In the desert, two mobians were facing off with a large gemstone in between them.
On one side of the stone was a red echidna, who looked only a few jabs away from a breaking point. Sand flew with the wind, digging through his spines and tickling his nose, but he knew that even the smallest sneeze would be enough of a distraction for the other to run forth and take the gem away. The other mobian, a solid black hedgehog, save for a tuft of white fur at his chest, crossed his arms, smirking at him from across the way, teal eyes glinting with the thrill of the game.
Knuckles the Echidna, guardian of the Master Emerald, was very tired of dealing with Shadow the Hedgehog.
"Oh come on now, Knuckles," Shadow called over, his honeyed tone giving Knuckles an almost instant headache. "Can't you let me have it just this once?"
"For the last time, the answer is 'no'." Knuckles fought the urge to cross his arms; the second he left himself with even the slightest disadvantage, Shadow would strike. They had done this whole song and dance so many times before that it felt rehearsed at this point. "The emerald is mine. It's my people's legacy, and it's my duty to make sure it never falls into the wrong hands." As Shadow opened his mouth to reply, Knuckles cut him off. "Likeyours."
Shadow sighed, placing one hand on his hip. "Words hurt, you know," he replied, and Knuckles glared at him. "And after I was doing so well, too! I got this beauty all the way from your little island all the way out here. Don't you think that's impressive? Maybe deserving of a reward?"
"You can reward yourself by leaving now and avoiding a fight," Knuckles replied, stretching out his fingers. "You should know by now that the Master Emerald isn't just another pretty rock for your collection! It contains special powers that neutralize the energy of the Chaos Emeralds. That makes it very powerful… And not something you can just grab and-"
As though to mock him, a large metal claw descended from the sky, interrupting Knuckles' explanation and clamping down around the Master Emerald.
"What the…?" Knuckles resisted the urge to groan. Great. Just great. A third party after his charge, and even worse, he recognized the machine floating above him.
"Hey!" Shadow shouted indignantly, dropping his relaxed, composed persona in an instant. "Thief! Put that emerald down!"
"Look who's calling who a thief," Knuckles muttered, granting him a peeved glare from the hedgehog.
Up above, Eggman glanced down at the large gemstone he had picked up, marveling at its size. "I came here following the signal from the emerald…" he mused, glancing back at the cyan gem, held in place by his tracking device and radar. "...but if I'm not mistaken, this is the Master Emerald." The doctor scratched his head, frowning. "Something tells me that this wasn't what Rouge had in mind…"
"Hey! Eggman! Drop that emerald right now!" Shadow bellowed, and Knuckles considered his options. Letting Eggman take the Master Emerald was out of the question; he could take it to any number of bases, under maximum security, and the last thing Knuckles needed was to track down the others and ask for their help. He was sure they would lend a hand regardless, but protecting the Master Emerald was his duty.
That left only one other option.
"Well, I guess I could use it for something," he heard Eggman mutter up above him, and the echidna lowered to a crouch, prepared to spring upward. "I'll just take it with me. Farewell, Knucklehead!"
"Not if I can help it!"
With that, Knuckles jumped up, rocketing into the air until the emerald was in reach. Grabbing it would prove impossible, just as he suspected; the surface was too slippery and slanted. Knowing that there was no other choice, and offering a silent apology to Chaos and his ancestors, Knuckles drew back his fist, and slammed it forward.
The emerald shattered on impact, fragments flying far and wide as though they were searching for the ends of the globe, and Knuckles landed on the ground amid a gasp of horror from Shadow and a startled cry from Eggman as his Egg Mobile jostled around from the sudden decrease in weight. The guardian scarcely had time to stand up before furious teal eyes were right in front of him and gloved hands grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him violently. "What the fuck was that?!" Shadow screeched. "What the fuck did you do to my emerald?!"
Shaking his head, Knuckles shoved Shadow away, his superior strength removing the hedgehog from his person with ease. "I did that to prevent the Master Emerald from being stolen again, you idiot!" he snapped back. "If it's in pieces, I can restore it!"
"You broke it!" Shadow moaned in frustration. "I can't believe you would take something so valuable and just… just… Ugh!" The hedgehog gripped at the quills around his head before realizing what he was doing, smoothing them back down as, up above, Eggman made his retreat. "I hate you, Knuckles. I seriously hate you so much."
"Feeling's mutual," Knuckles deadpanned, crossing his arms as his face burned.
Shadow clicked his tongue and tapped his feet, bringing his rocket shoes to life. "Don't take it too personally," he taunted, switching back to his teasing, condescending persona without missing a beat. "I hate everyone who keeps jewels from me, and it looks like I'll just have to find all the missing pieces before you do."
"Hmph. Good luck putting any of them together."
"I'll find a way. I'm the world's greatest treasure hunter," Shadow boasted, and Knuckles couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Just try to keep up with me. I know speed isn't your forte, but… maybe you'll surprise me?"
Before Knuckles could respond, Shadow's shoes roared to life, and the black hedgehog dashed across the desert sands, leaving nothing but a sonic boom in his wake. Knuckles covered his ears with a grimace until the noise subsided, then relished the brief moment of silence that followed. Ever since his island and his emerald had been discovered, Knuckles could never seem to catch a break, and his job as guardian only seemed to get more and more difficult, but this was his destiny. His duty. He would see it through until the day he died.
He would sort things out with Shadow later. For now, he had some shards to track down.
