A/N

So is there an in-universe reason as to why Metal destroys badniks in his Sonic the Hedgehog 4 episode? I mean, I get the gameplay reasons, but the in-universe one?

Meh. Drabbled this up.

Rage of the Machine

Maybe this was a mistake.

Just thinking that gave Doctor Ivo Robotnik pause. He was the smartest man on this planet, and yes, smarter than any furry animal as well. He was the world's most eminent scientist, and its future ruler. Yes, he'd had setbacks. Yes, he'd had defeats. Yes, he'd even had outright disasters, especially with the destruction of the Death Egg. But he didn't make mistakes. But right now, watching one of his most eminent creations blaze through Mad Gear, he was starting to wonder.

No, no, don't!

Watching Metal Sonic tear through a trio of badniks at once, wonder quite a bit.

He sighed, lying back in his chair, one eye fixated on the blue blur heading to one of the turbo-tubes, the other on the bunnies that he'd just released. He idly typed on his console, sending an alert to a retrieval unit to put the miscreants into a capsule until new badnik shells were created for them to power. Part of him wondered if it was worth the bother - Little Planet had returned to this world (well ahead of schedule at that), and having started construction of the Death Egg Mk. II, using the planet as its foundation, if all went to plan, Little Planet would stay in orbit of Earth. He'd have access to resources, he'd have access to time travel, and above all, he'd have access to the planet's unique flora. Flower seeds that could power his badniks, rather than relying on funny smelling animals. Animals that were giving the retrieval unit a hard time, refusing to stay still.

Or I could just go back to batteries.

He looked at the monitor displaying Sector 4A - the battery powered menace had triggered the Asterons and was casually dodging their projectiles. Leaning forward and squinting, Robotnik could swear that Metal Sonic was actually enjoying it.

I didn't create you to have fun, I created you to get rid of your counterpart. He leant back in his chair, wincing as Metal Sonic dashed forward to destroy a Slicer. Maybe this really was a mistake.

"Waste not, want not," as the saying went, but even so, Robotnik wondered what had possessed him to reactivate the metal hedgehog rather than building a new one. Nostalgia? He had to admit, he did have a certain affection for his first mechanical hedgehog. He'd poured his blood, sweat, and yes, tears into the mechanical hedgehog. He'd whooped with joy when he saw Metal's eyes light up for the first time. He'd cackled when he'd brought him that pink hedgehog (Amelia? Amy? It didn't matter) to him, and he'd cheered as he'd watched Sonic and Metal Sonic run down Stardust Speedway, with the good doctor himself bringing up the rear. Cheered, jeered, and roared as the blue rodent defeated his counterpart, before going on to save the pink hedgehog that for some reason, was actually attracted to the miscreant. Metal Sonic's destruction hadn't been his final defeat on Metal Planet, but in many ways at the time, it had felt like the beginning of the end. Sonic had the time stones. Sonic had defeated his counterpart. Their final battle in Metallic Madness was just a formality by that point, not to mention when...

Robotnik rubbed his back - when a hedgehog downed your Egg Mobile with a rock...a rock!...it hurt in more ways than one.

"No," he whispered, as Metal Sonic continued his path of destruction. "Don't destroy the-"

The badnik was destroyed, releasing a little pig.

"...Shellcracker." He rubbed his forehead. "Definitely a mistake."

Did I just say that?

Metal Sonic paused and looked at the camera of Sector 5-C. He could swear he was looking at his creator. As if he knew. As if he wanted to say "yes, I'm destroying your badniks, and you can't stop me," before zooming off to continue his rampage.

Robotnik glanced at the door that led to the control room. It was reinforced titanium, but Sonic had managed to get through obstacles stronger than that. And Metal Sonic was definitely stronger. If he took out his anger (did he even have the capacity to be angry?) on the doctor, then...He swallowed, and began typing on another console. Sonic had destroyed so many of his creations, but he'd always stopped short of destroying the good doctor himself.

Mistake, mistake, mistake!

The other metal hedgehogs hadn't done this. No siree. They'd failed, yes, but it was failure that had never hit him as hard, and he'd always built off them. Silver Sonic had been never invincible, but the damn thing was too slow. Mecha Sonic had combined strength and agility, but had still been outnumbered 2:1 by the hedgehog and fox, and even after utilizing the power of the Master Emerald, had been fully destroyed by that ant-eating fool of a guardian. And after that...

He winced, as he finished typing. Mini-Sonic had him barely been trying at all. But not a mistake. No. As a slot in the console opened, revealing an energy pistol, the doctor reminded himself that he didn't make mistakes. That him reactivating Metal Sonic on Little Planet, bidding him come to Mad Gear, re-energizing, letting him run rampant through his base...definitely not a mistake. Him taking the pistol was just a security precaution. He-

Where is he?

