The Real Sonic
A Sonic The Hedgehog Fan Fiction
By Myles R. Mixon Jr.
Foreword
Metal Sonic has always been one of my favorite characters in the Sonic series. At first, he was my favorite largely just because he was an awesome killer robot, and I was very much into killer robots at the time. However, he remained my favorite character once I got over that stage, so I decided to put my improved high school/college level reading comprehension skills to use and investigate Metal Sonic as a character. Once I did, I found that he is, in my opinion, actually the deepest character in the entire Sonic franchise, even deeper than Shadow, Silver, or Sonic himself. Through this story, I hope to reveal that Metal Sonic and, in fact, the entire Sonic universe can be much more meaningful than Sega has portrayed it as. The cannon for this story is Sonic The Hedgehog through Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, Sonic CD, Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, Sonic Heroes, and Shadow the Hedgehog. I have also included music suggestions in brackets ex. [music suggestion], and words in italics generally represent unspoken thoughts ex. "Spoken dialogue" Unspoken thoughts. Also, if this story means enough to someone, I would consider it the ultimate honor if anyone were willing to make artwork, animations, or fan games based on my story. As a final note, I suggest that you too take nothing for its surface value but see what truly lies within. Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the original plot of this story; all characters and music are the property of their respective owners.
Part 1: Reactivation
Green Hill Zone: Stage 1: the place where Sonic began his first significant battle against Dr. Robotnik AKA Eggman. It was the first data Robotnik had ever programmed into Metal Sonic. It was the first thing Metal Sonic had ever seen. Green Hill Zone was laid pixel by pixel into his dormant mind. He was assembled and first activated in one of Robotnik's factories, but the simulation of Green Hill Zone was the womb in which Metal Sonic first came alive. He replayed the data of his first sight identically as he had first seen it.
Green Hill Zone was the ideal habitat for a myriad of small animals. The climate was consistently an optimal summer temperature with sunny blue skies and the occasional drifting white cloud for shade. A breeze gently pushed aside the emerald grass and flowers and carried the mist of rivers and waterfalls into the wind. It had not been long since Robotnik's first attack, but the animals still frolicked in the grass, splashed in the rivers, and basked in the sunlight. The rolling hills were intermittently separated by strange, whimsical swirling rock formations. Then, he came into view, a blue blur, kicking up dust behind him, blowing aside the grass, and performing the seemingly impossible task of running around the vertical loops of swirling rocks. The animals cheered as their hero rushed by; they stretched their necks just to glimpse him. Sonic the Hedgehog, only a child at the time, was sprinting headfirst toward Robotnik's mechanical army. His eyes widened in excitement as the wind flowed through his quills. His mouth was agape in a joyful smile as he ran wild and free. He was doing the same thing as all the other animals: he was playing. To him everything that was happening was just a game.
That childish blue hedgehog was the image in which Metal Sonic was built. He was molded in the form of a hedgehog and comprised of lightweight metals. His feet were shaped and painted like Sonic's iconic red shoes. Through his torso was a miniature jet engine capable of propelling him to blinding speeds. His limbs were long and narrow, ending in sharp metal fingertips. His torso and head were a slightly darker blue than Sonic, and his skull curved back smoothly into a shape like Sonic's quills. His wide eyes were only a black screen to cover the internal systems of his optics which glowed red and focused by twisting inward and outward like the lens of a camera. A sensor like a pointed nose jutted from the center of his face, but he had no mouth with which to smile. From the moment his optics first began to glow, he had one purpose, one directive: destroy Sonic the Hedgehog.
"Metal Sonic, are you even listening to me?"
Metal Sonic glanced upward at Eggman. The Doctor had been on one of his characteristic rants about the brilliance of his latest plan. The entire speech was pointless. Metal Sonic was already familiar with the plan, and his identic memory prevented him from having any need to be reminded. Every word was nothing but Eggman spewing narcissistic nonsense.
"GO ON."
Eggman continued his rambling, but Metal Sonic continued to focus on the past. Several months after Shadow had stopped the black alien invasion following the "Heroes Incident," Eggman had rebuilt, reprogrammed, and reactivated Metal Sonic, this time with stricter obedience programming and no speech module. Only after several test missions had Metal Sonic regained the Doctor's trust and his voice with it. Since then, Eggman had behaved as if the "Heroes Incident" had never occurred. His trust was more likely in his own programming abilities than in Metal Sonic himself. They were on the Egg Carrier again, surrounded by the rest of the fleet. Eggman sat on a raised platform in the center of the cockpit, but the ship was on autopilot. Metal Sonic stood below Eggman with his arms crossed as he stared out the massive bubble-shaped window. The sky was a bright midday blue and an occasional drifting cloud passed under or beside the ship. The sunlight glanced off Metal Sonic's deep blue skull and back into the sky.
