Chapter 4 (Sonic) : An Offer to Exchange

"I'm no doctor," Alberto declared, "But that should just about do it."

The old shoemaker finished cleaning the bullet wound on Sonic's arm by wiping up the excess blood that had dried up. It felt good to Sonic to have his arm feeling better, although the stinging sensation that came with the medical liquids was not fun at all. Nevertheless, Sonic thanked Alberto and went upstairs to the room Tails was occupying.

Similar to the room downstairs, it was cluttered yet was a little more spacious in comparison, probably because the upstairs acted as an extra storage in case the store needed to stash away certain items. For example, there was a well-carved wooden desk up here, its legs layered with an intricate design that only a genius could figure out.

One possible genius just so happened to be using the desk as a working space.

Tails was tuning one of his newest inventions: the C.E.T. (Chaos Emerald Tracker). Given the amount of times they've needed to find the Chaos Emeralds in the past, it made sense to have a way of tracking them. Plus, with Eggman's interest in acquiring the Chaos Emeralds now, having a tracking device may prove useful in finding him.

Granted, the two heroes didn't know if Eggman had any of the other Emeralds besides the one that Metal Sonic has, and even then, Metal could be constantly doing assignments for Eggman. In short, having the C.E.T. would be helpful, but only if Eggman had an Emerald constantly with him. Still, better to have potential options.

Tails, himself, was beat. After leaving Sonic and Blaze to engage in a dogfight with Eggman's armada of Badniks, he had arrived back in Soleanna in a heavily damaged Tornado—it was a miracle he was even able to land the plane. Resting for the night, he awaited Sonic's return, hoping he and Princess Blaze were alright; unfortunately, according to Sonic, due to a newcomer named Silver, Eggman managed to recapture Blaze and Sonic got injured. With no leads to go off of, save for the Badniks in the New City area, Tails spent an hour today resupplying himself with Dummy Rings and trying to figure out ways to track Eggman.

All at once. No breaks.

Sonic walked around the room, eyeing anything that appealed to him as he waited for Tails to finish. He knew Tails loved to invent and tinker with machines, but at times like this, Sonic worried if Tails was pushing himself too hard. Despite being about as smart as Eggman give or take, Tails was still a kid. Mature beyond his years, no doubt, but still a kid. Sighing internally, Sonic let Tails be. After all, heroes can't rest when bad things occur. If it weren't for the injuries, he himself would've headed straight for the New City area to deal with Eggman's robots; as it so happened, that wasn't the case.

Sonic stopped before a box with a blueprint on top. Faintly making out the design sketched by the white lines, he realized it was a biplane. At first, Sonic believed it was for the Tornado; given how the plane took a pounding during the desert dogfight, Tails probably had the blueprint out to repair it. But there was something different about the plane in the drawing. And at the top, the design's plan read "Typhoon."

Could Tails be making another plane? Sonic wondered, scratching his head. How many does he need?

"There!"

Tails examined the C.E.T. with pride, chuckling. Sonic smiled in amusement.

Yup. Still a kid.

"Ready to join the party?" Sonic asked mischievously, raising his fist for a bump. Tails returned the gesture in kind.

"Of course!"

"Alright!" Sonic exclaimed. "Let's do it to it!"


"I'm sorry to say I can't actually help you."

"Huh?" Tails stood perplexed. "What do you mean?"

The guard positioned at the gate to the New City plaza expressed his sympathies. "I'm just a Lieutenant. My orders come straight from the Captain—no one is allowed to enter the New City area until it is safe." He paused for a moment, then continued. "But I understand the two of you have been trying to stop Eggman, correct?" Sonic and Tails nodded. Seeing this, the Lieutenant then suggested, "If you take it up with the Captain, he may grant you permission. Otherwise, this gate stays shut."

Sonic, not used to procedures, grew increasingly annoyed. This was an unexpected turn of events. He and Tails had a plan formed out and now this happens. The plan was so simple, too: he and Tails hit the New City area, trash Dr. Eggman's Badniks, find any clues among the robot wreckage and be on their way. And given how he fought against Eggman numerous times in the past, Sonic would think being a world-renowned hero would at least be enough to be granted special access.

Apparently not.

"So, where's the Captain?" Sonic sighed in defeat.

