— Haven City Finances (Downtown District) —

  Away from the troubled and chaotic events happening on each floor, on one particular floor, all is serene. The Haven City Finances building isn’t the tallest in Haven City, but it offers stunning views, high enough to look out at the skylines with ease. The interior of this floor is a far cry from the floors below. Compared to the typical office interior design, this floor is rather modern and sleek, with a few items worth more than someone’s life savings —a dream floor; someone could spend their entire life working and potentially live there. However, the whole floor is small compared to the other floors, because it’s dedicated to one person, only one.

  The CEO.

  Somewhere inside the floor, the cougar relaxes on her antique chair, with her foot resting on her antique desk. Despite the responsibilities she’s dealing with, the conditions that she’s living in are worth every moment. All she’s set on now is relaxing, after hours worth of constantly being pressured by the responsibilities, as well as the public scrutiny she faces every single day.

  “Miss.” One of the management staff says from the intercom.

  From her response, she immediately resorts to groaning, wanting to continue her relaxed moment. But in the end, business is what built her up from the ground. Still, she rolls her eyes and grabs the intercom, taking a slight pause before finally speaking. “What do you need at this moment?”

  “One of your staff wants to talk with you at this very moment.”

  “...” She’s the CEO, so she can make a key decision to either keep on relaxing or straight up talk to one of her staff in this building. Based on her status, one staff member isn’t important for her time; she can just say “no” and move on. However, she looks at herself in the tabletop mirror, seeing how far she has evolved with honesty and kindness. She doesn’t always think about her life and the high-level staff, but also has her mind focused on the lower staff members, concerned for their well-being. In the end, she does make her rightful decision. “Alright. Bring them up here.”

  Ding.

  When the elevator door opens, she glares directly at the staff member, who slowly walks towards her desk. Her serious expression causes the staff member to feel anxious, unsure if it’s the right decision to talk with her. But, to their relief, she casually tells the staff member. “Have a seat…”

  “Solid.”

  “Still remember my name?” Solid casually sits down with a slight grin on his face, feeling amused from their last conversation. “I guess I’m just well known inside this building.”

  She grabs a pen and starts to fidget with it, “Can’t help that you’re the only hedgehog working here.” Her slight chuckle makes the conversation a little more lively, compared to the tension initially. “Oh, wait… you’re the only hedgehog in this city. That speaks so much about you.”

  “Damn… no need to insult me there. I thought the CEO would be honest and nice to their loyal staff members.” He playfully says, letting both of them chuckle it off. “At least, there’s another hedgehog in this city.”

  “Just because I’m a CEO doesn’t mean I’m always one. I ain’t no robot who’s just getting straight to the point. I mean, someone has to show off their fun side once in a while, including you.” She glances back at the tabletop mirror, feeling proud of who she is in general. “Speaking of which… What do you want to talk to me about?” She asks with a slight sense of seriousness.

  “May I take a week off?”

  “You’re taking a week off?”

  “Yeah.”

  Out of everyone who would request a week off, Solid would most likely be the last person to do so. “But, Solid… you’re like one of our best staff members in this workplace. You sure you want to take a break?” She asks with a hint of vulnerability in her voice.

  “Yes. All I’m saying is to let me take a break for a week, and I’m good to go.” He puts his hands down on her desk for any signs of progress. “Please?”

  Still, she is determined not to let him go, trying her best to let him continue working. “Maybe a raise…? Or a higher position…? Anything?”

  He leans forward, looking directly at her eyes. “I’m sorry… but I’ll decline every option you give me. I wanted to take a break for… personal matters. And besides, it’s just a week off. I don’t even work on the weekends, like, what’s gonna happen when I’m off, the company collapsing?”

  With a pause, she hesitantly thinks about her decision to either approve or decline his request. For one, Solid is a hard worker; despite proving the best of the best, he still declines every single offer for a raise or even a high position. And for him to have a shift consisting of 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. on weekdays isn’t too surprising, considering his humble personality. She desperately needs him to support the other staff members doing their work, yet at the same time, she’s probably burning him out. So with no choice, “... Alright then… I’ll let you take a week off work.” She still fidgets with her pen, but does add an important note. “And don’t be late again. You’re just different because you never drink coffee.”

