The scissors in Blaze's hands felt heavy, despite being the same set she'd used so many times. Before her stretched an unkempt mass of white quills, presently soaked through to hang lower than their usual flared style. Attached to those quills was Silver the hedgehog, presently sat on the feline's desk chair which had been moved to sit at the heart of the en suite attached to the royal bedchamber. Blaze could see his face reflected in the room's mirror; despite her hesitancy, he was grinning in anticipation of the incoming change.
"Are you really certain that this is the best course of action? Even if you're set on this plan as a whole, there might be an easier way to..." Blaze fumbled for the right words, trying not to be too discouraging, "Achieve the intended result."
"There probably is, but I've already picked out my costume, it'd be more of a hassle to find another," The hedgehog looked down, tugging at his chest fur, "Besides, I've always been curious what I'd look like with short quills. Will they fuse together like Sonic's, or hang down like Amy's?"
His mind was made up, Blaze cast aside her foolish concerns and drew a brush from the nearby sink, "Then keep your head up. If I am going to do this, I want it to look neat."
He did as commanded, and so Blaze began to separate the first of his five forehead quills away from the greater soggy mass of fluff. This endeavour wasn't new to Blaze, giving and receiving haircuts was perfectly common for them; learning the skill had been a necessity during their time together in the apocalyptic future where they'd been born. Cutting hair for a purpose besides comfort though, let alone cutting Silver's quills short, was entirely brand new. Historically, grooming like this had been a relaxing affair.
The hedgehog had arrived in the Sol Dimension less than a week ago, with a chaotic plan to save the world already in mind. Having left her three weeks prior to that, the future world he'd arrived in was again in a state of total destruction with Eggman's machines now ruling the land. In particular, the hedgehog had spoken of a giant mechanical dragon with seven heads; each housing a chaos emerald. According to a newspapers however, as well as the diary of one Amy Rose, the machine hadn't started off like that.
Everyone had been prepared for the next Eggman attack, he'd tried and failed to steal the chaos emeralds from the crew over the past month, but they hadn't anticipated just what he'd do. The titanic machine had descended from the clouds over the long abandoned Castle Sylvania near Spagonia, catching the hundreds of visiting tourists totally unaware. Panic had immediately ensued, the doctor commanding the machine from a cockpit atop its back to level buildings in an attempt to draw out Sonic and the others. Their friends had prepared long in advance, gathering the emeralds together to grant Sonic the power to destroy whatever Eggman had created; the blue blur had even been in Spagonnia when the attack came. Unfortunately, it seemed Eggman had anticipated this eventuality.
Attacking the frequent tourist site without warning meant civilians of all ages had been present when Sonic arrived at the scene, a ghoulish distraction that Eggman had successfully used. By damaging infrastructure, throwing debris in all direction, the hedgehog had been forced to split his efforts between fighting and saving people. A particular moment had granted the doctor the window he'd been waiting for; the collapse of a portion of Castle roof had sent Sonic dashing inside to hold up the tumbling structure long enough for the tourists to flee. It was unclear just what had happened next, but those seven heads had stretched inside through cracks in the ceiling and holes in the walls. Moments later, the roof fell through and now a chaos emerald was harnessed in each maw.
The cat realised she'd lost herself in thoughts and the act, her eyes flickered up to the mirror. It was difficult to tell how well she was doing at this stage, having started on the left meant he looked almost entirely uneven. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case by the time she'd finished the right. Inevitably she'd have to do a little trimming to even things-
The hedgehog's head slumped forwards, his eyes had completely closed. A nostalgia fuelled flush immediately washed over the cat as she ceased her cutting, her gaze magnetised to the now sleeping form of the hedgehog. In Crisis city acts like this had been one of the few moments of calm and respite they'd stolen, the quiet between the battles. It had been oh so common for him to doze off while she was still snipping. Some things never changed.
"Silver," Her voice stirred him, "Head up."
"Sorry," He murmured through a yawn, "I don't think you ever said, are we doing something with your hair too?"
"I'm just going to let it down. Hopefully, with the mask and outfit, that will be enough of a disguise," Blaze brushed him off, resuming her snipping.
"If you're sure, I'm more than ready to give you a trim if you want one," He offered, beginning to turn to her.
"Maybe afterwards, we'll see how this plan of yours goes. I think I'll need to relieve the tension," She grabbed him by the quills, redirecting his stare, "Head straight, Silver."
"Wait, do you not think the plan will work?" He asked as the cat resumed the grooming.
'It's not that I don't think it'll work, it's just," Blaze finished up the right side, then deciding to take just a little more off the left, "Very different from what we normally do."
"Yeah, that's true," Silver agreed, "But it was the only real solution I could think of, I couldn't figure out where Eggman's original base was to go and beat him in advance. Once he took over the world his stations cropped up all over the place."
