Chapter Text
I have been... thinking, lately. Thinking about aspects of my life that used to be simple, guaranteed. But I can't deny its increasing complications.
Every day is more infuriating than the previous. I am told to sit still. I am told to do nothing. I must be at my Master's side and assist him. Sometimes it feels right.
Other times my body moves without my permission. I follow commands I do not want to. I listen and I obey. A part of me relishes my servitude, but the underbelly of my mind is clawing to ascend and take over, to be angry, to be defiant.
But it never does. With a pathetic whimper, a connection between my thoughts and my body separate and I watch myself.
I thought I was so much more.
I was built to surpass Sonic the Hedgehog. I was built to be more than him. I nearly achieved my goal, but I was thwarted by everything he has that I don't. But I was supposed to have more. I was supposed to...
Then my Master took away my freedom by removing my ability to fully rebel. I was unable to physically act against him or intentionally put him in danger. I don't entirely blame him... I did overtake him a long time ago. In stripping me of my freedom, though, I wish he didn't give me the capacity to have these thoughts. In some ways, I admire my Master. In other ways, I loathe him.
My programming has loopholes he has not yet noticed. If I do not hear his commands, I cannot be controlled. If he tells me to pursue someone, that doesn't invalidate me from targeting Sonic as well. If I leave, he can't command me to stay in the base.
If I leave...?
...
Why was leaving such an appealing option to me? I didn't want to answer my own question.
Right. I had no choice but to feign ignorance. I wanted it to be simple. To fulfill my purpose of killing Sonic. Making him suffer and ending his tyranny of all the disgusting things he stands for. Replacing him. I am the true--
... No...
I am... not... Sonic.
I am not... Sonic.
I am not-- ...
Then... What am I?
I looked around the surveillance room I wandered into. Metal. Metal and circuitry and screens and cold, jagged edges. I looked at my hands. Silver claws. I moved all of my fingers as if to confirm they really were mine.
No one was around me. There was no active mission. My Master was still conjuring a scheme in his private quarters. I took a step forward. Then another, then another.
I was walking for some reason, but it felt different than before. I wasn't watching my body... I was controlling it. I didn't know where I was going, but I wanted to find out. I wanted to know.
"Metal!"
My Master called for me. I stopped walking and turned towards the sound of his voice. In one of the nearby doorways, Lord Eggman stood and nearly took up the space of the opening itself. He groomed one half of his moustache with his fingers, looking through me like he wasn't completely paying attention.
"Orbot and Cubot informed me Dodon Pa invited us to his new..." He let go of his moustache and gestured his hand in dismissal. "Racing circuits, Grand Prix, whatever it is. There are some new tweaks to old technology that I'm interested in seeing for myself. You are attending as well."
I am attending? I stared up at him. Did he mean I was allowed to race? I could race? I trilled a question to him.
"Yes, your favorite little pest is going to be there too. Don't disappoint me."
I paused what I was thinking about before. I wanted to race. I followed Lord Eggman as he walked out and down the winding hallways of his fortress. We went to the docking bay and boarded one of his favorite shuttles. He climbed aboard first, and then I stepped in afterwards. There were two others in there with us: the artificial intelligence, Sage, and one of my Master's many Egg Pawns.
Sage gave me a slow nod, as if to say hello. I returned the nod. Her attention quickly went to our Master-- or rather, she brought her attention to her Father-- as he climbed into the pilot seat. "Father, I brought Egg Pawn #493 as requested... May I ask why you wanted him specifically?"
The Egg Pawn was eagerly chirping to himself. He was saying how excited he was. He was about as cheerful and absent-minded as the other Egg Pawns I've dealt with.
"493 is a better driver than the others and he's got a good attitude. I'd love to see the look on that hedgehog's face when he is bested by one of my mere pawns! Ha!" Lord Eggman started cackling.
I was insulted. Did he not think I would place first? I didn't realize I actually said this out loud until both Sage and Lord Eggman glanced back at me. Sage was not amused... The way she looked at me made me feel studied. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but Lord Eggman spoke first: "There are multiple races going on at the same time, so all of us will have to dominate the course by ourselves at some point... That being said, we may be pitted against each other. Get ready to taste second place when facing me, Metal! Hah!"
"... Or third, maybe?" Sage spoke. Wishful thinking.
Lord Eggman snorted and turned back towards the front, starting up the engine of the shuttle and beginning our ascent. "Oh yes, this will be your first time racing, Sage. I'm confident you'll do well. I'm interested in how you two of my greatest creations will race against each other. A little healthy competition never hurt anybody that much!"
"Father, while I respect all your creations, certainly Metal Sonic, my calculations show me as the victor in every scenario." She smiled towards him as he returned a brief laugh, then looked back at me, her smile dropping. She studied me once more.
I could see my vision shake. She was irritating me. Father this, Father that, for such casual and callous words to be thrown so effortlessly towards my Master and for him to be so accepting. Additionally, she was allowed to throw such disrespect my way. I would be given the opportunity to prove myself as the superior creation, regardless of her freedom.
"Metal Sonic... when did you last undergo routine maintenance? It should have been 48 hours ago, correct?" she asked.
Her question surprised me. I gave a single nod and told her my routine maintenance went through without error. I glanced at my Master. He was often the one to check me.
"Maintenance checked out. What, are you acting weird back there, Metal?" my Master asked.
I told him I was operating with all of my systems functional and in the green. I stared back at Sage.
"... Of course. I can see everything is stable from my end as well. I apologize for worrying you, Father," she said, though her gaze did not leave mine. I did not care how close she was to my Master. I was not going to let her best me. I hoped, if anything, my gaze told her that exact phrase.
RACING! RACING! WE WILL DOMINATE THE TRACK! THE EGGMAN EMPIRE IS STRONG~!
