8000 years ago a war was waged between two mighty Empires. One was fighting
for control. The other was fighting for survival.
It was to be the war to end all wars. After it there would never be another war like it.
Future historians will comment that it was this war that saw the extinction the ancient race of ground dwelling Mobians, called the Echidna. One of the first races on Mobius to develop a culture and a way of life, through their technology and their beliefs.
But the historians of the future will never know what became of the race. They will only know that the race vanished. What they will never know is the true reason behind why it vanished. They will never know all the of the answers, and truths, any historian deserves.
And what is the truth? I will tell you.
8000 years ago a war was waged between two mighty Empires. One was fighting for control. They were the aliens known as the Drakon. The other was fighting for survival. They were the Mobians known as the Echidna.
It was to be the war to end all wars. After it there would never be another war like it. After it came what is only known as the 'Dark Ages.'
The exact time is, even to me, unknown. But what is known is that the final war took place towards the end of the tenth year of a century of wars between the two Empires.
The Drakon had struck at the heart of the Echidna Empire, their capital city called Megopolis. The battle that had proceeded moved to the Sandopolis Zone were the Echidna struck at the Drakon forces, almost destroying it, with a weapon of mass destruction called the Chaos Cannon.
The Echidna had pushed on, seeing that victory was close, but then the unexpected had happened.
A creature of great power, a creature the Echidna themselves had awoken and released, was drawn to the battle.
The creature, also known as the God of Destruction, fittingly called itself Chaos.
The battle stopped. Both sides suddenly faced by a new threat.
What happened next was something no historian will ever know about, and wouldn't believe even if they did.
The Echidna attacked the God of Destruction alongside the Drakon Empire.
* * * *
Chaos, the God of Destruction, swung a tree trunk sized arm at the advancing Drakon and Echidna, swatting them away likes flies.
But just as soon as he had done so more of the mortal creatures rose up to attack him.
Of course, they were only mortal. Unlike him they could die. He couldn't. At least they could never kill him, they didn't have the power or the imagination to do so.
Chaos swung his arm again, scattering Drakon and Echidna like leaves in a breeze. He was growing frustrated. The creatures were annoying him. He was being fired at and attacked at the same time.
Every move he made to kill his attackers was nearly pointless, as no sooner had he struck some down, a thousand more took their places.
"Heretics!" Chaos shouted. "You will all die for this!"
Brightstarr, son of the late Prince Mameco, grandson of King Pochamac, and leader of the Echidna Army, launched himself at the God of Destruction.
"Some of us will die here today, that is true." He said, clenching his fist. "But the sacrifices will not be in vain, as you will join the dead." With that, Prince Brightstarr punched the God of Destruction around his face as hard as he could.
As the Prince made contact with the creature of chaos an electrical discharge sparked into life. The blow sent Chaos hurtling backwards, where he rolled to a halt.
However, just as soon as he had been toppled, he stood back up almost bigger than before. Though he had been confident before about killing all those that stood in front of him, he now felt differently.
The Echidna that had struck him radiated with power, just like his own. It was almost identical.
Chaos stared down on Prince Brightstarr. "You have Chaos Energy in your blood!" He said.
Brightstarr smiled. "Ain't you the observant one." He said.
There was a flash of movement, as Chaos shot forward at an inconceivable speed, and grabbed Brightstarr in one hand. "I am the God of Destruction. All Chaos energy begins and ends with me." Chaos said to Brightstarr. "I devour all power and add it to my own. Just as I will do with your powers."
There was a blinding yellow flash of light, closely intertwined with an agonized scream.
* * * *
The Echidna known as Dr Zachary sat inside his Guardian Robot staring at the God of Destruction. He had never before felt fear as he did know. He was so struck with fear that he was almost paralyzed.
There was a flash of light so bright Zachary had to shield his eyes. But as he did so he found himself wishing that he could also shield his ears from the sound that reached out to them.
A scream, so full of agony, so full of suffering, ringed in his ears. It was a scream he wouldn't forget. It would no doubt haunt many of his nightmares as he tried to forget this day for many years to come.
Zachary's Guardian Robot turned to face the Mobius Ring that was still open.
He had to get out of here. Anywhere was better than here.
As he approached the two Drakon Prosecutors that stood in front of the Mobius Ring, he closed the top of his Guardian Robot.
The two Drakon were caught off guard, as the Guardian Robot raised a hand and fired, taking the first Prosecutor out with ease. The Guardian Robot turned to the second Prosecutor, but the blast from the Drakon had already been fired.
The Guardian Robot staggered backwards, as the blast hit home.
"You Echidna scum." The Drakon said, raising his staff for a second attack. "We knew you could never be trusted, but we never thought you would turn on us. But now you have sealed your own fate."
"You talk to much." Dr Zachary said from within the Guardian Robot. The eye laser then sparked to life and fired, taking the Drakon out.
The Guardian Robot containing Dr Zachary walked up to the Mobius Ring. He didn't know what he was going to say to the Drakon, but at least he would be alive. They would return and if Chaos was still here, they would have to fight it. But that would be them, not him. He had no intention of returning to face the God of Destruction.
The Mobius Ring begun to glow brightly as he approached it. It was then that he heard something behind him.
The Guardian Robot turned around. From inside Zachary stared out to see the first Drakon he had shot. Obviously, he hadn't shot it well enough.
"Echidna you have crossed the wrong Empire." The Drakon said. "And you will die because of it." The Prosecutor raised his staff and fired at Zachary.
Zachary maneuvered his Guardian Robot out of the way, and charged his eye laser ready to fire. But then there was a flash of power from behind him.
The Guardian Robot half turned to look at the Mobius Ring. It had been hit by the Prosecutors blast, and looked as though it was going haywire.
Zachary's Guardian Robot stepped backwards from the Mobius Ring as tentacles from different dimensions, different times and different planes of existence reached out, trying to grab something to claim and drag back with them.
The Guardian Robot raised its arms either side of it, and lifted off of the ground as Zachary got it ready for flight from inside. But before he could even escape, the tentacles tied themselves to him, and begun to pull him in. Where they where pulling him was anyone's guess.
The Guardian Robot fired at the tentacles, destroying some, only for them to be replaced almost instantly. Zachary charged up the eye laser, not seeing any other way of escaping, and fired.
The Mobius Ring shuddered at the abrupt bombardment of power. The tentacles retracted back into the Ring, which fizzled with power.
The Guardian Robot dropped to the ground. Inside the dome headed robot Zachary made sure everything was still up and working. As he got up he heard the sound of the Prosecutor move a little closer.
"Don't move, Echidna." The Prosecutor said.
Zachary's Guardian Robot slowly stood up. From within he watched as his computer's sensor's went crazy again.
He turned back to the Mobius Ring to see that a bubble was emerging out of it. Before he could move it popped out and consumed him.
The Prosecutor watched as the bubble that contained the Echidna Guardian Robot floated in front of him. The cockpit to the Guardian Robot opened to reveal a very shocked looking Dr Zachary.
But there was nothing he could do but watch. The bubble floated there for a while, before beginning to shrink. It shrank and shrank and shrank, until it was near pee-sized.
