Mobian Legends
Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")
SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard
Writer: John CoonFox
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Timeline: May 17, 3241 - Late Spring
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Chapter 10 - Revelations of the Past
"Rotor, you said you wanted to show me something?" Sonic asks his walrus friend.
"Yeah. It's just over here." Rotor replies, walking down the street with Sonic in downtown Mobotropolis.
"What are we looking for?" He asks.
"It's what the others have been building lately." Rotor explains as he leads Sonic, Sally, and Tails into the large park in the middle of the city.
In front of the furs are two 100-foot tall marble pillars, surounded by flower beds, enclosed in an 8-foot high black marble wall surrounding everything within this part of the park.
"What is this?" Tails asks.
Rotor removes his hat and tucks it into his shoulder-slung belt.
"This is the war memorial that the others have been building for the past week." He explains.
"This is fascinating... who designed this?" Sally asks Rotor.
"Well, I was in charge of bringing in the marble from the Marble Garden Zone, but the sculpting went to some of the Lower Mobius Freedom Fighters, and Antoine did the whole overall layout." The walrus replies to Sally.
"Wait... Antoine did all this? Man... maybe he's not the little french fry I thought he was after all..." Sonic says, scratching his left ear with his hand.
"Sonic... that is so incredibly rude..." Sally tells him.
"Zat is truly alright, my princess... I expected something like zat from ze hedgehog." Antoine speaks up as he finishes chiseling a bas-Relief into one of the pillars.
"Look, Ant... sorry about that. I just thought you were cowardly... I didn't think you were artistic like this..." Sonic says, apologizing to the french coyote.
"It's alright, Sonic. After all, I am a man of quality and culture." He says as he stands up from kneeling on the ladder while he chisels into the marble.
"So, what is all this? What does it stand for?" Tails asks.
"This is Memorial Park. These two pillars stand for the loss of military and civilian people during the war. At the top, we've sculpted out a female representing the Mother of Mobius... the mothers of the soldiers and civilian people lost. She's a generic fur, since we didn't want to focus on any one group or species. She watches peacefully over the dead, but mourns, with her hands together. She wears a long-flowing hooded dress, representing purity and faith. She watches over the dead as they rest in peace, knowing of the hard sacrifices they gave for our Free Mobius. The sculptures along the pillars are the coats of arms of the various tribes and army regiments that perished in battle. The second sculpture represents the Father of Mobius, also mourning for the losses of the dead. However, he represents those lost under Robotnik, either killed or roboticized. The flowers at their feet also represent peace, and the tears they've cried over their lost loved ones. Antoine came up with all that by himself." Rotor says.
"Whoa... that's deep, Ant..." Sonic says in surprise as he looks up at the sculpture.
"Oui... I know." Antoine replies.
"What's the wall for?" Tails asks as he looks to the side.
"Ze wall will eventually contain the names of every single person lost in battle. We already have many, many names" Antoine tells Tails.
Sonic walks over to the Wall. He sees the names on the wall, the names of people he once knew and the names of parents and relatives of his friends.
"There's a lot of people I once knew as a kid up here... where are they buried?" Sonic asks as he reads the names, tracing his finger along them.
He feels the lettering, but can still barely believe it's real. He's come so far and through so much in his brief 24 years of life. It's hard for the spiky, blue-furred hedgehog to believe that the era of piece has finally arrived once again.
"They're all interred at the Mobian National Cemetary, right next to this memorial." Rotor tells him.
Sonic reads slowly, following his finger as it passes the names of Sabina, Dulcy's mother, and of Bunnie's family. He stops when he comes to two names he instantly finds familiar to him. He doubles over, shivering a bit.
"Sonic, what's wrong?" Sally asks, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He grits his teeth, eyes clenched shut, tears forming .
"It's like someone kicked me in the stomach..." He replies.
His reaction is particularly strong, but understandable for someone who has found the name of their parents among those killed in war.
"Oh, Sonic... I'm so sorry..." Sally tells him, kneeling down and hugging him tightly.
"It's okay, Sonic..." Tails says, standing next to him.
"H-how did they die?" Sonic asks.
"Uncle Chuck and I can find that out at the National Archives Building, just down the street." Rotor tells him.
"Then that should be our next destination." Sonic says, standing back up.
Sally and Tails help Sonic back up. The five Freedom Fighters then embark on their walk down the street, into one of the large skyscrapers in Mobotropolis. They soon find their way to the room that Uncle Chuck is in.
"Uncle Chuck, Rotor told us that you have records of everyone killed in battle... is that true?" Sonic asks.
"Yes, it is, Sonny-boy. They're all in this Building. Why?" He replies.
"We want to learn about our parents, and if they died during the Great War." Tails speaks up.
Uncle Chuck sighs. He was hoping this day wouldn't come for a few more years.
"Alright. You might not like what you see, though." He says as he opens up a few cabinets, placing some manila folders on the tabletop.
Sonic, Tails, Rotor, and Antoine start going through the folders.
"It says here that my dad was a member of the "Rocket Knights"... what were they?" Sonic asks.
"The Rocket Knights were the King's elite fighter pilots. That special attack force piloted the fastest and most advanced aircraft ever built. Those ace pilots defended the Royal Castle and the kingdom against incoming missiles and enemy pilots. Your father was flying over the battlefield when he encountered enemy fighter jets. There was a dogfight, and he was shot down. He crash-landed in the Great Forest south of Furville. He was gravely injured when he saw the enemies advancing, and he was outnumbered and outgunned, so he detonated the self-destruct bomb to keep the enemies from learning about our technology. If they had learned about our planes and technology in great detail, they would have duplicated it, we would have lost the war, and far worse things would have happened. He was a hero." Uncle Chuck explains.
Sonic nods. "And my mother?"
"She gave birth to you a few days after your father was killed. She loved you and took great care of you, and when Robotnik rose to power, she instructed me to bring you to Rosie, who would take you to Knothole, where you'd be safe. She was killed in Battle trying to evacuate unarmed civilians from Mobotropolis." He speaks. He pauses, then faces Tails.
"Your mother was killed in the war, and your Uncle Merlin Prower has not been heard from since the war, and we think he was killed as well. Your father did survive, though. He was roboticized by Robotnik, but he regained his free will. Your father's in Knothole." Uncle Chuck tells him.
"That's good news..." Tails says.
He's glad his father survived, but still saddened by the loss everyone else has.
"Did anyone else's parents make it?" Rotor asks.
"No. Knuckles' father was assasinated by the overlanders when he rescued Elias from the downed royal transport plane on Angel Island. Bunnie's parents were captured and later roboticized by Robotnik. Antoine's father died in combat, as did Rotor's." Uncle Chuck tells them.
"I see. So we were basically on our own the whole time..." Rotor asks.
"More or less, though Rosie helped you out. You kids did a great job in defending the kingdom. You were so young, but took up the mantle to fight and defend, much as yuor parents had. As Freedom Fighters and even children and teens, you have been through so much already, and I'm amazed you grew up as well as you did." Uncle Chuck says, complimenting the younger furs.
