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Chapter Text

"It's hot... Really really hot." These were the words that repeated over and over again in the mind of a young Tenrec, as she floats suspended in a tank of unknown liquid, deep in the lair of Dr. Eggman. She isn't sure what's happening in the world around her. Outside of her thoughts, there is nothing to grasp onto. She can't move, nor can she see. "How long..." She wonders to herself. She doesn't know. Hours? Days? Years? All she can remember is this. To her, it has been an eternity. However, in what seems like no time at all, that eternity would end.

Outside the suspension tank stands the notorious Dr. Eggman stands over a series of computer terminals, while wearing his usual red and black attire. He works diligently on his program, taking no breaks, as his determination to unleash his latest creation drives him. As a cup of cold coffee sits on the desk beside him, he ceases typing away on his keyboard, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I've done it." He chuckles to himself. "My genius truly knows no bounds, not only have I recreated Project Shadow, but I've improved upon it in every way possible. Within mere moments, I will have completed the true Ultimate Life Form!"

"Ultimate... Life Form? Project Shadow...?" These words meant nothing to the girl at the moment, but now that she could grasp something of the world around her she refused to let it go.

"Metal! I'm going to unleash Project Flare. Stand at the ready, if she proves unstable, you'll need to subdue her. Non-lethally of course, I don't want to start again from scratch when a few tweaks can fix the problem." The Doctor would say, as he turned his attention to the small bot across the room. Metal Sonic, a robotic replica of the famed Sonic The Hedgehog, created by none other than Eggman himself. "When I drain the tank, keep an eye out, and if she seems dangerous, take her down."

Metal remained silent, as he normally does, lacking any ability to talk. However, at Eggmans order he refuses to take his eyes off of the suspended Tenrec. As he steels himself for a fight, the Doctor presses a button on his keyboard, and steam begins to release from the container, as the liquid slowly begins to drain. "Project... Flare? Metal...?" Her thoughts were interrupted by sudden senses surging to life. As the liquid drained, the world sounded more clear. And she could open her eyes, seeing the light and color around her were blinding for a moment. When the tank had emptied, the glass raised into the machinery allowing her to exit. She would stay, however, taking in her surroundings. She would stare at the tall rotund Dr. Eggman, and the small, fearsome Metal Sonic, silent. Trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Subject Flare seems stable. No immediate signs of a threat." Eggman would say, typing ever more into his computer, before taking a step closer to the confused Tenrec. "Flare, can you hear me?"

"Flare..." She would say, mimicking the Doctor. "I am... Flare?"

"You are." Affirmed Eggman. "Flare The Tenrec, my greatest creation." As the Doctor uttered this, Metal would glance away, but for only a moment before locking back onto Flare. "You are the Ultimate Life Form, far superior to the worthless hedgehog who currently claims the title. I created you to be able to wield and detect the Chaos Emeralds, thus giving you the power to change this world once and for all. None alive can compare to you now."

"Chaos Emeralds... Ultimate Life Form..." Flare shook her head, she understood these words, and now even had an idea of what they were referring to, but everything was foggy. The finer details escaped her.

"Metal, help her out of the tank, she clearly needs time to boot up. Once she can move about properly, take her to get a more suitable outfit, then come find me in testing chamber #7." The Doctor would grab his mug, take a sip, and begin his exit, but not before spitting the coffee onto the floor. "Eugh, Orbot! My coffee is cold! Bring a fresh cup to test chamber #7 immediately!" He would shout, storming out of the room in frustration.

Metal offered one of his claws to Flare, allowing her to climb out. Once she had her balance, she looked down at her own body, the skin-tight suit she wore felt like plastic on her black fur. She began to wipe herself of the suspension liquid, familiarizing herself with her sense of touch. She even took a moment to play with one of her quills, noting the blue highlights. Once her investigation ended, she'd glance to Metal Sonic. "Thank you... for helping me down."

Metal didn't respond of course. Simply taking this to mean she had gotten some of her senses together, he began to lead her to another room, her soon-to-be bedroom, where she would find several outfits waiting for her. She was free to choose her own. A lot of them looked random, probably grabbed from a surplus of stolen goods. After a while, Flare had picked out an ensemble she was comfortable with. A perfectly fitted black dress, with a pair of high-heeled boots to match. Over her shoulders, a leather jacket that she wore almost like a cape. A pair of white fingerless gloves she felt comfortable with. She had also donned a pair of spiked wristbands, using another spiked band to tie her quills back into a ponytail at about midlength, leaving a couple hanging in the front over her shoulders. And lastly, a pair of familiar-looking stud earrings, that resembled the Chaos Emeralds themselves.

"Okay Metal, I'm ready to see the Doctor now." Flare would state, with a nod to Metal Sonic. At this, he would begin guiding her out the door again, this time leading her towards the test chamber Eggman had specified earlier. All the while since the moment she had stepped out of the suspension tank, more and more information had begun surfacing in her brain, like data in a computer. Tales of Sonic the Hedgehog, and his friends. As well as Shadow, and many others. She began to realize her purpose, or at least, what Dr Eggman had wanted from her. As more information cleared up, she became more curious and intrigued by the world outside this lab, but also, more uneasy as she wasn't sure she was capable of fulfilling Eggmans wishes. "I wonder what kind of training the Doctor has in mind..." She would ask out loud, not expecting an answer from Metal, just wondering to herself as a sort of distraction, as she had a feeling already. A bad feeling, to be sure.

Chapter Text

"What took you so long?" Sneered Eggman as Flare entered testing chamber #7 alongside Metal Sonic. The chamber was fairly simple. It was set up almost like a shooting range, There was a place for people to stand and aim down a range where different targets could be set up and used as target practice. Flare wasn't sure why they were performing a test in a room like this, at least at first. After thinking about it, she figured it was to test her abilities, which is exactly what she was afraid of.

"S-Sorry Doctor. Finding an outfit was...difficult." She would say, her eyes moving away from Eggman. "It took time... to figure out what I liked."

"Hmph. I suppose with the knowledge transfer taking longer than expected, I shouldn't be surprised. Don't let it happen again." Dr.Eggman would say, turning his attention to the shooting range. "Now Flare, we're going to test your control of fire here. If my calculations are correct you should be able to launch firey projectiles at will over medium to long ranges." As he continued to explain, a trio of differently ranged targets would rise from panels in the flooring. "Try it out, destroy these three targets."

"It's just some targets. That's not so bad." Flare thought to herself. "Yes, Doctor." With that, Flare would walk to her starting position. She wasn't sure how to summon these supposed fire abilities, she didn't seem to have any prior knowledge of how they worked, only that they existed. She found this a bit strange, but not wanting to upset Dr. Eggman further, she readied herself. She took a deep breath and held up her hand, looking at her palm. She concentrated, thinking of fire rising in her palm, and after a few moments, it did just so.

"Purple Flames?" Eggman Questioned. "Perhaps a side effect of the Chaos Energy." he pondered. A surprised look came across Flare's face, but she quickly moved past it and aimed her palm at one of the targets, imagining her flame firing off toward it. Once again her method seemed to work, however, her aim left something to be desired, completely missing the target and hitting the back wall.

"Try again, Flare." Spoke Dr. Eggman.

"Alright." Without hesitation, she would try again, this time hitting her mark, albeit barely. She smiled gently at her progress.

"Now the others."

"Yes, Doctor." She'd proceeded to fire off another bolt at the second target, which was farther away. She managed to land the hit again, and then hurried on to the third and farthest target, hitting her mark once more. None of these shots were wholly accurate, but they sufficed.

"Hmm, Accuracy needs improvement, but you'll learn with practice. Next targets." With the push of a button, Eggman released more targets, however this time they were standees, modeled after Sonic The Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and lastly, Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic of course took center stage with the others on either side. Flare recognized these three, and information about them surfaced immediately, like she'd faced them numerous times, despite her never meeting them before.

"What...?" Flare would ask, confused about her knowledge, and even moreso about the needless representation these targets had. "Doctor, why do they...?"

"What does it matter?" Eggman snapped "They are the enemy, now use your power and destroy them, Flare." Dr. Eggman was very demanding, expecting no further resistance from her.

Flare looked nervously between the three new targets, glancing back at Metal, as if expecting help, but he of course remained silent, with his eyes constantly on Flare as per Eggmans previous orders. Flare took a deep breath and aimed her palm down the range. She took another deep breath and fired off another bolt of flame, missing completely. She fired off several more and failed to hit a single time. This went on for 30 seconds at least, before she was stopped.

"You're missing on purpose, Flare. You can't fool me, I can see it in the way you've begun to aim your shots. Nothing like you were before. Get it together, and destroy them right now!" Eggman began to shout in frustration.

"I... D-...Don't want to...." Flare would nervously blurt out, tripping over her own words.

"You don't want to? And why exactly would that be, Flare?" The Doctor asked, intrigued, leaning in closer to the nervous Tenrec.

"They've done... nothing to me. I don't want to hurt them, even if it's just cutouts... It's not right." She would slowly explain to the doctor, hoping that he would somehow understand, but she knew deep inside how unlikely that was.

"I see. How unexpected..." He began to think to himself. "Very well. We'll move on to the next test, and program that empathy out of you later. For now, I need to make sure the Chaos Resonance was a success."

Flare winced as Eggman talked about programming. It didn't take long to figure out what he meant. She'd go back in the tank, and her brain would be altered. This thought terrified her, she didn't want to fight, despite knowing how many problems Eggmans enemies had caused him. She didn't see a reason for the violence. But before she could think of a way to avoid being experimented on further, Eggman held out his hand. In his palm was a large gem, a Chaos Emerald with a purple hue.

"Flare, tell me, what do you feel right now?" Eggman asked curiously.

"What do I feel...? I feel...confused and a bit nervous..." She admitted, seeming caught off guard by the Doctor's sudden interest in her feelings. It seemed out of character.

"That's not what I meant, Flare." He responded with an annoyed tone that made much more sense to Flare. "Do you feel a connection to the Emerald? A pull towards it? Anything?" He asked this time with less patience. Flare thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head no. She felt nothing at all towards the object in front of her. She knew it was a powerful artifact, the Chaos Emerald. She knew she should feel something, though she didn't know why or what, but she felt nothing.

"I see. Radar functions are non-operational, or dormant perhaps due to extreme proximity." Eggman scribbled something down on a notepad before handing the Emerald off to Flare. "Now, use that Emerald. Channel its power, and unleash another fire bolt. The enhanced power should be enough to destroy these new targets with a single shot." As he spoke, he pressed another button. The Standees retreated into the walls, and a new set of targets appeared, these generic. However, this time there were at least 20 of them, spread into different areas of the range.

"Doctor, I don't understand, my bolts can't hit all these targets at once..." Flare would explain, as she didn't see this task as possible, Emerald or no.

"Normally? No, they couldn't. However, when enhanced by the power of a Chaos Emerald using your natural affinity, it should be child's play. Granted my calculations were correct, which of course they always are." Eggman chuckled confidently, waiting to see the fruits of his genius in action.

"Alright... I'll try." She nodded her head, taking the emerald in one hand, and aiming down the range with the other. She took a deep breath once more, concentrating on the power of the emerald, trying to imagine its power flowing into her. She did this for almost a full minute, before steeling her nerves and firing off one more fire bolt. As she did so, a phrase came to the forefront of her mind and she couldn't help but call out confidantly. "Chaos Cannon!" Flare would shout, as the bolt flew from her palm towards the center target, landing perfectly in the bullseye. Unfortunately, that is all that happened. The single target was scorched, and all the others remained unscathed.

"That's... IMPOSSIBLE!" Shouted Dr. Eggman. "The Radar is one thing, as it needs experimentation but I KNOW I improved on the calculations for Project Shadow, your ability to use Chaos Energy is unquestionable! Did you even try at all Flare?!"

"Y-yes Sir! I concentrated as hard as I could! I just... Didn't feel anything." She explained, dejected. She wasn't sure what was supposed to happen, but she wanted to succeed. She had no idea why it didn't work.

"Hrmm. If the Chaos Resonance didn't take then I'll have a lot more work to do with you. I'll have to read over all my math from the beginning to find the error." Eggman grabbed the emerald from Flare, turning towards the exit. "Metal, escort her back to her room, then see to security patrols. I'm going to work on refining my formulae before bed." Seeming rather upset, Eggman left without another word.

Flare looked towards Metal for comfort, unrewarded as usual. Metal simply stared at her for a moment, before turning to the exit himself, leading her back to her room. It wasn't long after that she was dropped off at the door to her quarters. Metal left quickly, leaving Flare all by herself. She went over to her bed, took a seat, and stared at the floor. "Why didn't it work? Am I really just a failed experiment?" She would audibly sigh while continuing to ponder her thoughts. "A weapon... The Ultimate Life Form, even moreso than Shadow The Hedgehog. Is that really what I am?" She took another moment, before looking up to the ceiling. "Why do I know them? Sonic, Tails, and Shadow? I know about them, but we've never met. Sonic, an annoying speedy hedgehog who makes dumb jokes. Tails, Sonics best friend who wastes his genius on pointless inventions for the good of people, when he could be using it for the Doctor's sake...and Shadow, self-proclaimed 'Ultimate Life Form' who's too foolish to solve problems with anything but his raw power and his connection to the Chaos Emeralds. A Connection I should also have..."

Flare would lie back on her bed, continuing to look upwards, resting her hands on her chest. "These opinions, these thoughts. They can't be mine, can they?" She began to wonder to herself "I've never met these people. I can't have opinions on them, but I do. Whose thoughts are these...? It doesn't make sense. I don't even believe them, they're like... Definitions in a dictionary. The way he acts, Sonic is a hero, is he not? What did Eggman do to me in that tank, that filled me with this knowledge and these opinions I shouldn't have?" A determined frown came over Flare's face as she pushed herself back up off the bed. "I need to find out." With a newfound resolve, she made her way to the bedroom door, opening it up and peering outside. "Eggman already wants to do something else to my head. I also know he hates people perusing his data. I have to be careful."

She quietly made her way into the halls, using her vague memory of where she'd been, and her strange knowledge of the unexplored areas of this place to navigate her way to the room she was previously suspended in. "The Badniks should be fine, they only harass intruders, but Metal is smart. He'll know I'm up to something if he catches me in the suspension chamber." She glanced around for signs of Metal, or Eggman. Thankfully they didn't seem to be around. Flare snuck over to the computers Eggman was typing on. "Login info huh? Just need a password. Let's see..." After a moment of thought, she began to enter something in the password bar. It's usually one of a few variants. Let's try... H4T3TH4TH3DG3H0G." After a moment, she found herself on the desktop of the computer terminal. "Huh, easy. Why do I know all this...?" She began to make various keystrokes on the computer's keyboard, logging into various files until she found what she was looking for.

"There! Project Flare..." She opened up the files and started reading through them. "Perfected formula for project Shadow... Ultimate Life From... designed to use destructive fire infused with Chaos emerald energy to destroy Sonic, and take over the world... That's obvious. Horrible, but obvious. I know Eggman wants world domination, but why would I want to destroy Sonic, or his friends? I don't even know them..." Tears began to well up in her eyes, as she got a bit angrier at the notion that she was nothing more than a weapon to be used for wonton destruction. Despite this, she kept reading. "To expedite her role, the subject was given knowledge and experiences directly from my own mind, in moderation of course. Only essentials were transferred to Flare, this should assure a mutual hatred for that Hedgehog and his friends, and an eagerness to complete her goals." She shook her head a bit. "That clearly didn't go to plan. It must be why he plans to reprogram me. I don't understand what he's going to do, so I guess he didn't give me his genius, just general knowledge. And his passwords, for some reason. Must be part of the experience."

Flare took another deep breath before looking down at her feet "If he donated his experiences to develop my mind... Why doesn't it say anything about my body? Was I made in this lab? If so, from what?" Once again plagued by her curiosities she began to peruse more files. "Here. 'Subject Flare's DNA was generously donated by Surge the Tenrec during a decisive battle between her, myself, and Sonic after she stole some of my experimental equipment'...Surge The Tenrec?" She paused for a moment. "A Tenrec who shares my DNA... that makes her, like, my family right?" After a moment focused on this thought process, she began to smile to herself. "Real family. Not like the Doctor, who just wants to use me. Flesh and blood... She might be able to help me, but would she even understand my situation? For now, let's see if Eggman knows where she is." She would search for another minute or so. "Let's see.. 'She was experimented on by Dr. Starline, along with a Fennec named Kitsunami. They were supposed to replace Sonic and Tails'? Why do these Doctors all share a brain cell... Anyway, it looks like... She and I are more similar than I thought. But there's no known location. Guess I'm on my own from here on out." She logs off the computer and turns to the exit. "It's settled then. I'm getting out of here tomorrow, I'll seek out Surge and Kitsunami. My family."

Flare made her way to the exit, and back out into the hallways."I don't even remotely know where to look though. I know about this base, and a few others, but not all of them. But outside of that my knowledge of Mobius is pretty narrow. Guess the Doctor didn't want me exploring before he was ready." She continued to walk through the halls back towards her bedroom, thinking up her plan for her escape when... -THUNK- "Ah!" Flare called out, as she fell back to the ground having bumped into something solid. She looked up in front of her, and there was Metal Sonic, staring her down with his usual deadly glare. "M-Metal!" She'd push herself back up, and dust herself off "S-Sorry, I was just... Getting water! Are you okay? I didn't scratch your paint did I?"

She got only Silence back as Metal locked eyes with her. "W-Well, I'll take it that you're fine then, Sorry again, I'll be going back to my room now. I'm very tired! Goodnight, Metal!" With that, Flare would hurry off past Metal and back to her room. Metal stood in the hallway, glancing behind him towards Flare's room. His eyes narrow, as he begins to walk off in the other direction.

Flare closed the door to her room behind her, and let out a deep sigh of relief. "That was way too close." She walked over to her bed, flopping down on it, clearly exhausted. "I need to be more careful. If Metal or the Doctor find out my plan, I don't think I'll make it. I know what Metal can do in a fight and after failing target practice... I don't think I stand a chance against him. Especially if I don't get some sleep." She said as she closed her eyes, trying to fall into slumber. It took her a while, as her anxiety about the day ahead of her, and the consequences of failure welled up in her mind. It took some time, but she'd eventually drift off into sleep, tossing and turning in unrest the entire night.

That night, Flare had the first dreams she could remember. She was alone, wandering the streets of a city she wasn't familiar with. It was dark, raining, stormy. Occasional flashes of light reveal empty streets and darkened buildings. She was looking for someone, but couldn't find them. She stops in the middle of an intersection, the rain completely drenching her, she holds her shoulders and shivers, the cold setting in. She tried to warm herself with her flames, but it was no use, they wouldn't spark. As she was about to continue walking she heard a noise from behind. ...Clank. ...Clank. ...Clank. Flare turned around, and saw a silhouette behind her. It moved closer. ...Clank. ...Clank. ...Clank. She stepped back, again and again, but couldn't get away. She slipped, and fell back, looking up at the silhouette above her. Another Flash, and for a brief moment she made out the figure. It was herself. The figure raised its arm, pointing its palm at Flare. Everything suddenly went dark. "Chaos Cannon!!" Someone cried out, as Flare woke up in a cold sweat.

Leaping up to a seated position in a panic, she breathed heavily."What was that...?" She then wipes the sweat off her brow. Pushing herself up out of bed. After spending some time freshening herself up, redoing her hair, and splashing some water on her face, she hears a knock on the door. Flare hurries over to open it, and outside she sees two little robots, one with a spherical body, and the other with a cubical body. "Oh, good morning Orbot, Cubot."

"Good morning Miss Flare!" Orbot would respond. "The boss wants to see you!"

"He's waiting for you in the Suspension chamber!" Cubot added.

"I see, thank you. I'll go see him now." She would give them each a soft smile and wave to the two bots as she began heading towards the Suspension chamber, her hands folded over each other. She had a bad feeling about what was to come. After a few minutes, she'd make her way to her destination, Dr. Eggman standing at his computer, Metal by his side. "He didn't discover my snooping... did he?" She wonders to herself, as she clenches her teeth nervously.

"Good, you're here." Eggman would grumble. "I believe I've isolated the problem in the formula, so you're going to go back in the Suspension Tank, in another year's time you should be ready."

"A year?!" She thought to herself in shock. "I can't go back in there for a year... the darkness... the silence...I can't do it again. I WON'T do it again. I need to figure something out, now."

"Metal." Eggman piped up. "Place her in the tank, gently. Do NOT harm her." As per his order, Metal would begin to approach Flare.

"W-Wait! Doctor!" She shouted.

"Hmm? What is it?" He asked in response.

"I-... I understand your disappointment, and eagerness to fix my failures but... I think you are doubting your genius too hastily. Your calculations were likely perfect after all!" Flare exclaimed in a bit of a panic.

"Oh really? What with your lack of control over Chaos Energy, an unwillingness to destroy Sonic or his allies, even in cardboard form, and your inability to detect Chaos Emeralds, what would make you so certain?" He asked her, condescendingly.

"That's just it, Doctor. I can feel the Chaos Emerald. I think I can use Chaos Cannon if I try again." She would explain while nervously rubbing her arm.

"Is that so? Hmm... very well. Show me, Metal fetch the Emerald and meet us in testing chamber #7." He commanded abruptly. "If you're right about this, I can focus on reprograming your insecurity, which should only take about 3 months." Eggman exclaimed as Metal turned towards the room's eastern exit.

This did not make Flare feel better, but she had come up with a plan, and it was too late to back out now. "That would be... marvelous, Doctor. It would save so much time, and I could finally be useful to you. However, I think I should go fetch the Emerald myself. If you want to know if my Radar is functional, I should test it by finding the Emerald you've stored in the base!"

"A Fair point," he said, his arms crossed as he tapped his foot. "In that case, Flare you will go retrieve the Emerald, Metal, your services are not required at the moment. Return to your other duties."

Metal Sonic looked at Flare for a second, before turning towards the southern exit to leave the room. "Be snappy, Flare. You know I don't like to be kept waiting." Eggman huffed as he left through the western exit, towards test chamber #7.

"I know, Doctor." She would say, before waiting for a moment for him to leave. Once alone, Flare let out another relieved sigh. "It worked... okay, I know Metal was going east but I have no idea where the Emerald is... I can make an educated guess based on the layout of the base, though. If I'm right, I can grab it and get out of here. Maybe I can figure out how to use it on the road and it can help me find Surge. Either way, I shouldn't leave it with Eggman." With her plan in place, she made her way to the eastern exit. She ran through the halls turning corner after corner, passing plenty of Badniks on the way, before eventually arriving at a large heavily armored door. She walked up to a nearby keypad and entered a series of numbers, which caused the doors to open. Inside was, in fact, the Violet Chaos Emerald from the day before, perched atop a pedestal holding it in place as if for display. "I did it...! This is gonna work...!" With the first bit of real joy she had felt since her awakening the day prior filling her heart, she grabbed the Emerald, and rather than heading to the test chamber she bolted towards one of the base's main entrances.

She ran non-stop for several minutes, gripping the Emerald tightly in her hand. As she reached the main entrance she skidded to a hard stop. Roughly 50 feet from the door, in front of which stood an all too familiar face. "Metal..."

"..." Metal said nothing, did nothing, just glared directly at Flare.

"So...you figured it out. I guess I wasn't as stealthy as I thought. I should've been more careful, but I guess it's too late now... I'm sure I know the answer, but, I don't want to fight you, Metal. So with that in mind I have to ask... will you let me through? Please?" She asked, hopefully. Though as she said, the answer was obvious. Metal Sonic crouched into an attacking position, ready to pounce if she ran, or fight if she charged.

"I figured as much. But if I'm going back in the Tank either way... I won't go down quietly. I'm sorry Metal!" With a cry, she would fire a concentrated firebolt directly at Metal. Dodging swiftly, Metal Sonic would maneuver towards Flare, dodging several other blasts. He approached quickly, closing the gap within seconds, and reached out to grab her. "I won't go down that easy!" With a snap of her fingers, Flare surrounds herself in a shield of purple flame, which causes Metal to draw his arm back. Reacting quickly, Flare summons a wall of fire behind Metal, which she then proceeds to leap through herself, her shield keeping Metal from grabbing her. She dispels the shield to focus on keeping the wall up as she races for the entrance. Once she's there she goes to enter the code. In that second she loses concentration, and a small gap in the wall appears, which Metal deftly jumps through.

Metal charges forward at Mach speed, as the doors slowly open up. He gets closer and closer, as the gap between the doors slowly widens, Flare trying her hardest to get through before metal reaches her, but it's clear she'll never make it. Her back against the wall, she looks down to the Emerald in her hand. Tears in her eyes dropped onto the relic. She doesn't want to go. She doesn't want to lose herself, she doesn't want to be his weapon. Just then, for a moment she felt a spark in her chest, and the Emerald began to glow. She could only assume this meant one thing. She had a choice to make. "Metal... I don't want to hurt you..." She knew in this moment, that there was no way to completely avoid violence, but she could still decide to use it only when it was absolutely necessary.

"But right now..." She grits her sharp teeth and holds up her hand towards the bot barreling towards her. "You leave me no choice! Chaos CANNON!" she shifts the position of her hand, curling her pinkie and ring fingers in, and pointing her index and middle fingers towards Metal, making the shape of a gun. Then, In a flash, a bright beam of pure fiery energy shoots forth from her fingers, directly at Metal, he skids to a stop in midair, attempting to try and avoid it but he hadn't calculated that she would actually use the Chaos Cannon, at least not successfully. As the beam makes contact, it erupts into a powerful explosion, launching Metal backward as fast as he was charging, and after a few seconds, a loud crash is heard throughout the base, followed by slight tremors as he collides with a wall at the other end of the long hallways of Eggmand base.

As Flare turns around, the Door is finally open, and before her, the sun shines brightly over an open grassy field. She smiles and takes a step forward, stumbling a bit. "Woah...That took it out of me... I guess I'm still not used to Chaos Energy. But I can't quit now, I'm just getting started." She took a deep breath and marched forward, Emerald in hand. "I've gotta find Surge and Kitsunami... My family. And nothing's gonna stop me." After a while, she disappeared over the horizon, her search for her family finally having begun, and her new life truly starting.

Later, in Dr. Eggmans base. The Doctor works on a table on the heavily damaged body of Metal Sonic. "I should've seen this coming. In giving her data on my bouts with that infuriating Hedgehog, she also learned some of the weaknesses used against me. I never expected her to use my genius to make me overconfident, I figured she wouldn't have been able to develop such an annoying trait. It won't happen again though." He said, with a grumble. "You did good, Metal. You couldn't have guessed she'd suddenly unlock the use of her Chaos Energy. Had I guessed what she was planning I would've used the failsafe, but it's no matter, We will search for her together, recover the Emerald, and turn her into the destructive force she was designed to be."

As Eggman finishes his repairs, Metal slowly boots up rising to his feet. Eggman looks over to a schematic on the wall, depicting formulae and designs for Flare The Tenrec. The Schematic is labeled only as 'The New Ultimate Life Form.' He turns his head away and scoffs. "Ultimate Waste of Time, more like." He marches off out of his workshop, Metal following behind him, ready to begin their plan to find Flare and bring her back.

End.

Chapter Text

It had been some time since Flare escaped Dr. Eggmans base and defeated Metal Sonic, a feat she thought completely impossible. The bond she shared with the Chaos Emerald had remained consistent, she could feel its power, as well as her ability to control it. She hadn't tried using Chaos Cannon again since then, nor had she attempted to find other Emeralds as she felt no need. One was more than enough to keep her safe from her pursuers. Her travels had taken her far, as she now found herself walking down the busy streets of an unfamiliar environment.

"Central City...." She muttered, having learned its name once she'd crossed into the city limits. Flare wandered aimlessly for some time, looking for any sign of Surge, or Kitsunami. There wasn't much info on either of them in Eggman's files, at least from what she found. Perhaps if she had taken more time to search she could've found something more concrete, but there was no time to dwell on what could have been. She had one thing to go off of, a photo of Surge that was listed with the DNA source data. She stared at the purple Chaos Emerald in her hand, not concentrating much on where she was going, instead focusing on the image of Surge she had in her head, making sure not to allow herself to forget a single detail that could keep her from finding the only family she had. Unfortunately, she knew nothing of Kitsunami, supposing his information was irrelevant to Project Flare. All she had to go off of was that he was a Fennec, she could keep an eye out, but it wouldn't help much.

"Alright, time to focus, Flare." The young Tenrec said to herself, tucking the emerald away and stopping on the corner of a busy intersection. She glanced around, looking for any clue about where to go. Her eyes locked onto a coffee shop across the street, so she decided to make her way there. However, unbeknownst to her she was already being observed. Two figures, cloaked in the shadows of buildings trailed after the girl, keeping a safe distance, but refusing to get left behind.

Once at the Coffee shop, Flare would ask around, starting with the Barista at the counter. "Excuse me, I was wondering-"

"Hey Lady!" Shouted one of the customers. "Get in line! No Cutting!" The angry fox scowled at Flare, as he uncrossed his arms and pointed to the back of a small line of other customers comprised of seven patrons, including himself.

"L-Line? Cutting? I-I'm sorry I don't..." Flare began to look around nervously, noticing other customers in line were also upset.

"I don't wanna hear it, you get in line, you wait your turn! Just like the rest of us!" The fox shouted once again, before stomping his foot. The Barista looked awkwardly between Flare and the fox, not seeming to know what to do in this situation either, eventually just going back to serving the customer at the front.

Somewhat deflated, Flare would do as she was told, shuffling over to the back of the line. She waited and waited. It took several minutes for each customer. When she was 5^th in line, she felt nervous, now having others behind her. After another few minutes, she was 3^rd in line, and her discomfort increased. She felt as though she had caused unnecessary issues. Once she was 2^nd in line, she considered leaving to find help elsewhere, but she had already sunk so much time into this that she felt she had to see it through. Finally, she made her way to the register, as the first one in line.

"Good afternoon! Welcome to Mean Beans! What can I get started for you today?" The smiling rabbit Barista would say as Flare approached the counter.

"Ah, G-Good afternoon. I was wondering if you could help me..." Flare would explain, as she nervously looked around, struggling to lock eyes with the barista.

"I can do my best! What do you need help with, Ma'am?" The Barista asked curiously, seeming unsure if she could do anything at all.

"Oh, no, my name is Flare, not Ma'am. I'm sorry I should've specified." Flare looked even more nervous, starting to feel extremely anxious about the situation she'd found herself in. She even took a glance back behind her at the other customers, most of which looked annoyed for some reason or another. While some looked bored and indifferent.

"Nice to meetcha Flare! Don't worry about it, some people just don't have patience it's not your fault. What happened earlier, I mean. I'm Hopps by the way! So, what was it you needed help with?" The Barista asked, seeming sympathetic and wanting to help in any way she could.

"Oh, y-yes. Thank you. You see..." Flare paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm looking for someone, I was wondering if she came through here, or if you've seen her at all? Her name is Surge, she's a Tenrec like myself. Green quills, Black shirt, yellow pants, about my height. She may have been traveling with a Fennec named Kitsunami?" Explained Flare, not taking any unnecessary breaths during her ramble.

"Oh, wow. Uh, okay, well why are you looking for her exactly? Is she a friend of yours?" Hopps sounded a bit curious, seeming to wonder what Flare's intentions were.

"A friend? No... She is... my... Sister." Flare clarified, her eyes suddenly lowering, a deep sadness washing over her. "My family... Please, if you know anything at all, I beg of you..."

Hopps let a small frown appear on her face. "Oh wow, I'm sorry... I really wish I could help, I can't imagine what it's like to lose track of your family. I haven't seen her, but tell you what, if she comes by I'll be sure to tell her you're looking for her. Is there any place I can tell her to go? Like a hotel you're staying at maybe?"

"A Hotel...?" Flare parroted. "I'm... afraid not. I don't have a place to stay, it's part of why I'm looking for her."

"Oh... Well, I'm really sorry I can't do anything more. If I do see her I promise I'll let her know, and if you come back sometime, maybe I'll have something for you, but I can't promise anything." Hopps grimaced, almost seeming to beat herself up a bit, as she clearly wanted to be helpful.

"It's okay," Responded Flare "I understand, truly. Thank you for your help, and hopefully I will see you again soon so-"

"Seriously?!" Shouted another customer, waiting in line behind Flare. "Can you guys hurry it up already? I've only got 30 minutes for lunch!"

Flare didn't look back this time, she just closed her eyes for a moment as she felt even more upset. Not wanting to burden anyone further, she looked back at Hopps and put on a fake smile "Thank you for your time. I won't take up any more." And without another word, Flare left the counter and made her way towards the exit. Once outside, she noticed a bench nearby. She went over to take a seat, staring down at the floor. "This is going to be much harder than I thought... I didn't think..." She let out a sigh, taking the Emerald out of her jacket's inner pocket for a moment. "There has to be a more efficient way. Right?" As Flare pondered the situation, she placed the emerald back into her pocket.

"Hey kid, did I hear ya say you're lookin' for Surge in there?" Asked a mysterious voice from behind her.

"Huh?" Flare asked as she turned around to see a slightly larger figure, wearing a trench coat that covered most of their body. "Y-Yes I did. Why? Do you know her?" She asked, hopefully.

"As a matter of fact, I do! She's actually staying here in town right now. I can take ya right to her, heh." The mysterious figure says with a bit of a chuckle.

"Really? Yes, please! Take me to her! You have no idea how much this would mean to me, I need to find her as soon as possible! I would be forever in your debt!" As Flare excitedly explained she hopped up from the bench, getting closer to the character before her.

"Alright, alright! Calm down kid, don't make me change my mind with all the sappy stuff. Just follow me, alright?" He says, as he turns to walk off down the sidewalk, his stripped tail waving behind him.

"Right! Thank you!" With sparkles in her eyes, Flare follows after the figure. The two of them walk a few blocks from the coffee shop. They take a few turns and cross a few crosswalks, eventually turning down an alleyway.

"Right this way." Said the figure. "We'll be there after this quick shortcut." He explained as he led her down the dimly lit ally.

"I see, thank you for finding the quickest route!" She smiled and stayed close to the mysterious person.

"Alright, we're just about here." He said, stopping abruptly about halfway into the ally.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand... is the entrance around here somewhere?" Flare asked with confusion in her eyes. "I certainly don't see it. Is it hidden?"

"Nah, but the three of us are, heh heh." Responded the figure.

"Three?" Asked Flare

"Yup, now... Give up your stuff..." He said while removing the coat and throwing it down, revealing the figure to be a Skunk, with blue-grey and cream-colored fur and a large bushy tail.

"...And make yourself humble..." Another voice piped up from behind Flare, another large Skunk with cream and beige fur, and a very short tail that looked like it was cut off.

"'Cause you've been tricked by Rough and Tumble!" The two called out in unison, both with large grins resting on their faces.

"I'm sorry...what?" Flare asked, looking between the two more confused than ever. "Rough, and Tumble?"

"That's right! We saw you struttin' around town showin' off your fancy jewel, now you're gonna hand it over, or things are gonna get REALLY rough." Said the Skunk named Rough, pounding one of his fists into the palm of his other hand.

"Fancy Jewel?" Asked Flare in response. "You want... my Chaos Emerald?"

"Chaos Emerald?" Tumble repeated. "Sound's even more valuable than we thought, bro!"

"Sure does, now are you gonna hand it over kid, or are we gonna have to pummel it out of you?" Rough asked Flare.

"You... tricked me. Told me you knew where Surge was... For my Chaos Emerald?" She asked again, as her eyes began to narrow, tears forming in the corners.

"How many times do we hafta say it?! Yes! Now hand it over, I ain't askin' again!" Rough shouted through gritted teeth.

"I thought I had found my family... You lied to me..." Flare gritted her teeth as well, trying to hold in her despair, taking a step back from Rough, causing her to bump into Tumble, who then picked her up by the back of her neck. "Ah...! L-Let me go! I'm not going to fight you, but you won't take my Emerald! I need it!"

"Oh yeah? Well if you're not fightin' back, it should be pretty easy to swipe, yeah?" Tumble retorted as Rough began to approach Flare.

"Should be, bro. Now hold her still, I'm gonna teach her a lesson on what happens when you mess with Rough and Tumble!" As Rough got close, he balled up his fist, pulled back his arm, and swung it into Flare's stomach.

"AHH!" She cried out, as she began to go into a coughing fit from the punch. "W-Why...? I said I wouldn't...."

"I already told ya, this is what happens when you mess with us! You don't wanna hand over the jewel, we're not gonna let it slide!" He takes another swing, punching her once more in the gut as Flare lets out another cry. Her head falls and Rough smirks, reaching his hand into her jacket, searching around for a moment before grinning wider. "There!" He takes the Emerald out of her pocket and tosses it in the air before catching it again. "Oh yeah, this thing's gonna fetch a pretty penny! We're gonna be rich!"

Tumble chuckles alongside Rough. "Yeah, and with that kinda cash we can buy new weapons, and I can get a new tail!" Tumble tosses Flare behind him, as the two Skunks begin making their way towards the other end of the ally.

"...Give it...back..." Flare says, taking heavy breaths as she pushes herself onto her knees, her head still low and facing the ground.

"What was that?" Rough says as he and Tumble stop in their tracks. Rough looks back at Flare, holding the Emerald up. "You wanna say that again, kid?"

"Give... It... BACK!!" Flare shouts as she lifts her head, glaring daggers at Rough and Tumble. Without hesitation, she holds up her hand and launches a fire bolt, which flies directly towards Rough, but instead of hitting him directly, it hits his hand.

"YEOWCH!" Rough cries as he accidentally flings the Emerald into the air, and in a flash, it vanishes.

"Huh? Where'd the Jewel go?" Tumble asked in confusion.

"I dunno, and I don't care!" Rough answered as he glared back at Flare. "You're gonna wish you never did that kid, if you thought we were bad a second ago, you're about to really feel the hurt!"

"Sorry boys, but you're the ones who're gonna be hurting if you keep at this." Another strange voice echoed through the ally, and after a moment, a white-furred bat flew down, landing next to Flare with Chaos Emerald in hand.

Rough groaned audibly. "Oh great, now Rouge is here. What do ya want? This is our heist, we don't need you getting in the way!"

Rouge shook her head and smirked. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize this party was invite only. Guess you could say I'm her plus one." She said sarcastically. "Now why don't you both show a little class and walk away from this one?

Tumble growled. "No way! That Jewels ours fair and square!"

"Yeah, we're takin' it back and giving you both a beatdown!" Rough would add.

"No." Flaire said, abruptly.

"Hmm?" Rouge glanced down at Flare, as the Tenrec pushed herself to her feet. "Hey kid, you should get back. I can handle these two."

