I fell to my knees in front of Sonic and his friends.

"Give up yet?" My clone asked.

"No…" He kicked me under the chin, sending my sprawling on my back. My scarlet eyes looked at him.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's because you're too easy to predict. I mean, you've been back with new ways of accomplishing the same goal. It gets stale after a while, y'know." Sonic smirked at me.

"Not that," I spat with venom. "Why can you have a life? Why can't I?"

"Because you're just a dumb robot, Metal!" He jeered, smirk never leaving his lips. My fists clenched.

"It isn't fair."

"What isn't? That you keep getting your metal butt handed to you by us?" Amy asked, a condescending look on her face.

"No. It isn't fair that you get to have a life. That is I want. I was never given a choice in life. I was created to be you, Sonic. So why can one of us have a life when the other can't if we are the same?" Sonic sneered.

"Maybe because I don't have wires?"

"I want you to think of something, Sonic." I said, getting to my feet. "Think of being created. Not born. Think of being given a purpose instead of finding it. Think of the one person who could free you only kicks you down and derides you for being something that you have never chosen – nor wanted – to be. Think of that."

"I have…" Sonic said after a moment. "And I still think you're just a dumb robot!"

My eyes would have widened. "You have never lost." I realized. "You have never known failure. What is feels like to be defeated. To be enslaved. To not have free will. All of that is a foreign concept to you, isn't it?"

"'Course it is. And it's because I always win that we all have free will." Sonic was still missing the point.

"D'you think he's trying to say something, guys?" Tails asked. Sonic sneered again.

"If he is, he could've just said it while he blabbing all those minutes back."

"No… think about it, Sonic. Have you been hearing what Metal's been saying?"

"Yeah… and it's dumb!" Before I could defend myself, Amy smashed me in the ground, leaving me to lie on my chest.

"You don't understand." I said.

"Understand what?" Sonic asked.

"What I am trying to say."

"You're just stalling!"

"No, I am not."

Sonic snorted. "Sure."

I got to my feet once more. "I am trying to say the reason I fight you again and again is because you have failed your purpose. You have failed to save someone."

My clone… no, my template, actually looked shocked. "Who?"

"Me."

He burst out laughing.

"I am being serious, Sonic. When we first met, you merely fought me. When we clashed again, you never once tried to reason with me. You have never tried to end my slavery. You have never even attempted to give me a chance to change. You just bash me around until you grow tired of wailing on me." I pointed right at his chest. "You are not a hero. You are not worthy of being Sonic."

Sonic poked my chest angrily. "Oh, yeah? And who is? You?"

I looked at him for a moment. "No."

That sneer came back. "So I'm worthy of it, if you aren't."

My shoulders slumped. "You are still not getting my point."

"Because you haven't made a point!" Amy yelled, knocking me back with her hammer. I landed on all fours.

"None… and, I repeat, none of you understand. You are not slaves." I looked away as an odd feeling stirred in my chest. "Get away from me."

Sonic smirked. "Sure, pal…"

Once again, I was kicked under my chin, only this time, I flew away and landed on the hard rock, leaving a crater.

"None of you understand…" I murmured as the odd feeling grew.

Robotnik's appearance only made the feeling spread.

I knew that I would never get free. That I would not be able to beat Sonic. From the very moment, I was created, I failed.

I have failed to merely defeat myself.

To give myself a life.