Chapter 4
A Night in Nolar
The sun was setting over Nolar, bathing the city in a vibrant orange light. Silver watched the colors dance from the window of his hospital room. Bandages smothered his body, holding healing gels to his skin to help him recover. The doctors said his injuries were light, but it was good he went to the hospital immediately. He could already feel his strength returning even though he'd only been in a few hours. The hedgehog chuckled at the thought of someone like Sonic needing to stay in one place for this long.
Silver's thoughts were interrupted by a light knocking behind him. He turned and watched a mouse nurse let herself in. "Alright," She said. "The gels should be soaked into your skin by now." She approached her patient, cutting away the bandages.
"Thank you nurse." Silver said. "It's so amazing this stuff can heal me so quickly! Where I come from I just have to sort of tough it out until the problem goes away."
"That's the beauty of modern medicine." The mouse mused, focusing on the bandages. "I hope wherever you are from they start to learn these things." She finished her work and took a step away. "Alright, how do you feel?" Silver swung his legs over the end of the bed and stood up, rolling his head and arms around.
"I feel amazing! Thanks again nurse!" He extended out his hand. The mouse took and shook it.
"It's what we do, honey. Now let's get you to the lobby and check you out. I think a few of your friends are waiting for you."
The moment Silver entered the lobby Marine was already charging towards him, landing a surprisingly powerful punch on his shoulder. "Congratulations, Aluminum! I been hearin' 'bout yer tussle with this Metal Blaze thingy and it sounds amazing! You and Blaze are such a power couple! It's a wonder you two aren't…"
"Marine." Blaze's commanding tone cut right through the sailor's monologue. "Give Silver some space please." Marine hung her head back dramatically.
"But he's so cool!" She whined. "I wish I could have been there." She folded her arms. "You never take me anywhere fun."
"If I took you, who would I trust to watch the scepter?" Blaze asked. Marine's face pouted even harder, then she shot a devilish grin her way, walking away from Silver.
"Fine, I'll let you talk to your boy…" Without warning, Blaze reached over and removed Marine's faux eyepatch, tossing it across the lobby. The sailor promptly lost her mind as the princess approached Silver.
"That should buy us some time." Blaze said as she grabbed his arm. "We should get some air before even more people start staring." With that she pulled him outside.
Outside the hospital, Silver and Blaze were greeted with the same sunset he was watching from his window. He couldn't help but stare out at the city again, lost in the beauty of it all. Blaze watched him curiously. "You are not used to seeing places like these, are you?" She commented.
"Not at all." Silver didn't even turn when he spoke to her. "I could only hope in my wildest dreams to see something like this for my future." Blaze watched his smile fade as he answered. Her head tilted down for a moment and she released a small sigh. Something in her couldn't bear to see his smile disappear, not right now, so she lifted her head.
"Well, how about we take the evening to explore the city?"
"Really?" Silver's head whirled around.
"Consider it my thank you for your services to Nolar, well, that, and this." Blaze produced an orange scarf and held it out to the time traveler.
"Woah!" Silver gawked at the gift. "You got that for me?" He looked up at the princess but she was promptly looking away, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"I am unable to feel most temperatures, but I have heard it becomes quite frigid at this time of the year, especially when the sun sets." She was finally able to look back at him when she felt him take the cloth.
"This is called a… scarf, right?" Silver asked as he spread his arms to unfold it.
"Yes." Blaze confirmed. "You wear it around your neck to keep yourself warm. It is made from the same cloth I use for my clothing as well, so it will not get damaged in battle." The psychic pulled it across his neck, leaving the ends dangling behind him.
"Like this?" He asked. Blaze chuckled.
"Almost," She approached him. "Allow me." Silver hadn't realized until now, but whenever Blaze was close to him, all coldness disappeared. He wouldn't be surprised due to her powers, but it was more than that. When she was near his very soul felt warm, too. Why did it make him feel so… complete?
The cat was focused on fixing his scarf during Silver's internal monologue, pulling most of it to one side before wrapping the long end around his neck and letting it hang in front of him. "There." She said, looking up. "That should…" Her speech was interrupted as their eyes met. Neither had realized how close the other had gotten and now their noses stood less than an inch from each other. The pair stood frozen.
