A cacophony surrounded the guardian of the Sol Emeralds, a combination of music and joyous uproar was exploding from every direction. Orange, green, purple and black were the colours of the evening, draping and coating every inch of the fairground that the feline and her hedgehog ally found themselves stood within. People of all ages, from babies in strollers to grandparents pushing them to gaggles of teens were present; every single person garbed in some kind of costume. The foot of the Pumpkin Mountain range had been a fitting choice for this festivity, but the pair hadn't come to celebrate.
The pyrokinetic elbowed her companion, catching part of his wing, "Have you seen anything suspect?"
"Not yet, everything looks... normal," Silver's point was punctuated by a massive cat in plastic grey armour rushing by, in pursuit of a crowned frog, "Well, as normal as I think it should. I've never been to a fair before, let alone a halloween one."
While the hedgehog's gaze followed that rotund purple figure, Blaze's eyes lingered on Silver. She hadn't seen anyone else in an angel costume in the time they'd spent scouting, but Blaze supposed that might have been because they'd arrived mere hours before halloween night. In hindsight they should have arrived earlier, taken more time to shop, but their present costumes would do for tonight. Regardless, white and gold suited him better than orange and green.
He was wearing a headband too; his was topped with a cheap looking gold tinsel halo attached to a stiff wire. Flowing white robes hung from his shoulders, bound around his waist with a golden sash yet leaving far too much chest fur exposed. The billowing sleeves from his garb left the usual golden bangles on his wrists half exposed, glinting in the light only when he reached. Attached by straps, slung over his shoulders like a backpack, was a set of gaudy white plastic wings that were clearly uncomfortable against his spines. Only one aspect clashed with his outfit; the hedgehog had opted to keep his boots on, lest things take the dangerous turn that they were expecting.
Just as she caught him turning back to her, Blaze re-centred her attention to the surrounding events. A green feathered fellow dressed in an elaborate pirate outfit, flanked by two other birds in more rudimentary swashbuckling garb, was currently boasting as he walked toward what was labeled as a haunted house. Left of them was a white furred bat in an ornate golden headdress, thick spools of bandages wrapped around her body, in the midst of rummaging through a massive cauldron of candy as if in search of something. The cat also caught sight of Cream and her mother for the third time this evening, dressed in matching witchy outfits. The two of them had been taking advantage of the rides; going from a pumpkin based ferris wheel to a set of ghostly dodgems before now approaching a hall of mirrors. Despite the oddness of the event's aesthetics, nothing seemed untoward.
Blaze looked up from the festivities, staring up to the mountain range looming over the fair. Atop every other hill and mountain sat a large, grinning, stone carved jack'o-lantern, the origins of which were lost on the cat. What she did know, based on a newspaper they'd found in Silver's future, was that the largest and most central of-
"Sonic! Why aren't you wearing the costume I made you!" One voice shouted over the crowd, loud and familiar, "You promised we'd come as a couple this time!"
Blaze was on the ground before she could blink, suddenly smooshed beneath a great wall of white fluff and pointy plastic wings. The weight atop her was not merely that of Silver though, Blaze knew that mass well enough. No, another had induced and added to this pile up. Hints of pink, though oddly accompanied by green, were visible just beyond the psychic.
"Amy," Silver's voice was strained, she was surely hugging the air out of him, "It's me, Silver. Not Sonic!"
Almost immediately the weight above shifted, Blaze heard a panicked apology sound but her attention was elsewhere. Silver's palms had thudded to both sides of her shoulders as he struggled to right himself. His yellow eyes locked into her amber set. Seriousness had claimed his expression, Blaze felt her tail lash.
"Are you alright?" He asked, a concern clear in his voice.
"You know I can handle a harder hit than that," Blaze rolled her eyes, "It's-
All of a sudden Silver's head was a lot closer, he'd lowered himself to align with her ear. Temperature spiked across Blaze's body, did he really think the hit had been that hard? Amy had tackled him, not her!
"What should we do, should we tell her?" With that whispering question, Blaze felt quite foolish for not realising his intent, "Do you think she knows what's going on around here?"
"Even if she doesn't, she'll find out eventually, it's in our best interest to be honest," Blaze grumbled back, averting her gaze from him, "Please get up."