  A deep sigh of relief, all the stress from waking up and working is felt being released from him. “Y-Yeah. I’ll make sure NOT to be here late, again… boss.” He takes a long yawn in response to his tiredness. “I still hate coffee…”

  “Talk about a coffee disliker.” She quietly mutters, still fidgeting with her pen until throwing it into her pen holder, where it lands perfectly inside the bin. “Have a good break, Solid. Make sure you have the time to relax and rest.”

  Having his request fulfilled, he’s finally relieved that he can take a week-long break. Although his body is filled with excitement and hype, he remains calm toward her. “Thank you very much.” He calmly shakes hands with her before entering the elevator, looking at her one more time before the door closes in on itself.

  “Sonic and Tails must be happy about this.”

  Down at the lobby, the formerly packed line for the elevator is now nonexistent, making it peaceful inside. At the moment, Tails is resting on a seat, testing out some of the unused inventions from his backpack that he brought before chasing Eggman. “Let’s see… A grappler, remote disabling systems, some weapons I made for later, etc.”

  With the stack of inventions piling out from his backpack, some people glance at the number of inventions being pulled out. Some are confused, some are anxious, but Tails doesn’t care about the number of audience he’s drawing. Most of them are interested in what these inventions do. “Whoa.” One of the workers grabs a grappler. “A grappler, I wonder if this works.” He instantly aims at the wall close to him.

  Until realization, Tails finally witnesses what’s happening and tries to intervene.

  “W-WAIT-!!!”

  Once the grappler is shot, the worker accidentally continues to hold onto it before crashing into the same wall he aimed at. The wall didn’t do too much damage; fortunately, the worker is alive. Though with his head hurting, it was a mistake on his end. “Oh god. Oh god… Are you alright?” Tails immediately kneels and checks on the worker’s condition.

  As the worker gets up, he places his hand on his head, groaning from the pain, but looks at Tails differently. “Geez…” He slightly pauses before finally letting his emotions out. “That… THAT WAS AMAZING!” Immediately getting up and praising him for the kind of inventions that he shows off to everyone. “I am Embrace the Llama, and I praise loads of things, including your invention!” A convincing, wide smile appears on his face before asking him. “Tell me. What is your name?”

  Immediately stunned and confused, with no other choice, Tails decides to go with the flow, introducing himself by name. “Miles Tails Prower… but uhh… call me Tails.” And as expected, he starts getting praised. Embrace proceeds to see some more of Tails’s inventions, hoping it’ll show signs of popularity among the passing workers.

  Meanwhile, for Sonic, he’s out there having the time of his life. After leaving Solid behind to discuss with the CEO, both of them waited down in the lobby. But, after feeling bored for just simply waiting, he decides to have a general discussion with the same receptionist yet again. “You and Solid are what now?”

  “Yep.” Woofa puts her phone down, revealing a soft smile. “Solid and I are childhood friends. We’ve known each other since middle school, and ever since then, we’ve always been best friends to this very day.” She says, handing him a framed photo of them together back in middle school. Deep down, a smile from her face, filled with hints of vulnerability, but mainly contentment. She daydreams a bit, remembering the memorable moments, while still thinking about the same future with him. Always best friends. “He’s a calm and humble orange furball, always caring for others… but himself… That’s why I’m always there to support him, no matter what.”

  “Fond memories for you two; inseparable if you ask me.” Sonic inspects the framed photo closely, eyeing the young Solid who was back in the photo’s time. At that moment, he notices the date when this picture was taken. “October 27, 2012…” He starts to get confused, eyeing her for some clarification. “How old are you?”

  “I was born on August 26th, 2001, while Solid was born on April 11th, 2001; a four-month differential. But we’re both 25 years old, making us young adults.” She rests her arms on the desk, having a casual, yet fun conversation with him, trying her best to get any reaction.

  “Solid is 10 years older than me? That’s crazy.” From his standpoint, Solid does appear as a 15-year-old, similar to how Shadow is way older than he looks. “I expected him to be my age, but seeing how he works and handles in this environment… yeah, that makes sense.”

