Thanks!

Hey, caitlin, have you by any chance read my other fanfics?

Yup. I read them before the forum crashed and I read them again on Rayman PC.

Lachimax, when are you gonna post another chapter?

Haha, patience. I posted this one just last week.

But here you go anyway.

Chapter 18: The Three Raymans

The Fairy Council

The Squad rushed through the labyrinthine Council, towards the Heart of the World, following the trail of destruction left by the Egg Pawn and Hoodlum forces. Hurry, Lachimax! Betilla’s voice rang out in his mind. We can’t hold them off much longer!
They reached a stone, sliding door which had clearly been in the marauders’ path. Gilly took point, rotating the barrels of his mingun to full speed. Lachimax and Christian took position at either side of the door, and at Gilly’s signal, Lachimax kicked it open.
Inside was a very large chamber, decorated in the familiar subdued blue stone, pink glasses and ghostly glowing mushrooms of the Council. In the centre of the chamber a squad of Hoodlums was battling its way forward, diving in and out of cover, taking potshots at the enemy. They were under fire from fairies of the Council, casting silver and golden beams of light at the Hoodlums from the other end of the chamber. The Hoodmongers were gradually making their way forward, protecting the red-clothed Hoodbooms amongst them, who were lobbing grenades at the fairies. A large, chain-mail clad Spineroo was also among them, clubbing any resistance out of the way with the big, metal balls on its fists.
Lachimax gave the order to open fire, and Gilly did so. But before a single Hoodlum had fallen to his gun’s fire, a concussion rocked the chamber. Something metal punched through its ceiling, landing before the Hoodlum soldiers. They stopped in surprise, rifles trained on it, whatever it was. The robot rose to its feet, hands raised before it.
“What the hell...” Bloodgrey said.
The Hoodlums opened fire on Eggman’s new robot, but it was too quick, leaping into the air and setting them on fire with flames from its metal, floating hands. With limbless grace it flowed among them, annihilating them both by hand and with its onboard weapons. A Hoodboom attempted to throw a grenade at it, only for the metal warrior to dodge sideways and the bomb to blast two other Hoodlums. The Hoodboom tried again, but this time the robot caught the grenade and threw it back.
Soon, only the Spineroo was left. It tried with clumsy force to crush the robot, but it slid feet-first underneath the Hoodlum’s spinning arms, taking its legs out and causing it to land flat on its face in a gloriously flailing, clumsy fashion. The robot jumped onto its back, grabbed the skirts of the Spineroo’s chain mail, and with an awful, ear-rending screech, tore a large strip straight out of the steel rings, from head to toe.
The robot somersaulted off its back, and the Hoodlum climbed to its feet, armour now hanging off its shoulders. A large gun unfolded from the ‘O’ in the automaton’s torso, barrel glowing red with energy as it charged. The Spineroo tried to run, but a large propulsion of energy erupted from the robot’s gun and slammed into the Hoodlum’s now bare back, blasting it apart.
CODEFS and the fairies attacked the limbless machine. Rotor blades unfolded from its head, spinning and carrying it upwards. It rose into the air, hands spread, and fired a last barrage at the Fairy Council’s forces before flying back through its own hole.
“What the hell was that?” Gilly yelled.
“I don’t know, but whatever it was, it was strong.” Lachimax gazed after it.
“It looked just like Rayman!” said Christian.
“Yes. But it’s a robot, and it’s on Eggman’s side.”

The limbless robot made its way further into the Council, towards the Heart of the World, silver skin glinting in the shroom-light. An orange ‘O’ glowed on its torso, and its eyes shone poison green. Its feet and hands floated free of its body, held in place by a complex magnetic field.
Metal Rayman.
The machine ran stealthily through the Council, taking in everything through the green-tinted sharpness of his digital eyes, powered by the red gem within his body.
Metal Rayman saw a sudden flash of blue light from around the corner. Detecting it as a potential threat, he reacted instantly, rolling into the hallway with his fists raised. Standing in the hallway was a person. Metal Rayman analysed his image, comparing it to detailed files in his database, and found a matching file.

Subject Name: Rayman
Species: Ray (Limbless Variant)
Known Abilities: Standard Silver Lum-induced Ray powers
Affiliation: Fairy Council
Status: Powerful and potentially dangerous

Metal Rayman also scanned emanations of energy from Rayman’s body, and concluded he was in possession of the blue Chaos Emerald.
ACTIVATE SECONDARY MISSION: OBTAIN EMERALD.
The robot attacked his living namesake.

Battle was raging above, around, and within the Fairy Council. In the skies, Eggman’s Egg Carrier and Dark Rayman’s ex-Pirate Flagship manoeuvred around each other, trading fire. On the ground, a grand melee royale was taking place between Eggman’s robots and Dark Rayman’s Hoodlums. And inside the Council, the fairies and their allies battled to maintain control of the place.
Within the Flagship, Dark Rayman sensed a disturbance in the Force (just kidding). He felt the presence of two Chaos Emeralds below him, within the Council, but held by two separate, and, if his guess was correct, battling, entities.
Perfect, he thought in his opportunistic mind. He could easily take advantage of this situation.
So he left the Flagship on autopilot (quite a sophisticated autopilot, to, as it was built by Robo-Pirates, experts in artificial intelligence) and left for the fight below.

