I hadn't seen Amy today... I wondered what she was doing. I hoped she would visit, but I didn't want to interrupt her during whatever had her occupied. I had to be careful about visiting her too often in the open.



I took some time to check on my flowers. They were flourishing well, especially with Nova's help. All of them became worthy to be viewed by my Amy... I thought I would prepare some special for her upon her next arrival. I cut flowers of various colors. She last wore purple and white when I saw her, so I gravitated towards those colors. I also included new special mutations created with Nova's help... They were very similar to the ones I used to confess to her the first time; opalescent, delicate, shining, but their petals changed shape to become even more elegant and vivacious, even glowing. They were like lace. Such a unique silhouette achieved by no other flower... I found myself drawn to them. Amy would surely enjoy them.



I placed them in a vase in the bedroom. If she didn't want to sleep here, I would figure out a way to get her to stay the night. We were together so frequently that nights apart began feeling strange. I was lucky that my Master did not expect me to stay at the main base as frequently.



While I had the time, I admired the photos we had on display. Over the year, this room became full of our belongings and proof of our affection for one another. My favorite one was one of the first ones she took. She was beautiful...



"Hey!"



...! I turned around.



Amy grinned at me. "There you are! I really missed you," she beamed, trotting over to me just as cheerfully. She hugged me and gave me a loving kiss on the muzzle. I was heartened by her... I loved her more than anything.



When we let go of each other, I signed with my arms. 'I missed you too, my Rosy,' I said both with my machine tones and my arms.



Her tail wagged as she watched me. Her cheeks slightly flushed. "Yay~! I'm all yours for the next while. What do you wanna do?" she asked. She signed with her arms while speaking too, a habit she gained from learning the language alongside me. Neither of us were incredibly proficient-- I had the language database available, but there was some nuance to the language lost on me that data couldn't provide. Even so, we got the gist of what we wanted to say and miscommunication was infrequent: her arms said 'I'm yours' and 'What next?'



We made up some words we couldn't find on our own. Unlike our equal skill in signing, she did not understand my machine voice very well.



Hmm... I thought for a moment. 'Are you hungry?' I asked.



She knew the question well. "Maybe~ Do I get to see Chef Metal in action?"



I didn't respond with my tones this time, instead giving a pleasant nod.



"Yay! One of my favorite Metals," she joked, taking my hand. We were about to leave, but then she noticed the flowers, letting me go just as quickly and letting out a gasp. "Metal!!"



I proudly lifted my head as she enjoyed the flowers.



"They're so beautiful! Whoa! They make me think of the one you confessed with!" she gasped again and took the vase into her own arms. "My handsome, romantic Metal is my most favorite... Okay, that does it. We're taking these to the kitchen too so I can stare at them." Her tail wagged more as she sniffed the flowers in the vase. Our hands weren't touching, but I would accept it since she stared at my flowers with just as much love. Together, we left the bedroom and went for the kitchen.



From there, Amy put the vase in the middle of the dining table and gave herself a confident nod. "It makes this colorless base look so much better!" she beamed.



'I told you we could redecorate,' I said to her. 'I want you to be comfortable here, too.' The actual signs I used said, 'Remember, this home can be pretty' and 'I want you to be happy here'.



She smiled as she watched my arms. "Hmm... Maybe we should think of a different place to be together, though. I mean... this is an abandoned Eggman base, right?" she sighed. "You said you were thinking of moving before. Have you thought of where?"



I shook my head. 'I'm still looking around,' I admitted. 'I might have to build something new.'



"Well, no matter what, it'll be great. And I'm sure you'll figure out how to take your gardening skills elsewhere, too." She giggled. "Hey, maybe we could live on Little Planet. What do you think happens when it teleports away after a month?"



I squinted at her. 'There is too much uncertainty. It could be dangerous. Maybe Little Planet teleports somewhere without oxygen.' The signs I used translated to, 'I don't know. Dangerous-- maybe no air.'



"It has tons of plants!" she whined.



'Don't you think it's strange that Little Planet develops the way it does with buildings and structures, but it's void of civilized life?'



"Whoa, hold on, you're signing robot-level fast."



I often did when I got a little frantic. 'I apologize,' I signed, much slower. 'Little Planet is special. We visit yearly. We do not need to live there.' The signs we used for 'Little Planet' was one of the unique words we made up when discussing with one another.



