Flames of Fate and Destined Dark/Silver: Stage 6 - Questions and Consequences

==Silver: Stage 6 - Questions and Consequences==
Wave Ocean Coast, Castle Town, Soleanna - September 20, X014, 3:57 PM UTC
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{♫} Silver was sitting by the edge of the top staircase just by the coastal area of town, looking out onto the once-glistening sand that had temporarily lost its luster under the dim, grey sky and the equally-dim rainfall that accompanied it. After what had happened at town square, the psychokinetic was left with a lot of questions and practically no answers.
Have I truly become that desperate...? he thought to himself as his mind continued to wander as he took another glance at the silver necklace that Amy had gotten for him. Every time he looked at the engravings on the pendant, his heart grew heavy with guilt. ...no, but the Iblis Trigger must-
He interrupted his own train of thought when he recalled the pink hedgehog scolding him, Not everything is as it seems at first, Silver...
"...right... Argh, damn it, this is all so confusing!" the psychokinetic groaned in frustration before hanging his head down low, back to square one with processing everything that had happened earlier. In his frustration, he had failed to notice a set of footsteps approaching him from behind.
"Silver?" he heard a familiar lioness' voice call from behind him. "Is that you?"
The psychokinetic quickly turned towards the direction the voice had come from and saw the lioness standing only a few feet from him. "Solis!" he cried as he got up and quickly ran up to her, throwing himself into a tight embrace.
"Whoa, Silver!" the heliokinetic remarked at the sudden act from her psychokinetic friend. "I'm sure you missed me; I mean, I sure as hell did, but..."
Solis' voice trailed off once she began to notice how Silver seemed to be trembling as he held onto her. Probably not a good sign, she figured seconds before she heard the hedgehog begin to sob, as if he were on the verge of breaking down. Definitely not a good sign. "...I get the feeling something big happened. Wanna talk about it?"
Reluctantly releasing the lioness from his hug, the psychokinetic eventually replied, "...yeah. I need to fill you in on what I've learned anyway."
----
Sitting back down on the staircase by the coast, Silver spent the next half-hour explaining what had happened on his end since they left their time period and arrived at Castle Town, as Solis listened intently. "I see... so you managed to find the Iblis Trigger," the heliokinetic remarked with a soft laugh. "...and all I ended up doing was walk around town, get into a fight with some red mutt... at least I think it was a mutt, and then run away from a bunch of guards. Some friend I am, huh?"
"Hey, it's alright. None of us expected to be separated, and we didn't have a lot to go on," Silver reassured the lioness. "Really, I'm honestly just glad to see you again."
Solis couldn't help but smile at her friend's reassurance for the briefest of moments before continuing, "Anyway, what happened next?"
"I was more than ready to eliminate the Iblis Tr- Sonic..." the psychokinetic answered before trailing off his voice for a moment. "...but then Amy and this two-tailed fox kid came in and intervened. The boy left with Sonic while Amy stayed behind and... well, she basically chewed me out."
"...so, you're like this now because a girl yelled at you?" Solis asked somewhat incredulously, struggling to hold back a chuckle at her friend's expense. "...well, I guess that would be a new experience for you, but that actually sounds a little pathetic."
"I mean... yeah, I won't deny that it hurt," Silver answered as he looked at the necklace once more. "...but I think the reason her call out hurt so much was because... well, I can't shake off this feeling that she might be right."
"Oh?" the lioness raised her eyebrows.
"My desperation blinded me to the slightest possibility that we might have been misled somehow, or at least misunderstood what we were supposed to do," Silver began as he stood himself up. "I did have my moments of doubt, but my own stubbornness won out in the end."
"...I definitely did wonder about all of that when I first found myself here at the coast," Solis replied after a moment of silence, standing up on her feet as well. "I'll be honest with you right now - I never trusted Mephiles, not even for a second. His proposal sounded way too good to be true. That said, what are you gonna do now, knowing all that?"
