"So, wait, all the mountains on Angel Island are part of the same range, even with the clear divide?" Gizmo asked her companions.

Froggy croaked at her, and Big nodded. "Yep. From here back that way, it's the Ice Caps." He gestured to the west where they came from, then pointed to the east. "And that way forward, it's the Reds."

Befitting their name, the towering peaks were primarily reddish brown like the clay that was found under the soil in some regions of the world. Even though many of them went above the cloud line, the wolf could see grass, moss, and lichen growing on the sides and tops of these mountains. There weren't a lot of good spots to climb, and from what she heard from the cat, this was where they got out of the cooler and into the fire. While the Ice Caps were glazed with snow and frost, numerous "mountains" among the Reds were, in fact, active volcanoes. Not only did they have to worry about treacherous cliffs, but super-heated vents and potential lava flows. The wolf counted herself fortunate to have a guide through such a seemingly peaceful, but actually dangerous area.

Before either of them could get started on their ascent, they felt a sudden gust blow at their backs, prompting them to turn around. Gizmo was surprised in some respects, but not in others, to see that it had been Sonic who kicked up the wind.

"What're you doing here, spiny boy?" she wondered, "did Gad send you back?"

The hoglet shook his head and smirked. "Nah, there's a bit more to it than that. Lemme fill you in."

And so, Sonic relayed everything to them that had happened since he and Gadget went through the Great Ring.

"So, first off, Big was right," he started, shooting a thumbs-up to the cat, "Gadget and I ended up in the Hidden Palace, like he said we would. Tails found a different Ring and managed to beat us there by a few seconds or so. Also, Gil, that guy he told us about that he met on the Battle Moon, was there too."

Big's ears perked up at that. "Oh, you got to meet Gil? He's nice."

"Yeah, nice and weird," Sonic added, "the guy seems to know a lot about Angel Island. He's got these weird powers, too, like being able to talk to us across dimensions."

"Whoa whoa, slow down," Gizmo stopped him, "what's this about other dimensions?"

The hedgehog elaborated that in order to restore the Chaos Emeralds, they must undertake a trial for each gem. Said challenges were held in pockets of space that had alien geography and physics, with the boy's in particular being a giant rotating maze. As confusing as it had all been, Sonic had managed to reach the end of the labyrinth, bringing light back to the green Emerald. He couldn't speak for Miles and Gadget's ordeals, since they'd all been transported to their own respective places, but he assumed they succeeded as well.

"After that, I was sent back where we came from and ran to catch up with you guys," he concluded, juggling his gem in one hand before placing it back in a pouch, "Gadget's probably with the big guy."

Taking that all in, Gizmo had mixed feelings. She was relieved that Miles had met up with her brother and their young friend, as well as the fact they had a definite method for getting the Chaos Emeralds back in shape. At the same time, the she-wolf was annoyed that to get to the Hidden Palace and stay there, they apparently had to take the natural route. It also complicated their plans for rescuing Fuchsia, since it meant they couldn't approach the Battle Moon as readily as they'd hoped.

She momentarily thought about chastising Big for leaving out an important detail like that, but she thought better of it. Maybe he didn't mention it because that wasn't how it worked for him and Knuckles? From what Sonic told them about what Gil had said, that might have been the case. That did explain how the Guardian was able to move around the island and scatter the Emeralds so quickly. It may have afforded their foe an advantage, but she took solace in the fact that the Kukkus apparently weren't sharing in it. Otherwise, they would have been facing down hordes of Badniks and combatants at any moment and practically at every turn.

"Well, aside from the fact we can't camp at the shrine," Gizmo reasoned, "our original plan hasn't changed: look for the next Great Ring, get the Chaos Emeralds back in working order, meet up with the others, infiltrate the Battle Moon, save Fu, defeat the doctor and the Emperor, and shut down the station once and for all. As long as we work together, those Kukkus don't stand a chance!"

Sonic nodded and zipped up to the top of a boulder, pointing out at the range. "You said it! Now let's juice!"

With high spirits, the three Animals and one Critter began scaling the rocky terrain. Sonic utilized his speed to run up sheer cliff faces, switching over to his impressive jumping skills as needed to reach outcroppings and overhangs that he couldn't just dash to. With his hulking strength and surprising agility for his size, Big propelled himself with his arms alone, making leaps and bounds at a time. Gizmo kept up with them by way of her grappler, pulling off a few acrobatic tricks and flourishes whenever she had enough air time to do so.

After reaching the top of the first ascent, they crossed a wooden bridge, wary of the steam billowing out from the rocks beneath their feet. They came to the other edge of the cliff when suddenly, the ground cracked apart, and the pent up pressure from the volcanic activity sent the four of them flying. Gizmo grabbed onto Big and snagged Sonic with her cable while the cat used the umbrella in his fishing pole to glide them to safety. Fortunately, the blast had sent them in the direction of a small, but tall plateau, giving them stable ground to land on. Big stowed it away without issue, while Sonic stared at the rod, then looked over at Gizmo.

"How did that not break?" he asked her.

"I dunno," the she-wolf replied, shrugging her shoulders. She was just as mystified as he was when it came to how exactly that thing worked. "But I'm not complaining. Good work, Big."

The cat nodded and smiled, happy to have lent a helping hand to his new friends. They continued on to a narrow pass between two shorter peaks, using the ledges shared between them to make their way across. To reach the next mountain, Big used his umbrella to carry himself and Gizmo across, while Sonic got a running start to jump the broad gap. There was a more natural bridge made of rocks in front of them, but the moment they set foot on it, it began to crumble. Hurrying along, the group wound their way through a cluster of plateaus and across a few more bridges, taking care to watch out for more vents along the way.

