Chapter 1: The Hero and the Hedgehog
Chapter Text
One reborn, one immortal, and one beating heart.
Twin souls are at peace, but the third’s counterpart
is yet battling a demon forever and a day.
With whom do the blessings of miracles stay?
Narrator: You’re on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a city. And in the middle of that city is a hedgehog. You’re here to slay him. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world.
-Oh, ok. Thanks for telling me what to do.
Narrator: Don’t mention it. It’s all part of the job.
Voice of the Blaze: Hold on. Is he really telling us the truth? How do we know that this hedgehog is really the reason our world will end?
Narrator: Ignore her. All you need to know is that he IS the Iblis Trigger. He will be directly responsible for the destruction of your world.
-I’m sure he’s telling the truth. Why would he lie about something like that? Now let’s get going! We have a future to save!
Narrator: You make your way up the short path that leads into the city. A warning, before you go any further… He will lie, he will cheat, and he will do everything in his power to defeat you. You must not falter.
-You can count on me! I’m really good at putting out fires!
Narrator: Fires? What are you talking about?
-Well, he was on fire, right?
Narrator: That was a visual representation of evil, no, of course he’s not literally on fire. That would be painful.
-Oh. I just thought it had something to do with Iblis.
Voice of the Blaze: Perhaps we should head back and rethink our options since it’s clear we misunderstood something.
-Maybe you’re right. But we can’t just sit around and do nothing! Let’s keep going.
Voice of the Blaze: Very well. I’m with you, Silver.
Narrator: The city is vast and open, full of PNGs of cars and street signs. There is no movement and no life. No one walks the dull, low-rendered streets. Even the air itself is stagnant and heavy. If the hedgehog lives here, slaying him is probably doing him a favor.
Narrator: Below you, you can see a human girl and the blue hedgehog casually walking through town. It is the perfect time to strike.
-(Slay the Hedgehog)
Narrator: With a swiftness you did not believe possible the hedgehog picks up the girl and leaps out of the way before the psychokinetic attack reaches him. Element of surprise lost, you descend upon the battlefield.
-”I’ve been looking for you. You’re the Iblis Trigger. Your actions will condemn us all!”
Voice of the Blaze: And just like that, the enemy knows our plans. This is exactly why we should have gone with a more tactical approach.
Narrator: The hedgehog gets in front of the Princess, standing menacingly before you. Be careful. There’s no telling from which direction he’ll strike first.
“Who are you?”
-”My name is Silver. For the future of the world, I will destroy you!”
Voice of the Blaze: Is monologuing really the best option at this point?
Narrator: It’s too late to go back now. You strike at your enemy, but he lunges backwards winding up for a spin attack. You trade blows, one after the other, saying nothing as you strive to complete your goal. Finally, you land a hit. Then another. Followed by another. The blue hedgehog falls to the ground in a crumpled heap.
Voice of the Blaze: That was... really easy. Too easy. Is he dead?
-”Hmph. Is this a joke? How could someone like you cause the destruction of our world?”
“What do you mean?”
-”It doesn’t matter. For the sake of the future, the Iblis Trigger must be destroyed!”
Narrator: You strike at the hedgehog one last time, delivering a lethal blow. He collapses, limbs convulsing as life leaves his body. You have done it. You saved the world. Well done, Silver. Congratulations are in order, as well as a party full of cake and presents. Do you care for pancakes? There's a restaurant just around the corner, I believe they have a delicious-
Voice of the Blaze: Hold on. Something’s not right.
-I… I don’t feel so good...
Voice of the Blaze: Everything is fading. It's like reality is deconstructing around us. Mephiles? What’s going on?
Narrator: Hm? Oh, nothing in particular, why do you ask? Everything is perfectly normal.
-Our timeline… did we mess up?
Voice of the Blaze: Yes. It does feel that way. As if we no longer have the ability to exist. As if we made a mistep that prevents us from existing.
Narrator: So like a paradox? I’m afraid not. That show won't be released for another twenty-or-so years. You are perfectly fine and the world is saved. Well done.
-Yeah… It is…
Voice of the Blaze: Silver?
Everything goes dark and you die.
Chapter Text
Narrator: You’re on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a city. And in the middle of that city is a hedgehog. You’re here to slay him. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world.
-Oh, ok. Thanks for telling me what to do.
-What happened? Where did everything go? Why are we back where we started?
Voice of the Rose: We made a MISTAKE that’s why. We shouldn’t be attacking random hedgehogs we find in the city! Oho, no. This Mephiles is lying to us about something!
Voice of the Blaze: I’m not sure if it’s that drastic, but something happened anyway. We need to regroup.
Narrator: What are you all going on about? It’s not that bad. I mean sure, you are killing another creature, but it’s for the greater good is it not?
Voice of the Rose: Greater good? Nothing is more important than staying alive. We can’t exactly fix the future if we wind up disappearing!
Voice of the Blaze; Perhaps. But there won’t be anywhere for us anyway if the world ends. We must have made a misstep and caused the end of the world anyway...
-I can agree on one thing. Something went wrong. And we have to find a way to fix it.
Narrator: You are right about that. Regardless what delusions the little voices might have, you have a job to do. You can’t waiver.
Voice of the Rose: Hmph. Isn’t that a fine way to talk to a lady! What makes your view any more valuable than ours? You don’t even seem to know what happened this last time.
Narrator: Nothing happened. And nothing WILL happen if you don’t get a move on. You have a future to save.
-We can figure this out as we go. Maybe it will go better this time, now that we know what’s going to happen.
Voice of the Blaze: Don’t get cocky. I have a feeling there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Narrator: You make your way up the short path that leads into the city. A warning, before you go any further… He will lie, he will cheat, and he will do everything in his power to defeat you. You must not falter.
Voice of the Rose: HE seemed like a perfect darling, and very handsome, too! We should try talking to him.
Narrator: Whatever you do don’t TALK to him. He’s a monster. He has to be destroyed.
-Fine. Let’s go.
Narrator: The city is vast and open, full of PNGs of cars and street signs. There is no movement and no life. No one walks the dull, low-rendered streets. Even the air itself is stagnant and heavy. If the hedgehog lives here, slaying him is probably doing him a favor.
Voice of the Rose: That is a very mean thing to say!
Narrator: It’s the truth.
Voice of the Blaze: You know, this might be a bad time, but I feel like we've seen you before somewhere.
-Yes, but... I can't recall when or where.
Voice of the Rose: Who, me? I’ve been here the whole time, what are you talking about?
Narrator: You are suddenly brought back to the present as you recognize movement out of the corner of your eye. You can see a human girl and the blue hedgehog casually walking through town. It is the perfect time to strike.
-(Slay the Hedgehog)
-”Hi!”
Narrator: Or you could do that… Well, I suppose you can close the distance at least. *Sigh* They stop at the sound of your voice and look up. You leap down from the top of the building you were perched upon and descend slowly to the ground. They watch, the hedgehog standing protectively in front of the girl as you land.
Voice of the Rose: Perfect. Now we have the chance to ask questions.
Voice of the Blaze: Questions? Didn't you want to crush him?
Voice of the Rose: Well, he is rather good-looking, and we should get his side of things first anyway.
“Who are you?”
-”I’ve been looking for you. You’re the Iblis Trigger. Your actions will condemn us all!”
-”My name is Silver. We're going to have a talk.”
“O… kay.”
Narrator: the hedgehog eyes you suspiciously, his battle-ready stance relaxing just slightly as he takes in your appearance. This… is good. He's letting down his guard. Just be prepared to strike when he least expects it.
Voice of the Rose: If we want him to tell us anything, we have to start by being open and honest ourselves. Lying won’t get us anywhere, and it’s morally incorrect for a hero like us!
Narrator: I hope I don’t have to tell you that you must certainly not be honest. That hedgehog is a morally bankrupt person, you don’t have to be honest with someone who is fundamentally evil.
Voice of the Rose: I don't give a FIG if he IS a monster, lying is wrong.
-”I was sent here to slay you. You're apparently supposed to end the world.”
Narrator: Of course you just ignore me why should you listen to me? I'm just guiding you that's all. Ugh. The hedgehog crosses his arms and regards you curiously, an amused grin on his features.
-”But I wanted to see you for myself. I'm still not sure what to believe.”
“So that's why you're here, huh? Thanks, but I'm pretty attached to the world myself. Did these uh, folks happen to tell you HOW I'm supposed to end everything?”
-”No… I've been told enough.”
Narrator: The hedgehog turns away, casually looking off into the distance as if unimpressed.
“I don't know how to destroy the world if that's what you're getting at.”
Voice of the Blaze: His stance is relaxed and open. I believe him.
Narrator: He doesn't have to know HOW to destroy the world to be capable of doing it.
Voice of the Rose: Well, I would like to hear more myself before making a judgement. Like his name. And his occupation. And favorite color.
Voice of the Blaze: I think it would be more practical to ask him something of use. Perhaps he knows what the Iblis Trigger is.
-”What's your name?”
“Sonic the Hedgehog.”
-"What's your occupation?"
"Um... Freedom fighter."
-”What's your favorite color?”
“...Don't really have one.”
Narrator: Wonderful. Now you can apologize politely with his name when you kill him dead.
Voice of the Rose: No favorite color? How suspicious!
Voice of the Blaze: I… really don't think that is relevant information.
-(Press him for his favorite color)
“Dude, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you're being a little weird. Like, creepy random fan weird. What do you want from me?”
Voice of the Blaze: I think we're scaring him. Not a good idea if we want information.
-(Press harder.)
“Okay! Okay! You don't have to get all angry. If it's THAT important to you I guess I like red.”
Narrator: He answers with nonchalance but looks at you expectantly as if waiting for an explanation for your inquiry.
Voice of the Rose: There. Now we have a good character trait sheet started for him.
Voice of the Blaze: A… a what? That's why you needed to know his favorite color that bad?
Voice of the Rose: Yes indeed! And now I will be better able to psychoanalyze him!
Voice of the Blaze: *sigh*
-”Do you know anything about the Iblis Trigger?”
Narrator: The Hedgehog straightens up, his face losing the bewilderment it had a minute ago. He seems to recognize that this is a serious subject. You know you can't tell him anything, right? That would be disastrous.
“Can't say that I do. Would you mind explaining it to me?”
-(Ignore The Narrator and explain.)
Narrator: But before you can say anything there is a loud sound behind you. A whirlwind of mechanical noises and screams infiltrate the old silence as you struggle to get your bearings. The girl the hedgehog was guarding is being carried away by some sort of mechanical being.
Voice of the Blaze: Hold on. ‘Mechanical being’? What sort of being? Did you mention that last time?
Narrator: That isn't important. What's important is the blue hedgehog is making his escape in the confusion. Quick! You have to act!
Voice of the Rose: What?! We didn't give him permission to leave, the interrogation wasn't finished!
-(Stop him)
Narrator: As you are overwhelmed by the sudden sights and sounds around you, you manage to laser your focus in on the form of the hedgehog. One well-placed attack and he is on the floor. He does not get up.
Voice of the Rose: Oh dear… I guess I put too much punch in that attack, haha.
Voice of the Blaze: What about the girl? She seemed rather important.
Narrator: it doesn't matter. You have saved the world, that is the only important fact of this situation. And you can chalk it up to an accident, you don't even have to feel bad! Isn't that lovely?
Voice of the Blaze: Honestly it makes it worse.
Narrator: Well, good thing your opinion doesn't matter. Ah, even if it was a roundabout way I commend you, dear hero. You have…”
Voice of the Blaze: Hm? He's… gone again.
Voice of the Rose: Ah, who cares? He was rather bossy anyway. I feel sorry for Sonic though. We got to know his favorite color and everything… we could have been good friends I think!
-I'm afraid we might still get a chance… I don't feel so good...
Everything goes dark, and you die.
Notes:
I have had so little time to write due to school... So what better time to finish this than in the middle of a party when you feel overstimulated :D
Chapter Text
Narrator: You’re on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a city. And in the middle of that city is a hedgehog. You’re here to slay him. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world.
-Oh, ok. Thanks for telling me what to do.
-What happened? Where did everything go? Why are we back where we started?
-OK, I’m out of ideas. We just keep going back again and again…
Voice of the Tails: We must be trapped in some sort of time paradox. No matter what we do we just get sent back to this moment.
