Chapter Text
“What the fuck?! What the fuck?? What the-” Silver shrieked, his voice being cut off by a jab to his throat. He was getting his ass handed to him. Somehow. It shouldn’t be happening, he should be having the upper hand, he shouldn’t be in pain! Of course, his entire future shouldn’t be the way it was right now, but what was he supposed to do? Coming into a future that was taken over by someone or destroyed by something was just how it worked. There was always something happening, whether Silver liked it or not. He just wished that what was happening was good. Or at least not whatever the fuck was going on in the future right now.
Silver had said his goodbyes, given his hugs, and braced himself for whatever bullshit came his way. Most of the time, it was Iblis. That stupid lava monster. Sometimes, if Eggman was on some shit, it was Dark Gaia. Dark Gaia was fascinating and was actually preferred over Iblis. At least in a world where Dark Gaia destroyed everything, there were still trees and homes and remnants of people. When Iblis was the monster that roamed the planet, there was nothing. On rare occasions, he would encounter something slightly different: a world ruled by Eggman or Metal Sonic, a complete wasteland conquered by the Phantom Ruby, a place where Infinite was king (which was, somehow, different than the ruby getting its way. Silver didn’t claim to understand how the gem worked), and whatever the fuck was happening now.
When Silver entered the future this time around, he was startled, to say the least. He was in the middle of a city, one that wasn’t set ablaze so he didn’t have to deal with Iblis, but he didn’t recognize it. It could’ve been Station Square or Central City for all he knew. He didn’t get much of a chance to really observe his surroundings, though. He knew that the city was of a red and black hue, but many cities looked like that during the night. At least, until he realized it wasn’t metal or glass holding up the massive skyscrapers.
It was flesh, instead.
Beating. Pounding.
The entire building, all one hundred stories, Silver didn’t even know, was alive.
Each building in the city, short or tall, thin or large, was slamming in unison like a massive beating heart.
It wasn’t that much of a relief to feel that there was proper ground underneath his feet.
Silver didn’t get to throw up or stare on in horror before something heavy-handed collided with the back of his head. If he had turned around to be greeted with a sexy black and red hedgehog with ruby eyes, foot held up from kicking him, he would’ve thrown a fit so large it would’ve sent Shadow into the sun.
Luckily for Shadow, it wasn’t him who hit Silver in the back of the head.
Unluckily for Silver, it was worse.
Staring at him were a pair of small, insect-like yellow eyes connected to a deep grey and purple alien. Silver clocked the being as a member of the Black Arms almost immediately. Shadow’s crude drawings and abysmal descriptions of the aliens weren’t much, but Silver could see the shocking similarities between what Shadow had described and the being that stood in front of him. Blackish grey skin with lizard-like scales that glistened was the main thing that tipped Silver off as to what this thing was.
Then something hit him in the head again, sending him careening into the fist of the Black Arms grunt he was looking at. He struggled to stay on his feet, his head reeling as he shoved the grunt away from him with his telekinesis. Not like that did anything, as more and more Black Arms began to surround him. Various clicking and chittering sounds surrounded him; they were communicating and Silver didn’t know what they were talking about, and quite honestly, he didn’t care. He needed to get out of there, away from the hivemind of the Black Arms. It was too late for him to run and hide, he knew that. Now that multiple grunts had seen him, it was only a matter of time before the knowledge of his presence was signaled to each and every member of the Black Arms.
“Shit shit shit shit shit-!” Silver hissed out, a bead of sweat trailing down his head. His tail swished back and forth uselessly, he knew there were threats behind him and to his side and in front of him and- oh fuck. He’s surrounded. He needed to get up. Up in the air. He was useless on the ground and he knew it. He didn’t have the limb strength or the speed like Shadow and Sonic did to fight people on his feet. It was easier to throw cars and trucks at people than to punch them. He needed to get into the air, he’d be much more mobile that way.
Silver wiped the blood dripping from his nose as he shot a wave of psychic energy towards him, toppling over the part of the hoard of Black Arms that stood in front of him. He made a dash forward before he could be stuck by anyone behind him, powers flickering as he shot himself upwards. He was absolutely certain that there were some kind of Black Arms that could fly, but he would fare much better against them than the grunts on the ground.
Somehow, they knew this too.
A three-fingered hand grabbed onto his ankle and slammed him back onto the pavement. He cried out, his ears beginning to ring as pain ricocheted through his body. He spat up a mixture of blood and bile onto the cement, heaving. To have his trajectory changed so quickly in the opposite direction made him sick; when he focused on something, to change so suddenly, especially against his will was painful. Painful for his head, his body, all of him.
