From the day Fiona joined the ranks of the Freedom Fighters in their kingdom's war against Eggman, a certain double-dorsalled youth struck her as peculiar; this young prodigy, aptly known as Tails, had an odd habit of freezing up for a split second in her presence, save for maybe a twitch of the ears. One day, sauntering into Tails' workshop, she gently approached the kit, unaware of his past ruinous relationship with her robotic replica. Despite the flustered fox's allusion to the episode as a "bad dream", Fiona was quick to catch on to an underlying puppy love, and was just as quick to convince him that she was the genuine article, relighting a once-extinguished spark in the process.
"How do you know who I am?" Silver asked, eyeing the council. They were standing above them at their control panel. The group elaborated as they descended.
"We've been following your progress for quite some time, hedgehog." Two explained.
"We were under the assumption Professor Von Schlemmer had returned you to your rightful place, but we soon discovered he disobeyed." Three continued.
"For once, you did something useful for us, Schelmmer. Better than anything you've built yourself. You've trained them to open and close the gate for us!" Four continued from Three.
"Now with you and Gold here, I can open to and close this gate to wherever I desire! I can finally reach the Twilight Cage!" One finished, although revealed a bit too much.
"What are you talking about? This portal is for the sake of science! What happened to teamwork?" Four complained.
"Are you saying you won't join me?" One asked.
"We're saying it would've been nice to know you were going to alter the deal. If you get to rule this world, where do we go to further science?" Two complained
One sighed as if he was dealing with children. "You can take whatever dimension you desire. But this one is mine."
The rest of the Council murmured amongst themselves for a moment, considering his offer. Then Two said, "So long as we can continue our search for knowledge."
One accepted the terms. They wouldn't live long enough to reach the goal anyway.
Silver just got more confused at all of this. How come the Council couldn't agree on one goal?
"When Gold fell into our laps, she was the key to unlocking everything.....until she escaped us." Three continued to explain. "We tried to replace her with that mammoth, but he gave out. Not even he could open it." He gestured to the lifeless mammoth mobian in the chair, looking completely drained.
"Gold was barely responsive to the tests, but thanks you professor, she's ten times stronger then before! You did all the hard work for us." One continued.
Schlemmer felt a tinge of guilt in his chest. He never wanted to raise her nor Silver to be a weapons.
"How come none of you ever listen to me? If I do open that gate, the monster will come and destroy everything. It can even turn people to stone!" Gold exclaimed.
"You must be referring to the Second Devourer? Ah yes. I have heard of it. A fabled beast that roams across dimensions petrifing anyone in its way." Four reminisced on learning about the creature in his younger years.
One chucked. "No need to worry. You're safe in my hands once more."
One was about to grab Gold, but his face was suddenly met with her foot, and his mask flew off his face and cracked right down the middle when it hit the floor.
One's hood fell and he rubbed his head in pain. When his full face was revealed, he wasn't a human at all, but an old grey echidna with blue eyes. He growled as he looked back at the girl.
Everyone in the room as at a loss on who One was. Three timidly asked, "Council Member One?" None of them had ever seen One's true face when they joined.
"My name is not 'Council Member One.' I am Pir'Oth Ix! And I have grown tired of hiding my true self. I helped built this city from the ground up, waiting every single waking moment for that child to open the gate. And I will not anyone else stand in my way!" One roared.
The Council was stunned into silence. For all their brilliance, not even they could've predicted this.
"I have waited over 200 years for this day. Spending so much of my life in the Twilight Cage, not knowing whether I'd ever escape, you couldn't comprehend how it felt to feel isolated from the rest of the world."
Gold glared at the echidna. She was never able to read One-or rather- Ix's mind, now seeing he had stronger powers of his own, he seemed to be immune.
Professor Von Schlemmer couldn't help but ask, "How did you efen get here? Ze Chaos Emeralds have not been seen for centuries." He began to gently rub his wrists, perhaps it was a new habit.
"During my time in the Cage, I came across the Voxai. They ruled the skies despite not having wings, strange as they were, a community of white hedgehogs lived amongst them. They all had the same powers your own."
Was this the family he had dreams of all this time? Was this mad man the key to his past? Silver had to know. "You know about my family? Where are they?"
