Wild Things by Alessia Cara.
~~~

Tails had insisted they return to his home shortly after. He sounded urgent and equally determined. Even Knuckles seemed rather agreeable to join them, but that only made himself feel unsettled. If the great Master Emerald Guardian was willing to leave to accompany their next adventure, just how dangerous could these Chaos Emeralds be?

Silver had never actually seen one in his timeline, although they were widely known. Their specific uses left vague, good and evil were written to both utilise them. At some point throughout history they went into hiding. Silver wasn't surprised, considering the ruinous condition of his future.

Arriving at Angel Island had taken him aback however. Due to the many disasters in his period, Angel Island had fallen and the Master Emerald had shattered. In truth, he was still reeling from the sight of full trees, fluffy animals, glistening ponds and rivers and the beaming sun. He could understand why Sonic adored Mobius so much. Silver had learned of what the planet once was, but to actually see it....

So why, if he gave his life everyday to protect it, would he become the Catalyst of The End?

He knew there was a traitor, but his Mentor taught him it was Sonic who'd bring about the planet's destruction. However, he had instructed him about Timeline Branches and such- and now it seemed none of that was real.

Sitting in Tails' workshop, it all became deadly apparent just how much he'd been manipulated.

These Intertwining Events made perfect sense. Some of Silver's rules still applied, but the basic idea of Time-travel had been challenged and crumbled all by a twelve year old fox.

He couldn't blame Sonic for beaming with pride behind him (although he did try to hide his face behind a fist).

"A Genesis Wave sounds terrifying." Amy shivered.

"Fortunately, we have Silver and Blaze to help us stop it." Tails assured, watching the albino hedgehog.

"I don't know how." It came before Silver could stop himself.

"You aren't alone." Blaze squeezed his shoulder. "Remember that."

"Right! Although we don't know much in how to prevent this, we're still here to help, hun." Rouge winked.

"That's not really different to the other times." Sonic snickered. "Not knowing every little thing hasn't stopped us before."

"But we don't know anything." Silver stood, hands flailing. "Shadow survives here. You guys take down G.U.N. The Freedom Fighters disbanded. The Ark fell from Space." He gripped his frantic quills.

"So many events that aren't meant to happen do, here. I don't even know who the traitor is. I-I believed it was Sonic but I don't-."

"Breathe, Silver." Blaze held his shoulders.

"You should never have been burdened with something like this." Shadow frowned.

"I-."

"In the timelines you've been to before, you said one change of events could cause disaster there, right?" Amy asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well, you just listed a bunch of things we've done differently."

"Right!" Tails' fingers snapped. "We're on new territory, so our chances of fixing things have changed- and I'm willing to hope they've gotten better."

"I'm sure the Chaos Emeralds will help us." Knuckles smiled. "If we can return them to Angel Island, Chaos may be more active."

"In my time, they've been written to do just as terrible things as great." Silver took a deep breath, taking Blaze's hand. "So we have to get them before the wrong hands do."

"That's more like it." Sonic grinned, delivering a finger gun. "The adventures barely started yet, Silv'! Don't give up on us yet."

"And you?"

"Hmm?"

"Even if it's your destiny to fall, you won't give up here, will you?"

They laughed and mocked and reached, but he swiped a thumb beneath his nose all the same.

"I'll fight destiny too if I have to."

Sonic's friends all held so much trust and admiration in their eyes and Silver found himself starting to smile. Sonic's stubbornness was legend and, in that, he could trust.

"With that said, you sounded urgent in your call, Fox." Shadow redirected.

"I have a question really, and the Chaos Tracker is ready to be installed on our Comlinks. Don't worry." Tails smiled. "I made one for you guys too, Silver, Blaze."

"Great!" The snowy hedgehog beamed. "Shoot."

"Your Mentor. Did he ever...hint or give you the impression he was lying to you? Or if he was setting you up?"

"He found me when I was young. I guess I just...never really wanted to question him since."

"But you did wonder to yourself, right?"

