Knuckles Chaotix: Pt 1
He always liked this time of year, the clouds rolling over head, the cool breeze blowing through his dreadlocks, the soft buzz of the grasshoppers and cicadas all around him. This place was home and as much as he liked the hustle and bustle of the crowds of Soleanna, nothing beat getting a day off and coming home to rest in his favorite spot in the shade.
ZOOOOOM! Knuckles' daydreaming was broke by the sound of a biplane engine that flew by parallel to the island. Opening his eyes to see what the disturbance was, he found the plane was already out of sight.
"Stupid joyriders." The echidna grumbled, reclining back against the master emerald alter once more. "Why do they have to fly this high?" Angel Island was the last echidna's home away from home. The place he liked to retreat to whenever he got time off from Team Sonic, but having it so low to the ground due to the shattering of the master emerald really bothered Knuckles. And he wished to gather all of the pieces and get the emerald back to full power once more. That way he could take the island back up into the stratosphere where it belonged.
"HEY KNUCKLES! I DISCOVERED SOMETHING NEW IN THE OLD ECHIDNA GLYPHS!" A female voice called out. "I was about to translate it but I wanted to let you know before I did."
"Blast it, Relic. Can't you see I was enjoying some peace and quiet?" He grumbled standing up and turning to face the small blue pika. "Why don't you go back to mushroom hill and inhale some of the spores?"
"My my. It certainly a pleasure you are still your same old cheerful self." Relic replied. Her eye twitching "But these glyphs are your legacy. And as the last of the Knuckles Clan, it is your duty to preserve and protect your tribe's history."
"Alright, alright. I'll be with you in a minute." The echidna stated. "Why don't you go on ahead and I will catch up in a few minutes?"
Adjusting her glasses, Relic nodded and left. When he was certain the pika was gone, Knuckles stepped up to the mostly assembled master emerald and gave it a great big hug.
"It's okay, baby. Daddy has some business to take care of." Knuckles stated, rubbing his cheek up against the emerald's smooth surface. "I'll be back just as soon as Mama Relic and I finish with that dusty old echidna writing."
As Knuckles raced from the emerald alter shrine, he ran through the mushroom hill zone bouncing from cap to cap as he made his way towards the hidden palace.
"Gee, I wonder what Relic could have possibly found that was so important." The echidna thought aloud. "It must be pretty big if she went through all the trouble to… Hey, what the heck is that?" Knuckles heard the sound of the plane engine again as the small two-seater roared overhead coming down in the trees at the edge of the forest. "Uh oh. It looks like that aircraft crashed." He said to himself. "I hope the pilot is going to be alright."
Burrowing his way into the ground, Knuckles tunneled through the soil towards the forest's edge. Popping out of the dirt and climbing the trees with his shovel claw, the echidna was surprised to the sound of four familiar voices coming out of the plane above.
"VECTOR, YOU IDIOT! I TOLD YOU TO WATCH WHERE YOU WERE GOING!" An angry voice snapped. "That does it, you are never going to fly our plane during a mission again."
"AH, shut your yapper, you stupid armadillo." The gator growled. "I don't need you telling me off right now. This stupid biplane was a rental and it going to be coming out of our group budget."
"Oh no scale breath, you were the one who insisted on flying the plane." Mighty replied. "So, it's coming out of your pocket. The rest of us shouldn't have to pay for your screw-up."
"Oh no, would you two please stop arguing?" A child like voice pleaded. "Things are bad enough and we don't need you fighting."
"No one asked for your opinion, kid." Vector growled. "And if you don't shut up, I'm going to find out what bee tastes like."
"WHAAA! You're mean!" Charmy cried. "How can you treat a little kid like that?" Knuckles was listening curiously to their conversation when a kunai whizzed by his head. Chopping off one of his dreadlocks.
Sliding down the tree and taking a fighting stance, the echidna noticed a distorted area of color in front of the tree to his right.
"You know, it's not nice to listen in on other people's conversation, stranger." The distorted shape said, pulling out another kunai. "It would be best for you to back off."
"Can the dramatic act, Espio. I know it's you." Knuckles smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Where ever those three goofs up there go, the number one ninja of the Eastern Kingdoms is not far behind."
"Knuckles? Is that you?" Espio made himself visible. "What are you doing up here? I thought you would be with the rest of Team Sonic.
"This is my week off and Angel Island is my home." The echidna replied indignantly. "What are you and your fellow mercenaries doing at my back door?"
