Mephiles' POV:

Pain is an unusual thing. It can be both physical and emotional.

As I fell onto the bed, my pain was a little bit of both. My neck hurt from being squeezed, and my mind hurt from knowing we'd probably never settle this.

I jumped as Alabaster touched my back unexpectedly, but then relaxed as she started to massage it gently. "Ah...that feels so good, Abbie..." I murmured as I closed my eyes, giving a soft purr.

"I thought you could use some tension relief."

I sighed. "I'm not sure if it's me or Sonic causing it..."

"You're trying to fix things. Sonic doesn't want it fixed...at least, not in the same way you do."

I nodded, giving a soft moan as she moved up towards my shoulders. "Do you think we'll ever settle this...?"

"I'm sure of it, Phil...just keep trying."

"And don't get killed doing it..." I laid my head down on my arms, and eventually, I fell asleep.
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Sonic's POV:

I was sitting by the fireplace when the door opened, and Alabaster re-entered. This time, alone. "Where's your friend?" I asked.

"Asleep back at the hotel. A deep sleep. He doesn't even know I'm here..." She removed her jacket. "I only came to talk."

"About what?"

"You...and your reaction to him. I understand your frustrations with Mephiles. You thought he was out of your life for good."

"I still don't want him in my life...!"

"He doesn't like being around you either. The only reason he even came near that fight was because I told him to."

"You wanted me to beat him up?"

"No. But he needs to get over his fear, and you need to get over your grudge."

I looked up to her. "He's...scared of me?"

"Yes. He's an excellent actor, you know. He hides his fear with snark and sass, but he really does fear you. Actually, he fears your reputation."

She sat down. "You see, he's got bad on his rep. You don't. You're like the ultimate good guy. Friend to all, defender of the universe.
But the past few days, you've shown me that even the good guys can be high-strung, begrudging, and at times, cruel."

I shook my head, looking away from her. "What's your point?"

"My point, is that you need to stop clinging to the past. Run it off, like you do so well. Phil just wants to live without feeling guilty all the time, and he can't do that if he's always hiding from you..."

"How can you love him? After what he did to me, to the world?"

"I knew him before Solaris tainted his mind... He's not a killer, not really. That's why Iblis tried to kill him. And why I kidnapped him to save his life..." She stood up. "Give him a chance...the others have."

"I don't know if I can...!"

"You forgave Shadow and Silver...?"

I turned to find her gone into the night, leaving a book on the table. I picked it up, seeing it was a photo album of her and Mephiles.
Most of them were of Mephiles trying new things, from wearing pants to eating with a mouth.

The last was a selfie, with Alabaster kissing Mephiles on the cheek. The hedgehog looked completely embarrassed.

He never looked like a scheming maniacal killer in any of them.

Perhaps I was being too harsh on him...I needed to do something about it.
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Silver's POV:

I woke up the next morning to find Mephiles sitting at the foot of the bed, sipping on a cup of coffee. "Meph-"

"Shh. Sonic doesn't know I'm here." Mephiles replied. "I wanted to know your opinion on...me."

"Honestly, I think Sonic's being a bit of a jerk to you, and you deserve a chance. I tried to tell him that, but he says that there were only three musketeers."

Mephiles smirked, shaking his head. "You're so adorably naive, Silver...I'm amazed you're not swarmed with girls."

I sighed. "The only one I cared for is gone...she may still be alive, but she doesn't remember me, or what happened..."

"Are you sure you should just give up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Blaze was placed somewhere else when time reset, but just because she doesn't remember your previous time together, that doesn't mean you can't renew that relationship..."

We turned as Shadow opened the door and peered in, looking surprised before groaning. "Do you weird people out on purpose, or is it just part of your personality?" He asked.

"It's... Not knowing what's socially acceptable yet."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Fine...Sonic will be here any minute, so prepare yourself, or run, or...whatever."