It hadn't taken much time for Miles and the others to reach Khal after they'd "acquired" Focke-Wulf's Extreme Gear. He'd been moving at a leisurely pace to allow them to catch, and once they did, Amy had let him hop onto the board and take control. The hyena seemed to have some prior experience with such devices, as he hadn't required a crash course like the rest of them to get a handle on the thing. The fox supposed that the warrior had come into contact with Babylonian technology at some point during his stint as guardian, but he wasn't about to ask him that.

He was still willing to work with him, sure, but he wasn't about to chat with the spotted fellow after what he had done to the Witchcarters. It was one thing to send the crazy criminals to the frozen future, but with what awaited them, depriving them of a way to return was as good as killing them. While it wasn't as though he himself had done it, and the situation was potentially reversible, Miles still felt bad. There were other options they could have taken, such as leaving them tied up and calling the regional zone authorities to handle them was one thing they could have done. Or maybe completely destroying all their Gear except for the one, and then sticking them on one of the sheer cliff sides for them to pick up and turn in later. Really, anything else aside from taking them out for real, or leaving them with a way to come back and harass them yet again, would have worked.

While the two-tail simmered and deliberated during his run, Cream and Cheese had been silently running and flying alongside him. The rabbit felt the same as Miles regarding the villains, but a part of her agreed with Khal's methods. She'd seen firsthand what just one of them could do when sufficiently motivated to hunt them, and the fact that the other two were either as bad or worse hadn't helped the matter. Stranding them was uncalled for, but removing the threat they posed after what they'd already done was for the better. In the end, she wasn't quite as bothered due to the possibility of using the Time Stones to reverse everything that had happened. But that did make her wonder...if all of this was undone, would they have any memory of it?

As for Amy, given that she was the only other Animal among them that couldn't fly, she'd been sharing the Extreme Gear with Khal, hanging onto his waist from behind. She wasn't sure what to make of the hyena, as he'd helped her catch up with her friends, and had protected her along the way. However, he'd also been ready to end Focke-Wulf's life, not to mention taken advantage of Miles healing them to do what he'd more recently done. But unlike the fox, who didn't appear interested in the guardian's reasoning, the hoglet couldn't help but be curious about it.

"Khal?" she called up to him, her voice barely audible over the whipping wind.

He didn't turn his head, but his ears perked up to show that he heard her. "Hmm?"

"What you said to Miles about difficult choices," she started, taking a moment to think about how to phrase her inquiry, "how come you're able to make them? I'm not saying you shouldn't, but I don't think I could."

The hyena glanced over his shoulder at that, something of a sympathetic look in those gray eyes. "There will come a time where you'll have to, if you want to survive."

The young girl wasn't surprised by his response. He seemed to not have a very high opinion of other people, if he believed that even she would be faced with such a dilemma.

"But to answer your question properly," he went on, returning his gaze forward, "I grew up in a very different society than the rest of you. All able-bodied members of our clan were brought up as hunters and warriors, so we're no strangers to killing Critters out of necessity, or fighting and slaying members of other groups that were openly hostile. Not only that, but 'eye for an eye' wasn't just a saying where I'm from; it's the law."

Amy couldn't imagine a life like that, one where even young ladies like herself were expected to hunt cute things and wage war against other Animals. It certainly explained why the hyena had no qualms with the way he would have preferred to handle Focke-Wulf. He saw it as doing the right thing according to the law he'd lived by, and probably thought the same when it came to condemning the group as a whole. And as she kept hearing him out, she could see that Miles and Cream's ears were also tilted their way. They may not have wanted to ask the hyena themselves, but it seemed they were still willing to listen to his story.

"It wasn't as though I didn't try to change," Khal continued, "after I became the appointed guardian of the Time Stones, I saw much more of the world, both in person and vicariously through visions. I tried giving the whole 'second chance' thing a go, and attempted to adapt a more forgiving philosophy than what I was used to." He paused to let out a heavy sigh. "But it just didn't suit me. There have been many that managed to make it to Little Planet after I did and before the three of you first arrived. None of them proved worthy of using the Time Stones, and some of them resorted to drastic measures to try and take them. I chose to turn the other cheek...and how do you think that turned out?"

The younger girl shrunk a little at the sudden bitterness in his voice. "Not well?"

"Not well indeed," he confirmed, a deep frown showing on his muzzle, "they chose to spit on my good graces and come back fiercer than the first time, fully intent on killing me to get at the Stones. They were no match, of course, but the message was clear: I couldn't afford to be lenient to those that wouldn't show me mercy." Another pause. "Of course, death wasn't the only way to ensure some folks never tried anything like those individuals. You saw for yourself what happened to those three from before...that's not the first instance where I've banished folks across time."

The others had to ponder just how many people had come for the Time Stones, only to fall or be sent to an era that wasn't their own. That also brought up the question of how long the hyena had been in his role, and Cream decided to break her silence, now that that was on her mind.

"Mr. Khal," she addressed him slowly, flinching when his steely gaze turned her way, "you said that many others reached Little Planet before we did. Pardon me for assuming, but that makes it sound like you've been guarding the place for a long time. And yet, I don't remember reading or hearing any stories about anyone who made it onto the world itself, yours included."

A ghostly smile crossed the older male's features. "The job does come with its perks. A Guardian of Time can't afford to have a short lifespan, so the godly butterfly granted me something that all intelligent beings have sought for ages: biological immortality, or as most better know it, eternal youth." He saw the increased intrigue on the others' faces and his smirk grew even wider. "As for how old I really am...my tattoos should give you an idea of which faith I was a priest of."