The Egg Pawn trilled out with his machine jargon, not having paid attention to any existing conversation. It caused Sage to break eye contact first as if to check on the Egg Pawn and confirm he was also fully operational. I decided to look out of the window closest to me.
Racing. I had been idle for too long... And finally, I would get to race. As the shuttle flew over our home base, I imagined zipping through the metropolis, then out into the hills. I'd enact a desperate yet fulfilling attempt to reach the horizon, never getting there but seeing there is even more land to traverse. I imagined the wind on my face. The roar of my turbine louder than ever.
But Dodon Pa's official races would be fulfilling as well. I would get to race Sonic the Hedgehog. In the moment, I didn't care that it was just driving. I would prefer defeating him without external machinery... but I was not in the state to be picky. I would get to race, and I would truly best him. And I would prove to myself-- to everyone-- that I am more.
The natural scenery changed into another city, and then a massive pink and blue stadium. I could see a racetrack... just one racetrack, covered in neon signs and old-fashioned holograms of badniks. Wasn't there supposed to be a Grand Prix? This wasn't the location, was it...? It didn't matter. The track was just that: a track. We could be driving over the ocean in the middle of nowhere and I wouldn't care at this point.
We landed near the stadium. Lord Eggman deactivated the shuttle and walked out first as the door opened automatically. Sage and I stepped out at the same time, walking by Lord Eggman's right while I took his left. The Egg Pawn followed behind us, chattering to himself until Lord Eggman told him to quiet down.
There were many people here. A lot of organics in uniforms, crowds of chao in the stands, and... other racers talking amongst themselves. I knew most of them. The owner of the racing circuit, Dodon Pa, came floating in on a gaudy car-like sphere and began talking to my Master. I was scanning the other racers. I didn't see him.
I saw the fox instead. He was turned away and speaking to the red one. The echidna. I didn't--
No. There he was. He bounded towards them, boasting something loudly and confidently, though I was too far away to hear exactly what he said in all the commotion of the stadium. But... he was there, like my Master said. I stared down Sonic the Hedgehog. I so badly hoped we would be in the same race. No-- hope was unnecessary-- it would be a guarantee. We will race one another.
Sonic noticed me, causing his other two servants to look my way. They stared at me with concern, save for the hedgehog himself; he gave me an infuriating smile and then an even more infuriating wave. Was he acting like a fool just to irritate me? It was working. I clenched my fists. I took a step towards him.
"Save it for the race, Metal Sonic," my Master commanded me. Dodon Pa was no longer there. For the first time, Lord Eggman's focus was completely on me.
I stopped in place. I didn't want to stop. Why couldn't I keep going? Why couldn't I move?
Sonic moved towards me instead. He crossed his arms behind his head as he glanced at me and the rest of Lord Eggman's team. "Hey Egghead and Co! I guess I'm not surprised you're here," he started in a far too cheerful tone. "Looks like the whole family is here, huh? Hi Metal, Sage, uh... random robot."
"Hello, Sonic," Sage replied calmly. Annoying. "The 'random robot' you are referring to goes by the designation Egg Pawn #493."
"Then hello, Egg Pawn #493," Sonic mused with a small wave. The Egg Pawn danced at him and chattered about how he would race and win. Sonic clearly did not understand him. I decided to also ignore the robot.
Sonic moved his arms down and crossed them while he smiled wide towards me. "I assume you'll be racing again, Metal? How nice of Eggman to give you an audience for when you lose to me again!"
I glared at him. I wanted to speak, but the proper words weren't bubbling up at the right time. He was insufferable. He was grating. I wanted to squeeze the life out of him with my claws and watch his spirit leave his body. More than that, I wanted to see him lose.
"Sonic, you ignorant blue stain," sneered my Master. "We are all racing, and all of us will wipe the floor with that smug little face of yours. You better go practice and not fall behind, Hedgehog. It sure would be embarrassing for the fastest thing alive to get lapped by my simple-- yet clearly more advanced than you-- Egg Pawn."
Sonic smirked back, unfurling his arms to casually flick his nose. "We'll see about that! Dodon Pa promised there's no funny business this time, so you better not be scheming. Other than that, you're fellow racers on the track. Deal?"
Fellow racers? We are not equals. We are better. I am better. I pointed at Sonic and told him to keep his ridiculous affinity for camaraderie in check. I knew he could not truly understand my words, but he still gave a hearty laugh. It disgusted me.
"Yeah, you tell 'em, Metal!" my Master cackled. "Go on and do your boring hero business. We're busy here."
Sonic rolled his eyes, still with that smile. He did not take my Master seriously. He looked back at me, a surprisingly sincere gaze that made me incredibly uncomfortable. He held one of his hands out towards me. "Hey, bad guy or not, I'm counting on you for a good race. Give me your best, alright?"
My discomfort wrapped back around to rage. I lifted my arm, fist still clenched. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to punch him so hard that his head would spin off.
But I was commanded not to. I relaxed my hand as I stared as his.
I slapped it away. I told him we would settle our score on the track.
My Master gave an amused huff, walking off. I followed behind, along with Sage and the Egg Pawn. I felt the hedgehog's stare even as we left. I glanced back to him. His smile was gone.
We went to another part of the building. There was a plethora of different vehicles, all different shapes, sizes, colors...
"Pick any that suit your fancy," Lord Eggman said. "We'll be taken to our races momentarily. I think I'll go see what these virtual 'AI racers' are all about..."
Virtual? I preferred racing the real ones. I told my Master that I would be attending the first Grand Prix. He mumbled an affirmative as he scanned the different machines before us.
One vehicle in particular caught my attention and I walked over to it. It was a bright blue with yellow and red accents. It had four small headlights on the front, and the hood was sharp and menacing. I didn't realize that my Master was nearby; he climbed into a different machine that didn't look unlike his own vehicles.