The grunt had stopped him from flying. Stopped him from flying.
They knew him. Knew of him. Knew what his strengths and what his weaknesses were. They were purposefully keeping him out of the air.
How? How did that happen? They were smarter than how Shadow described them. Were they always this smart and Shadow was just being spiteful, or had something changed? Did they know who he was? He was fairly certain he never encountered any member of the Black Arms before and-
Oh fuuuck.
Shadow!
“Wait!” He wheezes out before a clawed foot collides with his back. Pain surges its way through his body, head throbbing and heart pounding. It was useless trying to talk to these things, clearly. They couldn’t understand him and he couldn’t understand them. There were chirps and chitters, barely audible to him normally and now nearly gone with the ringing in his mind. He doubted he could communicate even if he knew the language. Between the trills and the clicks, it would be impossible for him to even attempt to speak it.
Silver grunted, struggling to his knees as he glanced upwards. Above him had approached one singular creature, perhaps the leader of the group. The warrior looked down at him, yellow eyes glowing in the dim light. Before Silver could even think about reacting, it raised its fist upwards, ready to strike down on Silver’s head. Judging from the sheer size of the alien looming over him, he was sure that a clean strike against his skull would split it open.
Holy shit.
He might die here.
No. No no no, that couldn’t happen.
Not now. Not like this!
Silver braced for an impact, waiting for everything to go to black and…well he wasn’t sure what death was like, but he was sure that it would be unpleasant. He squeezed his eyes shut, grit his teeth, and waited.
Waited for a strike that never came.
After a few seconds, Silver peeked upwards. The alien (although, now that his head was somewhat clearer, he supposed he was the alien now) just looked down at him. Chitters and squeaks echoed around the street, and it lowered its arms. Silver braced himself, putting his feet underneath him as the warrior stepped aside. He was sure something awful, horrible, powerful, was waiting for him. He likely couldn’t fight whatever it was on his own, but maybe he could get away? He had no choice but to try. His muscles tensed, fingers ready to shoot out a wave of telekinetic energy and-
“...Shadow?”
Things were still fuzzy, admittedly, but Silver would bet his life (and, in reality, he was ) that the being standing in front of him was Shadow. They were smaller than the Black Arms surrounding them and the curvature of the tentacles on their head were the two things that just screamed ‘Shadow.’ The quill-like tentacles had red stripes and tilted upwards, and the eyes that they had were familiar. The blazing ruby-red pupils stared into him, and a chill went down his spine. It was the same glare that he was familiar with, especially when he said something particularly stupid and he knew that a roundhouse kick was coming his way.
The name caused Shadow (it’s Shadow, it has to be) to stiffen for a moment. Who knows how long it’s been since he was referred to by that name?
“Holy shit,” Silver sputtered, putting a hand to his forehead as he struggled to his feet, “Shadow, what is-”
BAM.
…
“Son of Doom.”
Silver crumpled to the ground, body going limp. Shadow stared down at him, ignoring the chittering of the warriors surrounding him. He slowly lowered his leg from where he brought it down on Silver’s head, hands balled into fists in a desperate attempt to stop them from shaking. Silver was here. Here, in this twisted world. Shadow had almost forgotten what his own name was, what he was, who he was. When he saw Silver appear, he could barely believe it. He was blinding, a beautiful angel against the hell that was the planet he lived on. It was bound to happen, Shadow knew that. It was only a matter of time until Silver showed up to the future and then zipped right back into the past to fix it and he would fix this.
Shadow remembered the day the Black Arms returned to Mobius like it was yesterday, the events of the invasion playing over and over again in his mind. It had been around fifty to sixty years since he last saw Silver, and all of his friends were well past their prime. The Black Arms had returned, and they were stronger than the last time. Shadow was overwhelmed and rusty, and despite his best effort, he fell.
Black Doom wasn’t exactly inclined to destroy his greatest creation, though. Shadow didn’t die the day the Black Arms took over, although he often wished that he did. He was forced to watch as humans and mobians alike struggled to fight back against their alien attackers. Governments crumbled, people died, and the world fell into Black Doom’s hands. Shadow had no choice but to follow what was in his DNA, the Son of Doom, his champion, his judge, jury, and executioner. It wasn’t a role he wanted, but one he took in stride.
The terraforming of the planet was on Shadow’s shoulders, a task given to him as a test. Could he destroy the planet he’s lived on for years? Could he prove himself as Black Doom’s heir? His greatest creation?
The answer, unfortunately for the world, was yes.