They arrived at what appeared to be the tallest mountain aside from the one the Battle Moon had landed in. Winding their way up the sides, they eventually reached the summit, where there was a shallow lake of lava bubbling up in the narrow crater. Going around the fiery pit, they came to a zip line that was attached to an oversized winch, presumably to retrieve the bar. Big didn't wait for the wolf or the hedgehog as he put his pole over the top, grabbed both ends, and let himself slide down the steep cable. Watching him go, Sonic eagerly stepped up onto the platform and grabbed hold of the bar.

"Geronimo!" he shouted as he pushed himself from the edge, letting out a whoop as he rapidly shot down the line after the hefty cat.

Gizmo waited for a couple of minutes before the zip bar came back up to the platform, then climbed on herself. The cable ran around the side of the mountain, through a few holes in the rocky terrain, and eventually came to a stop at an inconspicuous outcropping just below the cloud line. There was a tunnel that had been hewn in the stone, Big motioning for the two to follow as he proceeded inside. About a minute later, they arrived at a chamber similar to the one they found in the foothills, a Great Ring waiting for them at the back of it. As he'd done the first time, Sonic touched the green Emerald to the border of it, bringing the object to life and making a portal appear in the hole.

"Alright, you ready this time, Gizmo?" he asked the teal wolf.

She gave him a nod and momentarily turned back to the cat and frog. "Thanks for the help, Big. We'll be back soon, so hang tight."

"Okie dokie, but don't take too long," he called after her, "Froggy doesn't like the mountain heat very much."

Gizmo giggled softly and gave them a wave as she went to stand in front of the Ring with Sonic. Without skipping a beat, the hoglet Jumped through the center of it, with the wolf right on his tail.


Shortly after reaching the bottom of the volcanic shaft, Miles broke through a thin layer of rock with a Rolling Attack, while Gadget used the Fireball Spin Dash to catch up. Both of them avoided some falling stalactites and came to a wall of smooth stone at the end of the passage. Jumping into a switch panel behind them opened the way to a precarious pond of magma, leaping over it and continuing on to a flight of wooden steps built into the rock. A number of fire traps had been built to deter intruders, spewing burning hot orbs in their direction, but thanks to the Flame Shield, they weren't worried.

At the top of the climb, they entered a much more open space, spotting massive stone columns with a green-ish glow that reached up from the floor to the ceiling. Beyond those, there were veins of bright lava streaming between black rocks, and other endless glowing pillars into the distant abyss of the colossal caverns. Despite being inside of a volcano, the insides of it looked like they went on for miles, and as they surveyed the topmost layer, the canids found something that didn't belong up there. It was the Battle Moon, with the Empire's insignia on full display for them to see, and looking no worse for wear despite the hard landing.

"There it is," Miles said with a furrowed brow, "if we didn't have Fuchsia or the rest of the Emeralds to worry about, I'd fly right over there!"

Gadget shared in his frustration, letting his fangs gleam in the ambiance of the cavern. "You and I both. I swear, if they've done anything to her..."

"They'll get what's coming even if they haven't laid a talon on her," the fox swore. He glanced over at his brother's comm, then up to him. "Have you tried checking their chatter to see if you can find out anything about her?"

The red wolf took his advice, fiddling with the device on his wrist until he found the Kukkus' registered signal. Nothing came up, not even static. Gadget grunted and tried the various channels attached to it, but they yielded the same result.

"Damn it," he mumbled, letting out a sigh as his other hand sifted through his head fur, "they must've found out we were listening in and changed their primary frequency. Now I'm even more anxious for her."

"Then let's pick up the pace and keep a sharp lookout for anything that seems out of place," Miles suggested, "there has to be a Great Ring around here somewhere."

The two leapt over the top of a "lava-fall" and opened another door, spiraling around a pillar that was holding up part of the level below them. They went off a natural ramp in the terrain past that same flow, ducking beneath ball-and-chain hazards as they re-entered the cave system. Dropping down a narrow shaft and running through the tunnel at the bottom brought them out to the edge of a small molten lake, which they were able to navigate around well enough. Between Miles' tails and Gadget's grappler, they ascended back up through the caverns and stopped themselves just before they came to a fiery pool. They were glad that they had, as a large platform with equally big spikes lining the bottom came crashing down, then rose back up using a pair of thrusters on its sides.

"That doesn't look like something Knuckles or his people made," Miles remarked. The thought that the Kukkus had something to do with these hazards made him stroke his chin in thought. "I wonder if the doctor spent more time making obstacles and traps than robots. We haven't really seen any after the station came back down."

Gadget folded his arms and pondered along with the fox. "Well, it's a given that they're keeping most of their fighters and weapons in the Battle Moon itself. Since they'll leave after getting the Master Emerald, there's no need to spread their forces out. And once they enter orbit, they'd be able to strike practically any point on the planet."

Which meant that, unless they took a more covert route through the satellite's interior, they would be facing down a potentially overwhelming amount of foes. It wouldn't be like with their fight against Dr. Robotnik in Metropolis, either. The number of potential enemies was greater, and they had fewer allies to help, one of which was being held captive, and another that didn't seem inclined to fight. Even if they could get Knuckles on their side, engaging in such a big battle wouldn't be easy. Using the Emeralds against such odds was an option, but Miles preferred to keep those as a last resort. He needed to save his strength for the real fight, after all.

