AUTHOR'S NOTE
This Chapter was initially meant to be a part of the previous one, but it got a bit lengthy, so I split it up. Hope putting it on its own does it some justice, just like this story does to Silver - OH, WAIT. :P
Hopefully you can bear the many jokes that are present in this Chapter.
Enjoy, as always.
CHAPTER FOUR
Silver dreamed again. Initially, there was nobody but darkness. Suddenly, Mephiles the Dark seemed to emerge from the invisible shadows.
"I'm back," he said.
"I don't get it," replied Silver, "Weren't you always here?"
The entity chuckled, a sudden movement of his mouthless muzzle, "Never mind about that - your brothers had acted absolutely uncouthly earlier today."
"No, it was my fault…I completely messed up."
"Stop trying to deceive yourself. They unfairly attacked you, and I don't suppose you enjoyed that?"
Silver found himself talking before he was even aware; Mephiles had simply extracted the reluctant words from his mind. "No, I hated it. I hated the way they hurt me…" and he faltered.
"Good…there's nothing wrong with admitting one's most genuine emotions, regardless of how terrible they may be."
"No - Mephiles, don't try and manipulate me! My brothers aren't bad guys! It was right for them to teach me a lesson - I was a complete mess! They're…heroes, in a sense!"
"Humph," growled the confronter, "Heroes are humble under the spotlight. Look at your brothers; is their behaviour characteristic of someone modest?"
Silver felt a flicker of realisation inside him.
"Look at Sonic: he lives under the brightness of the spotlight and the attention of others. And Shadow: always so arrogant and full of himself."
Silver sighed.
"I suppose you do recall the moment of shock when they towered over you, their gaze as hard as stone, cold as ice?"
Silver swallowed despairingly. He could remember the moment too well.
"Yes. That's who they are, your brothers. They just had to find someone to blame, and sadly, you were the easiest target. Sonic and Shadow do not handle humiliation well. They were tremendously close to it this afternoon, when Eggman started to gain the upper hand. The crowd was completely silent - terrified - and this was a crucial signal to them. Sometimes it even affects their concern for others like you. They then become insensitive, and because both of their goals are identical and unified, they are always working together, an act of deliberate exclusion to you."
"But…what can I do?"
"It's about time you embrace your true, inner darkness."
"Embrace my inner darkness?" Silver frowned in curiosity, "What does that mean?"
"Yes…what does that mean?" the shadowy entity echoed.
"I don't understand! Mephiles! Tell me!" cried the ivory hedgehog.
"It's time your valour is truly rewarded with something truly valuable, with no more pain," he declared, disappearing into the darkness.
"What valour? What pain? Wait, don't leave, Mephiles! Please, I don't understand!"
Silver woke up with a jerk, slightly trembling and sweaty.
"What valour, what pain…?" he muttered, his voice quivering.
Suddenly, his brothers were calling for him.
"Eggman, how nice of you to visit us again!" jeered Sonic, "I haven't had breakfast - I'd very much like some scrambled eggs!" And he laughed heartily at his own joke. His laugh subsided as he glanced at Shadow.
He glared murderously at Sonic. None of us had breakfast, Faker. If you make a joke like this again, I'll make sure your life becomes nothing but a joke.
Silver wanted to giggle (like he always did to support his bad jokes), but couldn't find the energy to do so. He simply stood there, quietly observing Eggman and his first move.
The scientist reached out his arm to pull a lever. Silver narrowed his eyes. The left arm, where the retractable hand was…He swiftly manoeuvred around the metallic behemoth, sticking close to the ground, waiting for his chance to strike. He hid behind the legs so that the Doctor could not see him.
"Ready or not, here we come!" announced Sonic, as he and Shadow curled into a sphere and Spin Dashed towards the machine. The left arm was aimed right at them, preparing to launch its concealed fist. And…
Now.
Silver, and the fist, shot out simultaneously, the former a brilliant comet of aqua, confronting the latter, a large, steel projectile. He rammed the giant piece of metal to the side, clearing the path for his brothers to bombard Eggman's machine with their Spin Attacks. The automaton trembled as streaks of blue and black collided with one of the legs.