The Prosecutor blinked as the bubble winked out of existence. Dr Zachary was gone.
The Prosecutor stood there in silence, not knowing what had just occurred in front of him. He stepped forward to inspect the Mobius Ring, but was suddenly aware of a slow, deep, beating of wings from above.
He turned to see three Dragon's hovering in the air.
"Speak, Drakon." A voice said within his head.
"The Mobius Ring became unstable." The prosecutor said. "I don't know what happened after that."
The three Dragon's just stared down at him.
One said. "Of course you do not. Your brain could not begin to understand."
One said. "After all, even with all your technological achievements, you are still primitive."
One said. "The Echidna is there, but is not there at the same time. He is stuck just outside of time, where he will remain until this reality's grasp pulls him back."
The Prosecutor glanced at the Mobius Ring, and then flared a look back up at the Dragon's. "We are not primitive. If it wasn't for us you would still be locked away in your prison in the Special Zone."
All three Dragon's smiled. At least it looked as though they were smiling.
One said. "In freeing us you became our pawns."
One said. "We used you as we saw fit."
One said. "Now your usefulness has finished. You are no longer needed."
"What do you mean." The Drakon said, stepping backwards. "You need us."
The Dragon's mouths ignited with flames, as they breathed in deeply. Then they all spewed fire forth consuming the Drakon completely.
As the Drakon died one last sentence arrived in his mind. "We Need No One!"
* * * *
Brightstarr's limp body was dropped to the floor. His fur, though still yellow, was dim and faded.
Mau came to his side, as did Imarac. "Brightstarr!" She said, lifting up his head. "Speak to me."
"He's hurt bad." Imarac said, helping Mau. "He looks drained."
"That is because he is." Came the voice of the God of Destruction from above. "I have drained him of his powers. In a minute I shall drain him of whatever he has left."
"But he will die." Imarac said.
"Do I look as though I care." Chaos said, raising a hand. He then looked up at the sky. "Ah. I can feel the power of my Master Emerald. It is faint, but its power is growing with every passing second. When I absorb it I shall become perfect."
"Not if I can help it." Came a voice from the crowd of Drakon and Echidna. Imarac stood and turned to see that the Drakon Emperor, Den-Izen, had stepped forward.
"You, creature of chaos, my race has no quarrel with you. We wish only to destroy the Echidna as you do." He said to Chaos. "But we cannot allow the Chaos Emeralds to enter your hands, as they belong to us. Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement."
"You fool." Imarac said. "Chaos must be stopped. You can't reason with him"
"Maybe not." The Drakon Emperor said. "I can see that he could prove to be a powerful allie, and I'll need all the allies I can get to completely rid the world of your kind."
"You wish to destroy the Echidna?" Chaos asked.
"Yes, I do." Emperor Den-Izen said. "Will you join us?"
Chaos, the God of Destruction, reared up to his full height. He then raised a hand and smacked Den-Izen to the ground. "You Drakon are impossible." Chaos said. "You are lower than the Echidna."
"You would become are enemy?" Asked Den-Izen, from his knees.
"How could you have an enemy, Drakon, if you are not alive see it?" Chaos said.
With that Chaos begun to glow as he concentrated all his power together. He begun to roar as his power grew and grew, becoming more and more uncontrollable.
Mau watched in utter disbelief as the God of Destruction's power surpassed anything she had ever seen before. "Oh Gods!" She muttered.
"We have to get out of here." Came a voice.
Mau looked down to see that Brightstarr was awake. "Brightstarr. Your all right."
"I won't be for long. None of us will if we don't get away from here right now." Brightstarr said, trying to get up. "He's going to erupt with all the destructive power of the Chaos Emeralds he's absorbed. He'll kill us all."
"Can't we stop him?" Mau said, helping Brightstarr up.
There was a flash of light. Brightstarr turned to glance at Chaos. "No!" He said. "Its to late for anything."
There was a bang so load it hurt to listen to it. The sound wave expanded outwards, flattening anything that was upright. Then, at the center of it all, God of Destruction smiled and begun to laugh and then exploded outwards with Chaos Energy, devastating the entire battlefield in seconds, killing almost everything it touched.
* * * *
20 minutes passed in the Sandopolis Zone. 20 long silent minutes. Nothing moved. Nothing stirred. Nothing happened. Just silence.
Chaos, God of Destruction, stood allowing his powers to build back up.
He had released his Chaos Energy out of him as a destructive force, not much unlike a star going supernova. The destructive wave had reduced the Echidna and Drakon resistance to the dead and the dying.
Though some where scattered over the sandy dunes, most were strangely heaped in a pile just in front of him.
He turned as he felt something still alive behind him. He wasn't surprised really, he could feel that some Echidna that weren't to close to him where still alive. He'd finish them off later. But what he felt now was a familiar life signature. It was the Echidna with Chaos Energy in his blood.
Chaos walked over to see the yellow furred Echidna lying on top of the Cat that had tried to escape with him.
He could sense that the Echidna's powers had been replenished, probably by the chaos supernova he had caused. "Your a true creature of Chaos, Echidna." Chaos said to Brightstarr, who coughed to himself. "You survived my attack by absorbing the energy it emitted. But now you must die."
"Leave the Echidna to die." Came a voice from within Chaos' head. He turned, and then looked up.
"And what are you?" The God of Destruction asked.
"We are the Dragon's of Mobius." Came another voice inside his head. "And you are a threat to our rule."
Chaos watched as more and more Dragon's appeared behind the three that looked down on him. They were swarming out of a gold ring he could see like flies. He didn't know what the gold ring was, but he knew it had to be destroyed. He raised both his hands and shot out two jet streams of water at the Dragon's of Mobius.
Two of the three Dragon's that had been staring at him where knocked away, but as he targeted another two Dragon's at random, he found that he was dangerously outnumbered.
A Dragon swooped past, as he jumped out of the way. A second came at him, and he grabbed onto its neck. "Your a lot bigger close up." He muttered.
The Dragon flew through the air, trying to dislodge the God of Destruction.
Chaos clenched a fist and punched the Dragon in its throat, causing it to gasp for air. It swung its head to the side, causing Chaos to be flung into the air.
He remained airborne for a while, before plummeting into Megopolis City.
The Dragon circled where he had landed, before breathing a hot stream of fire down at where he had fallen. It then circled a few more times, before flying off.
* * * *
Within the Echidna Palace, Devil of the Fallen looked up, his eyes glowing yellow.
"What is it?" Giser asked.
"Trouble, my old friend." Devil said. "The God of Destruction is in the city."
"He must be here because of the Master Emerald, and the Blue Chaos Emerald." Knuckles said. "I've lead him to us."
"It is not your fault." Giser said. "He would have come for them wherever they were taken. But since we have them both here, we have the advantage. I'll think of a plan."
Knuckles nodded, and walked to Pochamac's bed. "Think quickly."
Devil's eyes then sparked again. "That is not all." He said. "The Dragon's of Mobius have returned. Their numbers are swelling as we stand here. And the Echidna Army, the whole Echidna Army has been struck down. They're all dead." He then turned to look at Knuckles.
"My brother?" He asked.
Devil closed his eyes, reaching out with his powers. "He is alive, but barely."