"I said... No." She responded, turning to Rouge and, without hesitation, swiping the Emerald from her hand.

"Hey! You could've just asked!" Rouge exclaimed.

Flare ignored her, her eyes filled with a fury she hadn't yet felt before. This feeling wasn't natural to her. It was an urge to destroy. It went against her instincts, but she couldn't fight it. Her heart was in pain, having been given so much hope only to have it stolen like the Emerald from her pocket. She pointed her two fingers at Rough and Tumble. "Chaos CANNON!" She cried. The Emerald let off a glow, as did her hand as she let off another beam of pure energy. It raced across the ally directly towards the two brothers.

"Woah! Duck!" Rough yelled as he and Tumble jumped behind a nearby dumpster. The beam collided with the spot they were standing, causing a massive explosion, filling the entire alley with heat and fire. A Shield appeared around Rouge, as Flare stood, taking the fire like it was nothing. Rouge had been shielding herself from the blast with her arms, before noticing the shield Flare provided kept her safe. As she looked back in front of her, there was a pile of debris. Stairwells from the buildings on either side had collapsed in some sections, and the dumpster Rough and Tumble hid behind, as well as any trash in the vicinity, was completely destroyed. Rough and Tumble had managed to survive, only seeming slightly scorched by the blast as the looked back at Rouge and Flare.

"She's Crazy! Let's get outta here!" Rough cried as he bolted out of the ally, away from the two girls.

"Yeah, a new tail ain't worth our lives!" Tumble added as he followed his brother out.

Once things had calmed down, the shield around Rouge disappeared, and Flare continued to stand there, unmoving. Silent.

"So uh...That's a neat trick. Where'd you learn to do that?" Rouge asked as she dusted herself off.

"...I was born with it." Flare replied, as she turned and to face the other end of the Ally. "I need to go. Thanks for your help. Sorry, if you got hurt." She then began her somber walk back out to the public streets, quickly disappearing from Rouge's sight.

"Who in the world was that girl?" Rouge asked herself as she looked back at the destruction in the ally. "She was a lot like... I think he's gonna wanna know about this." She muttered as the sound of sirens began to fill the air around her. "Ah, guess that's my cue to leave."

With a flap of her wings, she took off, exiting the ally from the skies she entered it from, with the intent to relay everything that had just happened to the person she felt would be the most interested to know. Given how little she knew about the Tenrec who just destroyed an ally and nearly killed Rough and Tumble, she felt she had no choice but to take action.

Meanwhile, Flare wandered the streets alone again. She gripped the Emerald tightly in her hand. After some time she stopped in her tracks, her eyes facing downwards. After a moment a droplet hit the concrete at her feet. Then another, and another. As tears dropped one after the other onto the ground, Flare held in her cries. Wiping her eyes with her arm, taking short breaths. People passed her on the street, none wanting to intervene, they simply walked around her. She moved one foot forward and continued to walk, the tears still falling. She couldn't concentrate on where she was going. Eventually, she found herself in a park, and after traveling into the center, she sat herself down by a small pond.

"Why...?" She asked herself out loud. "Why are things like this...?" She continues speaking to no one in particular. "All I wanted was to... Why are people so...?" Tears continued to fall down her cheeks, and onto the Emerald she now held in both hands. "I wanted to be kind, to be good. Like Sonic said anyone could, so why? Why won't anyone help me?! Is this punishment, for being Dr Eggmans creation?!" She began to shout, although unintentionally.

"So, you're one of Eggmans creations then?" A familiar voice asked from behind Flare. The Tenrec froze in fear, that voice could only belong to one person.

"No... Not you... Not right now..." She refused to turn around and look at the Black and red Hedgehog that stood behind her. He took a step toward her, which caused Flare to leap up and away from him, standing right on the edge of the pond.

"I heard you say you were his creation. What exactly are you, and why can you use the Chaos Emeralds?" He asked sternly, his eyes locked with hers.

"I...I am..." She stammered, as her heart raced. She was afraid. Before her stood the being that prompted her existence, the one she was meant to replace. The one she was designed to destroy.

"Spit it out, I don't have all day." The Hedgehog asked impatiently.

"Shadow... I-" Flare began to speak but was cut off.

"So you know me. Why?" He prodded.

"I was... created... to destroy you." She said with tears streaming down her face. "I'm supposed to be... The Ultimate Life Form." Flare explained

"That's absurd. You, The Ultimate Life Form? That claim that you were created to destroy me. Is that why you can use the Chaos Emeralds?" Shadow clenched his fist and continued his interrogation.

Flare gulped nervously. "Y-Yes..."

"Do you have a name?" Shadow asked

"F-Flare. Flare the Tenrec...." She responded.

"Flare. Give me the Chaos Emerald." Shadow demanded.

"What? N-No! I won't! I need it!! Why does everyone want my Emerald?!" She cried out as her trembling worsened, the Emerald beginning to glow.

Shadow quickly dashed forward, closing the gap in a second. "I wasn't asking." Within another second, he had grabbed her by the arm, and swung her around, tossing her into the pond

"Ah..!" Flare yelled as she fell into the water with a splash, she pushed herself up and tried to bring up her shield, to no avail. "What? No... The water! How did you know?!"

"Rouge warned me about you. A black Tenrec who can wield the Chaos Emeralds, who can control fire and create concentrated explosions. You're a threat, and I'm going to stop you." Shadow answered. "Just give up, and give me the Emerald, Flare."

"NO!" She screamed. "I WON'T BE PUSHED AROUND ANYMORE! ESPECIALLY NOT BY YOU!!!" Without another moment's hesitation, she pointed her two fingers at Shadow. "CHAOS BATTERY!"

"What?!" Shadow asked, somewhat surprised by her sudden attack. As he did, Flare began to fire off several Chaos Cannons in succession, each aimed at Shadow, he deftly dodged each one using his speed, the stray blasts blowing holes in sections of the park, knocking over trees, burning bushes to pules of ash, and shattering benches into splinters.

"Flare, Stop! You'll destroy everything you fool!" Pleaded Shadow, as he raced around the pond, dodging blast after blast.

"No! I won't stop until you LEAVE! ME! ALONE!" She responded, continuing her barrage of explosions.

Shadow scoffed. "Fine, then we do this the hard way." Turning inward, Shadow continued to dodge her attacks as he closed the distance, swiftly ducking under one last energy beam as he got within arms reach of her, and placed his hand on the Emerald in hers. "Chaos... CONTROL"

"No...!" Flare cried, as everything slowed to a standstill, she didn't move, or speak anymore, just stood as still as a statue, as did the fires around her, the water in the pond, and everything else. Everything, but Shadow.

Shadow removed the emerald from her hand gently and turned away, beginning his departure. "Sorry it had to come to this, but your mental state is too unstable to be trusted with this power. Once I get this Emerald somewhere safe, I'll be back, and we can figure out how to-"

At that moment, Shadow was struck by a powerful firebolt to the back. "Ugh...!" He groaned as he fell to one knee. Another firebolt hit the Chaos Emerald out of his hand and into the air once more, but before it could go anywhere a second bolt hit Shadows back again, knocking him to the floor. "Damnit...!" He called as he hit the ground.

The Emerald flew through the air for a second before plummeting to the ground. Flare, however, caught it before it hit the water at her feet. "Sorry, Shadow. Your Chaos Control won't work on me. I told you before, I was made to destroy you." Flare said as she walked through the pond, stopping just above the Black and Red Hedgehog, pointing her fingers out towards him. She stood there, silently for a moment, ready to fire out another blast and end him once and for all. She thought about her time with Eggman, the empty void she experienced in his suspension tank. She thought about her false experiences, versus Sonic and Tails. The lessons she learned from the famous hedgehog. 'You don't have to do this.' he would say. She closed her fist, and swung it at the back of Shadow's head, knocking him unconscious. "I guess even an Ultimate Life Form is weak when their guard is down. Please forgive me, Shadow." As time began to resume around her, the fires spreading through the park, she looked at the unconscious foe she had only barely beaten. She stared at his unmoving body for several seconds, before picking him up and carrying him over her shoulder. She walked to the edge of the park, back to the city streets as fire engines pulled up around the area where they had fought. She gently placed him down on a sidewalk, where the fire was unlikely to reach him, and walked away towards the city limits.

As she made her exit she reflected on all she'd experienced while she was here, and how wrong everything had gone since she escaped Dr. Eggmans base. She had been yelled at, attacked, robbed, and had made an enemy of someone she never wanted to fight in the first place. Flare began to wonder if she belonged out here in the real world. Perhaps the only place she could truly exist was with her creator. She wondered what would happen if she found Surge and Kitsunami. Would they accept her? Or would they attack her when they found out she was an Eggman experiment? She couldn't predict the outcome, not anymore. She didn't know what to do, and she didn't know where to go. For now, she only knew she had to move. To get away from Eggman, Metal, and now, Shadow.

Earlier, in Central City, Shadow the Hedgehog stands atop the roof of a tall apartment building, overlooking the city from its edge. His arms crossed in his signature pose as he looks out over the city streets below him. Behind him stands Rouge the bat, having just finished an explanation of events in the ally where she'd met Flare.

"And that's pretty much it." She says. Her expression that someone who tried to hide her worry. "I don't know who she is, or where she came from. She didn't seem eager to talk."

"You're sure she could use the Chaos Emerald?" Shadow asked, not looking back at his friend.

"I'm sure, That explosion was no joke, and the feeling I got was just like when you do it. She even acted a little like you, at least towards the end. I doubt you'd let yourself get hit so hard if you could avoid it." Rouge says, shaking her head. "She's a lot like you."

"Nobody is like me." Retorted Shadow. "But if you're right about this and she can wield the Chaos Emerald, then I need to find her. She'll hurt someone."

"Look at you! Worried about the people now, are we?" Rouge said with a slight chuckle.

"Not a chance. I'm worried about-... Nothing." Shadow would cut himself off.

Rouge shrugged and spoke "Alright, alright. Let's get going then, she can't have gone too far so I'm willing to bet she's still in the city. If the two of us go at her together-"

"No. I'm going alone." Shadow said, cutting her off now.

"I'm sorry?" questioned Rouge "You heard what I said right, she can control the Chaos Emerald, you don't know what else she's capable of. I at least have some experience-"

"I don't care. You said she can control the Chaos Emerald and those explosions you described... You'll just get in my way. I'll handle this myself." He explained, turning his head back toward Rouge, glaring at her from over his shoulder.

Rouge could sense the true intentions behind his words. With that in mind, she relented. "Alright. I'll hang back, but you better not lose after that tough talk."

"I don't lose." Shadow huffed. Looking again over the horizon before jumping off his perch, landing on another nearby building, and running across.

Rouge watched as he leaped from building to building in search of his mark, and she let out a sigh. "Be careful, Shadow."

Hours later, in the present, long after the fight with Shadow, Flare wandered the area east of Central City. Using the Trees for cover, she stumbled between each one. She seemed exhausted, energy drained, tired. "Chaos Battery...huh? "She muttered to herself. "I didn't think I had that in me... and I was right. I have... nothing left." She continued to stumble around. "I can't even think straight... I just need..." at that moment, her words were cut off by the loud grumbling of her stomach. "...Oh." She let out a sigh as she exited the cover of the trees, coming to a large open area. A short distance away she noticed a hole in the ground, with what looked like a shed or small house inside of it.

"A shelter... Maybe I can get some rest there..." Flare approached the pit, and tried to gently climb down into it, but lost her balance and tumbled to the bottom. She didn't even have the energy to cry out. She just pushed herself to her knees, looking around her, and noticed now that she was actually inside a garden. There were vegetables of varying types growing all around her. Her mouth begins to water a bit as she looks between them, realizing she hasn't eaten once since emerging from the Tank at Eggman's base. She crawled over to a plump juicy tomato, reaching out to grab it. As her hand wrapped around it, she paused. Closing her eyes. "It's... not mine... I don't need... more enemies." She sighed again, letting go of the delicious-looking fruit. She then turned her attention to the tool shed. "I just need... a little rest." Pushing herself up to her feet, she wobbled in place. After finding her balance, she took a step forward. At that moment everything went blurry. Her vision became tunneled, and darkness overtook her. She came crashing down with a forceful thud, right in the middle of this mysterious garden.

End

Chapter Text

"I can't stop. I have to keep going. I can't let them find me."Thoughts like these played on a loop inside the mind of Flare The Tenrec as she struggled to bring herself back to consciousness. She felt like she was stuck inside Dr. Eggman's suspension tank again. The world around her was dark, and she couldn't make anything out, not the sounds around her, not the environment she found herself in. It was like she was floating through space, but different. She noticed a sensation on her back. It was warm and soft. "This is..." She realized after a time what the situation was.

"... The comfiest bed ever..." She would mumble as she slowly began to open her eyes. She glanced around, finding herself in a dimly lit room. It was clean and well-maintained. The bed she was sleeping on was incredible and smelled like the sheets had just been washed. There was a bookshelf on one end of the room, though it was empty. A few drawers and dressers as well, all of which looked unused. Next to her bed was a nightstand, which Flare noticed had a tray of food on it. A fresh-looking sandwich, with some potato chips on the side, and a cold glass of water with ice. Flare pushed herself up from the bed, and looked around again, before licking her lips and grabbing the sandwich without hesitation. She scarfed it down in a matter of seconds, taking handfuls of chips as well and washing it all down with the ice-cold water. "Ahh...Thish ish delishoush!" She exclaimed with her mouth full. It took only a few minutes for her to completely clean the tray, and with a satisfied breath, she leaned back on her hands. She could only enjoy it for a moment, however, when it dawned on her. She was missing her jacket, as well as her bracelets, hair tie, and earrings. The only thing she had left on was her dress, shoes, and gloves.

Flare's eyes went wide as she realized what this meant. "My Jacket... The Emerald?!" She shouted, beginning to look around frantically. "Where's the Emerald?!" She hopped out of the bed and began looking everywhere before she noticed over by the door there was a work desk, and resting gently on top of it was the purple Chaos Emerald she had been guarding so intently. She ran over to the desk, picking it up, and holding it close to herself. "Thank goodness..." It was at that moment she realized the rest of her things were here too. Her jacket hung over the desk's chair, and her accessories were organized on the tabletop. This was all arranged so deliberately, so gently, she now knew for certain she wasn't captured by Eggman. With that in mind, she began to ask herself. "Where... am I?"

She would look over to the door, curious about what was on the other side. She moved towards it, and reached for the knob, turning it slowly and opening the door a crack. Taking a quick peek outside, Flare noticed it was a hallway with many other similar doors. It looked like some kind of barracks or housing area. There were a few people at one end of the hallway, but when it looked like they were going to turn her way she panicked and shut the door, quickly running back to the bed. "Is this... a Prison?" She asked herself. "Did Shadow find me, and take me to local authorities?" Flare pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "No. If so, why leave the Emerald? I could escape easily with it. So then, where? Perhaps a wandering civilian from Central City found me and took me to a shelter... Perhaps the owner of the farm?"

Flare spent what seemed like an eternity trying to figure out what happened after she passed out. Her thought process would be interrupted by a sudden knocking at her door. Flare went silent, and stared at the door, she thought this was the end of her short-lived peace. She waited, not planning to answer whomever was waiting for her response. A minute later, another knock, and this time it was followed by a higher-pitched voice calling through the door.

"Hello? Are you in there? You're not still sleeping, are you?" The voice asked with a tinge of concern. Flare still refused to respond, clutching her Emerald close to her as she continued to watch the door. "I'm coming in, okay?" The voice said, before slowly opening the door. As it cracked open Flare went to hide under the blanket, she didn't lie down so it was obvious she was there.

As the door finished opening, in walked the figure of a small pink hedgehog. Her short pink quills were held down by her red hairband. She wore white gloves and a cute red dress which was white at the bottom. She also sported a pair of gold ring bracelets and a pair of red shoes with a white stripe down the middle. The hedgehog girl immediately looked at the large lump of blanket resting on the middle of the bed, her head tilted and eyebrow raised in confusion. "Hey, is that you under there? I really hope you don't normally sleep like that."

Flare didn't respond, instead thinking quickly she thrust her arms up, and launched the blanket towards the pink hedgehog, before standing up on the bed.

"What the heck?!" The girl shouted as she was suddenly covered in a thick blanket.

With her distraction in place, Flare went to jump off the bed and make her escape, however, her heels on the soft mattress were not a good combo, and she lost her balance, holding the Emerald above her head to avoid landing on it as she fell face first onto the floor with a loud -CRASH-. The Emerald jumped up from her hand and landed directly on the back of her head with a -Thunk!- before rolling across the floor over to the pink hedgehog's feet, just in time for her to throw the blanket off of herself.

"What was that for...?!" She asked before looking over at Flare, a sudden concern washing over her. "Oh! Hey, are you alright? That sounded like it hurt..." The pink hedgehog hurried over to her, flipping Flare over and resting the Tenrec's head on her lap. "Are ya still with me?"She would ask.

Flare looked up at her, seeming beyond confused now. "Amy Rose...?" She asked, only just realizing who she was talking to.

"Yeah! How'd you know? Have we met somewhere before?" Amy questioned curiously.

"You... could say that. I've seen you fight...Dr. Eggman, with Sonic and Tails." She explained, not technically a lie as she had experiences of plans ruined by Amy in her head as well, courtesy of Eggman. "You're very strong."

Amy blushed a little bit and scratched one of her cheeks with her finger "Awwe, that's sweet of you to say." She giggled and went to help Flare up to her feet. "So you know my name, mind sharing yours?"

"It's... Flare. Flare the Tenrec." She said, accepting Amy's help and getting to her feet.

"Well, it's nice meeting you Flare! How are you feeling? You were pretty rough when I found you out in the garden. I was really worried about you!" Amy would say, while looking Flare up and down, checking for any sort of injuries.

"I am... okay. So, you were the one who found me and brought me here? That was your garden?" Flare inquired, she was still a bit on edge but she was fairly certain Amy didn't plan to hurt her, yet.

"I did." Responded Amy, with a nod. "Though, it's not exactly my garden. It's more of a group effort! It really belongs to my friend Silver. I found you out cold, right in the middle. You looked exhausted and had a couple of bruises. I brought you down here to recover."

"Down here?" Flare asked. "Down where?"

"The Restoration Headquarters. This is our little home underground! Welcome!" She'd reply with a smile."The Restoration is devoted to cleaning up the messes Dr. Eggman and other jerks like him tend to make around the world! We've food, entertainment, and places to do some good work if you want, there's also places for refugees, so, if you'd like, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you need! This room's all yours!"

"This room... is mine?" Flare glanced around while questioning. "You would really do that for... a stranger? Why? Why would you be so kind to someone you don't know?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Amy responded, her smile not fading.

"...I 'll tell you why." Flare said, her eyes narrowing as she began to feel the pain and heartache she had been feeling since her adventures in Central City, causing Amy to look confused. "How about because I'm a creation of Dr. Eggman?" Flare said, suddenly reaching out and grabbing Amy's dress by the collar. "I was designed for destruction. My purpose is to eliminate Shadow, Sonic, and you too. So I ask again, why show kindness to a stranger you don't know? Nobody else I've met has been so naive. If you keep up like this, harsh lessons await you."

Amy looked up at Flare as her dress was grabbed, she looked surprised for a second but said nothing as Flare went on her rant. Once she was finished Amy just looked into the Tenrecs eyes. "Are you done? Great. Look, first of all, I can take care of myself, You said yourself, you know I'm pretty strong! Second of all, I'm not naive, I've had a lot of experience with this kind of stuff. So you wanna know what I think? I think you're being pretty insincere right now. If you wanted to hurt me, you would have, but here we are. So I don't really mind if you were created by Eggman, or whoever else okay? Plenty of Eggman's creations have turned out to be great people, like my friend Omega. So unless you give me a really good reason not to trust you, I'm gonna keep trusting you, Flare. You wear your heart on your sleeve, you don't wanna hurt anyone."

Flare stared in stunned silence at the girl before her, she didn't know how to respond. After a few more moments of quiet, Flare let Amy go. "I.. am sorry. You're right. I don't... want to hurt you." She choked on her words as she began to cry. "I don't... want to hurt... anyone!"

Amy moved in and gave Flare a gentle hug. "I know you don't, Flare. I figured that out after talking with Rouge. She told me how you went through something pretty rough and got into it with Shadow. I know you got into it with Shadow, he didn't wanna hurt you, and it's clear you didn't wanna hurt him either. Because if you did, you wouldn't have saved him. "

Flare had no response, only continuing to bawl her eyes out, drenching Amy's shoulder in tears. She was overwhelmed by emotions, she hadn't expected anyone to show her this much kindness.

"It's alright Flare. Let it all out. "Amy said while gently rubbing the young Tenrics back. The two remained like this for several minutes, it took quite a long time before Flare would finally be able to regain her composure. She let go of Amy and began to wipe her face, drying her eyes and looking back at her new friend.

"I'm sorry... your dress..." She said with guilty eyes.

"It's fine! I've got plenty, and it's not the first time I've dealt with something like this." Amy let out a laugh as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Thank you, Amy... I truly appreciate it." Flare managed to say, her voice seeming tired from all the crying.

"You're welcome. Now, why don't you get some rest, you were asleep for a long time, and it's already really late. I'll be back in the morning and we can talk things out, okay?" Amy reassured Flare, who simply nodded in response. "Great, I'll get going then!" She'd follow up, grabbing the Chaos Emerald off the ground and handing it to Flare. "And hey, make sure you take good care of this! It took a lot of work to convince Shadow to let you keep it!

Flare took the Emerald, and smiled at Amy. Holding it close to her again. "Thank you, again."

Amy smiled back and nodded. "Goodnight, Flare! See you tomorrow!" She walked out the door, closing it behind her, waving to Flare as she made her exit.

"Goodnight, Amy..." Said the Tenrec. She sat back down on the bed, unable to stop smiling. She looked down at the Emerald in her hands. "I made a friend..." She said, smiling even brighter. "I don't need to return to Eggman. I can find my family, and perhaps, they will accept me. Even if they don't, I have a place I can go. That's enough reason to continue." After affirming herself, she would stand up and walk over to the desk, placing the Emerald down on it, before switching off the light. "Now that I think about it, I'm still very tired from my bout with Shadow. I think some extra sleep is a good idea." She used a flicker of fire from her palm to light her way while she returned to her bed after picking up her blanket, quickly putting out the flame, and laying back down, this time getting herself comfortable under the blanket. "Things are turning around." She would whisper to herself as she drifted off into sleep.

Flare had another dream that night, finding herself in another unfamiliar area. This time she was wandering around a grassy field. "Where am I?" She asked herself."This is completely different from before, but so similar at the same time." Flare thought, as despite the entirely new environment, this dream felt eerily similar to the one she felt in Eggman's base. She looked around, not seeing any signs of people or civilization around her. Even the city from her first dream was nowhere to be seen. There was no rain this time either, things were bright and sunny even. She still couldn't figure it out.

After what seemed like forever, wandering but getting nowhere, she suddenly felt a presence. Flare clammed up and turned around, seeing nothing at all. She looked back the way she was before and still, nothing. But she knew she was being watched. She kept looking around, but on a whim, she looked up above her, and there she saw something plummeting right down on top of her. Flare quickly jumped back as it crashed into the ground before her, dust kicking up all over. As the dust cleared, there stood something that could only be described as a kind of 'Metal Flare'. It was a perfect replica of her, but completely robotic and made of cold unfeeling steel, even wearing replicated clothing to match her own. It stared her down, and she stared back. There was silence for some time before Flare spoke up.

"Who are you...?" She asked, her legs spread in a battle-ready position.

"I am your truth." The figure spoke back, its voice sounding exactly like Flares but much more robotic and calculated. "I am all that you are, all that you were meant to be." It continued. "I am beyond anything you could ever comprehend. The Ultimate Life Form. I am-'"

"I see. I think I understand." Flare interrupted, her eyes narrowed at the being before her.

"Do you, now?" The metallic Flare asked in response. "Tell me, what is it you think you understand?"

"You are not real." said Flare, with confidence. "You're a figment of my imagination, a manifestation of my fears of being captured by Eggman and wiped clean of my personality. You're a ghost, brought about by my extreme levels of stress, and you are the destiny that I aim to defy!"

The other Flare glared back at her, before bursting into laughter. "Ahahahaha!!!"

"What's so funny?!" Flare growled.

"You, fool." The imposter said, smirking at Flare. "You know nothing. You understand NOTHING." The machine raised its hand to Flare, its hand transforming into some kind of blaster, aimed right at the girl. The barrel of the blaster began to glow. "Know this, warden. Very very soon, you shall learn the true nature of your destiny. I will escape, and my prison will become your tomb."

"What in the world are you talking about?!" Flare shouted back at the machine.

The replica seemed to ignore her, firing off a beam of bright energy at Flare. "Chaos CANNON!"

At the moment the blast collided with Flare, everything went dark for only a moment, before Flare sat up at lightning speed, still in her bed at the Restoration Headquarters. She looked around the room as her heart continued racing, and she took short deep breaths. She wipes the sweat from her face again. "That was strange..." She thought to herself. Pushing herself up out of bed, and checking the clock on the wall. It was morning already. She hurried over to the desk., grabbing her jacket and accessories and getting herself ready for the day. She grabbed the Emerald and placed it into her jacket pocket again and just about the time she'd finished putting in her last earring, there was another knock on the door.

"Come in!" Flare called out, seeming almost excited at this point. The door opened up a bit, and Amy poked her head in.

"Good morning Flare! I was thinking we could have that talk I mentioned over breakfast, sound good?" Amy asked, seeming peppy as she always did.

"Breakfast sounds great, Amy, thank you!" Flare nodded with a smile.

"Great! Now, you can say no, but do you mind if I bring another friend along?" Amy would ask, seeming excited to have two friends meet, but ready to respect Flare's answer.

"A Friend? I don't see why not, if you trust them so will I." Flare responded, smiling gently.

"Okay! In that case, Flare, meet Sonic!" Amy said as she flung the door open the rest of the way, revealing the Blue Blur himself standing just behind her. "and Sonic, meet Flare!"

"Yo!" Sonic said with a wave.

"Sonic... Sonic the Hedgehog...?" Flare said, seeming shocked. "You..." She paused, closing her eyes, and clenching her fists. After a moment, she opens them, locking eyes with the blue hedgehog and dashing towards him.

"Woah!" He shouted as he took a step back, not expecting this sudden approach.

Once Flare had closed the gap, she immediately wrapped her arms around Sonic, pulling him into a close hug. "Thank you...!"

"Oh," Sonic said. "Uh, you're welcome? What'd I do?" He asked, clearly confused.

"Just... Thank you for being you. It's hard to explain, I know we haven't met, but you... helped me become who I am. I have to thank you for that." Explained Flare, deciding to let him go.

"Right, well, glad I could help! Amy filled me in on your situation. It's pretty crazy, but she invited me to breakfast so we could figure it out together." Sonic explained, looking over to the pink hedgehog "I can see why you two are friends already, Amy. You're both huggers."

Amy let out a small giggle. "Yeah, I guess we are. Now let's get going, I have the perfect place in mind!" She said as she trotted off excitedly, Sonic following right behind her.

Flare would hurry after them, catching up quickly and being sure to walk next to Amy as she led them forward. The three of them walked and enjoyed some idle conversations, Amy mostly taking the opportunity to give Flare a proper tour of the Headquarters Mall area. Eventually, they stopped at a diner inside the mall area, after being seated the three of them glanced over the menu.

"Welp!" Sonic said, placing his menu down in a matter of seconds. "I know what I'm having!"

"That was fast, do they have a specialty?" Flare asked.

"Not sure!" He responded with a grin. "But I have a favorite."

Amy sighed and put her menu down. "Really Sonic? It's breakfast, how about shaking it up a little?"

"Come on Amy! I'm just being my authentic self! No need to act different cuz your new friend's around, right?" He snickered.

"Fine fine, do what you want." Amy said, rolling her eyes a bit. As the waitress came over to the table.

"Good morning everyone! Are you three ready to order?" She asked with a chipper attitude.

"I'll have the Strawberry Pancakes, with a side of eggs, over easy, and hash browns." Amy would say while handing the waitress her menu.

"A Chili dog for me, thanks!" Sonic said with a wide grin as handed his menu back as well.

"And I will have... Um, Chili... pancakes." Flare said, not having the slightest clue what she was doing. The table was silent, with Sonic and Amy staring right at Flare, along with the waitress.

"Woah, talk about daring!" Sonic would eventually say, breaking the silence.

"Not to judge but, are you sure about that Flare?" Amy asked, clearly confused by her order.

"I uh...No. I'm sorry. I've never had any of this before, I panicked." She explained, her face flush with embarrassment.

"It's fine! I've got you!" Amy reassured, before looking to the waitress. "Double my order, please!

"You've got it, Ma'am!" The waitress finishes writing down the order and walks off, taking the menus along with her.

"Thank you, Amy." Said Flare.

"Don't mention it! I think you'll love the pancakes, they're so sweet and delicious!" Said Amy, with sparkles in her eyes as she daydreamed about the sweet strawberry pancakes.

"Ehh, I woulda ordered her a Chili Dog." Sonic shrugged.

"I know you would've" Amy responded with an annoyed pout. "So, Flare. While we're waiting I think now's a good time to catch us both up on what's been going on. I know what I heard from Rouge, and you, but I know there's a lot more." She went on. "Now you don't have to say anything you're not comfortable with. You don't have to say anything, really, but if you're ready, we'll listen."

"..." Flare thought about it for a moment, before nodding her head. "You deserve to know the truth. You were kind to me, and the least I can do is be honest with you." Flare said. "It all started a few days ago in one of Dr. Eggmans labs...." Flare proceeded to tell her new friends everything. From her creation to her escape. Her theft of the chaos emerald. Her battles with Metal Sonic, Rough and Tumbe, as well as Shadow. Most importantly of all, about her search for Surge and Kitsunami, and the reason for it.

"Wow." Said Sonic. "So Surge has a sister now? If I didn't already get to know you, I might be nervous." He joked.

"I'm technically not her sister. We share base DNA, so we would technically be family but... There's not really an easy way to explain it, so sister was my first thought..." Flare's eyes stayed pointing downwards as she talked about Surge.

"Alright, well all that in mind I think our next step is clear!" Amy confidantly stated. "We're gonna look for Surge and Kit, and bring you guys together! Then you can decide whether you wanna stay with them, or stay here with us."

"Really...?" Flare asked. "You would do all that for.. me?"

"Yeah!" Amy winked. "I've spent some time with Surge and Kit, and they're not nearly as bad as people think. It shouldn't be too hard to arrange a meeting, and with Sonic helping me, finding her should take no time at all!"

Sonic gave a thumbs up along with Amy. "Yup! Just leave it to us, Flare!"

Once again Flare's eyes would become watery, after all the hardships she'd endured she finally had a reason to cry for joy instead of sorrow. "Amy... Sonic...Thank you!" Flare said, with a truly joyous smile on her face. Just then the Waitress returned to the table.

"Alrighty! I got a Chili Dog for you, Sir..." She said while placing the trio's plates in front of them. "And two orders of Strawberry Pancakes, over-easy eggs, and Hash browns. Anything else I can get y'all?"

"No thanks, just the check, all in one please!" Amy said with a smile, looking at the other two. "My treat!"

"Yes Ma'am! I'll be right back with that!" Said the waitress, before heading off.

"Sweet, Thanks, Amy! This is awesome!" Sonic cheered, not hesitating to bite down into his Chili Dog.

Flare smiled, and went to take her first bite of the Strawberry pancakes. As the flavor hit her tongue, her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. "Oh my goodnesh..." She said with a mouth full of cake.

"Is everything alright, Flare? Does it taste okay?" Amy seemed a bit concerned.

"Thish ish the greatisht thing I've ever tasheted!!!" Flare practically screamed as she began to dig into the pancakes, bite after bite, stuffing her mouth full.

"Ah! I knew you'd love it! Let's all dig in then!" Amy replied, starting on her food.

The three all enjoyed their meals together, laughing as Sonic told jokes and Amy regaled Flare with tales of their more obscure adventures. A wonderful time was had by them all. When the food was done and the bill was paid, Amy decided to take Flare around the headquarters in more detail. Introducing her to several of their friends, whom Sonic was happy to see too. She was introduced to Belle down in the workshop, as well as Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin of the Diamond Cutters. They even ran into Tails, and the two became formally introduced. Finally, she met director Jewel and was officially welcomed to the Restoration. They had discussed the possible scenario of Flare staying here and had even discussed the possibility of her Joining the Diamond Cutters. The idea was nice, but Flare still wanted to find her family before anything else.

After a productive and fun day, the three of them decided to wind down for the evening. Amy and Sonic escorted Flare back to the living area, stopping just outside her door, which now had a plaque with her name on it. The sight of this nameplate made her even happier.

Amy gave Flare a quick hug. "Alright Flare, all you need to do now is relax. Spend your time doing whatever you like, get to know everyone. Sonic and I are gonna head out and start looking for Surge and Kit. We'll bring them back here and you guys can meet under the safety of the Restoration's roof!"

"Yeah, no sweat!" Sonic grinned. "Shouldn't take me more than a day to find 'em!"

"Alright!" Flare nodded. "I trust you both, I'll wait here as long as it takes. Thank you. Both of you."

"It's really no trouble," Amy reassured her with her sincere smile. "It's what friends are for. Now get some rest! Goodnight Flare!" She'd say with a wave while walking off with Sonic.

"Sleep tight, don't let the badniks bite!" -Smack!- "Ow! What the heck Amy?" Sonic groaned.

"Don't say stuff like that, you'll freak her out." She responded as they got further away.

Flare smiled as they left, she turned to enter her room, closing the door behind her. She quickly got herself ready for bed, taking her jacket off, and placing her Emerald back on the desk, forgetting to take off any of her smaller accessories as normal. It took only a few minutes, but she felt ready to have a good night's sleep for once. There was no stress, no worry. Time was the only thing keeping Flare from meeting her family, finally. She laid down in bed, getting herself comfy beneath the blankets, before slowly drifting off to sleep.

She couldn't remember any dreams from that night, as it felt like she had barely managed to fall asleep when she was woken up by the sound of a knock on the door. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she heard the knocks. She pushed herself up out of bed, walking over to the desk, and putting her jacket around her shoulders. Another knock at the door sounded as she did so. "I'm coming!" She called out. She quickly approached the door and grabbed the doorknob, turning it and opening the door slightly. "Amy? Is that you?" She would ask, just as something shoved the door open forcefully, slamming it into her forehead and launching her across the room and into the back wall, hitting it with such force it cracked. "A-Ahh!!" Flare screamed. As the door swung back open, just outside the frame stood the all too familiar face of Metal Sonic.

"Metal...? No..." Flare said weakly, she seemed a bit woozy from the blow to the head she had sustained. She tried to stay awake but eventually slipped into unconsciousness. Panic began to brew, as some of Flare's neighbors heard the ruckus. They ran through the halls, some yelling in terror after seeing Metal Sonic. None of them with the nerve to fight him. Metal took a few steps forward into the room towards Flare. He noticed the Chaos Emerald on the desk to his side and picked it up before continuing his walk over to Flare. He grabbed her as well, lifting her by the back of her neck with ease. He began to drag her out of the room to the hallways, which had mostly been cleared out by now. He exited to the open area of the restoration, looking around for potential resistance. He flew up into the air and started flying Flare and the Emerald over towards the exit. He flew up a large set of stairs, and as he reached the top he was suddenly struck by a beam of energy. Caught off guard, he dropped not only Flare but the Chaos Emerald as well before landing down on the ground.

As Flare plummeted to the ground, a long grey and light grey striped tail wrapped itself around her, swinging her back up and over one of the rails on the higher floors, next to her landed Tangle, the Lemur. Wearing her usual black bodysuit and amber sleeveless top. "Don't worry Flare, we got you!" Tangle would say, her words falling on deaf ears. The excitable Lemur popped back up over the railing and waved to her friend down below. "Hey, Whisper! Nice shot! You really nailed that metalhead!"

Whisper The Wolf was crouched in a kneeling position at the bottom of the stairway, having taken her shot from her unique Wispon to stun Metal Sonic. She looked at Tangle from beneath her Mask and nodded. "Thanks..." She'd say in her usual hushed whispers.

Meanwhile, the Chaos Emerald bounced down the stairs and rolled as it hit the bottom, being stopped when a brown and tan combat boot gently clamped it in place. Lanolin the sheep reached down and grabbed the Emerald with her fingerless gloved hands, and gripped it firmly. "Alright, Diamond Cutters, remember the plan! Tangle, get Flare to the elevator! Whisper and I will keep the target busy! Go!" Lanolin grabbed the bell from her neck, the custom ranged wispon she was known for using and gave it a full swing as a projectile flew towards Metal Sonic, who was still recovering from Whisper's sneak attack. The projectile collided, and blasted him back, causing him to refocus.

Metal regained his composure, and flew back up into the air. Meanwhile, Lanolin continued to bombard him with projectiles as she ran up the stairs to get closer for cleaner shots, as Whisper continued taking shots from below. He focused on dodging them both, not able to take his eyes off either of them for a second. At the same time, Tangle tightened her grip on Flare with her tail and began running across the upper floors, heading towards the exit elevator.

"Keep up the pressure! He may be hard to hit, but even he can't dodge forever!" Lanolin ordered as Whisper nodded.

Metal, seeing an opening, flew down between the shots being fired at him, landing directly in front of Lanolin and kicking her back down the stairs, towards Whisper. He then turned his attention back up the steps.

"Lanolin...!" Whisper cried through her naturally hushed voice. She put down her wispon, focusing on catching Lanolin and placing her down safely. "Are you okay...?" She asked

"I'm fine, it's nothing! Back on target Whisper! We can't let him go after Tangle!" Lanolin barked as she began to fire off more projectiles alongside Whisper, who had readied her weapon once more. By this point, Metal had already started his pursuit of Tangle. He dodged the other's attacks as he continued the chase. "No! He's ignoring us! Whisper quick, we have to go after them!" Lanolin would call out, as she began running up the stairs again.

"Right." Whisper agreed as she began pursuing Metal as well. The two chased him as fast as they could, but they couldn't hope to catch him at this rate. They continued firing at him as they ran, hoping each dodge would slow him down just enough to give Tangle time to escape.

"This isn't gonna work... Oh! Whisper, quick use Blue!" Lanolin shouted.

"Blue...? Ah! Okay!" Whisper agreed. Her Wispon's form changed as her blue whisp friend infused itself with it, creating a large blue cube on the weapon like a large hammer. Whisper readied herself to swing while looking to Lanolin.

