Sonic led the way through the plaza. His friends exchanged glances as the hedgehog walked backward, talking endlessly. They seemed almost grateful when he tripped over the edge of a fountain and fell backwards into the pool.

Sonic quickly leapt to his feet, shook the water out of his quills, and tried to walk it off casually.

He darted into a nearby shop.

Silver snapped out of his absentminded people-watching when the door opened.

Sonic paused in the doorway, looking unsure of his next move or why he was even in here. A puddle of water collected at his feet.

"Don't ask. And please tell me you didn't see that."

Silver suppressed a laugh.

Sonic winced.

He continued into the shop, friends following.

"So, whatcha got here?"

"Uh… Snacks mostly. Mints, cereal, um, drinks."

"Chili dogs?"

"N-no. Just convenience store hot dogs."

"Can I make a suggestion? Recommend an improvement?"

"I guess so?"

"I heard mints! Where's the mints?"

"Tails, hold on. I'm trying to improve this business."

Silver awkwardly pointed to the rack of candy in front of the fox.

There was a loud crash and a bag of chips bounced off of Sonic's head.

"Can I have these?"

"Knuckles! You can at least pick up the shelf you knocked down!" Amy joined Sonic at the counter with a handful of snacks. "Sorry. He's…something."

A pile of chips, chocolate bars, and mints formed on the counter.

The group was still arguing as they paid and left.

Silver checked the fallen shelf. It had been haphazardly put back up and the fallen products were messily piled on it.

Silver sighed. At least he didn't have to deal with them every day. If that was what Seaside Island considered heroes, it was a miracle the island hadn't burned down yet.

Reorganizing that shelf had taken up a good chunk of Silver's workday. He clocked out and started his walk home. He had struck out on his own only a few months ago. All things considered, he was doing pretty well. But he wanted to get off of this island. The people were crazy, and it felt like there was a new threat every week.

A robot was wreaking havoc in the village square. Silver rubbed his aching head. He'd have to take a detour. He started down a side road. Another robot crashed into his path. Amy was perched on it's shoulder ineffectually bashing it over the head with her hammer. Sonic was running after the robot.

Silver watched the scene unfold. Not much else he could do.

The robot punched at a building, knocking down part of the roof.

Silver realized he was in the way a little too late.

"Darn it." He started to run.

He was almost positive he was dead. A rather pathetic last day, but what could he do?

Silver saw Sonic and Amy pushing the rubble away. They looked around in confusion.

Silver wondered. Was this an out of body experience?

The two heroes looked directly at Silver and their shock intensified.

Somehow, Silver was standing a good 12 feet away from the rubble, completely unharmed.

Sonic ran over. "Dude! That was awesome!"

Silver was baffled. "Thanks. What did I do?"

"You ran almost as fast as me!"

"I did?"

"Well, you're still alive and standing pretty far from where you would have died."

"But I'm not fast. I failed out of gym class."

"It must be like a thing where you do the impossible, so you don't die. You just activated your powers! Sweet!"

"Um, okay. I think I need to go home and take a nap."

"Alright. See you tomorrow!"

"What?"

"You have potential! I'm gonna train you! You'll be a hero!"

Silver was too confused to say anything other than, "Okay."

He was in shock the entire walk home. The startled expression didn't leave his face even as he dug his keys out of his pocket, unlocked the door, and collapsed onto his bed.

He took in a deep breath as the day's events finally clicked.

He went to work. He met a group of…lunatics. There was another robot attack. He was almost collateral damage. He should be dead right now. But he wasn't. Somehow, he did the impossible. And now Sonic was expecting him to do the impossible again tomorrow.

Silver rubbed his head and stared at the ceiling. Great. At least his weekend plans were sorted.

When Silver woke up that Saturday morning, he didn't even remember when he had fallen asleep. Yesterday's events had kept him awake. How could they possibly not? And now he had to get up, figure out what happened, and do it again.

Silver forced himself to get up. His nerves dampened his appetite, but he ate his cereal anyway. He watered his beloved bonsai.

Adjusting his messenger bag, he faced the door. Maybe he'd get home in one piece.

