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Sonic's breath was forced out of his lungs with an especially brutal kick to his chest from his robotic copy- Metal Sonic. He jumped back, panting as Metal stared at him with his unchanging expression, his glowing red eyes the only things capable of showing any sort of emotion. Sonic curled into a ball and spin-dashed towards the machine, who effortlessly sidestepped. Anticipating the dodge, Sonic swerved back around, landing a direct hit. Metal's joints creaked from the impact, and he blasted to the other side of the clearing, where Eggman was floating in his Eggmobile, surveying the battle. Sage hovered next to him, looking utterly bored out of her mind.
"HA!" Eggman cried as both versions of Sonic paused the fight; Sonic catching his breath and Metal activating his fans to cool his system. "You don't stand a chance against him, Sonic! He's my greatest creation!"
Sonic rolled his eyes, having heard this speech before. Multiple times. "Yep, and he's 'me but better' and 'everything I wish I was', et cetera," Sonic said dryly. "What else is new? I beat him every time."
Eggman sneered at the impudent blue hedgehog. "I created him to copy all of your characteristics exactly, then enhance those traits," he explained menacingly, tapping his fingers together. "Your speed, your strength..." He giggled maniacally. "Especially your love for your friends. One, in particular."
Sonic snorted derisively. "What is that supposed to mean, Egghead?" Metal launched himself at Sonic, pointed fingertips outstretched. Sonic ducked, eyeing the Eggmobile. Too high to jump to, meaning he'd have to focus on the robot for the time being. He blocked a punch and kicked Metal's chest, a whirring sound emanating from somewhere. Sonic's eyes widened, and he jumped just in time to avoid the laser stemming from Metal's center engine.
Eggman grinned evilly. "Well, I was going to wait to reveal his other purpose, but..."
"What, a portable space heater?" Sonic called, easily dodging Metal's attacks. He might have supposedly been more than Sonic's equal, but he was still a robot. A sentient one, but still predictable enough to defeat. Metal narrowed his eyes at the hedgehog, creating a break in the battle.
"No, you imbecile! Though... he does create a lot of heat..." Eggman shook his head in irritation, glaring at Sonic through his tinted goggles, an insane smile crossing his face. "Well, half the battle is mental, right? So, how could I win that psychological war? By stealing away the one you love, of course!"
Sonic tilted his head in confusion, squinting at the doctor. Had he finally lost his mind?
"...what?" He finally asked, earning another glare from Eggman.
"Did I not just explain it to you? I-"
"He is going to wait until you and Amy are together, then steal her for himself," Sage interjected, pointing to Metal Sonic, though she gave Sonic a knowing look.
"Yes, thank you, Sage," Eggman said sarcastically, "For summing that up so eloquently. He's going to sweep that pink hedgehog off of her feet, then-"
"Wait, pink?" Sonic asked, his brows furrowing in genuine confusion.
"Yes, you dolt," Eggman said, staring at Sonic like he was as dumb as a rock. "I'm not colorblind."
Sonic burst into laughter, effectively shutting Eggman up. "Oh, you don't- that is TOO GOOD-" Sonic wheezed in between laughs, Eggman's reddening face only fueling the fire. He finally gathered himself enough to speak, pointing a shaky finger towards Metal. "You know what, shoot your shot, man. But if you treat her badly..." he trailed off, his threat hanging in the air.
Metal's eyes turned pink, perhaps his version of a blush. He shifted on his feet, fingers twitching and servos whirring as he glanced between Sonic and Eggman as if he was unsure. The doctor stared at Sonic, his brain struggling to comprehend what Sonic was saying.
"WHAT!?" Eggman finally roared, furiously typing away at his small on-board screen. "Impossible! I calculated everything!" He scribbled on a notepad and tossed it back to his daughter, who made absolutely no attempt to catch it, letting it flutter to the ground. "Sage, run those numbers," Eggman muttered, oblivious to the fact that it had fallen far out of her reach.
As if on cue, Sonic spotted a plume of dust rising in the distance. Every few seconds, a flash of red illuminated the cloud, and a grin spread across Sonic's face as he watched the rapidly approaching figure get closer and closer. "Seems you miscalculated, Eggy."
Sonic's more intimidating half skidded to a stop a few feet from the blue hedgehog, who leapt to close the distance between them. He flung an arm around Shadow's shoulder and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Evening, babe! How's it going?"
Shadow's scowl deepened, still staring at Eggman, whose jaw had nearly hit the floor. "I thought I told you not to call me that," he grumbled, though Sonic noticed the pink creeping up Shadow's muzzle with a gleeful smile.
Metal was no longer looking at them, opting to stare at the ground in apparent deep thought. Sonic could hear his fans running again, further proof that his systems were in overdrive. Eggman stared at the hedgehog couple, slack-jawed and pale.
Finally, he rebooted enough to respond in a complete sentence. "What is the meaning of this?" He demanded, flinging an arm out to wildly gesture at the hedgehogs.
