Hello, again! New chapter incoming! Also, I've been reading your reviews and I am glad you are all enjoying the story!
The sun was just setting on the horizon with yellowish orange hues of light spreading across the sky as it slowly fades into a starry night. It's been maybe an hour since Sonic returned with Sonia from the capital and explained his plan to the others. At first, they were caught off guard by the way he was explaining it. He always makes maybe half a plan or improvises along the way, but with this plan he has thoroughly explained how to reach the city and back. The only thing he left out was what he was going to do to the doctor when the time comes to fight. He wanted everyone to get ready and tried to start immediately, but everyone shot him down because they needed time to get ready. They fully understand what and who is at stake, but they can't just rush in without having everything they need.
After he explained the plan, Amy and Tails left for Angel Island to get Knuckles ready for the mission and look for Chaos Emeralds using his new scanner. Then, Shadow and Rouge left to try and find more Chaos Emeralds as fast as possible. Lastly, Sonia and Blaze stayed to help Manic back on his feet. He only recently woke up after his breakdown and is met with more bad news, but no one told him about what Sonic saw in the dreamscape. How his mother was tortured beyond anything he has ever seen before, how careless that monster has become. He has maybe done something similar to Sonic or his friends before, but nothing close to this.
Blaze was sitting next to Manic on the couch holding him with her arm over his shoulder trying her best to comfort him. Sonia was in the kitchen getting a glass of water. She was at the sink, filling the glass with water before looking out the window to see the sunset, realizing how little time is left before this so-called 'deadline' is reached. Even if Eggman were to keep his end of the deal, the damage was done. A few moments later she saw something else other than her reflection.
"Hey, Silver… If you want me to apologize again-" she whispered
"No, no… that's not it. Are you alright with… everything that's happened?"
"Do I even have to answer?"
Sonia sounds like she nearly lost her voice and her stance and body language would suggest she is way too tired to be dealing with any more stress.
"No… no you don't…" Silver replied.
"I-I can't handle this anymore… After all these years, I thought everything was finally starting to go back to normal…"
Sonia started to sob uncontrollably but had no tears escaping because there was none left for her to shed. The clear glass of water in her hand started to shake uncontrollably as she continued,
"After everything we been through since birth, all our time together to get rid of that dictator, losing our brother again, and now losing our-"
The sound of broken glass reverberated around the kitchen. Silver looked around before his eyes darted back to her hand which at one point did have a full glass, but now he just sees broken shards all over the sink and in her hand. Blood was escaping from cuts or punctured skin from the shards and Sonia just stood there with her eyes closed like nothing ever happened. He quickly ran to the other side of the room towards a first-aid kit and rushed back to take care of her injury.
"Don't worry, Sonia. When everyone returns, we will succeed and get her back." He encouraged while wrapping her hand in gauze.
"M-maybe…" she whispered forcefully.
Once Silver finished bandaging her hand, he set the kit on a nearby counter and led her back towards the living room with his hand on her back. She held her injured hand as she passed by, Manic nearly jumped up when he saw it. Silver calmed him down and he sat back down. Blaze got up and let Sonia take her place, she walked up to Silver and whispered,
"What happened?"
"She crushed a glass of water with her fist over the sink, nothing too bad." He whispered back.
"Do you know where Sonic went? After he told us his plan and when we… pointed out a few things, he ran out."
"I think he is on the roof, I saw him climbing up through the window in the other room."
"Maybe you should talk to him, I'll take care of Sonia and Manic."
"You sure?"
Blaze nodded and Silver exited through the front door and floated up to the top… Blaze shut the door and turned back towards the royal hedgehogs.
"Maybe we should call it a night…"
"I think you're right, dudette- I mean, Blaze." Manic agreed.
Sonic was sitting on the roof of his home staring at the sunset and the stars in front of him. He likes to stay up there for hours to relax and clear his mind.
'The nerve of him!' He thought. 'I know he's been trying to kill me, but after all this time I thought he forgot. He reverted back to conquering my home, how did I not stop him? Was it because I was careless? Did I really think he would forget all those years he ruled my home? It's all my-'
"Sonic?"
Sonic's train of thought was interrupted by Silver calling out to him. He was floating behind him idly before he descended towards him.
"Hey, Silver…" He muttered.
Silver drops to the roof and walks up to him before sitting down himself, looking off into the stars.
"How are you holding up?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Sonic replied sarcastically.
Silver cringed at the response. He looked over and said,
"Well, I think it's safe to say that we might be able to head off to Mobotropolis in the morning."
"Good, I can't wait to start fighting. I'm gonna crack his head like the Egghead he is." He grunted.
Silver's head dropped as he stared at him. He's gotten really aggressive recently ever since this whole ordeal happened.
