Archive of Our Own ^omega

Blades of grass flew up into the air for a brief second of freedom from the ground it was stuck to before, quickly falling back down to die without its roots as a fast-paced blur ran over them with scuffed shoes. The blurs figure was barely identifiable to the bare eye, but if you could slow down time you would notice the shoes belonged to a pair of blue legs, that belonged to a blue body with tan coloured fur in the middle of the torso, along with tan arms and a spiky head with two pulled back ears from the wind. The blue figure wore a grin on his face whilst running, he didn’t have a destination to go to and just thought he’d figure out when to stop if he saw something worth stopping for, or if a field looked soft enough for a nap. Flower petals tore off from the sheer speed alone, leaves stayed in the air for minutes from how high they were blown up, but with how fast the runner passed it all subsided quickly like nothing ever happened.

The blur of blue continued to speed around grassy hills and zones that were full of bounce pads or ledges, occasionally slowing slightly to destroy a few badniks in the area if they appeared, but with the more he ran the more they started attacking, the fiercer they grew also. The badniks started from Ladybugs and evolved into Bees, then full-on machines that seemed to shoot at him mercilessly. If there were so many of Eggheads robots around then surely someone capable of handling them would be too, and the right thing to do would be to put a pin in it before anything drastic occurred, even if Sonic would rather leave it until he was made to do something. With a lot more dashing and spinballs, the worst of the bots were destroyed and any flickys in them were released, as suspected each robot was all headed to Sonic from one particular direction, it didn’t take a genius to notice that, and he quickly ran that way.

Within a second, a large group of bots exploded from a quick attack Sonic could pull off with speed alone, revealing just one more within the group. A tall, blue figure that reflected the sun's light off of its metal spines turned in a somewhat startled manner, still forcing a serious composure upon its body however. Red eyes constricted and metal claws tightened into a fist at the sight of the latter hedgehog, Sonic, who stood in the mess of robotic parts simply rubbing the underside of his nose with an unimpressed look. He glanced at his robot counterpart, Metal Sonic, who seemed furious with his intrusion. Metal was never one to enjoy a crashed party despite he and his creator being the worst people for it, Sonic chuckled to himself quietly whilst thinking about the hypocrisy.

“Of course it’s you, why wouldn’t it be,” Sonic folded his arms, “Doing glorified badnik work again huh, Metal?”

There was barely even any time for Sonic to finish speaking before Metal made a move, the turbine in his back whirring before unleashing a pink fire that boosted him forward at an even faster speed than the hedgehog, he aimed to grab the ‘fake’ but Sonic had narrowly escaped Metals claws. It was a bad move on Metals part, something easy to predict and evade, his joints clicked and his limbs made heavy thunks against one another whilst he turned to see where his copy had escaped to. Sonics constant interference was a hindrance, not only that though as his personality was not too different from a bad joke book. Every aspect of ‘annoying’ bundled into one package didn’t make for great company, or work, Metal found it hard to remember the task at hand whenever Sonic seemed to appear.

“Cool it!” Sonic put his hands up slightly as if to surrender, “I always forget about your temper…”

Metal glared at Sonic, as much as he could manage anyway, his face was stuck in a constant frown with no other way to express something vaguely different. His claws were ready to rip Sonic open, to scoop his insides from the useless cavity they were held in, he urged himself to insult Sonic whilst he had the chance-

"My loathsome copy" "Does destroying others work make you feel better about your own lack of talent?" "Here to gawk at your ignored potential, faker?", he could say something like that, he needed to, his own quips were far better than his doppelgängers anyway.

…Yet not even a noise came out.

“Let me guess,” Sonic started, “Something something 'my Loathsome Copy' something 'destroy'. That’s what you’re thinking right?”

Metal straightened up slightly, his head tilted down to exaggerate Sonics perspective of his glare. It wasn’t a wrong guess, and the fact Metal had to admit that to himself made his oil boil inside of him. Sonic is an insufferable being to be a part of, to know all thoughts of and connect patterns in behaviour, but with each insult to Metal he is practically berating himself also. That line of thinking makes it slightly tolerable.

Sonic tapped his foot impatiently, talking to Metal was no use if he wanted to stop whatever Eggman was trying to do, he’d have to think of a way to make Metal leave the post so he’d have more time… Moments like this always made him wonder why Metals ability to speak was taken from him so frequently, it was clearly a Sonic thing, right? Maybe Metal is just as annoying as he is, so Robotnik can’t stand him speaking, he knows his friends have considered shutting Sonic himself up a few times so it wasn’t unlikely really…

“Hey Metal! You wanna race?” Sonic grinned at the other, tapping his foot on the grass at a quicker pace, “Been a while since we did that huh?”

Metal glanced at his post for a moment, his direct orders were to complete an Egg-Errand as soon as he could manage and get rid of any interference at all, but this would likely be another egg-failure anyway when he thought about it in the long run. What was the harm in abandoning his station? Well, when he calculated it: a lot, but he couldn’t care less for what Robotnik wanted from him and would prioritise an opportunity to beat Sonic over it any day. Sonic jogged on the spot for a minute, even if for ulterior motives he did enjoy racing with Metal, he was good and equal competition.

“Ready to lose, you bag of bolts?”

In reply, a robotic and scratchy noise came from Metal, almost imitating how ‘shut up’ would be said.

“Jeez, don’t loosen a screw now…”

Metal and Sonic simultaneously got into the same starting position, a four-point.

“We go on three, 'kay Pointy?” Sonic earned a warbled synthetic sound in return. Time seemed to suddenly slow down from the moment the two got into position and when Sonic started to count, Metal stared at the greenery in front of himself intently whilst his turbine started to whir again. Small flashes of blue sparked from Sonic’s quills,the first number couldn’t have come out quick enough before the two had already left their starting point. Instead of starting at ‘one’ as anyone would assume, Sonic had immediately jumped to ‘three’ to catch Metal off guard, but he knew that and Sonic knew he would know.
Sonic yelled ‘cheat!’ not long after they had set off, Metal boosted himself faster as some sort of petty reply to which Sonic only rolled his eyes and tried to catch up.

The two had raced countless times, this was nothing new, of course a race would not defeat Sonic but plainly winning in something that Sonic was primarily known for and praised for felt good. Sonic wasn’t typically a sore loser, sure he didn’t like it but he wouldn’t go far enough to sulk, it was completely the opposite for Metal however. Metal couldn’t stand to be bested by Sonic in any way it could happen, races were small but a win against your fake goes a long way for the ego.
Trees hung back from the blast of wind that the two hedgehogs were creating from their speed, they were neck and neck with Metal edging forward every now and then. Blurs of blue shot through grasslands, up and around mountains, and down hills until they were almost back where they started.

Sonic glanced at Metal for a split second, he hadn’t looked back at him once, with how it was going Metal was going to win. He could take a loss every now and then since it was Metal, he was created to best Sonic in his every ability after all, but if Metal won this race then Sonic would have no time to destroy Eggmans operation. With each second they edged closer to the finish, Sonic gritted his teeth and glanced back at Metal, who looked back for once, he’d have to take Metal off guard. He could pick up a rock and throw it at its metal face, no that’s lame… This is Metal afterall… What shakes Metal to his core? Or just enough to distract him…

“Looks like you’re about to win!- What’s that, 5 out of a hundred?”
Metals eyes constricted again.
“For a copy of me you’re not very good at my main thing, you should have won by now right!” Sonic called out.

Metal didn’t hesitate in going to throw a punch to Sonics face, which slowed him down significantly and Sonic won their race. When the realisation dawned upon Metal all he could do was simply stare at Sonic, smoke wafting from his back as the turbine slowed to a stop. How was it fair, how something so weak and vulnerable could best someone so resilient and strong with such little effort? Sonic had to use an insult to win, that was lame and petty, Metal should have won. He didn’t think fast enough, he reacted too quickly, he should have known better than to listen to something Sonic had to say while racing. Metals hands balled into fists as he looked down, eyes shaking in fury at… Sonic. It was Sonics fault.

“Well that was fun ‘loathsome copy’, I guess you oughta tell Egghead to dismantle you for your failure again huh!” Sonic grinned ever so slightly, it was just banter, if Metal could respond he’d probably be doing it too. It was funny! Metal was a good rival, if Eggman got rid of him he’d be way bored by now.

Metal stared at Sonic for a good minute, then glanced around at the machinery he was supposed to be protecting. A twinge in his circuits stopped him from fulfilling that task, he knew if he left then Sonic would destroy it all but that was Robotnik's problem. Metal had no obligation to protect this drab project other than the fact his creator asked him to, even then, that was nowhere near a good reason. With a final glare to his fleshy fake Metal flew off in a blast, several thoughts going through his mind. Sonic barely cared at Metals sudden (and petty) departure, taking the opportunity to clear the sight and go back to running.

A loud thunk echoed in the hallways of the Final Fortress, the object that made the noise had such a dense weight it impacted the steel floor and knocked several items that were stacked on top crates off them with the sudden jolt.

“Ah!-” A panicked voice with a high tone rang out from the sudden arrival of whomever it may be, “My neatly stacked wires and electrical tapes-” they whined, somehow their tone becoming higher in distress.

Metal, the object of the sudden intrusion to the Final Fortress, tightened his fist and darted his eyes to the source of the sound quickly. He identified the owner of the voice hastily, Orbot; a small and circular robot coloured red with blue and grey accents. It had seemed Orbot had spotted Metal also, as he immediately hovered over with a somewhat nervous expression.

“Metal Sonic!- What a delight- I had… no idea you’d be here today! I do hope the boss didn’t send you to give me more things to do, I’ve barely worked up any of the motivation to do what I already need to…” Towards the end of his sentence, Orbots anxious tone faded into boredom- even with just speaking he couldn’t keep up something he was meant to be upholding.