With his front quills done, Blaze moved to the back set; voicing a question that had been on on her mind for a while, "Is there a reason we're not just telling the others about the attack in advance?'
"Yeah, there are a few reasons," Silver grimaced, "For one, I've tried it before. The first time I told Sonic about trouble ahead he still ran head first into it. I guess he figured that since he knew what was going to happen the whole thing would be a cinch? I warned him not to do that again when I told him about the next conflict, but he still got captured and I had to save him," The psychic's expression only grew more sour, "After that, when I tried to explain a different situation, he thanked me, threw me a thumbs up, and said something about following his own path before running off."
"Well, that does sound like him," Blaze sympathised, recalling the chaos that the blue blur left in his wake, "After the first time, I would have probably gone to Tails or Knuckles instead."
"I could have? But then there are the other two problems I've had before. When I stop off in the past sometimes, just to visit, I'll arrive in the future and find it's totally different, small changes to time can have big effects. Once the date of the world's destruction actually moved closer to when I'd left rather than further away. I don't know why that happened, but it means I might direct them to defend one place and time only for another to be attacked," Silver explained, his eyes locked onto her, "The second is that I don't think I don't think we, or even they, could convince everyone to clear that area with words alone. Telling the human government might even make things worse, they might send their own fighters and cause more problems. If we use our current plan, even if that does happen, we can fend them off too without worrying about repercussions."
Blaze cringed as a chunk of Silver's back left quill flopped to the floor, she hadn't dared to look down yet, "I suppose your scheme also means, if things do go badly, we'll be there to help."
"I can send out a psychic pulse that will let me find anyone left in the nearby structures," Silver reconfirmed as his right quill was made to match the left, "Our goal is just to get everyone out of the area. I'm certain Sonic could have won that fight if the coast was clear, he was winning up until the roof collapsed. If Eggman can't use that tactic, he won't be able to steal the chaos emeralds... however he did that. Basically, Sonic won't be stuck in one place."
"You've failed to predict him twice, let's hope third time is the charm," Blaze sighed, setting down the scissors, "You're done... I think."
The hedgehog's eyes finally left her as he looked to the mirror to take himself in. Spiky would be the single word Blaze used to describe him now; with his quills now shorn close to his scalp they had split somewhat to give a rougher yet still somehow shaggy appearance. He hadn't ended up aerodynamic like Sonic, or even smooth like Amy at all. With there still being five main quill branches on his forehead, as well as two at the back of his head, he was still so uniquely Silver. It was a strange thought, one Blaze cast to the back of her mind immediately, but there was something of a roguish charm to the look.
"This is great Blaze!" He bounded from the chair, immediately she was lifted into a hug, "It's perfect!"
The cat went to return his hold, only to find she didn't have to fumble her way around the two massive quills near the base of his neck. Recognising that, she traced her fingers along the back of his head and felt the roughness of her handiwork. It was strange to think of his quills as coarse, with their long length came a certain dullness to their point which was now entirely lacking. It wasn't the fluffiness she was used to, but Blaze supposed there was something somehow endearing about the more typical hedgehog prickliness she was feeling. Lying side by side and not risking being slapped by a wayward quill would be a new experience.
"You're covered in loose fluff, take a shower, you don't want it to be itchy in your costume," Blaze instructed, feet still off the ground, "I'll go change in the bedroom, your things are in the hamper."
"Alright, I'll be quick," He gave her one final squeeze before lowering her to the ground, "I can't wait to see what you picked out."
"Right," Blaze realised her hand was still on the back of his head, still feeling how he'd changed, "I didn't overthink it, don't expect too much."
"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be great!" He grinned one last time, "We'll get ready, rush to the past, and it'll all work out!"
He'd started to amp himself up, "You're so naive."
The pyrokinetic gave him a final smile, finally retrieving her hands from his head as she made his way out and shut the door behind herself. This was the calm before the storm, the moment they arrived in the past Silver would be fully focused on achieving their shared task. Though excitable on the surface, anxiety was freshly brewing underneath.
Pushing herself off the door, the guardian made her way to the bed where her costume was lain in preparation for their immanent work. Her long coat was shrugged from her shoulders only to be replaced with a flowing black cloak. The cat's usual white gloves were exchanged for a set that reached near her elbow, darkly coloured. Off came here heels and in their place arrived a set of calf high leather boots.
All that was left to add was the mask; a pure white porcelain faceplate with thinly cut eyeholes, no mouth hole and the slightest of curves to fit snuggly against her nose. It was designed to be painted and intended for a masquerade style event, but the feline had opted to leave it completely featureless and blank. As it was, the piece was probably as intimidating and obscuring as possible.
With a tug she removed her ponytail ring and the outfit was complete. A glance to her room's vanity mirror made Blaze less certain of her decision, she was fairly certain that she was still recognisable, but settled that to a stranger or from afar she'd look thoroughly anonymous. Given what they were about to do, that much was for the best. If a friend recognised them, they could explain later. Hopefully a fight wouldn't break out...
