Sonic continued running through the streets of Soleanna, Elise holding onto him tight. Moving fast, he leapt over a canal and ran down an alleyway, narrowly avoiding a group of Swatbots passing by in search of them. Both Sonic and Elise waited in silence as the group passed them by, finally able to let out a sigh of relief as Sonic put her down.
"Think we lost them for now," Sonic informed.
"So it appears," Elise agreed before turning towards him. "I can't thank you enough."
"And you don't have to. Do you want this back?"
He went to open his hand, but she stopped him. "No. Keep that close. Ivo is relentless, and I have no doubt he will not rest until he has me. I would rather that be safe in your hands than risk it falling into his."
"Good point," Sonic agreed, stowing it in his fur. "So… what did he mean by the Flames of Disaster? I thought he was after the Solaris Project."
"The two are connected. You see, Soleanna was founded by people who worshiped Solaris, believing him to hold incredible power."
"The remnants of Murasia…" Sonic pieced together, causing Elise to look confused. "Uh, long story."
Elise brushed it off and continued. "However, it is said that when Solaris is angered, his rage would wreak havoc upon the world in the form of the Flames of Disaster. The Solaris Project was my fathers way of attempting to control that power. He hoped that harnessing the might of Solaris would allow us to, as he put it, fix the mistakes of our past."
"He wanted to control the power of a god?" Sonic questioned, crossing his arms. "Yeah, as someone who fought a God not too long ago, that never ends well."
"It didn't for us, either," Elise replied, her face dropping. "It's how my father died…"
Sonic's face dropped, seeing the sorrow in her eyes.
"And now that mad man is trying to cause the same disaster again. If he succeeds… I dread the thought…"
Sonic walked over and took her hand in reassurance. "That's not gonna happen. Me and my friends are gonna stop him."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because it's what we do. Whatever Eggman has planned, we're gonna stop it. No matter what stands in our way."
He gave her a thumbs up, which seemed to give her a sense of reassurance. Just then, his watch started beeping, prompting him to answer it.
"Go ahead, Tails," Sonic replied.
"Sonic, the robots appear to be falling back. Guess Eggman decided to fall back."
…
"Lucky us," Sonic remarked. "I'm gonna try and get Elise back to the castle then meet up with you guys."
"Sounds good," Tails replied as Robotnik continued to listen from his Eggmobile, zeroing in on Sonic's location.
"Perfect…"
…
Sonic then hung up before turning back to Elise.
"Alright," he said as they started walking forward. "Let's get you back to the castle and-"
Suddenly, Elise grabbed him and yanked him off his feet, pulling him back. Seconds later, a projectile that looked like a sharpened, wrought iron gate link embedded itself in the ground where Sonic once stood.
"Yikes!" Sonic let out.
"How on Earth…?" Elise wondered.
"I've been looking for you."
Sonic and Elise looked up to see Silver, now covered in a green aurora, hovering down towards them.
"You're the Iblis Trigger! Your actions will doom us all!"
"What?!" Sonic let out. "You've got the wrong hedgehog pal!"
"Don't try and trick me," Silver snapped. "I would recognize you instantly! Everything is all your fault!"
Sonic grimaced. "Elise, put me down and get out of the way. This guy's not about to listen, and I don't want you caught in the crossfire."
Elise set Sonic on the ground, backing away as the two hedgehogs stared each other down.
"I'm gonna give you one chance," Sonic insisted. "Back off before you get hurt."
"Sorry, but I've come too far to back down now. For the future of this world, your life ends!"
Silver shot a hand forward, sending a surge of energy towards Sonic. Sonic quickly leapt out of the way, running along the wall of the alleyway before using a homing attack to hit Silver in the chest, knocking him out of the alley and into a nearby courtyard. He collided with one of the tables as Sonic came out, nursing an aching head.
"Nice try, but not good enough," Sonic told him.
"Oh yeah?" Silver asked, getting back to his feet. "How bout this?!"