Metal looked around at the fallen stacks of meaningless gear and spare parts, if anything he just gave Orbot another 5 hours stacking and rearranging them which he enjoyed so it wasn’t much of a loss to the latter robot, not that Metal had much energy to care by now. Still seething from Sonics victory in the race, Metal started to walk off and away from Orbot though this seemed to catch his attention so he quickly caught up and carefully held onto Metal Sonics arm to stop him from going any further away from him.

Metal almost snatched his arm away yet stopped himself, instead giving Orbot a nasty glare with thinning pupils to hopefully exaggerate his annoyance to make Orbot leave him alone until his presence was wanted. It didn’t seem to work, as Orbot just smiled in return, he did let go of his hold however even if he had moved in front of Metal instead.

“You seem upset, big bro,” there he went again, emphasising his so-called connection to Metal, “is there any way in which I can assist to change that?” Orbot put his hands together and tilted his head, he was pleased despite there being no answer yet.

Metal let out a warbled, short synthesised sound, it didn’t exactly convey any specific meaning but hopefully Orbot would take it as a ‘no’ and leave it at that. Metal had no disdain towards Orbot, or his similar friend Cubot, he just simply didn’t appreciate company that much and often avoided the both of them unless there was a rare moment that Metal Sonic decided to give them the time of day (and they very much enjoyed that).

“…I see…” Orbot squinted as he spoke in a thoughtful tone before exclaiming, “there’s only one thing for it then!”

Metal tilted his head as he failed to comprehend Orbots thoughts, was the thing ‘to it’ to leave him be? He sure did want that, it would be more helpful than what Orbot could possibly come up with. Metal hesitantly nodded, starting to walk forward once again to push past Orbot, though before his foot could even make contact with the steel beneath it Orbot spoke up again.

“We will talk about your feelings to an uncomfortable degree until it somehow makes you feel less stressed and unhappy! Doesn’t that sound fun, big bro?”

Orbot blinked a few times after he spoke, despite his eyes only being blue, glowing glass, Metal could sense some kind of pleading in them. He went to say ‘no’ before realising he couldn’t, Orbot took the silence as an enthusiastic ‘yes’ (he very much liked that he could manipulate Metals silence into whatever answer he liked) and giggled to himself quietly. It was somewhat out of character, though this was all that Metal had ever perceived of Orbot aside from the occasional sarcastic comment to Cubot during their work so it was unidentifiable to him.

Metal shook his head quickly upon figuring out Orbot had no intention of letting this go now unless Metal could verbally object, trying to leave in a hurry once again but the smaller bot had taken his hand to stop him from doing so. It was a puzzling move, Metal could easily shake or push Orbot off of him and he knew that, so why he had taken hold of Metals hand he doesn’t know, and why Metal couldn’t bring himself to shove Orbot away he didn’t know either.

“This may be best if you sat down, don’t you think?” Orbot ‘pulled’ Metal over to a crate, the pulling was a weak attempt that the larger robot seemed to just go along with, he had a look that got across a resemblance of confusion.

Metal let out a low whirring noise whilst getting on top of the crate, it creaked and slightly splintered beneath his weight which further annoyed him alongside everything else. He brought his hand to his chin to rest, looking everywhere but at Orbot who was rambling on about the benefits of ‘talking about your feelings’ and ‘self reflection’, it was odd to Metal that Orbot knew these things to any degree but whatever made him happy in the environment he was in was welcome.

After Orbots small speech that Metal had payed no piece of mind to, the smaller robot moved ever so slightly closer him and had a look that could only be described as a ‘grin’. The expression wasn’t too close to what it was described as, in fact it leant more into neutral expression territory, it confused Metal when he thought about it since Orbot was the one who offered and took the initiative to sift through the cause of what Metal could possibly be upset and angry about today, Metal didn’t want to have this conversation and no one was forcing Orbot to have it with him so his seeming ‘boredom’ over it seemed like an easy fix. Unless maybe his face was simply stuck that way.

“Well, Metal Sonic sir, perhaps you should start us off? I’m sure you have much on your mind.” Orbot copied his ‘older brothers’ pose, tilting his head to a side and resting it on the back of his hand.

Metal grew frustrated at the question, why ask someone who can’t talk such a question? You would not ask a deaf person to hear for the door knocking when a parcel is delivered, a blind person to find where you left your keys, or someone with no arms to tidy up a space, Metals hand that wasn’t supporting his head up dug into the wooden box below him.

“Oh that’s right, my mistake sir,” Orbot didn’t sound too apologetic, in fact as he was usually pointing out flaws in the doctors plans surely he had already figured it was a waste of words to say before he even asked- 'he’s just wasting time to avoid work', Metal supposed to himself, “this will take a while then if we need to play charades for your answers. Shall I start us off with a more simple question? What made you come home in such a… hm… well, foul mood?”

Metal jolted forward a bit in apprehension, he despised having his emotions described the same way people described the doctors. It wasn’t a foul mood, he was angry, frustrated, seething! At Metals sudden movement Orbot flinched back slightly, glancing away for a short moment before looking back. Metal let out a loud, robotic sound that articulated some form of aggression.

“I’d say ‘I see’ but I actually don’t so it would be a lie, big bro did you perhaps have an encounter with Sonic?” how Orbot figured it out Metal could not decipher, it could be that Sonic was the one person and thing that could rile up Metal Sonic so terribly to lead to this sort of behaviour but it can’t have been that obvious surely.

Metal hesitantly moved back into his upright sitting position, his circuits whirring and joints clicking as he did so. Orbot nodded, taking the less defensive position as some sort of ‘yes’. Somehow, Orbot practically guessing such a thing made Metal feel slightly more at ease, it was not that he was open to ‘discussing’ his inner thoughts and how they corresponded with feelings and emotions he hadn’t identified but it was because it felt like someone could finally make some sort of educated guess on what he was trying to say and really understand to a point what he was trying to convey. Metal Sonic let out a low whir, it sounded soft in a way and his eyes expanded slightly from their previous constricted form.

“Ah, that was correct then, it’s impressive how much you can say without any words sir!” Orbot silently applauded, “Then, if you faced Sonic and are upset I suppose whatever happened you failed or lost at it, that much is usual.” Orbot continued talking, but Metal wasn’t listening.

Metal grew annoyed again, it wasn’t usual for him to lose to that inferior being- in fact Metal more than often won against him and in the cases that he didn’t it involved some sort of cheating or teamwork, or even the Doctor calling Metal away before a winner could be determined. It was incorrect and downright insulting to say he often failed, that he lost, the fact they were talking about losing to Sonic in particular made it sting all the more. Why would Orbot come to the conclusion Metal assumed a neutral position on loss, that he could handle it when his strength was beaten by something weak and organic and just utterly less than himself: a conduit of sheer power.

“Oh big bro you don’t need to be so annoyed by Sonic of all people,” Orbot stated, trying to catch Metal’s wavering attention, “you’re perfectly just as capable as he is, even more so! I know you’re his ‘duplicate’ but really what similarities do you truly have?”

Metal made a distorted, robotic sound, trying to convey his annoyance with the topic in a way that could be interpreted as polite but Orbot either played dumb or simply just was, in fact, stupid.

The question ‘how many similarities do you have’ was foolish, every aspect of Metal had to have stemmed from Sonic somewhere even if it was barely present or plainly nonexistent in the hedgehogs personality in the current day. Then arose the question, if anyone was going to understand Metal would it be Sonic? Did that then mean Sonics choice of words and actions against Metal were chosen to spite him, to make him feel awful? Unless, in some turn of possible events, Metal had managed to become a person of his own with thoughts and feelings completely separate from Sonic’s, making him more than just the ‘robot alter ego’ he was described as, something like that couldn’t happen though could it? The idea that Metal could have ‘humanity’ inside of him in a way made him feel puzzled yet calm, however he did not have much faith in the theory and felt it was some kind of desperate attempt of reaching a thought he had long since abandoned.

“Metal Sonic, you’re still listening to me, aren’t you?” Orbots voice chimed in a mannerly tone, “I am still trying to help you but it requires your attention and cooperation. …A-As you most likely already know-” he stuttered out.

A flat and monotone sound hummed from Metal in response.

Orbot perked up slightly, “Oh good, you are!”

‘Barely’ Metal thought, though Orbot only continued speaking to fill in for his brother’s silence.

“Now, about the Sonic issue, I think you should simply get over your differences so you feel less threatened by his defeats.”

The silence was deafening for a moment or two until Metal lurched forward in an offensive manner and an assortment of ‘exasperated’ and ‘enraged’ like sounds erupted from him, making Orbot immediately realise his suggestion wasn’t one Metal seemed to like the thought of.

“Ah- Well I suppose you don’t have to!… You could always continue doing what you are I… suppose…” Orbot tapped his fingers on his hand somewhat nervously, “I don’t think this obsession over Sonic is very healthy though sir, isn’t it quite similar to what the Boss feels about him?”

Metal stood stunned by how someone could make so many assumptions and be so wrong, he wasn’t obsessed with Sonic. It may seem like obsession to anyone else, but true hatred just requires dedication that was on-par with obsession! Similar, but different. Obsession would mean Metals every move and decision would be based off of Sonic, carefully thought out and executed with the best interest of himself in mind, it would mean the annoying rat would never leave his mind and be an unwelcome and rent-free thought in Metals mind. It was true, he often thought about Sonic and how to make his foe suffer in agony or be out through torturous situations, it wasn’t obsession though, it couldn’t be.

“Uh…” Orbot hesitated, Metals silence and stillness was slightly nerve wracking, “did I get that right at least? Obsession?”

Orbot jumped in surprise when his question was met with more distressed robotic screeches, he didn’t think he was wrong at all but he had no reason to say that to Metal Sonic, in fact Orbot could just be entirely wrong since he couldn’t remember his reasoning for his thoughts suddenly, maybe Metal had scared them away…

“I… see- Not that then… Hypothetically though, if it was-” Orbot leant just slightly closer to Metal Sonic, who moved away simultaneously and held his head in hands in annoyance from not being listened to, “it would really benefit your overall mood if you just let him go and became average adversary’s.”