"Grrr…where did you come from, you little nuisance!" raged Eggman, towards the floating white hedgehog.
"Your machine is a great place to play hide-and-seek in, Egghead!" chuckled Silver, finding his energy, and he dived to the side as lasers shot out from the right arm. "You can't hit me!" he taunted.
Lasers flew everywhere; he dodged all of them, continuing to distract the enraged scientist, "If I don't strike you down, hedgehog, my name is not Eggman - WHAT?!" While his brothers made themselves busy by repeatedly attacking the lower sections of the machine.
"Chaos Blast!" shouted Shadow, as a large scrap fell off the leg. They leaped out of the way just as it crashed onto the ground with a cacophonous clang. Silver took notice of the increasing number of scraps on the floor. It's playtime, he thought, smiling mischievously. He closed his eyes, and imagined, with clarity and precision, all the pieces of metal obeying his mental commands, floating upwards, in his complete control.
"Hey, Eggman!" he sneered, "Want to see how it feels to be defeated by your own invention? Here you go!" Jagged bits of steel rained down onto the robot, causing severe dents everywhere.
"I'll show you the true meaning of hyper mode!" The scientist howled in fury as he hysterically smashed the buttons on his control panel.
"I don't think so, Egghead!"
The Doctor looked down to see a blue and black hedgehog, standing next to a robotic leg that looked as if it would collapse upon a single touch.
"HOW?! I swear I made my legs extra impact-proof!"
"Firstly," stated Shadow, "define extra. Anything extra from your previous efforts mean absolutely nothing, as your machines never advanced beyond the stage of being pathetically weak and vulnerable."
"That's right!" cheered Sonic.
"And secondly," continued the black hedgehog, "Define impact-proof. The adjective itself is unambiguously vague -"
"I don't need you insolent creatures to lecture me on my works of marvel!" shrieked Eggman, balling his fists and waving his arms in madness. He accidentally knocked a lever, which moved the weakened leg of his machine. Unable to brace the weight, the leg collapsed, bringing down the entire automaton.
"And most importantly," declared Shadow, "You failed. Again, as always."
"Have I, though?" the scientist retaliated, dramatically raising his right arm and pinching a large red button on the side of his internal cockpit.
"And as always," joined Sonic, "You have a plan B, which will prove to be a failure as well!"
"Jumping to conclusions is seldom a good thing, Sonic the Hedgehog!" responded Eggman, laughing maniacally, "But this time, I'll correctly jump to the conclusion for you: I shall defeat you with my upgraded engines and in-flight ability and agility!" The other leg fell onto the ground lifelessly, and the machine rumbled in enthusiasm, its engines starting up.
"You're so obese, you can barely even jump, let alone jump to a conclusion," grumbled Shadow.
"Cower, in fear, as I tower over you all in my unbreakable, impregnable, invincible armour!"
"I swear he said the exact same thing sometime ago…" mumbled Sonic, "Whatever."
"And he has an atrocious taste for rhyme," muttered Shadow.
"That's a prime example for a crime!" Sonic burst out unnecessarily, satisfied with his humorous attempt.
"You did not just do that, Faker," seethed Shadow, his voice rising.
"Anytime, Shadow! You know you love my timely rhymes!" the azure hedgehog laughed relentlessly as he charged towards the hovering machine, leaving his brother in a puddle of furious confusion as to who to really attack.
"Enough is enough! I'll deal with you later…" the ebony hedgehog growled, as he raised his hand at the robot, "Chaos Blast!"
Clinging onto the back of the flying machine, Silver giggled quietly. He figured out that, if this wasn't a battle, he would've threw himself onto the ground as tears of laughter leaked out of his eyes. He did appreciate Sonic's humour - though he never dared admit it to Shadow - and now that the battle is advancing into its exhilarating stages, he finally found the power and confidence to grin.
He grabbed the isolated leg with his psychic powers, while blasts of Chaos Energy battered the metallic armour, and a blur of blue attacked all sides of the machine in a flash.