  However, their discussion does come to an eventual end, with a very recognizable orange hedgehog exiting the elevator, placing a smirk on his face. Sonic immediately approaches him, ending the conversation between the hedgehog and a dog. For Tails, his ears perk up instantly at seeing his figure. With the audience already dissipated, he grabs his devices from the table and shoves them back into the backpack. “Solid!” He exclaims, quickly and desperately closing his backpack before standing up and approaching him. “How did it go?”

  Solid, whose expression remains the same, reveals the results to him, “It worked. As requested, I’ll be taking a week-long break.” He pats Tails’s shoulder, giving him more comfort. “So much for you two, to say the least… but by all means you’re welcome.”

  Both high-five each other with their successful side-mission; however, there’s still one more person to respond to Solid’s decision. “You are?” Woofa is stunned by the news, shocked that he would do something like this in an instant. But being his best friend, she reverts to her smug face, actually approving of his decision. “Aww man… I guess I won’t be able to tease you again.” She playfully pouts, leaning closer to him. “But, you needed it. I can’t let you suffer in my eyes.”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Solid playfully scoffs and approaches her desk. He leans on the desk, and they playfully stare into each other’s eyes. “You never change, don’t you?”

  “Nope, and never. You’ll just have to suffer more of my teasing and consistent check-ups on you during your week off.” She continues teasing him by poking his forehead, letting out a soft giggle.

  With a soft sigh, he calmly swats her hand away, walking backward while staring at her. “Fair enough. We can visit each other on the weekends while you’re at it.”

  “Visit me anytime, Solid.” She gives a wink, prompting them to share a smirk, and revealing much more of their interesting dynamic between the two best friends. They eventually get a last glance at each other, both feeling content with their relationship, before ultimately separating, just like the usual.

  “Are they even best friends?” Sonic casually thinks, quickly glancing at them one last time before following Solid outside.

  — Downtown District —

  Throughout Haven City, there’s nothing more promising than a sunny afternoon with an ideal temperature. Despite a rough morning, the traffic has dwindled dramatically, leaving zero trace of what’s left behind. Even then, the number of pedestrians walking around remains constant, with those either off from work and school, or tourists. A fine day, perhaps. Nothing too abnormal for the people within this world, along with the two hedgehogs and a fox. Regardless of the fine scenery, there’s nothing better than successfully friending someone who they needed the most, seeing how friendly and trustworthy he’s presented, no matter if they had just recently met.

  In that case, a major factor in their newly formed friendship is money. “Yo.” With a tap on his shoulder, he turns around and glances at Sonic, genuinely curious. “Where are you taking us?”

  “Just gonna get some lunch together.” Solid pulls out his wallet, showing off the numerous Lunar bills still unused, but he opts to use a credit card. “Anything you guys want?”

  Left astonished, Sonic can’t help but calculate how many Chili Dogs he could potentially buy with this much Lunars. He could easily steal his wallet, but he’s going to act like Rouge if he does. Furthermore, stealing from another hedgehog is a little too difficult due to their insane reaction speed; still, he tries his best. “For me… I think some Chili Dogs would do and- YOINK- What the hell?” Despite using his speed, stealing his wallet didn’t go according to plan. “This wallet is fake!” He exclaims, dumping out the fake money and credit cards.

  That’s because, awaiting past him, Solid has tricks up his sleeve. “Trying to steal my wallet?” A small glance and a casual smirk before he proceeds to slightly raise his arms, where an actual wallet slides down from his glove. “Too bad, Tails told me everything about your Chili Dogs addiction. Besides, if you’re trying to test my reflexes, they’re exceptional to a degree.” A slight chuckle preceded, watching Sonic slowly get up, shaking his head in amusement.

  Tails gives Sonic a slight smile, shrugging in guilt, but in acceptance. “Sorry, Sonic. I couldn’t help but share your traits with him. You know how you are with Chili Dogs.”

  Sonic slowly approaches Solid, placing a hand on his shoulder. “For someone new… I respect your- YOINK!” This time, he finally steals something, just one Lunar Bill. It isn’t much, but it’s enough to succeed in outpacing his reflexes. “Eh. One is enough for me.” He tugs his money from his glove, firmly grasping it. “Shocked by my speed?”