"Does it have a name?" Miles felt compelled to ask, referring to the butterfly.

"It depends who you ask," Khal answered with a shrug, "Elu, Kala, Chronos, and many more monikers have been given to it. In my culture, it was known as Shai, though we never imagined that it would appear as it really is."

The fox wasn't familiar with all of those names, but he could decipher the general theme well enough: time and fate. Now that he thought about it, what was its exact relation to the Time Stones? Did it create them, or was its existence a byproduct of theirs? Questions better saved for when they didn't have a crisis on their hands, and ones the butterfly itself would be better suited to answering.

There wasn't really much time for Khal to brief them on anything else anyway, as Little Planet was approaching the very edge of Splash Hill. Each of the Animals, as well as the one Chao, nodded to each other in determination, and from there, they began their ascent. Miles and Cream made use of their respective abilities while they each grasped onto one side of the Gear being shared between Amy and Khal. Cheese kept a tight grip on the latter's mane while it flapped its little wings, as though it would help them move along any faster.

Within a few minutes, the quintet felt themselves drawn in by the planetoid's gravitational influence, and they touched down in the former green paradise where the fox, rabbit, and hedgehog had started their adventure three years ago. Seeing the scorched and foul wasteland it had become up close, the oldest of them put what the hyena had told them about Sierus at the forefront of his mind. Now that they were here, the present could prove just as treacherous as the future, and he wasn't sure that running to the past would grant them any additional safety...


When Bearenger, Carrotia, and Focke-Wulf came to, the first thing on their minds was that they'd suffered another embarrassing defeat to Miles and his friends. The second was that they were bound up in some thick and hearty vines, which were a problem for the wolf and the rabbit, but the grizzly got free easily enough. And as he went to assist them, the third most glaring point was that Splash Hill had suddenly gotten very cold and dark. The dense forest had become a sea of ragged, brittle trunks, and the ground was almost bare, save for a layer of murky frost that was riddled with cracks. The cliffs around the area had become steeper and more jagged, and the gaps between them had widened rather significantly. The islets nearby had been carved into thin peaks capped with oily snow, while the ocean itself had become an immense expanse of black ice.

"Looks like Spots threw us into the next ice age!" the lupine laughed, only to start coughing the next moment, "ugh, the air's a bit harsh on the lungs."

Carrotia peered around for a moment, then let out a despondent sigh. "They took our Gear too, boys. I don't know what we're gonna do."

"We find a way to get back and wreck those runts!" the grizzly growled before deflating a bit, "how do we get back without a Time Stone anyway?"

Focke-Wulf stroked his chin for a moment, then snapped his fingers and snickered softly. "There was that weird sign post that the yeen ran into back near the castle that made him and Pinky all shiny. Then when I grabbed onto them, we were sent into the past. All we gotta do is find one of those!"

It seemed like as good a plan as any. After several minutes of searching and trying to keep themselves warm, the trio came across one of the objects in question. Rather than the usual yellow and black color scheme, it was different shades of gray, though the significance of that detail was lost on them. The wolf went up to it and gave it a good smack, but he was merely left with a stinging palm.

"Strange, it's supposed to spin," he mumbled, backing up so that he could give it a good jumping kick. When that failed to produce results, his smile fell a bit. "Well, maybe this one's just broken."

Bearenger scoffed and cracked his knuckles. "Or maybe you're just not hitting it hard enough."

He wound up one of his arms and drove a meaty fist into the Past Post with all of his strength. But even then, it didn't succeed in doing anything more than causing a dull ache to travel up his arm. The bear grumbled and rubbed his sore limb as he decided to look for another way back.

The three of them traveled around Splash Hill for a short while, locating at least half a dozen more Posts. But no matter how many they tried, all of them appeared non-functional. After the last one, the reality of the situation started to sink in. Khal had not only sent them to this weird future, but he'd likely also sabotaged their means of getting back. The three were furious at this realization, but the fact that they couldn't get back to exercise their rage against the culprit quickly killed their inner fire.

To make matters worse, the snow and soil around them swirled about in a sudden storm, and figures started to form from the bits of the blizzard. Within moments, they were surrounded by a dozen bizarre creatures made of dark blue and purple ice that were like a mesh of lizards and wolves. Their front limbs had three grasping talons of hardened frost, while their back ones had pairs of claws, and a shark fin-esque bit of frost plating covered the tops of their heads. Their muzzles and general build were more canine in appearance, but their tails were thick and solid like a crocodile's, and their magenta eyes sported the typical reptilian slit pupils. And at the sight of the three Animals, the group of creatures began to close in, snarling and showing their icicle fangs.

None of them were given any time to make a remark before the pack pounced to attack. Focke-Wulf leapt high with a Rolling Jump and came down on one of the monster's heads, shattering it upon impact. Two more took its place and lunged for his legs, with one of them managing to clamp on and deliver a bite that made the wolf yelp in pain. The other was grabbed out of the air by Bearenger and slammed into the ground, breaking it as easily as fine crystal ware. Carrotia came in with a diving kick to save her lupine partner, only to be set upon by a pair that saw their chance to strike with her back turned.

