of their tender meat. And then, they disappeared. Cheerful clouds floating in an ocean blue clear sky greeted him with smiles.

Sonic took a long breath, feeling it flow through his body and purge his system of toxins. He recovered rather fast, being used to travelling at high speeds. Admittedly not so… vertically, but still pretty fast.

Sonic lay there for a long time, just simply breathing. Existing while not a red stain on the ground had never been so satisfying. The cool wings of the plane served to soothe him, and the gentle phut of the engines was rhythmic and slow. Then he remembered about the Death Egg.

"Sonic!" gasped Tails as his brother leapt to his feet and stared at the sky. He followed his gaze, and saw a large shadow in the atmosphere above them. "You did… blow it up… didn't you, Sonic?"

Sonic remained silent. It was as if he was a statue on the wing, ceaselessly beholding the heavens with his gaze of stone. The fox would have been fooled if his spines weren't flowing in the wind. He'd never seen Sonic act like this before. Even when the Doctor fought them personally, Sonic had always been ready with a cocky wisecrack and his trademark speedy attitude.

It was very rare that Tails got to see the other, darker side of his adoptive brother. The one that was silent, the one that was thoughtful, the one that showed his hate. The one that Tails had learned to avoid because he could see a shadow of how the Doctor looked at everyone he saw in Sonic's gaze when he was in this mood. He always refused to speak of it afterwards, not that the fox wanted to discuss it, but it was clear that whatever the Doctor had done to Sonic, it had been bad.

The shadow that Sonic was looking at lengthened, and Sonic gasped. As it came closer, Tails gasped too. It wasn't the Death Egg; it was an island in the sky! The sight was awe-inspiring, the dark brown underbelly was jagged and uneven, as if ripped from the ground, but it still carried a marvellous grandeur about it, as if it had been designed to be looked at from below. The rocks spiralled around each other, getting longer towards the centre until one lone pillar acted as the point. As Tails watched, he could see small rocks fall from it and tumble towards the planet below.

It would have been even more impressive if there weren't another shadow heading straight for the heavenly floating land. The Death Egg plummeted, cradled like a satanic newborn inside its cocoon of flames and debris. The station fell agonisingly slow, tearing apart any unfortunate clouds in its way, leaving behind belching columns of black smoke. It was amazing that the gargantuan craft had survived this long.

"Sonic," Tails whispered, "What did you do?"

Sonic turned to his brother, his eyes shining and his faced creased with worry. "I… don't know."

"But how could you have destroyed it so fast, Sonic? It's the size of the moon…"

"I… I…"

There was silence between them. The wind flowed around Sonic's spines as he stared at the Tornado's small golden-furred pilot, looking at him expectantly. Tails' muzzle was dancing in the wind, as was his fur and bangs, but his eyes remained focused on the hedgehog, penetrating sky blue. The air whistled around the tiny craft, caught in a bubble of awkward quiet.

There was a muted thunder, echoing into the distance. Sonic turned around to the island, and saw the enormous dust that the Death Egg kicked up before the shockwave hit the plane, spiralling it out of control.

"You idiot! If you would just give me what is rightfully mine, this wouldn't be happening!"

"Like I'm ever going to give up to a thief like you!"

Knuckles remained resolute, standing between the thief and the Master Emerald. His red fur was streaked with sweat and his muscles were heated with hard use, but he appeared as fit as ever. This came from being an echidna, the strongest species on Mobius, perfectly suited to guarding the jewel of power. His spines, hanging from his proud head, were defined in green light from the altar, and he crossed his arms, glaring at his opponent.

The thief slowly rose, her progress slowed by the aches in her torso. She had not been expecting such an ordeal. The two of them had tracked each other through the Mushroom Hill Zone for days, and that had sorely affected her outfit. And then, when she had finally found the Hidden Palace, that echidna showed up out of nowhere and had taken the pretty emerald to the surface, leaving her to the traps.

Pretty effective traps too, but they were designed for someone who couldn't fly. She grinned inwardly, remembering the echidna's face as she simply flew straight up the shaft leading to the surface when he had escaped with the Master Emerald.

Rouge the Bat was not very happy. All her stealth techniques were useless against the echidna; he seemed to have an almost psychic ability to find her. That was where the bruises had come from. He was not as fast as her in combat, but if she got hit, it hurt. Apparently not hitting a woman wasn't included in his honourable code of conduct.

She was a white furred fruit bat, known through certain circles in Mobius as the greatest thief in the world. The white fur was a contrast to her attire; a tight-fitting black jumpsuit which showed off her assets extremely well. Her wings could easily fold up on her back, and unfurl just as fast as her feet could swing a kick at her unfortunate enemies. While the echidna's spines flowed with the wind, her large ears were twitching at his presence rather than the air currents caused by their size.

Despite both of their efforts, neither had yet emerged victorious in the struggle. Rouge was still on the island, and Knuckles still had the Master Emerald. Neither intended for this state of affairs to continue.

"Just give me it! You don't know what to do with such a pretty jewel!"

The echidna's eyes narrowed in disgust. "You think of it as just a pretty jewel, thief? The Master Emerald is more than that!"

