Throughout Space and Time

by FlashDriver

A Oneshot-Dump for Silver and Blaze related things, most commonly tending Silvaze. This is primarily for quick and compact stories though there is the potential for sequels. AUs sprinkled throughout, though most entries could slot somewhere into the games/comics. Other ships such as Sonamy appear, often briefly, and continuity between Oneshots will be rare. Please review!

83. Out of Body, Out of Mind

"Next time you two visit, it better not be to stop another Eggman attack!" The crushing bearhug of one Amy Rose served to emphasise a point that she had already made a half dozen times today, "Or an ancient monster emerging or aliens invading... or a wizard's mind control, or evil doppelgangers, or a ghost tornado, or-

"Amy, I think they get the point. Squeeze them any longer and they won't live to leave, let alone return," Sonic piped up from somewhere out of view.

"I'm just making sure they understand, darling," A singsong tone entered the pink hedgehog's voice, "To see my blue blur turned green with envy; if you wanted a hug that badly you only had to ask."

Blaze stumbled as she was released, straightening her jacket as she steadied herself. Her companion within the hammer-wielder's vice-like grip wasn't quite so prepared, only just psychically catching himself before he could tumble to the ground. The cat couldn't help but smirk as he wobbled to right himself and land beside her; this past week had certainly been one to remember.

What had begun with her and Silver crossing space and time to fend off a surprise attack from an empowered Metal Sonic had stretched into a two week long stay with their friends. While the initial days had been focused on recuperating following the battle, soon the pair of them had been dragged into hijinks ranging from movie nights to visits to Twinkle Park and museums. From sharing Amy's pull out couch to overnight stays in hotels, these past days had brought with them a certain undeniable freedom. It'd all ended with a final campout up on Angel Island. She was glad that she'd allowed herself to relax, even if it had taken a few dozen pleading looks from the time traveller to her right.

"Hey, Knuckles! Stop letting Rouge distract you, we need to get them home before there's some sort of multidimensional fallout or something!" Sonic called as he raced past, Amy still in pursuit.

"I really don't think that's likely," Tails piped up to strike down Sonic's teasing, "As long as Blaze keeps-

"She's not distracting me; she's trying to steal the Master Emerald and none of you are helping!" The echidna roared.

"Aww, come on Big Red, don't be like that," Blaze turned to find the bat hovering, elbows atop the great green gem as she stared down at the flustered guardian, "I just love watching you work, that's all."

"Get off, I'm trying to perform a ritual!" Knuckles insisted from his cross legged position before the Master Emerald, "If I mess this up, anything could happen; to them or us."

"If something goes wrong, we'll be able to handle it," The psychic hedgehog reached out a hand and Sonic came to a sudden halt, only to be immediately leapt upon by Amy.

"Yes, we're more than prepared to face whatever comes our way," Seizing the moment of stillness Silver's juvenile choice had induced, the cat raised her voice, "Thank you for the time you have afforded us to recuperate. I swear that when we next return it will be under less troubling circumstances."

"That's a pretty stiff way to say you'll visit sometime the world isn't ending," Sonic snorted, now swept up in Amy's arms, "But a promise is a promise; we'll take it."

"Or maybe we could visit your world instead," That idea seemed to put a sparkle in Amy's eyes, "We could have a beach day, or go sailing!"

"I will see what I can arrange," Blaze swallowed, trying not to think about the great social barrier which was her royal status.

"I'd love to visit the future sometime and see all the new technology," Tails proposed.

"Oh, um, sure, maybe at some point," Silver not so subtly floundered, plainly trying not to remind the young fox of the various apocalypses he endlessly faced in his time, "Knuckles, are you ready for us?"

"I think I am," He called down, "Come on up, push away batgirl if you can."

"Fine Knuckie, I know when I'm not wanted," The bat rolled her eyes, taking to the sky.

"Whatever," He grumped, "Have a nice flight."

"Try not to miss me too badly," She blew a kiss his way as she took off higher, "I'll be back before you know it."

The grumbling of the red echidna continued, even after she was out of view and the pair of them had scaled the altar. Despite his bashfulness, the guardian lowered his head and reached out toward the great stone with open palms. His muttering had turned from the topic of Rouge to that of prayer like chanting, calling upon the great gem's power. A green tint began to fill the cat's vision, she saw sparks crack to crease the air and felt weightlessness spread across her body. The moment was almost upon them.

"Guys! That's us going, I think!" Silver called down toward the giggling hedgehog pair and fox tinkering with his tablet, "Try to stay safe, keep an eye out for the next attack!"

Blaze elbowed the hedgehog's side, subtly really wasn't one of his strong suits, "Until we meet again, I-

"Knuckles, you need to stop!" Rouge's shout cut the cat off.

"What is it now Rouge, I'm almost-

Blaze's ears spiked high but energy had already encased her, both she and Silver were floating against their own wills. The cat tried to turn but found herself unable to do more than peer over her shoulder as Sonic, Tails and Amy began to run up the altar toward them. Blaze only managed to see what happened out of the corner of her eye. Rouge grabbed Knuckles by the shoulders and flew, forcing him away from his work just as a shadow cast over the master emerald.

The once green energy around them flared a blinding white as their transportation was interrupted. A giant metal mass, like a grasping yellow and red claw, crashed onto the massive emerald and reduced it to shards which flew straight past them. The last thing Blaze saw was an orange Eggman insignia before her vision became a blur of white and blue. The cat felt herself falling; endlessly tumbling head over tail in a swirling void like intangible foamy seawater!

She held onto her breath for fear it would be her last. Fingers desperately clawed out into the space around her, hoping to grasp onto anything! This sight wasn't uncommon, she'd been tossed like this when travelling dimensions before, but usually it lasted mere moments. This was more, how long has passed already!?

Something touched her hand; she couldn't see through this endless swirl but something had brushed her right hand! The guardian flailed out in the hope that it was her partner, reaching and stretching with all her might in an attempt to latch onto something. Fingers met her wrist and hers coiled onto another in kind. She knew that feeling, calloused fingertips and a chunky metal bracelet. It was him, she had-

No, he wasn't holding her right hand, he was holding her left. Was she just so imbalanced in this tumbling space that she'd lost track of right and left? Regardless, she had him- they had each other. This couldn't go on forever, they'd arrive somewhere, they had to land somewhere!

She tried to focus on the Sol Emeralds, tried to harness her inherent connection to them, but her head started to ache. Everything felt wrong, from her left to her right to her tongue in her mouth and the weight across her body. This was all going wrong and her lungs were burning, she had to take a breath but there was no hope of air.

As she gasped the world around her began to darken. First the white faded from amongst the sky blue it was mixed with, then that blue faded indigo. Whether it was her body now failing her or the end of their travels she had no idea; but she held tighter onto Silver as that indigo faded to black.

Then, with no more than a blink, Blaze saw white again. Her whole body felt heavy and her mouth felt dry, it took a few more moments of just lying there and blinking to recognise that the white above her was no void. It was a cloudy sky. There was grass to her back. A cool wind was blowing.

She shut her eyes, her shoulders and back were aching, had the fall agitated the wounds from the fight those weeks ago? Blaze was certain she'd fully healed, that she was ready to face whatever came next. Well, regardless of her state, they had to get back and help their friends. That surprise attack could easily have been the next calamity set to destroy their world.

Blaze clenched her left hand and did still feel that she was holding her partner's right. No matter where they both were, whether they were still in Silver's past or they had made it to her dimension, they were still together. They could get out of this. They could fix this.

Wait, no. Something was wrong. Silver's fingers weren't as slender as the set she was feeling now. There was no thick metal band at the wrist of this hand. She felt a psychic static as their palms creased over each other's but something felt different, something felt wrong. Regardless of who she was lying next to, they weren't moving. Something had to be-

Blaze rose from her lying position, sitting up and turning, only to find herself staring down at a white furred muzzle on an otherwise purple furred face. A red gemstone was centred on the form's forehead and their hair was in a tall raised ponytail. The lying figure wore a purple long coat, white tights and heeled shoes. That form was her own body; Blaze was looking down at herself.

A hand was holding hers; a hand attached to a white furred forearm, itself wearing a great golden cuff. Silver's hand. A hand she had just raised before her face, the one she was seeing out of right now, and looked to find it was attached to her body. Something had gone terribly wrong, but she had to know the full story, she had to confirm it all.

Leaning over, feeling stiffness in her shoulders, Blaze pushed a hand to the neck of her prior body and felt a pulse plainly beating. Amber eyes flickered open as she leaned over, a daze marred that form's face followed by a rather uncouth bellowing yawn. By that alone Blaze had her suspicions but she had to confirm it; it wasn't safe. Her hands came down heavy and hard against her own body's shoulders, jolting the recently unconscious form into a more awake state.

"Silver, is that you?" She barked down.

"I'm Silver, yes... but you're..." Realisation seemed to grip the individual, panic entered their eyes, "Who are you? What are you doing-

"No, that's not enough. Eggman attacked as we were leaving, I need to be certain that you are you," Anything could have happened while they were falling between dimensions, whether that was part of the doctor's plans or otherwise.

"Blaze?" The imposter blinked, perhaps putting this together as she had, "Okay, yes, I am Silver... how do I prove I'm Silver? How do you prove you're Blaze?"

