Chapter Text
“Why it’s absolutely unheard of!”
The sound of rustling papers, tapping of keys, and flicking of levers can be heard echoing in the dark cavernous laboratory. A lone man stands at a work bench drenched in various machinery and written notes. The main illumination in the lab being the unnatural green glow emanating from the countless large test tubes that line the wall, just barely big enough to keep someone, or something, inside and preserved. After a moment of fiddling through papers the man seemingly finds what he was searching for. He holds it to his mouth and clicks it on.
“Sol Dimension Research log: After all this searching I have finally found something with significant Sol Power to fuel my needs.”
A strange purple vial of a thick luminous fog churns in on itself. The vial itself is encrusted with a stone design that wraps around it like thick vines conjoining at the top of the vial in what looks to be two claws.
“And yes even after all these tests I am unable to determine exactly what lies inside. From these energy readings it seems to almost be an organic gaseous substance. Questions of consciousness are… pending.”
The man strokes his mustache as he glares at the anomaly before him. He then grabs the vial yanking it from its cradle of wires and monitoring devices. Walking over to one of the various test tubes he touches a panel that frames the fogged over glass tube. At his touch the green liquid drains revealing a black and red hedgehog, eyes closed. The panel pops open a slot just big enough to place the purple vial inside and then promptly shuts.
“Now, perhaps how the gaseous substance interacts with other organic matter will reveal something about its properties. Being the brilliant scientist I am, I have taken the liberty of testing it with Shadow Clone #172 in an isolated environment.”
He clicks off the small recording device and approaches a monitor a couple feet in front of the tubes. After a minute of touching on the screen a faint beep is heard and the purple vial is brought into view in the middle of the tube in front of the unconscious hedgehog. A mechanical apparatus reaches out from one of the sides grabbing onto the top of the vial by the stone claws and after a moment of sustained effort it pops off unleashing the purple gas.
The silence is deafening. He watches as fog floods the entire volume of the chamber. He walks over attempting to see through the purple fog at the figure who once stood tall inside the cylinder. After a few minutes of watching the swirling fog a heavy sigh escapes the doctor’s lips.
“The substance in the vial seems to have done nothing but fill the new container with its opaque purple haze. It does not seem to be interacting with the-”
SLAM
The words are cut short by a sudden gloved hand making contact with the glass tube. The small recording device falls to the ground, but the doctor pays it no mind he brings his face closer to the tube. A cold smile comes to his face as two glowing green pupils pierce through the ever fading purple mist.
“How extraordinary, you seem to have been able to latch onto #172, and even have some motor control over its body. What a strange parasite I have gotten my hands on”
“Oh, I am far more than a simple parasite.” the being replies; however, the Doctor couldn’t see any mouth movement. A strange parasite indeed.
“A sentient being from the Sol Dimension capable of taking over organic material, how interesting! Now that I’m looking, you've even made some minor cosmetic changes to your body. The green pupils I do like, but I would be lying if I said I liked the new blue look instead of Shadow’s red stripes. The red was just so much classier! That aside, I must say you are one of the more interesting specimens I have found over the years.”
“I have clearly been misplaced” said the unmoving figure. “I do not sense the Sol Emeralds here, this place is entirely new”
“Sol Emeralds you say? Nonono we have nothing like that here, as I was saying, if you would just pay closer attention, you are from the Sol Dimension which is not here. Looks like you’ve been evicted from there a long time ago. No worries I’m sure I can make great use of you and all that Sol Energy you possess here…” He walks back over to the touch screen panel and works away at it.
“I can be far more than just a simple power source for whatever plans you are formulating. If I really am in a different dimension, I still hold enough uh ‘Sol energy’ as you called it, to travel to my dimension. I feel that we could become great allies to one another. I know a way to drive all 7 Sol Emeralds to this dimension, such Sol Power far exceeds my own. The Sol Emeralds are capable of many things. I’m sure we could come up with a mutually beneficial agreement that would satisfy the both of us.”
The doctor, not looking up from the panel replies “Travel back you say? And how should I know you’ll follow through and bring back these Sol Emeralds to this world?”