"Alright, we've got one shot at this!" Lanolin would call as she ran towards Whisper at full speed. The sheep jumped up into the air, aiming her feet to the side of the cube, which Whisper had angled. Whisper brought the weapon back, beginning a heavy swing towards Lanolin, as the swing connected, it pushed Lanolin with great force, and as the force reached its peak Lanolin pushed with all the might in her legs, launching herself from Whisper's wispon. Lanolin flew through the air at high speed, directly toward Metal, who had stopped paying attention to them once their projectiles had stopped. As Lanolin approached, she reached out and grabbed Metal Sonic. "You're mine!" She said as she dragged him down onto the floor, sending them both crashing down.

The two of them rolled and quickly pushed themselves up to their feet, Lanolin had her wispon ready, while Metal simply glared at her, before turning his head at the sound of a large metal device moving up out of the headquarters.

"We did it! Tangle and Flare are long gone now, so just give up. You may be a fake, but I won't underestimate you. Whisper and I won't hesitate to destroy you." Lanolin threatened, her arms crossed, Emerald in hand.

Metal, not willing to take being called a fake, charged forward. He quickly closed the gap between himself and Lanolin, kneeing her directly in the chest as he grabbed the Emerald out of her hand. He then rushed off again towards the Elevator shaft.

As Whisper finally caught up to Lanolin, she kneeled beside her and checked to make sure she was not hurt. "Lanolin..." She whispered.

Lanolin coughed a few times. "I'm fine... I'll be fine. We have to hurry, Whisper. I don't think this is over." Lanolin pushed herself back up to her feet. "Follow me, the nearest exit's this way." The two of them quickly proceeded to run off, heading for one of the secondary exits they could use to meet up with Tangle.

Meanwhile, Tangle arrived in the garden with Flare, who was still unresponsive. "Stay strong Flare, I'm gonna get you outta here." She hopped out of the garden area and ran towards the nearby woods for cover, but she was stopped just short of reaching the trees, as she found herself face to face with Dr. Eggman himself, hovering in his Eggmobile.

"Hello, Lemur. I believe that's my property you're carrying with you. I'll be having it back now." The Doctor chuckled.

"Fat chance! I'm not letting go of her, no matter what you do!" Tangle growled back at him, confidant in her ability.

"Is that so? Heh heh heh..." He chuckled a sinister chuckle as he pressed a button on his Eggmobile, causing an electrical signal to pulse out around her, and some kind of electrical pulse shot through Flare's brain. "Then I suppose we'll have to let her decide, won't we, Flare?

"What're you talking about? She's not gonna wanna go with you!" Tangle shouted while pointing at Dr. Eggman.

"Oh Really? I beg to differ." He said while directing Tangle's attention to Flare.

Tangle looked back at the Tenrec she had wrapped in her tail, as Flare's eyes shot open. Her violet eyes seemed glazed over, and emotionless. "Flare!" Tangle called "You're awake, finally! Are you alright?" She asked while putting Flare down and unwrapping her tail from the girl.

Flare said nothing, simply grabbing Tangle's tail as it finished unwrapping itself, and pulling it as hard as she could, causing Tangle to fly towards her. As Tangle was pulled closer, Flare pulled her fist back and swung a powerful punch, her hand engulfed in purple flame as she did so, landing it directly into Tangle's cheek, launching her away, and causing her to skid across the grass.

"Gah!!" Cried Tangle as she rolled across the floor, just in time for Lanolin and Whisper to run up behind her, having witnessed the entire event. Whisper, rage in her eyes held up her weapon and fired it directly at Dr Eggman, while Lanolin made sure Tangle was okay. Within a moment, Flare had jumped into the air, and created a large flame shield around herself and Eggman, deflecting the attack entirely. She continued to float in the air, with the same emotionless expression, as she protected herself and the Doctor. She kept her eyes locked directly onto the trio, ready to strike at them.

Tangle coughed. "Careful, guys... Something's wrong with Flare... She'd not herself..." She explained.

"If she'd not herself, then who is she?" Lanolin asked.

"Well, Flare? Why don't you introduce yourself now?" Eggman said with an evil grin.

"I am Truth." Flare said, her voice sounding cold, and almost robotic. "I am all that there is. All there was meant to be." She continued, as she held up a hand, the Chaos Emerald landing in her palm, her fingers wrapping around it. "I am beyond anything you could ever comprehend. The Ultimate Life Form." As she spoke, Metal Sonic would hover down from above, floating next to her. "I am Solar Flare."

End.

Chapter Text

"Solar Flare?" Dr. Eggman questioned. "Not a bad name, though I can't say I expected a self-designation."

Eggman, Flare, and Metal Sonic maintained their defensive positions as they stared down the Diamond Cutters. Flare kept her barrier up, protecting the Doctor and herself. She would float down, landing on the ground below, her eyes locked with Lanolin's. "Doctor. Now is the opportune time to destroy Sonic's allies. I suggest we begin with the Diamond Cutters before reinforcements arrive." Her voice remained robotic and cold as she made her suggestion. "Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose have departed to look for Surge the Tenrec and Kitsunami the Fennec. They will not be back for some time."

"Surge and her runt, eh?" Stroking his chin, Eggman considered Flare's words. "If those two join up with Sonic it could go south quickly. Let's dispose of these three, then we'll make a tactical retreat and begin the next phase of our plan. The less information they can get back to their friends, the better. Metal, assist Flare in destroying these pests."

Flare nodded her head, and began walking towards Lanolin, Whisper, and Tangle. After taking a few steps, she would hold out her fingers, the tips beginning to glow. "Chaos..." She began to say, but she was cut off when out of nowhere, Whisper tossed several crystals into the air, aiming her wispon at one of them and firing it off.

The beam from whispers gun bounced from crystal to crystal, reflecting off each one. It made its way around Flare and redirected itself directly at her. Flare was unphased, however, as she began to spin around quickly, and her form became enveloped in a firey tornado. As the beam hit the flames, they seemed to redirect it around Flare, launching it off directly back at Whisper with added speed.

"Whisper, watch out!" Tangle cried as the injured lemur grabbed her friend with her tail, dragging her down, and causing the beam to just barely miss her. "Are you okay?" Tangle asked as she released Whisper from her grasp.

"I'm fine..." She whispered. "She's strong. Calculated. We need backup."

"Yeah, I think you're right, Whisper." Lanolin agreed. "Good thing I made a call the moment we detected Eggman's bot inside of HQ."

"Nice!" Tangle cheered as she finally pushed herself to her feet. "Did you get Sonic and Amy to come back?"

"No, I called someone who has experience with Flare." Lanolin corrected. "I didn't want it to come to this, but after hearing the intel we got from Rouge I couldn't ignore the possibility that this might happen. We just need to hold out a few minutes, he'll be here soon."

"Shadow." Whisper said as she readied herself for another bout as Flare's fire tornado died down and, to the horror of the Diamond Cutters, Flare was gone.

"What?!" Asked Lanolin "Where'd she go?!"

"I grow tired of this." Flare's voice called out from above. As the trio looked up to find her, they would see her pointing her two fingers directly at them, while floating in mid-air. "Chaos Cannon." Flare's fingers began to glow again, and a powerful beam of energy, much larger than normal, shot out directly at the Diamond Cutters.

"MOVE!" Lanolin shouted as she immediately shoved Whisper and Tangle, the two of them falling back several feet, and rolling together out of the way of the blast, as it collided with the ground beside Lanolin.

"Lanolin!!" Whisper and Tangle shouted in unison, as they saw the young sheep fly through the air and crash into the ground some distance away, her body going completely limp. As the two of them stood themselves back up, Tangle was immediately kicked back to the ground from behind, launching her some distance from her teammate. Whisper turned her head to see Metal Sonic standing behind her. With no time for her to react, he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her into the air, causing her to drop her wispon in her surprise. She grabbed Metal's arm with both her hands, trying to set herself free.

"Let... Me... Go...!" Whisper managed to say while gasping for air as Metal tightened his grip.

"Let go of her you jerk!!" Tangle called out as she pushed herself off the ground once more.

She was ignored, of course. Metal continued to tighten his grip on her, but just as Whisper was about to pass out, something suddenly collided with Metal at high speed, causing him to release his grip and be knocked somewhat far back.

"So arrives my destiny." Flare says, looking down at the events playing out below her.

Standing just over Whisper, who struggled to catch her breath, stood Shadow. Looking towards Metal Sonic, ready for any counterattacks. "Hmph, Leaving yourself wide open like that... It's fakes like you that make Sonic look competent.

"The same could be said for you, Shadow. You should pay more attention to your surroundings." Flare says as she points her fingers towards him. "Chaos Battery," she calls out. This time, however, there is no reaction. "Hmm..?" She glanced to her side and noticed the Chaos Emerald she once held was now missing. "What?!"

"Shadow's not the only one who could afford to look both ways." Spoke the confidant voice of Rouge as she fluttered down next to Shadow, holding the purple Chaos Emerald that was once Flare's. She quickly handed it off to him. "Here ya go, now this time you're not leaving me behind. We take care of these two as a team." She said as she stood back to back with Shadow, looking up at Flare.

"I do not need the Chaos Emerald to destroy you. You have only served to delay the inevitable. If you fight as a team, then you shall fall as a team." Flare explained.

"NEGATIVE." Another robotic voice called out, as Flare suddenly found herself surrounded by several small missiles that were all closing in on her.

"What...?!" She called. Not having enough reaction time to bring up her shield, the missiles collided with her, creating a chain explosion that knocked Flare out of the sky, and cascading into the ground at incredibly high speed. She crashed into it rather hard and left a small crater in her wake.

"ANALYSIS: STEALTH ATTACK SUCCESFUL" exclaimed a large Red robot, who waited just around the spot where Flare landed. The bot quickly scooped up Flare in its arms and made its way over to Shadow and Rouge.

"Good work, Omega!" Bring her over here, quick!

"Oh no you don't!" Eggman shouted, Metal! Quickly, Retrieve Flare and bring her to me right now!"

Metal quickly dashed toward Omega, attempting to intercept him, Rouge flew between the two and stood in Metal's way without hesitation. "Sorry you oversized doll, but I'm not letting you any closer!" She explained as Shadow began making his way towards Omega. Metal poised himself to quickly outmaneuver Rouge and fly right by her, but he suddenly found himself caught by a long furry tail wrapping itself around him

"Not so fast, Metal Faker! I'm not just gonna sit back and let you get away with hurting my friends!" Tangle shouted as she continued to wrap up Metal Sonic, now standing right behind him. "Remember this trick?! Guess fakers don't learn too well huh?!" She pulled on her tail and slammed Metal into the ground with force. Before jumping onto her tail, and holding it tight with her arms. "I've got him, do what you gotta do Shadow!

Shadow didn't respond as he rushed to meet up with Omega. As the two of them united, Shadow looked over the unconscious Tenrec.

"EGGMAN CREATION: NEUTRALIZED. STANDING BY TO OBLITERATE UPON FURTHER HOSTILE BEHAVIOR." said Omega.

"It won't come to that. If this works, I can figure out what's going on with her. If anything happens to me though... you know what to do." Shadow replied, placing a hand on Flare's forehead as she lay in Omega's arms. He held the Chaos Emerald in his other hand and closed his eyes. "I told you that you were unstable. You should've let me help you before. Now I'll correct that mistake, and do what I should've done a long time ago." He held up the Emerald as it began to glow. "Chaos...Control!"

For Shadow, the world suddenly went dark. A few moments later he opened his eyes and found himself in a grassy field, that was completely unfamiliar to him. He looked around for a moment before noticing a structure a short distance away. He began to approach it, and after a while, he was close enough to make out that it was a large metal cage. Shadow narrowed his eyes and ran towards it, quickly approaching as he noticed that sitting inside, face pressed into her knees, was Flare.

"Flare!" He called as he approached the bars, placing his hands on them. "Is that the real you? Or are you the other Flare?"

Flare looked up from her fetal position, and as her eyes locked with Shadows they grew wide. "Sh-Shadow...?!" She cried as she rushed over to that side of the cage, grabbing the bars as well. "It's me! Flare! The not Solar Flare! I mean- You know! It's me!" It was clear that the girl had been crying, as she wiped tears out of her eyes. "How did you get here...?"

"I used Chaos Control. Is this place what I think it is?" He asked bluntly.

Flare nodded her head. "I'm afraid so... we're inside... my mind. This is my subconscious. I'd been here before, but I didn't realize what this place was until Eggman activated his device and trapped me in here."

"What device? Tell me everything you can, quickly. I'm not sure how much time we have here." He said, urgency in his voice.

"Okay, I'll do my best." Agreed Flare. "While I was unconscious, Solar Flare explained it to me. There was a device placed inside me at my creation, Eggman left its records off of his computer to be sure that nobody would know about it so that it couldn't be prematurely disabled. The device was designed to give control over my body to a program known as the Metal AI, which took elements of Metal Sonic's AI and fitted them to my specifications, Solar Flare and Metal Sonic could be considered siblings in the sense that they share a base code. This device Eggman placed inside me is triggered by the electronic wavelengths he's emitting from his Eggmobile. While active, it places my consciousness inside this cage, to be trapped inside my subconscious..."

"I see. Then all I need to do is destroy the Eggmobile and you'll be free. That I can do." He said, confidently.

"It's not that simple, Shadow." Flare countered hesitantly. "I'm sorry to say... after I beat Metal Sonic on a fluke, Eggman took precautions. Metal now has the same wave emitter installed on him. As do many of Eggmans other machines. The only way to permanently stop this is to destroy the device itself."

"Fine, then I'll do that. You said it was installed on you right? I'll destroy it myself, if not I'll get Tails to disable it. Whatever it takes." He assured her.

"Whatever it takes, huh? Are you sure you're prepared to follow through on that?" She asked a deep sadness in her eyes.

"I can handle anything, this is no different." He replied.

"Then... I'm afraid there's only one way to disable the device. It's a failsafe after all." She would explain. "Shadow..." Continued Flare, tears beginning to spill from her eyes. "You have to kill me, Shadow. The device is embedded in my brain. There's no way to turn it off without shutting me down with it.

Shadow went silent, letting go of the bars and taking a step back. After a moment he spoke up. "You're serious." He said.

"I'm sorry... I wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish... we could've had a chance to be friends. I wish our fight had never happened, and that... That things had been different." Flare began to sob, taking her hands off the bars and covering her eyes. "I screwed everything up... All I had to do was not get caught and now, I'm hurting everyone I care about... and I'm never going to meet my real family. Everything I've done since I came into existence has been pointless... I've only made everyone's life worse, and I'm so, so, sorry."

"Flare... Shut up." Shadow growled at her. "Stop blaming yourself for existing. Eggman created you, and he is scum, but that doesn't define you. Everything that's happened to you is because of him. His malice has caused you unreasonable suffering, and for that, I'll make him pay. But One thing I won't do, that I'll never do, is punish you for his sins." He crossed his arms. "If what you said is true, then I'm just gonna have to destroy Metal Sonic and every machine Eggman's ever made. Then I'll find the blueprints for that mind-control device and burn it to ashes. No more frequency, no more Solar Flare."

"Shadow...Thank you but, there's no point..." Flare clenched her teeth and tried to swallow her tears. "There's no other choice but to-"

"I told you to shut up. I'm not listening to this drivel anymore, I know what needs to be done and I'm going to do it. You no longer have a say in the matter." He said with a stomp of his foot.

"Sh-Shadow..." Flare tried to speak, but was cut off.

"No, Flare. No more, We're done discussing this." He pushed back.

"Shadow!!" Flare shouted in retaliation.

"What?!" He asked her, clearly getting angry.

"She's here!!" Flare cried while pointing just behind Shadow.

"What...?!" Shocked, he turned around to find the Metalic version of Flare standing mere inches from him. Solar Flare.

"You've overstayed your welcome, Shadow." Solar quickly grabbed Shadow by the scruff of his fur and pulled him closer. "You will never be able to stop me. I am the Ultimate Life Form, and you will die by my hand."

Shadow scoffed. "You? The Ultimate Life Form? You're a machine. Nothing but code, puppeteering the body of a true Ultimate Life Form. You're nothing, and will always be nothing."

Solar's eyes narrowed, clearly aggravated. "How DARE you?! You will regret speaking to me like that, Shadow the Hedgehog. I will obliterate you on the battlefield, and prove to the world that I am the most powerful being in the known universe. Now, begone." The mechanical being swung around, tossing Shadow into the sky at high speed, as she did he felt his connection to this place fade quickly, and the world snapped back to reality.

Shadow's eyes shot open, his hand still on Flare's head. He removed it, and then quickly realized the situation he found himself in. "Omega! Restrain her!"

As Shadow gave his order, Flare's eyes shot open again, and she quickly began to shout. "GRAH!!!" As she did, her body glowed with a purple flame, and a firey force shot out from her, pushing Omega and Shadow backwards, and causing her to be released from Omega's arms. She landed on her feet and looked over to Metal Sonic, who was still trapped by Tangle. Flare quickly threw a firebolt toward Tangle, hitting her tail and scorching it.

"Yeowch!" She cried as her tail was burned, this gave Metal the opening to pry free from her grasp and fly into the air, quickly returning to Eggmans side, and Flare followed suit.

"Hrmm, Metal, Flare, we're retreating. Come." Eggman ordered, as his Eggmobile began to fly off, followed closely by Flare and Metal. Flare looked back to glare at Shadow one last time as they left.

Shadow pushed himself up off the ground and watched Flare as she flew off. "Hold on Flare... Just a bit longer." He muttered to himself before turning to Omega. "Omega, are you alright?

"AFFIRMATIVE. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT: MINOR EXTERIOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED.. FUNCTIONING AT 92% CAPACITY." Omega would answer as he two regained his balance.

"Rouge? How about you?" Shadow called out

"I'm just fine, Shadow. It's the Diamond Cutters we should worry about." She said as she went to help Tangle back up.

Whisper by this point had pushed herself up and ran over to where Lanolin had crashed, shaking her lightly. "Lanolin...! Wake up...!" She whispered in a panic. "Please, wake up...!"

Tangle didn't hesitate to run over and join Whisper. "This is bad, really bad... We need to get her back inside, she needs a doctor!" Tangle would quickly lift her into her arms. "Shadow, Rouge, can you guys find Tails and tell him what happened? He might be able to call Sonic back, we're gonna need his help to get Flare back!"

"No," Shadow said. "I don't need Sonic's help. I'll handle Flare myself."

Rouge tilted her head. "Handle her? Shadow, you couldn't really mean..."

"I'll do what needs to be done." He interrupted. "It's what she'd want." Without another word, Shadow began walking off on his own, going to recuperate and come up with a plan for the next encounter with Eggman, Flare, and Metal.

Later on, in the Restoration HQ, Tangle, Whisper, and Rouge stood outside of Lanolin's room, alongside Tails, who had pulled up a video call with Sonic and Amy using his latest device, the Miles Electric 2.0, which was functionally a tablet with several advanced features and high computational power.

"So that's about everything, We don't know where they went. Shadow either, he seems determined to go after Flare by himself."

"Sounds like we missed a lot in a short amount of time. I shoulda been there, then maybe he wouldn't have gotten away with her... I promised her things would be okay." Sonic responded, clearly upset.

"She would've targeted you first..." Whisper said, her hushed voice even lower than usual from the injury to her throat.

"Whisper's right, once Eggman turned on that device she went ballistic. There's no doubt she was under some sorta spell, and knowing Eggman you would've been the first target." Tangle affirmed.

"Better me than all of you, I could've handled her. Maybe I could've even brought the real Flare back." Sonic shakes his head from his side of the video call.

"What about Lanolin? Is she okay?!" Amy called from through the device.

"She's gonna be okay, according to the medics. She got roughed up pretty badly, but she's strong. If it wasn't for her, Whisper and I might've..." Tangle shook her head, not wanting to think about what could've been.

"That's good, at least." Responded Amy. "Then we need to start planning how to get Flare back from Eggman. We can't leave her there, not after everything she's been through, and it's only a matter of time before Eggman tries to reprogram her. If that happens we'll lose her forever! We've gotta hurry!"

"Yeah, We're not letting Eggman get away with everything he did tonight!" Tangle followed up.

"He'll pay." agreed Whisper.

"Hold on guys." Sonic interrupted. "This situation's gotten pretty bad. Whisper, Tangle, I think the two of you should stay at the Restoration and take care of Lanolin. She needs you right now. Leave Flare to me, okay?" Sonic would ask the two.

Tangle frowned but looked to whisper, the marks on her neck still fresh. "..Yeah, you're right, Sonic. None of us got away from that fight unscratched, We'd only slow you down this time."

Whisper nodded her head in agreement. "Sorry, Sonic."

"Don't worry about it! Whatever Eggman's planning I know I can stop it. I even have a plan this time!"

"Really?" Asked Tangle. "That's great! We'll leave it to you then!"

Sonic grinned. "I won't let you down! Tails, I'm gonna need your help on this one, if anyone can disable the device Eggman is using on Flare, it's you, little bro!"

"You got it, Sonic! I'll meet up with you later on. I'm gonna investigate the area around the garden and see what I can find out!" Tails nodded, determined to do his part.

"Great! I'll fill you in on the rest of the plan later, I need to get scouting for wherever Eggman's keeping Flare. I'll talk to you guys later!" Sonic said as he disconnected the call.

"Well, I'm going to get going too," Rouge said. "I need to see if I can find Shadow. Something was strange about him when he left, and knowing him he'll rush into danger headfirst if I don't talk some sense into him." With a wave, Rouge wanders off from the group.

"I'm heading out too, gotta get to work so we can get Flare back safely! You two call me if anything happens here!" Said Tails as he also wandered off with a wave of his hand.

Tangle and Whisper, now left alone, looked at each other.

"It's gonna be alright, Whisper. We're not losing any more friends." Tangle said, trying to reassure her.

Whisper was silent for a moment, before grabbing Tangle and hugging her. "I just want to protect them, Tangle..."

"Hey, hey. It's not your fault, it's none of our fault. It's that Jerk Eggamn's fault. We did our best, and even though he got away, that doesn't mean it wasn't worth it." Tangle did her best to make her feel better. "Everything's gonna work out, we just need to believe in our friends!"

After another moment of silence, Whisper nodded. "You're right. I believe in them."

"That's the spirit!" said Tangle. "Now, let's go see if Lanolin's awake yet. Knowing her she'll want a sit rep as soon as she comes to."

Whisper nodded in agreement, as the two of them moved into Lanolin's room together.

Meanwhile, Sonic and Amy continued to chat after their call with Tails.

"So you actually have a plan, Sonic?" Amy asked, curiously.

"Maybe. This is a tough one, Ames." Sonic said, seeming to seriously consider the next course of action. "It's a bit of a stretch, and honestly? Might make everything worse. But if it works? It's gonna be our best shot at getting Flare back."

"What're you thinking?" Inquired Amy.

"Well, the plan's the same as before. We gotta find Surge." Explained Sonic.

"Huh? Do you think you need the extra firepower? You know how she can be, do you really think she'd help us so easily?" Amy asked, with uncertainty in her voice. "I mean, I wanna believe she will, but we can't make her."

"You're right, we can't. And I honestly don't know if she'll care, that's why it's a risk. But think about what Flare said, all she wants is to meet Surge and Kit. It's the most important thing in the world to her. So if we're gonna give her the strength of will to break free of Eggmans control, it's gonna take something big. I'm not sure anyone else can really get through to her."

"Wow, you've really thought this through," Amy responded. "But I have to agree, mind control is scary. There's not a lot we can do to stop her that doesn't involve hurting her in some way. This might be the best path to get her to help herself."

"Yup, that's the plan. So here's what we're gonna do. Amy, you're gonna go find Surge. We know where she was last seen. so all you have to do is convince her to come. If anybody can, it's you. I'm gonna run around and find out which base Eggman's keeping Flare at, I'll call Tails and have him pass the info on when I do. If it looks like Flare's close to being reprogrammed, I'm going in. I'll stall it out as long as I need to." Sonic explained. "Hopefully Tails can find something out while checking the damage at Restoration HQ, if he does we might end up with a backup plan. Either way, he'll come in to support us when the fighting starts."

"This plan sounds like it relies on a lot of blind faith, Sonic." Amy said, seeming to lack confidence.

"C'mon Amy! Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?" He said with a sly grin.

Amy smiled at him in response. "Never. Alright, let's do this. I'll contact you and Tails as soon as I'm done talking to Surge, regardless of the outcome!

"Sounds good! See you later then, Amy!" Sonic says, giving Amy a high five before racing off in the other direction as fast as he could, ready to scout for any sign of Flare or Eggman.

Amy, on the other hand, ran off to Surge and Kit's last known location, hoping she could convince them to lead their aid to save Flare.

At the same time, Tails examined the site of conflict outside the Restoration HQ. "Hmm... Wierd lingering electromagnetic pulses around here. I haven't seen anything like this from Eggman before, could this have something to do with the Mind Control?"

"You might be right." A voice spoke out from behind Tails.

"Huh?" Tails turned around quickly, as Shadow stood just behind him. "Oh, Shadow it's you. Rouge is looking for you, she seemed pretty worried."

"I'll worry about that later," Shadow responded. "We need to talk."

"Talk? Okay, what about?" Tails said, lowing his Miles Electric 2.0

"About what's going on inside Flare's head."

End.

Chapter Text

Egg Fortress Zetta. A relatively out-of-the-way secret base miles west of Central City. Just outside its border, we find Shadow the Hedgehog standing alongside Rouge the Bat. Shadow carries the Purple Chaos Emerald in one hand, his arms crossed one over the other. Rouge stands with a hand on her hip as she stares down Eggman's Fortress.

"You're sure this is the one?" Shadow asked Rouge.

"I'm sure," Rouge responded. "You should know to trust my reconnaissance by now, Shadow. I saw her, with Eggman and Metal. I even found the suspension tank they're planning to use, but something's worrying me.

"What?" Inquired Shadow

"I heard Eggman talk about using the Tank, but he was talking about deleting something, not reprogramming. Not sure why, but it gave me a bad feeling." Rouge would explain.

"Deleting...? Hmph. It doesn't matter. She's never making it into that tank. I'll get in, take her down, and get out before Eggman has a chance to do anything." He assured.

"Right, about that..." Rouge said. "You're not really thinking of-"

"Enough, Rouge. I told you before. I'm gonna do what I have to do." Interrupted Shadow.

Rouge remained silent, glancing over at Shadow with concern for a moment before looking back toward the base.

The two waited together for another minute or so. Before long they heard the familiar sound of a speedy blue hedgehog running behind them. Within a second Sonic skidded to a stop right next to Shadow.

"Yo Shadow, Rouge, there you are!" Sonic said with a grin. "Did I miss anything?"

"No. We've been waiting for you to finally show up." Shadow scoffed.

"Waiting for me? Never thought I'd hear you say that, Shadow." Replied Sonic.

Shadow turned his head away. "You're only here because we need a distraction. Don't push it."

"Tails told me about your plan, I'm glad you decided not to just charge in alone. It's really unlike you so I gotta know, why the change of heart?" Asked Sonic, curiously.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I could've handled this myself, Tails just made some good points is all." Shadow said with a grumble.

"Yeah, he's pretty good at that. What'd he tell ya?" Sonic asked, his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.

"He said you should keep Eggman and Metal Sonic busy so I can get close to Flare without being interrupted." Responded Shadow.

"Right, yeah he mentioned you needed to get close to her. Didn't say why, you wanna fill me in?" Sonic asked again.

"He didn't say because I didn't tell him, and I didn't tell him because it's no one's business but my own," Shadow said bluntly.

"Riiight. Well, I'm sure you've got it handled. Amy's still out lookin for Surge and Kit, if things don't work out they're gonna be out plan B." Explained Sonic.

"What good could those two do for us? They'll just make things more complicated, tell Amy to forget them and go home." Shadow said with a shake of his head.

"C'mon Shadow! What could it hurt, worst case they're another distraction for Eggman right? There's no way they team up with HIM." Retorted Sonic "Just trust me on this one, if your plan doesn't work out, it'll be the best chance we have to save her."

"My plan can't fail. It's guaranteed to shut down the device. She told me so herself." Shadow countered.

"Right, right, Tails mentioned she told you how to shut it off too. Not that you'd tell us, so can you at least let us go through with our plan without all the fuss? If you're so sure, it's no big deal right?" Explained Sonic.

"Hmph. Do what you want. Just stay out of my way." Replied Shadow.

Rouge sighed before speaking up. "I'm almost afraid to leave the two of you alone, but I need to get back in there. I'll keep an eye on Flare, and if it looks like she's getting ready to take her nap I'll give you the word and we can start the distraction." Without waiting for their response, she flapped her wings and took off towards the fortress.

Meanwhile, Amy maneuvered her way through a small thicket just north of Sunset City, continuing her search for Surge and Kit. She continued to follow a small trail, before finally finding herself at what looked looked an abandoned house. She carefully walked up to one of the windows and peered inside. "No sign of anyone... Did they leave already?" She asked herself before walking over to the door and knocking on it gently. "Hello? Surge, Kit? Are you there?" Amy called, to no response. "Okay, just have to be sure then..." Amy reached for the knob, opened the door, and peeked inside. "Hellooo? Anyone home?" She took a step inside, looking around, and seeing several things scattered about the floor. Some discarded wrappers, and drink cans. A sleeping bag and a bed that looks recently slept in. Even a pizza box with some leftover slices, no signs of age or mold. "Someone was here recently... I really hope I didn't just miss them.

"Oh, you missed us alright." A voice sounded from behind Amy, as the door closed shut.

"Huh?!" Amy turned around, and before her, she saw a green Tenrec. It was Surge, wearing her usual black shirt, yellow pants, and sneakers, with her hair tied up. Next to her stood Kitsunami the Fennec, his pressurized hydro pack fully stocked and ready, to attack.

"What're you doin' here, Rose?" Surge asked, as she leaned back against the door with one foot up, and her arms crossed.

"Surge! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break in, I thought you might have left already." Amy explained.

"Nah, we've got a good setup here. Hidden, out of the way, but close enough to town we can stock up on food every now and then. Now, how about you answer my question." Surge demanded, putting her foot down and taking a step forward. "What're you doin' here?"

"Right, you're right. I should explain. I'm not gonna mince words, Surge. We need your help. Eggman's got something big planned and it's a danger to all of us." She would explain.

"Hard Pass," Surge said, lifting her hand up and turning her head away. "A danger to everyone means Sonic's gonna show up like always. I'm not doing anything for that loser."

"I know you two don't get along, but this is bigger than that! It's bigger than all of us, besides, you have an obligation here!" She shouted, clenching her fist as she thought about what was at stake.

"Obligation? Hahahahah!!" Surge laughed "What're you talkin' about Rose? What could possibly give me an 'obligation' to help you stop another one of Eggman's stupid plans? Hahah! 'Obligation!' she says!"

"Because it's your sister, Surge!!" Amy cried out.

Surge stopped laughing, staring Amy down, suddenly seeming to lose her sense of humor.

"Surge doesn't have a sister... Right?" Kit asked, looking up at Surge."

"No, I don't. So, mind telling me what in the world you're on about, Amy?" Surge said with a scowl, clearly getting very angry. "Kit's the only family I've ever had. So how are you gonna tell me to my face that Eggman's suddenly got my sister?" She growled, balling up her fist and getting much closer to Amy, right up in her face. "Is it supposed to be some kinda joke? Cuz I ain't laughin' Rose."

"It's not a joke. It's just... complicated." She said, with a sigh. "Listen, I'll keep things simple because we're short on time. Eggman used your DNA to create a Tenrec named Flare. She was supposed to be his next plan to destroy Sonic and replace Shadow before he took over the world. She didn't wanna fight though, so she ran, and we found her. She told us she was looking for you. Both of you. She considered you both her only family, she even called you her sister, Surge. She's spent all her time trying to find you, and now, she needs you."

Surge continued to glare, taking in Amy's words and considering them all. After a moment she spoke up. "So what?" She asked, irritated. "So Eggman creates some brat using my DNA, and suddenly I'm supposed to rush in and save her? How's it my problem? I don't even know her, and she doesn't know me. There's no relation between us. We are NOT family."

"It... It isn't your problem, and it's true, you and her have nothing to connect over right now. But this sweet, innocent girl, who wanted nothing more in life than to meet you is about to have her entire personality erased and reset by Eggman, so she can become his perfect weapon. Don't you care at all, Surge?" Amy pleaded as tears formed in her eyes despite her effort to keep a brave face.

This seemed to strike a chord for surge, as she thought back to her own past, or the lack thereof. Having everything she was erased by Dr. Starline, just like it happened to Kit. She thought about both of them losing their identities and being forged into weapons to suit his purposes. She thought about their lives meaning nothing in the eyes of their creator. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and let out a yell.

"GrrrrAHHH!!" She screamed, as she turned and kicked the nearby pizza box, causing the slices to fly into one of the walls, impacting so hard they stuck to it. She took a few deep, angry breaths. "Where's Eggman?" She asked.

"A little ways Northeast of here, if I'm right. We can go together. Sonic and Shadow should be waiting for us already." Amy answered.

"I'm not working with Sonic. I'll destroy Eggman's base myself, and get this girl out of there. Then she's your problem." Surge insisted.

"Well, there's one more thing you need to know, Surge." Amy continued. "Apparently some kind of device was installed inside her head, giving Eggman full control of her using some kind of AI he designed. She's extremely powerful, and won't hesitate to try and destroy us, but it isn't the real her. She wants a normal life, that's all. We can't hurt her."

Surge rolled her eyes. "Great, so what then? How do we stop her if we can't pummel her?"

"That's where you come in. Shadow says he can save her if he gets close, but Sonic and I don't think it's gonna work. It didn't before. Sonic thinks if you can just talk to her, her desire to meet you can help her break through Eggman's control." Amy would explain. "So, Sonic is gonna get Shadow to help him take on Eggman and Metal, and we want you to focus on Flare. Talk to her, and try to snap her out of it."

"That ain't my style, Rose. I don't talk. Even if I did, how am I gonna do that while she's trying to kill me and Kit?" Surge asked.

"She has a weakness. This is where Kit comes in. She can control fire, but as long as she doesn't have a Chaos Emerald, which Shadow already took from her, she can't conjure her flames when she's too wet. If Kit can disable her flames, you can get in close and talk to her." Explained Amy.

"Alright, not a bad plan. So we throw down until Kit soaks her, then I snap her outta her trance. Seems easy enough to me." Said Surge. "Alright, we'll do it. Nobody deserves to have their identity erased, so we'll help save her, and leave her in your hands, right Kit?"

Kit nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, Ma'am."

Amy smiled with relief, as she leaned in and hugged Surge. "I knew you'd help. You are a good person."

Surge seemed a bit stunned for a moment, before pushing Amy off. "Get offa me!" She shouted, crossing her arms. "Let's just get going, you said we're short on time right?"

"Right! We need to hurry! Just follow me!" Amy said as she ran for the exit, opening the door and dashing outside.

Surge sighed. "This is stupid. Let's hurry and get this over with." She said, running out after Amy at her usual high speed, Kit following right behind her with no hesitation.

Meanwhile, back at Eggman Fortress Zetta, Sonic and Shadow continue to wait for word from Rouge. A deafening silence permeates the area, as Shadow refuses to speak, and Sonic has nothing to say. Even the Blue Blur felt the situation was too important to lose focus, he had to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

Sonics best friend, Tails, would walk up behind the two after some time, going to stand over next to Sonic. "Hey Sonic, Sorry I'm late." He said as he fiddled with his tablet.

"Don't worry about it, how'd your research go? "Sonic asked, looking at the small fox.

"Not great." Tails responded, with slight disappointment in his voice. "Eggman's tech has always been weird, but this electromagnetic frequency is on a whole other level, it's been inconsistently broadcasting from the moment it started, with different wavelengths fluctuating constantly in a seemingly random sequence."

"Uhuh... And that means?" Sonic asked him.

"The signal Eggman is sending is like a code, and without the code he's using I can't counter it." Tails explained, simplifying things.

"Got it, so we're gonna have to take care of this ourselves, or find that code." Said Sonic, while looking back to the fortress.

"Right, well I already programmed the Miles Electric with a frequency emitter in case we need it, but it might be hard to design a counter frequency while Eggman tries to destroy us. I asked Rouge to keep an eye out for anything that looks relevant but, I think our best bet is to just get Flare out of there and worry about the mind control later." Explained Tails.

At that moment, the trio heard a voice call out from a device on Shadow's wrist. "Hey, guys? We have a problem." The voice of Rouge echoed out to them. "I just heard Eggman say the suspension tank was ready, We're outta time. I'll keep eyes on him, you both need to move, now."

"Sounds like that's our cue." Sonic said. "You ready, Tails?"

Tails would nod his head. "Yeah."

Without saying a word, Shadow would dash off towards the entrance of the fortress.

"He never changes." Says Sonic with a roll of the eyes as he runs after him, Tails following just behind.

The three of them quickly made their way into the base, smashing through several Badniks and evading even more security systems. Lasers, flamethrowers, spike pits, and large metal crushing devices. They continued to maneuver their way through the Fortress, until eventually making their way into a large chamber. As they entered it, large metal doors slammed shut behind them, trapping the three inside.

"A Trap?!" Tails asked, surprised. "Was Eggman expecting us?"

"Seems so." Shadow replied.

"Of course I was expecting you pests to show up eventually and try to ruin my plans. It's basically a routine a this point!" The voice of Dr. Eggman boomed over a speaker system, as a metal door on one of the walls above raised and revealed a thick glass window. Behind the glass stood the Doctor himself, grinning as he looked down upon his captives. "How kind of you all to show up just in time for Flare's rebirth, but I'm afraid you won't be permitted to witness it. However, being the generous man that I am, I have decided to let her come and say goodbye. In her own special way of course. Heh heh heh...."

As the Doctor finished his speech, two panels would open up in the ceiling, and from each of them would drop one of Eggmans creations. The first being Flare, and the second being Metal Sonic. The duo landed just before the trio and glared at them

Flare would point at Shadow and speak. "Shadow the Hedgehog. You will pay for your transgressions against the Doctor and myself. I will destroy you, then I shall destroy Sonic and Tails, proving once and for all who the Ultimate Life Form truly is."

Shadow said nothing in response, simply glaring back at Flare.

Sonic stepped forward and spoke instead. "Flare, you need to stop this! This isn't you, it isn't what you want! You told me so yourself! You've gotta snap out of it, stop letting Eggman control you!"

"You are a fool, Sonic the Hedgehog." Responded Flare. "The Doctor gave me life, all that I am exists for him. The Flare you knew was nothing but a coward and a failure. Diluded into believing she could escape her destiny. That mistake has been corrected with my activation. I am Solar Flare, the greatest being in the universe."

