This world had been devastated for almost two hundred years, of that much Silver was certain. They'd found the planet in a hash, bleak, state, of thorough destruction and degradation where any normal person would undoubtedly struggle to survive. Frankly, as had become the norm for him, the hedgehog had no hope that sentient life could survive on the world's surface. Well, at least he had some idea of how this had all come to be.
The psychic hedgehog was sat atop a skyscraper, using its height in an attempt to evade the tropical swelter of the world below. His head had been buzzing for a good hour now, synapses occasionally misfiring, as he tried to piece together the evidence that he and his partner had gathered. In his right hand he held a newspaper, dated only a month from the date he'd recently left after reversing a wholly different apocalypse. In his right he held an overlarge flier, undated but presumedly from that brief gap.
"Cybernetic Circus Now Open! Visit and See Colossal Creatures from the Cretaceous!" Read the page, depicting a posed Eggman in an overlarge top hat stood before a crowd shot of colourful new robots.
They'd found duplicates of this advert scattered all around, with similar versions pasted on everything from billboards to barbershop windows. Based on how prolific the postings were, either Eggman had overwhelmed the planet with notices overnight or the world really had bought into his carnival. Silver thought the latter was a touch peculiar, especially coming after the man's failed amusement park in space, but the newspaper he held suggested that might be the case.
He'd found a few different publications scattered within the subway, but all of them had been primarily positive. It just so happened that the Station Square on Sunday, the paper he was holding, had the most in-depth review of the doctor's newest work. The circus had, naturally, been hosted by Eggman himself; the doctor introducing various machines and having them do tricks. These ranged from mechanical quirks, such as one robot breathing fire and another generating a light show from its spines, to more traditional circus acts, with some machines painted like clowns while others road unicycles and did high-wire tricks.
In addition to the main tent, a zoo with hundreds of those mechanical creatures was also present around the main event space. There people could go up and pet or even ride some of these mechanical beasts, and apparently there had been no issues or injuries at the time of writing. Purportedly, despite the historical basis of some of these machines, they all consumed scrap metal and would not harm the guests. Silver didn't believe that latter claim, given the current sate of the planet.
Piled in front of the time traveler was their last piece of evidence, a number of the circus robots that he and his partner had recently fought. They'd only seen three sorts so far, less than the number of sorts advertised. The first they'd found was short and bipedal with razor sharp claws on its feet, it had primarily attacked by jumping at the pair of them before biting with its jagged teeth. The next was larger and quadrupedal, it has a something similar to a shield like frill near the top of its head and three prominent horns- it'd charged at the pair of them, throwing its weight around. The final type they'd seen so far was more thickly armoured than the prior two. It was another quadruped, its tail ending in a heavily spiked hammer that was strong enough to smash through walls.
All three of these machines were vaguely reptilian in design, the first sort having wide snapping jaws while the latter pair had blunt beaks, with scales made of metal being common among them. Despite the time that had passed, the machines were all awash in colours ranging from greens to reds to purples and even whites in the style of greasepaint. That made these robots exceptionally easy targets and, simply put, Silver had no idea how these simple machines had beaten his friends; let alone taken over the world. Eggman had catalysed some truly strange apocalypses, but overwhelming the planet with circus themed dinosaur robots was undoubtedly the weirdest yet.
There had to be more to it than this. Sure, the two quadrupedal types were bigger than cars, but they weren't that fast. Even if they were quick, he and his partner had found their obvious weak point. The creature's key circuitry was stored-
"Silver!" The hedgehog turned, just in time to catch Blaze jumping toward him from the nearest skyscraper.
"Blaze!" He jumped to his feet, rising as she landed, "Is everything okay?"
"There's a new type of robot, it's pushed into the edge of our cleared territory," She pointed back over her shoulder, "It's far bigger than any of the others."
The cat was panting, embers still clung to her feet and hands. Green stains stood out on her tights and gloves, being less clearly visible on her purple long coat, but from her heels to her ponytail he saw no signs of injury. Despite her looking unharmed, the sweat on her brow prompted him to step closer.
"Are you ok?" The hedgehog's eyes darted across his partner one more time, again finding no indication of harm, "Did you try to fight it?"
"I kept to a distance but my attacks bounced off of it," Blaze curtly admitted, waving off his concern, "When I say it's bigger Silver, it destroyed the stadium by walking through it. It's huge."
"Your attacks bounced off it?" Silver parroted, feeling his eyes widen, "But it was just another robot, right? We've handled tons of them, both here and in the past."
"It was like the others we've fought here, painted and reptilian, but it was just so massive by comparison," The cat explained, "If those ones were made for the circus, this one was clearly made to destroy. If we don't deal with it quickly, it'll start pushing down skyscrapers."
"We'd lose any evidence left inside if it rampages," Silver realised, lighting up and beginning to float, "I'll hurry over and assess the situation, see what I can do. Catch up when you can."
Without another word, the hedgehog was fully airborne and rocketing over the cityscape. His partner would catch up, that much he knew for certain, but if she needed to catch her breath or recuperate at all then he was going to buy her that time. Regardless, if this really was just another robot then they'd undoubtedly deal with it before it caused any real damage.
As he flew, the hedgehog let his hand slip low and snatched an apple from the branch of a tree growing atop what had once been a grocers. With no people to maintain the world, the city was fully overgrown with plants. Vines had taken the place of power cables, greenery furred the face of every tower and the concrete was torn by roots. While his pyrokinetic companion had made great leaps back in the timeline where the city was burning, this world's state allowed her to more freely run between the vines and outstretched branches of an overgrown world.
Of course, the overgrowth of plants had also provided them both with more fresh fruit and vegetables than they could hope to eat. Between the two of them cooking up a storm had been easy, they'd eaten better here than in almost any apocalypse prior... but, as ever, the hedgehog did feel a pang of regret over whatever small silver lining he found on the dead world. He'd chastised himself over the thought of giving baseball a try in that worn out stadium, daring not even raise to to Blaze. It was probably for the best that it was gone. They weren't here to enjoy themselves, they had a job to do!
Psyching himself up with that last thought, hearing the sounds of tearing metal, the mystic hedgehog came to land atop a billboard marked with one of Eggman's advertisements. The moment his eyes fell upon their foe, Silver realised just why Blaze had been sweating. Silver reckoned he was around nine stories high and yet this mechanical monstrosity still dwarfed him.
