-Chapter 176-
Back to the Past
Soleanna
The next day, the Freedom Fighters sat down to breakfast, quickly eating before Sonic turned to Tails.
"Find anything?" he asked.
Tails pulled out the Miles Electric. "Scans have shown a lot of Eggman activity in the Dusty Desert Zone, as well as the White Acropolis Peaks."
"Hope and Shadow's mission was at the peaks last night," Chris added. "We called her up earlier, but according to her and Rouge, Princess Elise wasn't there."
"That leaves the desert," Sonic deduced.
"Offer still stands on the back-up." Knuckles chimed in.
"Nah, you guys enjoy the festival," Sonic insisted. "I'll have Princess Elise back and Eggman running scared before dinner time. If anything happens, I have you all on speed-dial."
"You better," Knuckles said. "Or I'll kick your ass personally."
Sonic smiled. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
Once everyone was done eating, the group split off to enjoy the city, while Sonic headed for the desert.
-X-
Meanwhile, Silver had arrived in the city, but found it hard to focus with the sights and sounds around him. The sight of Mobius in its former glory, a land overflowing with abundant life and vitality, had him tearing up.
"Wow…" he let out. "It's so… bright…"
He looked around, just in awe at everything, unaware that he'd drawn the attention of a passing pedestrian.
"Hey there. You alright?"
Silver jumped, turning to see Amy.
"Oh sorry," Amy said. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"No, it's alright," Silver assured.
Amy looked him up and down, noting his clothes.
"Are you a refugee?" she asked. "I know there are still areas recovering."
Silver stood there for a minute before recalling Old Kat's stories of the Black Arms invasion a month prior to the disaster. He quickly decided to go with it.
"Yeah. You could say that."
"Sorry," Amy told him "I can see why you came to Soleanna." She thought for a moment, then perked. "Why don't you let me help you? I can get you some clean clothes, and some food. I imagine you could use both."
Silver's stomach growled at the mention of food, so he nodded.
"Sure."
Amy smiled before holding out her hand.
"I'm Amy Rose. What's your name?"
"I'm Silver. Silver Venice."
He shook her hand.
He shook her hand, and immediately found himself being dragged off.
-X-
Elsewhere in the city, Blaze was looking around, irked.
"Of course that Mephiles guy split us up," she muttered. "Making sure I can't talk Silver out of this stupid plan of his."
She let out a breath, running her fingers through her fur.
"Alright, calm down," she sighed. "Priorities. First, you need food. You've been living off scraps in the apocalypse for months. You need a proper meal for the shitshow about to hit. Then you just need to find Sonic or Silver... in a giant city on Mobius... filled with thousands of people."
She groaned, realizing just what she was in for. She began heading into the city, hoping to find some food. Just as she did, she spotted two familiar figures standing by a corndog stand: Sally and Nicole.
"Princess Sally?" She facepalmed. "Of course! If I want to find Sonic, she's my best option."
She approached them quickly, the two chatting pleasantly before turning to see her.
"Blaze?" Sally let out. "Is that you?"
"What happened to you?" Nicole asked. "You look like you've been through hell."
"I've seen better days, that's for sure," Blaze sat down. "The Sol Emeralds sent me to the year 3437 to help with a 'terrible event'. I've been there for months, fighting monsters and living on whatever scraps are left. Mobius is basically Hell on earth in that time."
Sally silently slid her corndog towards Blaze. The cat quickly devoured the treat, utterly starving.
"So what brought you back here?" Sally asked.
Blaze quickly outlined the situation with Silver and Mephiles.
"So, let me get this straight." Sally began. "A random Shadow look-alike with no mouth showed up, claiming Sonic was responsible for the disaster and the only way to fix things was to go back in time and kill him... and this Silver bought it?"
"He's not a bad kid, Sally," Blaze assured. "But he's naïve, and desperate. We've fought Iblis again and again only for him to keep coming back to life, and Silver's sick of it."
"We've seen firsthand how far desperate beings are willing to go," Nicole recalled.
"True, and anyone would be desperate after a lifetime of... That," Sally agreed.
"I need to warn Sonic about this," Blaze insisted. "Do you know where he is?"
"Eggman attacked the city last night and kidnapped their Princess," Sally replied. "Sonic's out trying to save her right now."
"Then he's not in the city," Silver sighed. "Good. That should buy us some time."
