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Silver shoots up in his hotel bed, his body in a cold sweat and his throat dry.
He takes a minute to breath, forcing air in and out of his lungs.
When his hands stop shaking, Silver’s eyes glance around lazily, landing on a carefully wrapped box.
Instantly, Silver recoils from it, squeezing his eyes shut. He puts his head in his hands, letting out a shuddering sigh that sounds a bit too close to that of a sob.
Silver stays like that for a minute before he finally gets out of bed, slipping on his socks and gloves. He collects the well wrapped present before heading for the door, stepping into his boots.
He hurried down the stairs, ears perked up.
Silver knew he wouldn’t be properly motivated until-
“Silver!” Sonic’s voice, bright and cheerful and most importantly,
alive
, echoes, the hedgehog leaning back in his chair to look at Silver. "Dude, the free breakfast is so good, come get some!"
"Sonic, some people are still sleeping, shush!" Tails said through a mouthful of pancakes.
"I'm not hungry," Silver said, walking over. "Got you a birthday present."
Sonic gasped in delight, delight that never got old, and took the well decorated cardboard box with the same awe one would a brick of gold.
He opened it then and there, in the same way he always did, peeling the corners back before dragging a single claw down the middle to break the tape holding the paper in place before opening the box.
Sonic gasps and pulls out a bracelet, a charm of Sonic's classic symbol sticking out from the beads.
"I made it with Amy," Silver said. "Do you like it?"
"Dude, I love it!" Sonic beamed, immediately slipping it on. "Here's hoping it gives me good luck!"
Silver just smiled. The first time he gave it to Sonic, he'd stuttered and stammered, rambling about how it was made while waiting for Sonic's approval. Now, Silver knew Sonic would love it. He always did.
"Ya know, since we're all awake, we can head to the festival early!" Tails suggested.
Silver tuned out for the most part of that. He had to be ready. Things were gonna happen quickly when they got to the festival.
This had all happened and Silver was terribly afraid things would happen before.
Sonic and Tails had invited Silver to come along, since it was a festival that fell on Silver’s birthday as well as Sonic’s.
Silver knew something that the two siblings didn’t however; the festival would be attacked.
It would go to total shit and so many people would die.
Sonic among them.
It was a different way every time and Silver usually didn’t last long after Sonic did. Then Silver would wake up and this would all start again.
"Ready to go, Silvs?" Sonic asked, beaming down on Silver. It was a smile Silver tattooed to his brain, no matter how many times he saw it.
He would not fail this time. He would not.
"Ready when you are!" Silver smiled weakly.
The first hour of the festival was always calm and, no matter how much or how long Silver looked, he could never find signs of the incoming threat until it was too late.
Silver remembered when he looked around him with delight and wonder, running up to every stall while Sonic encouraged his enthusiasm.
Now, Silver just walked slowly behind the pair of siblings. The festival no longer had any importance to Silver beyond being the setting of his own and Sonic's doom.
Sonic didn’t seem as interested in it as he was the first time either. Maybe he faked his excitement for Silver’s sake. Silver felt bad for forcing Sonic to fake a smile that first time but he felt worse about it, knowing what came next.
It always started the same way. Sonic led the group to one of the community halls on the festival grounds, where an indoor exhibit was going to be held.
Sonic would open the door and-
The explosion snapped Silver out of his daze, like it had for the last twenty or so times. It always surprised him.
“Sonic!” Silver and Tails cried, Silver diving forward to catch the hero. Sonic fell backwards into Silver’s arms, Silver wrapping his arms around Sonic to ensure he was still here.
Sonic never died from the initial explosion. No, what came next was what usually did the hero in. Regardless, it never stopped scaring Silver.
The various robots burst out of the hall, flying around and firing on the crowd. They weren’t Eggman’s robots, or at least, if they were, they weren’t a style recognizable to Eggman.
Tails told him that, one timeline.
Sonic, as always, regardless of the hellish timeloop Silver was in, jumped into action, shooting out warnings and taunts in the same breath.
Silver followed his lead but Silver knew this was only the first wave. More robots would arrive though Silver had yet to follow and see from where. It was important to stay close to Sonic.
After all, Sonic would throw himself into the heart of the chaos, into the center of the danger.
Anytime Silver left him after the doors sent Sonic flying, Silver returned to find Sonic dead, the shock getting Silver killed shortly after.
Silver grabbed a missile that would have exploded in both Sonic and Silver’s faces out of the air and hurled it into a stand, watching said missile blow the stand, along with a smaller robot that had been hiding behind the stand.
The first three times Silver had done that, he’d yelled out an apology. There was never someone to accept it.
“Nice save, Silvs!” Sonic complemented with a cheeky grin, kicking away another missile like a football into the laser socket of a much larger approaching robot. “Tails, get out of here and get help, okay?”