“I can tell you are a man of great intelligence, you are also the one to free me from my entrapment. I owe a great deal to you, besides I can sense there aren't any other strong remnants of ‘Sol energy’ in this world. If you truly want to harness it you’ll have to get more from the source.”
“If you really do have enough Sol Energy to get to the Sol Dimension why should I not just skip the middleman and get there myself?”
“The energy I possess would not be able to carry a being like you, who is not of the Sol Dimension. I’m sure you know that, you’re a great conversationalist however, I see us having a successful partnership.”
The doctor pressed a point on the panel and a hiss is heard from the tube as the glass door moves away allowing for the being to step out of the cylindrical container. The man walks towards the being as he steps out of the tube and holds out his gloved hand.
“Doctor Ivan Robotnik, a pleasure to be working with you”
The being takes the hand, face unmoving.
“Mephiles, and likewise”
***
Rolling hills of green look beautiful under the gentle light of the stars above. This is the thought that came to Sonic's mind as he jogged through green hill. Lately Eggman has been quiet, which, while incredibly unnerving, has allowed Sonic to finally have some well deserved down time. Between defeating perfect chaos, saving the whole world from the arc, and putting a stop to Metal Overlord, alongside all of the daily Eggman shenanigans in between, Sonic would be lying if he said he hadn’t been a little exhausted. This downtime has been nice.
The night air was cool and refreshing against his quills and the quiet hum of crickets and other insect life was like music to his ears. Sonic got to a small peak and gazed at the billowing hills and wooden skyline before him. Truly a perfect night.
And, as if on cue, a billowing pillar of flames spurts up among the wood of the once perfectly peaceful skyline.
“DAMNIT CAN I JUST HAVE ONE PEACEFUL NIGHT?!” the hedgehog screamed at the now dissipated fire column, but honestly part of sonic was relieved to have some unknown danger to fight off. Quiet peaceful nights, while nice, were certainly not his speed. Some action was much needed.
As the blue hedgehog ran to the location of the once alit flame tower, panic started to set in as he let the event stew in his mind. He’s seen that flame tower once before, and if it really was who he thought, it’s not exactly a great sign. The last time they’d met up, it was rather complicated. The thought of having to deal with multiple Eggmans again made Sonic’s skin crawl.
Suddenly a loud clash was heard from above and various strokes of color shot out at different directions painting colorful arcs across the night sky. Any panic that Sonic once had now quadrupled. Not only was this most definitely who he thought it was, but they're clearly in a compromised position if he just saw what he thinks he saw.
Finally, Sonic comes to a small clearing in the trees where he sees splotches of scorched grass and on one such splotch is an unconscious Blaze. She seems a little beaten, a little bruised, and a whole lot on the ground and ohmygod is she breathing? An out pour of thoughts floods Sonic's head as he rushes to her side.
“BLAZE! Blaze, can you hear me, are you okay?”
The lavender-furred cat finally opens her eyes, much to Sonic’s relief. And stares at him for a moment saying nothing.
Finally a flash of realization comes across her golden eyes and she springs up from the ground.
“Where is he!? He was just here a moment ago and he can't already be gone. He- He-”
“Woah! Woah! Blaze, take a breath, you look like you’ve taken a real beating. We need to get you somewhere that's not in the middle of the woods at night.”
“NO! I can’t let him get to them I-'' she tries to take a step but her legs give way underneath causing her to fall to the ground. It's now that Sonic realizes she's been holding onto something this whole time. She brings it to her face and closes her eyes in what looks like an attempt to compose herself. Sonic kneels down to her level.
“Hey, I don’t know exactly what's going on, but you can tell me all about it later. But first we need to get you somewhere safe. It's better in the long run if you’re rested rather than exhausted and injured. Trust me, I found that out the hard way. So how about I take you to Tails’ place, and after you’ve gotten some rest, we can talk about it. Okay?
Blaze looks at him and opens her mouth in opposition, but the words die before they even get past her lips. She closes her mouth and begrudgingly nods her head.
