Out in the castle town, several vendors and stands were set up along the waterways. They were preparing for the Soleanna Festival of the Sun. Lanterns, candles, banners, flags, and various depictions of the Sun and Fire were being hung and sold around every corner. Keith and Kat looked around at the sights and were completely taken in.
"Man, this place is incredible," Keith commented. "There's so much stuff here, I don't know where to start."
"Me neither," Kat admitted. "Everything looks utterly amazing. Oh, is that kettle corn?"
Kat went off to one of the food stands, taken in by the alluring smell of food. While she did that, Keith looked around at some of the stands with jewelry and decorations.
"Wow," Keith let out. "These are amazing."
"Why thank you," the older man running one of the stalls called out. "You have a keen eye, young man. Looking for a gift for your lady friend?"
"She's just a friend," Keith insisted, his face heating up a bit.
"Ah, I see. I have just the thing." He pulled out a jeweled pendant in the shape of the sun. "This piece is one of a kind, and a lovely sentiment for someone who is clearly the light of your life."
"That's… that's not what I-"
"Hey Keith," Kat spoke, startling him. "Whatcha got there?"
She wandered over with the kettle corn, gasping at the medallion. "Oh that is gorgeous."
"You… really think so?"
"Absolutely. The ruby inlay around the edge of the sun's topaz center is a beautiful contrast. It's a work of art."
Keith saw the delight in her eyes and decided to take a chance, turning back to the vendor. "How much?"
"Whoa, Keith I was just commenting," Kat insisted as he paid for it. "You don't have to-"
"I know," he replied, handing her the pendant. "I want to."
Kat took the pendant, blushing as she slid it around her neck. "Thank you…"
Keith smiled back in response, the two just standing there lost in the moment. Just then, the sound of someone clearing their throat got their attention.
"Excuse me," a voice requested.
The two turned to see a Mobian cat standing before them. She was wearing a purple tailcoat with rose trim at the bottom, a gold collar, and white leggings. She also had white gloves with fluffy cuffs and rose, high-heeled shoes with gray soles, white stripes and fluffy cuffs, like her gloves. She had four plumes of hair with violet tips done up in a high ponytail with a red hair tie. She also had a red oval gem on her forehead.
"Oh… hello there," Keith greeted. "Sorry, didn't see you there. Can we help you?"
"Wow, for a moment I thought she was Chessie, just dressed a lot more regally," Kat remarked.
"Um… no," the cat replied. "My name is Blaze, and I was hoping I could ask you for some help."
The two looked at one another, surprised.
"Why us?" Keith asked.
"You… seem like good people," she replied, trying not to stare at the pendant.
"Uh… sure, we can try," Kat replied. "What do you need?"
"Information… about a blue hedgehog."
…
Sonic let out a sneeze, sniffing slightly.
"Something wrong?" Tails asked.
"Nah," Sonic brushed it off. "Someone's probably just talking about me."
"Why?" Knuckles remarked. "You're not that interesting to talk about."
"What's the matter, Knucklehead? Jealous?"
"In your dreams."
"Guys," Tails admonished. "Focus. We need to be on our best behavior while we're here."
"Right," Sonic agreed as they approached the castle. "So this is the place?"
"Yeah. According to my research, this is the residence of the current monarch of Soleanna; Queen Elise the third."
"Let's hope she's accepting audiences," Knuckles remarked.
The three approached the castle doors, only to be halted by the guards.
"Halt!" one of them ordered. "State your business."
"We're here to see the Queen," Sonic insisted. "It's urgent."
"Is she in today?" Tails asked.
"The Queen is not taking audiences on the day of the Festival," the guard informed. "Come back, tomorrow."
"We don't have time to wait!" Knuckles insisted. "This could be life or death!"
"It will have to," the guard replied as he turned away.
"Why you-" Knuckles began to let out before Sonic and Tails stopped him.