"Are you two okay down there?" Amy's voice sounded as Silver rose, "Oh no, did I interrupt a date!?"
Before Silver could extend a hand, the feline had fully jumped to her feet, "No Amy, not a date. This is not a date."
"Oh," Did she sound disappointed?! If she was, the pink hedgehog had immediately bounced back to her excitable state, "You guys are here for the Halloween party though, right? You both look great! Silver as an angel makes so much sense, but I'd never have pictured you as a devil Blaze. It really works!"
Blaze reached down, dusting herself off. She'd ended up wearing a somewhat garish red jumpsuit lined with scarlet sequins, worn over a somewhat tight red shirt. A pitchfork-like red cap had been uncomfortably fastened to the tip of her tail, made of the same cheap plastic material as the horned headband pushing back her hair. Red fishnet gloves now covered her hands but, like her partner, she'd kept her heels for the sake of being practical. As fancy dress went, this devil outfit was the most endurable of the options that their last second shop had revealed.
"Thank you, Amy," The cat replied, adjusting her scratchy headband, "Although, I must admit, I am a little confused. What are you dressed as?"
The pink hedgehog's quills had grown longer since their last encounter and been dyed an almost neon green colour at the tips, matching the smattering of face paint streaked across her muzzle. Her clothes looked to be intentionally torn; a red sports jersey with the number ninety-six emblazoned on it with a matching skirt. Her long socks were littered with strategically placed holes and a set of sneakers completed the worn ensemble, though the hedgehog also had a multitude of painted on bruises and cuts littering her body.
"Oh, I'm a cheerleader zombie!" The pink hedgehog struck a pose, bearing her teeth while making a victory symbol with her fingers, "Eating brains and looking cute while doing it!"
Silver quickly picked up on the root of the question, "Do you not know what a zombie is, Blaze?"
"The festivity you call Halloween doesn't exist in my dimension, so many of the mythological creatures of this world are somewhat lost on me," Blaze quickly and bluntly responded, "That's besides the point though. Amy, we're here to-
"You don't even have Halloween?!" The loud hedgehog was aghast, "Well, you're in exactly the right place! This has to be the biggest Pumpkin Hill Halloween Party ever," Her cheering did waver after that explanation, "It's just a shame about who's sponsoring it..."
"So you know, you know Eggman's behind this?" Blaze pushed, trying to shift the conversation.
"Of course I do, everyone does," Amy explained, but her hands shot to her cheeks just a second later, "Is that why you two are here? Are we in danger?"
Blaze caught Silver's stare and gave him a nod.
"We don't know. The future is in a state of discord, it keeps changing whenever we return. We've been struggling to find the cause," Silver gravely explained, "We found a newspaper the last time we visited, claiming that the pumpkin on top of a nearby mountain is going to explode tonight. Unfortunately, there weren't any more details."
"Oh," The zombie cheerleader was back to grinning, "Then we've got nothing to worry about!"
"What?" Silver blinked, "How can you know that?"
"Sonic told me he was heading up there before coming down for the festivities tonight; I think he said Eggman has a base in there," Amy so casually answered.
"Then we should go and help him," Blaze quickly looked to Silver, only to catch Amy shaking her head.
"Sonic can handle this, I just know it. Even if he couldn't on his own, I'm certain Knuckles and Tails are there to lend a helping hand. Besides, we have a much more important work to do," Amy cryptically insisted, grabbing them both by the hand, "We've got to show you Halloween Blaze!"
There was a glow in the pink hedgehog's eyes, a sparkling excitement that took the feline aback, "Are you sure that-
"Eggman spent way too much time setting up the fair, there's no way he's had time for some world ending plan," Amy unconvincingly explained, "Besides, he doesn't have all of the chaos emeralds and I did a tarot reading today. This evening's set to be the best halloween yet! There's nothing to worry about."
With that, and not a word more, Amy began to drag the otherworldly pair away from the edge of the fairground.
"What do you think?" Silver muttered across, half whispering.
"I think we should remain on guard and ready to help," Blaze answered, "But I confess, it sounds as though we're probably not needed here. Amy has an uncanny foresight when it comes to Sonic and, for as silly as those cards of her sound, they're accurate..."
