(EXTRA) The Man Out of Time [A ShadAmy and Silver Story]: Family Ties
Image Credit ⚘ Divider Credit
Description: It has been seven years of peace following the grueling war with Eggman and his army. Though it took time to rebuild what they have lost, life for the Freedom Fighters could not be better. Whether it's finding love or trying to run from their past, celebrating post-war times has been different for each of them.
All is well until a silver hedgehog comes knocking on Amy Rose's door to deliver the tragic news about an incredible force that seems to be the cause of the future's destruction.
Will anyone believe the mysterious hedgehog's cry for help? Or will he be left to fight for his future alone? Read to find out!
Warnings: Violence, Blood, Graphic Description of Death
Word Count: 3k
POV: Third Person
Context: Future!Silver's Timeline
!! I do not own any of the art/gifs/borders used in my chapters. All credits to the rightful owners !!
Masterlist ✦ Memories ✦ Answers ✦ Family Ties
Silver was used to living in a war zone. Even at the young age of seven, he understood the dangers of Ace and Anti's ruthless nature.
That's why his father, Shadow, had four rules for Silver to follow.
Rule #1: Don't go anywhere alone.
Rule #2: Don't use his powers outside of training.
Rule #3: ALWAYS listen to his father.
Rule #4: If you see them, DON'T FIGHT. RUN AWAY.
Silver never had any problem following these rules. In fact, he would always boast to his Uncle Tails and Aunt Cream how good of a 'rule follower' he was. And they would entertain him by telling him how proud they are of him for doing so.
Today was no different. Silver was sticking to his rules while Shadow was away on 'business'.
The three were at a small 'park', if the small plot of dying grass with a small swing-set could even be considered that, in the middle of a town not too far from Tails' lab. They hadn't even finished picking up after a picnic lunch before he arrived and started destroying the town surrounding them.
Silver had seen the one they call 'Anti' before. He was a sinister creature with sharp teeth and a face disfigured from run-ins with the little heroes of Mobius that remain. What he is known most for is an ominous glow that emanates from his body like poisonous smog.
"Silver, stay close and close your eyes," The small hedgehog clutched to his aunt's leg as his uncle attempted to shoot down the madman who was destroying the plot for nothing but seamless fun. "Tails, to get out of here, now!"
"Cream!" Tails yelled in between taking shots at the man. "Take Silver and get to safety! I need to get back to the lab to get the weapon I've been working on!"
Silver looked up to his aunt, who had tears streaming down her face. The warm smile he was so accustomed to seeing was replaced with one of pure horror.
"No, Tails! You and I both know that the weapon is just a prototype! There is no guarantee it will work! We need to get Silver home and warn Shadow!"
Tails stopped shooting and ran over to his wife and caressed her tear-filled face with his hands.
"Honey, you have to. This might be our chance to put an end to this once and for all," He then placed a hand in Silver's quills, making the young hedgehog giggle. Tails did his best to hold his tears in, but the sadness got the best of him. "Kids like Silver all around Mobius have been stripped of their innocence too early. Let's preserve the little they have left."
Cream shook her head vigorously and held Tails' arm in a death grip.
"No! I won't let you! The chance of it working is less than forty percent! If the machine doesn't work..." Cream looked down at Silver, who looked confused. She smiled at him and gently covered his ears. "You'll die, Tails!" She cried out. "If the machine doesn't work, he will kill you. Let's find somewhere safe to hide and try another day."
"How many more?" Tails asked sternly.
"What?"
Tails threw his gun on the floor in anger, scattering into sharp shards all over the floor. Scared, Cream pulled Silver up, holding the small hedgehog in her arms. She looked at him, a small smile on her face despite the tears that poured down her face.
"Silver, sweetie," She sang out in her sweet voice. "I need you to cover your ears for me. Can you do that for Auntie?"
"Yep!" Silver nodded, putting his hands to his ears and covering them until he heard small hums of nothingness.
