Chapter Text
The Earth rumbles, seeming to detest their presence in the ancient cave. Silver pays the alleged rage of the cave no mind and continues into the bowls of the Earth. Floating between jagged stalactites and over deep pools of water. The gentle blue glow of their cuffs provides enough light to see, not that they needed to see to fulfill this mission. All they needed to do was to follow the tug in their chest, and the Master Emerald would not lead them wrong.
Silver pauses, detecting a change in the atmosphere of the cave. The air had become cooler, and noticeably more charged. Raising their arms, Silver pours more energy into their cuffs and the teal light burns away the darkness around them. The claustrophobic tunnel they had flown through had opened into a massive chasm- so large they couldn't see the ceiling even with the increased light. Below them was a still underground ocean that surely reached unfathomable depths. Before they can marvel at the beauty of this hidden place a surge of energy tugs against their sternum. Silver doesn't deny the universe its will, dimming their lights and floating above the shimmering surface of the water. What sort of blind, wild creatures could be under the glass-like surface? Silver would love to know, but to disturb this place any further was cruel.
Instead, they speed across the cavern, flying for a few minutes until they spot a pinprick of light on the horizon. Chaos Energy thrums through them as they approach the soft glow of the treasured shard of the Master Emerald. It sat on a rock just under the clear water's surface, looking as innocuous as an artifact of pure power could look. Bathed in the uncanny light of Chaos grew blue algae, and the shadowy forms of aquatic creatures dart away as they hover over the small oasis of life.
"Sorry little guys." Silvers whispers, voice impossibly loud in the still cave, "I promise your sacrifices will be worth the rewards."
The water is cold, chilling their hands through their element resistant gloves. The Emerald Shard is deceptively deep, and they are forced to reach elbow deep into the icy waters before they can just barely pluck the rock from its resting place. Water drips off their waterproof coat and they examine the shard. It was massive, a little under a foot long with a dangerous point. It looked as if it could easily be fashioned into a deadly blade by craftsmen of old. A buzz of energy emits from the shard, vibrating off their cuffs and slithering through the soft interior of their bones. Something, presumably the will of the universe at large, whispers directly into their brain stem. Telling them that this shard is the final one.
Silver smiles, and tucks the shard into the inner pocket of their raincoat. Soaring through the cavern to retrace their pathway back up towards the surface. Excitement bubbles in their chest, and they make the two-hour journey through the cave in just one hour, meaning that there is still plenty of daylight to work by. Cautiously, they float towards the entrance of the cave, boots alighting on the ground as they walk the rest of the way to peek out into the forest.
Far in the distance, Silver spots the hulking form of Iblis hunting them down. Since the only other person alive had been caught by Iblis a few seasons ago the monstrous creature hadn't been chasing them as aggressively as before. The flaming paths of death and destruction had become fewer as the creature stayed closer to Crisis City than ever before. Silver was suspicious of the creature's actions, but it allowed them to find the last of the Master Emeralds splintered pieces. They try not to think too hard about it. Perhaps Iblis was in no rush to destroy them now that they were the last human that stood to challenge it.
Iblis would regret underestimating them like this. Clenching their fist they ascend into the air and fly towards the ancient ruins they had been calling home. The flight is short and they alight on the lush grass with barely a noise. Usually, Iblis made it impossible for them to stay in one place for too long, the odd behavior had allowed Silver to set up a makeshift shelter that they hadn't had the luxury of in a long time.
They crawl into their shelter and sift through the fresh bed of leaves until they unearth a worn leather bag. Pulling it out of the shelter and taking it to the edge of the nearby pond. The water is crystal clear, and the young Chao plays in it without care. Silver is terribly envious of them and their carefree nature, but it's hard to be mad at the cute little things.
Getting comfortable on the grass they pour the many shards of the powerful artifact onto the equally green grass. They fish out the final Shard of the Emerald from the depths of their coat and place it on the pile of glittering stones.
They stare at the collection of shards, glowing and glittering in the bright sunlight. For decades their family had attempted to collect the numerous shards of the long-lost Emerald. Now they were gone, and Silver was here, and the Emerald was here.
They rub their chin, having expected the Emerald to fix itself once all the pieces were united. This apparently wasn't the case as the broken stones lay still in the grass. Humming with endless power that seemed just outside of their reach. Could they have forgotten a piece?
They flip the bag inside out, finding it empty. When they focus their energy on the shards of the Emerald, nothing pulls them in a different direction. All the pieces are here, they're just... divide.
Silver picks up an inch-long sliver of the Emerald, and the long shard they had just collected and press the pieces together, attempting to find parts of the pieces that fit flush to no avail. Was this like some sort of, oh what was the word... puzzle?
Guess they shouldn't have assumed this would be easy. Silver sets the pieces down and organizes the shards by size into neat little lines. Once organized they begin starting to piece the Emerald together from the smaller parts. They knew the original shape of the Emerald well and figured it would be easier to start at the base and work their way up.
They work until the sun falls below the horizon and the waning moon rises. Chao had gathered around them to watch their work, eventually falling asleep just outside of the cool, green glow of the broken artifact. With heavy eyes, they hold up the hours of labor they had put into rebuilding the Emerald.
It was the sharp point of the Emerald, and maybe a few centimeters up.
They smile, proud despite the slow progress. If they kept at this it should surly only take a few days! Invigorated they select another shard of Emerald and carefully press it against the sharp side of the puzzle. It slots into place easily. They were getting better at this!
Just as quickly as their joy peaks, it crashed into misery as the point of the Emerald crumbles in their hand back into the little shards it had been before they started. Had they messed up a piece? Maybe to fix it they had to put it together in a certain order.
They look over the innumerable shards and realize that if they really needed to do this with such care then it would take decades to make progress.
A glance towards the horizon reveals hot flames and sparks of Iblis.
Silver doesn't have the luxury of time any longer.
With a wayward thought, the shards of the Emerald float into the air, and Silver forces the pieces together. By using their psychokinesis they can press multiple pieces together and build the Emerald much faster than just using their hands! Already they were building the core of the Emerald! Soon they would be able to-
The air is sucked out of their lungs as the temperature around them suddenly drops. It feels as if the universe had put the full force of its gaze directly onto Silver. Around them, the Chao awakened and were crying out in worry, but Silver ignores them. Nothing was telling them to stop, so they weren't going to. They needed to fix the Master Emerald. So what if this wasn't the intended way, it must be done if they had any chance of defeating Iblis alone! They were going to do what generations of people could not! They were going to make their family's sacrifice worth it by saving what was left of this world!