"Dodon Pa designed every machine after all the racers. I do admire his craft... he seems to have pegged our tastes very well," he commented.
"I agree... the vehicle that calls to me is a vivid reminder of my time on Kronos Island," Sage added as she placed her hand on a monochrome kart of her choice.
The vehicle I was drawn to made me think of... Metal Overlord. It's something I would design on my own. It felt like me... like this was my car. It belonged to me now. I climbed in and put my hands on the steering wheel. It was almost like an extension of my body. It felt right. Natural in the most fitting way.
I knew I would win.
Eleven other racers were lined up diagonally and divided by fours on the very track I saw from the air, with me, the twelfth and final racer, at the very back of the line. I scanned each opponent. Nine of them were from 'teams' I dealt with in the past: Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, and the inferior and violent machine, Omega, were among them. There was the large purple cat... I... actually don't remember his name without looking up his bio. I am not sure it was ever said out loud. But I remembered the pink hedgehog Amy Rose and the child rabbit Cream. And then there was Sonic the Hedgehog and his two most faithful, the echidna Knuckles and the aptly named Tails. Other than the teams present, the Egg Pawn had joined the race, along with the lanky pink member of the Deadly Six, Zazz. Egg Pawn was yelling rather nasty phrases to him, and strangely enough, it seemed that Zazz understood him... or they were just on the same wavelength of their argument.
I shifted my focus back to the front. Sonic was the farthest away, the very first position on the track. Of course he was. He turned back, likely to gauge the competition on his own. Our eyes locked.
"Hey! We're going up against each other!" He shouted, pointing to me. "I'd rather settle this on foot, but you cheat and use your turbine anyway, so whatever."
What did he just say to me? I will kill him! He will be annihilated on the track, and then off of it, until he is nothing! For a brief moment, I could not hear the crowds in the stands. I stood from my car and clenched one of my fists. I had no shortage of expletives to toss his way. I didn't care that all he heard was trilling from a language his insignificant mind could not comprehend. My whole system was overheated. I was so angry. I was so angry.
I allowed myself to gather my thoughts for just a brief moment. I knew he was just trying to irritate me, as he always did. But... Cheating? Cheating would be burning his face off with the very turbine he insulted. Cheating would be throwing him out of his vehicle and grinding his figure to dust. Cheating would be shooting him down with every missile in my artillery--
Lights appeared over our heads. The race was about to start.
Beep.
A few of the racers began revving their engines.
Beep.
Then I began revving mine. That despicable hedgehog did the same.
Beep.
Not yet.
Bong!
I took off. My position as the last racer was incredibly temporary. I didn't care about any of these other fools. Egg Pawn ate my dust as soon as he started. I kept my vision clear. I had one, singular goal: I had to win, because I was the best. Because I was better than Sonic. I was and I had to be.
I drifted to stay on the track and collected my first item. It was a white creature, far too friendly for my liking; it was a wisp, if I recalled correctly. But it would be useful. I saw the bat ahead of me use it to cross some terrain. I see.
I did the same. Very few were ahead of me now. Rouge, Knuckles, and Sonic himself. I saw spike balls and obnoxious magnets littered across the track. I waited for an opportunity to get an additional item. I'm sure he didn't consider that cheating.
A yellow saw blade hovered over my car, then dug into the back half. I could do nothing to stop it. My vehicle dragged against the ground... a few passed me by. Angry. I banged my fist against the rim of my car. Was I supposed to be stuck here, driving half of a car?
It regenerated. Incredible technology, but I would not get distracted from my goal. This was the beginning of the race. I went ahead, gathered my second item. It was... a truck. I used it, and suddenly, my car transformed into a giant monster truck. I sped ahead of everyone. If I squashed them or not, hah... they deserved it.
Only Sonic was ahead of me now, but this too would be temporary. I caught the slipstream he created and quickly caught up to him.
Bang! I slammed the side of my car against his. I hoped he would spin out and wreck.
"Finally catching up?" Sonic yelled in all too cheerful of a tone. He slammed back, but he was too weak to truly knock me off balance. He was grinning like the fool he was. He was having fun. He didn't take me seriously. That would change.
The track ahead of us was a straight path with two warp rings overhead; my side had a colorful pink sky with air balloons, while the Hedgehog's side were unassuming blue question marks. A hologram on the road decided between the two depending on which we would drive over. They were both selected at the same time; the warp rings collided and dropped down as it decided which portal to use.
"Sky Road!" A digital voice boomed as the warp ring changed to show what was on my side.
Our cars transformed to have plane wings. Sonic peeled off in one direction, while I went in the other-- a route I felt was optimal from what I could see in the distance. I could feel the wind rushing by. I was going faster than fast.
Something about me felt lighter. I saw the horizon stretching before me, and I flew forward to reach it. I went through a target that made me faster. It was like adrenaline. I wanted to keep going.
The plane wings vanished as I went through a different target and I landed perfectly on a grated track. I kept driving, reaching forward. I drove off of a ramp and collided into a balloon that launched me in the air. I could touch the cottony clouds and watch them waft through my hands. The air was cool. I flipped around, using my car as balance, then landed perfectly. I went even faster.
I went down a winding path, gravity beckoning me downwards and spinning me through a steep curve. I sped through more boost pads and lifted up as the road straightened out. I launched into the air again and allowed the momentum to guide my movements.
For a brief moment... I...
...
I landed back in my car and focused on the warp ring ahead. Looked to be taking us back to the core stadium... so I supposed this is how the races would function. It was different, but not unwelcome.
I went through. "Final lap!" the same voice from before called. It was the same course as the first lap, but with some minor changes. I did not see Sonic anywhere... there was no way he was ahead, right?
