Knuckles and the Echidna ran down the side of the cliff face as they
charged at the Drakon Prosecutor that stood at the bottom. To them they
didn't care that the Drakon was no doubt stronger than them, and more
advanced than them.
All they cared about was avenging every friend and loved one that had been killed because of this war that the Drakon had started. All they cared about was that the Drakon was on their land and they were going to teach it the hard way why it was in the wrong.
Sonic the Hedgehog stood at the top of the cliff face and watched as the Echidna heroically ran into combat with the Drakon Prosecutor. He knew it was suicide. But he also knew he couldn't stop the Echidna even if he wanted to.
Sonic stared at the Prosecutor. He'd seen one before, but it hadn't been as big as this one was. This one was even bigger than a Drakon Sentinel, and no doubt a lot tougher too. He had to do something.
Giving Tikal a quick glance, he cupped a hand around his mouth. "Be careful. I've met a Drakon Prosecutor before." He shouted. "They're dangerous!"
"Knuckles knows what he's doing, Sonic." Tikal said beside him.
Sonic flared a look of annoyance at her. "And you still haven't explained why you brought me into the ancient past." He said, turning back to watch the fight as it progressed.
"Be patient. I'll explain everything later." She said. "Or as much as I understand, anyway." She added in a mumble.
Up ahead the Echidna where attacking the Prosecutor from all sides. They where giving it everything they had and he was merely knocking them away like flies.
Knuckles watched as his people attacked the alien invader, and grew angry. It was probably true that he was the strongest Echidna here, thanks to the Chaos energy that flowed through his veins, and so he knew that if anyone was going to take the Drakon down, then it would be him.
"Stand Back!" Knuckles shouted as he ran towards the Drakon. "I'll take care of this alien myself." He added, as he threw his spear to an Echidna, who caught it.
"We'll be right behind you, Knuckles." The Echidna said.
All the Echidna drew away from the Drakon, giving Knuckles a clear view of the Drakon. Knuckles then ran at the Drakon, fist raised.
The Prosecutor stood there, putting himself into a comfortable position, bracing himself for impact.
Knuckles ran a little further then jumped. "Let's see how tough you really are!" He said, and then he swung his fist as hard as he possibly could.
The sound of the impact was like rolling Thunder. All the Echidna gasped in shock.
"No!" Came a voice. All the Echidna turned to see Sonic shouting. "There's no point attacking his body."
The Drakon staggered backwards a little, the blow having knocked him off balance, but he did not fall. Gaining his balance quickly, the Prosecutor grabbed Knuckles by the throat and flung him at Sonic. He then drew his staff up into the air.
Electricity begun to crackle around it as it sparked into life. The Echidna turned back to face him, but couldn't do a thing as the Prosecutor plummeted his staff into the ground. Instantly the ground exploded upwards in an electrical blast!
The Echidna scattered like exploding mortar, their body's being flung by the blast with little effort.
Sonic watched all this and sighed. Running down the side of the cliff he then run towards the Drakon. He was quite surprised to see that some Echidna were already getting back up. They really were tough, no wonder they were a race of warriors.
"Looks like it's up to the cool blue hedgehog." He said, running past the groaning Echidna. "As usual." He added to himself.
The Drakon, suddenly aware that Sonic was approaching, raised its staff again, ready for attack.
Sonic circled the Prosecutor once, then jumped into an attack. "Don't bother to get up you guys." Sonic said to the Echidna, in his usual cocky tone. "This'll only take a minute."
The Prosecutor went to grab Sonic, but the hedgehog moved to fast, evading the Drakon's lung. Sonic pulled the Drakon's staff out of his hands and flung it. He then clambered onto the Drakon's back and grabbed his helmet. "Like I was saying, if you want to take out a Prosecutor it's no use going for the body."
Knuckles got up to watch as the blue hedgehog begun to tug on the Drakon's helmet. Unfortunately for the hedgehog he didn't see the Drakon reach up and, with one gargantuan hand, grab both of his feet. In one foul swing Sonic was thrown, face first, into the ground.
Knuckles smirked. "Nice going hedgehog. Were all really impressed." He said sarcastically.
The Drakon raised his hand to deliver the finishing punch, but then Sonic moved. And he moved fast.
