"~Double double disco queen,
Headed to the guillotine,
Skin as cool as Steve McQueen,
Let me be your killer King-- ~"
"You know if you want to wake me up, nudging me is always an option."
Shadow rolled over on his side, bleary red eyes narrowed in irritation at his partner beside him. Sonic was laying on his back and glanced over at the ultimate life form, a small mischievous grin making its way on his face.
"Are you telling me you don't want to wake up to a lovely serenade?"
" 'Lovely' is a bit of an overstatement."
"Ouch; and here I thought I was killin' it." The hero chuckled to himself. Black stripped arms wrapped around him gently, a relaxed sigh escaping the hedgehog's lips as Shadow planted a good morning kiss on his cheek.
"I'm glad you're feeling a little better today."
Sonic shrugged and turned his face toward the ceiling again, his smile wilting as he remembered the whirlwind events from yesterday.
Shadow had revealed to him that their last battle with Eggman was the cause of Amy's brain aneurysm, and that she had kept it a secret for the past four years. The blue hedgehog had attacked his partner and ended up turning into his infamous darker self at the news, destroying a natural habitat for innocent flickies in the process.
The entire ordeal left Sonic feeling even more lost than before and he wasn't entirely sure of how he felt today. However there was one discovery from the day before that stuck with the hero more than anything else.
Everything was his fault.
"I spoke too soon I suppose..." Shadow said softly, stroking blue quills and breaking Sonic out of his thoughts. He hadn't noticed the dark hedgehog had been watching him the entire time waiting for a reply.
"I-I'm fine."
"You know you can talk to me if you aren't."
"I know. I said I'm fine."
If there was one thing Shadow was not in the mood for this early in the morning, it was definitely Sonic's dismissive attitude.
"Faker, I don't-"
A low buzzing sounded somewhere underneath the sheets and Sonic immediately fished around for his rival's phone, looking for anything to distract himself from the uncomfortable conversation. The hero found the small device under Shadow's leg and pulled it out, answering it as quickly as possible.
"Hello?"
"Shadow?"
"Sonic. ...Silver?"
"Sonic? Hey!"
"Hey buddy how are ya?" Sonic replied cheerfully.
"How did he get my number? Who else have you been giving my number to?" Shadow asked reaching for the cellphone.
"Hush babe, I'm talkin'. " Sonic replied batting Shadow's hand away.
"Silver how ya been?"
"Pretty good, pretty good. Oh, are you guys on your way to Press Garden yet?"
"Press Garden...? Why?"
"Oh...Oh man! I spoiled it!" Silver sputtered on the other end. Sonic could have sworn he heard the white hedgehog facepalm himself in the background.
"Silver! did you ruin the plan?" A sharp feminine voice called somewhere far away on the phone.
"No, of course not! U-uh, nevermind, Sonic see you later!"
The hero eyed the phone as he heard Silver hang up abruptly, blue brows knitted together in confusion. That was...weird.
Well, at least they knew where they were going next.
"What did Silver want?" Shadow asked taking the phone out of Sonic's hands. He quickly went through his contacts to see if his partner had added anyone else to his short, tidy list of friends.
"He said something about Press Garden. I guess that's where we're going next, haha."
"Hmm. I wonder why. Perhaps we should take a look." The ultimate life form pulled out Amy's notebook and handed it to Sonic, still busing himself with deleting the newly added contacts from his phone.
Oh great, the echidna was in there now...
Sonic nodded and flipped through the pages idly until he came to another Tarot card they hadn't seen yet. The card depicted a young boy and girl in a village, surrounded by cups each holding a single white flower. The boy was bent slightly and holding one of the cups out to the girl, her tiny painted face lit up a grateful smile. The words 'Six of Cups' were printed neatly underneath the illustration. Just as the hero expected, Amy's handwriting read 'Press Garden' right below the taped down card.
"Oh, this one seems really cute." Sonic lifted the card slightly to reveal the clues underneath.
'Revisiting the past, Innocence, Childhood memories, Joy'
"Hm. That's rather odd." Shadow pipped up as he leaned on his partner's shoulder squinting at the notebook.
"I can't recall anything significant happening at Press Garden with the Doctor that would bring up particular memories...unless this is specific to you, hedgehog."
Sonic shrugged, his blue brows knitted together thoughtfully.