She began crying out in pain as their teeth and claws scratched and tore into her, though in spite of the agony, she saw that they weren't aiming for vital points. Whatever these things were, they weren't interested in finishing the job quickly like most predators. The guys soon felt this for themselves as the remainder of the icy beasts dog-piled them, with the wolf unable to shake them off due to them seizing his limbs. The bear, on the other hand, simply shifted his weight so that he flattened two of them on one side, then swung and kicked at the others.

With Bearenger's brute strength, he was able to get his comrades back and their feet, and together, they whittled down the number of creatures. But just as it seemed they were in the clear, even more of the vicious critters appeared, with a few of them notably larger and lighter in color than the rest. They appeared to be the alpha specimens, as they wordlessly directed the smaller ones to rush at the trio while they hung back. Now better prepared for what they were up against, the Witchcarters tackled the small fry with more ease than they had initially. When it came to the bigger guys, though, they were certainly tougher to deal with, and not just because they were larger and more durable. They also possessed a breath weapon that fired a concentrated ray of frost, applying a solid layer of ice over whatever it hit. A couple of well-aimed blows to the head, however, and they were just as easy to shatter as the rest.

But as time went on, both injury and fatigue was starting to get to the Animals, while the frost demons just kept on coming without end. To keep from being surrounded, they backed up near the end of a cliff, continuing to hold off any that were bold enough to approach. Soon, though, they couldn't go any further, and the more formidable of the beasts began to slowly close in on them, their packmates close behind. An ominous rumble sounded beneath everyone's feet, which was followed by a horrendous crack as a fissure formed in the stone.

The edge of the cliff gave way, and with no Extreme Gear to catch them, it seemed like Focke-Wulf, Carrotia, and Bearenger were doomed to crash into the frozen sea. But not more than a few meters down, their screams were cut off as a cyan glow surrounded them and halted their fall entirely. They looked up to see scores of the lizard things being sent flying and driven into the ground by the same energy keeping the three Animals afloat. This went on for a good couple of minutes before the carnage eventually came to an end, leaving them with nothing but the ambient howl of the wind and the hum that the power holding them gave off. And after another moment, they were gingerly lifted back up onto safe land, where they got a good look at all the ruined and broken bodies of the things that had been hounding them.

More importantly, they got to see who had spared them from a messy and untimely end. Their savior was a very light gray hedgehog with white fur on his chest that went around his neck, a short and pointy tail, a peach-toned flesh muzzle with a long black nose, and golden yellow eyes. He had a short ponytail on the back of his head between two large spines, while five other quills were distinctively flared in the front, with a pair of them covering up his short triangular ears. He wore white gloves sporting cyan circles with lines sticking out of the bottom, which led to golden bracelets with cyan accents. The tops of his boots were of a similar fashion, additionally having a red gem set in gold, while the rest of his footwear were navy blue with a white stripe down the center, cyan toes, and gray soles. There was a cyan aura surrounding his body, which was currently suspended about a meter above the ground, a low hum emanating from him as he hovered there.

"You guys sure lucked out!" he said with a boastful tenor as he set himself down with his hands on his hips, the glow around him dissipating, "if I hadn't been in the area...well, it would've ended pretty badly for you."

The three of them glanced at each other, then back to the hedgehog. From the sound of his voice and the look of him, he was likely in his young teens, and he seemed to carry himself well, at least on the outside. Carrotia wasn't that perceptive, and Bearenger didn't care much for observing certain cues, but Focke-Wulf could tell that the boy's bravado was an act.

Sure, he had the tone and the posing down pat, but his eyes gave away a sort of awkward anxiety, like he wasn't used to being around others. And if he'd come over to help them just because he happened to be nearby, that meant this guy was impulsive, possibly even eager. Naive folks like this were easy prey, but given how he'd helped them out, the maniac supposed that the hedgehog could be useful. And hey, maybe if the kid was lucky, they'd induct him as a fourth member of the group instead of just getting rid of him.

"Thanks for that, my good lad," he chuckled, taking a moment to disguise his smirk so it seemed more friendly, "we were starting to think there wasn't anyone else around here!"

A more somber look crossed the kid's face at that. "Yeah." His confidence fell some, showing the cracks in his facade that hadn't been so obvious to the other two. "You're the first people I've seen in a long time, actually." He then perked up a bit, his morose attitude covered up by cheerful optimism. "But it's great that there are more survivors!"

"Survivors of what?" Carrotia asked, tilting her head.

The silvery teen gave them a bemused look. "Um, you know, the Hellfrost Catastrophe? The whole reason why the world is the way it is?"

Focke-Wulf suppressed a snicker and shrugged. "No one told us anything about what happened or what those things that attacked us were." He put a hand over his heart and showed off his best puppy eyes. "We've just been trying to get by in this crazy world as best we can."

"The hell are you doing, Wulf?" Bearenger whispered to him irritably.

"Let the social species handle this," the wolf murmured back, nudging the grizzly's gut with his elbow, "this kid might be our ticket home."

The hedgehog couldn't hear what they were mumbling about, but it didn't matter that much. The expression that the wolf had given him, along with what he perceived to be honesty, had stirred his heart, precisely as the psycho had intended.

"It's pretty amazing you lasted this long," he said with a hint of admiration, "you guys don't seem to have any powers like I do with my psychokinesis."

So that's what it was, the trio thought. The kid was able to move stuff with his mind, including himself so that he could fly, in a sense. Bearenger and Carrotia started to see what Focke-Wulf was getting at by appealing to this seemingly impressionable teenager. If they could get him on their side and have him get them home in the process, they would be able to handle the fox and his friends with little trouble. After all, he'd handled all those beasts like they were nothing!