Sonic was waiting for him in the village square. Silver saw Sonic before Sonic saw him. He wanted to turn around, run back to his apartment, lock the door, and hide. But he made himself approach Sonic even though it felt like he was wearing cement boots. Time for a taste of adventure.

Sonic lit up and ran to greet him. "Hey there! Uh…buddy."

"Silver."

"Yes, hi Silver. Ready to go?"

Silver forced the rising nausea down. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Sonic did not seem even slightly concerned with the situation.

Silver looked down the steep hill.

There was no way.

"All you have to do is run down the hill as fast as you can. When you lose control, your powers will kick in! Don't worry! We calculated the risk! Didn't we, Tails? It was a, what, 98 point something chance of success?"

"Of failure."

"Nevermind that. Let's go!"

Silver wasn't convinced. "And if I fail?"

"We'll run you to the hospital. No problem!"

Yes problem, Silver thought.

He contemplated turning and booking it back home. But there was no way Sonic wouldn't catch up and drag him back.

Silver took another look down the hill. His stomach dropped. The trees and rocks about halfway down didn't reassure him.

He started to take a step forward, not even sure where he was planning to go, when Sonic suddenly shoved him.

It was sink or swim now. Silver ran as fast as he could in a doomed attempt to catch himself. He was going downhill, fast. No pun intended.

His legs were moving faster than his brain could control them.

He wasn't even sure what caused it when his feet suddenly stopped carrying him.

He flew forward, smacked into the ground, and rolled.

It did not look anywhere near as graceful as when Sonic did it.

Well, this is how it ends.

Silver felt himself hit the ground one last time. Mercifully, he stopped.

He lifted his head. He saw two Sonics staring down the hill. In sync, they turned and saw him sprawled on the hilltop.

What the heck just happened?

"How did you do that?! You were down there and now you're here! You snuck up on me! That was fast!"

"Ugh. M'head. Hurts."

"Oooh. That's not good."

Apparently, Sonic's idea of a hospital was to drop Silver on Amy's porch. She put an ice pack on his head and started bandaging the myriad cuts and scrapes. He was a little surprised she even had bandages left over with how wrapped up she, Tails, and Sonic were.

"Lift your arm. I have to wrap the bandage around."

Silver tried to cooperate, but a sharp pain shot through his already aching limb.

Amy inspected his shoulder.

"Hmm, looks like it's dislocated. Not a problem. I've done this so many times!"

She stood up and put Silver in what he could only describe as a wrestling hold.

"One. Two."

Lemme go. Lemme go. Lemme go, you crazy woman!

"Three!"

"Aghhhhhhhh!"

"There! Good as new."

Silver fell from the couch, clutching his shoulder. He was definitely gonna find a real doctor after this.

"Mild concussion. Sprained ankle. Two sprained wrists. Wrenched shoulder. Broken quills. Thorns. Splinters. Countless scrapes and bruises."

The doctor looked up from the clipboard.

"It's a miracle you didn't break a bone. Heck, it's a miracle you're alive. What in the world did you do?"

"I fell." It was technically the truth and a whole lot easier to say than admitting that a local hero threw him down a hill because he may have hidden superpowers.

At least he had a good excuse to get out of any future "training" Sonic had in mind.

Silver found himself staring at the ceiling from his bed yet again. His favorite jacket was wrecked. Everything hurt. At least the pain meds were starting to work. He had slept pretty well, surprisingly.

He was planning to take his jacket for cleaning and repairs. Hopefully it wasn't a complete write-off.

When Silver trudged into the village, he wasn't sure if he was seeing correctly or if he was having traumatic flashbacks. Sonic was waiting for him again. Was he crazy? Was he trying to kill Silver?

Before Silver could slip out of sight, Sonic was blocking his path. Sonic gave him a slap on the back. Silver held in a whimper.

"Good to see ya! Want to- "

"Got errands! Bye!"

Silver sprinted away as fast as he could with a limp.

By that afternoon, things were actually looking up. His jacket was being repaired. He had a milkshake. He was sitting on a bench in the village square, enjoying the sunshine. And best of all, Sonic was nowhere to be found.

A girl sat down on the other side of the bench.

She was a cat with lavender fur, about Silver's age. The flower tucked into her ponytail matched the pattern on her tropical pink dress.

