Chapter 7 (Sonic): A Train to Catch

As the day began to transition into the afternoon, the Soleanna New Town began to bustle with the lunch rush.

Now that the robots in the New Town were disposed of and the area deemed safe by GUN and the guards, people began to flock back into the metropolitan area in droves. Citizens and visitors were lining up outside restaurants and markets to acquire some of the commodities that the city of water had to offer, particularly its signature apple dishes.

In the main square, directly in front of a building with a clock on the wall, a blue portal appeared a few yards above the ground, and emerging from the portal were three more pedestrians, one of which landed on his butt.

"Ow!" Tails moaned as he slowly got to his feet. While he unfortunately failed to nail the landing, Sonic and Knuckles ended up luckier. As the three rose to their feet, none of them said a word as they observed the environment around them.

Blue skies with a few clouds rolling in. Buildings standing tall and unbroken. And no monsters.

Knuckles sighed in relief. "Looks like we made it back in one piece."

Sonic nodded, his face sharing the sentiment. Shadow's idea had worked: the portal sent them back to present-day Soleanna.

And yet…

"Where did Shadow and Rouge go?" Tails asked after looking around. Though the three of them had made it back together, there was no sign of their fellow allies anywhere to be seen. "Did they appear someplace else?"

Sonic contemplated this for a moment. Since they were the first ones to jump through the portal, the three of them couldn't verify for sure that Shadow and Rouge jumped in right after them. Of course, those two didn't end up in the future by choice either, so it was highly likely that they went through the portal.

In the event that they didn't choose to jump through the portal though (for whatever reason), Sonic possessed one of the Chaos Emeralds used in the ritual, so Shadow and Rouge couldn't make another portal unless they found another Emerald. Either that, or…

"…"

Sonic started to recall something Shadow said earlier, about the hedgehog that looked like him.

Mephiles.

He was the reason Shadow and Rouge were in the future. Could it be that maybe they stayed to look for him? He had time travel powers, so it wasn't out of the question that he could get them back. Then again, Shadow warned Sonic about Mephiles, therefore the chances of Mephiles returning Shadow and Rouge to the past weren't very high either.

No, Rouge and Shadow must've gone through the portal. It was the most probable likelihood.

"I'm sure they're alright, Tails," Sonic responded. "Besides, those two can take care of themselves." As Sonic said this, he noticed a man crumble a newspaper and throw it in an overfilled trashcan, which rolled off the top and fell to the ground; the man didn't seem to mind as he kept walking.

Sonic walked over to the newspaper and picked it up, inspecting the fine print:

"Festival in Flames! Blue Hedgehog in Pursuit!"

Indeed, Sonic thought to himself. Now that he was back in the present day, it was back to the matter at hand. Sonic looked at Tails and Knuckles briefly, and three exchanged nods with each other.

"Let's go!" Sonic stated, and began walking in the direction of Eggman's teleporter room.

"SONIC!"

"Huh…whaa!" Looking quickly side to side, Sonic began to panic at the sound of that familiar, high-pitched voice until he was suddenly caught in the arms of an old friend.

Of course, this old friend was more nerve-racking to Sonic than any of Dr. Eggman's sinister machines.

"Amy!" Sonic tried to break free of Amy's hold on him, but Amy tightened her grip. She giggled with enthusiasm.

"There's no running away this time, my darling Sonic! Besides, you owe me a date."

"Huh? Since when?"

Amy finally let go of Sonic, giving the hero a moment to recover from Amy's embrace; as he did so, Amy responded, "For rescuing you earlier. Remember?"

In fact, Sonic remembered all too well. Silver was about to deliver the finishing blow, but Amy stepped in between them to save Sonic's life.

Come to think of it, it sounded like Silver knew Amy, too.

"Hey Amy," Sonic said. "How do you know Silver?"

Amy was a bit surprised by this question, then lowered her gaze sheepishly. "Well, that's a funny story. I ran into him, mistaking him for you, but I ended up causing him to lose focus on something he was doing."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"He said he was looking for someone, so I proposed we look for you and that guy together." Amy's expression grew more regretful. "I didn't know, though, why he was looking for that person. And I didn't know it was you, Sonic. I'm sorry!"