"Impossible!" The Prosecutor said, as Sonic spun around him at supersonic speeds. "Nothing can move that fast!"
Sonic quickly became a blue blur circling the Drakon. "You always did have a smart mouth, Knuckles." Sonic called out.
"What are you talking about?" Knuckles said, watching Sonic. "We've never met. I don't even know any talking hedgehogs." Knuckles watched as Sonic spun around the Prosecutor.
What the hell's going on? Knuckles thought. Hedgehogs can't do this. They can't move like he does. What the hell is he, and why does he claim to know me?
Sonic grabbed hold of the Drakon's helmet again, this time getting a very firm grip. "Oh we've met." He shouted at Knuckles. "But we'll get to that after I deal with the Prosecutor."
Sonic then stands on the Prosecutors shoulders and tightens his grip. "As I was saying. If you want to take down a Prosecutor, you go for the head." Sonic then closed his eyes and twisted the Drakon's helmet with everything he had. And, with one loud crack, the whole helmet twisted around.
"We wanted him alive, you idiot!" Shouted Yukon.
"Yeuccch!" Another Echidna said. "That's disgusting."
Knuckles was just about to say something when he noticed that the Prosecutor had not yet fallen. Instead his arms still swung in a vain attempt to dislodge Sonic.
"This is an outrage!" The Prosecutor screamed, his head now back-to-front. "You will all pay dearly."
Sonic jumped off of the flapping Drakon Prosecutor, and smiled. "If you think that's disgusting." He said landing on the ground not to far away from the Prosecutor. He then jumped into a Super Spin Attack aimed straight at the Drakon's neck. "Then what do you think of this?"
There was the sound of ripping metal as Sonic tore through the apparent neck of the Prosecutor, and emerged out the other side.
Wires and other bits of machinery scattered over the floor as Sonic landed in a crouched position. Not to far behind him the head of the Prosecutor landed with a thud.
Sonic walked over to the Drakon head and picked it up.
The Echidna stared, completely bewildered by what they saw in front of them.
"I - I don't believe it-!" Knuckles said as he watched Sonic. "The Prosecutor is just some kind of weird-looking fish."
Sonic pulled the Drakon out of its helmet and held it by its fin in one hand. Water dripped out of the helmet and onto the floor. "That's about the size of it." He said, watching the water drip all over his sneakers. "Now if somebody will just bring me a bucket of water we can get out of here."
* * * *
Sometime later on another part of Mobius, the Aquatic Ruins Zone, the Drakon Invasion Force was being formed. As far as the eye could see Drakon Prosecutors, Sentinels and Soldiers lined up ready for battle. Soon the ships would arrive and they would board them and be taken to Angel Island. There they would land just short of the Echidna capital city, Megaopolis, march in and burn it to the ground.
Then they would do the same to every other Echidna city on the planet until every single Echidna was wiped from existence forever.
Dr Zachary sat in his Guardian Robot with the cockpit open staring down on the eradication force and knew that very soon he would be the last Echidna alive. If only his race had joined the Drakon, together they could have been the strongest force in the Universe. But now they were getting what they deserved. Now they were all going to die.
There was a roar from above as something passed over head. Zachary looked up to see three Dragon's swoop through the sky.
The Dragon's had been allies with the Drakon since they first invaded Mobius, he had learned, and had always been there, lurking in the shadows, urging the Drakon on. Now they were closer than they had ever been to their goal. The eradication of the Echidna Empire.
Though there were only three, Zachary knew there would be more in due time. Seeing the Dragon's Dr Zachary suddenly knew that the Echidna wouldn't survive this. With the Drakon they stood a chance, but against the combined forces of the Dragon's of Mobius and the Drakon Empire, the Echidna would be slaughtered.
Dr Zachary turned slowly to the glow of the Mobius Ring. He was to lead to first wave, which was a group of Drakon. Their mission was to simply get in, steal the Chaos Emeralds, and get out. Then the Drakon Forces could attack the city without holding back.
He piloted his Guard Robot over to the Mobius Ring and closed the cockpit. His Guard Robot stood there for a while, as the Drakon assembled behind him, he then stepped through.
The Mobius Ring grew in size. Then all the Drakon started to march into it.
* * * *
Tikal walked into the Command Room and looked around for the old Echidna. He had summoned for her to come to see him as soon as she returned to the city. So, obediently she had come.
