Chapter Text
“Yikes,” Silver spoke up first. “What in the world happened here?”
Beside him, Sonic shrugged. Silver’s words rang out into a silence undercut by a low blow of a gale, the psychic shivering not only at that breeze as his eyes trailed past the scene.
It was a carnage.
Sonic’s foot lightly kicked at a torn-apart robot. The grass and foliage around it had been scorched to mere smouldering clumps in the dirt, while further around it trees had been felled, and amidst that destruction laid hundreds of robots more: tiny shreds and sparking carcasses and everything inbetween. The grassy Zone Sonic and Silver stood in laid injured and hurting not quite unlike how Angel Island had been left after Eggman’s attack on Knuckles.
And over the headache brewing behind Silver’s temples, the world tingled with the characteristic feeling of the power of a Chaos Emerald.
“Shadow’s been here,” Sonic responded, halting beside another robot and trailing a finger over the gaping crack in its chest. “Chaos Spear. And look.”
Swift fingers next plucked some black-and-red fur from the drooping branches of a nearby bush, that had lost most of its leaves to burns, and held it up. “Eggman’s been after him quite relentlessly,” Silver concluded with ease. And that made sense: they’d seen themselves how Shadow’s Emerald signal had moved over Tails’ map, haphazard and hectic. If the black hedgehog had been getting chased by this many robots…!
The path of destruction continued on into the distance.
Sonic smiled wryly, Silver nodded, and like lightning the two hedgehogs shot away anew. Silver rubbed at his head as he flew: it’d been aching already after his stunt at the beach, and two cross-continental trips had clawed away at his powers more than he liked admitting. But he could rest after they’d helped Shadow, he figured. Sonic would want him to as well, and even Silver in his stubbornness had to admit that immediately blasting off to fight Eggman in this state would be tantamount to suicide. “I hope we’re not too late,” he filled the quiet between him and Sonic… before blinking at the far more amused look the speedster sent over his shoulder.
“I don’t think Shadow can lose against Eggman’s robots, heh. Just like you.”
“That’d make me and Shadow equally strong,” Silver mulled, preening with pride at Sonic’s wink and flying all the quicker for it with his headache a prompt afterthought. It put him right beside Sonic, who shifted until Silver flew perfectly in his slipstream, and the psychic gladly leaned forward a bit to rest his forehead against the other’s wind-sleeked quills. It worked wonders for any feelings of aches and pains. And in it Silver could concentrate too, ears perking up to catch any wayward hints of where Shadow could be-
Like a distant zap, and a flash of light filtered through trees.
Followed by an explosion.
Sonic skidded to a halt immediately. Silver yelped at the sudden stop of motion, though a hand grabbed him and Sonic spun around so Silver collapsed right into his chest, not onto the ground. “What?! What was that?!” the psychic gasped, staring at the direction of the clamour. That look of calm seriousness had overtaken Sonic’s face again; as if he knew something Silver did not.
And the world tumbled into a spin and a blur before Silver gasped anew, jolting in Sonic’s arms he’d been lifted into as the speedster halted at a high cliff.
Far below it, on the beach that had to run past most of the west of the continent, a black dot threw orange beams of energy while endless, endless robots leapt at it.
“Oh! I think we found Shadow,” Silver helpfully piped up, before swallowing. The white Emerald inside his chest sparked and jolted, all trembly and shaken, and Silver soothingly ran a hand over his mane and fur a few times in the hopes it’d help the gemstone feel better. Shadow was fighting like a lion, zipping around over the sand and robots falling seamlessly in his wake…
As he moved away from Sonic and Silver. Instead Shadow raced to the south, where slightly fewer robots were darting over from than from the north. “You’re fast enough to catch up with Shadow, right?” Silver inquired, snapping his head up to Sonic-
Before huffing at emerald eyes staring not at Silver’s face, but at his torso. “Sonic! Focus!!”
With a startled flick of blue ears the speedster reared his head back, staring at Silver owlishly. “We need to help Shadow!” the psychic insisted, wriggling madly to indicate just how urgent this situation was. Sonic could ogle his body any other moment, not now!