This is the day from hell, thought Rayman as Metal Rayman leapt at him.
First, he had been kidnapped by a psychopathic egomaniacal scientist. Second, he had been captured and forced to destroy yet another outbreak of two deadly biologically engineered species. And then, he had fallen down a volcanic shaft while doing battle with his dark copy. And now, now, a robot that had been built to look like him was assaulting him.
Rayman rolled out of the robot’s path, and Metal Rayman skidded to a halt on the stone floor. The machine turned its head towards Rayman, and for a moment they glared at each other. Then Metal Rayman swivelled to face his blueprint directly and held his hands up, firing white pulses from the steel palms. Rayman leapt into the air, somersaulting over the robot’s head, landing behind it and tossing an energy ball at its back. But it was quick, spinning to swipe the ball aside with its hand. Metal Rayman then punched Rayman across the nose, knocking him, sprawling, to the ground. Metal Rayman curved his hand into a fist, and an orange blade of energy sprang from it. He raised it above his head to strike at the true Rayman, who rolled out of the way just as the blade came down, springing to his feet. Metal Rayman swung at him horizontally, narrowly missing his stomach. With the same motion, he swivelled and kicked his organic counterpart in the chest. He continued to strike at Rayman with his fists and feet, driving him back into a corner. Then he drew back his hand, balled it into a metal fist, and drove it straight at Rayman’s chest.
But Rayman caught the fist with both hands, holding it between them. They began to glow with yellow energy. Rayman looked his robotic doppelganger in the eye. Then he turned to face the corner and threw Metal Rayman over his shoulder headlong into it. The robot smashed against the wall with a deafening clang, sliding to the ground, where Rayman twice curb-stomped his head. But Metal Rayman stood on his hands, twirling to kick Rayman thrice in the face, then swiping his feet out from under him with his hand and flipping onto his own feet. Rayman fell to the ground, and Metal Rayman gripped him by the nose and swung him against the wall. Rayman fell to the ground, but used his hands to launch himself feet-first against the automaton’s torso, knocking him backwards. Rayman’s momentum carried him forwards into a roll, and onto his feet. He turned to face Metal Rayman...
BOOM!
Something black crashed through the ceiling, knocking both of the opponents to the ground. Rayman scrambled back to his feet to see the black blob form into Dark Rayman, smiling in contempt.
“You again?! What does it take to kill you?”
Metal Rayman scanned the newcomer, bringing up another file.

Subject Name: Dark Rayman
Species: N/A (Limbless Shade)
Known Abilities: Manipulation of dark energy, control of shadow-associated creatures, Chaos powers
Affiliation: Veurtoya
Status: Dangerous, especially with Chaos Emerald. Do NOT allow to obtain an Emerald at any cost.

The three Raymans, Dark, Metal, and true, circled each other, each eyeing the other two warily, searching for an opening.
It was Dark Rayman who moved first, coming at the robot with a sword of shadows in his hand. Metal Rayman blocked it with his own energy blade, slicing back at the shade’s body. The two duelled with their blades for a few moments, giving Rayman an opportunity to try and sneak away. But Dark Rayman pulled him back with a surge of invisible force. Rayman narrowly avoided being impaled by the dark blade, sliding underneath it to kick Dark Rayman’s feet out from under him. As the two wrestled on the ground, Metal Rayman flew up and out through the hole Dark Rayman had so obligingly created. Dark Rayman wrested himself free and followed him. Rayman also jumped and climbed out of the hole, onto the rooftops of the Fairy Council.
The other two Raymans were already engaged in a midair battle, Metal Rayman flying with the use of air-jets in his hands and feet and the propeller on his head.
“Why am I the only one who can’t fly?” Rayman muttered as he charged a yellow ball of energy between his palms, electricity crackling through it as it reached its full size. He released it, and it flew through the air straighter than an arrow, taking Metal Rayman in the foot. He flew out of control, crashing into the stone roof of the Council. Dark Rayman followed, smashing straight into him. Rayman ran and tackled the shade off of the robot, pinning him to the ground. Metal Rayman did the same to him, standing over the living version of himself. He lifted his foot, and rows of metal spikes popped out of its sole, creating a very dangerous stomping tool. Rayman rolled out of the way just as it came down where his head was, then again as Metal Rayman took a kick at his body. Dark Rayman pushed the machine away with a ball of purple energy. Metal Rayman hovered away, facing them, and began to fire pulse rounds at them rapidly. Rayman and Dark Rayman both ran at him, dodging and weaving, wasting their own projectiles at him, dodging and weaving, casting their own projectiles at him. When he was close enough, Rayman leapt high into the air and grabbed Metal Rayman’s foot, trying to weigh him down, but Eggman’s mechanical terror shook him off, launching him dozens of metres.
Dark Rayman and Metal Rayman hovered, facing each other. The robot opened its mouth, and Doctor Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik’s voice came out. “You have lost, shade,” he said, addressing Dark Rayman. “Your army is all but diminished. My machines are even now rounding up the last of your pathetic forces. Your fossil relic of a ship is falling apart at the seams. Soon I will have taken the Fairy Council, and with it the Heart of the World. I shall retrieve the rest of the Chaos Emeralds then, and bind your master to me with them. Finally, the Eggman Empire will come to be, built with a God’s power! I shall rule two worlds, and then more, and eventually the entire galaxy!”
Eggman’s reverie was broken by a deep, harsh laugh. Dark Rayman was laughing in the Doctor’s proverbial face.
“I would not be so sure, scientist,” he spat the word scientist as though it was a curse. “My master cannot be tamed. Make the attempt, and you will be destroyed in every possible way, even in some ways which are essentially impossible. And you are wrong about another thing. This battle is far from over.”
Dark Rayman raised his hands into the air, and a pulse swept across the battlefield. Eldrid creatures began to stir: large, black, hissing, furry creatures crawled in from the woods of the Fairy Glade. Spiders crawled from their dark holes in the ground. Huge Thorn Roots burst from the earth, writhing and swinging at the robots. The dark creatures swept through the battlefield, driving Eggman’s robots back.
“Damn!” Eggman cursed through Metal Rayman’s mouth, and then relinquished control of the mech. Metal Rayman attacked at once, assaulting Dark Rayman with everything in his arsenal, but the shade, telekinetically connected to Steelwill’s flagship, launched a laser strike from the ship. The Limbless robot was forced to flee, chased by a laser beam.
Dark Rayman laughed, laughed so hard that it could be heard across the Fairy Council.

:bump:

Please don't bump. At the current activity of the forum it's so unecessary it's not even funny.
Thank you.

You were nicer before you were a mod. :P Kidding, kidding. I'll stay on the straight and narrow from now on.