"Sorry about that, Knuckles. I assumed you were one of those Nocturnus echidnas skulking about." The chameleon stated. "They have been more aggressive as of lately."
"Well, I'm not one of Ix's goons. And you still haven't answered what you're doing on my island." Knuckles shrugged. "But we'll save that for later. Right now, why don't you get your companions out of that tree and we will head back to the hidden palace. I have a friend waiting for me there."
"Charmy, would you help me get out of this tree, please?"
"No way am I flying you to the ground, scale tail. You way a ton after eating all those breakfast burritos."
The hidden palace was at the very center of Angel Island's highest peak. A large step-pryamid that resembled a Mayan temple from the time Mobius forgot. The five mobians climbed the large stone steps to the door on top where the short mouse mobian waited for them, book in hand.
"Ah, Knuckles. There you are. I was wondering what taking you so long." She stated. "And I see you brought the Chaotix with you as well."
"She's the one who invited us here, Knucklehead." Vector quipped. "She said there might be some treasure hidden in the vault behind the inscriptions."
"You invited these goons to come and take echidna treasure!?" Knuckles roared clenching his fists in anger.
"That's right, dreadhead. We provide protection from any traps and get a share of any loot in return." Mighty added.
"I can't believe you made a deal like that without TELLING ME!" Knuckles yelled angrily.
"Oh, calm down, Knux. Anything they take from the island will have to be approved by you first." Relic turned and walked back into the temple. "Now, if you'll come with me. I found a hidden door down by the treasure vaults." Leading the Chaotix down a series of spiral steps, Relic showed them a massive twenty foot stone door covered in the carved language of the Knuckles clan.
"I can make out some of these glyphs but I can't get the full message." The pika explained. "The door says something about lost souls and a paradise of entertainment, but I can't decipher much more than that."
"Wait, that can't be right." Charmy replied. "It's a door. How can it say anything?"
"Figure of speech, buzz brain." Mighty answered. "Hey, knucklehead. Think you can fill in the blanks for Lara Kraft here."
"HEY!" Relic squeaked. "I resemble that remark."
"Quiet you two, I'm trying to concentrate." Knuckles ran his gloved hands over the glyphs, brushing off the dust and feeling their indentations and shapes. "Grandpa Althair taught me to read these things by touch, not by sight because it doesn't supply the full picture." The echidna closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and replying. "I'm not entirely sure but I believe the message is a memorial to those children whose lives were taken by the monster Chaos." He stated sadly. "It wishes them an eternal happiness in the afterlife and urges any who visit here not to disturb their slumber."
"Esh, that's kind of creepy." Vector replied, shivering. "I don't like the sound of ghosts or spirits one little bit. No treasure is worth that much trouble."
"I agree, it is dishonorable to disturb the spirits of the deceased." Espio added. "Let us leave this place and trouble the departed no more."
"Well, it's not like we could get in anyway." Relic told them with a sigh of relief. "The only way to open this door is to press that round glyph at the very top and there is no way we're going to reach it from here."
"Press the round glyph?" Charmy asked, flying up and putting his hand against it. "You mean like this?"
"CHARMY, YOU IDIOT! NO!" Mighty called out as the giant stone door rolled upward. The floor tilted upward and they all slid down into the room.
"SMOOTH MOVE, CHARMY! You press the circle button, so we could slide." Vector yelled.
"I'm sorry." Charmy wailed. At first, the room they fell into had nothing but darkness and a large pile of echidna bones. But soon, the room began to glow with an eerie light and the sound of several children laughing could be heard all around them.
"Charmy, what did you do?" Espio demanded. "What's going on?"
"Oh no, we've awaken the spirits of the children." Relic replied in horror. "And now, they've come back to have their fun with the living." Suddenly, the room was bathed in a blinding light and the sounds of games and carnival rides filled the Chaotix's ears. One moment, Knuckles was standing next to his five companions in a small requiem chapel. The next, he was in the middle of a midway. The surrounding carnival spread out without end before him.
"Hey, where did everyone go?" The echidna asked looking around. "How on Earth did I get here?"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up for the Great on Mobius." A voice called out over the intercom. "Be sure to make your way to the big top before the clock strikes twelve."
"Whoa. I don't even know how long that would be, given how that clock over there is moving." Knuckles looked up at the big clock above the ticket booth and saw its hands spinning in an endless cycle at a rapid rate. "I'd better try to find everyone else and get out of here." He thought aloud. "Before it's too late." The last of the Knuckles clan made his way through the endless row of carnival games hoping to find any sign of his companions before it was too late."