"We did what needed to be done, Uncle Chuck." Sonic replies.
"You know, Sonny-boy, there's a history book at the Mobian Library I saw earlier that might help you out. It explains a lot of things." Uncle Chuck tells them.
"We'll definitely check that book out later. Do you know its title?" Sonic asks.
"I think it's called "The History of Mobius", if i recall correctly." Uncle Chuck replies.
"Cool. We'll go down there and take a look at it." Sonic says to his uncle.
The blue hedgehog pauses for a second. "Uncle Chuck, I know you're pretty busy with organizing things for the King and his government, so we should get going back to Knothole Village."
"You're not a bother, Sonny-boy. You and your friends are always welcome here." He replies.
"Let's go back to Knothole. We left to defeat Ixis so quickly, that I didn't even get to meet my dad." Tails says.
"Wanna race, little buddy?" Sonic grins.
"You bet! Last one there's a dirty robot!" Tails yells.
The fox coils his tails behind him, letting out a huge spin, racing with sonic down the hall.
"Those boys... you can't keep 'em down." Sally says, walking towards the door.
Rotor holds on to his hat and Uncle Chuck shields himself from the wind caused by their running.
"I'll let you kids get going. I know you have things to do." Uncle Chuck tells Sally and Rotor.
"Thanks for showing this stuff to us, though, Uncle Chuck." Rotor says, shaking his hand.
"Anytime, children. Now, don't be late." He says, waving as they walk off.
"You know, Sonic... since we're going to be living in Mobotropolis again, we should consider moving Freedom HQ here." Sally tells him as she walks.
"How do you move a building?" Sonic asks.
"Simple. We re-dedicate an existing one, and live there. It will be our training center and our meeting place." She replies.
"Sounds fair. I just got a cool idea, too." Sonic tells her.
"I'm afraid to ask." Sally speaks.
"We use 'Buttnik's old haunting ground as our headqarters. It's huge, and has all sorts of electronic equipment...." Sonic tells her.
"That's a very good idea, Sonic. I like it." She tells him.
"I know... thank you." He chuckles.
Back in Knothole.
Sparks are flying as a gloved, shielded person works on a mechanical device.
"Here we are. Your artificial intelligence processor." Snively speaks, swishing his tail as he carefully places the processor into the central board of the robot.
Nack and Karl are overseeing his work, making sure he does nothing sneaky.
"What do you have left to do?" Nack asks the fox.
"I just have to connect the wires, run diagnostics, and program it now. I'll need Rotor's help with the programming when he gets back from his workshop." Snively replies.
"That's fine. We'll let him know you need him when that time comes." Karl tells him.
On the Floating Island, a familiar skunk is walking through the lush, tropical rainforest, near the mountains.
"Geoffrey, what's troubling you?" the younger squirrel asks the 30-something ex-military soldier.
The skunk stops pacing, looking up. "I'm very uneasy from that blue hedgehog defeating me in battle in Mobotropolis..."
"Maybe you just need a second try against him." Elias asks.
"Perhaps. The time needs to be right, though." The skunk speaks as he sits on a log.
The two furs listen to the sounds of the tropical rainforest, until they hear voices.
"who is that?" Geoffrey asks.
"I don't know..." Elias whispers, crawling towards the voices, peering through the foliage of the jungle.
A red echidna glides down and lands on Angel Island's edge, and is greeted by his two friends, an armadillo and a flying squirrel.
"Heya, Knux-man! Welcome back to the Island!" Mighty the armadillo says as he greets Knuckles.
"Welcome back, guardian. Were you able to retrieve your emerald?" Ray the flying squirrel asks.
"Oh yeah. Got that baby right in my backpack." Knuckles says as he walks with the two of his friends.
After a few seconds, Knuckles remembers something.
"Oh! I ran into an old pal of yours... Sonic the Hedgehog." He says.
Geoffrey spies on them, and growls at hearing the very name of Sonic. Elias begs him to keep quiet. Although he knows Knuckles, he also knows that the Guardian wouldn't appreciate being spied upon in the least.
"How is he?" Mighty asks.
"I haven't seen him since we were imprisoned at that working camp..." Ray says, recalling their last adventures together.
"He's good. They've defeated Robotnik. That's gonna make our job a LOT easier." Knuckles says. The three furs walk, almost out of sight and earshot now.
Geoffrey and Elias stand up.
"You got very angry when you heard Sonic's name... did he do something to you?" Elias asks.
"Yeah. He showed me up and gave me a lickin' when I tried to defend Ixis Naugus and Mobotropolis." Geoffrey explains.
"Ixis? Why would you side with that maniac?" Elias asks, very confused.
"I had to, Elias. He defeated Robotnik. He restored the city. He offered either life and honour, or death and dishonour to us. Being a military man, I chose honour. I wanted to serve my country and protect its people. I thought that serving Ixis would fulfil that." Geoffrey speaks.
The two furs overhear Knuckles and Mighty talking about getting a spare emerald or two, in case the Master Emerald is stolen, then the island will still be safe.
"Hmmm...emeralds have unlimited power..." Geoffrey thinks to himself.
"Why does it matter so much to you if Sonic is a hero or not?" Elias asks.
"He makes everyone else look bad and weak. I am of the King's trusted Secret Service, I am the best at what I do! I will not be beaten by some fast-running blue goofball who doesn't even know how to take things seriously!" He growls, clenching his fists. "I know just how to do it, too. I just need to find one of those emeralds, then I'll teach him a lesson he won't soon forget. He may as well retire after I'm done with 'im."
"Don't do it, Geoffrey! ...you don't have to prove yourself... I believe in you, I always have." Elias tells him.
"I won't hurt 'im much, and I certainly won't kill 'im. I just want to prove to the King and Sonic that I still have honour and I can be depended on. I'm easily as strong as that young little punk." Geoffrey tells the squirrel.
As Elias tries to beg Geoffrey to change his mind, the skunk simply shrugs off the younger fur's pleading. He returns towards the Embassy, where Elias has been living for the past 18 years.
"Elias, I'm going back to Mobotropolis. I'll prove the King that I'm still worthy of protecting the crown. It's what my family's done for generations. You stay here. If the Guardian asks where I've gone, tell him I have some business to take care of." He tells Elias as he walks, leaving Elias in the doorway of the Embassy.
Elias feels uneasy with what's going on. He hears Knuckles walking towards him, and approaches the echidna.
"Knuckles, I need your help." Elias tells him.
"Oh yeah? What's going on?" The echidna asks.
"Well... Geoffrey's gone off to challenge Sonic the Hedgehog to a fight, and I'm worried things could get out of hand..." The squirrel speaks.
Knuckles thinks about this for a second.
"What's the worst he could do, other than lay a smackdown on Sonic?" Knuckles wonders.