"Tails, what is wrong with you?" Cream yelled. "You're scaring him, and frankly, me!"
"Excuse my frustration, but answer me this: how many more people have to die until we finally have another chance to put a stop to all these murders? How many more families must be ripped apart by the death of a loved one because we didn't do anything? How many more children must live in fear, knowing that any second now they could die at the hands of these monsters? HOW MANY MORE TIMES DO WE HAVE TO PUT OUR NEPHEW THROUGH THESE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES!"
"Tails.." Cream said sternly, trembling a bit. "Don't make me do that. Let's just go. NOW."
"Cream, if a forty percent chance is all I have, I am taking it without a second thought."
"You're a genius, my love," Cream tsked, shaking her head. "We both know it won't work."
"I would not think twice about giving up my own life to save the lives of millions," Tails replied bitterly. "If that is what it takes, then so be it."
"What about me, your wife? What about Silver? We both made a promise to Amy on the bed she died on that we would raise Silver to keep him happy. Did your promise to her mean so little to you that you are willing to lose your life without another thought?"
"I love Silver more than anything, and I will always stand by the promise I made to Amy," Tails paused to look at Silver, who was still in Cream's arms and humming to himself with his ears covered. "That's why we have to do this for him."
"Silver is a child! He still needs our care and our love! And I still need you in my life! Please don't do this, Tails. We will win this war," Cream reasserted her grip on Silver, bouncing him up slightly in her arms and making the young hedgehog giggle. "And we will do it together, but today is not that day."
"I can't wait any longer, and neither can you. I will do this for Amy, for the friends I have lost, for Silver, and I will do this for you. If my life is what it takes, then that is a price I am willing to pay."
"I will not win this war at the price of my husband!" Cream was about to grab Tails when Silver screamed and pointed to the sky. "Oh no..." She whispered.
"We have to run!" Silver muffled into Cream's shoulder, moving his hands away from his ears and jumping out of his aunt's arms.
"Silver, no," Tails and Cream watched in horror as the ruthless madman began floating right towards them.
"Come on," Blinded by both rage and fear, Tails grabbed Cream by the arm and scooped up Silver with his other arm. Holding the hedgehog in place, they sprinted towards his lab.
"U...Uncle Tails? Are we going to die?" Silver squeaked out with tears in his eyes.
"No, nutbolt. We're going to be okay," Tails reassured him, trying to keep his composure. "I promise.
"Your Uncle Tails is right, sweetie," Cream tried not to show the panic and fear on her face. "We're going to be just fine."
A disgusting, cruel laugh echoed not too far from them.
"You should know me better by now, fox!" The voiced taunted, making Silver hide his face in his uncle's shoulder. "You can't escape me."
"I guess I didn't get the message." Tails retorted, picking up his pace towards the lab in the distance.
"Tails," Cream whimpered. "What are you doing?"
"We are going into the lab. While I prepare the weapon, you and Silver are going to hide in the panic room inside the house."
"Tails..." Cream's voice trailed off as she struggled to keep up with Tails' speed.
Meanwhile, in Tails' arms, Silver can feel his heart pounding faster in his chest, and his eyes that were once dry with blind happiness were now blurred with tears.
"Auntie Cream," Silver whined through tears. "I don't think I want to die."
"Silver, you're going to be okay," Tails set him down and pet his quills to try to calm him down. "You and Aunt Cream have to go inside now, okay? Can you run inside for Uncle Tails?"
Silver didn't get a chance to respond, being interrupted by the chilling sound of maniacal laughter in the distance.
"Go, both of you, inside, now!" Tails grabbed both Silver and Cream and rushed them inside the workshop. He quickly closed the metal door as quietly as he could before turning to Silver. "Come here, nutbolt, let me get a good look at you," With tears in his eyes, the fox picked up his young nephew and pressed his shaking lips on the young hedgehog's head. "You're going to be alright, Silver. You're going to grow up, and be the light in this dark future."