In truth, Shadow remembered very little from the days he spent altering the world for the Black Arms’ needs. He was simply going through the motions, ignoring everything else, as the world was transformed from its lush, diverse landscape, to the desolate, hive-like land that the Black Arms needed. The cities were the easiest to take over. Metal was easy to shift into the flesh-like material that coated Black Arms nests; the forests weren’t as easy, but Shadow had all the time in the world.
Shadow had just been waiting. Waiting for the hedgehog limp at his feet.
“Champion?”
“What.” Shadow chittered, bending down to scoop Silver up into his arms, tossing him limply over his shoulder. Silver may have been taller than him, but Shadow had always been able to lift him with ease, even without being one-hundred percent Black Arms.
“...The Silver Hedgehog. He has arrived.”
“As I knew he would.”
“Our Father will want to know.”
“Black Doom is off-world. I will notify him as soon as I can.” A lie, but the warrior standing before him didn’t need to know that. It had been years since he last needed to lie. Since he last had a reason to. Lying isn’t exactly common in the hive-mind that was the Black Arms, where every single thought and idea was broadcast to everyone else nearly immediately after you thought it. Shadow had the privilege of being one of the few Black Arms to have a mind of his own. While Black Doom could peer into it at his own discretion, the other members couldn’t. If they wanted to see whatever Shadow was thinking, Shadow would have to grant them that privilege himself. It was one of the only good things that came with being Doom’s champion.
“We can-”
“No. No need to bother him with this. I have it handled.”
Various sounds of chittering echoed in the street as Shadow turned on his heel, looking upward at the capital. His wings dislodged themselves from his back. They were even stronger than when he first got them; carrying Silver wouldn’t be a problem. He remembered when he first earned his wings, how heavy and inconvenient they were. They were a stark contrast to how his body functioned, but now that he was purely Black Arms? Using them wasn’t an issue. Tucking them into his back wasn’t an issue. Being able to fly high above everything else, without the constant beaming of thoughts into his mind was a gift, and one of the only good things about being a Black Arms.
Silver’s position had to be adjusted slightly. The last thing he wanted was to drop Silver by accident. He shifted the hedgehog so he sat neatly in his arms, bridal style. Bridal…he couldn’t remember the last time he had used that word. It felt like a lifetime ago he was thinking about marriage or anything of the like. Some words simply…didn’t exist within the Black Arms language. Concepts and ideas were lost in translation, and he had simply forgotten about them.
As his wings prepared for flight, he pulled Silver closer to his chest, just to feel his warmth, the softness of his fur. The air twisted around him as he flew upwards to the towering capital building where the Black Arms equivalent of a bedroom lay. When he wasn’t out making sure the world was being terraformed properly, he was holed up in a skyscraper that became the equivalent of his bedroom. Black Arms didn’t need daily sleep like mobians did, but Shadow often found himself sleeping away entire weeks, sometimes a month, when he wasn’t given a job.
The long sections of time he spent sleeping was more than a way to get away from the world (although, that was an added bonus), rather, it was a way for the time to pass faster. Shadow needed time to move as quickly as possible because he was waiting.
Waiting for the one hedgehog who could fix this world. Go back and fix all of this.
Shadow was waiting for Silver.
The wall that was on the outside of his office (he wasn’t sure what else to call it) shifted as he approached, allowing there to be enough room to land inside without issue. It closed up behind him, stretching and twisting to become a window, allowing the filtered, reddish light to come in. Shadow placed Silver down on what was supposed to be a bed. Admittedly, Shadow couldn’t exactly remember what beds were like (he didn’t sleep all that often when he wasn’t a Black Arms) but he knew that Silver would like something soft to lay his head on. The ground squelched and coiled together to form a rectangular frame that was only slightly bumpy, made to resemble a mattress.
To see Silver here, in front of him, was the thing Shadow had been waiting decades, centuries for. He fell back into the darkness of his room. If Silver woke up, he didn’t want to scare him off by his appearance. He knew what he looked like and it was bad. Black Doom was proud of what he had transformed into, and that meant that it was an appearance to abhor.
It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered now. Not anymore.
Silver was here, and that meant that this could be fixed. He was like a guardian angel, coming in times of need to fix the world that always seemed to be broken. Shadow always thought he looked somewhat like an angel normally, but especially now, against the red and black background of the world, he looked completely ethereal.
Shadow wouldn’t let Black Doom get his claws on him, wouldn’t let him ruin Silver like he did to him. Silver would fix this. He had to fix this.
