Chapter 4: The Reveal

Sonic ran up and over the slopes of Mystic Ruin with Tails flying beside him. After being trapped in a train far longer than desired, it was pure exhilaration to be out in the open again. He would be running over the hills and through the jungle with reckless abandon if he didn't have a mission on his mind.

"Tails, how far is Angel Island?" he asked.

"We should be there in about five minutes," Tails replied.

The two friends hurried up a hill and onto an open plateau, where Tails' workshop came into view.

Then, Sonic heard something that made him alert.

A laser shot!

"Look out!"

Sonic tackled Tails just as a laser beam shot over their heads, and they tumbled across the ground. They came to a stop and looked up. An egg-shaped hovercraft was coming down towards them. At the controls was an extremely round man dressed in a black and red flight suit. His large mustache became bushier as he smiled wickedly.

"Ho ho, still as sharp as ever, Sonic," the man sneered.

"Heh," replied Sonic in kind, getting to his feet. "You really thought a single laser would take me down, Eggman?"

"Silence!" the man yelled. "I am Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the greatest scientific genius in the world! Get it right!"

"Yeah, whatever, Egg-man," Sonic taunted, purposely exaggerating the last word.

Eggman slammed his fists on the control panel of his hovercraft, his face turning redder than a tomato. Sonic snickered. Eggman was so easy to get riled up.

"Enough, you spiky pincushion!" Eggman roared. "I'll have you know that I've got big plans! And this time, you won't be able to stop me!"

"That's what you always say," Tails countered. "Why should this time be any different?"

"Because once I gather all Seven Chaos Emeralds, I'll gain the ultimate power and build my empire!" Eggman answered.

"Oh, yeah, and just how do you plan to get them this time?" Sonic said.

"By any means necessary! Even crushing you!"

Eggman pressed a button on his control panel. Immediately, there was the sound of engines starting up. From the opposite side of the plateau, a machine with three rocket boosters and two large drills emerged. Eggman hovered back and lowered his vehicle into the main body. There was a loud clank as the two machines connected, and the drills rotated around, spinning.

"Behold, my Egg Hornet!" he announced dramatically.

"Yeah, impressive," Sonic said, unimpressed. He then turned to his friend. "C'mon, Tails, let's see if it's got any sting."

Tails nodded, putting up his fists and hardening his face. Sonic readied himself, keeping his confident grin. Eggman charged the Egg Hornet at them, its drills ready to kill. Sonic and Tails leapt aside, dodging the attack. Tails flew above the Hornet as it dove into the earth. Sonic touched ground before springing towards the stuck machine. Before it could escape, he curled up into a ball and struck it hard, his spikes penetrating the metal.

From his aerial position, Tails looked over the Egg Hornet, searching for weaknesses.

When he found them, his face lit up and he flew down towards Sonic.

"Sonic, aim for the rocket connectors!" he said. "If we disconnect them, the machine will be grounded!"

Sonic winked and gave a thumbs up. "Right! Give me a lift!"

Tails grabbed Sonic's hand, and with remarkable speed, flew up above the Hornet just as it dislodged itself from the earth. Sonic looked down and saw the Egg Hornet coming towards them.

"Tails, heads up!" he shouted.

Tails glanced back before diving down and under the machine. He prepared to throw Sonic, and the hedgehog braced himself. With accurate precision, Tails threw Sonic up towards one of the connectors, and the Hedgehog spin-dashed into it, severing it from the main body. Eggman screamed from the attack and gripped the controls tight to regain control. The Egg Hornet wavered, off balanced from the missing rocket.

The delay gave Tails time to fly up and grab Sonic and swing him down towards the second connector. Sonic spin-dashed again, the gravitational pull aiding his speed, and struck the connector. He rolled across the ground and back onto his feet.

"STOP WRECKING MY MACHINE!" Eggman roared.

"What's wrong, Eggman?" Sonic taunted. "I thought you said you were going to crush us!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU "CRUSHING"!"

Eggman pressed another button, and the front of the Egg Hornet opened up, revealing another drill that was much larger than the other two. At the same time, a strong glass-like shield covered Eggman. He pointed his machine right at Sonic and dove. Sonic sprinted away, and the machined bored into the plateau. The ground underneath Sonic rumbled, and he looked around sharply, tensing.

Suddenly, the Egg Hornet burst out beside him, sending clumps of dirt and rocks everywhere. A large stone flew into the air and struck Tails across the face.

"GAH!"

Sonic turned to see little buddy tumbling towards the earth. He raced across the plateau and jumped, catching Tails in both arms, and landed on both feet, sliding back.

"Tails, you alright?" he asked, concerned.

Tails winced in pain, bringing his hand up to nurse a bruise next to his eye. Sonic scowled and looked back at Eggman.

This was now personal!

Sonic carefully set Tails down before dashing towards the Egg Hornet. It was still at ground level, and he wasn't going to let it get away. He spin-dashed into the machine, breaking through the metal. He did it again and again with such speed that Eggman could not keep up.

Finally, with one last blow, Sonic shot straight through and hit the engine. The second he emerged, the last of the Egg Hornet exploded behind him. Not looking back, he instead ran to Tails, who was now getting to his feet.