“Look at you all willing to accept help from others! Glad to see you again Blaze.” Before Blaze can respond, Sonic scoops her up into his arms and runs off towards Tails’ lab.
***
The sky is a smoky red, erupting flames strike upwards at it from the ruins below like strokes of paint on a well-tinted canvas. From atop a tall pile of crumbling gray concrete that may have at one point in time been considered a building of sorts, sits a small silver hedgehog watching the ruined city skyline. His feet dangling off the edge, kicking.
“The fires have been so much quieter lately, and yet… It's been months since I’ve seen a single other person. Ugh and I know I know it’s a big area, you can sometimes go a long time without finding others, but 11 months is a little extreme. I’m beginning to wonder if maybe…”
His voice trails off before he shakes his head.
“No… No, that’s silly. I know they’re out there. I just need to look for them.”
The building shakes a bit as a loud rumble emanates from the west. Flames can be seen shooting up high into the sky from that direction. The hedgehog lets out a quick sigh before getting to his feet and stretching a bit. He looks towards the flames and suddenly his body is encapsulated in a cyan glow as he lifts off the ground, and then swiftly through the thick sky towards the flames.
Upon arrival, the hedgehog gazes at the cause of the destruction from above. A large fiery rock creature held together by and residing in a pool of what looks like molten lava. It bares its teeth and screams into the fiery desolate sky above.
“Iblis! It’s been a while huh? This time I’m taking you down!”
The hedgehog rushed to the ground, then immediately large pieces of concrete were enveloped in his cyan hue. They float off the ground and at a motion of his hand, are thrown at the fiery spawn.
The beast roars. Clearly angered, it grabs a piece of concrete that is significantly larger than any of the pieces previously tossed at it, and with one of its four large appendages and throws it. Silver is narrowly able to dodge the debris. Before a burst of fire is shot from its gaping maw. Singeing the top of his quills slightly as he falls to the ground.
The silver hedgehog swipes the sweat off his brow, confident smile still intact. He grabs more projectiles and hurls them towards the beast. At each hit he is able to eat away at its rocky armor. Its howling echoes off the hollow concrete pillars that inhabit most of the ruins.
Swipes from the large claws of the fiery beast are avoided as the boy darts through the air; however, an unexpected strike from behind from one of the beast's many claws finally swats him down. He crashes dramatically into the rocks below.
With the last of his strength the small hedgehog flings the biggest piece of concrete yet directly into the skull of the monstrosity before him. A piercing screech of pain emanates from the fiery depths of the monster and it sinks into the scorching magma below. Leaving the boy alone, on the ground, completely exhausted, and beaten beyond possible repair.
He lets out a struggling breath. The simple act of raising his chest up and down now feels harder than throwing hundreds of pounds of concrete. He shuts his eyes tight and lets out a scream of pain and defeat.
“THAT WAS IT! THAT WAS ALL OF MY POWER! THAT WAS ME TRYING AT 100% AND I’M COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND YET IT JUST RETREATS. THE FLAMES NEVER STOP, THEY NEVER HAVE. I CAN’T BELIEVE I WAS SUCH A FOOL TO THINK THAT I COULD CHANGE IT…. THAT-That I could make any difference at all. I can’t keep doing this. No matter what I do… it's just no use!”
“Well isn’t this the little pity party?” A haunting voice pierces through the defeated hedgehog’s skull, his eyes fly open.
Standing before him is another hedgehog, its bright green eyes staring daggers and his black fur somehow managing to stand out amongst the smoky dark haze of the sky above.
“I- I haven't seen anyone in so long… Who are you?”
“Well that does make sense considering you are the only one left in this hellscape.”
The words don’t really sink in. He repeats them back… slowly. The words fall out of his mouth like bricks. His stare, once ridden with tears, is now completely blank. He can feel his world crumbling around him, well more so than it already had.
“What? Don’t believe me? Fine. It’s a miracle you’re alive at all. Iblis should have completely destroyed all living things a long time ago, and yet you all still persist. Well now just you, but I must admit you lasted far longer than anyone would have predicted.”