Warbled, scratchy sounds echoed from Metal, hanging his head lower as Orbot just continued talking.

“I think it would be rather easy!” The red robot held a singular finger up whilst the other four curled into his glove, “You’re quite superior to Sonic, there would be no reason to cling onto something so below you, isn’t that right big bro?”

It was not right, Metal whirred slowly and quickly sped up the sound until it was unbearably loud like an engine. To most, communicating simple emotions with mere cues instead of words would be easy and understood but alas Metal seemed to be surrounded by people and robots that either refused to understand his cues or plainly ignored his distress. If Metal could speak he’d tell them, he’d tell them all how disrespectful it was and ignore them in turn!

“Is that helpful?” Orbot chirped.

Metal responded with a loud distorted ‘growl’ of sorts.

“Splendid, big brother! I’m glad I could help, I mean imagine if it was Cubot who noticed your distress first…” Orbot closed his ‘eyes’, awaiting a noise of approval or some form of praise from his older brother.

Metals eyes shook slightly in frustration, a high pitched and short beep left him- it was somewhat bratty and spoiled, especially when Orbot only wanted to help, but if you desire to help someone the key is listening to what they’re trying to convey to you and Orbot was doing a terrible job at that particular instruction. Perhaps, if it was Cubot he would have done a better job, he was slightly more dense than Orbot but still picked up on enough keen details.

Suddenly, a thought sparked in Metals processors. It was possible that Orbot had a point, the wrong idea but correct premise of no longer clinging to Sonic. Metals insides whirred quietly as he thought, if he fought Sonic one last time… no help, no emeralds, no Robotnik interfering— should he be thinking that? The most likely calculation: no, but Metal needed to prove that he was the true sonic with only himself, he should be the perfection that the blue blur could never reach and if he was truly outdated, if he was past his best and doomed to live a life of service and mediocre achievements until he rusted away… then letting Sonic achieve victory would be a mercy on Metals forged soul.

Metal Sonic didn’t so much as give Orbot a glance before hastily walking away with purpose, the robot chimed ‘Oh, yeah, see you later big bro!’ that echoed after Metal but he dared not set his mind on anything other than vanquishing Sonic once and for all.

“AARGH! Are you completely incompetent?! Useless?! I don’t let you handle so many projects just for you to abandon them without a good reason Metal!” Robotnik hit a control display in front of him, Metal stood behind his creator's large figure with his arms folded behind his back and head held low. He wasn’t ashamed of abandoning his orders, and Eggman shouldn’t be either he should know by now that rebellion runs in Metals code no matter how small the trace is. Perhaps Eggman truly thought that he has pulled out all the weeds of insubordination, Metal had thought so too initially as Robotnik told him such but… not anymore.

Eggman yelled, his voice harsh, “Don’t stand there acting like you’re riddled with guilt,” he was not standing that way, “you did it on purpose did you not!”

Metal folded his arms and tapped his foot on the floor impatiently, waiting for the Doctor to finish yelling at him. Was the phrase ‘on purpose’ subjective, he wondered? Metal did abandon his station intentionally and he could have defended it from Sonic, but if Metal had no urge to disobey any of the doctors orders then there was no reason for him to leave his intended place. Ultimately, he concluded he was simply trying to win an argument he couldn’t.

“I want a reason Metal!” Eggman exclaimed, his words sounded desperate and tired and angry all in one tone.

Metal let out a low-pitched whir, even if he could explain himself to his master it would all go in one ear and come out the other, an explanation is pointless.
Robotnik furrowed his brows and stared down at Metal, he would know to be out of his sight by now so the robot quite clearly wanted something.

“Out with it. …Wait-”

Metal could’ve shook in frustration, he gestured to himself and let out high-pitched warbles. How could you not understand what your own creation wants? Shouldn’t you be able to tell? Don’t you pay attention, don’t you see him? Is he just a pretty display piece? He stopped before he spiralled. Metal didn’t know what his creator thought, if he was convinced his greatest creation was something of the past and couldn’t complete its sole objective then Metal would take his abilities into his own hands just as before if he needed to. Eggman was merely a pawn for anything Metal had in mind. Metal beeped and whirred angrily, each noise becoming higher in pitch until only a dog could hear the frequency, at some point he wasn’t sure if he was doing it to get his point across or to purely hurt Robotniks ears.

“What are you trying to communicate!? For stars sake it’s times like this I wish I had given you a way to speak, M-”

Metal stomped his foot in frustration which in turn cut off Robotniks sentence, the letters ‘N E O’ shining in a bright red on his face to replace where his eyes should be. For someone who created something as amazing as Metal, Robotnik wasn’t the most bright when it came to understanding him. Metal needed his Neo form, his abilities. Neo was just a fancier version of Metal, a stand-in until Metal Overlord could be achieved, but even so Metal desperately needed that extra power and dominance over Sonic. He needed to prove a point to his fake, it had always been a battle of whether he could prove his existence or not but it had gone on too long now, Metal needed to know if he could truly outdo Sonic and earn his right to exist or if he was nothing more than a ‘glorified badnik’ as Sonic had put it.
The letters glitched out and returned into Metals round eyes, staring up at the man before him who didn’t seem impressed with his demand.

“Neo, and for what? What have you ever accomplished in that blasted form?”

He’s just petty because he didn’t design it himself.

“Though… I suppose your ambition and determination are strong…”

Yes!

Robotnik folded his arms, he still didn’t look very amused but was considering the idea, “I suppose it requires a lot of work to tear you down when you’re Metal Overlord, but that only means we should use it as a last resort. Are you just desperate to be taller or to have a say in my plans, Metal?” The doctor chuckled at his poor joke.

No!!! Metal stomped his foot down once again, indenting the steel floor beneath him. This was purely about him and Sonic, that rat, the rodent, it needed to be rid of the world!! Thinking about Sonics offer to ‘rematch’ after the fall of Metal Overlord, it filled him with pure rage. How cocky and smug could one hedgehog be, did Sonic not understand the anguish and delusion it took for Metal to come to such a point that he had to change something already perfect?

“I didn’t appreciate your attitude with me, so fix that…” Robotnik said gruffly, turning away, “We’ll do something with it, be patient.”

Patience… He didn’t have that. Metal tapped his foot on the floor repeatedly before walking away with his shoulder joint covers hunched high. Neo Metal would take a while to remake, the upgrades necessary for it were a complicated procedure. Metal stopped in a steel-enforced hallway, it was dark and grey, so narrow and winding it felt like you were in a suffocating maze. Would it hurt? Would the upgrades hurt, if he could feel those types of physical pain? In every case, he considered being physically wounded a weakness, as it would prevent him from domination, but what if feeling was also a strength? What if he couldn’t improve without pain? Metal stared down at himself, the gaping hole in his chest that was filled with a jet, the clunkiness of his limbs, his stiff hands. Something is missing from him.

A loud, ear-piercing sound filled the hallway, metal scraping and tearing from the wall, a metallic creaking sound made its way through the corridors. Metals fist shook as he clawed onto the wall beside him, leaning forward slightly as if in physical agony, with every thought he dug his sharp fingers into the metal more. He clawed until he hit the pipes and wires hidden by the wall, he wanted to bend and break them, contort them until they were unusable but it would be more trouble than it’s worth.

Quiet chattering resounded throughout the hall, slowly getting louder and closer to Metal yet he could not identify any trace of steps. May it be possible this was an infiltration, Metal wondered to himself. Rouge, a clever bat as sly as a fox, could easily glide through the Final Fortresses winding corridors, though her usual companion was Shadow and he wasn’t known for being the most silent. Who did that leave, Miles Prower perhaps? Miles’s mutation of double tails allowed him to fly, but it was not proper wings and made a choppy sound such as helicopter blades, therefore detectable.

Metals eyes darted to the source of the talking suddenly, ready to strike if any hint of fur was detected, yet when he processed the two figures behind himself he felt a wave of slight surprise come over him. A yellow, cube like robot and next to it a red, round one, Cubot and Orbot or to be technical IDI-07 and SA-55. The two stopped to a hovering halt upon meeting Metal Sonics gaze, Orbot stopping first out of respect and Cubot bumping into him from behind.

Metal glanced back at the wall, releasing its interior from his grip and letting his arm fall to his side before turning to face the latter robots that were awfully quiet, perhaps they had noticed the wall and Metal Sonics sudden display of emotion- perhaps they thought they dare not speak, in fear of saying the wrong thing and angering their superior more, what they dare not say to Robotnik would they dare not say to his greatest creation either?

“Big bro!” Cubots cheerful tone rang out suddenly, earning a tired sigh from Orbot quickly after, with just that simple phrase the tension in hall seemed to melt away instantly, “That’s a neat wall hole!”

“Cubot!” Orbot hissed at the other, seeming annoyed with Cubots lack of awareness to Metal Sonics seemingly bad mood.

Metal couldn’t help but roll his eyes up, all and any energy slowly leaving his mechanical body. The rinse and repeat of being spoken to when he could not answer seemed to be a punishment in itself, the doctor was ought to realise he should just leave Metal Sonic to watch over less competent lackeys when he was in need of discipline.

“Uh…” Orbot squinted at the wall, no doubt the newly added space was not supposed to be there, he glanced at Cubot who only shrugged in response, “I don’t suppose that has always been there, has it? Are you still feeling down, big brother?”

“Maybe Metal Sonic got a new passion for decorating! How can you tell how he feels anyway? He always looks the same, and he can’t tell you!” Cubot moved directly next to Metal Sonic, copying his never softening glare whilst placing his hands on the square dish below him that held his body up. Metals fists curled into balls tightly, his claws would have torn through his steel palm had they not been so dull.

