Chaos Emerald/Pre-SGW


 * This article is on the Chaos Emeralds found on Mobius Prime in the Pre-Super Genesis Wave Timeline; you may be looking for the Super Emeralds or the Black Emerald from that same Zone. For the gems featured in the Sonic X Zone, see Chaos Emerald (Sonic X).

Chaos Emeralds are magical gemstones containing infinite power. Although they've been depicted in a variety of colors and quantities, there are typically seven distinct emeralds: peridot (green), aquamarine (cyan), sapphire (blue), ruby (red), amethyst (purple), topaz (yellow), and diamond (grey). Chaos Emeralds have often been the center of conflict across space and time in several different realities.

Arrival of the Chaos Emeralds

 * See: Coming of the Chaos Emeralds

The origin of the Chaos Emeralds remains a mystery. The arrival of the green Chaos Emeralds on Mobius came thousands of years after the Xorda attacked the planet with Gene Bombs, which resulted in billions of tons of ash being hurled into the air, blocking out the sunlight. Nearly 2,000 years later, the sun finally broke through the dirt and ash. Around this period in time, the first primitive species on, the Mobosaurs, emerged. However, the green Chaos Emeralds mysteriously rained down on the planet, causing disastrous weather anomalies which wiped out all of the Mobosaurs with the exception of the Ancient Walkers and Mammoth Mogul, who had become demi-god like figures as a result of the Chaos Emeralds' powers. (StH: #148, TMS: #3, SMM)
 * Originally, the robot Isaac claimed that the green Chaos Emeralds were a bi-product of the gene bomb's radiation reacting with beryl deposits beneath the planet's surface. However this theory has been retconned, since the Chaos Emeralds were later explained to have mysteriously rained down on the planet from outer space. However, other details explained by Isaac, such as the effects of the Xorda Gene Bomb attack causing the Days of Fury, are considered canon.

Creation of the Floating Island

 * See: Angel Island

Over 400 years ago, the Echidna scientists Kayla-La and Jordann discovered a White comet on a collision course with their city Echidnaopolis. The High Council accepted Kayla-La's proposal to use the power of twelve Chaos Emeralds to lift their city off the surface of Mobius into the sky. The comet struck the city's former site on the continent of Downunda, after the city had safely ascended into the sky. Some time later, the two scientists' great-great grandchildren, Edmund and Dimitri decided on a plan to slowly drain the power of the emeralds to lower Echidnaopolis back into its former site on the planet. Unfortunately, the Chaos Syphon created by the scientist brothers ended up sending the power into Dimitri, when he attempted to proceed with the plan despite the High Council's vote against it. All but one of the twelve emeralds were destroyed as a result, though this one emerald managed to keep the island afloat. (StH: #35, KtE: #1, KMS: #1, #2, #3)

Modern Uses
At some point, Sonic the Hedgehog learned that he could use the power of seven Emeralds and fifty Power Rings to undergo a Super Transformation, becoming a mighty being known as Super Sonic. After using it to defeat Universalamander, he would employ it in an attempt to defeat Knuckles the Echidna, only for Knuckles to demonstrate the ability to undergo his own transformation and become Hyper Knuckles. The ensuing battle ended in a draw, destroying a pocket Zone filled with Chaos Emeralds and Power Rings, but Knuckles was able to acquire a second Chaos Emerald to help keep the Floating Island aloft. This Emerald and the single surviving original Emerald of the set that had lifted the island into the sky were later threatened by Master Mogul. However, the combined efforts of Super Sonic, Hyper Knuckles, Turbo Tails, the Ancient Walkers, Athair, and the Brotherhood of Guardians thwarted Mogul's intentions and turned the energies of those two Emeralds and the ones Mogul had previously absorbed into the Master Emerald. (StH: #4, #56, SvK)


 * More info needed.