“Okay!” the fox kit shouted out.
Silver turned to watch Tails leave. Tails always left, except for once. That was the time Sonic specifically asked for Tails to stay, for some reason.
Tails did and his inspection of the robots had given Silver insight on how to fight and prepare for these things he did not have before. Of course, it came with the cost of Tails’ life. That was the one and only time Tails stayed.
Silver really hoped he did make it out.
“You could go with him, Silvs!” Sonic shouted out to Silver. “I can handle myself.”
“No thanks!” Silver shouted back before tossing on some false Sonic brand bravado. “Can’t let you have all the fun, now can I?”
Silver never left Sonic. And he never would. It was never even considered an option for success, that perhaps without Silver’s presence, Sonic would fight better, no.
Sonic was dead if Silver looked away from him for a second, what would happen to the shining symbol of freedom if Silver actually left.
The battle was a blur, Silver’s mind relying on the various ways Sonic and Silver himself had perished and the ways to prevent it.
Sonic fired a compliment at Silver, his words turning to goo in Silver’s ears, as Silver dodged a missile that had put Silver down like a sick dog once or twice.
Silver’s mind only cleared when he blinked and realized that…
They had reached a new part of the fight. Silver… Silver had never made it before.
Sonic clapped Silver on the shoulder, beaming at the other.
“We got them on the run now, Silvs!” Sonic said, each new word out of his mouth so beautiful Silver could kiss him. “Let’s keep it up.”
“Right!” Silver nodded. Could this be it? Could Silver finally see this thing through, see Sonic walk away, alive and whole, from this whole experience?
The ground shook, as if the planet itself was laughing at the nugget of hope Silver had allowed himself.
“What was that?!” Sonic shouted out, looking around, and Silver had no idea.
A rather large robot suddenly came into view, as if it had teleported in front. Once again, it did not look Eggman built but it did look dangerous, sharp claws attached to the arms at its sides.
Silver grits his teeth.
“I guess we’re about to find out!” Silver said in reply, the robot suddenly dashing at the two hedgehogs. “Because here it comes.”
It swung at Silver first, the white hedgehog tossing up a shield as Sonic jumped out from behind Silver, spin dashing at the strangely sharp looking robot.
His attacks seemed to have little effect and Silver could only thank the robot’s currently one minded focus on Silver for Sonic’s continued survival as Sonic was left ignored by the robot.
Regardless, the robot’s one minded focus was not good for Silver himself, slowly losing his footing as the machine repeatedly swiped its claws at Silver’s shield.
“Hold on, Silvs!” Sonic cried, his voice on the edge of desperation as he struggled to even pierce the robot’s hide but it would have a weakness, like all the others.
Silver saw the beginnings of cracks in his shield and felt his heart drop. He had to move now.
If Silver’s shield shattered, Silver would be left vulnerable, but what could he do, where could he go-
One claw pierced through the shield, shattering around the puncture mark. The other clawed hand went up and swung down before Silver could move or even reform his shield.
Silver sees blue as Sonic barrels into him, sending them both momentarily out of the machine’s reach.
Silver opens his eyes and sees red. Sonic is limp in Silver’s arms, his eyes and mouth open, vivid and enchanting emerald green as shallow as a moss covered puddle, deep, deep,
deep
claw marks raked across Sonic’s back. The bracelet with its oversized and honestly cheesy heart charm slipped off Sonic’s limp wrist onto the grass below.
“No,” Silver gasps because, for the briefest of moments, he really thought-
Silver pulls Sonic closer, uncaring of the red staining his own hands, uncaring of the fastly approaching enemy.
“Gaia, Sonic, please, wake up, no, please,” Silver begs, feeling tears begin to form in the corners of his eyes. “Wake up, for the love of Gaia, Sonic, I don’t, I can’t do this, not again-”
There’s a sharp pain in Silver’s abdomen as all the air is literally stabbed out of his lungs and the world goes black.
Silver shoots up in his hotel bed, his body in a cold sweat and his throat dry.
He lets out something like a crooning cry, feeling tears come unbidden to his eyes.
He’d been so close! Silver had been so sure, so absolutely-
Silver’s eyes dart over to the present and he bares his teeth. The box lights up with a vivid teal before being unceremoniously tossed aside.
Sonic. Silver has to see him, make sure he’s okay.
Silver threw himself out of bed, struggling to get his usual attire on.
He scooped the present off the floor with a whispered apology, rushing downstairs.
Silver!” Sonic called out in his perfect, wonderful, unforgettable voice. “Dude, the free breakfast is so good, come- whoa!”
Silver didn’t mean to interrupt him, every word Sonic spoke, repeated or brand new, was like music to Silver’s ears, a melody that promised both pain and joy.