"I did give the hedgehogs an opportunity to become our allies in the new World." Ix continued on. "When they refused and insisted on being meek, they still posed a threat, so the Nocturnus Clan did what had to be done. I took the only emerald there and used it to escape. It sent me here, but I had no way of getting the rest of my clan back."
It was all making sense now. The explosions, the army, his parents sending him away. It was all because of Ix.
"You're telling me that you destroyed my home....because they didn't do what you wanted?! How petty are you?!" Silver shouted as he slammed his fist against the cage.
"Petty! The world thinks echidnas are dead! An extinct species lost in a bygone era. Soon we will be the only species left in this world."
"What about my parents? Are they..."
"I do not know where they are, nor do I care. All that matters is the Nocturnus clan reclaims their rightful place as rules of Mobius." He waved his hand if they were a simple passing thought.
Silver's heart sank. The only possible chance at meeting his birth parents was gone. While Gold could empathize, Schelmmer felt a strange mix of guilt and relief within himself. Ix noticed Silver's fallen expression and tried a different approach.
"Don't you see? I want to save my family as well. The Twilight Cage was a prison for centuries, and I just want to set the clan free. To be reunited with my people." He kneeled down to the hedgehog's level. "Surely, you've had that feeling?"
For a moment, Silver did. He wanted to help as many people as he could, ever since he was a cub. But even so...
"Yeah, but if it means destroying other families. I'd never join you."
Ix frowned. "So be it." He got up and stood over the young ones. "You've chosen your destiny. As have I chosen mine!" Both of his gloved hands picked up Gold and Silver by their quills. They struggled to break free as he turned and faced the Council. "Bring out the tables! We're opening that gate tonight!"
The rest of the Council did as instructed and each brought out a table for the trio.
At that moment, Professor Von Schlemmer yelled, "Get away from mein kids!"
He broke free of the cage by activating the Double-Knuckle-Duster™ he had hidden on his wrists as bracelets. He ground pounded the floor, leading to a small earthquake to briefly shake the room.
The rest of the Council wasn't prepared for the professor to actually attack.
"Dad?" "Father?" Silver and Gold said in unison as they looked up.
The professor stood proudly as he guarded the two. Nothing was going to get past him, if he could help it. No longer would he be afraid of these people.
Ix was momentarily surprised but regained composure. He certainly wasn't expecting an invention like that to come from this man.
"Interesting. You managed to make new technology based on my species. Given you are not a true echidna, you could never truly understand what means to wield such strength." He retorted as the professor approached him with another attack, only to be blocked by a golden scepter that Ix retracted from his robes.
"Vhat kind of father treats zeir child like a veapon?" Schelmmer snapped as he pushed against Ix's scepter.
"You think we were raising her as our own? She is nothing but a key to victory! You're the fool who believes he's a parent to some freaks!" The old echidna shouted back.
Ix dodged his attacks for a second and third time. Once he thought he had the upper hand, Von Schlemmer uppercut him straight in the jaw.
"My kids are not freaks, you Mistkerl!" He announced purely on instinct.
Schelmmer was using strength even he didn't know was within him. Even Ix was taken by surprise.
"Ah-Ha! Not so sneaky now!" Schlemmer laughed.
"Way to go, dad! Its just like practicing all over again!" Silver announced as he broke out of the cage. He flew above and used his powers to levitate the protection bots off the ground, leaving any other obstacles out of their way.
"No! Stop this at once, child. You'll ruin everything!" Four barked.
Two, Three and Four raced for the control panel, but were suddenly hit with headaches as parts of their own lives flashed before their eyes.
Gold had used her abilities to send mindwaves that would stop the Council in their tracks. She had been too afraid to read them as a child, but no more. It stopped them in their tracks and bought the others time. Gold may not be able to fight, but she certainly wasn't weak anymore.
Von Schlemmer finally got another hit in as Ix was almost knocked off his feet. But the echidna was too stubborn to quit.
"Absent minded fool!" He snapped. "You've gone mad to think you could raise these two to stop me. Everything you make falls apart before you, and your so called children are no different." Ix took his staff and started to blast at the professor. For an absent minded fool, he was strangely agile and dodged the blast.
With strained might, Two and Three entered some commands to control the backup bots to capture the family. It was hard to concentrate with Gold's telepathy occupying most of their minds. Four was still on the floor in pain.