"Just our brains and brawn, and maybe a little luck," the wolf said, coming over to give one of the kid's hands a shake with both of his own, "which I thought we were out of until you showed up! Thanks again, uh..."

The hedgehog rubbed the back of his head modestly, a little overwhelmed at the "appreciation" he was being shown. "Oh, I'm Silver. Silver the Hedgehog!"

"Good to meet you, Silver!" he replied with a more natural-sounding laugh than his typical zany ones, gesturing to himself and his comrades, "we've got Carrotia the Rabbit, Bearenger the Grizzly, and then yours truly: Focke-Wulf the Wolf!" He then slapped the teen on the shoulder and fixed him with a hopeful grin. "So, you wouldn't happen to know a place where we could get a little warmer, would you?"


"Well, looks like the Temporal Radar needs some more fine tuning," Miles said, frowning at what he saw.

Not only was energy being emitted from the Time Stones they had in their possession, but also from Little Planet itself. It wasn't as concentrated as what the gems were putting out, but it was enough to interfere with determining their exact position apart from the celestial body's radiation. It was like the time the vast supply of rings at Casino Night had prevented him from determining the precise whereabouts of the red Chaos Emerald, which had luckily been in the possession of the Chaotix.

"There's one here," Khal reported, his eyes shut in deep concentration, "but I can't tell which period it's in." He hummed and pointed to the path ahead. "There's a greater number of Time Posts here than in previous areas, too, so you needn't worry about finding a way back."

The fox wanted to make a snarky comment along the lines of "unless you seal them", but he refrained. Much as he disagreed with the hyena's actions regarding the Witchcarters, now was not the time to be bitter about them. As he'd been told, if he wanted to fix everything, then finding the Time Stones and stopping Sierus would have to come first.

"What about going back and stopping Sierus before he ruins the place?" Amy suggested, feeling sorry for the few surviving Flickies and Critters still mulling about, "I can't stand seeing it like this if we can do something!"

Khal nodded his head firmly. "We might be able to lessen its influence in the present that way." A small smile crossed his muzzle. "It should also make it easier to get around if everything is as it should be."

Miles certainly agreed with restoring Little Planet to its proper state. And if that potentially made fighting their enemy easier, then why not take the chance?

"I'll check the past then," he decided, peering around at the others in the group, "and it'd be safer if we traveled in pairs...or a trio in the case of Cream and Cheese."

Speaking of the rabbit and Chao, he'd been expecting them to come along with him, given that this was supposed to be their outing in the first place. It was also because he rather liked having her by his side, and he assumed that she felt the same way. Thus, a part of him was disappointed, and a little hurt, that after some careful deliberation, she chose to accompany the other guy instead. Ever the empathetic one, the bunny girl took notice of this and went over to him before she went on her way with Khal.

"Don't worry, Miles," she assured him, reaching down to clasp one of his hands with both of her own, "with both Cheese and Mr. Khal, I should be okay."

Amy giggled some and shook her head. "Oh, Cream, that's not why he's mopey."

"It's not?" the older girl wondered.

Miles frowned down at the hedgehog. "You keep your dang mouth shut."

"Miles is jealous that you're going with Khal instead of him," she told the rabbit in a sing-song tone, leering at the fox with a devious grin.

The teen vulpine turned his head away and let out a loud puff of air through his nose. He wasn't going to dignify that with a response, because he knew anything he said would just confirm Amy's statement.

"You don't need to feel that way, Miles," Cream said softly, giving his hand a bit more of a comforting squeeze, "I just want to help him, and understand him a little better."

Miles heaved a small sigh. "Alright, I understand, and I'm sorry." He gently slipped his hand out of her grip and then pulled her in for a light hug. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will," she promised, returning the embrace and then pulling away with a smile.

She went back over to Khal and showed that she was ready, prompting him to use the green Stone to open a portal to the Time Warp. Once they'd disappeared through the gate and came out the other side into the future, they were greeted with an even worse sight than what the present had. Numerous fissures riddled the blasted soil, many of them belching gouts of fire and noxious fumes. Small pools of lava dotted the landscape, igniting what little plant life remained around them and casting heat that helped reduce how oppressively cold the air was. The ground itself had become mostly metallic, no doubt from the molten rock below causing the minerals to meld together over time. The vast tropical lake and waterfalls in the distance had turned a brackish green-brown, which collected in a vile soup that threatened to spill over the shorelines. It was very much unlike the frosty Earth they'd come to expect, though that was visible in the "sky" from their position on Little Planet.

"Take a good look," Khal said to her solemnly, though there was intrigue in his voice as well, "my home has fallen into further ruin because of Sierus. And yet, the surface is still dominated by Glacia, from what I can see."

Cream thought about it for a moment, the gears turning in her head as she tried to make sense of it. "Does that mean that Sierus never left Little Planet even after it got what it wanted?"

"It's possible it never achieved its goal," the hyena theorized himself, "or at least, it hasn't yet, as of this era. That doesn't mean we can rest on our laurels, though; it could be anywhere."

The rabbit nodded resolutely, with the Chao doing the same as it put up its dukes, ready for whatever came their way. The three went down a dip in the terrain and traversed an uneven loop that nearly deposited them into a fiery pit. They leapt over it to the top of a slope, clearing an obsidian column at the end of it and moving onto another hill. Cream and Cheese went high to fly up onto a small plateau, while Khal curled up into a Rolling Attack and ducked into a passage on the side of the cliff. The latter shot through the tunnel and up onto the next earthly rise, where the other two met up with him shortly after. They used the charred remains of a fallen log to cross over a grimy waterfall and descend from there, dodging several smoldering vents as they continued on.