  Still entertained by his one-liners, Solid can’t help but do something unexpected, yet usual to his character. He hands some Lunar Bills to Sonic, not caring much about money. Even though both Mobians are shocked by his unprecedented action, he swats his regret away. “Don’t be shocked. I’m just humble, even if I don’t know your intentions with them, maybe Chili Dogs… But, I barely know much about your literal goals in my world; we eventually have to build trust between each other.” He says, putting confidence into his own words, knowing that they can be trusted. However, his eyes were on a random restaurant, lavished with distinct types of Ramen flavors. “Hey… You guys wanna eat here?”

  Regardless of their stunned and confused expressions, both were looking at each other with more confusion. There’s still more to this orange hedgehog than meets the eye. Again, this is what an adventure is about, understanding not just places, but also a key feature of a person, and Solid fits a perfect description for them. Ultimately, Tails calls off their awkward silence and pats Sonic’s back. “S-Sure! We’ll be coming.” Both watch Solid enter inside, while they slowly walk to the entrance. “We’re really relying on this person, are we?”

  Sonic can’t help but slightly show off his genuine expression, feeling glad that there are more unique friends. “Honestly, I’m fine with this. He’s perfectly humble about himself, revealing that being at the top isn’t his thing, showing a balanced approach, but taking his lower status to himself. Aside from all of that, if it does affect the way he fights… We’ll do our best to protect him. He’s the person that we can fully rely on in terms of having general knowledge of this city.” He responds before both of them feel starving, forcing them to enter the ramen place to eat.

  The restaurant is compact, filled with customers casually waiting, eating, or conversing with one another. Both look around for Solid until they see him waving his arms. “Right here!” He exclaims, showing off the two seats.

  As they sit down, he hands the menu, showing the different types of ramen that catch their interest. “These ramen look delicious, even without having one in front of me!” Tails eventually catches the eye of one of the ramen, already looking like his favorite. “Oh, how about this one! It’s uhh… It’s expensive to say the least, I guess I’ll pass-”

  “N-No! No! You don’t have to pass.” Solid exclaims, denying his change. “I’ll pay for the ramen for all of us anyway.”

  “You sure? Something pricey isn’t something that we should-”

  “Tails.” Solid places a hand on his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re my friend or not. I want to be generous with you guys.” A soft smile appears, showing his true honesty. “Try to have as much as you can. Embrace the food here.”

  Both look at each other in another round of expected shock, yet delighted by their new friend’s request. Tails sighs and orders the expensive ramen he has, while Sonic orders one of the more basic ramen flavors. It isn’t because it’s his first experience, but rather because he has some secret recipe. “Solid, may I leave this place for a few seconds?” He asks with a sly grin.

  Solid eyes on him, skeptically, unsure what his antics are. However, knowing that Sonic is the fastest being in the entire universe, he gives his approval. “... That’s fine… Why-?” And just like that, Sonic left, unsure of where he went. “Do you know what he’s doing, Tails?”

  Tails responds, he knows what Sonic is doing, because he has witnessed him doing this every time he eats ramen. “He likes to have a mix of Chili Dogs in his ramen…”

  “Really?”

  “I’m dead serious, Solid. He could go back at any time-”

  “Ha-ha!” Sonic instantly reappears, back in his seat, holding a few Chili Dogs underneath the table. “Can’t wait for my usual Chili Ramen Dogs!” He says that before the ramen was served to them.

  Grateful to have lunch with Solid, both walk outside the restaurant, having a fun time talking about the ramen they just ate. “Wow… That Ramen was amazing, especially the broth… Now thinking, no wonder mine was the most expensive.” They all feel amused by his thoughtful realization, but still, “Thank you, Solid. I know that costs 35.99, I’m glad you dared to pay for it. I’m just hoping you don’t go broke.”

  Solid swats his words away, unconcerned about money. “Don’t worry about the money I have. Losing amounts of money like this isn’t a concern for me; I won’t be broke anytime soon.” His voice hints at a tone of confidence, knowing how much money he’s making compared to how much he spends each day. “Just being generous. That’s all.”

