Chapter Text
There was a house here.
Well, less of a house and more like a manor, if he was to be honest. Still, even with its imposing size, it looked inviting, well-maintained, clean… and downright quaint. A wooden sign stood above its porch, with a picture of… some kind of flower? Maybe? The text on it was completely illegible, probably worn down by time. The steps leading up to the porch itself were illuminated by a single hanging bulb, and its sandy-yellow walls made it stand out against, well… everything else he could see. Which, admittedly, wasn’t much at the moment.
His surroundings were dark, and it made him wonder just where he possibly ended up, for this house to be the only thing he could spot when looking around. The darkness of night seemed oddly impenetrable to see through, no matter how much he strained his eyes. He couldn’t even see the moon or any stars hanging in the sky.
But he could worry about that later. Right now, he needed to get up!
…A task easier said than done, unfortunately.
Grunting with effort, he managed to push himself only a little off the ground, before his arm gave in and he flopped to the side, ending on his back. His strained breathing was the only thing he could hear, followed by the rapid thumping of his heart.
He could use… another minute to recover. Yeah…
He reached down to touch a cut on his stomach, and was somewhat relieved that his glove was not as bloody as he expected. A shallow wound, like many others currently littering his body.
“Still, that was…”, Silver muttered out, recalling the chaos that was going on not even five minutes ago. To say he got lucky was an understatement. He didn’t know how much longer he would have been able to fight against the horde of… things that went after him.
Those… weren’t Mobians. Couldn’t be. No way in hell…!
The time portal couldn’t have appeared any sooner, and he was only too eager to escape. And it - almost literally - spat him out here, as he slid across the ground, battered, bruised, and bloodied all over.
“...Way too close.”, he finished, slowly steadying his breathing. Alright, take two.
With a determined grunt, he again pushed himself upward, trying to ignore the stabs of pain and discomfort as he did so. His psychic power would have made this a breeze, but he had already used too much of it during the last few days of non-stop fighting. And he wasn’t about to give himself another headache just to stand up.
“H-hrrrgghhhrr…!”, with a hiss through clenched teeth, he was back on his feet. Wobbly and unsure in his stance, but it was progress.
With careful, deliberate steps, he stumbled closer to the manor, and climbed up onto the porch. The wooden handrail helped in keeping himself steady, but it was a moment later that he realized he was leaving bloody gloveprints all over it. That, along with a trail of blood dripping from his fur.
Oops.
He’d make sure to apologize to the owner and clean up after himself. Preferably after getting some help and rest. Of course, that all hinged on his assumption that there was somebody home.
With a relatively clean part of his glove, he knocked on the door.
…
…
…
Nothing. No movements inside that he could hear.
He knocked again, a little more forcefully.
…
Still nothing.
Was there really nobody home? He looked around for a doorbell - maybe that would get the owner’s attention? But there didn’t seem to be one. As a last resort, he reached out for the handle.
Huh, it’s… open? , Silver thought, surprised by the fact. He felt bad about barging in uninvited like this, but he figured that whoever was inside would understand his circumstances and his pressing need.
Going inside, he was greeted by the sight of… an utterly ordinary home.
Several hallways stood before him, as well as a stairway leading to the floor above. Motes of dust were visibly floating in the air, and a soft creak came from the hardwood floor as he stepped inside. The walls were painted in some off-white color, and there were a few photo frames hanging from them. As well as several more frames standing on top of a small cabinet.
However, that’s all they were. Just frames. Devoid of any photos.
Before Silver could think more on that, he heard a crackle in a room at the end of one hall. The crackle of fire. A fireplace? And if it was lit, that meant…!
“H-hello…? Is there anybody here?”, he called out, eyes glancing down the hallway in question. A grimace appeared on his face as he saw his blood also leaving a noticeable trail inside.
Fortunately, his wounds weren’t losing enough blood to leave him in danger, but it was enough to make him dizzy. He spared another look at the trail. He’d have a lot of cleaning to do…
“Um, I’m sorry for intruding, but I need some help! Hello?”, coming closer to the living room, he called out again as he cupped his hands around his mouth.
And… once again, nothing. The house was completely empt–
“Why, hello there, young one! It’s nice to meet you!”, a voice suddenly boomed behind him.
“EEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIK!”, Silver… didn’t shriek. He didn’t . He let out a very normal, not-at-all-high-pitched sound of surprise. At least that’s what he would be telling himself.
He did, however, jump in alarm, landing away from the speaker, in a fighting stance and ready to tussle. Even with how much his body was telling him he was in no condition to do so…!
“Ah. My apologies. I didn’t mean to startle you, young one.”, the person in front of him said, his words taking a softer tone.
Said person - a Mobian - wasn’t a species Silver was familiar with. He looked like a… fluffy elephant? He didn’t think that was a possible combination, but then again, the world was full of surprises. The elephant wore a house robe, along with a pair of fuzzy slippers, and a cane in one hand. He loomed over the hedgehog by at least a few feet, and a warm smile adorned his face.
Silver’s posture relaxed just a bit. “It’s, uh… it’s alright, sir. I’m the one who should be sorry. I don’t mean to intrude, but–”
“Oh, pshhh, nonsense.”, the fluffy elephant cut in, waving his worries off. “Visitors are always welcome! Though… your journey must have been a perilous one, for you to end up here of all places, my boy.”
Ugh, you have no idea. , the hedgehog mused to himself. “Where is ‘here’, exactly? Ah, no, before that… do you perhaps have some medici– ack, no, no, wait!”, he tripped over his words, before taking a deep breath and standing up straight. “My name is Silver, sir. It is nice to meet you, too. Thank you for allowing me into your home.”, he took on a formal, polite tone, extending his hand.
A moment passed between them. Then, the fluffy elephant began laughing. A booming laugh, not in mockery, but simple delight. “Oh ho ho, no need to be so stiff, boy! I can practically see you standing there like a statue!”, he kept laughing, before reaching out to put his hand on Silver’s shoulder. Something that he was doing slowly, with great care, almost like he didn’t… know where… he was…?
Can practically see you…?
Oh. Oh, the Mobian before him was blind. A conclusion supported by the elephant’s murky-grey eyes. That, and the way he never seemed to look directly at him. Just vaguely in his general direction. “Ah, let me help you there, sir!”, Silver then guided his hand, earning another smile from the elephant.
“...Much appreciated, my boy. Manners like yours are one-in-a-million. Or maybe I’m saying that because I don’t get many visitors in the first place, ho ho!”, he chuckled. “Also, you can drop the whole ‘sir’ business. Just call me Mo. Mo the Mammoth.”
Mammoth? Not a species the hedgehog was familiar with.
“You got it, sir– Mo.”, he corrected himself, giving him a nod… before feeling a bit silly for doing so.
The mammoth took back his hand, ready to say something else, but then felt the sticky substance on it. Sniffing it with his trunk, the mirth in his expression was gone and his brows furrowed. “Blood. Are you…?”, he sniffed again, closer towards the hedgehog. “...you’re injured, Silver. That’s why you’re looking for help, isn’t it?”
A murmur of affirmation. “Y-yes. I know it’s all a bit sudden and I don’t want to impose, but if you don’t have any medicine to spare, then all I ask is for a place to rest. J-just for a little while, that is!”
A shake of the mammoth’s head. “Rest? No, no, no. Follow me - let’s get you patched up first, young one.”, he motioned for the hedgehog to come after him, as he began walking down a hallway.
His face brightened up. “Thank you! I owe you one, Mo!”, and Silver followed.
At least at first.
It could have been the literal days of missed sleep, or the extensive injuries he had. The blood loss definitely contributed, and on top of that, he was also forcing himself to be as alert as possible. With the danger now gone, and a promise of help, it was like a switch had flipped in his body.
A switch that made his limbs feel like they had weights attached to them. Dragging him down with each step, with his eyelids feeling just as heavy. It took only a few more steps before Silver stopped in place, no longer able to push through or ignore his exhaustion.
He collapsed, consciousness fading long before he even hit the floor.
***
The little hoglet walked. And walked. And walked some more. This sure was a long path they were taking. He couldn’t even tell how much time had passed on this road!
The trees around them were so tall! And so… so lush and green! He giggled as he stepped on another leaf, hearing how it crunched under his boot. And since they were going so slow, he made a game of skipping and hopping onto different paved stones, trying to avoid stepping on a crack between them.
