Disclaimer: Everyone belongs to whoever came up with them. For more information check a different chapter.
Authors Note: I have various reasons for the slow update, but this is a story, not a list of excuses, so enjoy.
"Stop this foolishness now! Listen to your master!" Eggman shouted in vain at the metallic echidna. Metal Knuckles didn't dare take his glare off Sonic.
"You ordered me to follow the orders of Yang. That's what I'm doing, and he has yet to tell me to take your orders again, so I can't listen to you." Metal Knuckles explained. Eggman banged his head against one of the metal bars which made up his cell.
"Great, another betrayal. Do all robots do this or is it just mine?" Eggman complained. He was ignored by both Sonic and Metal Knuckles. Sonic's eyes darted wildly around the room, searching desperately for some form of escape. His eyes only met with the metal sheeting that blocked any exit from the room. Sonic could not see any way out. If only Tails was here, he could figure something out, or Knuckles, he could probably break the walls down, but Tails wasn't here and Knuckles was dead. Sonic had to do this alone. But how? Sonic didn't have time to think, as Metal Knuckles suddenly threw a fist at Sonic's face.
"Now I think I have enough time to kill you before the world ends." Metal Knuckles claimed. Sonic jumped back out of the way of a fist, but was instantly tackled onto the floor. Before Sonic could make another move, Metal Knuckles slammed a foot onto Sonic's chest, restricting Sonic's movement to mere wiggling. Metal Knuckles aimed his left hand at Sonic's face, his concealed missiles aimed directly between Sonic's eyes.
"You just caught me off guard." Sonic claimed. Metal Knuckles smirked.
"Oh well, as long as I'm still the end of you, that's all that counts." He moved his hand closer, so the missiles were just touching Sonic's skin. "It's funny. I always saw your death being the result of a much more intense battle, but in the end, I don't really care." Sonic attempted to curl into a spindash, but wasn't able to due to the metal foot crushing his stomach. He was left with one choice, close his eyes and wait for the 'boom'. Sonic did just that. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. Shortly he heard a boom, but oddly enough he didn't feel very dead. Sonic opened his eyes in confusion. Metal Knuckles hand was no longer aimed at Sonic, but had been diverted by another metal hand, one that belonged to Metal Sonic.
"It's been to long brother." Metal Sonic claimed. An outraged Metal Knuckles stepped backwards and knocked Metal Sonic's hand off his.
"What are you doing? You just saved the one hedgehog you've devoted your life to killing!" Metal Knuckles shouted. Metal Sonic momentarily glanced over at his namesake.
"I could have let you kill him, but I personally would prefer to live with Sonic than be dead with the entire world." Metal Sonic claimed. "By the way, shoddy workmanship on the defence." He added gesturing at a large hole he had formed in the metal sheeting to enter the room. Metal Knuckles' shook his fists in anger.
"You pathetic, out dated piece of scrap metal!" Metal Knuckles bellowed. The robotic echidna threw himself at Metal Sonic, who shook his head in disproval.
"So hot-headed." Metal Sonic muttered, sidestepping Metal Knuckles' attack. The metal hedgehog didn't give Metal Knuckles a chance to strike again. He fired three missiles into Metal Knuckles' back and kicked him in the side before he knew what was happening. Metal Knuckles struck back with two punches to Metal Sonic's face and another to his stomach. Metal Sonic jumped back a foot, so he could recollect his bearings. He didn't get long to do this, as Metal Knuckles ran towards him, fists forward. Metal Sonic grabbed both fists and attempted to bring him to a halt. However, Metal Knuckles continued to plough forward, taking Metal Sonic along with him. They both barged straight into a wall, not that Metal Knuckles let that stop him. The red robot charged relentlessly, forcing Metal Sonic through metal and brick. All of Metal Sonic's attempts to stop the charge were overcome. The outside wall was breached and Metal Sonic found himself dangling above a pit of lava, with only his grip on Metal Knuckles keeping him from plummeting. "Well this is would be more of a worry if I couldn't fly." He remarked. Metal Sonic fired up his boosters and burst upwards, bringing along Metal Knuckles with him. The two broke contact and backed to opposing sides of the crater.
"You fight for pathetic and false virtues, you have no chance." Scoffed Metal Knuckles.