"He wants to find a chaos emerald and undergo a super transformation to fight Sonic." Elias replies.
"Mm. That could be a cause for concern. I'll let Nack and the weasels know he's on his way over." Knuckles tells his friend as he walks into the building.
"Nack??? Why on mobius would you ever tell HIM? He's a convicted felon!" Elias yelps, surprised.
"He's a reformed felon. The weasel and his brothers work for the king as his personal bodyguards now. Was that or death in the Devil's Gulag. The King said life in prison, but they'd end up being murdered there..." Knuckles explians.
"I see..." Elias nods his head.
Geoffrey searches through the brush on the edge of the Floating Island.
"Come on... where did I put you...?" He mutters to himself, searching for his bag of goods he buried in the bushes.
"AHA!" He grins, finally finding his items.
The skunk picks up his handgun, and checks to make sure it's full of ammunition, then unfolds his hang-glider.
"Now, all I need is to get off this island, and find a chaos emerald... and I know you have one, Hedgehog." Geoffrey says to himself, pushing off the Floating Island.
He glides over the ocean, going with the wind towards the coast. A couple hours later, the skunk touches down on the shore, near Boulder Bay. He pushes his hang-glider aside and starts walking towards the Great Forest. As he clears the giant boulders along the shore, he sees some familiar figures walking in the distance.
"Well... isn't that convenient?" He asks himself. He starts running towards the figures in the distance.
As the Freedom Fighters walk back to Knothole, they hear shouting from behind.
"Hey, you wait up!" Geoffrey shouts.
Sonic turns around.
"You again? What do you want?" Sonic asks.
"I wanna have a word with you. Your super-speed antics over the past few years have put ex-military guys like me outta work. I could've taken Robotnik down myself, and quite easily, at that." He speaks.
"Then why didn't you? We needed all the help we could get." Tails speaks up.
"The freedom fighter groups we encountered didn't want us, and I think you'd know how risky it is to go on solo missions." He tells the younger fox.
"So, why are you coming to us? Last time we saw you, you tried to attack us because you were one of Ixis' hired guns." Sonic speaks.
"I had to side with Kodos and Ixis Naugus because they actually offered people help, unlike the "Kingdom of Acorn", and they both disappeared after Mobotropolis fell to the royal troops. I think you had something to do with that." Geoffrey tells him.
"Whoa, whoa... I didn't end the Great War, and I CERTAINLY didn't put Robotnik in power. If you have a problem with me, then tell me what it is." Sonic tells Geoffrey.
"Sonic, I'm a soldier to the core. My dad was a soldier, and his dad was, and so on. It's in my blood. I'm a patriot and I'm loyal to the crown. I'll even be willing to die for my country. Without the military, I'm nothing. That's why I'm gonna show you that I'm your equal as a person and as a Freedom Fighter. I don't know how, but I will." Geoffrey vows.
Sonic raises and eyebrow.
"Ya know... superpowers aren't inherited or given out like candy. They are earned and given to you if you deserve them. They are a huge responsobility... I should know. With a cocky attitude like that, you'd be a bad steward of any powers." Sonic tells him.
"You lecture ME on cocky? Listen here, little pincushion, I'm 30 and I should be able to take you anytime, anywhere." He tells Sonic.
"If you're six years older than me, then why don't you act like it?" Sonic chuckles.
"Very funny. I'll make you eat those words someday, Sonic. Just remember that." He growls as he walks off.
Sonic then looks at Sally and Tails.
"What's his problem?" Sonic asks.
"He's disenchanted. Thinks the kingdom abandoned him when it fell." Tails tells him.
"You mean like he was under a spell but someone kissed him and broke it? Who'd wanna do THAT? Yuck!" Sonic says, making a gesture like he's throwing up.
"No no... he feels alienated and abandoned, like he has no hope. Nothing to gain and nothing to lose." Rotor says.
"Oh. Well, that sucks, then." Sonic says as he walks.
"Oh, I'll show them all who can be their equal." The black-and-white furred skunk says as he walks through the forest.
The guardian travels down a couple hallways in the embassy towards a secret room. He looks around, then unlocks the door, entering it. The echidna sits down at the communications console. Rotor walks back towards his hut, having walked with Sonic and the Freedom Fighters from Mobotropolis.
"Island in the Sky to Knothole Freedom Fighters...Island in the sky...can you hear me?" Knuckles asks.
Rotor hears this on his console, just as he finishes grabbing some electrical components. He sits down at the console.
"Freedom HQ... Rotor here. What's going on, Knuckles?" Rotor speaks into his shortwave microphone.
"Listen... a skunk with an attitude is on the search for a chaos emerald. He wants to fight Sonic and prove to the king that he can lead the army. I think you should let Sonic know, just so he doesn't get caught off-guard." Knuckles tells him.
"Alright. Is there anything we should know about this skunk?" Rotor inquires.
"Yeah. His name's Sir Geoffrey St. John. A former commando, and ex-leader of the King's Secret Service." Knuckles informs his friend.
"I'll let the Freedom Fighters know. Thanks, Knux." Rotor says.
He gets back up, and picks up his box of electrical components, walking over towards the hut where Snively is working on the metal hedgehog robot. The walrus opens the door to his workshop, finding Snively working on a largely-completed Silver Sonic.
"You're nearly done?" Rotor asks, somewhat surprised.
"Of course I am. I have a tremendous knowledge of machinery and electronics. I would've been done hours ago if these two weasels weren't constantly distracting me..." Snively mutters, pointing at Nack and Karl, who are watching Snively.
"We're just making sure Snively doesn't go back on his word to help you guys." Karl tells Rotor.
"Well, I'm back, and what do you need help with?" The walrus asks the smaller fox.
"I'm about to run diagnostics, but I need to power him up first." Snively says to him.
"How much power does this robot need?" Rotor inquires.
"I've put in a 500 kilowatt engine in Silver Sonic to power him." Snively replies.
Geoffrey walks forward, seeing a hut in front of him. He watches Snively work on Silver Sonic, with Nack and Karl watching him. Next to Snively, is the Chaos Device.
"That may not be a chaos emerald, but THAT is how I'll show Sonic that I'm still a big contender." He speaks to himself.
He waits, listening to what the voices inside are saying. He then tosses a rock at the wall.
"Did you hear that?" Karl asks, walking over with Nack to the other side of the hut, looking around.
While the two weasels are looking, Geoffrey reaches in and grabs the Chaos Device.
Rotor is quite amused. "Do you need that much power? Becuase... we don't have that type of power generation here in Knothole."
"That's alright. I have my own method of powering up this robot." Snively replies.
The small fox gets up and starts looking around for his gun-shaped Chaos Device.
"I know it's right... around... here... somewhere..." He says to himself.
Nack watches him. "What are you looking for?"
Snively becomes very nervous. "Oh no... I can't find it..." he says.
"Can't find what?" Karl asks the fox.