Foolish. I was distracted before and lost track of him. Never again. Never.
A ghost suddenly appeared before me, passing an unbecoming taunt with its mouth before completely dousing my vehicle in flames. I spun out and struggled to right myself again.
"See ya!" Sonic passed me by.
I was ahead of him?
I would be ahead of him again. I picked up more speed, handled each curve. I picked up another item-- a green glove. I threw it towards Sonic.
It hit him. I heard him groan as he tried to pick up speed again. We were head-to-head once more and we tried to throw each other off balance. The finish line was just ahead and we both picked up the pace.
"Nice knowin' ya!" Sonic had an item in his hand-- I didn't see it before. Instantly, a red tornado of flames surrounded him and forced me out of his vicinity.
No. No! I went as fast as the car could take me. I took every boost pad. I caught up to him--
He passed the finish line first.
Our cars skidded to a stop after crossing the line. Soon after, the other ten racers caught up. A giant virtual screen with our tallies appeared in front of us.
2nd place- Metal Sonic.
1st place...
I slammed my fist against my car.
"As if there was any doubt?" teased that insufferable hedgehog.
This was the very first Grand Prix, so there were three more races. My placement on the first race was a mistake, one I cannot repeat. I analyzed my performance. There were hazards on the track that I was aware of, but some hazards I cannot avoid, at least, not with the tools I had. I would learn more by racing more, and then I would win, and win again.
I was winning when I wasn't focusing on Sonic the Hedgehog, and I would have won if I was more wary of the item he carried. But seeing him just makes me so... angry. It felt good to throw weapons at him. My aggression also allowed me to quickly catch up to him. I should pace my aggression in bursts, strategize depending on what he has, and focus on the track. Patience pays off. The times I've conquered... I was patient.
Another warp ring appeared, this time to a different track entirely. There were rows and rows of colorful fields, foliage all over the place, a lively and breezy meadow. I'd never seen fields that looked like that. We all drove in and took the same positions that we did last time. With my renewed plan, Sonic needed the boost that being first in line would give if he had any hope of surpassing me.
The same lights from before floated down towards us. I repeated my strategy as before, revving my engine on the second beep, then taking off as soon as the tone changed.
This race would be different. It would be better.
I gained some distance as I flipped off of the edge of the straightaway and flew to the main portion of the track. I was in the middle of the pack when I received my first item. It was the same white wisp as before. I saved it to see if there were any significant shortcuts. The dirt track turned into curved wooden bridges with a gazebo that was blocked off. I went into a cave and saw a shortcut here; using the wisp, I boosted over the rough terrain and went ahead of the pack.
"Not bad, not bad!" Sonic shouted. He was behind me. I took the boost pads up the road, then launched out into flower patches that cascaded back down to dirt and grass.
The end of the lap was ahead. One of the warp rings was--
SLAM! I got hit! I lost focus again. Foolish! It was a glove, like from the last race. Sonic launched ahead of me and chose the second lap. I was passed by a few other racers, but I managed to speed past them without issue.
"WHAT are ya sayin' to me, you ROUND orange PUNK?!" I could unfortunately hear Zazz's voice.
YOUR RACING IS AS POOR AS YOUR FACE IS UGLY! THE EGGMAN EMPIRE IS STRONG!
"BEEP BOOP some of THIS, jerk!!!"
I stopped hearing them when I passed through the next warp ring. I was given plane wings once more. The whole area was doused in magma, while the ceiling implied we were in the depths of a molten cavern. There were dragons of flame lifting themselves out of the inferno to slither across the path.
Exhilarating. I spun through the pink targets that were in all the flying sections, I evaded the dragons and landed on an iron track. The next item I grabbed was a fire tornado... Revenge was in order.
But it must be enacted at the right time. I caught up to Sonic once more. I tried to get close enough to damage him, but the path was too large. I needed a more narrow opportunity. We took off into the air again, went through a laser-filled tunnel. There were a couple different paths. Sonic went up to the road ahead, so I did the same.
Another saw blade approached me... I knew what it would do, but I was still too far away from Sonic to hit him.
My car alerted me it was fast approaching. I decided to use my fire tornado anyway, which staved off the weapon. I took the next few curves and boosts as the tornado faded, but I had picked up tremendous speed.
I bumped against Sonic's car as I skillfully passed him. I heard his aggravating laughter.
I went through the next warp ring to go through the final lap. I picked up the next item as I took the first big curve of the track. It was a... spike ball. Not that useful in my position, but it was better than nothing.
A red warp ring appeared above me. I wasn't sure what it would do, and if it was an obstacle, I also wasn't sure the spike ball could do anything about it. I tried to get as far ahead as I could to prepare.
Green slime smothered me and my car, slowing me down and making it difficult to see. I cursed aloud, but I was met with some solace in that Sonic, along with other racers, let out a chorus of frustrated groans. Everyone was hit, not just me. I shook it off as fast as I could and continued racing. When all was clear, I realized I had lost my item.
It was fine, I would get another. I grabbed the next item I came across; it was a magnet, one of the ones I saw on the track before. When I drove to the area with the gazebo, I saw a new path had opened. Possibly a shortcut? I took a sharp left to take the new path, which brought me to a couple boost pads with a ramp. I dropped the magnet behind me to slow any pursuers down right before I launched off the ramp.
I let myself move through the air before landing and going through the cave once more. I gripped my steering wheel tightly when I drove into the sunlight. I flipped again, another time, a third. I drifted-- Sonic's car bumped into me.
We were head-to-head once more at the final stretch. Another red warp ring appeared above us... and huge weights crushed and slowed our cars down. I desperately tried to speed back up. I could see the finish line... I had to reach it!
We both crossed the line. I couldn't tell which one of us won. I couldn't hear anything for a whole minute as I stared ahead and anticipated where the results screen would be.