"What about you, Uncle Tails?" Silver tilted his head, confused.
"We'll be fine, nutbolt, I promise," Tails voice broke as he took Silver to a steel box next to the garage door. He lowered the boy in and picked up the lid.
"What are you doing? I don't want to be in a box!" Silver protested, trying to climb out.
"No, Silver," Tails pushed him back inside and pressed a finger to the little hedgehog's mouth. "Shh! You can't move or make any noise, okay? Do you think you can do that?"
Silver shook his head no, not fully understanding the danger he was putting himself in by not obeying.
Frustrated, Tails set down the heavy lid and looked around. Spotting the touchpad bracelet on his wrist, the fox swiftly unlatched and turned it on. Tails had programmed to have silent games for his nephew while he worked on a personal bracelet for Silver.
"Here," Silver's eyes sparkled at the sight of the bracelet, reaching out for it. "If I give you this and let you play games, will you be quiet?"
Silver's nodded vigorously and held out his hands for it again. Tails placed it in the young hedgehog's lap, and he cherished the little giggle that echoed softly in the box.
"I-I'll be back, Silver," A couple of tears spilled out from Tails eyes as he stared into his nephew's soft amber eyes one last time. "Please. Don't forget how much we love you."
Tails looked over to Cream, who was behind him, wiping her tears from her eyes before she too approached the box.
"Uncle Tails is right, sweetie. We love you very much, Silver," She stuck her box and petting Silver's quills in a claiming motion, causing the small hedgehog to smile as he pressed random buttons on the watch. "W-We'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay, auntie!" Silver hummed, pressing more buttons on the pad.
"Be good, nutbolt." Tails closed the lid of the box, angling it in such a way that air could still get in the box, but not noise. "He's safe. Let's get this machine ready."
"R-Right," Cream rushed to the machine and followed Tails' lead in powering it on.
"Alright," Tails muttered, hauling the machine to point towards the metal door. "The battery is up and running, and all systems are clear. We just need the target."
"R-right," Cream wiped a tear from her eye, turning her attention to the fox. "Tails, if this is the last time I do see you, I want you to know that it has been your love that has given me the motivation to keep moving forward. Thank you for giving me all the love you possibly could," Cream hugged Tails, burying her face into his shoulder, which made his fur wet with her tears. "I love you."
But a patch of wet fur was the least of the fox's worries. The worry was reserved for the monster floating in the sky and the little silver hedgehog hiding in a box of steel.
"Cream, don't you even begin to talk like that. I promise you we will make it out of here like we always do. I love you and Silver more than anything," Tails gently caressed Cream's face and wiped a tear away with his thumb. "No more tears. We have a fight to catch, honey."
"Right!" Cream nodded determined.
The sound of footsteps walking nearby was the last thing Silver heard from his aunt and uncle.
In fact, it would be the last thing he would hear for hours.
Though he was content pressing buttons and playing the block puzzles on the touch pad, the eerie silence outside made Silver grow anxious inside the box.
Though he promised to be quiet, the young hedgehog's mind began to wonder and he soon began banging on the doors of the box to get their attention.
"Uncle Tails... I want Auntie Cream...!" Though he was trying all his might, he could not get the lid to open. Tears began to form in his eyes, spilling out in front of him. "Hey! I don't want to be here anymore! Let me out!"
Unbeknownst to Silver, outside, merely a few feet away, stood the his father who was too busy looking at the ground to even hear his son's cries for help.
"...oh no," Shadow's eyes went wide at the sight of the two people he considered family lying on the floor, gruesomely murdered, and resting in the pool of their own blood.
Shadow had seen death, but never like this.
Tails was lying in next to a destroyed machine that Shadow couldn't recognize. The orange fox had patched of burn fur on his face, but that's wasn't even the worst of it. That was reserved for the wide hole in the middle of his body. Whatever hit him destroyed fat, tissue, and organs, and Shadow could even see the floor Tails was laying on from the hole.