Silver then used his powers to levitate the table and several chairs into the air. He then launched them at Sonic, forcing him to leap up and onto the table. He then leapt from chair to chair before finally leaping towards Silver. Silver then grabbed a nearby sewer grate and hurled it at Sonic, knocking him back. Sonic tumbled through the air before landing on his feet, skidding to a stop.
"Look, I really don't want to fight you, right now," Sonic insisted. "But you're not giving me much choice!"
Sonic then sped towards Silver, about to strike at him when Silver levitated up into the air. He flew in a loop so he could dart back at Sonic, causing him to swerve out of the way. Sonic turned towards Silver as he turned around, a look of determination on his face. Silver darted back at Sonic as Sonic spin dashed towards him. The two clashed, blowing each other back as a result. The two continued to clash at each other repeatedly until finally, they knocked each other out of the air, causing them to hit the ground. Sonic quickly recovered, deciding to wrap this up and spin dash right at Silver. Silver saw this and quickly used his power to catch Sonic, suspending him in the air. Sonic continued spinning, causing Silver to grunt from strain as he kept his hold on him.
"You… can't break free…" Silver insisted, now using both hands to maintain his grip. "It's no use!"
"Wanna… bet!?" Sonic replied.
He kept up the spin, not wanting to let up for even a second. A beat of sweat began dripping down Silver's brow as he struggled to keep Sonic still. The spinning continued, with Silver swearing to himself he saw some electricity building in Sonic's quills. Finally, the energy field gave out, and Sonic was able to speed through and nail Silver in the face, knocking him to the ground. He landed on his feet, turning towards Silver and seeing him groaning on the ground.
"Well, now that you've had enough, maybe you and I should have a little-"
Before he could finish, a scream from Elise caused Sonic to turn and see her being snatched up by a claw coming from the Eggmobile.
"Elise!" Sonic let out.
"So sorry to snatch and run," Robotnik remarked as he and Elise flew away. "But I do have a world conquering schedule to keep. Till next time, Sonic."
"Hang on, Elise!" Sonic promised. "I'll rescue you! Count on it!"
"I know…" Elise replied.
The Eggmobile then flew up towards the Grand Egg-Imperium, docking with the massive ship as it flew off. Sonic narrowed his eyes and began to take off after it. Before he could get far though, Silver managed to pick himself up and shoot out a blast of energy at Sonic, nailing him in the back and causing him to hit the ground.
"You're not getting away that easily," Silver declared, using his powers to pin him in place.
"No… getting away…" Sonic reached a hand out towards the ship, unable to do anything to follow.
Silver just increased the power, pinning him more.
"It's time I put an end to this-" he began, about to finish Sonic.
Just then, a hammer flew in out of nowhere, striking Silver and knocking him back. He tumbled across the ground before coming to a stop, looking up to see Amy standing between him and Sonic.
"Silver, what do you think you're doing?!" she demanded.
"Get out of my way, Amy," Silver insisted, getting to his feet. "I have to do this."
"Like hell I will! Here I was, nice enough to buy you lunch and you're attacking Sonic?!"
"You don't understand! This is the only way to save the world."
While the two argued, Sonic slowly got back to his feet.
"Thanks, Amy," Sonic told her, smiling a little.
"Go save Elise," Amy replied. "I got this guy!"
Sonic nodded before taking off, hoping to catch up with Robotnik before it was too late.
…
Sonic made his way to the shores of Soleannas Wave Ocean, increasing his speed so he could match up with the Grand Egg-Imperium.
"Ocean view, wide open spaces," Sonic listed off. "Great place to open up!"
Sonic increased his speed, darting across the water and running along an arched rockway. Once he made it to the top, he leapt off and landed back on the sand, maintaining his pursuit.
…
Onboard the Grand Egg-Imperium. Robotnik had just finished securing Elise as he turned to a nearby screen, seeing Sonic running after them.
"He doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Robotnik remarked before turning to Stone, who was sitting at a console. "You, minion. He's on the kill list. Fire when ready."
"Uh, working on that, Doctor," Stone replied, looking over the console. "Just familiarizing myself with the controls."
"Did you even glance at a manual?" Robotnik responded before coming over. "Oh, let me!"
He shoved Stone aside before pressing a few buttons.