"Sonic, calm down…"
"Calm down? Silver, he conquered my home, destroyed countless shelters for citizens, dragged everyone including the resistance, my old buddies, AND took my mother away from me again! He has even possibly killed them! Whatever happens, he deserves it." Sonic yelled.
"Sonic, I know what he's done, but don't let your anger take over. You're mother wouldn't want that-"
"What do you know about my mom? You never met her!"
"Well… I know that she cares about you more than anything else in this world. I may not fully understand it but-"
"Of course you don't understand! You don't understand the pain of losing your mother because you don't have any parents of your own!" Sonic snapped.
Silver deadpanned and jumped back in shock. His eyes widened and his pupils shrank at his insult. Only a moment later his eyes start to water, Sonic doesn't realize he crossed a line until Silver gets up slowly and starts to walk away.
"Silver, wait. I didn't mean to…"
"You think I wanted this?" Silver whispered, still having his back turned towards. "You think I wanted to be alone? Alone in one of the worst futures you can think of?"
"N-No! Of course not, I wouldn't want that on anyone!"
"I may not understand the pain of losing them currently, but I do understand a far worse pain…"
Silver turned around with a scolding expression on his face as he walks towards Sonic while shouting,
"A pain I don't wish on anyone! Why do you think I'm so determined to help you with this? If I fail, you will fall to everything I went through all alone if you lost your friends along this mission!"
The cobalt hedgehog just stood there in surprise, just what exactly did Silver go through when he was younger. He knows that his home was completely destroyed and he saw it when he time traveled during his adventure to stop Mephiles, but what happened before that, he doesn't know.
Silver stood there for a second before he sat back down a little forcefully away from him. He brought his knees to his head and slowly started to cry. Sonic could only feel guilt for what he said, just like… like… When he yelled at his mom when she brought him and his siblings' minds together.
"Silver… I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean to-"
Sonic didn't have any more words to say, because none of them would explain how wrong he was. He just insulted his friend who has no parents while he only has one left, on the verge of being lost… forever… Since words can no longer help, he sits down next to the silver hedgehog and hesitantly puts an arm around him for comfort. The moment Silver felt the contact, he ceased his crying and looked up to see him holding him in a sort of half hug. For a moment, Silver felt the same feeling he once felt from Aleena back in the past. No doubt about it. Even if he had doubts that he was the son of Queen Aleena, they were long gone now. In return, he gave a full hug to Sonic, startling him at first, but relaxed and patted his back with a smile. A few minutes went by before four bright objects caught their eyes.
"Sonic? What is that?" Silver questions as he points towards the night sky where four brightly colored stars shined.
"I don't exactly know, but I do know that those stars represent my family." He answered.
"Really?"
"Yep, That one there…" He points at the blue star near the bottom, "That one represents me. The one on the right…" He then points to the bright green star, "That one is Manic's. Next we have Sonia's on the left…" A bright pink star, "And lastly, the one on top is-"
Silver hears him abruptly stop, he was going to question it but when he saw it, he understood why. The final star was a dark purple star on top, but it was losing its shine as it was slowly fading in and out. He already knew who it belonged to, but if they have their own stars then the only reason why this was happening only made them feel worse. Sonic slowly rose up and walked to the edge of the roof as he stretched out his hand, almost as if he could reach out and grab them. He clenched his hand into a tight fist before he dropped it with his head down low. Silver patted his shoulder with his hand trying to comfort him like he just did back to himself.
"We'll get her back, that's a promise…" He whispered.
Sonic relaxed his hands and started to regain feeling in his fingers from the squeeze. He looks back at Silver, then looks back over to the stars. It's always hard to face the possibility of losing someone close, but no one can overcome it… even 'the legendary Sonic The Hedgehog.' Silver's words start to register in Sonic's head as he cracks a smile and looks at his medallion hanging off his neck. His fingers rubbed up against it's smooth crystal surface as it glowed a cobalt blue light before transforming into his childhood triple-necked guitar.
"You know… I haven't used this in a long time and I always looked up to those stars when I missed my family the most. So, I may or may not have written a song to help me get through it."
Before Silver could even ask, Sonic already started strumming his guitar in a semi cheerful tune. The intro itself was enough to get Silver cheering up, but then again, he rarely gets to hear music anyway. After he finished the intro, he started to sing…
Sonic
"Take off at the speed of sound,
Bright lights, colors all around,"
He turned around and started walking towards the top slowly as he continued playing.
"I'm running wild, livin' fast and free,
Got no regrets inside of me,"
He stops at the top and turns around to face Silver who is a few feet away on the side.
"Not lookin' back,
Not givin' up,
Not letting go,
I'll keep on running,"
Just as he was getting to the main chorus, he jumped up and swung his hand down to strum the guitar hard as the song kicked in.
"I'm gonna reach for the stars,
Although they look pretty far,
I'm gonna find my own way,
And take a chance on today,"
He looked up back at the stars with bright green eyes, always getting that familiar feeling of his family. Silver on the other hand, felt like something was tugging on his heart. He always loves music, but it never hit him this hard before. It's almost as if his heart was trying to get him to sing along… 'What is this feeling?'