The guard shrugged. "How should I know?"

Now, Sonic and Tails were really lost. "What do you mean you don't know?" Tails asked.

"I mean, I don't know," the guard explained. "There are hundreds, if not thousands of members in the Soleanna Royal Guard, each with their own patrol routes. The Captain can be anywhere…" The guard then tried to offer a smile. "But if you talk to every soldier in town, you'll find him eventually, right?"

Sonic and Tails looked at each other. They said nothing, but the two knew what the other was thinking: the guard's joke was not funny.

Not. At. All.

Realizing they were getting nowhere fast, the two turned around and started to head back towards the item shop. Small groups of citizens were discussing what was going on the New City, a few mentioning how the guards and GUN were pushing Dr. Eggman's robots back into a corner. Sonic and Tails both knew GUN and the Soleanna Royal Guard could handle Eggman's machines, but since the two heroes have battled against the mad doctor in the past countless times, they felt it was their duty to deal with his robots.

Besides, the less people risking their lives, the better. Right?

Tails fell into a slump. "Well, so much for that idea. What do we do now?"

Sonic honestly had no idea. Eggman's robots were the only lead they had right now. If Eggman established more of an actual base at Wave Ocean, there may have been a database to work off of, but there wasn't.

If only that guard wasn't so…so…

Familiar.

Sonic stopped walking for a moment, prompting Tails to do the same. The sound of an old man's accordion rang through the air as he sang praises about Princess Blaze to the townsfolk. A light, warm breeze was kicking in, and the fountain in front of the gate gently reflected the sunlight.

Now that Sonic thought about it, that guard did look very familiar. The way he talked. How he sounded. Where had he seen him before?

A few seconds passed, and Sonic found the answer, a frown consequently forming on his face.

He was the one Lord Regis was addressing earlier!

Normally, Sonic wasn't one to lose his cool, but being fooled by the Lieutenant (or, rather, the Captain) caused him to go from annoyed to ticked off. Storming back to the front of the gate with Tails slightly concerned, Sonic was about to confront the guard when another familiar voice rang through the air.

"Captain Pietro!"

Lord Regis ran up to the man known as Pietro in exhaustion, hunched over and breathing heavily. It was hard to decide whether he was more out of shape or fit for his age. Trying to recover his breath, Lord Regis tried to speak. "I've…gotten word…from a GUN soldier…the robots have been…detained to the warehouse area."

He kept trying to compose himself, panting in and out until finally he was a state of normalcy. Regis then continued. "I've informed the citizens of the update, but keep the gate closed until…" Regis stopped when he at last took notice of the blue hedgehog standing behind Captain Pietro. Recognizing him immediately, he exclaimed, "Oh, it's you!"

Captain Pietro turned around to see what his lord was looking at, only to become increasingly nervous when he realized it was the same person he had attempted to trick earlier. Sonic, who had just in a state of irritation, found himself smirking at the opportunity at hand. "Everything alright, Lieutenant?" he sarcastically asked.

"…!" Captain Pietro found himself trying to speak, but failed. Lord Regis laughed lightly. "Lieutenant? I'm afraid you're mistaken, my blue friend. This here is Captain Pietro."

Sonic continued to feign ignorance. "Is that so? My apologies, then. I must've mistaken him for someone else."

Tails did his best to suppress a chuckle, though he was on the brink of failing. Sonic continued. "Though I guess that's a good thing. You see, this Lieutenant told us that only the Captain here can let us through the gate, especially if our reason is to help stop Eggman's robots in the New City."

Lord Regis, believing Sonic's tale, smiled. "Well, I don't see why not? Your heroics with the Princess and her handmaiden are proof enough of your skills." Turning to Captain Pietro, Regis ordered, "Captain, let these two pass through."

Accepting defeat, Pietro replied glumly. "Yes, sir." Pietro then turned to the guards by the gate levers and signaled to them to open the gate. In a matter of moments, the grand, green doors cracked opened to allow admittance to the two heroes.

"Well," Lord Regis said, "I need to continue informing the citizens. Carry on, Captain!" Before he left, he turned to Sonic and Tails and bowed his head. "The people of Soleanna are indebted to you for all you have done. We will never forget your kindness."

Sonic modestly rubbed his nose. "No problem! It's what we do."

