Chapter 2 (Sonic): Keeping a Promise
"Here you are," the apple vendor said, handing Tails and Sonic each an apple. The two heroes thanked the merchant for the complimentary apples, offered to them in relation to Soleanna's upcoming Apple Festival; the merchant wanted to see if the harvest of apples was good this year, especially since Soleanna is known not just for its technology but also for its food.
Taking a bite out of their apples, Sonic and Tails knew Soleanna's reputation in the food department preceded it well and made sure to let the vendor know, much to his enthusiasm.
The two found themselves right outside the seaweed green gate leading into Soleanna's New City area, which was closed off by Soleanna's guards at the moment. Strolling past the giant doors and the delicate fountain in front of it, Sonic and Tails continued to eat away at their apples as they made their way to the nearest GUN unit located in the city. Normally, Tails would have suggested going back to his workshop in the Mystic Ruins right outside of Station Square, but given the time it would take to fly over there and Princess Blaze being in Eggman's clutches, it would be far more efficient to request assistance from the military organization they have worked with in the past.
Besides, why would GUN refuse to help the princess they were making agreements with?
Sonic chuckled at the rhetorical question when he and Tails noticed commotion over the short pedestrian bridge leading to one of the local lords of Soleanna's business office. The lord Regis himself was present in a crowd of people in formal attire, and among the people were both guards of Soleanna in their seaweed green constable-looking attire and black body-suited soldiers, the latter being members of…
"GUN!" Tails exclaimed, looking at Sonic who nodded without losing focus on the situation, for he also noticed the source of the commotion. Across one of the small canals that separated the business office with the rest of the city, on top of the rooftop of a building was a trio of Eggman's robots surrounding a rabbit girl. The girl appeared to be holding something sky blue close to her protectively. Wasting no time, Sonic and Tails rushed closer to the scene, the jangled noise of the crowd turning into much more discernable sentences.
"Dr. Eggman?" Lord Regis' was talking to one citizen. "I thought he had left the city after taking the princess! What does he want now?"
Another citizen, a woman, asked a fellow bystander, "Isn't that Princess Blaze's favorite handmaiden?"
The gossip in the crowd continued in anticipation of what would happen to the girl cornered by the menacing robots up above. Sonic glanced at Tails, his eyes telling his friend to let him handle the robots. Tails smiled and went to talk to the GUN soldiers stationed with the people.
Sonic began to observe his surroundings for a way up to the rooftops. There were plenty of barrels and boxes around, but surely there must be a faster way to the top. Coincidentally enough, he found such a way.
A couple of scientists were situated a little away from the crowd, looking over what appeared to be a giant red and blue semicircle with a golden star designed in the middle. The scientists, one male and one female, were bickering with each other over it.
"I'm telling you, it won't work!" the female declared.
"And I'm telling you," the male rebutted, "We've done the calculations over and over again, not to mention we've tested this spring with smaller objects. It's ready for a live subject to test it."
"Who are we going to test this spring with, huh? Not many people like being shot out of a cannon, let alone jumping on a highly pressurized spring to who knows where!"
Sonic answered the redhead's question with action, speeding towards the spring and landing on it dead center. As the Law of Equal and Opposite Reactions dictated, the spring's response to Sonic's displacing of it was to propel Sonic in the opposite direction at equal velocity. The two scientists watched in shock as Sonic soared through the air towards the rooftop where Eggman's robots were, finally realizing that more was going on around them than their little invention debate.
Sonic landed with grace on the rooftop, the crowd below reacting to the hedgehog's sudden appearance. Eggman's robots, too, saw Sonic standing before them now, but their reaction was completely hostile. "Priority one hedg-"
The robots' uniform response was disrupted by Sonic's flurry of attacks, each punch and kick blurred in blue as they sent each machine flying as broken parts; their remains crashed down on the pavement and waterways below, the soldiers and guards rushing to confirm their status as down for the count.
The small crowd cheered for Sonic as he turned his attention towards the now-liberated hostage. "You ok…Cream?" Sonic, actually taking a good look at the girl, realized he knew her. The young rabbit girl looked up towards her savior, a few tears could be seen in her eyes, but she looked unhurt. Her cream fur and orange dress were a bit covered in sand, however.
"Mr. Sonic!" Cream, recognizing the blue hedgehog, began to smile and bowed her head in respect. "Thank you for saving me."
Sonic scratched the back of his head, looking away embarrassed. Still as formal as ever, he thought to himself. Some time ago, he had saved Cream the Rabbit from Dr. Eggman, who had also kidnapped her mother for who knows what. After he had rescued her back then, she had bowed her head politely like she was doing now. She later assisted him in saving her mother, Vanilla, from Eggman, even going on a few adventures with the hedgehog afterwards. Otherwise, she was nothing more than an ordinary girl with excellent manners.
"N-no problem," Sonic finally said smiling. "But what are you doing so far from home? And why were Eggman's robots holding you hostage?" Cream looked up at Sonic, sadness returning to her face. "Me and Cheese chose to stay here when Miss. Blaze asked if I would be her personal handmaiden." She lowered her eyes towards the blue object in her hands which, in actuality, was no object but a creature. The creature called Cheese turned its head to glance up at Sonic, emitting a small "Chao." Ironically, the word Cheese said was what his kind were called: Chaos. Though they came in different colors and figures, the basic appearance of the Chao race was the same: small and cute with a round head and wings.