"We have time together we can draw upon that no one else should recall, there would be no records of it. If we use that, then I will have every confidence that you are Silver in my body," The form beneath her still looked unsure, so Blaze opted to open, "Ask me a question from that time, one which only I would know the answer to."

This had in itself actually been a ploy, an effort to get some extra affirmation through not letting this potential imposter use her question to scramble for one in turn.

"How did you explain the Chaos Emeralds to me when we first found one?" The form beneath her asked.

"I told you they were good luck charms," That question was sufficient, a clear moment with an obvious answer... but Blaze had to be sure, "Where did I find you after we were first sent to the past, when Mephiles separated us?"

"By a dock in Soleanna, on some stairs near the water," Blunt regret entered her prior body's eyes as the tale continued, "There were boats there, I was looking out over the water. It was after I'd tried to kill Sonic for the first time. Amy had stopped me..."

Blaze slackened her grip as relief flooded through her, "I'm glad it's you in there Silver... but I don't know what we're going to do."

"Where are," His speech came to a sudden stop, his brows furrowed, "Ow..."

"What happened, are you okay?" Panic for both her partner and her body swept through Blaze as she scanned for the source of the pain.

"I'm fine, I just bit my tongue," He grumbled, "Your teeth really are sharp..."

As he raised a hand to his cheek, a flash of orange and fresh terror swept over the now hedgehog. Flames were dancing along feline fingers as a cheek was rubbed- the very power Blaze had spent so many years learning to control and hone were now in the hands of a total novice. Ever so quickly the monarch pushed the cat's hand from his face and pinned it into the grass next to him, mirroring that manoeuvre on the other side. Remembering what Silver himself had done in times before, she concentrated on the burning hand only to watch as a cyan pulse blew the flames away. Had it always been that easy for him?

"We need to get you somewhere safe," She insisted, eyes now flickering to her surroundings, "Then we can figure this out. I'm certain we can find a way to fix this."

Blaze quickly recognised just where they were; great twisting shaped topiaries were to their left and a large glass greenhouse to their right. They were in the middle of the royal gardens, they had made it to the right space... but had they made it to the right time? The only way to find that out would-

"Oi, mates, you're back!" Blaze looked over her shoulder only to get an eyeful of quill, she had to really turn to see Marine approaching, "And closer than ever I can see, not back for a moment and you're already all over each other, strewth. What, were Sonic and Amy's eyes on you the whole time? Need to make up for missed snoggin'?"

"Marine, it is imperative that you listen to me," Blaze quickly rose from atop her partner, stomping in boots that felt overly heavy, "When did we leave here last, why did we leave?"

"Oh um," The raccoon looked even smaller than usual, her current unfamiliar shadow cast over her, "About two weeks ago? To help save Sonic's world?"

"Be more specific than that, to save it from what?" The pyrokinetic turn psychokinetic insisted.

"Umm... was it the ghost tornado?" Blaze's eyes widened for a moment, "No, no, that was last time," The raccoon started to bounce her leg, deep in thought, "Don't tell me mate... Metal Sonic, it was an upgraded Metal Sonic, final answer!"

Relief swept through the guardian. They were in the right place at the right time, just in the wrong bodies. It wasn't as though they were completely-

"Um, help?!" Blaze turned to find that Silver had risen to his feet but was wobbling, struggling for balance with burning hands flailing at his sides.

Blaze raced over, zooming around behind the cat to catch him by the wrists. It was strange to look over a shoulder that was hers, let alone to find herself taller than her own body. Gently, the hedgehog allowed her psychic power to leak and sooth over his burning hands. It was a strange sensation, like water running off of her palm and into the air; yet she still felt all that the output energy touched. She was the breeze coiling around his wrists and snuffing those flames.

"Easy, take deep breaths, you can control this," Blaze whispered into his ear, gently bringing his arms to his sides as she allowed their fingers to interlock, "We need to fix this as quickly as possible..."

"Sorry, I got excited to see Marine and it just... it feels like I'm overflowing, is this really what every day is like for you?" He was hot to the touch, burning up in a way Blaze couldn't remember physically feeling while in her own body.

"What's goin' on? You two are acting real weird," The youngster rubbed her chin, "I mean, weirder than usual."

"Blaze got sick in the other dimension. It's impacting her sense of balance, which in turn is affecting her control over her pyrokinesis," Blaze said, hoping Silver's inability to lie was a personality trait rather than a physiological one, "We need to move her to the palace courtyard; that way she won't risk burning anything or anyone."

The feline in her grasp stiffened but didn't speak up, clearly trying to go along with the plan.

"Oh strewth, sounds serious," Marine panicked as the lie worked, "Well hurry up then, sweep her off her feet and cart her to safety mate. If you fly her there you'll save the roses, and have a chance to smooch among the clouds."

Right, flying. This was going to be difficult. Silver's look of recognition, worn so plainly exaggerated on her own face, confirmed that worry. Lying had seemed like the right idea, both to keep Silver safe but also to prevent panic throughout the kingdom. If word spread that the guardian and her closest ally were both out of commission then uproar or even an invasion could occur.

Releasing the feline's hands, she allowed the heavy grasp of her new body to drift across her old one. Her right arm wrapped around Silver's shoulders while her left slipped beneath his knee to lift him off the ground. As it always had, the cat's form slotted flush against the hedgehog's chest- his head was against her shoulder. Was she really this light... or was Silver stronger than she'd been giving him credit? She had been noticing this body's shoulders in her peripheral vision a lot more than she had her own...

"Wait, this... feels weird," Did she look like that when she usually blushed? She hoped she wasn't usually so beet red, let alone volcanic to hold.

"Try not to think about it, that's what I usually do," She muttered under her breath, "How do I fly?"

"Oh, um," Silver leaned up, whispering into her ear, "You want to let the energy flow over your whole body and then just sort of... think in the direction? The harder you think, the more significant the force. Try to be gentle with your thoughts, too much and things will get dangerous. Maybe try to just hover first?"

Blaze closed her eyes and felt the coolness of psychic energy wash over and encase her body. That was the easy part, she'd managed that much already. What on earth did he mean to think in a direction? Silver didn't always look where he was casting his power, so it wasn't as though he meant to focus on a point in front of them. Did he mean to imagine an arrow? She didn't think he was constantly doing that in the heat of battle. What-

Something smacked Blaze's knees and made her eyes open wide; she looked down toward the ground and very almost plummeted directly into it! With so little thought, so little effort, the new psychic found herself rocketing through the garden; battering her way through bushes at a breakneck pace and barely feeling them smash against the psychic shell around her.

She commanded her body to stop and came to a neck wrenching halt, still hovering around half a metre off the ground. A glance backwards showed that a not so insignificant portion of the garden had been torn apart in the wake of her movement; it was lucky they hadn't been facing the greenhouse. Much further though and they would have hit the palace wall...

"Maybe try to think less?" She looked down to find her own face cringing up at her, "Gentle thoughts, light thoughts, try not to push too hard."

"I understand that now," She grumbled, throwing one more glance back to a rapidly approaching Marine before looking to the top of the palace wall, "There really is no chance we'll fall, is there?"

"No," Silver shook his head, "If you start to feel tired or lightheaded we should land as quickly as possible, but I know my body, I can handle way more than what you just did," Blaze felt his arm on her back, right where she had held him so many times, "I trust you."

"I don't like hearing that in my voice," Blaze harrumphed, turning her gaze skyward, "Let's get this-

Before she could even finish that sentence they were far higher than they had any right to be. By the time they finally made it to the courtyard the new hedgehog was both lightheaded and tired. This was going to be long and arduous, but they could make it work. Couldn't they?

---

This all felt like a bit much, but Silver wasn't really sure how to get out of this situation.

A chaise lounge had been brought out to the palace courtyard, a thick yet somehow comfortable fireproof blanket draped over the top of it. Before him, on a large low table, was a veritable sprawl of both medicine and food, ranging from fruit to sandwich platters, lemonade, water, ice cream, painkillers, lozenges, eyedrops, cotton buds, and so much more. At his head, despite Blaze's protest, stood Gardon; armed with a large feathered fan and gently wafting cool air into his face. Well, it was supposed to be cool air; the time traveller hadn't really felt anything in the way of temperature since they'd arrived here.

The real Blaze, still trapped in his body, was knelt on the ground nearby with a pencil and notebook in hand. At first he thought she was sketching him in this ludicrous lounging pose, before quickly realising she was formulating a plan. They didn't have Chaos Emeralds, but they had Sol Emeralds and the Jewelled Sceptre to hand. Getting back to the other world to help their friends was the easy part- but swapping bodies like this, that was totally new.

He plucked another apple from the table, feeling the wind beat over him even if the cold wasn't traveling with it. He bit, finding the fangs he'd thoroughly pierced his lip and tongue with glided very easily through the apple's flesh and cleanly towards the core. Tasting with another person's mouth was strange; Blaze's body seemed to register apples as significantly more tart than they'd tasted in his old mouth- they were almost a sickly sort of sweet. To be honest, he could see why the princess defaulted toward the savoury over sugary with the pallet he was currently experiencing.

Marine reached for her third tub of chocolate ice cream, a feat he wouldn't dare attempt in this form. Come to think of it, they hadn't really had an opportunity to discuss... limits for their time stuck like this. Hopefully they'd get some time alone to figure all that out, make certain they were both as comfortable as they could be.