"Right now, I have a lot of questions," the grey hedgehog answered. "Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest clue on where we can begin to find any answers. Any ideas, Solis?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm drawing a blank as well," the heliokinetic replied apologetically. "Like I said, I didn't learn much on my end."
"Damn..." Silver cursed under his breath as a deafening silence prevailed over him and Solis for what felt like several minutes. All of a sudden, he found himself coughing fairly profusely, with the lioness following suit - but not as harshly. "What the-...!?"
"It would seem that the two of you are at an impasse," the both of them heard a familiar, shadowy voice speak, prompting them to turn towards it and see none other than Mephiles standing right by them. "Your mission to eliminate the Iblis Trigger is so close to its end, and yet it has gone so far with your hesitation."
"Mephiles! Where have you been?" the psychokinetic asked the darker hedgehog, as he began to shrug off the effects of the latter's miasmatic aura.
"Forgive me for my absence thus far," Mephiles answered, maintaining his blank expression as always. "There were matters not concerning you two that needed my immediate attention."
"Before anything else, I need to ask you something," Silver spoke once more, looking at the darker hedgehog with a face of uncertainty. "...is killing the Iblis Trigger really the only way we can save our world? More importantly, is Sonic the Hedgehog the one we're after? Is he the one behind all this like you suggested!?"
The darker hedgehog blankly stared at the psychokinetic in silence, as if his query had not registered in his head. Exasperated by the apparent lack of response, Silver asked more angrily, "Answer me, Mephiles! Do we have to kill Sonic or not?!"
"...if you can afford to waste time with these questions, then you have time to be continuing your pursuit-" Mephiles finally answered, only to be cut off by Solis suddenly calling upon her Star-Blade and placing it less than an inch before the darker hedgehog's neck.
"I'm getting real sick of your cryptic bullshit, Mephiles," the heliokinetic spoke with as much venom as her voice could spew. "In case you haven't read the room, Silver's had a rough day so far, and the both of us want some answers. Now."
{♫} Silver could feel the tension rising rapidly as he saw both Solis and Mephiles glaring at one another with the ferocity of two lions about to clash. In all honesty, the sight of it was rather intimidating to look at. Thankfully, the tension was soon broken when the darker hedgehog finally responded, "Very well. If it is answers you are in need of, I can perhaps provide some more guidance. Rest assured, you are on the right track so far, but if you need to learn more beyond that, I would suggest you make your way to the White Acropolis Peaks, north of Soleanna."
"What's waiting for us there?" the heliokinetic asked, finally dismissing her blade of light.
"Somewhere in those mountains lies a fortress belonging to a scientist known as Dr. Ivo Robotnik - though most better remember his moniker of 'Dr. Eggman'," Mephiles explained. "Putting aside the absurdity of such an identity, the doctor is known to have particular ties with the Iblis Trigger. If anyone is to have the information on your target that you need, it would be him."
Wait, 'Eggman'...? Where have I heard that name before? the psychokinetic thought to himself, struggling to recall where that name had come up prior.
"Well, that's as good of a place to start as any," Solis remarked at the suggestion with a frown. "...but why are you still avoiding telling us anything directly, Mephiles? Why not just tell us everything you know?"
"It is as I've said before - the forces of time are incredibly fickle," the darker hedgehog responded. "The mere act of mentioning too much all at once may have a profound effect on the continuum, leading to unexpected changes in time. Have you not heard of the 'butterfly effect' before?"
Silver remained unsure of whether he should remain trustful of Mephiles' words and glanced at Solis' direction for any idea of what she thought. The lioness simply maintained her threatening glare at the darker hedgehog, but appeared just as unsure as he was. "In any event, though I certainly didn't expect particular events to play out as they did, you've done well so far," Mephiles continued with an expression that likely would have been him smiling if he had a visible mouth.