Before their eyes, the Master Emerald forms. Shards pressed together into a large gem about the size of a human head. They could feel the Emerald resisting their efforts to connect it. Each shard was hovering a small, almost imperceptible distance away from the others as if they were all similarly charged magnets.
Silver stands, and the Emerald floats up with them as they hold their hands out on either side of the Emerald, focusing Chaos Energy into their hands, feeling it thrum through their cuffs and vibrate off the energy of the Emerald.
They listen carefully to the heartbeat of the universe emitting from the Master Emerald. Waiting for the soft voice to advise them.
Minutes pass to the tune of silence. The moon is at its peak, shedding soft beams of light onto the ruins of Angel Island. The Chao are cowering in fear and Silver's shadow feels heavier.
With nothing to tell them otherwise, Silver forces the shattered remains of the Master Emerald together again after millennia of separation.
Around them, the universe screams.
Then there is nothing.
...
...
A breeze brings Silver to consciousness. It's salty, so the sea was nearby.
Odd. Very odd.
Silver opens their eyes, blinking at the gentle daylight they find themselves in.
They're in an ornate hallway. Beautiful and bright sunlight drifts in through the open arched windows. Silver was standing in one of the shadows of the arches. They look down at their hands, noting the lights of their cuffs blinking to indicate low power. How strange. Usually, when they ran low on latent Chaos Energy there was always an abundance of ambient Energy available for them to harness.
Now that they thought about it, there wasn't any ambient Chaos Energy here. There was definitely something, but much like a breeze, they could feel it but not touch it. Even stranger was the Master Emerald, or lack thereof. So many questions, so few answers.
Slowly Silver takes a step forward into the sunlight. Looking out the window to a miraculous view. Over the horizon was an endless, sparkling ocean. Dotted with boats! Actual sailboats from the legend's past! And then a beach and- and people! Or what looked like people milling about! And the houses, cute little houses from the story books leading up the hill to this strange, massive house! No, no was this a castle? An actual castle? Current woes ignored, Silver smiles and leans against the white stone of the windowsill and leans their head out. Taking in the magnificent sights to be had. If they had accidentally killed themselves by trying to fix the Master Emerald, then this had to be paradise!
"Excuse me..." A gentle voice that's higher pitched than their own makes them jump and whirl around to face the speaker.
Their reaction surprises the speaker, who raises their hands defensively. Silver blinks at the first human they had seen in almost twenty seasons. They were quite different looking from their family, with a feminine sharp nose, purple hair, and beautiful dark skin. But their eyes, a bright yellow color were familiar to Silver, as they matched the golden ichor of their parents.
"How did you get inside?" She asks, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"I..." Silver begins, voice faltering as they attempt to speak to another human. Struck dumb by the gravity of the situation, by the sight of another that's like themselves.
"Oh, don't cry it's- it's okay I'm not upset!" The person says, voice softening to a gentle tone as they step forward. Heeled boots clicking on the neat tiles, "My name is Blaze, what's your name?"
Crying? They touch their face, and though they cannot feel moisture through their gloves it brings attention to the warm wet tears on their cheeks. The emotion swelling in them was unknown but so strong it threatens to wash them away. Silver blinks at Blaze and smiles.
"My name is Silver." They reply, wiping their eyes and trying to compose themselves, "Where am I?"
"You are in the Sol Empire, specifically the Imperial Castle." Blaze explains, stepping closer as her eyes run over their body, "I must ask again, how did you get into the Castle?"
"Good question!" Silver says, looking down at their hands and trying to feel for the Master Emerald's Chaos signature. They feel a distinct emptiness in the air, "I don't know."
Blaze tilts her head and rubs her chin, "Are you able to use Sol Energy?"
"Hmm?" Silver frowns, "No, I use Chaos Energy."
Blaze's eyes widen and recognition flashes in her eyes, "Wait- Chaos Energy?"
"Y-yes?"
The young woman bites her lip, eyes narrowing as a strange look lights in her eyes. Silver suddenly realizes that they should explain their situation a bit more. This young woman seemed to be rather knowledgeable, maybe she would be able to shed light on what was going on. Obviously, they were in a different place, how different they weren't sure.
"I come from a... world that's been ravaged by Iblis. I had assumed I was the last human and I attempted to fix the Master Emerald that was shattered in the early days of the war. I suppose that since I tried to fix the Emerald and I'm not an Echidna Warrior it... did something." Silver explains, marveling at the amount they had spoken. It had been a long time.
"... Come with me, Silver." Blaze says, turning on her heel and marching down the hall. Silver attempts to float after her, but realizes quickly that they still are in low power mode. Looks like they're gonna have to walk for a bit!
They jog a bit to catch up to the young woman and walk beside her. Heart filling with joy at the simplicity of walking with another.
"This might come as a shock to you, but you are no longer in a dimension ruled by Chaos, but one ruled by Sol." Blaze explains, voice curt and serious, "The Master Emerald of your universe seems to have brought you here to protect you. Trying to reassemble the shards when unworthy usually results in death."
"Oh, well that's no good!"
The woman gives him a pointed look that they don't understand but continues speaking nevertheless, "Long ago my world used to be in contact with your world, like trans-dimensional pen pals. We lost contact a few hundred years ago, I suppose this news explains why."
"Fascinating!" Silver says, unsure of what pen pals meant exactly, but enraptured in the history of their world.
Blaze opens a large door and leads them into a massive room with a dome roof. Around the center of the room are seven pedestals that seemed empty. The woman walks to the center of the room and turns on her heel to face them. Silver watches in awe as Blaze raises her arms and flames spring from her fingertips. The flames engulf each pedestal, shooting jets of fire six feet into the air. From the orange flames rise several multicolored gemstones. Silver can barely keep still at the sight of real Emeralds. Chaos or not they had never actually seen the intact artifacts of power. They wiggle their hands and nervously jump from foot to foot as the Emeralds surround Blaze, floating around her like the rings of Saturn.
"I will return you to the Chaos dimension, assist you in fixing the Master Emerald, and help you defeat Iblis."
Silver beams in joy, a warm rush of hope making them float three feet off the ground, effectively exiting low power mode. With the full power of the Master Emerald and the Sol Emeralds finally, on their side, there was no way Iblis would triumph any longer!
"Let's do this, Blaze!" Silver cheers, floating a few feet closer to the woman.
Blaze smiles at them as she rises into the air as well. The Emeralds move out, forming a wide loose circle around the both of them as the gems begin to spin rapidly, becoming a ring of fire. How incredible it was to watch someone use the power of the Emeralds so effortlessly! Silver waits with bated breath, watching the smile drop off Blaze's face, and a familiar expression of fear appears.
"Blaze?" They start, worrying over the sudden shift in demeanor of the confident woman, "What's wrong?"