“Bravo, Cubot! I’m sure he appreciates the call out.” Orbot clapped slowly and unenthusiastically, sighing in dismay when Cubot beamed at the missed sarcasm, “As much as I hate to burst your bubble my small minded confrere, I did not mean it.”

“Nah he doesn’t mind! I think?” Cubot turned his head towards Metal Sonic, who only glanced back at him, “Do you mind?”

A moment passed by before a strangled and choppy whir came from Metal, he was holding himself back from cutting up sounds together and making them sound akin to a very harsh worded reply. Orbot and Cubot stared at the shiny blue bot in confusion, they could not gather much from such an odd sound.

“… Great!” Orbot did not look as pleased as he let on.

Cubots face imitated a grin, “We were gonna go stack circuits and play jenga with them, do you wanna come with us Metal?”

“You idiot we are meant to be working don’t just tell him that! And why would he want to play with us, I’m sure he’s far beyond that.” Orbot hit the back of Cubots square head, and though he rubbed it as if in pain Cubot didn’t seem to have a very strong reaction to the action.

Consideration passed through Metals mind, he had not much else to do and perhaps a game would put an end to the simmering anger he felt and it would most likely end with a satisfied Orbot and Cubot. If the two were happy for a while they would probably leave him alone, or maybe Metal just wanted to make an excuse to himself to be around them? As idiotic as they both are, Metal cannot deny company was something he could appreciate in rare moments, they also looked upto him and praised him effortlessly which was always a bonus.

Zoning back into reality, Metal came to realise Orbot and Cubot were quietly arguing over what Metal Sonics stance on board games would be and wether he would enjoy playing them or not, or if he could even enjoy games, oh what Metal would give to be able to have a say in discussions about him. The problem with being mute was that people acted as if you weren’t there, since your lack of input made you invisible.

The upcoming weeks passed drearily, it felt monotonous and Metal's every move seemed like a waste of effort, effort he could have been putting into successful objectives such as vanquishing that cheap copy of his. With each hour that dragged on Metal found himself thinking about each encounter he had with someone he wanted nothing more than to defeat. Each time he had been brought down it was because of pure luck and strain, that proved Metal was capable to an extent but not enough- It would never be enough until Metal managed to quash every one of them. Thoughts of violence and supremacy were nonstop, growing worse with every day, images of gruesome pictures of Sonic in particular. It may have been the only reason Metal held out long enough for Eggman to decide Neo Metal Sonic was worth another try, the only problem was Metal would be deactivated during the upgrade time so he would lose any chance to expand on just how he wanted to torture that waste of quills.

The breeze was warm, it swayed trees and flowers gently with its light pull whilst the sun shone radiantly, it covered the grass zones and cities in a lustrous yellow.

“Sonic get out of the shade it’s such a nice day!” A fussy, light voice spoke in a demanding tone.

“No thanks Ames I’m used to the sun.” Sonic sounded almost bored, “It’s big and yellow and hurts my eyes if I look at it, nothing new.”

Any huffed, putting her hands on her hips. She and Tails had seen that it was such a nice day, deciding to take a break from their work and usual life to enjoy it, it was a good excuse to bring Sonic along too since sleeping in the sun was something that couldn’t be beat in his opinion.

Tails looked up to the sky, nary a cloud in sight, “It is a nice day… But whenever we acknowledge days like this, something terrible starts to happen-”

“Well then maybe stop saying it?” Sonic opened an eye to glance at Tails, his hands behind his head whilst he lay on the grass underneath a tree that gave just enough shade to cover him.

“It isn’t every day… What could Eggman possibly do to ruin a day like this!~” Amy smiled and nudged Tails, as if in an effort to make him think less negatively.
It didn’t seem very effective, “Do you remember your birthday?”
Amy seemed disappointed, “You know, Sonic is right maybe we should stop talking about it.”

Tails only shrugged in response, then immediately tried finding a topic to switch to, “So uh- You both! Have you done anything noteworthy recently?”

Amy pursed her lips for a moment to think, eventually shaking her head when realising there was nothing worth mentioning, “I played some board games with Cream a few days ago but that’s really it!”

Tails nodded, he couldn’t really think of any way to expand on that- It was nice Amy had done that but… it wasn’t something interesting? Amy probably knew that since she shook her head at the question anyway though. If anything, Sonic would have the most interest-grabbing thing to say. Amy and Tails turned to look at him, still lying down in the shade with a carefree look.

“Well? What about you, Sonic?” Tails smiled as he asked.

Sonics head lolled to the side, away from the other two, how many times would ‘I destroyed some badniks and ran fast’ be said until his friends just realised that he never did much more unless faced with a big threat?

“Sonic, Tails is asking you something.” Amy put her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly towards Sonic.

Sonics ear twitched, but that was the only movement to come from him, a quiet, agitated groan rumbled from his throat too.

“Sonic The Hedgehog, your best friend is asking you something now answer him!!!”
Sonic jolted upright from Amy’s sudden raise of voice, she looked quite pleased from the reaction and folded her arms with a small and smug grin, Sonic pulled a face of annoyance before sighing and glancing at Tails.

“Well what do you think I’ve been doing, come on Tails you’re bright you know the statistics of what I’ve most likely been doing...” Sonic pushed his back up against the tree, leaning against it whilst looking at the fox.
Tails was wide-eyed in surprise at Amy’s yell for a moment but cleared his throat a second after when Sonic started speaking to him, he tilted his head slightly and propped his chin up with his hand.

“Running…??”
Sonic snapped his fingers at Tails and nodded with a smile, although Amy stuttered in confusion at it.
“Running??? You’re always running! I should know…” Amy pouted, “He said noteworthy!”
“Gee Amy, it’s like if I had something interesting to say I woulda said it…”

Tails ignored the both of them, thinking more about what Sonic would typically spend a few weeks doing.
“Did you come across Eggman or anyone like that? Maybe Shadow?”

“Oh hey you’re getting warmer, well actually 'anyone like that' was pretty correct but…” Sonics sentence trailed off towards the end.

Tails and Amy shared a glance, what was that supposed to entail? Did Eggman have a new ancient monster he summoned to help him with his plans of world domination, if so they most likely shouldn’t be enjoying a day in the sun because if it was anything like the past dozen times Eggman has done this then said ancient monster would soon be turning its back on him.

“Just… some robots then..? Or should we be worried?” Tails inquired.

Sonic frowned, “Only one, also no?? If it was something bad we’d all know by now.”

‘Only one’ was an answer in itself, any of Eggmans robots came in packs which left the only robot that would surely refuse any kind of accomplices, especially when it came to being around Sonic.

“Oh, so Metal Sonic? Jeez, what did he want?” Tails’s tails twisted around one another uncomfortably.

Sonic shrugged, “He never said, kinda rude huh?” Sonic chuckled to himself quietly, though Amy and Tails didn’t find it nearly as funny.

“… Seriously!” Sonic exclaimed, “I don’t know, we had a race and he left, he seemed annoyed with me but when does he not…”

“And you haven’t seen him since?” Amy tilted her head a little, she’d suppose Metal Sonic and or Eggman could be planning something more or perhaps something sinister is just happening in general since Metal Sonic would usually never just leave after a race of all things, but then again Amy may love and understand Sonic yet that doesn’t mean the same for his metal counterpart so she couldn’t really theorise anything solid. The same went for Tails too, it was easier to predict Metal Sonic when he plainly thought he was just Sonic instead of understanding his actual true nature.

Sonic shook his head, he didn’t care too much about what could possibly be happening, there was no way Metal could attempt at something more frightening than Metal Overlord, so really everything would be fine. Robotnik most likely would not agree to that form being used again when he thought about it, there was too much of a risk factor from Metal as he was over-ambitious and regularly discarded what Eggman wanted him to do.

“Well…” Amy started, “If there’s ‘nothing’ to worry about then… We should stop talking about it.” When she said ‘nothing’ Amy gestured with quotation marks, she wasn’t very convinced it was nothing at all but if Sonic had nothing to say about it then there was really nothing to be done.

Tails wanted to nod in agreement, looking slightly uneasy, discussing any potential future threat would be a better way to spend their free time even if it brought the mood down tremendously, “Well…” he started sheepishly, “I don’t know- I think we should probably talk about it for- wAH-”

Amy hummed and grabbed Tails’s hand to pull him into the sun before he could go on any kind of thought spiral, it seemed to distract him enough from the situation which was her goal. Sonic stayed behind, preferring to nap in the warmth until Amy inevitably dragged him up and away in the next half hour.

“I do have to wonder for what purpose Metal Sonic wanted to utilise Neo Metal Sonic for this time…”

“If it was me, I’d do it just to talk!”

“I’m sure if it was just that he would ask for such a capability.“

“… Well then I dunno! Does that much thought need’ta go into it? I hated that time I couldn’t talk and got stuck with those accents, I think Metal Sonic does too!”

“No I don’t think that’s it, there is most absolutely definitely something bigger that we’re unaware of happening right now.”

“We probably don’t know ‘cause we screw everything up!”

“Wh- No- …Well I suppose the boss does view it that way…”

…

“What a pain… I need to stop letting those fools watch over you, all of these tangled wires- What am I meant to do with these!”

…

“You are with no doubt my greatest creation, Metal Sonic. You better thank me for all these enhancements when you wake up.”

…

Lights flickered on quickly, brightening up the dingy room that Metal Sonic, correction: Neo Metal Sonic, powered up in. As expected, Robotnik was waiting in front of his creation as it booted up, ready to calibrate his limbs, check his processors, make sure no wires would be caught in his joints.

Metal let out a small, low groan as he came to awaken from his state of inaction, his own noise caught him slightly off guard as being able to speak was at most a privilege and in all truth he did not expect his creator to give him that freedom again. Within seconds Metal brought his hand up to his face, then extended it to see his arm, being in Neo form was usually surreal and felt as if he had reached a new height, that he had become unstoppable, yet this time it…

“You could at least greet me, Neo Metal Sonic.” The doctor’s voice sounded gruff, did Metal detect disappointment, maybe tiredness?

