Sonic and Elise awoke within the white void. Their Dark forms were no more. "D-did we destroy it…?" Elise mumbled, opening her eyes slowly. Sonic looked to a distant flame.
"No… not yet," he said. He and Elise drifted towards the fire, unable to move in the other direction. They met with the flames, in a warm embrace.
The two were now in a small fragment of the Aquatic Base. It was identical to its counterpart from before Soleanna was destroyed. Sonic and Elise heard angelic screams and cries outside, a soothing light shined through the windows. There was a tiny candle at the end of the corridor. It was made of pure light.
"Is that… Solaris?" Sonic asked. "It seems so harmless."
"I don't think even the church knew how big this flame would become." Elise watched the candle from inside its casing. Sonic then broke the case wide open with his fist. Glass fell to the floor. After the shock subsided, Elise slowly and gently took the candle from its resting place.
"If we put out this flame before it can grow again… Solaris will never exist," Elise sighed, holding the candle safely in her hands. "And we'll never have to worry about the Flames of Disaster." Elise frowned, taking a deep breath that was just barely light enough to not put out the flame. A lump formed in her throat. "But then, Eggman wouldn't have attacked in search of its power. Our encounter… you and I will never meet. It will never have happened." Sonic frowned too. "To tell the truth, I…" Elise lowered her head, her hair cast a bleak shadow over her face.
"I don't care what happens to the world!" She screamed, tears flooding out of her eyes. This time, they met the floor not as flames. But as water. Elise was free to cry. Sonic felt a sharp sting in his chest. With his Chaos Emerald back, he was free to feel his heart break.
"I know how that feels," he said softly. Elise stared him in the eyes.
"You do? How is it that someone as perfect as you has felt this way before?" Elise whimpered. "Does that mean you'll stay?" Sonic shook his head.
"When I first came to Soleanna, I was trying to escape everything. The world being fake is one thing, but…" Sonic gritted his teeth. "My best friend is leaving soon. We ran out of time to collect the instruments, I… I just couldn't handle it." Sonic shivered, tremors running through his whole body. "Point is, I understand choosing between the world and someone you love is hard. But as much as I hate to say it…" Sonic joined hands with Elise, cradling the candle in their hands. Together. "You can't keep the world, or that someone, away from their future." Sonic smiled wide. Elise sobbed harder. "Ahh… nonono, don't—!" Sonic thought for a second. "Elise, just smile!" Elise's tears cleared enough for her to see Sonic's happy face. She sniffled, and wiped her eyes.
Through her newly smiling lips, she took a long exhale.
And blew out the candle.
…
Princess Elise dreamt of wind. Of an unwavering hero gracing the boring, still air of Soleanna. Causing bright blue skies, blossoming flowers, and cool rippling waves. He helped everybody he saw, leaving smiles where there once were tears. The whole world was calling his name…
His name.
Sonic, Sonic, Sonic! His name is Sonic!
Maybe if she kept repeating it, she wouldn't forget. His name… was…
What was his name?
Elise's eyes snapped open. A cold, salty breeze flew by her, and in a flash of lightning… it was gone. "Princess?" A hedgehog asked, standing next to her. She looked over at the hedgehog in a regal red and yellow coat. "Are you alright, princess?" Silver asked. Elise smiled warmly, and covered her mouth as a laugh came and went.
"It felt like someone was calling to me," she replied.
"I'm sure it's just the wind," Silver replied, some of the people rowing the ceremonial boat looked over, smiling confusedly.
"I know, I know. It just felt so… familiar, somehow," Elise looked to the stars, and a giant statue of the kind and caring owl that gave their country hope across the millennia. Sonic stopped for just a second, to look back at Princess Elise the Third. As she lit the candle and promptly sailed off down a different river. He smiled.
…