"The Chaos Device. It's a gun-shaped device that almost perfectly duplicates the energy of a Chaos Emerald... It was a research project of my own that i used to better understand the properties of Chaos Energy. It was originally going to be used against you furballs, becuase I had started this back when the Big Round Guy was still in control. Now, however... I can use it to power up Silver Sonic. Silver Sonic's not finished yet, and I don't know if it's going to give temporary boosts. It uses the power of the Chaos Emeralds to be focused on something else. I intend to use that to power up Silver Sonic." Snively tells the weasels as he looks for the device.
Geoffrey walks back into the forest, waiting until he's a safe-distance from Knothole Village. He sets the gun down on a log, and turns it on.
"Time to be taught, hedgehog." He says to himself, setting the gun to go off in just 5 seconds.
The skunk gets up, and jumps into the blast as the gun goes off.
A bright golden flash illuminates the area. Geoffrey stands up, looking himself over. He's glowing from the blast of the Chaos Device.
"Class is now in session, hedgehog!" He shouts, leaving the gun on the log as he runs towards the village.
Karl and Nack see a gold-glowing skunk running towards them. The weasels stand firm and Nack grasps his gun.
"You! Freeze!" He shouts, not knowing if the skunk approaching him is friend or foe.
"I don't have time for you, foolish weasel!" Geoffrey says, punching Nack with enough force to send him right into the wall of the hut, knocking him out. Karl runs up to him from behind, but is knocked to the ground with a well-timed kick to the stomach. Geoffrey catches both of their guns before they even hit the ground. He aims one at Karl.
"Boys, I don't have anything against you, so just stay out of my way. Got it?" he asks the weasels, and Karl nods weakly.
Snively and Rotor hear a loud thud against the wall.
"What was that?" Rotor asks, walking towards the window.
He looks outside, seeing Geoffrey giving a kick to Karl.
"I know what happened to your Chaos Device, Snively..." The walrus tells the fox, pulling him down so they're not seen.
The two furs crawl towards the door, then run out of the hut, into the meadow.
"Sonic! We have an intruder!" Rotor yells.
The hedgehog hears this and walks out of his hut.
"What are you talkin' about, Rote?" He asks.
He's answered by Geoffrey, who sees him, and walks over.
"It's time for you to be taken down a peg, Sonic." Geoffrey shouts.
He charges forth towards Sonic, who runs towards Geoffrey as well. The skunk slides just as he approaches the hedgehog. He spins his legs and tail, tripping Sonic. He grabs his arms, swings the hedgehog, and lets go, watching his head connect with the tree, sending him right through it. The blue hedgehog rubs his head, and struggles to get himself free from being sent through the oak tree.
"Nnng... Urf..." He grunts, struggling to get free.
Geoffrey continues to walk closer to him, teasing him. "Come on, boy. I thought you had more fight in ya than that."
Sonic frees himself, and jumps at Geoffrey, doing a Super Sonic Spin. The skunk simply shields himself, and it's like nothing happened.
"Afraid, little boy blue?" Geoffrey asks Sonic.
"You wish, Odor-eater!" Sonic replies.
He places a hand on the ground, and starts running in place. His feet begin moving in a "figure-eight" pattern.
"This isn't a dance contest. I'm here to defeat you in battle." Geoffrey says, watching him.
"oh, you'll see what i'm doin'." Sonic grins, getting ready to perform his "Figure-Eight Dash".
He lets go, charging towards Geoffrey, laying a powerful kick to his chest, causing him to stumble back a few feet.
"OOOF! I'll say this... you're pretty skilled..." He says, catching his breath from having the wind knocked out of him.
He charges towards Sonic again, laying a punch to the hedgehog's face. Rotor and Snively run out, seeing the weasels neutralized for the moment, watching Sonic defending himself from being beaten on by Geoffrey in his super form.
"I'll get Sally. She'll know what to do." Rotor says, running towards Freedom HQ.
Sally is packing a few things, when Rotor runs in, opening the door quickly.
"Sally! We have a huge problem! Geoffrey's somehow gone into a super form of himself, and he's taking on Sonic!" He tells the princess.
"Oh no." She says, running out the door with him.
She can see Geoffrey's glowing orange and gold as she runs towards the two fighting furs.
"Nicole, can you tell me why Geoffrey's glowing?" She asks her handheld computer.
"Analyzing, Sally. Geoffrey has the residue of power rings attatched to him, though greatly amplified." She tells him.
"He used a power ring?" She asks her computer.
"Doubtful, as the energy required is greatly amplified. It may be from a Chaos Emerald." She replies.
Sally then runs in between the two fighting furs to stop them from fighting and killing each other.
"Alright, ENOUGH! I won't let this go on for a minute longer, so just tell me why you are fighting." Sally says, very angry.
"It's for my honour. Sonic's showboating by killing off or defeating all the bad guys, while leaving professional military soldiers like me high and dry. As the most qualified soldier here, I should be the leader of the Freedom Fighters. I was trained by the King himself." He tells the princess.
She stands firm.
"So, you want to regain respect and honour, by acting in a disrespectful and dishonourable way?" She asks the skunk.
"No, I'm proving my honour with strength and force." He replies, getting ready to attack Sonic again.
The hedgehog dashes to the side. Geoffrey turns to attack him again, when he starts feeling strange.
"Wait... what's going on?" He asks himself, looking all over his body as his golden glow suddenly vanishes.
"Looks like you've run out of gas, skunky. The boost was temporary." Sonic chuckles.
"Ha ha. Very funny." He replies, feeling weaker.
"I can still take you... super form... or not..." the skunk says as he collapses from exhaustion.
As Geoffrey fades from consciousness, he can hear and see Sonic and the Freedom Fighters rushing towards him, speaking about "moving him to a secure place".
As the sun sets on the floating island, a metallic figure lands on the edge, scanning the area.
"Foliage... Giant Mushrooms... nothing to indicate the presence of habitation by intelligent evolved life forms... Will continue search for energy supply." Metal Sonic says as he scans the area. He takes off once more, into the forest. His energy levels start to spike dramatically as he nears the center of the island, near its mountains. The metal robot stops and looks down onto the ground.
"Energy source located." He says to himself.
Knuckles and Mighty are standing in the Master Emerald Chamber. Knuckles feels the walls for any recent attempts to dig their way into the cave.
"It looks secure, Mighty. I really appreciate you helping me guard the master Emerald like this." The echidna tells the armadillo.
"Hey, it's alright. I'd be bored out of my mind if I didn't help ya with your missions." He says.
As soon as he finishes speaking, the wall begins to vibrate slightly. A fist punches through... a robotic fist. Knuckles stands back as the robotic hedgehog claws its way through, into the chamber.
"S-Sonic???" Knuckles asks, shocked.
Metal Sonic turns to Knuckles. "I am not Sonic the Hedgehog. I am Metal Sonic, also known as Metallix, the robotic superior to that organic hedgehog. You must be Knuckles the Echidna, Guardian of the Master Emerald."