Chapter 19: Super

The Fairy Council

Sonic, Shadow and Raylina appeared on the Fairy Council’s lawn just as the Hoodlums began their resurgence with the aid of the dark creatures. The bulk of Eggman’s forces were retreating into a giant wedge, his spider contraption in the centre. Of course, Eggman spotted his arch nemesis instantly. “Sonic!” his voice rang out across the lawn. “Get him!”
His assembled Egg Pawns turned towards them.
“Raylina, stay here,” Sonic said. “We Hedgehogs’ll handle this little mess here.”
Eggman’s vehicle fired a large, blue beam at them. All three of them leapt out of the way, and Sonic and Shadow hit the ground running. They accelerated, running straight at the droids as one. As they ran, Shadow skating across the ground, the two of them looked at each other, and nodded.
Then they reached the robots, and there was carnage.
The machines smashed into little bits as the Hedgehogs swept through them, both curled and uncurled, towards Eggman. They fell like trees in a violent storm, like houses before a tsunami. Shadow and Sonic were like black and blue blurs, too fast for the bots to do anything against, running and dodging and rolling and jumping with reactions no other living creature could match. With skill born from so many battles against the Doctor’s troops, they broke a path through his army, leaving a trail of sparking wreckage in their wake. Like a knife through butter, they cut into the centre of the troops, straight to Eggman’s macjine.
“Give it up, Eggman!” Sonic called, as he skidded to a halt. “You’re finished! Give us the last Emerald, and we’ll be on our way!”
Eggman chuckled. “Oh, Sonic, always ruining my fun. Not this time, though! Prepare to feel the wrath of my latest and greatest invention, the Egg Spider!”
The massive machine lifted a leg and brought it down with the intention of impaling Sonic, but of course he was too fast. Eggman fired a volley of pulse shots at the two Hedgehogs, then a plasma beam, sweeping the ground in front of them. Sonic jumped onto one of the legs as the tip pulled out of the ground, swinging onto the lowest joint, then shimmying up to the next one. He began to grind down the last length of leg towards the body, but the leg thudded back into the ground, knocking Sonic off.
Shadow jumped onto another leg, standing on a set of bars near the tip. He waited until the leg lifted him so that he was even with the spherical body, then jumped, leaping straight and true. But the Egg Spider shifted at the last moment. Shadow missed, falling to the ground, where he span into a ball and rolled quickly away as Eggman chased him with rapid firing from the twin pulse cannons.
The Hedgehogs, try as they might, could not get onto the Egg Spider’s main body to find and exploit a weakness. They were too quick for the Spider to hit, though, so it was stalemate.
But then, with a roar, the Fighting Squad warship flew overhead, bombs raining from its bomb bay. They flew straight over the Egg Spider, and a figure leapt from the deck of the warship and fell straight for the infernal machine.
The air rushed past Rayman’s face as he fell. As late as he could, he span his hair into a helicopter, floating gently towards the vehicle’s main body. Eggman tried to shoot him down, but he was too close already. Rayman grabbed the barrel of the Egg Spider’s plasma cannon, pulling himself onto it. He was looking directly into the cockpit, into Eggman’s eyes. He crawled along the cannon, jumped onto the body and found a small ledge to grip onto just below the windshield. He swung himself up so that he was standing in front of the cockpit, clinging to the glass. His fist glowing, he brought it down on the hardened glass, once, twice. On the third time, cracks spider-webbed from his fist’s impact. He hit it once more, and the glass smashed inwards. Eggman held a pistol pointed at his face. Rayman ducked out of sight just as he pulled the trigger. He climbed around the body, staying below the cockpit, to one of the legs. From the pack on his back he produced an explosive charge, given to him by CODEFS. He placed it on the point where the leg met the body, and it stuck there magnetically and began to beep. Rayman leapt clear, helicoptering to the ground. He landed and ran, diving to the ground just as the charge blew.
The entire Fairy Council watched in awe as the leg blew spectacularly free of its body, and the Egg Spider collapsed to the ground with a resounding crash.
Shadow walked up to the destroyed vehicle, pistol in hand. He jumped onto the cockpit to find Eggman cowering within. Placing the end of the gun squarely in the centre of his forehead, he said calmly, “The Emerald, if you please, Doctor.”
Shaking, Eggman handed Shadow the red Chaos Emerald. Shadow grinned, exposing his pointed teeth, and climbed down, tossing the gem to Sonic. He turned around to see Eggman standing, a remote control in his hand.
“Goodbye, old friend!” he yelled to Sonic. “Time for you to burn with the rest of your pitiful friends!” He pressed the button on the remote, and disappeared, teleported away.
“He’s going to fire the Eclipse Cannon!” said Sonic in shock. “He’s going to destroy the Council!”
The last few remaining Egg Pawns were currently being chased away by the Hoodlums and dark creatures, who were themselves leaving for another place. Raylina had just come over from where the Hedgehogs had left her. “Dad!” she cried, and hugged Rayman. “I’m glad you’re okay!”
Rayman smiled. “So am I, Ray-girl,” he said, using her pet name.
“We have to evacuate the Council!” she said worriedly, pulling away. Rayman shook his head, smiling. “Don’t worry, Ray-girl. I know what to do.”
Seven is a number of great power. Said to be the number of the Gods in religions hundreds of worlds over, and a lucky number in most cultures. Seven is the number of colours in the rainbow, the atomic number of nitrogen, which is the most common element in most breathable atmospheres. Seven is the sum of any two opposite sides on a standard six-sided die.
Seven is the number of Chaos Emeralds.
And a powerful number it is.
Rayman produced the blue Emerald, allowing it to float in the air in front of him. The other Emeralds floated from Sonic, Shadow and Raylina, glowing brightly.
They began to orbit around Rayman’s torso, spinning faster and faster: blue, white, green, red, yellow, cyan, purple. They span around Rayman, gathering speed, and then there was a sudden flash of gold-white light. It dissipated to reveal Rayman hovering above the ground, emitting a brilliant light. His purple shirt had turned golden, and the ‘O’ and his fists were shining like a sun. Golden sparks fell from his body like snow. Enormous energy filled him, flooding his very being. He could feel the power of all seven Emeralds flowing through him.
Super Rayman.
He ascended into the air, and flew upwards.
Towards the Space Colony Ark.

Eclipse Cannon Control Room, Space Colony Ark

Eggman rushed into the Control Room, beginning to throw switches and press buttons and throw switches. The column in the centre of the huge room began to hum.
Mr. Dark stormed into the control room, cloak billowing behind him as he stalked across the walkway. “Robotnik! What the hell are you doing?”
Without turning from the control console, Eggman clicked his fingers, and a containment field sprung up around the black-clad Limbless. Four bolts of electricity struck at Dark’s chest from the corners of the field from the ground. He yelled, hands spread-eagled. The Four Masks appeared, floating away from his body. They hovered over the walkway to Eggman, where he began inserting them in the power slots.
“No!” Dark yelled.
Eggman put the last Mask in its slot, and pushed the fire button.