"Once we get the Chaos Emeralds back in order," the teen decided, "let's go over the blueprint for the station you guys managed to recover from the doctor's old network on the Battle Fortress. We can figure out the most likely places we'd face the heaviest resistance and plan accordingly."

The pair waited on the platform to come down, then hopped aboard and rode it up to a short berm sticking out from the rocks. They did the same with a second one that was just beyond the rim, traveling up a few wooden steps and unlocking the door that was at the top. The third time was thankfully not the charm for the traps as they avoided yet another of the nasty things, Rolling under it as it went back up. Continuing on into the next section of the caverns, the two found about a dozen normal Rings, as well as a hole in the ceiling above them.

Miles didn't think much of it at first, but he stopped himself from moving on when a jolt of Chaos Energy suddenly shot through his veins. Startled at the reaction, he fished the cyan Emerald from its pouch and held it up, puzzled at how the light within it was now pulsing like the Master Emerald's did. Curious, he raised it up to the opening, watching as its incandescence intensified the higher he lifted it. The fox sprang up and used his tails to fly into the hole, discovering a compact space that housed a Great Ring!

"I found one!" he called down to his lupine sibling.

Gadget's cable shot into some of the stone next to the Great Ring, with the wolf pulling himself up a second later. Miles leaned over, still holding the gem, and touched the rim of the object with his free hand. After the portal appeared, he put his charm back and took a deep breath, then let it out in as relaxed a manner as he could.

"Alright, I'm ready," he said solemnly, "how about you, Gad?"

"As I'll ever be," the red wolf replied, his tense arms and legs supporting his statement.

Nodding to each other, the two adoptive brothers took one step back, then hurtled themselves through the gate.


Knuckles let out a puff of air through his nose as he reached the top of a flight of green-blue steps. It was the last section of a bridge that connected two parts of the Caverns, suspended over a vast chasm that went down into the crater itself. Some hundred or so meters above, the bottom of the Dragon's Egg was visible, imposing as ever. And not far beyond this point was the entrance to the Hidden Palace, although there was still a bit more of a hike to get to the actual shrine of the Master Emerald.

Dr. Fukurokov hadn't yet arrived, so the echidna was left with his thoughts. This time, it was about the words the Great Battle Kukku had spoken. Knuckles wanted to believe the history that his people and the Babylonians had, according to the Emperor, but he couldn't recall much of anything from his parents or the leftover scriptures. He'd seemed like an upstanding gentleman, yet there was something about him that felt...disingenuous, if he were to sum it up. Of course, this was more of a feeling than anything, as the bird hadn't yet shown any reason for the Guardian to distrust him. Perhaps it was just his training and the fact that he was wary of company other than fellow residents of the island.

'Then why do I have a sense of foreboding?' he contemplated.

Knuckles was spared from wondering about it thanks to the sound of a small, but powerful engine. He glanced over to see the old owl approaching him in a modified version of the hoverpod that his troops used, sporting the same colors as his outfit. The engineer brought it down into the passage by the bridge, then grabbed a cane and waddled his way over to the echidna. There was a rather placid expression on his beak in spite of everything that had occurred, like he'd found the answer to all their problems, or at least his own.

"Ah, Knuckles, apologies if I kept you waiting," he said as he took a seat on the top step.

The echidna shook his head, both to dismiss the concerns and to clear his head. "It was not for long."

Dr. Fukurokov nodded, silently appreciating the patience of his ally. A moment of silence passed between them before the owl sat up straighter and tapped his cane against the smooth stone steps.

"Well, I have both good and bad news, my magnanimous monotreme," he announced, adjusting his spiral-lensed specs, "which would you care to hear first?"

Knuckles had figured that the conversation wouldn't be entirely pleasant. That there was any good news was a positive in and of itself.

"The positive," he answered.

The owl pointed his cane up at the cavern's ceiling. "The good news is that we have finished constructing the new method to carry the Dragon's Egg off the island. Within the hour, you'll no longer have to worry about it."

That was something that Knuckles was indeed glad to hear. He doubted that Miles would be able to arrive in time to disrupt the operation, given the labyrinthine nature of the caves within the Red Mountains. Even if he did, the Guardian would make certain that he didn't interfere a second time. He'd also be sure that one of the doctor's robots didn't get in the way, either, if that became a problem.

"Then what is the bad news?" he wondered aloud.

There was an uncomfortable clearing of the throat from the doctor. Now the echidna was starting to wish that he'd asked for that information first.

"Yes, well, in order for that launch time to be feasible," Dr. Fukurokov started with some hesitation, "we will require an exceedingly great amount of energy in order to power the engines."

Knuckles quirked his brow at that. "Do you mean to use one of the Chaos Emeralds to do so?"

"No, Knuckles," the owl said bluntly, suppressing an irritated growl, "that would be insufficient. I would require all seven of them for this to work." He pushed himself to stand and got up on the echidna's level, then prodded him with his walking aid. "But I hear that the Master Emerald is even more potent. And so it occurred to me that if we could harness its power, temporarily of course, then we could easily overcome this roadblock."

Even if it would only be for a brief period, Knuckles didn't like what the doctor was suggesting. In his mind, the risk wasn't worth it.

"I cannot abide that, doctor," he protested, fixing a prominent frown on the elderly engineer, "if we move the Master Emerald from its resting place, then Angel Island will sink! Removing the Dragon's Egg will only delay the inevitable if it is not returned quickly."