"I must go to him." Knuckles said. "I will stand here while my brother dies alone."
"No." Came a faint voice. Knuckles turned to look down on his grandfather, the King and spiritual leader of the Echidna.
"But Pochamac-!" Knuckles said.
"No, Knuckles." Pochamac said, ignoring the pain. "I need you to - to stay by my - by my side."
Knuckles reached down and held the King's hand.
"I shall go." Devil said. "I know were your brother is, Prince Knuckles. I will return him to you, and any other that are still alive."
Knuckles nodded at Devil, and smiled vaguely. "Good luck." He said.
Devil spread his wings a little as he ran out of the room.
* * * *
Brightstarr crawled off of on top of Mau, and breathed heavily. He was feeling better already. What he had heard Chaos say to him must have been true. His body had absorbed the chaos energy from Chaos' attack, and had used it to heal him.
He had also acted as a personal shield to Mau, by lying on top of her, stopping her from gaining any real damage from the blast.
Brightstarr raised his head a little to see a Dragon. Sniffing though the fallen bodies, no doubt making sure that all where dead.
Looking back at Mau, he saw that she was just opening her eyes. He quickly put his gloved hand over her mouth. She looked up at him wide eyed.
"Ssssh." He almost whispered. "No sudden actions. We have company." He then indicated to the Dragon, before removing his hand.
"What happened?" Mau asked.
"Chaos used his powers to cause a mini super nova right here in the Sandopolis Zone." Brightstarr said, watching the Dragon carefully.
"How did I survive?"
"I shielded you from the blast." He said.
"You saved my life?" Mau asked.
Brightstarr turned back around smiling. "Don't worry. I don't intend to make a habit of it." He said mockingly.
There was a roar from the Dragon. Brightstarr turned to see that it had found something alive.
The Drakon Emperor stood up, holding his battle staff. The Dragon lunged forwards, but was stopped as the Drakon Emperor he held his staff up holding it back.
"What are you doing?" The Drakon Emperor muttered. "Where on the same side you stupid Dragon."
"We where never on your side." Arrived the Dragon's words in his head, as well as Brightstarr and Mau's. "You where are pawns, to be sacrificed as we saw fit. Now your usefulness has gone. We have what we want. We have Mobius back. Now you will die like everything else that stands up against us."
The Emperor twisted his staff around, turning the Dragon's head with it. The Dragon rolled onto its back, as the Drakon raised his staff. "Pawns are we?" He said, then stabbed the ancient creature through the heart.
Huffing to himself, he turned and saw more Dragon's swelling towards him. Some took flight, as to get a better vantage point of attack.
Den-Izen raised his staff, ready for attack. He then looked around for some kind of support, and saw Brightstarr. He stared at Brightstarr for a long time. Finally he smiled. "You know that they will probably kill us, don't you?" He asked.
"Yes." Brightstarr said, staring at the Drakon. He knew that he had to help, if it meant having the smallest chance in hell of getting out of this alive. Besides, he could kill the Drakon Emperor later.
Brightstarr then got up. Behind him, so did Mau. "Bet I take down more than you before I die." He said.
Emperor Den-Izen smiled, as he hurried over to Brightstarr. "We shall see, soon enough."
"So we shall." Came Imarac's voice.
They both turned to see a huge rock be thrown to the side by the Echidna known as Jaysar. He looked at Brightstarr and smiled. "Got covered in rocks." Imarac said, coming out from behind Jaysar.
"Who else survived?" Brightstarr asked.
"Just me." Greyskull said as he climbed out of the hole. He then looked up at the Dragon's. "This'll be fun." He muttered.
"Minimal damage caused. Systems running sufficiently." Guardian said, as he piloted Robot out of the hole. He turned and helped out Sheila and Eading. There was a buzz as Amass flew into the air.
Brightstarr smiled, but then turned as a thud from behind indicated that a Dragon had just landed.
As he turned another three Dragon's also landed, and sneered at him and the others.
One said. "You are persistent."
One said. "Your persistence will get you killed."
One said. "You will die, but you will not be the last. We will hunt out every last Echidna settlement, village and city and burn them to the ground. We will purge this world of your race, and we will not stop until the last Echidna falls dead before our very eyes."
Brightstarr gritted his teeth. "We will not allow that to happen."
The Dragon's of Mobius throats begun to swell as fire took form. "Try and stop us!" Came their voices, they then spat forth streams of fire.
The stream of fire gushed towards the Echidna, but just as it was about to incinerate them, it was stopped as it hit an invisible barrier.
The Echidna stood there bewildered as the Dragon's stopped their attack. They then inhaled, ready to continue.
Devil of the Fallen landed in front of the Echidna and raised his hand as the Dragon's breathed their fire again, only for the fire to bombard, once again, on an invisible barrier.
Brightstarr smiled. "Where have you been?" He asked.
"I'll show you shall I?" Devil responded, then blinked. The tattoo in the center of his forehead begun to shine. There was a bright flash of light, and they were gone.
The Dragon's of Mobius stood there in silence for a while. Some more Dragon's landed until they were all in a big huddle. They looked at each other, then back to the spot where the Echidna had been.
One said. "They cannot escape us. Not now. Not ever again. We will find them."
One said. "The others are almost all here." It turned its long neck and looked behind it at the Mobius Ring. "We are gathered and as endless as the stars. Now we will begin that which was started against us. The Dragon war returns."
One said. "But you saw the Echidna. You all saw as you were here watching. The Echidna are dead and dying. Their Empire has crumbled, thanks to the Drakon and the creature of chaos. The Dragon war cannot begin again. There is nothing for it to return to, except maybe the Drakon."
One said. "The Drakon are foolish. They will cause no real trouble to us. They can be dealt with."
One said. "But the chaos creature is a problem. It threatens us with its very existence. We must see that it is destroyed now before it becomes unstoppable."
One said. "We are unstoppable. This is our planet once again. But as long as a single Echidna still draws breath are revenge is not complete."
One said. "Then we shall erase them from this planet forever."
The Dragon's took flight, spreading in different directions, to the four corners of Planet Mobius, to hunt down every last Echidna and kill them.
One said. "The great 'purge' begins."
* * * *
The God of Destruction stood before a trembling Echidna family. He stared down on them with some satisfaction at the response he was receiving. But then something was wrong.
"This creature does not show me fear." Chaos said, almost as if he was upset with the creatures actions. "Why does it not fear the God of Destruction as you do?" Chaos bellowed.
The Echidna mother pulled her child closer to her chest, and looked at the creature in question. It was her families slave, a brown Mobian hedgehog.
Though the Echidna Empire had had its fair share of skirmish's against Slavers and Pirates, thwarting their planes for stealing Mobians and selling them as slaves, they were not entirely against having slaves themselves.
Though only a few races were brought in as slaves, the Echidna saw as they were helping the Mobians to evolve and take their rightful places amongst the other intellectual races on Mobius.
"I-it knows no fear towards something it does not understand." The Echidna mother said, looking at the hedgehog. "It does not know how to talk, and it can hardly read. It simply does not understand what is going on."
