SonicSonic54321: Erm, about Blaze...it's a bit of an awkward answer. See, while Sonic Rush was before this game, I think she was only brought into 06 to give Silver a partner without adding another new character AND to have someone familiar. In the process, they screwed up her back story, and now she's a walking plot hole. For the sake of my sanity I just pretend Sonic Rush takes place after 06, and Sonic (who remembers 06) is aware that Blaze more than likely doesn't remember the events herself and pretends like it's their first meeting too (and whether you believe the "Blaze sealed herself in the Sol Dimension" theory wouldn't necessarily matter in this case). ^^
...yeah that probably confused you even more. Sorry. Just pretend Rush hasn't happened. XD
Katz4: As stated above, yeah, they really ruined Blaze that way! Plus, I always hated how she never interacted with anybody, and how she happens to appear at the end when the groups misses the battleship. That was definitely one of the first things to fix!
And your review to 'I Am All Of Me': I'm so glad you took the time to read it, and you could never get annoying! I love hearing from you! Shadow's (and Silver's) finales are really close, and it's going to be awesome.
. . .
Er, sorry for the belated chapter. If you didn't catch Natalie's (my sister) message on my profile the past couple days, my laptop sorta malfunctioned and I was without internet (and file) access for a while. Not to worry; I've got all my files backed up, and now I have a (semi-reliable) loaner laptop until I'm able to get a new one, so everything can continue -mostly- as planned.
...still really bummed, though.
Absolute Dreams
Chapter 10: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
My nerves were completely SHOT as I made my quest to Kingdom Valley. I know Blaze was only a few steps behind me, simpering impishly at the circumstance she placed me in, but she did have a slight point. If I showed up in front of Sonic with backup, he wouldn't be stupid enough to just suddenly trust us, especially if he thought it was a third attempt on his life.
And then he'd attack me relentlessly! Shadow was bad enough, and with Sonic's speed, he'd have my eyes rolling around my head faster that I could lift a pinkie!
However, I tried to keep Shadow's words in mind. He said that if I just apologized, Sonic would forgive me no problem…but that was far too easy! That was LIKE getting away with murder, without the murder! Who in the world would be crazy enough to just up and forgive the guy who tried to put an end to their life?!
I'm doomed, I'm doomed…!
Well, in any case, I'd only managed to find him because he was currently stopped, staring down a rather large-looking group of robots. His face was tense and he was ready to fight, and I knew he probably could've handled himself, but this was the opportunity to show him that I no longer meant any harm! Plus, it was a good chance to flex out my new mastery over my powers!
Okay, maybe not 'mastery' but it was definitely improvement!
I couldn't resist a smirk as I overtook control of the robots in an instant, turning them green and bringing them under my mercy. I then quickly sprang in front of Sonic, using my powers as an extension of myself to clear them all out of the way.
"Hr…HAH!"
Shadow's tips really came in handy, because the robots blasted backwards with little resistance, and whether they collided into each other or just grinded against the ground, they completely imploded, leaving none to stand in Sonic's way. I could feel his gaze looking me over, trying to figure me out, so I looked over my shoulder and tried to begin as pleasantly as possible.
"You look like you're in a hurry!"
Sonic wasn't mad per say, but as I predicted, he wasn't stupid either, standing tersely as he acknowledged me, ready to make a run for it the second he was given a reason to. He folded one arm under the other as his head rested in his palm, trying to be aloof about the whole thing, but the tone of his voice and that sharp look in his green eyes betrayed that.
"…so, what's going on?"
He had every right to want to know, and I was shocked just at the notion that he was allowing me to give my piece. Whether it was because of the fact I wasn't trying to kill him or the notion that I had cleared out Eggman's robots, I couldn't tell but I was grateful for the opportunity. If he would just hear me out…
"Circumstances have changed," I attempted to explain, losing my nerve and hanging my head at the last moment. "I…need to rescue the princess."
His facial features changed, becoming less alert and more surprised if anything. At the very least, he relaxed the slightest bit, but his guard was still up.
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Sonic demanded, narrowing his eyes contemptuously. "For the past several days you've done nothing but praise the idea of my death, and now you suddenly need to save a life…trust me, I'm glad that you're finally seeing things straight, but-"
"I know it seems sudden, but I have learned the truth," I interrupted, though I didn't really want to look at him. The expression he wore all those times when he was on the verge of death was still fresh in my mind. "All this potential death, all this destruction on the horizon, all this fighting…"
Eventually I forced myself to look at him, because I needed him to know I meant this.
"…I just want it all to end, one way or another."