"Father!" Tikal called out. "Father where are you?"
"I am here, my daughter." Came Pochamac's voice from behind.
Tikal turned to see her father come out from behind a curtain and lower his spear. "What is this, father? Why are you acting as though Death himself stalked these ancient corridors?"
Pochamac walked over to his daughter and sighed. "Zachary has betrayed us to the Drakon." He said simply. "I cannot trust my own people."
Tikal placed her hand on her fathers. "But you can trust me, father." She said, smiling.
He smiled back.
She then looked around. "Where are Braven and Yin?"
"I sent them to form an defensive army, with help from the Echidna Guard. I figured that the Drakon will soon attack, and so I want to be ready for them."
Tikal looked around the room and then saw them. The Chaos Emeralds. They glowed and hummed softly to themselves as they floated around the Master Emerald. Her smile dampened a little.
"What became of Chaos." She asked.
Pochamac nodded towards the Master Emerald. "He is entrapped, within the Master Emerald." He said. "Giser said, before he left, that with Chaos inside the Master Emerald, its power had doubles a thousand fold."
"Inside it?" She muttered, turning back to look.
Pochamac sighed. "I'm a foolish old Echidna, Tikal. Can you forgive me?" He said.
"What?" She said turning back to face her father.
"I should have listened to you concerning the Master Emerald. But I didn't and I released True Chaos." Pochamac walked over to the emeralds and pulled a curtain in front of them. "But instead I endangered us all. He could have killed us."
"It is okay now, father. What's done is done. You succeeded in your task, that's all that matters." Pochamac smiled at Tikal, who then remembered recent events.
"Father." She begun. "While you were facing Chaos, I traveled to the future and returned with the Chaos Champion. He is with Knuckles as we speak."
"This is wonderful news." Pochamac said. "Go, my daughter. Bring to me the Great Champion of Chaos. I have much to talk about with him."
Tikal bowed slightly, then turned and hurried out of the room.
* * * *
Elsewhere in Megopolis City, Knuckles and the Echidna had returned, with the former Drakon Prosecutor, as well as the hedgehog who called himself Sonic. While the other Echidna had retired to their own activities, Knuckles had remained with Sonic and the Drakon.
Knuckles couldn't help but stare at the hedgehog. He was incredible. The way he moved in battle, not to mention the speed he moved at, was impossible. As was the fact that he could talk. Only a few species on Mobius had evolved as far as the Echidna had. But the Hedgehogs were not one of them. They were still very primitive.
And then there was that fact that this hedgehog, Sonic, claimed to know him in his future. That would be easier to believe if Sonic hadn't come from some 8000 years from now.
Knuckles watched Sonic with interest. He smiled to himself and rubbed his chin. He had to be the great Champion his grandfather had been going on about for years. Sonic had to be the Chaos Champion.
Sonic stared at the Drakon that was now in a pool.
"Release me you primitives!" The Drakon shouted. "This is an insult to the Drakon Empire."
"Listen, fish-breath." Sonic said to the Drakon. "If I were you I'd keep my mouth shut. Otherwise you're going too find yourself in a deep fat fryer."
The Drakon shut up. He didn't know what a deep fat fryer was, but knew enough to push his luck and find out what it was.
Knuckles watched the Drakon for a while, then turned his attention back to Sonic. He had so many questions he wanted to ask. "So you say you know me thousands of years in the future?"
Sonic didn't turn to look at Knuckles, but instead continued to stare at the Drakon in the pool. "I can't tell you much, Knuckles." He said. "In the future you have no memory of this past life. I guess you must have been in suspended animation or something."
"You mean I end up sleeping for thousands of years?" Knuckles asked.
Sonic turned to Knuckles to see the Echidna called Tikal walk into the room. "I wish I could tell you more." He muttered as Tikal came up to him.
"Sonic, my father would like to see you now." She said.
Sonic gave Knuckles a nod, then followed Tikal back out of the room.
Knuckles stood there for a while, then also left the room. Walking down one of the many corridors he headed for the city center.
Turning to go down a corridor, he literally walked into his brother, Prince Brightstarr.
"Brother!" Brightstarr said, a little startled. "Brother, you must follow me to the Pochamac's chambers. I have discovered something out about the Drakon that could help us to win this war."