"During the festival," Cream continued, "Dr. Eggman attacked and kidnapped Miss. Blaze. I did not want to abandon her, so I grabbed on to his vehicle when he was not looking." Sonic stared in space for a moment, thinking back to the attack. Now that he thought about it, he did notice a rabbit girl near Blaze when he tried to save her from Eggman.
That must've been Cream, Sonic realized, then returned his attention to Cream as she resumed speaking.
"We hid aboard Dr. Eggman's ship for a while, but we were caught." Cream closed her eyes, pain resonating within her. "Miss Blaze was trying to escape when we were captured. She stopped fighting in exchange for our safety. He agreed, and he had his robots escort me all the way back here, but they kept me held hostage for some reason. If only I hadn't—!" Cream, wrecked with guilt, began to sob. Cheese tried to comfort her, but it seemed he, too, was upset with what had occurred.
Sympathizing with the young girl, Sonic wrapped his arms around her and Cheese, his eyes closed and a gentle smile on his face. "It's ok," he said. "You were trying to help her, and I'm sure she appreciates it." He paused to make sure Cream had calmed herself, then asked her, "Do you know where Blaze and Eggman are at now?"
Cream wiped the few tears remaining on her face. "I overheard Dr. Eggman saying something about the Dusty Desert. I saw the sandy ruins when the robots were taking me and Cheese back to Soleanna." Cream's face began to express a sense of pleading. "Please, Mr. Sonic," she said. "Save Miss Blaze from Dr. Eggman! I know she may not want people to worry about her, but she does this out of fear that they may get hurt. She's a good person who cares about others…and she's my friend." Cream bowed her head once more, truly insistent that her request will be accepted by the hero before her.
She must really care about Blaze if she was willing to risk her life trying to save her, Sonic mused, then grinned. "Don't worry," he answered. "I never abandon a person who looks like they're in need of help. In fact, me and Tails were already chasing after her and Eggman a while ago. We came back to town when we lost track of them to see if there was a way to pick up their trail." Gazing tenderly at Cream, who had lifted her head to see him eye-to-eye, Sonic told her, "And you've just helped me find out where they are. Thank you, Cream."
Cream's eyes sparkled with joy, and her smile returned. "Thank you! Please be careful!" Cheese, who had also had his spirits lifted, emitted a series of chaos in response. Sonic nodded, and offered his hand to her. "Now," he said, "How about we get you down from here?" Cream took his hand willingly, and Sonic assisted her off the rooftop.
"So, the GUN soldiers said the same thing, huh?" Sonic asked Tails.
"Yeah," Tails replied. "They sent a squad of robots to try and take down Eggman, but the squad was eradicated as soon as they got close."
Sonic wasn't surprised. GUN used a combination of both agents and machines to accomplish dangerous missions around the world, the latter of which were made using old blueprints and models confiscated from Dr. Eggman; despite this, Eggman always found a way to up his game every time. They were planning on sending another team to the desert to deal with Eggman, but Tails convinced the soldiers to tell GUN HQ to let him and Sonic save the princess. When the confirmation was received, Tails informed Sonic on what information he had procured.
Meanwhile, after Sonic had rescued Cream from the robots, he received a warm reception from the crowd below, praising his good deed. Lord Regis and the Soleanna guards questioned Cream and Cheese on Blaze's status, the two bravely recounting the events that had followed since last night. Sonic, on the other hand, told Tails about what Cream had done and then listened patiently to his friend as he discussed GUN's intel with him.
"Either way," Sonic finally said, "Both accounts point to the desert. We should get going."
"Right," Tails agreed. "But the Dusty Desert is a bit far to reach on foot. Let's take the Tornado instead." The Tornado, a blue biplane, was Tails' main mode of transportation. Originally, Sonic had owned a red biplane similar to it and handed it over to Tails, but the plane was shot down by Eggman's forces at one point. Tails then made a new, upgraded plane entitled "Tornado-2," as well as "The Cyclone," a variant of Tornado-2 with the capability to transform into a mech for battle. Eventually, Tails rebuilt the original Tornado out of sentiment and kept the other models as backups for more interesting situations.
Sonic simply nodded at Tails' suggestion, and the two began to head back over to Alberto's item shop when they came across the same scientists whose spring Sonic had tested. An awkward silence befell the group. Sonic was the first to break it. "Your spring worked like a charm. Thanks!" He then gave the two a thumbs up.
The two scientists continued to stand quietly for a moment, but then the black-haired male responded, "Well, thank you for testing it." He then grinned mischievously. "My assistant here doubted my genius and our calculations. My gratitude for proving her wrong!"
The girl frowned in frustration. "Says the guy who blew up eggs in a microwave 'for science.' And for the last time, I am not your assistant!"
The two began to bicker with each other until they turned away from each other with a puff of breath, arms crossed and eyes shut in irritation. Sonic and Tails couldn't help but to pity the two. "Well, if anything," Sonic finally said, "I think you both did a great job."
"Yes," Tails concurred, admiring the spring. "The design for this spring is amazing. It looks like you even took weight well into account with resistance."
The two scientists opened their eyes at the compliments, then looked at each other bashfully.
