V. Long Awaited Reunions

"Oh, the Princess? Yes, she is here. And quite worried about you… I've, never seen her like that. You two must be fairly close."

"We are. Well, used to be. It's, been so long… How is she?"

"She's been at ease without having to deal with the doctor. Most of the time running errands or, watching over our people. I'm sure she'll be eager to speak with you."

"I should probably apologize for coming in without knocking. I'm sure she's not too happy about that."

I tried to get out of bed, eager and all that I even forgot. My leg didn't last a second without giving out on me. Fortunately, Theobald caught me just in time...

"Sonic... Now, what did I tell you?"

I grunted, "Right, right. Sorry, almost forgot..."

I laid back down with his help, resting my back against the headboard.

"Would you like me to find her for you?"

"That would be great, if she's not too busy that is."

"Now you just sit tight," he said, "I'll summon the princess if she is available."

"Thanks."

"Always a pleasure."

And with that, he walked away.

On my own, I started remembering the fight I had with Eggman, before getting here. He's been getting desperate. Or bold. I wasn't sure. But I did remember us taking down Metal and him with it, though. Hopefully, that gave the rest enough time to get out there… Hopefully... But, that machine. Now I'm no genius, but Miles said that Eggman built a time machine, not a portal to a whole different dimension. Or maybe I did travel through time, too? If Eggman were to use it right after me, he should've been here by now…

I took the liberty of peeking out the window beside me, and what a view it was. Different dimension alright, and a beautiful one too. I could see almost the whole kingdom from here. It was an early afternoon from the looks of it, and the streets down below were quite busy. Blaze wasn't kidding. I would never imagine running all of this by myself, even being a former knight and prince to top it all off. Instead, I apparently just walked in and wrecked the place. Immediately, I forgot about a warm welcome.

And speaking of, the doors down the room opened, and my eyes quickly landed on familiar ones.

"Blaze. Hey, l-long time no s-Oof!"

"...Oh, I'm sorry." She quickly backed away, right before I returned that unexpected hug.

"No, no. I, you caught me off guard, is all... Honestly, I thought you'd be upset."

"Sonic, why in Sol would I be?"

"I was told I made quite the scene… Sorry about that."

"Never mind that. I'm glad you're alright. How are you feeling...? I was worried. I thought… the worst had happened."

"I heard... But hey. I'm fine, really," I assured her.

Blaze sighed, sitting on the side of the bed, "I'm relieved..."

"Blaze, what's wrong?"

"Don't mind me… I'm, happy you're all right."

"Then wipe those tears. I feel like I'm at my own send-off… I'm fine. I promise."

She rubbed her face a bit and took a deep breath, shooting at me the greatest smile I've ever seen from her...

"I'm, sorry. It's just... I thought, I'd never get to see you again. I still can't believe you're here," she lightly chuckled.

"I'm sorry we haven't come by to visit. Trust me when I say that me and Miles have tried once or twice before, but, I guess, it's easier said than done. Things with the doctor back at home have also been getting, complicated, to say the least... So there's that."

"Sonic, you don't have to worry-"

"But we haven't forgotten about you. Cream and Amy still wonder how you've been."

"Do they? Please, send my regards. I wish for their well-being every day. Now I feel terrible for not even thinking of visiting all of you myself... But, using the gems as a method of travel, means bringing them to your world. Meaning…"

"The Sol and Chaos emeralds messing with reality, I remember. Plus, you have your own things to deal with here. It's all right."

"Speaking of. How, exactly, were you sent here? Who did this to you?"

"Well," I answered, sighing. "You can guess who."

"Eggman."

"He, built a time machine, of sorts. This time, he's after the past. Me and the rest tried to stop him, but things got a bit heated. If he conquers that, then… I'm, not sure how we'll recover from that."

"I, think I follow. But, something I don't quite understand. If this, machine, allows you to travel through time, then why are you here?"

"I don't know... But, I think we can figure it out."

"How, exactly?"

"I see you still have your comms on."

"I do. I've kept it, although I'm not sure how it works."

"Can I take a look?"

"Umm, sure. Here."

I scrolled through her comms, going through the settings...

"...Huh, that's strange."

"What is it?"

"So, this comm is practically the same one I have. Its settings should be identical to when we gave it to you. And from the looks of it, they are… If I were to come from a different time, then, the time and date on yours would be a heck of a lot different compared to mine."

"Meaning that you haven't traveled through time at all… Huh, clever," she said, staring right at me with a raised brow.

"What? I can have moments too, you know," I teased while she chuckled.

"Do you think Eggman miscalculated his work?"

"That's not his style… Something's not right."

"...Sonic, I'm sorry but, I need to ask you. Should this kingdom prepare for Eggman's arrival?"

"Possibly... I wish I could give you a proper answer. Everything happened so fast, and we were running out of time..."

"Do you think, Miles and Amy are all right?"

"I hope so..."

I couldn't help but clench my fist in worry. Just for her hand to reach out for mine...

"...Sonic, we'll get to the bottom of this. You have my word."

"...Thanks, Blaze… It's great seeing you again."

"...Likewise."