I really, really did. I was sorry I had trampled back into the past under false pretenses. I had done more harm than good; messing things up, putting Elise in constant danger, hurting Amy, sending Sonic into an unneeded state of panic! Now Elise was reaping the problems of Iblis, and Shadow was hunting down Mephiles when it should've been me doing so to make him pay for lying to me, but if I was going to do one thing right in my trip to the past…it would be to keep my promise to Elise. I would make up for everything that had happened to her, even if it wasn't directly my fault.
There was no way Sonic was going to let me off the hook though-
He suddenly put his hand on my shoulder, grinning at me with a knowing smile.
"All I can ask for is that you're on the right path now," he remarked, sounding serious yet carefree at the same time. "I could've told you that Elise was the one that needed to be looked out for, rather than, you know, trying to assassinate me-"
Yes, rub salt in the wound why don't you…!
"I'm really sorry, Sonic…I never wanted to take your life, but so long I thought that was the only way to save things, and I…I…I nearly made a huge mistake! I should have realized Eggman's scheme sooner!"
I wrenched out of his grip, turning my back toward him for I wasn't worthy of looking into his face. I was a fool- a naïve fool that was led astray. I could argue that I didn't know any better, but the actions were still mine, and no one but me could take credit for them.
I was ready to make it up to everyone.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness, but please, at the very least, heed my apology and allow me to offer my help in any way I can…"
I honestly didn't know what I was expecting from Sonic next- him pushing me to the ground, a torrent of much deserving insults, maybe a black eye, a spin dash to the knee-
"I forgive you."
-But it definitely wasn't THAT.
"What…what!?" I gaped, turning to find him smiling madly at me. There was no way…what the heck! "That easily…!? I tried to KILL you! That's not a light offense-!"
"I know," he responded nonchalantly, which made me even more confused. "Yeah, I wasn't too keen on losing my life, but your intentions were in the right place…they were just headed in the wrong direction."
I just kept on gaping at him like a fish out of water.
"'Sides, I'm a ridiculous pushover for apologies. It's easy to get revenge, but it's harder to forgive, so…it's really good thing I'm great at forgiving, then!"
Shadow was right…I didn't believe it, but he'd been spot on about Sonic. He forgave me just because I apologized, letting all my past transgressions go into the wind like they were never there…with three simple words, he'd given me a fresh start; a clean slate! No longer did I have to mope and mourn about what I did wrong; with three such simple words…I could look forward, and think about what I needed to do right.
And he was just standing there casually, having no idea how much of an impact his forgiveness had left on me.
"I…okay then." I didn't have to stammer and stutter anymore- I knew what needed to be done, and I could go at it with all I had! I could move forward with full conviction! "Let's go save the future!"
Sonic seemed to approve of my new approach, motioning to me with a nod as he whisked himself away.
"Silver, we don't have much time. Let's get to Elise right away!"
"I understand," I stated immediately. However, he was so much faster than me, but at least now I could fly and keep up with him without burning myself out. "And also, my friend Blaze should be meeting up with us in the valley."
"Ooh, I finally get to meet the elusive Blaze," he laughed, almost sounding excited about meeting the other person who wanted him dead at one point.
"How'd you know about her…?" I asked suspiciously. Sonic just shrugged like it wasn't some big secret.
"Saw you and her talking to Mephiles when Eggman threw my friends and I to the future. I've never seen her otherwise after that."
I've barely seen Blaze myself since then myself.
The clouds in the sky were dark and gray in such a way that I'd never seen before- a thick black coat of smog was the norm back in the future, but every day I'd spent in the past was clear and sunny. So, seeing something like that ahead now was a little unsettling. Leaves were dancing about in the wind, but my biggest problem really wasn't the eerie scenery- it was the robots intent on killing us.
Sonic wasted no time in picked up the slack, practically becoming a breeze himself as he gallantly launched himself forward into the fray, destroying things like it was second nature. Watching him effortlessly tear into those robots reminded me how lucky I was that he didn't do the same to me.
"Augh, he's definitely good at what he does…" I said in a frightened falsetto, merely struggling to run after him. In my battle to keep up with his breakneck pace, I passed by a stack of crates, and a way to help Sonic dawned on my mind. As he went to fisticuffs with the pack of drones, I lifted the entire stack of crates into the air and turned to Sonic, ready to fire.
"Get down, Sonic!" I called, throwing the crates over immediately. Sonic only needed a second to assess the situation before he crouched low, the crates flying harmlessly over him. They collided with the remaining robots and sent them careening over the edge. Seeing as my move was successful, I jumped into the air and threw my hands up. "Yeah, I did it!"
"Nice shot!" Sonic congratulated me quickly, already back on his feet and darting off. "Now let's keep going!"
"Okay, okay…!" I exclaimed, having to manipulate myself to even stay a decent pace behind him. Thankfully the paths were straight forward, so it wasn't too hard to stay on his heels…until he suddenly jumped on a rail that was conveniently next to us. I gaped at him incredulously as he threw his arms out, letting out a cheer as he covered even more ground than I could keep up with.