Chaos sneered down at the hedgehog that was distressed that at the Echidna being so scared, but still a little confused as it didn't understand why the Echidna was acting as it was.
The hedgehog was about to move when Chaos reached down and snatched it up. "It knows no fear, eh?" He said half to himself. He held the hedgehog up to his face and stared into its eyes. It now looked a little worried, probably more about being picked up than anything, but still showed no fear towards Chaos.
The God of Destruction growled deeply. "Then I shall teach it fear." He said, and encased the hedgehog in an electrical assault of chaos energy.
* * * *
There was a flash of yellow light and Brightstarr, Mau and the others were inside the Echidna Palace, in Megopolis City.
Brightstarr turned to see his brother, Knuckles. "Brother." He said walking forwards.
Knuckles walked up to his brother and hugged him. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Around." Brightstarr said smiling. He then looked around the room. "Braven. Yin. I see your still alive and kicking."
"Wouldn't want it any other way." Braven said in response.
Brightstarr looked around the room some more, then finally turned back to Knuckles. "Where's Grandfather? And Tikal, where's Tikal?"
Knuckles' smile abruptly vanished. "Pochamac is hurt real bad." Knuckles said as he turned to the King's bed. "He's dying."
Brightstarr's eyes almost instantly filled with tears, though he managed to stop them before any fell. He followed Knuckles over to where Pochamac lay.
The old King looked up at Brightstarr and smiled. "You have re-returned to me. My-my son." He said faintly.
Brightstarr reached down and took his grandfathers hand. "Hush, Grandfather. Save your energy. You must rest so that you will be all right." He said.
Brightstarr looked up at Knuckles. "Who did this? Was it the Drakon?" He asked, glancing momentarily at the Drakon Emperor that had been brought with them.
"It was Chaos, the Go-!" Knuckles begun.
"God of Destruction." Brightstarr finished off. "He did this to my grandfather?"
"You know of him?" Giser said, stepping forward.
"We have fought him. He wiped out the Echidna Army, and most of the Echidna Guard with one attack." Brightstarr muttered, looking back down at Pochamac.
"Are we all that is left?" Imarac asked.
"Almost. At least in this city. But soon the other cities will suffer as we have." Devil said. "The Dragon's of Mobius will hunt every last Echidna down until there are no more to hunt."
Brightstarr shook his head. It couldn't end like this, could it? "And where is Tikal?" He said, his eyes closed.
"Another creature called Chaos was created when the Drakon sieged the city. Though we defeated him, it was not without a great loose." Yin almost whispered. "The creature dragged Tikal to its grave with it."
Brightstarr turned too face the Drakon Emperor. "Do you see what you have caused?" He said, the tears finally falling from his eyes.
Den-Izen stepped backwards. "This is not my fault I-!"
"This is all your fault." Greyskull growled, drawing his sword. "Because of you and your kind all this has happened."
Brightstarr walked up to Den-Izen and grabbed him around the neck and lifted him off his feet. "I should kill you were you stand."
"If you don't I sure as hell will." Greyskull muttered.
Brightstarr stared into the fear filled eyes of Den-Izen. "You fear me! Isn't that a ironic twist."
"Brightstarr you cannot kill him." Mau said.
"And why not. Isn't it what he deserves?" He said.
"It may be, but you cannot kill him as it would make you no better than he is." Mau said in response.
Brightstarr turned to Knuckles, sighed, and turned back. He then dropped the Drakon back to his feet.
"Chaos is still in the city." Came Devils voice. "He must be stopped."
"Then take us to him." Greyskull said, raising his sword.
"No!" Brightstarr said turning around. "Me and my brother will take care of this. We are the strongest here so if anyone has a chance then it is us."
"I'm coming with you." Mau said. "You need me."
Brightstarr looked at her and then smiled. "Okay." He then turned and grabbed Den-Izen. "Your coming too." He said.
Devil stepped forward. "I will teleport you to his location. Good luck."
With that there was yet another flash of light, and Brightstarr, Knuckles, Mau and the Drakon Emperor Den-Izen where gone.
* * * *
Chaos held the hedgehog tight. It had screamed so much it couldn't scream anymore. The pain that swelled inside its body had been so consistent it had become accustomed to it.
The hedgehog was dropped to the floor where it collapsed instantly.
Chaos reached down to the tortured hedgehog, and as it cowered out of fear he smiled with satisfaction. "I think it knows fear now." He said as he moved away. "How amusing."
There was a flash of light behind him and suddenly he was aware of a familiar energy signature. He turned and stared at Prince Brightstarr. "The Echidna with the blood of Chaos has returned." He said. "And he's brought friends."
Brightstarr gritted his teeth in anger. The creature in front of him had caused so much damage to his world he didn't know what to be angry about anymore. Everything had just become a big angry mesh inside his head, and if he didn't release the anger soon he felt like he'd explode.
"This is the other Chaos?" Knuckles said as he stared up at the giant creature. "The Chaos I faced was nothing compared to this one."
"Ah yes. The other Chaos. Defeated him have you?" Chaos asked as he reminisced. "He was a mistake. My power dwarf's everything he ever was."
"You will pay for everything you have caused, Chaos." Brightstarr said through his teeth. "You will die before I am done with you."
Chaos turned and scooped up the stricken hedgehog and held it out in front of him. The hedgehog closed its eyes and groaned. "Do you see what I have done to this creature? Do you?" He shouted. "I have drained it of all of its life force. I have fed off of it. And I have replaced it with chaos. With chaos within its blood it will eventually become unstable and drive itself insane. It will not be able to control the power within its own body and it will die."
Chaos dropped the hedgehog to the ground. "This is what I will do to all that lives. All that is focused and pure. I will replace it with chaos. When I have done this to every living thing in existence I will sit back and watch as the universe is destroyed within the chaos I have created."
Chaos stepped forward. "I am the death of all that lives. My purpose is to kill all things in this universe, and when it is done, move on to the next and begin again."
Brightstarr clenched his fist's and stared at Brightstarr through blood red eyes. "If that is your purpose then I pity you, Chaos."
"You pity me?" Chaos echoed.
"Yes." Brightstarr said. "And now that I know what your purpose is, I know what mine has to be. I must destroy you."
Brightstarr launched himself at the God of Destruction and struck him around the face, almost knocking the ancient creature of chaos off of his feet. Before Chaos could even respond Brightstarr landed and jumped up again, delivering another powerful blow.
As Chaos staggered he looked up to find that he was the center of an attack.
Devil of the Fallen stood and watched as Brightstarr, Mau and the Drakon Emperor Den-Izen attacked Chaos. "I must leave now. Brightstarr has this under control, but I must leave now to ensure that Chaos is truly defeated."
Knuckles turned to Devil. "What do you mean?"
"Brightstarr is powerful, and his powers grow with every passing second, but he alone does not have the power to defeat the God of Destruction."
"But you know of someone that does?" Knuckles asked.
Devil spread his wings and took flight. As he ascended into the sky he looked down on Knuckles. "There is only one creature that can stop this madness. It is to him I go now. He must help or Chaos will bring destruction to the universe."
With that Devil flew off into the sky and vanished in a blink of yellow light. Knuckles watched him for a while, before turning his attention to the fight. With that he launched himself into the fray.