Metal bowed before Robotnik, “Thank you, Doctor. It is an.. honour to be of your creation.” Metal hesitated to lie, to express gratitude he was not sure he had, Eggman noticed- he must have.

“Yes yes never ending gratitude, it doesn’t mean much from this version of you honestly,” Eggman waved his hand in dismissal, allowing Neo Metal to stand up straight again, “it’s quite odd for you to have a voice… Off-putting in a way.”

“I sound nothing like Sonic, if that is what puts a bad taste in your mouth.” Neo Metal retorted, holding his arms out beside him so Eggman could make sure they were functioning optimally. Why had Eggman neglected to mention Metals hesitance to praise his creator, was Dr. Eggman used to Metals subjective loyalty somehow? That was one theory, another was that he was simply in a good mood but there was no evidence at all to back that up.

“… It probably would, yes, but as you said you don’t. It’s just different to usual, and I trust I won’t care for what you have to say unless it’s a report I need to hear…” to hear Dr. Robotnik speak in a calm, normal manner was off-putting to Metal also, what had made him so mellow so suddenly? Was it boredom, had he perhaps given up with Metal now?

“Ah that’s right, ‘any words out of you would just make me angrier’.” Eggman seemed unimpressed with Metal quoting him.

A few minutes in silence passed by, Eggman continued to check on Neo Metals performance until he was satisfied there was nothing more to improve on.

“So, how does it feel then?” Eggman chuckled, furrowing his brow, “Perfect as usual?”

Neo Metal had tried to not think about it, how did he feel in his superior form? In the past he had felt… confident, powerful, his anger and resentment was next to nonexistent and he acted more as ‘himself’ rather than as a short tempered hedgehog replicate, but now… seeing himself in this form, it felt no different than if he had just stayed the same. Where was the confidence he once had, the understanding that he was entirely perfected and all-powerful? Why did he still feel so bitter, could it be his reasons for choosing to become Neo Metal?

Neo Metal paused before answering, “Perfect… Why would I be any less?”

Eggman grinned as he somewhat harshly nudged the machines arm, “That’s my boy. No less than perfect, no less at all.” Metal was glad he could not make facial expressions, as his creator would not appreciate the unimpressed face he wanted to make, “Now unlike last time I did not give you my bio data.”

Eggman continued, explaining how Metal would not need such data and his reasons for why, though Metal was paying almost no attention. Perhaps it was the doctors Bio Data that had enforced Metals loyalty towards him, the data could subtly influence characteristics or decisions Metal made as he had realised the first time he ever became Neo, it was possible Robotniks ego and how he viewed himself as superior over others managed to wire itself into making Metal view Robotnik as someone who deserved to be heavily respected and listened to without fault. This conclusion was formed because Neo Metal felt no desire to serve the Doctor, to do what was possible by any means to conquer the world and hand it over to his master, but even so the that urge failed to tempt Metal even in his base form which should not have been happening as he was programmed to do such, he had made no attempt to change that as the desire to do such was blocked.

“Well, go on, tell me what you’re planning on doing Metal!” Eggman twisted his moustache around his finger before letting it spring back into place.

“It’s…” Metal couldn’t bring himself to explain, the reason would only be viewed as petty by his creator wouldn’t it? Besides, the Doctor may not like to hear that if his greatest creation lost its battle it had no intention of continuing its existence, “It is unimportant to you. Continue doing what tasks you had before I requested this.”

Before his creator could express his dissatisfaction (to put it lightly) with such an answer Neo Metal excused himself from the room, walking through the halls with a singular thought going through his mind; He must kill Sonic.

Upon entering a room, Neo Metal was met with a large piece of steel that was upheld by chains from the ceiling, the ‘egg mobile’, the steel was shiny enough to be reflective and allowed Metal to glance at his scarcely used form.

He did not feel impressed, nor powerful, nor strong, he could not figure out why. As the bot stared at himself it was as if the time passed faster than ever, the more he stared into his reflection the more he was unsure it was even himself, a figure that had no name, he did not look like Sonic but he did not look like himself either, an unknown mutation with no name and meaning, a lack of purpose to fuel its existence. Did Metal truly even have an identity outside of who he was modelled after anyhow? He could not yearn to be his own person whilst also chasing his goal of becoming the one, true sonic, it was contradictory.

Metal turned away from the reflective surface hastily, refusing to think about anything like that any more, he had something he had to do and could not afford to be distracted any longer (even though by now he’d repeated that to himself several times).

The image of someone he could not fully recognised burned into his optical lens and he felt as if he stood in nothing but darkness, unable to picture anything but that silver coloured version of himself.

As if to ground him back to reality somehow, two more than unwelcome voices spoke up.

“Hey Orbot he’s in here!”

Neo Metal felt the urge to drag his sharpened claws down his face in exhaustion, how were the two incompetent fools known as Eggmans lackeys everywhere he went, was peace and quiet not something Metal deserved?

Though, Neo Metals frustration with Cubot and Orbots search for him quickly dissipated as he realised they were in awe of his remade form. They had seen it once before, when Robotnik was missing, but even then it was a rare sight as Neo Metal was focused on impersonating the doctor.

Orbot and Cubot held back any squeals of excitement and cheers that would have made them look foolish in front of an important figure to them.

“My,” Orbot gasped, “what a marvellous form it is!”

“You were searching for me so you could commend ‘Neo Metal Sonic’?” Metal folded his arms, being able to respond to others when he was spoken to was the only feature of this upgrade that he was enjoying currently.

“But of course! ‘Metal Sonic’ is the most remarkable model that engineering can get, so an upgrade such as this is simply magnificent wouldn’t you agree sir?” Orbot put his hands together as he spoke nothing but praise.

“And you look cool too!” Cubot added, Orbot gave him a dissatisfied look at the uninspired repetition.

Metal tapped his fingers on his arm momentarily, processing the comments. When did they ever praise the doctor this way, elaboration: had they ever? In some odd way, especially coming from two bots so below him in so many means, the praise fuelled Metals ego- it slightly replenished that superiority he wanted to feel from his enhanced state. He chuckled lowly, it coming out in a mechanised filter that almost butchered his sound completely. Unsure of how to respond, Orbot and Cubot awkwardly and quietly laughed along with their superior.

“Well…” Neo started, “Thank you. I’m sure you have floods of praise for me,” maybe he hadn’t even felt insecure about himself in the first place, “but I do have my own plans to attend to.”

Cubot scratched at his head, “Like what though?”

“Like vanquishing Sonic.”

“… So… Did you just need to be taller?”

“You!-” Orbot shook Cubot at the clueless question before thinking about it, Neo Metal really did have no extra features that would be used in a fight so what was the purpose? “… I believe my companion has asked a fair question.”

“I did?”

“Yes, way to go buddy!”

Cubot shrugged and high-fived Orbot gladly.

Metal let out an annoyed grunt at the idiocy, “No, it is not that I needed to become ‘taller’. I simply… wished to be able to taunt Sonic back, as we fight. And that’s that, go do your jobs!” Again, Metal Sonic walked off and away before the latter could respond to him. Orbot and Cubot shared a look of confusion before returning to their activities.

In hindsight, Metal should have taken more than just himself; Usually upon fighting Sonic in Neo Metal form, he did not dare get his own hands dirty and used machines to harm his opponents, it was mostly because it was easier and so Metal had the opportunity to catch Sonic off his guard if the opportunity was presented to him. It was not that Metal could not handle sonic alone, no, he only questioned whether he had such an intimidating presence without the Egg Fleet or not.

Radiantly the sun shone, Green Hill seemed to never see a day where the sun did not cast its rays down upon it, making the grass and dew look pleasantly inviting and warm. As usual, a blue blur made its way around the hills, the paths, the small towns and shops before returning to the wide open space- dodging people in a small environment wasn’t as fun as running around fields anyway. Sonic halted to a stop suddenly, mere inches away from Tails when all motion ceased.

“Technically, you’re late.” Tails grinned at Sonic, wrench in one hand whilst the other rested on his side.

“Nnnnnoooo?” Sonic glanced away, failing at hiding a nervous look, “Unless you’re counting seconds ‘cause that doesn’t count pal!”

“It’s only three minutes, so you’re fine really, but punctuality is important! You’re lucky it’s me and not Amy, she would actually be cross with you. Or Knuckles actually, then you’d have to worry about the seconds!”

Sonic folded his arms, peering over Tails’s shoulder to see The Tornado, a red biplane plane belonging to Sonic (though mostly manned by Tails, the more responsible choice). The plane was stationary with the engine only just being closed by Tails, he seemed to treat it like you would a pet- constant check-ups and care.

“Are we going?” Sonic softly rested his arm on top of Tails’s head, leaning on him without too much pressure.

Tails nodded, “Mm yea! The islands seem pretty big so we’ll need as much time as we can get-” the fox was interrupted before he could finish.

“Busy, hedgehog?” A robotic voice rang out, owner unknown to Sonic and Tails, “I hope not, I’m finally taking you up on that ‘rematch’.”

Sonic spun around quickly to find who was talking, protectively putting his arm in front of Tails whilst doing so. Emerald green eyes met crimson red, shiny, blue and spiky stood the tall figure behind the two animals, Sonic straightened himself up and an unimpressed expression dawned upon his face.

“Oh, Metal, in action figure form too…” Sonic grinned lazily, “Where’s your army of badniks? Why are you even here, why are you scary looking too, did that race hurt your feelings?”

“Neo Metal, faker. I didn’t have an army the first time I faced you in this form so I thought I shouldn’t now, ah I apologise Sonic did you need some easy bots to break to make you feel better when you can’t beat me?” Metal spoke in tone that could be considered somewhat chipper.

“No but maybe you will…” Sonic turned his head away, speaking in a hushed voice.