Not to mention it was dangerous!
"What in the world-?!"
"You never grinded on a rail before?!" he called back to me, clearly enjoying himself. Dumbstruck, I shook my head.
"No, but I've seen Blaze do it dozens of times…I'm not fast, skilled, or coordinated enough to do that…"
"Well this friend of yours knows where the fun is at; whoo hoo!"
I grabbed my forehead as I watched him make a spectacle of himself. "I really don't think she does it for the thrill-!"
"Don't know what you're missing…!" Sonic practically sang, leaping across the path to a rail on the other side. He maneuvered himself with such natural born skill, and as he flipped about all around me, I really kinda wanted to do that too. I mean, he even had the nerve to do it backward…! I could barely run forward as it was!
Showoff…!
If that wasn't enough, he even started grind on streams of water, defying physics itself! I didn't know how much more I could take, because Sonic was acting like it was a completely normal occurrence, cheering and hollering as he swooped around on the water. Naturally, I couldn't take such a route, yet the way forward was broken up…so I kneeled on the ground and called upon the broken pieces, and they came up much faster than they normal did.
"Shadow training works again!" I exclaimed, hurrying up the flight of stairs of a tower that I had fixed. The way forward went through the tower, so I used my powers to bend the bars barricading it and worked my way in. I was really hoping this wouldn't detour me too much from the far faster path Sonic had opted for, but this was the only way I could get ahead!
A few drones were lingering inside, so I didn't even bother finding anything to throw at them. I lifted up the smaller ones and smashed them into the bigger ones, creating a huge pile of scrap metal in their place. The biggest one of all was still standing though, rapidly hurling missiles at me that I redirected on the spot. It almost seemed confused before it was violently blown to pieces and the way forward was opened.
"And yet there's nowhere to walk…" I murmured, finding that the ground was way too far below me to jump. However, directly across from me was a tower, and a conveniently large enough pendulum to knock into it…
Hey, it's an old castle- no one lives here anymore.
I glided myself over to the first pendulum, which I manipulated to move with my powers, working it into a strong swing. When it had enough movement, it knocked into a second one, which then flew forward and knocked into the tower. It toppled over instantly, giving me a place to land and carry on.
"I'd like to see Sonic do THAT," I smirked to myself, bringing myself to lower ground and looking around again.
My only way forward was to go up, again, so I used my powers to boost myself to the top of a tower, grabbing the edge and struggling to pull myself up. As I floundered about, I glanced up and saw Sonic smirking at me, bemused at my current predicament.
Am I that much of a string bean?
"Sup," he hummed, holding his hand out for me to grab. I latched onto him, still having trouble getting myself over, and to my surprise he tugged me up with hardly any resistance. "I assume there wasn't too much trouble on your end?"
"Yeah," I lied, throwing myself onto the ground to catch my breath. "No…problem at all…"
I probably looked a fish gaping for water right about now, and Sonic must've known it to, cuz he leaned down to my level and grinned much too eagerly at me. I figured he was about tear into me relentlessly for how weak I was, so I braced myself for a verbal thrashing.
"Say…what's the fastest you've ever gone?"
Wait, what?
"Not very," I gaped, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why?"
With an overly eccentric smile, he gripped onto my wrist again and single-handedly brought me back to my feet. "No special reason."
Before I could wrap my mind around anything, we were gone.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Everything had went from crystal clear to an insane blur of blue, green, and gray, and I had absolutely no idea how Sonic always knew where he was going. He was just barely dodging obstacles with me flying behind him, so it was all I could to scream and make my immense fear known to the world. Sonic looked over his shoulder questioningly, like I was the one who'd lost my mind, and started moving FASTER, and I seriously though my arm was going to fall off…and one wrong move could completely cost us…!
…but on the other hand, it wasn't so bad. The rush was exhilarating, and I could see why Sonic reveled in it so much –plus it was pretty efficient for getting from one place to another. But there was no way I could do this all the time. It was far too risky and dangerous, and I was hanging onto my life by a thread as it was!
"Don't freak out!" Sonic called to me, and I suddenly felt our orientation flip- was he running along a wall?!
"Nyaaaaah!" I winced, instinctively grabbing his wrist tighter as my heart jumped into my throat. How was this possible?! "Too late for that…!"
He laughed over his shoulder as he whisked up and down the wall. He was acting like he was totally born for this with how well he moved, and while Blaze was impressively fast herself, I had to admit she had nothing on this guy. Sonic sprang off the wall and started running on the cliff's edge like he was walking a tightrope. His balance was impeccable, and just when I was going to applaud him for it, I saw that he was headed straight for a huge drone of Eggman's…and he wasn't stopping for anything.