“You didn’t answer my question” the boy tries to get back control of this quickly turned devastating conversation.
“Of course of course! I am Mephiles. And I have come for you Silver, you’re the only one left here in this ruined world, but I know a way you can save everyone. You could save the whole world.”
“How? What do I have to do-” He tries to get up but he is essentially immobile he coughs a bit and feels his collapsed ribs in his chest.
“Relax hero. I will heal you good as new and you’ll be on your way to save your world. All you have to do is go back to the past and put an end to the Iblis Trigger.”
“The past?! The Iblis Trigger? I’m afraid I don't understand”
“The Iblis Trigger is the cause of all this destruction, the creation of the flames. Her name is Blaze the Cat, and she holds the keys to this ruin. You must put an end to her and stop her from collecting all the Sol Emeralds before everything repeats itself and your future ends up back here in flame and ruin.”
“So what? I need to either leave my time, go to the past and kill some person I don’t even know in order to save everyone or I stay here unable to stop Iblis entirely?”
“You either go to the past and save this time or you die Silver the Hedgehog. This isn’t a choice, I’m here to help you fulfill your destiny.”
The boy looks up to the smoky-red sky and smiles to himself, a soft smile. He turns now to look at the figure before him.
“I’ll do it.”
***
Tail’s lab finally fades into view, after about 10 minutes of running through wood and grassy fields.
Sonic, still carrying Blaze, knocks on the door. Then 5 seconds later knocks on it again with more haste.
“HEY LITTLE BRO I KINDA NEED TO BORROW YOUR COUCH AGAIN!”
After a few more seconds of waiting, which feels like hours to Sonic, the door opens to reveal a very tired yellow twin-tailed fox.
“Sonic we’ve been over this I’m happy to have you stay over, but waking me up in the middle of the- Whu- WHAT IS BLAZE DOING HERE?!”
“I don’t know, but that's not what's important right now. What’s important is that we get her taken care of.”
Worry paints Tails’ face as he is now completely awake and lets them both inside. His lab is messy, there are papers and blueprints strewn about on the floor and every other flat surface. The door to what looks like the tech workshop is wide open and glowing with what feels to be a million different lit up buttons and wires. Tails hatefully clears the sofa of papers and rushes to get a pillow and blanket from a small linen closet.
“Sorry to put you out like this Tails’ I sincerely regret meeting again under such... Unfortunate circumstances.”
“You’re not putting me out at all I swear!! I’m no Vanilla, but I have a small first aid kit that may help with some of those scrapes I’ll be right back”
The small boy rushes to another room. Sonic gazes towards his direction, a not-so-subtle proud smile on his face as he watches his little brother take initiative.
Tails quickly comes back to the main room, small medical box in hand.
“What hurts the most, Blaze? Can you move your body okay? Did you land hard on any part of your body? The adrenaline may have made you not feel it in the moment, but now it may be hitting a little stronger.”
“Honestly, I’m just a little scraped and bruised. The Sol Emeralds allowed me to take the brunt of it. I'm just exhausted. It took every bit of me to hold him back…” Blaze holds her hands close to her chest before finally opening her hand up. A single Sol Emerald resides in it, a red shine seeming to emanate from it, warming her hand. “I was able to keep hold of this one, but the others…”
“They scattered huh?” She nodded wearily. “Yeah that actually happens a lot with our Chaos Emeralds here. It’s the worst, but honestly it’s a blessing when you're in a bind and don’t want them to fall into the wrong hands.”
Tails is nodding along to the conversation taking a peak at the Sol Emerald as he cleans a gouge on Blaze’s arm. She flinches slightly at the touch of the alcohol wipe, and he whispers an apology through clenched teeth. Once Tails is finally done cleaning and bandaging he gathers his stuff back in the box and sits on the ground. He faces both Blaze on the couch and Sonic who is now pacing around the room.