Cream's corpse was not any less gruesome. Her head was cut clean off her body, and it was covered in a mixture of grass, soot, and dirt from being rolled on the ground.
"That monster..." Shadow trembled with anger. "...you both did not deserve this," He whispered under his breath, bowing his head and averting his gaze from their mangled corpses. "...I promise. Your sacrifices will not be in vain."
But Shadow had no time to mourn since, in the sight of all the death, he could not see his adorable little son.
"...Silver," Shadow gulped as he prepared himself to walk into the lab. Fear hung heavy in his chest, and his heart throbbed with uncertainty. "...please. Not my Silver."
"Let me out! Let me out! Uncle Tails!" Silver muffled whines, making Shadow's ear twitch. "I don't want to play this game anymore!"
"Silver!" The eerie shouts of Shadow's little boy made relief wash all over him as he confidently lifted up the metal door of the workshop. Everything seemed in order, and there was no sign of Silver anywhere.
"....No," Shadow gripped his head in frustration. "Silver?" Shadow's strained voice echoed throughout the workshop, but still no response. "Please...not him," Shadow crumbled to the floor, tears pouring from his eyes. "Silver!"
"Help! Auntie Cream! Uncle Tails! Let me out!"
The faint sound of bashing metal caused Shadow to nearly jump out of his skin and turn his attention over to a large, rusty brown box in the corner of the workshop.
With the lift of the lid, Silver's big amber eyes looked up at him with tears. The silver hedgehog jumped out and into the arms of his father, who held him close.
"Oh, Silver," Shadow cried shakily, nearly collapsing into himself as he held his son in his arms. He petted the back of his head gently, hoping it would calm the scared little hedgehog. "You're safe, my son. Your Papa's here."
"Papa," Silver squeaked out, burying his head in his father's neck. "Where's Auntie Cream and Uncle Tails?"
Shadow pulled away from Silver, who was looking up at him with tears still pricking in the corners of his eyes.
"Look at me, son," Shadow whispered, trying to get Silver to keep his eyes on him. "I just had the best idea."
"You did?" Silver asked, confused.
"Mhm," Shadow hummed, nodding his head. "How about we stop crying and go for some chocolate milk at home? Doesn't that sound yummy?"
At the sound of 'chocolate milk,' Silver quickly wiped the tears off his face and smiled at his father brightly as he could.
"I can do that!" He exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on his heels and accidently dropping his uncle's watch. "I want chocolate milk!"
"Okay, but one condition," Shadow pet down on Silver's quills as he kneeled to look him in the eyes. "You must keep your eyes closed, okay? If you open them, there will be no chocolate milk."
"O-okay!" Silver nodded.
"It's a deal then," Shadow smiled at his son as he picked him up and turned him away from the corpses of his aunt and uncle, just a few feet away from them. "Okay," Shadow adjusted his hold on Silver, balancing the tiny hedgehog on his scarred arm and using his other arm to support Silver's back. "Ready? Are your eyes closed?"
"Uh-huh!" Silver nodded, his eyes shut so tight it hurt his head slightly.
"Let's go home then."
Shadow exhaled, walking out of the workshop slowly, making sure that he wasn't stepping in any blood before sprinting off home.
Meanwhile, as Silver clenched his eyes closed, trying to follow the rules like he always had, there was a thought that kept nagging at him.
'Why did he have to keep his eyes closed?'
It was the first time Silver had questioned his father's rules, the same rules that the young hedgehog always took pride in following. For some odd reason, it no longer interested him.
Silver took a breath before opening his eyes and looking at the ground. A bit of fear stung the back of his head, but when he noticed that his father wasn't paying attention to him, it put him at ease.
He then looked at what was right in front of him. In the near distance, he saw the bodies of his aunt and uncle, drenched in the pool of their own blood.
Massacred.
The gory sight would forever be etched inside Silver's memory, and the grief it would leave him with would change the young hedgehog forever.