Super Rayman flew through the vacuum of space, the pale hemisphere of the Ark growing in his field of vision.
The beak-like protrusion of the Eclipse Cannon on the bottom of the Ark folded open, ghostly green energy playing between the four prongs. The prongs opened completely, and a fully-powered beam fired from the centre of them. The beam shot through space, straight towards the besieged Fairy Council.
Super Rayman grinned and spread his hands, a nimbus of golden light appearing around him, as the Eclipse beam struck him instead of its intended target.
A weapon with the sheer destructive power to destroy a star hit him directly.
And had no effect.
The beam dissipated around him, and he kept on flying. As he drew nearer to the Colony, Eggman fired its defences at the Super, bolts of red energy shooting around him. He dodged with little effort, spinning and twisting with reflexes like the speed of light. He flew straight at the Ark, smashing a hole through the outer hull of the colossal space station. He shot up through a blue-walled shaft, large blast doors sliding shut in front of him, Eggman’s further attempts at slowing him. He smashed through them, one after the other, revelling at the sheer force of the gems within him. Super Rayman reached a small door in the side of the shaft He sensed two people inside. With a final crash, he broke through the door, into the long room beyond.
To see Ly, his partner and the love of his life, with a gun to her head.
A gun wielded by Doctor Eggman.
“Now, we have ourselves something of a stalemate, have we not, my Limbless friend?” He gestured grandly with his free hand, clearly ecstatic at having someone of such energy within his power. A tear slid down Ly’s cheek, past her green lips, as she smiled weakly. A pang tore at Rayman’s heart. Eggman drew the slide back on the pistol. “Now, release the Emeralds, and we can all walk away happily.”
Ly and Rayman looked into each others’ eyes. They knew each other, understood each other perfectly: seventeen years of intimate telepathic linkage had made sure of that. Ly knew how much Rayman loved her, how he could never live without her, that he would do whatever he had too to keep her alive. Ly knew that she could never convince him to leave her to Eggman’s mercy. She could only watch in sadness as Rayman landed lightly on the metal floor, and let the Emeralds go.
Power drained out of Rayman water from a pipe. His colour returned to normal, and the gems fell in a circle around him, landing with a resounding clang.
Replacing the power came despair. Now they were at Eggman’s mercy, for him to do what he wanted. And not even the Gods could guess at his plans.
“Now, bring them here.”
Rayman picked up two of the Emeralds and walked towards Eggman. As he walked, though, he saw a flicker of movement behind the Doctor. Something was hiding, sticking to the wall and blending into the blue metal. As he watched, a purple, lizard-like creature materialised, clinging to the wall with the pads on his fingertips.
The chameleon looked at Rayman, and winked.
Hiding his surprise, Rayman winked back.
The lizard-Mobian produced a metal shuriken, took aim carefully, and threw it.
The serrated disk took Eggman in the hand, throwing a small spray of blood from it. The gun dropped, and the Mobian’s tongue flicked out, quick as lightning, to pluck it from the air. Eggman howled in pain, clutching his injured hand. Rayman charged the fat Doctor, tackling him and pinning him to the ground. He drew back his fist and punched Eggman in the face with as much force as he could muster. There was a sickening crunch as his nose broke, and Robotnik’s howling took on a renewed vigour.
Rayman stood, brushing the blood from his shirt, and embraced Ly passionately.
The two stood in each others’ embrace for over a minute, wordlessly communicating their relief and joy at being reunited. Then there was a small cough behind Rayman. He let Ly go, and turned to find no less than eight Mobians standing there.

The purple-skinned Espio the Chameleon, curved horn protruding from his nose, who had just saved Ly’s life.

The dual-tailed Miles “Tails” Prower, whose mechanical knowledge and skill matched Eggman’s.

The aptly named Knuckles the Echidna, last of his tribe, whose fists were crowned with two spikes on each hand.

Rouge the Bat, Shadow’s companion and master treasure hunter.

E-123 Omega, a sentient robot constructed by Eggman, and Shadow’s other friend.

Charmy Bee, the enthusiastic detective and second member of Team Chaotix, alongside Espio.

Vector the Crocodile, the muscles of Team Chaotix and strongest guy around.

And, finally, Amy Rose, Sonic’s self-proclaimed girlfriend.
There was a sudden burst of blue light, and Sonic, Shadow, and Raylina appeared. There was a squeal, a flash of pink, and Sonic was practically tackled by Amy.
Raylina ran across to Rayman and Ly, threw herself around the both of them. “You’ll never believe what’s been happening, mum.”
Ly smiled. I know, sweetheart. We’re so proud of you.
Rouge, Shadow and Omega walked over to them from where they were standing. “Hello, Raylina,” said Rouge with a smile. “I’m Rouge, and this is Omega,” she gestured at the large, black, red, yellow and silver robot. “We’re Shadow’s friends.”
Raylina gave Rouge an once-over, enviously eyeing her perfect legs, hips and breasts. Now, Raylina wasn’t too small in the chest department herself, but if this was her competition, she was going to have to step up her game. She shook Rouge’s hand, then reached up and undid an extra button on her shirt, revealing just that little bit of cleavage.
“How did you guys get here?” asked Sonic, Tails and Knuckles taking their places beside him.
“Eggman has a teleporter rigged up between here and Mobius,” Tails said. “That’s how he got the Space Colony Ark here.”
“GUN has been running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out where it went,” Knuckles added.
“Where is Eggman?” asked Sonic.
“Over here!” called Vector, who was holding the scientist still. “What do we do with him?”
“Keep him, for now,” said Shadow. “We’ll decide what to do with him later. But right now we have to find out what he was using to power the Cannon.”

Not sure if anyone is still reading this, but I'll post it anyway.

