Metal Sonic was flying through Leaf Forest at the speed of sound. He had come there, for the third time, in an effort to master it. Becoming an expert at going through the places that Sonic had in his adventures would bring himself closer to being more than just an inferior version of Sonic. In order for him to validate his existence, he had to surpass the one he was based on, or at the very least, be equal to him, and going through places like Leaf Forest to get better at them was one of the many things he did as a response to that nagging and obsessive worry that he was inferior to Sonic and worthless because of it, a bad imitation of him and nothing more. It was practically a compulsion at this point, with him spending hours every day training to get better than Sonic after sneaking out of the base, finding out from Orbot what Eggman's schedule was in order to get away with it without being noticed. He never felt all that satisfied after learning and practicing a skill of Sonic's, being so much of a perfectionist that he always focused on the mistakes and flaws instead of the improvements, and the fact that he had no way of knowing how good he was compared to Sonic didn't help. But he did it anyways. For the past three years he had been around, it was a daily thing.
After reaching the end of Leaf Forest's second half again, Metal Sonic stopped on a dime, and started checking what time he had for it. He visualized the Check Counter icon in the bottom field of his vision and it being clicked, and looked at his right wrist as if he was looking at a watch on it, causing the light green image of the numbers 0:28:04 to appear on the wrist from his perspective. But instead of being proud, he scoffed, and muttered, " Not again. Why can't I beat my record? I bet Sonic did it faster than this… " He visualized a Back icon and mentally clicked it, clearing his field of vision of the icons and numbers and returning it to its default state, returning to seeing the world the same way Sonic did - well, literally speaking, at least. Obviously his worldview was very different.
He started flying to the southeast on his way to Hot Crater to practice it, certain that he wouldn't be able to beat his record there, either. But on the way there, he was distracted from his task by a shocking sight. He saw Tails lying on the ground unconscious. " Tails?! " he thought upon spotting him out of the corner of his eye. Alarmed and confused, he changed his direction and rushed to his side, and stopped on a dime beside him, wondering what had happened to him. The child was lying on his side passed out, with a sad look on his face. " He doesn't seem to have any injuries… " the robot thought. After a second of hesitation from worrying that it would wake him up, Metal Sonic turned him over on his back with both hands. Again, he failed to see any injuries.
Suddenly, he got an idea. " Does he have a virus? " he wondered. He kneeled down beside him and carefully placed the yellow palm of his metallic hand sideways on Tails' forehead, barely putting any pressure on it. It felt unusually warm. He visualized the Check Temperature icon on the bottom of his field of vision, mentally clicked it, and three icons popped up to him; Left Hand, Both, and Right Hand. He chose the first option, and when Celsius and Fahrenheit appeared as options, he chose the second. The light green image of 100 degrees Fahrenheit soon appeared on his hand from his perspective, and he was filled with concern. From what he had read, that was far too high of a temperature for someone like Tails to have. He discovered that Tails' head had an usually high temperature, which was particularly confusing because the rest of his body was cold.
Feeling embarrassed of his concern, he sighed. He knew that feeling pity for Tails, or for anyone for that matter, was undignified of Eggman's most powerful robot, but he couldn't help it. After all, his creator based him off Sonic, using Sonic's data and a machine that automatically converted it into a mechanical form. Programming Metal Sonic was more of a matter of deciding what parts of Sonic's mind in mechanical form he would erase and alter and adding his own little changes here and there. As a result, from the simple fact that his CPU had Sonic's brain as a basis, he possessed empathy just like Sonic did, and as humiliated and uncomfortable as he was to have it, he had it. And that meant that he couldn't help but feel sorry for Tails, a six-year-old child who hadn't really done anything wrong, even if he was the closest friend of Sonic.
While Tails was the best friend of his sworn enemy, he still never really hated him. Tails didn't do much to upset him, and he didn't irritate him like Sonic did with his taunting and attacks. Even though he did help Sonic fight him in one adventure, he didn't actually remember it because of the memory damage caused by being electrocuted afterwards, and that combined with Tails not being the one he was based on, meant that Metal Sonic never truly registered him as an enemy. Tails' intelligence and technological skill rivalled that of Eggman's, which was very impressive, and unlike Sonic, Tails was a kind and polite person who didn't have a big ego. He was just a sweet and innocent kid who did nothing to deserve death or injury. If he left him here, Metal Sonic knew that he might get even more ill with no one taking care of him, and there was a strong possibility that no one would find him in time. He didn't want that to happen. He didn't want the world to be rid of his genius, and he didn't think he deserved such a fate. So he had to get him home. Even though he would never be shown any appreciation for what he did, he knew he would never forgive himself if he didn't do it. He already had enough to worry about without adding guilt to the mix.
With a weary sigh, Metal Sonic lifted Tails up and carried him in his arms as he flew at the speed of sound with his jet engine, with one of his arms holding him up by the back of the knees while the other supported his back and head. He flew all the way from South Island to the Mystic Ruins nearby, and it wasn't that long of a flight. He was moving at the speed of sound, after all.
