This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.
Chapter 5: The End…
Tikal led Shadow down a series of twisting passageways, heading ever deeper into the island.
"The Master Emerald is not far."
"Hold it."
Shadow turned to look behind him. Coming down the hall was the old elder.
"You are heading towards the Master Chamber."
"Forget it old man, I'm off to stop Robotnik, and if I happen to do some damage to your precious Emerald on the way, well that's just too bad."
"I am well aware of that, but first, I must tell you about the Master Emerald, for it will be my only chance."
"Robotnik's robots are already here, there is no time."
The elder shook his head. "No my young friend, there is exactly enough time, and this you must hear."
"Why should I listen to you?"
"Because I summoned you to this island. I did not bring you here to stop you, but because you were destined to come and destroy the Master Emerald."
"And you're trying to help me do that?"
"Please listen to my tale, and you will understand."
Shadow listened to the elder while they walked down the hall with Tikal.
"No outsider has visited this island in over 100 years, 110 in fact. It was then that we came to this place. Back then, the echidnas were not like what we are now, we were violent and savage, very much like Knuckles, only worse."
"The echidnas were power mad and sought to conquer or destroy all we encountered. One day, we came to hear of a mighty gemstone that bore incredible power onto its owner. The chieftain Pachacamac had ordered his forces to seek out this stone and make it his, and so they came to this island, more than 700 strong. They had found the temple that bore the Master Emerald, but with it was a grave curse; a creature simply known as 'Chaos', guarded the Master Emerald, and turned to the invaders to destroy them."
"Chaos was a frightening beast, but to marauders like the echidnas, fear meant little to them. That creature's strength was insane; its fists could crush large stones to dust, and its feet stomped with a viciousness that could press a man totally flat, but still the invaders fought him."
"The battle was bitter and fierce, lasting many days, that I kid you not. In the end, the creature Chaos was destroyed, but so too were the echidnas. The island was reduced to a devastated mess, covered with the bloody remains of many of the echidna. In the end, only 23 survived the attack. Pachacamac had finally claimed the stone, but before he would take it, he looked back and saw the destruction that his greed had caused. The echidnas had realized that their bloodlust had almost destroyed them; and so, they took root on the island and became protectors of the Master Emerald, just as Chaos had done before."
"From then on, the echidnas bore no weapons, other than what would be granted to them by the Master Emerald. And from then on, they took an oath to protect the Master Emerald from harm. Part of that, was to seek out the 'Chaos Emeralds'."
Shadow turned to the old one after hearing the term. "The Chaos Emeralds? Were do they fit into this?"
"They are from Chaos; the great energy that he had absorbed from being near the Master Emerald for so many countless centuries, had infused him with great power. When he was destroyed, the energy crystallized into his body, and exploded. Seven pieces became scattered throughout the world, one of which you came to possess."
"Aside from searching for the Chaos Emeralds, we have stayed here to watch over the Master Emerald, until Tikal had a vision. She saw you, destroying the Master Emerald. Some of us who heard it believed that it was our duty to stop you; that is why Knuckles was quite eager to find you. But some of the elders knew otherwise, and we knew that the Master Emerald was showing Tikal what was to come, not to prevent it, but because it must happen."
"But if the Master Emerald goes, this island will crash."
"Yes, and it may be the end of us, but it is of no concern to me, for I have lived so long, and seen much of this world. As the Master Emerald had given me long life, it has mow chosen that it will be taken away from me."
Shadow stopped and looked at the elder. After a pause, the elder spoke again.
"The name 'Pachacamac' is one I have not used in many years. It was an accursed name of an old time. I am all that's left of what came to the island with destructive thoughts. When the Master Emerald is destroyed, my life ends, and so shall the evil that plagued my people. Any who survive the falling of the island, can live on without knowing the great menace that we once brought to the world."
"It is now time, Shadow; my tale is ended, and the Master Emerald awaits your fate. Your Chaos Control power has been released, and is at your bidding again."
