Chapter 2

Sonic raised an eyebrow at the sight before him.

It looks like a giant power ring, he mused. He had to admit that he had never before seen anything like this. Rings, while plentiful and frequently used as a source of energy, were never larger than two feet.

But this thing… it looks about six!

He took a step toward it, hesitating to touch it. Could it have been a creation of Robotnik's? Or perhaps another of the ruins' traps?

Just do it, Sonic.

The hedgehog touched the ring, feeling a surge of energy course through his body before a bright light engulfed him. Sonic squeezed his eyes shut, the light blinding him.

Then suddenly, the light died down. A weightless sensation came over Sonic as he opened his eyes to discover that he was in another place. Another world.

Where am I?

"You are in another realm," a voice replied to Sonic's inward question. "One that is meant to guard the power of Chaos."

Sonic frantically looked around finding no one in view. "Who's there? Who are you?"

"I am nothing. Merely a memory of what once was. And you, young man, are the last hope for earth."

Sonic wrinkled his nose at that declaration. Last hope for earth? Sure, he wanted to stop Robotnik, but he wasn't any hero or savior.

"You doubt yourself, Sonic the hedgehog. Yet you should not, for it is your destiny to wield the power of the Chaos."

"But why?" Sonic protested. "I'm just a kid! All I want is to find these emeralds so Robotnik can be stopped! I'm not a soldier. I can't even fight. I've lost all but one fight my entire life, and that was to a deaf mute that wanted to start something with me. How do think I'm going to manage to save myself let alone the entire planet?"

The voice, still calm, simply replied, "You must prove your worth."

Sonic frowned. This didn't sound good. "What? You mean, like a test or something?"

Suddenly, a group of walls materialized around Sonic.

"Sonic," the voice once again spoke. "To locate the first emerald of the Chaos you must find your way through this labyrinth. But choose your path wisely; there are two ways out of the Chaos Realm. One is through the goal markers; the other is with the emerald. You must prove your worth not only to your world but to yourself as well. Be strong, Sonic the hedgehog."

"Scanners are negative, Dr. Robotnik," the buzzbomber robot designated A-2132 informed, its insectoid eye sensors glowing red as it focused on the fat doctor's face.

Robotnik stroked his moustache for a moment, thinking. "Continue the excavation."

"Affirmative," the robot replied before flying off to continue its work.

He looked around the area. In this lush jungle the portal leading to the Chaos Emeralds could be anywhere.

However, Robotnik thought with a gleam of malice in his eye, the forest can't hide anything if it no longer exists.

"This is nuts," Sonic groaned as he floated down a corridor in the Chaos maze.

Sonic has to admit that in the past 10 minutes he truly felt unsure of himself. It was such a foreign concept to him. He'd always thought of himself as a pretty self-assured individual. He managed to live on his own for the past year without family or friends to support him. Most people his age could rarely say the same.

Yet he felt so…

Inadequate, Sonic thought.

He made a turn down one of the paths, coming to an area where the maze forked. Left or right? Sonic wondered. Only have one chance at this. Better make it good.

He fanned the air with his arms, pushing himself toward the corridor on the right. Facing him was a dead end.

Wrong move, Sonic.

A bright light once again surrounded Sonic. The world seemed to spin around him, steadily increasing in speed. Sonic grew dizzy and passed out.

The smell of burning leaves stung Sonic's senses as he regained consciousness, discovering that he was outside one of the Marble Zone's temples.

Sonic frowned. He had failed the test. Did that mean then that he wasn't in fact the hero of this strange war?

In the distance he could hear an odd buzzing sound followed by the blast of plasma cannons striking stone.

Sonic rose from the ground and discovered that the jungles were being incinerated; the temples were being demolished!

And I can't do anything to stop it now. A knot grew in the hedgehog's stomach. Sonic felt ready to break down into tears when he suddenly tightened his fists into a firm grip of rage.

No! This isn't over! I won't let South Island fall into that scumbag's hands. I won't stand here and watch my friends die.

He had no idea where to begin. Perhaps he had another chance at acquiring the emeralds. It didn't matter to him. He only wanted to be sure that he was doing the right thing in the end.

"Nothing! My scanners show absolutely nothing!" Robotnik bellowed, not toward anyone in particular, but merely to reassure himself of his frustration. The Chaos energy dwelling in the Marble Zone seemingly dissipated upon his arrival. His buzzbombers, despite nearly destroying the entire area, turned up nothing.

Perhaps I will find luck elsewhere, Robotnik thought with a glimmer of hope. The portal leading to the Chaos Emeralds is on the island. I'm sure of it!

He punched a button on his dashboard, activating his intercom. "A-2132, return to base. Perhaps we need to rethink our strategy."

Just as he deactivated the intercom, a blue blur from afar came into view of his peripheral vision. The doctor raised an eyebrow. The hedgehog? What could he be doing here?

Then suddenly, the silhouette vanished from sight. An idea came into the fat man's mind. Maybe our blue friend knows where to find our little treasure.

It was a long shot, but he had nothing to lose. If anything it would give him the opportunity to kill the pesky creature after that humiliating confrontation that took place.

This might be fun, Robotnik thought with twisted glee. Yes, very fun indeed.