…
Back outside, twin turrets on the back of the ship turned towards Sonic, opening fire on him. Sonic easily sped around the shots, dodging and weaving between them with relative ease.
"That the best you can do, Eggman?!" Sonic remarked. "I can keep this up all night!"
…
"Is that so?" Robotnik remarked. "Well then, perhaps it's time to turn up the heat."
He flicked a switch as he grinned.
…
Back outside, two holes opened up on the ship, allowing two missiles to shoot out and head straight towards Sonic. Sonic saw this and quickly dropped to the ground, sliding along the sand and skidding past the missiles.
"Ha! Nice try!"
Just then, the missiles turned around, tailing after Sonic. He saw this and tensed up, trying to pick up speed. He tried swerving and veering away, but the missiles held their position on Sonic, regardless of his intentions.
"Gotta get rid of these things," Sonic said to himself, trying to think of a plan.
Finally coming up with something, Sonic leapt up and used a homing attack to strike one of the missiles, disorienting it so it would fly out of control. As a result, it hit the other missile, causing both of them to explode and the shockwave to send Sonic flying through the air and right into the water. He splashed down, hard, the air knocked out of him as he slowly began to sink. Fortunately, he didn't sink too far before a set of hands grabbed him and pulled him out of the water. Sonic coughed up some water as he was set on the ground, allowing him to look up and see Tails flying over him.
"Thanks for the save, pal," Sonic told him.
"Anytime," Tails responded, looking up to see the Grand Egg-Imperium flying away. "He's getting away! I can call the X-Tornado, and-"
"Nah, he already has too much of a head start," Sonic cut off, getting back to his feet. "If we wait, he's gonna get away."
"So what do we do?"
"Let's head back into town. I want to have a few words with the hedgehog that tried to off me earlier."
…
Back in town, Amy held off Silver to keep him from going after Sonic, swinging her hammer at him repeatedly.
"Amy, stop this!" Silver insisted, ducking under her hammer. "I don't want to fight you."
"Sorry Silver, but I can let you go after Sonic!"
She took another swing at him, but this time, he used his powers to catch her hammer, lifting it, and her, into the air.
"I'm sorry to… but I can't let anyone stand in my way!"
"Hey!" a new voice called out, causing Silver to turn and see Knuckles standing on a rooftop. "Let Amy go, or else!"
Silver seemed floored at the sight of Knuckles, as if he was seeing a ghost. He froze in place, dropping Amy in shock. Knuckles leapt down to the ground, landing in front of the hedgehog.
"Ok, pal, you have exactly five seconds to tell me why you were trying to attack Sonic."
Silver shook his head, coming back to his senses before turning to face Knuckles. "He's responsible for destroying my world!"
"What?!" Knuckles and Amy let out.
"That's insane!" Amy declared. "There's no way that's true!"
"She's right," Knuckles concurred. "Sonic can be reckless, sure, but not even he would do something that stupid."
"It's the truth! He's the Iblis Trigger that brings about the destruction of Earth and Mobius, reducing the two conjoined worlds to nothing more than a barren wasteland!"
"No!" Amy insisted. "It's not true! I… I don't believe it."
"Believe what you want, it's true. Your friend is the Iblis Trigger… and I have to stop him."
"Hey!" Sonic called out as he and Tails arrived, getting everyone's attention. "Don't I get a say in the matter?"
"Sonic!" Amy cried, running over to him. "Where's Elise?"
"Gone…" Sonic lamented, clenching his fists.
"You!" Silver declared, trying to move towards him.
Sonic braced himself, but Knuckles quickly moved in front of him before Silver could reach.
"You're really working my last nerve pal," Knuckles swore.
"You still don't understand!" Silver declared, charging his hands. "I have to stop him! I won't let anyone stand in my way!"
The others stared Silver down, preparing for a fight that seemed all but inevitable.
"What about me?" a new voice asked, getting Silver's attention.
Just then, Blaze leapt down from a rooftop, landing next to Knuckles as Keith, Kat, and the others arrived.
"Blaze!" Silver let out. "What are you doing?!"
"Keeping you from making a serious mistake," Blaze insisted.