Here lies Silver the Hedgehog…
Just when I thought he was going to get very acquainted with the front of the robot by smashing himself into a pancake, he suddenly slid to the ground, sliding between the robot's legs and dragging me along behind him. He effortlessly brought himself back up and rounded the corner, waving the robot off.
"I'll deal with you some other time!"
He was completely oblivious to how I was feeling, happily bolting ahead with little regard for what he was doing. I seriously couldn't wrap my head around how this guy functioned- he was just too different from me! I'd been able to relate to Shadow at least a little bit, but Sonic was on an entirely different wavelength!
"You're totally crazy!" I shouted in spite of myself. "Doing all these insane things and so successively…I thought that the past was normal, but you by yourself showcase the most insane parts about it…!"
He was surprisingly silent, since he was normally so ready with a response to everything, and that fact kinda scared me. He even started slowing down, letting me go –I stumbled over myself- and walking a few steps ahead.
"You act as though you've never seen anything crazy in your life," Sonic said quietly, and I flinched, worried that I might've upset him.
"Well, I suppose monsters made of fire and random tornadoes in the middle of a city are a bit…abnormal, but I was born into that sort of thing, so I'm used to it."
"Ha, that's nothing," he chided me, waving his hand over his shoulder. "Call me up when the prototype of the ultimate life form attaches itself to a falling space station with only five minutes to stop it- that's crazy."
I went slackjawed in such a way that I thought my face was going to freeze like that. "Wha… No, that did NOT happen-!"
"Oh, neither did that alien invasion last year, nor did a giant robot look-alike of me try to enslave the world with androids, nor did I get stuck battling a future-born hedgehog who was out for my life along with demons running amok through time-!"
I threw my hands up and growled, grabbing my head and screaming. "Argh, stop it! Fine, FINE! So you've had all these fanatical adventures and problems thrown at you, but you've managed to dance around them all just fine! But that's totally not fair!"
Sonic stopped spouting his nonsense and turned back to face me, looking a mix of perplexed and intrigued. That awkward expression only upset me even more and I snarled.
"My whole life has been a problem! Everything I've done has either been pointless or wrong! And you…you just flaunt how happy you are to live in a world that's beautiful and lucky you are to have a bunch of friends who'd give their life for you..."
I sank, the emotion of my rant sapping me of strength.
"…and I don't expect you to understand where I'm coming from."
What the heck is wrong with me? I'd just finally got on his good side and now I was totally blowing it!
Sonic was all kinds of bewildered, but then he looked thoughtful, like he was pondering on what he was going to do with me. I just stared at him hopelessly, because I was such a mess at this point. I didn't have anything to worry about anyway- so long as we saved Elise, my sordid world wouldn't be anymore…
But would that also mean I wouldn't be me anymore?
Sorting all this out was far too much to me, and I wished I could just let it all go like Sonic could. In an instant he'd forgiven the guy who tried to murder him…so why was it so hard to forgive myself for letting life weigh me down so much that I couldn't build myself back up?
"You're right," Sonic stated after a long silence, mostly filled with me despairing to myself. "I can't entirely empathize with you, but I can definitely see your turmoil, and no one deserves to feel that way."
He stepped closer to me, closing the distance between us and grinning slightly.
"So the world gets a little crazy...embrace it! Have fun with it! Weird things happen all the time; denying that fact doesn't help anything!" Sonic insisted, spreading his arms out and casting them over the area. "All you have to do is not ask so many questions- just let it happen, and let it be!"
"That's easy for you to say," I murmured, folding my arms.
"Is it really?" Sonic asked with a shrug. "Do you really think I was as happy and content with my life right from the get go? Is that what you think?"
Admittedly, yes.
He put his fists on his hips and narrowed his eyes at me. "Well that's totally not the case. You can't just wake up one day and decide to be happy…you have to suffer first, and actually realize that you deserve to be happy despite the hardships…and from there, you can work hard to show other people that they can be happy too."
The hard edge of his expression vanished as he gave me a thumbs up, and I just stood astonished.
"Sometimes happiness lies trapped in misery," Sonic continued. "And that's the kind of happiness that's most fulfilling, I like to think."
I hated to admit that I think I was wrong about him, and I went about accusing him of having such a wonderful life when I knew very well that no one's life was perfect. But the fact that he could always hold his head high in even the most desolate of situations was admirable.
If only I could do that.
If happiness was trapped in misery, then mine was buried deep. Sonic appeared to be oblivious to whatever was going on in my head, because he had the look of a raccoon searching for dinner with how intently he was scanning the ground. I just let him do his thing as I tried to wrap my head around what he said, but…we lived such different lives. How could I apply such a positive philosophy to myself?
Suddenly Sonic grunted at me, kneeling down and strangely fascinated by something. He patted the ground next to him, beckoning me to join, so I plopped down next to him, wondering what was going through his head now.