The sound of the bathroom door opening turned the cat's gaze. Unlike her, the figure stood in the doorway was entirely unidentifiable. A set of heavy black boots led up directly to a matching jumpsuit with slight blue accents. The material stretched all the way up his torso, clinging to his neck obscuring up until the tips of his fingers. Topping it all off, the reason for his dramatic haircut, was the helm that covered the hedgehog's entire face. Made of a shiny black plastic material, it was a motorcycle helmet with a darkly tinted visor and two pointed yet open ear sockets, more likely intended for ventilation rather than hearing. While the hedgehog did look anonymous, he didn't particularly fit the role they were set to take.
"Blaze, you look great!" Silver's muffled voice sounded, the squeak of his garb undeniable as he entered the room.
"I take it you found a motorbike shop," The cat astutely posited, still taking in the near void that was his current appearance.
"Yeah, my options in the future were a little slim. I figured this would at least keep the others from knowing this is me," He said, gesturing to himself, "That and well, the citizens won't know we are the ones who did what we're about to do."
Catching the concern in his tone, that cat removed her mask, "You're right, they won't, and what we're doing is for their good regardless. We're making sure Eggman can't hurt anybody, and it's not as if we're hurting people in exchange. We're keeping everyone safe."
"I know, I know," His gesticulations and tone were more than making up for his lack of expression, "And it's the best plan I could think up, but it still feels so weird."
"It's like I said before, if things go badly we'll be there to help," Blaze reminded him, reaffixing her mask, "Let's get this done."
She led him from her bedroom and down into the heart of the palace. Passing Gardon on the way was certainly an experience, catching the Koala's panicked gaze, but thankfully Marine was off working on one of her boat. They'd kept this plan a secret from her, knowing she'd try to get involved.
In the basement, within the palace vault, all seven Sol Emeralds had already been gathered, alongside the Jewelled Sceptre, in preparation for this event. The feline took that staff in her hands and immediately felt the mystic power thrumming throughout the room. With so much potential at her disposal, pinpointing when and where to arrive would be simple. It took no more than a wave of the artefact for all seven Sol Emeralds to begin orbiting the disguised pair.
"We should jump in around an hour before Eggman would arrive, that way people have time to clear out and the doctor's plan shouldn't have time to change. Plus, if he attacked Spagonnia because Sonic was nearby, he still will be," Though Blaze couldn't see his expression, the seriousness of thought was plain in his voice, "Based on the future I found, he was clearly after the Chaos Emeralds more than anything else. Sonic will have already collected them the day before we're set to arrive."
"So the timeline shouldn't shift," Blaze confirmed.
"It shouldn't, but time travel can just be so weird," Now there was a hint more of anxiety, "Let's aim for two in the afternoon. He's set to arrive before just three, but we'll have to hang around afterwards and keep our eyes peeled, just to be safe."
"Last chance for a change of plans," Blaze offered, the stones around them now a single technicolour band crackling with heat.
"No, this really is the best plan I can think of. We have to do this, for all those people and our friends!" He called out, amping himself up again, "Let's get this done!"
With all this power at her disposal, it took Blaze no more than a nod of her head and a wave of her wand to warp them out of this reality and into the next. The pair of them appeared in the sky above the castle, manifesting just beyond the cloud layer so as to obscure their arrival and make their appearance all the more shocking. Silver caught her in his psychic grasp, providing the time for her to beckon back through the portal and draw out one of the Sol Emeralds. With that purple gem in hand she had secured them a way back, albeit one less quick and easy as their method of arrival. With that done the portal collapsed in on itself, just in time for the two of them to fade into the clouds.
The pair of them descended to land on the roof of Castle Sylvania, an ancient building that had been mostly reclaimed by the elements. Thick moss and vines covered the cracked and crumbling stonework of the castle, flooding had led to ponds forming and trees were growing all around. The roof they were floating down on, the very one under which Sonic was set to fall, was flat and overlooked the courtyard at the castle's entryway; meaning it was more than ideal for what they were about to do. The degraded fortifications were large and spanned a great distance, but this was the primary hub of visitor activity. Silver landed the two of them just beyond the rooftop's edge; the hustle and bustle of tourists was undeniable.
Blaze threw one last look to her companion and caught him clenching his fists, one last sign of him amping himself up. As the hedgehog took to the ledge she saw psychic light begin to pulse at his palms, not spreading far yet but beginning to bristle. He crouched lower, staring down at the world as if intending to loom over it.
"Visitors to Castle Sylvania! We have come to claim this ancient fort for ourselves!" The hedgehog shouted, pointing to the patio below, "Flee now and we will show you mercy, but all who remain here will be crushed beneath our boots. This is the birthplace of our new empire! Heed our warning or suffer, this is your one and only chance!"