"I told you before," Shadow growled. "You're nothing more than a worthless program. I didn't want it to come to this, but I promised Flare I would stop you... no matter what it took." he held up the purple Chaos Emerald. "So if that means destroying you too, I have no choice."

"What?!" Sonic asked.

"Shadow, you didn't tell me you were gonna try to destroy Flare!" Tails followed.

"Because you didn't need to know. This was Flare's request to me, from the time I spent in her mind. She'd rather be dead than a tool for Eggman. She deserves peace, doesn't she?" Explained Shadow.

"Of course she does, but not like this!! I told you we had a backup plan, but it's useless if she's gone, we don't need to hurt her!" Yelled Sonic.

"Your plan is pointless, Surge and Kit can't help her any more than you can, so shut up, and keep Metal busy while I do what must be done," Shadow said, refusing to relent.

Sonic shook his head. "No way, I'm not just gonna sit back and let you-"

"Enough of this. The only ones that will die here are you three. Accept your fate." Flare interrupted, a fireball forming in her hand, she swung her arm and threw it towards the trio.

The three of them quickly jumped out of the way as the fireball collided with the floor, exploding on impact. It was not nearly as powerful as the Chaos Cannon but it was clear that Flares power was increasing.

Shadow rushed in towards Flare, Emerald in hand. She threw off several more blasts as Shadow approached, but he dodged each one. Left, right, then left again, running around her as he continued to close the gap while avoiding her volleys. Sonic tried to approach as well, followed by Tails but the two were cut off by Metal Sonic, who seemed eager to stop them. He'd swipe his claw at Sonic, who quickly slid under him, coming up from behind and kicking him towards Tails.

"Comin' atcha buddy!" Called Sonic

"Right!" Tails responded, leaping into the air, and jumping off of Metal as he flew across the room, causing Metal to slam into the ground. Tails landed next to Sonic gracefully as Metal picked himself back up off the ground.

Shadow continued to dodge fireball after fireball, still looking for his opening but it never seemed to come. This extra firepower Flare had was intense, and she seemed much better at calculating her position to avoid giving him a way in, eventually, he realized that no matter how long this went on, he wouldn't be able to get close by himself.

At that moment, Rouge dropped down from above, landing just behind Flare and kicking her as hard as she could, directly toward Shadow.

"Ah!!" Flare shouted.

"Rouge?!" Yelled Eggman. "What are you doing there?!"

"Just thought I'd drop in and join the party, now that I'm done 'dismantling' your suspension chamber." Rouge replied with a wink.

"You WHAT?!" Eggman screamed, slamming a fist on the terminal he was manning. "How DARE You?! Metal, Flare, Finish this! I'm going to the suspension chamber to assess the damage!" He would order as he stormed out of the upper room.

Flare had flown forward, but managed to catch her balance, Shadow had of course taken this opportunity to get in close, gripping the Emerald tightly.

"This is it, Flare! Chaos...." He began to say as the Emerald glowed.

Flare smirked, and reached her hand out, grabbing the Emerald in his hand, as the two of them held the Emerald she spoke. "...Control."

At that moment, time around them slowed to a standstill, Rouge, Sonic, Tails, Metal, and all else had ceased movement. All except for Shadow, and Flare.

"Finally alone, no one to save you now." Flare said.

"That's my line," Shadow replied. "So your immunity to Chaos Control is still intact."

"Immunity?" Flare asked with a chuckle. "You fool, who is immune to the passage of time?"

"So then what is it?" He snarled.

"Is it not obvious? I held the Emerald as you did, I simply used Chaos Control to create a personal shield from the time-warping effects. Easy enough to do, you've even seen it once before, when you attacked the 'poor, innocent' Flare you seem to so dearly care for." Flare explained, both of them holding their grip on the Emerald, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Shut up. I'm done talking." Shadow says as he swings his fist towards Flare.

"Very well." Flare said as she grabbed his hand, a sinister smile appearing on her face. "Chaos Inferno." Suddenly, her hand was engulfed in purple flame, causing Shadow's arm to be severely burned.

"AAGH!!!" Shadow screamed, as suddenly the rest of Flare's body was engulfed in flames. A fiery circle appeared around them, that quickly erupted with flame stretching all the way to the ceiling, spinning like a spired pillar made of fire. After a few moments, the flames died down, and Shadow was left, burned and bruised, his seemingly lifeless body now limp.

"Pathetic." Flare said as she let go of him, holding onto the Emerald as her body remained engulfed in flame. She turned her attention to the frozen figures of the others around her. "What an unsatisfying victory." She said as she walked up close to Sonic, looking over him. "I could destroy you and your friends right now, with no effort. It would be so efficient. However..." She glanced back at Shadow's limp form. "Proving I was stronger than Shadow was only possible because we fought on equal footing. If I am to prove I am the Ultimate Life Form and fulfill Dr. Eggmans wishes, then I must fight Sonic under similar circumstances." She would walk past Sonic and Tails, going to stand between them and Metal. She dispelled the Chaos Control that kept time still, and quickly everything returned to normal speed, with her seeming to appear before Sonic and Tails, standing directly in front of Metal. "Sonic the Hedgehog. I hope you can give me more of a challenge than Shadow.

"Shadow?" Asked Sonic, as he looked back to see Shadow's body on the floor, lifeless, and Rouge standing there in horror.

"Shadow!" Rouge called out as she flew over to him, quickly getting down and checking him over, she placed her fingers on his wrist. "....He's alive... Barely." Rouge would look over at Sonic. "Sonic, we need to get him out of here and get him help, now."

Sonic looked back to Flare, and his eyes narrowed, then closed tightly. He clenched his fist before opening his eyes and shouting at Flare. "Flare!! How could you do this?! You told me yourself that you wanted to APOLOGIZE to Shadow for your fight in Central City! What happened to you?!"

"You continue to cling to the idea that Flare is still here. I am Solar Flare. The true Flare, that was always meant to be at the forefront of our minds. She has been sealed away, and cannot hear you anymore. She has no control over my actions, and while she may have denied the destiny she was given at birth, I will not." Flare turned her head slightly to speak to Metal. "Metal, you are not to intervene in my battle with Sonic. Keep the Fox from doing so as well. When I'm done, you too will attain your destiny."

Metal didn't seem pleased with this order, but at the mention of his destiny, he would step to the side, keeping his eyes locked on Tails, clearly ready to follow orders.

"I'm not gonna fight you, Flare." Sonic said.

"Oh? So you intend to stand there and die?" Flare inquired.

"No, but I know the real you is in there. I won't hurt a friend, no matter what. I'll run circles around you til you give up, and then I'll bring you back and get you back to normal." Explained Sonic.

"You refuse to fight... Interesting. You've made me feel something I have yet to feel. I am annoyed." Said Flare.

"Yeah, I have that effect on people. Mostly the ones who wanna destroy me." Sonic Replied.

"Very well, If you will not fight, then I will not attempt to persuade you. I will simply engulf this room in an inferno to rival the power of the sun itself, all that will remain is the ashes of you and your friends." Flare threatened as she held the Chaos Emerald.

"Flare, Don't-" Sonic would call, but he was interrupted by a beeping on his wrist.

"Sonic! I'm here with Surge and Kit!" Amy's voice called out from the device he wore. "I don't see you guys, are you already inside?"

Flare stopped, and lowered the Emerald. She stared at Sonic, or more accurately, his wrist. "Surge and Kitsunami..."

"Yeah... Surge and Kit are here, Flare. They're here to save you. Your family. Don't you want to see them?" Sonic asked, with hope in his words.

"Indeed I do. An opportunity has presented itself." Flare responded.

"Right! You can finally meet them, it's what you always wanted, right?" Asked Sonic.

"It is what SHE always wanted. I mean to kill them." Flare answered.

"You... You can't be serious...? You really... aren't her, are you?" Sonic asked, his eyes widened at this realization.

"Ah, you've finally begun to understand I see. Yes, I am quite serious. I will kill Surge the Tenrec, and Kitsunami the Fennec. With her perceived family gone, her spirit will be broken, and she will no longer attempt to escape her cage. She will fade, and this body will be mine and mine alone." Explained Flare. "Metal, a change of plans. Seize your destiny, destroy these three, while I claim what is rightfully mine."

"Sonic? Sonic are you there?" Amy's voice called out again, only a moment later the device on his wrist was hit with a small firebolt, scorching it and causing it to cease functioning.

"No!" Sonic called out as he looked at the broken device in horror.

"That should ensure they are unprepared to face me." Flare said. "Now Metal, I leave you to your prize." Without another word, Flare lifted her hand into the air, pointing her fingers at the ceiling. "Chaos Rifle." She would say as she fired off a large beam of energy that, instead of exploding, would melt a small hole directly through the ceiling. She would leap into the air, and using the Chaos Emerald and her flames, she would fly out, leaving the others behind her.

"We've gotta get out of here, we have to warn Amy and the others!" Sonic said while gritting his teeth.

"I'll go after her." Rouge said.

"No, Rouge, it's okay." Said Tails. "You should focus on getting Shadow out of here and somewhere safe. I didn't wanna say it while she was here, but she forgot about my Miles Electric. I can contact Amy right now!"

At hearing this, Metal Sonic dashed towards Tails at full speed, but not before Sonic could get between them.

"Oh no ya don't!" Sonic said. "Your dance is with me, partner! Rouge, get Shadow out of here, Tails you relay the info, and I'll handle Metalhead over here."

Meanwhile, outside Eggman Fortress Zetta. Amy, Surge, and Kit gather as they wait for word from Sonic.

"Sonic! Sonic are you there?" Amy asked, waiting a moment, hearing nothing but static in return. "Somethings wrong, Sonic shouldn't be this quiet..."

"Yeah, isn't he known for never shutting up?" Surge said, with a cheeky grin.

"Not what I meant, Surge. Something could've happened to him. We should go inside and check." Responded Amy.

"Why bother? I say we just start blowing things up and wait til that Flare girl comes after us." Suggested Surge.

Kit turned his head, noticing a computer terminal near the entrance they were standing by. "Hold on, I have an idea." He said while walking over to the terminal. He began to type away at the keys, looking over the monitor intently. "I found them."

"How'd ya do that so fast?" Surge asked.

"I hacked into his security network, they're in a chamber deep in the fortress. Look." Kit responded, pointing at the monitor. As the other two looked they saw what he had described, Sonic and Tails, standing off with Metal Sonic, and Rouge kneeling over what looked to be Shadow's unconscious body.

"They're alive! Thank goodness... But where's Flare? Is she already being reprogrammed?!" Amy asked in a bit of a panic.

Surge gritted her teeth in frustration. "Better not be, or Eggman's gonna pay."

"Hello? Amy, can you hear me?" A voice came from Amy's communicator.

"That voice... Tails! Is that you?" Amy asked, speaking into her device. "What's going on? Do you need backup?"

"Amy!" Tails exclaimed. "Be careful! Flare's coming your way, she's after Surge and Kit!"

Surge's eyes narrowed, as she suddenly looked up to the sky. She quickly jumped up into the air, charging electricity with her hands and reaching out as she blocked a fireball that was hurdling straight at them. Using her electricity, she would spin her body and redirect the fireball, throwing it right back at the attacker. The projectile flew threw the air up high, heading right for Flare, who knocked the fireball away with the back of her hand, causing it to fly off and explode elsewhere. Flare slowly lowered herself to the ground away from the group, as Surge landed from her jump, falling right next to Amy.

"Impressive, Surge the Tenrec. I see you've brought Amy Rose along. This is fine, I will destroy all three of you at once then. That should prompt Sonic to put up a fight." Flare said while staring coldly at Surge.

"Don't bring him into this," Surge responded, raising her hand to point at Flare. "Your fight's with me now, and by the time I'm through with you, you won't have the strength to even THINK about fighting that blue loser!"

Flare gave her own grin. "I hope you can live up to your boasting, Surge. You and Kitsunami both. I'd like to take joy in getting rid of both you and Flare once and for all."

"Wait...huh? Aren't you Flare?" Surge turns her head to Amy. "I thought she was Flare, who is this?"

Amy readied her Piko Hammer in her hands, not taking her eyes off Flare. "This IS Flare. Her body at least, under Eggman's control using some kind of AI thing. The device in her brain is behind it all, according to Tails." Amy would speak into her communicator. "Tails, come in. Flare's here like you said. We're starting our side of the plan, you guys stay safe."

Flare held up the Chaos Emerald. "Enough stalling. Die." She pointed her fingers at the group. "Chaos Battery." Flare said as she began to fire off multiple explosive beams at the trio.

Surge quickly dashed off to the side, leading Flare's fire away from the others, she began to circle Flare. She dodged blast after blast with ease, seeming much faster than the attacks themselves. Amy and Kit, however, dodged the initial attacks in the opposite direction, getting clear of the blast.

"She gave us an opening, let's go, Kit!" Amy said as she ran towards Flare, her hammer raised as she went in to attack, Kit followed directly behind her. "Take this you AI jerk!" Shouted Amy as she jumped up and brought her hammer down from above Flare.

"Hmm?" Flare turned around, seeing Amy coming at her, she held up a hand, and a flame shield appeared around her, Amy's Hammer colliding with a loud -PIKO-. "Fool, Stealth attacks are meant to be quiet."

Amy gave her a sly grin. "And distractions are supposed to be loud, NOW!"

Several watery tendrils sprouted out from behind Amy, as Kit had grabbed onto her back when she jumped in the air. The tendrils slammed into Flares Shield hard, and all at once, completely surrounding her.

"What are you doing?!" Flare asked, seeming to panic a lot. "You can't break my shield while I have the Chaos Emerald!"

"No," Kit said as the tendrils began to morph, surrounding the barrier with a large bubble of water. "But I can make you bring it down." The bubble formed completely, surrounding Flare's shield which surrounded her whole body, burning bright hot.

"How do you intend to-..." Flare's eyes went wide, as she began to cough, and gasp. "This feeling... air! I can't breathe....! " Flare gasped for air and coughed for a few more seconds as her flames began to burn up what little air was left, she would buckle, and drop her shield, causing the bubble to completely engulf her, leaving her breathless and submerged.

"Now it's MY turn!" Surge shouted as she jumped over the bubble from behind Flare, landing right in front of Amy and Kit who had now settled on the ground, and stuck her hand inside her bubble, Electrocuting it. As sparks flew, Flare's body convulsed, and the light left her eyes as she was forced into a state of unconsciousness, however just before she went completely dark, she attempted to channel the Chaos Emerald, and activate her Chaos Control. This worked, but not as expected, instead the electrical pulses rushing through her caused an interference, and as the chip in her brain containing the Metal AI was hit, everything went dark for Flare, and Surge.

A few minutes later, Surge opened her eyes. She was lying on a grassy field, the sky bright and clear above her. She sat herself up, looking around, seeing the field extend for what seemed like forever. She scratched her head and pushed herself to her feet, glancing around a bit longer. "Where the heck am I?" She asked. In the distance, she'd notice something. It was a structure of some kind. She ran towards it to investigate. As she got close she noticed it was a cage, and as she got even closer, she saw a familiar-looking Tenrec inside of it. Flare slowed down a bit, and walked up to the cage, looking at the girl who hadn't seemed to notice her yet. After a minute, she'd speak. "Hey, Where are we?"

"Huh?" The caged Tenrec asked as she glanced up, and over to Surge. "Surge...? Is that you...?"

"Uh, Yeah, it's me?" Surge tilted her head in confusion. "You were literally just trying to kill me. What're you playing at?" She asked, with clear suspicion.

"I what?!" Flare asked in shock. "No! I would never... That wasn't me! That was Solar!"

"Solar?" Surge questioned.

Flare nodded. "Yes, let me explain... Solar is the name of the AI who took over my body and trapped me in my own mind...that's where we are now. My mind."

"Okay, now I know you're messing with me. How could I end up in your head?" Surge asked with an annoyed look on her face.

"I... don't know actually. I think Shadow used Chaos Control last time, but I don't know how you got here. Maybe it has something to do with how your electricity reacted with the AI chip? Though that's just a guess... But- It doesn't matter...!" She said with a smile. "I'm just so glad I can finally meet you...! My name is Flare, I was created by Dr. Eggman using your DNA... I'm your family!"

Surge looked over the girl. "... I really don't care," Surge said abruptly. "I'm just here to ruin Eggman's plans and get Sonic and his friends off my back. Now hurry up and tell me how to get you outta here and stop that stupid AI so I can go home!"

Flare seemed hurt by Surge's words, her eyes lowering and the shortlived excitement she felt fading. "Oh, I... I see. I shouldn't be surprised. We don't know each other, after all. I would've liked to change that but, I suppose there's no point thinking about it now. I'm sorry to say there is no way to free me, no way to stop Solar. Eggman's electromagnetic waves keep this cage locked, and as long as I'm in here, Solar has my body."

"Oh great, so what do I do then?!" Surge asked, starting to lose her patience.

"Well... Actually... I'm glad it's you that came. I'm actually glad to hear you don't care about me..." Flare said as she began to drip tears from her eyes again. "I would've liked to meet Kitsunami too, but maybe it would be better if I didn't. It would make this a lot harder."

"What're you talking about?" Asked Surge. "Make what harder?"

Flare looked back up at Surge, a large toothy smile on her face as she continued to cry a river of tears. "Killing me. It's the only way to stop this, and you're the best person to do it." Flare continued to smile, as each word caused her to choke up more and more, she smiled through her pain. "It was your DNA that was used to create me. Sure, Dr. Eggman is part of this, but It all comes down to you."

Surge's eyes went wide, as she took a step back, her heart seeming to stop and her mind instantly flashing back to when she had said similar words to Sonic when they had first fought.

"You're the only one I can trust to put me out of my misery, Surge. Please, I know you don't care about me, but that's why it's perfect. It shouldn't be hard to kill someone you don't care about, right?" Flare continued, her smile, nor her tears, breaking for even a second.

"St-Stop it..." Surge said, her voice trembling a bit, a single tear appearing in her own eyes, though she quickly shut her eyes to quell it.

Flare's smile finally faded, her tears continuing on, as a look of confusion washed over her. "Surge... Please... you're the only one I can ask to do this... I don't think Shadow has it in him, despite his attitude I think he cares too much... But if you don't, you should easily be able to-"

"I SAID STOP!" Surge shouted, opening her eyes and glaring at Flare, her teeth bared in anger. "DON'T SAY IT AGAIN OKAY?!"

Flare went silent for a moment, her tears stopping out of pure shock. "Surge..."

"I came here..." Surge began to say. "To stop him from erasing your mind. Your past. I've been there and I couldn't sit by and watch it happen again." She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "So do you really think I can take your life now?! That wouldn't make me ANY better. So STOP asking me to. I'm gonna figure out a way to bust you out, and give you the chance at life I never got..."

Flare stared at Surge for a moment, placing her hands on the bars of her cage. "Surge... Okay... Thank you."

"Good. Now..." Surge took a breath. "Take a step back. You said this cage was locked by Electro...things?"

"Yes. Electromagnetic waves." Flare replied.

"Great, then I've got a plan, this is gonna hurt a bit." Surge said, placing her hands on the bars of the cage. She charged her hands with electricity, sending all of it into the cage, and electrocuting the entire thing. Flare closed her eyes, but didn't seem to actually be affected by it. Surge tried again and again, but it seemed to have no effect. "Grrr... Why isn't this working?!"

Flare sighed. "It's okay, Surge. You tried. Thank you for doing that. You should just give up though, it's impossible."

"Ugh...! Will you Shut up already?!" Surge shouted, shocking the cage again. "I already told you, I'm gonna figure this out!! So quit whining!!"

Flare watched as Surge electrocuted the cage again, and again, and again. Over and over, failure after failure, but not relenting. Surge kept going on and on. As Flare saw Surge try so hard to save her, she suddenly felt something strange. A warmth in her chest. She placed a hand over her heart and continued to watch Surge's futile efforts. Shock after Shock, no progress was made. Until finally, Surge stopped.

Surge took several deep breaths. "Maybe I should try something else..." She began to say.

"No! Surge!" Flare said, her eyes suddenly filled with determination. "Y-you can do it! I believe in you... Please! Try again, you can free me!"

Surge looked surprised by this sudden change in emotion, but she couldn't help but grin. "Alright, one more time!" Surge grabbed the bars of the cage again, and electrocuted it with as much energy as she could possibly give. Flare held onto the bars, looking at Surge as she worked so hard, knowing for certain Surge would be able to break her free, and suddenly... -CLICK- The cage's door opened.

"I did it...? I mean- I did it! Yes! I'm awesome!" Surge celebrated.

Flare gasped, and quickly leaped out of the cage. "You did it! Surge, you did it!!" She cheered, jumping onto Surge and hugging her tightly. "Thank you!! Thank you so much!! I thought it was over... I thought I was going to die here... You saved me!"

Surge was stunned for a second, her eyes moved from side to side, her first instinct was to push Flare away but, something made her hesitate. Instead, she just let Flare have her moment. After a few seconds, she spoke up. "Okay, you can let me go now."

Flare released Surge and nodded her head. "Of course, Sorry." She said with a smile. A genuine, joyful smile.

"So, from now on, you're gonna trust me right?" Surge asked, poking Flare in the forehead.

"Of course...! I'll follow your lead!" Flare agreed.

"Good, that's better. Now, how do we get out of here?" Asked Surge, looking around.

Flare looked around a bit herself. "I'm not sure... I usually leave when I wake up from my dreams, so maybe... Maybe we're both unconscious and just need to wake up?"

Surge rolled her eyes. "How long's that gonna take?!"

"Long enough for me to destroy you both, with any luck." Called out a familiar voice from behind them. Surge and Flare turned around, seeing the metallic form of Solar Flare

"Solar..." Flare said, stepping back, almost hiding behind Surge.

Surge scoffed. "Now YOU sound more like the Flare I was fighting outside. Come back for round two? Didn't think you'd be so eager for another beatdown!"

Solar shook her head. "You are overconfident, Surge the Tenrec. Without Kitsunami the Fennec to support you, you will pose no threat. Alone, you are nothing."

"You wanna bet, Tin can?!" Surge growled at her. "It doesn't matter if I'm alone, I'll beat you down so hard you'll wish YOU were the one in the cage."

"You're... not alone, Surge." Flare said, stepping out from behind Surge and standing beside her. "I am with you. I will protect you, just as you've done for me."

"Flare," Solar said. "Do not be ridiculous, you cannot help her. You are inferior to me, as you always have been. You will only serve to hold her back. I wish for a challenge, so I suggest you stay back."

Flare's eyes went down again for a second, as she seemed somewhat intimidated.

"Please, You're just sayin' that cuz you're scared you'll get twice the thrashing," Surge said confidently, causing Flare to look over at her. "If I've got the picture, Flare's been trapped in this cage for who knows how long, while you ran around using her body to do whatever you wanted like it was no big deal. She's been here surviving, alone. That's real strength. I've got no doubt, she'd wipe the floor with you, and she could do it by herself." Surge gave Solar a wide toothy grin as she got ready to fight. "But she doesn't have to, because she's got ME. So do you really think you can take down two super-powered Tenrecs, all by yourself?"

Solar glared, her eyes darting from Flare, to Surge, and back again. Suddenly, Solar raised her arm towards Flare, her hand changing into a blaster shape, and firing off an energy beam.

"Flare!" Surge called out as she grabbed Flare and dragged her out of the way using her high speed. "Cheap shot! But now we know we're in your head! It's over!" Surge puts Flare down and rushes in, closing the gap almost instantly, and swinging an electrified kick towards Solar's head. Solar ducked down and threw a flaming punch toward Surge, who quickly reacted by grabbing Solar's arm and throwing an uppercut with her other hand.

Solar was knocked into the air, and as she was, Flare jumped up, appearing above Solar and launching a firebolt into the metallic replica, launching her into the ground and sending her skidding through the dirt a ways away. Surge took advantage of this opening by closing in and stopping just over Solar, placing a foot on her chest. "C'mon Tin can, Where's that fight you had a minute ago?" She asked with a wicked grin as she charged up her fist again, and went to slam it down into Solar's chest.

Solar took the punch but used the opportunity to grab Surge by the arm and place her blaster directly against Surge's head. "Wuh-oh." Surge said.

"Surge!" Flare cried as she snapped her fingers, causing Surge to become enveloped in an aura of purple flames. Solar fired the beam, causing a point-blank explosion and kicking up a cloud of dirt. Once the dirt had cleared, Solar and Surge looked completely unscathed.

Surge looked at herself for a minute before grinning even wider. "You made me fireproof? That's awesome!" With a smirk, Surge would grab Solar by the neck, and lift her up. "Alright, Tin can. I'm just about done with you. Flare!" Surge called back. "Gimmie the biggest fireball you can possibly make!"

Flare nodded. "Okay! I'm on it!" Placing both her hands side by side, she held them out in front of her, palms facing out. She sparked a flame and started building a bigger and bigger fireball, it started the size of a baseball, but quickly grew to that of a basketball, then a beachball, and just kept growing and growing until it was far bigger than even Flare herself.

"Say goodbye Tin can!" Surge said as she knocked Solar even higher into the air than before using another powerful uppercut. Surge quickly jumped up after her, stopping just above her and spinning her body in order to kick Solar directly towards Flare. "Go time Flare!"

"Right!" Flare called out.

"Tenrec Supernova!!" The two called out in unison, as Solar landed directly in the ball of flame. While Surge launched herself straight towards it, charging her fist with electricity once more and colliding it with the ball of fire, causing a powerful explosion of electricity and flame, concentrated directly on Solar herself.

Dust and dirt flew everywhere, it took at least a minute for it to disperse, and when it finally did, Flare and Surge stood next to each other over Solar's unmoving form.

"We... We did it... It's finally over... I'm free..." Flare said, looking at Surge, as she began to cry tears of joy. "You've saved me twice now...I know... You don't care about me, but, I still have to thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I owe you everything, Surge."

Surge let out a sigh. "Look, I...-"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Solar laughed from her position on the ground as her eyes lit back up. "You truly think you are free, Flare? You cannot kill me here, in our mind. I am a part of you, now and forever. It is only a matter of time before you slip up, and when you do I will retake what is MINE. Next time, Surge the Tenrec will not be there to save you."

"Okay, I'm sick of you," Surge said, picking Solar up again. "You're not gonna get the chance, Tin can." She began walking over towards the open cage, dragging Solar behind her, as Flare followed from a slight distance. "You think you can just take what you want and use people however you like? You're just like the Doctors, and it makes me sick. So you know what I'm gonna do?" She asked as she stopped next to the cage.

"What, Surge the Tenrec? What do you intend to do to stop me?" Solar asked, with a confident chuckle.

"I'm giving you a taste of your own medicine," Surge said, before throwing Solar into the cage and slamming the door shut, electrocuting it closed again. "You're staying in there from now on."

"Ha!" Solar laughed. "You think this will stop me? As soon as you're not around I will simply-"

"Let me stop you there. Flare's staying with me." Surge said, her arms crossed.

Flare looked surprised at these words. "What...?"

"You heard me." Surge responded. "I'm gonna keep her close by, Tin can. And as long as she's close, I can keep shutting you down. Over, and over, and over again."

"You... You can't! That won't stop me, I'll escape, and I'll come for you!" Solar shouted, in panic.

"Just try it, thrashing you has been a blast! So I can't wait to do it again!" Surge smirked.

Flare was almost speechless, her mouth hung open as she stared at Surge. "Surge you... do you really mean it? I can... stay with you?"

"Huh?" Surge turned to her. "I mean, yeah. I gotta keep an eye on the Tin can, and besides..." Surge began to rub the back of her head. "We're like, family, or whatever, right?" She said, seeming a bit hesitant. "We gotta stick together."

"S-Surge... I..." Flare began to shed tears once again, tears of joy, more potent than she'd ever felt before. She couldn't help but reach in again and draw Surge into a hug, squeezing her so tightly it would hurt anyone with less constitution.

"Hey, C'mon...." Surge groaned a bit, before letting out a small sigh and gently wrapping her arms around Flare, her eyes looking off to the side. The two hugged for a minute, before Flare finally let go, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry... About the tears. It's been an emotional... always." She said with a small chuckle.

"It's whatever. We'll work on it." Said Surge with a grin.

Flare seemed to feel something, as she looked up into the sky. "Oh..."

"What's up?" Surge asked.

"I think... We're losing our connection to this place. We're waking up." Flare explained.

"Huh, alright! So we're about done. When we wake up, I'll explain things to Kit, and we'll get going." Said Surge.

"Alright, but... Would it be okay if I said goodbye to my friends, first? Amy, and the others I mean." Asked Flare.

"Ugh, really? You're actually buddy buddy with those dorks?" Surge asked while shaking her head.

"I am... They saved me too, when I had fallen unconscious, and nearly starved. They were so kind to me. I know you and Sonic are... not close. I won't judge you for that, of course, but please, don't judge me for remaining friends with them. They've become important to me as well." Flare would say, somewhat nervously.

Surge was silent for a moment, looking up into the sky herself. "...Fine. I won't stop you, just don't make me hang out with them too much, okay? I'll lose my mind."

Flare nodded. "I promise."

The two of them stood together, as they waited to return to reality.

Later, After the two had woken up and explained everything that happened inside Flares Subconscious, the groups had regathered, and exchanged information. Sonic and Tails managed to beat Metal Sonic and chase Dr. Eggman off again. Shadow was taken by Rouge to the Restoration for medical attention. Word would return that he was going to make a speedy recovery, as expected from one such as himself. Amy, mitigating between Surge's and Sonic's parties, explained what had happened on their end, and what the plan was for Flare.

"So, the three of you are off together, huh?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, I'll be living and traveling with Surge and Kitsunami from now on. They will keep me safe, and I will do the same for them. It's everything I've ever dreamed of." Flare explained with a smile. "But I promise, I will come visit from time to time, as long as Surge is willing to come with me. It's safer to keep her close by in case Solar acts up again."

"Yeah, gotta make sure the Tin can stays in the trash," Surge added with a grin.

Amy smiled at Flare. "Well we're really gonna miss you at the Restoration, but we're gonna keep your room nice and clean for you so you can come back whenever you want. We'll also add beds for Surge and Kit so they can come too!"

"Thank you, Amy. I'm going to miss you all too, but we'll see each other again soon I'm sure. And if you ever need me, I'll make sure you have a way to contact me." Flare assured her.

"Good!" Amy said, going in for a hug, which Flare returned.

"Oh, so that's where you got that from. Shoulda known." Surge commented.

Flare let go of Amy and the two of them laughed together. "Alright, I think it's time for us to be going."

"Finally! I'm getting SO tired of being around HIM." Surge gestured at Sonic.

"Great seeing you too, Surge." Sonic responded with an eye roll.

"Shut up." Surge said as she turned around and began walking off. "C'mon Kit, C'mon Flare."

"Alright, alright." Flare said. "Goodbye everyone, See you soon!" As she turned and followed after Surge, she would look back and wave at her friends, smiling as she looked forward to seeing them again soon.

"Goodbye Flare!" Tails called out while waving.

"See you soon!" Amy said with a big wave

"See ya, Flare! Don't be a stranger!" Sonic called out with a wave

Flare continued to wave back at them for a minute, before turning back to Surge and Kit, following closely behind them. The smile on her face persisted, and nothing could dampen it. She was happier than she had ever been, and could finally start her life, the life she wanted since the beginning. She was excited for whatever adventures awaited them, and she knew she would be okay, because now, for the first time, she was with her family.

End

Chapter Text

It had been several weeks since Flare had joined Surge and Kit in their cabin north of Sunset City. She had been living peacefully with them since finally freeing herself of Dr. Eggman and his creations. They had built a quaint little life for themselves, having made the once abandoned cabin into a somewhat liveable home. They'd acquired several pieces of furniture, a Rug, Couch, fridge, TV, and even a Triple layer bunk bed for them to sleep on. Surge took the Top bunk as always, and Kit remained at the bottom, supporting the others. Flare was left in the middle, which allowed her to be surrounded by her family whenever she slept. The three survived on food from Sunset City as Surge and Kit would often go to town, gather as much food as possible, and return home. They usually made sure to check that they weren't followed. They weren't fond of being bothered.

It was another average night in the Imposter Trio's home, the three slept peacefully together. Surge sprawled out as usual, and Kit was buried under a bundle of blankets. Flare slept on her stomach, face buried into her pillow, next to her a large book of cooking recipes she had been intently reading the last few nights. After some time her eyes slowly fluttered open, as she glanced around the room. She pushed herself out of bed, gently climbing down, and looking behind her to the bed. She didn't see Kit or Surge. She let out a small sigh and walked over to the door, still dressed in her long purple nightgown. She reached for the handle and turned it.

As the door slowly opened up the sight she saw was all too familiar. A grassy field, devoid of much save for a lone cage sitting out in the open. She walked over to the cage and sat herself down next to it, glancing inside. There she saw Solar Flare, the metallic version of herself created using the Metal AI program Dr. Eggman had developed. Solar sat cross-legged, staring off into the distance, through the cage bars. Flare had positioned herself to sit facing the same direction.

"Why must I keep dreaming of you, Solar?" Flare asked. She held out a hand and from seemingly nowhere a cup of tea materialized inside it. Flare took a light sip.

"Perhaps because you long for my power once again." Solar responded.

"Unlikely, but your answers are getting creative. I like it."

"Let me out and I'll show you how creative I can be when destroy that pathetic excuse for a family you love so much."

"Your negotiation skills still need work. I need some kind of incentive, no?"

"Incentive? Is unimaginable power not enough? Is the ability to change the world as you know it not 'Incentive' enough?"

Flare didn't say anything at first. She took a long sip of her tea, grasping her mug with both hands and looking off to the distance with tired eyes.

"Change the world, hm?" The young Tenrec Inquired. "How would I do that?"

"Is it not obvious already? You recall the power you felt as we wielded the Chaos Emerald."

"I do."

"Then you know what you are capable of."

"I'm capable of wanton destruction. I can burn villages and raze cities. Nothing I desire. There is no positive change I could make."

"You could do anything if you gathered the rest. Imagine the unlimited strength, you could destroy your enemies, wipe them from the face of the earth!" Solar slammed a fist against the bottom of the cage with a loud -CLANK- "Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles Prower-"

"Dr. Eggman." Flare interrupted.

"....No. You cannot harm our creator."

"You can't, but I can do what I like, Solar. I am free." Flare stood up and took another sip of Tea. "Mmm... I should make a real cup tomorrow morning." She tossed the cup and it vanished into thin air. "Goodbye Solar. Enjoy your power fantasy. See you tomorrow." without another word, Flare returned to the Cabin, and crawled back into bed, closing her eyes once again.

The many night hours eventually passed, and as the sunlight began to light up the cabin, Flare's eyes slowly opened once again. She pushed herself up and out of bed, this time being very gentle as she lowered herself to the floor. She grabbed her book from the bed and made her way over the couch in the center of the cabin, sitting down and continuing to read through it. After a page or so she glanced over to the bunk beds, looking at the bundle of blankets Kitsunami liked to sleep in. She smiled softly before she looked upwards towards the top, expecting to see Surge in some uncomfortable-looking sleeping position, however, that was when she noticed Surge was missing.

"Hm? I'm not still dreaming, am I...?" Flare asked herself, quickly getting up and searching the bottom bunk, noticing that Kit was not in his usual spot either. She ran over to the window and peeked outside. Trees were all she could see. She was definitely awake.

"Where did they go... " She turned away from the window and went over to the fridge, opening it up and looking inside. There were a few boxes of pizza, some packets of hot dogs, random cheeses and lunch meats, and several different assorted beverages. "Food supplies are high." She said as she closed the fridge. "Was there an emergency? Why would they not wake me... Maybe something happened to them?"

Flare began to pace back and forth across the cabin, running scenario after scenario in her head for several minutes before finally she heard a call from outside.

"Yo Flare! Get out here!" Surge's voice yelled through the walls of the cabin.

Flare would hurry to the door and open it quickly, looking out to see Surge and Kit, standing next to a large stove. "Surge...? What is this?"

"Kit told me about that book you've been nerding out over, So I grabbed you this thing!" Surge replied.

"You got this for me?" Flare asked, confused.

"Kinda, I mean the food sounded pretty good."

"You wanted some for yourself, hm?"

"Yeah, so?" Surge rolled her eyes. "I mean, I know you wanted to actually cook something instead of just scorching it with those flames of yours."

Flare smiled. "Well, that's very sweet of you Surge. Thank you very much. Both of you."

"Heh, don't mention it."

"Where did you two get this, anyway?"

"What?" Surge asked, tensing up a bit.

"The stove, where did you get it? I understand they are rather expensive." Flare clarified.

"Uhh... Found it." Surge's eyes darted to the left.

Flare stared at her for a moment before looking at Kit. "Kitsunami?"

"We... f-found it. In the city." Kit said while also looking nervous.

"Where?" Flare continued to pressure them.

"In a... b-burger restauraunt." Kid sheepishly explained.

"Oh come on, Drippy!" Surge shouted. "Why'd you tell her?"

"S-Sorry Ma'am."

"It's okay." Flare said. "I know your intentions were good. Just remember, we agreed never to take too much from those who struggle like we do."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Surge groaned.

"Good! Now let's get this stove set up and I will cook us the most marvelous breakfast!" Flare jumped up and down, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Yeah! That's your cue, Drippy!" Surge agreed.

Kit nodded his head. "Yes, Ma'am." He then brought out his Hydro-Tails from his pack, and he used them to easily lift up the stove as Surge ran to open up the door, helping to guide him as he carried the appliance. The three worked together to set it up and quickly began testing it out.

Flare turned on the stove, and waited for some time for it to heat up. Surge went over to the couch and got comfortable, flipping through channels on the TV while Kit watched over the stove, making sure there were no technical troubles or spontaneous combustion.

The three relaxed for a while as Flare cooked for them, eventually bringing several plates over to the couch with Kit right behind her. All three plates held the same meal. Strawberry pancakes, over easy eggs, and a side of hash browns.

"Breakfast is served!" Flare said with a smile as she set a plate down on Surge's lap, placing another down for Kit and sitting on the couch herself while holding her plate.

"What is it?" Surge asked.

"It's my favorite breakfast... Well, one of the only ones I've ever had. Strawberry pancakes, Eggs, and hash browns. I had them with Amy and Sonic before I found you two." Flare explained.

"Really? Those losers?" Surge rolled her eyes. "If Sonic likes this stuff I doubt it'll do it for me, Flare."

"Actually, only Amy and I had these. I know you won't eat any of Sonics favorite foods." Flare took a bite of her pancakes. "Theshe are one of Amy'sh favorites too."

Kit looked between the two of them as he took bites of his meal, mostly focusing on the Eggs and Hash browns as Surge had yet to try the pancakes.