Lord Regis, pleased by this answer, wished them luck. He then broke back into a slow jog towards the eastern side of the Castle Town.

Sonic then turned to face Captain Pietro, who looked away ashamed.

"No words from you?" Sonic asked.

The Captain shook his head. "I didn't want anyone else in Soleanna's business. As the Royal Guards, it is our duty to protect the Princess and the citizens of Soleanna, but so far, we've been failing at that." He stopped for a moment as if trying to come to terms with himself, then admitted at a lower volume, "I was jealous. We've trained to handle dangerous situations, yet you've done a better job at protecting everyone—at an efficient time, no less. I wanted to prove that we could at least stop Eggman's robots without relying on strangers."

Pietro laughed lightly. "But I guess even the Royal Guards can't take full credit for this one, either. For all our technology, if it weren't for GUN, what's been happening in the New City would've probably turned out worse for us."

Sonic and Tails glanced at each other. They could understand Pietro's actions. Tails, more than anyone, probably related the most, which is why he spoke up first. "I used to rely on Sonic all the time in the past. He was my hero, and I followed him to the ends of the world. But when he wasn't there, I was scared of the world kicking me back to the curb. I started to realize over time that I couldn't keep relying on him for help, that I had to spread my own wings and fly. And I did, but I still rely on Sonic every now and then. After all…" Tails then grinned at Pietro. "What's wrong with getting help from others who offer it?"

Captain Pietro stood speechless for a moment. Considering this, he began to smile again. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Sonic folded his arms. "It's not like I'm trying to make you look bad or anything. I just want to stop Eggman and save Blaze. Nothing more than that. The question is, will you let me?"

Pietro gazed at Sonic, thinking about the hedgehog's question, then nodded. "You seem to…no, you have the strength." Captain Pietro then stood in a formal position. "I will ask you on behalf of all the guards. Please, help us save the Princess!"

The two heroes responded unanimously. "Right!"

Satisfied with this answer, Captain Pietro pointed to the gate. "You'll find the warehouse district at the other side of the New City. Keep going straight in the direction opposite the entrance into the city, taking whatever turns you need to get around the buildings."

Sonic displayed a thumbs up, and with Tails following behind ran through the gate and the tunnel connecting to the New City of Soleanna.

On the other side laid a metropolis of skyscrapers and establishments. In contrast to the Castle Town, the ground of the New City was much more continental in nature, lacking any gaps of water between land. Not that it mattered to Sonic; as long as he could run from point A to point B, that's all he cared about. As he and Tails made their way through the city, they found GUN troops and Soleanna guards loading the remains of Eggman's robots into trucks. In addition, they unfortunately noticed wounded men and women being treated by medical professionals, a reminder that Eggman was not one to underestimate in terms of cruelness.

Following the instructions of Captain Pietro, the two found themselves standing in front of a long wall that stretched along the edge of the town. Behind it, the warehouse district of the New City. Sure enough, there were guards stationed in front of a barricaded fence leading into the district. The sounds of metal and ammo being fired could be heard from behind the fence.

Rather than risk dealing with another dilemma with the Royal Guards, Sonic and Tails decided to hop over the wall when the guards weren't looking. At a good distance away from the guarded entrance, Tails grabbed Sonic by the arms and propelled his twin tails to lift them up over the wall. Though Sonic wasn't particularly heavy, having to carry someone made it a lot harder for Tails to keep himself in the air. Still, the duration of the flight was short enough that it wasn't a problem.

Having made their way back to the entrance—this time on the other side—Sonic and Tails began to look around for Eggman's machines. It wasn't hard, however, as Badniks of numerous types were present; most of them were the familiar white-and-black Egg Gunners and Egg Rounders, but the two noticed a few oddballs. For example, two of the machines were much larger and bulkier, with hands instead of guns attached to their arms. Surrounding them were small, green, relatively spherical machines on wheels, each with horns right in the front.