“Ngh…” Silver stirred and Shadow stiffened. He wasn’t sure how long it was since he knocked Silver out, but he felt like the recovery was quick. Maybe he didn’t hit him as hard as he thought he did? Or, perhaps, his skull was getting used to getting kicked. Shadow felt a little bit bad if that was the case.
“...Shadow? Shadow!” Silver sat straight up, glancing around the dark room. The only light source was the thin sunrays that were filtered through small windows, allowing Shadow to hide in, well, the shadows. “Is…Is that you?”
“You need to fix this.”
“...Uh.” Silver squinted at him (or, the darkness where he was standing) with visible confusion. “Shadow?”
Shadow blinked a few times before something in his mind clicked.
“Sil…ver.” His voice croaked out, and he put a hand against his throat. There were parts of his biology that not even Black Doom could override, such as the muscles within his throat that allowed him to speak to other mobians. Those muscles had gone completely unused, near vestigial as he had no use for them, but they didn’t go away. He cleared his throat, “Silver…the hedgehog.”
“Shadow!” Silver’s eyes lit up in recognition as he flung himself from the make-shift bed and towards Shadow. His red eyes widened in surprise as Silver grasped onto his shoulders without hesitation. “Why are you brooding over here?”
“Brooding?” Shadow scoffed, “I do not brood.”
“You do, Shadow. Sorry not sorry.”
“Not the point.” Shadow hissed out, shoving Silver away from him, causing the other hedgehog to yelp in surprise. “Do not…touch me.”
Silver didn’t say anything at first, simply looking at him in confusion. He wasn’t sure what Silver was looking for, but he wasn’t about to find out. His voice sounded like he was being strangled, unable to get a proper sentence out clearly and quickly. His throat was going to kill him after this. Then again, if Silver did his job, then there wouldn’t be an ‘after this’ to experience.
“You need to…to fix this.”
“What?”
“The world!”
“Oh! Well, obviously!”
“Then go!” Shadow hissed, claws twitching. Why was Silver still standing there? Why was Silver still here?! What was he waiting for? Shadow needed him gone and it better be soon. “What a- are you waiting for?”
“I’m going to fix it but I need you to tell me what’s going on!”
“For the love of Gaia.” Shadow rubbed his forehead as he chittered to himself. Silver didn’t understand him, but he didn’t need to. He leaned against the wall, coating himself even more in a blanket of darkness. Silver was clearly still struggling to see in the oppressive darkness, but that was good. The less Silver saw of him, of the world he helped to create, the better. “Black…Black Arms. Invasion.”
“No shit. When?”
“Nngh…fife…fifty y-ears? After you…left.”
“Are you hurt?” Silver asked softly, reaching out to him. “Why are you talking like that?”
“Silver, do not-!”
A shiver shot down Shadow’s spine as Silver grasped onto his wrist. The warmth that came from him was something he hadn’t felt in a long time, and against his will he felt blood rush upwards to his face. Silver’s gloves were soft against his skin, and Shadow wanted to melt right there and then. There was no warmth with the Black Arms, no friendship, no camaraderie, nothing. Shadow trembled at Silver’s touch and he mentally berated himself for it. He had never needed the touch of another mobian in the past; people loved to lean on or touch him, though. Sonic and Rouge were the worst offenders. He didn’t miss it! He missed mobians, missed Mobius, but the touch? He couldn’t care less about having or not having it!
Then why was he shaking at Silver’s touch? He glanced upwards at the hedgehog, his grey quills seemed to shimmer in the light, concern lingering in his yellow eyes.
Before Shadow could think, Silver yanked him closer, pulling him out of the darkness and into the light. Panic surged through him as his everything was revealed to Silver. His eyes were no longer large, instead smaller, beady, like an insect. His quills were barely considered quills anymore, instead being black and red tentacles that twisted together to make the shape of what he used to look like. He no longer had any fur, not on his chest nor on his body, just black scales and sharp claws. He didn’t even have a use for his inhibitor rings anymore. He needed them in the past to stabilize the chaos energy within his bodies. Most mobians couldn’t handle the energy that came with using the Chaos Emeralds and their powers, and very few were able to wield them. Shadow’s original body was that of a mobians, give or take a few quirks from the Black Arms, and thus, the rings were needed.
The Black Arms, though?
The entire species was made to adapt. Made to adapt to different planets, solar systems, and atmospheres. Handling something like chaos energy was like child's play, their bodies shifting so they could handle it.
Shadow was already proficient in using the Chaos Emeralds and chaos energy, and the transfer over to a body that was majority Black Arms made his abilities even more potent. He had no use for his inhibitor rings, not when they stopped him from using his powers to their full potential.