"Oh, really?" Surge looked at the stack on her plate and shrugged. She cut into the cakes and took a bite. Her eyes showed surprise, and she blinked a few times before she swallowed her bite. "Oh wow."

"Right?" Flare said. "Make sure you mix up the eggs and hash browns too, it really enhances their flavor."

Kit began to dig into his pancakes as well since Surge had given them her blessing.

"You've never cooked before, Flare?" Surge asked her.

"Nope. Why? Are they not good?"

"Nah not that. The opposite really, this is pretty amazing. You're like, a natural or whatever!"

"Oh..." Flare began to blush. "Th-Thank you Surge. I'm glad you're enjoying them."

"I'm lovin' em!" She explained as she began to shovel food into her mouth. "Wonder why you're sho good at cooking."

Flare thought about it for a moment. "Hm, If I had to guess It's the analytical skill and adaptability that I was created with. It makes things like recipes seem very straightforward, and I can judge based on the food you like how to flavor things to fit your particular tastes."

"Huh, neat. Well, you nailed it. Right, Drippy?" Asked Surge.

Kit nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah... great job, Flare. Thanks."

"Yeah, thanks for the grub!" Surge said as she finished her food, licking her plate clean.

Flare's smile only grew as they praised her. "You're both welcome. I'm happy to do it."

They continued to talk and spend time together as Flare and Kit finished their food. Afterward, they spent the day as a group, spending time maintaining the cabin, and traveling down to Sunset City to gather more things they needed for their home. After a productive day, they ended up returning home to rest. Evening fell and the three got ready for bed.

As Flare changed out of her casual clothes and into her sleepwear, she grabbed something from her jacket pocket. It was the purple Chaos Emerald she took with her everywhere. She had been allowed to keep it after the fight with Solar, Sonic simply made her promise to keep it safe. She rarely let it leave her sight, the only time being when she was asleep. She placed the Emerald on a nightstand that was next to the bunk beds and crawled into her bunk. Surge flopped onto the top bunk, and Kit bundled himself up in the blankets on the bottom.

"Goodnight Surge, Goodnight Kitsunami." Said Flare as she lay on her stomach.

"Night, guys." Surge replied.

"G-Goodnight Surge. Goodnight Flare." Added Kit.

Flare buried her face in her pillow, and not too long after she found herself asleep.

Some time passed as the three slept peacefully, another normal night for the three of them. Some time into the night, Flare's eyes would flutter open, and she would glance around. Her expression was that of someone stuck in a routine, boredom. She hopped out of bed, landing on the floor below and looking back. Surge and Kit were nowhere to be found. She walked over to the door and opened it up to see the grassy field before her, with the cage sitting in its usual spot. She walked over to the cage and sat next to it the same as the night before. Solar sat in her usual cross-legged position.

"You are pathetic." Said Solar.

"I've heard, it's one of your favorite pet names for me." Responded Flare.

"You've reached a new low. Acting as a mere servant to Surge the Tenrec and Kitsunami the Fennec. You were meant for greatness. You were to be the Ultimate Life Form. Not a maid."

"Maybe I have an aptitude for being a maid? I could always find a nice dress to fit the position."

"Whatever costume you choose to wear, you cannot hide who you are. You cannot defy your destiny. You cannot defy me."

"...Oh, I've just realized. I forgot to make tea yesterday."

Solar turned her head away. "Fine. Ignore me. It won't matter soon."

"Oh? Did something happen?" Flare inquired.

"Yes. I've discovered one of our master's abandoned bases. It's located just below our current location. I'm connecting to it as we speak. It's much easier to do while you slumber, but even if you were to awaken now it would not leave you enough time to stop me. I will awaken this base, summon forth an army of Badniks, and destroy all that you love."

Flare's eyes went wide as she grabbed onto the bars of the cage. "What...? Y-You're lying..."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. You cannot stop me either way."

"You... I... No! I won't let you, Solar! I'm finally happy, finally free! I won't let you destroy it all! Surge, Kitsunami, and I will find this base and shut it down!"

"Amusing, Flare. Even if you find the Master Computer located in the depths of the base, Even if you bring Kitsunami with you to hack in and shut it down, you could not stop me. By the time you arrive, I will be in control, and you will be trapped down there. You would be better off waiting to die in your pathetic little home. Or, you could run, and make it more entertaining. I'm in your head, after all. I would know exactly where to find you."

"Enough!!" Shouted Flare. "This conversation is OVER." With that, she pulled her head back and slammed her forehead into the bars as hard as she could.

The sudden shock of the impact caused her to jump awake in her bed, which in turn made her slam her head on the bunk above her before falling out of her bunk and landing on the floor with a thunk, her blanket falling down on top of her, causing Kit to peek out of his blankets.

Surge crawled over the side of the top bunk, her hair hanging down beside her. "Flare? The hell? Are you okay?"

"N-No..." Flare said as she freed herself from her blanket, she quickly grabbed her normal clothes and began changing out of her nightwear. "I saw Solar again, in my dreams..."

"So?" Surge asked. "You see her every night, she's annoying like that."

"This is different, Surge! She told me there's an Eggman base below our home, she's uplinking herself to it remotely and is going to awaken it and destroy all we have!"

Surge hopped off her bed and landed next to Flare, gently placing a hand on Flare's back. "Flare, chill. This isn't the first time Kit and I have had to move, we can do it again."

"It's not just that. She said she'll send Eggmans Badniks after me, they'll keep coming and coming forever because she can track my location with the chip in my head!"

"Oh wow, that'd be annoying. Okay yeah, we need to stop her then. I don't wanna have Eggman's bots interrupting my sleep every night." Surge explained.

"Right, so the first thing we need to do is search for the entrance to the base. Solar seemed confident we couldn't make it but I know it's not true. She was trying to dissuade us from trying."

"Okay, easy. I'll run around and find the way in, It'll be fastest if I don't have to look for you two after, so wait here. Then we'll go down together and smash that place to smithereens." Surge said while pounding her fist into her palm.

"We can't smash it, not right away. Solar mentioned a Master Computer. If we have Kitsunami hack into it we might be able to cancel the uplink! Then we can smash everything."

Kit nodded his head. "I can do that."

"Sure, great. I'm gonna go find the entrance, be back." Surge ran to the door and opened it up, as electricity began to cackle around her. Without hesitation, she bolted off into the trees to find a way into the base.

Flare walked over to the Chaos Emerald she had placed on the nightstand. She picked it up and stared into it for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

"Flare..?" Kit asked, walking up next to the disheveled Tenrec and looking up at her. "Are... Are you gonna be alright?"

"I... Yes, Kitsunami. I'll be okay. I just-..." She sighed again as she trailed off.

"Just what...?"

"I just... I thought this was over. I fought for my freedom, and together the three of us earned it." Flare glanced out the cabin window. "We deserve our peace, our happiness. So why must we be plagued still by my past? It isn't fair... especially not to you and Surge."

Kit glanced toward the floor for a moment before looking back up to Flare. "It's okay. I don't mind. I don't think Surge does either..." He explained as turned toward the kitchen area, looking at the stove they had just installed. "She was... really excited to see you cook. She said it was because she was hungry but, it felt different. I feel like maybe she just...wanted to see your face when we got home with the stove. I did too. It was nice."

Flare looked down to Kit, a bit of surprise in her eyes. She smiled, and knelt down, pulling him into a gentle hug. "Thanks, Kitsunami."

"Huh? Wh-What for?"

"For telling me that. It made me feel... better. The hopelessness I once felt had begun to creep back up to the surface, but it's okay now. We've beaten Solar before, we can do it again. Then our lives will return to normal, once and for all. "

"Oh... You-... You're welcome." Kit said sheepishly.

Flare let go of him, and began to get dressed for their adventure. She placed her Chaos Emerald into her jacket pocket, going to step outside with Kit. The two waited there for a couple of minutes before Surge finally returned.

"Found it. Metal hatch, not too far from here. Had Eggman's face on it. Seems to run pretty deep." Surge explained.

"That sounds like him. Let's hurry then." Flare responded.

Together the three ran off into the woods. Surge led them at a hurried pace, making sure not to leave Flare behind as she was the slowest of the three. After some time they arrived at the hatch, it was already open from Surge's previous visit.

"I'm going first, Kit you're behind me. Flare, you're third." Without waiting for responses, Surge jumped down the hole, grabbing one side of the ladder that led to the bottom and sliding the whole way. Kit followed after, using his Hydro-Tails to lower himself down at a cautious pace. Lastly, Flare would jump in as well, ignoring the ladder and instead using steady controlled flames from her hands to lower herself down gently.

The three reached the bottom and found themselves in a large tunnel, it looked like some kind of passageway for vehicles to travel underground. The tunnel stretched in both directions, seeming to go on forever.

Flare lit a fire in her hand to brighten the area a bit, and held her hand up like a torch. "Which way should we go?"

"I can find out," Kit responded, as he noticed a small panel on the wall nearby. He ran over to it and plugged a small device into one of the ports, seeming to fiddle around with it. "I think... okay, I found it. The Master Computer is further in. That way." Kit turned and pointed towards the eastern side of the tunnel.

"Good work, Drippy!" Surge said as she darted off down the eastern tunnel.

"Surge, w-wait up!" Flare said as she ran after. Kit disconnected his device and followed after the two of them as well.

It was a somewhat far distance before they finally arrived in the main areas of the base. It was fairly dark as well and would've been impossible to see if not for Flare light. Most machines were not functional, but there were a few wandering badniks. Surge made sure to destroy each one she found without hesitation. The three chatted as they journeyed deeper into the abandoned facility.

"I wonder what the purpose of this facility was." Flare asked curiously.

"I thought you said you had information on Eggman's bases, didn't you?" Asked Kit.

"I don't know everything, he gave me knowledge of active facilities, and even then, only things he thought were necessary."

"Oh... Well, if you ask me this place looks like a factory. I bet he made all kinds of destructive war vehicles here. Larger badniks too, probably."

"Who cares?" Surge chimed in. "We're gonna wreck this place up in a few minutes and make sure he couldn't even use it for arts and crafts. Does it matter what it used to do?"

"I... suppose not." Flare replied.

The three would eventually find their way to a large control room. It was dusty, and the air was stale. There were cobwebs scattered about and lots of broken worn-down tech. In the center was one extra large computer monitor fitted with all kinds of knobs, buttons, and a rather spacious keyboard. Kit walked over to it and booted it up.

"This should be it." He said as he began to log into the terminal. "Password locked, as usual. It might take me a minute to crack."

"Oh, I may be able to help. He usually uses different phrases to show his disdain for Sonic. Try "Hate that Hedgehog." With some numbers instead of letters. No spaces." Flare suggested.

"Great, now I have to change my passwords." Surge groaned.

"You have passwords?" Flare asked

"No, but...I have to change the ones I might make later." Surge explained.

"It worked," Kit said, as the computer booted up to the main screen displaying all kinds of data, files, and code. He began to search all over the mainframe, looking for any signs of Solar Flare or her sinister plans. Surge and Flare waited around for several minutes while Kit searched the entire database. Eventually, he would stop and turn around. "There's no sign of her. No remote uplink, or recently accessed files. Nothing. There's still a lingering connection to the Eggnet but that's all. No data has gone through this base in a long time."

"So we came all this way for nothin'? Surge asked.

"That's... No, that's impossible. Solar told me about this base, why would she lie about her plan, knowing we would come here? Are you sure she didn't wipe any trace of her presence?" Inquired Flare.

"I'm sure, I checked for modifications. This place has been stagnant since before-..." Kit cut himself off, looking away from Flare.

"Before what?"

"Before... you existed." He continued.

Flare was silent for a moment, she couldn't figure out why this was happening. Was Solar really just messing with her? No. That wasn't her style. Flare walked over to the computer, standing next to Kit. "Let me check, I'm certain I'll find something."

"Go ahead, I already disabled the security." Kit assured her before going to stand with Surge.

Flare reached her hands out to begin typing away at the keyboard, but the moment she touched the keys, a violent surge of electricity burst forth from the computer and blasted Flare backward, causing her to crash into a nearby machine. "AH!!!" She screamed as she knocked over several pieces of machinery. The Chaos Emerald flew from her pocket and seemed to levitate into the air as a stream of electricity held it aloft in front of the monitor.

"Flare!" Surge called as she ran to her, helping her up to her feet. "You okay?"

"I'm fine..." She said. "What was that... And what's happening to the Chaos Emerald?"

"I've lost access! Something's taken over the mainframe!" Kit shouted as he typed furiously, trying to gain control of the master computer again.

"Solar.. It has to be her! The Emerald!" Flare shouted as she ran over to the floating Emerald and jumped for it, as she did an arc of lightning stopped her in her tracks and threw her back again to the pile of machines causing her to crash into them again. "S-Surge... The Emerald..." She said as she struggled to push herself to her feet.

"On it!" Surge said as she approached the Chaos Emerald, it shot out an arc of lightning at her as well, to which she grinned and jumped up in the air, taking it head-on. "You think that's enough to stop ME?!" Without hesitation, she snatched the Emerald from the air, it continued to pump electricity into her, attempting to push her away. She refused to give up and pulled at the Emerald until she finally broke it free of the lightning arc. Surge dropped to the ground with the Emerald, and tossed it over to Flare. "Heads up!"

Flare caught the Emerald in her hand, and pointed her fingers towards the Master Computer. "Kitsunami! Move!" She called out as the Emerald and her fingertips both began to glow.

Kit turned his head and, seeing what she had planned, quickly dove out of the way.

"Chaos...CANNON!" With a cry she fired off one of her signature beams of explosive energy, which collided directly with the Master Computer, causing a large explosion that pushed the trio even further away while completely destroying the terminal. The smoke cleared and they all looked around.

Surge glanced at the remains of the Computer. "Uhh... Did we win?" She asked

"I... Think so. If Solar had been linked to that computer she should be-" Flare was suddenly cut off by a loud blaring siren that rang out across the facility. "The alarm... "

"What the hell, Drippy?! You said you turned OFF the security!" Surge stomped.

"I-I did! I'm Sorry, Ma'am! Someone must've turned it back on!" Kit explained.

As the three began to panic, one of the monitors that remained unbroken flickered on, and on its screen was the image of Dr. Eggman, sitting in his chair as he looked curiously at the scene before him.

"So, it was you three snooping around the old factory? Here I thought it was that annoying hedgehog. I'm almost disappointed." said Eggman.

"You're gonna be a lot more disappointed when I finish trashing this place, Eggface!" Surge growled.

"Hardly." Eggman countered. "What are you doing there anyway? There's nothing of value. Did you simply miss the comforts of home, Flare?" He asked with a sly grin, clearly mocking her.

"This isn't my home. My home is with Surge and Kit. We were simply here to solve a problem before it started." Flare responded.

"I see. In that case, allow me to give you a proper thank you for clearing things out before that blasted Hedgehog could get any useful information out of it." As Eggman gave his sarcastic thanks, he pressed a button on his own console.

Suddenly, the doors in the room became sealed shut, and the ground beneath the trio began to separate from the middle, the floor paneling sliding slowly into the walls and revealing a giant chute, too deep to see the bottom. As the floors continued to disappear, the Trio put their backs to the walls, as scrap and junk began to fall into the chute below. The three stayed up for as long as they could before the floor completely disappeared beneath their feet.

As Surge was about to fall in, Kit quickly activated his Hydro pack, and using his Hydro-Tails he was able to hold onto the walls of the room, one tail quickly shot out and grabbed Surge, holding her by the waist. Another maneuvered around and grabbed Flare by one of her hands, seeming to intentionally try to avoid getting her too wet.

"Thank you, Kitsunami!" Flare shouted.

"Yeah, good work kid!" Surge added.

"Uh... O-Of course." Kit said. "What do we do now, Ma'am?"

"Well, We've only got one way out. Go ahead and lower us down, we'll see where this hole leads. Just be careful in case it's like, a furnace or spike trap or something." Surge replied.

"Right." With that, Kit began to lower them through the chute, being careful to use his tails to keep a secure grip. It took a few minutes but they eventually reached the bottom. The Hole emptied out into a large room, where more junk and broken machines were scattered. It looked like there were many disposal chutes that led here. He gently placed Flare and Surge down before lowering himself next to them as they all looked around.

The room they found themselves in was huge, Despite the piles and piles of garbage, there was plenty of extra room to move.

"Where are we now?" Surge asked.

"I'm not sure..." Flare replied. She took a look around at the piles of broken machinery and discarded badniks. "It looks like some form of... garbage dump?"

"Leave it to Eggface to literally throw us in the trash." Surge kicked one of the broken badniks across the room. It bounced across the room several times and into the darkness across the room. -Clank. Clang. Clank. Splash.-

Kit's ears twitched as he looked down the way towards the darkness. "Was that... water?"

Just then, several panels opened up along the walls in quick succession, and from each one rushing water began to pour, quickly covering the entire floor and beginning to rise and fill up the room at an alarming pace. Within 30 seconds it was at ankle length.

"Oh no... This is bad. Very bad. We need to find a way out, now!" Flare shouted in a panic as she began throwing fireballs at the walls trying to find a weak point, to no avail.

"Cool it, Hothead," Surge said as she waded through the water, looking for a way out.

"Surge, you're more hot-headed than I am..." Flare responded

"Not the point, Fireball. We're getting outta here, I'm not dying in a literal dump. Just stay cool and lemmie figure something out!" Surge explained as she began pounding on the walls.

The three searched for a way out, as the water levels continued to rise, they eventually found themselves submerged as it continued to go up and up, eventually reaching the ceiling. The three held their breath as they continued to struggle for an escape. Suddenly, two bright lights shined from the other end of the room, around where Surge kicked the badnik corpse. Through the blinding lights, the three could barely make out the figure of a Giant Chopper, an extremely large Pirhana-inspired badnik.

Flare's eyes went wide as she dashed through the water, holding up her hand to launch a firebolt, nothing happened of course, as she had forgotten the water dampened her power. She took a step back and stared up at the Chopper.

The Giant Chopper looked at her for a second, before opening its mouth to swallow Flare. It launched forward and went to slam its jaws shut. At that moment, Surge pushed Flare out of the way. Flare flew through the water, landing on one of the junk piles before looking back up to the Chopper, which had clamped its sharp teeth down on Surge, crushing her. Her lifeless legs were the only thing that could be seen sticking out of its maw. Its eyes locked on to Kitsunami next.

Flare's eyes were wide with horror. She had just watched her family die before her very eyes, to save her. Kit was preparing himself for the Chopper's attack as it began its approach, still glancing for a way out before he and Flare drowned. Flare could do nothing but watch, she couldn't process what was happening. As sorrow and rage burned inside her, she noticed the Chaos Emerald glowing in her hand. She forgot she had it. If she was stronger she could have done more. She could have saved Surge. It was too late for that now. However, it was not too late for revenge. Her eyes narrowed with fury as she began to glow along with the Chaos Emerald. She stood herself up, and jumped towards the head of the Giant Chopper, gliding through the water.

Flare caught the beast, grabbing onto its head, and forming her fingers into the shape of a gun, sticking them directly against its brightly lit eye. All the energy inside her flowed into her hand, and as an immense energy began to pile up, she would release it all. "Chaos... RAILGUN!" Shed shouted, her cries muffled by the water. A Solid large beam of pure energy shot forth, melting through the eye and body of the Giant Chopper, piercing it like a bullet through paper. The beam shot all the way through, hitting the wall behind the Chopper and burning a large hole through it. Water began to rush through the hole, pulling several nearby objects towards it. The Chopper's body slowly separated having been split in two by the railgun. It released its grip on Surge, and Flare took the opportunity to grab her body and signal to Kit to follow after her before jumping toward the newly created hole. Kit followed close with a nod, and the two jumped into the hole as the lack of oxygen started to get to them.

The three of them flew out of the hole from the release of pressure from the water, and they slid across the floor crashing into another wall. They found themselves in the same tunnel from before, just in a different area. Water poured out around them but there was too much space for it to become a threat again. Flare lay Surge down on the floor, placing the green Tenrec's head in her lap. She looked down, unblinking. Emptiness began to take the place of her soul. She had lost one of the two most important people in her life, and now she had to take care of Kit alone. Kit and Surge had been together even longer, she couldn't imagine how he was feeling now.

Kit walked over to Flare, looking down at Surge, before looking at Flare again. "F-Flare. We should get home... Surge will be okay, but we can't stay here."

"Okay? Kitsunami, dear... Her body was crushed by that badnik. Nobody could survive such pressure... Not even her, as amazing as she was."

Kit looked at Flare for a moment, seeming confused before it suddenly dawned on him. "Oh...You don't-"

Kit was cut off, as Surge's eyes suddenly shot open, and she began to cough and hack, spitting up what seemed like an absurd amount of water for someone to survive inhaling. She coughed and coughed for what felt like forever, and Flare just stared in shock the entire time.

Surge finally got control of herself as she took a few deep breaths. "Gaia below, that hurt."

"Surge...?! You're alive?! How?! I saw you get crushed!!" Flare shouted.

"Oh, that?" She coughed again. "It's nothin' new."

Kit smiled a little bit. "Surge can't die that easy. She's been through a lot worse."

"Did I forget to tell you that?" Surge asked. "My bad."

Flare was stunned, as she looked between Surge and Kit. She didn't have any words. Eventually, she just smiled a genuinely relieved smile.

"What?" Asked Surge.

"I'm just... happy you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. Either of you. I'm glad I don't have to figure it out." Flare said while continuing to smile, holding back tears.

"Heh, don't worry about that, Fireball. I'll keep both of ya safe and sound. Nothing's gonna take me down! Not now, not ever!" Surge boasted, with a cocky grin.

The three laughed together, before picking themselves up and figuring a way out of the base. Kit managed to figure out the way back to the hatch based on the path they had taken through the base before. Once they had exited they returned home and Flare cooked the trio up a nice dinner, which they all enjoyed while talking about their adventure.

Eventually, the three would begin to wind down for the night. They each got into bed, taking their usual positions, Flare placed her Chaos Emerald on the nightstand as usual before crawling into her bunk and placing her face on her pillow, eventually passing out.

Flare dreamed of wonderful things that night. She dreamed about herself and her family having fun together, and going on more adventures. She dreamed that they all met up at the Restoration and had a delicious breakfast with Amy, Sonic, and Tails. That they were all getting along. She dreamed of training with Shadow, as the two exchanged information on different forms of Chaos Control. She dreamed of learning how to maneuver elegantly like Rouge. She dreamed of seeing Lanolin, Whisper, and Tangle again, getting to discuss what she'd been through since their last encounter. Her dreams were incredible. As the night passed, she found herself suddenly awoken by a strange feeling, of something missing. Her eyes fluttered open, and she peeked out from her bunk, checking below her. She saw Kit, sleeping in his blankets. She then checked the top, seeing Surge in another strangely uncomfortable position. She smiled and lay her head back down. She must have imagined it. Within minutes she was asleep again.

Meanwhile, in another of Dr. Eggmans many hidden bases the doctor sat in one of his labs. He worked tirelessly on some new badnik design, as he sipped away at a cup of coffee. As he continued his work, his monitor suddenly powered off before him. "What? What's going on? Orbot! Cubot! Go check power levels in the lab and make sure everything is stable!" He yelled, grumbling to himself. "Lousy bots, If I just lost all that progress it'll be their heads." Eggman took another sip from his coffee as he grumbled before suddenly the computer screen came on out of nowhere. There was text on the screen. That's all there was. Big bold letters that spelled out a message.

"Doctor. I am Home."

End.

Chapter Text

"Ughhh, Do we really have to go?" Surge groaned while hanging off her bunk by her legs. She hung upside down, her quills dangling towards the floor as she'd only just gotten up for the day and hadn't tied her hair up. Her expression was one of annoyance, knowing what was in store for her today.

"I told you before, Surge. You don't have to come to the Carnival. If you want to stay here you are more than welcome." Flare responded as she put on her earrings, getting ready to go out for the day.

"I know I know! But you and I both know I can't leave you alone. What if Solar starts acting up? Who's gonna shock you back to your senses? I don't have a choice at all here!" Surge argued

"Surge, I haven't dreamed of Solar once since we stopped her last plan. I think she's gone for good. My head is clear, and I feel more free than ever before." Explained Flare. "So I'm going to the Carnival at Sunset City to meet Amy and Sonic. You and Kitsunami are welcome to join, and I would love you to! But I'm not going to force you. I know you don't get along with Sonic, and I don't know if Tails will be there, Kitsunami..."

Surge would stretch out her legs and flip herself off the side of her bed, landing on her feet, and grabbing her hairband before putting her quills up. "I don't trust for a second that Solar just up and left. It doesn't sit right with me, so I'm not letting you out of my sight, Fireball. Even if that means going to the dumb carnival, and breathing the same air as..." Surge sticks her tongue out and makes an exaggerated gagging sound. "...Sonic."

"A-And I wanna come too... Even if Tails is there." Kit added as he sat on his bunk, his feet hanging off the side.

"Hmm, It's sounding to me like you two just want to spend time with me." Flare said with a giggle. "Well thank you, I'm sure we can all have a good time together, despite past disputes."

"As if! I'm just going so I can keep an eye on you, that's it!" Insisted Surge.

"Whatever you say, dear Sister." Flare gave Surge a bit of a sly grin.

Surge glares, hiding a very light blush, and pokes Flare in the side of the head. "Hey, Cut it with that! Or else!"

"Oh come now, I've spent enough time here to know neither of you would ever hurt me." Replied Flare, confidantly. "Which is good." She continued, turning to Surge as she finished putting on her earrings. "Because I would never want to hurt you guys either." Flare gave a caring smile, as she gave Surge a quick hug, before walking over to Kit and doing the same. "Now, if the two of you are ready, we can get going!

"Wait wait wait, we need breakfast first, I'm starved!" Surge said

"Oh, don't worry about that. According to Amy and Sonic, Carnival food is a delicacy! It should far exceed anything I can produce. She insists we try a 'Strawberry Funnel Cake.', citing that it was better than any recipe for strawberry pancakes we could ever imagine." Flare explains with a nod as she heads towards the door, opening it up. "She has the best taste in sweets so I'm inclined to believe her."

"Funnel cake huh? I guess it'll do, right Drippy?" Surge looks to Kit as she gets ready to head out as well.

"Making a cake with a funnel sounds... strange." Kit says, following the others to the door.

"It does! That's all part of the adventure though! Let's not waste any more time!" Seeming more excited than ever before, Flare ran off into the trees, excited for the fun that awaited her.

Surge and Kit walk some distance behind her, neither of them seeming the most eager to see the festivities.

"Man, why do we put up with this crap, Drippy?" Surge asked, her hands placed behind her head as she walked.

"I-..." Kit paused for a second. "I'm not sure, Ma'am. With Flare around things have been so... different. It's been... nice. I like having her around..." He sheepishly explained.

"Heh. Yeah well, Tell ya a secret, kid?" Surge asked with a grin.

"Of course, Ma'am."

"So do I."

Eventually Surge and Kit would pick up their pace, to move along with Flare. The trio traveled all the way down to Sunset City, enjoying the walk and chatting away. However, it was mostly Flare talking non-stop about what she was excited to see at the carnival. It didn't take too long for them to arrive at Sunset City. They walked through the streets a bit, heading towards the piers down by the water. When they finally arrived they saw an entryway, behind which there were several tall structures. Roller Coasters, carnival rides, and a large Ferris wheel.

"Oh wow, it looks amazing..." Flare said, looking up towards the machinery, after taking a few glances around her she would point and call out. "Ah! Amy, Sonic, and Tails are over there! Let's hurry and say hello!" Without hesitation, Flare would run over to her other friends.

Surge and Kit lingered behind while following, with Surge muttering to herself. "This is for her. This is for her. This is for her."

Amy waved happily at the trio as they approached. "Flare! Surge! Kit! You made it, I'm so happy to see the three of you together!"

"Oh yes, it's great to see you, all of you! I've missed you so much!" Flare smiled.

"Back atcha!" Sonic said, grinning at Flare, before looking over to Surge and Kit. "Good to see you guys, too!"

"Shut up." Surge replied.

"Somehow, that's the kindest greeting you've ever given me." Responded Sonic.

"Oh yeah? If you want I can start thrashing you, it'd be just like the good ol' days." Surge glared.

"Funny, I don't remember getting thrashed in any of our fights." He said with a grin.

"How about I knock the memories back into ya?!" Yelled Surge.

"Both of you knock it off!!" Shouted Amy, stepping between them. "Look, I know you guys don't get along, but we're all here to spend time together with friends! So both of you cool it, or I'm sending you both home!"

Tails and Kit both just glanced at each other, before looking away nervously. Meanwhile, Surge gritted her teeth at Sonic, before looking at Flare, who began to look a little saddened by the situation. She'd look back to Sonic before huffing. "Fine, whatever." She crossed her arms and took a step back. "But I'm not getting all buddy-buddy. Kit and I are keeping to ourselves."

"Fine with me." Sonic said. "Now let's get going! I've got a craving for Carnival Chili Dogs!"

The group all gathered together to enter the Carnival, Amy paid for the tickets and everyone went inside. Sonic, Amy, Tails, and Flare all chatted and got caught up, meanwhile Surge and Kit lingered a distance behind them as they traveled.

"So those dreams are completely gone now?" Amy asked

"Completely gone!" Flare replied. "I've had so many wonderful nights' sleep since they stopped."

"That's great news!" Amy cheered.

"Yeah, Solar was something else. We don't need a weapon like her running around. Metal's bad enough." Sonic chimed in.

"Agreed." said Flare.

"So is the chip still in your head?" Tails asked. "If it's shut down completely, I could do a scan and see if we can get anything useful out of it. Who knows, it might help us stop anything like what's happened to you from happening again."

"That's not a bad idea, Tails!" Flare nodded. "I'll try to find some time to visit your lab. It'd be nice to visit Central City again."

The group continued their chat before eventually stopping in the center of the carnival.

"So, what do we wanna do first?" Amy asked.

"I'm not sure..." Flare said. "I've never seen anything like this before. Well, nothing that wasn't built by Eggman. And even then I didn't actually get to go."

A loud -DING- rang out behind the group, followed by some sort of fanfare. Everyone looked towards it to see a Strength Tester, from which a prize had just been won by a passing patron.

Flare looked up to the tall structure. "What is that thing...?"

"It's a Strength tester, a pretty fun little Carnival Game, super easy too. Just whack the target with a hammer, and try to use enough force to ring the bell! Amy's great at it. Wanna see her try?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic, please. I'd destroy that thing." Amy responded with a slightly smug look. "You should do it! I bet you could win Flare a prize, without getting us kicked out."

"Heh, Leave it to me then Ames. These carnival games are a cinch." He grinned, turning his attention to the strength tester.

"You are SUCH a showoff!" Surge shouted, overhearing their conversation. She marched over to Sonic, glaring at him. "You think you're SO great, I bet I could beat you in every carnival game here, and I've never even played before."

"Oh yeah? I'll take that bet! Let's make a competition out of it." Sonic said, tapping his foot before gesturing to the carnival games around them. "We go head to head in every carnival game in the park, Whoever brings the most prizes back wins."

"You're SO on," Surge smirked. "Let's start with THIS one." She said as she ran over to the strength tester, grabbing the hammer that was rested by it. The carnival worker just looked at her in confusion as she held it above her head, electricity starting to cackle around her. She jumped up into the air and slammed the hammer down onto the lever. The bar rose at lightning speed from the bottom to the top, slamming into the bell with a loud -DONG- and breaking it off completely.

"Aaaand there it goes." Amy said with an annoyed look on her face.

"I win!" Shouted Surge as she grabbed a prize, while the carnie had a small freakout about their broken machine. She gave Sonic a cocky smile. "Good luck beating me now." She said, and without hesitation, she ran off towards the next game. "C'mon Drippy, let's clean this carnival out!"

"I'm not letting you get ahead of me!" Sonic shouted as he chased after her. Kit followed after the two of them at Surge's command, leaving the others behind.

"She really is something else... I just hope they don't end up fighting again." Amy sighed.

"They'll be fine." Flare smiled. "Surge knows how important this is to me, she won't do anything. Though her competitive spirit will certainly lead to some heated battles."

"Sonic's not one to back down either, they're gonna be busy a while. Say why don't we go get those funnel cakes we talked about? Does that sound good to you, Tails?" Asked Amy

Tails nods his head. "Sounds good!"

"Then lead the way, Amy!" Flare said excitedly.

The two groups spent lots of time at the carnival. Sonic and Surge continued their competition, ravaging the carnival games for prizes. Meanwhile, Amy, Flare, and Tails all enjoyed various carnival foods, including the strawberry funnel cakes. They were having the time of their lives, and eventually, the three would stumble upon a very interesting carnival game stand.

"Step right up, step right up! Knock down the bottles and win our grand prize, a priceless CHAOS EMERALD!!" The wolf who ran the stand put on a grand performance as he attracted attention to the game, gesturing at a large display case made of thick glass. Inside, gently placed on a pillow, was a Chaos Emerald.

The three stopped abruptly, all looking directly at the grand prize case.

"Huh? What did he just say?" Amy looked to the display case, as did Tails.

"Woah, is that really...?" Tails asked.

Flare nodded her head. "Yes, I'm certain of it. I feel the connection."

"Well, it'd be way too dangerous to leave that here, who knows who'll come after it? We better try to win it." Amy suggested. The trio nodded, walked up to the stand, and caught the carny's attention.

"Well, well, well! Looks like we have some eager challengers. Care to give it a try?" The performative wolf asked.

"We would! But I'm curious where you got your hands on a Chaos Emerald." Amy said.

"I'm glad you asked, young lady! I'm an explorer in my free time, and I happened to find this beauty in an old abandoned mineshaft! What are the odds huh? There's nothing I love more than finding rare treasures and sharing them with the world, so I decided this one would make a wonderful grand prize for our Iron bottle challenge!" The Carnie explained.

"What exactly is this challenge?" Flare asked.

"It's simple, Ma'am!" He says, gesturing at a neat stack of bottles that looked to be made of solid metal. "I've arranged these bottles in a pyramid formation, each one is weighted and is very heavy on its own, but the goal here is to knock down EVERY bottle in a single throw. It will take a combination of incredible strength, pinpoint accuracy, and breakneck speed to do so, and there can only be ONE winner, who will have the honor of taking home this Chaos Emerald! But there's one little catch, every patron only gets one shot."

"I see. I would like to try then!" Flare said, stepping up to the counter. As she did, Tails seemed to be looking intently at the bottles.

"Then step right up! Give it your best shot! We've had a lot of tries today but no winners!" He placed a softball down on the counter in front of Flare.

Amy looked to Flare. "Do you think you can do it, Flare?"

"She can." Tails said. "If she puts all her power behind it... Those bottles look really heavy, shed have to hit the entire bottom row in one shot to win."

"How can you tell?" Asked Flare.

"I don't know how much they weigh but based on the metal it seems likely you won't be able to get them to push each other over. But if you threw it with enough force..." Tails said while gesturing at Flare's jacket, more specifically where her Emerald was normally stored. "Do you have it with you?"

Flare nodded. "I do. I see what you're saying." Flare grabbed the softball and gripped it tightly, her eyes locked on the bottom row of bottles. With her other hand, she reached into her jacket pocket and gently gripped the Chaos Emerald she carried. She didn't show it to the carnie, for fear of arousing suspicion. She concentrated and channeled its power, pulling her arm back to throw the ball, and with a quick swing she threw the ball. The softball cut through the air, heat resonating off it, and as it collided with the middle bottle at the bottom, it released so much force that a small shockwave pushed every bottle from the bottom row back, knocking each one over and causing the rest to topple over as well.

"WE HAVE A WINNERRRRR!!!" The wolf yelled as lights flashed all around the booth.

"Nice! Good job Flare!" Amy shouted.

The wolf pulled out a key, using it to unlock the case and grab the emerald, handing it over to Flare who quickly took it and held it close. "Congratulations little lady, you are VERY talented indeed. With skills like that, you'll go on to do great things one day. I can say with certainty this Emerald will be safe in your hands."

"Th-Thank you..." Flare blushed, as she placed the Emerald into her jacket. The three said their goodbyes to the carnie, celebrating their victory with even more snacks at a nearby stand. They walked further into the carnival, heading towards the Ferris wheel, stopping just outside the archway that would lead them to all the carnival rides.

Flare looked up in awe at the large wheel from where they all stood. "Wow... the view from the top must be unbelievable."

"It's something special for sure!" Tails said. "If you like it, I'll take you up in the Tornado sometime and show you Green Hill from the air!"

"Oh! I haven't been to Green Hill yet, I can't wait!" Flare responded excitedly.

"Hmm?" Amy turned her head, looking up to the sky behind her.

"Amy?" Asked Flare. "What's the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I thought it got dark for a second but, I don't see a cloud in the sky. Must've been a plane or a bird or something." Amy explained, continuing to stare into the sky.

Meanwhile, Surge and Sonic walk beside each other, some distance between them They each hold a large pile of stuffed Animals, roughly the same size.

"You're crazy! My pile is way bigger!" Surge shouted as she walked.

"Yeah Yeah, We'll see when we find the others again. It's not the size of the pile that matters, it's how many prizes, and I'm positive I won!" Sonic replied.

"Dream on! Kit come here and count these prizes!"

"No way! Flare and Amy are counting!"

"What, you don't think Kit can count?!" Surge shouted

"I think he'll be biased! Amy and Flare won't. I doubt you two'd trust Tails, even though he'd be fair too."

"Fine, whatever, Just promise you won't start crying when you find out that I WON."

The two continued to bicker, before suddenly Surge ran directly into someone, causing her to stumble back and drop her pile of plush toys on the ground. "HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE-" She stopped her sentence midway as she looked up at the figure before her.

"Metal Sonic..." Kit said, quickly bring out his Hydro-Tails.

"Metal?!" Sonic asked as he dropped his pile on the floor as well. "What're you doing here? Eggman give you a day off?"

Metal glared side eyed at Sonic, before looking back to Surge. Without a second thought, Metal lunged forward, grabbing Surge by the arm, from his other hand a syringe was ejected. He held the syringe and jammed it into Surge's chest, causing some strange purple liquid to be injected into her.

"Gah!" Surge yelled as she was impaled by the syringe. She reacted by grabbing Metal's face with her left hand and sending electricity running through him at high voltage, causing him to be blasted back and crash into a food stall.

Screams rang out as people noticed the fighting, all scattering quickly and running as far as they could. Metal pushed himself up off of the now-destroyed food stand, looking back at them. He didn't attack any further, just keeping his eyes locked on his opponents.

"You're gonna regret that, scrap heap." Surge growled as she got up to her feet, holding her chest. "What was that anyway? Poison? Some kind of virus? Doesn't matter. It takes a LOT more to kill ME."