Out of the corner of his eye Silver watched as Blaze, a slight pondering pout on her lips, thumbed through chest fur which had been his up until very recently. She seemed to catch herself, their gazes crashed into each other before quickly splitting. Well, it seemed like she was making herself comfortable. He supposed that he was laying-

"Blaze," Hearing his own voice was still so strange, "Your hand is..."

The new pyrokinetic looked to the apple in his hand, only to find it had become little more than a burning orb. Rising to sit, the current cat threw the fruit to the hard stone floor of the courtyard. After a flurry of stomping strikes the fire finally died down, leaving no more than a faintly glowing husk and the scent of smoke. He double checked across his body finding no more flames, but wasn't ready to lie back down yet. He stayed seated, daring to throw another glance in Blaze's direction only to catch her concern.

"Thank you," He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as his gaze fell to the ground.

She was doing so well in his body- managing to fly and quell the flames he conjured; the guardian was even comfortable enough to tug at his chest fur as she pondered! Meanwhile he was just sat still, being waited on hand and foot not only by those who thought he was the guardian but by her too. He couldn't use her powers properly, he couldn't even walk in her body. How could he let himself be so useless?

His eyes lingered on the cat's pointed shoes.

Why did Blaze even wear heels? If he could barely stand in them, how did she manage all of her running in them, let alone fighting? Her balance must have been even better than he thought... but that skill hadn't transferred when they swapped bodies. Then again, even ignoring balance, it wasn't as if he was used to any of this body.

Silver looked to Blaze's hands, how slender her fingers were. He had always thought of Blaze as more muscular than him, but that muscle was dense and slim. Her strength was like tightly wound cord or a densely knotted braid, deceptive in its toughness. The once psychic could feel that power first hand now; every time he clenched his fist or turned his head. She was honed like a well smithed blade- his own body had muscle but it was more like a roughly shaped hammer, only strong in the obvious places.

Those light fingers grazed along her outer thigh before he reached to clench at a bicep. He'd always thought of Blaze as healthier than him; that of the two of them, she was more physically fit. Being in her body should have felt like a breath of fresh air rather than stifling. If she could handle his form, he should have been able to handle hers. He couldn't just sit here, totally useless!

The new fire wielder clenched his fists and curled his toes. After one more deep breath, Silver rose to stand. The moment he'd stabilised, he began to pace across the courtyard.

"What are you doing?" Silver heard Blaze pipe up, "You need to rest."

"If I'm going to help our friends, I need to get..." Silver hesitated, feeling Gardon and Marine's gaze upon him. He didn't want to worry them any worse than they already were, let alone give away the truth, "Better. I need to regain control of myself."

As if to emphasise that point, Silver felt himself stumble over his heels. That panic and the wave of his arm brought with it a heat that spread down from his shoulder to encase the entirety of his right arm. The moment he regained his footing, managing to stand still, he froze with that blazing limb extended before him.

Silver had been on fire before, he'd been burned both by Blaze herself and various foes across their time together, but this felt nothing like that. The dancing of flames from up his fingertips to just beyond his elbow was an endlessly repetitive sensation, it was as if he had plunged his arm deep into a soft bush or pile of leaves and was endlessly twisting it around. The sensation wasn't unpleasant, it didn't hurt or even strain the muscles nearby, but it was distracting. He couldn't pull his attention away from the flames, they played in his mind endlessly.

He whipped his arm, attempting to shake out the flame. This choice proved poor as the fire instead rolled to launch from the end of his limb, flying into the air only to burst against the nearby palace wall. A cringe creased his muzzle as the fire flickered out, leaving a dark scorch mark on the once pristine white bricks. Despite that effort, burning light still prickled in his palm even though it had slid from the rest of his forearm.

"Are you certain this is the best route of action, your highness?" Gardon piped up, "I could have you drawn a bath if rest isn't coming to you easily; it might help you cool-

"That won't be necessary," Blaze had jumped to her feet, glaring daggers at the royal guard, but quickly caught herself and turned away, "Sorry."

"As we told you, Gardon, our friends need us. I've rested for long enough, I need to regain control so that we can head back and help them," Silver confirmed, "Besides, I've got Silver here with me. If anything goes wrong, he can help me."

"If you are certain, Princess Blaze," Gardon bowed.

"I would recommend that you and Marine vacate the courtyard as swiftly as possible," Blaze followed on, "There may be some further collateral damage."

"If you think that's for the best..." The koala's eyes bounced back to the one he thought was Blaze for confirmation.

"Yeah, that seems smart," Silver looked to Marine only to find her keeled over, she'd only made it halfway through the third tub of ice cream before crashing, "And anyway, I think she needs to lie down more than I do..."

The elder koala picked up the raccoon, gave another half bow, and then quickly left for the palace interior. Quiet once again swelled to fill the courtyard, the stone walls that surrounded them were thankfully without windows. Without the prior pair here, the odds were that they would go mostly unwatched.

"You don't have to strain yourself," Blaze broke the quiet, "I'm still planning what to do next, considering tomes with pertinent information. Diaries of prior monarchs, studies performed on the Sol Emeralds. Very few texts discuss the travel using the emeralds; if body swapping like this has happened before in my world's history, I will be able to find it."

"But what if it hasn't happened before, what if we have to go back to our friend's world while we're still stuck like this?" The cat countered, "I'll be dead weight if we need to battle with Eggman. The Master Emerald was destroyed; even if it's not needed to fix this, it's our easiest path back here afterwards."

"You know how difficult it was for me to tame my flames," The hedgehog reminded him. "It's not something you can learn a day, let alone mere minutes."

Blaze's relationship with her power had always been tumultuous; when they'd first met, the cat had scarcely been able to stop burning once she started. Pyrokinesis and her control over it had come to define much of Blaze's personality, not to mention her history. She had managed to sacrifice herself because that power was embedded in her soul- it was frankly surprising that it hadn't lingered with her following whatever kind of swap had occurred between them. Was she feeling a new found freedom now? With her wearing his face, it was difficult to tell.

"If it's to help you, and our friends, I'll do whatever it takes. Teach me," He stumbled to close the distance between them, snatching up her hand to hold it in hers, "I'm not going to let myself be a burden while you're doing all the work. I'll get control of this and then I'll help you, I promise," The size difference in their hands played on his mind in a way it hadn't before, "I don't need to know how to control the flames, just how to quell them. If I can keep myself from catching on fire at every little surprise, get comfortable enough in your body that I can run and throw a few punches, I think we'll get this done a lot faster," A strange sensation entered his mind; the much longer tail of Blaze's true body had come to slip behind around a waist that had once been his, "Please, Blaze."

"My face does not suit your mannerisms..." She tutted, looking away, "Take off the heels," Blaze bluntly commanded, "Teaching you to control my power is going to be tough enough; we don't need to add balance training on top of that."

"Thank you Blaze!" He felt fangs brush his lips as he beamed, dropping to sit on the ground as he popped the heels off, "I promise, I'll do exactly what you say. I'll pick this up in record time."

"Do you have to look at me like that?" She'd turned away again.

"Like what?" He tilted his head.

"The expressions you're making, they all..." She was staring at the wall, Silver swear he saw hints of embarrassment and disgust cross his prior muzzle, "They don't suit my face. It's like you're trying to make me look..." A word seemed to carry a repulsive weight on the new psychic's tongue, "Cute."

"I don't think I'm doing anything?" He blinked, jumping back to his feet only to find himself still having to peer up at his prior face, "Oh, wow. It's weird being this much shorter..."

She rolled her eyes, stepping back to put a little bit of distance between them, "Just be quiet and listen. If you can't manage this, then you'll go back to lying down until I sort this all out."

"Alright, it's a deal," He affirmed, "We can do this, I'm sure of it!"

Beaming wide, the moment he made that boisterous claim Silver felt his skin prickle. A glance down to his body showed a not so thin aura of flames had manifested to dance across the entirety of his body, swirling and arching in a series of lines, spirals, arcs, and swaying like ribbons all the while. He wasn't in control of it at all; the energy was bounding free of his form.

"You need to control your emotions. Keep your thoughts calculated and focused above all else. Control when your feelings are unleashed and how much they bubble to the surface, repression and release are key to controlling pyrokinesis," The hedgehog claimed, stealing back his gaze, "I know that's goes against what you usually do but-

"I'll try, whatever it takes to help!" At his boisterous insistence, the orange and red heat rose to consume up to his shoulders. This was getting dangerous.

"If you're ever really struggling, you should breathe out and try to hold it," She sighed, "Robbing the flames of their oxygen has prevented me from dealing serious damage before."

Silver caught himself, the flames had spread like a cowl to consume the entirety of his frame. He did as she'd commanded, blowing out through his mouth. Perhaps it was due to Blaze's own experience of performing this control measure, but there wasn't as much of a tightness in his chest as he had anticipated. How often had she held her breath like this, afraid of exploding and destroying all she cared about? Could the cat really keep such a concentrated reign on her emotions at all times? It wasn't as though he'd noticed her holding her breath often, this must have been a technique from back when she was a child. The simplest, most rudimentary, method of controlling her power...

The flames across his form did die down a little, but the moment he sucked in a fresh breath they began to billow once more; embers began to drift away from his purple frame. His jaw clenched as he tried again, quickly releasing another breath. Blaze was right, this was hard.

"What were you thinking about?" She asked, "You clearly aren't controlling your thoughts."