A door slid open and the backup bots immediately obeyed their orders. Silver fought back the best he could, bit eventually was shocked into submission. Gold attempted to run, but was captured as well. Once her focus was broken, Two, Four, Three felt the relief in their minds.
Schelmmer was about to get another hit in when two of the bots grabbed either of his arms and yanked the mechanical fists off of him, rendering him helpless once more.
Ix approached the captured professor, who did nothing but glare at the old echidna.
"I do thank you, Professor Von Schlemmer. If you had not found Silver and trained Gold for us, none of this would've been possible. If you somehow survive, I'll make your our top scientist in the world."
Ix then approached his pseudo daughter, seeing there were indeed changes with her since she left. "My dear Gold. Today you'll be the key to saving an entire species and bringing in a new world order. Just like I always knew you would." There was a strange warmth in his voice as he patted her head.
Gold put on a face of bravado. She refused to let him see he could still scare her.
"Chain them up. Its time to finish this once and for all." He snapped his fingers and the robots did as commanded. Soon the trio were restrained on solid metal examination tables and bounded by cuffs. They were placed before the gate, with Gold right in the center of it all.
Mammoth Mogul kept one eye open as he watched the entire scenario unfold. It was best if the Council thought he was unconscious or dead for now. His attention was on the hedgehog the most. During his struggle, he seemed to possess similar powers to his own, only nowhere near as strong.
"Ungh! You guys are morons if you think I'm letting you get away with this!" Silver concentrated with all his might to break free of the cuffs. His entire body and table glowed in that familiar cyan color. The cuffs rattled on his wrists, but remained locked.
"Its no use. It would've been foolish to not prepare counter measures for some troublesome creatures." Ix said.
"No! No, please! Not this again!" Gold pleaded as the mask grew closer to her face. "The monster's been waiting to get here for years, if it comes through, you'll all be petrified!"
Two scoffed. "Spare us your fairy tales. None of you will stand in the way of scientific discovery."
Ix said nothing as he left the rest of the Council to go the gate below.
"Council, Ix, let me go. I can build you vatever you desire, efen another portal. If you let zese children free, I can make it happen!" Schlemmer pleaded.
"Oh, you'll go free. But the children will stay with us." Ix replied coldly. "Once I access the Twilight Cage, the rest of the Council will need them to open and close the gate when they desire. They can't leave."
"NO, PLEASE!"
The mask clasped onto Gold as she screamed. The lighting turned from blue to yellow as the mask fused to her powers. Her memories of her past years being used as a test subject came flooding back. She had nearly forgotten that fear until this moment. She could feel herself losing control as her powers grew stronger.
"Zis isn't science! Zis is madness! Science is supposed to save ze vorld, not destroy it!" Von Schlemmer shouted at the rest of the council. Boy, if he had hands free, he'd give them quite a shock!
"It..it is for the greater good of this world. Our world." Four said. "To advance all of our knowledge of science, sacrifices must be made."
"That sacrifice is my sister! Let her go before I kick all of your butts!" Silver shouted as he tried with all his might to free himself from the cuffs.
Gold was suddenly silent as she slowly sat up. The process was complete.
Ix gestured to the gate behind him. "Now, my dear. Open the portal!"
The tenrec raised her hands and let the energy collect within them. When they could hold no more, she blasted her gold colored energy into the gate. The connected gears began to move, simulating the inner sounds of a grandfather clock turning and twisting. The more the energy traveled, the more the gate unlocked.
While the light was blinding, Ix was not affected. He carefully dipped the tip of his scepter into Gold's energy, and it quickly absorbed it. Turning the tiny crystals within it from green to gold.
Silver opened one eye soon enough to see him pull it out. The gears continued to unlock until, CLICK.
As if a giant key had been turned, the door finally opened, revealing a swirling purple portal within. Immediately roaring emerged from inside, a great beast finally seeing its way out.
"Oh no.....its..." Silver started
"Ze Second Devourer..." Von Schelmmer finished
Ix was laughing all the while, fully ecstatic that his hard work was paying off greatly. He walked over to the now fully open Genesis Portal and smiled. "At last! While it feeds on you, I can get to the Twilight Cage!"
The Council no longer saw the science of this. What good was unlocking time and space control if they weren't alive to use it? Ix was going to sacrifice everyone in order to rule a new world.