A flourish of white greasepaint ran from the top of its head to the end of its tail, much of its falsely scaled body was red but bright green encircled the machine's maw and its eyes glowed a bright blue. What drew the psychokinetic's attention first was the shear size of its head, having a massive a set of jaws with bladed teeth and arching brows that truly extenuated how beady its eyes were. The scale of device's tail was then put on display as, in the act of simply turning, a line of trees that had grown through the pavement were reduced to lumber. His stare down there, the legs of the robot dinosaur were also made obvious. They were thick trunks, each ending in a large wide foot with a set of nasty looking talons.
Unlike those before it, this titanic king of machines bore an orange painted Eggman insignia on its chest, between its two... entirely pathetic and useless looking arms? They ended in little claws but, rather than use its arms to eat, the false-creature was lurched over and munching its way through a row of cars. To be honest, despite its undeniable scale, it looked like an easy target. The robotic dinosaurs before had been easily slain by piercing their head; Silver didn't really know how it worked, but all of their key circuitry seemed to be gathered there. They were three for three so far, it was time to try for four!
Crackling energy was channeled into the hedgehog's right palm, its glowing sigil began to spark with light as he raised his hand above his head. As soon as he felt the energy was built the hedgehog slowly dragged his hand downward, leaving a long blade of psychic energy in the movement's wake. With a sudden psychic shove from his left hand, the attack was loosed and sent flying as the beast unwittingly tore into a rusted double decker bus.
The psychic knife fizzed as it made contact, cleanly cleaving off part of the bus before it crashed into the upper jaw of the robot... only to shattered upon it!
Blue glowing eyes were suddenly upon Silver, he watched as the beast lurched upright to stand at its full colossal height. He'd maybe left a single line in the paintwork, it couldn't be deeper than an inch! Blaze was right, this thing was clearly made of stronger stuff.
The metal form took a single thunderous step towards him, crushing the bus it had just been eating. Its jaw slacked open and teeth like gleaming blades were revealed. Based on its monstrous appearance, Silver had braced and expected the automaton to unleash a terrifying roar... but instead its jaw opened wider still until the lower portion was hanging perpendicular to the upper portion.
Silver felt his brow quirk, utterly befuddled, as the creature stood perfectly still for a moment. He caught himself slacking when a loud whirring started to emanate from the golem, bringing up his hands and coating himself in a psychic shield. The machine's shining metal teeth folded outward, revealing a series of holes in the lower jaw. Confusion almost claimed the hedgehog again when those gaps were suddenly filled; a series of missile heads now stood where the teeth had once been in the hanging jaw.
The roar came, that of screeching missiles that were now racing towards him! The hedgehog jumped back, hoping to using the billboard as a shield, only to find that the rockets were following him. He pushed himself faster toward the ground and turned, eying the windows he was falling past and mentally preparing himself. Using the third and second windows to count the rate of his fall, Silver shunted himself through the first floor window and into the building.
One after another the missiles crashed into the building behind him, exploding not only with the usual oranges and reds of destructive fire but neon greens and blues. This was another circus attraction, was it made to shoot fireworks?! Wrapped in psychic energy, the hedgehog burst through a wall to get further from the explosions only to find himself tumbling until he crashed onto a thoroughly moss covered couch in what had once been someone's home. The pop and whiz of the fireworks vanished so very quickly, leaving colourful fire in their wake having thoroughly devastated the outer room and outter wall of the building.
The moment the explosions had ceased, though his ears were still ringing, the hedgehog bounced off the couch to rush back through the hole he'd made. He started to soar back up the building, trying to come up with a new plan of attack, when the head of the beast suddenly burst over the top of the building and tore into the metal billboard! Silver watched the whole structure of the tower block lurch toward him, his ears clearing just in time to hear the thunder of bricks as the structure started to collapse!
A portion of wall caught the hedgehog's shoulder but he quickly manifested a psychic barrier, opting to rocket left around the tumbling tower and race up an apartment building a couple of blocks away from the machine. By the time he arrived on that roof, his prior roost had completely crumbled to rubble. The false dinosaur had successfully torn off the billboard and was now chomping it to pieces, folding and rending the metal frame with each bite.
"You're so naive," A familiar voice whirled Silver around, "I tell you there's something big to fight and you still act all headstrong."
He had no idea how long Blaze had been standing there, but the hedgehog was left flustered regardless. The feline had been leaning against the building's roof access door, but now she was drawing closer with her tail flicking from side to side. The hedgehog was certain he was in for some teasing. Without even a word, the snickering look she was shooting him was enough to flush his cheeks.
"We've taken down bigger before," He squeaked in response, noticing the dinosaur had turned to them from the corner of his eye.
"Yes, but they were always a two person job," Blaze bluntly stated as the machine's jaw slacked to hang again, "There's a reason I came to get you, did you really think it would be that easy?"
"I-I mean, this should be easy, right?" Silver asked, gesturing to the metal beast, "It's not some ancient mythical creature, it's just a big dumb dinosaur with-
The rest of what Silver planned to profess was snuffed out by a fresh hail of fireworks, exploding out of the machine's hanging lower jaw. The hedgehog fully whirled around, hands aglow, and Blaze matched him. Bolts of flame launched from her fingers, matching some of the launched rockets and detonating them mid-air. A little less than half the missiles flew through the smoke and shine in her effort's wake, but the time traveller was ready. Psychic light engulfed the remaining missiles and brought them to a halt! With a thrust of his arms the hedgehog sent the missiles tumbling back through the air; the metal monster didn't have time nor the speed to react as it was engulfed by a cacophony of sound and light.
"It'd be really nice if that was enough to stop it," Silver grumbled, already hearing the thud of its titanic feet.
"Our work can never be so easy, the others wouldn't have failed otherwise," The titan emerged from the explosion, its paint marked but intent thoroughly undeterred, "Are you getting worried?"
"Well no, I'm just confused about how they lost to robot dinosaurs," Silver confessed, the foe in question now drawing closer still, "I mean, we've not taken this one down yet, sure, but I don't think it's beyond-
In the middle of his rambling, Blaze had leapt from the building they were stood upon. The giant machine had spun as it reached them, brining its large tail to whip around behind it. Those powerful legs were allowing it to pivot, transferring the energy of its rush into a powerful strike!
"Us," Silver concluded, his eyes wide and locked on his descending feline companion.