"Nah, me either. Ya know, aside from all the times I kicked his ass there. Maybe this is just us going to see Silver? He's 'revisiting the past' or whatever right?"
"Ah, that is also a factor." The ultimate life form smiled briefly, a clawed black hand reaching up to tug playfully at a small blue ear.
"You're getting good at this, Faker. Perhaps there is something rattling around in that head of yours."
"Oh don't even, Mr. 'platypus-aren't-real'--"
"I told you never to mention that to me again." Shadow growled dangerously, black claws pricking at his partner's ear. The blue hedgehog ignored him and a cheeky grin spread across his muzzle at the memory.
" 'Faker, you're being ridiculous, Platypus are a myth! An egg-laying, venomous beaver-duck? Do you hear yourself?' "
"Sonic, I swear to Chaos--"
"Oh, and then you screamed like a baby when I lifted it out of the water-- Ow! O-okay, stop, stop let go! Shads!!"
Bright golden eyes peered anxiously down the empty path, their owner shifting side to side on his feet in anticipation. A red flicky zoomed by in the peripheral of his vision, disappearing into the lush pink canopy above. The white hedgehog leaned against one of the nearby trees and took a minute to admire the lovely pink petals dotting the snowy landscape. Green stone lanterns lit the pathway as they disappeared into the thick fog, and he wondered if the heroes would be able to navigate with the small pale lights. He knew Sonic had a tendency to get lost and much of the area looked quite similar...
"Why do you insist on messing around with my phone, hedgehog?"
White ears perked up at the muffled voice, seeing two familiar shapes through the winter haze.
"Because mine busted remember? Plus I like going through your phone. To be honest I was hoping you'd have some juicy secrets or porn, but there's nothing but cat pictures..."
"Sonic! Shadow!" Silver called, waving a hand in the air. The two rivals looked up from their conversation and spotted the young hedgehog further up the path, sporting a bright purple coat.
"Silver, there you are!" Sonic called as he walked quickly in his direction. Silver seemed unable to contain himself and jogged over to them, giving Sonic a tight hug.
"Its so good to see you guys! I missed you but, well, I know you guys are busy and--"
"Nah, don't sweat it. If you ever wanna hang out just let me know okay?" Sonic replied as he pulled out of the hug, giving his friend a hearty pat on the shoulder. The hero suddenly paused and rolled his eyes dramatically, his gaze narrowing on his brooding partner behind him.
"Enough with the bad vibes, Shadow, you know I can feel that."
"I don't know what you mean." The dark hedgehog said lowly. Silver grimaced at the pointed glare Shadow was giving him, feeling a bit lost on the whole situation.
"You know exactly what I mean, cut it out." Sonic replied sharply.
"Silver's a hugger, its no big deal. Besides I hug Charmy, Tails, sometimes Cream--"
"Don't play coy with me Faker, they're children." Shadow scoffed, seeming more irritated than usual.
"Yeah and they're not the only ones apparently. Anyway, Silver, how ya been?" He whipped around apparently done with the conversation. The white hedgehog was suddenly aware of the tension in the air, and eyed Shadow cautiously before replying.
"I've been okay...? I'm just glad you guys made it. There's something big going on and I can't wait for you two to see it!" He said flapping his hands excitedly.
"Oh, but, that's not until tomorrow night. Blaze got a little irritated when she found out I told you about Press Garden, so I'm making sure I don't spoil anything else."
"Blaze is here...?" Sonic said evenly, his hearty smile fading a little bit at the news.
"Yeah. She visits me from time to time to check on how I'm doing...is that okay?"
"Yeah, of course." The hero replied quickly, placing a hand on a blue hip.
"I just thought something bad was happening when you mentioned her being here. Interdimensional princesses don't just drop outta the sky on the daily and everything."
Shadow glanced in the blue hedgehog's direction, sensing anxiety and guilt fluttering across his wavelength. From what he knew, Sonic was good friends with the purple feline, the two heroes being counterparts from different worlds something that sparked an instant kinship between them. Why was he suddenly anxious to know she was here?
"No, nothing's wrong at all, she comes every year to for what's gonna happen tomorrow. She's back at my place. C'mon, its not too far." Silver gestured up the path and led them further into the forest, the lanterns lighting their way even brighter as they went along.
The three hedgehogs walked in silence for some time, Sonic and Shadow's chaos energies battling it out as they walked. Shadow prodded the hero's wavelength and tried to ease his anxiety but Sonic would push him away, a hot trail of anger and embarrassment left along their bond at the gesture. Silver was oblivious to the internal struggle going on between his friends behind him, but the awkward silence was making the young man highly uncomfortable.