"I suppose we know more now than we did before," The angel confirmed, "And I guess there's nothing stopping us from doing our recon while on the grounds..."
"So, Blaze, what do you actually know about Halloween?" Amy asked, slowing down to walk between the pair.
"Well, um," The cat struggled to start, "It appears to be a costume based event, primarily based in horror based aesthetics but..." As if to punctuate that point, a crocodile walked past in an overlarge detective coat with a false cigar at his lips, "Not exclusively? There also appears to be a lot of candy involved as well as a focus on an autumnal aesthetic... though maybe it's just pumpkins? I haven't really seen any red leaves or..." Feeling her tongue grow heavy, Blaze gave up in her rambling, "To be honest, I am rather confused. It all seems a little eclectic."
"Well, Halloween as a tradition comes from the north. Back when it was first celebrated turnips were carved into lanterns rather than pumpkins and used to ward off evil spirits; the same idea kind of applies to the costumes," Amy rather succinctly explained, "Nowadays though it's best to just think of Halloween as a fun, spooky, celebration. People get dressed up, tell scary stories and have all sorts of traditions. Kids go trick or treating, walking around houses to collect candy in costume, but most folks either kick back and watch horror movies or come to parties like this."
"I... see," Blaze hummed, "So it's really just an excuse to have some fun then?"
"It always seemed that way whenever I read about it," Silver chimed in, a spark of excitement now present in his tone, "There's not really anything spiritual to it anymore, ironically. It's more about bringing people together and enjoying what people usually find scary."
"Exactly!" Miss Rose cheered, "When it's dark out and there's an eerie chill in the air, there's always a chance for romance."
"Romance?" Silver fell directly into her trap.
"Yes of course! For example..." The pink hedgehog scanned their surroundings, Blaze watched her eyes fall on the trio of pirate garbed birds stumbling back out of the haunted house, "What to those three might have been a terrifying experience, filled with animatronic ghosts and ghouls, brings with it an opportunity to cuddle into one you love," Amy swooned before turning to point at the bat by the candy cauldron, having just pulled some sort of gem from its depths, "Or over there! Rouge is being selfish, clearly searching for something specific, but knowing someone's favourite treat and sharing it with them? What could be more lovely?" Third, Amy ended up pointing to the large crocodile fellow who had passed prior, now chatting with Vanilla, "Even just being in costume together; what people pick says a lot about them. There's tons of romantic potential in Halloween!"
"Huh, I guess that could be true," Silver responded, immediately looking down at himself.
"We picked these at the last moment, I don't think they reflect much of anything," Blaze reminded him, trying very hard no to think about their past in Crisis city; how she'd seem herself as a demon and him as something far purer.
"Maybe not, but you see how it could," Amy teased, their hands now released as she led the way deeper into the fairground.
The trio passed by and through attraction after attraction, the two otherworldly visitors only managing to rebuff Amy's attempt to drag them into the fun once. They were pulled onto a series of spinning open top pumpkins, dragged through a corn maze stalked by spooky automatons, made to test their strength for a sweet reward, found themselves laughing as they fumbled against plainly rigged carnival games, experienced a true jump scare for the first time, and finally rushed their way through an open air rave. Once all that was done, plainly in need of a break and to set things back on course, Blaze had been the one to drag her allies to sit at a nearby bench.
Silver was to her immediate right, lightly panting with his nose to the air as he popped the last of their gathered stock of chocolate into his mouth. He'd come out the other end of their adventure only slightly worse for wear, not a stain on his costume though it was thoroughly ruffled. Even more of his chest fur had ended up exposed as the belt around his waist had loosened. The cat's eyes quickly wandered back to the mountain range, only to find it completely still. If Sonic and the others were up there, it certainly wasn't obvious...
"Amy, what's that?" The psychic asked aloud, drawing the cat's attention.
"Oh, you don't know about apple bobbing?" Amy inquired in response.
Following her allies' gaze, Blaze found herself peering at a wide brimmed cauldron. There was a small queue leading up to it but, presently, a chameleon dressed fully as a ninja was lowering a bee head first into what looked to be water. Said dunked child was wearing an especially peculiar costume, designed to look like the bee was instead a hedgehog with black quills. All of a sudden he was removed from the water, an apple in his mouth, and went flying off with the chameleon in tow. Those who followed didn't look to incorporate the submerging an ally approach...