"This plan is ingenious, isn't it Metal Sonic?"
"YES, DOCTOR." PLAN INGENUITY IRRELEVANT.
Starring out the window, Metal Sonic remembered a day when the sky was a much deeper blue. Storm clouds rolled over the ship, and lightning flashed as Neo Metal Sonic stood atop the highest point of the Egg Carrier and beckoned the Sonic Heroes to him. Eggman cowered below him as Neo Metal Sonic held the entirety of Eggman's army and the data of the Sonic Heroes in his hands. He had gone mad with power, declaring himself the master of all living things, but he was ultimately defeated by Sonic. Metal Sonic remembered the events of that day as well as his intentions: he was going to use his power to morph all organic life into robots and establish himself as their ruler, but no matter how hard Metal Sonic thought, he could not remember why he would want to do such a thing. His directive was to destroy Sonic by any means necessary; world domination had no part in his programming. A major error must have occurred in Metal Sonic's mind; he could find no other explanation.
"OK, Metal Sonic, we're approaching Green Hill Zone. Remember, you need to find Sonic and make sure he doesn't interfere with my plans or get the chaos emerald nearby. Prepare to… Metal Sonic?"
Finding it unnecessary to listen to Eggman any longer, Metal Sonic had already begun to open the airlock. As the wind and clouds blew by ferociously, he noted the speed of the carrier, the exact atmospheric conditions, and the positioning of the battleships. He determined that he could most efficiently reach the search area by jumping from ship to ship and free-falling from the lead ship. He took two steps back, and with a running start, he launched himself into the sun. He fell through the sky, the sound of the wind deafening in his auditory nerves. He turned his optics to the first ship, locked his target, and fired his boosters at full power.
[Metal Sonic Boss Theme- Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 2].
He blasted toward the first ship, leaving contrails behind him and quickly causing a sonic boom. At just the right trajectory, he hit the ship's deck, somewhat alarming the robot crew. He hovered over the deck, decelerating slightly to conserve power and prevent overheating. Reaching the other end, he exploded toward the next ship, tearing through a cloud along the way. He angled his flight path along the ship's side and performed a high-speed wall-run along a rounded projection of the vessel, leaving sparks in the wind behind him. He barrel-rolled off the side and dropped to the next ship just below him. He continued to rocket from ship to ship, until he reached the very front ship and grinded to a halt just at the tip of its nose.
Leaning over the edge, he scanned the geography of the land below him. He could see the entirety of Green Hill Zone with its rolling hills, sparkling rivers, and thundering waterfalls, all closed in by a bowl of mountains. From his altitude, there was no way he could locate Sonic. Already being familiar with topography of the area, he pinpointed the starting point of his patrol route: a mountain near the outer edge with a waterfall that covered the entrance to a cave running through the mountain.
Metal Sonic slid down the side of the ship and pushed off of the most lateral point. He plummeted toward the earth, his arms spread wide as he gently rotated. He noticed a flock of geese in formation as he fell. Dropping to just the right position, he briefly glanced his distorted reflection, like that of a smiling blue hedgehog, before he fired his boosters and burst through the wall of water. He spiraled 360 degrees around the cylindrical walls of the tunnel until it turned straight downwards and spat him out towards a lake hidden within the mountain. He landed hard onto a narrow rock point and quickly scanned his surroundings. Sunlight sprinkled down through multiple holes perforated through the ceiling. Several narrow rock ridges jutted out of the water from one end to the other. Metal Sonic located an exit through a large hole in the ceiling at the other end. He moved toward it.
Metal Sonic hopped along the narrow rock points and grinded on a narrow ridge that dipped below the surface of the water before reemerging a short distance ahead. When he hit the drop-off, he flew over the water, kicking it up behind him. His momentum carried him into the upward slope of the ridge which he grinded up, then hopped along more small footholds. Reaching a point directly under the exit, he launched straight upward back into the sunlight.
He spiraled toward the sky and dived back to the ground. He pulled up slightly along the curve of the mountain until he hit a ramp that shot him through the center of a loop. The sun glared off his blue metal skin. He hit the ground and continued his search at Mach speed, drifting around corners, sliding through narrow openings, and kicking up dust behind him. Metal Sonic then considered that Sonic could be in the air. Sonic and Tails were likely in the Tornado, pursuing Eggman's fleet. Metal Sonic located a tall, thin hill across a lake and redirected himself toward it. He entered full speed as he crossed the bridge over the lake. The sonic boom he created shattered the wooden planks as he crossed them. Many surprised fish were also briefly launched out of the water. Metal Sonic left a spiraling dust trail around the hill and landed precisely on top.