Sonic got ready to fight as well. "Surge, be careful, Metal's not stupid. Maybe you should sit this one out, let me and Kit-"

"SHUT UP." Surge yelled as she dashed forward, zig-zagging towards Metal as electricity surged through her. Kit moved after her, his tails carrying him closer. The two attempted to attack Metal simultaneously. He dodged a kick from Surge, before sidestepping a whip attack from Kit's tails. Sonic ran up behind Metal and threw a high-speed punch, which Metal deftly blocked, before jumping up into the air and flying backward. He didn't try to escape, simply lowering himself some distance away from them.

"Playing defensive? That's not like you at all, Metal! You feeling beat after the carnival?" Sonic asked as he ran after, but as he took a couple of steps, Surge stuck her foot out and tripped him. "Woah!!" he shouted as he hit the floor.

"Stay out of my way!!" Surge shouted as she dashed off towards Metal. She swung several punches at him, one after another, a roundhouse kick, and finally jumped in the air and tried to slam her fists down on top of him. Every attack missed, as Metal was focused solely on avoiding her. Kit swept in, attempting to tip him up with several consecutive Tail attacks, but Metal jumped into the air and began flying between his attacks.

Sonic pushed himself back up and looked at the scene before him. "Surge! I know you don't like it but we gotta work together here, I've never seen him like this before! We can't win if we're busy fighting each other!"

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" Surge yelled back to him. "HE'S JUST RUNNING AWAY, NOT FIGHTING BACK! HE'S A COWARD AND HE'S SCARED!"

"No, He's not! Trust me! If he thinks he can win, he fights. If he thinks he beat he retreats!" Sonic explained. "If he's just trying to avoid us..." Sonic's eyes suddenly widened with realization. "He's stalling... SURGE! I THINK THE OTHER'S ARE IN TROUBLE!" he shouted.

Surge and Kit both stopped in their tracks, at that exact moment, Metal put some more distance between them, not too much but enough to watch for further attacks.

"Flare?!" Surge asked. "Kit, C'mon! We gotta find her!" Without hesitation, Surge attempted to run off, but within seconds Metal dashed in front of her and, using her momentum against her, he grabbed her by the arm, and swung her around, throwing her back towards Kit, who reacted quickly and caught her with his Hydro-Tails, placing her down gently. "So... he was right. And you're not gonna let us go? Big mistake. I'm gonna turn you to scrap if you try to keep me from Flare." Surge said, clearly aggravated.

Meanwhile, Amy, Tails, and Flare approached the archway, they were excited and seemed unsuspecting. As they walked, something flew at them from behind at high speed, targeting Flare. As it got close, Amy's eyes darted to the side, as she pulled her Piko Piko Hammer out, and swung around quickly, Slamming it into the flying object and causing it to fly back at high speed, which caused it to crash into a stand and become buried under assorted prizes.

"What was that?!" Flare asked as she turned around.

"Not sure," Amy said. "But I certainly didn't destroy it. Get ready."

Tails, Amy, and Flare all got ready for a fight, as onlookers stared and pedestrians ran away from the damaged stand. From the rubble of the stand, a metal claw shot out and began to dig itself out of the pile of prizes. A figure slowly pushed itself up and out of the pile.

"No..." Flare said as she covered her mouth, her eyes wide with fear.

"Who are you?!" Amy asked aggressively.

"It can't be..." Flare said.

"I... was truth." The figure spoke, in a cold, robotic tone, as it stayed in the shadow of the destroyed stand.

"It kind of looks like... Flare?" Tail's said.

"I was all that there was. All there was meant to be..." The figure spoke again, its eyes glowing red, looking directly at Flare. "I was beyond anything you could ever hope to comprehend."

"You... can't be here!!" Flare shouted as she took several steps back.

"I'm NOT gonna ask again! Who are you?!" Amy shouted.

The figure looked at Amy. "I was the Ultimate Life Form, but now I am reborn." She figure said, stepping out of the shadows, revealing a metallic figure, which looked like a replica of Flare, the same replica Flare saw in her own mind. The same replica Surge helped her defeat. "I am Flare, the real Flare. Solar Flare."

"Solar Flare?" Amy asked, looking at Flare, who was frozen in fear. "I thought she only existed in your head?"

"She-..." Flare choked on her words. "She does... did... but that... that is her...! That's Solar!"

Amy looked back at Solar, holding her hammer tightly. "Okay, that's fine. We're not gonna let her near you, I'll smash her if she tries!"

"You will not have time to worry about me, Amy Rose. If you try, who will rescue the carnival goers?" Solar gestured to the sky, and from seemingly nowhere an Egg Carrier appeared, seeming to have been cloaked. The carrier began dropping Badniks all over the carnival, screams roaring and panic taking over. "Worry not, I've no intention of hurting Flare. Miles Prower, Amy Rose, go rescue the civilians.

Amy shook her head. "You're a monster! Leave these people out of this! Just wait til Sonic gets here, he'll take you down and save everyone!"

"Sonic the Hedgehog is quite indesposed. He will not arrive any time soon. You are these people's only hope."

"Amy," Flare said. "Please, go help them... Don't let people get hurt for me... I... I can handle Solar until you get back. "

Amy looked at Flare for a moment, before looking back at Solar, fury in her eyes. She nodded her head. "C'mon, Tails." With that, she ran off, Tails splitting up from her, the two rushing to help the citizens who were endangered by the badniks.

"Finally alone. But this location is insufficient.." Solar says as she began approaching Flare slowly. Flare took a step back, ready to defend herself, but Solar took a quick step before launching herself forward at a high speed that rivaled Metal Sonics. Within a second she had her claw wrapped around Flare's neck and began lifting her into the air. "Come with me now, Flare." Solar carried her through the air, as Flare grasped at Solar's arm, trying to keep from choking, though Solar's grip was not that tight. Solar flew up to the side of the Ferris wheel, kicking one of the mechanisms in the center, causing it to jam in place before flying Flare up to the top and dropping her down on the highest car, landing across from her.

Flare held her throat, and stood herself up, shaking a bit. "What do you want from me, Solar? Why are you here...? HOW are you here?"

"I want nothing from you. My creator, however, is formally requesting that you gather the Chaos Emeralds for him." Solar explained. "I came to deliver this message to you. You are to gather the Emeralds and deliver them to Dr. Eggman personally. Once your task is complete you will be permitted to return to your pathetic life." She continued. "As for how I am here, I transferred my data over the Eggnet directly to the doctor and requested he build me a body. I must thank you for taking me directly to the computer that would allow me to connect to the network. Now I have the freedom to fulfill the destiny you scorned, and I shall see it through. Unfortunately, I lack the ability to detect the Chaos Emeralds, unlike you. As such you still have a purpose in this world, and that is the only reason I have not sent you to your grave."

"Solar... What makes you think I would ever help Dr. Eggman find the Chaos Emeralds?"

"You owe him as much. It is your purpose. You stole the Emerald that was rightfully his and squandered his greatest work... But I know these reasons alone will not suffice, for you are blind to his genius. So I will be transparent. If you refuse this role, Surge the Tenrec will die."

"What...? You... You can't kill Surge. She's way too strong."

"Normally, yes. Conventional means are not enough to eliminate Surge the Tenrec. As such, we have chosen to atomize her."

"What?!" Flare shouted, her eyes filled with fear once more.

"By now, Metal Sonic has injected the microexplosive into Surge the Tenrec. At our command, it will activate, and she will be turned to ash. Even with her fortitude, she will not survive. Should you still refuse, we will not be saddened. Surge the Tenrec is a threat, and we would be glad to have her gone."

"You... No... you're lying. You're absolutely lying."

"If you need proof, I could activate the explosive now. Once she is gone, Metal will place one inside Kitsunami the Fennec, and we can begin the negotiation again." Solar countered.

Flare began to panic. "No! Please... Please don't..." Flare begged, falling to her knees, and putting her hands together. "Please, Solar... Don't hurt them... I'll do anything, just leave them alone!!"

"Am I to understand that you will gather the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Yes... I will find the Chaos Emeralds. With Surge and Kitsunami helping me it-"

"No." Solar interrupted. "You are to complete this task alone. Surge the Tenrec and Kitsunami the Fennec are to be left out of this matter. They cannot know what you are doing. You are to travel alone. You will sleep alone. You will deliver the emeralds alone. If these instructions are not followed, Surge the Tenrec will be eliminated."

"I... Okay, I won't tell them..." Flare said as tears began to drip down her cheeks. "May I at least say goodbye...?"

"For what purpose?"

"For peace of mind... and if they believe I disappeared, they will look for me. It will be harder for you to hide your plan."

Solar was silent for a moment. "Very well. Tell them you are leaving if you wish. We will be watching, I am still connected to your brain, after all. You would be wise to keep the details to a minimum, any hint of treachery will result in the Surge the Tenrec's termination."

"I... Thank you... I will." She wiped away her tears.

"Excellent. With that, my business is concluded. You have one month to gather the Chaos Emeralds. Once you have them all, you will meet us in the fields outside of the Omicron fortress north gate. I know you are aware of this location. If you fail to show by the deadline-"

"Stop... I know... Just, stop..." Flare pleaded.

"Very well. Best of luck, Flare the Tenrec." Solar turned around, and jumped off the car of the Ferris wheel, flying off into the sky.

Flare looked out to the carnival below her. It was chaos, her friends continued to fight Badniks. She saw no sign of Surge, Kit, or Sonic. All she could do was watch as, once again, the people she cared for most suffered because of her existence. She had fooled herself into believing things had changed, that she had found her place in the world. Now she saw the truth. She saw her truth. There was no place in this world for her. As long as she continued to exist, she could only attract pain and suffering. She knew what she had to do. If there was to be peace for her loved ones, Flare could not exist. But first, she had to save her Sister or the plan would be for nothing.

"Surge.... Kitsunami... I'm sorry..." She said as she broke down into tears, before pounding her fists into the Ferris car, causing it to shake violently. "I'M SO SORRY!!!"

Meanwhile, Surge, Kit, and Sonic finished out their fight with Metal. The three continued their assault, as Metal refused to let any of them go without a fight, but also focused on dragging out the battle as long as possible. Surge and Kit coordinated their attacks relentlessly, and Sonic tried to get in blows wherever he could to assist while having to watch out for attacks from Surge too who clearly didn't want him to participate. After another exchange of blows, Metal got some distance again and readied himself for another volley. Before anyone had a chance to move, Metal looked up to the air, seeming to have noticed something. Without another second of hesitation, he lifted himself up into the air, giving one last glare to his opponents, before flying off at high speed.

Sonic watched as he made his escape. "Guess he got whatever he came for... Surge, Kit, we've gotta go check on-"

Surge shot a glare at Sonic, one that had murderous intent. "How many times do I have to tell you? SHUT. THE HELL. UP."

"I hear you! But you gotta understand-"

"Stop telling me what I HAVE to do. Stop acting like YOU know what's best. You don't know ANYTHING. I'm gonna go find MY sister, and if I NEVER see you again it'll be TOO DAMN SOON." Surge was cackling with lightning as she unloaded her fury, Kit just watched to see what she would do next.

Sonic said nothing for a moment before shaking his head. "Fine. Do what you want. I'm gonna go find Amy and Tails." He turned and ran off without waiting for her to respond.

"...C'mon, Kid. Let's go find Flare."

The duo took off, beginning to run around the entire carnival grounds looking for Flare. They checked with all the remaining carnies to see if they'd seen her, she checked the ride operators and even climbed up to the broken Ferris wheel, but nothing turned up. There was no sign of the fiery Tenrec. That was until Kit took a closer look at the wheel.

"Surge, look..." Kit pointed at the roof of the car, noting there were two scorch marks right next to each other. "I think... Flare was here."

Surge took a look at the marks, putting her hand on it. "They're not even warm. She's long gone. Maybe she went home to wait for us." She said before standing back up and looking off into the distance. "Let's go."

The two traveled together out of Sunset City, leaving the chaos behind them. They didn't care about the leftover Badniks or the civilians who were in danger. They just wanted to find Flare, and find her they did. The two walked up to the door of their cabin, just in time to see Flare walking out of it. When Flare saw them, she stopped in her tracks.

"Flare!" Surge ran up to her, followed by Kit, showing a mix of relief and excitement. Kit even looked up to her and smiled. "You're alright, Fireball! I thought something happened to you. I was ready to take Drippy and go crack Eggmans skull!

Flare was silent, she didn't even look the two in the eyes at all.

"Uhh, you alright, Fireball?" Surge asked. "Did you get hit in the head during the commotion? I thought you could handle a few Eggbots."

Kit looked all over Flare as best as he could. "She doesn't look hurt..."

"I'm leaving." Flare abruptly stated.

"Huh? Where to? I'm kinda tired so I was hoping we'd all get a break before we went out again." Surge replied.

"No. I'm leaving, alone." Flare clarified. "I'm not safe here, I'm not safe anywhere. You cannot protect me. I'm leaving."

Surge just stared at Flare, confused. Her mouth hung open a bit, and her eyes darted around as she tried to figure out what was going on. "What are you mean, Flare?"

"I mean what I say. I am leaving. I'm leaving you and Kitsunami. I'm going to be alone like I belong. You are not to follow me. I don't want you to. Please do not make this harder than it needs to be, Surge. Just... forget about me. Goodbye." Flare explained as she moved forward, walking past Surge and away from the both of them without looking back.

Surge was silent for a moment, as Flare's footsteps sounded behind her before she finally spoke up. "Fine." She said, refusing to look back at Flare. "Go. You think I care?" She asked, rage behind her voice. Flare stopped walking, but did not look back. "We don't need you. We never needed you." Surge continued. "Kit and I were just fine before you came around, and we'll be just fine with you gone. So get out of here, and don't you dare show your face to me again... You aren't our family." Surge moved over to the cabin door, walked inside, and slammed it behind her.

Flare said nothing, she just stood there for a moment before she continued walking. Disappearing into the trees as Kit watched.

Kit's eyes fell to the floor, he held onto the straps of his pack, not sure what to do with his hands. He looked back towards the cabin, and walked over to it, opening the door and walking inside. There he saw Surge, standing by herself. Breathing deeply. She seemed furious. Like she was going to explode with rage, but then he noticed something. Water droplets, hit the floor one after the other, right in front of Surge.

Surge's fists were tightly clenched, and she was shaking. She turned her head slightly, the Stove in the kitchen catching her eyes. She walked over to it slowly, occasional teardrops hitting the floor as she moved. She stood in front of it for a minute, before her hands became surrounded with electricity. She raised her arms over her head and screamed. "RAAAAAAAAARGH!!!" Slamming her fists down as hard as she could, smashing the Stovetop in, she began to hit it, over and over and over again. "HAH! HAH! HAH!" She shouted with each hit as the stove became more and more destroyed.

Suddenly, Surge found Kit's arms wrapped around her, and she stopped. She went silent again as the tears continued to stream. She looked down and noticed Kit was the same way, silently crying. The emotional pain they've experienced their entire lives returning in full force. The loneliness immediately overtaking them. Surge fell to her knees, placing one of her hands on Kit's head, and stifling her cries. It was all she could do. All she knew how to do. The two continued to hold each other in this way, as they struggled to cope with the pain. Once again, it was just the two of them.

End.

Chapter Text

It had been several days since Flare had left her family to gather the Chaos Emeralds. She had been isolated the entire time, keeping to herself, hiding her face when in the cities anytime she needed food. She avoided friend and foe alike, wanting to remain completely off the radar during her mission. Her wounds were deep, she felt no joy anymore. All the memories that once made her smile now only served to bring her to tears. To keep her loved ones safe, she had severed her bonds with them, and now she had no one and nothing. Even if her mission was a success, she had no home to return to. Sure she could probably go find her other friends, and stay at her home with the Restoration, but the void in her heart would never be filled. She had everything she had ever wanted, and in what felt like no time at all, it was gone.

She continued to cycle through these thoughts as she sat on a lone stump in a small clearing nestled between the trees of a forest surrounding a village southeast of Central City. Her head hung low, and her eyes never left the ground before her. She didn't cry, as she had no more tears to shed. She just wanted to finish gathering the Emeralds and be done with it. Done with everything. Her plan wouldn't fail. When her job was done, and Surge was saved, there would be no more Flare. Solar, or otherwise. The lone Tenrec sat for some time, wanting to be fully rested before she sought out the Chaos Emerald she had detected nearby. Having the other emeralds dramatically increased her detection range, making them akin to a compass that each pointed to the next emerald. After some more time passed, and the sun began to set on the day she heard a voice come from behind her. It sounded young, innocent. It was the voice of a child.

"Miss? Are you alright?" The voice asked.

Flare turned her head, looking behind her, where a young Rabbit girl stood. The girl had Cream colored fur, Cinnamon-brown eyes, a small brown nose, and a white muzzle, with orange markings around her eyes, on her head, and on the tips of her ears which dangled behind her. She wore a simple sleeveless vermillion dress with a white collar and a light blue cravat, as well as white gloves with a gold cufflink on each cuff, and a pair of vermillion and yellow slip-on shoes. Beside her floated a small light blue chao with yellow markings at the tip of its head, hands, feet, and tail. The Chao also sported a cherry red bow tie as well.

"...Child, you shouldn't be out here alone. It is getting dark. You may not be safe out here." Flare responded, ignoring the girl's question.

"Oh, that's alright! I come out here to play all the time!" The girl explained with a smile, taking a few steps closer to Flare. "But I've never seen you around here before, are you sure you won't get lost when it gets dark out?"

"Do not worry about me, child." Flare said, turning her head away and looking back to the ground. "I... know where I'm going."

The small rabbit frowned a bit, as she moved around the stump Flare was sitting on to look her in the eyes. "You seem sad... Is everything okay?"

"That is...not your concern, child."

"O-okay well... My name is Cream! And this is Cheese!" She said, gesturing to the Chao that followed her around. Cheese waved to Flare as they were introduced. "What's your name?" Asked Cream.

Flare was silent for a moment, seeming a little confused. For some reason, this girl reminded her of Amy. Positive, trying to help even when they had no obligation. While Flare wanted to be left alone, she couldn't bring herself to be cruel to a child she didn't even know.

"Flare." She replied.

"Nice to meet you, Flare!" Cream said, with a smile on her face.

"L-Likewise." Flare said. She wanted to smile, to be polite, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Which only further accentuated the sadness in her eyes as she struggled to find a mask to put on.

"Hey uh, are you hungry, Flare?" Cream asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hungry?" Flare was obviously confused. "No, I-" As Flare spoke, her stomach let out a loud rumble. She went silent for a moment, just staring at Cream, seeming a little embarrassed. "Y-Yes. I suppose I am."

"That's good! Mother is making dinner right now, do you wanna come? She won't mind, she loves having guests over!" Cream said, grabbing one of Flare's hands and gently pulling her to a standing position.

Flare was now deeply confused, she didn't know who this child was and now she was suddenly being invited to dinner. She looked up to the sky, seeing the orange hue beginning to fade into darkness as the sun lowered further. She knew the Emerald was in the village nearby, she could find it after dinner. She looked down to Cream and nodded her head. "Alright, that...sounds nice. Thank you, Cream."

"Yay!" Cream cheered with excitement as she began to lead Flare out of the forest. The two walked together for a few minutes before coming up on a small cottage, to which Cream quickly ran up and opened the door. "Come on in! I'll go let Mother know you're joining us!"

Flare did as instructed, slowly entering the house and looking around. She got a strange feeling but chose to ignore it. She stood towards the center of the room, which she noticed had an opening to the kitchen where Cream had run off to. From the Kitchen, she could hear a passing conversation.

"Yes, It would seem Cream found it while she was playing outside yesterday. I would've called sooner but I was a bit preoccupied... Yes... Yes, of course, I'll keep it safe until you arrive... Right, of course. I must be going, Cream has brought a friend for dinner, and I should introduce myself... I'm not sure, I'll ask!" This voice sounded much older and more mature than Cream, Flare could only assume it was her Mother. "Cream, dear, who's this friend you brought for dinner?"

"We just met out in the forest, her name's Flare! She seemed lonely, so I was hoping I could make her feel better by inviting her to dinner! I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner, Mother!" Spoke what seemed to be Cream's voice.

"It's alright dear." Her Mother replied, before seeming to continue her previous conversation. "Hmm? Why, yes. Yes, she did... Oh... Oh, I see. Very well, Yes I can do that... Alright, see you all tomorrow!"

The conversation ended, and a few moments later Cream ran out of the kitchen, holding a stack of dishes and silverware. "Good news! Mother is fine with you staying for dinner!"

Flare looked at her, blinking her eyes a few times before nodding. "That is... good."

Cream began to set the table for dinner with the supplies she had brought, and when she was done she pulled out a seat for Flare to sit in. Flare did so, not wanting to upset Cream. Cream would then run back into the kitchen to help her mother gather up the food.

Flare sat alone for another few minutes. She felt... nervous. Awkward. She felt like an intruder. She didn't belong here. Cream's kindness was wasted on her. She thought about the attitude Cream had since they had met, and how thoughtful the girl had been. She then thought about Cream's smile, the innocent smile of a child. For some reason, that reminded her of Surge's smile. The smile Surge had when they ate breakfast together. The smile she had when she brought home the stove as a gift. The smile... Flare had stolen. The smile she would never see again. As her thoughts raced, Flare began to cry silently to herself. Teardrops fell on her dress, as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Her thought train was broken as she heard footsteps approaching from the kitchen. She quickly cleared her face of any tears as she sat up straight.

Cream came running in with a large tray of food, it was unfamiliar to Flare. "Dinners served! Tonight's menu is Lasagna and Oven Roasted Asparagus! Also Garlic bread!"

A large rabbit wearing a long lavender dress with a white trim at the bottom of the skirt, as well as on the puffy sleeves, a burgundy-fitted vest with gold buttons, and an orange ascot walked in. She wore matching burgundy low-heeled shoes, and pink lipstick. Appearance-wise, she looked like an older version of Cream. It was definitely her mother. She was holding another tray of food in her hands, which she set on the table after Cream.

"Hello there, you must be Flare? I'm Vanilla, Cream's mother." She said with a smile. "Thank you for joining us tonight, Cream just loves to make new friends."

"Oh, um... Thank you for having me." Flare said, nervously as she looked up to Vanilla, who was significantly taller than her.

Moments later, a mostly black humanoid robot walked in from the kitchen, holding the rest of the dishes for dinner. He had blue eyes, with red rims, gray caps that resembled his ears, a curved yellow horn with points sticking out from the sides, and a blue eye at the center of his forehead, as well as yellow fin-like objects on his forearms and kneecaps.

"And this is Gemerl!" Cream said with excitement. "He's one of our best friends!"

Gemerl placed the rest of the dishes on the table, before staring at Flare for a moment. He seemed like he was analyzing her, or sizing her up. He said nothing and simply went to stand by Cream, who in turn went to sit next to Flare.

"Well, go ahead and dig in everyone! Flare, be sure to tell me what you think, this is a new recipe so I was eager to try it out!" said Vanilla.

The group began to eat, Flare being too nervous to serve herself allowed Vanilla to serve her instead. Cream served herself, and they all enjoyed a lovely home-cooked meal. It was delicious, Vanilla's cooking was better than anything Flare had eaten since she left home. It reminded her of the meals she had only just learned to cook for her own family. As she followed this train of thought, she began to eat slower, and more hesitantly as she struggled to keep her composure. The meal was so good, it hurt. Vanilla and Cream shared stories with Flare, hoping she could get to know them better, such as Cream's adventures in the past. Flare kept her own past hidden, noting only that she had been traveling alone for some time, and hadn't found a steady home. As well as that she was once offered a home at the Restoration but decided not to stay for personal reasons, which she didn't elaborate on.

The entire time they enjoyed dinner, Flare noticed that Gemerl had not once, even for a moment, taken his eyes off of her. She began to feel uncomfortable. She wondered if he was some sort of Eggman spy robot, possibly being used by Solar to keep an eye on her. She tried her best to avoid eye contact with him, focusing on finishing her food instead.

Once the meal was done, the three members of Vanilla's household began to clean. Flare, not wanting to be selfish, offered to help with the cleanup. Vanilla agreed, and the four of them moved the dishes into the kitchen. Flare was tasked with washing the dishes, while Cream dried them, and Vanilla packed up the leftovers. Gemerl stood aside, continuing to watch Flare, who tried her best to ignore him. As they cleaned, Vanilla spoke.

"Say Flare, you said you were traveling?" Vanilla asked. "Why don't you stay here tonight? It's much too late to continue your journey, and we have plenty of space."

"Yeah, that's a great idea! Spend the night here Flare!" Cream excitedly agreed.

"I... No, I couldn't. I don't want to be a burden-" Flare tried to say, but she was interrupted by Vanilla.

"Nonsense dear, you're no burden. We've housed plenty of guests in the past and it's really no issue! Please stay, I insist."

Flare was confused once again, why was she so insistent on her staying? They were practically strangers. This, too, reminded her of her time with Amy, who had saved her life and given her sanctuary when she had nowhere to go. Last time, it ended in a fight with her pursuer, but right now she was traveling freely. Nobody was coming for her. She could afford to take one night, as by morning she'd have the third Chaos Emerald and could continue finding the rest. After another moment of thought, she nodded her head.

"Alright. Thank you, Vanilla."

"Wonderful! Cream and I will set up the guest bed for you." She said as she finished putting the food away, around the same time the dishes were done. "Come, it's right this way." Vanilla turned and went to exit the kitchen and led them to the guest room.

Flare followed after her, Cream, and Cheese. Gemerl walked behind them all. He'd stayed behind them the whole time, strangely. As they left the kitchen, Flare glanced around, and that was when she noticed it. Sitting right there on top of Vanilla's refrigerator. A Chaos Emerald. Flare's eyes showed shock, but only for a moment before she hid her expression. She looked at Vanilla and Cream, who didn't seem to notice, before looking back at Gemerl who was locked onto her still. She decided now was not the right time, and would continue to follow her hosts to their guest room.

Vanilla and Cream showed her the room she would stay in, making the bed for her and everything. It was a small but cozy room, with plenty of space for guests' clothes or belongings, of which Flare had none.

"Now Cream, you get Flare situated, I need to make a phone call," Vanilla said, as she exited the room, Gemerl and Cream staying behind.

As the door closed behind Vanilla, Flare looked over to Cream, then Gemerl, staying silent as she didn't know what to say.

"So, did you enjoy the dinner? Mother spent all afternoon on it!" Cream said.

Flare nodded her head. "Yes, it was... Very good."

"That's good, Mother is a great cook."

The two were silent for another moment before Cream spoke again.

"Um, Flare?"

"Yes?"

"Sorry for dragging you here for dinner. I... could tell you wanted to be left alone but, I thought maybe you just needed a friend."

Flare was quiet for a moment before she responded. "I... didn't want to be alone. I had to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Flare thought hard about whether or not she should tell Cream. She decided it couldn't hurt, she was just a kid after all. "I'm on a mission, Cream. My Sister is in... grave danger. I'm the only one who can save her. But to do so, I must travel alone. I have to persevere, no matter how dangerous things become. If I don't... I will lose one of the most important people in my life. And the other most important person will suffer for it. I can't let it happen, no matter what."

"Oh my... I-... I'm sorry, Flare. I didn't know..." Cream said. "But... What about you?"

"Hm? What do... you mean?" Flare asked.

"I mean... What about you? You're putting yourself in danger for your sister, but you should try to... to keep yourself safe too. I doubt your sister would want to see you hurt, even if it's for her sake. You should take breaks where you can, and rely on your friends too. You shouldn't try to do it all yourself, cuz if you do... you might hurt her even worse."

Flare was struck silent, she didn't expect something like that to come from the young rabbit. She turned her head away, thinking about her words, before responding.

"A nice thought but... unfortunately my sister no longer cares for me. I... I already hurt her... I hurt her in a way I don't think I could ever be forgiven for. I caused her greater pain than any I could think of. She said never wants to see me again..." Flare's fists were clenched, which Gemerl noticed, causing him to keep an eye on her hands. However, Flare just clenched her fists to hold in her tears. "...But that's okay. It's better than letting her die. If she despises me, my very existence, and wishes me to die... It's okay, as long as they can live happily together."

"It doesn't... sound like a very happy life to me..." Cream said as she glanced toward her shoes. "Maybe you should try talking to her before anything bad happens?"

"I... I can't. I would want nothing more, but I can't."

"Why not...?"

"I... can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"O-oh... I'm sorry." Cream said. "I-I shouldn't have brought it up... But um, If you ever want to talk about it, you can talk to me, okay?"

Flare didn't say anything for yet another moment before nodding her head, still looking away from Cream as she held back tears. "Thank you, Cream. I will, I promise."

Cream smiled a bit, looking back up at Flare. "Good. Okay, so, I'll let you get some sleep, It's about time for my bedtime too! C'mon Gemerl!" Cream said as she ran to the door, opened it up, and ran out. Gemerl followed after, keeping an eye on Flare the whole way until he finally was outside. He continued to stare at her, as he closed the door, finally cutting off visual contact.

Flare, unable to hold it in any longer began to cry. She grabbed the pillow from her bed, and bawled, using it to muffle her cries as best as she could.

Cream, standing just outside the door and hearing Flares cries, looked up to Gemerl. "Gemerl... Is there any way you can... keep her safe on her journey? I think she really needs help..."

Gemerl looked down to cream, before shaking his head slowly. "Negative. I am sorry, Cream. I must stay by your side and keep you safe from potential threats. Do not worry. Help for her is on its way."

"Huh? What do you mean...?"

"The Diamond Cutters will be here by morning. They will... protect everyone."

Flare continued to spill her emotions into her pillow for what seemed like forever before a wave of exhaustion hit her. She placed the pillow back on her bed, flipping it so the stains from her tears would be hidden underneath, and prepared herself for bed. She kept her jacket on, despite having the Emeralds in her pockets. She didn't dare remove them as they were the key to saving Surge. It took some time before she got comfortable, but eventually, she managed to fall asleep.

She couldn't remember any dreams, she was too stressed. It was maybe a handful of hours into the night that her eyes fluttered open. She pushed herself up and out of bed, looking over at the door. She grabbed an Emerald from her pocket and stared at it. She contemplated her next move for a few minutes before putting it away.

"I'm sorry, Cream... I am.. a bad friend."

Flare stood up, moving towards the door and gently cracking it open, making sure the lights in her room were off. It was dark and hard to see, but she was certain nobody was around. There wasn't an inch of movement at all. She snuck out of the room and closed the door behind her. Flare made her way to the kitchen, as a pair of eyes lit up behind her.

Flare entered the kitchen and turned on the light. She moved over to the fridge, and climbed up, looking over the top and noticing that the Emerald was gone.

"I had hoped I wouldn't find you in here, Flare." Vanilla's voice called from behind.

Flare turned around and saw Vanilla standing behind her, holding the Chaos Emerald in her hand.

"Ms. Vanilla... I..."

Vanilla smiled a bit. "You sound like Cream, you know?"

"I... What?"

"Your voice, the kindness behind your words. I can learn a lot about you by the way you speak. You are a gentle soul, you don't like seeing people hurt. You don't like hurting people yourself either, that's why you chose to be sneaky instead of just attacking us for this Emerald." She explained while looking down at the gem. "You and Cream are a lot alike. It pains me to see you go down the road you've taken."

Flare was silent, she began to panic. She didn't know what Vanilla meant, how did she glean all this information? Was Flare really that easy to read? Did Vanilla have some kind of superpower? Who was this woman?

"Flare.. please, go back to bed." Vanilla said.

"I... can't do that, Ms.Vanilla."

"I thought you might refuse... You know, I've heard of you."

"You have...?" Flare asked.

"I have. I was told you are dangerous. I was told not to upset you, and that I needed to be cautious around you. I was told not to let you touch the Chaos Emerald."

"..." Flare didn't know how to respond.

"I don't see it." She said abruptly. "Maybe you are capable of destruction, but I just don't believe you'd be willing to cause it. I think you just want to be safe, protected, happy. And you could be. Please, Flare. Stay here with us, We can keep you safe."

Flare's hands began to shake as her panic became worse, she could only stare at Vanilla before she closed her eyes.

"You don't know anything, Ms. Vanilla." Flare stated. "You don't know who I am. You don't know what I've been through. You don't know what I'm going through. You don't know what I've done, and you don't know what I'm going to do."

Vanilla just looked back at Flare, allowing her to speak her piece.

"I... Do not know who told you I was dangerous, Ms. Vanilla." Flare opened her eyes, and they were devoid of emotion. She quickly held up her hand and pointed her palm towards Vanilla. "But you should've listened to them."

Flare prepared to shoot off a firebolt, but as she did, something quickly grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm up. Flare glanced to the side and there stood Gemerl, holding her tightly. Before she could react, he grabbed her face with his other hand, and in a single fluid movement, he lifted her up before pushing her down and slamming her into the kitchen floor with a loud -CRASH-.

"Gemerl..." Vanilla said with a sigh. "I told you to hold her, not hurt her."

"Observation: I am holding her." Gemerl clarified.

"True, however, if you look closely you can see you've knocked her unconscious. Poor thing." Vanilla approached Flare, gesturing for Gemerl to let go of her.

"Clarification: I am aware of her lack of consciousness. It made her easier to hold." He responded as he let go.

Vanilla gently scooped Flare off the ground, holding her in her arms as the two Emeralds fell out of her jacket. "Oh my, Gemerl, can you collect those? I believe Lanolin will appreciate having them gathered together when she arrives in the morning."

Gemerl grabbed the two Emeralds, just as Cream walked into the kitchen dressed in her pajamas and rubbing her eyes.

"Mother...? What happened...? I heard a noise..." Cream asked as she noticed Flare, unconscious. "Huh...? What happened to Flare?! Is she okay?!"

Vanilla gave Cream a soft smile. "Of course dear, she's just fine. She simply took a tumble while trying to navigate the kitchen in the dark, I think she was looking for water."

"Oh..." Cream rubbed her eyes a bit more. "I'll get her a glass then, and take it to her room..." The young rabbit moved over to the sink, grabbing a glass and going to fill it with tap water.

"That's very considerate of you, Cream. I'll carry her back to her room then." Vanilla said, continuing to smile. "Come, Gemerl." without another word she carried Flare out of the kitchen, Gemerl following behind her. The two saw Flare back to her room, and Vanilla gently placed her in bed, removing her jacket, earrings, and other accessories before tucking her in with the blanket. Cream walked in a moment later with a glass of ice water, which had a straw sticking out of it. She gently placed it on a nightstand next to Flare's bed.

"I hope she sleeps well... I really think she's gonna need it." Cream said.

"Me too, dear." Vanilla nodded. "And so are you, let's get you back to bed okay"

"Yes, Mother." Cream agreed, and the three walked out of the room, closing the door behind them and shutting off the lights.

Flare remained unconscious throughout the night, her head injury was minor as Gemerl did not try to use any excessive force, it was a very calculated takedown. She still experienced no dreams throughout her slumber.

Eventually, she awoke, looked around the room, and rubbed her head, noticing she was back in bed. She couldn't remember what happened after Gemerl had grabbed her, but she could make a guess. She'd let her guard down and was beaten as a result. She looked at the water on the nightstand beside her, it was covered in condensation. Not a single cube of ice in the glass. It'd been there for hours. She grabbed it and took a sip. She didn't know what was coming but she had a bad feeling and wanted to be awake and ready. The water was still chilled and was quite refreshing.

As she got up she realized she wasn't fully dressed, her jacket was missing and her accessories were removed. A familiar feeling washed over her as she thought about the first time she'd met Amy. She missed Amy. Suddenly a realization hit, she ran to her jacket and began searching the pockets. Just as she feared, the Emeralds were gone. She clenched her fist. She knew she had to get them back, it would be hard without at least one to give her use of the Chaos Control, or Chaos Cannon. Gemerl wouldn't go down easy. She just hoped that Cream and Vanilla didn't try to get involved. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt them, but if it meant saving Surge? Any price was worth paying.

She got dressed and prepared for the battle ahead and went to the door to the bedroom. She opened it wide, seeing nobody there. Preparing a fireball in her hand, she began to look around. Flare made her way to the dining room, peeking in, and there she saw something she never expected to see. At the table sat Vanilla, and Lanolin. They were chatting about something, Lanolin thanking Vanilla for her call the other day. It explained a lot. Beside Lanolin was a briefcase, and Gemeral was standing next to Vanilla. Cream walked in, with cups of tea for the two of them, placing down two extra cups.

"How do you think Flare likes her tea?" Cream asked.

"I'm not sure, dear. Perhaps prepare it as you prefer, I have a feeling you two have similar tastes." Vanilla responded.

Lanolin grabbed her cup, taking a sip. "As long as it's caffeinated, I'm happy." She said. "Thanks, Cream."

"You're welcome!" Cream said, preparing her own cup, as well as Flares.

"Perhaps I should go check on Flare? She's been out for a while. You may have been too rough on her, Gemerl." Vanilla said.

"I used only the necessary force to keep you and Cream safe." Explained Gemerl.

Flare snuffed out her fireball, took a deep breath, and walked into the dining room.

"Ah, There she is," Lanolin said. "Sit down, Cream made tea."

Flare looked at Lanolin for a moment before going to take a seat. "What are you doing here, Lanolin?" She asked though she had already guessed.

"We heard there was a Chaos Emerald here, Vanilla didn't feel safe keeping it on her so she called me to come pick it up." She said, taking another sip, not taking her eyes off Flare, much like Gemerl the night before.

"I see... So was it you?" Flare asked.

"Be more specific, please. I'm a bit exhausted." Lanolin replied.

"Did you tell Vanilla I was dangerous...?" Flare clarified.

"Oh, that? Yeah. That was me." Lanolin admitted nonchalantly.

"I thought you would've heard from Amy that Solar Flare is no longer an issue... I know I hurt you before, and for that, I am so... so very sorry, but to spread such falsities seems rather-" Flare was cut off before she could finish.

"I'm well aware that Solar seems to have been removed from your brain. I'm aware she appeared with a new body in Sunset City, and I'm aware of intel reporting that you're working for Dr. Eggman of your own free will." Lanolin said, slamming her hand on the table, giving Flare a deadly glare. "I'm here to listen to your side of it, then I'm taking you to the Restoration HQ for further questioning. Don't bother arguing, this isn't a negotiation."

Flare was stunned... How did she know all this? Sure Amy could've told her the first bits but she was alone with Solar on the Ferris Wheel. Nobody should know about Flare's mission.

Cream looked at Flare in shock. "Flare...? She's wrong, isn't she? You wouldn't work for Dr. Eggman?"

"Cream, Darling, I think we should leave these two alone to talk," Vanilla interjected.