"Well, of course! When he first started telling me how Sonic couldn't be trusted, I didn't buy it. Even I knew of his legend-."

"He knew 'bout me?"

"Well yeah. The ones that survived all did-."

"No, I mean...if he was already suspicious of me then he must've known something we don't, right?"

"That or he's...." Tails gulped. "Silver, did he ever give you the impression he wanted to come back here?"

"Not really, no. He talked about this time a lot, but he was fine sending me out to fix things. I...I thought, at least."

"Do you think he followed us here?" Blaze asked.

"I think there's a chance he tried."

"If he's going to try and come here, we must be ready." Shadow urged.

"He'd be after the Chaos Emeralds- we couldn't find them in my time."

"All the more reason to get moving." Knuckles stressed.

"Cliff, the ring that brought Silver and Blaze here, should we destroy it?" Rouge inquired.

"I worry what that might do. It's incredibly powerful- even taking out most of Station Square's power upon their arrival."

"We'll be able to return to our times, if that helps?" Silver tossed a cyan ring between his hands.

"For now, I'd say leave it. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't."

"Then I'd better return to base. I'll keep an eye on it and try and find out what I can about the Chaos Emeralds. Maybe, find out what Eggman's up to." Rouge informed.

"Would you like company?" Knuckles asked before he could stop himself.

Blue eyelids lowered and the bat smirked. "Oh Knuckie, I'll be fine. But I'm never against you coming around to say hello."

Shadow pinched his nose and the echidna shook a fist. "You're batty!"

"I'll stay here with Omega." Cliff smiled. "These Chaos Trackers need the final touches. Besides, with Vanilla and Cream on their way, they'll be in for quite the story."

"Maybe I should-." Tails started, flinching from his brother ruffle his jutted out fur.

"You've been cooped up in here long enough. 'Time you get to come along too."

Amy clapped. "I've gotta admit, an adventure around the whole world is pretty exciting."

"It'll definitely be a nice change." Knuckles grinned.

Silver lifted himself into a neon cyan bubble. "Bygone Island, here we come!"

—————

When they ventured out the next day, Shadow insisted they bring the purple Chaos Emerald with. Sonic really wished he hadn't. He didn't know why, but the voices were louder and they were closer and all he could focus on was how he wasn't holding the pulsing jewel. Even departing from the Tornado on different land, he couldn't pry his eyes off it and watch the nearing jungle.

But Amy taking his hand seemed to do the trick. She smiled and looked ahead, saving him an explanation. Her eyes had been swimming with concern for weeks by now and Sonic, more than anything, wanted to rid that look. He could only think of squeezing back and noting her red face, took solace in Amy still being, well, Amy.

The jungle they traipsed in had towering, slender trees- stuffed with branching vines and singing animals. The ground was blanketed in bushes and tremendously large flowers, cut down on occasion by Shadow's almost blinding Spears. Speaking of, the Ultimate Lifeform seemed far more steady in employing his powers- delivering greater amounts of more focused Spears. If Knuckles was right about him being a Chaos User, this definitely aided the theory.

"This is weird." Tails mumbled, sky blue eyes glued onto his Comlink.

"What's wrong?" Silver, overhead, wondered.

"I know the tracker is new, so maybe it's just a glitch but...the Chaos Emerald is moving."

"They shouldn't be able to do that." Knuckles frowned.

"I know, but that's what I'm seeing."

"Why is it jumping around like that?" Blaze tapped a claw over the little screen.

"Let's hurry and go after it." Sonic scooped Amy up before she could squeak and headed off, Shadow narrowly behind and the others in tow.

"There!" Amy pointed, catching a couple vines wrapping around each other.

The group turned to follow, catching more greenery shake from their right. They switched course once more and soon gathered these movements went in circles.

"Who's-!" Shadow yelped and stumbled when something whacked the back of his head.