“Blaze, I know it’s late, and if you need to rest I understand, in fact I encourage it, but… we do need to know what's going on.” the restless blue hedgehog says as he finally wonders his way back in front of the couch eagerly waiting for a response. Tails’ gives him a sharp look. His eyes berating him for his clear lack of patience.
“No, I'm fit to tell you now. Honest.” Tail’s eyes switch to hers in a mix of worry and curiosity. Sonic takes a seat in the arm chair near the couch, not breaking eye contact. His finger drumming on the armrest as the other supports his cheek.
“It was just a normal day in the Sol Empire. I was performing Imperial duties when I felt a strange presence. Nothing like I’d ever felt before, it was… looming. It felt like someone watching over your shoulder with a gaze that weighed like a ton of bricks. And that's when I saw him. A Hedgehog, he was about your height Sonic, with five big quills, jet black, on his head and a white patch of fur on his chest. He just stood there staring at me.”
Sonic shoots Tails an alarmed glance that Tails reciprocates. They’d recognize that description anywhere.
“Honestly the next moments were blurs. I couldn't understand what he was saying. It was all too much. We had a dash for the Sol Emeralds and I was about to get them first and harness their full energy, but even with that he held so much power… I-”
Blaze glances anxiously around the room. Clearly this had been eating away at her.
“I felt cornered. And then suddenly it opened a flame portal to your world all by itself. I tried to hold my own, but switching dimensions was disorienting and I could feel the Sol Emerald’s power slipping. So, I used the last of my power to disperse the Emeralds, well all besides one.”
A silence fell over the room as she finished giving her statement. So many questions, so many thoughts, and so much to do.
“Wow that's…. Intense. It's a miracle you were able to hold on to that one!” Sonic said, trying to add some much needed levity.
“No.” Blaze said plainly “Not a miracle. It knows I have this. Before I blacked out I could hear it… laughing. This is like a game to it. We need to get the rest of those Sol Emeralds back before it gets into that thing’s hands. We cannot let it get to all of them.”
Blaze is clearly further exhausted by recounting the tale. Tails’ face is one of shock and horror. Sonic is clearly stunned as well, but is doing better to try to hide in through a veil of contemplation.
“Okay. That's enough for tonight.” Sonic says, suddenly standing up and putting his hands together. “You’re tired, you’ve had a very long day. You need rest if we’re gonna start our search tomorrow.”
“But the Emera-” Blaze refutes before being cut off.
“Ah! No! Tomorrow. We all need rest, and there's no way that thing can get them all in one night. Better we rest.” Sonic affirms. Tails nods in approval, arms crossed.
“....Fine. I know you're right, but by tomorrow I will set out to find them”
“And we’ll be right there with you Blaze. Now seriously try to get some sleep. I think Tails has an extra couple of blankets I’ll sleep on in his room. You can have the sofa all to yourself Princess.” he gives her a cheeky smile and an exaggerated bow.
“The sofa is quite becoming of a princess huh?” Blaze gives a chuckle to herself, a small smile appearing on her lips. The first she's made in a while.
“Good night Blaze” Says Sonic as he and Tails go off to get some rest for the day ahead.
***
“So let me get this straight, not only did you transport yourself to the Sol Dimension and back, but you also were able to go into the future to retrieve some random rodent you found, for what? Giggles? Mephiles, if we are going to continue to work together as team Robotnik then I’m gonna need a bit more transparency. Not to mention the fact that all these shenanigans have resulted in you having farrrr less Sol Energy than you had before. It's practically untraceable!”
“Calm down. All the pieces are in place now. The Sol Emeralds, along with their protector are here in this dimension, prime for the taking. Our little friend from the future will assure she stays out of our hair, at least for the time being.”
His flippant response was quite annoying to Robotnik, but he won’t lie that he wasn’t exactly unhappy with the way things were going so far. These Sol Emeralds would be able to power his little project easily, and with such a powerful accomplice gathering them should be far less troublesome than it would be otherwise.
“I’ll get working on my project right away. We’ll send out search parties as soon as my troops have gathered. Everything is, admittedly, set into its proper place for the time being. ”
“The Game Can Begin”