• Another dull day for Knuckles. He was destined to sit on this altar, day after day, and watch the Master Emerald. In truth, he had no idea why he was supposed to guard it. But his ancestors had instructed him clearly that he must guard it with his life. So here he sat, guarding the Emerald. However, his mind and eyes were not actually on the emerald itself. They were looking straight into the sky, watching a meteor rain down to the atmosphere. The bright orange ball looked so tiny from his altar, but he could see that it was literally burning as it fell through the thick atmosphere of Mobius. Suddenly, Knuckles realized that the meteor was falling directly at the Emerald! He ran into the path of the falling rock, hoping to stop any damage that might happen to his precious jewel. The seconds passed fitfully, as the meteor burned brighter and brighter. Suddenly, seven colored rays of light shot out from the various compass directions. They all flew through the air, spearing the meteor and making it glow fantastically. The sky was alight with bright light as the Chaos Emeralds gave off their brilliant light. A brilliant colored shield encased the meteor, cooling the friction that it gave off in the air. Knuckles felt a great tremor rock the island as the Master Emerald shot out a beam as well. The red echidna fell to the stone of the altar, and the meteor came closer and closer. Finally, Knuckles was thrown back onto the emerald as the meteor hit right at the base of the altar, with all eight beams of light still focused upon it. Knuckles’ vision swam, as the colors faded before his eyes.

    “Ugh… What in hell…?” The words were cut off as he beheld the true meteor. A hemisphere of the rock had been sheared away from the impact, and at the meteor’s hollow center… A magnificent red hedgehog was sitting calmly. He had quills flowing back behind his head reminiscent of Shadow, but they were all blood red with white streaks along the top. The hedgehog was also taller than Shadow, and carried no weapons. If Knuckles had been able to look into his eyes, he would have seen the malevolent destruction that burned deep within. The red echidna flinched as the hedgehog spoke.

    “Ah, Mobius. The pitiful lush, green planet. You there, echidna!” Knuckles gulped audibly as his name was called. The hedgehog’s voice was low and dangerous, and every word was like a command that he had to obey.

    “You guard the Master Emerald, do you not?” Knuckles tried to stop himself, but the hedgehog’s aura of power was too great. He felt his face nod up and down, his voice unable to speak because of the terror within him. Whatever he was, Knuckles sensed that it would not be pleasant.

    “Good… Well then. I suppose I shall have to persuade you to let me examine it.” The hedgehog smiled, as he stepped out from the crater. Knuckles saw now that the hedgehog had a tail… with orange spikes jutting off from it. It was probably half his height in length, and about three inches in diameter. Knuckles sensed from how he said ‘persuaded’ that this encounter did not bode well for him. The spikes on his knuckles quivered as the hedgehog rose up the steps of the altar, one step at a time. Knuckles was sitting down, a hand over his chest and another off to the side of his body. His impact with the emerald had dazed him, and his vision was still not fully recovered. Finally, the hedgehog reached the spot where he lay. Knuckles could feel his gaze, glancing over his frame in disgust.

    “Pfeh. Pitiful wretch.” The hedgehog began ominously. His heartbeat increased.

    “You are not worthy of the legacy of the great echidnas of the past.” The hedgehog spat at him, disgusted with his weakness. Knuckles’ eyes widened, at the mention of his ancestors. Who was this hedgehog?

    “Who are you? How do you know of us?” Knuckles demanded in a raspy voice, his lungs threatening to burst from their exertions. The hedgehog merely chuckled, and began to speak in the same low, threatening tone that he had always used.

    “My name is Shaarde the Greater, master of Chaos. I have come to this planet seeking the Chaos Emeralds, and their controller. Also, I have come to see if there are any who can stand up to my might.” Shaarde proclaimed, and almost out of instinct his right hand slashed down through the air at the hedgehog’s right side. The air refracted the poor light of the night for a second, before what looked like a cross between a sword and a gun appeared in it. Two shimmering silver blades jutted out from a black hilt angled slightly downwards. The blades were thin, and spaced one right next to the other. A latticework of metal rods connected them, but a large black pipe ran down the middle of the gap. The pipe extended from the hilt all the way to the edge of the blade, and was glowing slightly at the hedgehog’s touch. Knuckles could faintly see a trigger set into the hilt, and the hedgehog’s index finger was positioned right over it. His suspicions had been confirmed: he would not survive the night.

    “Sayonara, pitiful echidna.” Shaarde pointed the barrel of the gun at Knuckles’ chest, and pulled the trigger. Condensed chaos energy blasted a neat hole through his heart, and stopped it dead. Just like that, Knuckles the Echidna was no more. Shaarde blew a faint wisp of smoke rising from the barrel away, and put a hand on the Master Emerald. The light shimmered slightly at his touch, before he pulled his hand away.

    “So the emeralds are… I see…” The hedgehog’s hand had been on his chin as he had mused, but suddenly Shaarde leapt atop the vivid green emerald. His voice projected loud and ominously through the night sky, and the very stars themselves seemed to bend an ear to his voice.

    “MOBIANS! YOUR TIME HAS COME! THE FINAL CHALLENGE OF THIS PLANET IS UPON YOU! AWAIT YOUR OWN TRIAL, TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE CHAOS TOURNAMENT!”

    As the echoes of his dark voice faded away, the blazing red hedgehog promptly hopped off of the emerald, walked to the edge of the island, and jumped neatly off. Shaarde was looking for the first emerald. After all, what was a tournament without a prize?