Voice of the Blaze: Another one? How crowded is it going to get in here before we break out of this cycle?
Voice of the Rose: Got any ideas, new guy?
Voice of the Tails: Maybe. I’m not sure if you guys will like it though…
-Go on. Don’t be nervous.
Voice of the Blaze: It’s not as if any of the things we’ve tried have worked.
Narrator: I apologize, dear hero. It appears that warping you through time space has had a negative impact on your psyche. It will all return to normal once you return to your proper time, but until then I would recommend doing your best to ignore them and their bickering.
-(lie) Yeah, I’ll do that.
Narrator: You… You DO know that I know when you are lying, right? Tsk tsk, that’s not very honorable of you, and after all this effort I have made to help you.
Voice of the Rose: Hush up! Let the kid talk!
Voice of the Tails: Well, it would be better if I had at least one more attempt to compare, but based on these last two times we get sent back at a particular point in time. Specifically, after we… er… y'know.
Voice of the Rose: Brutally murder someone?
Voice of the Tails: Y-yes. We spent more time in the loop on the second try because we talked to him first. If I had to guess, I would say that defeating him alters our timeline in just such a way that it causes us to cease to exist.
Voice of the Blaze: What do you mean?
Voice of the Tails: Well, it’s sort of like the butterfly effect: So much can change by one small action. There must be something that this Sonic guy does which directly causes us to exist in the future. And when we defeat him, we get sent back to this point in time before we make the decision to do so, because we can no longer exist in the other version of reality.
Voice of the Rose: So, you mean… he could be a distant ancestor of ours?
Voice of the Blaze: No, not necessarily, although I suppose it’s a possibility.
-But if that’s true, doesn’t it prove that this hedgehog IS the Iblis Trigger?
Voice of the Tails: I mean, I never said he wasn’t. I just…
Voice of the Rose: Just what?
Voice of the Tails: W-well… he seems like a pretty cool guy. I just don’t get the feeling he’s as evil as Mephiles has been saying.
Narrator: I can assure you, he is VERY evil. If you could tell that sort of thing from a glance, all the most wicked people in the world could be caught and destroyed by anyone before they caused harm. Villains like him are dangerous precisely BECAUSE you can’t tell.
Voice of the Tails: I mean… I guess.
Narrator: So, dear hero, are you prepared to save the world? Or are you going to sit there talking to yourself while the future goes up in smoke?
-We can figure this out as we go. Maybe it will go better this time, now that we know what’s going to happen.
-Something is really weird about this whole situation. This time, let’s see what happens when we DON’T slay him. (Proceed)
Narrator: I’m sorry, what did you say? Have you gone mad? I just told you the only way to save the future is to-
Voice of the Rose: Shut up and describe.
Narrator: But… Ugh. You make your way up the short path that leads into the city, reflecting on the destruction of the world by the flames of Iblis. You wonder if this is the right decision, beginning to second guess yourself.
Voice of the Tails: I don’t feel that way. Do you guys?
Voice of the Blaze: Not in the slightest.
Voice of the Rose: Okay buddy, that's enough of that. We aren't about to be manipulated again.
Narrator: Fine. The city is vast and open. There is no movement and no life. Even the air itself is stagnant and heavy. If the hedgehog lives here, slaying him is probably doing him a favor.
-(Slay the Hedgehog)
-”Hi!”
Narrator: They stop at the sound of your voice and look up. You leap down from the top of the building you were perched upon and descend slowly to the ground. They watch, the hedgehog standing protectively in front of the girl as you land.
“Who are you?”
Voice of the Tails: If you don’t mind my suggestion… I would recommend telling him about the looping. It won’t matter anyway if that messes things up because everything will reset.
Narrator: That is a fine idea, make him think you’re insane and THEN slay him. Because there is no looping, you delusional little voice. I swear, nobody respects me in the slightest.
Voice of the Tails: Everybody else remembers too.
Narrator: That just makes you a-
Voice of the Rose: Back off you prick or my hammer will knock your eyes out!
Narrator: Hammer? What hammer? You can’t do anything to me- yeowch!
Voice of the Blaze: …Maybe you should go ahead and say something, Silver. I don’t think this is going to be resolved anytime soon.
-”I’ve been looking for you. You’re the Iblis Trigger. Your actions will condemn us all!”
-”My name is Silver. We're going to have a talk.”
-”I’d like to speak to you, Sonic.”
Narrator: The hedgehog shifts his weight to his left foot, his demeanor remaining guarded but with a touch of confusion.
“Well, I don’t see why not. Uh… Have we met?”
Voice of the Tails: Three times now!
Voice of the Blaze: You don’t have to sound so happy about it... It's not like this has been pleasant.
Voice of the Tails: Oh… Sorry. I can't help it. Looking at him just makes me smile for some reason.
Voice of the Rose: I have to agree on that front.
-”I was sent here to slay you. You're apparently supposed to end the world.”
Narrator: The hedgehog crosses his arms and regards you curiously, an amused grin on his features.
-”But I wanted to see you for myself. I'm still not sure what to believe.”
-”...But I’m starting to doubt whether that’s true or not.”
“Really? You didn’t even give me a chance to explain why that’s ridiculous. I had a whole speech planed. Why the sudden change of heart?”
Voice of the Tails; Be honest. We don’t need to lie to him anymore.
-”The truth is, I’ve already fought you twice now. Each time I’m sent back to about five minutes before our fight. I was told that you would destroy my future: but my future is taken from me by fighting you.”
Narrator: The hedgehog taps his shoes impatiently, thinking.
“That’s a lot to take in. I’m in the middle of something, but would you mind meeting up with me and my buddies later? And who exactly put you up to this, anyway?”
Narrator: But before you can answer there is a loud sound behind you. A whirlwind of mechanical noises and screams infiltrate the old silence as you struggle to get your bearings. The girl the hedgehog was guarding is being carried away by some sort of mechanical being.
Voice of the Tails: What type of being? Is it one of Eggman’s robots, a generic crane, an alien?
Narrator: That’s not important-
Voice of the Tails: And how about the girl? You didn’t describe her either.
Narrator: Look, it’s a robot with little grabby hands and an ordinary girl. Nothing to get so obsessed about.
Voice of the Blaze: Why is she getting kidnapped, anyway? Just who is she? She almost… disappears from memory while we’re talking to Sonic.
Voice of the Rose: Yeah, I completely forgot about her. What sorta trick are you pulling, anyway?
Narrator: Look, we can talk about this later, but right now the hedgehog is getting away
-"No. We’re not going anywhere until we get answers, Mephiles. We’re done following your orders."
Narrator: No, you can’t let him escape- I can’t let him escape.
Voice of the Blaze: Wait… what the- what are you doing?
-(Slay the Hedgehog)
Narrator: You raise your arm and strike at the hedgehog with a psycho-kinetic blast. Unsuspecting of his attack, he is thrown to the floor and sent tumbling into a pile of crates and boxes.
“Elise!”
Voice of the Blaze: Silver? Can you hear me?
Voice of the Rose: You can resist this! Don’t let him force you to fight!
Voice of the Tails: Please! Don’t hurt Sonic!
-(Slay the Hedgehog)
Narrator: You ignore the pleas of the voices and raise your hand again, the hedgehog following its courses and crashing into a wall. He collapses, worn and exhausted, as you close in on him.
“Sonic!”
Narrator: What…? A fox and another hedgehog run into your field of view, their arms stretched out and blocking your attack. You ignore them, focused only on your target.
-(Resist)
“Silver! You have to remember, Sonic is our friend!”
“This isn’t you! You can wake up. You have to!”
Voice of the Blaze: Strange. Who are they? And… where did those other two voices go?
Narrator: Stop resisting! I’m trying to save you!
-(Resist)
Narrator: Your hands are infuriatingly rigid as you stand there, only watching as the hedgehog gets up and thanks the two newcomers, before running away, far too fast for you to follow- this is impossible! This can’t be happening. Not with my freedom so close…
Voice of the Blaze: Freedom? What are you talking about?
Narrator: We will try again. Yes. I won’t be trapped in here forever. I won’t be forgotten. I will escape, and YOU will take my place.
-Wait… I don't feel so good...
Before you can process anything the world seems to spin. You collapse, folding in on yourself as you fall into a tainted darkness that stretches for infinity. Time passes. Time stills. A single moment lasts for years and a year passes you in the blink of an eye.
The sound of breaking glass as your mind shatters
Notes:
Idk what I'm doing anymore. This was supposed to be a funny crack but I guess this is what I'm doing now.
Chapter Text
Flames surround you. You are at the Iblis crater.
-[Proceed]
You make your way to the center of the crater. Something reflective glimmers ahead, moving with the gentle motion of something alive. You draw nearer to it.
“Something finds me in the Long Quiet, bringing me a gift of a fragile vessel.”
The figure of someone embraced and held up by various extremities materializing from thin air. Colorless against the unflickering, frozen flames around you, it is slouched in unconsciousness even as the hands cradle its body. The shape is familiar.
-“What are you?”
“I am flickering lights in an empty city. What are you?”
You hesitate, regarding the creature warily. Its eyes are covered, but it seems to return your gaze nonetheless.
-“I’m a hedgehog. My name is Silver.”
“Is that what you are? Or is it simply who you perceive yourself to be?
We are more than the sum of our parts. Do we become what we believe ourselves to be, or is our self formed around a core that cannot be altered by perception?”
-”Ok, then what do you think I am?”
“I think that you are like me. We are oceans reduced to shallow creeks.”
The figure shifts, seeming to adopt a neutral stance, but you get a strange sense that there are two beings in front of you.
-”Are you the hands or the body? Which one of you is talking?”
“I am I. This vessel is one which you brought to me. Do you not recognize it? It seems to know you.”
Memories stir, bubbling for a brief moment in the back of your mind. They settle and twist like shifting sands, helpless but to move along with the flow of the wind. You do not recognize the vessel.
-”That all aside, what is this place?”
“This is the space in-between. The line between what could have been and what never was. Your world and mine intersect here.”
-”Wait, YOUR world? What do you mean?”
The being seems to hesitate to answer. Whether because the answer is so unbelievable or because she is choosing her next words carefully, you cannot tell.
“Boundaries are breached. A new fold is added to the layers of change and death. Two become one, only to divide once again.
"I am not of your world, and yet a fragment of myself has found a way here. And in the depths of time and empty space a voice cries out, awakening me.”
-”Could it have been Mephiles? He’s the one who has been guiding us through this. He’s sort of a disembodied voice… which saying out loud now sounds pretty strange.”
“Your voice was the only one I heard. A heart, long silent but ever-tense, stretched and wrapped around an infinite darkness, crying out in pain and long-suffering as it fulfils its torturous duty. Though time has shifted and long-since changed, it is only by your hand that this darkness yet remains entrapped.
"But now, it seems to desire to escape.”
-”Darkness?”
“I know nothing but what you know yourself.”
-”That isn’t very helpful.”
“You could say that advice, itself, is reliant not on the advice-giver but upon the openness of the heart that receives it.”
It is not spoken with contempt, but rather as a simple observation. There is no Ill intent in her voice.
-”Ok, how about this then. Do you know what’s going on? Why I keep looping and why I have all of these voices in my head?”
The vessel seems to incline its head towards the far darkness beyond the flames.
“Fiery darkness and shadowy flame obscure the truth. Sediment is kicked up from the seafloor and clouds the waters. Given time, perhaps this too will settle and sight will grow clear again.
Perhaps with more vessels, my power might be sufficient to divide the mists… but this Construct resists me yet.”
-”So if you got more power, you could tell me what’s happening here?”
“Perhaps. That is up to you and the actions you take in the other place. If you desire, I can send you back into the shadows. But it will cloud your mind and memories of our time here.”
-”Do it. It’s not like there’s anything I can do here.”
“Very well. I look forward to our next meeting.”
And just like that
you are
falling
down
again
Notes:
Wow school has been crazy and I lost my job so depression fun! Getting back into the swing of things. I have ze plan for this story, it's just finding the time to get it down. Ah, so much effort for so little result... Sitting and writing for three hours, even with AuDHD, shouldn't give me only a thousand or so words lmao
Chapter Text
Narrator: You’re on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a tunnel. And inside that tunnel is a hedgehog. You’re here to slay him. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world.