It was to be the war to end all wars. After it there would never be another war like it.
Future historians will comment that it was this war that saw the extinction the ancient race of ground dwelling Mobians, called the Echidna. One of the first races on Mobius to develop a culture and a way of life, through their technology and their beliefs.
But the historians of the future will never know what became of the race. They will only know that the race vanished. What they will never know is the true reason behind why it vanished. They will never know all the of the answers, and truths, any historian deserves.
And what is the truth? I will tell you.
8000 years ago a war was waged between two mighty Empires. One was fighting for control. They were the aliens known as the Drakon. The other was fighting for survival. They were the Mobians known as the Echidna.
It was to be the war to end all wars. After it there would never be another war like it. After it came what is only known as the 'Dark Ages.'
The exact time is, even to me, unknown. But what is known is that the final war took place towards the end of the tenth year of a century of wars between the two Empires.
The Drakon had struck at the heart of the Echidna Empire, their capital city called Megopolis. The battle that had proceeded moved to the Sandopolis Zone were the Echidna struck at the Drakon forces, almost destroying it, with a weapon of mass destruction called the Chaos Cannon.
The Echidna had pushed on, seeing that victory was close, but then the unexpected had happened.
A creature of great power, a creature the Echidna themselves had awoken and released, was drawn to the battle.
The creature, also known as the God of Destruction, fittingly called itself Chaos.
The battle stopped. Both sides suddenly faced by a new threat.
What happened next was something no historian will ever know about, and wouldn't believe even if they did.
The Echidna attacked the God of Destruction alongside the Drakon Empire.
* * * *
Chaos, the God of Destruction, swung a tree trunk sized arm at the advancing Drakon and Echidna, swatting them away likes flies.
But just as soon as he had done so more of the mortal creatures rose up to attack him.
Of course, they were only mortal. Unlike him they could die. He couldn't. At least they could never kill him, they didn't have the power or the imagination to do so.
Chaos swung his arm again, scattering Drakon and Echidna like leaves in a breeze. He was growing frustrated. The creatures were annoying him. He was being fired at and attacked at the same time.
Every move he made to kill his attackers was nearly pointless, as no sooner had he struck some down, a thousand more took their places.
"Heretics!" Chaos shouted. "You will all die for this!"
Brightstarr, son of the late Prince Mameco, grandson of King Pochamac, and leader of the Echidna Army, launched himself at the God of Destruction.
"Some of us will die here today, that is true." He said, clenching his fist. "But the sacrifices will not be in vain, as you will join the dead." With that, Prince Brightstarr punched the God of Destruction around his face as hard as he could.
As the Prince made contact with the creature of chaos an electrical discharge sparked into life. The blow sent Chaos hurtling backwards, where he rolled to a halt.
However, just as soon as he had been toppled, he stood back up almost bigger than before. Though he had been confident before about killing all those that stood in front of him, he now felt differently.
The Echidna that had struck him radiated with power, just like his own. It was almost identical.
Chaos stared down on Prince Brightstarr. "You have Chaos Energy in your blood!" He said.
Brightstarr smiled. "Ain't you the observant one." He said.
There was a flash of movement, as Chaos shot forward at an inconceivable speed, and grabbed Brightstarr in one hand. "I am the God of Destruction. All Chaos energy begins and ends with me." Chaos said to Brightstarr. "I devour all power and add it to my own. Just as I will do with your powers."
There was a blinding yellow flash of light, closely intertwined with an agonized scream.
* * * *
The Echidna known as Dr Zachary sat inside his Guardian Robot staring at the God of Destruction. He had never before felt fear as he did know. He was so struck with fear that he was almost paralyzed.
There was a flash of light so bright Zachary had to shield his eyes. But as he did so he found himself wishing that he could also shield his ears from the sound that reached out to them.
A scream, so full of agony, so full of suffering, ringed in his ears. It was a scream he wouldn't forget. It would no doubt haunt many of his nightmares as he tried to forget this day for many years to come.
Zachary's Guardian Robot turned to face the Mobius Ring that was still open.
He had to get out of here. Anywhere was better than here.
As he approached the two Drakon Prosecutors that stood in front of the Mobius Ring, he closed the top of his Guardian Robot.
The two Drakon were caught off guard, as the Guardian Robot raised a hand and fired, taking the first Prosecutor out with ease. The Guardian Robot turned to the second Prosecutor, but the blast from the Drakon had already been fired.
The Guardian Robot staggered backwards, as the blast hit home.
"You Echidna scum." The Drakon said, raising his staff for a second attack. "We knew you could never be trusted, but we never thought you would turn on us. But now you have sealed your own fate."
"You talk to much." Dr Zachary said from within the Guardian Robot. The eye laser then sparked to life and fired, taking the Drakon out.
The Guardian Robot containing Dr Zachary walked up to the Mobius Ring. He didn't know what he was going to say to the Drakon, but at least he would be alive. They would return and if Chaos was still here, they would have to fight it. But that would be them, not him. He had no intention of returning to face the God of Destruction.
The Mobius Ring begun to glow brightly as he approached it. It was then that he heard something behind him.
The Guardian Robot turned around. From inside Zachary stared out to see the first Drakon he had shot. Obviously, he hadn't shot it well enough.
"Echidna you have crossed the wrong Empire." The Drakon said. "And you will die because of it." The Prosecutor raised his staff and fired at Zachary.
Zachary maneuvered his Guardian Robot out of the way, and charged his eye laser ready to fire. But then there was a flash of power from behind him.
The Guardian Robot half turned to look at the Mobius Ring. It had been hit by the Prosecutors blast, and looked as though it was going haywire.
Zachary's Guardian Robot stepped backwards from the Mobius Ring as tentacles from different dimensions, different times and different planes of existence reached out, trying to grab something to claim and drag back with them.
The Guardian Robot raised its arms either side of it, and lifted off of the ground as Zachary got it ready for flight from inside. But before he could even escape, the tentacles tied themselves to him, and begun to pull him in. Where they where pulling him was anyone's guess.
The Guardian Robot fired at the tentacles, destroying some, only for them to be replaced almost instantly. Zachary charged up the eye laser, not seeing any other way of escaping, and fired.
The Mobius Ring shuddered at the abrupt bombardment of power. The tentacles retracted back into the Ring, which fizzled with power.
The Guardian Robot dropped to the ground. Inside the dome headed robot Zachary made sure everything was still up and working. As he got up he heard the sound of the Prosecutor move a little closer.
"Don't move, Echidna." The Prosecutor said.
Zachary's Guardian Robot slowly stood up. From within he watched as his computer's sensor's went crazy again.
He turned back to the Mobius Ring to see that a bubble was emerging out of it. Before he could move it popped out and consumed him.
The Prosecutor watched as the bubble that contained the Echidna Guardian Robot floated in front of him. The cockpit to the Guardian Robot opened to reveal a very shocked looking Dr Zachary.
But there was nothing he could do but watch. The bubble floated there for a while, before beginning to shrink. It shrank and shrank and shrank, until it was near pee-sized.
The Prosecutor blinked as the bubble winked out of existence. Dr Zachary was gone.