Sonic turned to the teens, looking confused. "Who's she?"
"Someone you really want to listen to," Keith answered.
"How is it a mistake to save our world?!" Silver countered.
"When you kill the wrong person," Blaze countered, walking up to him. "I found these two and they told me about Sonic. He's not a threat, he's a hero. On two worlds."
"That doesn't change anything!"
"It changes everything!"
"Uh, excuse me!" Tails spoke up, getting their attention. "Um… who are you guys? And how do you know Sonic may or may not destroy the world?"
Silver and Blaze turned to each other for a moment before turning back to Tails.
"To answer your first question," Blaze spoke up. "My name is Blaze the Cat, and this is Silver the Hedgehog. We come from the future."
"The future?"
"Yes. About two hundred years from your present date."
"You'll forgive us if we find that hard to believe," Knuckles responded. "You wouldn't happen to have any proof of this, would you?"
"As a matter of fact…"
Blaze then reached into her pocket and pulled out a pendant identical to the one Keith had given Kat earlier that day. This one however looked weathered and worn, as if it had been handled for years. Kat went wide eyed at the sight of it, pulling out her own to see the similarities.
"No way… I just got this a couple hours ago! Where'd you get that one?"
"It belonged to a friend of mine… she said her family held onto it for years."
"A friend?" Keith repeated.
"An Echidna," Blaze went on, making Knuckles gasp. "Her name was Lara-Su."
"An Echidna…" Knuckles let out before shaking his head. "That's impossible. I'm the last Echidna on Mobius."
"I cannot tell you how she came to be, but she was your descendant. Sadly…" Blaze grimaced.
"She died," Silver muttered bitterly.
Knuckles was floored by that. "... how?"
"... she was killed," Silver explained. "By the monster that has laid waste to our world."
"Maybe you better tell us what this is all about," Keith suggested. "I think we deserve to know at this point."
Silver turned towards him, sighing in resignation.
"The world Blaze and I come from is a nightmare. A hellish landscape of death and desolation. There are only a few survivors left, and it's a struggle just to make it through the day. I often wondered how it came to be like this, but no one would ever answer me directly. But they always pointed… to the flames."
"Flames?" Hope wondered, turning to the others.
"These flames have eaten at my world long before any of us were even born. They are spawned by an entity we can briefly ward off, but never truly defeat. The Flames of Disaster… known as Iblis."
Sonic perked up at the mention of the flames of disaster, but decided to keep quiet and keep listening.
"Several years ago, the remnants of the government initiated a program that would grant volunteers special powers that could fight back against Iblis… Blaze, Lara, and I were all that was left of that team… before things went wrong…"
…
Previously, in the future…
In the desolated and destroyed region that had come to be known as Crisis City, Silver the Hedgehog flew above the scores of wrecked buildings and lava filled streets with a filled sack in hand, working to reach his destination as quickly as possible. As he continued flying, a stream of fire suddenly shot up in front of him. Reacting quickly, he sent out a stream of psychokinetic energy that dissipated the flames so he could proceed. He veered down towards the remains of a street, seeing a female Echidna with light red fur, pink hair that had a braid in it, and a blue vest and pants waiting for him.
"Bout time, Silver," she greeted as Silver landed on the ground. "Was beginning to wonder if something happened."
"Sorry, Lara," Silver replied as he walked up. "New fire pits keep springing up and it was hard to navigate."
"Just tell me the supplies are ok."
"Yeah, I was able to make sure of that."
Silver opened up the bag, revealing various items of food and medicine for the refugees waiting inside one of the destroyed buildings. Lara quickly grabbed some and went inside, prompting Silver to follow after. They entered the building, seeing both humans and Mobians huddled inside, looking sickly and in need of help.
"Hey everyone!" Lara called out. "Silver's back! And he brought food and medicine!"
Upon hearing that, everyone got to their feet and rushed over, repeatedly thanking Silver for the aid.
"It's alright," Silver reassured. "Now, don't crowd. There's enough for everyone."
Everyone began partaking in the supplies, with Lara noting a drop in Silver's face, causing her to walk over to him.