Turning with a growl, he noticed a boomerang twirl and hit Sonic's arms, forcing Amy out of his hold. Vines swung right past and brown fur met the boomerang- sending it back at the group as the stranger disappeared back into the trees. Silver fell to the damp ground with flailing limbs, narrowly caught by Blaze and Shadow found the boomerang coming for him again. He swerved, followed the weapon to the swinging vines above and eyes widened upon it hurriedly coming back.

"I think whoever this is, is after you!" Tails gasped and spun up, allowing the boomerang to catch the Ultimate Lifeform's arm.

Shadow glanced at the Chaos Emerald in hand. "It's not me."

"You ain't from around here!" The stranger's voice, scratchy but warm, bellowed from above.

"We don't mean any trouble!" Amy scrambled up.

"You bring it along anyway! We ain't interested!"

"We know Eggman- hey!" Knuckles hopped around the boomerang, only for it to reverse course and hit his ankles- bringing him to the tall grass.

"Enough!" Shadow barked, inhibitors glowing as eyes became laser focused on the wooden weapon.

"Hand it over and be on your way, ay?" A gasp followed when golden electricity consumed the boomerang, shattering it into splinters.

"Was that really necessary?" Amy sighed, spinning around from a rock smacking the side of her head.

But Sonic was there and he caught her with ease. "You okay?"

She rather deliriously grinned. "Now I am."

The Blue Blur blushed and smiled. "Sounds about right."

"Get behind me!" Silver ordered, hands splayed with cyan ripples dancing off to catch the rocks.

"Do you think you can find them?" Blaze asked.

"I can try." Shadow hummed, vanishing in a golden snap.

More vines tangled into the next and fewer stones poured down on them, a startled squeak following. Above, Shadow bounced branch to branch, admittedly surprised and even impressed by the strangers agility. On occasion he'd catch jutted out pieces of brown fur or orange arms aiming a slingshot.

"What brings you guys here? After our Chaos Emerald too, huh?"

"We only wish to protect it." Shadow reasoned, eyes scattered in trying to track the voice's source down.

"Why'd I trust you?"

"You sound paranoid."

Perhaps he should be more attentive to his surroundings for a vine snapped against his leg and he stumbled, bumping foreheads with brown and orange fur. He snarled and swiftly straightened, quills calming when he met large, deep blue eyes. Shaking his head, he glared at the badger hanging upside down and matching his own stare.

"Look." He barked. "Cliff told us to come here. He informed us about Eggman's attack, but we aren't here to hurt you. We simply-."

"Cliff? Oh!" The badger smiled, all previous hostility melting away, and lightly flipped over. "Well, that changes everything! I don't mean that sarcastically, not that you seem like the type who'd enjoy that."

Shadow bit his cheek. "Will you quit attacking us then?"

"For now. Guess I should say sorry, ay?"

"Just take us-." The breath left his lungs when the badger took his hand and jumped.

The rather weird mobian cheered on the way and dug in their massive tufts of fur, pulling out a little dagger. Giving it a shake, more wood from within slipped out and made a patterned spear. The dagger part clearly made from a gigantic tooth, many feathers and striped details lined the rest. They reached and wrapped it around a thicker vine, letting it take them in lowering circles until they met the ground.

Shadow pulled his hand back to hold his head, stumbling with a groan. He growled at the badger snickering before they became attentive to the group ahead. The stranger tucked a hand behind them and awkwardly smiled.

"Now before you get mad, can we start with saying hi?"

"You won't throw more rocks at us?" Tails asked.

"I ran out. O-or, because of morals and all that, nope! Is it true Cliff sent you?"

"Yes." Blaze assured.

"Huh. Well. A friend of Cliff's is a friend of mine! Unless you're secretly undercover Badniks sent on causing more havoc." The badger wiggled their fingers.

"We're definitely not that." Sonic chuckled.

"I'm choosin' to trust that. If you're lyin', I got enough traps to keep Bygone safe!" They smiled and the group warily glanced around.

"Either way, for now, welcome to Bygone Island! Name's Sticks."