Soon, Metal Sonic made it to Sonic and Tails' currently empty house and brought Tails into the bedroom, finding it convenient that he could go in through the window because he had left it open. He carefully laid Tails down in his bed and covered him over with the blankets to try to warm him up. Throughout all of that, Tails didn't respond to anything happening around him. He hadn't even stirred. Now, he was in a deep sleep in his bed, unaware of who had helped him.
Metal Sonic flew into the washroom in a blue blur, found a cold compress in the cupboard, and brought it into Tails' bedroom. He carefully placed the cold compress on the child's forehead, cooling him down, and smiled a little at his good deed before stopping out of worry and embarrassment.
He examined the child for a while. Even though he was hardly known for his compassion, having a reputation as a stoic badass who didn't care about much of anything and didn't have strong emotional reactions other than anger, he still felt worried and nervous about seeing Tails in such a condition, and felt like it made him weak, unable to resist the temptation to feel sorry for him. After all, Eggman's robots were always told that being able to suppress compassion and sympathy made you strong, and were taught to value strength, with combat robots looking down on weaker robots like Orbot and Cubot. Still, Metal Sonic couldn't help but feel happiness, being proud of himself for helping Tails and proving that he was more than just a killing machine like Sonic thought, even if the one he proved it to would never know about it. He couldn't help but feel what could be described as a paternal instinct towards the child, feeling even more sympathy for him from the sheer fact that he was a child, and gently stroked his hair for a second, instinctively, the same way that Sonic would when comforting his little brother. It didn't feel strange to do at all; it just came naturally to him.
It took Metal Sonic a few seconds to actually register what he had done, and when he did, he was embarrassed and confused. He crossed his arms and looked annoyed with himself, with his eyes darting around everywhere in embarrassment as he thought, " Why did I do that? Why did I want to do that? It was completely unnecessary! Ugh, here I am, a logical-minded robot, and I'm doing things purely because of my emotions. At least none of the other robots will find out about this… Although I suppose it did feel rather nice… N-Not that I liked it or anything. "
He supposed it was having Sonic's mind as a foundation for his that caused him to do that, as Eggman would never intentionally program it into him. It must have been something he left in on purpose for the sake of making him as similar to Sonic as possible. After all, Eggman always had a tendency to make inventions and robots based on concepts take those concepts to its logical conclusion, even if it makes no sense and could inconvenience him, simply because it would be cool. He made him so similar to Sonic because he wanted to be proud in the knowledge that he built a robot Sonic, and for him to be a robot Sonic, he had to have a lot more in common with him than just being a machine in the shape of a Mobian hedgehog with his abilities, like those mindless Silver Sonic's were. So Eggman made his advanced, sentient mind the way he did not just to have a robot intelligent enough to carry out missions that robots without free will couldn't, but also because it wouldn't be a robot Sonic without a mind similar to Sonic's. In fact, when he was first built, he was practically an exact clone of Sonic's, with the only difference in his personality being that he was programmed to not have a moral problem with working for Eggman, with a guilt repressor in him that repressed any guilt over following his orders, and to not be nearly as focused on ethics and what's right and wrong. It was the experiences of his life that made the way he became, eventually becoming the exact opposite of Sonic. Well, for the most part anyway, as even he acknowledged that his morality was more neutral than evil, with him being bitterly cynical, focused on his own matters, and heavy-handed against his enemies.
He was distracted from his train of thought when he was startled by a vibrating sound coming from inside a nearby cabinet to the left of Tails' bed. Tails still didn't stir; he was fast asleep. Curious, Metal Sonic slowly and carefully opened the cabinet, and discovered that the noise came from a black cell phone after Sonic had sent Tails a text message. " A text message! Perfect! That's how I'll contact him, " Metal Sonic thought with a satisfied smile. He knew that if anyone should be taking care of Tails, it's the person who has responsibility over him, and he needed a way to contact him anonymously. A phone call would give him away, not because his voice sounded robotic, although he could fabricate such a voice, but because it sounded suspiciously similar to Sonic's, being only different because it was of a lower pitch. A phone call could give him away, but a text message would be perfect. After a few seconds of calculating the risk, Metal Sonic picked up the phone, studying the buttons to try to determine how to use it and then reading what was on the screen. Sonic had texted,
" Hey, little bro! Want me to bring you home some pizza today? " Metal Sonic rolled his eyes, thinking in annoyance, " Hmph. Juvenile hedgehog, " quietly left the room and closed the door behind him, and got to work typing what Sonic would find to be a daunting message.