His thoughts moved as fast as his feet…
"Um, what are we doing…?" I questioned, yet Sonic merely pointed to a single blue flower that was abysmally peeking out through a patch of particularly dry soil. Just by looking at it you could tell it was trying hard to get as much nourishment as it could from that less than lush ground; trying to spread its pedals as wide as it could…
"That flower is you," Sonic abruptly blurted out, and it threw me for such a loop that I had to gawk at him. Like, where did that come from…!?
"What in the world are you trying to tell me?" I sputtered at him.
"What I'm trying to tell you is that, like this flower, you were forced to grow in not the best circumstances," he elaborated calmly as he gestured to the dehydrated ground. "But despite that, you were able to flourish anyway, though you may not even realize…"
Okay, so I guess there was a slight comparison. He was attempting to use this metaphor to get me to see his point. Well, I studied the flower, struggling to live in such a tough environment…and it was honestly doing the best it could. I wasn't exactly a plant whisperer –since vegetation was nonexistent in the current future- but I could tell it was definitely suffering despite how well it looked on the outside.
…all it needed was someone to help it along.
I looked around for some water to give it, and thankfully, that gravity-defying water Sonic had been utilizing earlier was within reach. Thus, I used my powers to reach out and grab some of it, like I had in the Tropical Jungle, guiding it over to the flower and giving it a much deserved refreshing drink of water. Like watching magic, the flower twitched a bit, like it was coming back to life, and right before mine and Sonic's eyes, it stood straight and tall again; even its color looked better!
"Whoa," I whispered quietly, not taking my eyes of the flower.
"No matter how terrible life chooses to become, as long as we plant the seeds of hope, they will bloom into a bright future," Sonic mused contently as he turned to me. "So Silver, don't be so quick to give up hoping, okay?"
For so long, I had abandoned hope, because for so long, I thought that was nothing to hope for anymore…Blaze always wandered around the desolate ruins of our world, looking for anything signs of hope, no matter how much I told her it was pointless. I constantly tried to get her to stop; tried to get her to stay with me, but she always told me she needed to find what she was looking for, and left again. I could never quite figure out why she'd been so adamant…but maybe that's because she wanted to remind herself of something to fight for, no matter how bleak things had become.
It really did hurt to hope, because when that hope was crushed, it was hard to come back from it. But that flower…like me, it had been born into a hopeless situation, but it'd still been born; born with a purpose to bloom into what it was meant to be. It dreamed of all its triumphs, and all it'd ever be…even if hoping would bring pain, that didn't mean it was right not to hope at all. As long as we had hope, we could overcome any despair that came our way! It was hard for me to believe in that at first, but ever since coming to the past, I had seen so many people fight for what they believed it, whether or not it had been 'right'…and I realized I had done the same. Yes, I may have made things worse than what they needed to be, but if I kept marching forward…if I kept striving to make that change I so desperately wanted…
I could stand tall; I could be strong; I could believe…and I could be happy.
All I had to do…was not give up hope…
"…okay. I won't," I said in response to Sonic, but it was more aimed at myself. "Not anymore."
"Marvelous!" he cheered excitedly, popping back to his feet in a single bound and moving to help me out. I accepted his assistance as I stood up too, taking in my newfound confidence-a feeling I had wanted for so long but could never find… but I had it now, and I wasn't going to lose it for anything!
"Allow me to go on ahead," I suggested, turning to assess the way ahead. "I'll clear the path for you."
"Yeah, you looked like you could use a short break from the high speed earlier," Sonic snickered impishly. "Your face was green, but it wasn't thanks to your aura if ya know what I mean."
Diplomatically put…
There were so many crates and robots ahead that I figured I could do a little clutter control- Sonic probably could've wiped everything out faster than I could've, but had my face really been that green-?
"No, he's probably just messing with me," I told myself as I hoisted some crates high and knocked them against a huge robot. I then used my powers to tear it apart, tossing its pieces away effortless. "Let's just clean up this trash!"
As I hurried long, I found that it was increasingly easier to take on the robots. I'd learned their fight patterns, which made dodging and countering so much less stressful! When they aimed missiles at me, I rolled forward and halted them, easily flipping them around and sending them right back. When backup arrived, I dove behind crates for quick cover before punching forward and sending said metal crate flying, knocking it right into my opponent's head and dispatching them.
"Come on! I'm ready for you now!"
No matter how tall they were, or how they were built, or what color they were painted, Eggman could build a whole armada of them, and I felt like I'd be ready to take them on. Some of the yellow ones charged at me with their chainsaw-like arms, so I sprung up, flipped, placed my hands on their shoulders, and used my powers to tear them off, landing in a battle-ready stance. Any lingering robots started shooting plasma lasers at me, but I reached out for two crates, one to defend with and one to stun them all. Then, while they were static, I levitated them up and hurled them into the water below.