Despite the theatrics of it all, despite him throwing his hands about and talking up the inevitable destruction they were set to impose, only a handful of people had halted their daily routine to look up at the pair of them. Hundreds of people were still walking around, exploring the long abandoned fortification without a care in the world; laughing and having their own conversations. It likely wasn't because they'd be unmoved if they'd heard Silver, people would surely be looking if they'd heard him. This roof was simply a lot higher than Blaze had anticipated when he'd first explained the plan.
Said plan had been to take on the role of villains, of a pair of evildoers bent on conquering Spagonia with otherworldly powers. His intent had been to start with a speech and then, with the eyes of the public on them, set loose their powers in an intimidating display. The intent had been to, as one robot had once put it, appear as if they were fireworks; to be explosive and loud and powerful, and yet not intentionally endanger anyone. From there their intent was to go down and scare off individuals, even enter the castle if they had to, and simply clear out the area. Things were already off to a mortifying start, it was good that they had a full hour to correct this...
"I don't think they can hear you from up here," Blaze pointed out, feeling her face flare hot with embarrassment, "Especially not through that helmet."
"Oh, right, um," He went to tug his chest fur only to meet with jumpsuit, "Do you want to try?"
Blaze felt her stomach churn as she looked down from the edge. With Silver by her side she didn't usually fear heights, but their present failure and the thought of public display was catalysing that feeling. In an attempt to smother those feelings, the cat closed her eyes and allowed her hands to burst alight. It was just like giving any other speech to her subjects... no, it was easier. She was anonymous, she wasn't Blaze the cat in the here and now. She could do and act as she pleased, there was no holding back!
She clawed her hands and bent her elbows, "If you do not flee now, we will destroy you all! There is no escaping us," No, that wasn't intense enough, "I will spread white hot flames across this land, reducing stone to magma and blackening the sky with smoke! Your lives will be snuffed out without hesitation! None shall be spared!" Blaze felt her temperature soar, she threw her arms outward and felt embers fly free, "No life can survive us! We have seen this world's end and intend to bring it to fruition!"
"That's right!" Silver bellowed, now shouting as loud as he could, "We're here to destroy all of you! No mercy will be afforded to any of you! We will not stop until no one is left within our new domain, not a single person!"
Blaze dared to open her eyes, her heart still racing but not nearly as intensely. There was a crowd beneath them now, that much was undeniable, and the people had mostly stopped... but no one was fleeing. It was as if they were looking on absent-mindedly at some theatre or fireworks display rather than awaiting their impending doom. Some were clapping!
Silver's voice rang in her ears, "I still don't think they can hear us, maybe this wasn't the right spot to pick..."
"Well, did you have any other ideas for this intimidation tactic?" The cat blustered, stepping away from the ledge and out of view, "Is there anything else we can do?"
"Th-There is one thing," She heard realisation dawn on him, "We know this roof is going to be destroyed, all the surrounding buildings will be damaged, as long as I'm careful doing this..." He centred himself, "Yes. I can do this, there's something else I can do! Add your powers to this if you think it'll help, we can do this!"
The hedgehog threw his right hand forward and immediately psychokinesis blared forth with an unmistakable whir. He'd used his power to form a great sigil in front of them, a series of pentagrams and elemental symbols that were swirling and shifting in a flashy manner. That clearly wasn't the full intent of Silver's efforts though, as the psychic grasp from his left arm was now tearing holes in the moss covered roof.
Masses of rock churned together, now Blaze could hear people inside starting to panic. His intent wasn't to demolish though, that much was obvious already. A large set of jaws, an elongated reptilian maw made from rock, was brought to form in front of them. An upper torso soon followed and, connected to it, two colossal hands ending in claws. The entire mass was cloaked in cyan, not the most intimidating of colours. Blaze could better that.
With a wave of her hand fire began to dance across the creature's form. Blistering red eyes flared into position atop the monster's head, burning light traced across its fingers and along its shoulders. By the end of their combined conjuring the form was almost as wide as the roof. Stone masses had been torn from the surrounding buildings, panic was no beginning to bubble just beyond eyeshot.
"Well, it certainly reminds me of what terrified us for the longest time," Silver shuddered.
"I'll complete the display, be ready to have it loom over the edge," Blaze commanded, turning from him and igniting her right hand.
"Judging by the crowd, we'll need to cause some more chaos. Be ready to throw out some extra flames," He called out, beginning to puppet the creature more thoroughly.
With a thrust of her hand a consistent jet of flame rocketed forward, striking the shifting holographic disc he had conjured to cover their efforts. The psychic shape began to crack, flames spiralled off and around his conjuration to flare in all directions. Lines of red hot heat cut jagged lines through the symbol and set it to begin crumbling, aspects of its movement began to fail and flicker out of existence.