"I was thinking about you," He confessed as the flames burned brighter, "About how often you've had to concentrate like this. How hard you must work to maintain your concentration at all times..."

"Silver," Hearing her brand of tough concern in his voice was so confusing, "There comes a point where it becomes second nature, something of a constant background focus. You're starting anew gaining control. You can't afford to concern yourself with my struggles now. You're the one on fire; you're the one facing this peril."

He couldn't see the purple feline form beneath him any more, and his companion ahead was being blocked by an ever shifting wall of flames. This was getting to be too much, the endless sensation raking through his fur and over his skin no longer felt like the brush of leaves but instead an endless array of fingers clawing and grasping deeper. It was like the flames were trying to tear him apart; trying to make him vanish into the fire or become one with it. Was it consuming him?

"Try counting down for as long as you can hold your breath, shut your eyes if you have to!" Blaze shouted, scarcely audible over the roar of fire, "You can't let your thoughts drift, the flames will only spread further!"

He did as she commanded, shut his eyes tight and started to count. For a moment he thought it was working, that the sensation of endless grasping had started to fade, but as the numbers ticked down and hollowness filled his chest he couldn't help but inhale. Immediately the rumble of fire immediately refilled the surrounding air, light flashed bright enough to penetrate through his eyelids. The flames were tearing at flesh now, ripping like claws of metal!

A fresh breath was wheezed inward; the air was thin and scarcely filled his lungs. He knew he shouldn't let it; but Silver's mind raced! Blaze's recommendations weren't working; this power and body was hers but they weren't the same person. This power was controlled by emotion rather than thought and want alone. How she had come to command these flames and how he would- their paths weren't the same!

Silver didn't deal in numbers or hard foundations; Blaze did. She had grown in that direction as she came to control her powers- their presence had nurtured her to harden her mind and body alike. His power, and the various worlds he'd been thrown into, had led him to manifest his wants and frustrations plainly. If he was going to find peace of mind, to reach serenity like Blaze wanted, he had to meet in the middle. His mind was in her body after all!

What brought him peace of mind, what made him calm? Where could he centre his mind; free from excitement and peril? Was scrambling for thoughts like this stoking the flames in and of itself?

Silver let his last breath fade and again felt the flame's grasp fade; this was his last chance, but he had to ignore the pressure! If this all went wrong, Blaze could use his power to blast the flames away. She could, she would; he believed in her!

He heard the roar of fire louden- hyping himself up with thoughts of her wasn't helping... but maybe other thoughts of her could? Not of highs spent together like the days just before they'd returned here, not of lows like those spent in Crisis City, but the peaceful moments. The calm they'd spent together.

Silver's mind arrived at a specific memory; one during his first days in the Sol Dimension. He'd found himself on the sand, soaked through with saltwater and panting. It was the first time he could recall that he'd fully managed to escape his worries for his world, that he'd been too light headed in the wake of joy to hurt or panic.

Marine had insisted that they go to the beach after he had admitted to never having spent any time by the ocean. They'd sailed, clambered over rock pools, swam, had a splash fight, built sand castles, and just finished mostly failing to surf. As he'd been lying there, having been wiped out by a colossal wave, the sky and the peaceful sound of the ocean had fully enamoured him. Despite the soggy sand now clinging to his fur, he'd thought he was as comfortable as he could be. That was, until Blaze had wandered into his vision.

Silver's eyes opened, the flames had been reduced to a thin coating that encased his dainty feline hands. As he took a breath the flames did grow, but not nearly as wildly as they had before. His mind continued to linger on that beachside moment, how calm he'd felt in the wake of exhaustion and the wiry smile on her face- purple contrasting the blue of the sky. She'd looked as comfortable as he had felt.

As he closed his palms the flames vanished without so much as a puff of smoke.

"You did it,"A small smile crossed the muzzle that had once been his, "You've managed to centre yourself?"

Silver began to beam again, "Yeah! I-

In a flash, the flames reclaimed the feline's hands. He released the air from his lungs again, this time staring at the ground rather than shutting his eyes. Silver nudged his focus back to that peaceful place; that beachside with the blue sky above. As long as he was there, if he kept that peace in mind, then he'd manage to quell the flames inside.

"I thought of us together, on the beach, after that wave wiped me out," He slowly raised his gaze, finding the fire left his form as his gaze returned to her, "Do you remember?"

"Yes," It was still difficult to read his own face, but Silver knew she understood, "I remember that."

"If I keep my mind there, or on moments like that, then I should be okay," He stepped toward her, holding out his hands, "I can control this... even if it's just for a little while. I can help you."

"It's not the same as my approach, but it does seem to be working," Their hands met, fingers interlocked, "I'll do all I can to pull you from the flames. We're stuck in this together, we'll get out of this together."

Silver felt his temperature spike but no flare followed it. Not all of his thoughts of Blaze were so calming, some stoked emotions he still couldn't explain, but, when it came down to it, she was a beacon that called him to stable shores and away from the ever shifting waves of his tumultuous existence. If he could stay by her side for as long as they were stuck like this, then surely they would make it through this without one burning the other to a crisp.

---

The longer Blaze spent in this body, the more peculiar it seemed. With each passing minute it was as if there was something else to learn, something else to get used to. She supposed the form's usual owner probably went day by day without so much as noticing all she was now.

The two of them had retreated indoors to the royal library, where the cat trapped in a hedgehog's body was presently sitting atop a large green couch and pouring over royal scriptures. The Sol Emeralds and Jewelled Sceptre were set before her, currently at rest on the ground. Based on all she'd read, it seemed unlikely that Silver's body would even be able to channel the Sol Emeralds.

Wandering the carpeted floors, casting her psychic grasp from bookshelf to bookshelf as he once did, had come with a learning curve in itself. It was no wonder that Silver gesticulated so much; outside of cloaking this furry hedgehog form and flying that typically followed it, every psychic act seemed to require a gesture. He'd recommended verbalising at first, which in itself explained why the hedgehog rarely held a thought behind his lips, but already the guardian was managing to control her surroundings non-verbally.

The pile of books in front of the cat was proof enough of that; parsing the pages, shouting at them to shift, had eventually just became so obnoxious that she'd willed herself to improve. Now before her floated a centuries old logbook defining historic experimentation on the emeralds; she could read it without risking tarnishing the parchment with her touch. With that comfort however came another realisation. One she that, even though there was still not guarantee of returning to her body soon, she was already formulating how to-

A sudden pressure on her lap stole Blaze from her thoughts and sent the sheet into the air. With a loud thought of grab and a thrust of her hand the material froze once more in the air, fluttering back within viewing range. A sigh slipped the hedgehog's throat as she looked down to find a set of feet, newly garbed in pink trainers she'd occasionally worn in training, across her lap.

"What are you doing?" She looked to find the feline had joined her on the couch, a history book of his own in hand.

"You do this when I'm sat reading," He simply responded, "So I thought, since we've swapped-

"It's fine," She adjusted her page, "But remember, you're putting your own body at risk."

"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable now," He grinned, "As long as I'm with you, now that I know what I'm doing in here, I'll be okay," Before quiet could manifest he filled it, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm... still unsettled," She confessed, tugging at the plume of chest fur just beneath her neck.

"Really?" He seemed surprised, "I thought, since you've always been uncomfortable with your powers, being in my body would be a nice change?"

"I've been too focused on your body to consider that..." Blaze squinted at the new paper as if to emphasise her point, the old cursive writing was harsh, "I think you need glasses."

He blinked, "For reading you mean, not for seeing far?"

"It might just be how your vision compares to mine in general, but yes, for reading," She hummed, "Have you noticed the difference?"

"Not really," He admitted glancing into his book, "I guess I'm the opposite, I've been too focused on your powers."

"There are some other things that are concerning," The cat lowered the sheet fully now, worry was mounting, "Do you feel like this way all of the time?"

He cocked his head, "Feel what?"

Blaze wasn't sure how best to broach this.

She concluded it was best to be blunt, "Sore. That your bones and muscles ache."

"Oh," He seemed to realise everything at once, he clearly hadn't mastered control of her ears, "I mean, a bit, yeah. Are you feeling it?"

"I didn't recognise it at first, I thought they were just injuries from the battle with Metal Sonic, but as today has gone on," She hoped her concern was coming across, rather than sounding frustrated with him, "I've always known about your scars Silver, but I didn't realise you still felt this... more chronic pain."

She could practically feel his regret, "It's mostly my back and my shoulders, right?"

"Primarily, but there's hints of it all over your body. In your joints especially," She reminded him. "Do you feel this pain all the time?"

"No," He'd responded too fast and plainly recognised it, "Well, um," His legs pulled away from her, "Most of the time. I've sort of just gotten used to it."

"You shouldn't have to get used to it," She pushed back, "I didn't know it was this persistent. We can get you help for this."

"Really?" He still wasn't used to the modern world.

"There are therapies and medicines that can help with more permanent pain Silver," She reminded him, "You don't need to just endure it."

"Oh, right, yeah," Silver hadn't taken well to doctors before, perhaps he had been avoiding this, "Is there some medicine I could go and get you now, to make this easier for you?"

"No, it's fine," She wouldn't let him feel guilt over this, she shouldn't have brought it up, "I'm just concerned for you; for your health in the long run."