Chapter 20: Blood Dark

Rayman ran to the Cannon Control room, the Mobians, Ly and Rayman behind him. He reached the huge room quickly, skidding to a halt on the walkway. In the middle of the walkway, midway between the door and the control panel in the centre, stood a figure in a black cloak, his back to them.
“Dark?” Rayman called. He turned. “What are you doing here?” Rayman’s eyes narrowed. “Were you working...with Eggman?”
The other Ray bowed his head. “Do not judge me, Rayman. I work only towards the greater good.”
Rayman’s eyes widened. “How...how did you power the Cannon?”
Mr. Dark raised his hand, palm up, and the Four Masks of Polokus appeared floating above it. “Remarkable objects, these Masks. Just as powerful as the Chaos Emeralds, and they just happen to fit perfectly in the slots designed for the Emeralds. But of course this is not mere chance,”
Rayman’s eyes widened further. “But, why? Why are you helping Eggman?”
“Mutual benefit. You must understand, Rayman, I did what I did only for this world, for our species. For years our race has deteriorated in the Fairy Council’s shadow, but a shade of what it once was!” His eyes glowed from beneath his hat, the rest of his face in shadow. “Rayman, I can rejuvenate our people. I have found a way to resurrect the Rays!”
Rayman’s mind was running at a thousand miles an hour. “How?”
“When the Ancients laid themselves to rest at the centre of this world, they took with them many of their chosen protectors: the Rays. Thousands, perhaps millions of our kind lay buried in a separate crypt deep within the earth, frozen in stasis. And there is a way to free them. For years, I have been studying the structure of the so-called Tomb of the Ancients. The whole valley the buildings lie in is a massive receptor, a device with which to raise the crypt of the Rays, devised by the Ancients themselves. But it needs huge, huge amounts of energy to activate...”
“Which is why you need the Ark. The Eclipse Cannon,” Rayman realised. Dark nodded. “But just the Masks is not enough. I need the Emeralds as well.”
A huge realisation hit Rayman. “You... you’ve been planning this from the start! You sent Dark Rayman to Mobius to get the Emeralds, didn’t you? You brought Eggman here. You made Dark Rayman create the Hoodlums...” But Dark shook his head. “No. Dark Rayman has never been completely under my control. He was created by his master, never by me. I merely used him all those years ago to try and stop you, and while it is true that I resurrected him to retrieve the Emeralds, I did not anticipate how powerful and independent he could become. The one he serves is a powerful master.”
And who does he serve?”
Dark hesitated. “A rogue God. Veurtoya, the Black Spirit,”
“What?”
Veurtoya is one of many rogue Gods, created not through the Ancients’ intentions by the normal Lums, but by the free will of the Black Lums. The Leptys and Solaris are two other such Gods. But the Leptys is relatively benign, or at least intends no direct harm. Solaris wished only to consume and destroy and consume. But when Veurtoya was formed by the Dark Lums’ energy, they infused him with both their intelligence and their desire to dominate. His dearest wish is to rule the universe, a feat even the Ancients did not wish to achieve.
“There has been a hierarchy ever since the dawn of creation. The Ancients created the Lums. The Lums made the Gods. The Gods crafted life. The Gods have always had to abide by strict laws set by the Ancients. One of these is to not interfere with another God’s work. The rogue Gods circumvent these laws through the very nature of their birth. They may attack normal Gods without fear of retaliation, for they are unable to disobey the Ancients’ laws. So if Dark Rayman releases Veurtoya from his prison with the Emeralds, as has been his goal all along, he will take this planet for himself.”
“And you never factored that into your grand scheme. So how are we supposed to stop Veurtoya?”
Mr. Dark shrugged. “Once the Rays have returned, we will be able to crush such issues with ease.”
Shadow called from behind Rayman. “And how do you plan to do that without obliterating this planet? The Four Masks together are the equivalent of the seven Emeralds together. I can see that, clear as day, from here. With all eleven of them powering the Eclipse Cannon together, it will have enough sheer force to crumble several stars at once,”
“The Tomb of the Ancients will absorb most of the energy,”
“But what of that which remains? Surely even the smallest fraction of such a power would be enough to devastate hundreds of square miles at the very least.”
Dark’s eyes narrowed. “It is possible. But that is surely a small price to pay next to the return of our people, Rayman! We are amongst the last of the Rays, and you, Raylina and I are three of the four fairy-empowered Rays left. Would you not like to see our kind return to rule this world as they once did? This is our only hope for such an outcome.”
A silent struggle raged within Rayman. “But... hundreds of people will die.”
“To be replaced by the noblest species in the universe!”
Rayman’s internal struggle drew to a close, replaced by grim resolution.
“No.”
“What?”
“No. I cannot allow this to happen.”
“It is your duty as the Chosen One to protect and nurture your species!”
“It is my duty to protect all of the creatures of this world. Not to selfishly put my race’s interests ahead of those of this planet,” Rayman brought his glowing hands up into a combat-ready stance. “Now give me the Masks.”
Dark bowed his head. “So be it,” he muttered. Then he addressed all of them. “Rayman, you have grown sentimental and foolish in your increasing age. You have become too attached to other species, too narrow minded to see the bigger picture. No longer are you fit to choose what is best for this world. Rayman, I challenge your right as Chosen One. It is time for a new order,” The Four Masks began to revolve slowly around his body.
“Now stand down, or be destroyed.”
Rayman shook his head, the Chaos Emeralds appearing in a circle around him. “It is you who have become foolish, Dark.”
Mr. Dark used the Masks as Rayman had the Emeralds, drawing and focusing on their energy, letting them become him. They picked up speed, orbiting around his body. Then they disappeared in a flash of blood-red light, and Mr. Dark was transformed.
His cloak, billowing in a non-existent wind, had turned a dark red, as had his hat. His hands glowed with a pale, crimson light, yet his face remained in shadow.
Mr. Dark’s super form.
Blood Dark.
Rayman absorbed the Emeralds, becoming Super Rayman. The tow of them rose into the air together, the gold and the red, the light and the shadow, who had once been mortal enemies, had fought alongside each other, had nearly become friends. Two true Limbless Rays, the sorcerer and the hero, pitted against each other in a mortal battle for the power of the Gods.
The two Rays flew at each other, creating a large explosion as they met. Dark gripped Rayman and through with enormous force. The last few Mobians got out of the way just as he crashed straight through the walkway, thudding into the wall beneath. He hovered forwards again, a large ball of crackling, golden light in his hands. He threw it at Blood Dark, but the sorcerer dodged, countering with a bolt of shadow energy. Dark sped at Rayman, hitting him and carrying them both straight through the wall. The two wrestled in the air, crashing through walls of steel as though they were no more than paper. Through service corridors and recreation areas, through power plants and weapons stations they battled, tearing the Colony apart from the inside. They were evenly matched: Dark’s form was augmented by his sorcerer’s powers, but Rayman was a Hero of the Ancients, powered by the Gods’ will.
The two of them crashed into some sort of huge water tank, turned rancid from years of abandonment. They hovered above the green-coated liquid, throwing power at each other. Dark sped at Rayman, but instead of tackling him again, danced around him and beat at him with hands crackling with red electricity. Rayman blocked a punch with his palm, spinning to punch Dark in the gut. Dark kicked Rayman away, crossed his hands across his chest, and exploded into crimson flames, a blood-red blade of fire in his hand. Again he rushed at Rayman, but he slipped under the sword and grabbed Blood Dark’s cloak. With immense strength, he threw the sorcerer straight down into the unclean water. Steam burst from the pool in massive clouds, evaporated instantly by the heat of Dark’s flames. Rayman shot down after him, through the boiling water, and Dark surged towards him through it. The water raged turbulently around them as Dark used the steam, casting clouds of it at Rayman. He swept the vapour away, waves of water surging around them, and flew at the dark Limbless, grabbing him by the torso. In each others’ grip, they shot straight through several more walls, punched through a blast door, and into open space.
Their momentum carried them to just below the massive pyramid of the Eclipse Cannon, casting their energies against each other as they flew. Outside the station, Rayman could appreciate just how truly colossal the Ark was. It was like a half-moon, one made from millions of tonnes of steel, titanium and stone. And it had been made not by Gods, not by nature, but by humans, an achievement which surely outweighed any other mortal victory.
The two Rays face off in the Shadow of the Space Colony, floating dozens of metres apart. Like two miniature suns themselves, they lit up the flat bottom of the Ark with their red and gold light.
Dark spoke into Rayman’s mind, yellow eyes piercing the shadows cast by his hat. Rayman, you must see! It is not too late to free our people! We could live in a mighty, free nation, in the company of our own race! We could rule them together, you and I, lords of a great empire!
Rayman shook his head. No. It is not my place to rule, nor yours. And you have seen how the Rays are able to interbreed with other species. My daughter is a tribute to that. That is our salvation, not the destruction of hundreds of lives!
You would taint our noble blood, have the Rays become mutant freaks?
Not taint, improve! She still retains all of the characteristics of a Ray, as well as the sensitivity of a fairy! That is our species great gift. We can keep what makes us Ray and still assimilate the best parts of other races. And your refusal to do so is part of what caused us to decline in the first place. A refusal of anything new!
You are mistaken.
No, Dark. It is you who are mistaken. About a great many things.
And so they attacked.
With raw energy, the two Rays flew at each other. Quicker than any living eye could follow, they fought, the sheer fury of their battle casting energy far and wide. With unsolicited power they struck and slashed and threw. Both burned with intense flames, red and gold, as they struggled for dominance.
Dark slashed at Rayman with a blade of red light, and Rayman blocked with a golden sword of his own. They duelled with speed and strength unmatched by any other living being, floating in that vacuum. And then, timed to perfection, both released their swords and unleashed vortexes of power from between their hands. Dark’s red met Rayman’s gold between them, raging with might. They stood in stalemate, their energies burning against each other. But then a surge of power burst through Rayman. His golden light pushed Dark’s red back to him, inch by inch, conquering the shadow power. The gold reached Dark, and burned through him, pulsing through every extremity of his body. With a sudden thrill of fear, Dark knew he had lost.
And he saw the error of his ways.
Rayman cut his stream of golden energy off, then reached deep inside himself. Doing what he had done beneath the Summit Beyond the Clouds, he yelled with his mind: Chaos...Thunder!
Huge amounts of electrical energy began to build up, using the entire megastructure of the Space Colony Ark as a conductor. Electricity crackled in huge waves across its metal body, preparing for Rayman’s will.
Super Rayman pointed at the blood-red for of Dark, and an enormous bolt of lightning struck from the Colony, drawing on vast reserves of static electricity. It drove straight into Blood Dark’s flying body, blasting him with raw energy.
The red drained from Dark’s clothes. His body lost its light. With a final sigh, he fell, as though in slow motion, towards the planet below.
With the very last of his strength, he broadcast a final piece of advice to Rayman’s mind: To defeat Veurtoya, you must summon... the Heroes.
Then he was gone.