“Let a guy enjoy the sights,” Silver could have sworn Sonic muttered out, though what those sights were, the psychic did not know. As it stood a more confident smirk formed on Sonic’s face immediately after anyway, Silver getting jostled in his arms with a suave motion. “And I’m not just fast enough to catch up with Shadow. I can win a race against him any day⁓”
“Now’s your chance to impress me,” Silver deadpanned back. Sonic’s laugh reached him still, but by then the psychic had long shot into the sky and down the cliff towards the beach. Silly Sonic and his smugness… that had only grown stronger as the speedster blasted right by with a smirk shot Silver’s way, before he darted onto the sand like a gorgeous meteor and blasted a perfect trail towards where Shadow ran. Easily Silver followed in his gale. “Shadow!” the psychic yelled as they neared, raising higher and waving at the black hedgehog, who spun around on his heels in their direction-
...And threw what Silver figured was a Chaos Spear right their way.
Sonic’s hand shot backwards and grabbed Silver’s wrist, the two hedgehogs pulled sideways faster than Silver could blink. With a mad yell the psychic bristled…
Before his eyes widened, as the Chaos Spear struck a robot that came zipping down from the sky, long before it could reach Sonic and Silver.
Which was great, except four more robots had taken over its place immediately, and Silver tensed as he and Sonic shot from the trail of robot wreckages right into the fray.
“Let’s go! We’ll help!” the speedster called out, halting beside Shadow with a grin. A grunt was the only answer the black hedgehog provided, though; black quills whipped through the air as he leapt and teleported and kicked and spun, enemies throwing themselves at him from every angle. Silver’s head shot to the right as robots came rising up from the waves: fishes and seals and crabs that snapped their various metal parts menacingly. But veering back to the cliff made Sonic jolt and Silver thus halt as well, because a whole second group of adversaries – monkeys, insects, and Eggman’s more humanoid creations – came searing down from there. And a mere look skywards showed flying robots of all kinds…!
“Actually, crud,” Sonic summarised the situation. Silver couldn’t have agreed more.
But Shadow balled his fists, Sonic grinned with danger and Silver rose his head defiantly, and in one smooth move all three blasted off.
“Shadow! They’ve been after you for hours, right?!” Silver yelled, mowing through robots as behind him, Shadow scoffed.
“The whole afternoon. They are relentless. And somehow, with many.”
That Silver had to agree with: the amount of robots racing at them was nothing short of staggering. They crowded in his vision, almost getting in each other’s way more than striking at the hedgehogs successfully-
And if Silver looked close, really close, in some places the group seemed to thin out for just a moment as robots… disappeared in sparks of purple. And reappeared in even more, the gaps filled before he could blink.
With his head snapping up, Silver’s gaze met emerald eyes from where Sonic halted one second. “Time stuff,” the speedster nodded.
“What if there’s no limit to how many times they can go back?!” Silver yelled, dread making the backs of his hands sting. “We could be dealing with hundreds of time-travel copies from the same robots!”
Sonic had long blasted off again… but the lightest of touches brushed over Silver’s shoulder all the same, in the sense of an assuring squeeze. “Then we just mow down whatever we can! If we destroy the right robot, that cycle will end!” got called back. “Let’s end this! Silver, herd them together!”
With bared teeth Silver got into position, powers pushing at indignantly-beeping robots and the psychic’s teeth finding themselves gritting together in pain seconds after. But he refused to relent and kept pushing until most of the robots had found themselves shoved into a single spot. “Now, Shadow!” Sonic cried out next. “Silver, get somewhere safe!”
“Sure,” Silver retorted, more mumbly than he’d liked. With the thrumming behind his temples swiftly intensifying he shot backwards… as Sonic and Shadow both curled into spiky balls, that blasted off in a mad circle of spinning over the sand and into the air. Silver threw up an arm to block the kernels rising up from hitting his face, a full tornado forming that sucked all the robots right up…!
And whatever Sonic and Shadow did in there, their adversaries came shooting out entirely smashed and broken.
Silver blinked blearily as the remnants scattered around the beach, a few remaining robots struck by Shadow’s Chaos Spears and Sonic Homing Attacking at them until they’d all crumbled. “Whoa,” the psychic brought out, ears perking up just a bit. “That was neat!”
Shadow’s red eyes bubbled with burning murderous intent.
