Prologue
A beautiful sunset fell upon Angel Island as the evening settled in. Sitting atop the Master Emerald was a familiar red echidna, always watchful, always alert, and always guarding the large and powerful gem. He rarely budged from his post, only moving about to find something to eat or drink, and even then he was still keeping a watchful eye on the Master Emerald. After calamities in the past, it was no wonder why he was ever so alert. It's been over a year since the last incident, in which the M.E. was shattered due to an out-of-control robot deemed 'Emerl.' Knuckles was able to regenerate the emerald from the pieces Sonic brought back to Earth with him, but after that, he never let another soul go near the Emerald. To him, every time someone came in contact with the M.E., it just ended up shattering again, and he grew tired of having to rebuild it time after time again. So, nearly a year and a half of nonstop guarding, Knuckles was still at his post that particular evening, still keeping an eye on the Master Emerald, still watchful, still alert, and still guarding this large and powerful gem.
As the sun disappeared over the horizon, Knuckles began to sleep. Being who he was, he could never rest peacefully. So, therefore, he was liable to wake up from the slightest sound, or movement. This was one reason why he was so hot-tempered, due to his near-lack of sleep, or peaceful rest. Why did he put himself through so much? Why didn't he ever take a break? No one can know for sure. His determination to guard this Emerald has always kept him from living a laid-back life. While other people may have raised the question, Knuckles never gave it a second thought. Why was he chosen to guard the gem? What was the purpose for appointing him as the Guardian? These were questions that, Knuckles decided, had no reason to be answered.
Elsewhere, someone was making a plan to gain that Emerald, in order to gain the power he needed to rule the world. That familiar someone was a renowned genius, whom everyone knew and despised. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as 'Eggman' to Sonic and his friends, was busy preparing things for his next scheme. To get things started, all he had to do was perform one simple task. Fool the gullible Knuckles. Once Knuckles was on his side, even for just one moment, everything would go as planned. He was sure of it. There was nothing Sonic could do once he tricked the echidna into giving him the Emerald. Sitting in his office at his new secret base, he reclined in his chair, and chuckled evilly, repeating the process of his plans in his mind. Nothing can go wrong this time, he thought to himself. This time, the world will be mine, and there is nothing that hedgehog can do to stop me!