The next drawn page made the hedgehog pause, it was one of the few entries she'd found that discussed issues associated with using the Sol emeralds for transportation. No prior monarch had truly used the emeralds as adeptly as she did, let alone traversed dimensions, but they had been used under dire circumstances to cross the many islands that made up her kingdom. On one-

"You've done something that has helped before, when I've been especially injured. Maybe that would help you now?" She again paused in her reading, finding he'd shuffled a little closer, "I could give you a massage; if you want?"

This recommendation was drawn almost exclusively from their prior lives. When they'd trained to fight all manner of monsters in Crisis City, they'd learned to look after their bodies from what few books they'd salvaged. Whenever the hedgehog had overexerted himself, when he'd inevitably pulled muscle after muscle and refused to rest them, the cat had pinned him and made sure he was tended to properly. After she'd done it a handful of times, he'd insisted on returning the favour.

"Like I said before, it's your body you're putting at risk," She reminded him, "I suppose, if it does help these feelings go away... yes, as long as you're comfortable, I'm comfortable."

He slipped off of the plush couch, giving her space to lie. Blaze followed his move and lay down on her stomach. Truth be told, between the quills and his spines, she hadn't figured out how to sit comfortably yet. At the very least this would give her an opportunity to rest.

In one swift manoeuvrer he straddled her back, the sensation of her own thighs squeezing near the hips that she was borrowing was a bizarre one indeed... the contact was much too warm. Her chin propped up on a pillow, Blaze reached out a hand and willed her reading to draw closer. She tried to focus on the writing in front of her, absorbing the findings related to transportation anomalies. Once a knight's soul had completely separated from his body during an especially difficult transportation. Sending him back to where he'd come from hadn't worked, but having him travel the same route without the prior interference had reunited-

"Oh wow," Her body's voice rang out.

"What?" She questioned, feeling his weight shift.

"Claws..." Had he really just drawn them for the first time!? "Don't worry, I'll be gentle!"

Trying to put his panicking words and the heavy contact to the back of her mind, Blaze shifted to the next page. An island had been evacuated to avoid a tsunami, a portal opened using the gems. The wave had arrived sooner than anticipated, there had been a stampede as people panicked but the last few had made it into the portal as the water was tossing around shrapnel from the town they were abandoning. In the text it was hypothesised that many people transporting at once was the cause of what followed- a few bodies without consciousness and some scattered reports of people being in the wrong body. The cure had been the same as for the prior soulless body- recreating the transportation event but doing it correctly.

The examples weren't one to one with what had occurred, most obvious was the fact the Sol Emeralds were not the Master Emerald, but the parallel was there. There was no evidence of a spell they could conduct here to cure this switching of souls, nor would going back to where they'd been be enough. They had to replicate the event as perfectly as possible for this to stand a chance of working. The Master Emerald would have to be intact, they'd need to be atop Angel Island, and Knuckles would have to conduct the ritual. Would where Angel Island was in the sky matter? Either way, it seemed wise to-

Blaze hissed a breath in at a sudden spasm of pain as Silver pressed down harder, "That's where it hurts the most..."

"I know, sorry, I'm trying to push all of the pain away," He informed her, "Let me know if this helps."

Pressure barged against her right shoulder, applying with it a deeper warmth than had Blaze had felt radiating from the rest of his form. He was plying with both hands, pushing not only at the shoulder blade but reaching around to rub above her clavicle. With ease he pulled her upper torso back, raising her chest as he pushed more warmth into the muscle.

"You're getting better at controlling my power," She hummed, trying to keep her body loose.

"I'm just not shutting it off as much, letting my mind drift a little rather than focusing on a happy place," He confirmed aloud, "If I stop completely though, I really think I'll just explode again..."

"You're doing well," Her back felt warm, her whole body felt softer, "I think this is helping."

"I know you always mention my fur is thick," His grasp was drifting toward the other shoulder, "But feeling it with your hands... it really is easy to get lost in it."

"You make a good pillow," Blaze tried to renew her researching effort, knowing they couldn't afford to relax, only to flinch as another muscle tweaked, "I'm sorry, it must not be comfortable being that pillow..."

"I didn't hide the pain from you," He insisted, his touch now gentler. "When I'm with you, when we're working together, I just get... distracted," Silver pawed on the spot she'd just felt, "It's there but... I don't really notice it as much," The pain was subsiding, "I don't know if I'm making sense."

"You aren't really," She admitted.

"It gets worse when I panic and," He found another sore spot as he searched for the right words, "Well, I panic less when I'm with you. I know we can get through anything together, so I guess it's worse when I'm alone..."

"My natural level of stress likely isn't meshing well with your body's condition," Blaze hummed.

She felt his weight shift on her back, rising to his knees to lighten the strain, "Then I'll do all I can to keep you calm and comfortable."

"If we weren't like this right now..." She pushed her first thought as to what to say aside, "This would almost be endearing."

"Endearing? What do you mean?" He paused.

"If I wasn't feeling your pains. If our bodies weren't swapped like this," Blaze was about to state the obvious, perhaps being in his body was wearing off on her, "This would almost be a relaxing afternoon for us."

"Oh, huh," She felt him hesitate, "That doesn't make much of a difference to me I guess. As long as it's to help you, I'd happily do anything."

The new psychic closed her eyes, "Please don't say things like that with my voice..."

The rubbing fully stopped, "Like what?"

"Just..." She lowered her head and let the sheets land, "Focus on what you're doing and I'll do the same. I need to plan."

"Right, even ignoring our situation, our friends might need saving," His hands were back to rubbing down her back, "I'll make sure we're in the best state possible for that."

Blaze lowered her head and shut her eyes, giving in as the cat's grasp continued to slip lower. Depending on the situation their friends were in, they may only have one chance for success. Abusing time travel likely wasn't a possibility; arriving when their prior selves were already there could create complications. Regardless, they likely had to arrive as close to when they'd left as possible for the cure to work, but certainly couldn't manifest any sooner. That meant the Master Emerald would already be destroyed. Angel Island would start to fall.

"How long does it take Angel Island to fall into the ocean," She half shouted into the cushioning, "I'm trying to figure out how much time we have to turn this all around. I might need to grab our friends before it all comes crumbling down."

"It's slower than it should be, being a massive island flying through the sky, but it's still pretty fast... I think we can maybe avoid that if we do this right though," Silver began to think aloud, "I can use my power to catch all the Master Emerald shards before they scatter, then Knuckles should be able to fix it before it reaches the sea."

"I think the only way to return us to our bodies is for Knuckles to send up back here properly, uninterrupted. In as similar a position and circumstance as possible to when we left to recreate the effort as perfectly as possible," She explained, "When we go back to help them, we're still going to be in these bodies."

"Oh," He paused, "You're sure?"

"It's the only hint I've found," She confessed, "I'm not as proficient with your powers as you are Silver. There will be hundreds of fragments. That island is going down."

"Well, you helped me learn to control your power. It's only right that I do the same," The cat offered, "Besides, you're already doing so well with it, I'm sure you can do it!"

She managed to pull her head from the pillow, turning her head just enough to half see him still atop her back, "How long did it take you to learn to catch that many objects? Let alone so many tiny ones?"

"A long time," He confessed, "But I can teach you! Not to mention, you're in my body. A lot of it comes down to reflexes, and you should have got those from me. Outside of that, you've just got to aim and think grab."

"You really think it'll be that easy?" The hedgehog questioned.

"There's only one way to find out," He raised, "How's the pain, are you okay to stand?"

"Silver, you know how this feels," She couldn't help smiling at his concern, "I'm much more comfortable than I was before, I swear. Thank you."

He slipped off of her back to stand and she followed suit. The feline plainly had some idea what she was doing, heading for a desk at the nearby wall. He quickly pulled open the drawers and started to scramble through them.

"Are you looking for something?" Blaze asked.

"Just," He turned to look at her, a fang-filled mischievous grin on his face "These!"

Spinning on his heel, in one fluid motion the feline turned and tossed something straight at her. Blaze threw out a hand in reflex, she felt psychic energy surge to protect her. That release came with a moment of confidence... only to feel three objects bounce off of her chest and a fourth strike her shoulder. One pencil was frozen in the air, stuck in her psychic grasp; four more had slipped past her.

"Again! This time try and catch a couple!" He shouted, tossing another handful before she could halt him.

Blaze reached out with both hands, throwing them forward as if to catch. Cyan energy flared as she grasped beyond herself, like a set of hands swiping out into the air. This time two pencils were caught but five clattered into her.

"You can't think of catching or stopping individual objects," He instructed as he rummaged, "If you do that you're bound to miss some. Think of it as stopping a cluster all at once!"

"Are you certain this is the best way to learn?" Blaze asked, tempted to start cleaning up the pencil pile he'd already generated.

"We're a little short on time and resources," He confessed, turning to face her with hands full once more, "But I honed my control by throwing rocks into the air and catching them before they could hit me. It's the same sort of idea!"

This time there were rubbers and rulers among the tossed writing implements. She tried clapping her hands together, as if to swipe the objects into one place, but the end result wasn't as expected. Some of the objects battered together, but they just tumbled to the ground in that effort's wake- the remaining stationary bumped into her and flew past.

"Imagine a shape as you grab," He instructed, "Not just a pair of hands grasping, psychokinesis doesn't have to be so simple. Envision a glob of water or treacle, dense enough to stop the shards! If you do that then you'll catch it all, I know it!"

"Silver," Did he even hear what he was saying?

"You can do this Blaze," He was still beaming, "Make a shape to hold, make a container."