Amy bowed her head upon finishing her tale. Sonic scratched the back of his head, looking away out of embarrassment.

No need to be so apologetic, Amy. Still, for her to have met Silver, of all people and tried helping him find me so he could kill me…

Sonic turned back to Amy with a playful smile. "In that case, we're even."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You saved me from Silver when he tried to kill me, but you also led Silver to me to do just that. So, I don't owe you a thing!" He crossed his arms, a look of pride covering his face. It made sense, of course. Why does he have to go out with Amy for her solving a problem she helped create?

"WHAT!?" Amy's scream ripped through the air like shattered glass, forcing Sonic's pride to immediately decay into anxiety. The scream even made a few passersby to stare in their direction, though they then quickly moved along to avoid the girl who, for a moment, looked like a demon in disguise.

Sonic tried to defend his position again. "Well, if you helped Silver try to kill me…"

"I did not help him in that way. It was an accident!"

"A-accident or not…"

As Sonic and Amy bickered over, Tails and Knuckles watched with grief. "He's never going to win against her, is he?" Tails asked rhetorically.

"Nope." Knuckles turned away, unable to bear the two 'lovebirds' in front of him. He then noticed something down the street coming towards their position, followed by shrieks and warnings from pedestrians near it. It was wobbling low in the air with sunlight shining off of it. Upon closer examination, Knuckles realized what it was.

Tails, having seen Sonic and Amy bicker long enough, turned to Knuckles only to be surprised at the echidna enclosing his hand into a fist and extending his arm back. Following his line of sight, Tails gasped at what was coming.

"Hwegh!"

Clunk!

Knuckles punched straight down on the object, which happened to be an already-damaged Egg Flyer. The robot became crushed by the force of the fist and the hard cement below it, and it moved no more. The commotion was enough to break Sonic and Amy out of their debate.

Amy frowned. "Guess I missed one."

"You missed one?"

"Yeah. Before I found you here, I was fighting off a group of Eggman's robots that were chasing after the princess. Seriously, Eggman can be a pain some-"

"You saw Blaze?!" Sonic wasted no time interrupting Amy as soon as she mentioned Blaze. It caught even Amy by surprise.

"W-well, yeah. Actually, I kind of broke her out of Eggman's base. When his robots followed, I told her to run to the castle. I mean, it made sense to h-"

Before she could finish, Sonic turned in the direction of Soleanna's Castle Town and ran off, much to Amy's infuriation.

"Sonic!" Her yelling was to no avail, as Sonic was already gone.

Tails turned to chase after Sonic, but not before exchanging a farewell. "Uh, it was nice seeing you again, Amy!"

"Not really," Knuckles chimed in before following Tails.

As the two ran off after Sonic, Amy stomped her foot down hard. We finally reunite after I saved his life, and he just takes off. Again!

Standing alone in the middle of the square, Amy tried to make sense of Sonic's actions. "I get that he's trying to stop Eggman, and saving Blaze is important…too."

Saving Blaze. It was slowly starting to dawn on her.

"Someone might already be on their way to rescue you!"

"Someone…someone was, but…"

"Is Sonic the one Blaze was talking about?"

Amy could feel her face turning red with anger and jealousy. She had gone out of her way to help that cat, and she was trying to steal Sonic?! It was a crime, an outrage!

"WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?!"

"I only met him a few days ago. No one falls in love that fast."

The pent-up rage evaporated as quickly as it came when Amy remembered Blaze's comment. In a few seconds, Amy was back to her normal state of mind.

"That's right," she chuckled to herself. "Blaze told me she wasn't in love with him. To think I'd have to challenge a princess for Sonic's hand in marriage!" It didn't matter to Amy whether Blaze was a princess or even a friend. Anyone that stood in the way of her destiny was going to feel her wrath.

Amy smiled in the direction Sonic took off in. "Save her, Sonic, so that when this is all over, we'll have that date you owe me!"

He does owe me for saving Blaze, after all!


The guards and servants of the Soleanna New Castle were gathered in the common throne room, a long, yet simple chamber with stained glass windows near the throne and unlit torches on the walls. In the daytime, the windows radiated an assortment of colors that brightened the rather gray room and the large red carpet on its floor.