"I can send out a bulletin to the Freedom Fighters via their phones," Nicole offered. "Have them keep an eye out for Silver."
"Good idea," Sally agreed. "Blaze, what does Silver look like?"
"He's a silver-furred hedgehog with yellow eyes," Blaze replied. "You can tell who he is on sight by his quills. Looks like he has ferns growing out of his head."
Nicole's eyes went out of focus. "Sending message now."
"In the meantime, let's get you cleaned up, and get you a proper meal," Sally said.
"Please and thank you," Blaze said gratefully.
-X-
By this point, Lara-Su had made it through the woods and was looking back and forth in the city.
"Even if I could find the Master's past self, I have no idea what she looks like," she realized. "How can I find one human in a city full of them?"
She sighed, picking up the capsule before noticing the folded-up paper inside it. Curiosity peaked, she pulled it out and opened it, gasping at the photo.
"That's... my master?" she let out. "She looks so... happy."
An old man walked by her, taking a passing glance at the photo in her hand. He squinted at it, then smiled.
"Funny, I just took a picture exactly like that one," he said. "Gave it to a couple of kids who had gotten into a food fight over some funnel cake. I have never seen so much powdered sugar in one sitting before."
Lara-Su perked, quickly turning to the old man. "Where are these kids now?"
"Should be over by the fountain. They said something about cleaning up over there."
"Thanks."
She hurried over to the fountain. Once she got there, she heard laughing nearby. Lara-Su turned to see Chris, Keith, and Kat goofing off at a table.
"You think that's the last of it?" Chris asked.
"I think so," Keith replied. "Though I get the feeling I'll be finding sugar in places I didn't even know I had."
"Hey, I said I was sorry," Kat insisted. "I was trying to get the lid off for you and it just exploded."
"Next time we say we got it, we got it," Chris deadpanned.
That got him pushed into the fountain, Keith snorting at his cousin's splash. The two laughed as Chris surfaced, spitting out water in annoyance. That was when he saw Lara-Su standing nearby, looking at them.
"Hey guys, we got company," he told them.
The other two turned, seeing Lara-Su just standing there.
"Hey, are you alright?" Kat asked.
She got up, approaching Lara-Su as she took stock of her ratty clothes and lack of proper footwear.
"Where did you come from? You look like you've-"
She was cut off when Lara-Su suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. Chris and Keith stood there in shock, while Kat just stiffened. She turned to them, mouthing "I don't know this chick!" After a few moments, Lara-Su composed herself, pulling away and wiping her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry," she said. "I can imagine this is very confusing for you."
"Uh... yeah," Kat said bluntly. "Random echidna who looks like a Devil Dog chewed and spit them out suddenly shows up and hugs me. Anyone would be confused."
"What Kat is trying to say is, who are you?" Keith cut in. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"Are you a refugee?" Chris asked. "An escapee from the Dark Legion?"
"Neither," Lara-Su replied. "You... may want to sit down for this."
They all sat down at a nearby table. Lara-Su took a deep breath before beginning her tale.
"I am Lara-Su of the House of Edmund. Daughter of Knuckles and Julie-Su from the year 3437. You, Kat Winters, were my master and mother figure. You raised and trained me from an egg."
There was a very long pause, Kat's jaw basically on the ground.
"I… I have a kid?" she let out.
"Technically Knuckles had a kid that you raised," Chris clarified.
"Wait. The year 3437?" Keith asked. "That's two hundred years in the future. Kat couldn't possibly live that long."
"Actually, I could," Kat explained. "Guardians have insane life expectancy. One of Knuckles' grandfathers lived to be like 300 and something. What concerns me is why I raised Knuckles' kid. There's no way he, or Julie-Su, would be absentee parents."
"You raised me because my real parents died before I hatched," Lara-Su said. "Along with most of the original Knothole Freedom Fighters."
The heavy silence returned.
"You... better start from the beginning," Chris said after a moment.
Lara-Su steeled herself.
"In the near future, right here in Soleanna, a demon of fire known as Iblis will be unleashed upon Mobius. An eternal life form nobody can truly defeat; Sonic, Tails, and the rest all will die trying. Within two hundred years, he'll ravage the planet, reducing it to ruins, hellfire, and brimstone. Me, my master, and my friend Silver are all that remain to defend our time, but then this... mouthless creature showed up. He started throwing out wild accusations, saying that Sonic is responsible for our horrible future."