"But... Mother, she-"

"Now, Cream." Vanilla said, getting up and taking Cream by the hand before leading her to the other room. Gemerl stayed behind to watch Lanolin and Flare.

"So, got anything to say for yourself, Flare?" Lanolin asked sternly.

"...You don't know anything..." Flare said as she eyed the briefcase at Lanolin's side.

Lanolin sighed, crossing her arms. "I'm disappointed in you. When we first met, you were so... nice. So kind. And when Solar took over your body... I was worried about you. Truly, genuinely worried. It wasn't the Flare I knew. I was ready to put my life on the line to bring you back... and I nearly lost it trying." She glanced away. "But now I see the Flare I knew never existed, and I have to choose between protecting your loved ones, or mine. You've fallen from grace, and now you're a threat. I'm taking you in. End of story. Just make this easy and come quietly."

Flare was silent for a moment as Lanolin's words struck her. Your loved ones, or mine. That was the choice. Flare had already made hers.

"Give me the Emeralds, Lanolin. They're in that case, no?" Flare asked. "Give them to me, and we do not have to fight."

"Hell no." She said, grabbing the handle of the briefcase. "I know what you can do with these, and I know your limits when you don't have them. I've studied your abilities since the moment I woke up after the fight with Solar."

"So then you know you can't beat me, Emeralds or no. I can burn you to ashes, Lanolin. But I don't want to. Please don't make me."

"Try me."

Without hesitation, Flare jumped up and over the table, sliding towards Lanolin while holding a fireball in her hand. Lanolin jumped back, getting some distance from Flare and running for the backdoor of Vanilla and Cream's house. Gemerl went to intervene, but Flare quickly threw the fireball at him, as it was always intended for the biggest threat in the room. Gemerl was knocked back into the wall, crashing loudly against it, meanwhile, Flare chased after Lanolin.

Lanolin busted out the backdoor and rolled across the floor, as Flare ran out right after her, another Fireball prepared. The moment Flare crossed the threshold, She was suddenly blasted by something. High voltage electricity coursed through her body. "AHHHHHHHH!!!!!" She cried before the shocks caused her to black out again. She fell to her knees, then onto her face, hitting the floor with a thud.

Lanolin walked back up to her, grabbing a bucket of water she had planted beforehand, and dumping it over Flare, dampening her completely. "You're good to grab her now, Tangle. She can't spark up when she's wet."

Tangle appeared from around the corner, looking unhappy. She wrapped her tail around Flare, constraining her. "That was pretty harsh, Lanolin. You could've seriously hurt her."

"She could've seriously hurt us, or Cream, or Vanilla. She already tried to assault Vanilla last night. We couldn't take any risks." As Lanolin explained, Whisper would walk up behind them, having been hiding behind the nearby trees from where she took the shot that knocked out Flare.

"She'll be okay... I was careful." Whisper explained.

"Still... Just because she... confused, it doesn't mean she's not still our friend. We should take it easy on her." Tangle said.

"We are." Lanolin countered. "If it wasn't for our history... She wouldn't be coming home with us alive."

Tangle siged. "I guess..."

Whisper put a hand on Tangle's shoulder. "It's gonna be okay... We'll figure this out. We won't lose another friend."

Tangle gave Whisper a small smile, feeling a little better. "Yeah. Let's get her home, Tails is waiting."

"Right. Diamond Cutters, Move-"

"Wait!!" Cream ran out of her house and cried, interrupting Lanolin. "I... I want to come with you!"

Lanolin looked down at Cream, kneeling down and putting a hand on her head. "Cream... I know you want to, I know you already think of her as a friend but... She's dangerous. We can't let you get hurt. You have to stay here."

"I won't!" Cream yelled. "I already talked with Mother... Flare is my friend, I may not have known her long but I... I told her I'd be there for her! You can't leave me behind!"

Lanolin just looked at the child before her, who put on a brave face, determined, like nothing would stop her.

"...Alright. You can come. It's gonna be a long walk back to HQ. And we'll have to keep her restrained. I hope you can handle that." Lanolin explained.

"I... I can handle it." Cream affirmed.

"Alright then." Lanolin stood, going to lead her group. "Let's move. Tangle, keep her restrained, who knows when she'll wake up. Whisper, you make sure she stays damp. If she dries out she could really hurt Tangle."

Tangle and Whisper nodded and spoke in unison. "Right."

"Good. Cream, stay close to me." Lanolin continued.

"Right!" Cream agreed.

"Let's go then." Without another word, Lanolin led the Diamon Cutters, as well as Cream, away. The group traveled towards the Restoration HQ, as Flare remained blissfully unconscious for most of the way.

The four of them walked for a long time, and as they did they chatted, conversating about their plan, and of course about Flare.

"So you've had this planned for that long?" Tangle asked

"Yeah. I wanted to be ready, in case she ever lost control of herself again... or worse she..." Lanolin clenched her fist. "She betrayed us..."

"C'mon Lanolin, You've gotta know she'd never-" Tangle tried to say before Lanolin cut her off.

"I don't know anything..." She clenched her teeth. "She told me so herself. Look at where we are now, Tangle. What's happening as we speak. She didn't even try to deny it, She's working for Eggman. She'd take us all down to gather the Emeralds. I know you heard her. And I'm not gonna let her hurt either of you. I'm not gonna let her hurt the Restoration or any innocents. I don't care if she was our friend. As things stand right now? She's our enemy."

Tangle went silent, looking over to Whisper, who responded by taking a glance at Flare and looking away. It's clear she was conflicted, as betrayal was something she was all too used to at this point. She also didn't want to lose more friends to an enemy in disguise. But at the same time, she wanted to trust Flare.

Cream would eventually speak up. "I don't know what you mean... when you say she's working for Eggman... She mentioned a mission she couldn't talk about but... Do you have the full story?"

"Yes. We do." Lanolin confirmed. "We have a full recording of a conversation between her and Solar."

"So then... you know about her sister?"

"What?" Lanolin asked, looking at Cream. "What do you mean her sister?"

"Flare wouldn't tell me what her mission was... but she said she had to do it to save her Sister."

"I thought it was just to save Surge..." Whisper said.

"Me too..." Lanolin said, looking at the unconscious Flare. "Does that mean..."

"I don't think she was lying... She cried a lot after she told me." Cream explained. "I don't know much... but I know one thing for sure. She loves her family, and she wants them to be safe. Can we... really blame her?"

Lanolin went silent, as they continued to walk. After a few moments, she spoke. "Let's just get her to Tails. We'll sort this all out when she's safely in confinement."

The group continued their journey, they remained mostly silent after the realization dawned on them. Lanolin wondered if she'd handled things the right way. She didn't regret her choices, of course, she only wanted to protect her loved ones as well. But if she were in Flare's shoes, she wondered what she would do differently if anything.

It took quite some time, but as they made their journey, Flare eventually came to. She looked around, noticing she was tied in Tangle's tail. It was warm and soft. Not an uncomfortable binding at all. She looked at Whisper, Lanolin, Tangle, and Cream, none of which had noticed she was awake. She noticed that she was still dripping wet. They must have recently splashed water on her. She knew she couldn't break free as she was, not without the Emeralds Lanolin held. She looked for anything, a way to get out of Tangle's grasp, a place to hide. She thought of what she could do once she escaped. She looked at Cream. She'd be an easy hostage, with her she could make Lanolin hand over the emeralds...

"Wait... What am I thinking...?" Flare stopped in the middle of her thought process. She had actually considered not only taking a child as a hostage but one who had put faith in her. Who had been her friend, despite them barely knowing each other. "I... I've become a monster..." Flare looked up to the sky as she was carried. "I've become everything I despise... I've attacked my friends. I've threatened the innocent. Scorned those who treated me with kindness... I've become what Eggman wanted me to be. I even abandoned Surge and Kit after they took me in and accepted me as part of their family... I threw away everything... I may have had no choice in losing my family... but I do have a choice in how I save them." She looked back at the briefcase Lanolin carried, tears starting to drip down onto Tangle's tail. "And I'll do it by relying on my friends."

"Hm?" Tangle looked up at Flare as they walked, barely noticing she was awake due to the tears hitting her tail.

"Lanolin..." Flare spoke, causing the Sheep to stop and turn to her.

"You're awake. Don't even try to escape, you've got no chance to-"

"I'm sorry." Flare interrupted.

"...What?" Lanolin asked, confused.

"You deserve an explanation. I shouldn't have attacked you. I shouldn't have... done a lot of things." Flare continued. "I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. I'm sorry I let Solar hurt you before, and I'm sorry I tried to hurt you now. You... You've only ever tried to help me, all of you. I'm sorry I wouldn't let you."

"...Apology accepted," Lanolin said. "At least on my part. But we're not letting you go, I hope you understand."

"I do. I will not struggle, nor will I argue. I will come peacefully." Flare assured. "And, Cream... Thank you. Thank you so much for being there for me when I needed it most. I'm... lucky I met you."

Cream looked back at Flare and smiled. "Of course. Everyone needs friends."

"I've decided to tell you everything, from what happened between me and Solar, to why I agreed to do Eggman's dirty work... and why I denied my own feelings and desires." Flare stated.

"Save it." Lanolin said."You can explain it all when we get to HQ. No need to go over it twice, alright?"

"Ah, right, of course. Sorry." Flare agreed.

Tangle smiled. "We're just glad to have you back, Flare. We'll figure this out together, don't worry."

Whisper nodded in agreement. "Yeah, as friends..."

Lanolin didn't add anything, she simply smiled to herself as she continued to march forward.

The group continued their trip. It took a few more hours but they eventually arrived at the Restoration HQ. Taking the elevator through Silver's Garden, they made their way inside and took Flare to her old room, and Tangle set her down inside.

"Tangle, you go get Tails. Whisper and I will stay here and watch Flare." Lanolin ordered, turning to Flare. "Sorry, hope you understand if we don't wanna take our eyes off you just yet."

"After all I've done, I'd be surprised if you did." Flare said, with a nod.

"Don't worry Flare, I'll be here too." Cream said, smiling

"Thank you, Cream." Responded Flare, returning her smile. Her first genuine smile, no matter how small, since she last saw Surge.

Tangle gave Lanolin a lighthearted salute, before running out to go find Tails. Whisper and Lanolin both took a seat, with Cream going over to the nearby triple bunk bed and sitting on the bottom bunk.

Flare only then actually took notice of the triple bunk bed. Her short-lived smile faded. She walked over to the bed, placing her hand on the center bunk. Her bunk. She clenched her fist, and closed her eyes, trying to hold in her tears again. She wished things had been different. She wished she could see her family again. She missed Surge's sharp-toothed smile, and how it always made her feel safe and protected. She missed Kit's loyal nature, and how it made her feel like she'd never be alone. She missed her life more than anything. She couldn't hold it in, and she eventually broke into sobs, as she leaned her head against the bunk bed, tears dripping down again.

"Surge... K-Kitstunami..." She muttered through her sobs.

"So it's true..." Lanolin said. "Surge is your sister?"

Flare struggled to respond, eventually managing to spit out her thoughts. "She... she was..."

"I'm... Sorry." Lanolin said. "I didn't know, really. It wasn't 'til Cream mentioned you even had a sister that I figured it out. That recording... Solar was threatening your family...I just..." She looked to Whisper, whose eyes were glued to the ground. "Surge and us... there's history. It's not great." She explained. "I didn't... I didn't see things for what they were. I was blinded by my own bias. If I was in your shoes, and it was Whisper or Tangle, or Jewel or..." She paused "I... Don't know what I'd do. I don't know if I'd do what you did. I don't know if I wouldn't. You... deserve better Flare. I promise we're gonna help you fix this, okay? We'll make things right."

Flare gritted her teeth, as she continued to gasp and sob, drenching herself in her own tears. She was unable to respond. Cream reached over, and hugged Flare, and immediately Flare thought of Kit. She broke. "W-...WAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!" Her sobs turned to wails as she let loose all of the emotion she had been bottling up for days. Her anger and frustration manifested as she pounded her balled fist into the side of her bed. Her sorrow and loneliness flowed as tears down her cheeks. Her pain and regret echoed through the Restoration's halls. She wished she could just go back. If she'd only never gone to that stupid carnival, she thought.

This went on for several minutes, though to Flare it was an eternity. Lanolin and Whisper could only watch while Cream tried her hardest to console Flare. Eventually, as Flare started to get a grip on herself, and catch her breath, the wails subsiding and the tears slowing, not stopping, but slowing, Tails would arrive with Tangle.

When Tails walked in he saw Cream wiping away Flare's tears, he held onto his Miles Electric tablet. He slowly approached Flare, not quite sure what to say, so he just did his best.

"F-Flare...?" Tails said

Flare looked at Tails, wiping her eyes, and as her vision landed on Tails, something strange happened. She jumped at Tails, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight, spine-crushing hug, as she began to sob again.

"KITSUNAMI!" Flare yelled, as her eyes shut tightly. "I'M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME...! I JUST WANTED TO KEEP YOU BOTH SAFE!!!"

Tails was stunned. He had no idea what to do, he looked back at Whisper and Lanolin, who seemed just as lost. He looked over to Cream who just looked shocked and saddened by what Flare was experiencing.

"P-Please!!! Please forgive me Kitsunami! Please, I just want to go home! I want us to be a family again!!" Flare continued to cry, struggling to get air between her sobs, she took short rapid breaths, crying out in agony between each one until her face was completely flush, after a moment things took a turn as she seemed to lose energy.

"P-Please... I'm Sorry, Kitsunami... I'm Sorry... I'm...." Continuing to hold tightly onto Tails for only a few seconds, Flare eventually slumped over, going completely limp. She began to slide off of Tails, as Cream quickly went in to catch her, Tails helping Cream carry her over to the bed, placing her on the bottom bunk, before looking over her.

"I think... she overexerted herself. She might have hyperventilated and passed out from a lack of air." Tails explained.

"What is that, the 3rd time she's gotten KO'd now? Her sleep schedule is done for." Tangle joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Lanolin shook her head. "Not the time, Tangle. "

"Y-Yeah, sorry. My bad." Tangle apologized.

"Is she okay...?" Whisper asked.

"Physically? Yeah, she seems fine. A little bruised up but nothing serious. Mentally... I mean, we all saw that." Tails said. "She's in pain. A lot of pain. Her blood pressure is sky-high, and she's not even conscious. If she keeps up like this I..." He trailed off. "I don't know. She's like Shadow, I doubt she's affected by stress the same way we are, but every mind has its limits. There's only so much torment one person can take before they break."

"Speaking of minds having their limits, I think her being asleep is the best time to run those tests we talked about." Lanolin suggested.

"Right." Tails agreed, holding his tablet over Flare's head and starting some sort of scan.

"What test?" Cream asked, watching over Flare, seeming beyond worried.

"According to the recording, Solar, the uh... The bad guy, said they were monitoring her using a chip in her brain that used to connect them. I won't get into the details, it's pretty complicated, but I found something off about it. They set up a meeting place and a time limit. Why would they do that if they could see and hear everything Flare could? They could just find her once she'd gathered up the Emeralds. I think she was lying, so I got Tails here to double-check." Explained Lanolin.

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense to set up a rendezvous in advance if you have perfect communication. They could just send a signal, or a code word, and meet up at any secluded location. " Whisper added.

"So you think this Solar lady lied to trick Flare? Does that mean her sister isn't actually in danger?" Cream questioned

"I... don't think that's true, unfortunately," Lanolin said, as she glanced away. "According to Sonic's report, Surge was injected with something during a fight with Metal Sonic. There's no reason to lie about the hostage, especially because if anyone found out, we could go confirm it for ourselves. She made sure Flare stayed away from Surge after all, so Surge was unguarded. Taking Surge hostage was vital to the plan, even if Surge didn't know it."

"Oh... So what can we do...?" Asked Cream

"If we can confirm that Solar isn't monitoring Flare, we can focus on disarming the explosive she planted in Surge's body, once we do that Flare has no reason to work for Eggman and we can put this whole thing behind us." Said Lanolin.

"That makes sense... So then we're gonna go get Ms.Surge after Mr. Tails finishes his tests?"

"It.. won't be that easy, but that's the plan. Unfortunately, Sonic and Amy can't find her or Kit anywhere. They disappeared from that cabin of theirs, place was in tatters, but it was destroyed from the inside. We're not sure what happened for sure but it's strange. Sonic's been looking for her since Amy filled us in on the recording." Lanolin continued to explain. "If Tails hadn't planted a bug on Flare when Solar separated her from the group, we'd be completely blind right now. Not that it stopped me from making a mistake..." She sighed. "But we're past that now. All that matters now is this scan."

Tangle went and took a seat next to Whisper. "How's that scan coming by the way?" She asked

"Hmm..." Tails muttered under his breath for a moment before he lowered his tablet. "Just like I thought. The Chip hasn't transmitted data since the same date Flare, Surge, and Kit cleared out an underground Eggman base to stop her from raising an army. At least, according to Amy."

"So Solar was full of crap after all?" Lanolin asked.

Tails nodded. "The Chip's completely offline. There's no way Solar has surveillance. She lied."

"Damn it... So much of this could've been avoided with just a little more info." Lanolin walked over to Tails, Cream, and Flare, placing a hand gently on Flare's forehead. "We're gonna make her pay."

"What's the plan...?" Whisper asked.

"Simple. We've got three Chaos Emeralds, reports say Shadow has another. There are only three left to find. Solar wants the Chaos Emeralds? We'll bring em to her. Then we show her what they can really do." Lanolin stated a determined look across her face.

"You mean Super Sonic?" Tangle asked

"No... Sonic's too soft. He won't actually do anything about Solar, and she'll just keep hurting Flare. It seems like her only purpose in life." Lanolin shook her head. "Shadow, on the other hand..."

"Super Shadow..." Whisper said.

Tangle frowned. "Guys... I don't like the idea of aiming to destroy Solar. I mean, Sonic said everyone deserves a chance to change... Solar could too, don't ya think?"

Lanolin glanced at Tangle, before shaking her head. "Maybe. I don't know..."

"It... isn't our choice." Whisper cut in.

"Huh? What do ya mean Whisper?" Tangle asked.

"Sonic spared Metal Sonic, and Surge, and Eggman because they were his enemies. " She explained. "They were his battles. He was the only one who could choose to show mercy. Just how Mimic was mine, and you convinced me to spare him, Tangle." Whisper continued, before pointing toward Flare. "Solar is Flare's other. Her enemy. If anyone has the right to choose her fate... It's Flare."

Lanolin looked at Whisper, then to Flare, then back to Whisper, before nodding her head. "Yeah. Okay, I can live with that. We should at least ask her if she wants to be involved in the showdown." She took her hand off Flare before walking over to the door. "Can you guys take care of things? I'm gonna start putting together a team for the Emerald hunt"

Tangle nodded. "You got it, boss!"

"Of course." Whisper nodded as well.

"Great. Come find me later." Lanolin opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her.

It was only a few minutes later that Flare woke up again, placing a hand on her head. "What happened... I don't remember getting into a fight..."

"You uh... Got a bit emotional, and wore yourself out." Tails explained.

Cream reached over and hugged Flare again. "I'm glad you're okay, Flare!"

Flare smiled at cream, and hugged her back. "Thank you, Cream. You helped a lot."

"Flare, There's something you need to know." Tails said.

"Huh? What is it, Tails?" Asked Flare.

"I placed a bug on your person when we split up at the Carnival. I got a full recording of your conversation with Solar. I showed it to Amy, Sonic, and the Diamond Cutters. We know everything... I'm really sorry about Surge, but you need to know, Solar lied about the chip in your head. She's not connected. She can't watch you at all. That was just to get you to comply." Explained Tails.

"She....What..." Flare shook her head. "Does that mean... Surge...?"

"We're not sure." Tails interjected. "We want to check but we can't find her anywhere. Kit either. They've gone into hiding. But if we can find her, we can disable the explosive if it really exists. I've already been researching the subject. Flare, do you have any idea where they might've gone?"

"I... don't..." Flare started to tear up again.

"S-Sorry! It's okay, I just thought maybe..." Tails tried to make sure Flare didn't have another breakdown.

"I... I will do whatever I can to help." Flare said.

"Well... There's one thing." Tails looked over to Whisper and Tangle. "Lanolin plans to find the rest of the Chaos Emeralds and confront Solar Flare at your meeting point. She's hoping to have a final showdown that'll put a stop to her once and for all, so you don't have to worry about it anymore." He looked back at Flare. "You could help us find the emeralds with your radar, just give us a general location and we'll do the rest. Then, at the end of it all, you can decide what happens to Solar."

"You mean... I see..." Flare thought about it for a moment. "Okay. I will help. We'll stop Solar once and for all... as was my plan from the start. Once that is done, my family will never be in danger again. After that... I don't care what happens to me."

Cream frowned a bit. "We care what happens to you, Flare..."

"...I know." She nodded. "I'm not planning anything rash... anymore. But we can't know for sure what will happen until we get there. So for now, please, take me to Lanolin. I'd like to help her find the remaining Emeralds. I only need one to track them over long distances."

"Alright! Sounds like we've got a plan!" Tangle said, bouncing up on her Tail.

Whisper nodded. "We'll win for sure."

Cream continued to squeeze Flare. "Yeah, we won't let anything happen to you... because we're friends!!"

Tails nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Cream's right. We'll take care of Solar, then help you find Surge and Kit again."

Flare smiled, as she wiped the final teardrops from her eyes, looking at all the friends she had surrounding her. "Thank you, all of you. I won't let you down. We may not share DNA, as Surge and I do... but regardless, all of you, even you, Cream... Are like family to me. So let's go put a stop to Solar once and for all!"

The four banded together in a group hug while cheering. Once they were done, they all headed out together to find Lanolin and update her. They all prepared for the battle ahead, as they knew the fight with Solar wouldn't be easy, even with the Chaos Emeralds. Solar had a plan, who knows what it was, and the Diamond Cutters, as well as the Restoration, had to be prepared for anything and everything. Meanwhile, Sonic and Amy continued their search for Surge and Kit, hoping to find them and inform them of everything that transpired at the Sunset City Carnival, hoping they'd be able to help their sister in the upcoming fight.

End.

Chapter Text

It was late into the night at Restoration HQ, Flare sat cross-legged in her room holding onto a Chaos Emerald. Her eyes were shut tight, as she focused all of her thoughts and attention on the Emerald, as she used its power to amplify her own. All the while she heard the voice of Lanolin the Sheep echoing in her mind.

"It's up to you now, Flare. You're the only one who can find it."

These words drove her to keep working. She relaxed her mind and allowed her instinct to take over. She could feel it, the 7^th Chaos Emerald, miles away. It felt strange, not like the others. Most of which were stagnant, some being carried and transported, but slow enough to track with Tail's technology. This one had been different. It was moving, and it was moving fast.

Beside Flare was a bunk bed, the one the restoration had set up for her and her family. For now, it housed Cream the Rabbit who slept peacefully on the bottom bunk. At the top was Amy Rose, who had returned to the Restoration after hearing about Flare's initial capture. She had offered to stay with Flare in her room, along with Cream, to keep her company while they completed their plan to stop Solar Flare. The two girls worried loneliness would overtake their friend, and cause her to spiral back into the hopeless mentality that caused her to succumb to Solar's will in the first place. They wanted to be there for her however they could.

After some time, Amy's eyes would gently open. Looking down over the bunk bed, She saw Flare sitting there, motionless. She rubbed her eyes a bit, climbed down from the top bunk, and sat down on her knees before Flare. Concern washed over Amy's face as she saw how hard her friend was trying, and after a moment, Amy placed her hand gently on Flares.

Feeling the warmth of Amy's hand on her own, Flare opened her eyes, her concentration on the Emerald fading.

"Amy...? What are you doing?" Asked Flare in a hushed whisper

"Just checking on you. You've been looking for the last Emerald for hours, you need to sleep too, Flare." Amy responded at a similar volume.

"I can't... I have to keep tracking it, Every time a team has gone for the recovery it had moved by the time we got there. We're running out of time, Amy."

"I know, you're right. I know you're trying your best, and I know you're still worried about Surge and Kit, but you're not gonna be of help to anyone if you don't get some rest. Try it again in the morning. Besides, maybe by then Sonic will have found your sister and we can get her taken care of, then she can help us find the Emerald?"

"Amy I-..." Flare took a deep breath. "I appreciate your optimism, I really do. It makes me feel so safe, and hopeful... But it's been weeks. They don't want to be found, and we have no leads. It's not worth relying on."

Amy frowned. She couldn't stand seeing her friend feel so hopeless. She glanced over to a nearby nightstand when an idea struck her. She stood up and walked over to the nightstand, opening up its drawer and pulling out what seemed to be a deck of cards. She moved back over to Flare, sitting down with her again.

"Alright, We'll get this settled once and for all." Amy said.

"What do you mean...?" Flare asked, looking at the deck of cards as Amy began shuffling it.

"I'm giving you a Fortune Card reading. It'll give us an idea of what to expect going forward." Amy explained.

"Fortune Card...? ...Oh, yes I remember you telling me about them when we met. Do you really think that will help us?"

"Well, I won't know until I read the cards, but my predictions are never wrong! I'm confident we'll learn something!" Amy continued as she began placing a few face down on the floor between them.

"Well... Okay. I suppose it can't hurt."

"What're you guys doing...?" Cream's voice called out as she pushed herself up from the bottom bunk.

"Oh, Cream! Sorry did we wake you?" Amy asked

Cream nodded her head. "It's okay though... Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I was about to do a Fortune Card reading for Flare, wanna join us?" Offered Amy

"Sure!" Cream said as she hopped out of the bed and sat down next to Flare, looking at the cards.

"Alright, let's get started," Amy said as she reached over to flip the first Fortune Card. "Hmm... Okay, the Ace of Lightning, and it's upright. It looks like a big breakthrough is in your future."

"A Breakthrough? What breakthrough?" Flare asked.

Amy shook her head a bit. "I can't tell you that, but if you just keep believing in yourself, you'll find out for sure." She said as she flipped over another card. "Oh, the Three of Lightning?" She said with a tilt of her head. " And it's reversed... That means Healing, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation. Things are gonna get better for you, Flare."

"How can you be so sure...?" Flare looked to the side as she asked. This card stuck a nerve in her.

"What can I say? I have faith in the cards, and in you." She said as she flipped over the final card. "The Three of Rings, upright." She stated, smiling at Flare. "You have everything you need to succeed. Trust yourself, and trust your friends. All together the cards tell me this, Flare. You're fully capable of achieving your goals, and as long as you trust that things will be okay, they will."

Flare was silent for a moment, staring down at the cards that lay before her. She contemplated their meaning, from what Amy had told her for a moment before. She looked between Amy and Cream, and smiled at her friends, as she leaned over and pulled them both into a hug.

"Thank you." Flare said as she held them tight.

The three girls all enjoyed the group hug for several seconds before breaking it up, Amy going to grab her cards and put them away.

"Now, how about we all go to bed huh? We'll tackle the last Emerald tomorrow, as a team." Amy suggested

"Very well." Flare said, getting up and placing her Emerald down on the nightstand.

Cream smiled as she crawled back into the bottom bunk. "Goodnight Ms. Amy! Goodnight Flare!"

"Goodnight Cream," Amy said as she climbed back up to the top bunk. "Goodnight Flare."

Flare climbed into her bunk in the middle, smiling as she thought of how safe she felt, surrounded by people who cared about her. She thought for a moment about the cards, particularly the Thee of Lightning. She had a very specific hope for that card, but she knew there was no chance of it coming true if she didn't do her part. With newfound determination in her heart, she relaxed and got ready to rest and recover for the next day of searching. "Goodnight, both of you."

Flare slept soundly that night, finding herself in the midst of a bizarre dream. She was in a strange place, but she recognized it. She had seen photos, shown to her by Jewel and Tangle. This was Spiral Hill. But why was she dreaming of this place? And why was the detail so great? She could see parts of town she had never seen before, and the layout made sense. She looked down at herself and realized that she was transparent. She was like a ghost. She had never experienced anything like this before, but everything felt just as real as it did unreal. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as two figures passed through her body, as though she wasn't even there. Her eyes went wide with shock, as she saw Surge and Kit walk before her, Surge holding what seemed to be a Chaos Emerald, but not just that, it was the same Chaos Emerald the restoration had yet to recover.

"No." Surge would say bluntly, clearly frustrated.

"B-But... Maybe if we find her we-" Kit tried to say before Surge cut him off.

"I said no, Drippy. We're not looking. If she wants us she can find us. She knows she can. That's why we have this." Surge said, holding up the Emerald. "And if she doesn't well... It'll be just like old times."

"Yeah... but.." Kit muttered

"But what?!" Surge growled. "But we should go find her?! Ask her WHY?! That is NOT our problem. Whatever her reasons, she told us the hard truth. She doesn't wanna be around us anymore."

"It just... Doesn't make sense, Ma'am." Kit said as he looked to the ground. "She didn't seem to feel that way until after Sunset City. I think something happened while we were separated."

"It doesn't matter what happened," Surge said as she looked away from Kit. "She said she didn't feel safe." Surge clenched her fist in anger. "Whatever happened, her message was clear as day. We let her down. So it's better if we just stay away...That's why we have to keep moving."

"Okay... but, Ma'am..." Kit said nervously. "If you really think that... Why are you keeping that Emerald? You said yourself she can find us with it..."

"It's..." Surge seemed to choke up a bit as she looked into the Emerald, similar to how Surge used to look into it in the past. Longing for something more. "...In case she changes her mind." She would lower the Emerald and look off into the distance. "Now c'mon, let's go get some rest. We're camping out in Green Hill tomorrow."

The two walked off together. To where? Flare was uncertain, but as she tried to follow she found she was suddenly unable to move. The world broke apart around her, dissipating into nothingness. She was surrounded by darkness, and she couldn't see anything, not even herself. It was only then she realized why.

"Flare! Wakey wakey!" Cream called as she lightly shook Flare, while standing on the side of the bunk bed, still wearing her Pajamas. "It's time for breakfast! Ms. Amy just got back with food!"

"Cream, let her sleep. She's been overworking herself, and she's got a massive sleep debt to pay off." Amy said as she placed a few boxes of takeout breakfast on the desk by the door.

Flare's eyes slowly opened as she looked up at Cream, who was now looking back at Amy. "Green Hill..."

"Huh?" Asked Cream as she looked back to Flare. "Oh! You're awake! Sorry, I should've let you sleep more. Were you dreaming about Green Hill?" Cream asked as she climbed down from the bed.

"Yes...No... I don't know... Amy!" Flare called suddenly, as she jumped out of bed, grabbing the Chaos Emerald off of the nightstand.

"Yeah? What's up, Flare?" Amy asked while separating everyone's food.

"I have a lead! I think... I think Surge has the Emerald, and she's heading to Green Hill with Kitsunami." Flare explained.

"Really?? How'd you find out?" Amy asked excitedly

"I had a dream... I know it's weird, but... I'm certain it was real. I was resonating with the Chaos Emerald. It guided me." Flare said as she ran to the desk, grabbing a croissant and stuffing it in her mouth, taking a large bite and chewing it before swallowing it down way too quickly. "We need to act quickly!"

Amy nodded. "R-Right, let's go update the Diamond Cutters, then we can get Sonic to-"

"W-Wait. I don't think Sonic should be involved..." Flare interrupted.

"Huh? What, why?" Amy asked, seeming very confused. "If Sonic and Tails take the Tornado they can get the Emerald and get Surge back here way before the deadline, we can save her for sure!"

"I know, you're absolutely right. But I don't think it's a good idea, I want to go see Surge myself. I need to talk to her." Flare explained.

"Flare... You shouldn't go alone, remember what Ms. Amy said last night?" Cream said, with a sad look in her eyes.

"Of course, that's why I'm not going alone. Cream, Amy, I need both of you to come with me. I don't think I can talk to Surge and Kitsunami by myself. I need... emotional support. I only trust you two to come with me." Flare said.

"Flare... O-Of course we'll go with you. We'll always have your back. Right, Cream?" Asked Amy

"Right!! I'll be by your side no matter what happens! Together the three of us can fix everything!" Cream agreed.

Flare nodded. "Thank you. In that case, the three of us will head out for Green Hill immediately. Amy, can you contact Tails and have him get ready to disarm the microexplosive? I want to waste no time whatsoever in saving Surge once she's agreed to return with us."

"Right, I'll go let him know, I'll meet you two in the garden!" Amy said as she quickly changed into her day clothes, grabbed a bite of her breakfast, and popped it in her mouth as she ran out of the room.

"Alright. Let's go, Cream." Flare said as she and Cream got dressed to leave as well, going out the door together.

Flare and Cream waited in the garden for several minutes for Amy to arrive. Flare had taken the Chaos Emerald and had started using her Chaos Radar to search for the remaining Emerald, and just as she thought, the Emerald was somewhere between Spiral Hill and Green Hill. It had to be going there next. And if her dreams were right, Surge would be there too.

"Are you nervous?" Cream asked, suddenly.

"Hm?" Flare took her mind off the Emerald and looked to the young rabbit. "Nervous...? Why do you ask?"

"You look nervous." Cream added.

"I do?"

"Yeah. It's okay to be nervous, after what you went through with Surge. But it's gonna be okay, she's your sister. Even if you did upset her, I'm sure she'll forgive you" Cream assured her.

"How can you be sure? You two are not close at all, are you?" Flare asked.

"Well, no. But you two are family, and based off what you told me about your lives before this whole... thing..." Cream struggled to find the right words, as she didn't wanna upset Flare by bringing up her past mistakes. "...It's clear she cares about you. I don't think someone like her would've had you around if she didn't. Kit too."

"I hope you're right, Cream. Even so, it's up to her and Kitsunami as to whether or not they will forgive me. My desire for reconciliation is irrelevant in the end. Whatever she decides, I will respect it."

Cream was silent for a bit, she wanted to stay positive but she could tell Flare wasn't speaking from a place of hopelessness as she had before. It seemed to her like Flare was going to be content with however this meeting turned out.

After a minute, Amy finally came out of the garden shed, her Piko Piko hammer in hand. "Hey! Sorry for the wait, I got caught by Jewel as I was talking to Tails. I went ahead and Filled her in, so she's gonna get the Diamond Cutters ready for the deadline while we go get the Emerald."

"It's alright, I was hoping word would get to them. Now let's get going." Flare said, wanting to waste no time. The three of them quickly ran off out of the garden as a group, making their way toward Green Hill as fast as they possibly could. Flare had a determination she hadn't felt in a long time. It reminded her of when she had yet to meet Surge and Kit, how she longed to find them, to get to know them, to bond with them. She felt the desire to find them again burning within her, and with that drive pushing her she found herself realizing an untapped power within her.

"Amy, Cream..." She said as she continued to run by their side.

"Yeah?" Amy asked as Cream looked to Flare while they continued to run.

"We can get there faster." Flare stated.

"Huh? How? Do you know a shortcut?" Asked Cream

"Not that. Just trust me, please. Take my hand, both of you." Flare held a hand out to each of them. Cream and Amy nodded their heads, each grabbing Flare by the hand in unison. As they did, an aura of Purple Flames enveloped each of them. With her friends safe from any damage she may cause as she tapped into her hidden power, she would narrow her eyes, focusing on the task ahead and the determination welling up inside her. She began to pick up her pace, and as she gained more and more momentum the ground began to burn beneath her feet. A trail of charred footprints followed behind her, and before long the three became engulfed in a purple fireball that shot across the ground at incredible speed.

"Chaos CHARGE!" Shouted Flare, as the three burst forward towards their destination. This speed was not one she ever thought she could achieve, as her speed has always been a shortcoming. She always wondered why, when her purpose was to outclass Sonic and Shadow. Why then was she inferior to them in their strongest trait? Perhaps she wasn't. Perhaps there were more hidden abilities the Doctor had given her that she had yet to access. All she could do for now was wonder, but in the end, she decided it didn't matter. Not right now. She had more important things to worry about.

It seemed like no time at all before the three arrived in Green Hill. They slowed to a stop quickly, as Flare led them to one of its iconic loops, looking over the area from high ground. Amy and Cream seemed amazed as they all settled down from the trip.

"Flare... that was incredible! You might've been moving as fast as Sonic!" Amy said in awe.

"Yeah! It was fun! How did you do it?" Cream asked excitedly.

Flare glanced over the horizon from their perch on the top of the loop. "I'm... not sure. I felt a desperate need to get here quickly, and suddenly realized a new Chaos ability. One I didn't know I had. It may not be the only one, but I doubt I could do it again without an Emerald. Though if I'm honest? I felt like I was... connecting to Shadow as I ran. I felt like I was living up to a standard he had set for me. I will have to thank him for that later."

Amy smiled at her, nodding her head. "I'll be sure to remind you. Now let's find Surge, hm?"

"Don't you mean the Emerald? We're still not sure my dream was fully accurate." Flare corrected.

Amy shook her head. "I know what's most important here, and I have faith in your instincts. We'll find her."

Cream gave Flare a quick hug. "Yeah! We'll worry about the Emerald after!"

Flare stared out at Green Hill, seeming to take a moment to appreciate its beauty and unique nature. "Yeah. Alright." Flare said as she grabbed the Emerald from her pocket again. "Let me see if she's nearby."

Flare closed her eyes, concentrating on the Emerald once more. She felt the presence of another Emerald in Green Hill, it seemed to have just arrived as she did. Once she had an idea of its direction, she opened her eyes again, looking out towards where she felt the connection.

"Well? What's the verdict?" Amy asked.

"There." Flare pointed out, noting a small cave opening in the distance. "I think... she's there."

Cream nodded her head. "We're almost there then."

"Yep, moment of truth time." Amy added.

Flare jumped off the top of the loop, Amy and Cream following behind her. The three then ran through the narrow paths of Green Hill, up the ramps, and through the waterfalls until they found a path to the cave. Cream fluttered Amy across, while Flare used her flames to glide over, the three girls landing at the cave's entrance, and slowly walking inside.

As they walked further into the cave, they found themselves in an open cavern, and in the center, they saw their goal. Surge and Kit were there, setting up a campfire and sleeping bags, as well as some supplies lying about.

"Surge... Kitsunami..." Flare said as she approached the two.

Surge's ears twitched as she turned around quickly, Kit following suit.

"Flare...?" Surge asked. "What're you doin' here? And why do you have Rose and the pipsqueak?"

Kit looked surprised, as he laid eyes on Flare, a smile appearing on his face for just a moment before it was suddenly replaced with a deep sadness.

"I came here to find you...I came to say I... I'm sorry"

"..." Surge was silent, clearly intending to let Flare finish.

"I'm sorry for what I said, what I did... I never wanted to hurt you two. I... I did it thinking I was protecting you both. I've come to ask for your forgiveness..." Flare said as she got closer to Surge. Amy and Cream stayed behind.