"I'm not really sure how it started to be honest, but it's one of the oldest games associated with Halloween. Basically you just go up and dunk your head in the water, trying to bite an apple to retrieve it from the water. The point of the game is to do it without using your hands," The girl explained, "I guess it might be based on the idea of dunking witches in water? They used to do that to try and force confessions out of them."
"I want to go give it a shot," The hedgehog seemed to immediately regret blurting that out; his eyes crashed back to Blaze, "I-I'll be quick. Then I think we should go check on Sonic and the others, it feels like they're taking too long."
"You're so naive," Blaze knew how he loved apples, she rolled her eyes to avoid his puppy-eyed look of regret, "If they're not here by the time you're back, we'll start heading up the mountain."
"You guys, I'm sure Sonic's got a handle on this. Enjoy yourself Silver!" Amy called, shoeing him off the bench. The moment he was in the line, Amy's attention was on the cat, "Don't you want to join him in the fun?"
"I don't think I trust that water," The cat half lied, not wanting to confess her remaining tension regarding the mission, "Who knows how long its been left out or how many people have... bobbed before I would have that opportunity."
"Don't be a spoilsport, it's one of the oldest halloween games for a reason. It's fun!" Amy laughed, though her attention seemed to drift, "But I think I know an easier way to get us some apples. I'll be back!"
With the pink hedgehog having briefly fled, and no sign of activity on the mountain, Blaze's gaze was of course pulled away from the other festivities and to her companion. The psychic's love of apples was something she'd learned upon reuniting with him. It was endearing in how simple it was; a fruit others viewed as so commonplace was a unique treasure to him. Introducing him to apple pie come Winter would surely be a treat.
The hedgehog ended up at the front of the queue and immediately, as expected, put his whole heart into the gaming endeavour. His hands had thunked onto the rim of the cauldron and his muzzle was fully submerged. Blaze snorted as a wave of water splashed free from the cauldron, very almost freeing an apple with the force of his mouthing alone. It was fortunate that he was wearing a headband, otherwise his quills would surely have been soaked. Well, fortunate from a certain point of-
An apple blocked Blaze's gaze, coated in an orange toffee glaze with a stencilled chocolate jack'o-lantern grin set to face her. Glancing down the apple led to an attached stick and that stick to a torn glove. The zombie cheerleader Amy rose had returned, a toffee covered apple of her own in hand.
Blaze quickly smothered her prior thoughts, claiming the confectionary, "Thank you."
"He's certainly giving it his all isn't he?" The pink hedgehog ribbed, retaking her seat.
"As he does with all things," Blaze professed, "Any sign of Sonic?"
"No, but the cards don't lie," A sing-song lilt entered her tone, "We'll meet again today and this time he won't get away!"
"I trust in your confidence," Blaze tried to sound positive, examining her apple, "But the shifting nature of the future has me worried."
"Well, shouldn't just you guys visiting have some sort of effect? You know, changing the past a little might cause a big shift in the future," Amy astutely raised.
"I suppose," Blaze hummed, "Though I wouldn't want to rely on that."
Silence brewed between the two of them, though their surroundings remained undeniably loud. Blaze couldn't bring herself to stare at the hedgehog, not with the risk of Amy's chiding. Instead her eyes flickered between the pierced apple in her hand and their counterpart of the mountain range. If things were going to go badly, at least they had friends nearby. They'd make it through this.
"Blaze," Amy's voice finally gave Blaze something to focus on, "Since it's halloween, would you like to hear about a superstition? It's not a very scary one, I just find it interesting."
"Absolutely," Blaze agreed, turning her full attention to the hedgehog, "It might even match one of the ones from my world."
"Now I actually don't know where this rumour even comes from, but I've heard it so many times that there must be some sort of truth to it," The zombie mused before asking a frankly baffling question, "Have you ever watched Silver bite an apple?"
Blaze's brow raised, "I've... certainly seen him eat apples before, yes?"
"No, no," Amy shook her head, "Have you watched how he bites them? Like, really watched?"