Her eyes…
His eyes…
A dramatic gasp snapped both back to reality and Blaze put a good two meters between herself and Silver, but it was too late. Marine, now standing, jaw agape, in front of the hospital doors, had seen everything she needed to.
"C-Captain…" Silver managed to stutter out. "Blaze was ju-"
"I knew it!" The sailor burst out.
"One more word out of you Marine and I will cut your ship's funding for a month!" Blaze said, ending whatever speech she was about to embark on. Marine covered her mouth and scurried past the two, shoulders high. She whispered to Silver on her way.
"No curfew tonight, mate, just make sure she has fun!" With that, she was gone. Silver turned his attention to Blaze. Her once white muzzle flushed with a deep red. He could almost see the heat waves coming off her.
"We don't have to see the city tonight if-" He started.
"No." Blaze cut him off. She looked at him and let a deep breath refresh her lungs. "No, I want you to see the city you saved." She motioned her head down a pathway. "Come with me." Silver took a last glance out to the city. The sun had sunk halfway into the ocean and hundreds of lights flickered on to fill the darkness it had left. He turned his attention back to the princess, a giant smile plastered on his face.
"I'll follow wherever you lead, Blaze!" Silver scurried after his companion.
"Anything that sparks your interest, we can take a look at." Blaze instructed, but by then Silver had already left her side. Her eyes found him a ways down the street looking into a shop.
"What are they doing in there to make a smell this good?" She heard him ask as she caught up to him. The cat looked up and read the sign above them aloud.
"'Sol Sweets'. This is a candy shop. I can get you something from here if you want." Silver turned to her, about to speak up before the princess continued. "Yes, really. Let's take a look." The pair entered the shop. The bell struck by the door caused an ear to rise above the rabbit worker's head. He turned around, starting to speak.
"Welcome to- Your Majesty?!" The rabbit practically cried out. "I - uh."
"There is no need to be so formal," Blaze said with a half raised hand. "Here, I am simply a patron, like anyone else."
"R-right," He responded. "Sorry Pri - sorry." The feline simply turned to Silver.
"Is there anything that piques your interest?" She asked. The hedgehog's eyes were scanning the room.
"There's so much stuff here." He said to himself before turning to Blaze. "What's your favorite?"
"Oh, um. I am unsure. I don't think I've indulged in sweets for a long while," Her eyes wandered the shelves before they locked onto one row. "I do have fond memories of caramel apples."
"I'll take a caramel apple then!" There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in his voice as he called out his order.
Shortly after, the pair could be seen exiting the shop. Silver was cradling his treat in both hands, barely paying attention to the path ahead. The caramel drizzled around the five slices of the green skinned apple. For a while he was debating how to attack his treat, eventually resolving to use his powers to levitate one of the slices out of the paper and take a bite.
Dear Gaia! He thought. He's never had anything so sweet! The back of his tongue reacted to the caramel that shot endorphins through his skull at light speed and he quickly scarfed down the rest of the slice.
"Do I need to leave the two of you alone?" Blaze asked, reminding Silver she was there. His head swung toward the princess, her coy smile embarrassing him.
"Sorry…" He apologized. "Did you want a slice?" Blaze was about to say no until-
"Princess, Princess!" A pair of high pitched voices cut into Blaze and Silver's conversation. The two turned their heads to see a small wolf and cat tumbling their way. The kids couldn't have been more than 8 and 10 years old with the cat seeming to be the elder. They both came to a halt in front of Blaze. The wolf was struggling to speak as the young cat tried to encourage him.
"Come on, Aster." She implored. "Ask her." Blaze watched the two with mild amusement, waiting patiently for Aster to speak up.
"Um, Princess Blaze…" The wolf started, hands behind his back. "I… I just wanted to say I… I… I… think you're really pretty and, and, and, I'm happy you're keeping our world safe." Aster's hands shot out towards her with a notebook and a pen. "Willyoupleasesignmynotebook?!" He blurted out. The princess couldn't help but chuckle.