Solis couldn't help but stiffen at the manner in which the darker hedgehog had worded his supposed commendation as he continued, "However, time is short. It won't be long before the Day of Devastation arrives. I suggest you move quickly. On that note, I'm afraid I must return to those separate matters of mine. I bid you good luck, heroes."
Having said his piece, Mephiles then turned away from Silver and Solis as a swirl of darkness enveloped him, causing the both of them to feel somewhat nauseous once more for a brief moment. The shadows, once they had dissipated, then revealed that he had vanished within them - likely his own means of travelling far distances quickly.
"Well, do you think we should follow his suggestion?" Solis turned to Silver for direction.
The psychokinetic pondered with a doubtful frown for a moment before turning to the lioness and asking her, "...for once, I don't know. What do you think, Solis?"
The heliokinetic found herself shocked at Silver's response as she worriedly thought to herself, Just how bad did what happened at town square affect you, Silver?
"I'm sorry... it's just that I don't know if I even can trust my own judgment right now - at least, not until we've learned more," Silver began to explain to the lioness, having noticed her evident shock. "...but you've always been a reliable friend to me, so I think I can trust with the decision-making for now."
"I see..." Solis replied in a hesitant tone before beginning to ponder on the situation for a few moments. "...well, it's like I said, it's as good a place to start as any. We're certainly not going to find anything if we just stand here, let alone come close to preventing our future from coming to pass."
"...yeah. That much I can be sure of, at the very least," the psychokinetic nodded in agreement. At that exact instant, the dim clouds seemed to brighten a little, making way for the afternoon sun just a few hours away from setting. "Now, how exactly do we get to the mountains?"
----
Aquila City, Soleanna - September 20, X014, 4:13 PM UTC
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After spending the next hour exploring Castle Town asking for directions to the mountains, they eventually found themselves in a larger and evidently more modern area in Soleanna. Unlike the more historical Castle Town that tourists were more attracted to, this larger city sported plenty of buildings and commodities one wouldn't find there, including a series of skyscrapers that were... suspiciously familiar, the two of them began to realize.
"I'm not the only one getting the weirdest sense of déjà vu right now, am I?" Silver began as he examined the buildings in the city.
"No, you're not," Solis answered, beginning to sound unwell the more she looked. "...When I look at those skyscrapers, I can't help but think of-"
"Crisis City," the psychokinetic finished the lioness' sentence for her, having drawn the same conclusion. "...and none of these people know the kind of hell that'll be unleashed in just a few short days. Maybe even less based on Mephiles' warnings."
"I hate to say it, but he's right - we have to move!" the heliokinetic declared with a clenched fist. "Alright, so that guy from town told us that we'd the fastest way there would be to take a train... augh, but we don't have any money!"
"...actually, I think we might have," Silver declared as he held out the silver necklace in front of him and Solis.
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask about that. It's actually really nice..." Solis commented on the necklace as she began to examine it with a curious smile. That smile would soon fade the second she noticed the engravings made on the pendant. "...wait, 'Amy Rose'...? Isn't that the name of- ...oh. Oh, I'm so sorry, Silver..." she apologized once she had put two and two together.
"It's alright. We were bound to split up sooner or later," the psychokinetic sighed. "...besides, the mission comes first. I can't let this hold me back."
Silver then walked off to find the nearest jeweler without another word. That girl meant something to you, didn't she...? the lioness thought to herself with a small hint of jealousy. ...guess I shouldn't be surprised. You and I were kind of alike - a pair of kids with weird powers and few friends... I guess that's why we grew as close as we did.
Letting out a sigh of her own, Solis began following the psychokinetic as she sadly thought once more, ...I just wish you knew how much you mean to me.
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White Acropolis Station, Soleanna - September 20, X014, 5:10 PM UTC
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After a lengthy train ride from the larger city, Silver and Solis eventually found themselves at their stop and immediately hopped off of the train. The station itself was fairly small and didn't have anything that sported the attention of the two apart from a few stalls and booths that appeared to be selling some local goods. They then simply made their way to the upper ground floor of the station, which thankfully wasn't very hard.