But the castle's staff were not there for their duties to the princess. Instead, they were being held captive at the mercy of Dr. Eggman's machines which, at any moment could set them free or end their very lives. Most were flying drones, but the most imposing of the robots was a large tan and white machine with hands so big, they could crush cars.

The guards were easily outmatched by the automatons and were forced to relinquish their weapons upon Eggman's orders. With no way to contact for help nor fight back, the guards could do nothing but wait with the other castle's laborers for their liberation. If it ever came.

Just then, the throne room's main doors swung open in a heartbeat; emerging from the other side was a blue hedgehog in red-and-white striped shoes. His presence caused the robots to change their focus to him, the flying drones flying towards him firing their mini machine guns.

"PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG!"

Sonic jumped out of the way in a flash, and then proceeded to counterattack. "This is starting to get old!" Spamming a string of homing attacks, he knocked each of the drones to the ground in disrepair.

Landing in front of the remaining machine, the bulky Egg Guardian, Sonic asked, "Are you any different?" The Egg Guardian responded by aiming his hands at Sonic and launching them.

"PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG!"

Sonic evaded the hands and knocked the iron giant onto its back with a swift axle kick. From the center of its body, the Egg Guardian's core emerged to cool off, leaving Sonic with the opportunity to bounce straight down on top of it. The sudden pressure ripped the joints of the Egg Guardian apart and breaking its power conduits. In a few seconds, it moved no more.

"Guess not," Sonic sighed. He looked at the castle staff with a reassuring smile. "You guys alright?"

One guard slowly got to his knees and approached on behalf of the hostages. "Yes, thanks to you. We are in your debt." He bowed his head with respect.

Sonic chuckled. "Don't sweat it, but you can pay me back right now. Where is Blaze?"

The guard answered regretfully, "We haven't seen her. Eggman was holding us captive and prepared an ambush for her. We don't know if he captured her."

Bumf!

Sonic slammed his fist into his hand. Eggman beat him to her! And worse, he didn't have any clues as to their whereabouts again.

The guard noticed Sonic's frustration and held his head low. "I'm sorry. We're supposed to protect and serve the Princess, but we've failed."

Sonic snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at the guard. He grinned. "It's not your fault this happened. I'll still find a way to save her."

Hearing Sonic's reassurance, the guard let out a small smile and turned towards the other staff members, giving orders to the guards to run sweeps of the whole castle.

"Looks like we missed the action."

Sonic turned in the direction of the entrance doors to see Knuckles and Tails walking up towards him. Tails glanced at the staff members for a moment, then returned his gaze to Sonic. "Did you learn anything?"

"Eggman beat us to the punch. He laid a trap for Blaze and she fell right into it. He used the castle staff as hostages."

"Just like Cream and Cheese." Tails recalled the other day how Eggman used the same tactic to coerce Blaze into obeying his wishes. "It looks like they aren't here, though, so that's good."

Indeed. Out of all the staff members present, neither Cream nor Cheese were among their number. Most likely, they were running errands in the city or visiting Vanilla the Rabbit.

Sonic nodded and began to walk towards the entrance. "We need to pick up a trail."

"Hm. I could check in with GUN again. They might have some information about Eggman's last known location."

"Good idea." Sonic turned to Knuckles, who stood cross-armed looking at the two of them. "What about you, Knuckles? You heading back to Angel Island?"

"I'll stick with Tails for now. I'll head back after we stop Eggman for good. Besides, I feel as though I should let him know what I thought of our little vacation."

Sonic chuckled. You and me both.

"What are you going to do, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"I'll ask around town. Maybe someone saw what direction Eggman was heading in."

When the three agreed on their duties, Sonic separated from the two and raced off towards the town.

"Let's see where you're going, Egghead."


"Mmgh!"

Sonic couldn't help but moan to himself. For the past hour, he went around town asking everybody he came across for clues on Eggman's whereabouts, but to no avail. In addition, he took time to help find a dog named Pele for a crying boy, and he was pulled over by a group of six kids challenging him to a game of hide and seek, all because they thought he wasn't capable of saving Blaze.

