The white hedgehog frowned, peering at the mirror. He didn't look like much. He wasn't insanely strong, or remarkably fast, or even incredibly smart. He was nothing like them, those heroes that the survivors still muttered about in soft whispers. Words buzzed in his ears as he pulled himself up straighter, his mother's voice, his teachers, the frightened crowds hiding from the might of the Eggman Empire, Nega at its helm. It had all been so different when the heroes were still alive.
Knuckles, guardian of the floating island. No one saw it anymore… but a few of the older generation swore it was still up there. Everyone knew how strong he was, how dedicated. Amy Rose, the hammer-wielding warrior, the founder of these little havens where life still lingered. Tails, a genius to rival Eggman and the sidekick of Sonic… Sonic, who had been the world's light and hope.
A hedgehog, just like Silver himself. A perfectly ordinary guy with extraordinary power. Golden eyes lingered on the reflection in the mirror once more. Silver swallowed hard. He knew, like Sonic, he had a gift. He hoped to use it. He wanted to save the world, to end centuries of suffering and hiding.
He just wasn't strong enough.
Every battle, every victory, just delayed the end. The Empire was an unstoppable force, and Eggman had long ago crushed those who might stand in his way. Not even Sonic would be able to save this world, not on his own.
But… Sonic hadn't been on his own. All the stories, every tale Silver had ever been told, all them talked about Sonic's friends. Amy and Knuckles and Tails. They were there for the defeat of Chaos. The battle for Space Colony Ark. They had faced the Egg Fleet. Countless robots. And there had been others. Heroes who had been lost to time. Amy's team. That group of detectives. Stories of Eggman's robots going wild, turning on him. How many allies had faced the end of the world at Sonic's side? How many heroes had really taken part in that last battle, the one with more victims than the world could count? How many of them had just been ordinary, creatures with no power to speak of, who had tried to make their stand against an unstoppable evil?
This wasn't something anyone could do alone.
The power of the Empire had taken everyone by surprise. Maybe the heroes hadn't been together, hadn't had the time or the knowledge to win that battle. Perhaps a single soul could change everything… as long as they brought the right information.
His reflection offered a genuine smile, one of the few Silver could remember giving. Sure, he couldn't save his world, not here and not alone… but if he could go back; if he could stop this disaster ever occurring, wouldn't that save everyone too? No one would suffer, Eggman would never win.
Forewarned, forearmed… things could be different. Sonic would save the world, his friends by his side, helping him, pushing him to victory… and Silver, too, would be there, with a power Eggman had never seen, could never predict. He would help them, do everything in his power to fix his home… and, when the battle was over, maybe he would finally see that wondrous floating island.
Maybe, someday, children would hear stories about a hedgehog with incredible powers who travelled around saving the world. And that hedgehog would be called Silver.
As always, I own nothing