"Well…" the male began, turning his head to face his 'assistant.' "I can't take full credit. She was the one who figured out the weight complication." The female smiled at her fellow scientist's words. "And as annoying as this guy can be, he did recognize the significance of such a device." Turning to face the heroes, she said, "Thank you for your help."
Sonic and Tails returned the kindness and left the two to continue working on their research. Now, it was time to return to more important matters.
Blaze sat in silent contemplation, her arms held up on the brick walls via mechanical restraints.
These were no ordinary restraints, however. These ones were specially designed by Dr. Eggman to prevent her from using her fire-based powers.
Having anticipated that she may resist her capture, the mad scientist had them made as a precaution in case she tried to escape.
Which she did. And she failed.
But her failure was not due to incompetence. No, rather the failure was more sacrificial in nature. One of her closest handmaidens, Cream the Rabbit and her Chao friend, Cheese had snuck a ride on Eggman's aircraft during the attack on the Soleanna Festival of Light, fearing for her safety. When she and Cheese tried to free her, they were caught by Eggman's robots. Blaze had fought back valiantly to keep them safe, but the struggle ended the moment Eggman threatened to kill the two.
With no other choice, Blaze surrendered in exchange for their lives being spared.
Eggman had the two taken back to Soleanna (if his word was to be trusted), yet he swore that he would order his machines to kill them should Blaze attempt anything else. He then restrained the princess in what appeared to be a decaying old coliseum in the Dusty Desert, left to ponder if she had done the right thing.
"I hope Cream and Cheese are alright," Blaze muttered aloud, knowing well that no one would hear her. Eggman stated he had business in the old Soleanna Castle ruins in Kingdom Valley and would return some time later. Before leaving, Eggman made sure to warn her of Cream and Cheese's lives being dependent on Blaze's behavior.
How long has it been since then? There was no way to check the time in this ancient place. There were the few openings in the walls that let in a few streaks of sunlight, but they could only tell so much about the time of day from her position, and Blaze hadn't really thought to keep an eye on the light's position until now.
Blaze sighed in defeat. Never before had she felt so helpless. As a princess, her people expected her to be well-protected and cared for, having servants and guards doing everything for her. In other words, she was supposed to be dependent on others.
That conception alone is the sole reason why she despised being a princess.
Quite the contrary, she insisted on doing things herself so as to avoid such a dependency, but rules were rules and the amount of work that went with the title proved to be heavy at times, hence why she conceded to having handmaidens. Even then, her desire to be self-dependent, as well as her temper in the past, had gotten the best of her at times.
Once, when her country was facing threats from a jealous nation, her frustration at putting an end to the rival country's hostilities left her in a bad mood for days. When her former handmaiden tried to lighten her mood by doing the tasks that Blaze herself normally did, Blaze's temper reached its limit and, while she asserted that she would do the tasks herself, she accidentally unleashed her flames, resulting in her handmaiden's hand being burned.
It was a terrible moment in Blaze's life. While her handmaiden knew the burn wasn't intentional and didn't held Blaze responsible, Blaze's reputation as princess fell as a result. Her handmaiden later resigned out of fear of being burned again or worse, and Blaze didn't try to stop her. Ever since the incident, she had locked herself in her room, afraid she would hurt someone else due to her powers.
She had almost cried during that time, an act that would be disastrous as she knew full well.
Her spirits were lifted when Cream and Cheese came as visitors with a homemade tea recipe to cheer her up and calm her senses. Their tea had to be one of the best things she had ever tasted, which spoke volumes considering what food she could ask for as a princess. Cream, who felt sorry for the suffering Blaze was going through, volunteered to be her new handmaiden. When Blaze protested, Cream then asked if she could at least be Blaze's friend.
That moment struck a heartstring with the princess. Her people, for the most part, loved her, and her servants and guards performed any orders she gave, but this came with the title. At that point, Blaze didn't really have a person she could call a friend. Not since her father died.
As a result, Blaze accepted Cream's friendship and let her and Cheese visit the castle anytime. The incident with the handmaiden and the rival country soon passed into myth; Blaze got to meet Cream's mother, Vanilla and, at some point down the road, she finally agreed to let Cream be her personal handmaiden, an act she hasn't regretted since.
Until now.
Somewhere in Soleanna, Cream and Cheese were supposedly being held hostage by Eggman's robots, and Blaze was trapped in a desert. "What am I going to do?" Blaze asked herself, closing her eyes. She thought back to one of the last moments she had with her father before he died, what he had told her then:
"You're a good girl, Blaze. Remember, a queen must give her people hope when times look bleak. Be brave. Don't cry, no matter what happens."
Blaze opened her eyes in resolution. Her father was right. She may only be a princess now, but one day she would be coronated as queen of Soleanna. Even now, she was the acting monarch of Soleanna. If she gave up hope here, what will become of Cream and Cheese, let alone her people? She had to get out of this place.
Now, what to do about these restraints? Blaze wondered, examining the metal keeping her to the wall.
BOOM!
A sudden explosion in the wall to her left caught Blaze's attention. She quickly lowered her head as much as she was able in the opposite direction to avoid any flying debris. Fortunately, nothing more than a few pebbles of granite reached her legs. When she looked back towards the source of the commotion, she found two figures emerging from the dust rising in the air, the light from the outside radiating inward. One was an orange and white fox boy with, bizarrely enough, two tails swishing freely behind him. He almost stumbled upon entry, but managed to regain his balance, chuckling bashfully. The other person beside him was…
"Mr. Sonic!"