Now, he found himself back in the New Town, contemplating on what to do. Tails had yet to respond on GUN's intel, which could very well be that they don't know where Eggman is. And since the citizens don't know anything, there were no leads overall.

This is taking too long, Sonic thought.

"THERE HE IS! IT'S SONIC!"

"HE'S EVEN MORE HANDSOME IN PERSON!"

"Hm?" Sonic turned his head to find the source of the females' voices. Near the docks were a group of boys and girls that were, surprisingly, not looking at him. Instead, in the middle of the crowd was a young tanned man with goggles and a hat that resembled Sonic's spiky hair.

The man grinned at the girls. "Sorry, ladies. You're both pretty, but a guy like me loves adventure more!"

Sonic stood dumbstruck at the sight. Is that guy…mimicking me? He was used to having plenty of fans, many of whom aspired to be like him. But downright copying him? That crosses a line.

As such, Sonic walked over to set the record straight. "Yo!"

The pretender heard Sonic's cry and turned to face him. "Did you call me?"

"Yeah. Who are you?"

The man looked down at Sonic. A cocky smile started to form on his face. "Ah, you want to know who I am, do you? I saved Princess Blaze, and I fight bad guys." As he said this, he performed a series of stretches and gestures with each highlight, much to Sonic's annoyance. He finished by proudly lying, "I'm the superhero, Sonic Man! (Man, I'm cool!)"

The crowd cheered at Sonic Man's introduction, singing praises of him like canaries. Sonic cocked an eyebrow. Is this guy for real?

The man analyzed Sonic for a moment, then asked, "So, why are you dressed like me?"

"Dressed like you?!"

"Oh, I get it! You look up to me, don't you? Ha ha!"

Sonic clenched his hands into fists. He was able to maintain his temper right up until...

"Here. I will give you my autograph!"

That's it! "I don't want your autograph!" Sonic snapped.

The crowd fell deadly silent at Sonic's statement; even Sonic Man was taken aback. "Y-you don't?"

"No! I'm the real Sonic, faker!"

A slight wind filled the empty air, followed by laughter from the crowd.

Sonic Man tried to control his chuckling. "You're the real Sonic? Sure, kid, sure. But just for you, I'll prove to you I'm the real thing!"

Though Sonic's frustration was still evident, a small portion was replaced by curiosity. "Prove it how?"

"Let's race!"

Sonic's anger vanished in a heartbeat. One of his favorite things to do was run, and here a man was challenging him to a race. He couldn't stop himself from smiling. With his unfortunate luck with getting information on Dr. Eggman, a race was just what he needed to clear his head.

Especially when his opponent was an overly obsessed fanboy.

"The one who reaches the station first wins," Sonic Man explained. "You have to touch the wall of the warehouse first, though. Okay?"

Sonic nodded, and the two took a starting stance. Behind them, the fans began to whisper in excitement.

"The new guy is stupid for challenging Sonic Man!"

"I don't know. There's something different about that guy. His quills look so…real"

Sonic Man began the countdown. "On your mark!"

"Get set!"

"GO!"

Sonic Man dashed off into first, leaving his fans and opponent behind in the dust. With his arms held behind him, he ran lurched forward towards the warehouse wall.

But his opponent wasn't catching up to him. In fact, he hadn't even left the starting line.

Sonic watched with amusement Sonic Man's top running speed. "This is too easy!" Just as he was about to start, though, he heard a buzzing noise coming from his communicator-it was one of Tail's ideas when it came to getting in contact with each other no matter where Sonic was in the world, so he always carried it in case Tails called.

Pulling it out, he answered the call.

"Sonic! It's Tails. Get to the train station quickly!"

"What's wrong?"

"GUN found that Eggman hijacked a train! He just passed through the town minutes ago!"

Sonic's held his breath for a moment when he heard the news. This is it…and what a coincidence, too! I can finish this race and chase after Eggman now!

"Thanks, Tails! Leave it to me!" Putting away his communicator, Sonic looked ahead at Sonic Man's status. He was getting close to the warehouse wall.

"Let's do it!"