Rayman floated back into the Ark, sealing the holes he had blasted through it as he went. He landed on the walkway in the Cannon control room, releasing the Emeralds. He let out a sad sigh, and walked across to Ly.
She saw the regret in his eyes. “You did what you had to do,” she spoke aloud. Rayman nodded. “He had to be stopped. But he was not evil. He did only what he thought he had to. And he felt remorse towards the end. I saw it in him.”
Rayman produced the Four Masks, which had been transferred to his body when he defeated Dark. He handed Sonic the Air Mask, Shadow the Fire Mask, Raylina the Water Mask, and kept the Earth Mask for himself.

The defeated Mr. Dark fell through space, the last of his magic instinctively keeping him barely alive in the vacuum, gravity pulling him slowly towards the Crossroads of Dreams. His home.
Dark had found peace within himself. No longer did he yearn for power. No longer did he wish to rule an empire of his own people. He understood now the wrong he had wrought on his planet. And he regretted it. But there was no changing that now. Now was a time for peaceful contemplation as his life ebbed away.
As he began to lose consciousness, he felt metal hands grasp his body. Through the shadows that clouded his eyes, he saw a face, like Rayman’s, but made from metal.
Hallucination, he thought happily. Death greets me with open arms now.

That was reeeeeeaaallllyyyy good!

Write more!

Hmmmmm..... Imagine what a cross between a Ray and one of Globox's species would look like... lol!

Chapter 21: Heroes

Space Colony Ark

“Explain to me again, Tails,” Sonic said as the group of Mobians and Crossroads-dwellers walked through the Ark. “How did you get here?”
“Well, the same way Eggman did. He was using a teleportation channel between here and Mobius, with one heck of a matter-acceleration yield, big enough to move the entire Ark from light years away. He used the Master Emerald to power it,”
“Wait! The Master Emerald is here?”
Knuckles nodded. “The bastard took it from me again. It’s on the Ark, presumedly. We need to find it soon... hang on, where is Eggman?”
Everyone span to look at Vector the Crocodile, who looked almost surprised to find he was no longer holding the Doctor. “Um... I don’t know!”
“Ah, crap,” said Shadow. “He must have escaped while we were watching the fireworks. Damn it! He always gets away.”
What is the Master Emerald?” asked Rayman.
Knuckles explained. “The Master Emerald is a powerful gem, protected by my people for thousands of years. It is equal in strength to all seven Chaos Emeralds, and can either enhance or negate their power.”
“But, wait,” said Raylina. “Isn’t the reason Dark Rayman wanted the Emeralds to free Veurtoya?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” her father replied.
“But doesn’t that mean he can use the Master Emerald instead?”
Sonic’s eyes widened. “Uh-oh...” He was cut off as Shadow cried out. “He’s here, I can feel him!”
“That’s very, very bad...”