Silver slammed his gift down onto the table, pulling Sonic into a far too relieved and far too tight hug for someone who’d been stuck in a plane with him for at least three hours last night.
Sonic smells like the cheap lemon soap the hotel provided and his own natural smell of freshly cut grass. Silver wasn’t certain how someone could always smell like that but he wasn’t gonna complain.
“Silvs? Dove?” Sonic questioned, the rare nickname Sonic had dubbed him as a joke slipping out. “Everything alright?”
“Bad dream,” Silver said in lieu of an explanation. He didn’t care if strangers were watching, if Tails was. Silver clinged to Sonic as if the blue hedgehog might vanish if Silver blinked.
“Okay,” Sonic accepted, returning Silver’s hug, if not with the same amount of desperation. “Want to talk about it?”
“No,” Silver said. “I really don’t.”
Silver was ready this time, staring down the thing which made the earth tremble beneath its feet.
“Be careful!” Silver called out. “That thing doesn’t look like it’ll take the normal amount of energy to take down!”
Sonic nodded, taking a few steps back.
Rather than stay in place, Silver moved both himself and Sonic up into the air, hopefully out of the metallic monster’s reach.
“Any plan?” Silver shouted to Sonic, more of a courtesy than an actual question.
“Yeah!” Sonic responded, to Silver’s surprise. “I got one!”
Sonic pointed to a force of such smaller bots, armed to the gills with explosives of any manner.
“Let’s see how many of those it can take!” Sonic suggested, a sharp grin on his face. Silver could kiss this ‘hog.
The well armed bots found themselves lifted in the air, squealing like little pigs as Silver pulled them up and slammed them down on the Edward Scissorhands robot.
Silver pulled Sonic close as the explosion rose up, covering Sonic from any possible debris from the blast.
“Did it work?” Sonic asked, pushing himself as far from Silver as he could, not far considering Silver’s telepathy held them in place.
The dust cleared, the metal monstrosity now looking up at them. Silver felt his blood go cold.
“Nope,” Sonic winced. “Guess not.”
The robot jumped up in the air, over the duo. Silver moved to shield them but Sonic, of course, was faster, placing himself between Silver and the robot as it slammed down on them.”
Silver heard Sonic’s ribs break as the blue hedgehog was slammed back at Silver.
Both fell to the ground, Silver catching them and quickly raising a shield. What came up for their asses would surely come back down for the same purposes.
“What were you thinking?!” Silver more or less screamed at Sonic, the hedgehog lying in Silver’s lap as Silver desperately tried to think of a way out of this for both of them.
“I was thinking you were gonna get squashed and I couldn’t let that happen?” Sonic said groggily, coughing up blood. Silver bit his own lip.
“I could have shielded us both!”
“You didn’t have enough time,” Sonic pointed out. It was true. They would both be dead already if Sonic hadn’t moved.
The shield and earth alike quaked as the machine finally landed down, right on top of Silver’s shield.
Not that that mattered. They’d both be dead soon anyway.
“Hey, hey,” Sonic said, hacking as he spoke. Even as his mouth drowned in blood, Sonic was trying to comfort Silver. Oh, this bastard, how Silver loved him. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
“I can’t save you, Sonic,” Silver cried, tears rolling down his face as the robot continued to slam down on the shield, sending them deeper into the earth and weakening the shield. “Gaia damn it, why can’t I save you?!”
“Hey, you don’t worry about me,” Sonic reassured, raising a hand to Silver’s cheek. Silver couldn’t help but lean into the touch. “I’m Sonic the Hedgehog! I always bounce back. I’ve come back from worse. I’ll save us, save you, okay, Dove?”
“How? How are you going to save us when you can’t even save yourself? What do you mean-” Silver started. Sonic’s hand dropped from Silver’s cheek, Sonic’s eyes half lidded. “Sonic? Sonic!”
The shield gave a shuddering crack, not that Silver noticed.
“Sonic, come back-” Silver sobbed as the robot came down right on his head.
Sonic shoots up in his hotel bed, his body in a cold sweat and his throat dry.
He takes in a breath and holds it, relishing in the simple pain of forcing his body not to breathe before giving his lungs the privilege of breathing out and in once more.
He looks out the window, pointlessly.
He knows what time it is, what day.
Today’s the day of both Sonic and Silver’s births and the day they die.
The sun is just beginning to rise, Tails and Silver both thankfully still asleep.
Sonic walks into the room’s attached bathroom and turns on the shower water.
Cold water, he’d find himself quite heated soon enough.
He scrubbed his whole body with the cheap lemon soap but it did nothing to the mental image of his fur caked in dirt and blood, Silver’s hands shaking as they were forced to bear Sonic’s blood.
Sonic growled and threw the soap away.
“Damn it!” Sonic cried into the early morning and cold shower. “How do I save you, Silver?!”