"Let me guess." Knuckles said smiling. "You discovered that the Drakon are nothing more than weird looking fish."
Brightstarr stood there, his mouth open and eyes wide. "You. But. How?"
"Don't look so shocked, my brother." Knuckles said, putting a hand on his brothers shoulder. "Its okay. You see the Chaos Champion has come and he showed me-!"
"The Chaos Champion!" Brightstarr said, cutting his brother off. "The Chaos Champion!" Brightstarr pulled away from his brother, stepping backwards.
"Come, brother. You can meet him if you wish. Tikal took him to see Grandfather." Knuckles added.
Brightstarr shook his head. "No!" He said. "I don't wish to meet him. I don't want to. He ain't no Champion, I am." Brightstarr then grew angry. "I'm the only Chaos Champion." He shouted.
"You'll see. When trouble comes and your fake-Champion fails, then you'll see." With that Brightstarr turned and ran back down the corridor.
* * * *
Pochamac stood at a table in his the Command Room, scrolled across it where many old documents he himself had written earlier on in his life. He had had everything moved from his chambers not that long ago to here were Giser had brought the Chaos Emeralds. As he stood, sorting through them, he did not see as something entered the room.
Something about it radiated darkness as it snuk up on the old Echidna King. It moved closer, never taking it eyes off of its target, until it was right behind Pochamac.
There was a blur of movement.
Suddenly the creature found itself being faced with a spear. "Speak, while you still can, dark one." Pochamac said, gritting his teeth.
The black furred Echidna stepped back a little and smiled. It Echidna wore a matching black tunic, that had gold symbols embroiled on it. "I am impressed." It said.
Pochamac suddenly realized who the Echidna was. "Midnight?"
"I see you remember me, my King." Midnight said.
"But your dead." Pochamac said. "I saw you die."
"Appearances can be misleading." Midnight said simply. "But then maybe I am dead. Maybe I'm just a shadow!"
"Shut up!" Pochamac said. "Why are you here?"
"Is it not obvious? I came to kill you. But you have me at a loss. The Drakon demand your death. With you dead the Echidna will be weak. They will be to grieved to fight the Drakon, and they will all be slaughtered like sheep."
"The Drakon?" Pochamac muttered. "You are with them as well, just as Zachary is."
"You fool. I made Zachary turn, it was so easy. His loyalty was so weak anyway." Midnight said, backing up. "But that is the past. You will all die, Pochamac. Your people will be dead, and the Drakon will claim this land."
"You are an Echidna as well. How can you condone your own races annihilation?" Pochamac said, stepping forwards.
Midnight stepped into the shadows and seemed to fade away into it. But his voice spoke out clearly. "I have no race. I am the last of my kind. You will all die, because it is what you deserve. There is no escape. No way out. No survival. Just death!"
Pochamac stood by himself for a while, before turning back around to his desk.
How could he have thought that the Echidna could possibly win against the Drakon? What was he thinking? Chaos had been nothing. The Drakon where far more than one creature. How could they hope to win against them?
His thoughts stopped as he heard footsteps from outside. He turned to see his daughter arrive at the door and usher in a blue hedgehog.
Maybe were not as lost as we may appear to be. He thought to himself, and smiled.
"This is Pochamac." Tikal said, stepping into the room. "Spiritual leader of the Echidna. He's also my Dad!"
Pochamac watched the blue hedgehog walk past Tikal and into the room. So this is the Chaos Champion. This is Sonic the hedgehog. He thought.
Sonic walked over to Pochamac. "Hiya. How are you doing?" He said.
"Not very well, Sonic." Pochamac said truthfully. "Not very well at all. Which is why we brought you here."
"Yeah, I've been hoping we were going to get around to that." Sonic said, suddenly interested.
Pochamac crouched back over his scrolls. "All your questions will be answered, Sonic, I promise you." Pochamac then turned and headed over to a curtain. "But first I wanted to show you something. Something that, two days ago, we stole from the Drakon Empire."
Sonic watched as Pochamac pulled the curtains back. His mouth fell open. "The Chaos Emeralds!" He said.
His eyes widened as he took in the awesome view that was now in front of him. He'd seen them before of course, but somehow they seemed more powerful now than he had ever seen them in the future, and this was the past. Slowly at first a terrible feeling came over Sonic. Things were really going to start getting bad soon, he just knew it.