The beautiful, russet colors of the dusk filtered in through the tree tops, performing a dance of light and shadow as he kept playing his little game. The modest village in the distance was getting closer with each moment, along with a huuuuuuuuge mountain looming next to it! It took his breath away when he first saw it, but now that it was so much bigger…!
He got distracted from his game. He was brave. He was very brave! Okay… maybe just a little scared… but that was alright! He just needed to not to show any of it, he decided as he clenched his little fists. Then the silly fear would go away!
Still, his anxiety - bubbling quietly under the surface - reared its head as he looked up at the person next to him, reaching up to hold her hand. “W-what are… w-what are the o-other kids like?”, he asked, not quite able to mask the trembling in his tone.
The woman glanced at him, her features impossible for him to make out, except the warm smile she gave him. “Oh… I’d say that they are a colorful bunch. Each special in their own way. And ready to meet you, so don't worry. There is nothing to be afraid of.”
He immediately shook his head. “N-nuh-uh! I’m not scared!”
“Oh, my mistake, then. I should have known better, heheh.”, she chuckled, putting a hand on top of his head… before quickly ruffling his front quills into a messy pile.
“Nooooooooooooo, stop it! Stop it! Aaaaaaaaaah!”, the hoglet began swatting at her hand, laughing in spite of his words.
The woman merely chuckled once more, before finally stopping her dastardly “attack”. He quickly began readjusting his quills, styling them in the way he always preferred, a smile still plastered on his face.
She spoke up. “I promise you, my dear. You’re going to love them, and they’ll love you. Believe in that, alright?”
He looked up at her, still unable to make out anything but her smile. “Mhm!”, he nodded and held her hand again.
The pitter-patter of his little boots on the cobblestone path continued, as the woman led him into the rustic village. So many buildings towered over him… so many amazing new things wherever he looked… and just as many new faces surrounded him, going about their daily lives…
Dusk soon turned to a relaxed evening, the streetlights turning on around them. With each home they passed by, he could hear spirited conversations from the families inside, all accompanied by the people’s moving silhouettes in their windows.
He couldn’t help but smile.
Still, it felt like the hoglet could get lost in this new place if he wasn’t careful, yet the woman strode on with steady confidence, as both of them kept a firm grasp on each other’s hand.
He remained quiet as his eyes darted around to absorb more of the sights, his mouth agape in wonder. It was getting a little hard to keep up with the woman, with his short legs breaking out into a jog. With all the walking they did beforehand, he was also starting to feel out of breath.
But the little hoglet pushed onwards. It wouldn’t be that much longer, would it? Yet, a part of him hoped that it would. At least he’d spend a little more time with her before–
“We’ve arrived, Silver.”, the woman suddenly said to him, stopping in place.
“H-huh?”, Silver wasn’t expecting that, his train of thoughts a jumbled mess. And then, as he looked in front of them…
There was a house here.
***
“...Aah!”, Silver’s eyes snapped open! He rose up, with a flicker of panic coursing through him as he tried to figure out where he was!
Well… certainly not in danger.
He was greeted by the sight of a… child’s bedroom? That’s the feeling that he immediately got, in no small part due to the playful, wavey design of the wallpapers and a whole starry night sky painted on the ceiling. There was also a wardrobe and a toybox next to it, while the floor had a cute playmat of some sort. A nightlight in the shape of a moon was plugged into a socket, casting a soft, comforting glow over everything.
A sense of calm settled over Silver, though he did wonder if Mo lived here with any children. Again, the question nagged him: where was here?
He looked towards a nearby window, only to be faced with more unrelenting darkness outside. Amazing view , was his dry observation.
“How long was I out…?”, he muttered, shuffling out of the bed he was in and wincing as a dull pain made itself known across his whole body - a reminder of the future he was lucky enough to survive.
At least he wasn’t bleeding out any more. Mo must have tended to him, what with all the bandages he now had wrapped around his wounds. He mentally compared himself to a mummy, which made him chuckle… only to wince again.
“Ow, ow, ow. It hurts to laugh. Sheesh, good to know…”
Steadying himself, he had half an idea to leave the room and go look for his stuff. His gloves and boots have been removed, leaving him only with his socks. However, he had no clue where to start looking for them in this house, and he didn’t want to pull a disappearing act on Mo, in case the mammoth showed up to check up on him.
Perhaps it was wise to slow down for a bit? Relax, even?