And all of them were firing at a red figure who just punched one of the wheeled robots into the side of one of the warehouses ten feet away, though it was unclear whether its body broke apart upon impact with the wall or the sharp fist that sent it flying. The owner of said fist belonged to…

"Knuckles!" Tails exclaimed looking at Sonic, who simply nodded. The two had met Knuckles a long time ago; the red echidna was tricked by Eggman into believing Sonic was trying to steal the Master Emerald, the one gem capable of controlling the seven Chaos Emeralds. Upon realizing that Eggman was deceiving him, however, Knuckles teamed up with Sonic and Tails to stop Eggman's schemes. Since then, he and Sonic have developed a strong friendship with each other, though they occasionally butt heads every now and then.

Knuckles, engrossed in the fight between him and Dr. Eggman's Badniks, failed to hear Tails and continued smashing each robot around him with his fists. Sonic smirked at the sight. "Guess Knuckles got invited to this shindig as well." Turning to Tails, Sonic suggested they join in, an idea Tails agreed to immediately.

Wasting no time, the two heroes dashed forward to aid their fellow ally. Choosing to test his might against the bigger bots first, Sonic curled into a ball and rolled towards the fight at high speeds; as soon as he was close, he jumped forward and, maintaining his curled-up form, sliced perfectly into the goliath to the left of Knuckles. Sparks flew off in all directions, the center of the robot now showcasing a hollow hole as the machine itself fell backwards, offline.

Eggman's machines, along with Knuckles, took notice of the newcomers, but the mechs alone began to adjust their strategies and added Sonic and Tails as new targets. While Sonic continued to play with the giants, Tails threw a set of Dummy Rings at the small, green robots. The rings found their mark on some of the Badniks, but the fortunate ones sped towards Tails like meteors, their metal horns ready to pierce.

"Woah!" Tails flew upward in the nick of time to avoid the Badniks, their bodies slowing to a sudden stop. Incapable of looking up and down, the Badniks glanced around to reacquire their target to no avail.

Perfect, Tails thought as he prepared another batch of Dummy Rings to drop on them, only to stop as one of the Egg Gunners crashed into them, the velocity and weight being enough to turn them all into scrap metal. Upon tracing the origin of the projectile that was the Egg Gunner, Tails found Knuckles grinning smugly right back at him, only to turn and help finish off the last Badnik Sonic was dealing with.

Aww! Tails pouted like a puppy momentarily, only to shake his head out of it. It doesn't matter. At least the Badniks are down for the count. He then hurried over to rejoin his companions.

"Knuckles," Sonic said lightly.

"Hey guys," Knuckles responded. "Long time, no see. Thanks for the assist."

"Happy to help," Tails said. "But what are you doing so far from home?"

"Don't tell me you lost the Master Emerald again?" Sonic joked.

"Grr…" Knuckles hated when Sonic brings up the numerous times the Master Emerald got stolen or broken. As its guardian, Knuckles always feels responsible for whatever happens to the mysterious gem.

By that logic, Knuckles may be its worst guardian of all time. Fortunately, he always managed to retrieve or, in the events where it was shattered, reform the Master Emerald and return it to its rightful place on Angel Island.

Sonic didn't desist. "It's alright. You can tell us. What's it this time? Eggman or Rouge?"

"Neither." Knuckles shut his eyes, keeping his anger in check. When pushed too far, Knuckles tends to lose his calm exterior, becoming an aggressive, unreasonable individual. This time, he managed to remain stoic. "Although Eggman did try to steal the Master Emerald." He paused for a moment to recollect his memories. "While I was on Angel Island, Metal Sonic came by and tried to take the Master Emerald by force. Though he had one of the Chaos Emeralds with him, I stopped him, but he took off before I could finish pounding him into scrap. I followed him all the way here, only to find Eggman's mechs tearing up the place. Speaking of which…"

Knuckles pulled out a maroon, metallic rectangle with a glowing circle in the middle, tossing it to Sonic. "I saw Eggman flying past here a moment ago. He wanted me to give this to you."

Catching the item, Sonic examined it carefully. Beside the glowing circle, there was a button. Pressing it, a holographic visual of the mad doctor appeared out of the center.

"Sonic the Hedgehog. If you want me to return the Princess, you must give me your Chaos Emerald. Meet me at my base in White Acropolis. There's a teleporter in town that will take you right outside the base. Failure to comply within three hours will result in the Princess' untimely demise."

The message ended, Sonic returned the message the same way to an unexpecting Knuckles, who juggled it in his hands before letting it fall to the ground. He crushed the message under his feet. "He's pretty cocky," Knuckles said.