The hedgehog increased his elevation, getting out of reach as the tower tumbled beneath him as if it was a tree hatcheted down by a woodsman. Blaze had timed her jump perfectly of course. She had landed on the tail with all her usual grace and immediately began to run along the dinosaur's spine, clearly a test of of the machine's metal in mind. She'd undoubtedly formulated some sort of plan before fetching him; one she was now confident to enact since he could lend his support.
Blue light was upon him again, the creature had completed its spin to face him once more. Seeing an opportunity, Silver attempted to mentally grab the head of the dinosaur and crush its lower jaw into the upper! As he clawed his fingers and tensed he heard the grinding of metal, but a strong flex of the hydraulics in the robot's neck was enough to break his glowing hold.
Just as his hold was forcibly dissipated, Blaze arrived on the monster's head. The cat lowered herself, crouching into an almost pouncing position with her palms flat against the metal of the monstrosity's forehead. Fire gathered around her, Silver saw the beast's eyes flicker as it noticed the cat but it was just too late! The flames surrounding the cat were all forced downward, generating thrust. It was the same type of effort she normally used to further her jumps, but this time used offensively!
An undeniable thud sounded as the force jetted downward and Blaze launched upward, soaring into the air above him. Not missing a beat, the hedgehog matched her height and brought a plinth made from nearby for her to land on. Not a moment later they were side by side in the air, basked in cyan, looking down at the mechanical form. It had lurched downward in response to the force, its legs splayed, but her fire had only blackened the top of the machine's head.
As if to prove how unharmed it was, the creature turned to look up at them and unleashed a third volley of missiles. Tearing excess bricks from the plinth Blaze was crouched upon, recuperating after her jump, Silver sent down a hail to match and detonate the fireworks before they could reach the pair. Thankfully, from their position directly above, disposing of them had been much easier.
With its most recent effort so quickly cleared, and its foes plainly out of reach, the android dinosaur began to stomp around and tear into its surroundings with its maw. Whether the creature could feel frustration or not, it was now more of a threat to their territory than when it had been wandering before. They had to do something.
"I think it's heat resistant," Blaze mused, rising to stand up straight, "The other robots were, to an extent. They were just smaller and frailer, my strikes cracked the metal so the flames could burn away their insides."
"So, if we pierce the metal, you'll be able to put it down," Silver put together, his stare drifting to the rampaging android, "It's just a matter of how..."
"A psychic knife did no noticeable damage," She reminded him, "I don't know that we can break this one on our own."
Silver watched as the creature gnawed on a blue car, attempting to lift it by the roof only for its underside to tear off and fall. The machine ended up bumping and pushing the car with its snout, struggling to angle it properly so that its teeth could bear down more properly on the vehicle's chassis. It'd been a lot of effort for what amounted to eating. With its legs being so massive, it really was forced to use its jaw for manoeuvring.
"Its got such tiny arms," Silver pointed out, "If we could knock it over, do you think it'd be able to get back up? From there we, could at least get a better look at it; try to find some other weak point?"
"With its legs being so well built, I don't think we could push it onto its side," The cat answered, "But perhaps we could knock it flat? Push the head down hard enough that the legs buckle..."
"If we get it to stand somewhere it'd be off balance, that certainly seems doable," Silver nodded, considering the already damaged stadium, "You were right before though, this is a two person job, I think this calls for a team attack. But which one should we do..." The hedgehog's mind was ablaze with ideas, drawing from all of their past battles, "Maybe we should use the solar flare? But then, if you think it's heatproof... maybe the cosmic whirl? No, I know, we could do sunrise into sunset! That's got to be our best shot, right?"
When no answer came, Silver's eyes drifted up from the automaton beneath them. The cat wasn't looking at him nor their foes. Her arms were folded and her gaze had drifted to simply stare off and left of her floating platform, her tail flicking wildly. Silver flew over, peering past her shoulder to follow the cat's eyeline, only to find trees and bushes pushing out of a tower block in the path of her stare.
"Um, Blaze? What are you seeing?" Silver blinked, still scanning the view.
"You're so naive," Silver flinched, hearing her serious tone.
"W-What did I do this time?" He panicked aloud.
"It's just..." She finally looked to him, her gaze cut to his soul, "Those attack names, how long did you spend coming up with them?"
"I mean, I've been using them since we were kids, I don't really remember," He floundered, "Is something wrong with them?"
"You're so naive," Blaze announced once more, turning to look back down at their foe.
"L-Let's just hurry up knock this thing down," Silver quickly insisted, trying to push things along, "You attack from the ground, I'll hit it from the air, let's force it toward the stadium. Th-Then we'll figure out the team attack!"
"Yes, we should do..." He practically heard the cat's lips purse, be it to snicker or out of disgust, "A team attack."
"Right, let's go!" The hedgehog blurted, both to pump himself up and fully push past his embarrassment.
With a wave of his hand Blaze was sent toward the city streets. She only got halfway before she jumped from her platform, burning as she bounced off of the machine's right side and drew its ire. The moment his partner hit the ground she was running, dashing with flames at her heels and arms wreathed in fire. She immediately skid around its heel, beginning the process of offsetting the android's balance.
Still channelling the panic induced by her teasing, Silver shot across the sky to angle himself to face the coliseum. His positioning wasn't great, he was toward the creature's front on its right side. Ideally he wanted to push at its side, that should at least cause a stumble in the right direction without the risk of it pushing to counter his efforts. Blaze would buy him an opportunity to strike, he knew she would!
The hedgehog glanced to his surroundings, all the scrap and rubble of this abandoned world. His symbols pulsed as a wave of psychic energy surged outwards, catching loose material from all around and beginning to draw those masses to a point above his head. It'd take a huge mass to stand a chance of pushing the dinosaur over but Silver had energy to spare!
As his gathering continued, cyan light shining, Silver's gaze refocused on his partner. Already she was working her magic, weaving full burning figure eights between the monster's legs. It tried to stomp her into the ground but was far too slow. Though its heavy steps tore up the pavement, the cat's surefooted moves kept her from slowing. Already the machine was starting to thunch as it struggled to sight the girl and angle its attacks.
The fire was rising, even from down here Silver could hear the bubbling and melting of asphalt. While that stickiness likely wouldn't aid in their plan to topple the beast, it was already making it difficult for the android to position. It stomped and trudged and lurched time after time until, finally, Silver saw the ideal line. The hedgehog swallowed; if he pushed now, it would stumble right into the coliseum!