That change was perfectly timed; Silver marched to the edge of the castle roof and with him came the torso of the beast. With a great swing of its massive claw, Silver destroyed his own illusion and let their new monstrosity lean out over the castle wall. Immediately Blaze heard more calls of panic as rock and rubble was shunted to tumble from the rooftop, thankfully with Silver there to guide its fall.
"Go on, they can hear you better," He beckoned her forward, "I'll make this thing look as scary as possible."
When Blaze took to the ledge this time, the feline did not close her eyes. Panic had already claimed the majority of the tourists, once one had run it was a certainty others would follow, but fear manifested in different ways. Some were taking recordings, others were trying to hide. They'd come here with a mission in mind, they weren't here to simply scare people; they had to clear this space.
"We have brought fourth the great demon Iblis to assist us in our efforts! Perhaps now you understand the true peril we will deliver upon you!" On total impulse, feeling her flames burn hotter still, a macabre laugh escaped the guardian's lips, "Flee or die! There is no hiding from us!"
The moment her decree ended, Silver pushed a psychic gale through the beast. Flames flowed in all directions, dark smoke began to spread into the sky and sparks wafted over the ledge. Perfectly accompanying his effort, seemingly incidentally created by the structure of the monster's jagged jaws, a whistling hiss screamed through the air in accompaniment with the roar of flames.
Finally, panic had fully claimed the castle.
"Remember this day well; for it is the day this world's new masters arrived! With Iblis backing us, no hero could ever hope to stand against us," Blaze's pulse was pounding, she threw her flaming hands to the sky,"We're going to burn everything away and start off anew; we'll raze this land to the ground and forge a new empire in the flames!"
It was only after saying that, the pyrokinetic realised she might be having too much fun with this.
Tourists had already been flooding from beneath the pair, but now they were rushing in all directions. Not a single person was standing still, even if some were still fleeing into cover or mindlessly running. Dozens were filing into tourbusses at the edge of of the grounds, but one or two of the shuttles had already fled out of fear!
Silver reached out towards the grounds, a spherical wave of psychic energy pulsed out from him and seemed to phase through the objects in their surroundings. Moments after that energy dissipated he started to target specific objects and structures in the vicinity; a rock was pushed to reveal a crouching youth, another man was pushed out from ducking beneath the edging of the roof and a small huddled group near the back of the courtyard were pushed to tumble. All three efforts had the intended effect, those who had been stagnant started to run. As if to even further emphasise the effort, the hedgehog had the fake Iblis tear lumps of stone from the roof and toss them to the ground.
"There are still a few stragglers, I'm trying to scare them off. I want to fully clear a five hundred metre radius," Silver informed her, "If we can manage that, I'm happy to leave the rest to-
Movement caught the corner of the cat's eye, just before the attack came. Blaze knew what was going to happen, she knew where the blow would be struck, but she didn't have time to react. An orb of blue, having launched from the patio below, span as it crashed into Silver's stone Iblis and shattered it. Burning rocks flew in all directions, Blaze tumbled left and landed on her side; very nearly falling off the edge.
A figure stood amongst the burning rubble, Silver had fallen to mirror Blaze on his other side. Long blue quills and red shoes; green eyes and white gloves. There was no denying it, the blue blur had arrived early. They should have predicted as much, he was always drawn to trouble.
"You know, I was getting bored waiting on Eggman. Good thing you bozos are here to give me a warm up; looks like you'll be good for that much," The familiar hedgehog smirked, kicking out a fire at his feet, "Gotta say though, there's something familiar about you two. Have I beaten you both down before?" As ever, he was running his mouth, "Can't have been too tough if I barely remember; maybe two on one will be a fair fight, sorry about number three there. What did you say his name was, Iblis? Didn't seem like all you hyped him up to be..."
They'd known Sonic was in the area but for him to already be here; Silver hadn't mentioned any intel suggesting that! He'd only had scarce sources to go off of, those had given the time off Eggman's attack rather than the blue blur's arrival. They'd assumed both had happened simultaneously, or even that the villain had drawn out the hero!
Oh, they had induced that second option.
With Sonic here now, what few civilians remained might stop fleeing. Blaze could tell Silver was panicking, again things weren't going to plan! Then again, when it came to putting on an act, improvisation was key. This wasn't a losing position; they gotten out of worse before!
He moved to lean over Silver, still jeering, "Come on, what's the matter? You two were talking a big game for a while there; are you all bark and no-
Seizing the opportunity, Blaze launched herself forward and unleashed a flaming kick. The blow made contact and sent Sonic hurtling from the rooftop; Blaze knew the hedgehog wouldn't be ready for someone to match his speed! Almost instantly panic was back on the wind, the sound of footfalls and terror had resumed!
"If we fight him the people will panic, even more than they have been. They're bound to leave," Blaze called over to her partner as he rose to his feet.
"I don't want to hurt him, but he has the chaos emeralds. If Eggman shows up, he can just go super," Silver confirmed, dusting himself off, "We can do this!"