Shadow took one last look at the elder and Tikal, and raced down the rest of the hallway.
Shadow continued to the end of the hallway and entered the large stone door. Inside was a chamber that was larger than anything he had ever remembered seeing in his life. The walls were a dusty orange and decorated with ornate carvings in the stone. From where he stood, a large catwalk extended from the wall all around the round vault, and extended at four points to the center of the room, where there stood a large gem, large enough to put three or four of himself inside.
But something else was in the room with him, something that drove his attention away from the emerald.
"You! Get out of here!"
Shadow looked around to see Knuckles, doing battle with a large flying machine that was hovering around the Master Emerald. A large drill head had punctured its way through the round bottom of the chamber and was now acting as an anchor. The flying machine had flown through the hole.
"You better keep your eyes on that monster more than me, Red."
The mechanical monster was shooting at the stone supports that held the Master Emerald in place. Knuckles was trying to destroy it using his Thunder Arrow, but the device was too heavily armoured for him to no more than dent it.
Shadow leapt across the gap to one of the walkways and jumped up to the machine, throwing a punch or two. Just as with Knuckles' Thunder Arrow, his Chaos infused punches did little. Knuckles also ran to the machine and jumped up, throwing a few strikes of his own. The pair kept jumping and hitting the machine's heavy armour while it blasted the last few supports.
At one time they came close, and Knuckles gave a quick jab in Shadow's direction, knocking him to the bottom of the vault. Shadow ran up the side of the room to the walkway on the wall.
"Hey, I'm trying to help you jackass!"
"I don't need your help!"
"Tough!"
Shadow returned to the fight. The two continued to pepper at the monster that had soon completed its task to free the Master Emerald. The last support was knocked out.
"Yes! YES!! That jewel is mine! Attack those two nuisances and initiate the grapple hook."
Back in the Master Chamber, Robotnik's flying menace turned its laser cannons on Knuckles and Shadow. The two dodged the blasts while continuing to assail the machine, but soon the turret scored, blasting Knuckles to the far wall; were it not for the protection of the Master Control, Knuckles would surely have been roasted by the blast.
With one of the two out of the way, a hatch opened on the bottom of the vessel. From the opening, a large hand reached out, with long steel prongs as fingers. The arm reached out and clamped around the Master Emerald, lifting it out of the housing.
"NO!!!"
Once the Master Emerald was pulled out, the whole island started to shake.
"The island! It's falling!"
From the ground, Geoffrey and the others watched as the island started to shake as it struggled to stay aloft. Rouge and Tails had finally returned and joined them.
"What's going on up there?"
Rouge answered while Tails caught his breath. "Robotnik is stealing the Master Emerald."
"The what?"
"It's the power source for that island. If he takes it, the whole place falls."
"That explains it. Everybody, FALL BACK!!!"
The troop from Knothole retreated further into the woods as the floating island slowly descended and started to fall apart.
"Give that back!"
Shadow dodged some blasts as he tried to damage the craft, but was still getting no effect. The arm was retracting into the thieving ship, leaving Shadow with one opportunity. He leapt at it, and landed on the mighty rock.
He brought one fist up, ready to send all his strength into the emerald, hoping to shatter it, but something stopped him, some strange voice told him no. As he stood on it, he could feel the power of the stone coursing through him. With renewed diligence, he turned towards the ship, and presented both hands. Drawing power straight from the Master Emerald, he struck.
"CHAOS SPEAR!!!"
From his hands came a beam of light that was the purest white and seared the air, cutting straight through the metal beast above him. With a loud cackle, the monster broke apart along the cut, and exploded, dropping the Master Emerald with Shadow still on it. The two fell towards the ground, the ornate stone coming closer. Shadow could feel the burning energy of the Master Emerald at his feet as it consumed him. The room was bathed in a white light.
When it subsided, Knuckles looked into the ruin and saw Shadow, floating above the ground; the red marks in his fur were bleach white, and small white flares circled his form.
