- Chapter 53 -

Back to the Speedway

Stardust Speedway

The Freedom Fighters were hurrying along the Speedway when suddenly something slammed the ground before them, cracking the pavement. Metal Sonic rose to his full height, looking them over. The rest of the Freedom Fighters recoiled, but Sonic just seemed somewhere between exhausted and bored.

"Oh, it's you, Metal," he said casually, "How ya doin'?"

Metal cocked his head in confusion and mild disappointment.

"That's it? No scream of fear? No trembling?"

"Hey, I'm not afraid of you. Every time we tangle, you wind up a pile of scrap metal. The score's three to nothing."

"That may be true, but the doctor has granted me an edge"

"Better be one hell of an edge to beat…"

Sonic trailed off, feeling somewhat lightheaded. Horror washed over him as he turned back to Knuckles and Kat. Sure enough, both of them looked sick and dizzy.

"Shit…" He cursed.

Metal chuckled darkly as he held up what was in his hand on full display.

"He's got the Phantom Ruby!" Tails exclaimed.

"I'm already your equal as I stand now, Sonic," Metal mused. "So I wonder what would happen when I combine my power with that of the ruby?"

Sonic looked at Metal nervously, then back at the group.

"Alright then," he decided. "You wanna see what you can do? How about one last race?"

"First things first."

Metal snapped his fingers, and as if on cue, a generator decorated with Robotnik's face rose up on a platform. Above the face was an indentation perfectly shaped like Metal, who interfaced with it as the generator powered on. As he focused, the mouth of the generator opened, creating mass-produced Silver Sonic prototypes that advanced on the Freedom Fighters.

"Hey!" Sonic objected.

"Do you take me for a fool, Sonic?" Metal questioned. "You're the only one I consider a rival. The Silver Sonic army will ensure your little friends stay out of this. Whether they live or die is up to them."

The other Freedom Fighters quickly got ready for a fight.

"Go, Sonic!" Sally urged. "We'll be okay!"

Sonic stood side-by-side with Metal, the two ready to start running as they glared each other down.

"You're gonna lose again," Sonic vowed. "I promise you that."

"Even if I do, I was created for the sole purpose of destroying you," Metal shot back. "No matter how many times you defeat me, I'll keep coming back."

"At least until the doctor gets tired of your failures and replaces you," Sonic retorted. "Just you wait. You're just another robot to him."

The two took off down the speedway. Sonic immediately sprang up, landing a few Homing Attacks before Metal was surrounded by an indigo-colored octahedral barrier with black outlines, deflecting the last attack.

"The Black Shield," Metal boasted. "My new defensive matrix. Impressive, no?"

"Look at you," Sonic taunted. "A shiny new ball to hide in."

He clapped sarcastically while running backwards. "You must be so proud."

"Laugh while you can!"

Metal flew ahead of Sonic before extending his arms in a manner similar to Bunnie, unleashing a slew of rapid-fire punches that forced Sonic on the defensive.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed. "New trick. You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Metal?"

"Every time the doctor has rebuilt me, he's made me faster! Stronger! More powerful!"

"And it's still not enough," Sonic retorted. "I guess an unchanging robot just can't measure up to genuine Mobian adaptability."

Metal snarled, metallic fists clenching.

"This is where you die, Sonic! Your taunts and gloating change nothing!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Metal! Like I said, you don't scare me!"

"Then I will teach you to fear me!"

-X-

Meanwhile, the Freedom Fighters were fighting off the Silver Sonics. Kat fended off one particular group while Chris and Keith were running scans.

"There's got to be some sort of weakness we can exploit!" Chris insisted.

"Provided we can hit them before they hit us!" Keith added.

Kat had two bots pinned and was barely holding off a third. "Just! Keep! Looking!"

She kicked it off her, right into Rotor, who punched it in the face. Antoine dodged a strike from another Silver Sonic, before taking its head clean off with a swipe of his sword. Bunnie was grappling with another, which had her pinned down.

"I think it's time someone gave you the boot!" she shouted before raising one leg, firing off the jet booster and propelling the bot away.

Sticks let out a war cry, charging at one with her chaos shard spear. She managed to get three as Tails flew over her, grabbing a bot of his own before throwing him into a tree. Knuckles ended up back to back with Amy, both of them smashing Silver Sonics left and right.

"You're pretty good with that thing," Knuckles mused.

"Thanks," Amy replied. "You're not so bad yourself."

Porker was helping with the scans while Johnny defended him with his staff. Sally hacked with her Ring-Blades, while Shortfuse was using his lasers on them. For her part, Mina was using her speed to her full advantage.