Silver's last shout was accompanied by a thrust of his hand. The blue blur had just risen back from the road, spinning fast in a ball. Sonic was brought to a rather pathetic looking halt and bowled backwards, sent spiralling from the roof again.
"Let's get down there," Blaze instructed, rushing to the edge, "We can handle him, at least until Eggman gets here!"
Psychic aura surrounded the feline as she and her partner stepped from the rooftop, their descent was slowed through the use of his power. The feline began to scan their surroundings, now she could see more people poking out of hiding and beginning to shift. Unfortunately, Sonic wasn't willing to abide their safe landing.
He appeared in an instant, launching up before landing a single clean punch that knocked Silver spinning before hitting the castle wall and bouncing. Blaze brought arm up her arms to block, catching a headbutt with her palm but being launched from her partner's hold in the process!
As she hurtled towards the ground, Sonic's head basically in her hands, the cat was unwilling to use fire directly. Instead of her palms, Blaze exploded heat on the back of her hands and generated a burst of thrust. That force pushed the cat upright and smashed the hedgehog downwards; forcibly changing his trajectory to crash to the ground while swivelling herself upright.
The thick sole of her boots sent rocks flying as the princess ground to a stop, only to find the hedgehog already running at her again. Blaze matched his act, immediately launching herself forward; secure in the knowledge that, unlike on prior occasions, she had an ace in the hole. The stonework before Sonic wretched upwards beneath his feet, glowing cyan as it brought him to stumble. Fire exploded behind Blaze's elbow as, in the moment he was stunned, she took the opportunity to strike his cheek directly.
Again the hedgehog was sent spinning, but Blaze knew better than to give Sonic a second to react. She kept up the pace, easily matching his airborne speed as she brought her left arm back. This time, using the momentum of her movement rather than a burst of flame, Blaze grabbed the hedgehog by his leg and skidded to a swivelling halt. She released as she turned and he was thrown directly toward the castle. Straight toward Silver!
The psychic was already prepared, a maelstrom of floating rock churned between the time traveller and the speedster. Sonic attempted to dodge, rolling into a ball to shift his angle, but Silver had been prepared. The stones surged left and blocked the blue blur's path, his airborne movements were not the lightning fast act they would be on the ground! After the initial battering more stone folded in on itself and began to wildly spin; effectively imprisoning the hero in a grounded orb of floating debris. Almost immediately Sonic started to kick, spin and punch in an attempt to break free, but those efforts only led to him being battered. It would be wise of him to stand still, but Blaze doubted he ever would.
A sound twitched Blaze's ear, bringing the feline to spin on her heel. She found herself staring down three adult humans, clinging to rocks as if they were real weapons. Blaze ignited her right palm, turning it towards the trio. There was a time when she'd regretted others' fear of her flames; but now she had allies who saw them for their worth. With anonymity like this, she could now take advantage of that which she once loathed.
"See what we have done? None can stand before us!" The villainous pyrokinetic announced, willing her flames to burn brighter as she pointed to the trapped Sonic, "Know your place and flee."
All three humans immediately dropped their rocks and turned tail, running for the courtyard's exit with reckless abandon. As they left, Silver arrived at her side and brought his hands together. Another wave of psychic energy stretched out from him, passing over all in their surroundings.
"Things have really cleared out now," Silver announced as he closed the distance between them, "No one's hiding, they're all running."
"Hopefully they keep running," Blaze sighed, snuffing the light in her palm, "We've worked through two unforeseen issues, let's-
A familiar sparkle snapped Blaze's head to the right, revealing that Sonic was no longer striking Silver's barrier as anticipated. Instead of trying to break the stone walls, he had added seven gemstones to the cacophony of floating rock. Seven emeralds he wasn't meant to use yet!
After sewing so much of it, panic claimed the cat, "Silver!"
"On it!" The hedgehog stopped his searching efforts and wretched his hands towards his chest.
The rocks ensnaring Sonic froze for a moment before changed their direction, now hurtling towards the pair of them. Those stony masses smacked the Chaos Emeralds and Sonic out of orientation, sending them tumbling before crashing swiftly to the ground. He'd prevented that issue, but he'd also freed Sonic! Blaze, immediately bursting into flames, dashed towards the wreckage.
Back on his feet, the blue blur was racing among the litter and recollecting the chaos emeralds. They'd all flown in one direction, he was following a single path, but having to grab them meant slowing to scan and plan his movements. Blaze had only one target in mind!
"Get the gem!" Blaze shouted back to Silver as she again collided with Sonic.
She'd stepped over the green chaos emerald, reaching the speedy hero just in time! Burning open palms caught his shoulders and pushed him back. Sonic responded in kind, grabbing her biceps as he returned the force and more than matched her pace. The stalemate barely lasted for a moment.
"Think I'll copy your trick!" He shouted, for once allowing himself to slow as he slid to the right, "Thanks for the idea!"
