Light of Hope

VII. Sonic the Hedgehog

Surprisingly, it was Antoine who broke the silence. "You are not telling truth, are you?"

"I wish I wasn't," Silver sighed. "The future is a mess. I was sure I had the time correct."

"Can't you just go back and try again?" Rock asked.

"Time travel isn't that precise," I chuckled. "And Silver's a pro."

"Well..." Silver said, rubbing his head. "It's not that easy to explain. It's like there's something physically stopping me from going beyond this point. I've heard rumors that things like that can happen to stop certain times from changing, but I've never personally experienced it. Of course, I wouldn't rule out that Eggman managed to do something to stop me, either."

"So you've come to warn us that the future is set in stone?" Sally asked.

"The future is fickle," Silver said. "It's always hard to know what's permanent and what can change."

"Do you know what we can do to fix things?" Tails asked, glancing at me.

Silver took a seat and sighed. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them and stared at a spot on the table. "I was going to stop Mega Man from coming here," Silver explained. "But I couldn't even manage that."

"Wait," Rock said. "What do I have to do with this?"

"It's possible that you traveling to this world was just the biggest coincidence in history. But from what I've seen, coincidences are rare. It would have been worth a shot, considering the future."

Rock looked devastated. "This whole thing could be... my fault?"

Silver looked at us for help. "No, t-that's not what I meant. I just-"

"It doesn't really matter whose fault it is," Bunnie interrupted. "Besides, I find it hard to believe this little kid could set all these things in motion."

"Yeah," Silver said quickly. "Either way, though, I wouldn't consider all of this to be your fault. If there's anyone to blame, it's Eggman."

"Yes," Antoine added, "the man who single-handedly took down Super Sonic."

I felt my ears flatten against my head, feeling guilty. Antoine was right about that.

"Well," Silver said, looking at me. "What happened up there in the Death Egg? We can start with that."

I glanced at my arm. "I... have no idea. It's like it's covered by some fog."

"He had a bad concussion," Sally explained. "It's likely we'll never know what exactly happened."

Silver froze. "You're joking."

I shook my head. "Nope! Too bad you can't go into the past and find out what happened for me, huh?"

"So we don't even know what we're dealing with?" Silver asked. "We know nothing?"

"Oh, we do," I chuckled darkly. "There's a fat guy named Eggman who wants to take over the world."

"Sonic..." Silver looked defeated, looking back down at the table.

"Just trying to keep things light," I shrugged. "So where are we going first?"

"I only know a few things that happen between your loss and the complete destruction of the world," Silver admitted. "The two tundras have been taken over by Eggman for sure. I'm pretty sure Spagonia and Empire City are under Eggman's command. I think the next major city to fall is Westopolis, but... I can't be completely sure. It might already be captured."