After passing a few more tepid waterfalls and following the path of another loop, the Animals came across a modest group of creatures that were clearly not of this world. It was composed of moths and mosquitoes the size of smaller Animal species, with one or more too many wings or legs, disjointed proboscises, or other freakish features. Despite these individual differences and deformities, they were all composed of ash, magma, and igneous rock, and they sported solid blue eyes that reminded Cream of stove top flames. It seemed that Sierus was capable of spawning minions just like Glacia was.

"Strike them swiftly," Khal advised as he summoned his khopesh, "think of it like passing a finger through a candle flame; if you do it quickly, you won't get burned."

Cream didn't like that he expected her to fight, yet she was willing to make an exception here. From the information he and Miles had given her, these creatures mindlessly fought for the same goal as their progenitor, and given that Sierus sought death and destruction, she couldn't abide that.

"Alright, Cheese, time for some Fast Ball Specials!" she proclaimed, with the Chao giving an affirmative chirp.

A couple of the moths flew overhead, spreading searing dust from their wings as they closed in on the trio. Much like she'd done against Bearenger and Focke-Wulf, she cupped the Chao in one hand like a baseball and hurled it at the monsters. Her aim proved true as Cheese soared through the air and crashed through both of the insect's brittle heads, thankfully without taking any damage itself. One mosquito tried to stab Khal, only for its proboscis to come off with a slash from his weapon, with a follow-up slice bisecting the horrid thing. Cheese took the initiative as another of the burning bloodsuckers tried to close in on Cream from behind, zipping in and delivering an aerial roundhouse kick to bring it down. It wasn't completely beaten, but the rabbit had been alerted after it fell, and subsequently finished it off with a Spin Dash. With the path now unguarded, the three carried on across a long and flat stretch, eventually coming to a steep slope that went further into the ruined land.

Back with Miles and Amy, the pair of them had traveled through much of the area in the present, but had no luck finding the next Time Stone so far. Thus, the moment they discovered a Past Post at the top of a decline and a fair bit of ground for them to use, they took the opportunity. Giving it a good smack, the fox Rolled down the hill and leapt over the rock at the bottom, with the hedgehog following closely behind. The light of built up Temporal Energy flared up as they rode the curve of a loop, maintaining their momentum and hovering over divots in the ground with their tails and Gear, respectively. Just as they reached the base of a tainted waterfall, they entered the Time Warp.

Once they arrived in the past, both of them were awestruck by the stark contrast from the wasteland they'd been in. The sky had gone from dark blue to a dull, but not sickly green, and the tall and skinny orange mountains of the present were replaced with shorter, stubbier purple ones. The lake was larger than in the present, and filled with pure, beautiful turquoise water that cascaded into a wide waterfall near the southern brim. The palm trees here had stockier trunks and yielded blue bulbs rather than pink fruits, while the star-shaped plants had spiky vines growing in their place. The orange hillsides with their triangular-patterned soil were lighter and less vibrant, while the Earth "above" them was even more verdant. Further out, the pair could see ginkgoes that were distinct from the extant maidenhair, drewria shrubs, and other plant life that had long been extinct by their time. There were archaic mammalian Critters such as primitive dasyuromorphs and stagodontids, reptiles that included small dinosaurs and pterosaurs, and insects such as giant locusts and basal lepidopterans.

"Wow, we went all the way back to the Mesozoic Era!" Miles exclaimed, "it's like a paleontologist's dream!"

Amy peered around at all the wildflowers she'd never seen before and clasped her hands dreamily. "If only we could take some of these back with us."

"Maybe Shai or whatever it prefers to be called would be willing to let us once we fix everything," the fox said kindly, though he quickly shook off his reverie, "speaking of, let's get on that and see what we can do to restore the present!"

Using their respective methods, they scaled a sheer cliff all the way to the top of the hill above the nearby waterfall. They coasted into a gentle descent that led to a steep loop, where the pair had to part for a moment due to the fox needing to curl up and Roll through the shaft at the bottom. While the hedgehog's gear allowed her to bypass this section, Miles went through a natural half-pipe and emerged on the other side, unfurling and hovering over onto a grassy ledge. It was one of the higher points in the region, so he decided to take out the Miles Electric and fiddle with it while Amy helped him scout about. One thing he immediately noticed was that while the ambient Temporal Energy radiating from the planetoid itself wasn't quite as great as it was in the present, it was still rather potent and pervasive. Even so, after a couple of minutes of fine tuning, he was better able to isolate the signatures being given off by the Time Stones. Once he'd figured that out, he searched for a third signal, but wasn't able to find one within their immediate vicinity.

"Looks like a no go, Amy!" he called up to her as she circled around the summit, catching her attention, "the next Time Stone isn't in this Zone, or at least not in the past! But while you're up there, do you see anything out of the ordinary?"

The female hoglet double-checked for him, going as high as she was comfortable to get a clear view. To the east, not far from a huge plateau lined with prehistoric plants that stood at the precipice of several grand waterfalls. More concerning, however, were eerie black and purple flames that were coming from the flat plain just beyond it, slowly fanning out and heading their way. And at the center of the blaze was an immense tyrannosaurus composed of dark igneous scales, with many vein-like cracks in its body that glowed the same menacing shade as the inferno around it. Its arms were longer than was typical for the infamous theropod, and there was a stony crown adorned with vicious spikes atop its head, and its eye sockets which were filled with blue fire instead of proper eyes.