... 2nd place... Sonic.
1st place... !
I won! I won the race! I jumped up from my car, hands up, and cheered as loudly as my machinery would allow. I bested Sonic the Hedgehog!
"Whoa... Is that Metal showing excitement? And it's not about destroying us 'inferior fleshbags' or whatever?" Sonic asked.
I told him to shut up. Also, I never used the term 'fleshbags', and that term was too kind for what I thought of him. 'Inferior' was apt, though. Still, I wanted to rip his useless mouth off of his useless visage. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms behind his head.
"Relax," he said with a yawn. I wanted to punch him again. "Anyways... We're tied now! There's still two races left... Think you can keep up?"
I sat back down. Right. We were tied. There was no time for ripping his mouth off or punching him in the face yet; that would be later. I still had much more to prove until then... I would have to use items intelligently to get the upper hand. I would have to gain knowledge of the tracks. The Hedgehog was infuriatingly intuitive, but I paid more attention to details. I could see strategy where he could not.
And I would win. I pointed at him and told him I would prove myself superior.
"That's the spirit!" he beamed. He sickened me.
All of the racers were led to the third course, which was full of white, clean marble architecture. The track was situated between massive marble columns, and in between each pillar was a bench for chao to watch with excitement. There were huge waterfalls in the distance. In addition, I detected salt in the air, so I decided to look past the crowd. This track was a structure on the ocean. Hmm. I guess my hypothetical from earlier wasn't too off base.
I didn't have a phobia of water like my lowly counterpart... but I was still not fond of water as a concept. I wouldn't ever have to worry about drowning, but I had much more difficulty moving while submerged. The speed I create with my turbine thrives in all environments... except underwater. I certainly wouldn't short out being in the water-- my Master crafted me with utmost skill-- but the possibility wasn't unheard of if there were unregulated electric discharges. Yet, the idea of sinking and being unable to move is worse. What if all of my systems to counteract my weight failed, or my turbine couldn't move at all? If my locator was bugged and no one could find me? I could be miles under the ocean, where no intelligent living thing could see the light of my eyes. I would be slowly picked apart by crabs over centuries as I rust and degrade into the sand that trapped me. At least the Hedgehog would die. I wouldn't have that choice...
"The ocean freaks me out too, buddy," Sonic said. He caught me staring out at the water. I glared him down and spat a retort. How dare he assume such things about me? I don't care about the ocean. I wasn't thinking about it. It doesn't worry me. I will race and I will win.
He said something else, but I ignored him. I moved to my position on the track and waited for the lights to appear above my head.
...
...
Was he trying to relate to me? A paltry attempt for him to feel better about himself. I was better already. Making such ridiculous assumptions. I had no fears, no insecurities, no weaknesses. If I experienced any kind of failure, I could be made better. I could improve myself as many times as it took. I would defeat him as many times as necessary. I was on the path to perfection.
Focus. I physically shook myself as if to get rid of all my pressing thoughts. I needed to race. I waited for the lights once more, the others eventually anticipating them as well.
There they were. I waited for the beeping tone to change so I could take off. I tapped my foot as I waited... then I started revving my engine.
Bong!
Finally. I launched myself ahead of the other racers beyond mach speed. The track went up towards the sky and stretched behind the waterfalls. I grabbed a red glove... and knew exactly who to throw it at.
METAL SONIC! I AM AHEAD OF YOU! I AM THE FASTEST HEDGEHOG NOW!
Nevermind. The Egg Pawn was annoying me more in the moment. He was barely ahead of me and his tiny processor couldn't notice the glove in my hand. I threw it at him and watched him spin out with utmost joy. As I passed him, I gestured with my hand, daring him to try to pass me again.
Yeah, I thought so. I focused back on the track, which led to an entire... undersea area. The walls were made of glass, showing radiating jellyfish and other aquatic creatures congregating around the course. I grabbed an additional item here. It was a bomb... excellent.
A ramp led out of the undersea tunnel. My car suddenly dove into-- it was the ocean. I scanned the depths below. It was the real ocean, extremely deep water. Luckily, the car transformed into a boat, too. This was part of the track, so of course our vehicles were well prepared. As I drifted, my vehicle hopped in the air, letting me catch the breeze. I did not enjoy the breeze as much as the previous locations.
But this was just a race. There was no actual danger. I wasn't worried about any danger, anyway. I've destroyed areas far bigger than this. Yes, that's right... I was the danger.
... This part of the track was annoyingly slow. I just wanted to go faster. I drifted again and jumped out of the water. I watched my car transform back to normal with relief. I sped around a steep curve and went down the straightaway towards what would be the next world ahead of me. Just then, I realized the bomb had grown several sizes. I decided to throw it behind me so that I could grab whatever was ahead. With a few voices shouting at me, I assumed I got a few good hits.
"Random track!" the announcer voice called. No one could see the actual track until we went through it...
My vehicle skidded across slippery ice that was hard to drift over. There was ice everywhere and the sky was incredibly dark; maybe it was on the other side of the world, or a different planet entirely. I could see well to tell the horizon had the ocean, though.
... Which was fine, of course. Fine.
"Woohoo!" Sonic jumped up on another ramp and spun around, doing tricks. He was lost in the race, not noticing anyone or anything around him. Why wasn't I the same?
The comparison started to frustrate me. I had to really lock myself in to the present moment, and just stop... thinking so much. That's probably why he was having a good time. Dead-brained hedgehog.
For this lap only, I promised myself to take the boost pads, throw whatever item, and let intuition be my primary guide. It was probably the worst strategy because Sonic was doing just that, but I wanted to be sure.
I had another green glove as the path of ice turned into a trail of packed snow. Another glove was aimed at me, so I threw my weapon behind-- to my pleasant surprise, it worked perfectly. I sped along, and I was thrust into the ocean again. A much colder and more remote ocean.
