Chapter Text
Dr. Eggman stood in front of a spiky, blue robot, hands behind his back as he addressed him. “Now Metal, next time you fight Sonic, I expect you to be able to crush him verbally as much as you do physically. Use that voice I just gave you and cause some damage, alright?”
Still plugged into a power source, the robot nodded.
“Now Metal, use your voice.”
“Yes, doctor.”
“Very good! Once you’re done charging, we can test you out,” Eggman grinned, then turned away. He pressed his fingertips together and muttered, “If Sonic comes out unscathed physically, perhaps we can at least do some emotional damage.”
Then, the ground shook, the building rumbling with a large boom.
“Oh, great, just great,” the doctor seethed, already stalking off in the direction of the noise. “Of course he shows up to cause trouble when you’ve practically got no juice. Hopefully, my guards can hold him off long enough to bring out some big guns…”
And then the doctor was gone, around the corner and down the hall.
Metal went into standby mode, having calculated the best way to charge faster while staying alert enough to deal with his inferior organic nemesis if he came to the room. He was sure that the horrible hedgehog’s voice would be enough to pull him back out of sleep mode purely from the desire to kill that flared through his processors.
What Metal was not aware of was Eggman, one floor up, shouting, “DON’T BREAK THAT! If you do, this place will blow within a few minutes!”, followed by the sound of Sonic spin dashing through a large, glowing cylinder, sending an electrical surge through the whole facility. What Metal was aware of, instantly, was an overwhelming rush of energy, charging his system in a second. The power flooded his processors, his body convulsing with sparks, too many warnings popping up before they all glitched and vanished as Metal was forced into an emergency shutdown.
While his creator managed to escape last second in his egg mobile, Metal was not so lucky as all the overpowered tech blew up in a fiery bloom, the force of it sending the limp robot flying through the air, far, far away from where the now destroyed base had been.
--
> System: Rebooting…
For a moment, all he saw was green and brown before his eyes focused. Trees. Sideways trees, to be more specific. Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position, looking around. He was on the edge of a forest. Where was he? Why was he on the ground? The last thing he remembered was…
Nothing?
That didn’t seem good.
A strange feeling filled him, something unfamiliar, and yet somehow, his brain could define it: panic.
Just as quickly, the feeling vanished, and he was left feeling empty again. Then it returned. It was as though the feeling was flickering within him, dying and returning, over and over. He focused on that strange sensation for a while, before trying once more to get a handle on his current situation. He had to stay calm and figure out what was going on.
He did not know where he was or what had happened. He didn’t even remember his name which was a lot more concerning. He tried again to think, to search his mind, his memory. Finally, he found something.
A fuzzy memory of a small pink hedgehog dusting snow off his head and the distinct feeling of being helped by her.
Help. He needed help.
He didn’t know who she was, but he was certain that if he could find her, she could help him again.
Unsteady, he got to his feet but immediately staggered to the side. Something was wrong with one of his feet, or ankles, or something. He glanced down briefly to see one shiny red shoe twisted to the side and immediately looked away. It looked wrong. It looked painful, actually, and he wondered why it didn’t hurt.
Shock, maybe? His left arm didn’t quite seem right either; it felt heavier than he thought it should, but he was too afraid to look at the damage - whatever injury that might have that kept him from lifting it more than a few inches.
Afraid? Was that right?
Yes, of course he was afraid. What else could one be when they were lost, alone, and injured?
But he couldn’t show that he was afraid. No, he had to be brave - why? Something deep down told him that he couldn’t let others know he was scared, and that he had to remain calm and confident no matter the situation.
Which was silly, since no one was around.
He had found his mission, though. Find the pink hedgehog. With that in mind, he chose a direction and started limping, dragging his foot awkwardly through the grass. It took a while, but eventually, he saw a town. Hope blossomed within him and he tried his best to pick up the pace. His eyes sought out the first person he could find.