…Black Doom’s words, not his own.
While he still had the rings and his skates, his body physically couldn’t use them anymore. They were merely momentos. Items from a world long destroyed.
He wasn’t the Shadow Silver knew, and yet…
Silver smiled at him. Not out of pity or fear, just…smiled at him.
“Is this why you were hiding?” Silver asked, his hand slipping down to hold onto Shadow’s loosely. “I don’t care what you look like, Shadow.”
“You…are stupid, Silver.”
“I’m serious!”
“I know. That is what makes you sss-tupid.”
Silver laughed, a laugh that was like the ringing of soft bells. He was always such a good sport, even when Shadow was being a dick. He should’ve known this would’ve been Silver’s reaction. Basically nothing could stop him from loving everyone and everything around him, as long as they were on his side. Silver dropped his hand, and he tightened it into a fist, just to preserve the heat for a little longer. He had been waiting for Silver, but he supposed that he had also missed Silver.
“What happened this time around? With the invasion? You were able to fend them off last time I checked.”
“Black Doom came…when everyone was old. Frail. I had become…rusty, and I was overwhelm.”
“Overwhelmed, yeah. I get that.” Silver put a hand to his chin, biting at his lip as his ears flicked slightly. The urge to reach up and grab his ears, feeling the soft fur beneath his fingertips was almost overwhelming. “I…Yeah, okay. Is there anything I need to know about them?”
“Just…fling the asteroid back. I will help you.”
“Alright!” Silver grinned at Shadow, placing his hands on Shadow’s shoulders, causing him to jolt again. He didn’t bother shoving Silver away this time. “Don’t worry. I won’t let this happen.”
“You…better not. I am count-ing on you.”
With a nod, Silver stepped back and Shadow waited for a portal to the past to appear. He crossed his arms and…nothing happened. He gestured for Silver to go with a cock of his head, but Silver just stood there looking at him, as if he was waiting for Shadow to do something.
“What are you doing?”
“Where’s your Chaos Emerald?”
“What???”
“In my language please, Shadow.”
Clever Silver. He had begun to pick up that the quiet clicks and chitters that he made were the language of the Black Arms. Shadow didn’t expect anything less.
“What are…are you talking abou-t?”
“I can’t time travel whenever I want. I need a Chaos Emerald to do it.”
“You are messing with me.”
“I’m not.”
“Fuck!” Shadow shouted, whirling around and slamming his fist into the wall behind him. His anger was palpable as the room shook, likely startling Silver. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!”
Before Shadow, the Black Arms didn’t have an equivalent to the many swear words found within the languages of Mobius. Now, though? Each and every Black Arms had a collection of colorful language to use at their discretion, and no one used them more than Shadow.
“Shadow, what-?”
“Master Emerald!” Shadow whipped around, stepping towards Silver, who stepped back in response. “Can you use the- the Master Emerald?”
“Use the Master Emerald to time travel?”
Shadow nodded and he prayed that Silver could. He wasn’t even sure who he was praying to anymore, but he hoped that whatever god was watching over this rotten world would hear him.
“Can you use Chaos Control around the Master Emerald?”
“...No?”
“Then why would I be able to time travel with it?”
Silver looked at him like he was an idiot and Shadow wanted nothing more than to shake the sass out of him. It was, quite honestly, not appreciated at the moment!
“Damnit.”
“Shadow, what’s the issue? Where’re the Chaos Emeralds?”
“They are not-” Shadow heaved, putting his face into his hands as he leaned against the wall again. He took a second to catch his breath, trying to control his ever growing panic. This was not supposed to be this difficult! It was supposed to be just in and out, no fuss, no mess. He rubbed his forehead, sighing heavily. “They are not…on Mobius. Anymore.”
“What?”
“The- The Fleet. Black Doom’s fleet has them.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yes. They are the power source for the ships. They are not on Mobius. They are…not even close.”
Silver shifted on his feet uncomfortably, his tail swishing side to side slowly. The somber air in the room was growing heavy.
“...What are we supposed to do?”
“...We?”
“Yeah. Me and you. What are we going to do now?”
“I…We wait? I supp-ppose?” Shadow answered, although the uncertainty was obvious in his voice. He didn’t account for this. He should’ve accounted for this. He was relying on Silver as a crutch, as a lifeline. He didn’t consider the idea that his lifeline wouldn’t be secure. Even still, he couldn’t say that he didn’t want Silver here. The fact that Silver was here was a relief, like a weight taken off of his soul. His mere presence was enough to tell Shadow that it wasn’t over yet. A reminder that he so desperately needed.
