Nature

The future was green.

It was strange. He should have expected this, logically, but Silver was still surprised.

The future was green.

Not the black of charred husks of civilization. Not the orange of molten lava of Iblis’ rage.

Green.

Green

Green!

Lush jungles and verdant forests brimming with all manner of life. Hanging gardens lining every street and surrounding every rooftop solar panel array of sprawling cities. Fields of golden grain and deep red canyons cut by fasting moving rivers sparkling with white rapids. Birds and deer and bees and fish and so, so, so much life!

As Silver flew, his power holding him in a tight embrace, he could scarcely believe his eyes. They had won. The memory seemed fragile, ephemeral even. Solaris Reformed bearing its wrath on all existence. Sonic’s confident smirk and Shadow’s stoic determination. And Silver.

Silver who played fool to Mephiles’ machinations.

Silver who tried to murder Sonic.

Silver who failed to seal Iblis in his own heart and allowing Blaze to take his place.

All of that was a dream now. A nightmare fleeing the dawn. They had won!

He touched down in a sunny glade. Wildflowers grew rampant around him, a wonderous living pallet painting a new masterpiece with each brush of wind. Silver fell back, flopping unceremoniously and producing a cloud of pollen and airborne seeds. He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. All he had ever wanted was to save this world, his world.

And he had.

Silver watched fluffy clouds crawl across the sky and listened to birdsong. So foreign to everything he’d ever known. So new and wonderous. Eventually he stood and stretched. What should he do now? His mind was racing with all the fantasies he’d had as a child, huddled in dark safe houses, fearing the monsters roaming the hellscape.

He would swim in the ocean. Gosh, just the idea of so much water, just there? It sounded absurd, but he’d seen it in the past. Water as far as the eye could see, rolling waves jostling the surface while seabirds floated on the breeze above.

He would eat sweets like he’d seen in the cafes in Soleanne. Maybe he could learn how to make them himself? Why not? There was no choking miasma or dwindling population any longer. What would he need? How would he even start? Every question was a jolt of excitement for something new to learn or do.

Ideas whirled like cinders from an upset log in a campfire. Silver smiled. He couldn’t decide what to do first! What a crazy problem to have? He launched into the air and spun wild spirals through the air above the treetops.

Something glinted in the forest below, catching Silver’s attention. Something to explore, his heart sang. He’d visit every nook and cranny of this new world in time. Might as well start here!

Silver lowered himself through the canopy and cast his gaze around. He spotted a sharp rise of stone jutting from the earth. As he approached, he looked for the glint. Some gem or jewel perhaps? What would be his luck if it were a Chaos Emer-

Silver froze as he beheld the object of his search.

Propped against the stony outcropping was a formation of dark purple crystal with pale accents shaped vaguely like a hedgehog Silver knew very well. Lidless eyes of sickly green set in deep red sclera marked a face with no mouth.

Mephiles! What was he doing here? That had won! This was impossible! What should he do? He couldn’t possibly win alone against-

An acid green eye pivoted in the red scalar and Silver’s breath hitched. “Oh. It’s you.” The deep voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once spawned a forest of goose prickles to grow under Silver’s fur. “I see sufficient time has passed for you to appear.”

“Mephiles the Dark!” Overcoming his surprise, Silver took fighting stance, cyan energy flaring in his hands. Maybe he had no chance, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying. He wasn’t going to lose this hard-won world so soon, he just wasn’t!

The demon made no movement. The acid green eye left Silver and returned to facing forward. “Amuse yourself, but mind the roses.”

“R-Roses?” Silver faltered. Now that he looked, the area was thick with thorned stalks supporting gorgeous blooms of roses. A cacophony of shade and hues: White, pink, red, yellow, black, and blue. Pure and variegated and all intermixed. The vines encircled the large stone against which Mephiles leaned in a brilliant display of color.

“I enjoy gazing at them.” The demon explained. “I would appreciate it if you reframed from damaging them.”

The simple request caused Silver to short circuit. Every nerve in his body burned to attack this devil, this demon, this enemy. But there was something holding him back. Curiosity, perhaps? Or propriety? He’d attacked Sonic unprovoked. Silver could do it again! Though…assaulting Sonic had turned out to be bad idea.

Silver approached cautiously, circling until he stood before the fallen half-god. Mephiles’ gaze followed him. Thick, thorny vines wrapped around his crystalline body. How long had he lain here? It must have been for a very long time. A thick crack ran down his chest and from it bloomed a single, magnificent rose the color of freshy spilt blood.

“What are you doing?” Silver narrowed his eyes. There must be some trick.

“Enjoying eternity.” Mephiles said simply. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“That’s impossible!” Silver slashed his hand to the side, his energy encompassing his hands once more. “Y-you’re plotting some new way to put the world in danger!”

Mephiles stared at him unnervingly still. “Silver…why would I do that?”

“Because you’re evil!” Silver snarled.

“Evil.” Mephiles said the word slowly. “We were light. The warmth of the sun. The glow of fire. The wonder of starlight. But that wasn’t enough.”

“Evil.” He repeated. “A man cannot accept the passing of his wife and deigns enslave a god to serve his whims.”

“Evil.” Mephiles’ tone remained the same, but each repetition further filled Silver with a strange concoction of emotions. “A man fails. Instead of accepting responsibility, he has the audacity to rip the god asunder, separating flame from darkness.”

“Evil.” Uncertainty. Silver was feeling uncertainty. “A man curses his daughter with an impossible burden. Hold the fire in your soul and never shed a tear.”

“Evil.” Mephiles’ words echoed through the garden of wild roses, the voice of a defeated god. “A man curses his kingdom with grave sin. A fragile vial that mustn’t ever crack.

“Evil.” Silver grit his teeth, stealing his conviction. “A man passes, leaving all of existence to weather the consequences of his sins.”

“So what? It’s no use! I won’t be accessory to your schemes anymore!” Silver shook his head. “You tricked me! You killed Sonic! And…” His pulse was racing. “Solaris was going to destroy everything. Solaris almost destroyed everything!”

“And was extinguished in our cradle.” A gentle breeze pushed through the garden, sending all the blooms to wave slowly.

Silver glared. “Then why are you here?”

“Gods cannot die, Silver.” Mephiles didn’t sound condescending or bored or like much of anything. He was stating a fact as if quoting an encyclopedia. “They are the fundamental building blocks of this existence. It is in their nature to persist in some form. I am a corpse, if it pleases you.”

Did it please him? “You expect me to believe you’re not plotting some revenge?”

“Silver…” Mephiles seemed to sigh. “Iblis is extinguished. My light is gone. I have no hope, but all of time. You won and I lost.”

“So…you watch roses bloom.”

“So, I watch roses bloom.”