Eggman's gonna love this, he thought. The leg was just thin (or rather, thick) enough to fit into the gaping hole where the engine was concealed inside.
"You can't do anything to me now, hedgehogs!" laughed the scientist, as his fingers danced around the control panel, hitting an array of buttons along the way. The arms were ready to unleash its charged beams and a rocket fist, but the mechanisms unexpectedly jammed, so that the arms were only half-raised. Eggman frowned, perplexed. He pressed another button, and the arms continued to move up, but at such a haphazard angle that the metallic joints began to growl and choke in discomfort.
Meanwhile, the psychokinetic hedgehog, still hidden from view, was shoving the stake of metal further and further into the opening, destroying more than just the engine. Eggman's metal behemoth gave off a robotic wail of distress as it plummeted forwards, onto the ground. Sonic leaped to the side, tackling Shadow in the process out of the way, just in time to not be crushed by the tumbling machine. They jumped up back onto their feet, and watched observantly as a certain defeated scientist awkwardly limped out of his invention and hastily scampered away, like he always did.
Silver took a brief glance to the side. His brothers stood some distance away from the machine that was already starting to fume black clouds of smoke.
Should I wait for Sonic and Shadow to do this?
Or should I do it myself?
The thought of it sent an odd chill down his spine, but he shook it off. Summoning all his psychokinetic powers, he plummeted towards the fallen titan of steel, a magnificent supernova. As he neared the ground, he steered himself slightly upwards as to travel parallel to the road, and rocketed straight through the interior of the robot, shredding every single circuit and component of danger. He emerged from the other side, once again high up in the sky, just as the mass of metal exploded, a brilliant fulmination of light and fire. Debris rained all over the area as Sonic and Shadow, as well as the gathered crowd, raised their arms to shield their faces and bodies from the miniature maelstrom of scrap.
For a brief moment, all was silent, apart from the quiet gales blowing from the distance.
And then the crowd roared with applause, exalting the uncomprehending white hedgehog as the day's hero.
For the first time since forever, he had dealt the final blow to Eggman. He felt slightly uncomfortable, unaccustomed to the attention he thought he deserved for once.
But even more importantly, he felt great. He felt amazing.
He landed with a feeling of fullness and complacency, and, without looking back at his brothers, disappeared round the corner and headed straight home in excitement and ecstasy, as the cheering slowly died down.
The white furry sat on his bed, thinking about what had happened earlier. He was, admittedly, pleased with himself, his heart overflowing with joy as he grinned idly. He wondered if Sonic and Shadow were proud of him. He sincerely hoped so.
It was then that the door flew open and two certain hedgehogs stormed into the room.
"Silver, good job today," said Sonic, "I totally wasn't expecting that."
"Thanks…" he replied, and then faltered. Something wasn't right about Sonic's attitude. And why did they storm into the room?
"Wasn't it nice to be in the spotlight for once, like you've always wanted to be?" added Shadow.
Silver looked to the left, then to the right, at his frowning brothers; both had their arms crossed in indignation. Did I do something wrong again? Why are they acting so passive-aggressive towards me now?
"The b-battle went quite well today, d-didn't you think?" Silver asked timidly.
"Sure, of course it did! We never said it didn't, right, Shads?"
"Humph, of course it went well. How could it not have, with you dealing the final blow and everything, Silver," the black hedgehog growled.
And then it occurred to him why they were talking to him this way. Silver wanted to cry; he wanted to disappear into an alternate dimension, where nobody could find him. He clutched his duvet more tightly, as if the alternate dimension he sought was under his blanket. He desperately wanted to be alone, away from his brothers, who weren't the least bit proud of him as he had initially hoped.
They were envious.
"What, are you scared now, Silver?" mocked Sonic, his tone rising, as he watched the diminishing hedgehog back away from him in terror, "Is this how an exalted hero should react - by cowardly shrinking away from his fears - from everything?!"
Silver, after finally finding his voice in his throat, croaked weakly, "No, not at all…"
"Then sit up and talk to us like a proper hero would do!" growled the blue hedgehog.
"Why are you talking to me like this?"