The Prosecutor stood there in silence, not knowing what had just occurred in front of him. He stepped forward to inspect the Mobius Ring, but was suddenly aware of a slow, deep, beating of wings from above.
He turned to see three Dragon's hovering in the air.
"Speak, Drakon." A voice said within his head.
"The Mobius Ring became unstable." The prosecutor said. "I don't know what happened after that."
The three Dragon's just stared down at him.
One said. "Of course you do not. Your brain could not begin to understand."
One said. "After all, even with all your technological achievements, you are still primitive."
One said. "The Echidna is there, but is not there at the same time. He is stuck just outside of time, where he will remain until this reality's grasp pulls him back."
The Prosecutor glanced at the Mobius Ring, and then flared a look back up at the Dragon's. "We are not primitive. If it wasn't for us you would still be locked away in your prison in the Special Zone."
All three Dragon's smiled. At least it looked as though they were smiling.
One said. "In freeing us you became our pawns."
One said. "We used you as we saw fit."
One said. "Now your usefulness has finished. You are no longer needed."
"What do you mean." The Drakon said, stepping backwards. "You need us."
The Dragon's mouths ignited with flames, as they breathed in deeply. Then they all spewed fire forth consuming the Drakon completely.
As the Drakon died one last sentence arrived in his mind. "We Need No One!"
* * * *
Brightstarr's limp body was dropped to the floor. His fur, though still yellow, was dim and faded.
Mau came to his side, as did Imarac. "Brightstarr!" She said, lifting up his head. "Speak to me."
"He's hurt bad." Imarac said, helping Mau. "He looks drained."
"That is because he is." Came the voice of the God of Destruction from above. "I have drained him of his powers. In a minute I shall drain him of whatever he has left."
"But he will die." Imarac said.
"Do I look as though I care." Chaos said, raising a hand. He then looked up at the sky. "Ah. I can feel the power of my Master Emerald. It is faint, but its power is growing with every passing second. When I absorb it I shall become perfect."
"Not if I can help it." Came a voice from the crowd of Drakon and Echidna. Imarac stood and turned to see that the Drakon Emperor, Den-Izen, had stepped forward.
"You, creature of chaos, my race has no quarrel with you. We wish only to destroy the Echidna as you do." He said to Chaos. "But we cannot allow the Chaos Emeralds to enter your hands, as they belong to us. Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement."
"You fool." Imarac said. "Chaos must be stopped. You can't reason with him"
"Maybe not." The Drakon Emperor said. "I can see that he could prove to be a powerful allie, and I'll need all the allies I can get to completely rid the world of your kind."
"You wish to destroy the Echidna?" Chaos asked.
"Yes, I do." Emperor Den-Izen said. "Will you join us?"
Chaos, the God of Destruction, reared up to his full height. He then raised a hand and smacked Den-Izen to the ground. "You Drakon are impossible." Chaos said. "You are lower than the Echidna."
"You would become are enemy?" Asked Den-Izen, from his knees.
"How could you have an enemy, Drakon, if you are not alive see it?" Chaos said.
With that Chaos begun to glow as he concentrated all his power together. He begun to roar as his power grew and grew, becoming more and more uncontrollable.
Mau watched in utter disbelief as the God of Destruction's power surpassed anything she had ever seen before. "Oh Gods!" She muttered.
"We have to get out of here." Came a voice.
Mau looked down to see that Brightstarr was awake. "Brightstarr. Your all right."
"I won't be for long. None of us will if we don't get away from here right now." Brightstarr said, trying to get up. "He's going to erupt with all the destructive power of the Chaos Emeralds he's absorbed. He'll kill us all."
"Can't we stop him?" Mau said, helping Brightstarr up.
There was a flash of light. Brightstarr turned to glance at Chaos. "No!" He said. "Its to late for anything."
There was a bang so load it hurt to listen to it. The sound wave expanded outwards, flattening anything that was upright. Then, at the center of it all, God of Destruction smiled and begun to laugh and then exploded outwards with Chaos Energy, devastating the entire battlefield in seconds, killing almost everything it touched.
* * * *
20 minutes passed in the Sandopolis Zone. 20 long silent minutes. Nothing moved. Nothing stirred. Nothing happened. Just silence.
Chaos, God of Destruction, stood allowing his powers to build back up.
He had released his Chaos Energy out of him as a destructive force, not much unlike a star going supernova. The destructive wave had reduced the Echidna and Drakon resistance to the dead and the dying.
Though some where scattered over the sandy dunes, most were strangely heaped in a pile just in front of him.
He turned as he felt something still alive behind him. He wasn't surprised really, he could feel that some Echidna that weren't to close to him where still alive. He'd finish them off later. But what he felt now was a familiar life signature. It was the Echidna with Chaos Energy in his blood.
Chaos walked over to see the yellow furred Echidna lying on top of the Cat that had tried to escape with him.
He could sense that the Echidna's powers had been replenished, probably by the chaos supernova he had caused. "Your a true creature of Chaos, Echidna." Chaos said to Brightstarr, who coughed to himself. "You survived my attack by absorbing the energy it emitted. But now you must die."
"Leave the Echidna to die." Came a voice from within Chaos' head. He turned, and then looked up.
"And what are you?" The God of Destruction asked.
"We are the Dragon's of Mobius." Came another voice inside his head. "And you are a threat to our rule."
Chaos watched as more and more Dragon's appeared behind the three that looked down on him. They were swarming out of a gold ring he could see like flies. He didn't know what the gold ring was, but he knew it had to be destroyed. He raised both his hands and shot out two jet streams of water at the Dragon's of Mobius.
Two of the three Dragon's that had been staring at him where knocked away, but as he targeted another two Dragon's at random, he found that he was dangerously outnumbered.
A Dragon swooped past, as he jumped out of the way. A second came at him, and he grabbed onto its neck. "Your a lot bigger close up." He muttered.
The Dragon flew through the air, trying to dislodge the God of Destruction.
Chaos clenched a fist and punched the Dragon in its throat, causing it to gasp for air. It swung its head to the side, causing Chaos to be flung into the air.
He remained airborne for a while, before plummeting into Megopolis City.
The Dragon circled where he had landed, before breathing a hot stream of fire down at where he had fallen. It then circled a few more times, before flying off.
* * * *
Within the Echidna Palace, Devil of the Fallen looked up, his eyes glowing yellow.
"What is it?" Giser asked.
"Trouble, my old friend." Devil said. "The God of Destruction is in the city."
"He must be here because of the Master Emerald, and the Blue Chaos Emerald." Knuckles said. "I've lead him to us."
"It is not your fault." Giser said. "He would have come for them wherever they were taken. But since we have them both here, we have the advantage. I'll think of a plan."
Knuckles nodded, and walked to Pochamac's bed. "Think quickly."
Devil's eyes then sparked again. "That is not all." He said. "The Dragon's of Mobius have returned. Their numbers are swelling as we stand here. And the Echidna Army, the whole Echidna Army has been struck down. They're all dead." He then turned to look at Knuckles.
"My brother?" He asked.
Devil closed his eyes, reaching out with his powers. "He is alive, but barely."