  Despite discussing money-related talks, both Mobians do worry about one thing other than money…

  A place to stay.

  While sleeping in the alleyway isn’t the most comfortable, especially for travelers like them, it was at least peaceful, except for the smell and the city noise. But they’re hopeful that wherever Solid lives, especially with the money he has in his wallet, it is in a place more comfortable and peaceful than before. They double-check the amount of money that he gave them, and it’s decent enough to live off in this city for the two of them alone for just two days. Still, following him throughout the streets is enough to build up their high expectations for where they’re going to stay.

  Unable to contain their expectations, Tails instantly goes up to him with a bit of excitement in his voice. “Hey! So… we’re wondering… may we stay at your place…?”

  “... Sure.”

  Solid’s response was simple, but it does get the job done for both Mobians. A place finally suitable for them to stay, even though it’s just temporarily, they both briefly celebrate, resulting in him rolling his eyes in amusement. “By the way, the building is right next to us.” Solid points at the building next to them. It’s a beige apartment building with beautiful balconies, along with a 24/7 convenience store at the ground level. “Isn’t this apartment building a nice place to live in?”

  Both of their jaws drop, onlooking at the astonished beauty of the apartment building. Envisioning Solid’s apartment showed promising signs, offering a suitable and clean living space, a far cry from the alleyway, a hopeful sign of their relaxed stay. “We got ourselves a place to live,” Sonic whispers with a smug expression, before envisioning the life inside the apartment. “This is the best! Tails and I are living in a comfortable setting with a person who we hope will help us. We just hope that the apartment is going to exceed our expectations because it’s going to be a-”

  — Solid’s Home (Downtown District) —

  “-An empty rooftop?“ Stunned by the presentation of Solid’s home, he doesn’t live in the apartment. “You live on an empty rooftop?” Sonic double clarifies, while Tails is frozen in his state.

  “Isn’t it amazing? Living in an outdoor environment is a luxury. I save so much money without needing to pay any bills.” Solid walks to the edge of the rooftop before proceeding to sit on the roof’s edge. Despite revealing his status as a homeless person, that doesn’t matter, because the scenery of Haven City is a sight to see. Even though numerous skyscrapers surround the rooftop, the amount of traffic and pedestrians below the bustling streets expresses the daily life that the city has progressed throughout its entire day.

  “I don’t mind living in a place like this. Although we both wanted to live inside rather than up here, at least better than living down there.” Sonic whispers to Tails while observing the empty rooftop.

  “Give him credit, because it’s weirdly clean up here.” The empty rooftop shows only bits of dust and debris; however, most of the empty rooftop remains spotless. “Umm… Solid.” Tails exclaims, “Is there a bathroom around here? I could use one right now…”

  Solid points at the door next to the stairwell. “It’s right there. It’s a public bathroom, though, so be careful about the dirtiness.” He says while still gazing at the streets below.

  Tails immediately rushes to the bathroom door, but hesitantly opens it, awaiting the dirtiness of the bathroom. However, when turning on the light, this public bathroom isn’t so public. “W-Why is everything clean here?”

  Inspecting inside the bathroom, everything remains spotless, with barely any kinds of stains seen. With the usual stuff like a sink, toilet, and bathtub inside the bathroom, it’s almost as if only one person seems to use it. As expected, the bathroom is indeed run by a dedicated person who professionally cleans the bathroom daily.

  Solid.

  “I’m a clean person.” He says with a slight grin, gazing his eyes towards Tails. “I dislike it when everything’s dirty. I understand people’s preferences, but I tend to be far on the cleaner side.” What more surprises does he have? Dedicated to being clean while being homeless is a hard feat to accomplish, yet they do respect his lifestyle. “Also, no shoes in my bathroom.” He exclaims as Tails instantly complies, wasting no time taking off his shoes before the door shuts.

  Sonic tries to process all the information that just happened, but he gradually shakes that away in his mind. He approaches Solid, where he sits beside him. Just like him, he looks out at the skylines and the streets below. “There’s another reason we’re here… if you want to know.”

  “Tell me. You two are already heavily invested in me, other than money and stuff.”