"At least I fight for something." Retaliated Metal Sonic. The short exchange of pleasantries was instantly ended as the two flew out of there respective sides at breakneck speeds. They collided in an explosion of punches, kicks and missiles. Metal Sonic took more a few spiked knuckles to the face, while Metal Knuckles received roughly the same amount of damage in return. The Two battling robots were forced out of the fray as Metal Knuckles landed a punch which sent Metal Sonic spiralling backwards. Gripping the rocky and crumbling wall for some form of support, the metal hedgehog stared savagely at his opponent. Metal Knuckles was covered in battle scars, his paint job chipped, wires had wormed there way through holes and now flapped around in the small breeze. Metal Sonic did not rejoice in the state of his rival, for he knew he was at least as in bad a shape, if not worse. His system's stamina was also lower than Metal Knuckles. In short, he was losing, and probably about to 'die'. Metal Knuckles had tensed, obviously waiting for Metal Sonic to make the first move. Metal Sonic scanned the area. Was his death to be in the destructive heart of a landscape fitting to that of Heck? How fitting. Metal Sonic charged his boosters up for once last run. If he could self destruct when close enough to Metal Knuckles, he could take both of them out. The blue robot charged. Metal Knuckles took a defensive stance, to what that would do him. Metal Sonic watched his rival as he came closer. He would self destruct in six, five, four, three, two... What? Metal Sonic came to an abrupt halt as a blue blur fell down onto Metal Knuckles' head and sent the artificial echidna plummeting. Sonic jumped from the robot's head and reached out towards Metal Sonic. Grudgingly, Metal Sonic grabbed onto his rival and the two watched Metal Knuckles crashing into the base formally owned by Eggman.
"You may want to get us out of here." Sonic cautioned. Metal Sonic turned to him.
"Why's that?" He asked. A sly smile crossed Sonic's mouth.
"Let's just say things are about to heat up." He commented. Metal Sonic looked down into the belly of the crater to notice the lava acting fiercely. Metal Sonic instantly realised what Sonic had done and flew out, just in time to miss being completely incinerated as the lava climbed upwards, flowing all over and inside Eggman's base, encasing anything it came in contact with, be it Living, dead, or robot. The lava seeped inside small cracks, such as holes with exposed wires sticking out, like the ones found on a certain robotic echidna. His entire system was fried. The lava destroyed him inside and outside.
Metal Sonic landed on the volcano's crater, which was now the location of Eggman and the time stones.
"Take time stones, thus unstabilising the defence against the magma, save Eggman, then destroy the enemy's base of operations and his minion. Excellent." Metal Sonic remarked. "So now what now Sonic, hm?" He questioned. The blue hedgehog, who remained upbeat despite current events, pick one of the time stones up began juggling it in one hand.
"Well, I've already gone back in time to play the part of 'future Sonic' in the Shadow tricking time paradox, so I guess it's off to the Death Egg." Sonic explained. Metal Sonic would have raised an eyebrow, if he had one.
"Which you get in, how?" Sonic smirked once again.
"That's your problem, no imagination." Sonic stopped throwing the time stone, instead holding it tightly. He then grabbed onto Metal Sonic's wrist and, without any warning, rocketed forward. Metal Sonic considered resisting Sonic's grasp, but Metal Sonic decided otherwise, his curiosity over what Sonic was planning getting the best of him. As Sonic ran the environment around them blurred into a confused mess and the wind began making a sharp whooshing sound, but Metal Sonic was more than familiar to this same experience. Even the following blinding flash erupting out of the time stone was familiar to him.
"How far back are we travelling?" Metal Sonic questioned. Sonic didn't make eye contact as he spoke, instead keeping his attention towards the road ahead.
"Right now, not far, I'm just buying myself some time to make it to the G.U.N base." Sonic explained.
"And later?" Metal Sonic asked.
"Well, what I'm going to do soon won't be later; it'll be earlier, won't it?" Sonic pointed out. Metal Sonic shook his head in annoyance.
In a few minutes, or to be more precise, a few hours earlier (time travel, you've got to hate it), Sonic and Metal Sonic arrived in a grassy field just outside the G.U.N base the two had grown accustomed to as of recently. Metal Sonic observed the field, seemingly taken in every detail simultaneously.
"It is hard to believe this field will be littered in the corpses of robots and soldiers soon." Metal Sonic remarked. Sonic nodded in agreement; despite the fact his attention was else where.