"I must go to him." Knuckles said. "I will stand here while my brother dies alone."
"No." Came a faint voice. Knuckles turned to look down on his grandfather, the King and spiritual leader of the Echidna.
"But Pochamac-!" Knuckles said.
"No, Knuckles." Pochamac said, ignoring the pain. "I need you to - to stay by my - by my side."
Knuckles reached down and held the King's hand.
"I shall go." Devil said. "I know were your brother is, Prince Knuckles. I will return him to you, and any other that are still alive."
Knuckles nodded at Devil, and smiled vaguely. "Good luck." He said.
Devil spread his wings a little as he ran out of the room.
* * * *
Brightstarr crawled off of on top of Mau, and breathed heavily. He was feeling better already. What he had heard Chaos say to him must have been true. His body had absorbed the chaos energy from Chaos' attack, and had used it to heal him.
He had also acted as a personal shield to Mau, by lying on top of her, stopping her from gaining any real damage from the blast.
Brightstarr raised his head a little to see a Dragon. Sniffing though the fallen bodies, no doubt making sure that all where dead.
Looking back at Mau, he saw that she was just opening her eyes. He quickly put his gloved hand over her mouth. She looked up at him wide eyed.
"Ssssh." He almost whispered. "No sudden actions. We have company." He then indicated to the Dragon, before removing his hand.
"What happened?" Mau asked.
"Chaos used his powers to cause a mini super nova right here in the Sandopolis Zone." Brightstarr said, watching the Dragon carefully.
"How did I survive?"
"I shielded you from the blast." He said.
"You saved my life?" Mau asked.
Brightstarr turned back around smiling. "Don't worry. I don't intend to make a habit of it." He said mockingly.
There was a roar from the Dragon. Brightstarr turned to see that it had found something alive.
The Drakon Emperor stood up, holding his battle staff. The Dragon lunged forwards, but was stopped as the Drakon Emperor he held his staff up holding it back.
"What are you doing?" The Drakon Emperor muttered. "Where on the same side you stupid Dragon."
"We where never on your side." Arrived the Dragon's words in his head, as well as Brightstarr and Mau's. "You where are pawns, to be sacrificed as we saw fit. Now your usefulness has gone. We have what we want. We have Mobius back. Now you will die like everything else that stands up against us."
The Emperor twisted his staff around, turning the Dragon's head with it. The Dragon rolled onto its back, as the Drakon raised his staff. "Pawns are we?" He said, then stabbed the ancient creature through the heart.
Huffing to himself, he turned and saw more Dragon's swelling towards him. Some took flight, as to get a better vantage point of attack.
Den-Izen raised his staff, ready for attack. He then looked around for some kind of support, and saw Brightstarr. He stared at Brightstarr for a long time. Finally he smiled. "You know that they will probably kill us, don't you?" He asked.
"Yes." Brightstarr said, staring at the Drakon. He knew that he had to help, if it meant having the smallest chance in hell of getting out of this alive. Besides, he could kill the Drakon Emperor later.
Brightstarr then got up. Behind him, so did Mau. "Bet I take down more than you before I die." He said.
Emperor Den-Izen smiled, as he hurried over to Brightstarr. "We shall see, soon enough."
"So we shall." Came Imarac's voice.
They both turned to see a huge rock be thrown to the side by the Echidna known as Jaysar. He looked at Brightstarr and smiled. "Got covered in rocks." Imarac said, coming out from behind Jaysar.
"Who else survived?" Brightstarr asked.
"Just me." Greyskull said as he climbed out of the hole. He then looked up at the Dragon's. "This'll be fun." He muttered.
"Minimal damage caused. Systems running sufficiently." Guardian said, as he piloted Robot out of the hole. He turned and helped out Sheila and Eading. There was a buzz as Amass flew into the air.
Brightstarr smiled, but then turned as a thud from behind indicated that a Dragon had just landed.
As he turned another three Dragon's also landed, and sneered at him and the others.
One said. "You are persistent."
One said. "Your persistence will get you killed."
One said. "You will die, but you will not be the last. We will hunt out every last Echidna settlement, village and city and burn them to the ground. We will purge this world of your race, and we will not stop until the last Echidna falls dead before our very eyes."
Brightstarr gritted his teeth. "We will not allow that to happen."
The Dragon's of Mobius throats begun to swell as fire took form. "Try and stop us!" Came their voices, they then spat forth streams of fire.
The stream of fire gushed towards the Echidna, but just as it was about to incinerate them, it was stopped as it hit an invisible barrier.
The Echidna stood there bewildered as the Dragon's stopped their attack. They then inhaled, ready to continue.
Devil of the Fallen landed in front of the Echidna and raised his hand as the Dragon's breathed their fire again, only for the fire to bombard, once again, on an invisible barrier.
Brightstarr smiled. "Where have you been?" He asked.
"I'll show you shall I?" Devil responded, then blinked. The tattoo in the center of his forehead begun to shine. There was a bright flash of light, and they were gone.
The Dragon's of Mobius stood there in silence for a while. Some more Dragon's landed until they were all in a big huddle. They looked at each other, then back to the spot where the Echidna had been.
One said. "They cannot escape us. Not now. Not ever again. We will find them."
One said. "The others are almost all here." It turned its long neck and looked behind it at the Mobius Ring. "We are gathered and as endless as the stars. Now we will begin that which was started against us. The Dragon war returns."
One said. "But you saw the Echidna. You all saw as you were here watching. The Echidna are dead and dying. Their Empire has crumbled, thanks to the Drakon and the creature of chaos. The Dragon war cannot begin again. There is nothing for it to return to, except maybe the Drakon."
One said. "The Drakon are foolish. They will cause no real trouble to us. They can be dealt with."
One said. "But the chaos creature is a problem. It threatens us with its very existence. We must see that it is destroyed now before it becomes unstoppable."
One said. "We are unstoppable. This is our planet once again. But as long as a single Echidna still draws breath are revenge is not complete."
One said. "Then we shall erase them from this planet forever."
The Dragon's took flight, spreading in different directions, to the four corners of Planet Mobius, to hunt down every last Echidna and kill them.
One said. "The great 'purge' begins."
* * * *
The God of Destruction stood before a trembling Echidna family. He stared down on them with some satisfaction at the response he was receiving. But then something was wrong.
"This creature does not show me fear." Chaos said, almost as if he was upset with the creatures actions. "Why does it not fear the God of Destruction as you do?" Chaos bellowed.
The Echidna mother pulled her child closer to her chest, and looked at the creature in question. It was her families slave, a brown Mobian hedgehog.
Though the Echidna Empire had had its fair share of skirmish's against Slavers and Pirates, thwarting their planes for stealing Mobians and selling them as slaves, they were not entirely against having slaves themselves.
Though only a few races were brought in as slaves, the Echidna saw as they were helping the Mobians to evolve and take their rightful places amongst the other intellectual races on Mobius.
"I-it knows no fear towards something it does not understand." The Echidna mother said, looking at the hedgehog. "It does not know how to talk, and it can hardly read. It simply does not understand what is going on."
Chaos sneered down at the hedgehog that was distressed that at the Echidna being so scared, but still a little confused as it didn't understand why the Echidna was acting as it was.
