Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-26167440-20160111225919/@comment-679780-20160129012307

The Master Emerald located at the altar is one of the few areas on Earth where the Chaos Emeralds can stabalize.

Of course you forgot that Angel Island yet risen 4000 years a go. It was still part of what will be Mystic Ruins with the echidnas. Angel Island rose after Chaos went on his first rampage as eprfect Chaos. When Tikal sacrificed herself to seal chaos into the master Emerald, the Chaos Emeralds ere lost, pressumably went to the Special stages until Sonic 1.

The master Emerald can be regarded as an extra large "righth" Chaos Emerald. eight being an even number thus bringing order to an odd number of emeralds. The reason why the Master Emerald never had it's own Special stage is because it's powers are to bring order, not chaos, thus it doesn't have a reason to restabalize since it's purpose is stabalizing. Thus the Chaos emeralds can stabalize within the vicinity of the Master Emerald instead of returning to the Special Zone.

As for Super Sonic Gameplay may not be canon, well theres been lots of fair points on Super Sonic sustaining himself without rings, in which these are usually cutscenes or transitions. An explanation could be Super Sonic's gameplay is simply a bonus you can unlock after collecting all the emeralds, in Sonic 2 it did started out as a "cheat" or "unlockable" of sort that was not neccisary to the completion of the game. Super Sonic is still relevent to canon such as climactic battles in Dreamcast and modern games but ring consumption is simply a tradition brought over to make those moments more intense. you could be right that Super Sonic is sustained by the Chaos Emeralds alone canon wise and ring consumption is purely gameplay mechanic for it.

Bu sticking with my theories, most villains often use the Chaos Emeralds for two things. As a source of power or to trigger a "permanant" transformation.

Dr. Eggman used the emeralds as a source of power but not for actual power. He manages to do with artificially with machines. I wouldn't be suprised if the technology he uses in Badniks to syphon life energy is used in this. Dr. Eggman uses machines for the chaos emeralds but he rarely uses the emeralds himself without them.

Will can only grant so much power from Chaos Emeralds, such a ssuper transformation or Chaos Control. But can still be used as a power source with artificial means.

As for villain transformations, Mephiles to Solaris and Metal Sonic to Metal Overlord are examples, unlike Super Sonic which is a temporary transformation, these villains chose to transform into permanant states of form. That means they would of had to sustain these transformations by other means if neccisary. For Solaris being a god, his existance was power itself. Metal Overlord being a machine could sustain himself with the chaos emeralds the same way Dr. Eggman use machines to do so. Some natual or organic villains can perhaps still use chaos emeralds as a power source if they have the will or natual means to do so.