Dr. Fukurokov did not appear to like that answer. But, rather than express his frustrations over the stubbornness of the echidna, he kept his cool.

"Fret not, Guardian, I have considered that," he said evenly, "I am nearly finished on a device that will be able to safely transport the energy to the shuttle without the need for upsetting such a delicate balance. All I ask is that you afford me a little more time."

That did calm Knuckles down a little, but he still wasn't a fan of the idea. Even if they weren't actually relocating the Master Emerald, rerouting its power to somewhere other than the shrine, and the rest of the island by proxy, was a gamble. There was a chance that it could partially sink and cause potentially permanent damage to vast swathes of land, not to mention some of the freshwater sources. While that was preferable to complete destruction, he would rather have it so that none of the resident Critters had to suffer.

"So long as you can guarantee that nothing disastrous will happen," Knuckles allowed, letting out a sigh himself, "is there anything else?"

"There is," Dr. Fukurokov affirmed, slowly beginning to make his way back to his hoverpod, "the signals of three Chaos Emeralds have become stronger. Two of them were last detected close to where the 'hot' and 'cold' parts of the Caverns meet, while the third was in the Red Mountains just a stone's throw southwest of the main volcano. They'll be on top of us soon, so perhaps you should prepare for them, Guardian."

The Guardian found that difficult to believe. Had Miles and his companions really caught up that quickly? Apparently, the pitfall trap he'd left for them in the pyramid hadn't impeded their progress as much as he'd assumed. He felt inclined to retreat to the Hidden Palace, but he was meant to be the last line of defense. Only when the fox had trounced all of his tricks would he grant him the privilege of facing him again.

In a place like the Lava Reef Caverns, there were a few measures he could take even with the limited time he had. Collapsing a couple of passages was one, destroying part or even most of the bridge was another. Contending with that flight of the fox's would be difficult, so perhaps it would be better to make him use it for something else that would slow him down. Assuming he was traveling with a partner, like the doctor had informed him he liked to do, then incapacitating them would work well.

'One last effort before we clash once again, Miles Prower,' he thought, barely paying any mind to the doctor as he made his exit.

As he made preparations to deal with his fated foe, however, Knuckles couldn't help shaking one other implication that arose from the owl's news. Despite being the one that caused them to lose their spark, the fox had somehow managed to restore it to a few of the Emeralds. If he was as reckless and abusive with them as Dr. Fukurokov had said, then that shouldn't have been possible. What did it mean?


"This is the Hidden Palace?" Gizmo let out as she took a look around at the crystalline environment, "it's rather beautiful."

She wished she could say the same for the Chaos Emeralds that were still dark. Sonic strolled around the flower-like platforms that bordered the Master Emerald, eyeing up the remaining gems they needed to re-energize.

"Yeah, I guess," the hedgehog said inattentively as he continued to search the place. He stopped after a few moments and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Yo, Gil! Are you there?"

He was met with a distant echo of his voice off the cavernous walls, but nothing else. It seemed that the man wasn't present, but did they need him to begin the trials? With a shrug, Sonic went to stand next to the stone that served as the landing point for those using Great Rings. He didn't have to wait long before a pillar of white light descended from above, leaving Miles and Gadget standing in front of him once it faded.

"Great, you guys made it!" the fox said as he took immediate notice of the other pair of Animals, "now we can get the rest of the Emeralds up and running!" Miles glanced around for a moment, then looked at Sonic with a puzzled expression. "Where's Gil?"

"Not here, apparently," Gadget remarked as he took a gander around for himself, "but, does it matter whether he is or not?"

The three boys regarded one another and collectively shrugged at the question. They hadn't tried yet, and the human had never claimed that they needed him to begin the challenges in the first place.

"We may as well just help ourselves," Miles reasoned, taking the initiative by going over to where the white Emerald was, "the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go and take care of that space station."

No one argued with that, and soon enough, each of the quartet had taken up a position by a certain stone. While Sonic and Gadget were ready to go, having chosen the gems that matched their own colors, Gizmo hesitantly stood next to the magenta Emerald.

"So, I heard what Sonic went through with a giant rotating maze," she said to the boys, who perked up, "but what else can I expect?"

Her twin brother chuckled lightly. "For me, I was constantly running down some half-pipe collecting Rings and avoiding bombs that'd make me drop them."

"And my challenge had me going around a small planetoid turning blue spheres into red spheres," Miles finished, "there were some other rules, but that was the important part."

And for all the she-wolf knew, hers wouldn't involve any of what theirs did. But, she also knew that standing there thinking about what could be wouldn't get them anywhere.

"In for a pound, then," she accepted, leaning in to lay a hand on the Emerald.

"A moment, Children."

Gizmo withdrew her hand and perked up, her eyes darting around for the source of the voice. She noticed, though, that the boys weren't concerned at suddenly being addressed. A fifth beam of light appeared next to the Master Emerald, revealing none other than the person that they had been expecting.

"Oh, so that's Gil," the teal wolf uttered, comparing him to the description her brothers gave her.

"Hah, that's what I said!" Sonic remarked, smirking a bit as he wiped under his nose.

The man peered out at the quartet, then the gems they each stood next to, a small frown crossing his features.

"Four Chaos Emeralds, four Animals to challenge their trials," Gil stated wistfully, "and yet, the time of your fated confrontation is nigh, kitsune. At your current pace, there may not be enough left to accomplish all of your goals."