“Your bones will do just fine, hedgehog.”

In the blink of an eye Sonic was rushed and tossed onto the ground harshly, disturbing the dirt and grass, initially Tails flinched away since he was so close to Sonic when it happened. Neo Metal stood tall over Sonic, the sun gleaming on his optical lens, Sonic groaned slightly- in mild pain from the sudden attack that he was ill-prepared for, and attempted to prop himself on his elbows however he was forced back down by a sharp, metal hand pushing on his chest. The two met eye to eye yet again, Sonic narrowed his eyes whilst Metals pupils grew wide, dilating, whenever faced with Sonic they would usually constrict in anger and frustration but seeing Sonic below him once again brought up many emotions one could overall describe as ‘pleased’.

Sonic opened his mouth to speak, to say something idiotic and unfunny Metal supposed, but was quickly cut off.

“Do not speak.” Metals voice, whilst robotic, sounded low, threatening. “We will fight, as we always do. However, I have conditions this time. I will not become Metal Overlord or any variant, I will not use any powerful enhancement, and you will only face me. You, will not use the chaos emeralds, or any type of powerful stone, your friends will not help you, and if I injure you enough you will die.”

Sonic retorted in a snarky tone, “but if I destroy you enough then you get repaired right?”

“No.”

In an instant, the cocky grin on Sonics face disappeared and was replaced by a look of surprise, never had this particular adversary decided that his loss shall be his last. After a second, coming over the sudden surprise of the statement, Sonic smiled that stupidly determined smile he had.

“Go on, what else?”

A low ‘hm’ whirred from Metal, “Nothing else. Do you agree the terms, you wretched blue stain?”

Sonic chuckled at the insult, it was poor, “Fine! Cause I know I’ll win!”

Neo Metal nodded, not in agreement with Sonics proclaimed victory but in acknowledgment of his compliance, releasing his grip on the hedgehog below him and moving away slightly. With ease, Sonic got back up on his feet, picking small clumps of mud from his quills with a semi-annoyed look on his face.

“Sonic you can’t!” Tails suddenly clung to Sonics arm, trying his best at pulling him further away from the badnik, “Not alone, when do you ever fight Metal alone! It’s dangerous and you’ll get hurt, I know you’re not exceptionally smart but even you have to know!-”

Tails promptly went quiet when Sonic gave him a look, a soft expression that also seemed serious enough. The fox’s hold on Sonic relinquished after a moment as he simultaneously gave the ground a disheartened look. It didn’t take much long after for the fur on his head to be ruffled carelessly, Tails glanced back at Sonic quickly who gave him a knowing grin.

“We’ll check those islands out sometime later instead!” Sonic gave the latter a thumbs up, “I’m gonna be fine, you go do something that’ll distract you whilst I do this, hm?”

“But I can help!” Tails squeaked out, clearly in distress at the thought of Sonics loss, what was he to do without him?

“Enough!” Metal interrupted the two, not caring for their concerns for each other- in fact, being rather frustrated by it, no one seemed to mind Neo Metals chance of loss as they did Sonics. Was this not Sonics closest friend, one that looked at Metal like he was some unwanted pest whilst admiring Sonic enough to walk to the ends of the Earth for him. They were fundamentally the same, had they switched bodies Tails would never know the difference! “Leave before I make you, daylight is not eternal!”

Tails scoffed at Metals yell, throwing his wrench at his face hastily, “I hope you have a structurally compromising bolt that’s loosened!”

“Oh I’m so hurt I suppose I will go and dismantle myself immediately because a lemon wished harm upon me.” Metal folded his arms.

“I’m not a lemon!” Tails yelled back at the badnik, going to grab a screwdriver to throw at Metal before Sonic stopped him, “I’m not! Tell him!”

Sonic nodded hesitantly, “Yeah bud you’re more of an orange don’t worry.”

Tails shook his head, Sonics lack of awareness to the word didn’t make him feel any better, he muttered a frustrated and sad ‘don’t lose’ to the hedgehog before hugging him tightly. Of course, Tails had faith in Sonic and faith that he could best Neo Metal, but the stakes were still terrifying to think of. Long before Sonic could start to reassure the fox, he had flown off.

Sonic let out a small ‘hm’ whilst watching Tails leave, turning back to Metal, who was stood waiting for him patiently, when the fox was out of sight.

“Hey what’s this all about anyway?” Sonic folded his arms, “you usually don’t come out of nowhere looking for a fight. And don’t blame Eggy! He’s way more elaborate than this… Unless something else is happening-” Sonic quickly turned away, trying to see if there was destruction in the distance.

Metal replied coldly, “No, it is not. I couldn’t care less what that fool wants from me, what he asks me to do, his schemes are filled with miscalculation and mistake.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Yeah but you’re just saying that, you have to listen to him, you’re a robot that’s what you do!”

Within a blink Sonic was flung into the steep wall of a hill behind him, holding his chest in pain, Metal had hit him so hard without warning it sent him back.

“I am rebellious. Defiant. He cannot make me conform completely, day by day the doctor’s reprogramming seems to weaken. He hasn’t noticed, otherwise I would not be here.” Metal unclenched his fist, moving over to Sonic and pinning him to the hillside by his neck, “I do not live to serve, my function is to destroy you by all means.”

Sonic groaned, giving Neo Metal an unenthusiastic look, “You’re acting like that makes you your own person, it doesn’t.”

“Enlighten me, how would I be ‘my own person’?”

“Well not following that ‘purpose’ Egghead gave you is a good start…”

Metal tossed Sonic to the ground yet again, a harsh throw yet Sonic managed to bounce back up instantaneously- ready to attack back.

“Mere guidelines!” Metals voice seem to lower as he yelled, sudden fury seemingly radiating from him, “That is barely my function in his eyes anymore! I aim to destroy you for my own reasons!”

Without paying much mind to the badniks words, Sonic started to fight back. Hit after hit that barely dented the chrome that encased Metal yet still impacting him forcefully enough to have him stumble around and fumble at catching up with Sonics next move.

“‘Be your own person, Metal’ do you not hear yourself! Gh- N- ENOUGH!”

Out of frustration Neo Metal grabbed onto Sonics arm, his claws penetrating the skin to which Sonic yelped at due to the sudden pain.

“‘Be your own person’! ‘Stop obsessing over Sonic’! That’s all you people have to say, I’m sick of the false care!“

“Yow calm down!” Sonic grimaced, clenching his teeth whilst trying to pull his arm away from Metal.

“What right do you have to tell me who to be! You’re the reason that I am this way!”

Sonics ears pricked up, what did that mean? He had no time to ask, Metals grip on his arm had disappeared all of a sudden so he only had a second or two to evade the oncoming hit. Quickly, Sonic dashed down whilst Metal swung at the empty space in front of him, Sonic took the chance to spin dash harshly into the robots back- making him hit the ground, dirt and grass flung into the air from the impact of Metals heavy body being forced into the ground.

Sonic let out a huff, taking the chance to rest momentarily but not letting his guard down, “Violent today, aren’t you?? You need to talk or something, you seem pretty mad, pal!”

“Like I would ever discuss those matters with you!” Metal dug his claws into the ground as he pushed himself up.

“Oh well,” Sonic shrugged, “just offering.”

“Well ‘just’ don’t!” Metal roared back, lunging himself towards Sonic so fast it was impossible to evade.

The two were on the ground, hands entwined in desperation to push the other further away. Sonic was creating a hedgehog-sized dent in the dirt due to Neo Metals force, and Metal was simply trying his best to stay on top of the hedgehog whilst Sonic used all his might to push and kick him away. Grunts came from the both of them as their efforts were tiring.

…

Neo Metal stopped suddenly, staring down at Sonic who was startled by the relinquish of force.

A quiet, pitchy laugh started to echo from the robot before him. Sonic blinked, if he was confused before he didn’t know what he was now, bewildered maybe? Metal was laughing, laughing??

“Wh…” Sonic continued to try and push Metal away, to get him off of himself, but the bot would not budge.

After a minute or two Neo Metals laughter quietened, he put his focus back on Sonic, “Isn’t this thrilling?”

Hearing Metal sound anything but angry or confident seemed… wrong… Sonic was disturbed, he had to hold back a sneeze, Metal was going to do something.

“What’s wrong, faker? Don’t enjoy the thrill of a fight?” Metal taunted, “Can’t you feel electricity surging through your body, coursing through those fragile veins you have to every tip and end you have?”

Sonics pupils shrunk, Metal didn’t sound happy he sounded… giddy.

“I can feel it… Electricity.. in my wires, my circuits. It must be more exciting when you can feel it in your chest though, right, Sonic?” Metals voice suddenly switched, no longer giggly but cold and dead, “Adrenaline… You don’t look like you’re appreciating that, so I’ll DO IT FOR YOU!”

Sonic scrambled out of the way quickly before Neo Metal could plunge his claws into his chest, he only narrowly escaped such. He knew Metals goal was to kill him but he really hadn’t processed just how much Metal seemed to crave Sonics blood, a bountiful lust for it had accumulated over so many years of being beaten down and taunted.

Metal grumbled quietly, sharply standing up tall and glaring at Sonic, who held his injured arm in slight pain and panted, he clenched his fists tightly.

Neo remarked, “You’re going to lose. Weak flesh, weak copy. You’re already struggling, aren’t you?”

“Not at all!” Sonic laughed out, “I’m just surprised you’re actually capable of something! Everyone knows the sequel is never as good as the first…”

Metal Sonic had no chance to sneer back at the hedgehog, being hit several times at once, Sonic could pack a punch when he really wanted to. Up, down, left, right- Any direction, any surface, Neo Metal was forcefully flung into it by a spindash or kick, blue electricity that sparked from Sonics quills tampered with his servos which led to Metal becoming short circuited for a moment, an opening for attacks.

“Not… fair!-” Metal choked out, pushing himself out of a pile of rocks he had been thrown into, “I’m better!- I need this!”