"The sky with stars so bright,
The colors feel so right,
I've never felt like this. I'll keep on runnin',
The sky with stars so bright,
The colors feel so right,
Just take my hand; we're gonna reach for the stars…"
There was a long pause before his hand made one final strum of the strings…
"Tonight…"
The sounds of the night took over as sonic said the final lyrics of his song. Silver couldn't hold back anymore and decided to let his heart take control. He walked up closer and began to sing himself…
Silver
"Wake up, livin' day by day,"
Sonic was completely caught off guard by Silver's sudden singing. He wasn't expecting him to join in the song as a duet at all. He never saw Sonic work on any song before, so why is he singing now?
"Do what I want, and I'll do it my way,
The world is flying right below my feet,
Got no regrets inside of me,"
Sonic got out of his confusion and brightened his smile. He started strumming his guitar once more and played a whole new verse on the fly as they both started to sing.
Sonic
"Not lookin' back,"
Silver
"(Not lookin' back,)"
Sonic
"Not givin' up ,"
Silver
"(Not givin' up,)"
Sonic
"Not letting go…"
Sonic and Silver
"I'll keep on running."
Just before they hit the chorus, Silver used his psychokinetic abilities to lift them both in the air. They both enjoyed the view of both the ground of Green Hill Zone and the starry night sky. As they soared, they continued the song, still improvising along the way.
Silver
"I'm gonna reach for the stars,"
Sonic
"Although they look pretty far,"
Sonic and Silver
"I'm gonna find my own way,
And take a chance on today,"
Sonic
"The sky with stars so bright,"
Silver
"The colors feel so right,"
Sonic and Silver
"I've never felt like this. I'll keep on runnin',"
Silver launched themselves higher into the sky, nearing what little clouds there were during that night.
Silver
"The sky with stars so bright,"
Sonic
"The colors feel so right,"
Silver
"Just take my hand; we're gonna-"
Sonic and Silver
"Reach for the stars… Tonight…"
When the song ended, Silver carefully lowered him and Sonic back onto the roof of his home. Sonic recalled his guitar back into its crystal medallion form, and gave Silver another smirk.
"Since when do you write lyrics?" He asked.
"Um… Actually, I don't…" Silver replied.
Sonic was confused. If he doesn't write lyrics or songs, then how did he come up with a whole new verse from his song that he just heard? Silver saw his confusion and continued explaining his answer.
"I don't really know how to explain it, but it felt like my heart wanted me to start singing. When I kept holding back, it felt like it was in a cage of sadness. The moment I started singing with you, I felt… free… The lyrics just came to me out of nowhere and-"
"Sonic! Silver!"
The two hedgehogs both turned towards the side of the house at the call. It was Blaze's voice, she was the one calling for them.
"It's getting late, you should come back inside."
Sonic turned back to Silver, glad for the distraction.
"Well, we better head inside. Don't wanna worry my sibs anymore than they are now…"
Sonic started to slide down the roof, jumping down once he reached the edge and walked through the front door that was opened by Blaze. Silver was about to follow, but something in the sky caught his eye. He squinted and rubbed his eyes as if something was wrong with them.
"Silver?" Blaze called again.
"Coming!"
He jumped down, looked back up to the sky and went inside as Blaze shut the door behind her. Once he reached the living room, he noticed that no one was there when he could've sworn he saw Sonia and Manic still there before he went out to talk to Sonic.
"They went up to the guest bedroom, Sonic also called it a night. I suppose we should sleep here as well." Blaze suggested.
"But what about the others?"
"We already called them, Amy and Tails are bringing back Knuckles but they won't arrive for maybe another hour."
Silver was satisfied with that answer as he started to feel really tired. That little joy ride he did must've cost the last of his energy for the day. He gave a nod to Blaze and chose a chair in the room to be his resting place. 'Better than scraps,' he thought. His eyes started to drift off and his eyelids heavy as weights, his eyes shut and started to fall asleep. Whenever he is able to sleep, he starts to recall each event that happened that day. The time portal, accidentally meeting Aleena, Sonia's breakdown, Sonic passing out, getting punched in the face by Sonia (Which really hurt by the way), Sonic's dream, and finally the duet. As if it was like a computer program, it was all being read and sent into his long term memory. All but one… The one that stuck out to him the most. Back on the roof, before he jumped down to get inside. He looked up towards the four stars of Sonic's family. He noticed that Aleena's star was shining brightly again. Not as bright as the other three, but it was stable. The next thing he saw he could've sworn his eyes were seeing things. Just as he was entering the house, he saw something on the lower left side of the others. It was a new shining star...
A small silver-white glowing star…
What could this mean? Stay tuned to find out!