All they cared about was avenging every friend and loved one that had been killed because of this war that the Drakon had started. All they cared about was that the Drakon was on their land and they were going to teach it the hard way why it was in the wrong.
Sonic the Hedgehog stood at the top of the cliff face and watched as the Echidna heroically ran into combat with the Drakon Prosecutor. He knew it was suicide. But he also knew he couldn't stop the Echidna even if he wanted to.
Sonic stared at the Prosecutor. He'd seen one before, but it hadn't been as big as this one was. This one was even bigger than a Drakon Sentinel, and no doubt a lot tougher too. He had to do something.
Giving Tikal a quick glance, he cupped a hand around his mouth. "Be careful. I've met a Drakon Prosecutor before." He shouted. "They're dangerous!"
"Knuckles knows what he's doing, Sonic." Tikal said beside him.
Sonic flared a look of annoyance at her. "And you still haven't explained why you brought me into the ancient past." He said, turning back to watch the fight as it progressed.
"Be patient. I'll explain everything later." She said. "Or as much as I understand, anyway." She added in a mumble.
Up ahead the Echidna where attacking the Prosecutor from all sides. They where giving it everything they had and he was merely knocking them away like flies.
Knuckles watched as his people attacked the alien invader, and grew angry. It was probably true that he was the strongest Echidna here, thanks to the Chaos energy that flowed through his veins, and so he knew that if anyone was going to take the Drakon down, then it would be him.
"Stand Back!" Knuckles shouted as he ran towards the Drakon. "I'll take care of this alien myself." He added, as he threw his spear to an Echidna, who caught it.
"We'll be right behind you, Knuckles." The Echidna said.
All the Echidna drew away from the Drakon, giving Knuckles a clear view of the Drakon. Knuckles then ran at the Drakon, fist raised.
The Prosecutor stood there, putting himself into a comfortable position, bracing himself for impact.
Knuckles ran a little further then jumped. "Let's see how tough you really are!" He said, and then he swung his fist as hard as he possibly could.
The sound of the impact was like rolling Thunder. All the Echidna gasped in shock.
"No!" Came a voice. All the Echidna turned to see Sonic shouting. "There's no point attacking his body."
The Drakon staggered backwards a little, the blow having knocked him off balance, but he did not fall. Gaining his balance quickly, the Prosecutor grabbed Knuckles by the throat and flung him at Sonic. He then drew his staff up into the air.
Electricity begun to crackle around it as it sparked into life. The Echidna turned back to face him, but couldn't do a thing as the Prosecutor plummeted his staff into the ground. Instantly the ground exploded upwards in an electrical blast!
The Echidna scattered like exploding mortar, their body's being flung by the blast with little effort.
Sonic watched all this and sighed. Running down the side of the cliff he then run towards the Drakon. He was quite surprised to see that some Echidna were already getting back up. They really were tough, no wonder they were a race of warriors.
"Looks like it's up to the cool blue hedgehog." He said, running past the groaning Echidna. "As usual." He added to himself.
The Drakon, suddenly aware that Sonic was approaching, raised its staff again, ready for attack.
Sonic circled the Prosecutor once, then jumped into an attack. "Don't bother to get up you guys." Sonic said to the Echidna, in his usual cocky tone. "This'll only take a minute."
The Prosecutor went to grab Sonic, but the hedgehog moved to fast, evading the Drakon's lung. Sonic pulled the Drakon's staff out of his hands and flung it. He then clambered onto the Drakon's back and grabbed his helmet. "Like I was saying, if you want to take out a Prosecutor it's no use going for the body."
Knuckles got up to watch as the blue hedgehog begun to tug on the Drakon's helmet. Unfortunately for the hedgehog he didn't see the Drakon reach up and, with one gargantuan hand, grab both of his feet. In one foul swing Sonic was thrown, face first, into the ground.
Knuckles smirked. "Nice going hedgehog. Were all really impressed." He said sarcastically.
The Drakon raised his hand to deliver the finishing punch, but then Sonic moved. And he moved fast.
"Impossible!" The Prosecutor said, as Sonic spun around him at supersonic speeds. "Nothing can move that fast!"
