Chapter 5: The Chaos
Last time on Maria the Tenrec, Metal Sonic appears to with the mission to destroy Maria, leading to a fight between him and Amy. Despite Amy's best efforts, the metal menace proved too much for her and Maria to handle. That is until new information reached Metal and Sonic's arrival, forcing the robot to retreat, secretly with new information to tell his master...
Starring:
Knuckles the Echidna - Guardian of the Master Emerald
Metal Sonic - Badnik on a Mission
Egg Base; Production Line
*Within the production line at the Egg Base, Eggman looks on as new robots are built, animals stuffed into them to power them like batteries. Though rather than any satisfied smile over his evil, his mind wanders to what Maria said when they last interacted...*
Maria: "He never wanted to rule... Just change the world for the better... He would be...very disappointed in you..."
Eggman: "...Rrrgh... Miserable wretch. I idolize my grandfather for all of his achievements! And for her to make such foolish claims... I will show her no mercy..."
*He walks down the catwalk, leaving the assembly line to another large room, featuring a large battleship currently being built.*
Eggman: "Orbot! Cubot! Report!"
Orbot: "Uh oh... The boss's having another of his episodes..."
Cubot: "Aye, matey! We be walkin' the edge o' da plank on tis one!"
Orbot: "Ahem..." *Turns to Eggman, smiling the best he could with his limited features.* "Boss! Hello! Yes, the Egg Carrier is nearing completion and the E-Series crew is about ready to be deployed as well. Though there was a snag with the animals..."
Eggman: "What E-Series were finished before this 'snag' then?"
Cubot: "Da black one and da red one!"
Orbot: "Ahem. What he means is... E-101 Beta and E-102 Gamma. E-100 Alpha unfortunately went rogue, forcing me and Cubot to dismantle-"
Eggman: "No matter! Get the Egg Carrier completed as soon as possible! I have something else on the plate so I am to not be disturbed..." *Leaves the room, Orbot and Cubot staring at their boss.*
Orbot: "Oh dear... Boss is really taking that Maria girl's words far."
Cubot: "Aye! But what's thargh to be done!?"
Orbot: "For once... You have a point..."
Angel Island; Master Emerald Shrine
*On Shrine Island of the floating Angel Island, a certain red Echidna sat at the steps of the shrine, meditating on his destiny as the lone guardian of the Master Emerald.*
Knuckles: For as long as I can remember, I have been guarding the Master Emerald. As if it were my fate... Eternally bound to stay and protect this sacred gem. But ever since Sonic came, I must admit I find myself...missing the excitement of that adventure. Though perhaps, I may just be out of touch.
*Knuckles opens his eyes as he sees a figure fly in and land on the island, prompting the echidna to stand get on the defensive.*
Knuckles: "Hold it! I don't know who you are, but you are trespassing!"
*Knuckles gets a better look and recognizes the figure as another robotic copy of Sonic.*
Knuckles: "Mecha Sonic!? But I thought I destroyed you!"
Metal Sonic: "Data files for Model 'MS-10-18-94', designated Mecha Sonic, found. He was an inferior version of the one and only Metal Sonic. I have been built to be Sonic's absolute double."
Knuckles: "...Fascinating stuff. Now leave."
Metal Sonic: "Negative. I have come to collect data of the Master Emerald. It's strong Chaos energy reserves resonates greatly with other Chaos Emeralds. Several possible conclusions can be made."
Knuckles: "Alright. I gave you enough warnings..." *Pounds his fists together.* "So let me just give you a conclusion...by tearing you apart!"
Metal Sonic: "...Big mistake. This unit does not lose twice in one day."
*Knuckles runs up to Metal Sonic, aiming to punch him. But Metal Sonic jumps over Knuckles and slams into him with a Black Shield ready, slamming Knuckles to the ground. The Echidna quickly stands back up and lands a drop kick right on Metal Sonic before quickly following up with a slamming punch to the robot's face. Metal Sonic unleashes a surge of electricity, pushing Knuckles off, before going in with a Spin Attack. Knuckles blocks the Spin Attack, getting slowly pushed back by the force.*
Knuckles: "This all you got!? You hit worse than Sonic does on a bad day!" *Tosses Metal into the air, hoping to fling him off the island.*
*Metal catches himself and starts floating back down.*
Metal Sonic: "Acknowledged. Copy data acquired."
Knuckles: "Copy what?"
*Knuckles is met by a solid punch to his face, one equal in strength to his own punch. He is stunned by the sudden shift in strength as he sees Metal Sonic close the distance. Knuckles is put on the defensive, having to block Metal Sonic's oncoming attacks before finally seeing an opening. The two's attacks clash, leading to an incredible shockwave, though Metal is the one pushed back.*
Knuckles: "Hah! You may have copied my strength, Sonic wannabe, but you didn't copy the force behind these punches! That's what makes them so powerful!"