"He said WHAT?!" Kat screamed, flaring up briefly at the very idea.
"I didn't believe it for a second. But Silver…"
"He's actually stupid enough to buy it?" Chris asked incredulously.
"Silver's made no secret of the fact he's sick and tired of fighting and destroying Iblis only for him to keep coming back," Lara-Su clarified. "He's desperate to save the world and put an end to him for good. Which is why I'm here. Our 'informant' sent Silver back to this point in the timeline to take out Sonic, and my master induced Chaos Control so I could come back and stop him from doing it."
"Well fortunately for us, Sonic is out on a rescue mission," Keith said, feeling his phone buzz and pulling it out, looking through it. "And we have a recent bulletin to all Freedom Fighters to be on the lookout for a 'White Hedgehog'. Seems someone else is trying to find Silver."
"It has to be Blaze," Lara-Su realized.
"Wait, Blaze is here too?" Chris asked.
"She just showed up one day, talking about 'Sol Emeralds' and how they sent her to help prevent a 'terrible event.'"
"I'd say the frickin' end of the world definitely qualifies," Kat muttered.
"We better get on the lookout for Silver," Chris insisted.
"Not yet," Kat said firmly. "First, we're getting Lara-Su here some proper clothes. I won't let my... uh... daughter? Protege? Underling? What the heck do I call you?"
"Protege," Lara-Su replied. "You were insistent that Julie-Su was my mother and that you would not take that title from her, even in death."
"Right then. I won't let my protege walk around looking like someone who just escaped from literal hell."
"Kat, you do realize every second we wait means Sonic's more likely to come back into town?" Keith asked. "In case you've forgotten, if this Silver finds him before we do…" He performed a throat-slitting gesture with his right hand. "Kcccch!"
"Keith, I love you, but look at her," Kat insisted. "She needs some proper clothes and some frickin' shoes, or we're gonna have every concerned citizen stopping us."
"Alright, fair point." Keith conceded.
Kat held out her hand for Lara-Su. "Let's get moving."
Dusty Desert Zone
Meanwhile, Sonic had made it to the Dusty Desert Zone. Seeing Badniks overhead, he discreetly followed them to an ancient pyramid in the center of an oasis. Several soldiers stood at attention as Mordred Hood walked through them.
"Ancient pyramid base, more cyberized Egg Soldiers…" Sonic mused. "Someone's been busy since the Black Arms."
He shrugged. "Well, better start looking."
Once he got closer, he saw the Egg Soldiers all wore hoods similar to Mordred's cobra hood. They all saluted as the cobra passed them.
"All hail Lord Hood!" they declared.
Sonic rolled his eyes.
"Yes, yes," Mordred remarked. "Now, report. Have there been any sightings of Sonic?"
"Nothing yet, but we're keeping our eyes open," one soldier said.
"Excuse me."
Everyone turned, seeing Sonic there.
"I heard you were looking for me."
"The hedgehog!"
Mordred looked at his Egg Soldiers, who seemed to be just standing there blankly. He hissed in annoyance.
"What are you swine waiting for?! SHOOT HIM!"
The soldiers all began firing as Sonic dodged and weaved between the shots. He punched, kicked, and Spin Dashed through several, knocking them all down until it was just him and Mordred.
"Alright, I'm only gonna ask nicely once," he began. "Where is Princess Elise?"
"Like I'd tell you anything, hedgehog! I'd rather do this!"
His hood flared out, the markings glowing before unleashing waves of energy. A moment or so passed before Sonic felt dizzy, wavering on his feet.
"How do you like my Vertigo-Inducers?" Mordred gloated. "At my whim, I can hypnotize you, scramble your brain... the works."
He got closer, focusing the power... only to get a punch in the face.
"Nice try," Sonic shook his head to clear it. "But Akhlut pulled the same trick and failed. Now, let's try this again."
He grabbed Mordred by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up. "Where. Is. Princess Elise?"
He sparked threateningly, Mordred gasping in shock and fear.
"Holding cell, bottom floor, second hallway, fourth door on the left. Code is 06-3-360 (1)."
"Thank you."
Sonic punched Mordred out before tossing him aside like a ragdoll.
-X-
In her cell, Elise sat quietly, looking down. As she felt despair weighing her down, she found her mind drifting back to her father's last words to her.