Eventually the group came upon a simple wooden archway high above the ground and larger green lanterns planted on either side. Silver sighed heavily, relieved they made it to their destination so soon. He turned to his friends quickly and gestured to a few large hazy shapes just beyond the arch.
"Welcome to Press Village guys!"
Sonic perked up at his friend's voice, realizing he and Shadow had been having a silent argument all to themselves for the past few minutes. Usually he was much more talkative and friendly, especially when seeing someone he hadn't spoken to in ages. A pang of guilt stabbed at his belly and the hero inwardly cursed himself for being so distracted.
As they continued their way through the village the wobbly shapes in the fog became clearer, morphing into ancient green structures with thin tiled roofs. Accents of white marble lined each building and brick wall, with ornamental swirling patterns carved into them. Crimson moss and pink petals covered the homes in a light reddish hue, adding another dash of color and mystique to the small winter village. Sonic noticed the largest building in the area was further away from the others and had a giant metal wheel sticking out of its side, the machine clearly no longer in use as moss sprouted between the spokes.
"I recall that this place was formerly a paper mill for the Doctor, correct?" Shadow asked looking in the white hedgehog's direction. Silver nodded confidently, feeling a little better now the strange hostility from before had left the ultimate life form's demeanour.
"Yep. The locals say that the forest is recovering nicely from all of that though, and they're even able to take proper care of the ruins now. This is their home after all, and I've been helping when I can now and then."
"That's pretty cool, dude!" Sonic replied walking a little further ahead. He was starting to really feel the cold through his jacket now, and wanted to get indoors as quickly as possible.
"Not too many people live out here so it's good that you and your powers can help the ones who do--"
The hero stopped short, spotting a familiar purple cat crouched on the porch of the old mill. Bright yellow eyes widened at the sight of the three hedgehogs, delicate hands pulling an orange shawl tighter over her shoulders. Sonic smiled weakly at the heroine princess, hoping she would return the gesture despite the uncomfortable circumstances.
"Hey, Blaze it's been a while hasn't it?"
She stood slowly and stretched her arms, exhaustion evident on her stern features now that they were face to face.
"Yes it has. How are you?"
"We're hanging in there. How are...how are you?"
"I've...been surviving. As usual." She stated flatly.
While Shadow was well aware of Sonic's twisting anxiety and guilt vibrating across their bond, the princess' drained aura is caught his attention the most. The dark hedgehog knew that many of their friends were still feeling the brunt of Amy's death but Blaze seemed more affected than he would have anticipated.
While he did not know her well, he admired the purple cat's usual strength and perseverance, and had not expected her to be this broken about the young woman's untimely death.
"You didn't have to wait outside for us, Blaze it's pretty cold." Silver said stepping past the feline princess. He fumbled a bit with something in his pockets before pulling out a small key to unlock the door.
"Don't worry about it. I simply became anxious; you were gone for a while. Besides, I am the princess of flames," Blaze replied hiding a small smile.
"Being in the snow is not an issue for me."
"Says the girl who caught a cold here last time." the white hedgehog said, narrowing his eyes teasingly at his friend. The princess shook her head with a chuckle and followed Silver inside, gesturing for Sonic and Shadow to do the same.
It appeared that the locals had turned the mill into a living space with smaller sectioned rooms and an upstairs. Dark green curtains covered the doorways to each room except the entrance to the kitchen in the back area. On the floor were plush woven pillows settled around a blanketed table, with an old television mounted on the wall. In a far off corner sat an open furnace, filling the main area with a soft red glow. Sonic was aware Silver hadn't been to the future in years, but it appeared he had been living at Press Garden in particular for quite some time.
"Would you guys like something to eat?" The white hedgehog asked cheerfully as he shed his coat.
"Oh yeah, I'd totally go for some food right now dude. What about you, babe?"
Shadow's ears flattened a bit at the pet name; unlike Sonic's closest friends, the ultimate life form had not spent much time around these two. He wasn't sure exactly how much Silver and Blaze knew about them. The hero seemed to pick up Shadow's unease on the matter, as warm vibrant energy nudged his own briefly in apology.
"I don't require it...but I'll admit I've never eaten local food from this area before..."
