"Who are you?" Rouge asked, an incredulous expression plastered across her face. Tikal opened her mouth, ready to explain, but caught off guard by Rouge's question she paused.

"I am Tikal." She answered. Rouge shot Sonic a look.

"You betrayed everyone around you for a spirit?"

Sonic shook his head. "Tikal is a close friend. Whether in body or in spirit, I trust her judgement."

"Fine words, Sonic." Knuckles replied.

Rouge scoffed, then turned to Miles. "And what about you? You haven't answered my question."

Miles gave her a stern look. "We destroyed the Master Emerald to prove a theory."

Knuckles whipped around, snarling. "Excuse me?!"

The group shared his anger and surprise as Miles nodded. "Chaos was an extra asset we could use, but it was mostly to prove that the chaos emeralds wouldn't scatter when used together when the Master Emerald was not around."

Knuckles grabbed Miles by the throat. Eyes widening, Rouge tried to pull him off to no avail. "You destroyed a sacred relic and freed the goddess' pet, causing untold destruction upon the world, to play scientist?!"

He yelped as an electric shock coursed through his body, Metal having tazed him. The echidna collapsed and Rouge shot the robot a look. Metal glared back.

Tikal sighed and turned to Sonic. "A thought has been grabbing my attention for a while now, ever since you told us your backstory."

Sonic nodded, folding his arms, and listening intently. When he gave no verbal response, Tikal saw it as a sign to continue. "You were birthed by an emerald – you might even be a living chaos emerald."

"What?" Sonic raised an eyebrow. Tikal nodded.

"It may be why the emerald revived you from drowning because you resonated with the energies inside. The emeralds haven't been drained from their power," Tikal explained, gesturing to the greyed-out emeralds that scattered the rooftops. "Chaos absorbed their negative energies, consumed by his rage. I can sense the positive energies remain."

Knuckles, who had tuned into the conversation, leaving Rouge, Metal and Miles to bicker, came over to the two. "You're saying Sonic could use the positive energies to fight Chaos?"

Tikal nodded. Knuckles frowned. "But if he does defeat Chaos, and we do seal him inside once again… you'll be trapped there too."

"Not this again…" Tikal sighed, holding a hand close to her chest.

"Hey," Knuckles interrupted, putting a hand out in front of Tikal. "You never told me what you wanted back on the Egg-Carrier."

Tikal looked downtrodden. "My plan isn't to seal Chaos – it's to calm him. To make me redundant, and to allow me to move on." She looked up at the shocked echidna and smiled sadly. "It's been a long, painful journey, and I feel especially lucky that I had such a strong friend to protect me during those times.

"But… is it too selfish to want to move on? To stop all this anger?"

Knuckles didn't answer. Sonic hummed quietly. "It's not selfish." He replied. "But," He continued, holding up a finger at the echidnas expressions. "It's a matter of doing it right."

Sonic dropped his arms, looking at the emeralds. "And I don't even know how I can use the emeralds to begin with. I barely figured out Chaos Control."

Knuckles took Sonic's hands and held them tightly. "Tikal is right. If there is a chance, we must take it." He let go of his hands and put a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "And I'll help you to do it."

"What are you three talking about?" Rouge asked. Miles and Metal looked up, but Metal nodded.

"I do not like our current situation." Metal spoke, beeping. "But it has the highest percentage of success."

Rouge looked back at Metal. "What's your tin can going on about?"

Miles looked down. "Julian wanted revenge on G.U.N. For both himself, and for his grandfather." With hopeful eyes, he looked back at Sonic. "Metal Sonic is saying that the best chance we have at survival is Sonic."

"Metal Sonic?" Sonic asked, holding back a laugh. "That's the best he could come up with?"

Miles glared at him. "Don't make me regret this. After all, we were both born of emeralds. Theoretically, I could take your place."

"As could I." Rouge chimed in. "Don't forget that I was the first."

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Both of you have been nothing but thorns in our side during our attempts to stop this disaster." He looked back at Sonic and gave him a confident smile. "I'm only helping Sonic."

"Thanks, Knux."

Knuckles chuckled. "No problem. Now, I need you to meditate with the emeralds around you."

Sonic moved to sit in the middle as Knuckles lay the emeralds around him in a circle. Then, Knuckles took his own seat away. Eyes burned into Sonic's head as he closed his eyes. This was it.

"Deep breaths, Sonic." Knuckles ordered gently. Sonic followed suit.

"Think of the emeralds. Think of the positives. Think of those you seek to protect."

Around him, the emeralds shifted. They began to glow – dimly at first – until they were shining their respective colours. Knuckles smiled at the shock of Rouge and Miles and continued.

"Harness the power, Sonic. Be one with your inner voice – and one with the emeralds.

"Focus."

The emeralds had begun to lift into the air. Sonic felt something calling to him – a voice, almost. It threatened to break his concentration, but he remained vigilant. As the emeralds began to spin, Knuckles nodded.

"Focus."

There was a hiss, and then an explosion of light. The group shielded their eyes. Tikal was the first to peer back at the hedgehog, and she did so with a wide grin. Knuckles followed suit, smiling as well. "You did it…!" He gasped.

Rouge's jaw dropped. "What on earth?!"

Miles smiled with curiosity and interest. "This is the power of the chaos emeralds!"

Metal beeped.

For before them all was a golden hedgehog, aura and wisps of emerald energy shifting about his body. He opened his eyes – they flashed of every colour of the emerald, before settling on a deep, crimson red. Sonic hovered in the air, feeling nothing but a rush of power in every direction.

"Sonic." Tikal spoke, catching the hedgehog's attention. "Knuckles and I will begin the ritual to calm Chaos, but you need to weaken it."

Sonic looked out at the watery lizard-like beast, then nodded. "I'll buy as much as time as I can."

Then, he shot off with an incredible speed, breaking the sound barrier with ease. Chaos roared and Rouge and Miles could only watch.

Knuckles stepped back to Tikal. "What do we do?"

"Follow my lead."