"I- the Sol Emeralds they're- they're acting very strangely I don't..."
Silver can hear a low voice that sounds of hissing wind. It is familiar but different. Like the touch of sunlight but cold. It spoke in what must have been their language, but Silver could not grasp it.
"Silver, who is in your shadow?"
"What?"
Before they can comprehend that question, everything ends.
...
...
Silver does not feel good when they open their eyes. With a groan they sit up, body sore and wary as they rub their eyes. They feel as if they've been tossed around by a great whirlwind. Probably the unfortunate effect of blasting through the fabric of reality over and over. At least they're not bleeding or anything.
They open their eyes to a strange, dim room. The light of their cuffs supplements the minimal moonlight streaming in from what they guess is some sort of entry hole in the low roof. The room itself was very odd. Drab, wooden, and filled with a strange dry grass that was rather comfortable to lay upon if a bit itchy. In the air was a heavy fog of ambient Chaos Energy slung around them like a comforting blanket. With barely a thought they lift themselves into the air and out of the dried grass. Scanning the room for a purple lump of distressed friend sitting dazed in the grass.
"Blaze!" They call floating over and settling beside her, "Are you okay?"
"I think?" Blaze rubs her temples and squints, "Are your eyes glowing?"
"Do yours not?"
The woman blinks at them and falls silent. Brows furrowing in what is presumably a puzzled expression.
"Why are we in some hayloft?" Blaze asks, getting to her feet and dusting dried grass off her clothes.
"Hayloft?" Silver parrots, looking at dried grass- hay apparently. The loft would explain why the roof was so close. This must be a bigger building than they thought.
"You don't know where we are?"
"Well no I-"
"Excuse me?" A gentle voice calls, causing Blaze to become still, "Is anyone there?"
Her burning yellow eyes meet theirs, then dart to the hole in the roof.
"We have to get out of here." Blaze whispers, "If you don't know where we are we could get in a lot of trouble!"
"Oh, okay!"
Silver floats into the air and lifts Blaze up as well. The woman lets out a gasp that turns into a quickly stifled yelp as Silver flies out of the hole in the roof with Blaze behind them. Shooting fifty feet into the air. Wasting no time marveling at the scenery they quickly fly away from the large building and towards a thickly wooded forest. They descend into the trees and alight on a dirt path, setting a trembling Blaze beside them.
"Please don't ever fly me around without warning." Blaze says, voice stern and shaky as she takes a few more breaths. Silver is unsure what has made her upset, but puts on an apologetic face.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine just... where are we?"
"I don't know." Silver says, looking up at the stars through the tree branches, "Those are my constellations, but... somethings off."
"Off?"
"Yes... I can't figure out what it is but something is missing..."
"Missing...?" Blaze repeats, then gasps in horror. Silver looks at the woman runs her hands over her pants then raises her hand, palm up. When nothing happens a look of serious terror appears on her face, "Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no!"
Silver is unsure what to do when someone else panics. Usually, their Mother took care of such instances, and after she was gone there was never any need to calm another person. Let's see, first, they should find the source of Blaze's panic.
"What's the matter?" They ask, stepping closer to the woman and looking into her empty palm.
"The Sol Emeralds!" She replies, voice rising as she snaps her fingers, "They're not here! They didn't come with me! My fire is not coming any longer, and I have no way to return home!"
Oh, that's not good. Silver bites their lips and tries to think of a solution to that problem. Without the Sol Emeralds, they were no match for Iblis...
"Iblis!" Silver gasps, suddenly realizing what they had felt was missing, "Iblis is not here! I cannot sense the beast!"
"What?" Blaze asks, seeming to snap out of her panic at their sudden outburst.
"That means the Chaos Emeralds must be free of its grasp! If we can find them we can send you back!"
"I... why is it gone?"
"Who cares why it's gone!" Silver shrugs, "It's gone!"
"No Silver that's-"
Blaze stops speaking when a rumbling noise echos through the woods. Silver frowns, turning to face the source only to be assaulted by two bright lights floating in the blackness. Behind the small yet potent lights, they can see a hulking contraption. It looked like the ancient people favored mode of transportation.
From behind the beast, something leaps up into the air, a streak of bright blue against the navy black sky as it lands in the path of the light, casting the two in shadows as the person stands, slim hands resting on its hips. Through the misty ambient energy Silver can pick up a unique Chaos Signature. Bright and shiny in the ways that Blaze had none. Silver wasn't sure if this person was a threat, but they gather Chaos Energy into their cuffs.
"Kinda late for a walk in the woods, isn't it fellas?" The man says, stepping towards them.
Silver feels a sudden buildup of Chaos Energy from the man, and acts immediately. Not allowing the stranger a chance to attack they lift them into the air with thought and fling them into the trees.
"Silver! Why did you do that!" Blaze yells, grabbing their shoulder and forcing them to look at her, "You didn't know that man, you might have really hurt-"
Pain erupts in Silver's chest, and the world rushes past them as their thrown backward. The only thing they notice before smashing into a tree and rolling through the underbrush is something red. When they finally come to a stop Silver allows themselves three seconds to assess their wounds. Of which is only a cracked rib and quickly forming bruises. They fill the crack in their bones with Chaos Energy, along with dropping the air temperature near their hot bruised skin with the same energy. The pain quickly fades and they float up, focusing on the two figures standing in the beams of the vehicle and flying towards them.
As they weave through the trees they reach out with their mind. Lifting a few large boulders and bringing them close as they return to the path. They break through the treeline with their weapons at the same time as the other man they had thrown earlier. How did he get back here so fast?
"Dibs on Neo!"
"Sonic- Wait!"
Sonic? Silver's eyes dart to the other man, and they realize the reason they didn't feel the other Chaos Signature was because that man was Knuckles, the Last of the Echidna Warriors! Oh, this was incredi-
Pain blooms over their body as their shoulder bears the brunt of Sonic's famous spin kick. In an instant Silver is thrust down fifteen feet and crashes into the dirt. Their disorientation only lasts a few moments as they drop their boulders and quickly roll out of the way of a homing attack from the blue blur. Now facing the dark sky Sonic lands beside them on his feet.
"I said stop, Sonic! We are not fighting!" Knuckles booming voice sends shivers down Silver's spine as they look up at the two living legends in awe. Sonic stops his attack, and Silver remains on the ground. Allowing their Chaos to fix up any new injuries.
"Obviously." Sonic looks down at them with his hands on his hips, foot tapping the dusty earth, "They went down pretty easy for someone who threw me halfway to the Rez. Anyway, what's her deal?"
"I-"
Silver leaps to their feet as soon as their pain eases, unable to curb their enthusiasm as they realize they are staring at the Sonic and Knuckles.