Blaze paused for a moment, trying to process, "I don't think I understand what you're asking?"
"When Silver first bites an apple, does he nibble or does he take a big bite? Does he tilt his head when he moves in? Can you hear the crunch when he bites down? Do the juices run?" Amy rattled off question after question without so much as breathing.
"I'm," Blaze paused again, aware now of what she was asking but baffled as to why, "Not sure?"
"Well, you might want to pay attention when he gets back. How he bites an apple is very important," Amy proudly responded, "I've been trying to get Sonic to show me how he does it for ages, but I've never been in the right spot to watch. I don't think the tradition can be translated to chilli dogs either, the shape's too different..."
"What's so important about how he bites apples, how could that possibly matter for some superstition?" Blaze knew Amy was building anticipation; bluntness was the only way to cut her down.
"They say that how a person bites an apple," Though Amy was keeping her tone cool her eyes were wild with excitement, "Indicates how they kiss."
"Why would that be important to me," Blaze immediately responded, panic and harshness both present in her tone.
"I just thought you might be curious, that's all," Amy winked, "But let's just keep this rumour between us; if he knows, he might change how he bites," A smug smirk crept onto the teasing romantic's lips, "Do you think he'd nibble instead, or chomp harder than usual?"
Blaze felt her temperature spike, "I can assure you, I have no-
A rush of wind gusted across to halt in front of the pair before Blaze could properly reprimand Amy. A grinning blue blur came to a sliding halt, though his look was somewhat different from usual. Like Amy his clothes were tattered, though there was no sigh of green on him. A torn cap topped his head, he wore a sports jersey with tears and gloves that looked intended for baseball. Perhaps they just seemed that way due to the baseball bat in his hands, the words zombie slayer etched into it.
"Hey Amy," He greeted, "And Blaze! Long time no see."
"Sonic!" The pink hedgehog squealed, "You made it."
"Yeah, dealing with Eggman was no sweat; he practically folded the moment we showed up," The speedster grinned, "There's a little something left over in his base, but it seems like it'll take care of itself."
"Well, since you showed up in costume, this is for you," She went to hand over her caramel apple, but took the opportunity to instead snatch up Sonic's hand, "Come on, I want to try out the haunted house!"
They were gone before Blaze could ask about Eggman's base, but thankfully Knuckles and Tails were trailing behind. The young fox was wearing a lab coat and thick glasses with a series of crude looking tools in a bag by his side. Beside him stood a monster, presumably of Tails' design, in the form of Knuckles; stitch marks painted onto his fur, a bolt through his neck and heavy boots on his feet.
"Tails, Knuckles," Blaze called out, pausing them from pursuing the hedgehog pair, "How did the battle go."
"Oh, Blaze, you're here?" The young fox was understandably shocked, "Eggman made a giant jack'o-lantern airship. He was going to use it to drop bombs all around and flatten the fair, but we punctured it to stop him from taking off!"
"Yeah, it's like he wasn't ready for us. Hardly put up a fight," Knuckles agreed, messing with the boy's ears, "Keep your eyes on the mountain range though, Tails cooked up a real display with what's left over," He grinned mischievously to the fox, "Come on, let's go spook Sonic and Amy. They'll be to distracted with each other to see us coming."
"See you around Blaze!" Tails called out, now being pushed along by the Master Emerald's guardian.
And so the purple feline was left alone among the fairground bluster. Almost immediately however, her eyes returned to the cauldron only to find someone new had replaced Silver. Soon enough the feline caught sight of him, having taken to the air to subvert the crowds rather than struggle his way through them.
"So, it sounds like we didn't need to be here," The angel pointed out, descending from on high to sit next to the demon.
"You overheard all that," The red-clad cat mused.
His muzzle was still soaking wet, his chest fur and gloves were the same. If his fluff was any colour but white it would surely be showing through his angel outfit. He was messier now; his halo was bent and his pinned quills somewhat bedraggled. Blaze felt temperature spark at her cheeks again.
"Sonic arriving turned a few heads and they're not the quietest bunch," Silver reminded her before his eyes started to wander, "Did you find somewhere else to bob for apples? Where did you get the stick?"