"Hey, you ok?" she asked.
"Huh?" he let out, turning towards her. "Oh, yeah. Just… wishing I could do more for everyone."
"We're literally doing everything we can. No one could ask more of any of us. And they're grateful for our efforts no matter what."
"I know that. It's just that-"
"Silver! Lara!"
The two turned to see Blaze running into the room, a worried look on her face.
"Blaze," Lara responded. "What is it?"
"He's appeared again!"
The two mobians went stock still.
"No…" Silver let out before turning to the refugees. "Everyone stay inside until we return! We'll handle this!"
Silver then shot out of the building in an instant, with Lara and Blaze following close behind. As Silver continued flying, Blaze leapt from rooftop to rooftop with graceful precision, while Lara glided through the skies in her attempt to keep pace with everyone. As Blaze and Lara landed on a roof, several fires shot up in front of them, taking the forms of creatures that stared the two down. The gem on Blaze's forehead began glowing, allowing her to charge forward with an aurora of flame surrounding her so she could blow through a group of the creatures. Lara charged forward, spikes popping out of her fists as she punched one of the creatures in the face, knocking it to the ground. Another creature approached from behind, causing her fists to surge with energy before she spun around and punched the creature through the chest, causing it to dissipate into ash. As the creatures began swarming around them, Silver dove down and landed on the ground, slamming his hand so a surge of psychokinetic energy would hit all the creatures at once. This stunned them, allowing him to grab one with his powers and spin it around, hitting the others all at once.
"That should be the last of them for now," Silver noted. "Come on, we gotta hurry!"
The three of them quickly took off, making their way down towards a sunken street covered in lava. The three of them landed on a platform just above the lava as something began to stir within it. Then, the lava itself began to rise up, taking on the form of a massive, demonic creature with four arms and rock-like armor. This was the monstrous form of Iblis.
"Come on, you monster!" Silver cried out.
Iblis let out a massive roar of fury as he loomed over the three heroes. He brought a massive hand down on the group, causing them to scatter. Blaze leapt up onto a nearby rooftop and saw a taller building standing behind Iblis. She focused her power and sent a stream of flames to the base of the building, causing it to topple over and collapse onto Iblis. The rock armor of the creature cracked as a result, but little damage was done otherwise as Iblis grabbed a piece of the building and chucked it towards Blaze, forcing her to leap out of the way.
From the top of a higher building, Lara ran towards the edge before leaping off, gliding towards Iblis and punching him in the face. His rock covered face cracked as she landed on the ground in a roll. Iblis roared in fury as he spread his arms, sending a stream of flaming boulders towards her. Before she could move, a wall covered in green energy rose up, blocking the boulders as Lara turned to see Silver shielding her from the attack.
"Thought you could use a hand," he remarked.
"Thanks," Lara replied. "Now let's finish this!"
Silver then launched the wall towards Iblis, hitting him and causing him to stagger back. Iblis let out another roar as he turned back towards the group, swiping one of his massive hands towards them. Acting on instinct, Lara leapt towards Silver, pushing him out of the way just as the hand hit her. The smack caused her to collide with a nearby wall before hitting the ground as a small pendant bounced away from her. Silver slowly picked himself up, seeing Lara laying on the ground, covered in burns.
"Lara!" Silver cried out. "No, no, no, no, no!"
Lara slowly lifted her head up, turning towards Silver.
"Don't… give up Silver… never stop fight-"
Before she could finish, one of iblis' hands came crashing down on her, killing her.
"NO!"
Silver's face dropped in response, before suddenly becoming enraged as he grabbed the pendant and turned towards Iblis. He suddenly darted upwards, grabbing several nearby objects with his powers and chucking them at Iblis one after another. Iblis staggered back, beginning to feel the pressure of the attacks. As Silver continued his assault, Blaze leapt up onto a ledge and focused her power into a single blast, launching it right at Iblis. The blast began to destabilize his form, causing him to collapse into the lava below. Silver landed on the ground, watching Iblis sink beneath the magma as Blaze ran up to him.
"We did it!" she let out. "We won! Where's Lara?"