Miles assumed that the man was referring to his seemingly inevitable fight with Knuckles, or perhaps with the Emperor and Dr. Fukurokov. Either way, from the way Gil spoke, the fox wondered if he was somehow disappointed in their progress with the gems. He could concede that he and his brother could have been searching a bit more attentively, but he really didn't want to think about one of the reasons why they hadn't. Out of all of them, though, Sonic was the one to speak up about the human's remark.

"Can't you do something about it, then?" the hoglet asked with a roll of the eyes, "you made it so Gadget could go back with Tails. Use your Chaos Magic or whatever to whip up a challenge so we can get the rest of the Emeralds in one go!"

With a contemplative hum, Gil gazed at the great gemstone itself, giving off its warm glow as it always did. "A bold, but intriguing proposition, blue hedgehog. Are you suggesting an ordeal that requires cooperation?"

"If that's what we gotta do, then yeah!" Sonic affirmed.

The man laid one hand against it, and though it was subtle, there was a shift in the frequency of its pulsations. The flashes emitted no sound, but if one were to examine them closely, it would almost appear that the Master Emerald was trying to signal or communicate.

"Do the rest of you share his sentiments?" He inquired of the Animals. They glanced at one another, spoke in hushed tones, then turned back to him with a collective nod. "Very well, then I shall 'work my magic', as some would phrase it."

Gil closed his eyes and tilted his head down, a thin film of emerald green energy surrounding him that matched the light coming from the great gem. He grimaced, for the moment that energy enveloped him, he was met with a wave of overwhelming negativity, a storm of rage that was carried by an oceanic undercurrent of sorrow. It was not a manifestation of his own feelings, but something that emanated from within the Master Emerald itself. The man kept his hand in place, even as several beads of sweat started running down his forehead. However, the others could see that even he was starting to shake a slight amount.

"Are you alright, Gil?" Miles asked with some concern.

"I just need one more moment," the human replied, his voice slightly strained.

A few seconds later, a shower of sparks flew out of the Master Emerald, tumbling down and coating the smaller gemstones like dust. Gritting his teeth, Gil yanked his hand away from the massive mineral. The swirl of hatred and despair left him after pulling away, letting out a stilted breath and shuddering a bit.

"As you have requested, there will be one final task to restore all of the remaining Chaos Emeralds," he informed them, taking a moment to shake off whatever had happened, "should you prove worthy, all of the Seven Chaos will be alight once again."

Sonic chuckled boyishly, glad that his idea worked. "I hope you didn't make it too easy!"

"That is for the lot of you to determine," Gil replied with the barest hint of playfulness, like a father challenging their kids, "now then, you should go, for time marches on all the same."

Just like last time they were here, Miles would have liked to stay and pick at that guy's brain, but there was always some convenient excuse, wasn't there? Taking the man's advice, the quartet placed their hands on their respective Emeralds, and then were transported out of the chamber and into the Special Zone, where their test awaited. After everyone else had left, Gil then walked to the chamber adjacent to the shrine. He descended the steps and came face to face with the mural that had been the cause for much of the recent mess. The golden two-tailed fox wreathed in a fiery blue aura, the colossal avian humanoid that stood opposed to him, and the Master Emerald between them.

"Today is the day of another important event that has long been prophesied," he said aloud, as though the group of Animals could still hear him, "the fate of this island, and indeed, the rest of the world, hinges on the outcome of the coming battle." A ghost of a smirk formed on his face as he ran his fingers over the image of the legendary gemstone. "Should all go as intended, 'Dragon', then your time shall come soon enough."

A brief, but powerful gust blew through the shrine, seemingly from nowhere, although the man was neither surprised nor disturbed by it in the slightest. Gil raised his head to where it had come from, and while a normal person wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary, he did. More specifically, he could sense where a person should have been standing if they were visible, his eyes appearing to fixate on blank space.

"Father," came a light and airy female voice, much like the wind itself, "we've done what you told us to do, and we're ready to go. Aren't you finished yet?"

Gil let out a fatherly chuckle, giving the air a figurative pat on the shoulder and getting a grunt in return that didn't come from him. "Patience, my Child. Once the Seven Chaos are bright again, I shall depart."

"Well, me and the others are going on ahead then," said the other in a disinterested tone, "we'll see you on the mainland."

The man simply nodded his head and strolled back into the Master Emerald's chamber. He jumped up next to the gem itself and took a seat on the edge of the platform, leaning back on one hand while the other pressed against the glowing facets.

'Now then, before I return to where I must be,' he thought as he shut his eyes once more, 'let us conclude my role here.'


When he could see again, Miles and the others found themselves in a more blatantly bizarre location than last time. They were standing atop a flat and relatively wide prismatic road that seemed to stretch on forever, with the changes in color every bit of the way being entirely random. The space around it cycled through all the possible hues of visible light in a gradual sequence, and it was filled with all manners of objects. Not just planetoids, but large five-pointed stars and myriad geometric shapes, although there were no actual stars to speak of that they could see.

"I'm gonna need to sit down after all this," Miles heard Gizmo say as she rubbed her forehead, "maybe take a break from the next adventure I'm invited on."

"Gods know Fu will need it more than the rest of us," Gadget remarked in a worrisome tone.

What came next was something that had sparsely been in the fox's thoughts, but there were a few things that came to mind. The whole deal that he'd discovered thanks to J would probably be the first matter to tackle. There was a lot of emotional baggage to sort out with the cross fox, quite a bit of which had been loaded onto him because of the guy's actions.