“Do you know a pink hedgehog?” he asked, though he immediately felt startled by his voice. He hadn’t thought about what he should sound like, and even now wasn’t positive, but this certainly wasn’t right. While it fluctuated a bit with the question, it was a bit too monotone in general. Flat. Grainy almost.
Wrong.
What also seemed wrong was the way the man immediately screamed and ran.
“Wait!” he cried out after him, trying his best to follow. His shoe dragged noisily along the pavement making a rather annoying sound, and he made a mental note to get a softer pair of shoes once all of this was sorted out. There were more people further in town and every pair of eyes that landed on him widened in fear.
“I need to find a pink hedgehog!” He tried his best to offer a smile and lifted a hand towards a woman, but before he could even raise it to the level of his chest, she was gone, screeching in horror.
He looked behind him, just to make sure there wasn’t anything terrible looming back there.
Nothing.
Were they… afraid of him? Why? What had he done wrong? The lack of memory was scarier than ever now. He had to have done something for people to react like this, though he couldn’t imagine why. He would never hurt anyone! Would he?
All he could do was say a quiet, wilted, “Sorry,” to the now-empty town. Everyone was gone, hiding inside homes and shops. Maybe… maybe it was just this town he had done something to that made everyone afraid. Maybe the next town…
But he didn’t even have a chance. He had only made it to the other side of town when something smacked right into his chest, knocking him to the ground. He sat up to find a blue hedgehog standing in front of him.
“Yeesh,” the other hedgehog said, hands on his hips, head tilting as he examined him. “Did someone get to you before me? This won’t be nearly as much fun when you’re already busted up!”
There was something about this new face that sent a wave of irritation through him. Maybe it was the cocky voice or the smug way he looked at him. Or more likely, it was because this hedgehog had just attacked him out of nowhere. Shakily, he stood, only to be knocked down again.
“Thrusters broken or something?” the hedgehog asked. “Come on, give me a real fight!”
“I don’t want to fight,” he said, once more getting to his feet. Well, he wanted to at least defend himself, but he was in no shape to do so. The hedgehog burst out laughing.
“Good one!”
“I’m serious!” he fought the instincts that told him he should never back away from a fight and did just that - he took a step back, away from the hedgehog, his awkward foot almost tripping him up. “Stop attacking me! I can’t remember who I am, or what happened to me. I-”
“What is this, some new kind of trap?”
Why didn’t he understand? Why wasn’t he listening to him? Was everyone this cruel?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Metal said, a sort of pleading tone in his voice, or the best he could muster with the strange way it sounded. “But I need some help.”
“Help? Ha! What, need help getting back to Eggman?”
“Who is Eggman?”
Was that the pink hedgehog? The name didn’t seem right.
“Okay, this is a pretty bad ploy, even for him,” the blue hedgehog crossed his arms. “When did Eggman give you a voice, anyway?”
“I’ve always had a voice!” he said, feeling annoyed. “Why would I not have one?”
The hedgehog squinted at him. “Okay, now that sounds more convincing. You got a few screws loose or something? Maybe you really do have a memory issue.”
“Just help me,” he said again, feeling more and more pathetic. “I need to find a pink hedgehog.”
That seemed to make the hedgehog bristle. “So you do remember something! What do you want with her?”
“The only thing I remember is that she helped me once. There was snow, and…” he trailed off when he saw the other hedgehog narrow his eyes, clearly confused by his story. “She helped me once, surely she’ll help me again!”
“Yeah, I dunno about that,” the hedgehog muttered. “But you really don’t remember anything else? You don’t know who I am? Don’t remember Eggman?”
He shook his head. “I don’t. And…” He grimaced internally. “I’m sorry if I’ve done something wrong. No one I’ve met so far seems to like me.”
The hedgehog snorted. “Yeah, I’m not surprised. It is super weird to hear you apologize though. You really must be busted up. Lucky for you, I can take you to someone who can patch you up.”
“A doctor?”
“Definitely not,” the hedgehog said with surprising force.