“Wait until Black Doom comes here?” Silver asked, shaking his head slowly. “Shadow, that’s an awful idea.”
“We do not have a choice!”
“The Black Arms know who I am, Shadow!” Audible panic and fear slipped into Silver’s voice as he gestured to himself. “If they know who I am, then they know what I’m capable of!”
“Silver-”
“They know that I’m here and the moment that knowledge gets to Black Doom, I’m going to be in deep shit!”
“Silver!” Shadow grasped Silver by his hands, holding them close to his chest just to feel their warmth. Something tugged on his heart strings. He missed this. Missed Silver. Good Gaia, he missed him so much. “You need to think- rational…ly. Ration-ally.”
“You’re right. Right. Sorry.”
“You are fine.” Shadow nodded, lowering Silver’s hands but not letting go. He couldn’t let go. “Black Doom…will know who you are, but if he believes that you are on- on our side, with me, then he will leave you be.”
“You think that will work?”
“It should. He is stupid.”
The ringing of Silver’s laughter echoed in Shadow’s mind once more and his long tail wagged as he heard it.
“Then we steal back an emerald!”
“Precisely.”
“I only need one and about a minute to open a portal. Do you think that you can give me that?”
“I know I can.”
Silver grasped Shadow by the shoulders and yanked him into a close, tight hug. Warmth engulfed Shadow for the first time since the sun was blotted out, and he shook as he returned it. His face was pressed into the crook of Silver’s neck, the smell of sunshine and wet soil entering his nose. He had almost forgotten what the world had smelt like before everything.
“Thanks, Sha-”
“SHADOW.”
Shadow staggered backwards, clutching his head.
“Shadow?! Shadow, what’s-”
“SHADOW!”
“Silver.” Shadow staggered to his feet, even as his name was being called over and over again. He grasped onto Silver’s upper arms, shaking him. “Do you trust me?”
“Y-Yes?? Of course I do? But what are-”
“Then stop talking!” Shadow huffed. The voice was getting louder and louder, and his irritation was through the roof. “Sit down. In front of me.”
“Uhhh…”
“Now!”
“Okay okay! Yeesh.”
“Do not say a word, do not move, don’t do anything.”
On instinct, Shadow smoothed out his ‘quills’ as Silver sat down in front of him, legs crossed. He grasped Silver by his cheeks and gently tilted his head downwards so he was staring into his lap at his hands. He leaned down and pressed his lips (or mandibles, he wasn’t sure what he had anymore) against the top of Silver’s head, and kept his head there. His mandibles shook slightly, messing with the fur before a door formed in the wall behind him, the cracking and twisting of tentacle-like muscles making his ear twitch.
“Shadow!”
“What? I heard you the first time.” He chittered, standing up, keeping a hand on Silver’s head. “What do you want, Eclipse?”
The darkling stood in the newly-created doorway staring at him with narrowed eyes.
“I heard the silver hedgehog has arrived.”
“As I said he would, yes.” Shadow raised an eyebrow. “Word gets around fast.”
“As it always does.” Eclipse’s gaze shifted from Shadow to Silver on the floor, who hadn’t moved. Shadow was thankful for it. He stepped to the side, breaking the line of sight between Eclipse and Silver. “You’ve taken care of him?”
“What do you take me for? Of course I have.”
“His mind belongs to the Black Arms?”
“His mind belongs to me.” The words came out so casually that it made Shadow want to puke. To think that he owned someone was disgusting, but if he wanted any hope of fixing this world, then he needed to be the perfect champion.
The Ultimate Black Arms.
“You seem protective of him.”
“I’ve been waiting for him.”
“...Well whatever.” Eclipse finally dropped it and it took all of Shadow’s self control to not sigh in relief. If Eclipse believed that Silver was under Black Arms control, then so would the rest of the Black Arms and, hopefully, Black Doom. “He returns soon.”
“He is?”
“Don’t sound too excited. The latest conquering mission failed. Our armies have been made to retreat. He’s not happy.”
“When is he ever happy?”
“Hah. I suppose that’s true.” Eclipse laughed dryly, “He’ll be happy to learn about the hedgehog, though. Maybe he’ll even let you keep him.”
“He had better.”
Finally, Eclipse decided that he had enough of Shadow. He nodded and left, the doorway becoming part of the wall once more with a menacing slurp. Shadow deflated, dealing with Eclipse was like walking on eggshells. He never knew what would set him off.
“Who was that?” Silver asked, standing up.