-Wh-where am I? What happened?
Voice of the Blue: What does it matter? We’ve got a whole day ahead of us, plenty of time to figure everything out.
-Who are you…? Where did everyone else go?
Voice of the Blue: Hm? Whatcha mean?
Narrator: It’s clear that you’re still a little groggy from all the timey-wimey stuff. Buck up, dear hero, you have a world to save! We can’t be losing heart right before the big battle, eh?
-Battle? What are you talking about?
Narrator: The battle to defeat the Iblis Trigger, of course! Come, dear hero, you must advance into the tunnels and destroy Iblis before your timeline is consumed.
-Erm… Iblis trigger, right… Uh, new voice? What do you think of all of this?
Voice of the Blue: I don’t have an opinion. Although I wouldn’t mind if we went for a run
-That’s not very helpful…
Narrator: Of course it isn’t. But no matter. Are you ready to seize your destiny, dear hero?
-...Yeah, Mephiles. Let’s do this.
Narrator: Actually, it's Memphis, but I will gladly forgive your transgression upon my name! I don't have many friends to mispronounce my name so consider yourself lucky to be one of the few who are given permission to!
-uh... Sure... [Proceed]
Narrator: You make your way up the short path leading to the tunnel. A warning, before you go any further. You must not hesitate to act. A moment of hesitation is all the hedgehog needs to summon Iblis and destroy the timeline. Do not falter.
Voice of the Blue: Yeah yeah, we get it. Going fast is my specialty, y’know.
Narrator: You will indeed need great speed to defeat this creature. Don’t get cocky.
-[Enter the Tunnel]
Narrator: You dash into the shadows of the tunnel, taking care to remain hidden. The distant sounds of a train rolling along the tracks come to your ears. You speed onward, taking care to remain silent.
Narrator: As you approach the sounds, you spot a figure dashing in front of a racing train. You can’t make out the details, but it appears to be carrying something, some sort of weapon you think. Quick, it’s now or never.
-Ok. Let’s do this. (Slay the Hedgehog)
Narrator: You charge forward, energy welling up inside you as you prepare for a single, calculated strike. The hedgehog comes around the corner, and you thrust your energy outward, striking the beast with perfect accuracy. It is quick. It is done. The creature topples headfirst into the ground, dropping what he was carrying, and with nothing to protect him from the speeding train at his back he-
Everything has slowed down to a crawl. Even me.
The hedgehog’s form glitches, morphing into a strange and uncanny shape before solidifying again. As he drops the girl he was carrying, she rolls out of the way of the train tracks, disappearing into the darkness. The hedgehog, Sonic, I suddenly remember, is struck by the train, albeit at a slow and sluggish pace. Strangely, though, he does not seem to react physically. It is as if he is a ghost and the train merely passes through his corporeal body.
-Huh? What’s happening?! Why is everything so slow?
Voice of the Blue: Heh. I like it. Gives us the chance to do some thinking.
A thought hits me all of a sudden. A thought I hadn’t considered could be possible at all. N o, in fact, THINKING ITSELF was something I hadn't considered possible. Something has changed. I felt clearer. Like the mental fog I had been in since this nonsense started has lifted just a little. And with that thought came a hint of suspicion...
-Wait, are you doing this?
Voice of the Blue: *shrugs*
-Did you seriously just say *shrugs*?
Voice of the Blue: Look, you’re the one who wanted to investigate stuff, so don’t question it. You’ve got the chance to act on your own, so make it count.
I hesitate, wondering if what the voice said is true. I experimentally move my arms and legs. They are sluggish, as if I am moving through water, but I can still move. Carefully, I head for the train tracks. Crossing them after the train is gone, I head for the shadows. I know what I need to investigate.
The shadow is oppressive and thick, like a blanket. There is a strange sense of foreboding in my gut and I wonder briefly if I even WANT to know what is in this darkness. What a strange feeling, of course I want to know what’s going on! I’m trapped in this weird time loop trying to figure out where I’m at and what I’m doing. I have to stop the Iblis Trigger, right? Mephiles (Memphis?) was helping me. But, he wasn’t. He was manipulating things somehow.
Right… it was all coming back to me. Tails said that killing the hedgehog somehow erased MY existence. There was a better way to seal off the Iblis Trigger, there had to be. After all, Blaze had-
Blaze had-
“Blaze!”
“Good luck, Silver.”
Fading, rising, falling. A fire burning upside down, its tongues licking the earth as it fades into nothingness. The searing agony of the fusion between two souls. A girl dressed in white stands before me, her expression blank and emotionless. Her eyes stare into mine, piercing my soul as a malevolent grin slowly upturns the corners of her mouth. The reaper has come. Doom has come. You have failed and they are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead. They are dead-
Voice of the Blue: Oh would you look at that, a mirror of all things.
Memories fade again. I am staring not at a girl, but at a mirror. Just a mirror. The nightmarish images (memories?) fade and I look at the dark reflection in the mirror.
-I have a feeling this is important.
Voice of the Blue: I imagine it is. Probably some sort of Egghead contraption. I’d be careful if I were you.
Aren't you me...?
-Where did the girl that Sonic guy was carrying get to? No one else is here in the shadows.
Voice of the Blue: She must’ve run off. Heh. She’d have to be pretty fast to do that, faster than me even. Impressive.
-Can you please take this seriously?
Voice of the Blue: I am! Now come on, are you ready?
-...No, but I don’t really have a choice, do I?
I step forward, reaching for the mirror’s misty surface. My hand touches the glass and a shudder runs through me as a chill I can feel even through my gloves runs up my arms and into my chest. Steam begins to rise from the apparently damp glass, the condensation reformulating into individual drops and beginning to slide down the mirror’s surface. My breathing is coming in quick, sharp bursts, and I’m having trouble keeping myself upright- Wait, what am I doing? What am I afraid of? It’s just a mirror.
Voice of the Blue: …
A glimpse of the tips of white quills, a golden eye meeting mine as the mist leaves completely to reveal-
Narrator: -And you watch in triumph as all of your worries vanish, leaving you with nothing but the knowledge that you have completed your true task. You don’t even have to clean anything up. How wonderful that must be for you!
-Woah, what? I’m back at the train tracks…?
Narrator: Ah, our poor hero. Don’t worry, we shall be happy to provide therapy in the near future, free of charge! I’m sure any trauma and dissociation obtained from this harrowing adventure will be a mere stone’s throw away from being completely healed and back to normal once we get you into a session or two!
-Uh, therapy? What in the heck are you talking about… now…
Voice of the Blue: You good there, buddy?
-I just need to rest a minute… I don’t feel so good.
Everything goes dark, and you die.
Notes:
I've been watching too much Sonic Boom.
Chapter Text
Narrator: You’re on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a tunnel. And inside that tunnel is a hedgehog. You’re here to slay him. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world.
-Wh-where am I? What happened?
-Aaaaaand we’re back. Lovely.
Voice of the Blue: Can’t say I’m surprised. Oh well.
Voice of the Knuckles: ‘Oh well?’ That’s all you have to say?! You clearly got us killed, dingbat!
Voice of the Blue: I didn’t do anything. I’m not the one making the decisions here, after all.
Voice of the Knuckles: Wise guy, eh? Well, we ain’t letting you take control anymore! No more weird, freaky journeys into the mist for what should have been a simple smash-and-grab.
Voice of the Blue: *shrug* Whatever you say.
Voice of the Knuckles: Don’t sass me-!
-G… guys? Uh, we’re not really in a position to be arguing about this.
Voice of the Blue: I haven’t done a thing, it’s this knucklehead who’s so ready to put the blame on other people. But sure, give it a shot. Let’s see how far YOUR methods get us.
Voice of the Knuckles: I’ll make you eat those words you slippery shrimp!
Narrator: Can I talk now? Has the yelling gone down? Oh, thank heavens, that was awful. Really, dear Hero, your intrusive thoughts are quite deafening when they wish to be… Ah, where was I? Oh yes of course, I need you to gather the six sages and- oh wait wrong script… See what you’ve done? You’ve mixed me up! Ah what I have to go through traveling through time just to save the world and everything in it… it’s really rather taxing! You ought to feel sorry for me, you know.
Voice of the Blue: …
Voice of the Knuckles: …
-...?
Voice of the Knuckles: This guy is an idiot.
Voice of the Blue: I couldn’t agree more.
Narrator: Regardless of what the little voices seem to delusionally be perceiving, your job remains the same. Defeat the Iblis Trigger, save the future, eh?
-Uh… Right! (Psst! Okay new voice, what’s this big plan of yours?)
Voice of the Knuckles: Plan? We smash and we grab. That’s all.
Voice of the Blue: You’ll have to be more specific about what we’re smashin’ and grabbin’.
Voice of the Knuckles: I’d explain but then HE would overhear. No point in giving it away.
Voice of the Blue: But then how are we going to know what to-
Voice of the Knuckles: Never mind that, we [proceed]!
-W…woah!
Narrator: You make your way up the short path leading to the tunnel. A warning, before you go any further. You must not hesitate to act. A moment of hesitation is all the hedgehog needs to summon Iblis and destroy the timeline. Do not falter.
Voice of the Knuckles: Heh. I can agree about one thing. There can be no hesitating here. No room for weak-minded folks who think they can just run from their problems.
Voice of the Blue: Okay, that was a little much-
Narrator: YOU IGNORE THE BICKERING and continue through the tunnel, taking care to remain hidden. The distant sounds of a train rolling along the tracks come to your ears.
Narrator: As you approach the sounds, you spot a figure dashing in front of a racing train. You can’t make out the details, but it appears to be carrying something, some sort of weapon you think. Quick, it’s now or never.
-Ok. Let’s do this. (Slay the Hedgehog)
-Activate Immovable Wall of Steel Fists Power
Voice of the Blue: Uh…
Voice of the Knuckles: Immovable wall! Steady! Strong! Keep your feet up, that’s it!
-L-like this?
Voice of the Knuckles: Perfect. Now get ready…!
Narrator: You are… standing in the middle of the train tracks, your legs spread apart awkwardly and your hands out in front of you as if ready to catch something. You… you can’t be serious about this! Surely you know how strong a train can be.
Voice of the Knuckles: Of that we are aware… But never has a train ever come face to face with this ancient technique! With one hand, we will halt the motion of the beast!
Narrator: ….
Voice of the Blue: …
Narrator: oh, so you’re dead, alright. I give up. The giant train speeds for you at record-breaking speed, only barely outmatched by the big scary hedgehog running in front of it. You know that you won’t survive this encounter.
Voice of the Knuckles: Heh. Speak for yourself mother-
Voice of the Blue: O-KAYYY just remember I’ll be happy to get you out of here alive if needed.
-I can’t believe I”m saying this but I trust him. It’s not like it matters if it doesn’t work, everything will just reset. Let’s just see what happens.
Narrator: The train is quickly approaching you. The ground rumbles beneath your feet, causing the smallest of the stones at your feet to tremble ever so slightly. The tunnel shakes, and the headlights seem to envelop everything as it finally reaches where you stand…
Voice of the Knuckles: DO IT!!!
-[Perform the Super Immovable Wall of Steel Fists Power]
Narrator: Your fist flies forward, catching the neck of the hedgehog as he tries to rush past you. A second is all it takes to be met with death, but you… somehow avoid that. By… disappearing into a little hole in the ground. Ah, I see, you’ve displaced the earth around you to form a little cave, how cute… er, I mean how ridiculous.
Voice of the Knuckles: And? What happens next, hm?
Narrator *sigh* the train clatters by harmlessly overhead, and you are now trapped with your mortal enemy. Congratulations.
-This is exactly the chance I need! We can actually sit and talk with them now.
Narrator: ‘Them’? No, there’s only the one down there with you, the Iblis Trigger that I expect you to hastily take care of.
Voice of the Knuckles: Dude, there’s clearly a girl sitting right next to him.
Narrator: I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.
Voice of the Blue: Yeah, don’t bother. She’s there, and we can see her. But I doubt this is going to change anything anyway.
-”Hey you two, get up. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
Narrator: The figure doesn’t respond. He is face down on the ground.
-”Hey, I'M talking to you!”
Voice of the Knuckles: Heh. I taught ‘em everything I know.