"Don't bother, Knuckles," Sonic insisted. "He's not worth it."
"We'll just have to talk to the Queen some other way," Tails realized.
"Any ideas?" Knuckles asked.
The three thought for a moment, with Sonic looking up and seeing something that made him smile.
"When in doubt… go up," he told them, pointing up.
…
Meanwhile, the girls were treating Silver to lunch, who was scarfing it down without a bit of hesitation.
"This is delicious!" he exclaimed. "What is this?"
"It's called spaghetti," Amy explained. "It's a pretty simple pasta dish, but it's incredibly good."
"It's amazing. I don't think I've ever had something this good."
"You must be new to Earth then," Hope rationalized.
"You… might say that."
"Well we hope you like it here," Cream told him.
Silver eagerly ate more, then held out a hand. A second bowl of pasta was surrounded by a slight aura, then floated into his hand. He instantly began devouring it.
"Wow!" Helen said, starstruck, "That was neat!"
Silver paused, scratching the back of his head, sheepishly. "I-It's just telekinesis, nothing special… Is it?"
"Well we've never seen anything like it," Cream replied.
"huh…"
"So Silver, what brings you to Soleanna?" Amy asked.
"I'm… looking for someone," Silver explained as he stopped eating.
"Oh, did you get separated from your family?" Cream asked. "That's how it was with me and my mom for a while."
"Whatever's going on, I'm sure we can help," Helen chimed in. "I know we don't look it, but we've saved the world before."
"Really?" Silver questioned.
"That's right," Amy confirmed. "We're a pretty tough group. We can help you find who you're looking for."
"That… that'd be great!" Silver declared. "Thank you."
"In all honesty, we're already trying to find someone," Hope spoke up. "My cousin Aggie. She was… she was kidnapped. Maybe if we work together, we can find her and whomever you're looking for."
"Sure. I'll do anything I can to help."
"Thanks, Silver," Hope replied, her mood slowly beginning to lighten up.
…
Meanwhile, Chuck and Dr. Birnbaum were in the archives, going through any documents regarding the Solaris Project they could get their hands on.
"I don't know about you, but my search has been coming up empty," Chuck commented. "Have you found anything?"
"Nothing that we didn't know already," Dr. Birnbaum replied. "Except…"
"Except what?" Chuck asked, turning towards her.
"I was just cross referencing some dates and found something interesting. Did you know that the project was commissioned only a few months after the last Queen died… by the King himself."
"Really?" Chuck mulled over that. "That's very interesting. Still, that just leaves us with more questions than answers."
"Perhaps, but it does give a possible motivation for the project. Maybe it was her last wishes or something. Either way, it's one more piece of the puzzle.
"Just need to keep digging for more."
…
Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles were holding onto Tails as he flew them up over the wall towards an open window of the castle. As they approached the window, Sonic and Knuckles leapt off so they could land inside, prompting Tails to follow after.
"Now we just gotta find the Queen's chambers," Tails declared.
"And how are we gonna do that?" Knuckles asked. "This place is huge, and it's not like we can just search every room until we find her."
"You guys might not, but I can," Sonic responded. "Go on and head back to town. I'll find the Queen and see what I can learn."
"Are you sure?" Tails asked.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Sonic reassured, giving them a thumbs up. "Go find Keith and Kat and go bug them. And maybe check on Hope while you're at it. I'll meet up with you as soon as I can."
The two nodded, Tails carrying Knuckles out as Sonic looked down the extensive hallways.
"Well, best get searching," Sonic declared.
Sonic took off down the hall, speeding between the rooms and checking inside.
"Nope! Nuh uh. No. nada," Sonic listed off as he checked the rooms one after another. "Nothing. Come on, this place isn't that big, is it?"
He quickly rounded the corner, beginning another search of the rooms. Getting a few odd looks by some of the occupants as they saw Sonic speed in and out before they could blink. Sonic then sped to the next room, opening it up and seeing what appeared to be one of the Queen's advisors in the midst of changing. There was a scream of panic, followed by Sonic averting his eyes and slamming the door.