The elderly Two attempted to talk some sense into the mad echidna. "Ix, stop this immediately! You're going to kill us all!"
Ix stood in front of the portal and stretched his arms out. "You're too late now. It has begun!"
A tremendous roar emerged and the entire room trembled like an earthquake was hitting them. A pair of eyes opened and witnessed its door to freedom. A giant black hand slowly reached through to their world. Ix flew up in the air to avoid being hit. The hand slammed down to the floor, its force destroying the walls and computers around everyone.
The noise was so great, the citizens within Onyx City took notice and saw that the top of the tower was crumbling, revealing the inner lab to the public. Mobians were murmuring questions and wondering what has happening to the council. But most importantly, what monstrosity was trying to get through that portal?
"Zat's your cue, bits!" Schlemmer announced as three small colorful balls rolled out of his pocket and onto the floor. They instantly popped out of their units and revealed B.L.U, R.E.D and Y.E.L.L.O.W. beeping excitedly. Then they looked around and saw the disaster surrounding them and panicked.
"Yes, yes, its a long story. Just disrupt the energy bonds so we can escape!" Von Schlemmer said.
Mammoth Mogul managed to free himself his bonds. He was so weak that he fell to the floor with a thud. He looked up and saw the trio still binded to their tables. He watched as the small robots worked to free them from their cuffs. With a small wave of his hand, he at least helped to deactivate Gold's mask.
The mammoth passed out, his energy spent on saving their lives. The council cowered in fear at the sight of the Second Devourer attempting to reach their world.
Four cleared her throat. "My fellow council members. Due to these shocking turn of events, I propose we leave and look for a new to advance our search in science. All in favor?" She raised her hand.
The rest of the council raised their hands.
They attempted to sneak away, but a certain scientist called them out. "You're just going to leave us here? Zis is all your fault!"
Two waved him off. "We have no affiliation with that echidna or his plans. Your pair of freaks can fix this, but we're done! I'm considering retiring right about now."
However, more of the building collapsed and a giant chunk of wall fell in front of the door, blocking their escape.
As the giant hand emerged from the portal once more, Von Schlemmer looked across from him and saw Silver and Gold struggling to get up, weakened from their powers being exhausted. Gold however had enough strength to rip off the mask and smash it to pieces.
He snatched his experimental "Gotta-Go-Fast™" rocket boots that had fallen out and put them on as quick as he could. Running as fast as he could to start them up, with a powerful WOOSH, he grabbed the two and rushed out of the way just before the claw came crashing down.
Its claws dug at the ground, trying to get a grip, but still couldn't quite get through.
The two opened their eyes, they saw Professor Von Schlemmer's frame shielding them from the falling debris. When he eventually got up, they could see he was visibly hurt, but he still smiled at them. "Are you two all right?"
Both of them nodded. Then Gold spoke. "We have to shut that machine down before the Devourer gets out. I can't bare this world to meet the same fate as mine."
"First, let's get you somewhere away from the portal. Who knows what else will come through it!" Schlemmer advised.
One raised his head and saw the family getting away. The other council members were barely conscious, still in shock of One's-or rather-Imperator Ix's- betrayal. He slowly got up and grabbed his staff. "No....I won't let this happen. Not again."
His eyes fell on Silver, the psychokinetic hedgehog who dared to betray his own kind. From the moment he was born, he had been the key to destroying everything he worked for. If he was going to truly bring back his clan, that hedgehog needed to be taken care of.
"I won't let anyone stand in my way, echidna or hedgehog." Imperator growled as he gripped his staff tightly. He charged it up with as much power as he could muster, his own cuffs glowing brightly.
In an instant, he dashed across the floor, wielding the staff high. Time seemed to slow down as he approached the group, his sight locked onto the hedgehog's heart. Silver looked behind them and tried to warn the others, looking instantly fearful as he raised his hand to attack back.
Only when the staff struck, it didn't hit Silver or Gold.
It hit Professor Von Schlemmer. Who had pushed the kids forward to avoid getting hurt.
The professor felt a powerful wave psychonetric energy course through his body, hitting both mechanical and organic parts of him. If he screamed, he couldn't hear his own voice at the moment, nor Silver and Gold's.