Sonic quickly became a blue blur circling the Drakon. "You always did have a smart mouth, Knuckles." Sonic called out.
"What are you talking about?" Knuckles said, watching Sonic. "We've never met. I don't even know any talking hedgehogs." Knuckles watched as Sonic spun around the Prosecutor.
What the hell's going on? Knuckles thought. Hedgehogs can't do this. They can't move like he does. What the hell is he, and why does he claim to know me?
Sonic grabbed hold of the Drakon's helmet again, this time getting a very firm grip. "Oh we've met." He shouted at Knuckles. "But we'll get to that after I deal with the Prosecutor."
Sonic then stands on the Prosecutors shoulders and tightens his grip. "As I was saying. If you want to take down a Prosecutor, you go for the head." Sonic then closed his eyes and twisted the Drakon's helmet with everything he had. And, with one loud crack, the whole helmet twisted around.
"We wanted him alive, you idiot!" Shouted Yukon.
"Yeuccch!" Another Echidna said. "That's disgusting."
Knuckles was just about to say something when he noticed that the Prosecutor had not yet fallen. Instead his arms still swung in a vain attempt to dislodge Sonic.
"This is an outrage!" The Prosecutor screamed, his head now back-to-front. "You will all pay dearly."
Sonic jumped off of the flapping Drakon Prosecutor, and smiled. "If you think that's disgusting." He said landing on the ground not to far away from the Prosecutor. He then jumped into a Super Spin Attack aimed straight at the Drakon's neck. "Then what do you think of this?"
There was the sound of ripping metal as Sonic tore through the apparent neck of the Prosecutor, and emerged out the other side.
Wires and other bits of machinery scattered over the floor as Sonic landed in a crouched position. Not to far behind him the head of the Prosecutor landed with a thud.
Sonic walked over to the Drakon head and picked it up.
The Echidna stared, completely bewildered by what they saw in front of them.
"I - I don't believe it-!" Knuckles said as he watched Sonic. "The Prosecutor is just some kind of weird-looking fish."
Sonic pulled the Drakon out of its helmet and held it by its fin in one hand. Water dripped out of the helmet and onto the floor. "That's about the size of it." He said, watching the water drip all over his sneakers. "Now if somebody will just bring me a bucket of water we can get out of here."
* * * *
Sometime later on another part of Mobius, the Aquatic Ruins Zone, the Drakon Invasion Force was being formed. As far as the eye could see Drakon Prosecutors, Sentinels and Soldiers lined up ready for battle. Soon the ships would arrive and they would board them and be taken to Angel Island. There they would land just short of the Echidna capital city, Megaopolis, march in and burn it to the ground.
Then they would do the same to every other Echidna city on the planet until every single Echidna was wiped from existence forever.
Dr Zachary sat in his Guardian Robot with the cockpit open staring down on the eradication force and knew that very soon he would be the last Echidna alive. If only his race had joined the Drakon, together they could have been the strongest force in the Universe. But now they were getting what they deserved. Now they were all going to die.
There was a roar from above as something passed over head. Zachary looked up to see three Dragon's swoop through the sky.
The Dragon's had been allies with the Drakon since they first invaded Mobius, he had learned, and had always been there, lurking in the shadows, urging the Drakon on. Now they were closer than they had ever been to their goal. The eradication of the Echidna Empire.
Though there were only three, Zachary knew there would be more in due time. Seeing the Dragon's Dr Zachary suddenly knew that the Echidna wouldn't survive this. With the Drakon they stood a chance, but against the combined forces of the Dragon's of Mobius and the Drakon Empire, the Echidna would be slaughtered.
Dr Zachary turned slowly to the glow of the Mobius Ring. He was to lead to first wave, which was a group of Drakon. Their mission was to simply get in, steal the Chaos Emeralds, and get out. Then the Drakon Forces could attack the city without holding back.
He piloted his Guard Robot over to the Mobius Ring and closed the cockpit. His Guard Robot stood there for a while, as the Drakon assembled behind him, he then stepped through.
The Mobius Ring grew in size. Then all the Drakon started to march into it.
* * * *
Tikal walked into the Command Room and looked around for the old Echidna. He had summoned for her to come to see him as soon as she returned to the city. So, obediently she had come.
"Father!" Tikal called out. "Father where are you?"