"Because," declared Shadow, "You do not deserve a glorious triumph like this." He stuck a finger straight at the face of his brother, "Isn't that right, hedgehog? You know you're not fit for an honourable victory."
"You should've left it to us," added Sonic, "We would've done a much better job of destroying the machine than you. There are just so many ways we could've executed our finishing move."
"But am I not a hero?" cried Silver, as overflowing emotion spilled from his chest, "And you guys clearly said the other day that 'we are all working together from various different aspects to build a better overall picture for the city'. Isn't that what I did - what I contributed to - today? I - we - saved the city together once more!"
"Humph," snorted the midnight hedgehog, "It's funny how you still have the guts to call yourself a hero, after everything you've managed to do."
"Do heroes forget their Chaos Emerald at home?" snapped the cerulean hedgehog, "Do heroes stand in the way of other heroes, disrupting their progress?! No, they clearly don't, Silver the Hedgehog."
"That was a terrible mistake! I didn't mean to, in all honesty, I swear!" begged the hoary hedgehog, his hands tightly clamped together, craving for the mercy of his brothers.
"You've clearly been living with a misconception of what a hero truly is," growled Sonic.
"It won't ever happen again, I promise, I swear!" Silver burst out, his voice breaking from the growing weight of emotional burden, "If it takes anything to convince you, I will do it! I swear!"
"It most certainly won't," growled the ebony hedgehog, "And you won't ever have to swear again."
The white hedgehog stared blankly at his brothers, a mixture of bewilderment and petrification stirring in his golden orbs.
The blue hedgehog opened his mouth, and simple words of fatality leaked out.
"Consider yourself discharged."
And they left the room, leaving not a single particle of lightness in the room. The lone hedgehog clutched his chest. He could cry no more; his internal reservoir of emotions have been completely depleted. He felt impossible to breathe in the dense and oppressive room.
It took Silver a long and ponderous time to reach sleep. His face was dried up and shrivelled from trails of tributaries of tears.
"Didn't you enjoy the exalted feeling of victory earlier today?" asked Mephiles, expecting affirmation from the gleeful hedgehog, "You should be pleased."
"Well, obviously not when your brothers get jealous of you snatching the spotlight away from them!"
The entity only laughed. This infuriated Silver.
"How dare you! It's not funny!" roared the aggravated hedgehog, "They even permanently exiled me from their team!"
Mephiles said nothing in response. His snake-like irises narrowed, and walked towards the hedgehog, both arms outstretched.
"Mephiles! What are you doing?" Silver shuffled his feet backwards, retreating slowly - far slower than the pace at which the entity was approaching.
"Come, into my embrace, Silver the Hedgehog."
"What - no! Stop! Go away! I -" and he tripped on his feet. He fell back, a dull clang resonating into the surrounding empty darkness. Silver glanced up in terrified foreboding as the shadowy figure approached with a confident certainty. Slowly but strangely, the body of Mephiles fell forwards, right onto the motionless hedgehog, and liquified and melded into the grey, furry body.
Discomfort surged through his veins as the manipulative shadow invaded and penetrated his body, his soul. He groaned in torment as his body twitched uncontrollably. His eyes - though tightly shut - leaked out a continuous trail of tears, and his fists were firmly pressed onto the unfathomable ground of darkness. Suddenly, as if a spear of ice had been driven through his heart, his entire body jerked up. He felt the indescribable agony of his emotions being torn apart, being dominated by a parasitic force, being thrown into oppression and submission.
For the first time in his life, Silver felt the true weight of despair.
"Now's your chance, Silver the Hedgehog," the ghostly voice of Mephiles echoed, "Make it happen, now or never."
And Silver realised it was his own voice, speaking from his own mouth.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Ta-da! Congratulations! You've just witnessed the turning point of this story!
Sonic and Shadow just can't dilute the amount of saltiness they experience, can they?!
Silver: *silently sobbing*
Mephiles: Come, into my embrace, Silver the Hedgehog.
Silver: *reluctantly shuffles closer*
Mephiles: *gives the poor, distraught soul a tight hug*. Good child; everything will be fine. :3
Sonic & Shadow: (IT WON'T.)