Rouge growled in exasperation, looking up at the half-hidden guardian in front of the grand emerald. "At least I would use it properly, rather than it sitting around to get tarnished!"

"You know how to use the emerald?"

There was no change in the stance, but Rouge could detect a certain tone in her opponent's voice. Aha…

"Of course I can use it! Can't you?"

"…If you wish to use it…" Knuckles said, unfolding his arms.

Rouge slowly changed her stance into a more seductive one, showing off her curves beneath her black jumpsuit. "Yes?"

Only her quick reactions saved her as she dived to the side. Rouge rolled on the floor and righted herself as Knuckles recovered from his strike. She hadn't even seen him until the last second.

"…Then it is my duty to protect the Master Emerald!" Knuckles bared his sharp teeth, pure white against his red fur. His fur was the colour of blood, and it was all too easy to imagine that colour on his teeth too, fresh from you. His face was absolutely terrifying; Rouge knew any hope of convincing him was long gone. Perhaps it had never existed anyway. The grass around him was gone, destroyed by his punch. He stood in a crater made by his fist alone, and without hesitation, he charged.

Rouge jumped, swinging her feet around to try and counter him as he struck where she was. Her strength and speed was in her feet, while his was in his hands. This made their duels unpredictable at best, and Rouge often came off worse before having to fly away. That wasn't to say it went all his way, but sometimes he was almost unstoppable.

Knuckles effortlessly blocked her kicks with his lower arms and grabbed her ankle. He swung her around his head and threw her across the clearing with a grunt. Rouge righted herself and darted to the sky as another earth-shattering punch cracked the ground beneath her. This was her chance.

She began spinning round and round at an incredible speed, locked her feet into a pointed position, and shot straight down at him. He jumped backwards as she drilled into the floor, and aimed a kick at her kneeling form. Rouge barely avoided it and struck out with a punch at his face. It connected with a crunch, and Knuckles stumbled back a few steps.

To Rouge's relief, Knuckles did not attack back, and she panted freely from her defensive stance. The guardian, still apparently not tired at all, reached up calmly to his face, and felt his cheek, checking for injuries.

His eyebrows lifted up in confusion, as he felt neither damage nor pain. He looked at his opponent. Rouge's jaw was locked in a grimace, and she cradled her hand to her chest. Knuckles grinned.

"I see you are injured, by your own attack no less. I will give you one more chance to get off my island forever."

Rouge seethed through her teeth at the grinning echidna. It felt like her hand was broken! "You have such a hard head, big guy. No wonder you don't listen to reason."

"What?!"

It was the girl's turn to smile. "You obviously have no fashion sense whatsoever. I mean… green, with red? How silly."

The guardian's face had darkened with rage, but there was also indecision. Attacking an injured person was dishonourable as the first move. If the fight had continued there would be no problem, but because they had paused, combat had to again be initiated. Knuckles was not used to making snap decisions. Whether thrashing her and throwing her off the island was an acceptable action, or whether not doing so, was a difficult choice. Was attacking her justified?

Rouge took a step towards him, speaking to him in an alluring tone. "Why do you even guard that thing anyway? It doesn't do anything for you, after all."

Knuckles took a step back. "The Master Emerald must be protected! It is my duty, batgirl!"

"But why? Surely you know that?"

"…"

"You don't even know? Maybe I could help you find out…"

She reached out her uninjured hand to him. For a moment Knuckles considered believing her, but something about her suggestion didn't seem right. He took the hand, making Rouge smile.

"I protect the Master Emerald because that was what I have sworn to do. The Master Emerald keeps the island of my ancestors floating in the sky. That is all I need to know." He tugged her towards him and swivelled her body around, and Rouge found herself completely helpless in his grip.

"Hey! Let me go!"

"I am taking you off the island. Never come back."

Rouge struggled vainly in his grip. Knuckles walked across the grassy meadow, holding her to him in a sort of bear hug. Rouge's mind flashed with images of him simply throwing her off the edge, and her falling to her doom. Did he know that she had a plane to get here? Was he going to drop her off the edge?! Maybe he would break her wings first so she couldn't fly, and then laugh as he threw her down towards the ground far below.

"No! I won't let you! Get off me! Get off!"

She writhed and slipped out of his hands. He yelled to her but she took off in a panic without a look back.

And then froze completely in shock.

What the hell is that?

A giant mass of metal was heading straight for the island! She could see it tearing the air apart with its passing, setting it on fire like a grotesque trail in the air. She barely heard the guardian gasp as the gigantic craft smashed into the island, making the entire island shake with the impact. Rouge saw the shockwave, and then everything went dark.

This was a darkened room. That much was obvious. The figure looked around, pondering this strange situation. Devices littered the floor, and there were many blinking lights that made no sense to it. Many of them were flashing red, though, and it was clear even to the recently awakened creature that a continuous voice shouting 'Danger' was rarely a good sign.

S: I hope you liked it. I'm not particularly impressed with the second scene, but it's not too bad, I think. Who do you think the mysterious figure is, then? Or is it totally obvious... probably.

Thanks for reading!