"How many of these things are there?!" Mina demanded.

"Too many!" Sally replied.

Porker looked up at the Robot Generator, which was still churning out Silver Sonics.

"Of course…" he realized. "The generator is the key!"

"We need to destroy the generator!" Tails shouted. "No more generator, no more Silver Sonics!"

He pulled several electrical bombs out of his jacket pockets.

"Just leave it to me!"

"I'll clear the way!" Knuckles yelled. "Everyone get back!"

He jumped into the air before coming down fist-first, landing a powerful punch that fractured the ground and produced shockwaves that knocked the Silver Sonics off their feet.

"Okay, you have got to show me that move," Kat noted.

Tails charged at the generator, prepping the bombs.

"It's been a blast, but we gotta get going!" the fox declared before lobbing them into the metallic mouth of the generator. It began to spark and fizzle as everyone got back. Rotor and Knuckles covered the kids as everyone else dive-bombed off the speedway. Suddenly, the entire thing exploded. As the dust cleared, they pulled themselves back up, seeing the generator in ruins and the Silver Sonics piles of scrap.

"Never a dull moment with you guys, is it?" Knuckles asked, getting a few chuckles from the others.

"Stick around," Sally told him. "The fun's just getting started."

"C'mon, we gotta move," Tails insisted. "Not that I don't have faith in Sonic, but as long as Metal has the Phantom Ruby, the fight could go either way."

Gathering their wits and their weapons, the group took off in the direction the warring Sonics had gone.

-X-

Meanwhile, Sonic and Metal had made it to the very top of the speedway. Metal slashed at Sonic with his claw-tipped fingers, but Sonic ducked before uppercutting him with a Spin Attack. He retaliated with a one-two punch, a roundhouse kick, and a Homing Attack that knocked Metal sprawling. Metal Sonic rose to his feet, growling.

"You're becoming an annoyance, you irritating waste of carbon!" he shouted.

"Trust me," Sonic retorted. "It gets worse."

"Yes," Metal agreed. "For you."

He pulled out the Phantom Ruby, which pulsated with evil power. "No more games. No more half-measures. Playtime's over, Sonic!"

With that, he shoved the ruby right into the circular hole in his abdomen.

"Oh…" Sonic began, "that's not good."

Metal Sonic began to shimmer, his body pixelating slightly. A wave of nausea hit Sonic, threatening to knock him off his feet.

"Okay, seriously, what is it about that thing that makes me want to puke?" he asked.

"It's very simple, Sonic," Metal replied. "You've been exposed to the pure Chaos energy of the Chaos Emeralds. The energy of the Phantom Ruby is its polar opposite, and so much more powerful. Your Chaos-laden body just can't cope with the clashing energies."

"Of course…" Sonic thumped himself on head. "That explains why Knuckles and Kat keep looking sick too. They've been around the Master Emerald so long, it's hitting them harder."

Glowing with a red light, Metal suddenly expanded, and Sonic found himself facing his transformed doppelganger. It stood at about the same size as the Great EggRobo he fought on the Death Egg. Metal was now more bulky, with a larger torso and a smaller head. His metallic quills on the other hand had grown longer and now extended down his spine. His ears and nose had also grown longer, while his eyes had become a lot narrower, being little more than a red line. He also now had yellow bolts on his cheeks and a yellow cannon below his chin. His shoulder plates had become larger and longer as well, with their coloration having changed from gray to blue. They also had several cables attached to them that extended underneath them. Lastly, he had a glass covering the intake on his stomach, which contained the Phantom Ruby.

"How do you like me now, Sonic?!" the bot taunted, his voice deeper to fit with his increased size. "Say hello to Giga Metal, and goodbye to your worthless existence!"

"Well," Sonic let out, "you know what they say: The bigger they are-"

Giga Metal kicked him so hard he went flying a good mile. He smashed through a sign on the speedway, skidding across the ground, then finally coming to a stop.

"...the more bones they break. Ow…"

"Sonic!" Sally's voice came.

The rest of the Freedom Fighters ran up at that, Sally gently helping Sonic up.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Nothing's broken," Sonic tried to assure before wincing. "Except my spine. And ribs. Maybe everything else."

"The Emeralds," Kat said. "They healed you before, they can do it again."

Tails handed him one, and it glowed, Sonic's wounds healing up. The others took in the sight of Giga Metal looming overhead.

"Is that… Metal?" Amy asked.

"Giga Metal, in his own words," Sonic clarified. "He's fused with the Phantom Ruby."

"Thought I felt sick," Knuckles mused.