A shame it had never been this simple.
Up ahead were more steel bars; I pulled them apart and slid my way through, eagerly anticipating what I'd find next. Plenty of crates and spike balls greeted me, along with some scorpion-like robots creeping up the stairs. They were firing potentially poisonous daggers at me, so I sliced off their tails with a Psychic Knife, then crushed them under the spike balls. With them out of the way, I darted down the stairs and rounded a sharp corner, keeping my hands glowing just in case I ran into anymore threats.
However, I was glad to find that the path was relatively clear of robots, and that my contribution was finished.
"Perfect!" I chirped, hurried heading back to go get Sonic. However, when I returned, I was particularly surprised to see him laughing, and even more stunned to see Blaze standing next to him with a terse smile on her face.
I leave for one second…!
"What the-?" I stammered, catching the attention of both of them. "Blaze, when did you get here?"
"Not that long ago," she replied simply, folding her arms in front of her. "I was just talking to Sonic while we waited."
"I like her," Sonic grinned with a peace sign, but then became serious. "So, you made a straight forward path for us?"
Snapping out of my previous stunned state, I nodded. "Yes, I made sure that there were no robots on our way forward. We're free to go!"
"Hey, not bad!" Sonic exclaimed, clenching his fist. "Then I guess I'll take it from here!"
He then looked over his shoulder and winked at Blaze.
"Guess I'll get to see this speed of yours now!'
Blaze nodded as she readied herself to run. "Yes; I suppose you will…"
What had I missed!?
Regardless, Sonic sped off without any warning, and Blaze was right behind him, the both of them heading down the path I cleared. I merely gawked at them for a few moments, but I knew I was losing ground, so I manipulated myself and started flying, refusing to lose them at this point.
We all breezed down the path, weaving through the ruined castle walls and dipping down just barely above the water, and even through a cave! Sonic was a blur of blue, Blaze was a brilliant streak of purple, and I trailed behind with my blend of sea foam green, but we couldn't deny that we were making progress. I mean, we even rushed up alongside the castle walls!
"Mph…" I heard Blaze muffle under her breath, and I inwardly cringed- I forgot she didn't like heights very much.
"You all right?" Sonic asked, and Blaze nodded.
"Yeah, just...a little anxiety. I assured you; I'm fine."
"Man, why are we even running up a wall anyway?" I wanted to know. "We're going to fall…!"
"I know; isn't it sweet?!" Sonic cried far too eagerly. "But really, we'll need some height if we're going to reach the Egg Carrier…!"
"Just…not too high, right?" Blaze murmured quietly. Sonic sensed her discomfort regardless, because when we rushed by one of the tower's stain glass windows, he called to us to follow him, and he broke right through it and landed in the room inside. Blaze and I landed behind him, but he didn't stop for a moment, thundering through in no time flat and taking off out the door.
"This way!" he shouted, kicking what appeared to be a lever for controlling a water pump, which then sprayed out a stream of water for him to ride on. Blaze wasted no time in following suit, but since I still didn't trust myself on a normal rail, let alone one made of water, I simply flew my way across. Like Shadow said, I wasn't feeling nearly as taxed, and I was glad to keep up with those two speed demons, but if I kept going like this…!
"We've gotta be close," I told myself, leaving it at that.
When we returned to stable ground, it ended up being not so stable, because it was crumbling as we stepped on it. Luckily I was floating over it, but Sonic and Blaze were lucky enough to stay a few paces ahead.
"We can do it- we're almost out of the valley!" Sonic shouted, his voice fierce rather than soft like it'd been previously. I figured that the weight of being so close to getting to the princess was starting to weigh on him, and that's why he was becoming so tempered about things.
This was confirmed when he suddenly halted, grabbed mine and Blaze's wrists, and broke the sound barrier.
My stomach flew forward and landed somewhere in my throat when he did that- which may have been a slight exaggeration, but that's what it felt like. Blaze wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I was, but I knew for a fact that she certainly wasn't fast enough to break the sound barrier, so this was just as new to her as it as to me.
Sonic had done a completely one-eighty in personality, and I could tell just from the quick glimpses of his face. That calm, thoughtful, considerate hedgehog that had shown me the flower and tried to raise my spirits was gone. Who replaced him was a hedgehog driven by his dedication to protect the innocent and moved by pure conviction alone- all nonsense was gone, and an unexpected air of seriousness coated him. Speed was his only ally now, and he was going to rely on it one hundred percent to get us to that Egg Carrier.