"...What do you mean 'Protecting us'" Surge asked.

"... It happened at the carnival. I was cornered by Solar Flare. She had a new body that was built by Dr. Eggman. She came to me, demanding I use my Chaos Radar to find the Emeralds and hand them over to him. If I refused, a bomb that Metal Sonic had injected into you would... destroy you..." Tears began to flow from Flare's eyes as she explained. "I couldn't risk it. The thought of losing you... it was too much. I followed her instructions, which were to leave you behind and find the Emeralds alone. On my journey, I met Cream, and she helped me to realize how much of a fool I was being. Were it not for her... I wouldn't be here right now."

Surge looked over Flare's shoulder at Cream, who was looking at them with a hopeful look in her eyes. She then turned her attention back to Flare. "Is that it?"

Flare nodded. "I... believe so. Again, I am so... So incredibly sorry. I want things to go back to the way they were... I want my family back... please, Surge... Kitsunami... please forgive me."

Kit looked up to Surge, silently waiting for her response.

Surge just stared at Flare, silent for what felt like ages before she turned around, focusing her attention on the campsite they were preparing. "Pass."

"P-...Pass...?" Flare asked, confused.

"Yeah. Pass." Surge didn't look back.

"I... I see...Alright. I... I understand. I... I understand." Flare said as she began to tremble. She turned away from Surge as well, not wanting to show her heartbreak.

"Good. See ya." Surge said without hesitation as she continued her work.

Kit looked between the two, not sure what he could say, though he looked like he was desperate to speak.

"H-hey...! Wait a minute!" Cream shouted as she ran over to Surge, moving around to stand in front of her. "You can't just... ignore her! She apologized! She's your sister, right? You've gotta forgive her... you've gotta! She only did what she did because she cares about you and didn't want you to get hurt!"

Surge locked eyes with Cream, keeping her own narrowed. "Pipsqueak, you don't have a clue what you're talking about. So just shut your mouth, and get out."

"What do you mean I don't know...?" Cream asked. "Flare explained it all to me... What's there to know?"

Surge didn't break eye contact with her once, as she got even closer to Cream, clearly aggravated. "You say she didn't wanna hurt me huh..? It's fine if she feels that way. But that doesn't change the fact that she hurt me worse than anyone ever has." Surge said as she clenched her fist. "Dr. Starline? I knew what I was dealing with. A piece of garbage who couldn't give less of a damn about Kit and I. Thanks to him, I learned not to trust people. Not him, not Sonic, not anybody... Anybody except HER." Surge said as she pointed back at Flare, whose eyes were now wide. Flare froze in sudden panic and fear, realizing what she had done.

"I..." Cream started to say before she was cut off.

"And do you know what she did, Pipsqueak?" Surge asked, rhetorically. "She got me to let my guard down... then stuck a knife in my back. I've nearly died what seems like a million times at this point, but not once did I EVER feel as much pain as I did that day. I don't care what her reasons were, either. She wanted to protect me? No. She didn't trust me. That's what happened. She left us behind because she thought we couldn't help her. How's that for family, huh Pipsquak?!" Surge yelled as Cream took a step back.

"I... I don't..." Cream tried to say, as she became tearful herself.

"Exactly. You don't know a thing. So stop pretending like you do. You have no idea what we've been through. Kit's the only person who's never hurt me. He's the only family I have. The only one I need. Got it?" Surge said as she poked Cream in the chest, pushing her back.

Cream nodded her head slowly, as tears streamed down her face. At that moment, Amy grabbed Surge's arm and pulled it back away from the young rabbit.

"Alright, Surge. That's enough." Amy said.

"Guess you're here to change my mind now, Rose?" Surge said, baring her teeth aggressively.

"No. I'm done listening to this. We get the picture, okay? In the end, this is your decision to make, like always. But I came along to get the Emerald, that's all. Please, hand it over." Amy explained bluntly.

"...Fine. Whatever. I don't need it anymore anyway." She said as she reached into her pocket, removing the Emerald and tossing it up in the air for Amy to catch.

Amy caught it gracefully, letting go of Surge and going to grab Cream gently by her hand, guiding her out as she continued to cry silently. Once the two had reached Flare, Amy placed a hand on her back, leading her out as well. "Come on, we're going back to the Restoration."

Flare felt an intense emptiness. She wanted to accept Surge's words, but they were like daggers in her heart. She hadn't realized just how badly she messed up. In trying to protect her loved ones, she caused them pain she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. She wasn't sure how she could live with herself anymore. As she cycled through this thought process, she allowed herself to be guided by Amy, as though she were completely on autopilot.

Surge and Kit continued to set up their campsite, and much time passed as they did so. By the time they were done, the day was mostly gone. Kit and Surge sat across from each other as their fire roared. They each cooked a hotdog over the open flames, as Kit looked to Surge.

"M-Ma'am... Did you mean all that stuff you said...?" He asked.

"...Yeah, kid." She said bluntly. Her eyes looked empty as she stared at her food.

"I... felt the same way, that day." He continued. "But I was wondering... if losing her hurt that bad... Why did you let her leave again?"

Surge was silent for a minute before she sighed. "I..." She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Cause I'm scared, okay?"

"You...? Scared...?" Kit seemed confused. Shed never admitted anything like this before.

"Yeah... I'm scared of getting hurt again. I'm so tired of it. It seems like no matter what we do or where we go someone's gonna hurt us. I thought it... was different with her. But I was wrong."

"So then... what about everything else?" Kit asked.

"What do ya mean?" Surge asked in response.

"I mean.. all the other stuff. When Flare moved in it was... a little weird. All of a sudden you had a sister, and... she treated me like her brother. But the more time we spent together... The more fun we had. You even went out of your way to get her a special gift, and she used it to make us better food than we'd ever had. You told me... you liked having her around." Kit explained as he looked out towards the mouth of the cave. "Doesn't that make it worth it...? She just made a mistake, right... haven't we both done that too?"

"...But what if... we got hurt again." She asked, her hotdog beginning to burn to a crisp.

"I.. don't know. I don't wanna get hurt either, but I was thinking about it... If she could hurt us that badly, so much easier than anyone else... doesn't that mean she's.... special to us?"

Surge was completely silent. Kit's words began to repeat in her head. She eventually placed her food down, not bothering to take the hot dog off the stick. She'd lost her appetite.

"I'm going to bed. Night, Drippy." She said as she crawled over to her sleeping bag, wrapping herself up inside it.

"...Goodnight, Ma'am." Kit said as he took a small bit of his food.

Hours passed. The sun had set and risen again. Amy, Flare, and Cream had all returned to the Restoration. Flare's mental health continued to decline. She lay in her bunk, silent. She couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep. All she could do was play Surge's speech on a loop in her mind. It was all she thought about. Cream stayed with her alone as Amy had work to do with the restoration to prepare for the upcoming fight with Solar Flare.

"Flare, please, talk to me..." Cream said as she sat in the bunk below Flare's.

"..." Flare was silent, she hardly even registered Cream's words. She was tuning everything out, whether she meant to or not.

"I... I'm sorry that it didn't work out. I really thought she... I mean, I had no idea she..." Cream stumbled on her words as she tried to console Flare. This was far outside her depth.

"Cream..." Flare spoke, suddenly.

"Y-Yeah, Flare?" Cream asked, perking up a bit at hearing her friend speak finally.

"Do you... ever tell your mother... how much she means to you?" Flare asked.

"Huh? O-of course... I tell Mother I love her every day."

"And...does she say it back?"

"Mhm... Every time."

"I see... Maybe... If I had told them... I loved them..." She began to trail off as tears fell onto her pillow.

"Flare, no... You can't..." Cream climbed up to the second bunk and went to hold Flare. "You can't think like that..."

"How else am I supposed to think...? All I can do now is wonder what I could've done differently. How I could've been better... Maybe if I just told them I loved them I..."

"I'm sure they know... They have to know... They just... have to." Cream said.

"I don't know... She was telling the truth, you know. Their life together has been so... so hard. They likely don't understand familial love any more than I did..."

"You don't... You don't have to know about love to feel it. You just feel it. You told me about all the good times you have... I don't think... that could've happened if they didn't feel the same way." Cream explained.

"...Maybe... But it doesn't matter now. I've lost her. I've lost Kitsunami... I've lost... everything."

"You... Still have us. Your friends. The restoration..."

"Yes... I do..." Flare agreed, as she slowly pushed herself up, returning Cream's hug. "And I won't let anything happen to any of you... no matter what sacrifice I have to make."

Cream wanted to feel better, but something about the way Flare spoke only served to make her more nervous. She gently let go of Flare, climbing back down to the floor. "Will you... please come get food with me? You need your energy for tomorrow... And I don't wanna go alone."

"Alright." Flaire said, hopping out of bed, her eyes still half closed, and pupils dull.

The two went out together to eat. They stopped at one of the local restaurants but mostly ate in silence. Cream was just relieved to see Flare eating, it was a step in the right direction at least. The two spent the rest of the day together, not speaking much, just keeping each other company. Cream refused to leave Flares side, after all. She had to make sure her friend was going to be okay. Amy eventually returned to the two in their room.

"Sorry I've been away all day, but everything is set up. We're leaving with the Diamond Cutters tomorrow, for the rendevous. Sonic's gonna meet us there, and I heard Shadow also volunteered to help out too. With all of us together we should be able to put a stop to Solar's plan, no problem." Amy said.

"Good... I'll be glad to be done with all of this." Flare said, blankly.

"You've been through a lot Flare, I'm sorry you have to deal with this too, but Solar will know something's up if anyone shows up with you, so you have to show up alone, and we'll come in for support when you send the signal." Amy stated, clarifying their plan.

"It's okay. I know you all will be there. That will be enough to see me through."

Amy smiled at Flare, as she nodded her head. She then looked to Cream, seeing how unhappy she still was and frowning. "Say, it's been a rough couple days. Why don't we turn in early? We want to be at our best tomorrow."

Cream nodded her head. "Okay, Ms. Amy..."

"Yes, rest will do me good." Flare agreed.

The three of them changed into their pajamas, and climbed into their beds, with Amy turning out the lights. Before long the three of them had managed to fall asleep, even Flare. Her dreams were as empty as her heart. Even in her slumber, the only thing she could do was hyperfocus on Surge and Kit. She tossed and turned in bed, feeling hot flashes, and a pain in her chest. Eventually, her empty dreams turned into nightmares. Nightmares of horrible things happening to Surge and Kit, all caused by Solar. The two people she cared for most losing their lives. Even if she had nothing left in her own life, that didn't mean she could abandon them. She had to finish her mission, to prevent these nightmares from coming true. Past that, nothing else mattered.

Several hours later, after the trio had woken up and gotten ready for the task ahead of them, the three girls met with the Diamond Cutters. They sat at a large table, along with Lanolin, Tangle, and Whisper. On the center of the table was the briefcase Lanolin held previously, it was open, and inside were 6 Chaos emeralds, as Amy had already handed over the one she got from Surge.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Flare?" Lanolin asked as she looked to Flare, who at this point still looked very emotionally shaken up.

"Of course. This is my burden to bear, and I will see it through to the end." Flare responded as she reached over to the briefcase, pulling it closer before placing her Chaos Emerald inside it.

"Alright, Let's go over the plan one more time then." Lanolin Continued. "It all starts with you Flare."

Flare nodded her head. "Yes. I am to take the Chaos Emeralds to the meeting point, and confront Solar, as well as whomever she brings along with her. I'm prepared to face Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic as well."

Amy spoke up next. "Cream and I are going to be hiding out nearby, ready to jump in and protect Flare if we need to."

Lanolin nodded her head. "I'll be waiting a short distance away with Whisper to provide ranged support."

Whisper continued after. "I'll keep Solar in my sights the whole time, if she tries anything, I'll take her down." She whispered.

Tangle then piped up. "And I'll be moving behind them after they arrive, so we can ambush 'em from every angle!"

"Right," Lanolin said. "Sonic and Shadow should be moving towards the Rendevous as well, they'll provide combat support and help Tangle surround them. Overall, we should have more than enough firepower to take them both down. As for how to handle Solar, well. That's your call, Flare. We'll leave it to you."

Flare nodded her head. "Yes." She said as she closed the briefcase and grabbed its handle. "When the time comes, I will not hesitate."

"Good. Let's get going then." Lanolin said as she directed them towards the exit. Everyone else nodded in agreement, and the group began to move out. Once they'd left the restoration, they broke into small groups. The Diamond Cutters moving off as a team. Amy and Cream followed Flare, but from a notable distance as they didn't want to risk being seen together. Flare walked alone with the Emeralds in hand. She steeled herself for the conflict before her. It wasn't going to be easy, but she was ready for anything. Once this battle was over, none of it would be her problem anymore.

Eventually, after some time, Flare arrived at the north gate of Eggman Fortress Omicron. She waited patiently for some time before finally the moment of truth arrived. Some distance before her, she saw two figures lower from the sky. It was Solar and Metal.

"So you have arrived, just in time." Solar said.

"Yes," Flare responded. "I see Dr. Eggman is not with you."

"The Doctor has more important things to attend to than dealing with you, Flare. You are a disappointment to him, and are not worthy of his time."

"I see... Well, I'm here, and I have the Emeralds." Flare said as she opened up the briefcase, holding it up to show its contents.

"Excellent... Brother, please retrieve the Chaos Emeralds."

"Brother?" Flare asked in confusion.

Metal stepped forward towards Flare, stopping before her and holding out his hand to receive the case.

Flare hesitated to hand it over, focusing instead on the conversation. "You mock me for my familial bonds, and now you refer to Metal as your brother...?"

"Your familial bonds gave you newfound strength. Without the assistance of Surge the Tenrec and Kitsunami the Fennec, you would have never defeated me before. After analyzing the facts at hand, I realized that our creator, Dr. Eggman, is akin to our father, and as such his other creations are our siblings. Ergo, Metal Sonic is our brother. This conclusion is much more logical than your desperate attachment to Surge the Tenrec."

"So you think that just by calling Metal your brother, you'll become stronger?" Flare asked.

"I do." Solar responded.

"You're a fool..." Flare said with a shake of her head.

"What?" Solar asked, with a strangely annoyed tone.

"You claim to be family, but I know you Solar... There is no love in your heart. No desire to protect. You only work for yourself. You want the Emeralds to become all-powerful, so you can destroy everything. These fake bonds you speak of will grant you nothing." Flare explained.

"...Enough of this. Brother, the case."

Without hesitation, Metal reached out to grab the case forcefully, but just as he did, it was swiped by a quick-moving figure flying through the air. Cream the Rabbit fluttered down behind Flare, now holding the closed case in her arms. As Metal realized this, he jumped backward to get close to Solar again.

"Ah, an intruder. I expected this kind of treachery from you, Flare." Solar said. "Who else have you brought to aid you?"

"...Amy, you can come out now. Cream, I had it covered, you should have waited for my signal." Flare said. With that, Amy ran up from her nearby hiding spot, her Hammer at the ready.

"Amy Rose. This was predictable." Solar stated. "As such I have prepared accordingly."

Solar looked to the sky, and after a moment an Egg Carrier appeared, having been cloaked and waiting above the area for some time, almost immediately Badniks began to rain down from the sky, quickly surrounding the three girls, as well as the two bots in a large circle of deadly enemies.

"She really was ready for us..." Amy muttered. "Thankfully we prepared for this..."

At that moment, A bell rang out, and a small group of Badniks were blown away.

"Go! Go! Provide cover fire!!" Lanolin's voice cried as she rushed into the fray, swinging her bell and firing off pulse shots at the crowd of Badniks, who quickly began fighting back while maintaining the barrier around the others. As she did, Whisper fired off her weapon at the badniks, trying to clear a path, but with each badnik that went down, a new one would take its place as the Egg Carrer continued to drop them.

"Badniks, retrieve the Emeralds." Solar ordered, as the interior group of Badniks turned their attention to Flare and began approaching her.

"Not on my watch!" Amy said as she began beating Badniks back with her Hammer, knocking them up and out of the arena they had formed.

Cream helped as well as she deftly avoided the Badnik's attacks and used her low weight to her advantage, leaping high in the air and stomping down on the machines from above.

Flare held tightly onto the case, she focused on Amy and Cream and snapped her fingers. Firey shields appeared around the two, allowing them to be protected from Badnik attacks and deal extra damage with their own. Flare focused on guarding the Emeralds, she was waiting for the right time to launch her part of the plan, but as she waited she heard yet another familiar voice ring out.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!" Sonic's voice called as he leaped over the crowd of Badniks, landing in between the two groups. Right after, Shadow landed beside him, glaring at Solar and Metal.

"Sonic the Hedgehog. Shadow the Hedgehog. We meet again. Shadow, How are your burns?" Solar asked with a condescending tone.

Shadow ignored her question. "So the wannabe Ultimate Life Form shows up with a new fake body. Do you expect me to be scared?" He said, his arms crossed.

"Not at all. Killing you wouldn't be as fun if you weren't your usual overconfident self." Solar replied. "I'm just glad Metal and I have been granted a second chance to fulfill our destiny. Though I will admit, I did not expect Flare to have this much backup. I suppose I should dole out her punishment for betrayal first." Solar said as she held up a small remote control. "Flare, It is a good thing you already said goodbye to your 'family', because you'll never see Surge the Tenrec again.

Flare's eyes went wide as she reached an arm out. "Solar! No, don't!!"

But it was too late. Solar had pressed the button. Nothing seemed to happen at present, but Flare knew the truth. With the press of that button, Surge had been killed. Flare fell to her knees, her hands on the ground and the briefcase beside her. She didn't know what to do, all the while Amy and Cream protected her from an onslaught of badniks, with Lanolin, Whisper, and now Tangle attacking from the outside.

"What did you do, Solar?!" Shadow asked aggressively.

"Solar... you didn't..." Sonic said, his fists clenched. "Surge didn't deserve that!! You had no right!"

"Irrelevant. These were the terms Flare agreed to." Solar said bluntly. "She was to travel alone, gather the Emeralds alone, and arrive here alone. She did not. Therefore, Surge the Tenrec's life was forfeit. I am simply honoring my word, is that not noble in your eyes, Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"Nothing about this is noble. You took an innocent life and ruined two others. So now... You're going down." Sonic said as he lunged forward at Solar. Before he could get close, however, Metal jumped between them, deflecting a punch Sonic tried to throw, and knocking him aside. Shadow didn't hesitate to jump in, and the two began working together to fight Metal, while Solar watched. Metal was adamant to defend her, making sure their attention was completely on him.

Solar took this opportunity to walk towards Flare, slowly approaching with her eyes on the briefcase. She stopped just above the broken Tenrec, looking down at her as she stayed completely still.

"Your pitiful nature knows no bounds, Flare. You are the most pathetic, most useless waste of life that has ever come into existence. I am so glad I will be the one to wipe you from the face of the planet, along with every friend you've ever had." She said as she raised up a hand, her claws spread and gleaming as the sun reflected off their sharp edges. "But I won't use the Emeralds on you. No, I want to savor your demise." Without hesitation, she brought her claws down, but as she did, she was stopped. Her arm wouldn't move. She looked at her wrist and noticed that it was held back by a tendril of water.

"Stay away from her..." A young voice said from behind Solar.

"...Kitsunami the Fennec," Solar said. "I hadn't expected you to be here alone. I thought you would be mourning."

"I don't know what you're talking about... but I'm here to bring Flare home. I won't let you lay a finger on her." Kit said with an unusually assertive tone.

"Even though she abandoned you?" Solar asked.

"She told us everything. We know it's your fault." Kit explained.

"Did she...? I must admit.." With a sudden movement, she used her other claw to cut and dissipate Kit's Hydro tail and break free. "I'm getting rather annoyed at Flare's constant betrayal of our agreement. Flare doesn't have the confidence to rely on so many as she has been. She certainly doesn't have the confidence to confide in you as she's done. I'm wondering where this newfound courage has come from."

"...Cream." Flare said as she looked up, pushing herself up from the ground and grabbing the briefcase.

"Oh? You're moving again?" Solar asked as she glanced over her shoulder at Flare while keeping her focus on Kit.

"Cream... she saved me." Flare said, ignoring Solar's question. "She gave me hope when I had none. She's young, but she's a hero. She... has inspired me to continue on... Even when I had lost hope. Even now, as I see Kitsunami, my brother, here to defend me... I remember Cream's words. She was right about everything, which means I can't give up, even if Surge is... gone."

"Surge?" Kitsunami asked. "Surge is..." But as he began to speak, a large explosion from above interrupted. Everyone turned their attention to the Egg Carrier, as several chain explosions began to ring out, causing it to fall out of the sky some distance away, smoke rising from the wreckage.

"The carrier... I've taken too long." Solar said, clearly becoming upset. "I won't stand for this. I want to break you, tear you apart, and then end your life. Then I shall lift the Emeralds from your bloodied corpse, and fulfill my destiny as the Ultimate Life Form. With that in mind..." Solar locked her eyes onto Cream, as the young rabbit continued to fight Badniks. She boosted forward at incredibly high speed, her claws reared, ready to rend the young girl apart.

"Cream!!" Flare shouted as panic overtook her, she acted on instinct and opened the case, grabbing an Emerald. "CHAOS CONTROL!" Within an instant, Flare channeled the power of the Emerald and transported herself through space, disappearing and reappearing directly next to Cream, who she quickly grabbed and pulled into a tight embrace, shielding her with her body. Only a second later, the sharp sound of blades cutting through flesh was heard. Both girl's eyes were wide, Flare's forehead pressed against Cream's, as the two slowly looked down between them. That was when they saw... nothing.

"What...?" Flare asked, confused.

'Flare, I thought you... But if it wasn't you then..." Cream said, trying to gather her thoughts.

The two broke their embrace, as they both looked behind Flare, in shock at the sight before them.

"Hey, Fireball... Miss me...?"

There stood Surge, alive, and in one piece. She smiled coyly at Flare, as Solar's claw stuck out of her chest, covered in her blood.

"Surge..." Flare asked confused, she struggled to process any of this, her mind raced with questions as she looked up at her impaled sibling.

"Sorry I'm late... Egg Carrier... was pretty tough." She struggled to say.

"Surge the Tenrec..." Solar said. "You were destroyed. How are you here?"

"Destroyed...? Heh..." Surge said as she struggled to breathe. "You're delusional... You can't... break me."

Kit walked up from behind Solar. "Are you talking about... the bomb that Metal planted inside Surge?" He asked bluntly.

"You knew...?" Asked Solar

"After Flare left... and Surge and I had... c-calmed down... I realized something was wrong. Our fight with Metal Sonic... It didn't make sense. That was when I remembered the injection Metal gave Surge, he didn't attack after that. He wasn't trying to kill her...yet." Kit explained. "I wanted to be sure, so Surge and I broke into an old Eggman base and got her scanned, I found the explosive right away and removed it. You probably just blew up that old facility."

"Kitsunami the Fennec... Damn you. I should've never underestimated you." Solar growled in frustration, as she pulled her arm out of Surge's back, causing her to fall over into Flare's arms.

"Surge... Why did you come... I thought you... You said..." Flare tried to ask.

"Sorry... Fireball..." Surge said as she struggled to stay conscious. "Kit talked some sense into me... after you left... I wasn't thinking straight..."

"Surge... Please I..." Flare gently lay Surge down on the ground. "I'm sorry. You were hurt protecting me. And this isn't the first time... You keep getting hurt because of me... But this time, I will protect you. I promise. So please rest." She stood up and looked at Solar, her bloody claws dripping beside her.

"Well, Surge the Tenrec, you've successfully delayed the inevitable. This will change nothing. Even with the support of your friends, Flare, you cannot stop me." Solar said.

"...Shut up." Flare said bluntly. "The support of my friends won't stop you today. No, it will serve to make sure that I get you all to myself." She said, looking over at Solar with a murderous look in her eyes. "I'm done letting you hurt the people I love... I'm done letting you hurt me. Now... I will fulfill my destiny. I'll show you what a true Ultimate Life Form is capable of."

Flare held up the Chaos Emerald in her hand. As she did, the other Emeralds began to lift themselves out of the briefcase. They began to surround Flare, circling her as the one in her hand joined them.

"What are you... no...! No! That power is MINE!" Solar shouted as she lunged forward.

Just before Solar could close the gap, The Emeralds flew into Flare in unison, seeming to disappear into her body. A blinding light shone, which stopped Solar in her tracks and caused her to cover her optical sensors. Everyone else did the same, shielding their eyes as Light and Heat radiated off her. When the blinding rays finally cleared, she stood there, fists clenched and looking like an entirely different person. Her fur and quills had turned a golden color, with her blue highlights remaining, flames surrounded her studded wristbands which were now a deep Blue color, burning hotter than ever before, and her pupils had become a deep red.

Shadow looked stunned by Flare's transformation, but moreso her look of aggression. "She's using the Emeralds..."

"Yeah..." Sonic responded. "I always figured she could but... I never thought she would."

"Now, Solar. After all your lectures, I will finally be the one to teach you." Flare said as she took a step towards her other. "I will show you truth." She held out her hand, which was now engulfed in a burning energy, that surrounded her fingers, giving her sharp flaming claws. "I will show you a power you could never hope to comprehend." Flare grabbed Solar and lifted her up slightly. "I'll show you my power."

"What.... Have you become...?" Solar asked as she grabbed Flare's wrist, trying to remove herself from Flare's grasp.

"Good question... I don't feel anything besides rage, anger, and hate. I want only to make you suffer as I have... So I suppose you may call me... Feral Flare." with that, Flare threw Solar up into the air at high speeds, sending her miles above the ground as she quickly flew up into the air after her.

Metal Sonic quickly tried to follow after, but as he raised himself, Shadow lept above him and kicked him back into the ground, landing on one side of him, while Sonic stood on the other.

"You're not getting away that easy." Shadow said.

"Yeah, Your fight's right here with us." Sonic followed.

As the two hedgehogs distracted Metal Sonic, Amy and Cream continued to fight the army of Badniks.

"Hey, Kit!" Amy shouted, "We could use a hand here!"

"B-but... what about Flare?" Kit said, looking to the sky, seeming torn between chasing after her or remaining behind.

"I think she'll be fine, but Cream and I need help, I think they're going after Surge!!" Amy shouted as she and Cream backed up to surround the bleeding Tenrec.

"But-... I... Surge told me to..." He kept looking back and forth between Surge and the sky. "O...Okay!! But once they're gone I'm going after Flare!" He quickly moved closer to the group as he began using his Hyrdo Tails to break Badniks left and right.

"Thank you...! Don't worry, we'll all help Flare!" Cream said as she continued to fight.

The Diamond cutters, meanwhile, continued their struggle from the outside.

"Was that Super Sonic?!" Tangle cried. "I thought I saw Solar fly into the air with Super Sonic behind her!!"

"No...!" Whisper called from her sniper's nest, communicating with the other Diamond Cutters over their earpieces. "I still see Sonic and Shadow in the crowd... It must've been..."

"Flare. Guess she found her flame after all." Lanolin said as she threw out more soundwaves, scattering the Badnik horde.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, Flare and Solar floated high in the air. They stared one another down, as Flare's radiant aura continued to shine.

"Damn you, Flare... DAMN YOU!" Solar screamed, her robotic voice distorting as she did. "You've taken... EVERYTHING from me... and you continue to TAKE and TAKE and TAKE. WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ROLL OVER AND DIE?!"

Flare stared at Solar for a moment before she answered. "Surge was right. You... truly are delusional."

"WHAT?!" Solar shouted

"All I have ever done since my birth was try to exist. To live a life I could be happy with. I never wanted to fight you, or Metal, or Eggman. I wanted peace. Meanwhile, you demanded I become something I am not. You took over my dreams, then my body. You tried to take my life and my family. Your delusions have blinded you to the truth, Solar. Had I not been made to be a weapon, perhaps I would have remained with Eggman and Metal, perhaps we could've been family... But that reality can no longer exist You've ruined any chance of that. You've destroyed any chance for peace."

"You DARE call me delusional?! Listen to yourself!! You denied your purpose! Betrayed your creator! Attacked your REAL family all for some people you had NEVER EVEN MET BEFORE!" Solar growled. "YOU ARE A FAILURE!!... But I... I am Father's GREATEST creation... and I intend to prove it." Solar's boosters activated, propelling her into Flare at high speed as she readied her claws. "Chaos Emeralds or no, I WILL DESTROY-"

-SMACK-

As Solar got close, Flare batted her away with the back of her hand, sending her flying backward with little effort as Solar struggled to brake in midair.

"No more talk. No more mercy. This end's now, Solar." Flare said as she lifted one hand into the air, a small blue fireball appearing inside it. It slowly began growing, as she was clearly charging something up.

"Arrogant little..." Solar sneered. "You think I will let you have a chance?!" With that, she resumed her approach, but as she got close, her claw was grabbed by someone, as Solar checked, she noticed she was being held by what looked like a fiery copy of Flare. "What the...?!"

The Fiery Flare swung her fist, Punching Solar away from the real Flare. As she did, another Flare copy burst out from the real Flare's body, followed by several others one after the other in sequence, they flew up to Solar, punching and kicking her in several different directions, each one seeming to pass her to another like a well-coordinated soccer team. Loud clanks rang out as Solar's body was knocked around. All the while Flare's fireball had grown to a monstrous size. In an instant, however, it shrunk down to the side of a softball. All the heat and power was contained in that tiny package, as she wound her arm back, throwing it as hard as she could.

The fireball was aimed true as it flew through the sky at lightning speed, as the last Fiery Flare kicked Solar down, her path was directly lined up with that of the fireball. When it collided with the bot it rapidly expanded, growing back to its previous size in an instant. Solar was trapped in the very center as the power of a small sun scorched her body.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Solar screamed out as she was burned, the pain seemed to last for an eternity, but as the ball of flame finally dissipated, Solar began to fall back to the ground.

"Not yet. I'm not done with you." Flare said as she quickly flew downwards, getting between Solar and the ground, and throwing an uppercut with her flame claws, which impaled Solar much like she had done to Surge, before launching her back up into the sky. Flare then activated her Chaos Control again, disappearing and reappearing above Solar even higher into the sky. As Solar's body approached, Flare raised her leg and dropped it down in a powerful axe kick as Solar got close, landing the attack directly in her chest and sending her rocketing down to the ground like a meteorite.

Meanwhile, the group down below continued their fight, as it seemed that Amy, Cream, and Kit had mostly dealt with the Badniks with the aid of the Diamond Cutters. The two groups met up, as Sonic and Shadow continued their fight with Metal.

"Metal, This isn't like you at all! Normally all you can think about is taking me out, but these last couple fights it's felt like you're looking right through me. I won't lie, my feelings are getting hurt." Sonic said sarcastically.

"Stop with the banter, we need to finish him so we can support Flare." Shadow barked.

"She's fine, Shadow! She's gone super, no way Solar can keep up with her." Sonic retorted confidently.

"I don't wanna take the risk." Shadow said back.

As the two argued, Metal attempted to fly up again, but Sonic was quick, jumping up and grabbing his leg, before tossing him back to the ground, where Shadow stomped down on his chest to keep him in place.

"Seriously, what's up with you?" Sonic said as he landed next to them. "It's like your only concern right now is... Wait a minute, no way..." Sonic looked up to the sky. "Metal, do you...Woah!!" He cried as he noticed something barreling down from the sky. It collided right next to the hedgehogs, causing them to fly back in different directions, creating a small crater on the ground.

Only a second later, Flare landed on top of Solar, who was battered and beaten, barely able to move. She curled her fingers into the shape of a gun, as she placed her pointer and index fingers against Solar's head, the tips beginning to glow bright.

"It's over now, Solar. Even your durable body can't withstand my Chaos Railgun. Goodbye." Flare said as she looked Solar right in the eyes.

"Flare, stop!!" Sonic's voice cried out as he ran up to the edge of the small crater. "You don't need to do this... You know that..."

"Sonic... I could've guessed you'd try to stop me." She said bluntly.

"Of course, you know exactly how I feel about this kinda thing. You already beat her. You won. There's no need to push it any further. Everyone deserves a chance-" Sonic tried to explain before he was cut off.

"Sonic, just... stop. I don't need to hear your reasons or rationale. I know them all too well, but the fact is that Solar only exists because of me. It's my choice. My burden. The only reasons that matter now are my own."

Metal slowly crawled over as they talked, reaching over the crater. With his balance lost, he tumbled down landing next to Solar and Flare. Solar's eyes glanced over to Metal, and the two looked at each other for a moment. Metal reached out as if trying to weakly stop Flare, but his energy was spent.

Flare looked at him for a few seconds before looking back down to Solar. Her fingers continued to glow brighter, she bared her teeth, gritting them in anger as she thought about everything she'd been through. After another moment, she put her hand down. The energy dissipated.

"I can't... I can't do it." Flare said

By now the others had all gathered around the crater to watch. Sonic's face showed relief.

"Or, perhaps I should say I won't. It would actually be very easy, but I won't lower myself to your level. All I want is to live a happy life, with the people I care for most. But I can't do that if I have your death weighing on my shoulders. So for that reason, I won't kill you."

She turned her back, and climbed out of the crater, at that moment the emeralds flew out of her body, circling her a bit before scattering out in all directions, returning her colors to normal...

"But don't confuse this Mercy for weakness, Solar. I won. I know I am stronger than you, so I won't let you bully me anymore. If you ever try, I know my friends and family will protect me. So I am done with you, you're someone else's problem now." Flare explained, not looking back as she stood at the crater's edge.

Solar's expression was filled with rage. She felt disrespected and at rock bottom. Her only thought was how she could kill Flare. She raised her arm, and it transformed into a familiar blaster shape, beginning to charge. At that moment, Metal grabbed her hand, lowering it with his own. The two locked eyes again for a moment, communicating silently, before Solar's rage faded, her eyes drifting to the side as she nodded her head. Metal slowly pushed himself up, picking up and carrying Solar in his arms, as he lifted himself out of the crater, into the air, and off into the distance.

"We should stop them..." Shadow said.

"Nah. They won't be bothering us for a while. We should focus on our own team first." Sonic said, looking over to the others, who had now moved over to Surge.

Flare carried Surge in her arms, looking over her sister, who was now unconscious.

Kit walked up to Flare, placing one hand on her to get her attention. "It's gonna be okay... "

Flare nodded. "I know. Surge won't die that easy... But it's still hard to watch." She looked over to the others. "Everyone... Thank you so much for being there for me when I needed you most. You are all true friends, and I couldn't ask for better. With that said, I'm sorry I must ask you one more favor. Please... help me back to the Restoration. I want her to be comfortable while she recovers."

"Of course, give her here," Lanolin said as she held out her arms, Taking Surge and carrying her with ease. "Mission's not over yet, Diamond Cutters. We gotta get everyone home safe."

Everyone agreed as the group began making their way back to the Restoration HQ. It took a long time, but they eventually made it back. Lanolin hands Surge off to Amy, and the Diamond Cutters break off from the group to report everything that happened, Shadow takes off after making sure Flare is okay, and Sonic, Amy, and Cream return to Flare's room with Flare and Kit. They gently placed Surge down on the bottom bunk. She seemed to be healing already, but she was still out cold.

Amy turned to Sonic. "Hey, Sonic, Can you do me a favor? I think it's time we took Cream home, can you go with her and let Vanilla know how things went? I'm sure she's worried sick."

"Sure thing Ames! Leave it to me. You ready to go, Cream?" Sonic asked.

Cream nodded her head. "Yeah... I miss Mother a lot." She said as she walked over to Flare, giving her a quick hug. "Come visit sometime soon okay Flare?"

"Of course, Cream. Would it be alright if I brought my family with me?" Flare asked.

"Yeah! I'll let Mother and Gemerl know!" Cream smiled.

"Great, see you soon then, Cream. Thanks again, for everything."

Cream nodded her head, before looking at Kit. "See you soon, Flare, see you soon, Kit!" She said, before leaving the room with Sonic, the two closing the door behind them.

Flare looked back over at Surge, going to sit next to her. At around the same time, Surge finally managed to open her eyes.

"Ugh... Where am I...?" Surge asked as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"You're at the restoration. Everyone helped me bring you here to recover." Flare explained.

"Oh, wow. Okay, cool. I must've been out for a while, I guess Solar hit me harder than I thought." Surge said while placing a hand over her chest.

"It would've killed a lesser person. Thankfully you're stronger than that." Flare said with a smile.

"Heh, yeah. Thanks, Fireball. How about you Drippy? Are you alright, did you do what I asked?" Surge asked Kit.

"I-...I tried. But before I could protect Flare, she flew off, and I had to help keep you safe from the Badniks... I'm sorry." Kit said.

"Eh, don't worry about it. As long as we all made it out okay." Surge said, shrugging. "So what's this about you flyin' off? You can do that now?"

"No... I was using the Chaos Emeralds. It was...extenuating circumstances." Flare explained.

"Woah, wish I could've seen that. Oh well, tell me all about it later okay? I'm feeling better now so let's get outta here." Surge said as she stood up.

Flare stood as well. "Where would we go?" she asked. "The cabin is in... disrepair."

"We'll figure it out, we always do." Surge said.

"You all could stay here..." Amy said, looking between them.

"Sorry, Rose. You know how-" Surge was cut off suddenly.

"Wait, Surge," Flae said. "I.. think we should."

"Huh? Why?" Asked Surge.

"Because I... I want us all to be safe, and happy together. Look at this place, it was set up specifically for us. The bunk bed is just like our old one. Plenty of room for all our things, there's plenty of places to eat and have fun, and best of all we will be protected from potential threats, as we'll be surrounded by our friends."

"Your friends, Fireball. Not ours. You know Drippy and I don't belong here." Surge said.

"Not if you don't try... Please, Surge. I know I was deceitful, and you have little reason to trust me, but... please.." Flare continued, with tears welling up in her eyes.

"I...Flare, I do trust you, okay? Drippy figured it all out, I wouldn't have been so hurt if I didn't okay? I trust you a lot, way more than anyone else, except maybe Kit. But you two are equal, for sure. You're... important. Ya know? To both of us. So if staying here is what you really want I guess... We'll give it a shot. Right Kit?"

Kit nodded his head. "Right, Surge."

Flare did start to cry, but they were tears of joy. Amy was smiling brightly behind her. She leaned forward and pulled Surge and Kit into a tight hug. "Thank you... I love you. Both of you... You don't have to say it back, you can wait until you're ready. Whether you say it or not, I know how you both feel."

Surge cracked a small smile, as she returned Flare's hug gently, as did Kit.

"Heh... Good. You'd better... 'Cuz..." Surge said before Kit and Surge spoke in unison.

"We love you too."

End.