" Tails has a 100-degree fever. I had to carry him to his bed. This is no time to be thinking about pizza! The child needs you to come home! If you care about him, you'll return to your area of residence and assist him. " Metal Sonic texted. He had some difficulty doing so because he had never texted before, but he quickly learned what the buttons did and sent the message. If his claws weren't retractable so that he could have regular fingers, he would've had a much harder time typing it out, but thankfully, Eggman wasn't foolish enough to build a robot Sonic that would have trouble doing basic mundane tasks. Metal Sonic was enough of a perfectionist to make sure his message had perfect spelling, grammar and punctuation before sending it. As he anticipated from the fastest thing alive, he got texted back in less than a minute.
" That's terrible! I'll be home right away! Wait, who are you, exactly? Knuckles? Your message seems a little too articulate for that. " Metal Sonic rolled his eyes at Sonic's message, thinking in response, " Sonic really needs to get his priorities straight. "
" It doesn't matter who I am. Stop texting and go home to help him. You'll be grateful you did, " he texted, knowing that if he had falsely claimed to be Knuckles, then Knuckles would've just told Sonic later that he didn't do any of that.
" Okay, you're right. I'll come home as fast as I can! I don't know who you are, but, thank you. " That was Sonic's reply. For the first time in his life, Sonic had thanked him for something. Coming from just any enemy of his, Metal Sonic would've just been annoyed by it, and even ashamed. But coming from the person he was based on, who he valued the opinion of more than anyone else because he knew better than anyone what a good or bad imitation of him would be, meant a lot to him. He smiled at reading that. It was a sad smile, rather than a completely happy one, because he was certain that he would never get the approval of someone he respected so much ever again. Getting thanked by Sonic and shown approval from him was something that he only dreamed of, and now, it was happening for real, and it would never happen again. But the satisfaction of him accomplishing something meaningful and saving Tails' life, having a positive impact on the world, was more than enough to keep him smiling as he returned the cell phone to Tails' room, left the house, and flew out of it at the speed of sound. He may have been a softie at heart, and part of him was ashamed of it, but there was still a part of him that was proud that he wasn't as evil as everyone thought he was, that he still had his own values and principles and loved ones, even if he was reluctant to admit it.
Tails moaned. With his head feeling unusually warm and only being cooled down by a cold compress on his forehead, and the rest of his body cold underneath the warm blankets, he slowly regained consciousness after over an hour of being in a deep sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing a bright image that went from fuzzy and blurry to clear as his eyes adjusted to the light, and he became aware of his new surroundings. He was lying in his bed underneath the blankets, and Sonic was at his bedside, taking care of him. He said kindly, " Did you have a good sleep, little buddy? " with a warm and loving smile, but with eyes full of concern. Tails had just woken up and had a fever, so his mind was slightly sluggish, taking longer than usual to interpret the words being said to him and put together a response.
" Yeah, I think so. What happened? How did I get here? " Tails asked sleepily. Sonic placed his hand on his head and caressed it while explaining, " You came down with a fever. You passed out. It's been about an hour. " Tails smiled in content with his eyes closed from his big brother's kind gesture; it was very soothing being reminded that someone cared. Sonic told him, with his usual undying positivity,
" Your temperature's not as bad as it was at first! You're definitely getting better! It'll just be a few days before you're back to normal! Then, we'll go snowboarding to celebrate! " Tails giggled, and said with a radiant smile, " Thanks, Sonic. Thanks for carrying me home and taking care of me. You're the best big brother ever! "
Sonic smiled nervously at him. Tails assumed the nervousness was just from his concern for him, but Sonic knew that he was feeling guilty about taking the credit of bringing Tails home from whoever had done so. But he couldn't tell him the truth. What would he say? That a total stranger had carried him home? Why would he be okay with that? Beneath that smile of his, Sonic felt like a failure. As Tails' caregiver, taking him home when he's passed out ill was his responsibility, and yet somebody else did it instead. " You're welcome, " he said, and Tails closed his eyes to go back to sleep.
He wondered who could've helped Tails. It must have been someone who knew where Tails lived; of course, since Sonic's fame meant that everybody on the face of the earth knew he lived in the Mystic Ruins, this clue told him nothing. All he had to go off of was what was said to him in the text message. It was clearly someone who disliked the hero of the world, finding him irresponsible with skewed priorities. Whoever it was, wasn't very patient with him, wanting the conversation to be as short and concise as possible. It was someone intelligent and logical, for sure, considering how articulate the message was, with perfect spelling, grammar and punctuation, and writing that conveyed a formal tone with a large vocabulary that was surprisingly sarcastic and resentful, in a manner that implied it was coming from a teenager. It was also someone who didn't want people to know that he was helping Tails. Sonic sighed. The closest match he could think of was Eggman, but even if he did decide to help Tails instead of kidnap him, the writing in his message would've been completely different, being full of emotion instead of being coldly logical and formal, and certainly not saying that it didn't matter who he was, coming off as humble as a result. He was unable to figure out who could've helped Tails, and he was certain that he never would. But he ultimately concluded that it didn't matter. It didn't matter who had helped Tails, all that mattered was that now, he was safe.