The Great Harmony

 * See: The Great Harmony

When A.D.A.M. enacted his plan to draw all of the Chaos Emeralds from around the universe to Mobius, six other varieties of Emeralds arrived from varius places around the galaxy. Most notably, red Emeralds arrived from Thoraxia, where Sonic had previously encountered them and accidentally created a separate, evil Super Sonic. A.D.A.M. also explained to Dr. Eggman that the cyan Emeralds came from Weeet, the blue Emeralds from Xorda, the purple from Teragosa 6, the yellow from the star that killed E.V.E., and the silver from the Bem world of Argentium. His plans ultimately allowed Tails, the "Chosen One", to fulfill the prophecy of producing the Great Harmony. While A.D.A.M. was distracted, Shadow the Hedgehog assisted Tails and opening a portal to the Zone of Silence. There, Tails sent all of the Chaos Emeralds where they would be safe and out of reach from villains, thus fulfilling the prophecy set out by the Ancient Walkers. (StH: #126, #169)

Merge Into Seven
Shortly after being sent into the Zone of Silence, every Chaos Emerald was fused together with the other emeralds of the same color by Feist, (the Mobian trapped inside the Zone), creating the actual seven Chaos Emeralds and giving him god-like power in that Zone; using that power, Feist reshaped the Zone of Silence into the renamed "Special Zone". Feist now presents challenges to those who wish to obtain one of the seven emeralds. (StH: #170, SU: #4)

While on a mission into what they thought was still the Zone of Silence, Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower encountered Feist who revealed how he condensed all Chaos Emeralds into one of each color and used their power to turn the pocket dimension into the Special Zone. Due to their shared antagonism of his former master Ixis Naugus, Feist granted them the Grey Chaos Emerald upon request, but warned them they would be challenged if they returned for any more. They left the zone to use the emerald to awaken Maximillian Acorn from his death-like sleep. It's power was then, temporarily, given to Merlin Prower to use with Knuckle's Guiding Star Gem to, successfully, retrieve Amadeus and Rosemary Prower, Tails's parents, from Argentium. After this it was returned to the Castle Acorn, only for Mammoth Mogul to force Sonic and Ash Mongoose to steal it to make him immortal again or lose the lives of Tails, Mina Mongoose, and Mighty the Armadillo. He then broke out of prison and escaped with the emerald using its power. (StH: #170, #186)

A few weeks after Sonic and Tails mistakenly entered the Sol Zone and recovered the Green Chaos Emerald from the mysterious Johnny, Captain Whisker, and Dr. Nega, Shadow the Hedgehog mistakenly entered the same zone along with Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic immediately started searching for this zone's version of Dr. Eggman, but was stopped by Shadow with the help of Blaze the Cat and Marine the Raccoon. Blaze generously gave the emerald to Shadow as thanks for protecting her zone, which Shadow turned over to G.U.N.. How the Emerald made its way to the Sol Zone remained a mystery. (StH: #180, SU: #1)

G.U.N. then assigned Shadow and Rouge the Bat to retrieve another Chaos Emerald from the Special Zone. When they arrived, Feist gave them one of his challenges for the Red Chaos Emerald. They, unfortunately, failed, but returned with E-123 Omega. Failing, yet again, they used "Plan B" with Omega shooting Feist while Shadow and Rouge escaped with the emerald. (SU: #4)

Due to losing the Grey Chaos Emerald, Sonic and Geoffrey St. John ventured into the Special Zone once more, to recover a Chaos Emerald to restore Maximillian Acorn from his delusional mind. Once they arrived, Feist challenged them with a race. Sonic, considering this challenge as too easy, raced at sonic speed, retrieved the emerald and raced back, only for Geoffrey to take the emerald and throw Sonic over the edge the edge of the challenge. He then exited the zone and went to the Casino Night Zone and met with Mammoth Mogul. Mammoth Mogul refused the skunk once he saw the emerald, saying that he had no need of it, but Geoffrey said it wasn't for him, it was for Ixis Naugus. Geoffrey then used the emerald to restore Ixis Naugus's sanity, after which it became a part of Naugus' wand, which he used to augment his various spells. (StH: #219)

Powering Genesis
Shortly thereafter, Dr. Eggman obtained the blue Chaos Emerald after entering the Special Zone and defeating his nephew Snively Robotnik in a race. The gem was used as a power source for the Death Egg Mark 2, notably powering the Cosmic Reset Button as it launched the reality-altering Genesis Wave. In this altered reality, all seven Emeralds were then collected by Eggman as part of his plan to conquer Mobius. After Super Sonic restored reality to normal, the blue Emerald was inexplicably transported somewhere in an alternate dimension, where it was discovered by the evil scientist Dr. Wily. Using the gem, Wily was able to contact Eggman, and the two joined forces, creating the Skull Egg Zone and unleashed yet another Genesis Wave upon both their worlds with the Emerald's power. They then proceeded to collect four more Chaos Emeralds, setting their eyes on the remaining pair as well. (StH: #223, #225, #228, #230, #231, MM: #24)