"Uh… sorry about that," Sonic replied, his face turning red. "Well, that wasn't it."
"Hey!" Sonic turned, seeing a pair of guards approaching. "Stop!"
"Sorry, not my style," Sonic replied before speeding off.
He continued his search, undeterred as the guards. Sonic easily blew past them, speeding down the hall until he came to a stop.
"Man, some people can put up such a fuss," Sonic remarked.
Just then, he heard a muffled soft crying coming from one of the rooms. Sonic quickly went over and peaked in, seeing a young woman sitting at a small vanity. She was holding a framed photo in her hand, silent tears running down her cheek. Seeing her sorrow, Sonic stepped inside.
"Hey, are you ok?" Sonic asked, getting the woman's attention.
She gasped and turned, immediately wiping her eyes. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. I just kinda ran in here. Are you doing ok? I was looking for someone when I heard you crying. Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine," the girl insisted. "Just… remembering. That's all."
Sonic looked at the photo, seeing what looked like a younger version of the woman with what he assumed were her parents.
"You must miss them a lot," Sonic replied.
The woman was surprised by the deduction. "How did you-?"
"I never got to meet my parents." Sonic came over, stopping beside her. "I was raised by my uncle until… I lost him too. I didn't speak for a full year after that…"
The woman was genuinely surprised by Sonic's willingness to open up. She scooted over slightly, making room on the vanity bench for him. He took the seat.
"It's always gonna hurt," Sonic admitted, "but we can't let that pain consume us. Otherwise-"
Just then, the doors were thrown open, allowing the guards to storm in.
"Found you, you-" the guard let out before looking towards the woman. "Your highness! Forgive our intrusion."
"Your highness?" Sonic repeated, turning to the woman. "Wait, you're Queen Elise?"
The young woman nodded before turning to the guards. "It's alright. Sonic and I were just talking. You may return to your posts."
The guards just bowed in response before exiting.
"Heh, wish that worked on Knuckles," Sonic remarked.
"Knuckles?" Elise repeated.
"A friend of mine. But that's a story for another time." He cleared his throat, then made to face her. "I wanted to ask you something important. It's about the Solaris Project."
Her face suddenly fell upon the mention of that. "I'm afraid I can't help you."
Sonic was taken aback by that. "Your Highness, please. The fate of both your world, and mine are at risk. Whatever the Solaris Project was could be the key to saving them."
"I…" she responded, her voice slightly shaky before she collected herself. "I'm sorry. Now I must kindly ask you to leave."
Sonic started to leave before turning back to Elise. "That project… it's what took them from you, wasn't it?"
Elise was silent, unable to answer.
"I know it hurts, but… I think they would want you to be able to move on. Maybe, helping me… helping the people of two different worlds… maybe it can bring you some peace. I won't push you., but burying the things that caused you so much pain… it's gonna come back to haunt you sooner or later."
He started to leave, Elise mulling over what he had said.
"Sonic," she spoke, getting her attention. "... meet me after the Festival tonight. We can talk then."
Sonic was surprised by the response, but smiled and gave a thumbs up.
…
That night, the Festival was in full swing, with fireworks and crowds coming out in droves. Keith and Kat found themselves a spot near the front with Blaze joining them.
"This is quite the spectacle," Blaze remarked as she looked around. "So many people…"
"First time in a human city?" Kat asked.
"You… might say that."
"Well, out of all the places to visit for your first city, I think Soleanna during a festival is a good choice," Keith declared, handing her a cone of vanilla ice cream. "Here, try some."
She looked down at the ice cream, almost unsure of what to make of it.
"Have you… never had ice cream before?" Keith asked.
"... no, I suppose not."
"Lick it," Kat told her.
Blaze took it and took a lick, smiling at the taste.