"Wow I-" Silvers words die on their lips when three sets of bright eyes turn to them, "I- Oh wow it's really such an honor to meet you I-"
Their eyes dart around, feeling for another Chaos Signature but finding none, "Is Tails here? No- no wait I guess it's kinda late for him to be out!"
Three matching frowns appear on their newfound friend's faces and Silver jumps foot to foot, wringing their hands in joy.
"Uh, should I know you?" Sonic asks, tilting their head as their green eyes meet Knuckles.
"Oh no, no, no you wouldn't!" Silver looks at Blaze as their mind starts putting the pieces of the puzzle that is the will of the universe, "The Sol Emeralds took us to my world's past!"
Blaze frowns, and rubs her chin thoughtfully, "Why?"
"Because Knuckles is the last of the Echidna!"
The woman's eyes widen and she looks at Knuckles in surprise. Knuckles pointedly looks away from her and glares at them.
"Look, I don't know your deal buddy, but keep my name out of your mouth." Then the man looks at Sonic and nods his head towards the vehicle before stomping off.
"One second, fellas."
The two walk away, and Blaze quickly steps in front of them. Silver straightens up, ready to take the worried look on Blaze's face.
"Are you really from their future?"
Silver glances at the two figures whispering between each other. If they had to guess Sonic and Knuckles were around twenty, and alive. From what they remembered of ancient history they were from a time when Chaos Control was a rare quirk among the population. Making Silver an advanced form of human compared to them.
"Yes. I think I'm five hundred years in the past."
Blaze nods, taking the information well, "And is Knuckles truly the last?"
Silver nods, "Yes. After he passes... well the future is very bleak, but that cannot be blamed on him."
Blaze sighs, but perks up as the two men approach them. Silver runs their fingers over the grooves of their bracelets as Sonic addresses them.
"Well, it's pretty late and you both look tired. Whatever the story is, we can handle it after a good night's rest."
Silver nods, traveling through dimensions was draining. Blaze looked especially fatigued. They remembered how uncomfortable they felt while in the Sol dimension, Blaze was surly feeling that fatigue now.
"I think that's best." Blaze agrees.
"Great!" Sonic gives a thumbs up then nods towards the vehicle, "Let's go!"
Silver follows the trip towards the vehicle. Knuckles was already sitting at the controller seat and looking annoyed. They notice that there only seems to be two seats and hesitates. Sonic steps beside them and flashes a bright smile.
"I'm Sonic by the way," The man says, inclining his head towards Blaze, "What should I call you two?"
"My name is Blaze. I'm from... a parallel world but my duties are similar to your friend."
Sonic nods then turns his bright eye to them with an expectant smile.
"I'm Silver, and I'm from the future!"
"Cool, you're riding bitch."
"Hm?'
"Just get in the truck."
Silver nods, and climbs into the so-called truck. Sitting on the seat in the middle beside Knuckles. The man looks particularly uninterested, fingers tapping on the wheel in strange patterns. Silver only gets a few seconds to admire the vintage controls of the vehicle before Sonic crawls into his lap. Moments later Blaze seats herself at their side and closes the door.
"Seatbelts everyone!" Sonic says, reaching between them and pulling a strip of nylon over Silver's middle.
Knuckles moves a few levers and the truck roars to life. With practiced ease the man turns the lumbering beast around, headlights pointing down the dirt road and illuminating the path. Unsure of where to put their hands they rest them on Sonic's lap. This action causes Sonic to lean back against their chest.
Silver remains silent as Sonic and Blaze chat. Content to listen to them discuss the differences between their respective worlds over the fascinating music playing from the vehicle's speakers. It's hard to believe only a few hours ago they were all alone in the world and now they were besides three entire people. They smile and rest their chin on Sonic's head. This seems to get Sonic's attention as the man shifts under them.
"You okay, buddy?"
"I'm fine!" Silver replies, "Are you okay? I threw you pretty far?"
"Pshh, that was nothing! You got pretty quick reactions when you wanna!"
"Oh, thank you!" Silver feels warmth flood their face at the compliment.
"Dunno how long you're sticking around, but we should go one on one for real sometime!"
Them? Fighting the Blue Blur? It's such an outlandish thought that they would find themselves silly for even considering it as a child!
"I'd love that!"
"Ugh, get a damn room you two." Knuckles snips, shooting an annoyed glare directly at them.
"Why would I get a room for just us? Blaze is here too!"
A sigh emits from Knuckles, and the truck suddenly jerks to a stop.
"Out."
"Hey, why are we at my dorm? I don't have space for these-"
"Out. Now."
Obediently Silver unclips the seatbelt but is unable to actually exit the vehicle as Blaze is still attempting to leave.
"Jeez Knuckles, some friend you are!" Sonic says, slipping out of their lap and allowing them to exit the truck.
Quickly the vehicle leaves and Sonic waves for them to follow him into a large building. Their lead upstairs and into a hallway. Sonic unlocks a plain-looking door and pushes it open.
"Tails, you get my text?"
"Sure did! Are we gonna deal with that- oh they're here right now." A young boy's voice sounds from under what looked to be a makeshift shelter of hanging blankets under a raised sleeping platform.
The owner of the voice pops out and Silver barely contains a gasp at the sight of the young blond. They were so young! Barely a teenager and so very short! He must hit an impressive growth spurt in the coming years.
"HI! I'm Miles, but you can call me Tails!"
"Hello Tails, I'm Blaze."
"And I'm Silver!"
The young boy gives them a sweet smile, "I'm guessing they're staying here tonight?"
"Yeah, you know how Knuckles gets," Sonic says, walking over to another sleeping platform, this one was not raised as high.
Tails nod sagely then looks at Blaze, who had her arms crossed tight over her chest. Shoulders strung tight as she stood silently.
"You can take my bed, Blaze! I have a sleeping bag down at my desk."
"Oh... thank you very much..."
Silver looks over to where Sonic was removing his shirt and realizes that they were to be sleeping with Sonic. They had very little understanding of ancient sleeping rituals but they don't want to come off as impolite to their newfound friends. Slowly they approach Sonic and try to figure out a way to word their question without saying 'how do I sleep?'.
"You wanna be against the wall?" Sonic asks, sitting on the edge of the platform and pointing at the blankets spread across it.
"Sure!" Silver replies cheerfully. It would be a bit of a tight fit for both of them since the platform seemed to be designed for only one sleeper.
Sonic's eyes look them up and down, causing Silver to tilt their head curiously.
"You uh, gonna take any of that off?"