"Meteor!" He felt so embarrassed to use the attack name, but he had to give Blaze warning, "Smash!"
Silver threw his arms forward and an orb of rubble, larger than a house, lurched toward the android. Everything from tumbled concrete wall to loose rebar to crushed cars and lampposts had gathered and now been made offensive. As the great junk comet lurched through the air it picked up speed, Silver saw a shadow leap from the flames beneath the beast just before a cacophonous crash loudened the dead world.
The rubble ball fragmented on contact, its shape deformed despite psychic glow remaining, but the blow struck true! Silver heard metal screech as the machine stumbled sidewards and out of the flame. Almost immediately junk began to fall, his push got lighter with time, but a secondary crash guaranteed to the hedgehog that his effort had been a success. Though he was struggling to see with so much rubble in his line of sight, he was certain they were pushing the beast the right way!
The hedgehog slowly flew forward, his hands still shining as his heavy bulwark grew lighter by the moment. He was ready to push and push, keep this going till the droid was surely in the heart of that stadium, when a streak of orange caught his eye. Turning to where that light landed, Silver found Blaze stood on top of a tree he had endeavoured to avoid tearing from the ground- toward the monster's back legs.
"Silver!" She called out, "Sunrise!"
So now she wanted to use the attack names!?
The hedgehog gave one last push, lurching the remainder of the rubble one last time to batter and shunt the beast. His glowing grasp released from there, the hedgehog thrust a hand toward his partner and a harness of cyan light coalesced around her upper torso. The feline was pulled into the air but she was free to act; just as the beast was starting to recover, its jaw again swinging to hang low, Blaze threw open palm after open palm to launch bolts of flame at the monster. The impacts weren't doing real damage, but the risk of detonation seemed to keep the android from launching more fireworks. What's more, those attacks staggered the beast for long enough to raise Blaze high in the sky.
"Sunset!" She shouted, her voice only just audible over the thrash of metal as the dinosaur began to move.
Again, after chastising him-
Silver pushed through embarrassment and swung his arm downward. The cyan energy that had been holding the cat's frame traced down to her feet to create a platform of pure light which was affixed to the base of her shoes. Blaze crouched to pounce as Silver angled the platform, positioning the cat head first toward the beast. He only had a moment to charge the grasp with kinetic energy; he used that second to empower the shove he suddenly forced onto her. His partner pounced in synch, harnessing his push to redouble the speed of her descent.
The cat was glowing with fresh flames, spinning head over tail in the air. She raced toward the head of the beast far faster than his rubble meteor, crashing like an actual star falling from the heavens! Silver saw the moment contact was made, she'd stomped her flaming right foot into the back of the creature's head. That force immediately sent the whole body sprawling forwards, its open jaw pierced the ground with an earsplitting crunch that was instantly followed by the smashing of the machines' chest hitting the earth. Its legs had ended up stretched backwards, those tiny arms were crushed beneath the machine's large frame and the blue eyes that had chased the hedgehog were now dark, completely lightless.
"The light left its eyes!" Silver called out, lowering himself closer, "I think it's down for good!"
Blaze was still posed atop the beast's head, the metal of its skull had cratered beneath her kick. She looked so cool, her fists all clenched with her right foot forward, tougher than she ever had before. It was foolish but the first word that came to Silver's mind was smouldering, he couldn't see her expression from up here but he could imagine the disdain she was staring down at the crumpled-
Blue lights flared back to life, the roar of metal scarping on asphalt was undeniable as the beast's legs swivelled and kicked as it tried to right itself! The lashing of its tail was enough to send a truck flying through the window of a nearby shop, its jaw was raking through cement. The feline rocked as the form beneath her shifted; her stance lowered but she didn't flee. Did she think it was still out for the count?! That its body was just spasming?!
"It's getting back up!" Silver called out, but the grinding was just so loud, "Blaze, get off!"
She wasn't budging, could she hear him? Silver sped up his descent, arms outstretched to grab her, only to feel heat flash into the air. Silver recoiled backwards just in time, the feline exploded into a pillar of flame before his eyes. The dinosaur had just started to rise when her fire hit its apex, the cat had become a blinding crown atop the android's head.
Then, in the blink of an eye, her pyrokinetic output collapsed inward.
He could still scarcely look at her, but the cat had pushed all of the flames peeling off of her straight down. At first the whole gigantic head was engulfed but, just before the iron jaws could swing closed, all that heat had centralised to race down her right leg- the one she'd used to strike the robot's head! Now Silver could see the feline's hands on her thigh, either simply to brace or even to push her heel harder against the head. Wait, had her kick actually managed to pierce-
Blue eyes darkened once more, just as quickly as they'd relit! Before the droid could even crash back to the ground, having only just risen to its feet, Silver was again racing closer. With a reach of his hand, the hedgehog managed to slow the form's collapse so that it merely thudded to the now thoroughly wrecked pavement rather than crashing. When he reached his partner she was still on top of that massive head, smoke billowing around her and one hand on her thigh.
"That was incredible Blaze! That was such quick thinking, I was a second from pulling you away," Silver beamed, "I you managed to pierce the head, just didn't strike deep enough to destroy the circuitry, right? I guess that confirms again that all the important stuff is…"
Blaze hadn't turned to face him, in fact she'd barely moved at all. The guardian had mostly cooled off but it was as if the fight wasn't over for her, her head angled to look down at the head of the machine. He saw the cat lurch backwards rather than turn to him, her shoulders tensing and her other hand grasping at her thigh.
Concern started to bubble, "Um, Blaze? Are you okay? Did you overdo it?"
He drifted closer, approaching her back, "No, Silver, I'm fine. Just give me a moment, I'm just-
Silver heard a snap and all of a sudden Blaze's back was against his chest, his arms instinctively caught beneath her arms to keep her from tumbling. The back of her head narrowly missed his chin as he slipped backwards, dispersing the energy by shifting to lie in the air with her on top of him. What had just happened?! Were they still under attack?!
Frustration reigned in Blaze's mind as she gripped her thigh, having felt the whiplash of the great machine's form falling to the ground for a second time. The day was won, this time she was certain, the feline couldn't feel the thrumming of engines beneath her foot... and yet, she still couldn't move her heel from the creation's head. It was no wonder that she was still smouldering, despite dispelling her flames, embarrassment was burning at her cheeks.