As the objects tumbled in Blaze's direction, she did as he instructed. Fingers outstretched and palms opened, the cat imagined a great glob of cyan light before herself. The energy matched her will; pens, sharpeners and rulers froze within that psychic grasp- only one managed to make it through! This was working?!

"Now you've got to imagine the shape as you see the objects flying; account for it when you cast the web," The feline now held two separate fistfuls of desk-goods, "You can't just imagine any shape, it needs to fit around them all."

He scattered the stationary into the air as he threw it, creating a rough arc of equipment all flying toward her. Blaze did as he'd suggested, envisioning the arc as her hands flashed. Unfortunately, the shape in her minds' eye did not quite fit that of reality. Some of the goods fell to the ground around her.

"You've been doing geometry this whole time?" Blaze was bewildered, fingers running through her chest fur as she thought deeper into that realisation, "In split seconds, measuring and anticipating the angles of approach and form of incoming projectiles?"

"What's geometry?" He asked, starting to scrounge the floor having found the drawers now empty.

"It's maths relating to shapes and their form," She explained, "Perhaps it's become more of a reflex for you..."

"Well, even if I don't quite get it, it sounds like you know what you're doing," The hedgehog was ready for another round, grinning maniacally with two fistfuls of pencils, "You'll have this learned in no time, we can do this!"

---

"You're certain you can't do this?" Silver felt like his head was spinning.

"I'm positive, I would if I could," Her hands were on his forearms and her head on his shoulder, "Just focus on the place and time, communicate your will to the emeralds."

Silver could feel crackling beneath his fingertips; the long shaft of the Jewelled Sceptre in his hands was thrumming with energy- the gems on its curved head were flaring and dulling inconsistently. Before him the seven Sol Emeralds had formed a hovering circle, shimmering fiery orange light pulsing to fill it and creating a wall of flame in the centre of the palace courtyard. A wall of flame that supposedly should open to reveal their friends and Eggman in his world's past.

He grimaced, "It's hard to do that and keep your body's flames under control..."

"You only need to hold it open for a moment. That's all it'll take for us to get through," She was guiding him to swirl the staff, pointing to empower the emeralds one by one, "It's not that different from using the Chaos Emeralds, is it?"

"It's is," He felt heat beginning to rake through his fur, "It feels like it should be the same, I'm doing all the same things mentally, but it really is."

"I suppose I've not had to use them in this lifetime," She murmured, her grasp on his forearms tightened, "We'll manage this, we have our plan, we can do this."

The sensation of his own body putting weight on Blaze's form was bizarre to say the least. Did his hands really feel so big? Did her body's back really fit so completely against his form's chest? He'd never really noticed how much broader he was than her, how lithe she truly was. Those hands of his could so easily fit around her wrists. Was it any wonder he could pick her up so-

"Silver?" Her voice pulled him from imagination, "The flames are flickering..."

"Sorry," He tried to steel his focus.

The moment they'd vanished from that world replayed in his mind; the sensation of being trapped in the grasp of crackling chaos energy as it went wild. He'd felt their friend's eyes on his back as Eggman had appeared, arriving in some sort of massive machine that he'd only managed to glance a portion of. Some sort of mechanical replication of a large, clawed, beast.

Their friends had been at the foot of the altar, surely ready to pounce into action. They needed to reappear on Angel Island's lush green grass; the moment the fight was set to start. The emerald newly shattered, the doctor plainly about to taunt, and-

A resounding crack sounded across the courtyard, like a deafening rumble of thunder. The flames parted with a swirl, opening to reveal a not so unfamiliar scene. A group of colourful fighters, dwarfed by a great machine stood atop a shrine of stone- that structure cracking beneath the tremendous weight of the enemy. Bright green gemstones were scattering through the air above their allies' heads- twirling in a crude arc.

Eggman was seated in a glass dome atop a great metallic eagle head, its massive feathers a mixture of red and black. An orange insignia of the doctor's face was painted near the centre of the form's chest, but the mechanism's front didn't hold Silver's attention for long. While its claws were gigantic and its every wingbeat sent metallic shrapnel into the lush environment of the island, Silver couldn't help but notice a second set of legs behind the sharp set. A pair of great heavy paws, it was quadrupedal- a whip like tail seemed to extend and lash from its rear.

"It'a gryphon," Silver was bewildered as Blaze rushed past him, "A robotic gryphon!"

He threw the sceptre aside (as the cat had instructed prior) and dashed for the portal, already wavering into pure flame in places. As the feline rushed through he glanced back, confirming that the portal had shut. Immediately he felt the ground shifting beneath him, the island was already starting to fall!

The emerald shards were soaring through the sky, separating the further they travelled. He watched as Blaze threw her hands in the air, psychic power crackling at her palms. It was more than they'd practised, the shards were flying fast and far!

Cyan light flashed and Silver's heart dropped- she'd only ensnared the central portion of the arc, the rest of the shards were still flying! They'd soar overhead and crash-

Psychic energy faded from the collection of captured shards; they fell toward the green grass. Silver turned to his partner only to find her still staring up at emeralds flying overhead, teeth grit and arms outstretched. She wasn't giving up!

A series of cyan flashes, each arriving faster than the last, filled the sky. Blaze had known she couldn't catch all of the pieces at once, so she'd found her own way. Stopping chunks at a time and letting them drop- as long as they landed on the island, they'd be able to reclaim the whole Master Emerald! It would work!

"Hey, you guys are back!" Sonic cheered, running backwards toward the machine, "I would say long time no see, but, well-

"I'm sure it's been longer for you guys than it has been for us!" Amy roared, overtaking the Blue Blur with her hammer in hand.

"Go with them!" Blaze commanded him, now turned away from the machine in pursuit of the few remaining shards, "I can handle this!"

Silver fully turned his attention to the great robot, just in time to see Knuckles and Rouge had joined their pink and blue companions in the assault. He couldn't unleash the flames, not with how poor his control was and all of their allies in close proximity. This was going to be rough, but he knew Blaze's body was strong!

"Okay, happy thoughts, at the beach..." He amped himself up, "But also punching."

The feline charged forwards, fists balled at his sides. He watched as Amy scored a clean hit against Eggman's glass dome- leaving a great crack but not shattering through. Sonic struck a lightning fast uppercut against the machine's beak, twisting its head right, granting an opening for Knuckles to scale the front leg. As the echidna started to punch at the machine's knee, a white bat had successfully soared overhead. She came down leg first on the fantasy machine's back, forcing it to stumble as it adjusted its stance. There was an opening!

Silver leapt up, thankful Blaze had let him shed her heels. Almost mimicking the blow Sonic had struck, the cat threw an uppercut straight for the bird's beak. Despite the lack of flames behind him, not being afforded their thrust for extra power, the cat's own tightly trained muscle proved to be enough. The beak of the monster arced through the air then slammed to the ground mere moments after she had landed back at the foot of the stairs.

"Not as flashy as your usual work, but it's a start!" Sonic beamed as he jumped past, landing on the machine's glass dome, "Come on Egghead, you keep saying you're some sort of genius; did jumping us when we're all in one place really seem like a good idea?"

Amy had joined Knuckles in attacking the legs, standing on the right claw and winding up a big hit. Rouge seemed to be striking away at the back, rising and dropping to deliver the most powerful kicks possible and keep the large form pinned. Sonic was right, this all seemed to be going too well, there had to be something they were missing!

The wings of the beast were still flapping, but that effort seemed to be for naught. Giant metal feathers were cascading across the island, sticking into the ground by their sharpened tips. It wasn't as if anyone was even attacking the wings, and the machine clearly wasn't trying to fly. The wings were much thinner than they had been a moment before. What could-

"Knuckles, I've got the Emerald!" The psychic behind him yelled, "Put it back together before the island falls!"

Her shouting pushed Silver to move; he bounded forward as Amy started striking and Knuckles yelled, "You're sure you've got all of it!?"

"Every shard I could see!" Blaze confirmed, shouting loud.

The feline spun as he leapt, set to kick the orange insignia at the machine's chest, "Then I can put it-

In the second before his foot could make contact, yellow light filled the cat's eyes and forced them closed. A pain snapped through his body and sent him tumbling back. His whole body spasmed and spun but he didn't feel himself hit the ground. The pain didn't stop; all of his muscles were tightening and clenching inward.

Suspended, he managed to crack open an eye-blinking and blurry at first. The world came in flashes; bright to the point of being blinding. He saw yellow arcs of electricity, their thunderous crackle and ear splitting whine flooding through the air endlessly. He was floating, held aloft by inconsistent lightning bolts that darted through his core to endlessly juggle him. It was too late, the feathers did have a purpose!

They were lightning rods; channelling and redirecting electricity cast from the mechanical griffon's thinned wingtips. Before him he could see Amy held as he presumably was; floating off the ground in writhing pain, her arms bound to her chest by the shocks the sparking energy was forcing through her. Were the others trapped like this?!

"Yes Sonic, I can confirm that jumping you all at once was a great idea," A booming voice crackled over a megaphone, "Or rather, I'm so very glad you all decided to jump me at once!"

He writhed to turn, trying to break free, only to feel his body spin wildly in the air. Knuckles had been launched a ways back by the initial shock; he was flailing hard, reaching for the ground, but plainly levitated too high. His vision was blurring now, but he swore he saw a hint of blue and white as he was pushed to spin further by the shocks! Every moment brought with it more pain!