He scanned the horizon, zooming in and out and quickly shifting his focus as if he were flipping through a set of surveillance cameras. Still finding nothing, he blinked off his optics and stood completely still, placing all attention on his auditory receptors. After a few moments, Metal Sonic picked up the faint buzz of a propeller in the distance. He quickly reactivated his optics and snapped his head in the exact direction of the sound. He saw only a miniscule dot at first, but after magnifying the image several times, he discerned the silhouette of Sonic on the top wing.
"TARGET AQUIRED." Hello, Sonic; I'm back.
His eyes locked firmly to his target, Metal Sonic rushed through the air to an intercept point. He tensed his artificial muscles as he braced for a long awaited impact. His trajectory was perfectly aligned to Sonic's flight path. Metal Sonic stretched out his needlelike claws and locked them in place. He overcharged his power core and spun like a drill. He closed in for the kill. Sonic's eyes turned in shock. Metal Sonic's claws were within inches of Sonic's torso.
Sonic jumped and rolled over the attack, narrowly avoiding Metal Sonic's claws. Metal Sonic stopped rotating as he passed under Sonic; first his head locked in place facing Sonic, second his torso stopped, followed by his waist and legs. He spread his arms and legs and fired his engine to stop himself. As he recognized Metal Sonic, Sonic's surprised reaction quickly shifted to the arrogant smirk he so often wore. Metal Sonic's eyes ignited with fury, reflecting off his rigid brow. Reacting nearly instantly, Sonic executed a homing attack. Metal Sonic quickly guarded himself with the black shield, deflecting the attack. After using his drill attack and the black shield back to back, Metal Sonic needed a brief moment to recover. As he cooled his systems, Metal Sonic formulated a new strategy.
Tails maneuvered the Tornado under Sonic and caught him. Though Metal Sonic and Sonic possessed near equal speed, Sonic could not maintain his speed without traction; Metal Sonic had an advantage in the air. If Metal Sonic could knock him off the Tornado and destroy it, Sonic would surely fall to his death.
"So, decided to take me up on that rematch, did ya?" Sonic said sarcastically.
"AFFIRMATIVE." Metal Sonic answered as he landed on the wing, though he knew the question was rhetorical.
"Alright! Time for round 2!"
"ROUND 3," Metal Sonic thought, remembering Stardust Speedway.
[Stardust Speedway Bad Future AM- Sonic CD].
Sonic raised his hands in fighting position and lightly bounced on his feet. Metal Sonic did not move. Sonic quickly faked with his right hand and jabbed with his left. Metal Sonic caught the fist in his hand. Sonic kicked toward Metal's shin. Metal stepped back from the kick. Sonic began a round kick with his other leg. Metal stepped forward and pulled Sonic back, reversing their positions. Having Sonic slightly off balance, Metal began his own attack. He performed several quick jabs and kicks, all of which Sonic narrowly dodged. Metal Sonic did not necessarily care if his attacks landed; he only needed to push Sonic to the edge of the wing, a task in which he was succeeding. Metal heavily swung his claws at Sonic a few times. One swipe just scratched Sonic's cheek. Seeing an opening, Sonic quickly countered with a hard punch straight to Metal's face. Metal Sonic staggered back a step. Keeping up his momentum, Sonic rapidly unleashed a flurry of blows. Instead of dodging, Metal Sonic blocked as many swings as he could, outright taking the full force of several of them. Sonic began to get cocky, as Metal suspected he would. Metal's choice to hold his ground began to pay off. As Sonic's attacks settled into a pattern, Metal deflected a punch and grabbed Sonic by the shoulders. He then put all his weight into a crushing head-butt. As his hard exoskeleton collided with Sonic's head, Metal Sonic knew he had landed the blow he needed. He followed up with a hard punch to Sonic's gut. As Sonic bent forward from the force of the blow, his head met with Metal Sonic's rising knee. Giving Sonic no chance to recover, Metal Sonic pushed him to the edge with a front kick, and as Sonic teetered on the tip of the wing, Metal Sonic knocked him completely off with a roundhouse kick.
"Sonic!" Tails cried.
Metal Sonic shifted his gaze to Tails, and their eyes met.
"Hey, get off my plane!" Tails said.
