Are you ready for this? I'm not sure I am; you may want to brace yourselves. And then let me know what you think!
Sonic threw himself to the side, sliding across broken glass until he slammed into a toppled desk, feeling the heat roll off Metal as it just barely misses him. "Get Tails and run!" Sonic screamed at Knuckles who was stumbling to his feet across the room from a similar dodge.
Sonic scrambled upright and spun around to face Metal. But Metal wasn't decelerating or rushing to turn to keep its eyes on its opponent. No, it'd already turned. It just stood there. Waiting.
He hesitated. Maybe Metal waited for the ever-impatient hedgehog to make the first reckless move that it would quickly counter? But Sonic would normally dive headfirst into danger. Wouldn't Metal?
"I don't get it!" Sonic shouted again. "If we're the same, why would you hurt my friends? Why would you kill Amy?"
Still Metal waited. Silent. Sonic watched it, combing over the metallic body with his eyes, as if that would offer him the answers he sought.
Was any of that blood Amy's?
A ring ejected into Sonic's hand, and his grip tightened until he thought the pressure would disintegrate the ring before he used up its energy. He burst forward full force at Metal, and Metal sidestepped him easily. Sonic dug in his heels to screech to a halt and spin back around. He pushed off the ground with both hands like a sprinter at the starting line, but if it added any speed to his dash at all, it didn't matter because Metal did the same simple side step to avoid.
This time when Sonic turned back, he saw Metal tapping his foot and imitating a yawn. "You may be the fastest hedgehog alive," it said," but I am no hedgehog."
Sonic gasped for air, not out of exertion but panic. His throat closed, and he couldn't think straight. If he died here, Metal might continue hunting his friends. No one would be safe, not even Knuckles, if Sonic couldn't handle this.
All of this a game, an invitation. All of this to get Sonic's attention.
If Amy had just told him, she might still be alive.
Sonic dashed forward again, but this time, he stopped inches in front of Metal just as it sidestepped again. He swung out a fist, and Metal caught it. Sharp fingers clawed at Sonic's, tearing through his glove. He tried to yank his hand back, but Metal tightened its grip and threw out its other hand. Sonic pulled back as far as he could, and Metal's fingers raked at his cheek.
Blood slid down Sonic's face; he tasted it on his lips. He brought his free hand down on Metal's arm. Its fingers released, and Sonic clumsily shoved himself back. But Metal still seemed unharmed. It flexed its arm, its fingers, testing every sharp edge.
"Sonic!" Knuckles shouted from behind him.
"What are you still doing here?" Sonic cried. Heat pricked his spine and sweat built up under each quill. He couldn't protect them and stop Metal; he'd lose their lives or his own.
Not that he thought he could stop Metal at all.
He risked a glance back to where Knuckles was practically holding a paling Tails upright. Almost the entirety of Tails's left glove was bright red. If Knuckles tried to carry Tails out of here, he couldn't have his fists free to fight off Metal.
And if Sonic failed to beat Metal now, Tails would bleed out right here.
He met Knuckles's eyes for a split second before he returned his eyes to Metal. But that was all he needed in order to know just how high the risk was.
Red film covered Sonic's eyes in his desperate fury. Was blood dripping down his forehead or was he imagining it? Salt burned his eyes, but he didn't have the energy to banish the tears. "Please," he begged through his aching throat. "If you're anything like me at all, you can't let Tails die here."
"I am not like you; you are like me," Metal repeated. "I am more than a copy. I am far greater than the original; I am unburdened by needless attachments."
Sonic teeth stabbed into his lip. He couldn't do this; how could he do this? He needed Amy standing behind him with her irrationally huge hammer. He needed Knuckles by his side, fist raised, not standing in the background doing all he could to keep Tails conscious and alive.
He could not defeat all his demons all on his own.
"If I let you kill me, will you let them go?"
Metal straightened. "Sonic, no!" Tails cried, but his voice was so very small, so very young.
But Sonic didn't dare look back, lest he lose his nerve. Instead, he squared his shoulders. Metal quirked its head. "Either action results in a greater than 95% chance of victory," it calculated. "So…no."
Sonic's hands balled into fists so tight his hands shook. Metal continued, "First, I will kill you. And then your friends."
Metal launched itself forward again. Sonic winced and braced himself. Metal—
—raced past Sonic—
—straight for Knuckles and Tails.
Sonic screamed. No words, just sound. It tore through his throat. He dove after Metal, and his fingers snagged the robot's ankle. It tripped, sprawling across the ground just in front of Sonic's friends. He crawled over its splayed form, wrapped his fingers around the back of its head, and smashed it against the floor. Metal's spines pierced his fingers, but his thoughts, blurred by desperation, told him they were splinters, irritants.
Sonic looked up at Knuckles and Tails right above him. They were too close, too easy to lose. "GO!" he begged. The single word burned from deep inside him to the surface of his skin until he shook all over.
Meta's back heated up as it fired up its engines. At first, nothing more than reaching too close to the flame of a candle, but then the fire blazed and bled into Sonic's flesh. He threw himself off, grabbing alternately at his burned stomach and charred leg. His eyes blurred with pain. Through his tears, he could see Knuckles pulling Tails into his arms to slide out of the corner.
But Metal was clawing itself to its feet, and they were already out of time.
"Sonic! The Emerald!" Knuckles screamed.
