i am not sorry for my absence
anyways, heres some backstory to this dying world
It took a while to get Silver fixed up. Partially due to Shadow's unapologetic and horrible bedside manner, and partially due to Silver's squirming and crying. It was finished though, and Silver was set down on a fluffy and weird feeling blanket with the same mysterious logo on it. It was at this point, Silver decided to ignore Shadow and spend all of his time investigating a plant that grew on the wall nearby.
Way too much of the plant was examined out of spite. Including the discovery that the veins were the only thing that made the plant glow and pulsate slightly while also seeming to need no sunlight. When Silver finally decided to quit being salty and acknowledge the adult, said person had disappeared - forcing the hoglet to examine a vine in boredom instead. It was quite odd being alone in such a magical place. SIlver had only heard of places such as this - yet he never even dreamed he would be visiting in his lifetime.
Crawling his way over to the edge, despite the adult warning him against it, Silver allowed himself to look at the mystical area in detail. Unfortunately, in poor judgment, the young hedgehog immediately looked downwards into the dizzying abyss below and immediately became sick with anxiety. Before he could lose his balance and ultimately fall to his untimely death, Silver wrenched away from the cliff and scurried backwards.
That was a bad idea. Maybe staying away from the edge was a good idea after all. Golden eyes scanned the enclave… perhaps there was somewhere else to be curious. Silver's gaze turned to the box Shadow had removed from the wall. It was certainly unlike any container the hoglet had ever seen before. Boxes were usually wooden, or stone - not…..whatever the heck this thing was made out of. What did that logo even mean? There were letters on it, but that only made Silver more irritated that he was never taught to read. Perhaps a look inside would satiate his burning curiosity.
Wouldn't Shadow be angry about him poking his nose around in potentially private boxes? Silver pondered that for a second. Shadow had been gone a long while… perhaps he wouldn't be around to see him digging through. Tiny paws reached out and flipped the lid open, revealing what could possibly be contained inside. Wide eyes looked over the edge and down inside. Many strange objects were inside. Some strange tube with a wide end, a mysterious box, a weird circle that ha-
Leather gloved hands slammed the lid shut, startling Silver so he jumped back with a squeak. Red eyes turned to look at the small child, glaring at him with an unreadable expression.
"Don't touch that." The elder growled, picking the box up and putting it in the wall out of reach. "It's dangerous for someone as small and young as you."
"I… i was just curious…" Silver stammered, genuinely frightened by the adult.
"Next time you are curious, it would be in your best interest to ask first." Shadow hissed. With an exasperated sigh, the ranger sat down in the middle of the floor. Food was produced out of his cloak and he began to arrange it in a row on the ground. Silver had never seen this kind of fruit before. It was round and glowing, almost like an orange, but much more beautiful. With a rumble in his belly, Silver reached out to grab the sustenance his young body desperately needed.
"Don't eat that." Shadow growled, moving the fruit away. "It needs to be treated first, or it will kill you."
"K-kill me?" Silver squeaked, backing away.
"I need to remove the pits and stem." Shadow answered. "I don't want you accidentally getting toxins in your body."
The knife was removed from the rangers belt. Removing his gloves, Shadow expertly began to carve the flesh away from the pit.
"A fully matured hedgehog could eat it with no problem, if he did not attempt to eat the pit, but someone of your age and build could potentially poison themselves if they were not careful." Shadow explained. "Here."
Silver took the sliced fruit from the adult's hand. Sinking his teeth in was a relatively disappointing experience. For a fruit so beautiful, it tasted more like water than anything else.
"What's in the box?" Silver quietly asked. Shadow's subtle movements slowed to a stop.
"Still interested..huh…" Shadow quietly sighed. His knife was quickly sheathed back on his belt.
"I thought you would be more curious about other things." Shadow grumbled. "More important things like who I am or what i'm doing."
"Well… i want to know what's in the box…" Silver quietly whispered, looking at the ground in embarrassment."
The silence was deafening.
"First Aid, weapons, and standard equipment." Shadow deadpanned. Silver shrunk slightly under the scrutinous glare.
"O Ok…" Silver whispered, feeling quite stupid for asking.
A few minutes passed before anything was said between them. The silence was only broken by the occasional sniffle from the hoglet. And the shufflings of the adult as he prepared wood for a fire. Finally, he gained the courage to speak once again.
"What is this place…?" Silver asked sheepishly, curling slightly.
"Twisted Canyon appeared after the world fell." The adult responded. "Great cracks appeared in the earth and this is one of them."
"There's more?" Silver asked, scooting closer.
"Yes." Shadow answered. "Yet this one is the only one filled with life."
The hoglet scooted closer, trying to see better in the dark space.
"There's a large amount of Chaos energy here, I suspect that has something to do with the flora." Shadow mused. "I've been scouring this canyon for decades, and I've yet to find anything."
"Chaos energy?" Silver asked, excitedly leaning closer. "Like the Chaos Emeralds?"
"Exactly." Shadow huffed, seemingly irritated with how little the hoglet understood. "And I suspect you can help me find one."
"But how do you know where they are?" The young hedgehog squeaked.
"I am sensitive to Chaos energy." Shadow replied, holding his gloved hands up as they sparked to live with mysterious lights. "I can sense when there is more or less of it."
"But why did it fall down here?"
"That is a long story…" Shadow sighed, sitting down. "But one I am willing to tell."