"FATHER!!"
The force knocked him far away from them, skidding across the floor and slamming into a now broken part of the tower. He slumped to the floor, his glasses falling off in the process.
Without thinking, Silver reached his hand out and grabbed Imperator Ix in a giant cyan version of his fist, then flung him into one of the other council members that had just regained consciousness.
The two of them ran towards the professor. He was still lying on the ground, badly injured. When they sat him up against a chunk of the wall. The organic parts of his outer body had noticeable bruises from his earlier scuffle, while the mechanical parts had bent, and fractured. His face had sparks coming out due to the damaged circuits and wires within.
"Father, please hang on! We can get you fixed up in the lab." Gold's voice shaked as she reassured both the professor and Silver. She held his arm that felt like pieces were out of place within.
Silver did his best not show his fear, but his own shaking hands gave him away. "Please, Dad. Don't go.....we can fix you and still stop them. We can't do this without you." He waited for the professor to suddenly shout his usual, "Oh ja, I forgot!" to reassure him.
The man's breathing was heavy as his head. He lifted it up as much as he could. He saw Silver and Gold's faces contorted with sadness, the former holding back the tears.
Schlemmer felt tired. So very tired. But he couldn't leave them behind. He had to fight a much different battle....
"Silver....Gold...." He managed to say as placed his hands on both of their heads. They both rested their heads on his chest. His voice was soon a whisper. "You are my greatest schatz. No matter what ze council says....you are.... my....kids."
The professor's hands slid down, no longer holding the two young mobians. The hedgehog and tenrec only gripped him harder. Gold began to whimper, but it was Silver who lost control.
(art credit to @xxtc-96xx. Their comic AU is not only well done, but also provided the perfect pictures to represent this scene!)
Silver had rarely cried, something he had left behind as a cub. But as the tears streamed down his face, he couldn't hold them back any longer. His cries were so loud that the noise of the enlarging portal no longer reached his ears. Gold on the other hand, cried more silently. She had cried so many times in her youth, she use anymore tears in the most crucial of times.
The absent minded professor that raised them, loved them as his own, he was....
The children would not even get a moment to grieve properly, as Imperator Ix's shadow casted over the trio. "So the fool did care about you two. That was his downfall. There's no room for such frivolous bonds in our new world. You are better off without him."
Gold looked more fearful when she finally took her gaze away from the professor and onto Silver. She didn't know how they could possibly escape or defeat this threat now and looked to her brother for guidance. Silver's crying suddenly ceased, his sadness now replaced with anger. He whipped back and faced Ix with tears in his eyes, but his entire face and body screamed revenge.
"YOU!"
Before Ix could react, Silver had launched himself straight towards him, flying the two past the portal and into the building behind the tower. Debris fell when they impacted it, falling to the ground as quickly as rain. The citizens went from cautious and afraid to full blown panic when danger struck.
None of them wanted to be crushed or fed to the mysterious monster that was attempting to enter their world. Some of them begged the Civil Protection Robots to help and stop the threat, but they would not move. They were only programmed to aid the citizens if they had trouble with their work assignments, usually arresting anyone who failed to report for work. They were not built to defend or protect from a real danger.
With no other help, the citizens ran as far away as they could from the tower. Hoping to reach some kind of safety.
Gold stopped crying when she heard a faint, slow thumping noise from the man's chest. Listening closer, she heard the smallest of occasional mechanical whirring. She gasped and looked back at the professor's unmoving face. She may not have the exact same powers as Silver, but realized there was a way she could help.
The tenrec gingerly placed her hands on his temples and concentrated. "Please....please don't go. I can't loose anymore of my family..." she whispered with desperation.
diiiiinnnnnng
Gold could feel her powers coursing through her and to the professor. His body glowed for a moment, then stopped. She persisted and concentrated even further, blocking out the noise of the portal and Silver's battle. Gold still held hope in her heart that she could still save the man. The bits stood by in hopes he would succeed.
Meanwhile Silver and Ix's battle continued, flying across the skies and crashing into several buildings as they threw blows. Silver used his psychokinesis to fire energy blasts at the ruler. Ix dodged them with ease as he flew in a quick zigzag as he flew towards Silver. He charged up his staff with green energy and teleported himself behind the hedgehog, sending him to crash on the roof of a small building.