Sonic gracefully landed on the ground beside him, shooting Silver that warm smile. “Whew. Eggman really wants that Emerald, doesn’t he?”
“Psh. This was nothing,” Shadow scoffed back.
“You’re welcome,” Sonic winked. Shadow glared most displeased at that, but Silver puffed himself up and shot Sonic a look of warning. They couldn’t make Shadow angry, not now. “Shadow, what’s going on?” he inquired, scrutinising the black hedgehog all over. He didn’t look too injured, luckily; trailing his gaze over the other revealed Shadow to be looking as eerily similar to the Shadow Silver knew in a different timeline, with only a more few scrapes and bruises at most.
And also this Shadow possessed his usual foul temper, because the black hedgehog’s teeth bared. “What is it to you?”
“Really important,” Silver retorted, fists balling and quills bristling. “Eggman’s getting even more daring with his messing with the time stream!”
A black eyebrow raised.
But then, Shadow blinked. “There is something strange going on,” followed more pensively. “I’ve never seen such purple around the Doctor’s robots before.”
Firmly Silver nodded. “Exactly! Shadow, we need your Emerald. It’s an emergency.”
The black hedgehog… bristled, as much as Shadow could bristle more in his already-angry appearance. “I thought you were having a party.”
“We are- that is to say, Sonic and I from the past are. But Eggman attacked, and we went back in time a few hours.”
...Shadow blinked.
Come on, Silver hissed in his mind at the look of scornful disbelief he promptly got regarded with. That was exactly what had happened! But bloodred eyes fell on Sonic next, lovely emerald meeting them steadfast. “It’s true,” Sonic spoke with that rare seriousness of his. “This very moment, Eggman is on his way to steal the Master Emerald. He is going to freeze time in a bit, forever. If Silver and I had gone to the future or teleported to somewhere else, he would still have gotten us.”
“...You Chaos Controlled back in time with the Emeralds you have on your person, then.”
“We got six,” Silver nodded. “We hid five of them in Tails’ little storage units for most of the time. But they’re all… unhappy.”
With an unamused look Shadow glared at him, the psychic curling a hand against his chest to soothe the gemstones. “Has your Emerald acted off too?” Sonic added.
“Quite so.”
And with a little zip of light, the green Emerald materialised in Shadow’s hand.
It was more than just upset, Silver could tell easily. Its glow flickered and buzzed, the entire thing shivering just like the white Emerald in Silver’s chest. “Look,” Silver murmured, pulling his own into existence. The two poor gemstones sat quivering in his and Shadow’s hands, Silver running a finger over the white one’s surface gently. “It’ll be okay,” he did his best to soothe them both. “In just a while, Sonic and I will have gone to the past and there’s only seven Emeralds again. Hold on just a bit longer!”
Sonic’s hand lightly curled over the white Emerald as well, giving it a gentle caress. “Shadow, we need only your Emerald still to be able to fight Eggman. Please?”
Silver frowned as, of course, Shadow’s response was to clench his hand and make the Emerald disappear into nothing. “I would like some answers first.”
“His robots… can go back in time somehow. But that means that it just seems like there’s twice, thrice, many more than usual; eventually they reach a point wherein they will have to go back in time so the timeline doesn’t break,” Silver mulled, ears twitching as a wayward thought crossed into his mind. “After all... it’s not like a robot can be destroyed, yet its post-time-travelling self can simultaneously still be active. The robot eventually has to go back in time so it can become that still-active version, and it can’t if it’s destroyed. I don’t want to think what effect it might have on the timeline if they try to achieve that somehow.”
“I guess it’d be some kind of paradox,” Sonic added. “And we’ll make sure that that does not happen.”
Red eyes turned to the horizon, where the tiniest dot of Angel Island could be made out amidst the clouds. Underneath it, the lowest part of the sun just barely brushed into the ocean…!
“Shadow,” Silver spoke pleadingly. “The Emeralds disappear when their function has been fulfilled. The fact ours haven’t yet means they have something important to do still, right? In my future, everyone is happy, and there’s blue skies everywhere and the people aren’t afraid of Eggman and he’s nothing but a distant memory to most and there’s only traces left of him that I’m removing, and surely that means that Sonic and I defeat Eggman here, but we need all seven so that Eggman can’t use any of them and make that possible! With all seven, we can perform a miracle!”