Shadow grinned as he smashed the last box and a verdant shard appeared in the wreckage. "And that makes three!" He scooped it up, grimacing at the way his wet glove clung to his hand as he put the shard away. To get to this part of the oasis, he had to ride on the back of a large turtle, and as fun as that was, being wet was hardly a situation he wanted. It made his gloves feel heavy and cold, it made his quills heavy and droopy, it made his shoes function all weird, and his eyeliner…
Oh shit his eyeliner!
The hedgehog scrambled to the edge of the pool, glancing at his reflection and groaning. Yep. He looked like an absolute mess, and the blue eyeliner he painstakingly applied every day 一it brought out the color of his eyes, shut up 一 was streaking all over the place. With a heavy sigh, he took the opportunity to wash it off; there was no point in reapplying until he was dry. He knew this from experience.
Shadow sat in the sun, toying with his quills and making sure they dried evenly as he wondered what to do next. He loved treasure hunting with all his heart, even if he did look a mess by the end of it all, but this was proving to be a bit of a chore. He had three shards and no idea how many were left, and how many that knucklehead would get to before he did.
And then there was the problem of reassembling the glorious Master Emerald. Shadow paused, taking the shards he had acquired back out and laying them before him.
Yep. No idea how he would even start the restoration process.
Shadow huffed. As pretty as the shards were, they weren't the real deal. Shadow didn't want a fraction of the treasure, he wanted the whole thing, in all its glory. He didn't want to waste his time collecting shards, just to find himself with something subpar for all his effort. Not when there were other treasures out there, also ripe for the taking. Like that high security bank he was staking out and planning to break into. He could hatch that plan any time he wanted, but not if he was running around the world, looking for fragments.
So, the solution was obvious. Shadow had three shards of the Master Emerald. Knuckles could find the rest 一 Shadow could easily count on him to search tirelessly until he did 一 and once he started putting the Master Emerald together, Shadow could swipe it and finish the job himself. He smirked to himself, putting the shards away again. With that squared away, he could focus on that bank.
It wasn't going to be easy, but when were any of his heists easy? Shadow didn't make a name for himself by always doing things the easy way. The day he had stolen his precious shoes, the black, blue and white rocket shoes, the ones that could propel him to speeds faster than most could comprehend, his heists had become more and more daring and dangerous, bringing him into tighter and tighter squeezes that he always managed to find a way out of. That kind of adrenaline brought glory, and glory was something that Shadow loved almost as much as gems.
In the whole world, only one person could claim to keep up with him, and the thought of that person made Shadow grin even wider and his eyes flash. If he stole from the bank, chances were that he would bump into him again, especially since he was planning on making away with a Chaos Emerald.
Well then! It seemed as though he had his plans set for this evening.
Shadow stood up and stretched, wiping any excess sand from his fur and kneeling before the water again to reapply his eyeliner. If he was going to be chased by police, camera crews, and with any luck, him as well, he wanted to look his best.
He would have a Chaos Emerald before the day was out, and before long, the Master Emerald as well.
Life was good.
Night fell over Central City, but it seemed the day was far from over.
Rouge the Bat glided her way up to the highest point of the bridge on the edge of the city, looking down over the buildings and the streets. She saw cars and buses and people, all mingling and rushing as though it was still daytime, though the nightlife had a different feel to it.
Yet, she only felt contempt and bitterness for all those people. For all this life.
Rouge closed her eyes, and from the foggy confines of her mind, one memory surfaced. It was one of the few she had access to, and her least favorite to revisit, but it was the one she played in her head, over and over until her blood burned and her heart cried out in grief and rage.
Flashing red lights. Loud footsteps. The glass locking down around her. Absolute terror. Sad blue eyes peeking out through sweaty blond hair. The pull of a lever. Fists slamming uselessly against her prison.
The ear-splitting BANG that made her blood run cold.
MARIA! MARIA! LET ME OUT! LET ME HELP YOU!
Rouge, I beg of you… Please do it for me… For all the people on that planet…
MARIA! PLEASE! PLEASE, I CAN SAVE YOU, JUST LET ME OUT!
Sayonara… big sister… Rouge...
A burning sensation rose in Rouge's throat at the memory and she struggled to keep the bile down. It didn't matter if it was the first or the fiftieth time she brought that memory back… it never got any easier to see. Rouge gripped at her arm, claws threatening to stab through the fabric of her glove and tear into the insignia on her jumpsuit. The night air whistled past her ears, and her eyes opened. Her vision was blurry from building tears, but she blinked them away. There was no time for crying. Not when she still had a promise to fulfill.
"Maria… I still remember what I promised you. For all the people on this planet… I promise you revenge for what they let happen to you!"
The word tasted bittersweet on her tongue, a mix of gratification and remorse, of right and wrong. Rouge didn't remember much at all, but she remembered what was important. Any misgivings she might have had were just distractions in the long run. Gut feelings meant nothing next to cold hard facts, and they drowned in the sea of anger that drove her forward. Rouge was deemed a weapon… and it was time to show these people just how powerful she could really be.
Sirens blared from the streets, causing her to tense up as the memory came back, but they were interspersed with a voice yelling from a loudspeaker.
"This is the Central City Police! You are under arrest for larceny, resisting arrest, and fleeing custody! Turn yourself and the Chaos Emerald in!"
The bat's ears perked up. A Chaos Emerald? She frowned, picking out the direction of the sirens and spreading her wings. This warranted further investigation.
She would do it. For Maria's sake, she would gather the emeralds and bring this world to its knees.
With that in mind, she took off.
Next chapter: Sonic escapes from the city and bumps into Shadow. Shadow almost has a good day.