“It is safer here than anywhere else I’ve been in the last few days…”, he reasoned with himself, then nodded.
His hands splayed at his sides, a steady flow of cyan energy was released, soon enveloping him in its familiar aura. Without the regulators on his gloves and boots, he had to be more careful with using his powers, but the lack of stress and urgency made it easier to focus. To mold the somewhat volatile psychokinesis into something just precise enough to be practical.
Leaning back and closing his eyes, Silver fell for just a moment, before lifting himself and hovering in the middle of the room. With deep breaths, his focus shifted inward, the slow sway of his hover similar to floating on the water’s surface.
Was this a strange way to meditate? Perhaps. Silver couldn’t deny that, but this was just what worked best for him. He tried a few times to emulate the cool mystics he read about in books and stories, by crossing his legs and keeping his form symmetrical… and soon abandoned that idea after his legs kept getting numb from the strain.
Not doing that again, ugh. , he grumbled under his breath.
And as relaxing as this all appeared to be, it was also a form of training. A way to sharpen his awareness by constantly controlling the output of his psychokinesis, keeping his thoughts calm, and keeping his breathing in check. Well, that , and making sure not to fall asleep to the faint hum of his power!
The one time he busted his ass by suddenly falling down was one too many, thank you very much!
Pushing that embarrassing experience aside, his thoughts turned to the dream he had. Not that he could gather a whole lot from it, as many details were already getting murky. Trying to hold onto them was akin to grasping at an optical illusion - something seemingly so close, yet so far.
Though, it was strange how… often he was getting these dreams lately. Or were they visions? Memories? He genuinely wasn’t sure.
Sometimes, like in this dream, they showed him mundane, simple scenes - ones that left him with… an odd sense of longing. Sadness. Like a wound deep inside, that even time itself would never really heal. Silver couldn’t tell where these feelings were coming from.
And other times?
Flames. Devastation. Death.
Silence.
Worlds left in ruin by the actions of sadistic men, gods, and demons. All things too familiar to him. Yet also scenes that he couldn’t really place. Were these futures that he had once helped prevent? Or events that were yet to happen?
…
He supposed that it didn’t really matter. Whatever hell was thrown at him, he would stand and fight against it, determined as he always was! Such was the case with the current predicament he escaped from. However… a massive issue loomed over him. One that left him questioning what to do next.
That issue being… he had absolutely zero clues as to what caused this apocalypse!
It was a problem that he ran into before, but after the world twisted and lurched… peeled itself off… he tried his best to figure out what happened. He did! But priorities soon shifted to either helping people who were caught in the mess, fighting off the hordes of monsters coming after him, or sheer survival! There was simply no time to investigate at all!
Frustration boiled within him when he finally decided to fling himself through the time portal to escape! How could it not?! Core issue aside, his abilities were barely enough to keep himself safe! The amount of innocents he saw getting dragged off by the monsters to… who-knows-where, and him not being able to help was just so… so …!
The cyan energy around him flared up, lighting up the bedroom in a brighter glow, while small objects around the room started rattling in place.
“Grrrrrhhh…! Haa… calm! Calm. Calm down. Gotta calm down…”, Silver muttered to himself, bringing his energy under control. A sigh escaped him. He wanted to smack himself for losing his cool. That wasn’t the point of meditating like this.
More deep breaths. He refocused. Time to shift gears.
The glow of his powers slowly became brighter, as it extended across the room once more. This time, however, for a different purpose. It was something that the young psychic was aware he could do - though also something that had yet to have a practical or easy usage for him, as he did specialize in telekinetic applications of his power, at the expense of most other avenues.
Including extrasensory perception.
Even so, he was still able to “see” the room around him. The simple bed, just a few feet to his side, with its sheets ruffled by his sudden awakening. The wallpapers, and the way some of them peeled just a little at the corners. The thin layer of dust settled on some of the furniture. The toys in the toybox, most of which were either cars, action figures, or building blocks. The playmat, and its… in softer terms, lack of cleanliness. To the point where Silver briefly considered looking for an incinerator to toss the thing away.
All this and so much more.
He could perceive it all with clarity, but any small misstep with his concentration, and the picture in his mind would waver, rippling and distorting. The level of focus needed did distract him from thinking further about his situation, but even that would only work for so long.