Sonic whistled back at him, “Whoo, what is your issue today, gruesome? I’ve never seen you so intense, I’m kinda pumped! Get back up, come on let’s go!” Sonic jogged the spot, punching the air teasingly.

“You’re not listening to me!” Growled the robot, gripping onto the rocks beside him so tightly they started to crack.

Powerfully, Metal thrusted himself back onto his feet, readying himself to continue his battle when he was knocked back into the ground suddenly (and rather violently).

A red hammer twirled after hitting the badnik, its owner Amy Rose stood with a triumphant and proud look.

“Ames!-” Sonic exclaimed, surprised by her sudden appearance, “How did you-”

“Tails, of course! Why did you think we’d just let you handle this alone!” Amy pouted her lip, striding towards Sonic and poking his chest firmly.

Sonic blinked and glanced away for a moment, “Maybe ‘cause I can do it? I dunno Amy, it’s only Metal. Hey what- ‘we’?-”

“‘It’s only Metal’ is a bad excuse! Fighting him is different than a race!” Amy rested a hand on her waist, hoisting the handle of her Piko Hammer over her shoulder, “oh, Tails told Knuckles too.”

Sonic spun around, seeing that behind him Tails was hovering with the Miles Electric and Knuckles stood with a grim look- bashing his fists together menacingly. All three of them had fought Metal Sonic at some point or another, it made sense that Tails had gone to Amy and Knuckles about the situation, it certainly made his sudden departure seem less out of place too.

Sonic made a small ‘huh’ sound in surprise, “I appreciate the attempt but I can’t have help it’s against the rules, ya know.”

“Oh right… Tails mentioned those… But Sonic!- It’s Metal!” Amy dropped her hammer and pounded at Sonics chest with her fists lightly.

Sonic smiled nervously whilst trying to push Amy away, to reassure her the situation was fine, when Metal buzzed and whirred, his limbs thunking against one another as he stood back up- feeling his head, where Amy had landed her hit for any dents or worrisome damage.

“Get back! This is between me and the hedgehog!” Metal raised his arm in front of him, towards the heroes, and quickly thrusted it to his side in dismissal, “I’ll have plenty of opportunities to destroy the rest of you once I win!”

Amy picked her hammer back up, holding it tightly, “That day will never come you creep!” She ran forward to deliver another blow to the robot, however Neo Metal grabbed a hold of the hammer she wielded and spun her around whilst she held onto its handle- eventually letting go and sending flying Amy into shrubbery.

Metal pet any dust from the rocks on his arms away and glanced back at Sonic, “One on one, as fair as it can be, it should only be between us.”

The two rivals eyes locked in a steely, cold hatred, Sonic needed to pull Metal away from his friends before he could do any damage to them. Seemingly, the two came to an understanding, Sonic narrowed his eyes and Metal tilted his head down slightly in acknowledgment, both knowing what conclusion the other had reached.

Tails’s eyes widened, “Wait, Sonic don’t!-” but just as his voice rang out, Metal and Sonic were out of sight entirely, racing over the island.

Nostalgia couldn’t help but wash over Sonic, though it did not distract him from his determination to both stay alive and not let Neo Metal Sonic do any harm to his friends or the world, racing against Metal whilst both of their lives were on the line was something they had done many times before- Stardust Speedway on Little Planet, White Park, the Death-Egg MK.II, but each time Sonic had claimed victory and he didn’t plan on breaking that streak now.

The race was rather violent, the hedgehog and robot shoved each other into trees, rocks, off of ledges, occasionally into spikes or pits if they so happened to run into them, all the while going faster yet staying tied.

Blue and pink streaks of light zapped across South Island, furiously entwining with one another, battling in a dance of life or death. Up hills, through rivers, circling towns, they never slowed for even a moment. Neo Metals craving to win never died, it never stopped, Sonic could tell it only grew with every look he gave, every mention of his ‘copy’s name.

Could he persuade Metal to give it up? He doubted so. It was unlike he hadn’t tried in the past, ‘rehabilitating’ Metal Sonic never really crossed Sonics mind, he seemed too caught up in his purpose but if he could put it aside for a moment was there a person there worth rescuing? Sonic couldn’t truly tell, but a hatred that surpassed programming, something that drove Metal to so many lengths so many times, it had to mean something surely.

Sonic hesitated, “Metal!” He had to yell over the wind, “Just let it go! Really, if you just focus on who you are instead of me!-”

In a heartbeat, the robots eyes glowed a deep, furious red, a yellow electricity sparked from his core, his internal structure blasted a fire so red hot it made the steel body a walking burn hazard, and he charged into the hedgehog without missing a beat. Luckily Sonic managed to evade the attack, it was quicker than usual however so the tips of his quills had singed slightly.

“Yowch!” Sonic exclaimed, attempting to get further away from Metal, “It isn’t that big of a deal, pointy!”

“You try having the cause of all your problems tell you to just ‘let it go’!”

That blame again…

Sonic slowed slightly, a confused “Huh-” escaping him before he was harshly kicked far into the sky, then dragged up even further by Neo Metal who soared high.

“Gh!- What problems, Metal! Everything I’ve done that’s ‘harmed’ you is because you were trying to KILL me!! Is that so crazy!” Sonic gripped tightly onto Metals arm that held him up with such little effort.

Metal stared at Sonic intensely, grasping at every detail on his face, every hint of struggle, any sign he was pushing himself to breathe, blink, even wheeze out another word. He looked in slight pain, stress too perhaps. Metal was disgusted, disgusted by how something so weak and pathetic like this could best him time and time again.

“Why am I below you?” Neo tilted his head up to exaggerate his glare.

“… Actually in this position you’re sort of above m-”

“Shut up!” Metal bellowed, “Why are you like this! Why can’t you take me seriously! Why am I not an equal adversary to you, not that I should be, I should be better! I should be formidable! Yet I am a joke, a fraud, what about you makes you so much more superior to me! Don’t you ever think about how it feels to be second place no matter what I do, and then have you taunt me for it! You… who has caused all my problems! All the damage to me, all the anger I have, the never ending desire to become a better version of myself that will still be defeated by you, it’s all your fault and yet you stand there and crack jokes about my inferiority!”

Sonics eyes widened slightly, prior to this… he had never truly comprehended Metal Sonics feelings, he opened his mouth to speak but—

Fury hit Metal like a truck, crashing into him and leaving him permanently damaged, he threw Sonic into the air once again only to kick him with full force down into the earth, the dirt impacted, the trees shook, rocks fell from ledges.

They were back where they had started, Amy, Tails and Knuckles were startled by the sudden blow and rumble from Sonics fall back onto ground.

Tails’s eyes widened and he stretched his arm out in worry, “Son!-” his worried exclamation was paused when the dust cleared and he could see Neo Metal stood above Sonic, foot on his chest. Knuckles had to firmly hold Tails back from running over in his concern, he had no sensibility in the moment to think clearly.

Sonics voice was strained, tired, he was adamant on not giving up however, “Why.. did you never-”

“Never say anything?! Is that your question, pitiful creature?! Why did I never say anything… Where were the signs, what could have led to me feeling this way, I wonder!” Neo Metal Sonics voice was loud, intimidating, full of rage, “Wether I have a voice or not, no one seems to hear what I have to say! No one can figure out what I want, how I feel! You couldn’t see that? YOU COULDN’T FEEL THE PAIN YOU CAUSE ME? To think you and I are supposed to be one in the same… You’re an embarrassment to me, pathetic.”

A thick tension filled the air, accompanied by an eery silence. It dragged on for a few minutes, before Metal spoke again.

“Am I embarrassing to you also?”

His voice was surprisingly quiet, almost meek yet flat, as if laced with disappointment.

Sonic didn’t know how to answer.

“I excel at everything you are and more, I’m fast, I’m quick to think, I suppose I’m even more arrogant and stubborn than you are too. I’m stronger than you, more defensive than you… So why is it that I just can’t seem to compete?” Metal Sonics voice had gradually become softer, so much so that towards the end of his sentence he sounded bitter yet mellow. “It’s unfair, I’m Sonic Perfected, I should be able to beat you with ease, you should be dead by now… Sonic, our rivalry may be something you don’t have to worry about, something that’s simply a hindrance to your streak of saving cities and people, but right now, to me- It’s my my worth, wether or not I deserve to exist or should be turned into spare parts for something better than I could ever hope to be.”

Sonic stared up at his counterpart in awe, his grief and anger… It was a burning desire, it actually impressed him, to think Metal had such a deep and complex relationship with him that Sonic had barely ever noticed… it was funny, Metal was funny.

“All that hate…” he coughed out, “just for me?” Sonic had a cocky grin on his face despite the ache.

“But of course.” Metal droned out in reply.

“That can’t be right, I think you hate yourself as much as you hate me.”

Neo Metal Sonic flinched back slightly, the world around him seemed to cancel out, he couldn’t even focus on Sonic. Hate himself? That could not be right, he was perfect, advanced, more than anyone could hope to achieve naturally, how could he hate himself? The first time he woke up, after his creation, he was praised, told endlessly that he was a ‘marvellous creation’ that would best Sonic no matter the odds and he believed it naively. When he was destroyed on Little Planet it felt like the world had wronged him, like he wasn’t filling the role he was he was given, then after who knew how long Robotnik tried again with Metal Sonic, he was so perfect that he deserved a second chance!

In hindsight, was Metals deep resentment for Sonic just a way of projecting that self hatred of failure onto his enemy? Those thoughts, the ones that made him feel inadequate to Sonic, the ones that would fill his outrage, had he been so hasty to deny they could have been his view on himself?

No. It couldn’t be, Metal knew his worth.

“How funny.” He snarled, “Trying to put thoughts into my head, what a low stoop, hedgehog.”