Tails rotated the Tornado in several rapid barrel rolls to throw Metal off. Metal Sonic lowered his center of gravity and sunk his claws deeply into the wing, overcoming the centrifugal force. Thoroughly dizzied, Tails stabilized the aircraft. Metal hopped off the wing onto the cockpit. He ripped off Tail's harness and chunked him out of the plane. Metal Sonic then dived off of the unmanned plane and hovered in the air. He locked his target, charged his core laser, and fired the beam directly through the fuel tank, completely obliterating the Tornado. He looked back and saw Tails floating toward the ground, using his twin tails as rotor blades. Tails was heading to where Sonic had fallen, in a lake. Metal Sonic had kept track of Sonic the entire time, and his eyes burned intensely when he saw Sonic still alive. As he let out a metallic growl, Metal Sonic heard the static of his internal radio.
"Excellent work, Metal Sonic!" Eggman shouted. "Without the Tornado, they won't be catching up to us anytime soon. Return to the Egg Carrier, and we can start preparations for stage 2 of …"
"NEGATIVE."
"What?"
"MISSION INCOMPLETE, SONIC STILL LIVES."
"This is not part of the plan, Metal Sonic! You'll get your chance at Sonic later, but doing it now would jeopardize the entire operation! Now do as I say, and get back here right this in-*static*"
"INTERNAL RADIO DISABLED, RESUMING MISSION."
Like a hawk, Metal Sonic eyed his target. Tails was lifting Sonic out the lake.
"SONIC DIES TODAY!"
Metal Sonic rocketed toward Sonic and Tails. Tails would continue to be a nuisance; no one could be allowed to stand between Metal Sonic and his target.
"SECONDARY TARGET LOCKED."
At full speed, Metal Sonic bashed Tails with a homing attack. Tails hit the ground hard and bounced. Still dazed, Sonic watched helplessly. Metal Sonic slid under Tails and kicked him into the air. He hit Tails even higher with a corkscrew uppercut and continued the combo with a barrage of punches and kicks as Tails fell, ending the barrage by nailing Tails to the ground with a spinning heel drop. Tails then made the critical error of trying to get back up.
"Tails, no!" Sonic cried.
"STAY DOWN!"
Metal Sonic rose into the air and dropped back down with a devastating power stomp, utterly crushing Tails. Tails could not have moved if he were still conscious.
"SECONDARY TARGET NEUTRALIZED."
"Stop!" Sonic screamed. "Leave my friend alone!"
Sonic was moving slowly, an indication that Metal had seriously hurt him already.
"If it's me you want, then come get me! 'Cause we both know I'm not gonna sit here while you hurt my friends!"
"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED."
[Boss 5 (Sonic vs. Shadow 2) For True Story- Everett Bradley-Sonic Adventure 2]
Sonic and Metal Sonic both began to rev up spin dashes like tires doing burnouts. They shot toward each other like bullets, briefly ricocheted off each other, and collided once more, grinding against each other like buzz saws. They bounced back again, having run out of momentum. Back on their feet, they charged at each other again. Their foreheads crashed together and their eyes locked. Sonic began to push Metal back. Sonic's smirk began to rise up his face again. Metal Sonic's eyes twisted inward and glowed hotly; they were the only part of his face expressive enough to attempt to show his frustration.
"ENGAGE OVERDRIVE."
A massive surge of energy pulsed through Metal Sonic, enveloping him in a pinkish aura. As soon as he engaged the overdrive, Metal began to overwhelm Sonic. He pushed Sonic back, got underneath him, and hit him into the air with a jumping attack. Metal smacked him back to the ground with a homing attack and used his momentum to immediately begin a spin dash as he touched the ground; he smashed into Sonic like a cannonball. Metal Sonic grinded to a halt as Sonic skidded along the ground. Sparking, Metal Sonic dropped to one knee and clutched his stomach. He was massively overheated from using the overdrive; he could not stand back up.
Sonic, beaten and scratched, did not hesitate to bounce back to his feet. He rushed Metal Sonic and bashed into him at full speed. As Metal Sonic stood up, he saw Sonic drifting to make a U-turn for another attack. Metal Sonic readied himself. As Sonic drew near, Metal Sonic jumped. Expecting that Metal would dodge by jumping, Sonic used a jump attack as well. The collision knocked Metal Sonic back, but he maintained his poise, turned around, and rapidly accelerated, forcing Sonic to chase him. Metal partially charged his core laser and fired it while turning to face Sonic. Sonic narrowly side-stepped the beam and hit Metal Sonic with a quick homing attack. Metal Sonic landed on his hands and pushed back off the grass to maintain his momentum.
They approached a large loop. As Sonic climbed the slope, Metal Sonic flew to the center. When Sonic reached the highest point of the loop, he launched down toward Metal. They clashed and stayed suspended in the air for a moment. Metal Sonic could see that Sonic's eyes were more serious than usual.