"Y-yeah..." Knuckles says, surprised, but then shakes his fear off. "And what are you doing in here anyway? This is a secret, prohibited area."
"I'm here to recharge my fuel-cells with your Master Emerald. Though... I could use some information from you." Metal Sonic says, walking up to the Emerald, touching it with a metallic claw.
"You take your hand off of my emerald this second! I'll throw you right off the edge, and you can swim back to the mainland!" Knuckles growls.
Metal Sonic turns around.
"You can keep your emerald. I just need to touch it to refuel my energy cells, anyway. However... since you want to threaten me, I think I'll play your little game." He says, walking up to Knuckles, grabbing him by the throat, raising him off the ground.
"Where is the hedgehog?" He asks, his eyes glowing red.
"Oh, crap! Knuckles!" Mighty says, punching the back of the robot's head. Metal Sonic doesn't even notice, with his metal skin shielding the blow.
"I won't tell you..." Knuckles growls, trying to kick the robot in the torso as he struggles to breathe from the robot's strong grip around his throat.
Metal Sonic grips around Knuckles' throat tighter. Mighty punches the machine again.
"Let 'im go, you over-grown calculator!" He tells Metal Sonic.
The robot grins, throwing Knuckles across the room, and kicks Mighty.
The armadillo and echidna struggle to get back up, and they can only watch as the robot jumps onto the Master Emerald, standing atop it. He begins to absorb its energy, soon causing arcs of electricity to flow over his metallic body.
"No! I can't let you destroy the emerald! You can't use it for evil purposes!" Knuckles says as he gets up.
Metal Sonic steps down from the Master Emerald, and dodges a punch by the echidna.
"Tell me where the hedgehog is, or I will end both of your lives." Metal Sonic speaks.
"We'll never betray our friends." Mighty and Knuckles reply.
"Very well. It's your funeral, furballs." The robot says as he slashes at Knuckles, elbowing Mighty as he runs up to Metal Sonic from the left.
The metallic robot sharpens his claws and slashes again at Knuckles, gouging into the strong echidna's flesh. He yelps in pain, grabbing his now bleeding arm.
"I'm going to slash you to ribbons just beacuse you resist me so fiercely." He says.
Metal Sonic grabs Knuckles, his claws piercing the echidna's skin on his shoulder.
"Perhaps I should take you and your friends back to be Roboticized... or leave you here to die by yourselves... I have so many delightful decisions at my disposal, and yet your fate doesn't matter to me one bit."
Knuckles is flinching, wincing and doubling over in pain from his injuries. His eyes are watering as he tries to resist the pain from his injuries. Mighty goes to run towards him, but Knuckles waves Mighty to stand back.
"Knux, why don't you want me to help ya?" Mighty asks.
"War games. Divide and c-conquer. He wants to injure me to slow us down, and to have you help me so he can kill both of us." He says to his friend.
Metal Sonic simply listens in on what the two organic life forms in front of him have to say.
"So, what should I do? I can't leave you here to die. Should I run and get help?" He asks.
"Run? Y-yeah... get out of here, Mighty. Get the others to safety. I can take this guy." Knuckles says, looking up at Metal Sonic.
"Oooh. Such brave words, from the "Strongest" of the echidnas. You guardians are supposed to be very powerful, and all iI get is a weakling of a pup." He speaks. He then turns to Mighty.
"Yes, boy. Run away, so I can hunt you. It'll be a fun little game after I've killed your friends."
Mighty looks repeatedly at the entrance, then at Knuckles, internally fighting wether to stay with his friend, or abandon him to get help for him. He decides to stay with Knuckles and defend the Master Emerald. Knuckles tries to stand up. His left glove is soaked with the blood flowing from the gash on his right forearm.
"I'll die to protect my Island from the likes of you. It's my born duty. My family's done it for hundreds of years." Knuckles says.
"Famous last words. It's the end of the line for you!" Metal Sonic slashes Knuckles again, across his chest in an attempt to break his ribs. Knuckles jumps back to avoid this, and is merely slashed again, successfully by Metal Sonic this time. He falls over in pain, shivering a bit from the pain.
"What a pity. I thought it would be harder than this..." Metal Sonic says, stabbing a claw right into Knuckles' left shoulder.
"GYAHHH! W-What are you doing to me?" He yells in pain.
"I'm going to steal your abilities from you. I'll use them against Sonic, and do the same to him. I'm already unbeatable, but it doesn't hurt to steal abilities and powers from enemies, before I kill them." He taunts Knuckles, injecting a poisonous fluid filled with nanites into him.
"This poison will drain your powers and life force, and give them to me. As the microscopic nanites absorb your energy, they'll beam it to me. Enjoy your life as just another normal echidna. IF you survive, that is." He taunts and explains.
Mighty looks around and crawls up the ladder leading out of the Master Emerald Chamber. He finds an old branch on the ground and jumps back.
"STEAL THIS!" He yells, smashing the log into Metal Sonic, knocking him over from the force.
The robot simply gets up and dusts himself off, pulling the needle from Knuckles.
"You really want to be next, don't you? I'd be glad to get rid of you, and your anger problems." He speaks, firing a couple electric beams at Mighty, trying to electrocute him.
Knuckles weakly stands up and tries to pull Metal Sonic away, to focus on him only.
"Enough distractions. I must find Sonic, and kill him!" Metal Sonic tells the guardian of the Master Emerald.
Metal Sonic knocks out Knuckles with one punch to the head, before tossing him into Mighty, rendering them both unconscious. He looks back as he climbs out of the Master Emerald Chamber.
"You two were weak adversaries. We should do this again, when I'm stronger." Metal Sonic speaks, laughing as he flies off towards Sonic.
Elias and Ray are getting nervous and impatient.
"Mighty and Knuckles are taking too long... I'm worried something's happened." Elias says.
"Should we go looking for them?" Ray asks.
Elias nods, standing up. "That's a good idea."
The two squirrels start looking around in the jungle for Knuckles and Mighty. Ray stumbles across the secret entrance to the Master Emerald chamber. He looks inside, and finds Knuckles and Mighty are gravely injured.
"Elias! I found them! They're hurt!" Ray shouts.
Elias runs over, and the two crawl down the ladder, and help their friends up.
"Who did this to you?" Ray asks Mighty and Knuckles.
"Metal Sonic. Robotnik's robotic clone of Sonic. He absorbed the Master Emerald's energy and beat us. He wants to murder Sonic." Mighty says.
"Does he know where Sonic is?" Elias asks.
"No, but he won't stop looking until he finds him." Knuckles replies.
"That's fine. I'll go to Knothole Village and help the Freedom Fighters out. Hopefully, I can slow down Metal Sonic." Elias tells Knuckles.
"I don't know... that's extremely risky..." The echidna says.
"Yes, but I've been able to defend myself in the past. You and Mighty taught me so, and I've always wanted to go back down to the mainland. This'll be my chance to do some good." Elias tells his long-time friends.