Whatever came of it, he hoped to sort that out before his birthday, which was a little more than a month away. He knew the village would love for him to stick around for as long as he could, and that after everything he and the others had done, the next celebration was sure to be big. Perhaps putting his global travels on hold for a while would do him some good, and it's not like he would be sitting on his tails the whole time. There was plenty to do even in a modest place like Cocoa Island.

However, when he did get in the mood to explore again, he had the perfect place in mind. A couple of months after his birthday, it would be the time of the year when Little Planet descends to Earth and takes its place in the skies above Never Lake. The last time he'd gone over that way had been nearly three years ago, where he'd also met a pair of kind and brave young ladies, among others that had gone to see the annual cosmic event. Though seeing Little Planet was enough for most people, Miles had gone further and taken his new friends along for an actual journey across the dwarf celestial object while it was near their world's surface. And while they'd learned a lot about the small satellite that graced their world back then, he still had many more questions.

'Now that I think about it,' he mused, 'that...presence I felt while I was there seemed somewhat like Gil. There wasn't a face to give the voice to, and it wasn't nearly as chatty, but the vibe it gave off was similar. Cream and Amy didn't seem to notice it, though, so I might've been hearing things.' The fox shut his eyes and cupped his chin in one hand, allowing himself a small smile. 'It'd be nice to see them again. Heh, I bet Cream will be surprised at how big I've become, but then again, she's likely grown a good bit herself. We might not even recognize each other!'

"Hey, big guy," Sonic called to him, waving a hand in front of his face, "Earth to Tails!"

Miles blinked and raised his head, letting his arm fall back to his side. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought about what we'll do after everything's over."

"It's nice to think ahead, but maybe save it for after we've gotten past all the hurdles," Gizmo advised him, flipping her goggles down over her eyes.

Without warning, all four of them suddenly felt their legs move on their own. After a couple of moments, they found that they were unable to turn back, move more than 45 degrees left or right, or even stop. For Miles and Sonic, they were moving at about one-fifth of their maximum speed, while the twins were pushing close to three-quarters of their own, though it didn't feel that way to them. Regardless of the speed or the effort, everyone appeared to be doing just fine, as though they could do this all day.

"This already feels a lot like my last challenge," Gadget commented.

"The objective is mostly the same," Gil's disembodied voice answered, bringing up a projection of the crew much like the ones he'd shown the boys before. The miniature figures raced along a rainbow track, nabbing rings as they went. "You must collect a specified number of Rings by the time your party reaches the end of the straightaway, which you must also get to within a limited time." The image changed to the Animals avoiding some nasty looking obstacles that included mines, electrical traps, and numerous pits in the road. "Along the way, you'll face various hazards that will cause you to lose hold of your Rings or drop out of the course entirely. In order to complete the challenge successfully, all four of you must arrive with the required Rings."

The chibi Miles and friends disappeared, replaced with a big "500" in the middle of the air that was encircled by a large gold Ring. Following that, a graphic of an hourglass appeared, a time of "1:40" suspended just above it in bold red font.

"Collect 500 Rings and reach the end," Gil announced, "you have 100 seconds, during which you will be unable to use any of your tools or stop running. You may, however, accelerate and decelerate by a fair amount, as needed. Show me that you can overcome this, and that you can rekindle the power of the Seven Chaos."

Immediately after his voice faded out, the timer began to count down, and the number for the Ring total enlarged itself, then melded into the shifting prismatic void so that it was always in their sight. The fox and his friends were left with the course itself, and not even a couple of seconds after starting, they reached an abrupt end where they had to leap to a higher path in order to continue. Miles was ready to reach for his Shield Projector in order to bypass a line of free-standing electrical bolts, but remembered what the human had said. That gave him barely enough time to dodge out of the way, only to have to use his tails to avoid a hole in the road. This maneuver brought him into contact with a spring, sending him in an arc that allowed him to pick up a small cluster of Rings.

Sonic leapt over a few solid black cubes with green details, swiping up a trail of Rings that had been hidden behind the boxes. Several gaps in the path awaited him, but at the other end of it was a curious bubble-like container. Deciding to take the risk, the hoglet utilized his Bounce Attack to get some extra air in order to clear the empty space. The familiar chime of the items they were tasked with gathering met his ears, and he noticed the Ring amount in the Zone's "background" increasing by ten. It was a start, but only a few seconds had gone by, and there were still so many more of the golden objects for them to collect.

Gadget let out a yipe as several spiked boulders that were suspended in the air dropped down the moment he passed underneath them, narrowly missing him. That stole his attention away just long enough for him to run into a bumper that blended in with the floor, making him trip into a Rolling Attack. His sister came in to kick his spherical self out of the way of a pit, which also conveniently punted him towards another Ring Capsule. Seeing him safe for the moment, Gizmo drifted over to the opposite side, but was given no time to focus on the Rings there. One after another, recreations of Badniks and other past synthetic lackeys popped up to get in their way, and the teal wolf's itchy trigger finger was ready to bring up her blaster. Remembering that it wouldn't work here, though, she curled up instead and hammered her way through the baddies. She was soon joined by her brother, the twin wolves bouncing off of the robots like pinballs to help keep the course clear.