"I am here, my daughter." Came Pochamac's voice from behind.
Tikal turned to see her father come out from behind a curtain and lower his spear. "What is this, father? Why are you acting as though Death himself stalked these ancient corridors?"
Pochamac walked over to his daughter and sighed. "Zachary has betrayed us to the Drakon." He said simply. "I cannot trust my own people."
Tikal placed her hand on her fathers. "But you can trust me, father." She said, smiling.
He smiled back.
She then looked around. "Where are Braven and Yin?"
"I sent them to form an defensive army, with help from the Echidna Guard. I figured that the Drakon will soon attack, and so I want to be ready for them."
Tikal looked around the room and then saw them. The Chaos Emeralds. They glowed and hummed softly to themselves as they floated around the Master Emerald. Her smile dampened a little.
"What became of Chaos." She asked.
Pochamac nodded towards the Master Emerald. "He is entrapped, within the Master Emerald." He said. "Giser said, before he left, that with Chaos inside the Master Emerald, its power had doubles a thousand fold."
"Inside it?" She muttered, turning back to look.
Pochamac sighed. "I'm a foolish old Echidna, Tikal. Can you forgive me?" He said.
"What?" She said turning back to face her father.
"I should have listened to you concerning the Master Emerald. But I didn't and I released True Chaos." Pochamac walked over to the emeralds and pulled a curtain in front of them. "But instead I endangered us all. He could have killed us."
"It is okay now, father. What's done is done. You succeeded in your task, that's all that matters." Pochamac smiled at Tikal, who then remembered recent events.
"Father." She begun. "While you were facing Chaos, I traveled to the future and returned with the Chaos Champion. He is with Knuckles as we speak."
"This is wonderful news." Pochamac said. "Go, my daughter. Bring to me the Great Champion of Chaos. I have much to talk about with him."
Tikal bowed slightly, then turned and hurried out of the room.
* * * *
Elsewhere in Megopolis City, Knuckles and the Echidna had returned, with the former Drakon Prosecutor, as well as the hedgehog who called himself Sonic. While the other Echidna had retired to their own activities, Knuckles had remained with Sonic and the Drakon.
Knuckles couldn't help but stare at the hedgehog. He was incredible. The way he moved in battle, not to mention the speed he moved at, was impossible. As was the fact that he could talk. Only a few species on Mobius had evolved as far as the Echidna had. But the Hedgehogs were not one of them. They were still very primitive.
And then there was that fact that this hedgehog, Sonic, claimed to know him in his future. That would be easier to believe if Sonic hadn't come from some 8000 years from now.
Knuckles watched Sonic with interest. He smiled to himself and rubbed his chin. He had to be the great Champion his grandfather had been going on about for years. Sonic had to be the Chaos Champion.
Sonic stared at the Drakon that was now in a pool.
"Release me you primitives!" The Drakon shouted. "This is an insult to the Drakon Empire."
"Listen, fish-breath." Sonic said to the Drakon. "If I were you I'd keep my mouth shut. Otherwise you're going too find yourself in a deep fat fryer."
The Drakon shut up. He didn't know what a deep fat fryer was, but knew enough to push his luck and find out what it was.
Knuckles watched the Drakon for a while, then turned his attention back to Sonic. He had so many questions he wanted to ask. "So you say you know me thousands of years in the future?"
Sonic didn't turn to look at Knuckles, but instead continued to stare at the Drakon in the pool. "I can't tell you much, Knuckles." He said. "In the future you have no memory of this past life. I guess you must have been in suspended animation or something."
"You mean I end up sleeping for thousands of years?" Knuckles asked.
Sonic turned to Knuckles to see the Echidna called Tikal walk into the room. "I wish I could tell you more." He muttered as Tikal came up to him.
"Sonic, my father would like to see you now." She said.
Sonic gave Knuckles a nod, then followed Tikal back out of the room.
Knuckles stood there for a while, then also left the room. Walking down one of the many corridors he headed for the city center.
Turning to go down a corridor, he literally walked into his brother, Prince Brightstarr.
"Brother!" Brightstarr said, a little startled. "Brother, you must follow me to the Pochamac's chambers. I have discovered something out about the Drakon that could help us to win this war."
"Let me guess." Knuckles said smiling. "You discovered that the Drakon are nothing more than weird looking fish."