“But I’m…” The word damaged almost came out of his mouth. Malfunctioning? No, hedgehogs couldn’t malfunction. “Injured.”
The hedgehog gave him a long, strange stare. “Yeah, something is definitely wrong with you.”
He figured it would have been obvious with the way his foot was twisted.
“Well, follow me. But just know, if you try anything, you’re a goner.”
He nodded furiously, hurrying to follow, exasperated that this hedgehog would think he’d do something like that. “I wouldn’t!”
The hedgehog just scoffed, turning around to face him as he walked backward.
“What’s your name?” he asked the blue hedgehog.
“Sonic,” he replied, an easy smile slipping onto his face.
“Sonic,” he repeated, trying to figure out if there was any familiarity to it. Though he didn’t recognize it, there was something about the name that felt… comfortable. That felt right, not necessarily for the hedgehog before him - though that too, in a way - but for himself. Which just made him feel more confused. “Er… thanks for the help, Sonic.”
“Yeesh,” Sonic grimaced. “Your manners are giving me chills.”
It wasn’t like he particularly wanted to act well-mannered, especially with the person in front of him. It didn’t quite feel right, but… Well, he didn’t want to be looked at like a monster, either. Best foot forward or something, right?
“Do you know my name?” he asked. The hedgehog was clearly familiar with him.
“Metal,” came the clipped reply.
Metal? That didn’t feel right. It seemed like an odd choice. Maybe it was a nickname?
“Geez,” Sonic muttered after maybe five more seconds of walking, just as they’d left the town. “You’re slow. Are you sure you can’t use your thrusters or something?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied.
Sonic rolled his eyes. “Of course you don’t. I have half a mind to carry you there. This’ll take forever otherwise.” His eyes lit up all of a sudden. “Ah, I’ve got it. You keep going in this direction and I’ll be right back.”
Suddenly, Sonic was gone, a blur of blue streaking off into the distance.
That sent a spark of longing through him. He wanted to go fast like that. He needed to, if only… if only his stupid ankle wasn’t broken. Feeling frustrated and stifled, he kept limping along. A few minutes passed and he heard something thrumming in the sky, getting closer and closer. He lifted his head, searching for the source. There was something in the sky… a plane. It circled around as it got close, then landed. Sonic was on the wing, hopping off with ease. A moment later, a fox hopped out as well. Two tails… that didn’t seem to match up with what he felt foxes normally looked like, but it didn’t strike him as weird but rather neat.
The two murmured together as he slowly continued limping their way.
“And you’re sure it’s not a trick?” the fox was saying.
“Tails, he apologized. I doubt Eggman would put apologizing into anything he programs,” Sonic said. “This could be our chance to get him on our side. Besides, you can do a memory scan, right?”
The fox - Tails - seemed nervous as he glanced towards Metal, tails swishing up and down. “I suppose…”
Once he got close enough to the two, he stopped.
“You’ll help me?” Metal asked Tails.
“I guess so,” the boy mumbled. “Can you get in the plane by yourself?”
He made his way to the side, looking up at it.
“Probably not,” he said, though admitting it made him feel sour. “I can’t jump.”
With sighs and grumbles, Sonic and Tails grappled with his body, trying to hoist him into the plane.
“Geez, you’re heavy!” Sonic said as he was finally dumped unceremoniously into the back seat. Tails hopped up into the front, giving Metal another uneasy glance as he started the engine.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him,” Sonic gave Tails a thumbs up, who nodded. Soon, they were in the air. Metal peered over the side, watching as everything below him shrunk, filling him with a sense of awe.
“The view up here is nice,” he said, and Sonic laughed.
“You can appreciate nature now?” he said over the sound of the air and propellers.
“Anyone with eyes could appreciate this,” Metal shot back, that annoyance from before creeping back into his voice though he kept his eyes trained on the ground below. After a few minutes, they started descending towards a small home of some sort, landing easily on a runway, the tires of the plane bouncing a few times against the pavement before coming to an easy stop.