I caught a glimpse of it passing just overhead as we made our way through a part of a castle situated under a waterfall, with water pouring down on either side of us and creating a rainbow above our heads. But that was the least of my worries, as I constantly fretted over Sonic hitting any oncoming obstacles. I guess my concerns were misplaced, for Sonic sidestepped and jumped over everything like he already knew what was coming, letting nothing hinder him from that Egg Carrier.
He really had some resolve.
Sonic ran along a wall with water pouring down it, and I sent Blaze a look to demonstrate how bizarre it was for him to be running crosshatch against a waterfall without slipping or even falling- he REALLY wanted to get to Elise. But thankfully he didn't stay on the waterfall for long, leaping back down to a brick path and tearing forward. My eyes were starting to tear up with the speed we were moving, though I couldn't complain. We were breezing through faster than ever before, and with us closing in on the Carrier, we were totally in the clear!
Good future, here I come!
When we finally escaped the Old Castle and made it back into the clearing of the valley, I was ready to help Sonic get up to the Egg Carrier, but…we ran into two problems…
One being that the amount of land we had to follow Eggman was running out…
…and the other being that a loud BOOM suddenly pounded at our ears, and there was only one source it could've been from.
I felt Sonic's hand tense up where he was grabbing me, and when the three of us looked up, we found the Egg Carrier, diving slowly out of the sky with flames and billowing smoke pouring out of it. A sharp, pained yelp escape from Sonic as he let go of the both of us, desperately trying to run for it on his own without us weight him down. Blaze and I caught ourselves immediately, exchanging a frightened look as we attempted to follow Sonic.
The Egg Carrier continued to descend against the backdrop of the darkened sky, like Mother Nature herself knew that her time was running short. Sonic willed himself to move faster, but if he went any farther he would've thrown himself right over the cliff!
He wouldn't stop, though.
The flames of the Carrier grew bigger and brighter, almost reminding me of the Flames of Disaster themselves…to think if we couldn't do anything in the next few seconds-!
Another ear-splitting, blood-curdling boom sounded out as the Egg Carrier dipped over the horizon, detonating in a definitive explosion that certainly solidified the fact that Princess Elise, and more than likely Eggman himself, had met their unfortunate end. I tried not to break down right then and there, for it had made it across the valley whereas we couldn't…we would've been too late anyway…
But that didn't stop my heart from breaking at the sight of Sonic.
To see him, of all people, suddenly cave to his knees at the edge of the cliff the moment the Carrier burst was indescribable, for seeing someone with a huge amount of will power suddenly break in an instant was mortifying, far more than the reality of the situation at hand.
"ELIIIIIIIIISE!"
His hand reached for where she and the Egg Carrier had disappeared over the horizon, but as the aftermath of the boom died down, so did he, sinking so low and pulling into himself that I couldn't take it.
"The Day of Disaster…" Blaze trailed, folding her hands in front of her as the flames reflected in her eyes. "…has come to pass…"
All that we had worked for; all that we had overcome…what did it MATTER anymore?!
I felt a burning disappointment and a despairing chill run up my spine at the same time; a notion that made me utterly sick. For all the mistakes and hindrance I'd done in the past, this one definitely had the biggest consequence…because I was partially to blame for my own hellish future. But I couldn't even be fully focused on that –I already knew how messed up it'd all be…
After all, I was watching someone break down right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to console him.
Sonic was clawing at the ground like he was in physical pain, having broken out into a cold sweat and panting heavily. I couldn't even begin to fathom what he was going through, and it only made me feel even guiltier for how I had treated him earlier. I really didn't know him at all, and to make such rash accusations against him…
Heavens, I'm awful…!
"Nrgh…nrgh…!"
He was grunting incoherently, gripping at the ground so hard that he was pulling up grass and dirt.
"Wh…why…couldn't I have been faster…?" he droned deliriously. "Why'd…she have to die…?"
Blaze's hands flew to her mouth as tears stung the corners of her eyes; I wasn't feel so hot myself anymore- the world was even starting to spin and making me feel dizzy.
"And it's…all my fault…" Sonic sniveled a final time, and before I knew it, he had completely snapped.
"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGHHH!"
The grass and dirt became his personal punching bag as he pounded and punched it relentlessly, screaming and howling uncontrollably in an inconsolable fashion. His grunts and groans were physically painful, like he'd never experienced anything to this extent before. Blaze eventually lost it and started grabbing her head before she fell over; I caught her with my powers and held her for support.
"This is…too much…" she trembled, trying so hard to remain straight faced, but who could in this situation? Something like this…could break the strong, stoic resolve of Blaze the Cat…
Something like this could bring Sonic the Hedgehog to his knees.
I couldn't even see his face now- his head was tucked down low, and any bit of expression that would've peeked out was blocked by his arms. He was shuddering awkwardly, so out of respect I looked away…but with him in that state and Blaze shocked into silence, it was up to me to find a way out of this.