Sonic Man was a few feet from the wall when he felt a hurricane-like wind blow right past him. He shut his eyes and slowed down to a halt, pushing against the force. When he opened his eyes again, he couldn't believe the sight before him. His opponent, the real Sonic, slapped the wall, turned to him saying, "Sorry! Gotta run!" and then sped off towards the train station, leaving Sonic Man shocked.

"Was he really the real Sonic?!" Sonic Man's façade disappeared, being replaced with excitement as he chased after him. "Wait! Can I have your autograph! I can't believe I've met the real Sonic! It's such an honor! I want to be just like you!"

His words, whether he cared or not, were not heard by the out-of-range hedgehog.


WAAANK!

Sonic increased his running speed as soon as he heard the horn. Racing across the train tracks led him to a mountainous canyon area, home to an abandoned mine that now appeared to be a terminal station for Soleanna's locomotive system. Multiple trains could be seen riding along a variety of tracks. However, only one was of importance to Sonic.

He just had to keep following the tracks.

Hang on Blaze. I'm almost there.


Eggman relaxed in his chair as he observed the monitor in front of him. Seated in the front car of a silver-blue bullet train, he couldn't help but marvel at his own ingenuity. Years of being a wanted man had certainly paid off, for with his IQ of 300 and sharp senses he was able to elude capture from the authorities on multiple occasions via misdirection and, in this particular case, threats. Having scared the passengers and conductor off, he was able to secure this train and discretely pass through Soleanna before the authorities knew what hit them.

The fools, he thought.

And with the Princess back in his clutches, he can make it back to White Acropolis and continue with his plans.

Soon, the whole world would be his, and there would be no one to stop him.

A beeping from the control console forced Eggman to set aside his thoughts. He answered by pressing a button.

"What is it, Metal?"

Metal Sonic did not reply with sounds but, instead sent Eggman video footage on the monitor before him of one of the train tracks. Running across the tracks was a blue…

"WHAT?! IT CAN'T BE!"

It was Sonic! He was back? How?

Then again, why is this such a shock? Eggman could remember numerous times Sonic had evaded death from his own hands, especially one where he jettisoned the blue pest into space in a rigged space capsule with a fake Chaos Emerald.

The memory was enough to elicit a groan from Eggman. "Persistent indeed."

It did not matter how Sonic came back. In the event that the authorities—in this case, Sonic—tried to stop him, Dr. Eggman made his own insurance plan for getting back to White Acropolis.

"Metal, initiate plan B. I'll make sure Sonic is made aware that his plans are about to change! Once I signal that we're in the clear, continue your mission."


"There it is!"

Sonic could finally see the bullet train Eggman hijacked a couple yards in front of him.

"Just got to get closer…"

"AHHHH!"

A woman's scream came from a train ahead on a track below Sonic. On top of the train were a legion of Egg Gunners, most of whom were shooting through the roofs of the cars. Among them was that blue duplicate of his.

"Metal!"

As he noticed Metal Sonic joining the horde of machines, one Egg Flyer popped out of the train car in front of him. From it came the sound of his nemesis:

"Sonic, shouldn't you save the train before chasing after me?"

Eggman acted so arrogant that Sonic kicked the Egg Flyer into the cliffside—granted he was going to do so from the beginning. Still, Eggman had a point. He couldn't leave those people to their fate.

Sonic jumped down onto the tracks below and chased after the train under attack.

I've got to get ahead and help the train!

Picking up the pace, he managed to get close enough to climb aboard the back trolley. As he ascended the ladder, one of the passengers took note of him and shouted "Help! Sonic, help!" Though not her intention, the girl's cries were heard by the robots and, following their origin saw Sonic on the last car. They began to shoot at him. Sonic avoided their fire and raced forward to close the gap. He then proceeded to homing attack each Egg Gunner, sending them all flying off the train.

"Enjoy your trip!" Sonic shouted as he waved them goodbye. He then turned to face the only robot left, who stared him down with deadly intent.

Sonic took a fighting stance. "Round 2?"

Metal responded by rushing forward to attack, only to meet Sonic halfway as his opponent did the exact same. The two became locked in a struggle, each running and pushing against the other.

Sonic chuckled. "Heh. Strange, isn't it?"

