Chapter 6: Changes

The next morning, Blaze woke to the rising sun as it's mighty glow enter her room. She stretched her body as she got out of bed and walked to her bathroom to splash some wter in her face. When that was finished and her sleepiness was gone, the wardrobe was the next stop. Her nightgown hugged her slender body as she made her way. In the entire wardrobe, there is really only one style she found nice, other than the pretty dresses that her father gave her for her birthday, was the purple jackets and white pants. She smiled at her consistant look and took her clothing carefully, and took a pair of high heels, that had a similar design to her father's running shoes, and went to change. After a few minutes of changing, Blaze went to the hall and was on the way to see Silver. Unaware of his doings the night before, she hoped to see a happy face after hearing such terrible things of what could most likely be a great threat. Unfortunately, she found that he was not in the medical room. So she thought for a moment before thinking he was in his room.

While Blaze was making her way to Silver's room, Silver was beginning to awaken from his deep slumber. The sun shining into his eye, he quickly blocked it with his hand. After the affects of sleep had finally began to go away, he went into the bathroom to wash his face. When he splashed the water in his face, he looked into the mirror and gasped. In the mirror, there was a sight that he didn't expect to see ever again. Fortunatly for him, before a thought of sorrow could enter his his mind, a knock on the door was heard. He both welcomed and feared the knock as he dove to his dresser drawer to produce a pair of sunglasses. While he didn't like this gift that he recieved from Jet, it was a blessing at this point in time. He dawned on the glasses and opened the door to see a happy Blaze.

"Good morning Silver...um, why are you wearing a pair of sunglasses in doors?" She asked in concern.

"Well...er... I have a migrain today. Really bad one, the light hurts my eyes and everything." He lied.

While Blaze knew that he was lying to her, and despised to be lied to, she was a little concerned as to the purpose of the sunglasses. So, she played along with his charade and just nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I hope feel better soon, because I doubt that Shadow will be easy on us when it comes to training today." Blaze stated.

"I know, but I think I'll be fine for sparring. A head ache isn't much of a handicap." Silver said with some enthusiasm.

Blaze laughed a little at this and took his hand to help guide him through the hall a little. Let's face it, she knew that Silver couldn't see through those in doors unless it got really bright in there. Or she throws a ball of fire into the air, either way, she knew something was suspicious of Silver.

They arrived at the dinning hall together, dressed in their usual attire, and sat next to each other. Jet the hawk was already at the table and he noticed that Silver was finally wearing his sunglasses. With a grin on his face, he said, "Well, Silver, I never thought you'd actually wear those. I mean I got those for you a good long time ago."

Silver chuckled nervously, "Yeah, just got a headache that is really getting to me. These came in mighty handy Jet."

"Good to hear. By the way, I got a message from Shadow and Tambourine. They said that they'd be on vacation for the day, and that I'm in charge of your training." Jet said with a mischevious grin.

Blaze got a slightly worried look on her face after hearing this piece of news. Mostly because Jet's version of training involved more than just swords. It involved riding extreme gear. Of course, Blaze was a natural at the sport and could out do Jet, if she had felt like making the green bird cry, but Silver wasn't very accustomed to riding on such things. He relied more on his natural mode of flight, and prefered it that way. But Jet wanted them prepared for anything, and Shadow would have enforced this anyway.

Silver sighed at hearing that, "Do I need to get my board?"

Jet could only laugh as he nodded his response. With another sigh, Silver got to eating his breakfast of a steaming plate of pancakes and syrup with toast on the side, and enjoyed every bite of it as he mentally prepared himself to go on a flying session. The last time he had gone flying on an extreme gear, he had lost his footing and landed face first in a pile of... well some things are better left unsaid.

An hour later, after breakfast was consumed, and Silver finished his aggitated groaning, he got his board and followed Jet outside to the courtyard to begin his practice. As usual, Jet was at the front of the group to take control of the flying in formations. While Blaze believed that she could do better in the front, she didn't feel like pointing it out to the hawk today. So, they all formed an arrow formation and began to ride out into the town. Silver was not very confident of his riding skills, so he tried to keep balance while trying to immitate Blaze.