Shadow scoffed. “A miracle.”
...And yet, he beheld Silver with something in his gaze that the psychic, for all his prowess in knowing what it was people were feeling, just couldn’t place in the slightest.
Those eyes moved to Sonic next, who stood quietly by Silver’s side. In Silver’s hand the white Emerald flickered dimly, Shadow’s unreadable expression moving to that after. Quiet stretched out between them, silent seconds wherein the world bated its breath…!
Before Shadow scoffed. And Silver jolted as, with a care he had not expected Shadow to be capable of, the green Chaos Emerald rematerialised and got placed into his hand. “Oh,” he blinked. “Thanks!”
Shadow just shrugged.
Just like the Shadow he knew, Silver smiled. Gently he cradled the green Emerald against him, thinking soothing thoughts to the frazzled gem. “We’ll get it back for you later,” Sonic promised. He stood so close to Silver their pelts brushed together just barely, and that made it all the more easy to send all Silver’s warmth and love and adoration into the Emeralds while he oozed in Sonic’s words. “But first, Eggman.”
...The madman in turn didn’t exactly make for soothing thoughts for frazzled gems, but Silver still smirked just a bit. Joy at the expense of world-destroying villains was also a positive emotion. “He’s really angry. I think we hurt his feelings by attacking his base for the Emerald so quickly after trouncing him on Angel Island.”
“A pity,” Shadow responded in complete deadpan.
“And I lied to him,” Silver preened next, quills puffing up in pride. That didn’t make Shadow look at him with any praise, but Sonic smiled all the warmer for it, and even the Chaos Emeralds felt just a mite more calm in Silver’s hands as he held them. “Sonic, should we put these away in Tails’ canisters?”
“Ah… I think it doesn’t matter anymore now. We know what’s going to happen from here on out.”
“Yeah, until you and I leave for the past. And then…”
Then they’d create a miracle.
And Silver would tear apart heaven and earth to help Sonic to make one possible, if that were needed, and the thought that he would and could do that because of Sonic was really nice.
…What felt less nice amidst this realising was the absolute pounding in Silver’s head.
It struck the psychic the very second he made the Emeralds dematerialise and settle lightly in his chest. The moment they were gone, Silver winced; exhaustion and pain both struck him like one of Soleanna’s high-speed bullet trains. “Ouch,” he muttered, hand shooting up to rub over his quills…
And ears drooping at the concerned look getting sent his way. “You okay?” Sonic inquired, though Silver shrugged by force of habit before he could stop it.
“Yeah. Just used my powers too much for a bit.”
“Should we ask the Emeralds to heal you?”
“...They’re too upset. I don’t want to overtax them.”
“We can always-”
“I don’t want to,” Silver huffed back. They’d tormented the Emeralds enough already; they would ask one single miracle of them today and nothing else.
But Sonic looked at him with that gaze of playful knowing, that left Silver groaning and taking a stumbling step forward against him. Oh, how awful it felt to have to say this, to be honest, and yet he’d told himself he would…! “...But I do want to take it easy before we go fight Eggman. Just a little bit!”
For a split second Silver could see a smile blossom on Sonic’s face, before he averted his eyes stubbornly. He would not let himself get soothed and coddled with the warmth in Sonic’s expression.
“I think that’s a great idea,” the simple response came, though. Blue fur brushed past grey, Sonic stepping closer until Silver all but leaned into him. “We got a bit of time left before our party was meant to start fully. Let’s see… Do you still have my rings from the future?”
“Oh! Yeah!”
...But as Silver pulled out his satchel and clenched the rings in his hand, his ears sunk down again at the realisation it was scarcely enough to help. Sure, it lightened the cotton-like heaviness in his mind a bit, and also his body and cheeks felt a mite less tingly, but exhaustion still pulled at his limbs. With a grumble Silver muttered a curse.
And Sonic laughed. “Come here. Let me help.”
“You always do,” Silver lamented. And yet, despite his tone, he most willingly let Sonic flop him onto the sand and curled against blue-furred legs as Sonic sat down too. The speedster radiated warmth, and Silver contently cradled himself against it. Just for a few moments, just to recharge...
Lithe fingers rubbed behind his ear. “You looked so cool,” got murmured, and Silver nodded proudly.