"It's most definitely a trap," Tails added. "I don't think Eggman will honor his agreement."

"I'm going." Sonic's declaration of intent stunned Tails and Knuckles. They both knew Sonic can make rash decisions at times, jumping headfirst into danger when someone's life was on the line. But still…

"Sonic?" Tails asked, wanting his friend to clarify.

"If we don't do something, Eggman will kill Blaze," Sonic explained, pulling out the blue Chaos Emerald. Blaze had entrusted it to him, hoping he would keep it as far away from Eggman as possible. Now, it was his trump card for saving her life.

If it came to that.

Sonic then smirked, a playful attitude resonating in his eyes. "Besides, since Eggman went to the trouble of telling me where Blaze is, I think I should thank him personally. You OK, Knuckles?"

Sonic noticed Knuckles staring at the Chaos Emerald like a hawk, almost as if he was trying to make sure of something. "That Emerald…" he started. "Did you get that from Metal Sonic?"

"No. Why?"

Knuckles stood perplexed for a moment, then shook his head. "I must be mistaken then. So, let's find this teleporter."


"Race you to the bottom!"

Sonic jumped on his snowboard and began the long descent down the mountain. Tails and Knuckles followed suit, each trying to catch up to Sonic to answer his challenge. The sky was dark, and a light snow shower was coming down on the heroes as they swirled downward on the white ground beneath them.

Since Sonic's decision to head to White Acropolis, the three managed to procure snowboards for the snowy mountains. Soleanna got its fair share of snow during the winter, so the item shop had a few spare boards on hand for the three heroes' trip.

The teleporter was a bit more problematic. Eggman mentioned the teleporter being in Soleanna, but he neglected to give the exact coordinates, prompting Sonic and co. to waste time looking around. Fortunately, they found it a little bit past the train station, in a cave.

Guarded by Badniks and a laser security system, resulting in even more time being lost trying to overcome them.

As of now, they had forty-five minutes left to make it down the mountain, infiltrate the base, rescue the Princess and escape.

"Yahoo!" Sonic exclaimed as he jumped off a ramp, performing a series of tricks while midair. When the stakes were high, he couldn't help but feel energetic; it just makes things more fun.

A group of Egg Gunners flew over the heroes and began shooting at them. The weather slightly affected their visuals, causing their accuracy to fall a small percentage. Even so, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles evaded the path of the bullets, letting them leave imprints in the snow. As the robots continued to fire repeatedly, they failed to pay attention to their surroundings and, not surprising the heroes in the slightest, slammed straight into the rock walls of the mountains.

Knuckles snickered. "Guess Eggman should've put eyes in the back of their heads!"

Sonic and Tails chuckles in response. After all the Badniks the three of them had demolished in the past, it is pitiful that Dr. Eggman never considered such things. Then again, it may be because he focused more on making his robots faster and more powerful, so it's a give and take.

The robots' premature destruction came at a price, however, as the snow that was resting on top of the mountain the robots impacted began to slide down behind the heroes.

"Avalanche!" Tails yelled.

The three could do nothing but move forward in order to escape being buried in snow, the avalanche coming up fast behind them. Glancing ahead for a way out of their predicament, Sonic spotted a series of lights and plating.

"There's the base!" he shouted.

Indeed, Eggman's fortress of a secret base could be made out. Security towers pointed up towards the sky and down at the ground for intruders. Steel doors served to highlight the main entrance.

The only problem was that the base was on the other side of a wide gap, and the heroes were nearing the edge of the mountain.

"Tails!" Sonic pointed towards the gap while focusing on his friend. Tails, recognizing the obstacle ahead and what needed to be done, nodded in understanding.

Right at the edge, the three heroes jumped off the cliff and their boards; Tails grabbed ahold of Sonic's arms and carried him to the other side, while Knuckles simply glided across with ease. The snow from the avalanche spilled over the side of the mountain, and the snowboards the three had used became one with the stream of white.

Tails let go of Sonic as soon as he was close to the ground, the hedgehog giving the fox a thumbs up as he landed. Knuckles crossed his hands, gazing at the doors.

"Well, we're here." he said.

"This is a pretty cold place for a base," Sonic commented.

"No kidding."