"This is amazing."
"If you like vanilla, you should try chocolate next time," Kat insisted.
"I'll keep that in mind."
…
Meanwhile, Silver and the girls were walking through the town, taking in the sights.
"This… this is incredible," Silver let out, looking all around at the festivities that surrounded him.
"Never been to a big city before?" Amy assumed.
"Not like this. The lights, the sounds, the smells, and everyone is just so… happy." He couldn't keep the smile off his face. "I've never seen anything like this."
"Do they not have festivals on Mobius?" Helen asked.
"We do," Amy told her. "He's probably from a more secluded region."
Hope turned towards Silver, seeing something in his eyes. Something intimately familiar… a hidden pain buried under mountains of silence. She wanted to say something, but didn't want to say anything that would make him feel uneasy.
"So, Silver…" Hope spoke, trying to think of something else to say. "Who's this person you're looking for?"
"He's someone very important," Silver answered, his tone growing serious. "Someone I need to find no matter what."
"We will," Amy reassured. "Tell you what. We'll start looking as soon as the Festival is over. Sound good?"
Silver smiled. "Yeah, sounds good."
…
Meanwhile, Sonic quickly caught up with Tails and Knuckles, who were sitting on a rooftop watching the festivities.
"Hey guys," Sonic greeted, sitting down in between them.
"So, were you able to find her?" Tails asked.
"Actually, yes. We're meeting after the festival to talk about the Solaris Project."
"Then we actually have a chance," Knuckles realized. "We can save both worlds…"
"It's still a long shot… but the best shot we've had in a long time."
"I'll take it if it means saving our world… and not losing our friends."
Sonic turned towards Knuckles, seeing the intensity in his face, prompting him to place a hand on his shoulder. "Not gonna happen, buddy. Not on my watch."
"We can do this," Tails reassured. "I know we can."
Knuckles turned back to them, cracking a small smile as the three looked out at the canals. On the water was a massive silver decorative boat that was pushed along by several rows of oars. On the deck, numerous women in yellow dresses danced gracefully across the floor as Elise herself stood on the bow, smiling and waving to the numerous people in the crowds. The boat sailed across the water towards a platform that stood in front of a large altar emblazoned with a drawing of a winged creature in the center. Elise got off the boat and walked onto the platform, flanked by two women in robes on either side of her as she approached a man who was dressed like a priest and holding a torch. The priest bowed and handed Elise the torch. She bowed back and took the torch, turning towards the base of the altar before looking right into the flame.
She fixated on the fire, letting it consume her every thought. Her thoughts were then taken to the prospect of fire engulfing Soleanna, destroying everything in sight and leaving nothing but devastation and ruin. The water in the canals had dried up and the buildings were completely destroyed. A cyclone of flame stood in the center of the city, and inside of it was a creature composed of fire and magma, who let out a massive roar to the heavens.
"Miss Elise?" one of the handmaidens asked, getting Elise to snap out of her trance.
Elise turned towards her handmaiden, giving her a reassuring smile.
"It's alright," she reassured before turning towards the altar and closing her eyes. "We give thanks for the blessed flames. May we always continue to have peace. Sun of Soleanna, guide and watch over us with your eternal light…"
She then placed the torch in a cauldron at the base of the altar. The flame then ignited along the metal frame that ran along the altar. The act caused the crowds to erupt into applause. Elise turned back towards them, waving as more fireworks filled the air. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles continued watching from their roof, taking in the sight.
"So, think that's it?" Knuckles asked.
"I'm not sure," Sonic replied. "Something doesn't feel right…"
"What do you mean?" Tails wondered.
"I'm not sure. It's just that…" His ear twitched and he looked to the sky. "...that we're not alone…"
He sprung to his feet, prompting Tails and Knuckles to do the same as they looked up, seeing several projectiles heading their way.
"Something tells me those aren't stray fireworks," Knuckles realized.
