This is my first time writing any kind of fanfiction and English is not my first language. So, please, tell me if I messed up anything or if i made any kind of grammar mistakes. I hope y'all like it. :)
Btw this story was heavily inspired by "A Broken Enemy Needs a Friend" made by Fortune Spirit (especially the first chapter). Y'all should definitely check it out. It's really good.

He stood motionless, unsure whether to approach the shattered robot or keep going. It would have been different if they had just been fighting. Eventually, Eggman would show up and recover what was still there, so he was rebuilt to fight another day. That's how it had always been, but not this time. He was still there, still lying in his own grease. It would be a genuinely horrifying sight to see him if he was alive.

But to Sonic, he still was, anyway.

Of course, they fought, and Sonic always won. But Metal would always come back like nothing had ever happened. Heck! He didn't even know if he was still online. Although no one realised Metal had feelings and thoughts- He could feel annoyed, upset, angry, and, Sonic hoped, even feel happy.

Sonic knew this since their first battle. They'd always had this strange mental connection that allowed them to know each other's thoughts, feelings, and even what made Sonic able to hear Metal speak. At first, he didn't realise no one besides him could hear Metal speak. This led to some awkward moments when Sonic responded to some sarcastic comments Metal made, and Knuckles and Tails looked at Sonic, confused. Then Sonic understood he was the only one who could understand his metal counterpart.

As Sonic got closer to Metal, he noticed he was online, barely, but still online. Then Sonic decided to ask Metal.

"…Eggman…he didn't come back?" Sonic didn't even need a response when his mind "flashed" with the arising thoughts of anger inside Metal. "Why not?"

"…I failed". Metal answered, retaining the same feelings of anger, however, with a new mixture of sadness and betrayal. Sonic knew Metal considered Eggman as some kind of father figure in his life. Metal tried to hide it, but being able to know Metal's thoughts made it straight-up impossible. Eggman was never coming back. After so many defeats, he deemed Metal useless and didn't even care about Metal's personal well-being. Sonic didn't like this, especially as it made Metal feel hopeless.

"I'm so sorry, Metal. I promise we'll fix you up".

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tails asked. Tails was Sonic's brother, well, adoptive brother. They lived together in the same house.

"Buddy, just trust me", Sonic answered.

"Sonic, I trust you…but Metal has tried to kill us many times! I could, at least, try to change Metal's programming to make him more friendly".

"No".

"Huh?" Tails said with visible confusion. Tails didn't know and understand that Metal was sentient. In fact, the only one who knew, besides Eggman, was Sonic.

"Tails…I just know he won't attack…please?" Sonic begged. Sonic never begged for anything. Tails then knew he was serious about this and wouldn't back down. Besides, the look in his eyes made it practically impossible for Tails to say no.

"Ok, Sonic… I´ll fix him without changing his programming". Tails said, not totally convinced this was a good idea but trusting his brother's judgement for now.

Sonic then decided to finish the run that was interrupted by Metal. Generally, when doing these kinds of runs, he could get his mind off things. But he still couldn´t shake, at the back of his mind, the possibility of Tails changing Metal's programming. It wasn't that he didn't trust his brother, but Sonic knew Tails was very hesitant and apprehensive about this. But Metal deserved a second chance. His actions were always influenced by Eggman. 'Metal deserves to make his own decisions', Sonic thought without any influence.

While thinking about all this, he almost missed Amy, who was calling him. Talking with Amy helped Sonic stop worrying about Metal for a while. Sonic would never admit this, but he actually liked Amy. He'd refused her dating proposals because he believed they were too young. Heck, he wasn't even 18 yet, much less Amy. Besides, he's a hero, for chaos' sake! They still had loads of time!

Eventually, Amy had to go, and Sonic's thoughts started spiralling back to Metal. Because of this, and since he'd left the house hours ago, he decided to go see Metal.

Sonic slowed to a stop just before he collided with a wall. 'Maybe everything's fine, and Tails hasn't changed his mind'. Sonic really hoped that was the case. He went to his brother´s workshop, where he was fixing Metal.

"Hey, buddy!" Sonic called, rushing over to ruffle his brother's fur. Tails giggled, fixing his fur. He sent Sonic a playful glare before turning to look back at Metal. Metal was on a table nearby Tails' gadgets and the mess that was Tails' workshop. The workshop was always very disorganised. Not that Sonic really cared. He wasn't exactly the most organised Mobian himself, and it was Tails' place, after all. Tails was working on one of Metal's arm joints, and some wires were sticking out.

"Hey, Sonic! Have you done anything interesting today?" Tails asked.

"Nothing special, just the usual", Sonic answered. He wanted to broach Metal's condition, hoping Tails hadn´t changed his programming. "How's Metal coming along?"

"I've fixed most of him already. He´ll be ready in 30 minutes or, at most, an hour. But…" He paused, looking as if he wanted to say something else, but was unsure if he should.

"What's up?" Sonic asked, with a worried expression growing on his face.

"Why do you want Metal to be fixed? I mean, he's just a robot. He could very easily attack us at any moment", Tails replied. At least, Sonic now knew Tails hadn't changed Metal´s programming.

"He won't", Sonic replied. He had to remind himself his brother didn't know Metal was sentient.

"But…how can you be sure? Look, I can change his programming so he's friendlier. That way, he won't attack us, and I know you're going to say you can handle it, but you don't need to get hurt unnecessarily".

Sonic shook his head. If he messed with his programming, he might mess with Metal. Sonic knew he could think for himself and that Metal would not attack because of his promise. He'd even promised to give Metal a purpose. But Tails still didn´t look convinced. So Sonic just knew he needed to tell his brother the truth.

"Ok, look, I know Metal won't attack because…"