  “You know how Tails and I are from another dimension? Our dimension is called ‘Mobius’ if you’re wondering.” Solid nods slightly, a clear indication that he’s hearing his conversation. Sonic takes a deep breath, letting him understand. “We were… forced to be transported here because we were chasing a longtime enemy of ours. His name is Doctor Ivo Robotnik, but he’s better known as Dr. Eggman. He’s human, tall, bald, whatever your mind accurately describes his looks.”

  Solid expression turns slightly serious, showing signs of slight concern, but not too overbearing. “What made you chase him… Was it something important? Something valuable-?”

  “Yes, something valuable… an object that we do value at its highest core. The Master Emerald.” He fidgets around with his hands a bit, processing the words to say to him. “He could be in this city, and if we don’t stop him… he will conquer this city, potentially your entire world.” The tension around them causes the noise of the city’s ambiance to disappear. “Would you want that to happen to you?”

  Whilst waiting for a response from him, he notices Solid’s fingers gripping onto the concrete. Inside his head, the vision of hearing people’s screams, the fire engulfing the city, and people’s lives tormented into forced labor or death greatly shivers his spine. To him, this world was never meant for power; it’s for either equality or equity combined. Everyone is balanced. But, envisioning the torment… pain… and suffering he’ll go through if it theoretically happens.

  A major thing that Solid will always rely on, no matter what.

  It is a pacifist approach.

  He just wants a world full of peace.

  “Solid.” Sonic snaps him out of his thought, concerned that whatever he said to him caused him to gain some sort of apprehension. But the main priority is convincing him about their true intentions here in this world. “That’s why we need you. You know this city and this world more than we do. You can guide us to where Eggman could potentially be.” He shows off a reassuring smile, hoping his words could boost his confidence a bit more.

  Still, Solid remains nervous about his words. If the task is to help and save potentially everyone’s lives, it could be too much for him. “But… It’s only the three of us. We can’t stop him with-“

  “Don’t worry. Tails and I have more friends awaiting us around this world. However, we were separated after going through a portal, but that’s what makes this better.” Sonic puts a fist on his chest, forming a bond to create a connection between the two hedgehogs. “You’re a strong hedgehog with a strong heart. You don’t have to do this alone… You have us.” He places a hand on his shoulder, further boosting his morale. “We’ll find my friends, but it’ll take time for us to cross paths. Think Eggman with the Master Emerald he currently has, and compare that to your ideology as a whole.” He lets Solid take his time to think, but asks him one more question.

  ”Would you fight alongside us?”

  …

  “What am I…?”

  “I’m a pacifist… I know that. But his words are sincere.”

  “I’m a pacifist because I’m tired of seeing people resorting to violence. I wanted to have an approach to help everyone… no matter the good or the bad, to not throw their lives away entirely.”

  “But for the truly evil ones… even though I give them second chances… what is there to cover?”

  “Sometimes I wonder if I was never meant for the pacifist approach… but I still harbor those traits of being a fighter and a peace-maker. It’s a weird combination…”

  “But doing this for this entire world…? Against a person who’s already evil enough… What if Eggman does have his good deeds? Is it enough for me to fight him? Would I still be willing to fight with Sonic?”

  “Yet… This Eggman guy stole something precious in their world. This Master Emerald… if it’s important to Sonic and his friends… and Eggman is promoting nothing other than harm to this world…”

  …

  Opening his eyes once more, Solid manages to retain his usual composure, with his fingers now losing their grip against the concrete’s edge. “... Sonic. I’m a pacifist, I admit that.” He takes one moment of silence, reflecting on his life before responding. “If Eggman is trying to do something bad to my world… then I’ll… No. We’ll stop him. We’ll get the Master Emerald back and return it to you and your friends, back to your world called Mobius.” He gazes back at the cityscape once more. “This city is full of innocent lives… good or bad… fair or unfair… we all have a purpose.”

  “To live.”

  “And I won’t let Eggman dare to damage one piece of this city, including everyone.” Solid slowly scoots away from the edge and stands back up, slightly watching the sun shine down at the city. “For you, your friends, and mine… I promise this.”

  “I’ll fight alongside you.”