"How will you get there?" Ray asks Elias.
"I'm the adventurous type. I could build a raft and sail to the mainland, and walk there. As for getting down... I haven't figured that one out just yet, but I'll think of something." Elias tells them.
Geoffrey wakes up, and looks around him. He's in a prison cell. A very familiar place to him. He's in the Devil's Gulag prison.
"W-what happened? Where am I?" He asks himself.
"You're in the Devil's Gulag, odor-eater." A voice says from across the cell.
The skunk sits up, seeing that he's in the same cell as Warlord Kodos.
"You left me hangin', St. John. You let the Freedom Fighters capture me." He growls.
Geoffrey clutches the blankets in fear. "N-no. I didn't do that. I fled to attack the freedom fighters. I was gonna rescue you as soon as I found you. I didn't know where you were..." He stammers.
"Now, see why I can't believe a word you're sayin'? You're contradicting yourself in every sentence. Maybe I should teach you a lesson or two in loyalty." Kodos says as he stands up.
"Hey, Kodos... don't kill him. Just leave him enough alive for us to deal with." Bean laughs, standing in the neighbouring cell with Bark.
Kodos snarls as he takes a swing at Geoffrey, punching him in the muzzle. Geoffrey yelps and tries to kick the larger lion away from him. Kodos slashes at the skunk but misses. Geoffrey slips behind Kodos and punches him in the back of the head, actually stunning the lion. Geoffrey pants to himself.
"I can't keep this up for very long. I'm still exhausted from the battle I had earlier..." He thinks to himself.
He dodges another punch by Kodos, when he gets an idea. He uses his shoulder-belt by wrapping it around Kodos' throat from behind, strangling the lion.
"Gonna leave me alone, or do I have to kill ya?" He growls into Kodos' ear.
The lion snarls, growling and gasping for breath as the skunk chokes him. He tries to reach behind him to grab Geoffrey, but fails. He then nods his head, surrendering.
"You want a truce?" Geoffrey asks, slackening his belt somewhat so Kodos can reply.
"Y-yeah. I do." Kodos growls as he rubs his throat.
"Smart tactic." The lion tells the skunk as Geoffrey removes his belt.
"It's settled, guys. I can't stay here a moment longer. The Kingdom is being restored, and as a member of the Royal Family, I feel it's my duty to help out and do what I can for my people." Elias says as he checks his provisions.
"Y-ya can't go, Elias... We need ya to help defend the island. Your people are here, too..." Knuckles says weakly, sitting against a giant mushroom.
"Knuckles, it's alright. I can defend the Island. The Chaotix will help out, too." Mighty assures Knuckles.
"You sure about that, Mighty?" He asks his friend.
"Of course I'm sure. I'll even call Remington to help us if that will help you feel at ease with the Island's safety." The armadillo tells the echidna.
"Thanks. I just don't know if I'm in any condition to protect the Master Emerald and the island right now. You took a few hard knocks, too." Knuckles says, remembering their fight with Metal Sonic. Elias listens in to what the echidna and armadillo were saying.
"That's why I'm going to the mainland to ask the King for help, Knuckles. I also want to see if my friend Geoffrey is safe. I don't know if he can make it on his own with all the freaks and maniacs running about." Elias explains, tying his rope to a tree, tugging it to test its strength.
"This looks like it will hold. Wish me luck, Chaotix! I'll return soon." Elias says as he puts on his backpack and jumps over the edge, holding the rope firmly.
The squirrel slowly but steadily grappels down the side of the floating island in the sky.
As soon as Elias goes over the edge of the island, Mighty runs into the forest in search of help. The armadillo quickly clears some bushes, finding the forest giving way to the large city of Echidnaopolis. He walks down the street of the large city, when a cab driver approaches him from behind in his vehicle. Mighty listens to the familiar droning of the engine as he walks along the street. The armadillo stops and turns around.
"Harry, is that you?" He asks.
"The one and only, Mighty." Harry the dingo replies, sitting behind the wheel of the cab. "What can I do for ya? I don't usually see you in this part of town alone."
Mighty peers into the passenger-side window and replies "I need you to drive me towards the EST Headquarters."
"Echidna Security Team? What's going on?" Harry asks, unlocking and opening the passenger-side door.
He grasps the gear-shifter on the steering wheel and places the vehicle in drive again. The car resumes moving along the road.
"Is this related to how the island fell from the sky a couple weeks back? I tell ya... that caused a lot of panic and chaos... not to mention damaged a lot of buildings... not to mention the civil unrest already there between the dingoes and echidnas..." The dingo says as he drives along the increasingly urbanized street, heading towards the downtown core of the echidna city.
"Yeah, it's related... but I can't say anything more without Knuckles' permission." Mighty says.
"Is the K-man alright? Usually you two are never apart."
"I know. He needs my help on this. Asked me to personally go get Remington for him." The armadillo speaks.
"Remington... as in, Constable Remington?" The dingo asks, quite surprised. "This must be pretty big to get the Constable involved..." he thinks to himself.
Elias looks down as he grappells along the side of Angel Island. He looks down, seeing he still has at least a mile to go before he even reaches the ocean surface. The squirrel prince stands firm against the island's rocky surface as he reaches into his backpack. He holds a string in his teeth as he undoes another flap on his backpack. He watches as a small dingy inflates. He the pulls the string with his teeth, causing a parachute to unfold.
"Time to go air rafting." Elias tells himself, holding the dingy with his feet.
He carefully ties it to the parachute, and crawls into it. The squirrel lets go of the rope, falling fairly quickly but safely towards the surface of the ocean.
"Ohhh... this is going to be a hard landing..." he thinks to himself as he hits the water.
The squirrel is fine, just a bit shaken from his stunt. The squirrel starts to paddle towards the shore of the mainland.
"Is he injured? Sick? Dead?" Harry asks, just tossing questions to Mighty about Knuckles as he drives. He and the rest of the Islanders have been pretty shaken and edgy lately since the fall of the island into the ocean.
"He's alive, and just bruised. He thinks something big's about to happen, though." Mighty replies.
Harry turns the car to the right at an intersection, slowing around the corner, merging in with traffic carefully onto the busier cross-road.
"Somethin' big? Last time "somethin' big" happened, Robotnik took over and destroyed the Kingdom of Acorn. "Somethin' big" is what his father Locke said before he was murdered by humans at the Kingdom of Acorn Embassy for tryin' to keep 'em off the Island. At least he was successful and people here weren't murdered, or roboticized like in Mobotropolis..." Harry explains to Mighty, referring to the last "big events" that happened on the island.
"We're almost here..." Harry says as he pulls into the left-turn lane.
He immediately pulls into the Echidna Security Team parking lot as traffic clears.
"Does the constable know you're here to see him?" Harry asks as Mighty opens the door to step out.
"We're friends. He knows we can rely on each other." Mighty says, stepping out of the car.