"No…" Tails realized before leaning out towards the street. "Everyone take cover!"
Just as he said that though, the projectiles rained down, causing explosions that made the crowds erupt into a panic. Everyone began running for cover as missiles rained down on the city. Amidst the crowds, Keith and Kat tried to get everyone to safety.
"Everyone get inside!" Keith called out.
"Get in the basements or any room without windows!" Kat shouted. "Just like the drills in school, people!"
As everyone made their way inside, one of the missiles hit the base of the building, causing debris to start raining down. Seeing this, Blaze focused herself, causing the gem in her forehead to glow and fire to emanate from her hands. She shot her hands out, causing the fire to shoot out and hit the debris, destroying it. Both Keith and Kat turned towards her in confusion.
"How did you-" Keith began to ask.
"Not now," Blaze insisted. "Get the civilians inside. I will tend to the flames."
The two nodded before getting back to crowd control, leaving Blaze to tend to the fires. Across the water, Amy was knocking away bits of debris with her hammer, protecting civilians as Cream and Helen moved to safety. When some debris broke off of the building, Silver saw it was falling towards the girls, prompting him to use his telekinesis on a nearby cart and fling it the debris, knocking it away just in time.
"This is insane!" Silver cried out. "Who would do something like this?!"
Cheese then started chirping like crazy, pulling on Cream and pointing up into the sky. Cream looked up, gasping at the sight. The others saw her reaction and looked up, seeing the Grand Egg-Imperium looming over the city. Everyone else caught sight of this, including Orbot and Cubot, who upon seeing the ship, decided to hide under one of the beds until the situation blew over. Back on the ground, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles looked up in trepidation and anger.
"I was wondering when he was going to show up," Sonic snarled.
One of the panels on the underside of the ship opened up, revealing a new line of Swatbots descended upon the city. They were sleeker, possessed jet packs, and their right arms were replaced with guns. They landed all along the city, aiming their guns at civilians as a means to keep everyone present. A large cluster of them landed on the altar, surrounding Elise and her entourage. Everyone was too terrified to move, for fear of the robots attacking. Just then, a familiar laugh rang out, causing everyone to turn and see Bokkun flying towards the altar with a boombox in hand.
"And now presenting," Bokkun addressed. "His mustachioed maliciousness, Dr. Robotnik!"
Bokkun pressed a button on the boombox and held it up, allowing a rock song to begin playing that was singing Robotnik's praises.
"The story begins, with who's gonna win, knowing what danger that lies within/ from here to the ARK, a genius at heart/ wanting to unlock the mysteries of life!
I am Robotnik, that's who I am/ I am Robotnik, I got the master plan/ I am Robotnik, that's who I am/ I am Robotnik, I got the master plan!"
As the song played, another panel on the ship opened up, allowing the Eggmobile to fly down towards the city. It lowered down towards the altar, where those trapped looked up to see Robotnik himself standing in the Eggmobile, bowing as it came to eye level.
"A pleasure to see you again… your highness," Robotnik greeted, standing back up.
Elise's eyes narrowed at the sight of him. "Robotnik… So, its like my advisors feared. You are the same Robotnik who sabotaged the Solaris project."
"The one and only, my dear. I must say, it's certainly nice to be back in good old Soleanna again. I wonder if the people are just as obliging as I remember."
"You are not welcome here. Guards! Arrest this traitor!"
Several guards tried to make their way out into the water, but Robotnik just pressed a few buttons on his gloves, prompting one of the robots to blast one of the boats, destroying it and knocking the guards back.
"Cute, but I didn't come here to play with your patsies," Robotnik remarked before turning back to Elise. "I've come here to obtain the secrets of the Flames of Disaster from you. And if you refuse to comply…well, you're a smart girl, you can figure it out."
Elise looked out at the robots threatening her citizens, before turning back to Robotnik, her face scowling. "Leave my people out of this."
"Then do come this way," Robotnik gestured. "Please."