“Ecli…Eclip-sh. My ‘brother,’ he-” Shadow cut himself off as Silver pressed his mouth onto Shadow’s forehead, startling him out of what he was about to say. His hands stopped mid-gesture, as he slowly turned his head towards Silver. “...What was that?”
“I was returning the favor!”
“...What?”
“You gave me a kiss on the forehead, so I gave you a kiss on the forehead! Easy.”
…Right.
That is absolutely would’ve looked like from Silver’s perspective, especially considering Shadow did not do the normal Black Arms procedure. When encountering a race not yet conquered by the Black Arms, the way to get their claws into the planet without a direct attack was to conquer the minds of leaders, civilians, and whoever else the Black Arms could benefit from. The being would become a puppet, their minds dominated by the Black Arms to follow orders to conquer worlds. It was less used as of late, since the army had grown to a point where straight military conquering was a viable option, but Eclipse used this often to keep those he enjoyed around without earning ire from Black Doom. Shadow thought it was an abhorrent idea, and the mere idea of doing that, of taking someone’s mind anyway from them, made him sick, but what choice did he have with Silver? He could pretend, even if he hated himself for it.
“Anyways, that was Eclipse? Your brother?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t…all of the Black Arms technically siblings? Since you’re all from Black Doom?”
“Technic-ally.” Shadow nodded, “Although…Ecl…No. Ahem, we are more brothers than the others because we are direct spawns from Black Doom. The others are not as…close to him in lineage.”
“Ohhh, okay! He seems like a dick.”
“That is because he is.”
“Hehe! So what’s the plan then? Wait for Black Doom to come home and steal an emerald?”
“Yes. Ec- Ugh, my brother believes that you are under my control. Just do not be stupid and we can get rid of this future for good.”
“Right. I won’t let this happen.” Silver grasped Shadow’s hand, giving it a squeeze. It was strange, how Silver just touched him without fear. Without any hesitation, Silver would just grasp onto him, his hand or his shoulder. “I’m sorry you…had to go through this, without anyone to help you.”
“Do not apologize. I was waiting for you.”
“...You were?” Silver asked, voice going quiet for a moment. Shadow noted the heat rushing up to his muzzle, and he squinted. Silver’s hand dropped from his shoulder, and now he fidgeted with his gloves in front of him.
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes? Why are you being weird.”
“It’s just…I dunno! I feel like usually when I show up in the past-present, people are usually more worried than excited to see me. I’m kinda like a bad omen, you know?”
“You are a beacon of hope to me.”
“Heh, thanks.” Silver leaned against the wall, running a hand through his quills. Shadow was itching to fix them. He hadn’t fixed quills in years. “...You won’t remember this.”
“It is for the best.”
“I know that but…I think about it sometimes. I see versions of you and Sonic and our friends and…and I just get rid of them. I know it’s for the better of the planet but they lived entire lives! Am I being weird?”
“...No. I do not think so.”
“That’s a first,” Silver rolled his eyes playfully, glancing outside. His yellow eyes looked almost orange in the red lighting. “Do you want me to tell anything to you in the past? Any words of wisdom?”
Shadow paused, glancing towards the floor. Apart from the obvious “Don’t let the Black Arms take over,” he didn’t really have anything that he wanted his past self to know. He looked back at Silver, who was waiting for him to respond. Something began to pound in his heart and he realized maybe there was something he should tell.
“Tell me…the me before the Black Arms attack, when Sonic and our friends are young, to…be honest. With the people around him.”
“I can do that.”
“Thank you, Silver.”
Silence began to fill the room, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. Silver would need to rest for what was to come. They’d be going against all of the Black Arms and a Black Doom that was more powerful than Shadow knew of. If they could be sneaky about this, then things would be easier, but knowing the hedgehog standing next to him, things would not go as planned.
That would be alright though. They would pull through, and this awful future would be erased.
Shadow grasped Silver’s hand, not looking at the other hedgehog as he did so. There was something he had learned about himself as he waited years and years for Silver to arrive. He was more than a bad omen or a savior, he was just…Silver. Shadow didn’t need him to be anything else. Shadow just needed him . He needed himself in the past to realize that before it was too late.
“Ahem,” Shadow cleared his throat, pulling away from Silver, much to the other hedgehog's dismay. “You need to sleep. If what my brother said was true, then Black Doom will be arriving on the planet any second now.”
“I slept plenty a bit ago.”
“No, you were knocked out. That does not count as sleep.”
“Fine, fine. But where am I supposed to-”
With a yelp of surprise, Silver cut himself off. From out of the wall, the same flesh slab he was sleeping on earlier re-appeared, twisting and crunching into something horizontal. Silver visibly cringed away from it, and Shadow felt a little bad.