What were they going to do?! If Blaze's body wasn't strong enough to break free then surely none of theirs would be either?! It was like they were flies caught in a spider web, just waiting for the monster to strike! Was he going to snuff them out one by-

"B-Blaze," Amy's scream stole his attention, "Stop, I'm too close!"

His eyes cracked open only to be met with orange; his mind had drifted for too long, the flames were breaking loose! Amy was so close, he'd noticed! If he didn't control-

"Oh, now this is interesting!" Eggman cackled, "Here I thought I'd have to fry you myself. It seems Blaze has other ideas."

Silver tried to imagine the beach in his mind, tried to push himself back to that calm place, but every shock tore him away from serenity. He kicked and squirmed, clawed for the ground or anything to grab onto, only to be met with air. Had Blaze been-

Just as that thought entered his mind, Silver felt a familiar sensation wash over his form. The electricity stopped burning at his skin just as the feeling of flames raking through his fur vanished. Silver's eyes opened; through a teal tint he saw the changed battlefield. The altar had been surrounded by standing feathers, like a series of tombstones in rows encircling a central mausoleum. Lightning was arcing from the wingtips of Eggman's machine; bouncing from there in an endless surge across the part-buried metal masses.

Still awash in the psychic glow, he managed to turn back and find that his allies had gathered. Blaze stood beside Tails, the young fox having rather smartly opted to hang back. She had freed them all from the electric snare but the damage was plain. They needed a plan, they had to do something!

"That lightning mesh is seriously dangerous," Tails commented, "But I think we can handle it."

"What've you got in mind, Tails?" Sonic asked, dusting a layer of ash from his quills.

"Well, Knuckles has to focus on putting the Master Emerald back together. The island's falling fast," The youngster pointed to a diagram on his tablet.

"Already on it," Knuckles had crouched low and began to put the massive stone back together.

"You guys can't get close, you'll get caught by the lightning again, we need to attack from range," The boy made clear, "The lightning is jumping between the metal anchors, it's not lingering on them for long. If we're quick enough, we might be able to throw them back at the griffon," His suggestion was sound, "After a while, that should make approaching easier too!"

"Silver, now that you've gathered the shards, do you think you could clear a path?" Amy piped up, spinning her hammer, "One more good hit and I'll have cracked through his dome, I just know it!"

"Um," It was only now Silver caught that Blaze had been looking at him, trying to assess his struggle, "That seems to be the logical course of action. I'll do all I can."

"Alright, we've got our plan," Sonic was stretching, "Hey, Eggman, you ready for round two?!"

A barrage of feathers were flying their way; thrown like countless daggers. Silver felt his whole body pulled backwards, still held in Blaze's psychic grasp, as the group retreated even further back. For once, Knuckles didn't squabble as Rouge lifted both him and the chunks of Master Emerald back.

"I think we'd better start before he pushes us too far back," Amy said, lining up a swing toward one of the newly planted feathers, "This is going to be tough!"

The beast raised a claw to bat away that hurtling feather, only for a second to strike true- kicked toward the machine by Rouge. Soon two storms of black and red feathers were battling with each other; colliding in the air. Metal was scraping against metal; none of Eggman's attacks had pierced their allies but that wasn't the real threat. If he gained too much ground there would be no escaping the electrical net.

"Are you okay?" Blaze stole away his attention, she hadn't left his side yet.

She hadn't even set him down yet, her concern was obvious.

"I'm not hurt, but I've lost my grip," He confessed before hardening his gaze, "Leave me, I'll get it under control. They need you."

Blaze did hesitate, but the sounds of battle were growing louder. With one last nod the hedgehog pushed him a ways further back from the battlefield and set her down. The moment he was free of her psychic hold, orange swarmed to reclaim the space cyan had stolen. He dropped to his knees and covered his eyes.

"Blaze, what's wrong?" Amy's voice shouted over the whooshing of flames.

"Don't worry, she can handle this!" He heard Blaze yell in his voice as the crackling of fire loudened, "Focus on Eggman!"

An earthquake rocked the island!

"I've secured the Master Emerald, it's all here!" Knuckles shouted, bolting past to join the front line.

That was one problem solved, but Silver's presence alone was creating another. If he couldn't get these flames under control, there would be fire to his friend's backs and lighting to their fronts. They would be trapped unless he could overcome this...

Thoughts like that certainly weren't helping!

He pressed his palms against his temples and turned his mind back to the beach, releasing the air from his lungs. The echoing sound of waves, the sand at his back, and the warm touch of the sun. That vision of Blaze leaning down as he'd lain there, the wiry smile on her muzzle at his wiped out form. Before Marine could burst in to interrupt the moment, she'd come down to sit beside him. She'd tussled the wet quills from his vision- granting him a perfect view of her face framed against the blue sky. He'd reached up to push back a strand of hair that had slipped free from her ponytail.

Silver's eyes reopened; the flames were gone.

Clambering to his feet, he scanned the battlefield. Blaze was doing wonderfully in his body; unearthing feather after feather and launching them as missiles. She could seemingly only handle one feather at a time, but she had clearly learned to launch the feathers with some force rather than guide them all the way to Eggman's machine.

Amy was still successfully punting feathers through the air, even returning some of the ones fired from the robot's wings, but the others weren't doing so well. Knuckles had plainly been targeted; his strength had surely made him best suited to tossing the javelins. The echidna was panting, surely he'd been freed from the lightning's grasp a few times already. Silver rushed up to pull a feather from the earth, throwing it with as much might as he could muster, only to see the echidna zapped and then caught once more.

As he tossed a second feather he noticed Tails and Rouge; the two had moved skyward, intent on knocking back feathers rather than allow the lightning rods to encroach further. It seemed to have been working until the monster's lion-like tail flicked up and shot from it an especially bright blast of electricity. Mid-air, a mesh of yellow lightning bounced between a flying swarm of feathers. He could only watch as the two were struck and tumbled into the feather filled space between their allies and foe.

As Silver jumped back to avoid those incoming feathers, he saw orange flash across his hands. The time traveller breathed out as he grabbed another feather and threw it, but the embers still lingered on his fingers. He looked to Eggman's machine; scarred and battered but still far from falling.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Silver saw Sonic and Amy share a look. The pink hedgehog jumped high to stave a feather deep into the ground, before giving it a second smack with her hammer to angle it. Sonic bolted back to create distance before dashing straight for the ramp made from the feather. He caught Amy's hand as he passed, pulling her along with him as he launched into the air. The two spun mid air, building even more momentum, before Amy released her weapon.

The hammer flew through the air ahead of the pair, successfully shattering Eggman's glass dome. Unfortunately, that manoeuvre had been too telegraphed. As the pair were coming in to land, ready to deal with the doctor directly, the machine's wings flapped in front of its face to create a shield. Their bodies flashed yellow with electricity as they tumbled to the ground; Silver felt claws raking through his fur. He was on the edge again!

"Two to go!" Eggamn's voice exploded from the machine as the wings flapped, sending forth even more shrapnel, "Let's see if you can worm your way out of this one!"

Silver looked to Blaze, only to find she'd tugged Knuckles from the snare. The echidna stumbled, pounding his fists as he landed on the ground. This was going to be much worse than they'd planned. It was all because he'd only learned to smother her powers, not control-

Blaze rushed up to him, psychically tugging Knuckles behind her. The echidna rolled as he was released, tumbling behind the pair. Before he could even process what was happening, Blaze had taken up a position behind him.

"You need to let it all out!" She commanded, shouting into his ear.

He was stunned, "But-

"Forget what I said, just let your emotions flow!" Blaze shouted, hands hovering above his, "I'll protect them!"

They were going to fail if he didn't act; their friends would die. This world would be destroyed, there would be no undoing all that Eggman had done. They would be trapped like this; stuck within the other's body as a permanent reminder of his inability to act. He'd fail her, he had to do something! He couldn't fail her again!

He let out a roar and felt fire scorch past his lips. Before the growing inferno could consume his sight, Silver threw his hands forward, trying to direct her power as he had so often his own psychokinesis. The energy was blinding as it tore through the air, but its direction was completely lost on him.

That was, until cyan entered his vision. She was creating a channel; targeting the flames he couldn't control! Weaving the fire toward a target, surely this was doing something?! Surely they were doing damage?! His vision was a mess of colours and lights, he couldn't even-

"Charge, now!" She roared over the whir of psychic and growl of flames.

Silver burst forward without hesitation; darting straight ahead. He still saw the glow of cyan around him, he could still feel his partner's presence nearby. It was working, it was happening! They were going to win!

"We can do this!" Silver shouted, amping himself up, "We're going to beat him! We're going to save the world! We're going to get our bodies back!"

Streaks of red entered the orange consuming his vision as his feet continued to pound. He could feel himself bursting through the melted remains of those metal feathers, pushing past them as if they were nothing. He had to trust in her as his guide, this would be deadly if any of their allies stood in the way...

Her voice sounded again, "I'm going to launch you, get ready!"

Less than a second after he processed that, Silver felt the earth beneath him shift into the air. He was soaring, entirely blind to where he would land- he just had to trust in what Blaze had called geometry. As he felt himself reach the highpoint of the launch arc and begin to speed downwards, he remembered what had happened to the hedgehog pair upon their assault. Blaze was putting her own body on the line, he had to use it as best as he could!