Harnessing Blaze's own momentum, as well as her poorer grip on him, the cat was spun left of the hedgehog. He'd lifted as she was released and sent her careening; left to wait out her own momentum as she soared backwards. From the air, though things were moving oh so fast, time slowed to a crawl.
Silver was psychically tugging the emerald, he was racing towards it just as it was flying towards him. Sonic was in pursuit, moving so much faster than Silver or his power. The blue blur's fingertips were but inches away while Silver was over a metre.
The emerald vanished from view before, milliseconds later, it was clearer to Blaze than ever before! Silver had, in those last moments, scuttled the ancient relic down between Sonic's legs before lobbing it up and into the air! Blaze crashed to the ground, feeling the rocks dig into her shoulder, only to scramble and rebound onto her feet. With a simple jump she plucked the stone from the air; just in time to realise that Sonic had continued his dash for the distracted Silver and opted to knock him tumbling across the castle's patio.
Amber eyes locked with green from across the abandoned castle grounds, over a distance they could both close in a second. Even from here Blaze could see the cocky smirk imposed on his muzzle; despite their success, it was clear that he was unconcerned. Had the hedgehog put two and two together maybe? Blaze supposed they could come clean now and explain the-
Sonic launched towards her and, on reflex, Blaze matched the effort! Surrounded by the force of their respective speed and temperature, the two collided at near exact angles and bounced off of each other as blows were exchanged. A punch from him caught her injured shoulder then a kick from her found his knee. A burst of flame scorched his side only for him to rebut with a passing headbutt. Adrenaline was surging, the mere seconds they were fighting felt like hours at this pace, but Blaze had the advantage. She had Silver.
As his fist was set to collide with her face, set to smash the already surely chipped mask the princess was wearing, the hedgehog stumbled. The cat very almost dealt a chopping blow to the back of Sonic's head as she pushed past him; only halting when she realised what had happened. The psychic had risen from the rocks he'd tumbled into, a chunk from the left side of his helmet now completely missing. His telekinetic grasp had ensnared the hero's right leg; before he could react, Sonic was hoisted into the air. As she slowed to a stop at Silver's side, he had begun to spin Sonic in a pinwheel motion.
"You help out a guy so many times," Silver groaned, letting his emotions flood aloud, "If only he'd just listen."
"The sooner you let that go, the easier this will all be," The moment she said that, Sonic was released and sent hurtling into the open entryway of the ruined castle. Blaze's hand found her mask as she muffled a snort, "Silver..."
"Th-That wasn't intentional, I swear!" The hedgehog raised his hands, "You said let go and I just sort of... it was a reflex."
"You're so naive," She shook her head, glad he couldn't see her smirk, "Hurry and check our surroundings again. He'll be back soon."
As he sent out another thin wave of energy, Blaze drew out the chaos emerald. They were playing keep away with the fastest thing alive, this could only last-
A blue form emerged from the dark of the castle entryway, rolling back their right shoulder. He was too far away to tell if the smirk had left his face, but Sonic had crouched low and struck a runners pose. The moment she recognised it, the hedgehog was already dashing across the courtyard.
"There's no one else within a five hundred metre radius, we can go," Silver quickly spat.
"You want this back, foolish hedgehog!? Then go fetch!" Blaze shouted out, playing into her character one last time.
As she tossed the green emerald into the air, Silver immediately caught her intent. With a wave of his hand the gemstone was sent on a careening course, curving through the air far above Sonic's head. The blue hedgehog drifted, kicking up stone as he swerved around to chase the gem. Silver had sent it sailing deep and high into the castle interior.
"We should go," Blaze noticed Silver was panting as he spoke, "Just in case he still hasn't figured out that we are who we are."
"I don't think we have to worry about that," The cat conceded, "I think he really was just looking for a warm up. Powers like ours aren't exactly common. He probably realised after we stole the emerald, he didn't seem panicked at all. Us not running off with it or using it probably clued him in."
"He might have figured out what the pulses I sent out where after they didn't hurt him twice," Silver concurred, "It'd be good if he could take anything as seriously as he-
Silver's words were cut off by an arrival on the rooftop; a shockwave rang out as a giant metallic form crashed onto the castle roof. Seven draconic heads, each a different colour, reared up as if observing their surroundings. Two giant wings bet and a set of powerful legs stomped as stability was achieved. They'd cut things close; but they'd fulfilled their role.
A megaphone creaked before a familiar scientist's voice boomed loud, "Sonic! I know you're here somewhere! Why don't you make this easy, come out and hand over the Chaos Emeralds!"
Blaze sighted the blue blur emerging from the castle, turning to look up at the mythical robot, "Now let's go, we'll keep an eye on things from afar."
"Alright, grab on," Silver signalled holding out a hand.