“You were cool too, heh.”
...Sonic grinned a mite impishly.
“Does that mean I impressed you after all?” the speedster winked back, trailing a finger underneath Silver’s chin. Promptly the psychic narrowed his eyes, even more as that finger had the gall to boop his nose. Yes, but not if Sonic was teasing him about it!
And thus Silver pulled the most innocent face he could muster and looked to the side all coyly himself. “Yep, you did! A solid… eight outta ten, for sure. No notes.”
The sputter Sonic produced was so indignant Silver knew it to be fake, but that made grinning cutely upwards all the more fun. “Just an eight?!” Sonic proclaimed, hand draping against his forehead dramatically. “Whatever can I do to make that number just the tiniest bit higher?!”
“I dunno. You’ll have to show me,” Silver purred back, snuggling against blue legs. It earned him the prettiest look of pouting speedsters, who wriggled their fingers ominously. Silver just laid boneless and softly-breathing as those fingers brushed over his hands, and grabbed one in full. Firm touches rubbed into his psychic mark on the back first, the palm second, and Silver found himself in a prompt battle of wanting to ooze while simultaneously wanting to balk and protest, because this was making him even more exhausted. “Definitely a nine outta ten now,” he mumbled, if only to not fall asleep in full. Still, he let his other hand be massaged just as readily; it gave a nice view on Sonic amidst the relaxation.
Sonic, who was looking a mite cheeky still. “Can I try something to make it a ten outta ten?”
“Knock yourself out,” the psychic sighed. He already felt so soothed and cared for, while his powers had settled contently in his hands to let Sonic give them as much attention as possible; what more could the speedster possibly do to make him relax?
...The answer to that was that Sonic lifted his hand to a peach muzzle.
And pressed a light kiss right in the middle of Silver’s mark.
Silver promptly found himself so utterly oozing on the sand after all, powers buzzing like fireworks as they nuzzled Sonic’s face all over and contentment making him heave out the happiest sigh any hedgehog had ever produced…
That he had completely forgotten Shadow was there too until he opened one eye and got met with a stare of utter, baffled disgust.
Immediately Silver started laughing, which made Sonic look up and start laughing as well. In one smooth move Shadow wordlessly turned around and sauntered off, which made Sonic and Silver laugh only more, and with helpless cackles the speedster came crashing down onto Silver’s body. Through flounders and flutters Silver held him closer than close, their foreheads pressing together and their noses nuzzling until they hurt and both hedgehogs were left heaving for breath. “Hey, Silver,” Sonic spoke up first, beaming at him so adoringly Silver just about forgot how to breathe in full. “If we can laugh like this and be happy like this together, everything will always be okay.”
And Silver believed him.
Contently he shut his eyes and focused on soothing their seven Emeralds, as his mind wondered about what their miracle could even be where his mouth was too sleepy to ask.
Whatever it would be: with Sonic causing it, it would be nothing but wonderful.
☆☆☆☆☆
Watching himself walk about and talk in exactly the way Sonic remembered doing was… strange.
What was even stranger was how he quietly melted at the look on his own face he’d been sending to Silver, when the two of them had been talking and rough-housing on the beach.
But that was exactly what was happening amidst him and Silver listening in on their past selves between the waving grasses of the dunes they sat hidden in, the psychic’s body warm against Sonic’s side. Ethics and oddness of eavesdropping on himself aside, Sonic had to chuckle lowly. “Do I always look at you like that?”
“Yes,” the frank response got whispered back. Silver had woken up from his two seconds of napping and been so fussy Sonic had decided to just get as close to their party as possible, if only so they had a better idea of what to do. And also he had to admit he felt antsy. He sat quietly breathing, while beside him Silver sat tighter than a coiled-up spring, both of them crouched low in the sand and grasses with golden eyes trained firmly on the scene of cuteness in the distance. “Makes me happy.”
With a fond snort, Sonic gave him a nudge at the curt words. “It’s gonna be okay, Silver.”
“...We gotta act fast. But...”
“I can do everything fast, remember?” Gently Sonic trailed a hand past Silver’s side next, where the Emeralds were hiding. Three canisters for Sonic to open, two for Silver, and a few seconds before Eggman’s time freezing would hit them to take action with all seven of their companions.