He stands next to the cab.
"How much do I owe you for the ride over?" Mighty asks.
"No charge. Just be careful, and watch your back. There are all sorts of deviants that target people that are friends with the cops. I don't wanna be goin' to yer funeral. Just 'cause we escaped the worst of the Great War doesn't mean we're immune to crime." Harry advises the young armadillo.
"Thanks, Harry. I'll keep that in mind." He says, waving his friend off as he pulls away. The armadillo walks up to the building, and enters the main lobby.
He walks towards the receptionist desk.
The echidna accountant at the desk is sorting papers on his desk.
"Oh! Can I help you?" He asks Mighty.
"I need to speak with Constable Remington personally." Mighty tells him.
"I see. Do you have an appointment for a meeting?" He asks.
"Just tell him that his friend Mighty needs a favour from him." The armadillo replies.
He watches as the somewhat skeptical echidna contacts Remington on the intercom. The echidna is surprised that Remington knows Mighty, and is told to let him through.
"He's on floor 5, room 530." The echidna tells the armadillo.
Mighty walks towards the stairwell and walks up, not caring for using elevators. He reaches the fifth floor quickly, and walks down the hallway. He reads the door's number to make sure he has the right one, and knocks on the door. The echidna inside is watching a couple screens, showing the skies above the island. So far, all is normal. The tan echidna sees only a few echidna aircraft patroling the skies above the island. He looks behind him when he hears a knock on the door.
"Come in." He speaks.
Mighty opens the door and steps into the office.
"Oh, heya, Mighty. I haven't seen you in a while." Remington says.
"Likewise, Remmy. Listen, we need your help. It's something very serious." He tells the echidna.
"Serious? How serious?" Remington asks, raising an eyebrow.
Mighty sits down in the chair on the other side of Remington's desk.
"The Master Emerald is in extreme danger. Knuckles and I were injured defending it, and he can't safely protect the emerald and the Island in his current state of health. We need you to send a division or two down to the Master Emerald chamber to protect it until Knuckles is better." Mighty explains.
Remington thinks this over.
"Alright. I'll send over a couple divisions to the Master Emerald chamber." The echidna replies.
"There's one more thing that Knuckles asked me to ask you..." Mighty speaks.
"Yes?"
"Knuckles wanted you to personally guard the emerald chamber as well." Mighty tells him.
"Very well. The Guardian has my assurances that I'll help him." Remington speaks.
He then presses the intercom and notifies two of the security divisions to get ready to move out.
A few minutes later, Ray and Knuckles hear vehicles approaching.
"What's that?" Knuckles asks, leaning against the giant mushroom.
Ray stands up and shield shis eyes from the sun as he looks in the distance, seeing a couple trucks and a helicopter.
"It's... it's... It's the reinforcements!" He shouts, jumping up and down as they approach.
Remington pulls his truck up close to the entrance, and a few troops step out from the back. Mighty and Remington step out from the front of the vehicle.
"Thanks for showing up, guys. Good job, Mighty." Knuckles says as Remington helps him up.
"Knuckles, you're not looking too good..." Remington tells his cousin.
"Yeah, I know. I was poisoned by Metal Sonic when he used the Master Emerald as his personal battery recharger..." He explains.
"Are you going to die? Do you need an ambulance?" The constable asks the Guardian.
"No. I'll be fine. Just weakened for a while. It'll take more than a cocky robot to kill me." He chuckles.
Elias paddles his raft carefully through the water as it starts to get warmer, from all the geothermic activity. Soon, the water starts to boil and bubble.
"Great. I must be close to the Devil's Gulag... I just hope that this dingy holds up." He thinks to himself as he approaches the shore of the rocky, mountainous island.
The squirrel male hops out of his dingy and pulls it ashore. He quickly deflates the rubber boat, and packs it back up into his backpack. He then sets off looking along the island's shore for any way up. After checking the whole island, he realizes that he may have to climb up the tall cliffs to the prison at the top, unless he wants to deal with the guards standing at the staircase. The squirrel summons up his courage and approaches the guards.
"I am Prince Elias Acorn, and I would like access to this prison." He speaks to the two large bear guards.
"Can you prove you're the prince?" One of the guards asks.
"I think I can." Elias says, showing the guards his royal tattoo. The emblem proves without any possible doubt that he is who he claims to be.
"Right this way, sire. What brings you to the Devil's Gulag Prison anyway?" The soldier asks him.
"One of my friends has been wrongfully imprisoned in here, and I intend to release him with a royal pardon." He explains.
"Ehhh... Does the King know you're doing this? Does he even know you've returned?" The guard asks.
"No, but I plan on meeting father next." Elias explains as he climbs the stairwell with the guard.
He soon enters the prison's main building, and walks along the hallway. When he sees Geoffrey curled up in a corner, looking beaten-up, he approaches the bars. Kodos is challenging Geoffrey to get back up and take his punishment like a man.
"Kodos, stand down. I'm here for Geoffrey." He tells the larger lion.
"Oooh, and who are you?" He queries.
"I'm Prince Elias. Geoffrey, stand. You've been pardoned." He tells his friend as the door opens.
Elias helps his friend up, and they walk out of the cell.
"Should I notify King Max of your return, sire?" The guard asks Prince Elias.
"Yes. I've been away from home for far too long, and I need to do my royal duty in helping rebuild the kingdom." He explains.
The guard contacts King Max in Knothole.
"Sire, We've located Prince Elias. He's alive." The guard tells the king.
"Y-You have? That's great news! Where is he?" He asks the guard for his long-lost son.
"He's here at the Devil's Gulag Prison, but he was living on Angel Island the whole time." The guard explains.
"That's great news. I'll send for him at once." King Max replies.
"Tell him I'd like to bring Geoffrey with me. I forgive him for what he's done. He wasn't trying to be malicious in intent, he was just in despair." Elias says.
The guard tells King Max that Elias wants Geoffrey pardoned and to join him in returning to the Kingdom. King Max ponders this for a second.
"Very well. Geoffrey is pardoned, but he'll return there if he does this again. I'm sending a plane for you two right now." He tells them.
The older squirrel stands up and walks towards the door. He opens the door and walks into the meadow.
"Oh, Dulcy. Have you seen Tails?" He asks the dragon.
"Sure, sire. He's in the hut with Snively, Rotor and Sonic. Sally's there, too." She tells him.
"Thank you." He replies, walking towards Snively's hut. He opens the door.
"Tails, I need you to go on a special mission for me." He says as he steps through the doorway.
The twin-tailed fox turns to face King Max.
"What's the mission?" He asks.
"I need you to fly to the Devil's Gulag to pick up two furs there, and bring them back here." He tells the fox.
"Anything else you need?" Tails asks.
"That's everything, Tails." King Max replies.
"Alrighty, I'm off, then! I'll be back soon." The fox says as he runs off towards the Winged Victory.