Silver looks down at their clothes, then back at Sonic who was wearing considerably less. Before the rise of Iblis, it was common to sleep in special night clothes, or apparently almost none. Since this world was free of Iblis they should be okay to participate in these customs. Kneeling they unlock their golden cuffs and pull them off their boots, slipping the footwear off before immediately reclipping the golden cuffs to the legs over their pants. They rise and unzip their weather-resistant coat, slipping it off and dropping it over the back of a nearby chair. After that, they remove the small bag slung over their shoulder that carried their knife and a few extra supplies. Once free of that Silver slips off their soft leather and fur-lined tunic off. That should be enough clothing items to be of proper etiquette.
Now a little more exposed they float over to the sleeping platform and settle behind Sonic, pressing their back against the wall. The platform is uncomfortably soft, sinking below their weight in ways that are unfamiliar and unpleasant.
"Alright, night everyone!" Sonic says, clapping twice and causing the lights to turn out.
The man shifts, and pulls one of the blankets up over himself, and settles into the bed. Back pressed into Silver's chest due to the proximity. They can feel Sonic's breathing slow and the muscles in their back relax as they fall asleep. From across the room, they can see a cool glow coming from the underneath Tails' raised sleeping platform and a soft clicking noise. If they concentrate they can hear gentle music and noises from the cover of solitude.
Silver closes their eyes.
Despite the trials of the days past, they cannot settle their mind enough to sleep. Hyper aware of every movement from Sonic, every rise and fall of Tails' Chaos Energy from under their hidden cove, and every single time Blaze rolls over in her sleeping platform.
Sunlight streams through the window after a few hours, and birds begin to chirp.
A screeching noise sounds from Sonic's bedside table and a hand shoots out lightning fast to silence it. Sonic grunts rolls over and presses his face into Silver's chest. The man had been very still during the night so the action surprises them a bit.
"Sonic? Are you awake?"
A grunt sounds from the slim blue man as their arms wrap around Silver's sides. The action is unfamiliar but comforting.
"Gimme five more minutes, Silver." Sonic grumbles, voice almost completely muffled by their fuzzy sweater.
"Okay!" Silver smiles brightly down at the man as he quickly falls back into sleep.
A noise draws their attention and Tails steps fully out of their cove, yawning widely as their bright sleep-laddened eyes rest on the two of them.
"Oh come on Sonic!" Tails says, voice cracking as he rolls his bright eyes, "You just met that guy!"
"Shut up, Tails." Sonic grumbles, waving a dismissive hand towards his young friend, "Just ten more minutes..."
Thirty minutes later Tails drags Sonic out of the sleeping platform, and Silver wastes no time scurrying out as well. Happy to be free of the terribly soft mat they float over to Blaze who was sat cross-legged on the lofted bed, chin resting in an open palm as she watches Tails drag Sonic towards another attached room. Her hair was laying loose upon her shoulders, and messy from sleep. Blaze offers them a small smile, eyes looking a little less heavy than before.
"Did you sleep well?" Blaze asks, voice hoarse from rest.
"Of course!" Silver lies, floating down to the floor to redress.
"Good." Blaze yawns and hops down from the bed, stretching her arms above her head, "Tails was making phone calls to a bunch of people while Sonic slept. Looks like we have a busy day ahead of us."
"Oh, that's great!"
Blaze doesn't look particularly excited, "From what I've put together, they don't have what you call the Chaos Emeralds in one place and they must be gathered."
"Is that so bad?" Silver asks, unable to remember a time in history in which all the Emeralds were collected in one area.
"...I suppose not, but I would like to secure travel to my home as soon as possible." Blaze replies as she ties her long hair back into a ponytail, "I do have duties to attend to, and my unexplained absence will no doubt worry my parents."
Oh, right! Blaze did jump right into helping them return home! Silver obviously had no reason to rush their return as the future wasn't exactly going anywhere, but they couldn't help but feel that they were somehow responsible for the Sol Emeralds choosing to abandon Blaze in their past.
"I'll get you home Blaze, I promise you." They say, reaching out and resting a hand on the woman's shoulder. The same action their mother used to perform when they required assurance, "I may not know these heroes personally, but I trust them to not let us down."
Blaze smiles, and Silver feels like their words have bolstered the woman's confidence in Sonic. Which had no doubt waned at watching the man refuse to wake up.
"Alright, guys!" Sonic says, stepping out of the other room dressed, washed, and much more lively than before, "Let's go shopping!"
"Huh?"
- -
"Really? All this for a boy who doesn't like you?" Knuckles voice breaks through the pulse of noise and Silver looks up from the table.
Sonic says something back and jogs off into the depths of the mall, disappearing into the milling crowds.
"That guy." Knuckles growls, shaking his head and looking back at the others at the round table.
Silver wrings their hands under the table as Tails and Amy begin speaking again. They have trouble focusing on the conversation due to the ambient noises of the mall they were in. At first, they had been excited to visit a real functioning mall, having only ever seen them as ruins, or in ancient texts and images but the novelty had quickly worn off. There were more people here than they could even comprehend. While the Chaos Signatures of all the regular humans were substantially weak, the sheer amount of people was enough to make the ambient Chaos so strong it was nauseating. Everywhere they looked was an unfamiliar human face; often staring back at them with wide, curious eyes. Some had even come up to them to comment on their height and clothing.
At first, they could ignore it, but the constant attention was beginning to make them nervous. Every sound in this so-called food court was amplified by the dome roof, making the shrieks of children so piercing it causes a psychosomatic pain in their teeth.
"Silver!" Amy's voice cuts through the noise and Silver affixes their full attention onto the woman.
"Hm?"
"We are going to meet the guy's Tails mentioned, weren't you listening?"
"Oh, yes, right! Let's go then!" Silver says, standing abruptly and beaming at Amy, "Please!"
Amy's lips quirk into an odd smile and she grabs the shopping bags, waving goodbye to Tails and Knuckles as she leads them out of the mall and towards her vehicle, apparently called a car. Sliver feels immense relief the instant they step outside and sigh. Who knew being around so many people would be so difficult? They stare at the back of Amy and Blaze's heads as the two chat. Comparing the similarities and differences between their respective universes. Silver marvels at their ability to concentrate in that loud nightmare building.
The fatigue of what feels to be two days without sleep is starting to affect them. They sit in the back of Amy's car, eyelids feeling physically heavy as they stare at the familiar pulse of lights through their cuffs. They had hoped that being out of the mall would make them feel better, but they still can't seem to relax. Silver quite liked Amy, but they weren't sure they liked the things Amy had them do. Apparently Sonic had requested Amy take them 'shopping'. Which seemed to translate to Amy trying to coerce them into putting on strange clothing in a strange place with lots of strange people. Though they were intrigued by the idea of getting brand new clothes instead of salvaged remains, they were not stripping naked in a place so open.