Silver just turned to her, holding out the pendant she had on her. Blaze gasped in response, taking the pendant and holding it in remembrance for their friend.
"She's gone…" he let out, turning back towards the lava. "She's gone and it was for nothing!"
"Not nothing, Silver," Blaze insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder. "She helped stop Iblis."
"Until he rises from the ashes again… like he always does!"
He pulled away, slamming a fist against the wall.
"How long is this gonna go on?! How many more friends are we gonna have to bury before it's our turn?!"
"Silver, please. We can't give up.
"Then tell me what we should do! How can we stop Iblis for good?! How?!"
"I… I don't know…" Blaze turned away, ashamed she couldn't answer.
There was a beat of silence between them, until a new voice spoke up.
"Perhaps I could be of assistance."
The two turned around, seeing what appeared to be a Mobian hedgehog in a black cloak walking towards them.
"Who are you?" Blaze asked.
"A humble traveler in these parts," the figure asked, still moving towards the two. "I saw the fight you two put up and I was amazed. I am also sorry for your loss."
"Uh… thank you," Silver replied, unsure of what to make of this figure. "You said you could help us? How?"
"Your fight is futile because Iblis is invincible in this present state. However… if you were to travel to a point in time before Iblis gained this power-"
"Wait, travel in time?" Blaze cut off. "That's impossible."
"To some, perhaps," the figure replied before turning to Blaze. "But I have been blessed with a gift that permits me to move myself and others through time. A gift that I would like to share with you two."
"If you have this power, why not use it yourself?"
"I am an old soul… and I lack the strength to do what is necessary. So I came here to find someone with the strength and resolve needed to do the job. How fortunate I was when I came across this young hero." He gestured towards Silver.
"Me?" Silver pointed at himself. "What could I do to stop this future?"
"Just like a flower comes from a seed, or a chicken comes from an egg, everything has an origin. You must find the one responsible for this catastrophe and stop him… by any means necessary."
"Could you give us a moment," Blaze spoke up, pulling Silver aside. "This can't be the solution, Silver."
"How can you say that, Blaze?" Silver asked. "He's offering us a chance to fix things. To stop all of this from ever happening. To save Lara."
"I don't trust him."
"What about me? Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do. I also know you're too naive for your own good. Look, you just lost a friend. You're grieving. You need to take time to mourn and-"
"Time?" Silver scoffed. "That's a luxury we can't afford, Blaze. This world is dead… but it doesn't have to be. If there's a way to save this world… then I'll do whatever it takes."
Blaze sighed in resignation. "Alright. But I'm coming with you to make sure you don't do anything foolish."
"Fine," Silver relented before turning to the figure. "What do we have to do?"
"Come with me," the figure gestured, signaling the two to follow.
…
The two followed the stranger in what looked like the remnants of an old laboratory, where he began to access a beaten old terminal.
"What many do not remember is that this world used to be two. The world known as Earth, and the world known as Mobius. 200 years ago, great calamity struck, merging the two worlds in a cataclysmic explosion that unleashed the fiery demon known as Iblis."
"So we're in this mess because something caused two worlds to merge?" Silver questioned.
"Not something…" the stranger replied, turning towards them. "Someone. Someone who sought to tamper with the natural order of things, and chose to play god with powers beyond understanding. If you want to change the past, you must eliminate the being that would awaken Iblis… the Iblis Trigger."
"And just who is this Iblis Trigger?" Blaze questioned.
The stranger turned back to the computer, pulling up several files on Earth and Mobius.
"Here are all the remaining records on the Day of Disaster. The day that Iblis was freed, and his flames were unleashed upon the world."
The two looked at the images upon the screen, the stranger moving towards Silver and pulling out a purple Chaos Emerald.
"And you have this person to blame," the stranger continued, holding out the gem to Silver.
Silver took the gem and looked into it, seeing a blue figure streak through a window, flames pouring out behind it. The world seemed to be engulfed in flames as the figure landed on a ledge, looking out upon the devastation. This allowed Silver to get a good look to see the frame of Sonic the Hedgehog himself.