The hedgehog was about to move when Chaos reached down and snatched it up. "It knows no fear, eh?" He said half to himself. He held the hedgehog up to his face and stared into its eyes. It now looked a little worried, probably more about being picked up than anything, but still showed no fear towards Chaos.
The God of Destruction growled deeply. "Then I shall teach it fear." He said, and encased the hedgehog in an electrical assault of chaos energy.
* * * *
There was a flash of yellow light and Brightstarr, Mau and the others were inside the Echidna Palace, in Megopolis City.
Brightstarr turned to see his brother, Knuckles. "Brother." He said walking forwards.
Knuckles walked up to his brother and hugged him. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Around." Brightstarr said smiling. He then looked around the room. "Braven. Yin. I see your still alive and kicking."
"Wouldn't want it any other way." Braven said in response.
Brightstarr looked around the room some more, then finally turned back to Knuckles. "Where's Grandfather? And Tikal, where's Tikal?"
Knuckles' smile abruptly vanished. "Pochamac is hurt real bad." Knuckles said as he turned to the King's bed. "He's dying."
Brightstarr's eyes almost instantly filled with tears, though he managed to stop them before any fell. He followed Knuckles over to where Pochamac lay.
The old King looked up at Brightstarr and smiled. "You have re-returned to me. My-my son." He said faintly.
Brightstarr reached down and took his grandfathers hand. "Hush, Grandfather. Save your energy. You must rest so that you will be all right." He said.
Brightstarr looked up at Knuckles. "Who did this? Was it the Drakon?" He asked, glancing momentarily at the Drakon Emperor that had been brought with them.
"It was Chaos, the Go-!" Knuckles begun.
"God of Destruction." Brightstarr finished off. "He did this to my grandfather?"
"You know of him?" Giser said, stepping forward.
"We have fought him. He wiped out the Echidna Army, and most of the Echidna Guard with one attack." Brightstarr muttered, looking back down at Pochamac.
"Are we all that is left?" Imarac asked.
"Almost. At least in this city. But soon the other cities will suffer as we have." Devil said. "The Dragon's of Mobius will hunt every last Echidna down until there are no more to hunt."
Brightstarr shook his head. It couldn't end like this, could it? "And where is Tikal?" He said, his eyes closed.
"Another creature called Chaos was created when the Drakon sieged the city. Though we defeated him, it was not without a great loose." Yin almost whispered. "The creature dragged Tikal to its grave with it."
Brightstarr turned too face the Drakon Emperor. "Do you see what you have caused?" He said, the tears finally falling from his eyes.
Den-Izen stepped backwards. "This is not my fault I-!"
"This is all your fault." Greyskull growled, drawing his sword. "Because of you and your kind all this has happened."
Brightstarr walked up to Den-Izen and grabbed him around the neck and lifted him off his feet. "I should kill you were you stand."
"If you don't I sure as hell will." Greyskull muttered.
Brightstarr stared into the fear filled eyes of Den-Izen. "You fear me! Isn't that a ironic twist."
"Brightstarr you cannot kill him." Mau said.
"And why not. Isn't it what he deserves?" He said.
"It may be, but you cannot kill him as it would make you no better than he is." Mau said in response.
Brightstarr turned to Knuckles, sighed, and turned back. He then dropped the Drakon back to his feet.
"Chaos is still in the city." Came Devils voice. "He must be stopped."
"Then take us to him." Greyskull said, raising his sword.
"No!" Brightstarr said turning around. "Me and my brother will take care of this. We are the strongest here so if anyone has a chance then it is us."
"I'm coming with you." Mau said. "You need me."
Brightstarr looked at her and then smiled. "Okay." He then turned and grabbed Den-Izen. "Your coming too." He said.
Devil stepped forward. "I will teleport you to his location. Good luck."
With that there was yet another flash of light, and Brightstarr, Knuckles, Mau and the Drakon Emperor Den-Izen where gone.
* * * *
Chaos held the hedgehog tight. It had screamed so much it couldn't scream anymore. The pain that swelled inside its body had been so consistent it had become accustomed to it.
The hedgehog was dropped to the floor where it collapsed instantly.
Chaos reached down to the tortured hedgehog, and as it cowered out of fear he smiled with satisfaction. "I think it knows fear now." He said as he moved away. "How amusing."
There was a flash of light behind him and suddenly he was aware of a familiar energy signature. He turned and stared at Prince Brightstarr. "The Echidna with the blood of Chaos has returned." He said. "And he's brought friends."
Brightstarr gritted his teeth in anger. The creature in front of him had caused so much damage to his world he didn't know what to be angry about anymore. Everything had just become a big angry mesh inside his head, and if he didn't release the anger soon he felt like he'd explode.
"This is the other Chaos?" Knuckles said as he stared up at the giant creature. "The Chaos I faced was nothing compared to this one."
"Ah yes. The other Chaos. Defeated him have you?" Chaos asked as he reminisced. "He was a mistake. My power dwarf's everything he ever was."
"You will pay for everything you have caused, Chaos." Brightstarr said through his teeth. "You will die before I am done with you."
Chaos turned and scooped up the stricken hedgehog and held it out in front of him. The hedgehog closed its eyes and groaned. "Do you see what I have done to this creature? Do you?" He shouted. "I have drained it of all of its life force. I have fed off of it. And I have replaced it with chaos. With chaos within its blood it will eventually become unstable and drive itself insane. It will not be able to control the power within its own body and it will die."
Chaos dropped the hedgehog to the ground. "This is what I will do to all that lives. All that is focused and pure. I will replace it with chaos. When I have done this to every living thing in existence I will sit back and watch as the universe is destroyed within the chaos I have created."
Chaos stepped forward. "I am the death of all that lives. My purpose is to kill all things in this universe, and when it is done, move on to the next and begin again."
Brightstarr clenched his fist's and stared at Brightstarr through blood red eyes. "If that is your purpose then I pity you, Chaos."
"You pity me?" Chaos echoed.
"Yes." Brightstarr said. "And now that I know what your purpose is, I know what mine has to be. I must destroy you."
Brightstarr launched himself at the God of Destruction and struck him around the face, almost knocking the ancient creature of chaos off of his feet. Before Chaos could even respond Brightstarr landed and jumped up again, delivering another powerful blow.
As Chaos staggered he looked up to find that he was the center of an attack.
Devil of the Fallen stood and watched as Brightstarr, Mau and the Drakon Emperor Den-Izen attacked Chaos. "I must leave now. Brightstarr has this under control, but I must leave now to ensure that Chaos is truly defeated."
Knuckles turned to Devil. "What do you mean?"
"Brightstarr is powerful, and his powers grow with every passing second, but he alone does not have the power to defeat the God of Destruction."
"But you know of someone that does?" Knuckles asked.
Devil spread his wings and took flight. As he ascended into the sky he looked down on Knuckles. "There is only one creature that can stop this madness. It is to him I go now. He must help or Chaos will bring destruction to the universe."
With that Devil flew off into the sky and vanished in a blink of yellow light. Knuckles watched him for a while, before turning his attention to the fight. With that he launched himself into the fray.