Sonic raised his finger as soon as Blaze said this, moving it left and right with his eyes closed. "Just call me Sonic," he insisted. He then opened his eyes with seriousness written on his face. "Now then, are you OK? Blaze nodded, her response causing the hedgehog to relax in relief.
He actually came to help me, Blaze thought. Wait a minute.
"I thought I told you not to worry about me," Blaze remarked.
Sonic merely grinned and said, "Sorry, that's not how I roll. I don't abandon anyone in need of saving, especially when Eggman is involved. Besides, Cream asked me to save you, and I never turn down a friend's request."
"…!"
Blaze gasped when she heard Cream's name. "You mean, Cream and Cheese are alright?" Blaze asked.
Sonic, seeing her desperate need for an answer, nodded. "Eggman really needs to get better security guards."
Blaze sighed and smiled in relief. They're ok, she thought joyfully. Sonic saved them, and now he's trying to save me.
This left only one thing left to ask.
"The Chaos Emerald," she began. "Do you still have it?"
In response to her question, Sonic pulled out the blue emerald and held it in front of her. "Safe and sound." Her worries now all put to rest, Blaze finally relaxed. Cream and Cheese were out of harm's way, the emerald was secured, and best of all she was being freed. "I'm so glad that you came," Blaze warmly commented to Sonic. He responded with a smirk. "I always keep my word."
"Sonic!"
Tails cry made Sonic turn quickly to see what would make Tails react in such a manner. Sure enough, it was something unfriendly.
A mechanical gate was rising on the other side of the coliseum. Behind it, a great big black dog with red highlights was activating, its body rising and walking out of the tunnel from which is was locked behind.
The sound of an aircraft soon caught the group's attention. Gazing towards the top of the coliseum, the trio saw the aircraft and its sole passenger.
"It looks like a pesky rat has stuck its nose where it doesn't belong," Dr. Eggman sneered, his gloved hands behind his back. "Well, a hedgehog to be more precise…" he corrected himself.
Sonic and Tails began to take a defensive stance in front of Princess Blaze, all three of them eying the doctor with contempt.
Pointing at Princess Blaze, Eggman declared, "The princess is mine until I unlock the secret of the Flames of Disaster." With that, he slammed his pointing hand down on his vessel, triggering a command. The guard dog, actually a robot, growled in response.
"Tails," Sonic said, turning to his friend. "Leave this one to me. You concentrate on freeing Blaze!"
Tails nodded understanding. "Got it! Let's go!"
Sonic then stepped forward towards the large robot, the machine doing the same towards him. Eggman deviously smiled as he observed Sonic. "I'll take care of you now," he said. "An early dinner for my pet! Sonic, meet your match: Egg-Cerberus!"
Egg-Cerberus, having finished identifying its target, roared metallically. Sonic stood cockily in response to his opponent. "This is your pet, huh? Ok, Eggman. I'll play with him!"
Having said that, Sonic decided to test out the gem feature on his Custom Shoes. Tails had explained each of the gems and their properties while on the planer ride to the desert, and Sonic had gotten them memorized. Knowing the blue emerald cut gem decreased the amount of friction between his feet and the ground, he tapped it to enhance his speed two-fold. Sonic watched in awe as the gem transformed his shoes, changing them to resemble his old Hi-Speed Shoes, only know bearing a blue color scheme.
Now ready, Sonic rushed forward towards his foe. The effect of the gem's power could be seen and felt instantaneously. Normally, Sonic would build up his speed when he began running, but the blue gem acted like a dash panel, leaving him free to accelerate at a moment's notice.
Egg-Cerberus, seeing its prey on the move, charged towards the blue hedgehog with a snarl. When the two were a few yards apart, the guard dog opened its mouth and chomped down right down where Sonic was.
Except there was no taste—there wasn't even a hedgehog in its mouth!
Sonic saw the attack coming and, right before the machine had the chance to eat him whole, Sonic skidded to a halt and accelerated to the right at 90 degrees. The maneuver allowed him to escape not only death but also the robot's field of vision.
The dog looked around in search of its quarry with no luck, then began to sniff the area. As it tried to get a trail, a sudden impact was felt on its side; it didn't hurt in the slightest, but it was certainly felt.
Sonic landed on the ground, his sneak attack failing to damage the robot. However, the assault did tell him how strong his opponent was. The shielding on Egg-Cerberus was definitely strong, meaning a high-velocity strike on the body wasn't going to do anything. Sonic then realized something about the robot's head. At first glance, there appeared to be a glowing stick of energy sticking out of the dog's head. While it may look like an instrument to stab or, at the very least, hit an enemy with, a closer examination showed that it is actually an antenna used for communications.
Perhaps an attack there may be the key to victory, Sonic thought.
Egg-Cerberus, sensing Sonic's position, attempted to swat at him using its tail by swinging its body a full 360. Sonic managed to dash forward enough to clear most of the radius, but not enough to avoid the attack. The tail sent Sonic flying across the arena, his body colliding with the stony ground. A sharp burning sensation ripped across the hedgehog's body as it made contact with the floor, and Sonic clenched his teeth.
From above, Eggman laughed at Sonic's unfortunate discomfort. "That's it, my pet!" Eggman shouted. "Make him wish he'd never been born!"