Their combined attack had struck true, the force had buckled the metal of the creature's head but only her heel had pierced beyond that had shell. Though contact and her initial burst of flame had initially stunned the beast into deactivation, the cat had realised during that brief period of calm that her heel was thoroughly embedded in the back of the machine's head... a little too thoroughly embedded. She'd tugged and tugged as the robot came back to life, trying to get free, only to have to lean into that leg again and send a jet of flame down through the very hole she was stuck in. Unfortunately, while that effort had finished the fight, it hadn't been enough to free her foot.
"You were incredible Blaze! That was such quick thinking, I was a second from pulling you away instead," Her companion's voice hailed from behind as the cat continued to wiggle her leg, "I guess we managed to pierce the head, just didn't strike deep enough to destroy the circuitry, right? I guess that confirms again that all the important stuff is…"
Blaze tugged; first with her hand at her thigh and then she leant back with her whole body. Despite the cracks stretching out from the hole, the metal didn't so much as budge at her tugging. Frustration swole and she felt her tail spike straight. She grasped her thigh with her free hand, feeling her biceps swell and hands claw as she pulled harder.
"Um, Blaze? Are you okay? Did you overdo it?" His concern made her hesitate for a moment.
She tried twisting her foot while she pulled back, "No, Silver, I'm fine. Just give me a moment, I'm just-
With a crack resonating through the now quieted air, Blaze found herself tumbling backwards. Rather than metal, the cat felt a pair of arms beneath her armpits and softness against her shoulder blades. She was weightless in an instant, floating backwards atop a living cloud.
"It's okay, I've got you, what was that noise?" She could hear the whistle of psychic energy intensifying around them, "Are we under attack?"
Blaze looked down to her feet and a sigh slipped past her lips, "No, we're not."
In the crater she'd left in the back of the false dinosaur's head, a peg had filled the hole she'd kicked. A white peg. A familiarly shaped white peg. In fact, it was the exact white peg that had been beneath her right heel but moments ago. Blaze felt her body drift to upright, her feet touched the ground but his hands still lingered around her sides.
"We're not?" His voice called over her shoulder, "Are you alright?"
Blaze stepped free from his support and turned to him, "I'm absolutely-
Despite focusing the weight on her toes, Blaze's right foot failed her. She would have fallen flat against the metal head but psychic glow caught her shoulders and then his hands did. The cat found herself suddenly weightless as he used his powers to turn her to face him. He wasn't quite restraining her, but she could feel the apprehensive tremble in his aura as he supported her.
"What's wrong?" The hedgehog's voice had changed, seriousness had hardened his tone.
"It's nothing, it's..." His misplaced concern made her brain misfire, "Frivolous nonsense. I'm fine Silver, I really am."
His stare was intense and analytical, "Blaze," The feline already knew what he was going to say, "We're here to help each other. If there's anything wrong, then I want to help you. Even if it's something small," Knowing hadn't prevented her temperature from flaring, "Please, if you need help just tell me."
"You're so naive. It's really nothing you need to worry about, I've just..." It'd be easier just to tell him at this point and stomach the full dose of embarrassment at once; she maintained her stoic front, "My heel has broken."
"Your heel!?" He dropped to his knee, staring at her leg; psychic whirring had doubled in its loudness, "You didn't even flinch, I had no idea, it doesn't look bloody at all? No, it must be internal then; we need to act fast. Okay, okay, I-I'll get you back to the building, I scavenged enough-
"No, not that heel," She sharply cut him off before she could panic more, "My shoe. The heel of my shoe."
"Oh," He blinked, now looking up at her, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'll be fine," Blaze sighed, but he didn't rise.
"Wait, but you fell," His brow furrowed.
"Yes," Blaze curtly responded to the foolish hedgehog, "It's an important part of my shoe,"
Silver was still squatted down there, looking at her shoe, "But, without the heel, shouldn't your shoes just be like Sonic's...?"
Was he really that unaware? "My shoes are shaped entirely differently. It's not as if my heels are designed to break off; they're meant to be there," He seemed to finally be processing what she was saying, "It's an uncommon occurrence and an annoyance, but I just need to find a replacement set."
"Oh," Silver finally rose, "Ok then."
All of a sudden, Blaze felt herself lift higher and swivel in the air. The cat felt herself press into the hedgehog's chest once again! Rather than her back being to him; her right shoulder was to his chest and the crook of her knee was atop his forearm. She felt his fingers on her shoulder just as the teal light faded. The feline's eyes flickered upward only to be met with Silver beaming down at her.
"What are you doing?" The cat quickly questioned.
"Well, you fell," He so casually answered, "You can't walk properly, right? Not till we find you some new shoes."
"I'll just take them off, I'll be fine," It'd been the cat's off the cuff response, but she instantly knew it was foolish.
"With the city in the state it's in, you could really hurt yourself," He astutely pointed out, "Besides, you wouldn't let me do that."
Blaze didn't have any actual issue with being carried, they had lifted each other time and time again, but never like this. This was for something so... minor, so mundane. She'd tackled him out of the path of attacks, he'd brought her injured body back to base for treatment, and they'd both lifted the other to make use of their respective powers. It'd never been for something so foolish though, it'd been out of necessity rather than for the sake of ease. Her head wasn't swimming and her body wasn't aching, this was more of a hug than a tactical action. Well, it wasn't like they didn't hug, but...
"That's all fine and good but why are you carrying me, why not just float me around?" Blaze cut off her own thoughts with a burning question.
"Oh, um, I think it's just smarter to do like this? If we get into another fight, I want to make sure I'm prepared and not waste any more energy," He answered, correct in his reasoning, "I can float you instead, if you-
"No, it's fine," She responded as coldly as she could, turning to their surroundings, "You're right, we should keep our wits about us, more might have heard this machine fall."
"Right, we should get moving. We need to get you up and ready fast," He walked them off the head of the beast, "What's the point in protecting all this territory if we're not going to use it; there's got to be a shoe shop somewhere around here somewhere."
Oh, he had no idea where he was going. It wasn't as if she had identified any shoe shops in their defended space but...
"Just head for the mall. I presume there's one in there," The cat quietly insisted, eyes locked on the greened road ahead of them.
It wasn't often that the pair travelled destroyed worlds like this, at ground level. Passing under archways of degraded concrete and reaching plants would be keeping her attention, were it not for the feeling of the hedgehog's fingertips. The fluff of his chest she could handle, whenever they had to share sleeping quarters she'd rest her head atop it rather than risk him turning and whacking her with his quills, but the contact of his fingers was somehow electric in her mind. She couldn't get away from it, the pressure at those points.