The three walked up to the doors expecting them to open automatically, yet nothing happened.

"There should be a switch somewhere," Tails stated. "I'll go look for it."

Sonic and Knuckles nodded, and Tails took off flying over the wall. While waiting, Sonic tapped his foot impatiently. He hated having to stand around doing nothing, though he knew it couldn't be helped. A few minutes passed and, since Tails didn't return nor the doors open, Sonic decided to revisit something Knuckles said.

"Knuckles."

"Hm?"

"Earlier, you asked me if I got my Chaos Emerald from Metal. What made you think that?"

Knuckles rubbed the back of his head. "When I battled with him, it looked like he had the blue Chaos Emerald with him, just like the one you have."

"Well, that can't be right," Sonic countered. "When I faced him, he had the red one on hand."

"Is that so?" Knuckles thought long and hard for a moment. "Then it might be that Metal is helping Eggman acquire the Emeralds, but he leaves the ones he finds with Eggman before he searches for the others."

"I figured as much," Sonic said. "But how does that solve our little color mix-up?"

"Well," Knuckles explained, "He's blue, right? Maybe he was using the white Emerald, so I saw the color of his body or something."

"Or maybe he hit you in the head hard enough that you started see things!"

Knuckles growled at Sonic while the hedgehog was chuckling. Sometimes, he can be a pain to deal with. Before Knuckles could teach Sonic respect, the security doors finally opened up, with Tails appearing on the other side. He appeared to be a little hurt (most likely due to Eggman's mechs and security measures), but he stood proud. "Found it!"

Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other, letting their animosity go for the time being; they had a villain to stop, after all. "Alright," Sonic said. "Don't want to keep the egghead waiting!"


"You're late." Eggman stated as the heroes rushed right into the circular chamber, metal plating all around them. Eggman, however, was positioned above the trio, behind a strong, protective glass window.

Knuckles was the first to speak up. "Well, we had to deal with your little pets…not to mention finding where you were."

Eggman made no effort to apologize, not that he would. The knucklehead was right, of course. He didn't specify where in the base Sonic and his friends would find him, nor had he made it easy to get inside. Now, watching the heroes on the security footage tear apart his machines annoyed him, but they can be rebuilt anytime. In the end, the robots did their part by being organized in a way to lure the heroes to this very room.

It was time for Sonic's interference to end.

"Where's Blaze?" Sonic demanded.

"My, aren't we impatient…" Eggman scoffed, but he at least answered the rodent's question by using the controls in front of him to bring Princess Blaze into view, tied down to a movable platform with a more secured version of his special restraints for her. This way, she would not be able to escape so easily with or without Tails' assistance.

"Sonic!" Blaze exclaimed. She tried to use her powers to break free, only to end up getting a painful shock from the restraints. Sonic and his friends stepped forward ready to fight, but Eggman was one step ahead.

"Ah ah," he warned, pulling out one of his personal dual pistols. Coated in grey and red with his empire's symbol, Dr. Eggman thought it would be wise to carry a weapon in case his machines were unable to assist him. He learned the hard way from the Chaotix what it felt like not to have a weapon handy at all times. "You better not move, lest you want the Princess' rule to come to an end."

Eggman paused, waiting for Sonic and his friends to yield. As expected, they did. He then continued. "Now, the Chaos Emerald…I presume you still have it?" Sonic looked at him with defiance in his eyes, but the hero continued to keep him pleased by taking out the Chaos Emerald he carried with him. Eggman then input a few commands on the controls near him, and a cylinder near Sonic rose up from the ground.

"Place it there."

Hearing this, Sonic looked to the right of his nemesis towards Blaze, a look of concern on her face. He smiled apologetically, knowing he failed to keep his promise of keeping the Emerald safe.

Blaze was speechless. Like him, she knew it was a trap and didn't want Sonic to give in to Eggman's demands. But what could she do with a gun pointed at her head and her hands and feet restrained? If she died, the Flames of Disaster would be unleashed on the world, resulting in the bad future she had seen countless times. In the end, she could only look away from Sonic, ashamed at her inability to do something.

Sonic's smile faded and, though he didn't like it, placed the Chaos Emerald on the cylinder. It descended back into the ground, and a panel slid over to conceal the gem.