Sonic fought against the ache, having been through worse. Besides, he had to keep focus. Egg Cerberus was already on the move again, running around the edge of the arena past Tails and Blaze and towards him. Thinking fast, Sonic decided to employ the same tactic except in the same direction the robot was moving. Tapping the red gem on his shoe, which changed the color of his shoes from blue to red, Sonic began his run. Unlike the blue gem, which sped up his speed, the red gem's unique ability was a small time dilation effect, allowing the environment around him to slow down. Any of the Chaos Emeralds would have been able to done the same via Chaos Control, but using the emeralds powers required concentration. The red gem, on the other hand, only needed to be equipped to do the same, albeit with a lesser effect.
Sonic noticed the Egg-Cerberus moving 'slower,' allowing him to catch up to the guard dog's rear side in a matter of seconds. Clicking his shoes, the red gem returned to a state of rest, allowing Sonic's Custom Shoes (and the surrounding environment) to revert to normal. Now that he was out of the robot's sights yet again, Sonic took the opportunity to grind up the dog's giant tail, free-falling right on top of the antenna.
Egg-Cerberus raised the front of its body up in response to the sudden hand tension Sonic applied to its antenna until it was only on its hindlegs. When Sonic refused to let go, the machine dropped the front of its body and charged ahead, shaking its head all the way.
Meanwhile, Tails endeavored to remove the restraints on Blaze's hands using his tools. Though he was making progress, the design of the restraints proved to be taxing in terms of removal. The battle occurring behind him did nothing to make the situation any better. Tails had to occasionally glance over his shoulders to see where Sonic and Egg-Cerberus were just in case the fight got too close for comfort. As he made one such glance, Tails saw Sonic struggling to keep his hold on the guard dog's antenna. Holding on tightly, Sonic adjusted the placement of his hands along the antenna for better grip; as he did this, Egg-Cerberus reacted by changing which way it was running.
"…!"
Seeing this cause-and-effect caused an idea to form in Tail's head.
"Sonic!" Tails shouted. "Make it run into something!"
Sonic saw where Tails was coming from. By moving his hands, the robot seemed to change its direction of travel. As such, Sonic experimented with the antenna, correlating which grip leads to which direction; when he got a particular feel for it, Sonic set the robot's course on a path towards its destruction.
At the end of the path, one of the colossal eroding statues overlooking the coliseum.
Letting go when it was meters away, Sonic jumped off the robot's body and watched as the dog went headfirst into the statue. The age-old sculpture crumbled apart due to the force, large chunks of it falling on top of Egg-Cerberus' body. The robot itself hollered in agony as it turned around. Surprisingly, the antenna was still connected, though it appeared to be a little looser. The same, however, could not be said for the rest of the head, which had lost much of its protective armor.
"Hey, I can finally see your face!" Sonic taunted. The dog, hearing the insult directed at it, charged towards the blue hedgehog only to stop and jump over him, landing on the second level floor of the coliseum. Blaze felt the tremors in the wall as the dog touched down on the floor above, making her all the more eager to be free and join the fight. "Please hurry up!" Blaze anxiously said to Tails. Grabbing another one of his tools, Tails responded, "Working as fast as I can!"
Egg-Cerberus glared down at Sonic, who smugly smirked right back at it. Eggman, seeing Sonic's pride, yelled, "Kill him!" Egg-Cerberus then leapt from the second floor and crash landed in the middle of the arena, supposedly on top of Sonic. Sonic, on the other hand, managed to run underneath the dog while it was still in the air; right as Egg-Cerberus landed, Sonic employed the same tactic as before, grinding up its tail and grabbing onto the antenna.
Aggravated, the robot once again tried to shake Sonic off, only to no avail. Sonic moved his hands to alter Egg Cerberus' route into one of the other remaining statues. When the machine got close, however, it stopped and turned the other way.
"Hmph!" Sonic grunted. "Listen to me!"
Despite Sonic's best efforts, the robot dog refused to obey. As Sonic tried adjusting his grip, he finally realized his folly. When Egg-Cerberus ran into the first statue, the antenna did take damage, enough for any new commands (save for Eggman's original order to kill him) to not reach Egg-Cerberus.
In other words, Sonic's chances of making the guard dog run into anything else via the antenna were gone.
"Woah!" Sonic screamed as the Egg-Cerberus finally managed to shake him off, the antenna breaking off of its head. The blue blur twisted his body in the air, positioning himself for a proper landing with the ground. Upon touching down, Sonic glanced back at the robot dog, watching as the antenna that he was once holding on to hit the ground with a thud!
Now what? Sonic wondered. Just as he began to ponder his next move…
"Got it!"
Tails triumphantly voiced his success as the restraints once holding Blaze's arms up fell to the floor. Blaze groaned from the discomfort as blood started to return to her arms. Even then, she smiled and nodded in appreciation at Tails for freeing her.
Turning her attention to Egg-Cerberus, who's attention was still trained on Sonic, she rushed forward into the battlefield, dying for payback. Right as the guard dog was about to charge towards Sonic, Blaze soared upward into the air, propelling herself with orange flames until she was directly above Egg-Cerberus' exposed head. Letting herself fall, she covered her left fist with fire and brought it down on the robot dog. The resulting blast knocked the robot's face into the ground, pieces flying off in all directions.