The two of them passed over the thick roots of a tree, using it as a bridge to pass over a stream which had formed through the city. The wonders of a world reclaimed by nature were undeniable, they should have been drawing her eyes and ears, but the cat couldn't keep her attention from fixating upon the source of contact across her frame. For some reason, his nose was capturing her attention. The little button she recalled was certainly gone...
It was strange to think that he'd once been so small, so very immature. In her head he was still an anxious ball of fluff; running around and fighting every foe in sight, including those he could so easily avoid. Looking up at him now though? The ruggedness that she knew lay beneath his fur had risen to the surface; between the scars and his sun-kissed muzzle, there was no denying that he had grown. Well, obviously he had, just... while he was still Silver, naive and headstrong, his maturity was striking her more and more.
He still held onto those silly attack names, but now he could also skyrocket his temperature with that stupid grin of his. It was such a strange contrast...
A change in backdrop roused Blaze from her gawking. By the roof stretching above them and the darkness of their surroundings, Blaze first recognised they were inside and then a glance proved they'd arrived in the mall. Though the plants had breached this space too, it was as if they'd arrived in a world less devastated.
"I guess this is it then," The hedgehog slowed, his gaze flickered to their surroundings, "Have you got a specific shoe in mind or?"
The cat rolled her eyes, looking to their surroundings, "I'll take what I can find in my size. It'd be foolish to presume a lot remains intact."
"I guess you're right," He agreed, eyes scanning the nearby shops, "It's going to be tough to pick you out a whole new outfit..."
His words hung in the air for a moment as she processed what he'd said, "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, if we can only find blue shoes that's not going to go with what you're wearing now, right?" He raised, "It's like you told me for the party months back, clothes need to match. Colour coordination is important."
The event he was referencing was a get together in the Sol Dimension, the first that Blaze had successfully held. It'd started with simply inviting Sonic, Amy and Cream but soon involved to encompass friends of friends, many of whom Blaze had never met. Filling the palace with strangers had come with some odd limitations, one of which being the need for at least semi-formal attire. Pyrokinetic had, admittedly, gone a little overboard in selecting options for her psychic companion...
"Silver," She blinked at him, "We're in a post apocalypse, not holding a meet up with friends."
"Right but, I mean," Sheepishness claimed his tone and face, "It's like I said; we've protected all this territory, and we've just won a big fight..." There was something else, something he wasn't saying, "We can turn this into a salvage mission. See what we can find and get you sorted; just like you got me a load of clothes when I arrived in the Sol Dimension, to help me fit in."
"That's different," Blaze narrowed her eyes up at him, "What's on your mind?"
"I get that the circumstances are, but," He came to a stop, looking down at her, "Maybe I'm just nostalgic. I remembered when we'd raid old shops and get all dressed up. No matter how bad things look here; there's got to be way more to try out than in the original Crisis City, right?"
The combination of his touch and earnest stare made the cat hesitate. They had been working hard since they'd arrived, as they always did, and had made good progress. The two of them were probably due a day off, not that either of them would openly admit such. Their only chance for such an occurrence was injury or one of Silver's headstrong acts... just like this.
"I suppose we are due to rest after that battle," The pyrokinetic acquiesced, "But afterwards I want you out there looking for more evidence, not just mulling over what we've already gathered."
"It's a deal!" The hedgehog beamed, starting to stride again.
"You're so naive," Did he have to be so casual!?
Blaze found herself being brought toward a nearby wall, quickly recognising a crude and worn map of the mall's interior plastered within a cracked plastic housing. The hedgehog stepped almost close enough to smoosh her face against the material, struggling to peer through the white fractures created by some sort of blunt impact that had perhaps occured even before the world was ruined. A few options stood out to the cat, most notably the name of a second hand shop she'd seen elsewhere, but the cat's eyes were quickly drawn elsewhere by the sounds of clinking metal.
"Silver, three on your left!" Blaze called out, drawing his attention away from the signage.
Three metallic dinosaurs, short with razor sharp claws on their feet and gleaming metallic teeth, were dashing toward the pair of them! They'd come from deeper within the mall, they must have snuck into the guarded territory at another point. Their clownish paintwork with seaweed green accents truly made them an obvious target.
"I see them!" The hedgehog responded, psychic energy already crackling around them as he swerved away from the wall.
Blaze stretched her right arm beyond the hedgehog's hold, her eyes affixed on the velociraptor like machines. Fire exploded from the palm of her hand, the flaring bolt burst as it collided with the machine's face but merely sent it tumbling backwards to the ground. Using her attack as an opening, Silver rushed forward and leapt into the air. The cat felt his grasp on her tighten, psychic light coated them and sped their descent. With a single empowered stomp, the hedgehog crushed the machine's head. Two remained, one on the left and one of the right!
Thinking fast, the cat reached out with both her arms and unleashed a wave of burning energy. Just as those machines were ready to lunge, a whirlwind of flame spun to surround them and act as a barrier! Valuable seconds were bough, enough for Silver to adjust his hold. Psychic glow now coated the cat, one arm shifted to awkwardly hold from under her legs to the small of her back while his other was thrusted toward the ground. Scraps of machinery from the fallen droid, ranging from simple bolts and plates to the metal claws from its feet, began to spin within Blaze's conjured tornado of flame.
Recognition and embarrassment sparked in Blaze's mind, "I know your plan, you don't have to announce-
"Cosmic Cyclone!" The dork called out, her immediate embarrassment prompted her flames to burn hotter still.
Silver pushed outwards with his psychic might and Blaze matched his effort, resulting in the conjured tornado and its carried debris rapidly expanding outwards. The battering and rending of metal on metal sounded, pieces of steely mass tearing and being torn apart. Though neither of them could see through the destruction, Blaze knew what was happening. As his initially grasped masses of metal tore into the machines, the damage the dealt granted him more rubble to use in the burning cyclone. As his psychic effort tore holes in the machines her flames were granted purchase; flooding into the robots and tearing them apart from the inside.