Even if the psychic frowned only more. “That’s not it. We collected the Emeralds, but... what do we do with them? Will having all seven just protect us from getting stuck in the time stream? How do we create a miracle? Just ask?”
With every new question, Sonic looked at him with a bit more surprise.
Because Silver didn’t seem to know.
And with that realisation, Sonic thought back to a night with a shared hammock and ear-rubs and cosy stories about legends and the mundane filling the air. “You’ve never wished on all seven Emeralds before,” he confirmed, a firm shake of Silver’s head the response.
“I’ve never collected all seven of them together. Just two is enough. I only know legends about it.”
A bright smile formed on Sonic’s face as on the beach, Tails rushed over to their past selves. “Then you’ll see something wonderful, promise.”
“I don’t want to see. What if something bad happens because I don’t know?!” the prompt protest came. With a snort Sonic watched his past self and his past self’s Silver shoot away to the party, before noiselessly rising to his feet and wrangling his way through the grasses towards the spot Eggman would appear shortly. “Sonic!!” Silver hissed behind him, with a miffed push of psychokinesis. “Tell me!!”
Sonic gestured for him to crouch down low, the grass rustling ominously around him. “Silver, what do you know about the Emeralds?”
“They’ve got infinite power and there’s seven of them and you can use Chaos Control to do stuff. And they can power machines,” the psychic grunted back. “Why?”
“The Emeralds are powered by positive emotions. Hope, faith, confidence…”
…And with the next word on his tongue, Sonic halted and peered over his shoulder and swallowed, because his throat had suddenly turned quite a bit dry.
“And love.”
“Love,” Silver repeated.
And Sonic could have melted at the brightest smile, that blossomed on Silver’s face like sunlight racing down when the clouds in the heavens had moved past. “Sonic, I think we’ve got plenty of that.”
And it would make them win, as on the beach, Eggman’s voice roared out and a tidal wave came racing closer.
Quiet minutes stretched out as Sonic and Silver sat unmoving in the distance, close enough to hear vaguely what everyone on the beach was talking about yet hidden away enough to remain unseen. The Silver from the past threw up his psychic shield to stop the incoming tidal wave, Sonic and his Silver pressed their heads together as the Sonic from the past raced closer and held him up, Eggman got fought by Sonic’s friends, the Sonic and Silver from the past joined the fray…!
Sonic readied himself, as the Egg Phoenix neared on the horizon.
They talked, Eggman threatened, the Sonic from the past stood confidently and the Silver from the past stared as his realisation struck.
And from the Egg Phoenix, purple rushed.
The white and green Emeralds cried out. Sonic and Silver from the past shot away in one direction; Sonic and his own Silver blasted off in another. Sonic tore open Tails’ canisters in microseconds each while beside him Silver copied the movements, every new Emerald that joined wailing and sparking. “It’s okay!” Silver soothed, eyes wide and panicked at the wave of time-freezing that came racing at them from behind. “Sonic!”
Sonic ran and ran until the purple behind them was a mere distant sheen, and then he halted.
The agony of their seven Emeralds, in a single moment, flitted away into a radiating calm.
And Sonic smiled.
“Silver,” he murmured. “Give me your hands.”
The psychic stared like he’d lost his mind. “Now of all times?!”
“Yes. Remember the legend of the Skyfire?”
“Now of all times?!?!”
Sonic laughed, and extended his own.
He didn’t need to ask if Silver trusted him. Tense fingers coated in cool cyan snatched Sonic’s and pulled him close, the world holding its breath as the time-freezing wave of purple shot right at them.
We’re here, Sonic thought to the Emeralds. We need you.
The gemstones shone.
“Close your eyes, Silver. Focus on your wish to protect everyone,” Sonic whispered, thumbs rubbing over the cyan marks on the backs of Silver’s hands.
A little breath got drawn. “They feel warm… And…!”
“That is love.”
And he loved Silver.
Sonic let it seep in, crash over him, overtake his entire being, become a part of his very soul.
Silver gasped, the purest light gold rushing over grey fur and ruby red blossoming in his eyes.
And power rushed through Sonic as well; and with a final squeeze of Silver’s hands, the speedster readied himself as around them, the world stilled into nothing.