Voice of the Blue: That’s not how the saying goes…
Narrator: You jostle the figure, only to come to the realization that he isn’t breathing. He’s dead. Clearly killed upon impact with that crazy fist move of yours. Well, that could have turned out worse. Honestly I'm sorry I doubted you little voice.
Voice of the Blue: Hehe…
Voice of the Knuckles: WHAT?! There’s no way! I have mastered this art, it isn’t a lethal one, it’s just-
-Oh jeez, I killed somebody… I killed somebody with my bare hands and almost got hit by a train… I don’t feel so good…”
Voice of the Knuckles: O yeah well how do you think I feel?! I’ve been framed I tell you, that schmarmy, fake, son-of-a-chao killed him so that he could blame it on me! We won’t stop until we figure out the truth!!!
Everything goes dark and you die.
Notes:
3000 words in a few hours? That's more like it :D
I can't figure out which incarnation of sonic and knuckles I ended up with... I feel like they're a mix between Boom and X lol. And yes they're a little out of character but it's for the lols so I hope you can forgive me.
Chapter Text
Narrator: You’re on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a tunnel. And inside that tunnel is a hedgehog. You’re here to slay him. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world.
-...
Voice of the Knuckles: …
Voice of the Blue: …
Narrator: Hm? What’s wrong? You’re not as chipper as I would’ve expected.
-...
Voice of the Knuckles: …
Voice of the Blue: …
Narrator: Seriously, what is wrong? Have you lost your tongue? I’m getting rather uncomfortable just sitting here in silence. Surely you heard me, right? Or, did I speak too soon? We can do a retake if needed.
-So? Who’s here now? You can keep quiet all you want but we know you’re here.
Voice of the Thief: Oh, you mean me? I was just reading the room, that’s all.
Voice of the Knuckles: Pfft. I’m already suspicious for some reason.
Voice of the Blue: Well? Do you have any ideas?
Voice of the Thief: Why do I have to come up with something? I’d say you two could figure something out that might work, especially you, Blue.
Voice of the Blue: Nah, I’m good. I already had my turn.
Narrator: Is this some sort of inside joke I’m missing out on? I feel rather uncomfortable just standing here listening to you talk.
Voice of the Thief: Pardon their interruption Mephiles, hon. We can’t all be as sophisticated as our ‘dear hero’ after all. Why don’t you do what you do so well and give us some descriptions?
Narrator: O-oh. Oh! Of course, and apology accepted. It’s not very often I get to entertain a fellow upper-classman.
Narrator: Well, er, it is a lovely day, and quite bright as well. The wind blows through the trees with all the gentleness of the springiest of weathers. It’s warm and cold at the same time because of the shade and the sunlight, but oh so perfect for slaying world-ending entities! Flickies sing like… uh, like flickies singing sweetly. They are glad to be a part of your world right now, because they too will witness the destruction of all that is evil. For that. Is. Your destiny.
Voice of the Thief: *clap* *clap* Marvelous, what poetry! You ought to submit that to a contest someday.
Voice of the Knuckles: W-what. Is she serious? That sucked.
Voice of the Blue: Hehe. You know what? Yeah that was awesome! Good job, good job. Got any more little poems up your sleeve?
-Oh, uh, yeah, I loved that too. Brought a real tear to my eye.
Narrator: Why I’m flattered! It’s about time someone recognized me for my talent. I have more poems, if you would like to hear them.
Voice of the Thief: If you’re sure, then I would love to hear more! But you should make sure you are dressed for the occasion too, this is a big deal.
Voice of the Blue: Can’t risk damaging your vocal chords either, so make sure to give your mouth a good rinse!
Narrator: Yes, yes right, this is a big deal. I will go and prepare myself- It will be just a moment, dear Hero, don’t go anywhere~
Voice of the Thief: Don’t worry about us.
Voice of the Knuckles: …You all are ridiculous.
Voice of the Rouge: Don’t worry about it, cutie. So Silver, we have some free time now. Why don’t we put it to good use? Blue, would you mind?
Voice of the Blue: Anytime, ma’am.
Once again, the world around me slows to a crawl, and I am stricken with a sudden feeling of consciousness. There’s less mist weighing down my thoughts, and more time to consider what’s going on around me. I’m more myself, though something still seems off.
I flop backwards onto the ground, happy for a moment of peace and quiet. I listen for the sound of the birds, but strangely realize that everything is silent. In fact I don’t think I’ve heard a single bird this entire time.
Was Mephiles’ ‘narration’ even to be trusted? Or was he just putting ideas and concepts into my brain?
That voice thing with all the hands (ew creepy) HAD seemed to imply that.
Something was very wrong with all of this. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was almost like I was trapped in a dream of some kind.
-And you guys. You’re all so familiar. And… And what are you, anyway? I feel like you’re part of me, but at the same time something completely different. I don’t get it.
Voice of the Knuckles: Well, I mean, I’m myself so I don’t know what you expect from me.
-But you’re INSIDE me, helping me make decisions and stuff. That’s not normal!
Voice of the Knuckles: W-well, I mean, why wouldn’t- erm, I mean-
Voice of the Rouge: What he’s trying to say is we don’t have any idea. We’re just along for the ride.
Voice of the Blue: Yeah, sorry bud, can’t help you with that one.
Once again, they’re completely useless. But I guess without their help I wouldn’t be in this position…
-OK, OK, let’s think for a minute… Surely this isn’t my whole life. What happened before I woke up here with Mephiles narrating my every action?
Voice of the Blue: Well, of course there was the Iblis Trigger. Had to save the future, after all.
-No, that’s too vague, and frankly I don't even know if any of that's true at this point. How about something unrelated. Like what day it is?
Voice of the Knuckles: Sunday…?
Voice of the Rouge: I got nothing.
-Okay, yeah, I have no idea either, that was a bad choice. Erm… how about my age?
Voice of the Knuckles: I’m sure you’re an adult so probably like twenty-something.
Voice of the Thief: Of course, anyone younger than that wouldn’t be taking on such a huge task.
Those statements hit me like a kick to the gut. It had been a bit of a trick question, I’ll admit. Of course I knew how old I was. I was fifteen. Very much not an adult yet.
These voices… they weren’t ‘me’, were they? They were just reflections of something, of someONE I once knew. Reflections of faces long-gone that I had internalized as my own.
I remembered the moment, in that last go-round, when Mephiles had taken control of me and was forcing me to slay that Sonic guy. Two… figures had appeared then, both blocking my way, desperate to protect their friend.
Pink and yellow. Red and Blue. A robot snatches away a girl, as another hedgehog darts in front of the one I was intent upon destroying. I know her. What is she doing? Get out of my way, Amy! This is my mission!
“Absolutely not!”
My eyes snapped open and I sat upright all of a sudden, my breath growing light and my breathing labored.
Voice of the Blue: Silver?
-”Of course! How could I forget? I’ve already been through all of this!”
Voice of the Thief: What do you mean?
My head was spinning as I recalled the events of my adventure. Meeting Mephiles, being teleported to the past, attacking Sonic before I knew he wasn’t actually evil… By Mobius how had I managed to forget all of that?
Well, being honest, some parts were still a little hazy, but we had defeated Mephiles! Or, Shadow had anyway. Why was this guy back again?
-”For that matter, why are any of us here? Why are you guys stuck inside me? I thought… I thought we had defeated the Iblis Trigger. Shouldn’t everything be better now? Why… Why is it…?”
“I think I can answer that.”
I look up, surprised at the voice, half expecting it to be Mephiles talking through my head again. But it was a real person, standing there. And for once, I knew who it was.
-”Sonic?”
The hedgehog was looking down at me, an unreadable expression on his face. He regarded me carefully, and I looked back with an equal mixture of surprise and fear.
Voice of the Knuckles: What the- that guy is here?! How did he sneak up on us?
Voice of the Thief: I thought you stopped time, Blue, or whatever it is that you did. I wonder if Mephiles is controlling him?
The hedgehog held out his hand as if to help me up, and I hesitated before reaching for it. I couldn’t help but notice the fading glow lining my gloves as he helped me to my feet.
-”You’re not, uh, evil and puppeted are you?”
He chuckles, and shakes his head.
“Not at the moment, no.” He takes a breath, “Silver, there’s something you should know about what happened after we defeated Solaris.”
-”Okay.”
My reply is nervous. He starts walking away, and I follow a little ways behind, concerned and on my guard.
Voice of the Thief: Hmm, he’s not indicating any signs of aggression, but I would stay guarded. Never know when someone might be about to stab you in the back.
Voice of the Knuckles: Yeah, I don’t trust this guy. I mean, sure, Mephiles wanted us to get rid of him and I am all for doing the exact opposite of what he says, but on the other hand I also love a good fight.
Eventually, we come out of the forest into a dark void. I panic momentarily as I find blackness all around, wondering if I’m falling or floating. But Sonic stands a little ways ahead, waiting, standing on ground that I can’t see.
Voice of the Knuckles: Wh-what the heck? Where on earth are we?!
Voice of the Thief: Don’t let him see that you’re nervous. That can be taken as a sign of weakness.
Voice of the Knuckles: I knew we couldn't trust this guy, eh blue? …Blue?
I clench my fists and try to walk forward as confidently as I can muster. I can’t help but flail my arms a few times as I lose my balance without a horizon line. Sonic waits patiently and without any sort of judgement in his face. Eventually, I give up and levitate myself just a little bit off the ground to help.
-”Heh. I forgot I could do that, too, somehow.”
Voice of the Knuckles: Ey, a fellow flying buddy! Nice.
As i approach Sonic, I notice that he is standing beside something. It’s… a mirror. The same mirror from before. He nods to me and I approach hesitantly.
Voice of the Thief: Are we sure this is safe? Looks a bit fishy if you ask me.
Voice of the Knuckles: Oh come off it you batty lady. I’M totally all for looking in this thing! I bet it’s something great!
Voice of the Thief: You’re only saying that because I don’t want to.
Voice of the Knuckles: N-no comment!
-[Approach the mirror]
Silence as I reach forward. The voices are gone, but the mirror remains. It’s time for me to see what’s in it.
As my hand touches the cold surface, the chill again seeps into my very core. But this time I push back against it. It does not consume me. I can see my glove glowing as I press upon it, willing the mists away that I might see what’s inside.
…
It’s you.
My reflection swirls and fades, leaving in its place a dark, empty room. A figure appears, its ghostly outline revealing that it’s another Sonic, and then another figure appears that I suddenly recognize as Princess Elise.
There is no audio to accompany the vision, but I watch as the two figures talk, and then as the Princess takes a flame in her hands, an action that gives me a sudden pang of anxiety though I couldn’t say why at the moment.
They discuss some more, and eventually the Princess brings the flame up to her lips and… blows…
No.
Don’t take this future from me! Not after everything that we’ve been through, not after all the hardships and struggles. People have sacrificed so much for this world, for this future! You can’t just take our memories, our hopes, the connections we’ve made in this timeline and destroy it. I… I don’t want to disappear.
And Blaze…
Blaze, she…
You would throw away her sacrifice? She’s still containing Iblis! No one will know what she did, what she did because I COULDN’T. Resetting the timeline, I know that won’t erase her sacrifice. She’ll still be in another dimension, containing Iblis.
Why…
Why?
This isn’t fair.
It’s not fair!
Blaze…
…I didn’t care as much when the bad things were erased. It would be better if I changed the past, after all. People wouldn’t die. Our world wouldn’t be destroyed. But… All the same, maybe there were some connections, some friendships, some meetings that could only come into existence BECAUSE the world was ending. I wouldn’t have ever met Blaze otherwise.
But she and I wouldn’t be affected when we changed the future, so we thought. The future would just become a happy place we could return to.
I wonder, if I had known that changing the future would alter the very course of our lives, that it would erase the bonds we had made with each other… Would I still have wanted to do it?
I guess it was all just a big fantasy, a higher goal to strive for. A dream of absolution that would never come to be…
…
And now, here I am. Where? I couldn’t say. My timeline was gone. I was just a reflection hanging onto old memories and dreams.
“You remember now?”
I looked up at him from where I had collapsed on the ground, heart numb and feeling cold to the very core. I nodded stiffly.