"You're a good girl, Elise. Remember, be brave. Don't cry no matter what happens."
"I'm trying, Father," she said aloud. "I really am."
At that moment, she heard a "Psst!" from outside the cell. She looked up to see Sonic outside, waving.
"Sonic?" Elise got up, approaching the door.
"Hey," he greeted. "Eggman's goons didn't hurt you, did they?"
Elise shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Hood lost his cool and almost bit me, but Robotnik stopped him."
"There's that, at least," Sonic muttered. "Just hang tight. I'm gonna get you out."
He went to the keypad, punching in the code Mordred gave him. The door beeped and slid open. It also set off an alarm.
"Damn, booby trap code," Sonic cursed. "Guess we're booking it."
He scooped up Elise. "Hold on tight!"
They ran through multiple traps, such as spiked walls and spears in the walls. Once they had gotten out, they stopped short to see Robotnik standing before them in a new mech.
"Ah, Sonic. Snooping as usual?"
"Kinda my job at this point, Robuttnik."
Elise glared at him in defiance. Robotnik sighed.
"I don't think you understand me, Princess. Let me be clear. I'm accustomed to getting what I want." He leaned forward in his seat. "And I want the secret of the Flames of Disaster! Until you tell me what it is, you're mine."
"As I said before, I'll never tell you the secrets!" Elise shot back. "And I belong to no one!"
"You heard her, Eggman!" Sonic retorted.
"Why do they always want to do it the hard way…"
Robotnik aimed the arms of the mech at them, unleashing a torrent of gatling gun fire. Sonic immediately jumped out of the way before fleeing.
"Get back here, Sonic!" Robotnik shouted. "You coward!"
"Not a coward!" Sonic called back, not rising to the bait. "Just have bigger priorities! And if you need Elise alive, maybe you should be a little less trigger happy!"
Robotnik snarled, but held his fire. Instead, he pressed a button, contacting every Badnik in the area.
"All units! Sonic and the princess are escaping from the Lost Pyramid! Do whatever you want with the rodent, but bring Princess Elise back alive!" He paused, then quickly added, "AND UNHARMED!"
As he ran, Sonic was swamped by numerous Badniks. He hopped over several, but they just kept coming. Finally, he managed to get a hand free long enough to press a button on his com.
"I need backup!" he shouted. "Every Badnik in the desert's on mine and Elise's tail! I can't fight them all and protect her at the same time!"
"I'm on my way!" Tails assured.
"You mean we're on our way," Knuckles chimed in. "Was on standby just in case."
"You guys are the best," Sonic smiled. "Now hurry!"
He bounced off a few Swatbots as he went.
"Help's on the way, Elise! I just gotta hold them off another few minutes!"
"I have faith in you, Sonic," Elise assured.
As things looked their bleakest, Tails came flying in alongside Knuckles. Sonic grinned at their arrival.
"You made it! Hallelujah!"
"Get moving, Sonic!" Knuckles ordered. "You got this!"
"You got it!" Sonic gave a salute, scooping up Elise again.
"Alright Tails, ready to smash some bots?" Knuckles asked.
"Ready!" Tails agreed.
Sonic reached into his pocket for the Warp Ring pouch, only to grab empty air.
"Crap! What a time to forget my Warp Rings. Guess we're hoofing it!"
"I don't mind!" Elise assured. "Let's just get back to the city!"
Sonic took off, leaving Tails and Knuckles to deal with the Badniks.
Soleanna
Meanwhile, the boys and Kat had gotten Lara-Su to the Soleanna branch of Honey Clothing.
"Pick out whatever you want," Kat assured. "We'll cover it."
Lara-Su's eyes were sparkling. "Really?"
Chris nodded. "Go on."
It took some time, but Lara-Su managed to pick out a fitting outfit. She came out donned in a biker-style outfit, consisting of black leather pants, black boots, and a black leather vest over a black shirt. The only thing that wasn't black were her white gloves. She had new glasses, and her hair had been styled into a much neater plait that hung over one shoulder.
"How do I look, Master?" she asked.
"Much better," Kat remarked. "Now we should be able to continue our hunt for Silver."
"We better do it fast," Keith was on his phone. "Tails and Knuckles were dispatched to help Sonic with the Princess. They're holding off Eggman, and Sonic's on his way back."
"Damn it…" Lara-Su cursed. "We're running out of time."