Collecting the remaining two gemstones through the efforts of their Roboticized Masters, the two doctors embarked on their ultimate agenda: powering up the Genesis Reactor to unleash the Super Genesis Wave. This wave, once unleashed, would have the potential to rewrite both universes without any limitations, allowing the doctors to become-in their own minds-gods. With the reactor powering up, the doctors gloated over their impending victory. However, the arrival of Knuckles the Echidna and Proto Man threatened their plans, forcing them to draw energy from the Emeralds to super charge their Egg-Wily Machine X. Sonic and Mega Man also succeeded in drawing power from the jewels, becoming Super Sonic and Super Mega Man, and defeated the doctor's machine. The Super Genesis Wave was unleashed, but the unaffected heroes then employed Chaos Control in an effort to restore their worlds. Mega Man succeeded without interference, but Sonic's efforts were disrupted due to an attack by Dr. Eggman. (StH: #248, #250, #251, MM: #25, SU: #52, #53, #54)

Powers
Each emerald contains supposedly unlimited quantities of pure Chaos Energy, a highly powerful form of energy able to warp space and time when properly utilized. Alone, an emerald is able to act as an extremely effective energy resource for machines, empower an individual with magical powers, enhance existing magical powers, and cause supernatural phenomenon. When all seven emeralds are gathered they have unlimited energy potential and can imbue whoever wields them with a powerful, nigh-invulnerable state.

Background information

 * Emerald is the name of a specific gem of the beryl variety, a family known for its wide array of possibly colours. "Emerald" is also used in Japan as a generic term for jewels.
 * "Chaos" in the English language means disorder and an irregular, unpredictable action that was remarkably sensitive to regular changes in environment, similar to how the Chaos Emeralds in the series act. "Chaos" as used in Greek refers to a large emptiness, or space. "Space" in English came to be a general term meaning both everything outside of the Earth’s atmosphere and the placement of objects in relation to one another.
 * The colors of the chaos emeralds were chosen based on the three primary colors of light (red, blue, and green), the three secondary colors which are mixtures of the primary colors (red+blue=purple, blue+green=cyan, and green+red=yellow), and finally grey which is a mixture of all three primary colors (red+blue+green=grey).
 * Writer Ian Flynn has said before that each Chaos Emerald started with infinite power and that has not changed despite the thousands of Chaos Emeralds have now merged into seven, saying "There's nothing to be gained when you already have everything."(1)

Origin Controversy

 * The origins of the Chaos Emeralds on Mobius and the other planets is rather questionable, due to the revelation that remarkably-similar Chaos Emeralds existed all over the universe, including within the heart of a star and on the home planet of the Xorda themselves. The Gene Bomb origin story does not account for these Emeralds, nor for the Green Emeralds that exist in Mobius's pocket dimensions. The most current storywriter, Ian Flynn, has very solidly denounced the "Xorda Gene Bomb" origin for the Chaos Emeralds and has purposefully left their origin vague and untouched, so as to accentuate their "mystical qualities" and leave it open for interpretation by the reader. Thus, the "Gene Bomb" theory is considered not-canon by this website's policy, though other details provided by Isaac about Mobius' history are, as there is no contrary evidence to these in the books.

Status/Location of the Chaos Emeralds

 * The locations of the Chaos Emeralds are as follows:
 * During the Genesis saga, Dr. Eggman and Snively collected all seven Chaos Emeralds through unknown means in order to recharge the Death Egg Mark 2. (StH: #228)
 * During the Worlds Collide crossover, Dr. Eggman and Dr. Wily also collected all seven Chaos Emeralds They already had the blue emerald before the crossover began.  By the start of the crossover, they had gathered four more emeralds through unknown means.  The last two emeralds were recovered by the Roboticized Masters.  Interestingly, the doctors accomplished this within only the first half of the crossover; in StH #249, Tails was even surprised that they had gathered all the emeralds that quickly.
 * As of the end of Worlds Collide and the alterations to Mobius's reality, the Chaos Emeralds are out in the open once more.