"Yeah, and I figured out why the Master Emerald stopped working," Sonic added. "The Phantom Ruby is its literal opposite, and apparently a lot more powerful."

Giga Metal stomped forward, looming over them.

"Even your friends can't save you now, Sonic!" Metal declared. "I'll crush you into a bloody stain!"

"The Phantom Ruby's what's behind this thing," Tails theorized. "If we remove it, maybe Metal will go back to normal!"

"The phrase 'easier said than done' comes to mind," Antoine mused.

Metal raised his chin, revealing the cannon in his neck. The Phantom Ruby in his chest glowed, before he fired a purple energy beam that they all scattered to avoid.

"This is what you face, Freedom Fighters!" he declared. "This is the ultimate power!"

"Sonic, can you get to the Ruby?" Sally asked.

" I can try, but I don't know how I'll handle actually touching that thing," Sonic admitted.

"You don't have to touch it," Rotor pointed out. "Just smash the casing keeping it in Metal's body."

"Alright," Sonic nodded. "Not like we have much choice either way. Let's try."

A fight ensued, the Freedom Fighters doing their best to fend off Giga Metal's powerful attacks. Sonic charged at the glass encasing, ramming into it before being swatted aside.

"Fool," Metal spat. "Your Doomsday has come, Sonic! With the power of the Phantom Ruby, I am unstoppable! Just accept it! Lay down and die already! Give up, damn you!"

"You were made from my data, Metal!" Sonic shot back. "You of all people should know I never give up!"

His legs became infinity symbols as he revved up his speed. Then he launched himself forward with enough speed that a few of the fighters swore they saw blue sparks dancing off of him.

"That's new…" Porker mused.

Sonic smashed right into the casing, shattering the glass and sending the Phantom Ruby flying. Without the power, Giga Metal began to pixelate, his form blinking in and out.

"No!" Metal screamed. "This can't be happening! I am Metal Sonic! Dr. Robotnik's undying, heartless weapon of misery and despair! I! Can't! LOSE!"

"Well, guess what?!" Sonic shot back. "You just did!"

Curling into a ball, Sonic used a Homing Attack right on his power core. Metal screamed before exploding into black and red pixels. Giga Metal's form dissipated, and Metal, now in his base form, was sent flying into the distance until he was a mere twinkle in the sky. The Freedom Fighters cheered as Sonic came to a stop. Sally hugged him, the two spinning around a bit.

"Sonic, that was amazing!" she exclaimed.

"Did anyone else see that when he was moving?" Johnny asked. "The lightning shooting off him?"

"I saw it too," Porker confirmed.

"Yeah, that's never happened before," Keith remarked.

"I wonder what caused it," Chris added.

Sonic scratched his chin in thought. "Good question. I know I'm strong and fast, but I've never had lightning shoot out of my butt before."

"It was Chaos energy," Knuckles cut in. "Remember when I attacked you the first time and I summoned that power? That was me manifesting my own Chaos energy. That blue lightning, that's yours."

Everyone perked at that.

"You mean…" Sonic began.

Knuckles nodded. "You've been exposed to the Chaos Emeralds and Power Rings so much that they've left a residual effect on you. Even without them, it seems you can tap into the Chaos Force on your own to some extent. With time... you may not even need the Emeralds. Or, not all seven."

"Maybe…" Sonic mused.

The Phantom Ruby suddenly levitated, pulsating for a minute before warping away.

"Looks like the ruby's gone back to Robotnik," Shortfuse deduced.

"And back to the Titanic Monarch…" Sally gasped. "We gotta go!"

They hurried down the speedway.

Metallic Madness Zone

In Robotnik's lab, the Phantom Ruby reappeared before him.

"So, it seems Metal Sonic lost," after fuming for a few moments, Robotnik sighed. "At the very least, he kept Sonic busy and bought us the time we needed. The Titanic Monarch is complete."

He scooped up the Phantom Ruby, heading for the power center. He soon arrived in the head of the Titanic Monarch, arriving before a large mech suit in the shape of an egg, attached to the Monarch by four tethers in each corner of the room. Robotnik plugged the ruby into the indentation in the suit's chest.

"This is my moment of glory," he declared with an evil grin.

Author's Note:

The Titanic Monarch is nearing completion. Could it and the Phantom Ruby finally spell doom for Sonic?

And now, I've included Sonic's electrical power from the movie. It being residual Chaos energy from using the Chaos Emeralds and Power Rings was always my plan.

Next chapter, the climax of the Phantom Ruby arc. Stay tuned…

Please R&R. Until next time!