"I'll pay for the clothes," Chris assured. "You guys get moving."
Keith, Kat, and Lara-Su all nodded, bolting for the door. Chris quickly gave the clerk his credit card, paying for the outfit before following.
-X-
In another part of town, Silver was sitting in front of a Meh Burger food stand with Amy. He was now dressed in a light blue hoodie under a black jacket with yellow accents. He wore a pair of long pants of a similar design, a pair of white gloves with blue circles on the back and front, as well as white, navy and aqua boots with gold cuffs. His quills were combed back, tied in place with a blue ribbon, making it look like he had a ponytail. At the moment, he was scarfing down his third burger, utterly entranced by the flavor.
"I don't think I've ever seen a normal person eat so many Meh Burgers in one sitting," Amy remarked.
"Not much food where I come from," Silver admitted. "I'm lucky to find anything that isn't cans of dog food."
"Yikes…" Amy winced. "I'll grab you another burger."
"Thanks, Amy," Silver said gratefully. "Seriously."
"Hey, it's what I do," Amy answered. "I'm a Freedom Fighter after all."
As she left, Silver chewed his meal, taking in the food and surroundings. The sight of a Mobius not blighted by fire and lava demons, along with the abundance of food, only deepened his resolve to find the Iblis Trigger.
-X-
Around that time, Sonic and Elise had made it back to the city. Once she had been set down, she turned to face him, curtseying to him in gratitude.
"I have no words to express how grateful I am for your help." she told him.
"No need to thank me," Sonic assured. "I don't need a reason to save someone."
"Even still, your actions should be commended," Elise insisted.
"Don't need that either. I do what I do because it's the right thing to do, not for awards or accolades. It's why I always duck out if someone offers medals. For now, we need to duck and cover. I know Eggman better than anyone, and if he wants something, he'll stop at nothing to get it."
"Then returning to the palace may not be the best idea," Elise realized. "My guards may be strong, but Robotnik's forces are formidable."
"My friends and I have been staying at a hotel suite nearby. You should be safe there for a while."
Elise nodded. "Then lead the way."
-X-
Silver had just finished his meal. He was rubbing his stomach, full for the first time in living memory.
"Satisfied?" Amy asked.
"More than," Silver assured.
"Great," Amy nodded.
"You said you were a Freedom Fighter, right?"
"That's me."
"Do you know Sonic the Hedgehog?"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"I'm looking for him, actually."
"He's out on a rescue mission at the moment. Hang on, let me check my phone."
Amy pulled it out, seeing she had a few missed notifications.
"Oh darn it... left my phone on silent again."
She brought it up, looking over the notifications. Her face grew more serious when she found the one from Nicole warning them to be on the lookout for Silver. She looked at it, then at Silver, then coughed a bit before trying to play it cool.
"Hey uh... Silver?" she asked, quietly summoning her hammer under the table. "Why exactly are you looking for Sonic?"
"It's complicated," Silver said simply.
"Then uncomplicate it," Amy ordered.
Silver sighed, then felt something against his leg. Feeling out with his foot, he realized what it was. Realizing he'd been made, he acted fast. The metal of the chair she was sitting in began bending, wrapping around her and trapping her.
"I'm sorry Amy," he told her. "But I can't let you stop me."
Amy began squirming to get out, grunting and gritting her teeth as she pulled against the unyielding metal. Silver was about to head off when...
"HEY!"
Silver turned to see Sonic and Elise rounding the corner, having witnessed the whole thing.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Sonic exclaimed.
Silver's eyes narrowed at the sight of him.
"Sonic, run!" Amy shrieked. "He's gonna kill you!"
"What?!"
Silver began levitating off the ground, pulling the ribbon from his spines so they flared out naturally.
"It's nothing personal, Sonic. I'll try and make this quick."
He sent a psychic knife out at him, forcing Sonic to grab Elise and dodge.
"Sonic, what's going on?" Elise asked. "Does he work for Robotnik?"
"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out," Sonic decided. "Head towards the town square. There's bound to be at least one Freedom Fighter there. Tell them what's going on and to get you to safety."
Elise hesitated before hurrying off, leaving Sonic and Silver to face off…
Author's Note:
(1): A reference to Sonic 06 itself, as well as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Oh, no! Silver got to Sonic first. Could this be the end of the Blue Blur?
Please R&R. Until next time!