"Oh that's perfect, I have food already made in the kitchen."
Blaze stepped up, putting a hand on Silver's shoulder.
"Don't trouble yourself, I'll bring the food out to everyone."
"Are you sure? You're still..."
"It's fine.You've been doing so much for me lately, the least I can do is help out a bit."
"Well...alright." he replied hesitantly.
Blaze nodded thanks and turned on the blue hero quickly, intense yellow eyes staring in his direction before making her way into the kitchen.
"Sonic, would you accompany me? It will go faster with two people."
That rampant anxiety from before sprung back into their bond and Shadow locked his jaw reflexively at the feeling as it crawled all over his skin.
"Uh...s-sure!" Sonic replied following after the princess. He noticed the dark hedgehog eyeing him suspiciously but paid no attention to it; he would explain it to him later.
Blaze was leaned over a large cooking pot on the kitchen counter, scooping rice into small bowls with a wooden spoon. The hero was instantly swamped with tangy, spicy smells and spied a smaller pot simmering on the stove.
"Don't even think about it, hedgehog." the purple cat chided him gently, noticing he was slowly inching his way in that direction.
"Think about what? You asked me to help right? Taste testing is helping!"
"Mmm-hmm. Here, take out some silverware why don't you? Its in the drawer beside me."
Sonic shrugged and reluctantly backed off from the stove, pulling open one of the drawers on her side. He glanced in Blaze's direction waiting for her to say something but the princess seemed to be in no hurry, all of her attention focused on the rice bowls.
"So...what did you wanna talk about?" He asked slowly.
"I wanted to know if you were okay."
"That's not all though, is it?"
"It's part of it. Though I was also curious as to what your relationship status is with Shadow, and why Amy set up this trip for you--"
"Why?" Sonic blurted anxiously. Something about the phrase 'relationship status' bothered him. It's not that he was afraid of the idea but...
Blaze pursed her lips into a tight lipped frown, noticing her words caused the hero discomfort.
"I know how she felt about you." She said delicately.
"Amy said she was over you, this I know. She assured me of it. However, knowing she spent so much time on this trip for you is..."
"Is what? Oh."
Sonic avoided her gaze as he fidgeted with a fork absently.
The hero knew he and Amy were nothing more than good friends who cherished each other, and her romantic feelings had died off long ago sometime in their mid teen years. However Blaze wasn't there to witness any of it for herself, so Sonic understood some of her unease at the legitimacy of the matter.
"She didn't...do any of this because she loved me like that, Blaze." He replied placing the utensil on the counter.
"Amy did this for me and Shadow because she loved herself, and her friends. There were no other intentions behind this. Even if there were, I doubt she would have asked you to become involved if she still felt some way about me. She's not disrespectful like that."
"I know...I know that. I don't know why I asked..." She trailed off, shaking her head dismissively.
"Because you loved her, right?"
Blaze sighed deeply and ran a hand down her tired face.
"It's okay. Shadow acts all worried about me too, to a very annoying degree."
"Do you believe I annoyed her?"
"Not from the way she talked about you." Sonic reached out gently, placing a hand over the princess' own.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Blaze."
"Please, don't apologize. Amy explained to me long ago what was wrong and what happened. Besides, I was prepared for this possible outcome for one of us, given our duties to our worlds. Just not so soon."
"...Hey...are you and Silver--"
"No." She replied quickly.
"Yeesh, just thought I'd ask."
"Sorry. Its just you aren't the first one to do so. He's cheerful and affectionate but...I believe we have different needs. However he is a good friend. It was probably lonely for Silver in the future anyway, so I'm happy to spend time with him no matter the time period he chooses."
Sonic nodded absently, seeming distracted by Blaze's words. Green eyes lit up suddenly, the hero slamming the kitchen drawer in excitement before turning to the princess.
"What if-"
"No."
"Chaos, you don't even know what I was going to say!"
Blaze tilted her head and stared out of the kitchen window, a look of disgust washing over her delicate features.
" 'Hey, Blaze, what if we traveled back in time and saved Amy?' " She said suddenly, mimicking the hero's jovial tone.
" 'Sure its dangerous but we're heroes, we can do it no problem!' "
She closed the pot with a loud click.
"Did I get that about right?"
Sonic rolled his eyes and turned away, scowling.
"Ok, first off, I don't sound like that."
"Debatable, but go on."