As he floated there, testing out his “sight”, his ears twitched as they picked up on a noise. The sound of a doorknob turning. Extending his power once again, the person on the other side of the door was…
Well, no surprises there. , he thought, exhaling as he floated himself down into a standing position.
The mammoth entered the room a moment later, his movements slow and deliberate as he gently shut the door behind him. Maybe he thought Silver was still sleeping?
The psychic cleared his throat. “Hey there, Mo!”
“Oh, Silver? You are awake!”, the mammoth perked up, relief evident in his tone.
A nervous smile appeared on his face. “Eheh, yeah… I am now. Sorry for suddenly dropping on you like that.”
“No need for apologies, my boy! I’m just glad to know that you’re up! You’ve been out of it for quite a while. How are you feeling now?”
“Well…”, he hopped from one foot to the other, the soreness in his body mostly gone. The pain was still present, but he went through worse. “Better, for one! Much better. Thanks again, Mo. But, err… how long was I out?”
At that, the mammoth tapped his chin, lost in thought. “Hmm… don’t rightly know. Hard to tell time around here. Though, with how much you were sleeping, and how many times I changed your bandages, something must’ve really put you through the wringer.”, he said with a sigh, then put a warm - if tired - smile. “It’s good that you came here when you did, Silver.”
The hedgehog thought so as well. He had half a mind to share with the mammoth what exactly he was dealing with for the past few days, but decided against it. For one, Mo probably wouldn’t believe that he arrived from 200 years in the future, and two… Silver himself was still processing the pandemonium that he went through. He gritted his teeth as his frustration simmered in the back of his mind.
No need to fuel this old mammoth’s worries with his current problems.
“I’m lucky to have met you, Mo. I really am in your debt.”, he replied earnestly. “Say, where can I find my gloves and boots? They aren’t here, and, uh… I need to be going soon.”
The mammoth’s brows furrowed. “Going s– My boy, you just woke up. You can’t seriously be thinking of travelling anywhere in your condition. Where is the urgency?”
“Ah, I-I don’t mean leaving right this very second!”, he quickly corrected himself. He’d still need to clean up the messy blood trails he left in the house, as a first order of business. He could do at least that much to repay the mammoth’s kindness! “But I do need to go! It’s important that I get to the Restoration HQ as soon as possible!”
“...Hm, I see.”, another sigh from him. “Even if you were completely fine, I fear that may not be as easy to do as you think it is. Not with how, let’s say… ‘remote’ this place is.”
Silver looked at him, a bit confused. “Um, I don’t know what you mean by that, but trust me, Mo, I can get there just fine! No matter how far it might be!”, he said with a confident smile. And it wasn’t an unproven confidence, since his psychic flight could be maintained for hundreds upon hundreds of miles, before any real fatigue would start setting in.
After such a good rest, he could handle this, no problem!
But Mo shook his head. “No, no, my boy, it’s not really an issue of where you need to go… but rather, when .”
The wording immediately took the wind out of the hedgehog’s sails, and Silver felt a rising apprehension in him. Several questions stood at the forefront of his mind - ones that he didn’t really want to ask… but knew that he had to, regardless.
“Um, Mo… what do you mean by tha–”
Before he could even finish asking the first question, a loud sound suddenly broke the peaceful atmosphere of the room! It was like that of glass breaking and shattering into tiny pieces… only far more amplified, and even echoing for a good while!
“W-what was that? What’s going on? Mo, keep your head down!”, the hedgehog stood on guard, already hovering above the ground, ready to defend his host and face whatever made the noise!
The mammoth… then perked up, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Oho, a delivery is here! And ahead of the usual schedule!”
“.........Huh?!”, Silver’s whole posture became askew, followed by an incredulous look. “What are you– what delivery?!”
Mo chuckled at his tone, stepping over to a nearby window and tapping it softly with his cane. “See for yourself, my boy. I’ve been told it can be quite a spectacle.”
Blinking at the request, Silver did settle on the ground again, then carefully shuffled over to the same window, expecting only to see the darkness outside.
Darkness did greet him… along with a visible, glowing crack going through it. A crack… in reality itself! The noise then returned, as this broken reality started going in different directions, the glowing fissures looking like branches of a tree, yet spreading like wildfire! Spiderwebs soon formed as the fissures intersected with themselves and broke into more pieces.