Metal Sonic: "You talk too much, inferior vermin."
*Metal Sonic goes in for a Spin Attack but Knuckles just jumps over the metal hedgehog before digging into the ground. Metal looks around, scanning for Knuckles, before jumping away in time as Knuckles attempts to hit him with an uppercut.*
Metal Sonic: "Predictable."
*Metal lands some distance away, but soon finds himself buried when the ground caved into him.*
Knuckles: "Hah! Gotcha! Time to finish you off!"
*Metal glares at Knuckles before spinning everything from the neck down like a drill to dig himself out of the dirt. And just as Knuckles was about to land the finishing blow, Metal escapes in the nick of time. Metal then quickly retaliates with a Spin Dash and sends Knuckles flying at the Master Emerald, slamming into it.*
Knuckles: "Ugh... Man, this guy smarts..."
Metal Sonic: "Game's over, Echidna. I am victorious." *Grabs Knuckles by the neck and gets ready to end him.*
*Then Metal notices a crack on the Master Emerald, the crack getting bigger and bigger until... The Master Emerald exploded, sending both Knuckles and Metal flying. A small spirit orb flies out as the Master Emerald shards fly into parts unknown and a new entity appears to greet the duo.*
Metal Sonic: "Unknown creature detected. Requesting identification."
*The green-eyed water creatures turns to Metal Sonic...before stretching a fist right at the metal hedgehog's head, punching him straight in the face.*
Metal Sonic: "Request denied..."
*The monster turns to Knuckles before swinging a water tendril at the echidna, forcing him to dodge.*
Knuckles: "Oh things keep getting better and better..."
*A rumble suddenly stops the ensuing battle as the island starts to plummet to the ocean below.*
Knuckles: "Uh oh! Without the Master Emerald, the island'll...!"
Metal Sonic: "Aborting mission. Abort. Abort. Abort." *Flies away as the island drops from the sky and lands on the ocean with a mighty, thunderous quake.*
Some time passes...
*Knuckles is on the ground, slowly regaining consciousness after the quake had knocked him out. He looks around, seeing no one but himself left on the no-longer-floating island.*
Knuckles: "Ugh... My head... Man, careful what you wish for, Knuckles... Because you might just get it..." *Sees the island perfectly stable on some land.* "Good. Looks like we hit shallow waters. That means my home is safe for now... But now... I have to find the pieces of Master Emerald and restore my island..."
Sonic: "Yo, Knuckles!"
*Sonic and Tails speed into the scene, having felt the quake that the island caused. Knuckles turns and seemed happy to see Sonic, though tries to hide it.*
Knuckles: "Hmph. What do you want?"
Sonic: "Ouch, cold shoulder much?"
Tails: "Knuckles! What happened to Angel Island!? Did the Master Emerald get taken again?"
Knuckles: "I wish it was that simple, but... One of Eggman's robots came and broke the Master Emerald, shattering it to pieces. I was on my way to fix it up before you guys stopped by."
Sonic: "Hmm... Think it was Metal Sonic, bud?"
Tails: "No doubt. Whatever Eggman's up to, its gotta involve the Master Emerald again!"
Sonic: "Yeah! Alright, Knuckles. How about me and Tails help you out in finding the pieces of the Master Emerald?"
Knuckles: "Really? Well... I guess that would help me out a lot... But what about stopping Eggman?"
Sonic: "Once he shows his ugly mug, Knux! Come on!" *Runs ahead.*
Tails: "Wait up, Sonic!" *Chases after the blue blur, leaving Knuckles to stare on.*
Knuckles: "...Sigh... Those two are so strange... But it'd be rude to decline their offer. I'll save my island first... Then pay that metal menace back for breaking my Emerald."
Mystic Ruins; Jungle Cliffside
*Speaking of the metal menace, Metal Sonic was looking through what he scanned of the Master Emerald with intrigue, though nothing conclusive regarding Maria and her strange Chaos energy was found.*
Metal Sonic: "Data on the Master Emerald was met with...disappointment. Effort into researching the Emerald is left with nothing to show for it. Re-evaluating my next move... Data suggests finding a proper Chaos Emerald and scanning that to compare. Or I can find Maria and take her to Master Robotnik directly for possible dissection. Weighing my options: Finding Maria would satisfy personal vendetta against the pink hedgehog for her interference... And taking Maria to Eggman will lead to completing one of my two main objectives. Collecting a single Chaos Emerald will yield...neither of these results. Conclusion: Stop delaying the inevitable. Resuming main objective: Find Maria...and capture her."
*With this, he jumps off the cliff and races off to go find and capture Maria, his red eyes aglow.*
To be continued in...
The Gardens