"Silver?" Blaze's voice is light, and Silver opens their eyes to look up and meet hers, "You okay?"
"Yeah!" Silver says, trying to remember when they closed their eyes. The car had stopped and the two girls were staring at them expectantly, "Where are we?"
"Chaotix! They're nice, I promise." Amy says with a smile as she gets out of the car.
Silver follows after, feeling a bit better after a small nap. They seem to be in some sort of alleyway similar to that of Crisis City but not destroyed. Ahead of them was the cool red brick of an undestroyed building. There was a wooden set of steps leading up to a second-floor landing that was decorated with an abundance of flower pots with bright blooming plants. Amy was currently climbing up the stairs, so that must be the place. With a thought, they float up to the landing and alight on the wood.
"Silver! Be careful!" Amy chides, jogging up the steps and narrowing her eyes at him, "You're too noticeable to be flying around even a little!"
"Oh, sorry!" Silver says, stepping back as Amy approaches. She had said something similar at the mall when they had instinctively brought an interesting looking item to their hands.
"It's okay, just be aware of your surroundings!"
They nod as Amy presses a button attached to the wall and steps back. Silver brings their hands together and runs their fingers over the circular details on their gloves. It was a shame that we were not able to behave as they would normally due to the standards of others. They suppose that is the price that must be paid to not be alone. There's a loud squeak as the door finally opens to reveal a very broad man with a warm, welcoming smile.
"About time you made it! Sonic beat you here! Take your shoes off inside."
The man steps back and holds the door open. Without hesitation Amy marches through the threshold, pausing to slip her boots off. Silver glances at Blaze, and she shrugs before following after the woman, offering a small 'pardon me' to the man. Curious to see a real house, they follow suit.
"So, you two are the ones looking for the Emeralds?" The man asks, voice fading as he leads the two girls down the hall.
Silver lags behind due to having to fiddle with his leg cuffs to get their boots off. From here they can feel the distinct Chaos Signatures of five people. Two were Sonic and Amy, one belonged to the man who answered the door, and the other two were unfamiliar. One was bright and buzzing with energy, and the other was... strange. It was subtle, but not like that of a human that couldn't use Chaos Control, and not completely empty like Blaze. This one was... soft. Deceptively so. Like a clear unmoving pool of water with a nasty undertow hidden underneath. Never before had they encountered such a peculiar Signature. Then again they hadn't been in contact with a lot of other people since they developed this skill. By the feel of it, the owner of the Signature was not as near to the others as one would expect. They were distanced a few feet away, perhaps in another room?
Curiously, they walk down the hallway towards the room where the others were having their meeting. From the hall, they can see the strange man sitting on what they believed to be a couch, beside them a small child listening to Sonic speak with interest as they kick their legs. The back of Sonic and Amy's heads were visible over the top of another couch, this one was facing away from Silver. Off to the side stood Blaze, a quiet presence and intense expression on their face. The other person should be in here, but Silver can't seem to-
Then they see him standing off to the side, near a doorway with arms crossed over their chest. A man with short bright purple hair that borders on magenta where the rays of sunlight hit it, contrasted with a small shock of yellow hair on the crown of their head. A line of black ringed their eyes, making the soft buttery gold of his iris cut through the shadows that he had hidden himself in more than ever.
Silver wonders how they could have possibly missed any person, let alone this one.
And then the strangers eyes flicker up to meet theirs, and Silver wonders why they can't seem to breathe anymore. The man blinks and looks away quickly. Posture immediately becomes tense as his dark fingernails dig into the tanned skin of their arm. After a few seconds those eyes dart back to theirs, and narrow. Silver is trying to figure out how to get their mouth to work when the strange man vanishes in an instant. Startled they step forward and cast their gaze around the room in search of the other man. This movement draws the attention of their host.
"Oh, look who caught up!"
Sonic turns and smiles at Silver, "Hey bud! This is Vector, my boss, and our ticket to the Emeralds!"
"Hello!" Silver greets, smiling at the man as they step further into the room, "I'm Silver."
"Ha! You can call me Vector." The man says pointing at his chest, "This is Charmy," They pat the head of the kid beside themselves, "And Espio is around here somewhere."
Espio, huh? What a fitting name! Silver glances around the room in search of the elusive strange, then back at Vector, finding him re-engage in conversation with Amy, and Sonic.
They seem to be discussing something about stealing and the government. Tails had mentioned earlier to them that the Chaos Emeralds couldn't be kept in one place since Angel Island no longer flew, and that it was safer for them to be scattered to not draw suspicion from the wrong people. It was very sad to hear that almost everyone on earth did not know of Chaos Emeralds and their power and that those that did usually had bad intentions. The guardians of the Emerald believed that no one should have such power anyway, so they made sure the Emeralds remained hidden and separate until it was called for to gather them. It seemed like a lot of fuss, but Silver wasn't going to pretend to know the politics of ancient history. So they decide it best to let the ones who know better handle the planning phase, then do as told when the time comes!
With this decision, they focus on finding the diminutive Chaos Signature which had apparently left the room. They float an inch off the floor so as not to make a sound and float into the nearby room. In here, a food storage room, they could feel the soft stream that was Espio's unique signature. The man was staring out a window over a steel basin set in the counter with a frown etched upon his face. Silver alights on the tile and clasps their hands together nervously.
"Excuse me-" They begin, causing Espio to leap and let out a startled gasp. The man turns, wide eyes meeting their own and destroying their train of thought, "I..."
"Silver, right?" The man asks, voice low and smooth and so incredibly lovely saying their name they can barely keep their feet on the floor.
"Yes!" They reply quickly, "Espio, right?"
The man nods, arms crossed over his chest again as he stares at Silver with an odd look in his eyes. Silver looks away from the man to get their bearings. They had never experienced such an odd feeling when trying to speak to anyone, though they had only spoken to around fifty individuals in their entire life.
"Are you helping us gather the Chaos Emeralds?" Silver asks, taking a half step towards the shorter man, noticing a milky way of dark brown dots covering their nose and cheeks.
"...Yes, I will be." The man replies, taking a step back and bumping into the counter, "I'm well suited to the work. Truth be told I have nothing else of interest to be doing anyway."
Wow. Silver stares at the man in newfound wonder, moving closer to Espio, who remains still. Gathering the Emeralds would be no easy task. Their family had spent generations collecting the shards of the Master Emerald, and Amy had spoken earlier of the dangers she and the others would potentially face if they were caught taking the Emeralds from those who believed they owned them. Espio surely knew the dangers far better than they did, and yet they faced it with no fear, no hesitation. They knew why Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles would help, they were heroes! But this man, he was a total stranger to Silver and Blaze, yet he was going to risk his life for them? What a stunning display of bravery.