Sonic, surprisingly, sat down beside me, dangling his feet over a ledge that I couldn’t see, but which caused me to be keenly aware of how close to this ‘ledge’ I seemed to be. I sat up a bit to avoid falling off the side.
“Y’know, it had to happen.”
I glance across at him, as he kicks his feet absentmindedly. He doesn’t look my way as he continues. “The Flames of Disaster brought a lot of ruin onto the world. But, I know that it also brought some people together. I didn’t want that to go away.”
I sat up a little straighter, feeling a rush of anger, saying coldly, “If you felt that way, too, why did you let her blow the flame out? You were there! You could've convinced her to stop!”
Sonic doesn’t seem to react. “It wasn’t really my decision. It’s not like I was going to be a part of the rest of the future, anyway. It was up to Elise.”
Not going to be a part of the future? What did he mean?
O-oh…
Realization strikes me as I say simply, “You died.”
The hedgehog chuckles and scratches the back of his head as he replies, “Yeah, yeah I died. I’m afraid that whole ‘Chaos Emerald Friendship Power’ thing was temporary. I wouldn’t have- y'know, been around afterwards.”
I looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling remorseful. Well… well of course we couldn’t have that! Sonic deserved to live just as much as anybody. And anyway, the only reason he died was because of my mistake. My idiocy to take the words of the first person I met at face value.
…A mistake I was making, again, many times that day.
“-Which, I know that sounds selfish,” Sonic continued, unaware of my inner monologue. “But ‘not dying’ wasn’t why I was okay with resetting everything. Part of it was everyone else who had suffered and died in your future, in the present, and in the past. I guess the other half-”
He took a deep breath. “Y’know how when a loved one dies there’s a funeral and stuff? And, everyone cries and is in mourning for a while, and then they have to get up in the morning and eat and just continue with their lives like nothing happened? I know that sounds… egotistical, but I think- I think when someone dies, it’s the ones left behind who suffer the most.”
I replay the scene in my mind, the scene of Blaze fading away into the sky. Emotions well up again. She looked peaceful, powerful and strong, but I- I was broken.
“Anyway,” He finishes,”This way no one ever has to know and everyone will be alright in the end.”
I glance across to the hedgehog, feeling a bit of my anger go down in place of empathy and understanding. I let out a small chuckle to try to lighten the mood.
”It’s done, anyway. We can’t retcon another world to bring back an apocalypse. That would be messed up.”
He nods. “Yeah. It would be.”
"..."
"..."
"...Sorry for killing you six times, by the way."
"No biggie, no biggie."
I hesitate and then, "There's something I don't get, though. If that’s the case, and we're all retconned out of the timeline, how in Mobius are the two of us here? If everything was reset, shouldn’t we be, y'know, poofed or something?”
Sonic seems to think about this. “We DID, uh, 'poof'. If I had to guess, I’d say something happened in that other timeline we created that fractured over to this one. Tails would be the best person to ask about that, though, not me.” He admitted.
“So what do we do?”
Sonic’s face fell and he looked across, meeting my eyes. “Silver, I don’t want to freak you out, but there’s something else about this place. Something connected to you. I’m, well, I’m not really here in a way. Amy, Rouge, Knuckles… they were all ghosts. I’m a memory of something that has pulled itself together from shattered fragments to form something closer to what I used to be.”
My heartbeat quickens and I can feel my throat tighten. I’m thoroughly unsettled now.
“But listen,” He continues. “That only happened because of you. I don’t know what connection you have to this place, but you are real, and when you interact with the fragmented echoes of our world it makes US real, if only briefly. I don’t know what happened but somehow, in some way, I think you survived when the timeline was severed.” His gaze hardened and he clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You and Mephiles both.”
I blinked and pulled back a little, but his grip was firm. Real. (He just got done saying he was a ghost, I’m freaking out about that, especially when he’s literally right there talking to me??)
“So, Mephiles-”
“He’s as real as you are. And he’s trying to escape.”
I stand up, crying. “But we destroyed that timeline! We destroyed Solaris! How could he possibly still exist?!”
Sonic meets my eyes for a second before standing up as well. “The fact is that he does. And you’re going to have to figure out how to keep him from breaking out of this shattered dimension and into the real world.”
“Why me?! Why can’t you come up with something?!”
“Silver…” Sonic sighs and pinches his nose bridge as if exhausted. “Look, there are-”
The world shakes. A deep rumble reverberates through the air. I inhale sharply as I lose my balance and fall. Sonic catches me and topples on the edge of the precipice. We gain our footing and look around, searching for the source of the noise.
“Looks like he found out you were missing, bud.” Sonic says. “Listen carefully. I don’t think he’s going to let me back in after this, at least not to this extent, so whatever you do you have GOT to remember what we talked about here. Got it?”
I nod rigidly, scared of what is to come. The trembles in reality begin to distort space and time. I catch sight of the two of us entering the room, watching the images in the mirror, sitting down…
“Good. Now listen; there is another entity here that may be able to help you, but it’s going to be hard to convince them to help. It will hurt a lot.” He motions to the mirror behind him. “Do you think you can handle this alone?”
I don’t. I DON’T. But what choice do I have? It’s not like anyone else will save this world or free us from this loop. I have to do this… Alone.
We are standing on the ceiling which is sideways and upside down. A tree is growing out of the middle of a fountain and a bird sings in a honeycomb. The dimension is folding in on itself.
I take Sonic’s hand in mine and shake it firmly. “I’ll find a way to stop him. And I’ll find a way to free you guys, too. I’m not letting you sit in limbo like this!”
Sonic’s expression falters into one of surprise and longing, but he quickly covers it up. “Right. Now go!”
I’m losing bits of myself now as once again that hazy feeling comes on. The one that always comes after I have done Mephiles’ bidding and the timeline resets.
No. I can’t reset this time. I’ve got other things to do.
I run backwards and forward, down a never ending hallway towards and away from a door that I know will let me out of here. The mirror stands ominously before me as I turn the handle and step inside-
…
You are seated in a room that is empty. A chain digs into your wrist, binding one arm to the wall. It is quiet, and you are alone. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you deserve. This is what you
Notes:
>:D
We are in the home stretch! I think. I literally have no plot just a vague idea of the ending and am making this up as I go. yay. Sry for the cliffhanger.
Chapter Text
“U-um… Hello? Is anyone there?”
Though I attempt to speak, the words remain stuck in my throat. Strange. I try to turn and look around at my surroundings, but my eyes remain fixed, straight ahead. My pupils don’t even respond, staring off into the space between me and the far wall, focused on nothing in particular.
I feel… strange. Like I’m caught between reality and a dream. I ran a quick mental check of myself- No, I arrived through the mirror in one piece. I can still remember my conversation with Sonic and the loops in this strange world we’re trapped in… Our world that no longer exists.
I can feel the room around me getting fuzzy as fear begins to set in. Knowing that this is NOT a good time for a panic attack, I mentally ground myself in the sight, smell, and sound of what’s around me. I can smell the musty, dust-covered air of a place long unused. I can feel the metal chain, or what I presume is a metal chain, around my wrist. I can see the old, shadowy stone walls surrounding me, and a time-worn wooden divider hiding what I can sort of make out to be stairs. And I can hear-
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The silence around me is broken as I feel my ears twitch forward in alert to the sound. It sounds like something… big. And menacing. I once again attempt to look around for some way to get out of here, but my body is as yet unresponsive.
“Okay, this is getting dumb.” I try to say, “Am I paralyzed or something?”
There’s a sound of something metal sliding across wood. I feel a chill run up my spine. What was that?
A creak, as of a door opening, and a footstep. There’s a pause, and I would be holding my breath in anticipation if I could control my movements at all.
“Who’s there?”
The voice is low, menacing and cautious. But it doesn’t come from the unseen visitor at the top of the staircase. My throat rumbled with the sound, and my mouth moved in tune to the words. I hadn’t meant to say that… was someone else controlling me?
But that wasn’t even MY voice. My voice was much higher pitched and stupider, or, well, that’s what I thought. It was a weird feeling, having someone else’s words in your throat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The visitor makes their way down the stairs without a word. At last, my eyes seem to function, flicking across to stare at the creature that has just come down the steps. The sight causes my breath to catch in my throat.
It’s a shadowy figure, wreathed in blackness that seems to engulf the world around it. The shadows seem to flicker, dancing like flames as they curl up the figure’s tall form and dissipate into nothingness. I can only make out two shining eyes that seem to stare at me like out of a gloom. More terrifying than anything else is the shining, pointed dagger in the creature's hand.
“And there you are,” My mouth moves without my permission. “Are you here to kill me or something?”
The shadowy figure seems to contemplate my words, or rather the words that came out of my mouth unbidden, but eventually answers in a cold, distorted voice.
“Yes. It appears so.”
The voice is familiar, too, at least in cadence. The distortion upon the rest of its being fragments all other familiarity.
“Not afraid to state the facts, then. It must be quite easy, killing a prisoner in cold blood.”
My body shifts, lifting up the arm attached to the wall as if in representation of its- my- helplessness.
Is this… really me? Or am I just watching through someone else’s eyes?
The shadow before me shifts, sword raising slightly. “You will end the world, and therefore you must die.”
“Wait, no, the world is already dead. Mephiles is the real culprit, not me! Hello?!” I shout, but my vocal chords don’t respond. I’m a prisoner.
“Oh, really?” The deep voice coming from my throat replies, “If I’m capable of ending the world I must be pretty powerful. What even makes you think you can kill me?”
There is a silence, a pause as cold eyes regards me, and there is a moment of hesitation. Then suddenly it is lunging for us, sword pointed at my heart. I sidestep as best as I can while being chained to a wall and deliver a kick to the back of the creature’s head. It gets up quickly and charges again. And again. And again.
The sword strikes for me again, and whatever is controlling me catches it. Arms outstretched and thrusting away in an attempt to keep the blade from piercing my heart.
I can see my own arms clearly now. Even in my panic, I noticed them. Deep ebony fur, offset by dirty gloves which have a distinct and unmistakable golden ring around the wrists.
“Shadow? Is that you?”
“...!”
The struggle fades for a fraction of a moment, and the shadowy creature takes the opportunity to strike. I barely have time to process the blade sliding into my flesh before darkness overtakes me.
…
…
I’m alone in a cabin. The world flickers between dark and light. Gold and black. I watch, half in a dream, as a creature dressed in armor enters the cabin. Behind it is a woman shrouded in darkness, standing just behind the visitor. The knight pauses as it enters the room, looking around at the scenery. The woman behind it whispers in its ear, and its eyes fall upon the dagger- sword? On the table. It picks it up.
Down the cabin stairs it, no, she goes, into the basement. Down there she finds a white and red hedgehog chained to the wall.
(...)
(Iblis.)
(Iblis must be kept at bay.)
(If this is my eternity, so be it.)
(No matter how many times this battle resets…)
(I won’t let it escape.)
The hedgehog fights, and she fights back. Time and time again. The world changes and she is battling it from stop the waves as it surfs upon an uncanny mass of flesh. She falls, sinking beneath the waves, yet she drags him along with her.
The cabin again. The blade again. She has to do this.
Blood spills and the world resets once more, this time both are chained, both fight back. Another reset. Dark fleshy wings take root in the hedgehog’s back as a battle commences in the skies. They fall to earth, burning like a comet as the life leaves their eyes.
(No matter how many times.)
(It won’t trick me.)
(This is my resolve.)
Cabin, blade, blood… A nightmarish cycle continues. “Very good.” Princess Elise says, “You are doing your duty to keep Iblis contained.”
A mirror appears, but no one else can see it. She touches it, only for it to vanish. Is there something else going on here? No matter. Can’t falter.
(For the sake of our world…)
(For everyone.)
(...For Silver)
(I won’t let Iblis escape!)
The shadows fade, as if through a moment of clarity I find myself looking. A warrior- no, more than that, a princess garbed in a hero’s armor stands before me. In her hand, a flame which she stares into intently, watching for any sudden change. She is a guardian that will stand there for the rest of time, keeping this small fire from devouring her world. Her soul is alight with flames.
I won’t defile her sacrifice. And yet…
“It should’ve been me.”
But we are not alone. The human Princess, the one which had held Iblis inside of her, she stands just behind. Even as her essence is held at bay by the hero, she has slipped a bit of herself away and is puppeting it all. Enabled to do so by its twin, my puppeteer.