The party ran into Eggman’s large teleportation room, sliding to a halt, to find Dark Rayman floating far above them, with the huge, green gem of the Master Emerald hovering in front of him. “I would like to thank you for your kind donation to my master’s cause,” he taunted, his voice echoing across the room. “He will be most pleased.”
“Rayman!” Sonic yelled, and the Emeralds appeared around the Ray’s torso. But they had lost their glow, no longer shining with internal light. Rayman could feel no power from them. He cursed.
“He is using the Master Emerald to block their power!” Shadow called. “They’re useless for now!”
Dark Rayman pointed at them, and a bolt of purple lightning struck at them. They scattered as tendrils of dark energy began to tear out of the floor, reaching for prey. Shadows spread across the floor, searching them out.
“You can’t do any good here!” Sonic yelled to Amy over the roar of Dark Rayman’s attacks. “Get the others out together and get out of here!”
“But I wanna help!” Amy yelled, just as another bolt of lightning struck nearby.
“It’s too dangerous! Now go!”
Shadow, Raylina and Rayman were having a hard time dodging Dark Rayman’s attacks, but the truth was, he was toying with them. With the Master Emerald, he could crush them in moments if he so chose. But Veurtoya had instilled in him a sadistic pleasure for the pain of others, and so he had no intention of letting them die quickly.
As Shadow slid across the floor, pursued by black tentacles, he realised the Mask Rayman had given him, the Fire Mask, was still emanating power. The Master Emerald only affects the Chaos Emeralds, he realised. “Sonic! The Masks!” he called. Sonic’s eyes widened in realisation. Shadow was about to toss his to Sonic, when Dark Rayman made un upward gesture and a wall of dark spikes sprung up between them. Raylina tried as well, but was knocked to the ground by a blast of air and quickly entombed in shadows. Rayman, though, instead of throwing his, warped to just in front of Sonic with Chaos Control. The Hedgehog swiped it from his hand as he ran past, and a tentacle took Rayman in its grip.
Shadow spikes were erupting from the ground all around Sonic as he ran, but with reflexes like lightning he dodged them all. Shadow used his Mask to warp up to Dark Rayman’s position near the ceiling, Chaos Blast him, then quickly warp back to the ground and toss his Mask to Sonic.
Raylina struggled with the dark material that had her in its grip. She tore at it with glowing hands, but it continually regenerated and wrapped itself around her. Rayman was in a similar position, roaring in frustration as the tentacles flowed around him. But then, a silver light began to glow around him, emanating from the ‘O’ on his shirt. Ly contacted him, their minds connected: Remember how to use these things? Rayman smiled, the Silver Lum’s energy flowing through him.
He tore straight through his shadows, hovered into the air, empowered by Ly’s thoughts and the artificial Lum she had sent, and shot towards Raylina, silver energy swirling around his hands and chest. Firing a beam of silver light into the shadows, he freed her. She threw the water Mask to him, and he shot towards Sonic, dropping it to him. Sonic caught it on the run, and all of a sudden he had all four. Using them as he would the seven Emeralds, they span around his body and then disappeared in a flash of light. His fur changed, turning golden, his spikes pointed upwards, and his eyes turned red, transforming into Super Sonic.
He smiled.
He and Silver Rayman flew straight at Dark Rayman. The shade slid to the side, causing Super Sonic to ram into the ceiling, only to collide into Rayman, who punched a silver fist into his gut. Dark Rayman tossed a ball of shadow at Sonic as the golden hedgehog turned to fly at him, but he blocked it with a gloved hand and curled into a ball, grinding into the shadowed Limbless. The three of them fought in the air, silver, golden and black power striking at them. The two Heroes’ grins soon turned to grimaces, however, as Dark Rayman began to dominate them both. “Why...” Sonic said as he kicked Dark Rayman against a wall. “Won’t...” he pounded him with his fists. “You...just...die!” We’ve killed you enough times!”
Technically, Dark Rayman and Super Sonic were evenly matched power-wise, with Dark Rayman wielding the Master Emerald and Sonic with all Four Masks of Polokus. But Dark Rayman had far more knowledge on how to use that power, meaning he could handle both Super Sonic and the weaker Silver Rayman with ease. Soon, he had them both at his mercy, wrapped in cocoons of shadows, struggling to break free.
But he didn’t kill them, as he so easily could have.
“Goodbye, Hedgehogs, Rays,” he called, speaking to all four of them, Shadow and Raylina in cocoons of their own on the ground. “Enjoy life under my Master’s rule.”
And with that, he disappeared, taking the Master Emerald with him.

“We’re screwed,”
“Way to maintain a positive outlook, Knuckles,”
“Just saying it how it is, Miles. Or do you think you can take on a God by yourself in that tin-can plane of yours?”
“Hey, leave him alone!”
“Oh, don’t you start, pinky. You and your oversized hammer. Where do you keep that thing, anyway? Sure as hell ain’t know pockets in that dress.”
Amy blushed, but Rouge came to her aid. “She’s right, Knuckles. We have to stay united, or all is lost,”
“Oh, sorrrrrry, bat-girl. Who put you in charge, anyway?”
“Knuckles, will you shut it!?”
Sonic was pacing up and down, unable to hold still, pausing only to shout at Knuckles. Rayman was seated in a corner, head in his hands, lost in thought. Shadow was examining the brown Fire Mask intently, alongside the red Emerald. Raylina sat with her mother, both with expressions on their faces. The rest of the Mobians were sitting in various positions, bickering.
“Summon the Heroes...” Rayman muttered. He knew all of these people, somehow. Tails, Knuckles, Rouge... somehow he knew them and their various strengths and weaknesses. They had come to him the moment Raylina had handed him a Chas Emerald at the Fairy Council, what seemed like years ago now. Somehow, this knowledge had already been innate inside him.
“Sonic’s brow creased, interest triggered by the term “Heroes”.
“What was that, Rayman?”
“Hey, Omega,” Vector called to the hulking robot in his slow, nasal voice. “What do you do to work out? You got great biceps.”
Knuckles turned to the crocodile, annoyance on his face. “He’s a robot, you absolute dipsh...”
“Hey! Leave him be,” Espio said in his calm, quiet voice. “He never did anything wrong. He’s just a little slow on the uptake.” He patted Vector affectionately on the back.
“Yeah! So back off!” squeaked Charmy.
Sonic ignored all of this, walking to Rayman. “What is it, buddy?”
Rayman held his head clutched in his hands, forehead screwed up. Images flooded his mind, put there seemingly by divine providence. “WQe can do it!” he said suddenly, looking at the Hedgehog, excitement spreading across his face. “Bring the Heroes here!”
Sonic’s eyes widened as the same thoughts and pictures entered his mind. The faceless, green-armoured soldier... the free man who was not free... time’s hero, the boy with the pointed ears... the metal warrior who knows love... the consumer of fungus, explorer of pipes...
“Yes!” Sonic cried. “We have two sets...”
Rayman leapt to his feet. “...of Hero’s Tokens. The Masks of Polokus...”
“...and the Chaos Emeralds. We can use them...”
“...to bring five other Heroes here, making seven...”
“...to defeat Veurtoya!”
“Yes!”
By this time, all argument around them had ceased. Everyone’s eyes were upon the two.
“What are you two on about?” asked Rouge.
Everything had become perfectly clear to Sonic and Rayman.
“We need to get planetside,” Rayman said.
“Then what?” Tails asked.
Sonic turned to him. “Then, we kick some divine ***.”