"Uh, was it not clear?" Sonic asked, thoroughly enjoying how much of a loop this had thrown Eggman for. He pointed a gloved finger at him, then Shadow. "We're-"
"No, I understood that," Eggman growled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Maybe this is a ploy," he muttered to himself, the Eggmobile floating back and forth as he metaphorically paced. "Yes! That's it. You're pretending to be with Shadow so I give up on my plan with Metal-"
"The hedgehogs are gay, Father," Sage said flatly. Eggman whipped around to stare at her in disbelief. "I have access to the Internet. I have seen all of their posts, some more questionable in nature than others."
"Okay," Sonic said, cutting her off before she could say more, his face turning bright red. "Thank you, Sage, so much. For… that." She rolled her eyes.
"You knew about this, Sage?" Eggman asked incredulously.
"You didn't?" She shot back, glaring at her father figure. "It should be... quite obvious."
Eggman sighed loudly through his nose. "Whatever," he grumbled, floating the Eggmobile closer to the ground. "Metal, come here so I can reprogram you to go after Shadow instead."
Next to Sonic, Shadow's quills bristled angrily. "I'll destroy that useless robot," he growled, narrowing his eyes at the machine.
"Maybe he's into that," Sonic whispered mischievously. "I mean, he is my copy, and you know I sure as hell am." Shadow blushed, giving Sonic an irritated side-eye.
However, Metal took a cautious step back from his father, shaking his head. Eggman blinked at him. "Um..." He glanced at Sonic and Shadow, then back at Metal. "You... you want to like Amy?"
Metal hesitated, then nodded, his eyes turning pink again. He looked at the ground, scuffing his foot against the dirt as if embarrassed.
"Awww," Sonic called, putting a hand over his heart and leaning heavily on Shadow's shoulder. "Does someone have an itty bitty crush?"
Without so much of a sideways glance, Metal's arm snapped out and flipped Sonic off, startling a laugh out of Shadow.
"Rude," Sonic huffed at the metal hedgehog, scowling. He had the feeling that if Metal could make facial expressions, he'd be smirking right about now.
"A-alright," Eggman stammered, floating back up into the air, out of Sonic's reach. "I'll leave your programming alone." Metal nodded in thanks, turning back to Sonic, his eyes once again red. He held up closed fists in a defensive posture, but Sonic only yawned.
"If we could wrap this up, that would be great," Sonic said nonchalantly. "I have a dinner date with a certain very handsome hedgehog soon." He waggled his eyebrows at Shadow, who shoved him away.
"Idiot," he grumbled, though there was an affectionate warmth to it that Sonic doubted anyone else would catch.
Eggman chuckled darkly, rubbing his hands together. "This has given me a whole slew of new ideas! Just you wait- you'll regret the day you revealed this to me, rat!"
"Yeah, yeah," Sonic called over his shoulder, already walking away, hand in hand with Shadow. "Don't be a homophobe, Eggy."
"What?!" Eggman spluttered. "I'm not homophobic, I'm... Sonic-phobic! I just don't like blue hedgehogs named Sonic!"
Said blue hedgehog laughed openly. "You need to work on yourself, dude."
"Enjoy your date," Sage called, earning a glare from her father as they floated away. Metal glanced at Sonic before following, giving him what Sonic could have sworn was a relieved look.
"Did Sage just..." Sonic wondered aloud, amazed.
"She probably just said it to piss Eggman off," Shadow reasoned with a smile. "She seems to be in some sort of rebellious phase."
Sonic grinned. "Good for her. She'll win this 'mental battle' against Eggman for me. Race you to the restaurant?"
Shadow groaned. "I ran all the way here to help you," he complained. "My legs are tired."
"Hey, I didn't need your help," Sonic replied with a teasing nudge. "But I appreciate it." Without further warning, Sonic let go of Shadow's hand and blasted off, leaving the dark hedgehog in the dust kicked up. Shadow shook his head, quickly following and passing Sonic, who shrieked in delight at the immediate challenge.
. . . . .
Metal Sonic's brain was overclocking. It had been since the fight with his rival, Sonic, but the blue hedgehog wasn't the topic of his focus. Another image file of Amy Rose flashed behind his eyes, and he felt his happiness program fire again. He'd always known that stealing Amy was part of his father's so-called "master plan" for defeating Sonic, but it had always felt more like an obligation than anything.
Of course, his programming rewarded him with a semblance of mechanical dopamine any time he saw the pink hedgehog, but he'd known it was simulated from the beginning. It reached a point where it simply didn't affect him anymore, at least not until recently. Any thought of her brought that "dopamine" back, but it felt... different, somehow. More real, less forced by programming.
He found himself scrolling through her social media, his metallic finger lingering over the small heart button, always too afraid to press it. His processors ran faster when he saw her posts, something he supposed was similar to a racing heart. The same thing had happened when he realized Sonic was no longer standing in his way of the hedgehog he truly wanted. He knew he was a robot, not possessing real feelings or opinions for anything or anyone.
But...
What else could this be?