Blaze landed atop the machine's head, only to perform a backflip and touch ground a few yards away. Sonic and Tails rushed to her side and together, they observed Egg-Cerberus attempting and failing to get up. Ultimately, the guard dog fell to the ground, its power going out.
"Ngh!" Eggman growled in frustration. "Sonic! I won't let you get away!" He then began to pound away at the controls in his aircraft, attempting to summon reinforcements.
Tails turned to Sonic and Blaze. "We should get out of here while we can!" The hero and princess nodded in agreement, and the trio raced for the wall opening that Sonic and Tails created upon entry.
The setting sun lit the sky a palette of orange and red, the stars slowly but surely appearing above. The view complemented the terrain that was the Dusty Desert, where mystic debris, sculptures and ruins were left buried in hills of sand and little vegetation. It was believed by the people of Soleanna that these ruins were where their ancestors first lived, the statues symbolizing mythical creatures and holy figures in relation to their belief in Solaris.
Better for Eggman to build a base in a desert than an ocean, Sonic thought to himself.
The two heroes and the Princess of Soleanna managed to escape from the coliseum ruins and were making their way to the Tornado. Since the Tornado only had two seats, Sonic would have to either run on the ground or brace himself on one of the wings. Of course, Sonic was fine with either option—the first satisfied his passion for running, the other his desire for thrills and danger.
Blaze, on the other hand, wasn't as excited about the prospect of flying.
Though she tries to hide it, Blaze suffers from acrophobia; the mere sight of the ground from a high platform was enough to send shivers down her spine. Over time, she managed to learn to move past this fear partly due to having lived and walked in a castle her whole life.
She would survive a plane ride. She may just have to close her eyes from time to time and imagine being somewhere else.
As the heroes made their way past another temple entrance, they noticed shadows in the setting sun. Though they had to squint their eyes, the three knew exactly what the shadows were.
Eggman's reinforcements.
"How long is this going to go on?" Sonic complained. While he was sure they could take on the machines, Sonic knew Eggman would keep sending more and more after them until they succeeded. If he and Tails were to get Blaze back to Soleanna, they had to find a better way than just fighting their whole way there.
Tails seemed to realize this, too, and began to think. After a few seconds, he had a proposal. "Let's split up!" Tails suggested. "I'll get their attention in the Tornado, and you take the princess."
Sonic and Blaze looked at each other, considering the plan. It wasn't a bad idea. Quite the contrary, in fact. The only problem would be that Sonic and Blaze would have to brave the desert themselves and, unless Tails could set up a rendezvous point to pick them up, make their way back to Soleanna. Such a trip would be long, but not impossible.
If I don't have to ride in a plane, Blaze told herself. That's fine by me.
Sonic could tell from Blaze's face that she was content with the idea. "OK," he responded with a thumbs up. "You be careful, Tails."
Tails grinned with pride. "Leave it to me!" The fox then sped off to where the Tornado was. As he did, Sonic started to analyze the desert landscape for an ideal path to take with Blaze. The problem with the Dusty Desert was the quicksand. Unlabeled and blending with the dunes nicely, the quicksand would prove hazardous for Sonic. Unlike water, where at the right speed Sonic could stay on top of it, quicksand was more difficult to walk on. It had a certain friction to it that even a high-speed hedgehog could fall victim to.
Thus, he opted for a path with plenty of ground and ruins to traverse on.
Flop!
A sudden noise brought Sonic out of his thoughts, and as he turned around he was met with the sight of Blaze on the ground.
"Blaze?!"
"So, this is the…"
"I hope S… He's pretty insecure when…"
"The Iblis Tri…"
"Blu…"
"Can it be true?"
Blaze shook her head as she slowly opened her eyes, groaning from the pain in her head.
Another vision, only this time it was different from the others. It looked like she was at Wave Ocean. And that voice—it was hers, but she wasn't saying anything, was she?
It was only a dream, she told herself. As her field of vision returned, she noticed it was now nighttime, the sky littered with stars and cosmological spectacles. The sound of feet running on grass was also present, yet Blaze herself was not moving.
Then again, why did she feel 'bouncy?'
As she turned her head, she saw Sonic staring straight ahead, a resolute look on his face. After contemplating for a moment, Blaze finally drew a conclusion.
The sound of running feet, her 'bouncy' feeling, and waking up after a dream.
She had fallen unconscious, and Sonic had been carrying her for who knows how long.
"…!"
Blaze blushed in embarrassment. This had never happened before. Well, to be fair, Sonic had carried her before, but she was thinking about what happened to her. Normally, her visions would be daydreams; a single snap would be enough to bring her out of them. But falling out cold completely? Unbelievable.
Even worse, the blue hedgehog chose to carry her through the desert against Eggman's forces alone.
No, that wasn't right.
The fox boy—Tails, if she recalled correctly—stated he was going to distract the robots so as to allow Sonic and her to escape. But seeing as she had been asleep since Tails left, she didn't know what had transpired since then.
Sonic finally noticed that she was awake. With a gentle smile, he joked, "Morning, Sleeping Beauty!"
Blaze irked at the statement, her body sadly still exhausted. "Please, do not call me that."
Sonic chuckled nervously. "Sorry," he apologized.
Blaze sighed, accepting his apology. "It is alright. Where are we, anyway?"