Sonic jumped down with ease, as did his two-tailed friend. Metal, determined to be independent in this regard, gripped the edge and used the strength in his right arm to hoist himself over. He ended up sort of falling out sideways, hitting the ground with a loud sort of clank. Embarrassment filled him, heat from the emotion warming his body.
While Sonic didn’t even try to hide his laughter, he could tell Tails was at least trying to stifle his. As quickly as he could, Metal got to his feet.
“This way,” Tails said, and he soon found himself in what looked to be more of a workshop than a medical area. Still, he sat on the bench Tails pointed at, looking around at the different projects as he waited. Sonic stood to the side, arms crossed, foot tapping. Metal looked back over as he heard Tails approach, eyes immediately landing on the screwdriver in his hand. Nerves gripped him.
“Why do you have a screwdriver?” he asked, doing his best to keep his voice steady.
“How else am I going to fix you?” Tails asked, face crinkling in confusion.
“Wouldn’t a splint do? Or a cast?” Metal asked. “I’m no doctor, but I think those are usually ways people treat broken bones… right?”
Tails and Sonic shared a look.
“Sonic, would you maybe… grab a mirror?” Tails said, a strange expression on his face. In a flash, Sonic was back with a mirror he had to have hoisted straight off a wall.
“I think you should take a look at yourself,” Tails said, stepping aside so Sonic could bring the mirror in front of Metal.
For just a moment, he thought it was a silly prank, them showing him a picture of a robot. But he distinctly remembered seeing the room around him reflecting on the smooth surface before it was angled at himself.
He stared.
Glowing red eyes fixed in a permanent glare and a muzzle made of nothing more than sleek, silver metal with a sharp, pointed nose. Metallic spines painted blue, though scratched and dented in a few places. He could see the tops of his arms, silver, made of metal like everything else. Slowly, he raised his good arm. Blue plating on his lower arm and yellow on his hand, from which extended very sharp, very deadly-looking fingers. He flexed them.
Metal. Everything was metal.
Even his name was Metal.
He felt sick, horrified by his appearance. No wonder everyone screamed and ran. He looked deadly, he looked horrible. He looked like a monster.
And he wanted to cry. How could he want to cry when it wasn’t even possible? He didn’t even have a mouth or the ability to move his eyebrows to convey the horror he felt.
“I’m a robot?” his voice quivered, almost flickering. Not once, as he stared at himself, he realized absently, had he blinked. He couldn’t blink.
“Always have been, bud,” Sonic said, and for the first time since he’d come across the hedgehog, there was something other than confidence or mockery in his voice. It was softer. Pity, perhaps?
Metal started shaking, hand dropping back to his leg, his arm rattling against it as he trembled.
“Woah there,” Tails raised his hands in his peripheral vision. “Calm down, Metal.”
“I’m a robot,” he said, voice rising several octaves. “Why am I a robot?” Panic started to set in and he finally tore his gaze away from himself shortly before Sonic set the mirror aside. Metal searched the faces of the two in front of him. “I can’t be a robot! I’m a hedgehog! I’m- I’m!”
“Hey, Metal, just breathe-” Sonic said, Tails elbowing him with a glare. “Er, you know, do whatever you do to calm down?”
Suddenly, something popped into the corner of his vision.
> Warning: System overheating!
The pop-up was like another nail in the coffin. He raised his hand to his head, digging his metallic claws against the surface of his head, scraping it downwards, making the other two wince away, ears flattening.
“Tails?” Sonic said, though he somehow sounded farther away as Metal spiraled in his thoughts. “Is there something you can do?”
He had to be real, he couldn’t just be a hunk of metal. How was he thinking? How could he be feeling?
But was he really feeling? His ankle, his foot - it didn’t hurt, it should be hurting. He should be in pain, he should be crying-!
> System: Emergency shutdown activated…
Everything went dark.