Metal, whose hands were intertwined in Sonic's, tightened his grip and stopped his advance; pulling back with his and Sonic's own force in the same direction, Metal Sonic kicked his organic doppelganger over him.

Sonic landed hard on the train's roof but reacted fast enough to roll into a crouching position as Metal attempted to slice his check with his sharp fingers. He then spin dashed into Metal, sending the robot flying back towards the end of the train. With his opponent in an open state, Sonic rushed forward hoping to finish the fight, but stopped after he briefly glanced back to see the train was approaching a tunnel.

Gotta move!

Leaping down in-between two cars, Sonic watched as the world turned black with orange lights on the ceiling. Remembering Metal Sonic was still on the roof of the train when he jumped down to safety, Sonic peered through the window of the car to see if Metal was on the other side.

A moment too late would've spelled the end for him.

"WOAH!"

Catching Metal attempting to fire a laser through the car from the other side, Sonic ducked down to avoid the attack. The crowd panicked and took shelter as well; with their bodies taking cover, Metal flew through the window and joined Sonic on the other side. The two exchanged a series of fists and kicks, some blocked and others landing.

Breaking the stalemate, Sonic sent a roundhouse kick that sent Metal off the side of the train, getting rolled and crush by the train and the wall. He knew Metal would survive, but now that the fight was over, he relaxed.

"Sonic: 2. Metal: 0."

As soon as the train emerged from the tunnel, Sonic smiled and waved to the passengers a goodbye and jumped off, leaving them to continue their journey in peace.

Now to find Blaze's train again.

The environment appeared to be the edge of the mountainous area, which meant Blaze's train must be in the opposite direction. If Sonic went back the way he came, he would waste too much time trying to find the right tracks again, and if the tracks keep changing…

"Blaze's train is…" History.

There was only one option left. It may be a different path, but if he was lucky, it would lead him back to the train yard from an overview perspective. From such a height, he could find the train and catch up. But he had to be quick.

"Gotta speed up!"

He raced down the path with no delay.


Eggman sent the all clear to Metal Sonic, then curled his gloved fingers.

Not this time, Sonic. And never again.

BOOM!

"What the…?!" Eggman lurched forward from the intensity of an unexpected explosion in the back of the train. Did they hit dynamite or something?

Pulling up the rear monitor of the train, he growled.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"


Sonic jumped over passing trains in spots where there was an opening. Though it didn't lead him to an overview of the train yard, the path he took managed to take him to another area of the train yard away from the mines, where he found Eggman's train passing right above him. Ahead, he could see that it would go down a slope, allowing him to drop down onto the tracks and finally reach it.

When the train went down the slope, Sonic jumped off the edge of his path onto the canyon walls parallel to Eggman's track. He proceeded to leap down onto the tracks and continue running. As he got closer, something caught his eye.

Before the last car of the train was a string of bullets being fired upon it; their source was a motorcycle with built-in machine guns and a black-and-red color scheme. Its rider was none other than…

"Shadow!"

The black hedgehog was indeed riding upon the motorcycle, which was his personal Dark Rider. And the destruction of the car in front of the two indicated he wasn't concerned about collateral damage when it came to whatever mission he was carrying out.

Sonic narrowly avoided the incoming debris by side-stepping when a horrifying realization sprang to mind.

Blaze is on-board! If Shadow destroys her car, she'll die.

I've got to stop him!

Speeding up, Sonic got within hearing range of Shadow and shouted his name. The black hedgehog turned to see Sonic now running parallel to him.

"Don't destroy the train!" Sonic pleaded. "The Princess is being held captive on-board!"

Shadow eyed Sonic unfazed. "I know."

"You know?!"

"I'm not destroying the train," Shadow explained. "Just the fuel lines and reserves. I'm slowing his train to a halt."

"…oh." Sonic honestly had no response to Shadow's statement. He knew Shadow could be serious about completing a mission, and dangerous when it came to winning fights. Still, he can forget from time to time that Shadow can be compassionate for others.

Sometimes, anyway.