"I see it!" he let out. "So that blue hedgehog's the Iblis Trigger?"
"Indeed," the stranger replied, taking the gem back. "I warn you though. He is a powerful warrior. He will not go down easy."
"Nothing in life has been easy before. Why should this be any different?"
"I knew I came to the right person."
"Silver, are you sure about this?" Blaze asked. "For all we know, he could be wrong about this Iblis Trigger."
"Blaze, for the first time in centuries, there's hope for this world. I've got to try."
"... alright. Let's do it."
Silver nodded before turning towards the stranger. "We're ready."
"Then let us be off," the stranger replied, energy building up in his hands.
Eventually, the energy grew into a sphere that engulfed all three of them, causing them to disappear in a blinding light.
…
"After that, I appeared in the forests just outside of this city," Silver went on. "When I came out, I couldn't find Blaze. I assumed we got separated upon transport, so I went ahead with my mission. I was searching along the beach when I ran into her," he pointed to Amy.
"I ended up on the beach and decided to make my way into town," Blaze informed. "I decided to get some information on this 'blue hedgehog' to see if he was a real threat."
"Nice to know reason isn't a lost art in the future," Amy remarked.
"I was trying to find anyone who would help, and then I saw these two with Lara's pendant…" Blaze's eyes darted to Kat, who gripped the medallion in her hand. "It was as if Lara was telling me who I could trust, and I am glad I listened."
"But Blaze-"
"No, Silver. These two vouch for Sonic, and I believe them."
"She's right," Keith insisted. "Sonic's a hero. One of the best. There's no way he'd do the things you're implying."
"Maybe," Silver tried to argue, "but even if he didn't intentionally, he's still-"
"Hey!" Kat knocked him on the forehead. "Why don't you actually listen for a minute? You say this guy showed up out of nowhere and was all 'yeah, I know who destroyed the world 200 years ago'. I mean, there are so many red flags with that."
"Seriously, who would do something that short sighted?" Knuckles questioned.
Sonic and Tails both gave Knuckles a deadpan stare.
"You never saw his face," Kat listed off, "he somehow had access to 200 year old footage in an old lab that I will bet you was raided in the past, and he somehow had the power to travel back in time but never did so during this entire time period. I can't be the only one seeing red here."
"You haven't lived what I have," Silver argued. "Never had to struggle to survive day in and day out. Never had to bury friends constantly in a futile attempt to salvage what's left of a dying world. So yeah, I jumped at the chance to fix things. You would too if you had to suffer through what I did."
"No one's denying that you've been through hell," Knuckles chimed in. "And no one is denying your grief. But seriously, have you taken a moment to honestly think about all this? You have to know there's something fishy going on."
"I… didn't know what else to do…"
"Why not ask for help," Sonic offered, walking towards him.
Silver perked up in confusion. "What?"
"You called Iblis the Flames of Disaster, right? That's the same thing Eggman is after with Queen Elise. I'd bet my sneakers our two problems are connected somehow."
"So if we find the Queen, then no doubt we can learn more about the Flames of Disaster and prevent your future from happening," Tails added.
"And we can start with this." Sonic reached into his quills, pulling out an ornate, golden key, the small object Elise had slipped him. "The Queen slipped this to me before she was taken. It's got to be important."
"What do you think it goes to?" Amy wondered.
"I'm not sure. But she said it was important, so I'm guessing it's connected to the Solaris Project somehow."
"Still, it's the only lead we've got," Keith reminded. "We should take it back to the castle and see if anyone knows where it goes."
"Right," Sonic agreed before turning to Silver and Blaze. "You two coming?"
Silver was taken aback by this. "What?"
"We're going to save your future, and I figure you'd want to be a part of that."
"And you expect me to just… trust you?"
"Kinda. If we work together, we can find out what really happened to your world and maybe we can stop it," Sonic held out a fist, causing Silver to flinch. "It's not an attack, it's a power bump. In this era, it means an unbreakable promise."
Silver looked down at the fist, then back up at Sonic, who was smiling reassuringly. Reluctant, Silver returned the bump in kind.
"Alright!" Sonic declared. "Now, let's get to work!"