It took a moment, but Silver brought himself back up, not giving up so easily. His breathing was getting heavy, feeling his body was starting to get tired. Ix was more powerful than the hedgehog realized. He looked up and saw the mad echidna floating above him, the dark storm clouds behind him rolled with thunder.
"You're an even bigger fool than the last hedgehog I faced. None of you understand how I am on the cusp bringing an empire back. Your worms are nothing compared to the foundation of the universe." he announced.
"Those worms are my family! My people! And I won't let you snuff them out just to free yours!" Silver shouted as he charged himself back up with energy and blasted off into the sky to meet Ix.
"HA!" Silver exclaimed as he used his energy to collect chunks of falling debris and threw them at Ix. He blocked most of it with his staff, but the force made him lose balance, which gave Silver the opportunity he needed to punch him.
Ix regained his balance and flew straight for the hedgehog. The two of them exchanged blows as the light from their energy shined their flight paths in the sky.
"I have fought for half my life trying to escape that hell of a dimension. Now I must free the rest of my people and reclaim the world we deserved. Do you know how it feels to be alone in this world despite millions around you?"
"I've known that my whole life! But I still had my family with me. It doesn't matter if we look different. We watched out for each other and the city!" retorted as he punched and kicked with all his might.
The citizens couldn't help but look on from the safety of their homes. They didn't know about his existence until today, but one thing was clear: Only Silver could save them.
Ix was growing tired of this battle. It was clear that their evenly matched powers would leave them at a stalemate. Finally he knocked Silver away from him once more. Below, he saw the portal growing. Unsure how much time he had left, he tried to bargain with Silver. "We are at an impasse with this senseless fight." He reached out a hand to the hedgehog.
"Tell me, boy. What is it that you want? With the power of time and space at my command, I can grant whatever your heart desires!" He spread his arms dramatically, as if he was a genie that could grant wishes.
Silver only became angrier. He clenched his fist as the power began to circle around him. "What I want?" His voice seething as he bared his fangs. The sight of the hedgehog unraveling his true powers even surprised Ix, yet he still braced himself for an attack.
Silver's eyes glowed a bright cyan. He raised his fist and howled. "I WANT MY FATHER BACK!" He swung his hand and a giant energy based version of it flew out.
Ix used the scepter's energy beam to disperse the fist, but instead it bounced right off and delivered a powerful punch, sending him crashing back down to the former Onyx Tower. When the dust settled, he lost his grip to the scepter.
Silver floated back down as his feet touched the floor, now out of breath. He didn't let his guard down as he watched Ix attempting to get up.
"You could have joined me!" Ix yelled, his hair moved in wild snaps, "We could've become stronger than ever as the most powerful beings in the universe. Why would you waste a chance of living in a new world for the lives of insignificant pests?"
Silver had no hesitation. "Because everyone deserves a chance to smile." He held up his hand, ready to strike Ix once more if necessary. "We're not superior to anyone, Ix. We're all just mobians here."
"WE ARE THE SUPERIOR BEINGS!" Ix boomed as lighting struck the portal.
The Genesis Portal grew larger than ever before, an intense groaning emerged from it. The monster was growing nearer and nearer.
"Crap! I have to shut it down. Before that thing comes through!" Silver announced as he flew up and began to cover the portal in his energy.
"NO! I'm so close. The Nocturnus Clan must return!" Ix shouted. "I will not be denied again!" He grabbed the staff once more and changed the energy from green to gold. The ancient ruler flew past the hedgehog and the cowering council and into the Genesis Portal.
Silver was going to chase Ix, but he had no idea where or when the portal would take him. He would have to find another way, but first he needed to close that portal before anything else could come out. As he walked, he saw the Mammoth attempting to leave as he leaned himself on the broken chair to get up.
"How could you work with them? They're trying to kill us all!" Silver snapped. He may not have known the mammoth long, but he assumed he was in league with the council.
Mammoth Mogul opened his mouth to explain himself, but he began floating in the air as if he weighed nothing. Then he was slowly being pulled into the portal before the Devourer could grab him.
"Silver, behind you! Its here!" Gold warned as she pointed at the portal.
The giant creature clawed at the tower's floor attempting to stay in this dimension and pull itself out, Its blue eyes glowing in the darkness.