"Argh!" Sonic realized too late that his distracting Shadow left both of them unaware of Eggman's Badniks appearing and setting rockets at them. Sonic was able to dodge and smash the robot in front of him to pieces, but Shadow had to sacrifice his bike to avoid being hit. The black hedgehog watched for a moment as his precious bike blew up like fireworks, causing Shadow to counterattack with a vengeance compared to Sonic as he launched a Chaos Spear into the robot's head. Landing on his feet, his hover shoes allowed him to match speed with Sonic as he shouted ahead, "You think those attacks are going to keep me away?"

The two approached the train and climbed over the railing of the last car.

"This is the car were the princess is being held," Shadow explained. He observed the door and found it was sealed with a security panel. Though he could easily smash the door down, it would probably be better in this case to play it safe. He took out a standard GUN pistol and aimed it at the lock. Though he wasn't one for using firearms like he did in the past, he still carried a gun as a last resort or for conserving power. In this case, opening a locked door.

Sonic, though he hated guns, understood what Shadow was going to do and quickly looked inside the small door window for Blaze and any guards. He found Blaze seated with her eyes closed. Though her head appeared to indicate some discomfort, she wasn't restrained by any means. Standing next to her, however, was one Egg Gunner.

Sonic signaled to Shadow the number of enemies; the black hedgehog nodded and blasted the lock.


"To kill someone to save the world…is that really the right thing to do?"

"You're so naïve. Whether it's right or wrong, I can't really say…"

"Tell me, who is the Iblis Trigger? Why does he want to destroy the world?"

"Why does that matter to you? Unless you complete your task, your future will remain the same…forever."


Blaze shut her eyes to control the pain. The visions were getting stronger, clearer. But that didn't stop the headaches they brought. And her robotic guard didn't seem unfazed by her discomfort.

Despite not having any restraints, she obeyed Eggman's orders in exchange for her castle staff's lives and did not resist. Each time she thought about her surrender, she kept wondering how many more people will be hurt or threatened because of her. It was as if the superstition about black cats being bad luck applied to her, too, even though her fur was lavender.

Sonic suffered the worst of that bad luck. Him and his friends.

She missed him and his positive attitude. She hoped he was okay.

BANG!

A sudden gunshot resonated in the air, causing Blaze to react defensively. Her guard did the same and turned towards the source of the noise: the back of the car.

Blaze remembered how the train started to rumble violently earlier due to explosions, but she didn't know what was causing them. It was possible that since the train was passing through the old mines of Soleanna they might've struck dynamite or blasting gel by accident, but the event of that was highly unlikely. And with the gunshot which, if she was correct, must've been aimed at the door's security lock…

Someone might be here to rescue me!

The back door suddenly swung open, letting in a gush of air. She heard someone shout "Go!" and in a few seconds her robot guard was spare parts. Standing on its body was a figure of blue spikes and cream fur. Someone she thought she would never see again.

"Sonic!"

"Hey Bla—woah!" Sonic's greeting was interrupted by a sudden hug from Blaze. Blaze knew it was not like her to do this, but for once she didn't care. Her rescuer…her friend was back.

Amy was right. He did find a way to rescue her.

"This is real, right? You're really here?"

"He is." She let go at the sound of another voice, the one she heard earlier. Standing behind Sonic and closing the door was a black hedgehog with red stripes and holding a gun in his hand. Unlike Sonic, he displayed an aura of darkness about him, one that made her a little cautious of him.

Sonic saw Blaze's tension and tried to calm her. "Relax. This is Shadow. He works with GUN."

Blaze's misgivings about Shadow faded as Sonic said this. If he was with Sonic and GUN on top of that, he must've been a good person.

Shadow walked past them unmoved by the two's reunion. "You two should get out of here. I'm going to have a talk with the doctor."

Blaze took the benefit of the doubt and assumed he was going to arrest Dr. Eggman, even though the gun in his hand and his persona begged to differ. Before he exited the car, Blaze gave a simple "Thank you," to which he nodded without looking back.

Sonic put his hand on Blaze's shoulder, egging her to do what Shadow said, but Blaze hesitated for a moment. There was one thing she needed to know. "At the castle, Eggman was holding my staff as hostages. Are they-"

"Safe," Sonic finished for her, holding out his hand to her. Blaze sighed in relief and accepted his hand as the two left the car and jumped off the train.