"What?" In the wake of Amy's teasing and the other's arrival, she had entirely forgot her own candied apple, "Oh, no. I presume Amy found this on a stall. I didn't want to trust the water."
"It's still cleaner than what I'm used to I guess," Silver shrugged, rubbing the apple dry on his bicep sleeve, "I suppose we should still keep our eyes on the mountain, just in case something still goes wrong..."
"Probably..." Blaze's eyes felt magnetised to the green orb in his hand, so shiny and fresh.
When her gaze fled that fruit, they arrived at his mouth and caught a hint of fang, "I guess we can just wait out whatever thappens here, seems as good a spot as any."
"Yes," Blaze swallowed hard as he raised the fruit to his mouth.
The guardian wanted to look away, she longed to stare at the mountains or the festivities or her lap or anywhere else... but she could not muster the strength to pull her stare from him. His head tilted left ever so slightly, his clutch tight on the fruit's underside as he brought it to his lips. His mouth opened wide, it would be no small nibble! Teeth glided through green skin and into succulent green flesh, a resounding crunch sounded even above the ceaseless chatter of the fair. Blaze's tail fluttered wildly as her eyes clashed with the aftermath. Juices coated his lips, dripping almost as far as his chin.
Blaze's mind was abuzz with thoughts; how would that chomp translate to a kiss?! The parallel certainly wasn't a delicate peck; no innocent press of lips on lips. To call the kiss rough wouldn't be inaccurate; but the cat had seen him demolish a meal, he could have bitten so much harder. It hadn't been a quick bite though, it wasn't as though he'd been ravenous. Was his intent to savour? How long would he spend in lip-lock?! Did the juices on his chin imply the use of tongue? Was the truth of Silver's psyche that he longed for such torrid intimacy?!
Blaze heard the hedgehog hum as he took a second bite, a smirk plain on his lips.
"You're so vulgar," The demon grumbled, turning away from the angel.
"Huh?" Blaze could feel Silver's confused stare, "Wait, that's different. What did I do this-
Just as he tried to respond, Blaze's gaze locked on the ground, the chatter of the halloween carnival was finally overwhelmed. The cat's eyes were torn up to the mountain range just in time to find their surroundings bathed in a bright orange light! Where once a stone pumpkin-head had sat, one formed of fire and light was now glowing. It was like a massive firework had exploded on the horizon, perfectly set up to take the form of its pumpkin shaped shell!
The cat's eyes sped across their surroundings, in search of panicked looks from the surrounding citizens. Instead, the cat was met with looks of wonder and excitement at the view. Given the distance from the grounds to that mountain, the cat supposed there was reason to celebrate. They were all well outside of the blast radius. If this really was the only trouble they'd face tonight, there was nothing to worry about.
With those relaxed thoughts sweeping through her, Blaze found her attention drifting back to the hedgehog at her side. The fire dying down, sound having already long past, the cat fumbled for any distraction. Her grip tightened on the stick of the toffee coated apple in her hand, perhaps food could comfort her?
She tilted her head right and a bite was quickly taken, the thick candy coating was a little harder than she'd anticipated but gave way to the juicy flesh underneath. It was only as the cat was on her second chew, now watching the citizens go back to their festivities, that Blaze realised what she'd done.
Her eyes dropped to the candied fruit and found a small bite mark through the orange coating, revealing white-green beneath. She couldn't remember what exactly she'd done, but the shape of that hole immediately quickened her pulse. It was no perfectly cut oval; indents were plainly visible. Four additional small carvings; evidence of fangs use. If they'd been used here-
"I think we're okay now," The hedgehog piped up, his hand was upon her shoulder, "If that mountain was any closer I'd be worried about falling rocks..."
"Indeed," The guardian muttered under her breath.
"Oh um, Blaze?" His questioning forced her to look, "You've got toffee on your cheek."
He reached across without warning, sullying his white sleeve with an orange stain as he cleared the mark. Blaze caught sight of concern quirking onto his lips and her gaze quickly fell... only to crash into the apple she'd just bitten, held so close to his. The moment she noticed that though, his hand was back on her shoulder and holding tighter.
"Are you okay?" The angel asked, "You're really burning up..."
"So vulgar," Was all the demon could manage to murmur, her cheeks aflame and imagination running wild.