The psychokinetic hadn't said a single word throughout the entire trip, and the lioness was growing more worried for him by the second. As much as she wanted to say something, she could tell that Silver wasn't exactly in the best mood to talk at the moment. Thus, the only noise that went around was the day-to-day chatter of the people coming to and fro.
The silence between the two eventually broke when they began to take notice of a news report playing on the monitors installed along the hallways. "We interrupt this scheduled program with breaking news!" the news reporter began. "There has been another incident at Castle Town Square, only six hours after the raid on Arce de Solis Magna instigated by one Dr. Ivo Robotnik."
Robotn- that's right! There was another news report that mentioned him this morning, Silver thought with widened eyes as finally remembered where he had heard the name of the doctor Mephiles had mentioned prior.
"Two hours earlier, as of this report, well-renowned hero Sonic the Hedgehog was suddenly attacked by an unnamed assailant," the news reporter continued. "The ensuing fight ended with the attempted murder of the blue hedgehog on the part of the assailant, thankfully averted by the timely intervention of two other individuals, who shall remain unnamed for the sake of confidentiality."
"Probably that fox kid and that Amy girl you mentioned in your story," Solis remarked as she listened in on the report. "Come on, we should get going."
"Fortunately, details on the assailant have since been provided," the news reporter then announced as screenshots of what appeared to be a sketch meant to resemble the psychokinetic flashed on screen. "The assailant has been confirmed by Sonic the Hedgehog himself to be a young, male hedgehog - likely around the same age as him - with light grey fur and turquoise markings on his hands. He has also been described as having peculiar powers, though the nature of these abilities short of the use of his hands being required remain unconfirmed." {♫}
"Uh, Silver... this doesn't happen to be what I think it is, right?" the heliokinetic asked with a worried tone in her voice.
"According to Sonic, this young hedgehog calls himself Silver. He is considered a dangerous individual and must be avoided at all costs," the news reporter continued, their voice beginning to sound more chilling to the two. They then began to take notice of all the people present looking at their direction and beginning to whisper to one another while a few more ran off elsewhere. "Should he be spotted within the grounds of Soleanna, do not approach him and report him to the Soleanna Royal Guard immediately."
"I'm afraid it is," Silver answered with a fearful expression. "They think I'm a criminal now!"
"Oh, this is bad. Those guards are gonna be on our asses any second now!" Solis continued, now just as fearful - albeit more for her friend than herself, given that he was the only one shown on national television.
At that same instant, the two heard a male voice bellow from behind them, "Hold it right there!"
The two promptly turned their backs and saw a small squadron of guardsmen standing, the ones at the side armed with rifles, a few more having their swords drawn and their shields up, and the one in front of them - likely the leader of the squadron - simply stood his ground as he continued, "Silver the Hedgehog, you have been reported to have made an attempt to take the life of Sonic the Hedgehog! Attempted murder is a crime punishable by law!"
The lead guardsman then drew his own sword before holding out his free hand, from which a strange magical sigil materialized itself, in front of the two. "Therefore, you are under arrest!" he declared before taking notice of Solis. "Ah, and it would seem you have an accomplice with you. You look familiar..."
"Sir, forgive my insolence, but would that woman not be the same one from that smaller commotion in Castle Town earlier this morning?" one of the other guards began, still maintaining their form.
"Ah, of course. Thank you for the reminder," the lead guard replied before turning his attention back to the lioness. "In any case, you too shall be coming with us! I suggest you do not resist."
The color in both Silver's and Solis' faces seemed to immediately drain itself. As the psychokinetic began to realize the greater repercussions of his failed, hasty attempt to kill Sonic in the blind hope of saving their world, the both of them could only find one word to say in response to their current predicament.
"Fuck."
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-Silver: Stage 6 - End-
Previous Chapter: Stage 5 - The Blue HeroNext Chapter: Stage 7 - Searching for Answers
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