Though Iblis is held at bay, its other half is not, and Mephiles is trying to free them both.
My dearest friend collapses before me, spirit flickering and crumbling as the overwhelming weight of the flame sets in. Darkness begins to overtake. She battles the black hedgehog, yet it is but a distraction for the parasite in her soul.
“No…”
“BLAZE!”
The shadow recoils as if burned. The darkness retreats.
I am back in the cabin, back in Shadow’s body. Back where I began. Mind reeling and heart beating quickly, I slowly come back to myself. I’m back. I have another chance to change things.
Many hands brush against my fur as I hear a familiar whisper.
“This is the last time we may intervene to save you… Do not give up…
Do not give up…
Do not give up…
The shadowy fire cannot engulf that which refuses to burn.”
I have one shot at this.
Notes:
Short chapter but it felt like this and the next should be separated. Sorry for taking forever to finish this... I finally got past the writers block. I think we have two more chapters plus an epilogue left. Hope you guys like this one :)
Chapter Text
When Blaze sealed Iblis inside of herself, I truly thought that would be it. We had saved the world, had we not? Her sacrifice- the sacrifice she made in my stead- was all that we needed to alter our fate.
But it wasn’t that simple, was it?
It was never going to be so easy. No. Perhaps, had Elise and Sonic not chosen to remake our world and blow out the flame, perhaps it would have been alright. But once the light was out we were at the mercy of the darkness beyond reality. But not just that. Perhaps, had we let go, things would have been alright. But we had gotten stuck.
Caught between two worlds, between what once was and what now is, between oblivion and creation we were suspended. I say we, but the essence of my world and my friends lived only inside of me now. The new world, the future everyone deserved, existed elsewhere. And it, too, was in danger now.
It couldn’t all be because of me, could it? I wasn’t super powerful like everybody else. Sure maybe Shadow or Sonic could have done something like that but me… No, my powers weren’t anything like theirs.
-
One reborn, one immortal, and one beating heart.
Twin souls are at peace, but the third’s counterpart
is yet battling a demon forever and a day.
With whom do the blessings of miracles stay?
-
Ah, but it didn’t matter. Not now. I had to find a way to keep Blaze from killing Shadow again!
It was clear that this was some sort of alternate dimension, the one where Blaze had sealed away Iblis most likely. Except, something had twisted everything. Blaze THOUGHT she was keeping Iblis at bay, but she was only fighting someone she didn’t know was a friend. I knew that with every strike she made upon him, the seal that held Iblis back grew weaker and weaker.
But who was THIS Shadow? Was he a shade like all the others had been? Was he a puppet for Mephiles’ enjoyment? There was only one way to find out. I just hoped he could hear me.
“Hey,” I said in my thoughts, “Hey Shadow, it’s me, Silver. Nice to see you again.”
I felt no reaction from the hedgehog. But that didn’t mean he couldn't hear me. I could have sworn he had heard me before the untold loops of dying and being reborn flashed by.
“Shadow? SHADOW!” I shouted, “I’m not just in your head! It’s actually me. And I’m here to save you.”
“Tch.”
Ah, but my old companion couldn’t keep the scoff from escaping his lips. Whether he believed I was real or not, he could hear me and that was heartening. I decided to play it more casual.
“So, buddy, how’s it been? I’m really curious how you got yourself into this mess. It must be really hard, being the ultimate lifeform and chained up like this. Have you tried just blasting the chains into oblivion?”
Shadow’s hands clenched and he looked down at his lap. The motion communicated more than words could. “Many times.” He seemed to say with the motion, “Again and again. It was hopeless to escape.”
But then he looked straight ahead again, for of course he wasn’t supposed to be talking to me. He was pretending like I wasn’t here.
“What, do you think I'm a ghost?” I tried to joke, “I might be the right color for one, but I’m as alive as I’ve ever been. It’d be nice if you could talk to me, I want to know which Shadow you are. Are you the one that I met, who set me right in my search for the Iblis Trigger? Or are you just another phantom like everyone else?”
“...”
This was getting nowhere. I sighed, frustrated. Might as well take the time to vent I guess.
“Everyone’s gone, Shadow.” I began after a pause, “Our world, everything we worked for, it’s just… gone. It seems like my memories are the only thing left of it. I don’t know how long it's been me all alone. My delusions just trying to hold onto something I lost a long time ago, being tricked again and again by the creature that started this whole mess…”
I paused, feeling rage build up inside of me. Rage I couldn’t do anything with, incorporeal as I was. I sighed. “This is my last chance to stop the new future we created from being corrupted by them. I don’t blame you for not talking to me. It’s all my fault. I… I know it is. If I had been smarter I wouldn’t have gone after Sonic… If I had been stronger I could have sealed away Iblis instead of Blaze… If I had made peace with my future this wouldn’t have ever… it’d never…”
I was tearing up. I couldn’t go on. Everything was just coming crashing down onto me all at once. All the grief and all the pain came over me in one big rolling wave that threatened to engulf everything if I didn’t hold it back. But I couldn’t stop it anymore. It was stupid. I didn’t even deserve a pity party for myself. I should just be fixing things. That was the only thing I was good for, fixing the same mistakes I had made. So I should get to it! Why was I letting this stuff get to me? Why was everything getting darker? Where was I, again? What was I doing?
What was…
Why…?
The blackness shifts and I feel myself being yanked upwards, as if caught in a fall. I am enveloped in warmth, standing in a field full of white flowers at night. Intermittently here and there are large upright stones, blocking the path forward. Wisps of energy drift around me, reminiscent of chaos energy.
Another one of these half-real places that look like they came out of a sketchbook…
Shadow is standing beside me, staring ahead. I follow his gaze and find a great stone blocking the winding road before us. “Take a moment and accept when things are too much.” He says, “If you don’t, you let that pressure destroy you from the inside out.”
The rock is very large. I imagine trying to pick it up and see myself crushed beneath its weight. It’s too big for me to carry or to move, even with my powers. And it’s blocking the way ahead. Shadow steps forward and places a gloved hand upon its smooth surface.
“Once you can accept your own helplessness to control the things around you, you gain the power to control yourself.”
He steps to his left and, hand still upon the rock, follows its edge around to the other side. I follow slowly, knowing logically that such a maneuver was always possible but feeling that it represents a bigger struggle within myself.
On the other side of the stone is a field of little stones blocking my path, and blocking the flowers from growing. Shadow looks down at them, his spines glowing faintly with a golden light.
“And sometimes, you can only take on one small obstacle at a time.” He reaches forward and crushes a stone between his fingertips like it’s nothing. A flower grows in its place. He lets the gravel fall from his hand back to the earth. “Through tears or through blood, those feelings have to be expressed. Otherwise, we lose ourselves.”
Somehow I know he speaks from experience. He looks to me, and I tentatively reach for a stone. It is too heavy to lift, and instead I attempt to strike it with my fist.
Nothing. I try again.
Thud.
My knuckles hurt.
Shadow only watches me expectantly, and I know I have to figure this out on my own. I have to express myself? Even if that expression is helplessness? Helplessness is a bad emotion, isn’t it?
Blood or tears…
I cock my fist back again, thinking about all the things I’ve been through these past few hours. All the grief, all the pain, all the fear… Everything. I remember our journey up to this point, from the moment we were thrown back into the past to the moment Blaze took my place and faded away into sparkles, to the last battle of our timeline. I remember creating a portal to the past, and back to the future.
Control.
An energy flows through me as I grab the stone in my hands. It disintegrates into dust, and a white flower blooms in its place. That felt good, in a way. Freeing.
Shadow nods to me and then strikes at another stone, destroying it. I follow suit. In a little while, I lose myself amidst the stones, slowly clearing away one at a time as the field grows brighter and brighter. I couldn’t say how long it took, time didn’t seem to exist in that space, but eventually I was facing the big rock again. Perhaps…?
I drew my fist back and gathered a surge of energy into it. It built up, overflowing as I drew upon the pain and discomfort of my journey. Shadow looks at me and nods, his jaw set and determined. I take heart at this and throw my whole being at the great stone- or is it a mirror? But just as I make contact with it…
The cabin. The basement. The chain. Back in the real world again, if you could call this realm real in any sense. But am I alone?
“...Shadow? Can you hear me?”
“You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?” His voice rumbles in a heavy sigh. “And it was quiet for once…”
I try to move, but I still can’t. Oh well. I had bigger questions. “Did you take me to that… that place in your memories?”
“What?” He replies. He sounds confused. I decided to let it go.
“Never mind.” I take a moment to collect my thoughts, “Anyway, you know that figure that keeps coming in here to kill you? You need to not hurt them. It’s a friend of ours, Blaze.”
“What in the name of chaos do you mean?” Shadow takes a breath and pinches his nose, muttering. “I’m just talking to myself now, aren’t I? Guess I’ve been down here long enough for that.”
“No no no,” I would wave my hands if I could, “You don’t understand. Blaze- the knight- she thinks you’re Iblis and she’s trying to keep you from escaping. But Iblis is actually controlling her to expend her energy on you so that it can escape eventually and…” I pause, “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“You’re trying to tell me that the creature who comes in here every hour to murder me ten times over is actually a friend and ally?” The scoff is sharp and pointed. “I think you’ll have to come up with a better story than that, ghost.”
“I’m not a ghost, if anything you’re the ghost!” I shout, pouting a little.
“Get back in your own body, then.”
Ouch. I sigh and say, “Shadow, you don’t remember anything? Mephiles? The final fight? Sonic being… Well…”
There is a visible reaction from him, though he tries to suppress it. “Don’t say it.” He says. I latch onto that. “So you DO remember! Shadow I swear it’s me, Silver. The same one who you kicked in the head that one time. The same one who teamed up with you against Mephiles. I promise I’m not lying, i-”
“Silver. I believe you. I never said I didn't.”
My words are cut short. Shadow takes a breath and looks down at his hands, chained as they are before he speaks again.
“I don’t think you understand how… long it’s been. Our world died a long, long time ago to make way for a new timeline. There’s no bringing it back. I’m surprised you survived, even in spirit form.”
I can’t deal with the idea of all that time having passed so I move on to the next most important thing. “But I’m not- that’s the thing, I’m not! I’m still here, Shadow. You, too! We can fix this. We just have to get you out of here.”
“I’m not leaving.” He states plainly.
“Wh-what?”
“Do you think anyone could have captured me?” He says haughtily, “Me, the ultimate lifeform? No. I chained myself here. Or I should say, I chained myself to my shadow.”
He turns to look at the wall behind him and I, of course, look too. His shadow is twisted, dark, and grinning wickedly. Shadow’s expression is grim. “He tried to pick the most powerful being to copy for his physical form… He didn’t think about how that would tie him to me. All I had to do was seal myself away.”
Of course. If Blaze was holding Iblis, then somebody had to seal away its counterpart as well. And with Sonic long-passed away, that left only Shadow, or… me. But I had failed to take up that duty. Instead, I had been mourning and feeling sorry for myself instead of actually doing anything.
Clenching his fists in determination, Shadow says, “I’ll keep up this cycle until the end of time, no matter how many times I have to battle that demon. As long as the new future we fought for is safe, that’s the only thing I could ask for.”
“But-”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Shadow turns and repositions himself, preparing for his next encounter. “Speak of the devil…”
“No, wait! There isn’t any time. Shadow, you have to listen, Mephiles is ESCAPING. His voice- his voice got out somehow and found me. That’s why I’m here! He was making me kill my family and friends over and over again in a strange, looped world made of my memories.”
“I haven’t let him out of my sight.” Shadow replies reassuringly, but there IS a hint of uncertainty there. Above us, we can hear the sound of the sword being picked up from the table.
“He’s here, but his consciousness isn’t.” I explained, “I think it was just small things at first, but once he found me I… I made him stronger by repeating the past. I think every time I… I defeated Sonic, whether I wanted to or not, it gave him a little piece of power back. And he’s almost got enough to exist again. It’s all he wants right now.”
I know, because I understand him. I want to exist, too.
Shadow doesn’t say anything, but that might be a good thing. Above us, we can hear the door to the basement open.
