"Gini, do some research for me, is it really possible to time travel with the chaos emeralds?"

"Um," the robot stopped in the doorway of the dark room in which Silver resided, "I'm certain it is, but why do you ask?"

Silver sat his tools to the side, and leaned over his work bench with a sigh. He brought his hands to his face, "Just figure out how it's done, okay?"

"Wouldn't Shadow know? Why not ask him?"

The albino glanced down to his incomplete work, and then to the black and purple suit - once meant for Blaze - hanging on his far wall. "Because he knows what I'm gonna' do."

"Sir, I am programmed to follow your every order, but I must say that this seems extremely dangerous. From what I can gather, only those who have complete mastery of chaos energy are able to time travel. And even for them, it takes incredible concentration, likely requiring specific training to achieve. Which is, again, why I would suggest consulting Shadow-"

"Gini." Silver looked up, but then fell into his hands again, "Oh, who am I kidding? This is hopeless..."

"Is there really still a functional emerald?"

"Barely," the albino admitted, "we're giving it time to see if it'll fully clear up. Problem is, I don't have time."

"Or, perhaps you do, and you're afraid of what you're going to do with it?"

Silver grinned, "I didn't ask for a therapy session."

"I'm afraid you still need one." Gini mumbled, following Silver's eyes to the far wall again. He glided over to the albino, and displayed a few pages on his monitor. "This is what I've found."

"Read it to me, if you don't mind," Silver replied, picking his tools back up, "I'm trying to get this done."

"And that is?"

"I'm putting your software into this little watch thing," the hedgehog flashed the microchip in his hand to the bot, "just in case of emergency; I don't wanna' lose you. Plus, it looks like one of those old phone-watches. That's pretty cool, right?"

"I am also programmed to agree with you on cosmetic matters that you deem acceptable, sir."

Silver chuckled, "Damn right you are."

That night, Silver packed a few items into a knapsack, and set out for the headquarters. He flew through the misty air with great haste, hood draped over his head, hoping that no one would see him. It was hard enough to escape his own house without his guards noticing. As he landed outside his destination, he looked to his wrist, and saw the time flash on his latest invention. Eleven at night; Shadow was surely at home. Silver tapped the screen, and spoke with a determined kick in his voice: "Gini, this thing work?"

A green line appeared across the watch, and moved with the bot's voice, "It appears so."

The albino smirked, admiring his own work. "Nice. Stand by, bud."

With that, Silver placed his identification card against the scanner on the door's lock, and entered the building with cautious steps. All the emeralds were still under study at the headquarters, so Silver was certain they would be there. Indeed, he found them on the table in Shadow's office, all laid out in a line. He gravitated to the purple emerald - the last one with any positive energy - and shoved it in his bag. He sighed as he looked to the other gems, all as tainted as his thoughts, and ran a hand over face as those harsh memories rolled through his mind.

"Silver," a deep, raspy voice creeped in from the doorway.

The albino turned to Shadow, and shook his head as he approached him. "You're not gonna' stop me."

The elder peered into Silver's eyes, and nearly shuddered at the deep pain they expressed. "I'm not trying to."

Silver held the emerald out with a trembling hand, "Then show me how to time travel."

"It's not something that can be taught," Shadow remarked, "you just have to know."

"That's not helping at all."

"I will say this," the darker one narrowed his gaze, "you can't use your head for this. You gotta' let go. To leave the present, to bend time itself," Shadow pushed a finger into Silver's chest, "it takes that. You can't think, you have to do."

The albino rolled his eyes, "Right. I'll remember that-"

Shadow held his arm out, refusing to let the younger one pass. "Silver, please just promise me one thing. If you actually do it, and you end up in the past, don't stay there. Just grab Blaze, and return to the present. Okay?"

Silver's eyes were pulled to Shadow's once more, "Do you really think I can do this?"

Shadow smirked, glancing down at the gem. "I'd never bet against you." He placed a hand on Silver's shoulder. "Mephiles is likely still out there, you know. Be careful."

"Same to you."

"And please, come home in one piece."

"That's the plan."

In an unexpected gesture, Shadow pulled Silver close, and wrapped his arms around him for a hug. At first, Silver was stiff in his grasp, but soon released that tension and returned the affection. Shadow's voice was tattered with emotion, his eyes filling with regret:

"I love you, son."

After a short walk to Blaze's burial site, beneath the immaculate oak tree, Silver fell to his knees at her tombstone. He dug his nails into the soil, and created a small crater for the emerald to fit into just above the cat's resting place. The night breeze blew all his quills to one side, though he could not enjoy the soothing touch it provided. He gripped the fading emerald in his hand, and placed it closer to his late love.

"Blaze," Silver spoke aloud, fighting back tears, "I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. I know you hate me. I do, too. If anyone deserves to be in the ground right now, it's me. But listen," he leaned over, pressing his forehead to the cold stone, and choked on the remainder of his desperate words. "I'm gonna' make it right, okay? I have a second chance, and I'm not gonna' waste it. I love you."

As his speech trailed off, his focus shifted to the gem in his hand. He meditated over it for some time, feeling the sole shard of energy course through his body. He felt it change the pattern of the wind around him, so that it circled him like a volt of vultures would helpless prey. It picked up speed, sending leaves and sticks twirling through the air, as if it wanted to distract Silver from his task. He pushed on, though, allowing the emerald's light to engulf his senses. He closed his eyes on the life he had been living, and opened his heart to the souls he had neglected. For the first time in many moons, Silver felt utterly cleansed.

A figure approached him from behind, but their words were but a distant mumble to Silver at that point. The albino felt the emerald begin to crack in his hand, so he knew he had to act fast. He gritted his teeth, pushing aside everything he had been through in the weeks prior, and growled:

"Chaos..."

"Silver!" The figure's arms wrapped around Silver's chest. He knew that touch.

"Control!"

The two of them vanished from the present, calming the wind as the world returned to a blissful lull. The blackened shards of the chaos emerald disintegrated, leaving only a shining purple fragment resting in one of the many holes Silver had dug.