"Oh no you don't! You're not destroying what's left of my family!" Silver threatened the monster as he flew full speed ahead.
Thankfully, not enough of the Second Devourer had escaped. The force of Silver's energy punch pushed the monster back inside. The hedgehog could feel his body was close to its limit, his quills began to droop and he floated down to the floor. But the portal didn't shrink back. In fact, it was still growing as thunder and lighting struck the sky.
The citizens below were still panicking as they were unsure of what monstrosity would come out next. The remaining council members were too afraid to help, and instead ran for the emergency exit.
"Those cowards! This is all their fault and they leave us to fix it?" Gold huffed. The bits agreed as they cursed out the Council in binary code. Gold's ran was interrupted when she saw Silver was trying walk away from the Genesis Portal, but the force of it was pulling him in. Quickly, he was in mid air.
Gold ran as fast as she could toward the hedgehog. She had no super speed, but dashed with all her might, jumping on different debris piles to get closer.
"I've got you, brother!"
Gold leaped up and grabbed Silver's hand. She placed her feet on a chunk of building debris and held on as tight as she could. The bits immediately came to her aid and tried to pull the hedgehog back. Silver activated his powers so he could resist the pull of the portal. He was almost free when he heard a monstrous roar from the portal.
The Second Devourer was pulling itself back out, attempting to reach their world once more. Thunder rumbled as its head was breaching through.
Silver looked back at the frightened faces of Gold and the bits, and the un-moving body of Von Schlemmer. His choice was painful, but he knew what he had to do.
"I'm sorry, Gold. I can't let Ix or that thing destroy anymore worlds."
He let go of her hand.
"Silver!" That was the last word he heard before the Genesis Portal completely pulled him inside. Gold, Von Schlemmer, the bits and his entire world shrank away into a purple void.
Flashes of various worlds and timelines appeared before his eyes. Many of them featuring a blue hedgehog running across each one. It was all becoming too much for Silver to handle and he shut his eyes. Using his powers, he blasted the dimensional monster, making it fall into another portal, hoping to hit the monster before it escaped. Soon he finally fell through a portal into an unknown world, smashing into the ground and being rendered unconscious.
"THIS IS NOT OVER, HEDGEHOG!"
Silver opened his eyes and sat up with a groan. He rubbed his forehead that was still faintly throbbing from the fight. When his head cleared he took a look at his surroundings. Silver didn't recognize where he was. It couldn't have been Onyx City, this place looked like an apocalyptic movie bright to life.
Large towers had fallen like mighty trees. Smaller buildings had collapsed or had been abandoned. As he flew across the place, there were crushed or empty cars on the highways, clearly left over from citizens trying to escape. What place did end up? What dimension was this place?
Finally he reached a cliff that overlooked the rest of the city. The look at the familial cross shaped landmark made his heart sank.
This ruined place was once Onyx City. The false utopia had fallen to the Second Devourer as magma monsters were seen all over the place. No people. No flickies. No family. No life.
"Did.....did I fail?"
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Author's Notes:
Another chapter done! This is the most action packed chapter I've done, and its only the beginning. While this is definitely going in a more action/adventure direction, the family element will remain the core of the story. The psych family is separated, but their bond can stretch across dimensions. Now we will also have more elements of 06' and other games/aus where Silver is in the bad future. And yes, Gold will still help get her brother back, in her own way. She's grown quite a bit!
The hardest part was incorporating The Nocturnus clan into the story. Basing on a theory from @silver-the-hedgeblog, I originally was going to have the clan be Silver's species, but since they're actually echidna, I altered them to be the reason we don't see Silver's family or other psychic hedgehogs. Doesn't make them any less if a threat! Since they also have the power of traveling through dimensions, I worked that into what the Archie comic was setting up as a series.
I'm also doing my own take on Ix, since his character was pretty basic but had a cool backstory and motive. I just thought he'd make a good Silver villain for this (and a knuckles villain, actually). He has a hatred of Hedgehogs because of Sonic, and even though he tried to over come it by befriending and Silver's species, he still fell back into his bigotry ways when they didn't want to dominate with him.
Seriously, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'm sorry it takes a while for each chapter, I just want to make sure it comes out right and each addition is satisfying. I've always wanted to write a Silver story, and its been so much fun doing this!