He stared at the monitors. Metal Sonic was gone. There was no shortage of scrap that he'd left behind, but the robot itself was nowhere to be seen.

Egads, where is he?!

Maybe he'd left. Which if he had, could cause problems of its own. He certainly hadn't brought Metal Sonic back out of the goodness of his heart, and-

Thump.

What in the world?

Thump.

Slowly, Robotnik swiveled around in his chair. Slowly, he came to see the dent that was in the door leading to the control room.

Thump.

The titanium door that was being broken down.

Thump.

He can't get in. No way. Even Metal Sonic isn't that strong. He can't-

The door collapsed and Robotnik let out a shriek, falling off his chair. He pointed his pistol at the figure that was walking in. The short, hedgehog-shaped figure that was carrying the head of an Slicer, before tossing it in front of the doctor. Before coming to a halt and folding its arms, as if mimicking its organic template. Before stopping. Standing. Tapping its foot.

Oh you have got to be joking. Robotnik got to his feet, irritation temporarily overriding fear. I didn't design you to out-sass the hedgehog!

Metal Sonic just stood there. Tapping.

"Well," Robotnik said, gesturing to the Slicer head. "Had your fun?"

Metal Sonic stopped tapping, but otherwise remained silent.

"Dealt with your issues? Proven that you're mightier than any badnik?"

Metal Sonic nodded.

Robotnik blinked - perhaps there was more going on it that CPU than he thought. "Yes, as in, dealt with issues, or yes, that you've proven your worth?"

Metal Sonic rose its right hand and elevated two fingers. It tapped the second one.

"Oh well done," Robotnik sneered. "You've proven what we knew all along!"

The doctor hoped that he was hiding his quiet amazement, as well as his quieter fear. Amazement, because Metal Sonic was displaying a personality - something that he'd never planned for or anticipated. Fear, because of the exact same reason. He took a seat, still keeping his hand on his gun, even in the knowledge that it would do him little good if Metal Sonic decided to violate his core programming - do no harm to its creator, nor let its creator come to harm.

"Well then," Robotnik said. "Since you haven't dealt with your issues, what do you want?"

Metal Sonic walked past him and began typing on the console.

Maybe I should have given you a voice chip.

Metal Sonic continued to type.

Or maybe not. Robotnik glanced at the corner, recalling those old designs he'd had even before South Island. Designs of robots that resembled cubes and spheres, among other things. Chickens, for starters.

Metal Sonic stopped typing, stepped aside, and gestured to the image. Robotnik clenched his fist, growling, "seriously?"

Metal Sonic nodded, and Robotnik got to his feet, staring at the image on-screen. "Well done," he murmured. "You remember what I built you for."

Metal Sonic nodded, though Robotnik barely noticed. The image was one of the earliest he had of the blue hedgehog - Sonic, standing on a checkered landscape, a 360 loop in the background, and his finger to the camera, wagging it. Smirking like the reprobate that he was. As if he knew he was being filmed, and wanted to stick it to the man. Or, to be precise, to storm Scrap Brain, send the doctor packing, and then repeat the process all over again. Clutching his fists, Robotnik looked at Metal Sonic. Still standing. Still staring, his eyes the colour of blood.

"You know why you're here," Robotnik said. "Why I brought you back. Why I sent a recon unit all the way to Little Planet to revive you."

Metal Sonic remained silent.

"After your failure."

The hedgehog looked aside, as if ashamed. Robotnik couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, I'm a generous man. Despite your failure, and your, shall we say, issues, I'm willing to give you another chance. I'm willing to give you the last known location of your organic template."

Metal Sonic swung its head to look at him, his eyes shining.

"And it's right...here." Robotnik typed a few buttons, and while Metal Sonic made no sign of it, inside his head was the coordinates of Splash Hill. Where Sonic had touched down after the Egg Station debacle.

"Go there," Robotnik said. "Find him. Destroy him. Do you understand?"

Metal Sonic nodded.

"Good. Now go-"

The robotic hedgehog zoomed off.

"...get him." Robotnik leant back in his seat, rubbing his eyes and nose. "And do try to destroy less badniks this time around."

There was no sound. Not even the turning of gears, or blasting of steam, or pressing of pistons. Mad Gear had all the sounds of what lesser minds would call...well, "madness," and what he would call "brilliance," but either way, here, it was quiet. Quiet enough for him to collect his thoughts. Thoughts that involved pride. And thoughts that involved fear. Thoughts that stemmed from the same source - the knowledge of how powerful, how determined, Metal Sonic actually was. Of how he would do anything to defeat his organic template.

And what that might mean for his creator in the future.