"Second, it's true! If Silver let us do it once, we can do it again. This time I can keep her safe. We can bring her back."
The princess turned to him slowly, her bright yellow eyes narrowing on the blue hedgehog in disbelief. Blaze clenched her jaw as if there was something she wanted to say but decided against it. Finally she crossed her arms and shook her head slowly.
"I cannot believe you're actually that selfish."
"What?"
"And you're supposed to be the hero of your world?"
"Excuse me? What the hell does that mean?"
"Sonic. Time travel is a dangerous game."
The hero shrugged, a determined expression flashing in his bright green eyes.
"I already know that. It's worth the risk for her."
"Is it now?"
"Why are you looking down on me for this; You loved her didn't you? Aren't you supposed to be wanting her back more than any of us right now? Are you telling me you're too scared to go after her?"
The purple cat bristled.
"I fear nothing."
"Except heights-"
"I know how to live with loss and mistakes. If anyone is afraid around here, its you."
Sonic glared at her and tensed, ready to argue but Blaze lifted a hand pleadingly toward the blue hedgehog.
"Time travel isn't just dangerous for you. Its dangerous for everyone in existence. Silver has spent his entire life trying to delicately fix the future as much as possible, and he keeps coming back to it being destroyed in different ways. The reason he even lives out here away from most of society, is to make sure he doesn't meddle with anything and change the course of time, while he waits for the one solution to fix everything. A solution that may not ever even come."
His body relaxed a little, deflated.
"Wow I...that sucks. I always assumed he stayed just because he liked us; I mean he's been in our timeline for years. I asked him if anything was still wrong but he said 'No', so I thought he settled here for now because we're kinda all he has when it comes to family."
"That is a factor, but not the cause. He may be fidgety and awkward but he still has a lot riding on his shoulders. His mission hasn't completed yet, even after all these years."
"But...what does that have to do with Amy?"
Blaze sighed deeply, seeming frustrated by her counterpart's shortsighted behavior.
"If Silver spends his life trying to find one point in time to fix a catastrophe, what makes you think that your drastic change of saving Amy's life won't cause a butterfly effect to an even worse future? What makes you think that your actions won't cause disaster for my world or countless others, all because you couldn't accept fate?"
"You're being ridiculous, Blaze. Bringing Amy back isn't gonna destroy the world and you know it."
"Nobody knows it Sonic, not even you. However, you already know all of this. I shouldn't have to explain time travel and its effects, because you're well aware of it yourself. Yet you stubbornly wish to meddle with it because you cannot live with what happened to her. We all die someday, what will you do when someone else does?"
"You don't understand Blaze, I need to fix this. Amy didn't deserve to die because of me, and I need to make it right."
The princess put a hand on Sonic's shoulder and gripped it tightly, seeming as if she was using all her strength to stay calm.
"No you don't. Sonic...she spent the last four years bettering herself, becoming comfortable with her life, and helping others do the same. She was happy. So happy..."
Her yellow eyes softened, suddenly filled with emotion.
"Would you really risk destroying the world she wanted to save just to ease your guilt, and take all those accomplishments from her? From me?"
Blaze glanced in the living room and eyed Shadow briefly, her yellow eyes flicking back to the hero and his varsity jacket.
"From yourself?"
Sonic stared blankly in her direction, and for a moment, Blaze wondered if she had said anything inappropriate. Suddenly the hero shouldered her off and walked briskly into the living room.
"Sonic?" Silver replied noticing the hero moving straight past them towards the front door.
"He-hey wait! Sonic! Where's he going?"
Shadow stood up quickly, eyes widened at the latent negativity and confusion bouncing off of his partner as he left. He knew Sonic's anxiety was doing backflips while he was in the kitchen but he had not expected it to escalate...
"What did you say to him?" The dark hedgehog growled as Blaze came out of the kitchen. She put her hands on her hips, seeming more exhausted than before.
"I said nothing to him that he didn't already know himself. Sonic was talking about time travel, and I had to let him know it wasn't a viable option."
Silver's brows narrowed in confusion.
"What? Why? What on Mobius--"
"I'll get him." Shadow replied as he turned on his heel towards the front door. He sighed deeply, knowing his rival was probably halfway across Press Garden by now.
If left alone there was a good chance Sonic could go Dark again, and who knew who would caught in the crossfire this time when it happened. However, Shadow wasn't called ultimate life form for nothing. He could handle this.
But he had to hurry.