Eggman grinned evilly as he put his gun away. He then pressed one particularly isolated button with vigor. "Hmph!"

The chamber door behind Sonic, Tails and Knuckles shut quickly, a warning signal echoing off the walls for a brief moment before turning off. Above the three, a hot pink series of rings formed and ran downward, surrounding them; electricity of the same color flashed with the newly formed shield.

The three heroes looked around at the phenomenon, unsure of what was happening. Knuckles, in an attempt to break out of the area, tried smashing his fist into it, only for his hand to be zapped, causing him to stagger backwards.

"It's no use," Eggman stated. "It's too powerful for you to overcome. Now, allow me to introduce you to my latest creation: this is the Solaris Prototype."

"…!" Blaze couldn't help but gasp at what she heard. Solaris…Prototype? she thought, fearing for Sonic and his friends. With a name like that, what was Eggman going to do to them? And if it's a prototype, what would the final version be like?

The mad scientist let out a light, sinister laugh as he walked over to a large lever to Blaze's left. "With this machine," he said pulling the lever down, "I'll be able to control the flow of time itself!"

Sonic and his friends suddenly felt light, and began to gravitate upwards towards the top of the room.

"Woooaahhh!"

"Aaahhhhh!"

"Auuughh!"

And in a flash of light, the heroes were gone, a few strands of electricity remaining only to die off.

"Sonic!" Blaze screamed, but it did no good. Realizing Sonic and his friends were gone, she felt her knees becoming numb; she wanted to drop to the ground, but the restraints on her legs failed to allow such movement. Instead, she lowered her head in mourning.

Is he…really…?

Eggman saw the distress on her face and, seeing it in his favor to try and make Blaze as cooperative with him as possible, decided to soothe her pain. "Rest assured. They're not dead…yet." He spoke the truth, of course. The Solaris Prototype wasn't designed to kill, and as much as he would've loved to end Sonic's life right then and there, he convinced himself that using Sonic and his friends as new guinea pigs for the machine would prove to be far more informational. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but express his desire for Sonic to be dead.

Blaze looked up at Eggman. Though she still showed distress on her face, she wanted him to explain, so he did as he walked over to the reports' screen.

"They've just been teleported by my glorious invention to another time. Who knows where they'll end up? It could be the distant past or far future." Eggman paused to review the data. "But my machine still requires some fine-tuning."

Turning to face Blaze, he added, "In fact, what my machine needs in order to be complete, is your power."

"My power?"

"Yes." Eggman stared proudly out the window at his invention. He thought back to how he came to learn about Solaris and the Flames of Disaster. When GUN began taking an interest in Soleanna, he had hacked into their database and learned quite a bit about the Solaris Project and the two beings that would bring about untold devastation. With such power, he could at long last solidify his empire, as well as crush all who resist.

"I can finally complete my plans," he said. "Once I have all of the Chaos Emeralds, and you…The Princess of Soleanna." He returned his gaze to Blaze. "That's all I need to revive the Flames of Disaster. And with its power, I will be able to control everything and rule the world."

Upon hearing this, Blaze thought back to her visions of the future world, picturing Eggman laughing over the despair of others. It made her sick, and she looked back at him with great disdain.

But he just smiled. "I know what you're thinking," Eggman said. "And I don't blame you. After what I've done to you and your citizens, you have every reason to hate me. However…" He paused for dramatic effect, then continued. "I want you to understand that this will be in both of our favor. Based on what I've discovered, you were burdened with such power at a young age, and the power itself will only be free if you cry…or die. Is that correct?"

Blaze wanted to say something, but no words came out. How did Eggman know about how the Flames were released? The only people who knew such secrets were those closest to her in the Soleanna Court and…

"…!"

Wait… she thought. He said he discovered it. If I've kept such secrets hidden from others except a select few, only one logical option remained.

GUN. The organization was the only other group that knew the truth. Eggman must've hacked them and learned about the Solaris Project.

Behind his glasses, Eggman closed his eyes after seeing the Princess' reaction as confirmation. He then said, "If my plan succeeds, you will be alleviated of such a responsibility—a good thing, for a busy ruler such as yourself. Think about it: when something terrible happens, you won't have to fight back any more tears, or you can charge headfirst into the battlefield without worrying about what comes after your death." Eggman stopped to consider something, smiling at his own machinations. "And if you cooperate with me, I'll make sure you and all of Soleanna are well-rewarded. You will be one of the shining utopias of the Eggman Empire. So, you would be wise to remain on my 'good' side."