"Tails, you okay, buddy?" he asked.

"I think so," Tails replied dizzily. "I just–" A look of terror came over Tails' face. "Sonic, the Chaos Emerald."

Sonic followed Tails' finger and saw the Chaos Emerald on the ground several meters away. Tails must have lost it when he got struck.

Sonic sprinted. But before he could grab the Emerald, a metal claw came out of nowhere and snatched it up.

"What?"

"Ho ho ho!" Eggman laughed manically. "Nice try, hedgehog!"

Eggman was hovering above Sonic and Tails again. Aside from a few smoke stains, his mobile was intact. Eggman reeled in the metal claw like a fisherman and plucked the Chaos Emerald out of its clutches.

"I really should thank you for bringing the Chaos Emerald to me," he said. "Now you can witness a little demonstration. Come forth, Chaos!"

"Chaos?" Sonic exclaimed.

As soon as the Hedgehog spoke that word, a puddle of water emerged from the dirt, rising up and swiftly taking shape.

Sonic stared in shock. "No way! It's that monster from last night!"

Before either Sonic or Tails could do anything, Eggman threw the monster the Chaos Emeralds. When the two made contact, there was a flash of light that made Sonic and Tails shield their eyes. When the light had faded and they could see again, they were met with a chilling sight.

The monster had grown larger, a shark-like fin protruded from its back, and there was a kind of metal-like structure in its right arm, almost like artificial bones. In the center of its hand, embedded in the metal, was the Emerald.

Sonic inhaled sharply. "What the—?"

"Yes!" Eggman screeched in triumph. "It's just as the stone tablets foretold! His strength increases every time I feed him a Chaos Emerald! Once I have all seven, he'll be invincible! And with his power, Robotnik Land will finally come to be!"

"Guess again, Eggman!" Sonic yelled.

The Hedgehog was about to charge the monster when Eggman threw something at his feet. It exploded in a flash of light and released a kind of smoke, making Sonic cough and shut his eyes. By the time it had cleared, Eggman and Chaos were gone. Sonic gritted his teeth and kicked the ground, and Tails came up beside him, still holding his head.

"Rats, he got away!" Sonic snarled.

"Sonic, you heard Eggman," said Tails. "The more Emeralds that thing gets, the stronger it will become."

"I know," Sonic replied. "Which means we have to find them before he does."

"Right. C'mon, my workshop is nearby. Let's regroup there and think of a plan."

Among the trees…

Unbeknownst to Sonic and Tails, they were being observed.

Alex had managed to find the two, but they were engaged in a fight with that guy who called himself Robotnik. She hid behind a nearby boulder, watching in awe and fear as the Mobian Hedgehog and Fox battled against the scientist they called "Eggman".

She also saw the man feed a Chaos Emerald to that water monster. The same one that had attacked her last night.

She leaned against the boulder, her heart racing, and her hands trembling.

"So, that monster is working for that man," she thought. "Does that mean he ordered it to attack us? If so, does that mean he knew we were Mystics? If he did, then why? What does he want? And that monster. Chaos. I've heard that name before. But where?"

Alex closed her eyes and pressed and finger to her forehead, desperately sifting through her memories. That name was so familiar. She had heard it in reference to something other than the Chaos Emeralds or Chaos Energy. It had something to do with the reason she, Carrie, and Master Aaron were out here in the first place.

Finally, like spark of light, she remembered what Master Aaron said about coming to Mystic Ruin.

"Master, why are we here again?" Carrie asked, more annoyed than curious.

"To solve a mystery," Master Aaron replied, ignoring her tone.

"You mean what happened to the ancient civilization?" Alex asked.

"Not yet. We're here to solve a more recent mystery: the disappearance of the Knuckles Clan."

"Isn't there a Knuckles Clan Echidna on Angel Island?" Carrie asked. "Why not just ask him?"

"We can't just go up there, Carrie," said Aaron "It's sacred ground. Besides, no one, not even the dwindling tribe, has been able to figure out this mystery."

"Then what makes you think we can?" Alex replied.

Aaron pulled out the stone tablet and the yellow Chaos Emerald from his bag.

"We already have some clues," he said. "This tablet is said to be connected to the incident, and that there are two more somewhere in this area. From what I can glean from this one alone, we know a monster called Chaos was involved, and the Chaos Emeralds. I have already acquired an Emerald. I believe that if we collect all seven, we can get to the bottom of this.

"As Mystics, you need to when to listen and search. For only when we truly know the past will we be able to fight for a better future. Think of this as a lesson in that. The assignment is to collect all Seven Chaos Emeralds and locate the two remaining tablets."

"This has become more than just a lesson," Alex said to herself. "It's becoming a nightmare."

She opened her eyes and stood up. "Change of plans, I have to get back to the hut. The tablet might still be there."

Despite her trepidations, Alex summoned her sword, and began her journey back to through the jungle. She then stopped, remembering the hut had been destroyed. What if the tablet was destroyed along with it?

"Only one way to find out," she thought, shaking her head. "I've got to at least look. I just hope that monster doesn't come back. I'll have to be on my guard."