It was over in seconds. As the clanking came to a stop, Blaze dropped her flames only to find them surrounded by a spread of metal in a state of melting char. The cat was about to heave a sigh of relief, glad the fight had been won so easily, when the hedgehog's hold on her changed. His freed hand again found its place, slipping so snuggly into the crook beneath her knees. The feeling of fingers grazing against fabric kept the cat's heart pounding. The beat redoubled as he clasped her shoulder too, she was practically being manhandled to regain her prior spot against his shoulder.
"That wasn't so bad, we're getting the hang of this again," She could hear the joy in the hedgehog's voice, "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"Just forget it," The cat steamed, 'Let's head toward the Sell and Switch, that way we can construct an outfit in a single stop and get this over with."
"Oh yeah, that should work. They usually have a ton of good stuff," The hedgehog agreed, immediately beginning to walk them over their foes remains, "This feels a lot better than plundering people's houses..."
They'd done that a lot in the past, particularly when they were children... both before and after they'd realised what they were doing was rather macabre.
"There is something nice about repurposing what was intentionally given away," Blaze hummed, "The history of it all is more interesting than the likes of an outlet shop..."
"Yeah, and who knows what we might find. There could be some instruments in there or maybe some tools or..." The hedgehog seemed to catch himself, "Well, I doubt we'll find any hints about the world's state but... you know, there's always a chance!"
Now beyond the mess of metal, the hedgehog's strides sped up once again. No matter how foolish the request or act, the cat somehow always found herself acquiescing to Silver's wants. Well, whenever she bossed him around he tended to listen; she supposed it was the give and take of their relationship. Blaze considered it fortunate that he didn't know of the power he held over her.
Before the cat could process it, lost in thought again, he'd come to a halt. A shop, entombed with metal shutters, stood dusty and stoic before them. It was about the same as every other Sell and Switch that they'd come across in prior efforts, maybe a little larger. Regardless, a barrier like this wasn't going to stop the pair of them.
Blaze felt herself shift in the hedgehog's grasp, a flash of cyan light engulfed the sheet metal before them. A click sounded, plainly him bursting the lock open with no more than a thought, before the barrier jumped upwards and disappeared into the ceiling. With a snap of his fingers and another point the shop's double doors unlocked themselves and swung open, fully revealing a messy interior of shelves stocked with all manner of random goods.
"Shall we?" He asked, eyes shining down at her.
She rolled her eyes at his theatrics, "We shall."
As he strode into the space, Blaze turned her attention to the stocked shelves around them. Clothes were far from the only product on display, the goods ranged from antique teapots to children's magic sets to tomes both of fiction and not. Everything was coated in a thick layer of dust, the air was stale. Blaze hoped the hedgehog wouldn't get too distracted by a particular shelf, fully stocked with instruments... even if a violin case had caught her eye.
"Where should I put you down?" He asked, his gaze drawn to a carrousel of hangers with different shirts.
"At the back will do, that way if trouble arrives we'll have plenty of time to react," She pointed ahead.
At the back of the shop were a series of oversized plush seats, clearly intended to aid in trying on shoes. Finally, properly indoors and no longer at risk of hurting herself, the cat reached down and plucked the high heels from her feet. For the first time she got a proper look at the damage; the right peg really had completely detached.
"You've picked out loads of clothes for me before," Silver's voice tore her attention from her shoes, "Can I...?"
"Don't pick anything too ridiculous," She cut himself off before he could embarrass himself asking fully, "I take it you know my-
Silver had disappeared to rummage the shelves before Blaze could ask if he knew her sizes. Psychic light began to flash from behind the shelves, dust immediately began to soar towards the roof as his investigation began. The cat decided to get comfortable, accepting that this could take a while. Hopefully he wouldn't overthink things.
Blaze's eyes again wandered to the violin, when had she last played her own? Between missions like this and her work like a guardian, quiet moments had been few and far between. Even in the brief spells where she had found rest, the cat hadn't seen fit or found the energy to practice music. Well, they had a quiet moment now...
She internally lambasted herself for that though, turning her gaze to her lap. They were working, even in these quiet moments. A single slip up could result in their death, meaning the defeat of their friends would be secured and the fate of the world would be locked. Playing an instrument now, moments after fending off two invading machines, was the height of foolishness. The sound would only serve to attract conflict, it wouldn't bring respite.
Nothing good could come of relaxation.
A sigh slipped past the cat's lips as she gave up arguing with herself and strode towards the arrangement of instruments. Half a dozen ukuleles crowned the shelf but on the way down were all manner of discarded harmonicas, drums, brass instruments and even a mandolin. The prices were all high but the violin in particular was marked as expensive, though Blaze supposed that if it was cheap reality likely wouldn't have left it here before her. Tentatively, she picked up the black case and brushed the dust from its exterior.
The loudness of the hangers unlatching set the cat's teeth on edge, she glanced down the isle only to hear Silver still flicking through coat hangers. Blaze gingerly opened the case only to find the instrument was indeed in pristine condition, made of dark varnished wood. Within the confines of the case, it didn't look to have aged a day. The strings were intact, albeit surely in need of tuning, and the bow-
A clatter from the entryway snapped Blaze's attention right, she found that the doors had swung closed and the heavy metal shutters had tumbled down.
"Oh, they must have fell back down," A certain hedgehog's voice thought aloud from the other side of the shelves, "Probably for the best. We'll be safe in here no matter how long we spend..."
"You're so naive," She tutted, having put two and two together before he'd spoke, "You promised me you'd work this afternoon, we're not staying for long."
"I will, I will," Of course he'd noticed her lingering, she would have done the same for him.
The cat closed the case back up, only so willing to humour this foolishness at the moment, before turning back to her seat. She hesitated after taking the first step, drawn back to the shelf. Tucking the violin beneath her arm, she reached for a brown plastic case. Flipping it open revealed a long silver flute still in a good condition.
She resealed the case, quickly making her way back to the seat. The feline gingerly slipped the metal instrument beneath the seat while setting the violin down beside her. The return proved to be well timed as the hedgehog rounded from behind the stock, clutching a set of black lace-up boots in one hand and a pile of clothes close to his chest.
"Finding things that matched and fit was a little tough, but I think I managed it," He set the load down before beaming at her, "What do you think?"
"It's certainly..." She felt her lips twist into a wobbly smile, "Different to what I usually wear."
"Oh," Silver paused, "I-I can have another look if-
"No, I'll try it on," She snatched up the clothes before he could take them back, "Did you spot any changing rooms?"