Blaze couldn't face Eggman anymore. Hearing his words was like being burned by acid. She just looked at the floor with her neutral composure returning, a hint of sadness and anger still remaining on her face.

The door to exit the control room slid open, revealing a blue robot that looked almost identical to Sonic. Blaze wanted to say Sonic's name, only to stop when she realized who—no, what it was.

"Ah, Metal." Eggman said. "Perfect timing. Please escort the Princess to her quarters, and then report back here." He then addressed Blaze one last time. "I'll make sure to adjust your living quarters to your liking later." Having said that, Eggman returned to the monitors as Metal Sonic pushed Blaze softly in the back, causing the platform beneath her to move due to the force. After a couple of minutes, Metal returned to Eggman.

"Now," Eggman said. "Let's see that Chaos Emerald."

Obeying his creator's order, Metal Sonic opened up his center and pulled out a deep blue gem; his mission was to find all the Chaos Emeralds for Eggman and give them to him; he had already done so with the red Emerald, so the blue one was no different.

"Huh?!" Eggman swiped the Chaos Emerald out of Metal Sonic's hand in a heartbeat, trying to get a closer look. "How can this be?"

I just forced Sonic to surrender the blue Emerald, Eggman recalled. How can Metal Sonic have the same one?

Maybe it was a fake? Yes, that's possible. The fox boy tried the same thing on the ARK a while back, so maybe comparing the energy readings might tell him something. Tapping away at the controls, he scanned the Emerald in his hands as well as the Emerald in the Solaris Prototype, only to be baffled at the results. "The energies are the same? How?!"

Dr. Eggman was at a lost. Two Chaos Emeralds of the same color, each with identical energy readings. How can two of the same Emerald exist at the same time?

Wait. Time.

Eggman looked out the window towards the Solaris Prototype, then began laughing. The solution to this enigma was obvious: one of the Chaos Emeralds was not from the present. In which case, he now had a back-up.

Of course, this did bring some sense of risk. If one of the Emeralds he now possessed really did come from a different time, then the other was destined to disappear into the time-stream, right? Either that, or perhaps the Chaos Emerald that traveled in time would end up being returned to whenever it came from at some point. Either way, Eggman would make use of both of them until then.

Contemplating on where to use the other Emerald, he thought back to the recent number of intruders White Acropolis had encountered. Perhaps the spare Emerald would provide a boost to one of his security robots.

And he knew which one to put it in: the Egg Genesis security robot.


Blaze sat in silence in her 'quarters' as Eggman had called it, yet it was nothing more than a cell. The day she had prayed would be filled with more enjoyable moments with Sonic, the day she thought would be as bright as the sunrise, turned out to be disheartening. Sonic was gone and might die in some far-off time, and Eggman would win.

Worst of all, the future would be ruined.

The future.

"Who knows where they'll end up? It could be the distant past or far future."

It hadn't occurred to Blaze. Sonic and his companions could be there, in the ruined city of Soleanna with Iblis. A future she believed to be the result of Eggman.

"If you cooperate with me, I'll make sure you and all of Soleanna are well-rewarded. You will be one of the shining utopias of the Eggman Empire."

Blaze clenched her teeth, hate in her eyes. She knew what would become of Soleanna. It won't be a utopia, except maybe in Eggman's eyes.

"You would be wise to remain on my 'good' side."

Blaze formed a fiery fist, her temper reaching its limit. Upon being placed in the room, the restraints on her hands automatically unlocked, allowing her to move around freely; supposedly, the cell was designed to withstand her powers. Despite knowing this, yelling in anger she punched one of the walls hard.

Bump!

She breathed heavily and her hand now hurt, but she didn't care. However, she did notice one thing: the area she had hit now had a considerable dent in it. Seeing this, Blaze turned to the cell door with determination and rage. She began pounding at it repeatedly.

Bump!

She would break out of here.

Bump!

She would tighten security in Soleanna.

Bump!

She would fight back against Dr. Eggman and his machines.

Bump!

And she would destroy him.