Sonic slowed down to a stop, observing his surroundings. "I don't remember the name exactly, but we're in the plains between the Soleanna Forest and the desert we just came from." He then looked back at her with pride. "Speaking of which, you should've seen what happened while you were out! Tails flying around in the Tornado, blasting Eggman's robots out of the sky. The number of Badniks I sent crashing into the quicksand. It was a party!" As he recollected his accounts in the desert, Sonic laughed in amusement. Blaze herself couldn't help but share his sentiments, although she was much more reserved in terms of expression, simply smiling.
Wishing to change the topic, she asked, "Sonic, would you mind putting me down?"
"Eh?" Sonic raised his eyebrow for a moment as if not understanding, only to go wide-eye in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry!" He then quickly set Blaze on her feet, allowing his arms to rest from carrying her a long distance.
Blaze then gazed at Sonic in sincerity. She thought back to everything this stranger had done for her since the Soleanna Festival of Light. How he rescued Cream and Cheese. How he kept the Chaos Emerald safe. How he tracked down Eggman just to save her.
It felt as if Blaze was forever indebted to Sonic, yet she knew he wouldn't see it that way nor would he ask for any reward. Even then, she wanted him to know.
"I have no words to express how grateful I am for your help…" Blaze began, only to stop abruptly when she noticed something. On Sonic's left arm, a blotch of red was present on his peach arms.
Blood.
"You're hurt!" Blaze said, prompting Sonic to examine his injury. He remembered how he got it. During his run in the desert, one of Eggman's Egg Gunners ambushed him from behind a pillar; though he managed to dodge most of the bullets while keeping Blaze safe, one lucky shot got him in the arm. It stung, and the pain was made worse by the fact he was carrying Blaze the whole time with nothing the injury with.
The wound didn't hurt as much as it did then, but Sonic still felt it. Even so, he'd experienced graver injuries in the past. "Don't worry," Sonic tried to reassure the princess. "It's nothing." He then tried shaking his arm to prove to her he was alright.
A mistake on his part.
"Ow!" Sonic squeezed his teeth together, narrowly looking at his wound. Realizing he was caught trying to prove he was alright when he wasn't, he looked back at Blaze. He laughed nervously.
Blaze became stern as she witnessed Sonic's pitiful performance. She ultimately sighed, saying "You're so naïve." She then approached Sonic and pulled out a roll of bandage she carried with her out of fear she may need to use it (though not for her). She then took Sonic's wounded arm and began to cover the wound. Blaze knew Sonic would need to treat the wound as soon as they arrived back in Soleanna, but until then this was the best she could do.
After she had finished wrapping the injury, Blaze put the bandages away yet continued to hold Sonic's arm in her hands, staring at the now covered spot. She groaned in grief.
Why did I have to pass out like that? Blaze cursed herself. If I was awake, I may have been able to prevent this.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I should've been there to help you. Instead, I've been nothing more than a liability."
Sonic looked at Blaze, feeling sorry she felt this way. He knew it wasn't her fault, but he could see why she would think it would be. After a small pause, he said, "Smile."
Blaze, letting go of his arm, turned to see Sonic waving his finger at her nonchalantly. As he did this, something one might call 'magical' happened.
A small blue and violet butterfly landed on the hedgehog's black nose. Taken aback, Sonic managed to resist scaring the tiny insect off, instead observing it with interest. Blaze, entertained by the sight, let the butterfly rest on Sonic's nose for a moment. Afterwards, she gently slid her finger along Sonic's nose towards the butterfly, lightly flicking up so as to prompt the insect to start fly again. As the two watched the butterfly disappear into the night, Blaze giggled thinking of Sonic's reaction.
"Your smile…" Sonic said, drawing Blaze out of her thoughts, a look of curiosity taking over. "That's all I need." As he told her this, he grinned and began walking forward. Blaze stood for a moment, considering the hedgehog's want.
My smile? Blaze pondered why he would want that of all things.
"Besides…"
"Hm?" Blaze glanced back at Sonic, who had turned around to look her in the eyes, his unwounded arm to his hip. "Quit thinking of yourself as a liability," he continued. "You've been more than helpful. For example, when Eggman captured you yesterday night you entrusted your Chaos Emerald to me to prevent Eggman from having it. Or when Cream and Cheese were taken hostage by Eggman, you chose to surrender to protect them. And back at the coliseum…" Sonic stopped talking, letting the image of that moment sink in, then finished his thought. "Seeing you deliver the finishing blow to that robot dog…that was incredible!"
Blaze stood silently, her mouth opened in awe at what she was hearing. The things Sonic was talking about, all the praise he was giving her…
It wasn't the usual set of compliments her people gave her. Most of those flattering remarks amounted to nothing more that simple "You're beautiful!" or "You are so wise!"
What Sonic was saying, though, made her feel joyous. Still…
"You would be the first to say such things," Blaze responded, a hint of sorrow in her voice. She brought her hand up and produced a small piece of fire on it. "Most people—even a few of the citizens of Soleanna—tend to think of me as dangerous."
And why wouldn't they? Blaze rhetorically asked herself.
"Because of your powers?" Sonic questioned her, watching the flame slowly dance in place on the princess' hand. Blaze nodded, and let the flame dissolve into nothingness. She then proceeded to walk past Sonic, who then followed closely behind.