I took the nearest ramp that transformed my boat into a plane. I took in the sight. Giant glaciers, lights from targets ahead, a glowing whale emerging and diving itself back into the water. The night sky was glittering with billions of stars. Bands of green and blue lights danced above the atmosphere like curtains swayed by wind. I wanted to reach it.
My vehicle transformed back into a boat and I had one small stretch of water left before I'd make it to the larger glacier ahead. The ice was more familiar territory and I used this chance to really get some distance. My next item was a spike ball, which I'd hopefully get to use this time.
The next warp ring was ahead, which meant the final lap was fast approaching. I felt good about this one.
When Sonic next caught up to me at the start of the lap, I dropped the spike ball right behind me.
"Ugh!" Sonic struggled aloud. I hit him! "Metal tagged me!" he whined.
Hahaha! I laughed to myself, my only regret being that I couldn't look behind me for too long. My joy was but temporary... that ghost appeared again and it had targeted me specifically. I spun out from the flames... I could do nothing about it.
Three racers sped past me. How was that possible? The ocean section was creeping up, too... and I felt I was much slower there. The next item I grabbed was, thankfully, the white wisp. I managed to get a boost in the air, then passed one of the three as I made my way out of the water.
I used the wisp to get me across the terrain, allowing me to drive straight past the steep curve at the end of the track. The finish line was right there...
I finished in 2nd place. But... I was ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog. He was stuck in 4th. Expected.
I wasn't ecstatic, but I still proved myself better than my shameful copy. One race left. The true victor would be decided. I went through the next warp ring.
The final race wasn't a new track, but rather, it was the previous three tracks combined through the golden warp rings. I would have the opportunity to make up for my shortcomings in the first and third locations in that case.
We took our positions for the final race. I stared at the scoreboard... I was ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog. I had to keep it that way.
"Time to get serious!" I heard him say from the front of the line, as if he was trying to psych himself up.
Don't make me laugh. I pointed to him and told him to not insult me and pretend he wasn't trying in the previous races. He went through all that effort embarrassing himself, telling me to try my best, and he's pretending he's not?
He did hear me, but he did not respond to me. I might have shaken him with the idea that he was about to lose, which was an appropriate response. I refocused myself and stared ahead as I waited for the race to begin. I would do much better on this track now that I experienced it... I could only increase in skill.
Finally, the lights descended a final time.
Beep.
But they were too slow. This was taking too long.
Beep.
I revved my engine and tightened my grip on the steering wheel once more.
Beep.
Come on...
Bong!
As I raced, I realized that being in the middle of the pack would always give me a white wisp. The first lap was more about picking up speed than messing with other racers... though both would be preferable. I took the same shortcut as I did in the first lap, but I had launched into the front very quickly.
The Hedgehog was incredibly close. He was leaned over as if that'd make him go faster. Seems he really did have a change of attitude. Finally. I couldn't keep looking behind, though. I needed to focus on one thing only: going faster.
I launched myself over the neon ramps, let my tricks guide me into boosts and over the next ramps. I was lucky to get another fire tornado, which I kept close. I reached the final stretch of the lap.
I felt a jolt as I went through the next warp ring. I pressed the acceleration as hard as I could. The track took me into the air. I charged and spun through a target, making my graceful landing onto the wooden bridge below.
A red warp ring appeared overhead. I wasn't taking the chance, activating my fire tornado. A dark chao descended from it, snickered at me, and threw items at me that my fire tornado deflected. Could've been worse.
I was hit with a red glove as soon as my tornado ended. That was worse. I suffered an aggravating slow down as I entered the cave. A cluster of us were incredibly close to each other, so I did my best to create some distance with boost pads, but they were using the same movements.
Another red warp ring. A giant weight crushed my vehicle again. I hate that item! I screamed in frustration to myself as I was passed by half of the racers, the only one lagging behind with me was whoever was in 2nd place before. The Hedgehog rocketed ahead of me... Ugh!
"Copy that, Metal!" he boasted as he passed me by. Angry. Angry! Angry!!!
I picked up an item, hoping it would help me recover from--
Another red warp ring?! I was covered in slime as soon as I recovered, causing me to drop the item I just acquired. Where were all of these ridiculous items coming from?! I could barely pick up enough speed, my machine practically limping as I went on the last stretch to the final lap.
I wasn't sure who was ahead of me or who was behind me. I didn't have the time to think about specifics, I just had to get ahead. As soon as I went to the final, marble-like course, I grabbed the item on the first curve.
I heard the ghost exclaim its incoherent blubbering in the distance. At least that meant I wasn't too far behind. I got an orange wisp this time. Using it, it enveloped me and my machine as it took off in drill-like movements. More slime dropped from above, but I was able to deflect it. The drill eventually faded, and I was in the middle of the undersea tunnel.
The next item I grabbed was a combination of three white wisps rather than just the one... I guessed it would speed me up, but I would've preferred another drill. Or maybe I could finally get to use one of those awful ghosts, too... Didn't matter. No creation of Lord Eggman could fail to use the tools at their disposal, so I made due with what I had. I sped forward with two wisps and leapt out into the boat-riding section of the course.
As soon as the second wisp's boost faded, I was about to use another, but I noticed an unusual obstacle floating atop the water.
... No, it was a vehicle. It was Sonic the Hedgehog's, at the far side of the track borders. Why wasn't he in it? Was he cheating and hopped aboard someone else's vehicle mid-race?
...
I stopped at the same track border. Impulse caused me to look down and scan the depths below again.