Silver reaches out, and takes the man's hand into their own. Feeling the warmth of the other's skin through the fabric of their gloves. They notice a dusting of pink covering the man's nose and his shoulders stiffened. They squeeze gently, just as their mother would do when praising them.
"Thank you, Espio." They say, resting their palm over the back of the man's clasped hand, "You and your friends bravery it... it means so much to me, and Blaze."
Espio's mouth opens slightly and his wide bright eyes blink at them. Silver smiles and gently squeezes the others hand again, unwilling to let go.
"I'm ecstatic to be fighting with you, Espio."
"I- I-" Espio stutters, then a lovely small smile forces its way in his face, "I share your sentiment, Silver."
"Hey, white boy, your friends are heading out."
Silver looks over at Vector standing in the doorway as Espio rips his hand away before quickly slipping past them, and then ducking under Vector's arm to disappear around the doorway.
"Oh, right!" I'll be seeing you!" Silver says, confused at Espio's actions. Had they said something wrong? They must have their thoughts written on their face because Vector lets out a deep belly laugh.
"Oh don't worry about him, he's shy around cute guys."
"What's a cute guy?"
A curious expression appears on Vector's face, and he shakes his head, "Don't worry about it."
"Oh, I won't then!" Silver replies cheerfully, exiting the food prep room and meeting the others in the hallway. Putting their shoes on.
"Where to next?" They ask, almost floating off the porch and to the ground. Only stopping when Amy shoots them a sharp look.
"Back to the dorm! I got a date tonight so it'll just be you two and Tails." Sonic says with a cocky smile.
"Oh, no way you are bringing a princess to your stinky dorm!" Amy calls, looping an arm around Blaze's arm and pulling her close, "Blaze will stay with me tonight!"
"Their room was not stinky, Amy." Blaze says voice pitched higher for an unknown reason as she looks away from the shorter woman, "They were very gracious hosts."
"You shoulda been there yesterday!" Sonic replies, voice bright and refreshing, "Tails accidentally got me a bean burrito and-"
"Sonic! Don't be gross!" Amy scolds, reaching over and shoving the other.
"Though, if Amy is offering a place to stay I think I will accept. I don't feel right taking a bed from a child."
Silver watches Sonic's eyes flick to Amy, and the two make a bunch of strange faces at each other before Sonic shrugs.
"As long as you're comfortable with it."
"Good! It's settled!" Amy says, opening the trunk of her car and pulling out one of the bags she got at a store, "Here Silver, I got you something else to wear! It will help you stand out a little less! I could tell those people were getting to you!"
She thrust the bag into their hand, and Silver's eyes water. It had been a very long time since they received a gift.
"Thank you, Amy." They say sincerely, earning a bright smile from the woman.
"Don't sweat it!"
"I'm not sweating."
Amy giggles at that and exchanges a strange look with Sonic. Silver glances at Blaze, and the woman shrugs helplessly. They are a little nervous to be without Blaze, but they are sure they'll be okay with Sonic.
"You're boys need a ride?" Amy offers, opening the door of her car.
"Dorms only a few blocks away, we can walk." Sonic replies, "Catch ya later!"
"See ya!"
Sliver looks at Blaze, sad to be apart from her in this strange world, but happy that she has a friend.
"See you soon." She says, also sounding a little sad.
"Bye, Blaze!" He says, giving her a brave smile, "Have fun!"
With that, they follow Sonic down an alley and onto a sidewalk. Silver yawns, and rubs their eyes. The sun had just passed its height, and they were starting to feel the full weight of two very, very, long days. The last time they had slept was on Angel Island, and they were running out of exciting things to stave off exhaustion.
"You okay, Silver?" Sonic asks, concerned eyes peering up at him.
"Yes! Just a little tired!" They say with a smile, turning their eyes towards the pristine streets.
"Oh, gotcha."
The other is silent for a while, and Silver takes this time to marvel at the beauty of this place. There were plenty of people walking the streets, smiling and laughing with each other. Unlike the Mall, the sound wasn't thrust back at them but simply dissipated into the air. They noticed that lots of people would stare at them, but many more called and waved to Sonic. As this was a time before the true awakening of Chaos, Silver wondered why so many people were interested in Sonic since this was well before his glory days.
"Hey, Silver."
"Hmm?"
"If anyone that's not, y'know one of us," Sonic says, pointing to his chest then gesturing to a group of normal humans, "Asks where you're from, just say you're my cousin from Poland."
"Oh, okay!" Silver wonders what a Poland was, "Are they not allowed to know I'm from the future?"
"I guess you could tell them, but they'd think you're weird."
"Fascinating."
Relief floods over them as they finally climb the steps to Sonic's residence. This time there are far more people they pass in the hall, but Sonic takes care of any interactions with them and they're back in the room they had left hours earlier once more. Silver looks at the sleeping platform, called a bed allegedly, and wonders if they could ever fall asleep in one of those things.
"You should take a nap buddy, you look like you need it." Sonic says as they start sorting through their storage compartments.
"May I sleep on the floor?"
Sonic stops his searching and turns to look at them with a puzzled expression. It must be rather odd for Sonic to hear that they wouldn't want the soft squishy bed.
"Sure you can bud. Make yourself at home!"
Silver looks at Sonics bed and takes the thick blanket off of it. They push the chair away from the table with a bunch of things on it and set the blanket under the table. With that done they drop to the ground and curl on their side on the blanket. Now, this was much better.
Silver awakens to a quiet room. Crawl out from under the desk and stretch, now feeling well-rested. No light streamed in from the window, so it much be nighttime now. A glance around reveals that Sonic was gone, but the curtain that hung from Tails' bed was parted and they could see the young boy working at their station. Blue eyes intensely focused on their task. Ever curious, Silver rises and literally hovers over Tails shoulder, watching the boys work with interest. The boy works mechanically for almost an hour without pause. Eventually, they sit back and sigh, rubbing their chin before turning slightly and gasping in shock.
"Silver! You're up!"
"Yes!" They reply with a smile.
"How long have you been... there?
"Oh, an hour maybe. I love watching you work, it's fascinating!"
The young boy smiles and looks at their project, "Do you wanna hear about it? It's still a prototype but-"
"Sorry," Silver interrupts the boy as politely as they can, "But I don't really understand the basics of archaic technology, so there's no use explaining what you're doing."
Tails stares at them, mouth half opened in what was probably confusion. Silver looks back at them expectantly, hoping they begin to work again. The young boy has other ideas, however, and instead, he stands up and grabs a strange square device.
"I'll be right back." Tails says, typing in the device as they walk out of the room.