"You! What have you done?!"
Shadow did not respond; he simply stood there, floating. Knuckles charged him, but Shadow didn't flinch. As Knuckles got within range, the hedgehog swung his right arm out, and with a blast of white energy, propelled him back to the wall.
By now the floating island was well on its way to the ground, and was being shaken totally apart. The ground at Knuckles' feet was crumbling and breaking, but he was focused solely on the unmoving form of the dark destroyer.
"Knuckles!"
He looked up to one of the entrances. "Tikal? Get out of here!"
"This place is falling apart, we have to escape!"
"Get out, I have to finish this!"
"No, what's done is done! Just leave!"
"Never!"
Knuckles charged again, firing his Thunder Arrow, but Shadow simply blocked it, reflecting the attacks at various points around the room.
"I'll kill you!"
Knuckles charged again, and Shadow didn't flinch. Once Knuckles had approached, he simply raised a hand and picked him off the ground with an invisible force. He held Knuckles for a moment before tossing him back like a rag doll.
"Knuckles! We have… Eeek!" The ground at Tikal's feet ruptured and she was tossed to the ground.
"Tikal!"
Knuckles looked towards his immobile opponent, then to the unmoving girl. With clenched teeth, he made for the girl.
"Tikal! Tikal!"
He picked her up and looked for the nearest exit, finding only one; the route Robotnik's creation took to get in. Before he left, he took one last look at Shadow, who hadn't flinched despite the world crumbling to dust around him.
Outside, the floating island continued to plummet, slowly crashing into the lake it hovered over, and the mountains on one side. The land collapsed and broke apart, but from the hole on one side, a red vapour trail shot out, circled around and soon came to rest at the shores around the lake.
Knuckles laid Tikal on the grass.
"Tikal? Are you alright?"
"Just fine."
Knuckles was left in shock when Tikal stood up, seemingly uninjured and in perfect health.
"You faked me out!"
"Of course, acting helpless was the only way to help you."
"Damn it, Tikal! Why didn't you let me have at it with that bastard?!"
"It was futile to fight him, it would not bring back the Master Emerald or our home."
From behind Tikal, the two were called out. "Hey you jerks!"
Tikal turned back while Knuckles looked over her shoulder to see who was coming. From over a small knoll came Rouge flying towards them, followed by Geoffrey and the rest from Knothole.
"Alright you, where's Shadow?!"
Knuckles was to infuriated at hearing the name to dare answer, instead he wanted to beat some sense into the flying rat. "You dare mention…"
As he stormed forward, Tikal swung her arm out to block him. She turned her head and stared at him, her cold eyes froze him in his tracks.
Rouge landed in front of them. "Well?"
Knuckles cast a dark grimace on his face. "Your boyfriend had a bit of an accident. He's over there, if you can find him."
Rouge looked towards the rubble of the floating island that Knuckles was pointing to. "No…"
"I can still feel him."
Rouge turned to Tikal.
"He has become one with the Master Emerald, and its power is now his. Through time and space and all that exists, I can feel him. He is alive, but he has been taken beyond even my eyes."
By now, the rest from Knothole had caught up.
"But where is he?"
"You have not been listening, for I have told you that I do not know. All I know is that for now, he is well, but I believe that he is in great danger."
"But he has the Master Emerald, if that is as powerful as you say…"
"He now has immense power, and could save himself, but the Master Emerald's power is not infinite. Its power can be used but once, and if used improperly, Shadow will have condemned himself."
In a place completely removed from the apocalypse of the floating island, Shadow regained consciousness. The might of the Master Emerald still weighed heavy on him, but the strange force that beckoned him had passed.
Shadow looked around at where he was, a dark place, nothing as far as the eye could see, not to the sides, in front, behind, above or even beneath his feet. This world was totally empty.
"Where am I?"
Shadow could feel a presence however. "Who's there?"