“And! And, Shadow, this is the most important part. Iblis has been doing the SAME THING to Blaze. It has been showing her a picture of what you are guarding so she thinks that YOU are Mephiles. But in reality, it’s just Iblis manipulating what she can see. Don’t you get it? You’re both just fighting each other and weakening the barrier on both of them as they gain more power. And this is the last chance you get. If you kill each other one more time, it’s over! They will both escape!”
“...But what changed?” Shadow asks quietly. “What allowed them that chance to slip away? They were sealed. There should not have been any way for them to leave our sight, I… I never took my eyes off him.”
That, I didn’t know. An alteration in spacetime, a world drifting by in the void and catching ahold of ours, perhaps… Maybe it could even be that a being of power like the floating hand spirit attempted to interact with our world and subsequently allowed for Solaris to escape through a newly-made crack in reality.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The shadowy knight had returned, only this time I could somewhat see her face. The visor obscured her eyes and the wispy shadows yet remained. But I could see the telltale violet of her fur in spots at least. A long quiet seemed to follow closely behind her.
Blaze… are you still in there?
She held the sword out, ready to strike, and yet eyed us first, as if waiting. I held my breath.
“Well, here to kill the prisoner again?” Shadow said, his voice a menacing rumble. I snap at him, reminding him that he has to talk his way out of this one. He sighs and adds. “We need to talk. Why don’t you drop the knife and sit down?”
The being cocks its head to one side, regarding him with unseen eyes. It makes no motion to drop the blade.
“If you don’t drop the blade, I’m not talking to you.” Shadow says firmly. I mentally facepalm as they stare at each other with increasing intensity, neither one wanting to give way to the other.
“Use her name.” I tell him, “Say something, I don't know, less aggressive?”
Shadow sighs in exasperation. “I’m only doing this because someone else wants me to, otherwise I would’ve already pinned you down, monster.”
“Shadow!” I hissed.
“Fine, fine! So, Blaze, how has the weather been for you?”
The suit of armor seems surprised by that. Almost taken aback. Whether at the odd choice of topic, or at the use of her name I couldn’t tell. (“Seriously? ‘How’s the weather’?” “You said to say something less aggressive and that’s all I could think of to say!”)
Shadow fumbles with the chain as he tries to think of something else to say. “You know, erm, all this time fighting and we haven’t really even introduced ourselves. Surely we have time for a little chat. What do you say?”
The knight shifts from side to side listlessly, as if unsure of itself. Shadow grows impatient. “Can’t you speak? What are you thinking of?”
The darkness rising from around the knight morphs and shifts like something alive. Over her right shoulder appears a face like a bird’s beak grinning wickedly at us.
“Oh wouldn’t YOU like to know?” It says teasingly. “But I think we hold the power right now.”
Another shadow by her sword arm, a different voice speaks from it, a voice mellow and singsongy. “How dull. We’ve already had our discussions in private. I’d rather not listen to them all talk in circles again and again and again.”
The first bird pecks at the new one, hissing, “I’m sorry, did you just share privileged information with the enemy?”
A third bird appears, perched on the warriors’ head. “Well, it isn’t privileged anymore now, is it? Do we really need all this secrecy?”
“No, we don’t.” Says the cold one.
Yet another bird appears in the cloud of shadows, “Yes, we do!” It insists, its voice gravelly and harsh. “We take the sword, we stab the creature, and we’re home free. How many times do you need to hear it to get it through your thick heads?”
“It’s the decider’s job to figure that one out.” Says the one on the Knight's head.
“Yeah, and the answer has always been stab, cut, destroy!” The harsh one replies. “I HAVE been enjoying these battles, monster, we’re always quite evenly matched!”
“Anytime, anytime.” Shadow replied, a smirk on his features. “But those battles haven’t gotten us anywhere, have they? What does your master have to say about all this?”
“Master?” The first one repeats confusedly, “Oh! You mean the decider! She never says much, so I take the lead most of the time. You can count on me to get the job done, that’s for sure!”
He seems proud of himself as he puffs out his chest. The shadows swirl a bit, flickering with unhappy grumbles.
“Whatever those things are, they aren't happy with all this fighting either.” I note. "And why do they feel so familiar?"
Shadow eyes them carefully, “Are you going to keep up the battle, then? Or are you going to lead them somewhere that actually creates a happy ending?”
The bird looks offended. There are a few chuckles. “Ha, as if.” “That would be something, wouldn’t it?”
“You see,” Shadow says, “I’ve been told that this ‘decider’ of yours is actually an ally of mine, and a dear friend of a friend. Blaze. I don’t think, regardless of whatever power holds us here, that battling one another will lead to the best outcome. I’m inclined to believe that this battle is forced.”
“I don’t know anything about THAT.” The snooty little bird replies, “WE’RE quite content, thank you very much!”
The harsh voice rings out, “Yes we are! Battles for the ages we’ve had, and many more to come.”
“Besides,” Says a fearful voice, as a bird peeks from between the Knight's legs. “We have to listen to HER. SHE tells us to. And if we don’t listen, she hurts us. Hurts us again and again and again until we get up and battle you…”
“I don’t remember that.” Says another bird, floating in the air to one side. “But I’m not so prepared to just trust whatever the narrator says without the decider’s go-ahead. Something smells fishy.”
“Tell them the truth.” I said, “I think they’ll listen.”
Shadow pauses. “Strange crows, I suppose we should clear things up, then. My name is Shadow the hedgehog, and I am chained in this dungeon of my own will, because I’ve imprisoned a deity of darkness alongside myself. The one you follow imprisoned a deity of fire within herself, and teleported to another world. Apparently, these deities have been controlling us, forcing us to slowly break one another’s seals until the two might escape.”
“Ah, that explains the decider’s silence.” Says the cold one. “I was wondering why she slowly lost her voice. And her will. And her soul.”
“She’s still there though, right?” I cry, and Shadow repeats my words.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. She might be. But then again she might not.”
“Well, boys, I think we should put the matter to a vote.” Says a new voice, “I for one am sick of listening to our ‘leader’ blabber about how he knew this would happen and how right he always was.”
The birds squabble amongst themselves for a bit, before seeming to reach a conclusion. Some were upset, others indifferent, more were relieved. Shadow and I held our breath as they turned their attention back to us.
“We have decided to listen to what you have to say!” They announce proudly.
“That… WAS what I had to say.” Shadow repeats, confused.
“Oh no no no, we mean about getting a happy ending! We ALL want a happy ending!”
“Preferably one where we fall in love with some fair maiden!” Chimes in one voice.
“So, what’s your idea?”
Shadow’s eyes widened, wondering how he was going to get out of this. I could feel his attention turn back to me, waiting for an answer.
I tried to think of one, but everything was so confusing. Blaze hadn’t said a word. She HAD to still be in there. And anyway who were all of these little birds? They almost reminded me of-
Of-
Wait.
This is just like what happened to me in Mephiles' world. Except, the voices in my head were just like people I knew, caricatures of friends and family. These were foreign beings. They weren’t even inside of her, they swirled around in a cloud outside of her.
I remembered the princess spirit saying something about how her world and mine had collided. Could they be from another world? Perhaps that was how Iblis was able to control my dear friend.
I didn’t imagine they could just, up and leave her. Nor would they. But perhaps, if I could find a way to put them somewhere else…
…Or, to take them myself.
“Shadow.” I said, “Tell them this…”
Shadow slowly repeated me, but there was a bit of concern in his voice. “You won’t be able to get a happy ending while you follow that vessel around. You don’t seem to belong there, anyway.”
“Well, we lost one of ours it’s true, but as long as we have ANY decider things turn out alright!” Said the cheerful one.
“WHAT did I just say about privileged information?” Hissed the controlling one.
“Anyway, there’s someone here who might be able to restore you back to yourself, since he’s free to go where he pleases. And you all might be able to give him his form back.” Shadow smiles, “He’s a bit incorporeal at the moment.”
“A g-g-g-ghost?” “Sounds like a challenge!” “Perhaps it will allow us to do something different at least.
“HANG ON hang on hang on, we’ve got to put it to a vote, we’ve got to do this proper you see and-”
“Oh hang it all, I’m done with that. Let’s try it. Where’s the bloody ghost anyways?”
Shadow raises his hand, and I can feel my spirit being pulled towards it, wrapped up in a little ball. “Here.” Shadow says. “And he’s ready when you are.”
Though there are a few objecting voices, the overwhelming majority seem to give in, and the shadow surrounding Blaze migrates towards me. I’m enveloped in the shadows as the voices become loud and deeply present. Something inside of me shifts, as if awakening at all the noise. I hear cries of recognition, mostly joyous ones, but some fearful. Then, a shattering glass that shatters in reverse, pieces reforming into one whole. The voices are silent. And I'm myself again.
“...?” I look down at my hands, grinning happily. We had done it. We'd rescued Blaze, stopped Mephiles from escaping, and even managed to return me to my own body. And strangely, too, the voices were gone. Returned to their own world I guessed.
“Shadow!” I cry happily, “Shadow we did it, I'm back!”
I turn and meet his eyes, just in time to see the sword pierce his chest.
Notes:
Y'know this was sitting almost done on my desktop for like two weeks and it was DRIVING ME BONKERS. ugh. My Slay the Princess hyperfixation wore off which makes it a little harder to write, but I promise we are almost done. Unless I'm fooling myself this next one should be the second to last chapter.
Also I'm sorry things are all over the place I'm trying but sometimes the words are just stupid.
Chapter 10: Apotheosis
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Blaze’s sword was embedded in Shadow’s chest. Half of it stuck out from his back, entering the stone at his back. For a moment he is staring back at me, terror and anger welling up in his spirit. But that rage doesn’t last. His gaze falters and I can almost see his entire form flicker in and out of existence.
Blaze removes the sword and a gush of red pours out from the open wound. Surely this would be nothing to the ultimate lifeform, who had died and been resurrected so many times. But Shadow’s immortality had reached a breaking point. Slowly drained of his energy by the endless battle, I had known all along that this would be their last fight.
All of this passes within the span of a minute, and I find myself rushing to Shadow’s side as he collapses to the floor. I’m viewing everything from a distance. I’m shaking Shadow's, cradling his head in my arms. The light is leaving his eyes rapidly. He attempts to say something, but nothing but blood comes from his mouth. He chuckles bitterly, as if he finds it comedic that this should be how it ends for him. Stabbed in the back, following the lead of a foolish hedgehog who trusted the wrong person.
Blaze…
I look up, staring at the imposing suit of armor, tears streaming down my face and my rational thought all but gone. “Why did you do this to him?!” I scream, “We were so close… So close! Why did you have to destroy everything?!”
The armor remains indifferent. I feel energy building up in my hands, a rush of psychokinetic energy growing in my body as I feel myself rising a little. But that energy quickly fades as I remember who I’m facing. My best friend. The memory of her smile brings tears to my eyes. And here she is now, an empty husk. Manipulated by evil and boundless time spent containing a spirit that should by rights have been mine to bear.
There’s a distant cackle. A voice I know well is laughing at me from far, far away. “No show, then? I would have liked to see you two fight.”
“Mephiles.” I growl looking up at the roof of the cabin defiantly.
“I really must thank you, Silver. My dear hero, you saved me! Just like a real hero would. I’m touched that you would go through all that trouble to lower Shadow’s defenses and allow my sister spirit to strike him at his weakest point.”
I don’t have a response. The words sting. “I’ll stop you…” I mutter, “I won’t let you hurt us anymore.”
“Hm, yes, you’ve already tried that. In case you didn’t realize you kind of mucked that up. So enjoy the rest of your eternity there, I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time imprisoned with the rotting corpse of my captor and his murderer.”
Blaze seems to react now. She drops to her knees, trembling. I feel my heart reach out to her. But as I begin to grasp for her shoulder, something envelops her body. Something wriggling and coming from nothing, wrapping around Blaze’s forlorn form as she kneels. It envelops her body, and disappears back into the nothingness it came from. I cry out and reach for her hand as she begins to disappear, but it happens in less than an instant. I shout her name, but she is no longer with me.
“Oh dear, so much for that! You poor thing. Now you have no one to murder.” Mephiles laughs. I can feel the room shake, as if he can make the cabin move whenever he wishes. “Well, that’s enough of that then. Enjoy your eternity. I’m afraid that ‘new world’ which you created is in need of a touch up. One graced by the presence of Iblis and I, its new gos and rulers!”
