The Hill folk return from the Floating Island. Art by Richard Elson.
The Emerald Hill folk are the inhabitants of the Emerald Hill Zone (and, at one point, the Mushroom Hill Zone). As the Zone is also the home of Sonic the Hedgehog and the Freedom Fighters, they can also be considered villagers. Some of them used to live in the Green Hill Zone.
As a peaceful and non-violent population, the inhabitants were the first to be subjected to Doctor Robotnik's harsh rule of Mobius and were forced to work in the Chemical Plant Zone as slaves. They were eventually liberated by Sonic, angering the dictator. Since then, Robotnik made extra effort to wipe out the folk, culminating in aiming the Death Egg's disintegrator array to completely wipe out the Zone. After Sonic saved them and helped to destroy the ship, Robotnik vowed to eradicate the entire population. To make sure he couldn't find them, Sonic agreed with Knuckles the Echidna to hide them on the Floating Island, evading Robotnik's searches for years.
The Emerald Hill inhabitants made a good job living quietly in the Mushroom Hill Zone and kept out of Knuckles' way. After losing his nerve, Porker Lewis quit the Freedom Fighters and became one of the Mushroom Hill folk, living in one of the shelled-out mushrooms and occasionally assisting Knuckles. The people were left completely unprotected when Knuckles went on an adventure with Captain Plunder and were eventually located by Doctor Zachary and Robotnik. Finally getting what he wanted, Robotnik plugged the Emerald Hill folk into a Biological Computer and was about to end their lives when the electromagnetic pulse from the Black Asteroid knocked out all computer systems and ended his reign of Mobius. Now safe from the wrath of the ruler, the Emerald Hill folk returned to their old Zone and houses.
Key events[]
- Doctor Kintobor appears on Mobius and meets the Emerald Hill folk, improving their lives.
- Sonic and the Freedom Fighters move from the Green Hill Zone to protect the villagers. Others join them, such as Sally Acorn, Tux and Joe Sushi.
- The folk are forced into slavery by Robotnik and made to work in the Chemical Plant Zone under harsh conditions.
- Sally attempts to exile Sonic from the Zone when he seemingly destroys their hideout, until it turns out to be a double.
- The people are targeted by Weapon X, with young Cedric narrowly avoiding death.
- The villagers are attacked by Metallix when he comes searching for Sonic, shortly after the entire Zone is cleared out and sent to the Veg-o-Fortress.
- A young boy wishes the Carnival Night Zone could be closer, seconds before it crashes down in the middle of the village.
- The inhabitants seem to be destroyed by the Death Egg until we learn that it was only a situation. Soon after, they are targeted for real but the missile launch is aborted when the Master Emerald is stolen.
- Members Hopper and Shorty the Squirrel are captured and turned into Badniks, but are saved when Shorty beats his programming.
- The people hide out on the Floating Island but are captured and turned into batteries for a biological computer.
- Those stuck in Badnik Processing Plants are rescued and sent to the Mushroom Hill Zone.
- They return home once Robotnik is defeated.
- Tommy and Sally are among the children stolen away by Vile Peter but are rescued by Father Christmas.
- Indecisive members of the village target Sonic when told to by Wally Dithers.
- Children of the Zone create a Badnik to get Sonic's attention but believe they have killed him when it goes out of control.
- The inhabitants are forced to leave the Zone when volcanoes appear and begin to erupt when Robotnik sucks out the world's life force. The Zone later regenerates.
- Everyone in the Zone fights back against Robotnik's Egg Viper during The Battle For Mobius, but in the process several children are taken away by Badniks. Tails leads the locals in tracking the Badniks down.
- Numbers dwindle when Super Sonic becomes the Iblis and destroys the Zone. The few that survive are brought back to the Zone by Silver the Hedgehog.