It was only a second later that color started leaking… bleeding through those cracks like a fresh wound! Silver couldn’t even make out what that color was , as its hue kept shifting and blending with itself, almost making his eyes hurt.
More and more was oozing out without end, before the broken pieces collapsed and fell into themselves, leaving giant, jagged holes in reality! Staring into them, he could see more of that strange color, constantly swirling inside in a chaotic dance of existence and non-existence, roaring like a waterfall.
It reminded him of… oh.
OH.
“No, no, no, no…! T-this can’t…! How did they follow after me?!”, he muttered in a panic, then turned to the mammoth. “Mo, we have to get out of here! I don’t have time to explain, but–”
Like before, the mammoth put a gentle hand on the hedgehog’s shoulder. “Woah, easy there, my boy. Calm yourself. I don’t know what has frightened you so, but I promise that you are safe here. Just keep watching.”
Silver couldn’t believe how unbothered Mo seemed to be, but he still did as he was told, and kept looking through the window. Focusing on the holes in reality. His gaze hardened as he kept waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
But… no monsters emerged. None whatsoever.
What did emerge, however, were objects. Debris, as far as he could tell. Shooting out from the bleeding technicolor holes like bullets, before soon hitting the ground with an assortment of bangs and crashes. Curiously enough, none ever came remotely close to hitting the house, only landing in its immediate surroundings.
The debris kept coming for a while, making the outside look like a junkyard. And then, just as suddenly, everything came to a stop. No more debris. No more bleeding colors. No more spreading fissures.
Instead, reality began mending itself, reversing the whole process!
The color was sucked back in, the holes were “plugged up” by the spaces of darkness that were supposed to be there, and the cracks retreated down the same lines that they first formed. The hedgehog watched, fascinated, as everything got repaired, while this whole anomaly became nothing more than a glowing white dot, just floating in mid-air. Only to blip out as well seconds after, leaving no evidence of its existence at all!
That is, if one ignored the enormous piles of junk that were now encircling the house.
Silver was quiet for a long while. What could he even say after… everything? He was no stranger to otherworldly sights like that, but that hardly meant he wasn’t left awe-struck whenever he witnessed one!
“Mo. What. Was. That.”, he finally asked, barely keeping his tone even.
Again, a knowing smile from the mammoth. “Quite the sight, isn’t it? I can tell from your tone, hohoho! And I’ll tell you all about it, but what it means to me right now… is a delivery day! Come now, Silver, there’s no time to waste!”
Whatever other questions the hedgehog had were quickly pushed aside as the mammoth walked out of the room. “Wh– woah, wait up!”, he cried out, but followed nonetheless, still hovering.
One long, dusty hallway and a set of stairs later, and he was back at the front door. Mo was a lot more spry than Silver gave him credit for, since he already went outside. The blindness certainly didn’t hinder him in knowing this place like the back of his hand.
When he got to the porch… another realization washed over Silver, much like a cold shower.
His… less-than-ideal state when he arrived probably made him dismiss it, but there was no doubt about it now. Why he couldn’t make anything out, why there was nothing present in the night sky, why the darkness felt so engulfing…
Seeing Mo stand there on the ground in front of the house - stand on nothing at all…
He gulped in dread as it finally clicked. It wasn’t nighttime here. It wasn’t even dark at all. This house… was simply surrounded by an endless expanse of void! Pure nothingness in every direction. Only the house and the junk existed here, yet they felt oh-so-small and insignificant next to the absence of literally anything and everything else .
His breathing was getting heavier. More questions gnawed at him. Looking for answers that he didn’t want to get. And yet, he had to.
“Mo!”, he called out, catching the mammoth’s attention. “What… what is this place? Where did I end up? Please, I need to know!”, he asked, pushing past the fear in his mind.
Mo stopped in his tracks, turning back to Silver. He said nothing for a few moments, before a sigh escaped him. “Yes, I suppose you should be aware of it. And the reason why you can’t really make your journey.”
Spreading his arms in a dramatic fashion, he continued. “Welcome, my boy. To the last stop. Not just for you, but for everyone and everything. Where every branching path, every decision, and every consequence eventually meets up…”
Mo’s next words cut through what was left of Silver’s composure, like a dagger stabbing into his gut.
“Welcome to the End of Time.”