The Land of the Livid Dead

The seven Chaos Emeralds were laid out in a circle, balanced on their points. Within that circle were the Four Masks of Polokus, arranged in a cross with the ends touching. Sonic and Rayman stood on either side of this pattern, eyes closed, arms spread(except in Rayman’s case). The others looked on in silence, waiting, for what they didn’t know.

The call went out, travelling through time, space, and even into other realities, sent by the combined power of Masks and Emeralds. Five heroes chosen by the Gods answered the call, from five different worlds.

Mario

Bowser’s Castle, The Mushroom Kingdom

The red-clad plumber gazed into the bubbling lava, as the King of Koopas disappeared once more into the fiery depths. Bowser would return, of course, as he always did. And the suspender-wearing Mario would defeat him once again. This was a routine that had been firmly established through Bowser’s many dozens of attempts at kidnapping Peach and taking over the Kingdom. It seemed Mario and Bowser were doomed to continue this battle until they both grew old and tired.
Mario tweaked his moustache, removed his cap, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Then he disappeared, taken from his land by a flash of blue light.

Link

Ordon Village, Hyrule (Twilight Princess Era)

“Must you leave so suddenly?” cried Illia, embracing the Hero of Time.Link nodded reluctantly, sliding the Master Sword, blade of Evil’s Bane, into its sheath, and then strapping it across his back. He took his floppy, green cap from its place at their bedside and placed it atop his head.
“Well,” said Illia, smiling and wiping a tear from her eye. “You certainly look the part,”
Link took her one last time in his gauntleted arms, then left the house and climbed into the saddle of Epona, the chestnut mare who had born him across all of Hyrule and back. She whinnied in delight at his presence, turning to the forest path.
“Be careful,” whispered Illia.
“Yah!” shouted Link, and Epona galloped towards the Faron Woods. Barely one hundred metres down the path, they disappeared into the depths of Chaos Control.

Mega Man

Earth, Year 200X

The blue-armoured robot dodged a laser blast from his opponent, ducking into cover behind a steel protrusion. Bolts of energy flew overhead, fired from the opposing Robot Master’s fists. Mega Man gripped the gun fitted to his arm, a ball of energy growing at the end of the barrel. His eyes hardened, and he stood up, fired his laser at the Dr. Wily-designed robot...
And disappeared with a discharge of blue light.

Master Chief

Aboard the Forward Unto Dawn

“Chief? Wake up, Chief,”
Cortana’s feminine voice broke through the cold sleep.
Master Chief Petty Officer 117’s eyes blinked open on the inside of his MJOLNIR armour. He instantly became alert, his biologically enhanced body warming slowly. He slid from his cryo pod, floating lightly through the zero gravity. He gazed around the ship. Or rather, the half a ship.
“Sleep well?”
Chief turned to see the miniature, blue hologram of a short-haired woman, the visual representation of his AI and friend, Cortana. She smiled at him, hands on her digital hips, one eyebrow raised.
“Very well, no thanks to your driving,” he replied. “What’s happening?”
“You told me to wake you when I needed you,” Cortana answered, her simulated lips moving in perfect imitation of human speech. “Well, I think someone may need you,”
She gestured at a flashing computer console.
“A distress signal. Not UNSC, Covenant, or even Forerunner,”
Chief glanced at the flashing light. He had a strange feeling in his gut, an instinct: They had to answer this call. He smiled briefly beneath his golden, polarized faceplate. “Let’s go,”
He ejected Cortana’s chip from the console, inserting it into the back of his helmet. She appeared once again as an image inside of his faceplate.
Without warning, the two of them disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Gordon Freeman

City 17

“It seems, Mr. Freeman, that you are once again required elsewhere. Fear not: you shall return in time to aid your friends in the Resistance. Alyx and Barney and all the others can wait, I am sure.
Ah, this detour was not included in my designs, I will admit. Like that time your cycloptic friends stole you from my grasp. But this time I must bow to a power higher than myself, astounding as it may seem that one exists.
“Rest assured, Doctor, you will return to smashing Combine in no time at all.
“On the other side, Mr. Freeman.”

Land of the Livid Dead

The five appeared simultaneously around the Emerald circle. Master Chief 117, an assault rifle in his hands, his face obscured by a polarised faceplate.
Gordon Freeman, crowbar in hand, green eyes telling a long story of pain and regret behind his glasses.
Link, Hero of Time, wielding the Blade of Evil’s Bane alongside an intricately decorated Hylian Shield.
Mega Man, blue armour glinting in the morning light.
Mario, stroking his bushy moustache.
Sonic the Hedgehog, blue spikes quivering in anticipation.
Rayman, fists glowing with yellow energy.
Seven different Heroes, warriors tested dozens of times over. From seven separate worlds, other times, other realities. Each one chosen by a God as protector of his world. Each one implanted with knowledge of this world and the other Heroes.
Armed with seven Chaos Emeralds and Four Masks of Polokus, it was, indeed, time to kick some divine ***.


Sorry if I’m coming across as kind of sexist here, with an all-male team of Heroes. If I could have, I would have thrown Samus Aran from Metroid in, but I wanted to keep the number to seven. I also considered Olimar from Pikmin, Kirby, and, of course, Pac-Man, but I picked the ones I considered most influential and famous.

That's cool.

Great chapter though!