With a wave of his glowing hand, the bundle of sticks and wood in front of them caught fire with a mysterious red before settling down with the familiar orange. Silver scooted close, now aware of how cold he had been beforehand. The uncanny sparkles reappeared on the leather clad hand, and raised into the air.
"A lifetime ago, the world was in perfect harmony." Shadow started, the sparks turning to glowing lines in the air. "Nations were at peace with one another, and celebrated in gladness at the defeat of a terrible man."
"Robotnik."
The lines connected and glowed, showing the face of a terrible figure; eyes furrowed in anger - teeth bared in a wicked smile - and mustache spread like the wings of an evil demon. Silver shrunk back from the projection, squeaking slightly in fear. Shadow continued on.
"The world cheered on at the heroes who defeated them, showering them with praise and adoration like none before. And one stood out above all the others."
The glowing tendrils changed again, twisting and forming until a figure stood out again. A heroic form, standing tall and firm in pride and victory. Standing in defiance of what came before.
"Sonic the Hedgehog."
Silver's eyes grew wide as he stared at the Hero before him. The one he had heard so many tales of, the one he looked up to and adored. It was Sonic, but unlike any drawing or story told him as. He was just…a hedgehog. But it was so real - like he wasn't above others. He was just…him. Golden eyes reflected the light cast by the mystical sparks, dilating at the figure he had held with honor.
"Sonic had faced off against the evil doctor like so many times before, and in his adulthood he grew wise to the dangers the man faced. So he stood one last time, a final time. Gathering all he knew far and wide to come and end the reign of terror before him"
The lines twisted again, this time forming the image of the hedgehog fighting a massive battle. Shadows hands shot outward, expanding the scene before them to show the sheer size of the fight that took place. The hero stood, frozen in time almost as he attacked a massive robot. Others battling against mechs and bots, hundreds, no, thousands took on the huge task in front of them. Humans, rabbits, foxes, echidnas, it seemed like all had dared to fight the menace that terrorized their world. The scene stretched before Silver like a floor filled with toys, the scale of the battle was so small, small enough to fit in the enclave itself, but so massive, that in real life, it would have been miles.
"Sonic took on the doctor himself, dealing his powerful blows, and not holding back anything. Determination filled his body and he overcame."
The picture changed again, showing Sonic standing over a massive robot, fallen on the ground as people cheered on.
"Robotnik was no more. And the people had won. The whole world had days of peace and everyone was happy."
Lines twisted again, this time to show a mysterious box with buttons, on a table filled with other boxes.
"But Robotnik had seen the attack coming. He knew that this was a battle he could not win. So he took to his labs, and designed a plan so terrible, it would ruin the world. He entangled a copy of his mind, into the very thing that connected people together."
The awful face blinked into the center of the mysterious boxes, laughing in the face of the defeat. A sense of fear showered over Silver.
"He downloaded himself onto the internet."
Silver let out a small whine.
Shadows hands moved again, showing a map of the world as it was, lines upon lines connecting each continent to one another.
"It was only a few days before the plan came into effect. Robots stormed the continent and people threw away their devices in fear - instantly throwing the world back into the dark ages. Robots stormed the world once again, but that is not the worst of it."
An evil figure rose from the lines, mouthless, faceless, eyes piercing like daggers into young Silver's heart. It's terrible limbs stretched out, pointing like icicles and dripping with glowing beads onto the floor.
"He awoke an ancient evil, bent on destroying the world and all in it. If the Doctor couldn't have the planet. No one would."
The picture changed again, this time showing Sonic and Shadow, standing together and talking. Silver's golden eyes grew wide.
"Sonic and myself stood against the being who hated us all. Taking a last stand for all who lived on the planet."
Gloved hands waved again, sending seven glowing Emeralds spinning around the two.
"We used the power of the Emeralds to fight back against the wicked being…"
The scene changed again, in the core of a massive structure, battling the mysterious thing that held the armies of monsters that Silver was oh so familiar with.
"But…it was futile…"
Shadow trailed off, his face growing somber with every word he spoke. Silver looked up at the adult with worry.
"But we had forgotten something important…something that had doomed our entire mission….In order for there to be some hope…. Some of us had to…"
The picture sprung to life as Shadow's words grew dim. The two spoke to each other, as they seemed to fight verbally, waving their hands around and pushing on each other. Silver watched as the glowing form of Shadow screamed at the glowing form of Sonic, growing more and more desperate as the images seemed to gain more and more detail. Silver whined as he felt worse and worse…
A third, blurred and undefined form appeared, catching Shadow in an aura and pulling the Emerald's power out of the dark hedgehog and pushing him away. Shadow's hands glowed brighter as the images grew more distinct…
"Shadow?" Silver squeaked, startling the adult. The images disappeared as the elder jumped, casting the world into darkness as the fire went out.
"Sorry…" Shadow mumbled, adjusting his position and lighting the fire once again.
"The world fell under the influence of the evil being…" Shadow continued.
"But since the fight, his power has been weaker. I… alone… was left to fight him…"
Silver looked at the somber adult, seeing regret and sorrow crossing his face once again.
"He seeks the Emeralds, to restore his power once again… And I can't let that happen…"
Red eyes turned towards Silver, the images blinking out for the final time. A total look of seriousness fell across the hoglet under the intensity of the gaze.
"That's why I have to find them first."