“Mephiles!” I shout hoarsely. His laughter fades. I stand and aim a blast at the door. My energy seems to dissipate before it even reaches the doorway. I run to it and pound upon its surface but nothing works.
It doesn’t matter anyway.
Shadow is gone.
Blaze is gone.
EVERYONE is gone.
But me? I was fine. I was relatively unscathed. I even had a corporeal form again.
I don’t know how long I spent lost in the pits of despair. What does time matter when you have lost all hope?
The cabin is quiet.
It is quiet.
It is almost oppressively quiet. I can feel an anticipation building up in my mind as I release it is not just a quietness, but an absence of sound that I am perceiving. I look up from where I had collapsed, puzzled to find that the world around me is slowly unraveling. The darkness has a texture, like flowing grass made of shadows. It is full of infinite possibility, and infinite nothingness. The cabin dissolves. I am no longer imprisoned.
A being is before me, wrapped in darkness. It is frightening, and yet curious. The universe seems to follow in its wake.
“Who are you?” I ask. I receive no response.
“Are you on Mephiles’ side?” I try, “Are you here to destroy me?”
No answer. I shudder. But as fearful as I find this creature, I recognize a kinship in it as well. It’s familiar to me. Oddly enough, it is only after I realize this that it shifts, stepping back to motion in a direction of the blackness.
“This way?” I ask. It doesn’t answer. I take a step forward, and then another, and eventually pass by the mystery figure. When I turn back to see where the thing is, I nearly jump out of my skin to find it following close behind me.
“Okay, just walk forward with the scary guy following you.” I mutter, “I’m either a prisoner or an honored guest, nothing to be worried about.”
I continue to walk forward, having a vague sense that I’m somewhere but I’m not able to tell where. Words pop up in my head. ‘Woods’. ‘Path’. I suppose the place I’m at could be anything, but it does remind me of the beginning of my journey, way back when I first woke up alongside-
No. That ‘Blaze’ had just been a figment of my imagination.
There’s a flicker of light atop a little rise in the textured darkness. The word ‘cabin’ comes to mind, despite there not being anything to indicate one around.
“Approach her.” The being at my back says, or rather commands. I don’t have a choice in the matter as I climb the hill step by step. I get the sense that this creature is very powerful.
The light at the top of the hill is a ring of flames. I recall them vaguely. The hands-thing that rescued me the first time was here, but the flames had been frozen before, suspended in time. They are moving now. Flickering and dancing with life. I feel a sense of foreboding as I enter the ring, approaching the being at the center.
“You have returned.” The being in the center says, “And you bring to me not a vessel, but my other half.”
I turn, and see the creature that followed me bowing deeply and respectfully. I don’t quite understand, but I let it be for now. There were far more important things to address at the moment.
“Ma’am, I’m afraid I failed. Mephiles escaped and Shadow was slain, and Blaze… She’s gone.”
“Failure is a perception, not an absolute.” The shifting mound replies (shifting mound? Is that her name?) “And perceptions are only as powerful as we allow them to be. Let go of your preconceived notions and you give yourself the freedom to find new truths.”
The shifting mound, well, shifts. There is an opening in her folds and from beneath them out steps a familiar face. My breath catches in my chest as I see her.
“Is she… real?” I ask, not daring to hope.
But she steps forward herself, walking slowly towards me until she can take my hands in hers. Her smile is genuine.
“As a certain blue friend of yours would say, ‘long time no see’ Silver.”
Blaze. She was here. She was here the whole time. I can't help the tears as I embrace her, wrapping my arms around a form that was real. That hadn't faded into sparkles or covered by shadows and armor Which-
“So that wasn't you in the cabin? In the armor?” I managed to ask as my tears lesson.
“It was.” Blaze replies, a hint of bitterness in her tone. “When the Long Quiet collided with our world, I was shattered. The Shifting Mound has slowly collected my consciousness and brought me back together here, but a part of me was trapped in the cabin with Iblis narrating my every action. Once you took the Voices away Iblis had full control of me.”
“So I shouldn’t have done that.” I sigh. “Shadow would still be alive if I hadn’t and Mephiles wouldn’t be free.”
“You wouldn’t have reconstructed the Long Quiet if you hadn't.” Blaze said as if it was as simple as that, “You would still be a ghost, too.”
“The dark one is not free yet.” States the shadowy being which followed me here.
“It is not.” Affirms the Shifting Mound. “We are inside the Long Quiet, and it is not yet strong enough to tear the fabric of this reality. But it will soon reach a breaking point if nothing is done.”
“And Iblis?” I ask.
Blaze motions to the fires around us. “It is still contained. But Mephiles is fighting my barrier. We will have to act fast.”
I wipe my eyes and summon what determination I have left to say, “What’s the plan, then?”
“That is up to you.”
“Me? Why?”
Blaze turns away and faces the flames, her form flickering alongside them as she speaks. “I have already made my decision and accepted my destiny. You… You have not. And that is why we are here in the first place.”
“You mean because I didn’t want our world to end?” I said, almost laughing. “How could my wish alone make all this possible? Surely there were other people who didn’t want the world to be remade either.”
“The blessings of miracles.” The Long Quiet states.
“The what?”
“There were only three beings that could have stopped the world from being remade.” The Shifting Mound says. “Three who battle Solaris at the end of that timeline. The first, called Sonic, oversaw the reset and accepted it wholeheartedly. The second, who was your Shadow, accepted the reset as well but in the last moment saw a crack appear and chose to cover it with his own soul. And the third-”
“...”
Blaze took a breath. “The third didn’t want the world to end. He didn’t want everything to be for nothing. And amplified by the chaos emeralds, which themselves are inherently made to survive, a tear in reality was made. A tear which pulled the dying universe towards the realm of the gods themselves.”
Realm of the gods…?
Oh.
I clear my throat and hope that I hadn't done or said anything offensive towards these two.
“And now it's too late to undo the damage. But we have a few options.” Blaze takes a breath, “We can remake our world in this new, separate dimension. We can allow Mephiles to escape and leave the gods to go into dormancy and heal the tear in their own world. Or we can accept it as a lost cause and allow this universe to collapse as it should have done long ago.”
“The first one sounds good, if there's nothing bad about it.” I said.
Blaze hummed softly. “It's not an easy task. I will have to take Mephiles into my care as well as Iblis, and it will only be a shadow of its former self. Like the reflection world you were first trapped in.”
I look down at the ground. I don’t want that. I don’t want that for Blaze, or for the ghosts trapped in limbo. Letting Mephiles back into the real world was a terrible idea, what if everything happened all over again? But then the final option, collapsing the universe, I didn’t know if I could do that.”
“Whatever you decide, we will be with you.” The Shifting Mound says, “No effort is ever wasted when done in love.”
The world tremors. The flames vanish and the gods are nowhere to be seen. There is a mirror before me, and a long, thick blade upon the ground. Blaze is beside me, and picks it up.
“What do you want to do?” I ask her softly as we stare in indecision at the dark mirror.
“I don’t know. What do you want to do?” She repeats back to me.
“No, really.” I said, chuckling a little.
Blaze smiles softly. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy.”
“...”
I took a breath, realizing that I only had one choice here. “I can’t let you do this alone. You’ve had to suffer enough for me. I’m- I’m going to let this world die. It’s about time, anyway. But… But I won’t let you go with it.”
She takes a breath and nods. “And I won’t let you go, either.”
The blade is raised, and it strikes at the mirror. The pieces shatter, and the world along with it. There is thunder and voices and earthquakes. Reality is shifting all around me and I have to steady myself to get my bearings in the tempest.
A giant Mephiles is before me, familiar locations and pieces of the tapestry that used to be my world swirling around him in an endless tornado of destruction. He seems to be growing by the minute, striking at the darkness that encases him, blows one by one pushing the threads aside.
“Mephiles!” I shout, “Enough! It’s time both of us let this world go!”
The giant form turns to me and seems to laugh, though I cannot see his mouth. “You’re a fool if you think that, Silver the Hedgehog. We are now as the gods themselves, and once we break free from this prison every other world will be ours for the taking. We can exist not only in ours, but in every single other one as well. Wouldn’t that be exciting?”
“There is no space for you in existence.” Blaze cries, swinging a flaming blade at him. He blasts it away. At the same time I rise up and around him, bringing several boxes and stones with me as I do. But when I throw them at him, he hardly seems to flinch.
“A disappointing answer.” He says, swatting at me as if I were nothing more than a fly in his face. “There will be no place for you in my new reality!”
The tapestry tears. I feel a phantom pain rip through my body. In my mind’s eye I can see that this has hurt the god that contains us. I gather up my strength and strike at Mephiles again, pushing him away from the tear in reality. But, as I do, I can’t help but peek through the hole.
I can see our world again. It’s a happy one. I’m in it, Shadow and Sonic are in it, everyone I know is there. Yes, even Blaze.
For a moment, I am tempted.
I can see a fragment of Mephiles has already escaped into this revived world. Shadow battles it in a liminal space between timelines. He wins, but Mephiles will soon find other cracks.
Ah, I might never get to see it in person, but I will not sacrifice this world for my own selfish ends.
Feeling energy pulsate throughout my body, I summon every ounce of my strength to close off the hole. There is a flash of multicolored light and I am surprised to find the Chaos Emeralds rotating in front of me. Did I have them the whole time…?
“No!” Mephiles strikes at me. Blaze is there, sword in hand, slashing through his fingers as he tries to knock me away.
“Once you sever the connection, none of us will ever be able to go back. None of us! Do you hear?”
“We don’t want to go back.” Blaze says, “It is enough to know that our world will still exist, safe from people like you!”
The rift closes, and I turn upon Mephiles. I know what I have to do. It’s something that I should have done long ago.
Chaos Emeralds in hand, I face him. Just like I did long ago with Iblis, I begin to absorb his energy. But this time, my soul doesn’t reject the darkness. It accepts it. Despite Mephiles’ cries, I absorb his energy into my own. The shadows match the ones left behind by my own sorrows. Blaze’s soul may be alight, but mine was always filled with hope. That hope once extinguished leaves behind only darkness.
Blaze won’t be alone in her eternal guardianship.
Everything changes. I feel the ancient gods awakening from their slumber. Where Mephiles used to be, a lone crow flaps. A sad, weak little crow. Like glass, he shatters and is gone. Blaze and I watch the reunion of the gods as from a distance, immortalized in their following as we follow them through world after world. Creating, changing, and renewing.
It is a lonely existence, but one which we have both accepted.
And they all lived happily ever-
Notes:
Just got a little epilogue left. Not much. I'm sorry this chapter sucks so much. I think once I switched to first person narration and lost the humor this story became Hard Mode 2x encounters for me. I had a concept but I didn't plan for it very well. Didn't help that I picked the worst characters to write it with because I have very limited understanding of either Blaze or Silver's characters. Ah well. I hope this is enough of a resolution for this silly funny hedgehog-slaying journey.
Chapter 11: The Unknown Together
Chapter Text
You are back in the city. It is night now. Despite that, there are flickering lights all around you. Lights reflecting in the eyes of loved ones as they smile, passing by like puffs of smoke in the wind. New shapes are reviving in their wake, new lights, but the ghosts have yet to pass. It is their silent procession that you watch now.
But their memories don't fade, and their spirits stay alive so long as you hold them in your heart. All the same they must walk the endless walk towards death and rebirth.
It is quiet.
"I never wanted to be an eternal guardian, you know. I'm tired. I would much rather have spent my life growing old and dying surrounded by loved ones. But instead, we're stuck watching as they come and go..."
-"..."
"Do you think there's any rest for us? Or do you think the universe just goes on and on, never stopping? I don't think I can do this forever. I feel less and less like myself with every passing moment."
-"...Well, what if we just leave?"
"Just leave? But what about our guardianship? We don't even know where we are, how can we just leave?"
-"It doesn't matter. We have fulfilled our roles as guardians. You, especially. I think it's time to place our faith in the next generation. Even if Solaris tries to revive, we have to believe that there will be new heroes there to contain it."
"..."
-You take her hand in yours.
-"I love you, Blaze."
"...
"I love you, too."
-Step out into the unknown together.
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