Up ahead, there was a group of Mobians that were all panicing and feeling wierd. Jet was curious as he banked left and began to take his ride to the source of all the comotion. silver and Blaze all followed and were just as curious. They all stopped at the scene and Jet led them to the center of the area, where they found three dead bodies. Silver thought it was strnage that he was not at all surprised by their death, or by the fact that they were not physically harmed. The three of them all saw that these bodies looked like they were dropped from a great hieght. A hieght that was beyond the trees.

"Jet...what could have done this?" Blaze asked as she continued to observe the body.

Jet crossed his arms and began to think. He opened his eyes and looked around the crowd. "Nothing to see here people. This is royal knights buisness."

The crowd leaves with the sound of whispering gossip filling the air as Jet went back to looking at the ground closely. "Huh?"

Silver approached the hawk and asked, "What's wrong?"

"There are foot prints here. They don't belong to the victims..." He exclaimed as he went back to thinking.

Blaze looked very closely and noticed that the prints were very familiar. She gasped mentally as she realized that the footprints were that of Silver's boots. Silver had been here with out a doubt, but why? She didn't comprehend it until a thought crept into her head and she quickly regretted ever thinkinjg it. She thought that Silver had done it.

She couldn't stop the thought from going into an assumption. It made sense to her. The lack of fighting or resisitance signs. The fact that their deaths could only have been caused by being lifted into the air and not have a single touch on them, it all fit perfectly to her. But she couldn't stand the thought of it being true. Unfortunately, her thoughts kept running wild as she looked to Silver with concern. Silver was looking at the bodies closely, feeling a creepy feeling come over him.

He grinned for a reason he didn't understand, and he could feel something different about himself. He didn't like it, but niether could he control it as he rose from the ground and smirked at the bodies and spoke in a voice that was not his own, "Well, good to see my work was recognized. How are you, Princess?"

Blaze froze as she stared at Silver. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard your thoughts, you think it was me, or rather the one I own." Silver chuckled.

In Silver's mind, he was trying to fight these feelings, and the voice and presence in him, but he couldn't stop it. The presence chuckled at Silver's failed attempt as he finally took control. Blaze nervously looked at Silver taking off his sunglasses. Behind them was what made Blaze fear the worse.

His eyes were snake like, and green. And around his eyes, his fur was beginning to turn black, and it was spreading around his face in a slow manner.

"No...what are you doing here?" Blaze asked, her eyes wide with fear.

Jet saw this happening and he drew his twin feather blades. "Princess! Get out of here!"

Blaze couldn't move as she watched Silver pull out his own twin blades and attacked Jet. She couldn't believe that she was watching his love fighting an ally. Jet came with a series of vertical slashes that were aimed to knock him out, but he dodged them with ease that didn't suit him. Silver then came from behind and butted the back of his head with the handle of his sword. Jet fell to the ground with a thud as he was knocked unconcious.

"Poor bird. He was always so impulsive. Can't beleive I was knight like him." Silver said in that dark tone.

"Silver?" Blaze asked as she gripped her rapier sword.

With a sinister grin, he said "It's Mephiles, Princess. Silver is gone on a little vacation, up here." He pointed to his head.

Blaze gripped her blade and ran to Mephiles with anger in her eyes, ready to strike. But, before she could come to striking range, she was halted and immobile.

"Not now, little Princess. When the moon is eclipsed, we will meet again, but for now, I'll settle for this." He got closer to her and whispered in her ear, "I will haunt your every nightmare, and all you know will be lost."

Upon finishing that statement, he disappeared in a flash of green light and left a shocked and very much afraid Blaze.

Author's Note: Well, I apologize for the long wait. Writer's block can be a pain. I do wonder what Mephiles is up to, and what will happen at the Lunar Eclipse? Let's pray that it isn't something insane. Thank you for reading and being patient.