Left alone Silver decides to check on the items that Amy had gifted them. It was a white hooded sweater with a fur lining the hood part of it. The garment is delightful! And thick enough to eventually replace a few of their more worn undershirts. Moving quickly they remove their raincoat and pull the hoodie over their other clothes. Just as they rezip their coat Tails enters the room again.
"Good news! Sonic is going to take you to stay with Knuckles!"
"Oh, how exciting! Is he here now?"
"No he's on his way, let's wait outside!"
Obediently, Silver follows Tails to the outside of the building. The night air is significantly cooler than the daytime, and there are very few people walking about. Unfortunately, the stars are not as visible due to the abundance of streetlights. Tails sits on the steps of the building, and Silver sits beside them. Happy to take in their surroundings. Things had been moving so fast that they hadn't really taken the time to absorb it all. The sleep deprivation didn't help either. Now, considerably more rested, they were able to ponder the events of the day.
Namely their meeting with the other Chaos users. Sonic had mentioned the word Conduit once, a slightly archaic word by Silver's standards, to describe those of them capable of Chaos Control. These conduits were a closer lifeform to themselves than most of the humans they had seen today. Not that those humans were lesser, they simply had not reached certain evolutionary milestones. Silver was also a little surprised to learn that Psychokenisis was not common among Chaos Users if it was something they could do at all. This did make them feel just a touch special, as they had only been blessed with Psychokenisis while their parents had different extraordinary gifts. Sonic had explained that most of their friends could do basic things, such as fly or be really strong. This was odd to Silver because the way Sonic described being able to lift over five times their own bodyweight was not exactly strong to them. Though perhaps that was a lot compared to lesser humans. Most of all Silver was eager to see what kind of Chaos Control Espio was capable of. They were unsure if what they had seen was some sort of invisibility or speed.
"There he is!" Tails says, jumping up from the steps and walking towards the figure getting out of the car and pulling them from their intense thoughts.
Silver stands and follows the young boy as Sonic speaks to the man in an all black car. Then the man turns and jogs over to them with a bright smile on his face.
"Ready to go?"
"Yes! I'm very excited to be staying with the Last of the Echidna!" Silver says, "Are you sure he's okay with me staying?"
Sonic glances at Tails before giving him a thumbs-up, "Oh he will love it."
"Great!"
Sonic motions for them to follow, and leads them down an alley beside the building, "You sleep well?"
"Yes! You're climate-controlled room is very comfortable!" Silver glances back, "Is Tails not coming?"
"Nah, he can't keep up." Sonic pauses and looks around. Silver does so too, but the three of them appear to be the only humans out right now, "Since you're rested up, you wanna race?"
Silver gasps in excitement. Them? Racing the blue blur himself? Oh, that was too good to be true! Already they start to hover an inch off the ground.
"I'd love to!" Silver replies, "Do I have to run, or can I fly?"
Sonic tilts his head, "Whichever is faster."
"Okay! Where are we racing to?"
"Knuckles place." Sonic stretches his arms and then does a weird thing with their legs, "You can just follow my dust trails."
"We will see about that, won't we?" Silver replies, enjoying the way Sonic's eyes light up at their words.
Sure, Sonic was a bit of a legendary hero known for speed, but he couldn't be as fast as they were, right? Hundreds of years of evolution had made them into a near-perfect lifeform! Sonic was still just a slightly evolved lesser human.
"Three, two, one, go!" Sonic counts then shoots off into the tree line before Silver can blink.
After a moment Silver quickly takes off after him. Accelerating to a cruising speed of eighty miles per hour. Sonic was running along one of the roads to give themselves an easy terrain to accelerate on. Silver is lucky not to have that as obstacles, though they are unfortunately flying against a headwind.
"Oh hey! Look at you go!" Sonic says, glancing over at them and looking impressed, "Not too shabby, Silv. That the best you got?"
A spark lights in Silver, and they can't hold back a smile. Sonic wouldn't know this, but Silver was the fastest person on their planet for a long time.
"You haven't seen anything yet, Sonic." They say, then they propel themselves forward, accelerating to over a hundred miles an hour in a few seconds.
The mental strain of the acceleration makes them wince as their head throbs, and they are forced to stop accelerating and instead coast at around a hundred fifty miles per hour. They were unfortunately not very good in the stamina department.
"Hey, Silver!" A voice calls from behind and they turn to see Sonic rapidly approaching with a fire in his eyes, "You're too slow!"
And then the blue blur shoots past them and quickly out of sight. Silver rises higher into the air, above the trees, following the rapidly moving Chaos Signature as the owner dashes through the woods. They follow behind, and eventually Sonic stops at a spot deep in the woods, considerably off the beaten path. Silver alights on the ground beside Sonic and rests their hands on their knees. Breathing heavily for a few moments before looking over to the considerably less fatigued man. The mental strain of using their telekinesis is eased by the psychosomatic response, it surly looked very odd to Sonic to see the one who wasn't physically running all worn out.
"Let's do this again sometime!" Sonic says, a smug expression on his face.
They smile through their pants and stand up straight, "I look forward to it!"
There's a loud crash, and Silver looks over to see a familiar man marching toward them.
"Sonic, you better have a good reason for bringing this guy here."
Sonic pats Silver on the back, "Your turn with the kid, Knux."
"No way. You get this guy- Sonic!" Knuckles yells as there's a spike of Chaos Energy that fades just as quickly.
Silver looks over to find that Sonic had indeed run off, leaving them alone with a very unhappy Knuckles. A sense of sadness wells in them as they realize that their newfound friends are truly burdened by their presence.
An unexpected wish to be alone seeds itself in their mind as they consider their predicament. A stranger in a familiar land.
"What's with you?" Knuckles' voice breaks through their dower thoughts and they jump.
"Excuse me?" They ask, meeting the man's stern eyes with what they hope is a neutral expression.
"Look like you're about to cry." Knuckles crosses their arms, eyes looking them up and down, "I mean I'm no happy camper either, but I'm not that bad."
Oh, right. They were away from town! And judging by the subtle pulse in the air the Master Emerald was nearby! It was surely too soon to say, but they felt more at ease out in these woods than they had in town with fewer eyes on them.
"I'm not upset." They finally say, offering Knuckles a warm smile.
The man stares at them for a little longer than usual; annoyed but seemingly resigned to his fate.
"Silver, Right?"
"Yes!"
"Well come on then, Silver. Dinner is ready and I can set you up on the couch." The man sighs and starts walking towards his cozy house, "You can call me Knuckles."
Silver follows after Knuckles, excited at the prospect of a warm meal and time with The Last of the Echidna. They are excited to eat, rest more, and spend more time with all the new people they had met.