“...You want me to lay on that?”
“You were on it before.”
“I WAS?!”
“Yes.”
Silver paused for a beat before shrugging and collapsing onto the makeshift bed.
…At least he was a good sport about it.
It didn’t take Silver long to fall asleep, his breath becoming slow and controlled and Shadow sat down next to him. His hand gently pawed over his quills, adjusting them and making sure they stayed in their proper place. Silver was beautiful. Shadow took a moment to bask in it before pulling his legs up, sitting crossed-legged, hands resting in his lap. His eyes shut, and his breathing slowed.
Time passed slowly, despite his best attempts at meditating. He focused on nothing but the beating of his heart and Silver’s soft breathing. He needed to be sure that Silver was still there, and that the entire day wasn’t just one massive dream, a cruel taunt of what he could have. When the world around him became too quiet, he would jolt awake and glance behind him. The ivory hedgehog was still there. He was always there, curled up, quills relaxed, and fast asleep, as if nothing in the world could hurt him.
This pattern continued far into the night. Well. If you could call it night. With all the smog and dense clouds in the atmosphere, the only tell that the world was spinning was the occasional shift in temperature, but even then, that wasn’t much. Black Arms incubators needed a specific temperature to hatch (hence the terraforming and heavy clouds), so the temperature change wasn’t too significant, but Shadow certainly felt it.
What he wasn’t certain of was how long it took for Black Doom to land on the planet.
It wasn’t hard to tell when he did, though.
The ground shook, awakening Silver from his slumber, and Shadow from his study. The entire world trembled at Black Doom’s arrival, each and every member of the Black Arms stood at attention, ready and waiting to be graced with their forefather.
Shadow rubbed his head, trying to ignore the waves and waves of information and commands and stories being pumping into his mind. Silver staggered to his feet, placing a hand on Shadow’s shoulder, which helped more than he would’ve liked to admit.
“Hey, you alright?”
“Ugh…” Shadow rubbed his temples before clearing his throat, “Yes. I am fine.”
“Did Black Doom get here?”
“Yes. I am currently being, agh, filled in on everything that occurred during the attempted attack. Give me a moment.”
“‘Course.”
After a moment of rubbing his temples, his mind was clear. Or, he supposed, as clear as it would get. He was never fully alone in his head, not when Black Doom and Eclipse were on the planet. It was one of the things he missed from his Mobian days. People like Rouge and Sonic could read him, sure, but the thoughts in his mind were his and no one else's.
“He will wish to see me, I am sure.” Shadow said as he walked over to the wall, the flesh twisting away to allow Shadow to see down at the ground. Below lay a massive fleet and Eclipse standing in front of it. Black Doom had not yet made an appearance, but Shadow suspected the bastard would soon enough. He’d make his appearance and Shadow would need to go greet him like the perfect champion he was.
“Should I stay here then?”
“No.” Shadow paused, “Maybe? I…I do not know yet. Let me think about it.”
“Sure.”
“If you do come with me just…do not look at him. Head down, eyes down, just pretend you have no mind to begin with.”
“I can do that.”
Shadow’s skepticism only lasted a moment. Silver wouldn’t be able to understand them anyway. He wouldn’t have anything to react to, and as long as he kept his head down and didn’t say a word , they might have a chance of getting away with their heist. Black Doom would be pissed, but he wouldn’t stay that way for long. His empire would be wiped off of the face of the planet, and all would be well.
Speak of the devil and he shall come: Black Doom exited the ship, and Shadow stiffened, a chill running down his spine.
“Hey.” Silver grasped Shadow’s hand, giving him a nod. “We’ll be okay. I promise.”
“My champion. Come to me,”
“He is calling for me.”
Silver looked at him, blinking only a few times.
“…I want you to be there with me.”
“Yeah.”
The room shifted as Black Doom commanded, the entire tower shifting so a staircase could be taken directly from Shadow’s office to Black Doom’s ship. To say that Shadow was scared of Black Doom would be factually incorrect. He was not afraid of him, nor the consequences for defying him, but for the first time in over three hundred years he was being defiant. He was rusty at that. He had gotten so used to simply serving that he nearly forgot who he was. What he was good at.
Black Doom’s eyes peered into his own as he dropped Silver’s hand, the hedgehog looking down at the floor, just as Shadow previously instructed.
The Ultimate Lifeform would win this time around. It’s what he wanted, and that’s what he will get.
With his time traveler by his side, there was nothing he couldn’t do.
“Come to me, my perfect creation."
“On my way.”