"Big trouble!" she shouted as she went into a dive on the Gear and frantically gestured ahead, "some big fiery T-Rex is coming this way and burning everything in its path!"

"Wait, what!?" Miles blurted out, promptly springing into the air and taking a look for himself. Sure enough, Amy was telling the truth, and he knew there was only one thing it could be. "No doubt it's one of Sierus'! It must be the source of this Zone's devastation in the present, so if we take it out and stop the fire, at least this place should be okay!"

The young girl was, naturally, hesitant to fight such a large beast, especially considering its physical makeup. "Are you sure we can take it, Miles? That dinosaur is a lot bigger and scarier than those creeps from before."

"I've handled more massive and formidable things than that," the fox confidently affirmed, "just stick close to me and we'll make it through!"

While she was still nervous at the prospect, Amy stowed her fear and brought the Pikkon Hammer to bear. If the big guy thought they could take it, then she would trust him. Miles took the lead and made his way over to the plateau, swiftly jumping up to and vaulting himself from several ledges and recesses until he got to the top. He put his tails to work and boosted himself onto the loop close to the cliff, then flew up into the air so he could position himself high above the searing saurian. Once he was lined up with its head, he went into a Drop Attack and let gravity do the rest of the work. His calculations proved sound, and the monster fell forward face-first into the dirt from the force of impact. Miles hastily kicked off of it as he felt the heat rapidly transfer to him, putting some distance between himself and the dinosaur as it slowly pushed itself back to its feet.

"Yikes, another second of contact and my fur would've ignited!" he remarked. He saw his young companion coming in and preparing to give the T-Rex a good whack, moving to intercept her before she ended up burnt. "Amy no, it's too dangerous! If that thing gets you, you'll be flash-fried!"

The hedgehog slipped through his moves and lunged for the beast at full speed, hammer raised over her head. The beast attempted to snatch her out of the air with a ferocious chomp, which she narrowly avoided by kicking off the board. To both her and Miles' surprise, when she brought the Pikkon Hammer down on its head, the weapon grew to nearly twice its size and actually stunned the creature when it connected with its snout. The hit also catapulted Amy even higher, safely putting her outside the radius of its smoldering aura. She landed gracefully back on the Gear and circled around to the plateau once more, drawing its attention away from Miles and making it give chase.

"That creature's composition makes a lot of my tools useless," he muttered aloud as he reached into one of his pouches, keeping on the T-Rex's tail, "but that's exactly why I made this."

Miles brought out a golden Ring that was the size of a small frisbee, which momentarily crackled with the same cyan glow his Emerald gave off. He flew up above the dinosaur and threw his item at the back of its head, which appeared to cause some minor injury. The teen caught it as it returned to him almost magnetically, and found himself dipping and rolling around swipes from that long and powerful tail, now that its focus was back on him. The monster tilted its head down, a low rumble coming from its chest as more of those dark flames built up in its gullet, which were then unleashed in a torrent along with a roar that sounded like a blast furnace. While Miles easily dodged the fire breath, he was nearly caught off guard by those strangely long arms taking a swipe at him, feeling the air light up as those claws just missed him.

In between eluding these attacks, the fox countered here and there with a few shots from his new Boomering, slowly chipping away at its armor. The amount of ground he could land on to rest from using his tails had become sparser as more of the blaze consumed it, forcing him to retreat to higher elevation. The T-Rex tried to climb up after him, but between its weight and Amy coming back in to pester it with a few slams like she did before, it couldn't properly pursue the fox. Instead, it decided to tilt its head up and, with a rather unpleasant sound from its throat, spat a huge gob of semi-solid stone at the pesky vulpine. Putting a little Chaos Energy into his throw, Miles shattered the incoming projectile, and thanks to his initial action, he remotely altered its trajectory to mop up the fragments before they fell to the earth. And just to rub salt in the wound, he gestured for the Boomering to bonk the T-Rex between the eyes, then returned it to his hand.

It snarled and changed its strategy to simply smashing its weight into the plateau, its super-heated form helping it more easily tear chunks out of the rocky rise. Due to the erratic movements of its thrashing, Amy couldn't get close enough to land a hit, and Miles couldn't get a proper bead on a vital point with the Boomering. Both of them weren't about to abide this senseless destruction, though, and regrouped to formulate a different plan of attack.

"It's made out of fire, so maybe water would work?" the girl pitched her idea, "if only we could find a way to send it over the falls."

The teen nodded his head and stroked his chin as he peered around at their immediate environment. As he took it all in, he pieced together a scheme, and a mischievous smirk crossed his muzzle.

"I think that can be arranged," he said slyly.

He leaned over to whisper his plan into her ear, and was rather amused at how indignant Amy appeared. Good thing it didn't hinge on whether or not she approved of it.

"I don't like that!" she let him know plainly, "you're a smart guy, you have to know something that would work better!"

Miles nonchalantly spun the Boomering around a couple of fingers and tilted his shades up with his other hand. "Trust me, it'll work. And hey, if you do this, I'll reconsider how much you owe me for those clothes you strong-armed Cream into buying for you with my money."