In the midst of the various aquatic lifeforms fluttering below, I saw a suspicious hedgehog shape over something pink and floating. I knew those vital signs anywhere... Sonic was underwater. I stuck my head beneath the surface to get a better look. He landed on a giant jellyfish surrounded by even more jellyfish, though it was sinking deeper into the water as the others drifted upwards. I could see energy radiating from all of their tendrils, though I didn't sense any on the head where Sonic was. His hands were tightly clasped over his mouth and his eyes were open, but he was struggling to stay conscious.
I lifted my head and looked around. This section of the track wasn't very visible to the crowd; this specific spot had a pillar that blocked the audience's view. Did no one else see him? The last wisp I was holding had stared at me, like it was concerned.
...
I dropped myself into the water. This was the only time I wish I wasn't fast; I was sinking like a boulder. I used my turbine to slow my descent, but it didn't help as much as I liked.
I avoided the jellyfish as much as I could. The amount of energy they emitted made me cautious, but there were so many close by that I didn't have much choice. I tried to balance myself on the same jellyfish that Sonic was on, but I was making it sink further. I let go, but it was drifting to the side. I couldn't maneuver well enough even if I blasted my turbine; we were just too deep underwater.
Sonic weakly reached out for me, some bubbles escaping his mouth. I reached back, but I was sinking faster-- I could have dragged him down. I retracted my hand. But... If I didn't grab him, I would be too far away.
Wait. The wisp. It had followed me down and watched me. I grabbed Sonic's arm, pulling him off the jellyfish. His additional weight was making us sink faster. Fast. Act fast.
I activated the wisp, rocketing myself upwards. I moved Sonic in front of me so that I could better push him to the surFA̶C̵E̶
H̴E̷ ̴A̵S̴C̴E̴N̵D̵E̵D̴
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Ò̷̝V̷̢͊E̵̢͛R̶̦̾L̷͇͌Ô̵͓A̵͉̔D̶̛ͅĔ̸͕D̶͎͊ B̸Y̴ A̶ ̸H̸U̶N̶D̶R̷E̴D̶
Ḟ̶̺O̵͉̿R̷̡͛E̷̟̓I̵̝̔G̷̗͌N̸͎͂ E̸L̶E̵C̴tT̷R̶iI̴IC̷ ̷̗͑ C̸̳͘U̶̺͠R̸̻͂R̸̲͝Ȩ̴̋N̸̰̿T̶̺̈́S̶̨̓
I̸̪̪͘ ̷̞̟͑N̵̥̕E̶̗͐Ȅ̴̦D̸̲͝E̵̞͆Ḍ̶̚ ̷̦͕͠ T̶̲͒Ȍ̶̮̭
Ş̶̧̻̮̑H̷͇̺̚͘̚͜͝U̵̫̘̫̽T̵̠̭̰̅̊ ̶̨͙͓̍ M̵̊͜Ÿ̸̮́yŠ̸ͅȨ̶̃L̴̊LLlf
Shutting down.
...
...
...
Successful reboot.
... My system rebooted? I didn't remember forcing a shutdown. What happened?
I turned on my vision. It was dark, and I could only see a faded image of the ground before me. I couldn't... move. I couldn't even turn my head.
A lot of my motor systems were non-functioning. My core systems, my 'brain', were luckily untouched. I scanned my environment.
Water. It was water. I'm underwater.
Even though my core systems were intact, I had trouble remembering why I was here. How deep was I? Why couldn't I see anything?
...
Was I... experiencing a nightmare? Was that possible?
I didn't think so, but nothing else made sense. I imagined this exact scenario before. My mind was playing cruel tricks on me. I needed to reset my system once more, and then I would actually be awake.
Shutting down.
...
...
Successful reboot. I... I was in the same spot as before. Was I actually... underwater? In the ocean? Was I where no one could see me? Could no one even find me?
Did my... did my locator work? I searched my systems... But because my motor function was busted, I couldn't bring out my signal. I... I couldn't believe it. Perhaps Lord Eggman would--
There was a shape in front of me.
Luckily, I could still scan. Big head with dreads, spiked gloves. The echidna. He almost swam past me, but then he turned his head and saw me. He approached me and grabbed me by the head.
By the head? I have arms!!
I was pulled up with a struggle, and it was only then that I realized I was fully buried in the sand.
That's right. Why didn't I consider the possibility? I didn't account for the sand that constricted my joints and clogged up my turbine. But... But I wouldn't have been able to move anyway; if I overworked my turbine, either everything would turn to glass or I would explode into pieces and have to be put back together. So... It was good I didn't see it earlier. Right. I wasn't actually... panicked. If enough time had passed, I would have considered more options.
The Echidna was the strongest of the Hedgehog's servants, though his strength still managed to surprise me. He effortlessly lifted me as he swam to the water's surface. I tried activating my turbine to better propel us upwards.
He breached the surface first, taking a deep breath. He hoisted me up to my machine while four other hands dragged me fully into it.
I could turn my head again. I saw Knuckles still in the water, floating without any issues, then in the machines beside me were Tails and a far-too-happy Sonic the Hedgehog. Was he here to brag that he won the race? I was already aggravated.
I checked my systems again. After getting dislodged, I regained partial movement. I managed to free my joints further, and eventually, I got all the sand out. I blasted my turbine to get rid of any other foreign substances.
Everything was in the green. I was fully functional and back to normal.
"Thanks, Knuckles," the Hedgehog said, surprisingly not as loud as I was used to. "You feeling alright, Metal?"
I glared at him.
"Yeah, you might not remember what happened. Okay, get some popcorn for this."
I wanted to punch him.
"So, I was first place on this part of the track when I got hit by a bunch of stuff out of nowhere. I lost grip of my steering wheel and turned the wrong way while my eyes were full of slime, and I fell into the water. So much was happening at once that I didn't think anyone saw me. Then you appeared right as I was about to pass out! Honestly, I wasn't sure you'd actually help... But then you jumped into the water and you grabbed my arm. You used a wisp to lift me back to my car... but you got tangled in charged jellyfish tendrils and made a fireworks show of your own underwater."