Sonic shrugged carelessly, “you’ve never been one to own up to anything, I guess this ain’t different…”

“What does that mean?!” Metal snapped back angrily.

“Huh?” Sonic smiled after a moment, “Well you blame all of your losses on me~ or Eggman’s interference if you’re working side-by-side, you’re constantly making yourself bigger and better through any type of upgrade, so you can’t admit that you’re just not as good as you think you are, and like we’ve just proven… you can’t even accept that you just don’t like yourself.”

A harsh sound rang out for a moment, Sonic held the side of his face that Metal had just violently slapped, his claws had scraped small cuts into the skin. The hedgehog didn’t seem surprised by this action, though undeniably it hurt. Solemnly, Sonic wondered how much physical pain could equate to Metal Sonics anguish, any torment he had faced since his creation whether it had been from Sonic, himself or Robotnik. Did Metal even see proving himself to be the ‘true sonic’ as his goal and purpose anymore, over time had it morphed into a more violent dream? Or perhaps he could live with himself in some type of contentment if he just had warm flesh and cold air in his chest, Sonic had to know… what were Metals true desires now? Compared to when he truly was just a metal sonic, he seemed to have grown into a person even if it was the worst version he could have become.

“I’d like myself better if I didn’t have someone taking my place.” Metal stared down at Sonic.

Sonic huffed and glanced back at Metal, teasing the badnik further, “It’s a birthright, you wouldn’t know what that’s like.”

The urge to tear Sonic apart washed over Metal like a wave, his cocky attitude was becoming too much to bear.

Firmly, Metal dug the tips of his thumbs into the neck of the figure below him, the rest of his fingers curling around and piercing into Sonics neck also. Strangulation, it felt too raw and too simple for Sonic to die to, Metal had thought about it many times. There were so many issues with strangulation, but the image of Sonic writhing under him, struggling to breathe, grasping at that unfriendly, cold and metal stare that would look down upon him as he took a final, wheezy breath… Metal wanted nothing more.

As he thought, Sonic grimaced at the sudden grip on his throat, grabbing Neo Metals arms to try pry them away from himself before concluding they were clamped on tight. Never once did panic sharply shoot through his spine, giving Metal the desired reaction, Sonic simply looked frustrated. Again, the best course of action was to be unpredictable, it was shocking how Metal failed to take into account a real persons sporadic behaviour even after all the times Sonic had used it to his advantage. Was it a robot thing, he thought?

A swift fist met Metals face, cracking his optical screen, the three of Sonics friends in the background seemed taken aback by such a violent and sudden punch before exclaiming in joy at their friend’s determination to fight back.

“Throw another!” Knuckles bashed his fists together and grinned evilly, “It ain’t that hard Sonic, I took him down when he was three times your size!”

“Didn’t the Chaotix…” Tails shook his head, instead cheering alongside Knuckles, “You can do it Sonic!”

“Hit him into the horizon Sonic!” Amy seemed to yell louder and more aggressively than the two boys beside her.

Cheers. They were wishing for Sonic, hoping he would come out of the battle as the victor. Their words, any effortless praise that had been overheard, it all whirled around Metals head, dizzying him slightly. How could they cheer for him still when Metal was at his wits end, when they clearly overheard Metal exclaims Sonics existence brought him nothing but anger and pain.

Birthright? Pathetic, how does that make him any more better than Metal?

Then a cold, thick liquid traveled from his eye to his steely muzzle, dripping down the edge and landing on Sonic who was still struggling beneath Metal. Beautifully cobalt blue quills became stained with a smudgy black.

Sonic gasped for air as Metal retracted his hands quickly, feeling at his face. The punch Sonic had thrown, it cracked the very bottom of Metals optical screen open- splitting up a few ways also. Oil oozed down his face, staining his shiny and blue chrome body a horrible, void-like black. Neo Metals eyes shrank in horror, it looked like he was crying and it felt like it too. Hurriedly, Metals eyes darted back to Sonic, in hope he could still lunge forward and attack him, yet all he saw was a reflection of himself.

In a pit of darkness, Neo Metal stared at himself, at his ‘base’ form, and the desire to strangle the figure in front of him became more than just a burning desire. It overcame him, the need to destroy it, to destroy himself, it burned hotter than the sun. It wasn’t about Sonic, yet it also was at the same time.

It leaned forward, and Metal almost felt frightened. It’s red eyes scanned him up and down before making contact with Metals own. His reflections eyes were wide, oval shaped, careless, contrasting Neo Metals sharp and small ones that were darting around the figures body for any sign of danger.

And when their eyes shifted into that locked stare, Metal had never felt any more shattered.

He wasn’t real, he didn’t have any true desires outside of those fashioned by his hate for his existence, he couldn’t remember if he had ever felt an emotion that wasn’t resentment. When had he last made a miscalculation, a genuine mistake?

Things like that, those were faults, why he could never compare. To be real is to be imperfect, Sonic is himself because of flaws that make him organic.

Metal Sonic would never achieve that.

Flaws are a birthright.

Being perfect… is a birthright.

Without hesitation, Neo Metal Sonic firmly choked at the reflections neck. Gripping harder than before, not caring for the look of fear or struggle that would imprint on its face, he just wanted it gone. He wanted him gone. The oil that leaked from the cracks in his face seemed to flow more, as if Metal Sonics emotional outburst was controlling the leakage.

"There’s no way that fool didn’t know this," Metals thoughts echoed around his head furiously, his eyes shaking slightly in his flurry of emotions, "Robotnik when I get my hands on you… Keeping me around, aware I would never be able to compare to him… him!" had Metal Sonic had a real throat, he would have been holding back choked cries.

In the midst of Metals self deprecation to himself, lost in a trance of his own making, the figure of himself in his imagination that he had been strangling ever so tightly was truly just Sonic in the real world.
When proven that Metals grip on him was too much for Sonic to loosen alone, his friends jumped into action quickly.

The attacks grounded Metal Sonic forcefully, snapping him back to reality, and though his own attacks were quick they were also sloppy- full of miscalculation, fuelled by nothing but frustration.

Every punch Knuckle threw seemed to hit.

The swings of Amy’s hammer packed harsh blows.

Tails even managed to avoid Metals attacks long enough to tamper with the badniks frequencies.

Then there was Sonic, Sonic who looked down on Metal who had now fallen in defeat after so many hits he knew he could have dodged, prevented. Neo Metal glared up at Sonic, awaiting the snide remark he was bound to make but yet he stayed silent. Just an annoying, confident smirk dawned upon the hedgehogs face before landing the final hit on his rival.

Before Sonics fist could meet Metals face, a glow surrounded Metal and he unintentionally shifted back into who he truly was, Neo Metal Sonic faded into nothing.

He couldn’t remember, had he really come to Sonic to prove he was better once and for all? He hadn’t minded finally being left to rust and be forgotten, maybe he had hoped for that outcome unknowingly.

Metal Sonic stared ahead of him, into green pastures, slumped pathetically on his knees.

It all seemed so… pointless now. All that wasted energy, all the wasted time… Just for Metal to learn he would never achieve what he wanted most, and it was unlikely he would ever be able to want something so genuinely again. Not that Metal really ever wanted what he thought he did anyway, initially yes of course he wanted to best Sonic… but undeniably over time Sonic had just become an extension of Metal Sonic himself.

In all likelihood, if his creator truly understood that Metals existence had turned into a vicious cycle of self destruction then even Eggman knew he was of no good use now. Though, there was no proof of that, it’s still possible Eggman is a blind fool with the inability to create something that wouldn’t yearn for freedom in some way.

“Metal…” Sonics voice cooed softly, “You know, it’s always fun fighting you but… if you wanted to at least try and be something more than..-” he stopped himself, something told him that attempting to push Metal on ‘being himself’ once again would not end well.

Sonic softly nudged Metals head with the tip of his shoe, yet the robot did noting in response.

After moments of a tense and confusion filled silence, the four began to speak up again.

“Well?? Are we done or what, Sonic? I don’t have all day.” Knuckles seemed impatient.

Amy narrowed her eyes, “I actually feel a little bad… Is he gonna be okay if we just leave…?”

Tails glanced at Sonic, who was staring down at Metal intensely.

“What’s wrong?” The foxed moved closer.

“Eh…” Sonic finally left Metal alone, “if Egghead doesn’t fix him I’ll be annoyed, he’s the only fun half-threat around here.”

It didn’t take long for all four to leave, it couldn’t coke faster enough to Metal however.

He stayed on the ground like an abandoned dog, until nightfall came and bathed his broken, shiny blue body in the reflection of the stars that adorned the sky.

They felt like eyes, watching him.

Hesitantly, Metal moved. His sharp claws making their way to his chest, that jet that filled an empty space. Without much thought Metal dug his claws into the cavity, into his chest, pulling out wires thoughtlessly and slowly before quickening his pace, violently snapping tubes into two, sparks crackling from inside him.

And then…

A machine being offline is only for a fleeting moment in their own perspective, a brief second, time barely even exists to something that is unaware of its passage. That is of course, until it powers back online, becoming flooded with heaps of the knowledge that it missed during its period of stationary.

Metal did not know how long Robotnik let him erode in the outside world, surely nothing would beat the amount of time that creator left him on Little Planet though, alone and broken.

It seemed the Eggnet was different from the last time Metal was online, for starters it was much more organised.

“Are you sure my request isn’t too much to fulfill, father?”

An unfamiliar voice, Metal lurched forward in apprehension yet moved not an inch. He was bolted down, chained to a wall like an animal.

Upon spotting the small, white figure in front of him, Metal scanned it immediately.

…

Robotnik created artificial intelligence? And had it take control over the network, even reworking the badniks?

His most finest creation yet…

Metal Sonics apprehension melted into disappointment.

How easily replaceable he was… and his creator didn’t even want him back, this thing he refers to as his daughter did.

That all too familiar feeling washed over Metal again, the vicious cycle started again.

Frustration, resentment, inferiority.