"Amy! We need more dip over here!"

It was a wild party, but not enough to destroy the house. The town respected Amy Rose enough to not trash her settlement, especially since they knew the wrath they'd face. People were shouting, singing, dancing, and eating. In this city, the humans accepted Mobians into their society; both species lived peacefully and equally, and even celebrated together- like in this party. Having Mobians around was basically an attraction; they always had a story to tell, and the best part was that no matter how crazy it came off, it was most likely true.

Sally Acorn was passing through the crowds of people, screaming to Amy from across the living room to get more dip.

After a bit, her voice was heard, and Amy shouted back, "There's someone at the door! Tell Espio to get it!"

"ESPIO!" Sally called.

"I'm on it." a voice beside her responded.

She looked to see that it was Espio already placing a glass bowl of guacamole on the table next to the chips and crackers.

Amy finally and successfully traversed through the taller humans, to her door. She unlocked it and pulled it open to find Sonic and Shadow. "Took you two long enough! Come on in!"

"No, Amy, you need to stop this party right now!" Sonic pleaded.

"Now? I promised four hours, it's only been forty minutes!"

"No, you don't understand, having this many people together is dangerous!"

"Sorry, what was that? The music's too loud!"

Shadow became agitated, slid by Sonic and Amy, and into the house. He pulled out his signature pistol: a Heckler & Koch USP Tactical, and with one, two, three clicks of the trigger towards the ceiling, Vector The Crocodile cut the music, everyone crouched and stood silent, as Shadow yelled, "Party's over! Take all your belongings and get the hell out of here!"

Party-goers immediately started pouring out through the door when ordered to. People had respect for Amy, but Shadow's reputation was far more menacing; respect for him was almost mandatory- especially with the feats he's accomplished, his life experiences, and his current occupation in the military.

In minutes, the house was filtered down to just Mobians: Sonic, Shadow, Amy, Sally, Espio, Vector, Charmy Bee, Rouge The Bat, E-123 Omega, Cream The Rabbit, and Blaze The Cat.

"Hey! What gives?!" the young Charmy pouted.

"Shut your piehole kid! We have a bigger problem." Shadow shot.

Everyone gathered in the living room around Sonic and Shadow.

"Where's Silver?" Cream asked.

This was such a misfortune to Sonic and Shadow; Cream had a face and spirit so innocent, it hurt to respond to her. The two couldn't find their words.

"Mephiles returned..." Sonic started.

Gasps filled the room, then Shadow halted them as he finished , "And...he killed Silver..."

"WHAT?!" everyone shrieked.

Everyone looked as if they found out they had a day left to live.

"This is a joke...right?" Blaze asked shakingly.

Not even a grin was visible on their faces, Sonic and Shadow didn't even answer, and refused eye-contact with anyone.

Blaze's eyes watered, but the light-hearted Cream broke into tears first, then Amy, who went over to Cream for comfort, then Blaze, who dropped to her knees and wept on the carpet. She pounded her fists below her and with each thud, her fists began to heat up. It wasn't noticeable until steam began to rise from the carpet. Sally, who wasn't crying, came over to Blaze's side to cool her down. Sally didn't know Silver all too well, but she knew how kind-hearted he was. Everyone shared the same pain and memories, it was like a plague in the room; everyone was deeply affected.

"Sonic." Shadow whispered.

Sonic zoned out again, but this time heard Shadow. Shadow pulled him aside to talk with him while everyone grieved.

"Yeah Shadow?"

"We can't let everyone stay here. Mephiles wants us, but if he sees that there are others in his way, he'll kill them too!"

"Speaking of which, who was that other dude?"

"I didn't recognize him at all. I sent a facial scan to G.U.N. Headquarters to see what they could get on him...Now I'll admit...he does give me a bad vibe."

"Yeah, for once I agree with you. Alright, let's tell everyone."

The two turned back to the crowd and Sonic spoke over everyone to be heard.

After the commotion was muted, he began, "Listen, I know this isn't really a good time, but we all can't stay here. We think it's best if we stay as far away from each other as possible."

The idea stirred small chatter amongst everyone.

It then stopped with Amy, "I say we stay together!"

Amy had just wiped her last teardrop and was now firm in her tone.

"Amy, if we stay together, they will have an advantage at eliminating us all in one go!"

Blaze then stopped crying, to rise to an upright position.

"Wait, did you say 'they'?" she asked.

"Mephiles had help; there was a man, his name was Ansem. Sonic is right, this duo could lay waste to us. This Ansem guy, he was strange. It looked almost as if he had Mephiles in-check. His confidence around him was concerning." said Shadow.

"Either that was confidence or an amateur mistake." Espio cut in.

"Let's just assume that we're going up against two Mephiles-es....Mephil-....how do you say Mephiles plural?" Sonic tried.

"I don't care! If we separate, then they can take us out easily one-by one!" Amy again.