"I'll be right back..." He muttered, dashing off as soon as he had finished his sentence. The Hedgehog once again disappeared into a bright light created by the time stones, but seconds after the same bright light appeared as Sonic returned from his short mission, holding Shadow by the wrist. The black and red hedgehog looked understandably confused. Sonic dashed over to Metal Sonic and released his hold on Shadow's wrist, an action which made Shadow lose his balance and topple over.
"Sonic." Shadow simply stated as he attempted to regain his bearings. He shortly followed with a question. "What just happened?" Sonic chuckled. An attitude both Shadow and Metal Sonic found to light hearted, considering the situation.
"Well Shad, this is roughly an hour before everyone is going to get here and all the madness will start. From this starting position we shall enter the Final Death Egg, beat the royal heck out Yang, and save the day!" Sonic explained. Shadow continued to look confused.
"That makes absolutely no sense." He remarked. Metal Sonic nodded in agreement. Sonic rolled his eyes and pointed at a bland and uninteresting area in the sky.
"That's where the Final Death Egg shall be in a few hours, correct?" Metal Sonic and Shadow nodded unsurely. "Right, so we just position ourselves there, use the time stones to go forward a few hours and boom! Were in."
"Why don't we just go back and stop Yang from being released, or Eggman being born or something?" Metal Sonic queried.
"Because if we did that, we would already know about it." Sonic simply replied. "Now use those thrusters to get us up there."
A few minutes before present time, Yang pounded feverishly at the many controls in front of him. To say Yang did these things wouldn't actually be correct; the Hedgehog that was hunched over the controls with insanity nearly blinding him was merely a shell of what was once Yang. Prisal now had complete control other his actions, his hearing, even his sight. Just as he had with Gerald. While Yang never was in the realm of sanity, Gerald, and Prisal, who he grew to become, had fifty years of solitude to slowly drain his mentality, and now he was in control of a practically indestructible fighting machine. What's worse, he had figured out how to operate the earth destroying cannon.
"Behold!" The fusion of Shadow and Gerald's voice ordered his captive, Metal Amy. "In a second, the world will be gone, humanity cleansed of its evil and wrongdoing. I shall make the world a much better place."
"You deal in extremes Gerald." Metal Amy commented blankly. Prisal had the cannon set to fire, but unfortunately couldn't resist trying to force his views on another, especially anyone who would call him by the name of such a weakling.
"Isn't that what the world is? Extremists! Terrorists, rulers of countries, even religious leaders, they all share a sickening belief that they are right and only them."
"You talk as if you've travelled the world and seen nothing but destruction, yet you have only ever seen the earth from the A.R.K and your charade of a G.U.N base." Metal Amy retorted.
"And what do you know? What have you seen that makes you more knowledgeable than me? I have lived longer than any mortal! From what I've seen you've lived a month, tops."
"And yet I'm wiser of the world than you." Gerald grabbed the computer monitor with both of Yang's hands.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Due to the fact she currently existed as little more than a computer programme, Metal Amy was unaware of how aggressive Gerald was getting physically, but even if she did, it's unlikely that would have stopped her winding the old manic up.
"I have travelled allot with Metal Sonic. I have seen how he can be a cruel, heartless machine, doing what he must to get what he wants, and I have seen him being a friend, looking out for his 'family', I've even seen him being a lover. Your problem, Gerald, is you only see in black and white, making sure to obscure the white from view. You are a sick man Gerald." Metal Amy was surprised by how cocky she sounded. She must have picked it up from Metal Sonic.
"I am not Gerald! Stop referring to me as such!" Prisal shouted, seemingly angered so much by the robot that he had forgotten about bringing destruction down onto the earth.
"Your right, your not Gerald. My files on Gerald tell me he was a great scientist. A man looked up to, someone who wished to bring hope to humanity. You took the easy way around and wish to simply blow everything up. You're not fit to lick the dirt Gerald walked on. You..."
"SLIENCE!" Prisal sent a fist through the computer monitor, and then shoot a blast of concentrated energy at the computer, destroying it completely. Prisal took a deep breath to calm himself, then turned to the control panel. "Now it is time." He claimed. He felt a gloved hand grab his shoulder and Shadow's deep voice against his ears.
"Do not talk of time. I've still got a headache trying to figure how we got here."