Recounting Eggman's speech at the coliseum in his mind, Sonic tried to see if Blaze knew what he was planning to do. "Eggman mentioned the Flames of Disaster. Is that why he's after you?" Blaze, without looking back, responded, "Yes."
She didn't want to talk about the flames nor the reason as to why she has them in the first place. However, since Sonic has done so much for her already and clearly wants to stop Dr. Eggman, Blaze decided to tell him.
"The name of the sun god our country honors," she explained, "Is Solaris. Long ago in the past, Solaris left to us a flame that would last forever: The Flame of Hope. However, it was prophesized in ancient scrolls that should that flame be tampered with or used for selfish purposes, Solaris' rage would destroy the world. His wrath comes in a more destructive form of that single fire: The Flames of Disaster."
Taking a pause, Blaze continued. "Ten years ago, we almost faced the full force of his fury. After a devastating war took the lives of many of our people, including my mother's, my father—the then Duke of Soleanna—tried to use the Flame of Hope to bring her and the others back through a program known as the Solaris Project; to prove his good-hearted intentions, he even prayed to Solaris that he would bring back the lives of the enemies who had fallen in battle and try and bring about a peaceful utopia."
Blaze stopped walking, prompting Sonic to stop as well. Try as she might, Blaze couldn't recall what had happened. The public was told that the Solaris Project was an energy research program, spearheaded by her father and Lord Regis. However, the project failed supposedly due to a prototype engine failure. Blaze knew this wasn't the case, but she just couldn't remember all the details. She did remember seeing her father in front of a tank with a bright light, and how he covered her protectively when the tank exploded but that was it. Nothing else.
Resigning to her lack of memories, she said, "In the end, I guess Solaris saw my father's motivations as selfish. I was a child then, so I don't remember what exactly happened. All I know is that after my father's project failed, and I somehow ended up with the Flames of Disaster inside of me." Blaze then lowered her head. "I lost my father then…"
Hearing this story, Sonic wanted to ease Blaze's distress all the more. To be so young, to lose a father, to have such power and, on top of it all, to bear the responsibilities of a princess…it must've been harsh on her. In the end, though, all Sonic could do was listen caringly.
Blaze, pushing her despair away, closed her hands into fists. "And now," she said, "That man is trying to obtain the Flames of Disaster. If he is evil enough to threaten my people and my city, then who knows what he will do with such power? I cannot let that happen."
Finishing her monologue, Blaze looked at Sonic with resolve. Sonic, seeing this, nodded with a smirk. "It won't," he declared. "Not if I can help it!" Blaze found comfort with this assertion. It felt nice to share her troubles with someone, and such a feeling was made greater when that same someone expresses the same desire. Even so, perhaps it was time to change the subject.
"I know I was unconscious the last time," Blaze said, "But you don't have to keep carrying me."
Sonic's response was almost instantaneous. "Yeah, well, things were much faster that way." Blaze cocked her head to one side. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just faster is all."
"Is that so?"
"What?" Sonic chuckled. "You doubt me?" Blaze crossed her arms and looked ahead. "My powers amplify my speed. I may not look it, but I can run fast myself."
Upon hearing this, Sonic said, "Really? Alright then. Let's see how well you can compete!"
"Oh?" Blaze returned her focus to Sonic, interested in what he was proposing. Sonic smiled. "We'll move side-by-side. I'll increase my running speed, and you'll have to match it. If you can't match it, then you're just too slow!" He paused as if contemplating something, then added, "If you manage to surpass my top speed, I'll forfeit my title of 'Fastest Thing Alive' to you."
Blaze, inclined to participate, agreed to the wager. "Very well."
"OK," Sonic said, running at a very slow pace. "I'll start off easy for you." Blaze answered this playful taunt by dashing forward at a much faster pace, spurring Sonic to meet her challenge. Each time Sonic went past Blaze, Blaze would up her speed to take the lead and vice-versa. At one point, Sonic decided to have a little fun and not only increase his speed but also run backwards while smiling charmingly, defying Blaze to do better. Blaze mischievously answered by meeting his speed and tackling him to the ground, the two of them rolling over each other and the ground until they came to a stop.
Laying right beside each other, the two glanced at each other and began laughing at their childish antics. As their laughter ended, Blaze conceded, "Alright. Admittingly, I've never run so fast before." Sonic looked at her grinning. "Feel's great, doesn't it?"
Blaze nodded in agreement. "I kind of wished that I had a reason to run so fast in the past."
"Well, back then or today, nothing starts until you take action. If you have time to worry, then run!"
"Wise words," Blaze commented. "I shall remember them."
The two then laid on the soft grass in silence for a while, the only sounds present being the crickets and the wind rustling the pastures. The stars in the sky glittered beautifully above the plains.
"It's pretty late," Blaze finally said, breaking the silence. Turning to Sonic, she recommended that she stay up and look out for any signs of trouble.
"You sure?" Sonic asked.
"Yes. Besides, I think it's fair to say I got my fair share of sleep already."
"Heh," Sonic chuckled. "Alright. We'll continue heading back in the morning." That being said, Sonic closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Blaze observed him for a short time, then returned her attention to the sky above. The stars were symbolically linked with gods and religion. Some people even claimed that the stars were a means to tell the future.
With this knowledge in hand, Blaze silently offered a prayer of thanks to Solaris for giving her the opportunity to meet the blue hedgehog beside her and hoped tomorrow would be filled with more moments like this.