"But if someone dies-" Shadow stopped himself at everyone glaring at him. "If something happens to someone, at least we can say it was only one person; there's still more of us to face them when the time is right."

"So you're saying the individual safety of each of us doesn't matter? After what just happened?!" Amy firing again.

"Individual safety doesn't matter when the whole damn planet is at stake! If they kill us all at once, this world won't have anyone left to save it!"

"We're stronger in numbers and we have the Chaos Emeralds!"

"So now you want to bring the Emeralds into this?! Then we'll just be handing them world domination on a golden platter!"

As Amy and Shadow continued their heated debate, everyone else chimed in to defend one side of the division. But in the midst of it, Blaze remained silent and in a trance. Her mind was blank and everyone's voices were lower and jumbled. Without anyone noticing, she stood up and walked to the back of the house. Cream The Rabbit was also out of the civil war in the living room and she was the first to notice her best friend Blaze disappear into the kitchen. Cream looked to her Chao companion, Cheese, nodded in agreement with the little blue creature, and followed after Blaze.

After a moment, Rouge The Bat was next to tune out of the commotion, as her large right ear twitched towards the kitchen, hearing someone, "It's best if you stay here..."

Rouge sneakily stepped out of the crowd to peek into the kitchen. The backdoor had just slammed closed as Cream and Cheese were left alone. Rouge stepped out of her hiding spot to talk with Cream.

"Hey, are you OK?" she asked with her smooth, silk voice.

"Oh, hi Ms. Rouge...I'm worried about Blaze..." Cream responded, her voice shaking, eyes starting to water. Rouge knew she was holding back.

"Come here." she asked with arms open. Cream rushed into her and let out her cry.

"I'm scared Ms. Rouge..." Cream whimpered.

"Sweetie, you can just call me Rouge. I'm pretty sure Blaze will be alright..." Rouge caressing her tan fur.

Cream looked up, "You think so?"

Rouge drifted off into thought again, but she looked like she was carefully pondering.

Cream woke her out of it, "Are you OK? Rouge? Ms. Rouge?"

"I'm fine. Just...take Blaze's advice; stay here where you're safe...or go back home to your mother, but don't go alone. Ask someone to take you."

"OK, thank you."

The two released each other as Cream turned the other way, dragging herself to the living room. Rouge however, exited the house through where Blaze went. Shadow saw it all from the living room as he argued, but he didn't follow, for he entrusted that his partner Rouge had the situation under control. By now, the commotion was just among everyone else except Shadow. Shadow put a hand on Sonic (who was indirectly arguing with everyone) and gestured his thumb towards the door when Sonic turned around. Sonic nodded his goodbye and continued bickering. Shadow opened the door and exited the house.

He walked passed Amy's garden, hitting a button on his watch and it beeped, "Shadow here, reporting back to base. Over and out."

Rouge received Shadow's message on her watch receiver, as she could now go on with her plan. The hardest part was over, she had to make sure Shadow wouldn't follow her. She removed her watch, dropped it on the asphalt, and smashed her boot into it, crushing it so that no one could track her.

"OK Blaze, so what's the plan?" she asked.

"Simple, we find out where they are, and attack."

"I'd more than love to join you, but are you sure you want to do this? It's Mephiles..."

"And, an evenly matched accomplice apparently...Well, if it's true what you all say- that my pyrokinetic curse is the seal of the Flames Of Disaster, Iblis, then maybe we have nothing to worry about...but...I don't care!...He killed Silver!" Blaze's fists on fire now.

"If something happens though, we're bailing- ASAP!"

"WAIT!"

Rouge and Blaze look over to find Amy and Sally running to them.

They stop in front of the two, Amy holding her Piko Piko Hammer, "We're coming too!"

"If we're going to split, we might as well split into groups, right?" Sally suggested.

"'Four against two' sounds better than what we were planning." Rouge to Blaze.

"No, no! Didn't you hear what they said? You're putting more lives on the line! Besides, what would Sonic and Espio say? Do they know about this?"

"No!" Sally and Amy answering in respects to their matters.

Blaze scratched her head as she was now flustered. She let out a heavy sigh, "Well...you came all this way, I guess you might as well join us then."

"Alright ladies! Let's go avenge Silver!" Amy announced.

The quartet ran off to find and face Ansem and Mephiles in Silver's name. But Blaze had a darker goal. She was the most upset with Silver's death, he was one of the closest things to her. Blaze didn't want to avenge, she wanted revenge.

*Things are about to go down....Vote, comment, and/or share if you liked! Thanks.

*CHARACTERS INTRODUCED:

Blaze The Cat

Amy Rose

Sally Acorn

Rouge The Bat

Espio The Chameleon

Charmy Bee

Vector The Crocodile

Cream The Rabbit and Cheese The Chao

E-123 Omega