Once there was about one minute remaining, the runway split into four quarters and rearranged themselves so that Miles continued as he had been. Sonic was now straight above him, sprinting upside-down according to the fox's perspective, while his siblings were on either side of him, appearing as though they were running on walls. With the laws of the Special Zone, the teen assumed that subjective gravity or something like it was in place, otherwise his friends would've fallen. He wasn't given any time to mull it over as the paths each dipped away from one another and went off in their own direction. Perhaps this was part of the test that Gil had made for them?

The hedgehog was up first, with a multitude of traps consisting of spikes, electrical fields, and fire popped into view. He hopped to the side and over the hazards, keeping himself on what he perceived as the best path to get more Rings. He bounced onto a new level, only to drop back down an instant later, having to repeat this a few times to avoid smacking his head into an edge or falling off the side. Sonic kept up the pace even as the road transformed into a stairway, then into a series of rainbow pillars, sometimes skipping one or two at a time if it got him extra Rings. But just as he was starting to get hyped up, he saw that his road was coming to an unexpected stop, and that there was nothing for him beyond it!

"Shoot!" he exclaimed, trying to put the brakes on his feet, but his body wouldn't listen, "don't tell me Gil set us up! What do I do!?"

Trying to see if there was a way out of the predicament, the boy noticed a bit of blue that stood out from the rest of the vibrant space. As he got closer and closer to the end point, he made it out to be an ethereal image of the blue Chaos Emerald, hovering out of reach even if he made a jump for it. That was, unless he really went for it, and since Gil had said that he could speed up or slow down if he wanted, that was exactly what he intended to do. While there was no air to speak of in this plane, he felt the wind whip at his face all the same as his legs became a circular red and blue blur, pushing himself to speeds he hadn't used since his race against Miles. An immense boom echoed out behind him just as he made the leap of faith, sailing through the air like a jet with his hand outstretched for the Emerald. While he managed to reach it, nothing happened for the briefest moment. But, just when it seemed that Sonic was about to tumble into the void, more road blinked into existence beneath his feet and let him keep going.

The twins' routes were intertwined by comparison, twisting about each other in corkscrew loops that put them across from one another, and other times running parallel. Shrapnel and debris from the conjured obstacles would spill over onto the opposite paths, forcing the wolves to keep pace while watching out for what was ahead for both of them. It didn't help that the constantly shifting perspective was a bit dizzying, nor that it got close enough that the pair could've touched fingertips if only they reached up. Without their weapons, they had to rely on their Rolling Jumps and Attacks to deal with the phantom Badniks, while also being mindful of any treacherous dips in the terrain. All the while, time continued to tick away, and while their total was climbing quickly, they weren't sure if they would be able to make it. They had no idea how long the course was, after all, only that it was apparently possible for them to reach the goal within the allotted limit if they tried.

The two paths straightened out and came side by side after several more seconds, though there was still a significant gap between Gadget and Gizmo. As if to taunt them with this fact, they found their own projections of the red and magenta Emeralds hovering down the line, staying high enough that neither could reach the gems on their own. But then, this was a test for them to work together, and so the teal twin took a daring jump over to her brother's side. She motioned for him to cup his hands together as though he were knocking a volleyball upward, a knowing smile crossing his muzzle as he picked up on her idea. Once they were closer enough to the collective mirage, Gizmo went into a Rolling Jump and bounded towards Gadget. With a grunt, he thrust his arms up and flung her at the fake Emeralds, causing her to pass right through them. After that, the roads melded back together and took a sharp turn in a different direction, leading them to where Sonic's portion was.

As for Miles, it wasn't often that he had to use his flying and ground speeds in tandem, but this challenge was putting his ability to do so to the test. The ground gave out and was replaced with an extensive, rising column of platforms that were spaced pretty far apart. The fox ran along the length of one before hurtling himself upward and using his tails to make the rest of the trip, repeating this as the floating bits of land brought him higher and higher. The available space also got thinner as he went along, until it got to where he was practically running on a tightrope. Having to maneuver himself to balance and reach for Rings, as well as manage his other four limbs in such ways, was certainly giving him a good workout!

'I've got to remember to incorporate more exercises like this during my down time,' he mused, 'whenever I can fit it in between everything else, anyway.'

Peering down to one side, he could see that his friends were about to converge onto a single position, while his route was going elsewhere. He soon found his answer in the form of a spectral white Emerald hovering out in the shimmering space, meaning he'd have to use his tails from there. Taking flight, Miles weaved between the resurrected foes that spawned in his path, treating a few now and again as a stepping stones to keep himself airborne. He eventually got to the object in question, and just as he touched it, it was replaced by a prismatic hoop that he ended up shooting through. The fox felt a burst of speed as he went out the other side, only to rocket through a second one, then a third, a whole series of them winding him back around so that he caught up with the others.

With everyone together again, they peered up at the illuminated digits to see their progress. Thanks to their efforts, they had managed to obtain and even exceed the 500 Rings they needed, but they were saddled with a different problem.

"We've only got 20 seconds left!" Gadget shouted, "and the end's nowhere in sight!"

Which meant that they had to put the figurative pedal to the metal. The issue with that was that the wolves couldn't keep up with the fox and the hedgehog, and all four of them had to reach the finish within the limit. There was only one solution, and while it would slow them down a tiny bit, Miles figured they should be able to just make it.

"Pardon me, Sis," the fox said as he swiftly moved over to Gizmo's side. She let out a yelp of protest as he seized her by the waist and held her above his head, her legs and feet still trying their hardest to run. It was hardly ideal, but it would have to do. "Sonic, let Gad hang onto you! We're going to run as fast as we can with them in tow!"