"Ooh, you would hold that over my head!" the hedgehog pouted, before letting out a defeated huff, "fine, but I still think this is a bad idea."

With that said, Amy maneuvered the Gear so that she skirted along the outer ledge between the cliffs and the waterfalls, hopping off once she was close to the ground. Nervously, she took in a deep breath and then belted out as loud of a scream as she could muster to try and get the monster's attention. It ceased its rampage almost immediately and whipped around to glare at her with those burning blue eyes, molten rock dripping from its jaws like saliva. Amy immediately turned tail and ran as fast as she could, leaving the board behind as per Miles' instructions. A second of pause was all she got before she both heard and felt the thunderous footsteps closing in behind her, growing louder and more powerful with each beat. She wordlessly prayed that the fox's plan worked out well, as she wasn't keen on the idea of ending up as some tainted creature's crispy meal.

Miles kept pace with the two on the upper rim of the plateau while he prepared to give another of the Boomering's properties a good field test. There was a spot on the cliff where several large boulders were held in place by a bit of stone that could feasibly be pried loose with enough force. He threw the golden hoop at the wedge and grinned as his creation expanded and locked itself around the rock like a shackle. Glancing down, he saw that the T-Rex was almost on top of Amy, so he put his tails to work and dived down after them. At the same time, he remotely pulled on the Boomering, feeling some momentary resistance as it worked the one boulder loose.

Amy kept running as fast as she could, even though she knew she couldn't outpace her attacker for long. She heard its growling grow in pitch as it prepared to snatch her up in its jaws, but the moment thankfully never came. Its rumbling changed to a pained and confused grunt at the same time a noise like rocks grinding together sounded out, and the hedgehog saw that as her cue to vamoose for real. She whistled for the Gear, which answered her call and scooped her up just in time to prevent her from being bowled over in the ensuing rock slide. She was thankful to have escaped, as she soon saw that Miles had also dumped out a few handfuls of his mini bombs on top of what was already pummeling the creature.

It all came together in one horrible catastrophe, at least from the T-Rex's point of view. The bump to its noggin from the first rock had irritated and distracted it, and had caused it to turn its head to the source. Numerous boulders that outweighed it when all put together had been next, knocking it off balance and pushing it dangerously close to the edge of the cliff near the waterfalls. And finally, the multitude of explosives that the fox had unloaded all fell in the general area around the dinosaur's feet, the cluster of blasts eroding the cliff side until it finally gave in. Another roar echoed throughout the region as the corrupted apex predator tumbled down into the cascading water, clouds of steam rising along with the mist produced by the falls.

For a few moments, Miles and Amy saw it struggle against the current and try to fight its way to the closest shore. But not long after that, it slowed to a stop as its body hardened further from the rapid cooling, left as little more than an obsidian black statue. The fires of its eyes were snuffed out as well, suggesting that whatever it was that Sierus used to drive its creations had left it completely. Within moments of its apparent demise, the flames that had spread from it also withered and blinked out of existence, leaving scorched earth in its place.

Meanwhile, in the far future of the same area, the trio of Khal, Cream, and Cheese were temporarily blinded as an overwhelmingly bright flash of white assaulted their eyes. The ground beneath them shifted for a brief moment, and when it was over, it somehow felt more stable and solid. The putrid odors and choking atmosphere were gone almost in an instant, replaced by refreshing and pleasant air. The nearly unbearable cold had heated up to a wonderful cool, with the warmth of the sun beaming down on them. And when they could finally see again, Cream and Cheese's eyes lit up in both wonder and joy.

The palm trees that once dominated the present had now gotten a cybernetic makeover with leaves made up of green arrows and coils, and glowing pink stars in the center of their fronds. A ton of golden pipes were constructed all over the region in such a way as to efficiently deliver fresh and filtered water to any areas that needed it. The lake was larger than in the present, and completely free of nasty particulates and chemicals, with green forestry and stubby brown mountains surrounding it. Purple and magenta flowers they'd never seen before were sprouting up here and there, and many Critters such as Flickies, Rickies, and Pockies were happily frolicking about. The sky was a bright blue with a few groups of clouds spread throughout, the sun shining up near the highest point.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Cream exclaimed, holding out a hand and giggling when a Flicky came over to perch on it, "everything is so pretty and pristine, and the Critters don't seem to mind the artificial things." She let the little bird flutter away, then let out a happy sigh. "This means Miles and Amy fixed whatever was wrong in the past."

Khal hummed and subtly nodded his head. The flow of energy coming from Little Planet, at least in this Zone, had become calm like a long and flat river. Within the proverbial tides, he could sense an anchor that gave off a similar sensation, one that matched the Stone in his pocket. He followed the flat path to a loop that forced him to Roll as it set him down the path of a long shaft in the plateau. At the end, the hyena wound up in a meadow of green and purple star flowers, as well as more of those mechanical palm trees. In the center of it, within a spot that was a respectful distance from any other plants aside from the grass, was the blue Time Stone.

"And here's what we came for," he said, picking it up and showing it to the other two before pocketing it, "as nice as it is around here, we should be going. The other two are likely heading back to the present if they haven't already."

The rabbit and Chao were a little disappointed they couldn't stay longer, but they knew it couldn't be helped. And besides, if they continued to restore Little Planet to how it was supposed to be, they would continue to see grand sights and places like this.


"Sorry it took a while," Silver apologized as he brought the Witchcarters into a subterranean chamber, "but this is one of the few places that's safe from the cold and the monsters, that I know of anyway."