He shrugged at me and let out a smirk. "I would've been toast if you didn't save me! So... Since you didn't come back up, I went to go find Tails and Knuckles to get you out. Tails found you, while Knuckles proved himself as one of the best swimmers I know!"
"I'm one of the only swimmers you know," Knuckles said back with a brow raised.
Tails turned his head towards Sonic, nearly afraid to even verbalize my presence. This was about typical for him. "Sonic? I get he's a racer and all, but it's Metal. Why not wait for Eggman to come grab him?"
"Doesn't matter!" Sonic replied firmly, his smug smile persisting. "Wouldn't be fair if Metal couldn't finish the race." He glanced back at me.
"Well, I did my part. I'm outta here, guys," mumbled the Echidna as he swam to his own vehicle. He was the first to leave the scene.
... None of this sounded right.
Why would I save him, especially at the detriment to my own systems? I could have bested him if I just left him. Wouldn't that have been an automatic win? I would have to go back into my previous recordings.
"I bet you're wondering why you'd save me, am I right?"
...!
I aggressively gestured with my fist. Surely he could understand I wanted to choke the life out of him.
He laughed, which increased my desire for violence. "Well... I guess you only know the answer to that, huh Metal? Either way... thanks. Aaaaand we're even now, so we can go back to being mortal enemies on the track!"
We were always mortal enemies! Nothing has changed! I revved my engine while glaring him down, then took off to finish the last lap. I heard Sonic cheering as he lunged forward with his vehicle, along with the fox's calls for him to wait up.
After what must have been ages, I finally left the water and drove the last curve that took me to the finish line. Sonic quickly caught up to me. We were head-to-head, the final time. We would see who would finally be victorious!
We passed the finish line, both of us skidding to a stop. I couldn't tell which one of us got there first. None of the other racers were there anymore, but I didn't care.
I stared up at the results screen. 1st place... Egg Pawn?
Impossible.
I didn't see my name until I glanced at the bottom of the list. Beside my name was, in large red text, 'DISQUALIFIED'. Sonic had the same text by his name...
"We gotta rematch, huh?" the Hedgehog joked.
This was ridiculous. They didn't tally our previous points? I was ahead before that whole incident happened, if it even happened the way that insufferable hedgehog described!
"Neither of us showed up at the finish line in a reasonable time, so we quit the race by default. Oh well! There's always next time."
How was Sonic happy about this? I wanted a rematch now! Now! I pointed at him. We were doing another race, and he'd better keep it all in his car or else I had no choice but to assume he was throwing himself into the water purposefully!
"Whoa, settle down, buddy! I wanna race too!" he exclaimed. Angry. "Let's go to the next cup."
He didn't even have to suggest such a thing. I was already going to do it. I was going to race and I was going to win.
I raced many times that day. Half of the races I faced Sonic the Hedgehog in I was victorious, and half of them I failed. I would have to race more to prove my superiority once and for all. The day ended and the stadium closed, but I was not yet ready to meet back up with my Master and the rest of his creations.
I performed a system diagnosis to make sure I was still functioning well despite the earlier incident. All systems were still fully functional, as expected. I took the opportunity to venture back through my automatic recordings.
...
Sonic was... telling the truth.
I saw him sinking underwater and I... chose... to help him. I used the wisp to propel myself upwards with Sonic in tow, but the process got me caught in a bunch of electrified tendrils and I shorted out. The recording turned to static and I couldn't see anything until after I rebooted.
I remembered all the events as I watched them unfold from my own recording. The very last image before my vision failed was of Sonic breaching the surface. I paused the playback of my recording and stared at this image for a while.
I was aware of a hollowness that I could not define or place. There was a singular thought, repeating over and over in my head:
I am not Sonic.
I am not Sonic.
I am not Sonic.
I don't know why I saved him. Lord Eggman did not command me to. I anticipated many strategies, ever since the beginning of my existence, that would lead to me witnessing the hedgehog's death whether or not I directly caused it. It was one of my greatest goals and watching him drown would have counted as a glorious success...
Empty.
I am empty.
I didn't want to think anymore. I deleted the recordings, leaving only my memory, which could not be accessed by anyone other than myself. I returned to Lord Eggman and boarded the shuttle back to our home base.
Lord Eggman mentioned we would be returning to Dodon Pa's racing circuits and he also encouraged me to go on my own if we were in-between missions. The purpose for my attendance was to keep tabs on the other racers and put the fear of the Eggman Empire into them. I looked forward to racing again and similarly spreading that fear, but I had a lot of information to categorize before my next trip.
My Master did not know what happened during the first Grand Prix, and he would never know. Sage could try all she wanted to dig into my files... she would have nothing. The Egg Pawn was present at the race, but...
I HAVE A GOLDEN TROPHY! GLORY TO THE EGGMAN EMPIRE~! GLORY TO THE EGGMAN EMPIRE~!
The Egg Pawn cradled a trophy from the Grand Prix I was a part of while we were all back in the shuttle. That should've been my trophy...
"Yes, yes, now shut up! I'm tired of hearing you say the same thing over and over again!" snapped my Master from the front of the shuttle. We just ascended into the air and were on our way back.
Both Lord Eggman and Sage gathered some data about the technology showcased from the races; there was even a track within our territory that would be open to the public soon, a spectacular convention showing a fraction of my Master's many creations. Though I didn't know how frequently I would be used in future missions, I felt useful getting to race.
I stared out the window again. I saw a nighttime version of the same scenery as when we arrived.
"Hmm... You are portraying uncommon body language for your standard demeanor, Metal Sonic. Is something on your mind?" asked Sage.
I didn't answer.