Sonic leapt on Metal again, snarling, but Metal remained upright and unaffected, so Sonic hung off it like a scarf. "Sonic!" Knuckles yelled again.
Metal threw Sonic off, and he smashed into the wall of windows. The glass cracked but did not shatter, and Sonic collapsed to the ground. It felt like he hadn't used his muscles in years, like they weren't his at all. He felt too old, like he'd seen too much. And all he knew was that he couldn't touch a Chaos Emerald.
If this was Metal, then this was him. His heart was too tainted. Using a Chaos Emerald in this state could mean the deaths of everyone he loved.
Blood matted in his fur, dripped over his eyes, and still he forced himself back to his feet. Metal stood between him and his friends now, but it faced him. He just needed to keep it distracted. And Knuckles needed to move.
Why wouldn't he move?
"I knew about her letters," Metal said suddenly. "I knew the game she played. But it only helped me play mine."
It bent down beside a fallen desk. Sonic dashed forward but the moment he placed such heavy weight on his right leg, it collapsed beneath him. He caught himself on his hands and knees. And when he tilted his head upward, Metal had the gun inches away from his face and aimed right between his eyes. "She thought she could save you and you could save the world," it continued. "But mortal things cannot properly calculate outcomes. She didn't even know who I was, even though she heard your voice."
Sonic shivered, and he couldn't stop. After all this, he still lost. He chased down her letters, lost his mind, lost the trust of his friends, and now he would lose his life and the lives of those he loved.
Amy lost her life for nothing.
The echo of a bang against tin and then Metal's head cocked unnaturally to the right. Its aim jerked off its target. Knuckles stood over them, one fist outstretched from the punch, the other holding the Chaos Emerald.
He shoved the Emerald into Sonic's hands despite the hedgehog's protests. "Hold on to us," Knuckles said, almost shouting the words, as if that would be enough to make him believe. "Hold us in your heart and use this, or we're all going to die here!"
Metal spun around, and its fist crashed into the side of Knuckles's skull. He went flying, crashing violently across the floor's debris. "NO!" Sonic screamed.
But Metal didn't continue after Knuckles. Now that he was out of the way, it turned back to Sonic. It raised its hand at him before realizing the gun no longer waited in his palm.
The Emerald burned in Sonic's hand, urging him on. Sonic glanced down at it before quickly returning his eyes to Metal. It was only one Chaos Emerald; it might not be enough. Or, if Sonic's heart was anything less than pure, it might be too much.
Metal lunged for Sonic one more time, and Sonic made his choice.
Green light shone out from between his fingers, every ridge of the Emerald tattooing itself on Sonic's hand. Metal crashed on top of Sonic, flattening him against the ground, but he kept his grip on the artifact. The Chaos Energy surged through his veins. In his head, he said their names like a mantra—Tails, Knuckles, Amy—even as Metal wrapped its fingers around his throat.
Sonic threw his fist straight up into Metal's face, and its head snapped back. He swung his leg up, and the force sent Metal tumbling over Sonic. Metal smashed into the broken glass of the window, and this time, the glass shattered on impact.
And Metal fell through the window and straight down into the polluted waters of the Labyrinth District.
No, Sonic's brain screamed. Could Metal survive that? Sonic needed to see the light fade from its eyes before he'd ever believe this was over.
And so he dove into the water after it.
He hit the water with a slap much sooner than he expected. It crushed the air from his lungs and left his skin raw. It left him dazed for a moment, but then he caught sight of Metal.
The greenish water warped it, and it looked even less like Sonic than before. But Sonic could still see the spark of red in its eyes, and it was sinking much faster than him.
He kicked after it, not actually sure how to swim but trying to imitate the motion he'd seen swimmers use. It wasn't enough, wasn't enough, not even with the Chaos Emerald lending him strength. No, no, no, he needed to know. Please let this be over, he begged.
The murky water limited sight, and every shadow distracted Sonic's exhausted eyes. His lungs felt about to burst. But he forced his burning eyes to hold on Metal's.
And just before Metal sank out of sight, its bright red eyes faded away.
A firm hand wrapped around Sonic's arm just beneath his shoulder. His eyes felt too heavy to look up, his body too preoccupied to resist. His lungs couldn't wait any longer, and he gasped for air, instead swallowing the putrid water.
But a second later, he broke the surface.
He choked up water, and oxygen swarmed in to replace it. "Just breathe," said a voice next to his ear. Knuckles…of course, Knuckles.
Knuckles towed Sonic across the water and back to the broken window. The light of the Emerald faded in Sonic's hand, and suddenly he could feel all new levels of pain. Red blood mixed into the green water and there was not a bit of his body that didn't burn or ache. And still the sun rose above the horizon as Knuckles dragged Sonic back inside.
Sonic sprawled out on his back among the shards of glass scattered across the floor. Knuckles kept a hand on Sonic's shoulder while he sat down gasping next to him. "Sonic!" Tails cried, his voice still sounding too small. But he managed to stumble over to Sonic's side, though still clutching his limp and bloody arm.
Sonic met Tails's blue eyes and just seeing the life there settled Sonic's aching heart. "It's over," Knuckles muttered, patting Sonic's shoulder. "It's over, it's done."
Sonic squeezed his eyes shut and in that darkness, all he saw was Amy's face.
Between the smeared blood and tainted water, maybe his friends missed his tears.