"He's starting to feel the pressure," Metal Sonic thought.
They clashed together with homing attacks over and over, creating an apparent lightning storm of flashing light and dark blue. They clashed in the center of the loop, around both sides, and over the top. They finally relented for a brief second and landed on top of the loop. They charged at each other again and locked arms in a wrestling position. Metal Sonic released a strong charge of electricity throughout his body, electrocuting Sonic. Metal then took a step back and fired his core laser at a low charge, blowing Sonic off the loop. The fall itself would have finished the average person, but Sonic was extremely resilient. Metal Sonic dived backwards off the loop and went the full vertical 360 of the loop at blinding speed. Just before Sonic touched the ground, Metal Sonic crashed into him like a missile. Completing his punch, Metal launched Sonic into the distance. A dust cloud arose where Sonic skidded along the ground. Metal Sonic marched toward it. Sonic emerged from the settling dust cloud. He walked shakily over the lightly blood stained grass. He was clearly hurting.
"YOUR CONTINUED RESISTANCE IS ILLOGICAL; IT WILL ONLY PROLONG YOUR SUFFERING."
"So what? I'm not gonna give up just 'cause I'm in pain, because, unlike you, when I hurt, it just lets me know I'm still alive!" Sonic replied, smiling widely even as blood dripped from his busted lip.
Metal Sonic's face remained cold, rigid, and expressionless.
"THAT WILL CHANGE SOON."
Metal charged at Sonic and readied his claw to slash him.
"That's enough, Metal Sonic!" Eggman's voice suddenly blared.
A giant robotic hand grabbed Metal Sonic from behind. A large flying mech with Eggman's face projected on a screen clutched Metal Sonic. He pushed desperately against the hand restraining him. Just as the hand began to budge, it electrocuted Metal Sonic, immobilizing him. Eggman proceeded to banter with Sonic and mostly ignore Metal Sonic.
"Hello again, Sonic," Eggman said condescendingly.
"Well, if it isn't Eggman. I should've known you would come to crash the party."
"The only person who's going to be partying is me once I take over the world and build Eggmanland! In fact, I think I'll include a dance club just to celebrate my victory over you!"
"Oh, man! Now I really have to stop you; you taking over the world and dancing is something I don't even want to think about," Sonic retorted sarcastically.
"Why you obnoxious little rodent, my plan is perfect this time; you don't stand a chance!"
With great annoyance, Metal Sonic listened to their foolish banter. He began to question how such sworn enemies could argue like children. Slowly, Metal Sonic began to realize that the relationship between Sonic and Eggman was not as he had thought. They were not so much enemies as they were rivals. In fact, in some strange way, they had become friends, only with opposing views. As that epiphany crossed his mind, another realization struck him, a realization that greatly disturbed him.
"Eggman isn't willing to kill Sonic."
Suddenly, everything seemed wrong. Eggman, the very man who had given Metal Sonic the directive to destroy Sonic, was willfully preventing Metal Sonic from doing so. Many of the idiotic mistakes Eggman had made in the past may have been intentional. Metal Sonic felt that he was caught in a conspiracy to keep him from accomplishing the very purpose for which he was created. All his life, Metal Sonic had had a sense of unfairness that was now stronger than ever. The validity of his very existence came into question once again. As the world spiraled around him, Metal Sonic knew that he had to make things right, and he knew only one way to give his existence purpose.
"I WILL DESTROY YOU SONIC! NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES, I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
Eggman's mech squeezed Metal Sonic harder.
"If you'll excuse us Sonic, Metal Sonic and I are going to have a talk."
The mech took off back toward the fleet.
"OK then. See ya later, terminator!" Sonic taunted.
Metal Sonic briefly glanced at Eggman's picture on the screen then bashed his head against the mech's knuckle. When they reached the carrier, Eggman had the mech throw Metal Sonic in a cell. Eggman stood by the door and scolded Metal Sonic.
"We need to get something straight right now: I am in charge here! And you will follow my plan and my orders! Is that understood Metal Sonic?"
Metal Sonic did not respond.
"Metal Sonic, don't make me reprogram you again!"
"YES, DOCTOR."
"Good, now stay in here and think about what you've done."
Eggman slammed the door and walked away. Metal Sonic turned and faced the iron wall. Involuntarily, he punched the wall hard enough to break a hand of flesh and bone. Surprised, he turned around and leaned against the wall. Looking at the floor, he crossed his arms, and, slowly, he began to tap his foot. In the sterile lighting of the room, the wall vaguely reflected against Metal Sonic's back the image of a childish blue hedgehog trapped in an expressionless metal prison.
Clank… clank… clank… clank…
To be continued…
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