He hops into the plane, turns it on and steers it towards a clearing in the trees. He takes off into the sky. As he flies out over the ocean, he wonders what he should be looking for. Soon, his radio crackles with the voice of one of the guards from the Devil's Gulag Prison.
"You have enterd Devil's Gulag Prison airspace. Identify yourself." The voice says.
Tails picks up the radio.
"This is Tails Prower, flying the Winged Victory on behalf of King Maximillian Acorn." The fox speaks into the microphone as he flies.
"Very well. What type of plane are you flying in? We hope we can accommodate you to land." The guard says.
"Just a 21-foot long biplane. I'm coming in from the east, though." Tails says.
"Alright. Slow down to 124 kilometers per hour, and prepare for northbound orientation. Our runway's only 400 feet long. I hope you can make it. We usually accomodate Royal Helicopters..." The guard explains.
"That's gonna be tight, but I can make it." Tails says as he turns his plane towards the north, aligning with the mountainous island's prison and runway. Tails steadies the brakes, slowing the plane down. He lowers the landing gear, applying all the brakes to full as soon as the rubber wheels touch the concrete pavement. He comes to a complete stop near the opposite edge of the runway. Tails turns the engine off and hops out of the plane, being greeted by a couple of the guards of the prison.
"Right this way, mister prower." The bear guard instructs Tails, leading him into the prison.
Tails enters the prison's main processing room, seeing Geoffrey and Elias, who looks very much like his father.
"You must be Prince Elias. I'm Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails." The fox says as he shakes the prince's hand.
"You know Geoffrey, I bet." Elias tells Tails as they walk towads the plane.
"Yeah, I do." Tails replies. He helps Elias into the plane.
"Now wait. This thing's only a two-seater." Geoffrey says.
"This thing's strong enough to hold people that stand on the wings. They hold on to the stabilizers." Tails says. "That's how we can fit all the Freedom Fighters onto this thing."
"Alright." Geoffrey says as he climbs onto the wing of the biplane. He holds on as Tails takes off, bringing the two furs back to Knothole Village.
The sun is setting on Angel Island, and the Echidna Security Team troops are in place, hidden amongst the giant mushrooms and plants that surround the Master Emerald chamber. Mighty and Ray are standing with Knuckles near the entrance.
"Do you think these guys will be enough to protect the Master Emerald until you recover?" Ray asks.
"Yeah, but I also have to warn Sonic that Metal Sonic is after him." Knuckles replies.
"How will you get there? Won't a message work?" Remington asks.
"Yeah, a message would work, but they need my muscle to help contain him. Besides, Rotor and Sally might be able to find an antidote to the poison Metal Sonic gave me, so my powers can be returned to me quickly." Knuckles explains to his friends.
"Muscle? But you're injured and ill..." Ray says.
"I know, but that doesn't matter. I gotta help Sonic. His life is in danger." Knuckles replies.
"Well, do you want us to go with ya as backup?" Mighty offers.
Knuckles waves his paw side-to-side, declining.
"Thanks, but I can handle this on my own." Knuckles tells them.
Remington walks up to the Guardian.
"How will you get to Mobotropolis?" He asks.
"I was thinking on teleporting, but I don't have a chaos emerald on me to do that." Knuckles says.
"That's alright. I brought one with me. The EST has kept a chaos emerald of their own under extreme security and constant surveillance. We know that King Maximillian Acorn has one as well, but the rest are lost to history at the moment." Remington explains.
"I see. How'd you get it, though?" Knuckles asks as Remington hands Knuckles the silver emerald.
"I found it while walking in the Marble Garden Zone. It's best if these remain scattered around the world, so no one can unleash their total power for evil." Remington explains.
Mighty steps forward.
"Why Mobotropolis? How do you know that the Freedom Fighters will be there?" The armadillo asks the echidna guardian.
"The furs have begun rebuilding their city. It's the logical first place for me to look for the Freedom Fighters." He replies.
Knuckles nods his head. He then concentrates on where he wants to go, holding the emerald tighlty in his closed fist. He can see the towers of Mobotropolis in his mind, as a portal opens up in front of him.
"Wish me luck, guys. I'll be back soon." The echidna speaks as he walks through the portal, disappearing.
He reappears a few seconds later, in Mobotropolis. The echidna looks up at the tall buildings, trying to get his bearings.
"Okay. If that's Robotnik's former headquarters, and that's his former generator plant... then the government's offices should be just over there..." he says to himself, walking down the generally deserted avenue.
Metal Sonic is flying quickly just a few feet over the ocean, causing waves to flow out below and away from him. He jumps as he reaches shore, not wanting to dodge trees and shrubs closely at a high speed. The forests quickly give way to the desert, and the robot returns to ground level, searching for Sonic the Hedgehog.
"No traces of Sonic's energy field found. Will continue search. Switching to infrared vision..." Metal Sonic says to himself as he searches the desert for the blue hedgehog.
Knuckles walks along the street, seeing a blue hedgehog. He runs towards the blue hedgehog, but stops.
"Wait, you're not Sonic..." He says.
"No... I'm his uncle, Charles the Hedgehog." the metal hedgehog replies to him.
"Listen. Sonic's in extreme danger. Metal Sonic is after him." Knuckles tells the older robian.
"Metal Sonic? You mean Snively actually RELEASED it??? I'll warn Sonny-boy right away. Come on!" Uncle Chuck says as he runs, with Knuckles trailing closely behind.
Uncle Chuck knows that only Snively has the access codes for Metal Sonic. Knuckles and Uncle Chuck enter the robian hedgehog's workshop. Uncle Chuck clears off his desk and turns on the shortwave communicator he has with Knothole Village.
"Knothole Village, this is Uncle Chuck. Pick up, please! It's an emergency!" He talks into the microphone.
Rotor and Sonic hear Uncle Chuck's voice on their end of the communicator system. Rotor hands Sonic the microphone.
"Sonic here. What's going on?" The blue blur asks. He knows something's up.
"Sonic, you're in danger. A robotic duplicate of you is on the loose. It's been programmed to hunt you down and kill you. Snively released it!" Uncle Chuck warns his nephew.
Sonic raises an eyebrow. He's skeptical.
"That's impossible. Snively's right here working with us." He replies.
"Sonic, he must have released it while he was under Ixis' command. You're in danger. Knuckles is almost there to help ya. He's gonna back you up and destroy that robotic hedgehog." Uncle Chuck says.
"Thanks, but we have everything under control. Rotor and Snively are almost done building a defense robot to handle it." Sonic speaks.
Knuckles is getting annoyed and speaks into the microphone.
"Sonic, don't be a stupid pincushion. That robot nearly killed me and Mighty. It's going to do a lot worse to you." The echidna tells his friend.
Sonic considers this.
"Alright. I suppose we could use your help again..." He says, scratching his ear with his finger.
Knuckles nods.
"I'm on my way. I'll be there in a second." The echidna tells Sonic, teleporting to the meadow.