"There's a stall over there by the till," Silver suggested, but there was a waver in his tone, "But Blaze, if I-
"Go distract yourself, I won't be long," She instructed, cutting him off as she began to push through the room.
The curtains were drawn, enclosing the guardian in the small space of a long disused changing room. Finding herself in the dark, she pulled the purple Sol Emerald from her garb and set it alight, floating in the air. She turned only to come face to face with a full length mirror, thankfully practically unusable due to a thick layer of dust. Silver was better at picking clothes than she'd anticipated, perhaps her own efforts had rubbed off on him. Everything matched... even if the choice of style was rather bizarre.
Her long coat was shed and replaced with a button up red shirt, made of a hardy material. He'd found a replacement for her white gloves, admittedly worn by battle at this point, in the form of a dark leather set. Thankfully he'd opted for a set of trousers rather than a skirt; long and dark but flaring at the bottom to fit with her black boots. The most embarrassing part of this was the hat he'd picked out, surely on a whim while matching garbs. A deep grey cattleman hat with a red leather strap that just so happened to, after some ponytail adjustment, perfectly fit atop her head.
Rolling her eyes, Blaze took her old garb and used it to wipe down the reflective pane. The cat immediately found that she looked more serious than she'd anticipated, as if she were wearing practical garb rather than the fancy dress costume she'd anticipated. Regardless she still looked like she belonged in an adventure story or some film set amongst cowboys and rangers, all she was missing was an anachronistic weapon and a spool of rope at her thigh.
Turning to face the curtain, she kicked and found the trousers were loose enough to allow for her standard combat movements. Only time would tell how well they took to her running. Regardless, Blaze snatched up the Sol Emerald, snuffing it as she pushed out of the small room.
"Silver?" She called out to the shop.
Rather than walk, the hedgehog flew over the top of the shelves and arrived before her in an outfit not dissimilar to her own. A frankly more stupid looking beige cowboy hat with a strap topped his head, pushing his quills down, while a matching ruffled shirt lay open over his shoulders. Despite still not wearing any trousers, he'd fastened a belt around his waist. Undoubtedly, this had all been done in a fast effort to make her feel more comfortable.
"What do you think?" He asked, plainly still trepidatious after her initial response.
"What do you think?" She pushed back, seeing an opportunity to take the upper hand and shirk any lingering butterflies in her chest.
"It looks better than I imagined," He answered, nodding as if that was a good thing before seeming to catch himself, "I-I mean, I imagined it'd look great on you Blaze, so it looks wonderful! I think we sort of match the world we've been thrown into now."
"I suppose you're not wrong," She looked away from him for a moment as she took the hat from her head, "I'm not sure about the functionality of these though... I suppose they might help to keep off the sun."
"Oh, um, also, I found this," The feline's gaze was pulled back to the hedgehog.
He held a t-shirt in his hands, plastered with the likeness of the giant robotic tyrannosaurus they'd just fought. Above it in a garish carnival font read the words, "The Prehistoric Party."
"That suggests these robots have been around for a while," Blaze realised, "Perhaps he paraded them around before the circus? Or maybe the circus itself lasted for longer than we've anticipated..."
"That would make sense," Silver nodded, " I think when we return to the past we should aim to arrive earlier rather than later, just in case. I think there's an opportunity to stop all this before it really starts," He turned the shirt around, "There's a symbol on the back really makes that obvious..."
A yellow emblem was pasted on the back of the shirt, not depicting the usual Eggman insignia the cat had expected. The style of the decal was similar but instead depicted a yellow face with a white muzzle, a pair of pointy ears atop their head. A set of two tails were hanging out behind the back of the head.
"That looks like Tails," Blaze thought aloud, "Were these machines a project of his that Eggman took over?"
"He is an inventor, it seems more than possible," Silver pointed out, "And between the fireworks and their paint, the robots were clearly designed with exhibition and performance in mind rather than combat... at least initially."
Blaze's mind was abuzz with ideas, concepts ranging from Tails abandoning these machines after realising how dangerous they were to Eggman stealing and transforming them to fit his nefarious purposes. Had Tails been tricked into building them? Surely not; the young fox had fought Eggman for long enough. Regardless, something had gone wrong and the boy genius was the key.
"If we went to visit Tails just after we left last time, I think we could explain things and avoid all of this," He hypothesised, "We probably won't even need to fight... maybe no one will."
Blaze detected a hint of sadness in his tone, "That's a good thing isn't it?"
"Oh, yeah, it is!" He grinned, but Blaze could see through his facade, "I just wish I'd found it earlier, now changing like this seems a bit pointless..."
Silver's words weren't untrue, with this new information they could easily leave the city behind and make for the past. He would not express his want to stay, not in such blunt terms, for saving the world was always at the forefront of his mind. In reality though, his thoughts were similar to hers. Just as she had found the instrument, he had found these garbs and plainly had something in mind. Once their role was complete, she would be whisked away to complete a surely mounting pile of royal duties...
"We don't need to leave immediately. It's probably smarter to investigate for a little longer and make sure we haven't missed anything," Blaze proposed, "Now that we know about Tails, we can try to find his workshop out in the jungle. It may hold further clues."
"You really think we shouldn't just leave, here and now?" He asked, eyes brimming with honesty.
"Well, to an extent I do, but I can justify staying, can't you?" Blaze answered, feeling a certain comfort now, "Regardless, you still owe me another day of work, Silver."
"Well, when you put it like that," He seemed to weigh things from a moment more, "Alright, one more day at least! Let's do our best."
"Go sort the door, I'll just be a second," She commanded, turning back to step deeper into the shop.
He did her bidding without hesitation, Blaze heard the shutters begin to shift as she reached the chair she'd been sat upon. She retrieved the violin before reaching down and sliding out the flute. The cat was certain that he knew she'd retrieved him something, and said addition didn't remotely match the outfits he'd picked out, but the opportunity presented was still at the forefront of Blaze's mind.
As she turned to return to him, the cat accidentality kicked something across the ground. Her eyes fell upon her broken shoe, now lying just beyond one of the shelves. She remembered feeling so annoyed when she'd realised her foot was stuck, she'd bordered on despair when her heel had broke. It all seemed so foolish now, getting embarrassed about him carrying her. What had it resulted in? Nothing more than realisation, a new outfit, and opportunity.
They had to find their diamonds in the rough, shining moments within the wastes. If finding those took her tripping and breaking a heel, then so be it. She'd happily fall a thousand times.