The hedgehog flashed him a thumbs-up and slowed down a bit so that the red wolf could clamp onto his shoulders. Once the two speedsters were set, they stepped on the gas. As Sonic's legs once more resembled wheels, Miles' tails went into overdrive like a hovercraft's propeller, their vision stretching and blurring as they broke through the sound barrier. The howling of wind whipped in their ears, only occasionally broken by the adrenaline-fueled screams of their companions. Even with this extra effort, it seemed as though they weren't going to make it, with the clock passing the 10-second mark before long. Just as it appeared that they would fail, however...

"There!" Sonic yelled as he pointed forward.

Sure enough, a black and white checkerboard style patch of ground was just a little further ahead. The fox and hedgehog leaned in and gave it everything they got, barely able to keep their eyes open against the wind. With just a few seconds to spare, the quartet crossed the finish line, their Ring total above what they needed. And not long after they did, everything faded to white.


Miles found himself floating in a snowy void, this time able to see himself and feel the weightlessness of his body in the empty space. The seven Chaos Emeralds, all of them now completely restored, orbited around him in a slow and calm circle. The fox could sense the energy coming off of them, which was just as gentle as the way they rotated about him. It was very much like the sensation he experienced when he used the cyan Emerald to comfort himself or to help him fall asleep when he was a young kit. The brief memories brought a smile to his face, as did the fact that he and the others had succeeded in what they'd originally set out to do on Angel Island.

"Congratulations, kitsune," he heard Gil's voice echo through the realm, "you and your companions have proven your earnest intentions, and have thus been deemed worthy of wielding the true power of the Seven Chaos."

As thrilling as the news was, some of the lingering doubts about his ability to use the gems rose up again within Miles. "I don't know about that."

"Your uncertainty is understandable," the man replied with some kindness, "but you have nothing to fear, my Child. Remember the bonds that you have and the wonderful feelings they give you, and let the Emeralds shape them into power."

The fox hummed at that. "In other words, just stay positive. Gad told me the same thing."

"Then you already know what to do," Gil told him. The Emeralds stopped floating and then deposited themselves in the fox's utility belt pouches. "With this, my purpose on Angel Island has been fulfilled. I must depart for now, kitsune, but I am confident we will meet yet again...perhaps then, you will be prepared to handle some of the truth of this world."

And then, as though he'd abruptly awakened from a dream, Miles was back in reality. However, while Gadget had come back with him, they discovered that they hadn't been returned to the same Great Ring chamber that they'd entered to get to the Hidden Palace. The cavern had gone from browns to cool blues and greens, and the temperature was significantly lower there than it was in the other part of the tunnels. There was a golden yellow floor panel a couple of meters away, and when the fox stepped on it, he saw a door at the end of a narrow passage open up.

"Were we transported closer to the Master Emerald?" he wondered aloud.

He was ready to pull out the Miles Electric to check, but the wolf was already on top of things with his comm. "Oh yeah, significantly." Gadget turned the display around for the younger guy to see that the signal for the giant gem was only a hop, skip, and jump away compared to before. "If this is correct, then we've come out near the opposite side of the Caverns. The entrance to the Hidden Palace can't be too far away, not to mention...you know."

"The Battle Moon," Miles finished for him. He stretched his arms and legs for a few moments, then made for the exit of the Great Ring chamber. "Let's hurry and regroup with the others at the shrine. I hope they got a shortcut like we did."

Rushing out of the room, the canid pair dodged a flamethrower trap just under their feet as they tucked and Rolled down a hill to a dip that sent them up. Judging from the paved pathways and smoother surfaces around them, Miles figured that they had to be getting close to the most sacred part of the island. He was also impressed by how well-preserved a lot of the architecture was, almost as though it never missed a day of maintenance. Opening another door, the two came out into a more open part of the Caverns, where they leapt over a few lava pools as they climbed higher.

With the fox's tails and the wolf's grappler, they ended up on the tail end of a long bridge that ascended like stairs towards an overhanging section of stone in the volcano's walls. Above them and closer than before was the bottom of the station, while a massive lake of molten rock sat hundreds of meters below in the depths of the crater. And on the other side of the overpass, they could make out what had to be the passage that would take them where they needed to go. After taking in the view, Miles and Gadget sprinted up and across the bridge, some of the support crumbling away into the abyss as they passed.

Just before they got to the top, a huge icy blue boulder came rolling down the steps and nearly caught both of the boys off guard. The fox immediately jumped over the side and flew out of reach, while the wolf used his wire to drop below and then swing back up onto the platform. Once both of them made sure they were okay and that no more traps were coming, they rushed to the top and found Knuckles waiting for them.

"Rats!" the echidna growled, taking a few steps back, "how did you avoid all of my measures?"

Miles snorted with laughter. "You really thought a boulder was going to stop me?"

"It was not just the boulder," the monotreme said with barely restrained anger, "you should not have been able to arrive here so quickly." He shook his head and spun on his heels, going into a full on run. "Damn it all! I will not let you take the Master Emerald!"

Momentarily stunned at the unexpected about face, Miles and Gadget were soon chasing after Knuckles. With the head start he had on them, not to mention his knowledge of the island's layout, he was certain to reach the shrine before they did. And when they caught up, the hero was more than sure that the Guardian would come at him with everything he had. It seemed that no matter what, fate, or whatever power that was, was determined to make the two-tailed fox and the last of the echidnas fight.