She was reading a book titled "Whisper: Guardian Angel of the Battlefield". That got Silver's attention. Whisper was a lesser-known hero from a distant island. Silver had followed her adventures for years. In fact, that was the inspiration for his own desire to travel.

The girl looked up from her book. "Can I help you?"

Silver realized he had been staring. "Oh! Sorry. I just was, uh, looking at your book. Whisper's pretty cool isn't she?"

The cat smiled. "Yeah. You like her?"

"Yeah! Well, not like-like," Silver blushed. That wasn't entirely true. "But she's really cool!"

Dang it, Silver. You just said that.

"I think she's pretty cool too! I wish I could spend time with wisps!"

"Me too! I want to visit wherever they come from! It must be pretty cool!"

"It probably is. It would be a fun trip."

"Maybe we can go there one day! Not together. Unless you want to. Um."

With a friendly giggle, the cat said, "That would be nice."

She looked up suddenly. "Oh! I'm supposed to meet a friend for lunch soon! I'm sorry. I have to go. Maybe we'll meet again." She waved as she walked away.

Silver smiled and waved.

Hopefully.

His face felt hot. Was he still blushing? Why was he such a doofus?

Silver was still thinking about that conversation as he walked home. He couldn't stop smiling.

Against his better judgement, Silver found himself sitting on a bench in the village square the next day. Every glimpse of blue made him tense, but he was able to enjoy the day in peace. The sight of a familiar face in the crowd made his heart leap. They made eye contact and he waved shyly. The cat smiled and ran over to join him. Silver was a little surprised by her joyful reaction.

She carried an armful of travel guides.

"I was thinking about what you said - about traveling – and I started thinking of places to visit. It would be fun to just spend a year traveling from place to place, wouldn't it?"

"Yes! That would be my dream!" Silver jumped up eagerly. "Traveling the world together – Silver and…and…" He looked at the cat timidly, "Sorry, I never got your name."

The girl smiled and giggled. "Blaze."

"Silver and Blaze, world explorers!"

"That would be quite an exciting life, Silver."

For some reason, hearing Blaze say his name so cheerfully made Silver blush and giggle. "Yeah, really exciting!"

Blaze started leafing through the travel guides, "There's so many destinations! It's hard to choose where to start."

"Start here and work our way around the world." Silver wasn't sure why he kept talking as if they were going to travel together. It just felt…right. Like they were meant to be a team.

"Sounds like the obvious solution, but where do we go?"

Hearing Blaze say "we" gave Silver a fluttering feeling. Did she feel the same way? Like they would be perfect together?

Blaze held up one of the guides. "The gardens here are so beautiful. No matter what season it is, there's always something to see. That's one place we could go."

Silver looked at the picture in the guide and smiled. "I've always wanted to go there! I like gardening. I've always wanted a garden, but I live in a tiny apartment. All I have is a little bonsai."

"That sounds interesting. I'm quite fond of bonsais. I'd like to see it."

Silver beamed, "I'd love to show you!"

His enthusiasm made Blaze return his smile.

"I'll go get it!" Silver started to run toward his apartment as fast as he could. He could picture the bonsai on its shelf in his mind. He didn't want to keep Blaze waiting.

He suddenly found himself standing in his apartment. He had no memory of unlocking the door and going in.

What happened?

Despite his confusion, he picked up the bonsai and started back. Once again, he found himself suddenly in the village square, a short walk away from Blaze.

He stood, blinking, trying to figure out what in the world was going on. Unable to find an answer, he slowly walked to the bench.

Handing the bonsai to Blaze, he explained, "It's a Japanese maple. I named it Syrup."

Blaze looked the plant over happily, "That's cute. It's a very charming name for a very charming plant." She looked up at Silver. "That was really fast. How did you get it and return so quickly?"

"I-I don't know."

"Are you okay? You seem shaken up."

"I think I'm okay. I keep having…moments. Like I suddenly find myself several feet away from where I was standing. And there's no way I can move that fast." Silver felt strange unloading his concerns on a near stranger, but he couldn't shut himself up. "It's kind of scary. It's saved my life a few times, but I don't think I can chalk it up to a fight or flight reaction. S-someone told me I have a super power. Maybe I move really fast. But I don't remember moving. I'm just…suddenly there."