Silver spun in the air; making himself a flaming tornado. All of a sudden he went from feeling only the burning air around himself to swirling and pushing through an endlessly softening mass. Was this how Blaze knew when she was striking? Even without looking, as the cat clawed and kicked and struck, by the endlessly softening walls entombing him- Silver knew he was now on the inside of the robot. He had to do as much damage as possible before he burned his way out.

The endless swirl of red and orange tore at everything; he felt masses collapse on top of him only to reduce to sludge by the time he went to shrug them off. Metal felt easier to tear than paper; it was as if he was dragging his hands through water. Every touch and scrape came so easily, so naturally!

It was just as he was reaching the apex of his understanding that Silver felt himself tumble and knew the floor had given way beneath him. He wanted to land feet first, Blaze's body had already been through enough under his rule, but he couldn't let this opportunity slip! If there was any chance that the machine still stood, a potential it could hurt their friends, then he had to deal with it!

As he fell, Silver raised his hands above his head and tried to focus again. The scraping of the flames at his palms intensified and this time he knew he had done it; he had unleashed a torrent of fire! The same heat that had let him carve through the machine's steel flesh would weaken it so his friends could finish the job!

Rather than the ground, Silver again felt familiar contact wrap around his lower torso. At the very least, he hadn't ended up burning Blaze during their team attack. With that though, a smile managing to break onto his face, Silver couldn't help but notice the flames thinning. Fire was still surging from his palms, but it wasn't so immense as to obscure his vision.

Above him there was a great hole in the middle of the giant metallic machine's torso, accompanied by an endless array of gashes and tears that he could only slightly see from this angle. What damage he could see started to look a lot more minor when Knuckles dove fist first into the metal mass and continued to do just as he had before. Mere seconds after that Amy and Sonic had joined him, smashing up the exterior of the device. Silver watched as Eggman's escape pod launch from the device's top only to be met by Rouge. With a single kick his craft was sent spinning, vanishing out of view.

It was only then that the great mass of metal started to fall. Silver felt himself tugged; quickly pulled away from its path of collapse to land on the grass at the foot of the altar. As he stumbled free of the psychic hold, he heard the others land behind him.

"Now that was more like it!" Sonic boisterously complimented, "You had us all worried for a back there, glad you got your groove back!"

"I suppose so," He laughed, giddy, "My head feels really light."

As he started to tumble, his forehead met with something soft. He looked up only to meet with his old face looking down at him. Blaze gently spun him around, letting him lean into her shoulder.

"She stayed up late worrying after the Master Emerald shattered and we were sent away," The psychic covered for him, "But yes, it does seem that she... got her groove back toward the end there."

Now he understood what Blaze had meant about using certain words in his voice. Hearing a phrase from Sonic mirrored in his own voice was, frankly, disgusting.

"Looks like we've got some cleaning up to do," Tails had rejoined them, "Do you think everything will be alright, Knuckles?"

"The shrine's been through worse," The echidna ruffled the fox's hair, "I'll handle it, don't worry. Are you alright?"

"A little burned around the edges, but he took it like a trooper," Rouge stepped up, ruffling the echidna's hair just like he had done the kid's, "Not unlike someone else I know. You were fried, what, six times?"

"Eight, at least," He batted away her hand, proudly smirking, "Unlike some people, I don't go down easily."

"Couldn't just take the compliment, could you?" She turned and shrugged, "Guess I'll go claim my payment for this service, that big rock of yours should cover it."

"Before you try to take it again," Blaze interjected before Knuckles could rise to the bat's challenge, "Could you please send us back to Blaze's dimension."

"What, you guys are leaving again, already?" Amy was flabbergasted, "But you just got here!"

"Well, it's as if we hardly left in the first place," His companion pointed out, "Blaze has business to attend to back in her world. If you could send us a day further forward than you previously sent us, that would be much appreciated."

"Hm?" Silver blinked, "Oh right, yes! Lot of very important royal business," His mind was blank, "Like... signing paperwork and making new taxes."

"Are you sure she doesn't need to rest first?" Tails questioned, "No offence Blaze, but you seem a little loopy..."

"Oh, I'm fine," He stumbled to stand straight, dusting the ash from his body, "After all, I've got," He almost slipped up, in more ways than one, "Silver here to look after me."

"Get a room you two," Sonic snorted.

"They have a whole dimension, she has a palace, they don't need a room," Amy tutted at him, bounding to pull the pair of them into another bearhug, "I said the next time you two visit, it shouldn't be for another Eggman attack! Promise me it won't be next time!"

"We promise," Silver managed to murmur as the hedgehog's grip tightened... before suddenly softening.

"Are you guys sure you're okay?" She set them down, peering at him curiously before turning to scan Blaze, "Something feels... different."

"Hey, batgirl! I'm still using that!" Knuckles shouting thankfully changed the conversation; the group didn't need the further concern and questions that came with their present predicament.

"Oh, so I can have it after you're done?" The thief chided, rounding the powerful artefact.

"No!" He shouted, taking up a seated position in front of the stone.

"I was only asking," She scoffed as she walked away from him, "No need to be so rude."

Feeling sensation return to his current body, Silver straightened his back as Knuckles started to chant. The situation wasn't exactly the same- the island wasn't in the exact same place, and they weren't quite standing on the altar, but things were pretty close to being the same, right? If this didn't work, coming back to ask again was going to be really awkward.

As those thoughts came to mind, a green tint began to swirl around him. He glanced back to their allies, weathered but still standing. Amy had managed to sneak Sonic into a hug. Perhaps it was exhaustion at the current fight, but he wasn't fighting it.

"Goodbye everyone," He felt Blaze take his right hand as the energy began to lift them, "Hopefully we won't have to see you again for a couple days at least!"

He only scarcely heard their goodbyes over the thrum of the Master Emerald's power, soon followed by that same blue swirling they had experienced over their last journey. His vision was consumed but other sensation lingered for a moment longer. He felt his right hand no longer being held, instead it was the left.

The journey was much quicker this time, scarcely more than a second. They didn't arrive blurry eyed and flat on their backs this time. No, it was simple; Silver blinked and found himself in the royal gardens. Birdsong played on his ears, a blue sky and green grass of the royal gardens spanned out before him, the cool wind blew against his fur... with no coat to obscure its ruffling.

Silver glided his tongue across his teeth; finding fangs, but not as long and pointed. The hedgehog looked down and saw a fluffy white chest. His empty right hand housed a cyan sigil. There were boots on his feet with big blue steel caps. He turned to the feline at his side, just in time for her to look to him.

"Do you want to do what we did last time?" He offered, "Ask each other things only the other would know to prove we are who we are?"

"I think you asking that pretty well confirms you're you, Silver," She prodded, squeezing his hand before letting go, "But I will take the opportunity to remind you that you are very naive, but I still like that about you."

He hugged her immediately; the feeling of her light frame wholly captured in his arms as he spun was a sensation he'd missed more than he could put to words. The feeling of her warmth and touch- the tightness of her hold around her shoulders. His grip slipped to hold her legs and lower back; letting her look down at him while he had to look up. It'd felt like years since he'd seen those warm amber eyes of hers, even if it had truthfully been less than a day.

"I know things got very rough toward the end there," He couldn't help but feel embarrassed about his struggles, "Thank you for trusting me with your body."

"You have no idea how happy I am to be hearing that in your voice rather than mine," A gentle smile creased her lips, "I knew controlling my power would be difficult, it's incredible that you kept it under control for as long as you did."

"I barely got a punch in," He countered, letting her return to the ground but maintaining a hold on her, "You were incredible though! Unbelievable!"

"I'm not sure about that," She battered back, "In either case, it's probably for the best that we stick to using our own powers."

"Probably," He agreed.

"It was... nice seeing things through your eyes for a change," Silver professed, "I hope that doesn't sound weird?"

"It does," She bluntly responded, "But I understand. It has given me something of an insight into what to do next."

"Insight?" He parroted.

"First of all, I'm giving you a massage, since I know what you're feeling right now," His back had already started to ache again, "Then I'm booking you an optician's appointment," Well, her sharp eyes had seemed a good bit better than his set, "Then... we'll see what comes next. It's been a long and strange day," He could agree with that, "It's nice to see you as you again."

His face felt hot, he caught himself before he could panic about igniting, "Y-You too."

She had learned so much about his body, could he say the same for her? He'd always known how difficult it was to control her pyrokinesis, that she'd be swarmed at the slightest show of weakness and had to maintain appearances before her subjects. They knew each other so deeply already. Outside of how difficult it was to run in heels... Silver supposed there was one much more minor pressure he hadn't known much about...

"I'm sorry about your tongue," He scratched into his quills, "I must have bit it a dozen times..."

"Well, you can make it up to me," She raised a hand toward his chest, "May I?"

"Of course," He fully released her and opened his arms.

As her fingers entangled in his chest fur, her stare drifted across the royal gardens. The psychic supposed he had experienced first hand just how constant of a pressure the feline was under. She'd shared her methods of maintaining control; her breathing and counting. He couldn't help but wonder though- did she ever rely on a memory like he had? Was he a part of that memory?

As her rummaging through his fur continued, he eventually had to ask, "Are you looking for something in there?"

"More ideas. Doing this helps me think, I've learned that now," Silver went from over-warm to frozen at her next realisation, "You're also going to the dentist- I think I felt a cavity."