Brightstarr stood there, his mouth open and eyes wide. "You. But. How?"
"Don't look so shocked, my brother." Knuckles said, putting a hand on his brothers shoulder. "Its okay. You see the Chaos Champion has come and he showed me-!"
"The Chaos Champion!" Brightstarr said, cutting his brother off. "The Chaos Champion!" Brightstarr pulled away from his brother, stepping backwards.
"Come, brother. You can meet him if you wish. Tikal took him to see Grandfather." Knuckles added.
Brightstarr shook his head. "No!" He said. "I don't wish to meet him. I don't want to. He ain't no Champion, I am." Brightstarr then grew angry. "I'm the only Chaos Champion." He shouted.
"You'll see. When trouble comes and your fake-Champion fails, then you'll see." With that Brightstarr turned and ran back down the corridor.
* * * *
Pochamac stood at a table in his the Command Room, scrolled across it where many old documents he himself had written earlier on in his life. He had had everything moved from his chambers not that long ago to here were Giser had brought the Chaos Emeralds. As he stood, sorting through them, he did not see as something entered the room.
Something about it radiated darkness as it snuk up on the old Echidna King. It moved closer, never taking it eyes off of its target, until it was right behind Pochamac.
There was a blur of movement.
Suddenly the creature found itself being faced with a spear. "Speak, while you still can, dark one." Pochamac said, gritting his teeth.
The black furred Echidna stepped back a little and smiled. It Echidna wore a matching black tunic, that had gold symbols embroiled on it. "I am impressed." It said.
Pochamac suddenly realized who the Echidna was. "Midnight?"
"I see you remember me, my King." Midnight said.
"But your dead." Pochamac said. "I saw you die."
"Appearances can be misleading." Midnight said simply. "But then maybe I am dead. Maybe I'm just a shadow!"
"Shut up!" Pochamac said. "Why are you here?"
"Is it not obvious? I came to kill you. But you have me at a loss. The Drakon demand your death. With you dead the Echidna will be weak. They will be to grieved to fight the Drakon, and they will all be slaughtered like sheep."
"The Drakon?" Pochamac muttered. "You are with them as well, just as Zachary is."
"You fool. I made Zachary turn, it was so easy. His loyalty was so weak anyway." Midnight said, backing up. "But that is the past. You will all die, Pochamac. Your people will be dead, and the Drakon will claim this land."
"You are an Echidna as well. How can you condone your own races annihilation?" Pochamac said, stepping forwards.
Midnight stepped into the shadows and seemed to fade away into it. But his voice spoke out clearly. "I have no race. I am the last of my kind. You will all die, because it is what you deserve. There is no escape. No way out. No survival. Just death!"
Pochamac stood by himself for a while, before turning back around to his desk.
How could he have thought that the Echidna could possibly win against the Drakon? What was he thinking? Chaos had been nothing. The Drakon where far more than one creature. How could they hope to win against them?
His thoughts stopped as he heard footsteps from outside. He turned to see his daughter arrive at the door and usher in a blue hedgehog.
Maybe were not as lost as we may appear to be. He thought to himself, and smiled.
"This is Pochamac." Tikal said, stepping into the room. "Spiritual leader of the Echidna. He's also my Dad!"
Pochamac watched the blue hedgehog walk past Tikal and into the room. So this is the Chaos Champion. This is Sonic the hedgehog. He thought.
Sonic walked over to Pochamac. "Hiya. How are you doing?" He said.
"Not very well, Sonic." Pochamac said truthfully. "Not very well at all. Which is why we brought you here."
"Yeah, I've been hoping we were going to get around to that." Sonic said, suddenly interested.
Pochamac crouched back over his scrolls. "All your questions will be answered, Sonic, I promise you." Pochamac then turned and headed over to a curtain. "But first I wanted to show you something. Something that, two days ago, we stole from the Drakon Empire."
Sonic watched as Pochamac pulled the curtains back. His mouth fell open. "The Chaos Emeralds!" He said.
His eyes widened as he took in the awesome view that was now in front of him. He'd seen them before of course, but somehow they seemed more powerful now than he had ever seen them in the future, and this was the past. Slowly at first a terrible feeling came over Sonic. Things were really going to start getting bad soon, he just knew it.