Blaze softly laid her hand on his hand. She looked at him with gentle concern. "I can understand why you'd be scared. That sounds frightening." She gave him a secretive look and scooted over to him. She lifted a hand slightly. As she turned her palm upward, a tiny flame flickered in her grasp.

Silver's eyes widened.

Blaze snuffed the flame and took Silver's hand in both of hers. "You're not the only one. Superpowers aren't as rare as you might think. The majority on this island may lack them, but there's plenty of individuals across the world with special talents." She smiled. "You have a gift."

Silver looked up from the ground, "Thanks." He was face to face with Blaze. She was holding his hand. She had just confided in him. It felt unusually intimate for an interaction with someone he had just met. Why did they feel so comfortable with each other? Silver was getting a little flustered.

Well, he had already spat out the last thing that had confused him. "Why do I feel like I know you?"

Blaze didn't look nearly as baffled or taken aback as he had expected. Instead she smiled and said conspiratorially, "We have a connection."

"What is that supposed to mean!?"

"My family protects the multiverse. We have an…awareness of constants between dimensions. It appears that versions of you and I are often drawn together."

"So…you're saying that the multiverse wants us to be buddies?"

Blaze chuckled. "In a fashion, yes."

"That is…odd. It's a lot to take in."

"It can be quite a shock to most."

"If you're supposed to meet me, and you knew that, why didn't you know me already?"

"Different versions of you vary."

"Do you know what's going on with me? This superpower, I mean."

"If it's like most versions of you, you have an inherent connection to chaos energy."

"What's that?"

"Ah, it's not as prominent in this universe. You can bend time and space to your will in minor ways."

"Why? How?"

"I'm not certain. The reasoning differs between universes."

Silver leaned back, almost collapsing into the bench. His mind was running 90 to nothing and going nowhere. It was way too much to wrap his head around.

"What am I supposed to do with it?"

"In most universes, you use it to protect the timeline. But this appears to be a less threatened dimension. There may be few opportunities to use your abilities. It may be disappointing to hear that, but believe me, it's a blessing."

"I believe you." Silver looked at her. He wanted to go back to the simple conversation. When they were talking about plants instead of mind-melting cosmic nonsense. "Not to change the subject so quickly, but would you like to travel the world together?"

"I'd love to."

As Silver walked home, he ran into Sonic.

Sonic was thrilled to see Silver.

Silver couldn't say the same.

"Hey there, buddy! Long time no see!"

"It's been a day…"

"How've you been? Ready for some more training?"

"Uh, about that," Silver gathered his courage, "I think I'm done training. I know what I want to do and I'll figure out the rest as I go."

"Really? I'm gonna miss you! We had so much fun together!"

Silver wanted to disagree. Sonic kept talking, "I'll see you around though, right?"

"I'll be leaving the island. I want to see the world."

"Oh? Sounds fun." For once, Sonic sounded genuinely pleasant. "I wish you well."

And with that, Sonic was gone. Silver released his nervousness with a sigh.

That went better than expected.

The days seemed to fly by as Silver got ready to leave. Sonic and his friends actually helped quite a bit, somehow not making things too much worse.

When the life-changing day arrived, Silver was nervous but optimistic. He packed his most treasured possessions in his messenger bag, put on his favorite jacket, and carried Syrup the bonsai in his arms.

Sonic and his friends had gathered at the train station to say goodbye.

"Have fun!" Sonic yelled over the chatter of the crowd.

"Be safe!" Amy added.

"I will! I definitely will!"

When a lavender cat walked up and took Silver's hand, he waved to the group.

They waved back.

And Silver disappeared into the crowd with Blaze, eager to see where life would take him next.

Notes: Fun Fact: This was inspired by a dream I had. The intro is almost exactly how the dream began.

Consider this a sneak peek or a hint to the next fic. The stories are completely different, but there's one big detail in common. What in the world does that mean? You'll find out soon.

And while I'm at it, I'd like to know for future reference. Would you rather I:

a) Finish writing the story, then post a chapter each week.

b) Post the chapters as I finish them, which may result in delays.

Lmk in the reviews.