Elise steeled herself, preparing to move forward. Just then, a gust of wind quickly transformed into a small cyclone, disorienting everyone. It finally died down when Sonic landed on a platform, flashing his signature grin.
"Wow, pretty snazzy performance there, Eggman," Sonic remarked before turning to Elise. "This guy bothering you?"
"Sonic…" Robotnik snarled.
"Sonic, it's alright." She took his hand, squeezing it and carefully pressing something into it.
Sonic felt the object in his hand, nodding as a result.
"You know, I was just going to take the Queen and leave," Robotnik commented, getting their attention. "But an opportunity like this is just too good to pass up. Robots, attack!"
The robots all raised their guns, aiming them at Sonic. They all opened fire, prompting Sonic to push Elise out of the way before leaping into the air.
"I'll never turn down a fight with you, Eggman!"
He quickly spin dashed into a Swatbot before leaping off and plowing into another. He quickly zipped back and forth between the robots destroying them in rapid succession. Elise was blown away by the speed and power being put on display by the hedgehog. Finally, Sonic landed in front of the last damaged robot, gently tapping it with his foot before letting it plummet to the ground below.
"Too easy," Sonic remarked, turning to Robotnik. "Is that all you got?"
"Actually no, but thank you for asking."
Robotnik pressed a few more buttons, summoning more robots to surround him. Before they could let out a shot, something blasted one of them in the back, causing it to explode. Sonic and Robotnik turned to see Tails and Knuckles soaring towards them, the former armed with some kind of miniature pistol that he used to fire laser shots at the robots.
"Alright, guys!" Sonic cheered.
Tails kept flying in the air as Knuckles landed, smashing into one of the Swatbots before punching another.
"Sonic!" he called out. "Grab Elise and get out of here!"
"Right!" Sonic agreed, speeding over to Elise and picking her up, much to her surprise. "Come on, we gotta jet!"
Sonic took off with Elise, much to Robotnik's irritation.
"I didn't come this far to lose to that Hedgehog again. Get them!"
Back in the crowds, Keith and Kat continued to duke it out with the Swatbots, with Kat using her new exo armor to smash a robots head in before tossing it into two more.
"Keith, this suit is amazing!" Kat cried out.
"Knew you'd like it," Keith replied, sending an electric ball at a Swatbot, shorting him out and causing it to explode. "Come on, I think I saw the girls over this way!"
The two kept fighting through the hordes of bots, seeing Amy flattening one with her hammer. Cream was staying very close to Helen as Cheese flew out, taking out some of the robots. Seeing the chaos unfolding around them, Hope decided that standing on the sidelines was no longer an option. She looked down at her watch, twisting the dial on it before pressing a button on the side. Suddenly a surge of energy emanates from it before taking form as a circular shield. She then hurled it at some of the robots, Keith and Kat saw that, turning towards Hope in surprise.
"What was that?!" Keith asked.
"Something I've been tinkering with," Hope replied, summoning a shield that took the form of a bubble to block attacks aimed at the three of them. "I told Tails I wanted to use some of Uncle Ivo's tech to make something good."
"I'd say this qualifies," Kat replied before turning to the others. "You guys ok?!"
"We're fine!" Amy called back. "But we've got a problem. We had a Mobian with us, a hedgehog named Silver, but we lost sight of him!
"With any luck, he's probably hiding somewhere," Keith reassured. "For now, we need to protect the citizens and back up the city guards."
"Right," Amy agreed. "Cream, you and Helen get somewhere safe. We'll deal with these guys."
…
Meanwhile, Sonic ran down the streets at high speeds, holding onto Elise as tight as he could while being pursued by Eggman's robots. As he did so, he was unaware of the watchful figure of Silver the Hedgehog looking down on him from a nearby building, intensity and determination clear upon his face.
"I finally found him…" he declared, clenching a fist. "The Iblis Trigger."