It didn't take the two of them more than a minute to find a good spot; a hill overlooking the castle, positioned just right to grant a view of the roof where Eggman had landed. By that time, Sonic had already transformed and was thoroughly trouncing the hydra robot. With no civilians to save, he had no issue rending head after head from the machine. The battle would be won in a matter of minutes at worst.
"Ugh, I feel gross," Silver sounded from over her shoulder, finding his hands clasped at the chin of his helmet.
The black mass flipped free and tumbled to the ground with loud thunk. It was only now, with his helmet removed and in the aftermath of their efforts, that Blaze realised how hot Silver must have been within his costume. His muzzle was red and he was panting; sweat and the helmet had slicked back his shortened quills.
They'd clipped his quills, but Silver was all fluff. Blaze watched as he slouched, dragging his fingers through his rough cut quills in an attempt to spike the back up to no success. A grumble slipped his throat as he fanned himself with his hand, tugging the neckline of his jumpsuit.
It was only as he spoke that Blaze realised she was staring, "How are you feeling, he got you a couple of times, right? Your mask is..."
A flash of light sparked on the horizon, granting the feline an opportunity to look away. Blaze turned in time to see Sonic emerge from a hole in the machine's hull. The hydra exploded in a flash over multicoloured light; a capsule just launching itself from the metal mass before it was destroyed. The hero and villain were clearly having some sort of verbal confrontation now. Despite it all, things had gone as they'd hoped.
The cat rolled her shoulder as she pulled the mask from her face, "We've dealt with worse, I'll be fine."
As anticipated, fractures ran deep through the porcelain. If it wasn't for the thick mesh of fibres on its backside, intended to cushion the face of the wearer, the whole thing would have surely crumbled apart. Even as she was holding it, pieces were starting to fall free from the sticky backing. She tossed the mask without another thought and watched it shatter on the way down the hill.
"When we get back we'll check each other over, just to be safe," He said, sounding unconvinced, "This is so fiddly..."
Blaze looked back to him just in time to catch him struggling with the zipper at his neck. A bloom of psychic light flashed, immediately followed by the unmistakeable noise of tearing. The light immediately ceased and revealed a regretful frown on the hedgehog's muzzle.
"Damn it," The hedgehog pouted, "Guess we'll both need to to make new costumes for next time."
White chest fur was now visible through the hedgehog's tight suit, the material just left of the zipper down his front had burst to reveal the plume. The open chested look, coupled with his now shorn quills, really heightened the rougher look she'd identified before. The idea of Silver as some sort of dashing figure, a beacon of light wrapped in black, was bizarre and flustering to say the least. It was fortunate that he dropped to sit, awkwardly struggling to wipe the sweat from his leather-bound fingers, rather than doing anything else.
"I think, having been endured all of today's turmoil, we should probably return to our usual method. Arrive early and help out when we can," Blaze returned to conversation to distract from her bubbling thoughts, "Subterfuge is exhausting."
"It was rather stressful," He confessed, beginning to lose his redness, "Then again, saving the future always is. There's probably no single right way to go about it..." A smile quirked across his lips, "You were great though; you really got into character Blaze!"
"I overdid it," Blaze quickly snapped, turning away to face the chaos at the castle. Eggman was fleeing and the emearld's power had left Sonic.
"What? No, you were perfect!" She could hear his excitement, "I've never seen you act like that before; it was like you really were a villain. Everything from the way you were posing to your lines, it was just great!"
"I was posing?" Blaze felt her brow twitch.
"Well, yeah. Did you not notice?" He sounded so excited; with the battle won his true self was returning, "When you were looking down on everyone you were constantly throwing your hands around, flashing flames everywhere. Even when you were on the ground, fighting with Sonic, you kept moving in these amazing patterns and throwing out all sorts of flashy moves."
"I see," Blaze tried to keep her response muted, fighting to keep her lips from twitching into a smirk.
"Whenever you moved that cloak of yours would bat around and really made you look cool!" He naively shouted, "Whenever I'd hear you growl or throw a punch it'd make my heart race..." When he went quiet she looked to her, only to find his hand mixed amongst his quills; looking almost regretful, "I was trying to focus on the mission but you kept distracting me. Everything you did looked so flashy, I just couldn't look away. I kept having to shake myself out of it..."
Now he was going much too far; the cat's cheeks exploded red hot, she wished she hadn't ditched her mask.
"Let's go, before Sonic starts looking for us," She turned to him extending a hand, "You need another shower."
"Really? I feel much better now, this is such a nice spot," Their fingers grazed but only gently, "I think I just needed to get the air about-
Blaze drew the Sol Emerald from her cloak before he could get another word in, cloaking them in purple flame. When they arrived she'd still have to deal with him, she'd surely have to shove him into the shower while she cooled off on the castle balcony. The moment her feet left the ground though, as reality began to twist around them, a single thought returned to Blaze.
She wanted Silver to give her a haircut, one that would match his.