If there was ever a time for me to prove myself, it was freaking now.
But what could I do?! The Egg Carrier was nothing anymore, Elise was…gone…and Iblis was bound to appear any minute! Everything was following the original design time had in store, so who were we to think that we could bend it to our will? That only led to the demise of the Duke; for believing such a thing…
Yet…if we could do it right, just once…if Sonic could redo this day all over again, without me getting in the way…we'd have a chance…!
"I can…I can help make that difference…" I whispered to myself, reaching into my quills and pulling out the blue Chaos Emerald. With this, I could turn my hopes, dreams, and thoughts into power if I wanted it enough. Shadow had shown me that, and Sonic had shown me that there was no reason to ever give up hope, not even now…!
This is what I dream!
"Wait," I began, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by my spontaneous surge of hope. "There's still a way to change this!"
Blaze gasped and pulled away from in disbelief; Sonic finally lifted his head up, one of his emerald eyes rolling back to gaze at me, telling me that I'd better not be lying.
"If you return to an earlier point in time, you can still save her," I explained, and he finally pushed himself back up to his feet, looking emotionally worn.
"I…understand, but…" he trailed, grabbing his head. "I can't cause that sort of Chaos Control by myself, and I have no idea where Shadow is now…"
"We don't need Shadow!" I insisted, holding up my Chaos Emerald proudly. "I can cause Chaos Control too!"
Sonic looked like that was the best news he'd heard in all his life.
"I know…I'm a little new at this, but…if this is our opportunity to set right what's gone so terribly wrong, then I'm willing to take a risk for once in my life," I stated strongly, the emerald glowing in reaction to my feelings. "Sonic…do you have a Chaos Emerald?"
He nodded, the life in his eyes returning as he pulled out his cyan gem with renewed faith. "Yes, I do. I got it when my friends and I were in the future."
Blaze could only look on as Sonic and I walked toward each other, our emeralds sparkling in anticipation. We gave each other a final nod, thinking of only earlier today, before we crossed arms at the wrist and let out the chant.
"Chaos…CONTROL!"
Our hearts united as one in that finite moment, the portal spiraling into existence at our beck and call. This hole in time and space…was truly our last chance to set things right. I was going to have to leave it to Sonic, because it was his actions that needed to change the future, not mine…
What I needed to do was prevent the future from getting any worse.
It was hard to explain, but in my heart I knew that's how things would come to be- I wasn't of this time, and with all the changing we were doing, it was certain I wasn't part of this timeline anymore. But hey, if that meant there was a happier me in a separate timeline because of what I did…then I could be content with that. Didn't change the fact how much I despised the confusing concept of time travel, but I was beyond questioning its validity now.
Sonic distracted me from my own thoughts, turning to face that portal and breaking out into a grin, thrilled at his second chance. He had started to run for it immediately, but not before spinning around and throwing the cyan emerald at me.
"Silver!" he cried, and somehow I managed to catch it on my first try as Blaze sidled up to me. "I can handle this myself!"
"We…know you can," Blaze stated, folding her arms and smiling slightly. Sonic grinned and turned back to me.
"Besides, you've got somewhere to go too, right?"
Wow, he recovered fast.
"You…?!" was all I could sputter out. Not only was he totally back to normal, he had me figured out…! "I…yeah. It's about time we head back to the future. This'll be our only chance to do so, you know."
With Shadow off battling Mephiles and Sonic saving Elise, this would be the last chance I had to use a portal to go home! My work may not have been done, but I knew I could leave it to Sonic. He must've been aware of my peculiar predicament too, because he clenched his fist and gave me that knowing smile.
"I will make sure to change Elise's fate," he declared, eyes shining with willpower. "…and that in turn, should change your future too!"
I could only nod- that's what I was hoping for, in the end.
"Thank you, Silver," he said, earnestly gifting me with a bow. "I know I won't be around forever, but knowing that a guy like you is fighting for the world in the future…"
He rose back up, nailing me with that radiant smile.
"…I think I can rest in peace."
Holy cow.
"Yeah, uh…just save her," I murmured awkwardly, unable to respond properly to such praise. He laughed lightly before giving Blaze and I a two-fingered salute and a wink, back flipping into the portal and off to save the future once and for all.
"He'll be fine," Blaze declared, hands on her hips. "…question is, what do WE do now?"
"…we go back to the future," I stated, clutching my now two emeralds in my hand. "…I know how to seal Iblis from there. I know that seems counterintuitive, but if Sonic does succeed in keeping Iblis sealed…"
I stepped forward, ending up just in front of the portal.
"…there's a brighter future waiting for us."
With that, we both threw ourselves into the space-time rift, ready to do what we should've done a long time ago…
If only I'd known, but no amount of time travel could have prepared me for what was to come…