The hedgehog had led the group through catacombs of ancient, crumbling stone, and pathways that went deeper into the seemingly endless caverns. More of those creatures from before had attacked them, along with strange snowbirds that appeared to be somehow related, but they had been no match for the boy's psychokinetic powers. Past a certain point, the beasts stopped appearing, though there were still traps such as collapsing portions of the ceiling, and spikes that stuck out once one approached a certain proximity. There were even a bunch of big rolling rocks like in a few movies they'd seen when they were younger!

Now, they were in a room that had several candles with blue flames eating away at their wicks. A relief of some ancient being was carved in the wall, its eyes gazing directly at a dais in the center of the chamber. Atop it was a familiar sight: a Past Post, though different from the usual sort. The base of it was magenta rather than yellow, while the sign's background was a deep blue, and the text was an iridescent purple.

"Yay, we can go home!" Carrotia proclaimed, which caused her companions to tense up.

Silver tilted his head at her words. "What do you mean 'go home'?"

"She meant to keep her mouth shut!" Bearenger growled, looming over the bunny.

Focke-Wulf chuckled and shrugged a bit. "Too late to take it back now." He gestured to the sign as he fixed his eyes on the hedgehog. "You see, kid, my teammates and I aren't from the same world you know. We're from a time when things were better and a lot more alive, and we were hoping that by sticking with you, we'd find a way back." A happy sounding laugh, one that was unnerving all the same, came from the wolf as he slapped a hand on the teen's shoulder. "And it looks like it paid off! Since you've been such a big help..." A toothy grin split his muzzle from ear to ear. "Why not come back with us? It's gotta be better than what you have to live with...hey, maybe you can stop all of this from happening! Wouldn't that be swell?"

Silver wasn't sure how to feel about them hiding the fact they weren't from his time until now, but he supposed it was his fault for not asking. He'd mostly kept awkwardly silent as they'd traversed the caverns, only answering a few questions here and there, unsure of what to say himself. Being alone for so long certainly hadn't helped his social skills.

It seemed that the wolf knew what to say to get his attention, though, not to mention his interest. The chance to see the world in its splendor before it was claimed by Glacia, and the opportunity to deny the Hellfrost Catastrophe from coming to pass in the first place. He felt like he'd be foolish to pass those up. It didn't matter that he didn't have a plan for how to go about those objectives; he'd make one up as he went. And since he'd helped these guys, they would do the same for him in return...right?

"I don't know if I'll get another chance like this," he told the trio, clenching one fist in determination, "so I might as well take it!"

Focke-Wulf clapped him on the back and giggled. "That's the spirit! Just stick with us while you're there so you don't accidentally mess anything up."

"R-right," the hedgehog replied, glancing over at the bizarre Time Post, "so, um, how do we use it? I've never seen one of those things before."

"Oh, that's easy! Just give it a good whack, or maybe a zap with your powers will work!"

Silver nodded and floated on over to the object, lifting one hand to fire a psycho bolt at the sign. Unlike all the others that the trio had tried earlier, this one spun around to indicate that it was activated. However, it further differed when a dark and foreboding gateway opened up, the void beyond primarily black with deep purple, red, and blue lights alternating roughly every second. The teen was reluctant to step through, but the three with him didn't have as great of reservations. Both Bearenger and Carrotia went through without a second thought, while Focke-Wulf gingerly pulled their companion along by one hand, smirking when Silver eventually stopped resisting.

This Time Warp wasn't quite as psychedelic or as wondrous as their prior jaunts, though it was the first time for both the grizzly and the hedgehog, so they didn't have any other experience to go on. All was quiet except for a heartbeat that seemingly came from everywhere, ringing in their ears louder and louder with each pulse. Before any of them could go deaf, they were deposited out on the other side, where the room appeared much the same as the one they left, but with a few key differences. The ruins here were a bit more put together than those they saw, the temperature was far more bearable, and there was a strange magenta orb in place of the Time Post on top of the altar.

There was also a fifth person present, one that made the hackles of the wolf, bear, and rabbit all rise in anger. It was a tall and slender, elderly human woman with long white hair, a bulbous and pointy nose, and crimson red eyes. She wore a long, dark blue dress with sleeves that went over his wrists, white gloves, a black witch's hat with a red brim, red boots with white soles, and a black cape with red inner lining. And upon seeing the group of Animals appear before her, she clasped her hands together and smiled in dark delight.

Silver saw the expressions of rage in his acquaintances and couldn't help but ask the obvious. "Who is she?"

"Wendy Witchcart," Focke-Wulf growled as he cracked his knuckles, "don't stop us, Silver boy, she's had this coming for a long time!"

"You got that right!" Bearenger barked, popping his head from side to side.

Carrotia whipped her head so that her ears were better out of her way, raising her fists to fight. "The foxy can wait, since the witch is right here!"

Witchcart let out an airy laugh as she looked over each of the four non-humans present. She placed one hand on the magenta orb, a similar aura beginning to envelope her body and likewise, a matching sheen appeared in her eyes.

"Come now, dearies, all this talk of violence against me," the old lady murmured, a visible wellspring of power bubbling up in her free hand's palm, "when it would be so much easier to just come back to my side. But if you insist, then let me show you how outmatched you are." Her hair and clothing whipped about as though wind was rushing from under her. "This Mystic Orb has made my magic stronger than ever, and I promise that after a few moments of demonstration, you'll be begging to be under my boot heel again!"