"Why, Aster." She began, taking the notebook and pen. "I would be honored to write in your book." She started scribbling in the pages. "Thank you for your kind words. As long as I can keep brave people like you smiling, I am happy to be your guardian." She closed the book and opened her arms to the wolf who embraced her without hesitation. After a moment, she extended her arm to the young feline, too, who indulged the same as Aster.
When the three separated, she ruffled both their heads. "Remember kids, you are this world's future. Now you should find your parents again. I am sure they are worried about you." Right on cue, a pair of worried fathers rounded the street corner, calling back their kids. The children dashed back to them, the wolf almost certainly boasting about his accomplishment. One of the dads looked back to confirm and his eyes widened when they met Blaze's who offered a friendly wave as the family went on their way.
"...Maybe I should have offered them a slice." Silver commented behind the princess. She turned back to him.
"It is probably for the best that you did not. Kids have enough energy without the extra sugar." Blaze promptly plucked a portion of the apple off the core. "But I think I will take up your offer. It has been too long since I've indulged in these simple pleasures."
The horizon had successfully engulfed the sun, with scarcely a few pink rays escaping the ocean. In its absence the cold had begun to set in, and Silver could feel it. While his scarf was certainly helping, the hedgehog had to actively fight back shivers as he walked next to Blaze. Eventually he opted to inch closer to her side, siphoning off her natural warmth.
"Silver, are you cold?" The princess asked, seemingly out of the blue. His head snapped over to her.
"Uh, a little." He half-lied. "But it's nothing I can't handle." Blaze was quiet for a moment, gears turning in her head, then reached out and grabbed Silver's hand. Immediately, he felt a wave of heat coursing through his body to the point of his fur puffing out a little. The winter chill no longer had an effect on the hedgehog and he barely felt the breeze. "Wow, Blaze!" He started. "That's-"
"Try not to draw attention to it." The princess interrupted. Silver looked over and saw a firm splotch of red over her once white muzzle. That's when he felt it again. It was like his heart was cramping and his tongue was swelling up. Did Blaze know how she was making him feel? Did she want him to feel this way? The adrenaline was exhilarating to him so he eventually came to the conclusion that he wanted her to feel this way, too.
Silver took a quick look around before setting his eyes on a small ring toss kiosk with all sorts of plushies adorning its frame. He made up his mind and gently dragged Blaze with him to the game.
"I'd like one of those soft toys please." Silver blurted out to the emu running the stand, unaware of the heat signifying Blaze's embarrassment.
"Well you've come to the right place!" The emu said. "I have all sorts of plushies here for you to win for your lady!" Blaze covered her face in an attempt to hide her beet red muzzle. The stand runner handed Silver a plastic ring. "All you need to do is get the ring around one of these poles. Hit a yellow one, you get a small prize, hit a red one you'll get a grand prize!"
"I won't fail!" Silver proclaimed, pulling his arm behind his head before chucking it. The ring hurled to the back row and bounced off, almost falling around a yellow pole before an azure light enveloped it, nudging the ring over to the red pole next to it. As the emu stood there, slack-jawed, Silver turned to Blaze. "Alright, which one do you…" He finally noticed her hand over her face. "Blaze, are you alright?" The princess began to chuckle.
"You're so naive." She squeaked out. Silver tilted his head.
"Did I do something wrong?" Blaze turned her head to Silver.
"No, well yes, but it was rather amusing. I am happy I chose to spend this time with you." She turned her attention to the Emu. "Do not worry about the prize." Blaze tugged Silver away from the game.
As the night unfolded, Blaze opened up to Silver more and more. The hedgehog would laugh as he watched the princess attempt a VR tightrope he had somehow convinced her to try. The cat would try, and sometimes fail, to keep Silver from cheating at any more carnival games.
In the end, the pair had explored 2 museums, 12 candy shops and participated in a few dozen carnival games. Silver looked over at his companion and thought about how lucky he was. He may have not understood why this time together meant so much to him, but that wouldn't stop him from enjoying the night in Nolar with her.