She smiled more. "Okay, fine~ I was joking, anyway! I'd miss everyone too much being away for most of the year. And visiting Little Planet once a year is what makes it more special. Heheh..." She blushed. "How many years will we visit~?"



I tilted my head at her. 'As many as you want, my Rosy.' Rosy was also a unique word, a special one just for her.



She was happy with my answer. "You're so cute... I love how you say my name."



'You are distracting me,' I signed back. I ignored the increasing sound of my turbine. 'I need my hands to cook.'



She giggled and helped me get out some ingredients for whatever she wanted to eat. She liked to help me set up, but afterwards, I requested that I cook something for her on my own. She accepted and settled for watching me on the other side of the kitchen counters. Occasionally, she looked over at the vase of flowers.



She let out a whimsical sigh, her gaze shifting back to me. "Okay, cutie. I want to practice."



'Notebook,' I quickly signed to her. Amy walked away for a brief moment and came back with a notebook and pen in hand, sliding both to the counter closest to me. When I could let the food cook on its own for a while, I grabbed the notebook and stared at her.



"I'm ready," she said, pumping her fists. "S-start with easy ones."



She amused me. I loved her very much. I thought of what word I could start with...



'Hello,' I said with my machine tones only. I spoke slower so she could better understand the inflections. I wrote down the word afterwards, making sure she couldn't follow the direction of the pen.



She squinted at me. "... Hello!" she said, blinking cutely at me.



I nodded, then flipped the notebook around to show her the word.



"Yess! Okay, that one's easy. Challenge me a little."



'Amy Rose,' I said, then wrote down her name.



"... Ugh... That one sounds familiar. I feel like you've said that one a lot. Say it again?"



'Amy Rose.'



She groaned and slapped her head on the table. "Too challenging!" she whined.



I was very amused. I was about to flip the notebook over, but she held her arms out.



"Wait! I got this." She lifted her head and stared at me for a while. "... Amy Rose?"



I turned the notebook over.



"Yesssss!" she confidently laughed. "Okay, that one's slightly unfair because you never call me Amy Rose anymore."



I tilted my head. 'Rosy,' I said.



Her eyes widened. "Okay! Wait! I know that one. I know that one."



I wanted to laugh. She was very cute.



"Rosy?!"



I turned the notebook over to show her again. She gasped and pumped her fists. "Yess! Whoohoo, I got it!"



I rolled my eyes, then wrote a phrase for her:





"We celebrate these kinds of victories. I think I've earned a kiss," she said, leaning over the counter and proudly tapping her cheek.



I kissed her on the mouth instead. She squeaked in surprise, then blushed heavily.



"You spoil me rotten, my sweet Metal," she said in a slightly silly tone. I lovingly caressed her chin. "Okay, next one."



I held up my hand to tell her to wait a moment as I checked on the food. Afterwards, I wrote the next word down. We went back and forth for a little while... She got a few words right and many words wrong. When she was wrong, I went slower and recycled through different words to see if she could catch it properly.



Though Amy understood me more than anyone else, I enjoyed teaching her how to understand me in an additional way. She would recognize every word one day. After her food was ready, we brought our lesson to the table, where she ate in-between trying to figure out what words I spoke to her.



"... Hedgehog?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me. Her mouth was full, so her voice was slightly muffled. I found her entertaining.



I turned the notebook over. She was correct.



"Aw yeah. Okay, give me a sentence. I think I can do it."



I thought of what I could say, then wrote down the phrase. 'I love you, Rosy,' I said.



Her eyes widened. After a moment, she blushed and smiled. "I love you too, Metal," she softly replied.



I gently touched the side of her face and took the opportunity to feel the quills that dangled over her shoulders. I loved her more than anything...



'You did well,' I signed to her.



"Ugh! You're too nice. I got so many wrong," she grumbled.



'It's okay. It's hard to learn because only robots can speak it,' I explained, though my signing was much simpler. I thought for a moment. 'I have to speak much slower for you.'



She giggled. "Yeah, you usually go a million beeps a minute... But I like that we're doing this. Don't ever stop writing to me though, okay?" she pouted. "I love the way you write... And the way you move your hands is so cute..."



'My Rosy,' I signed back without speaking.



She bashfully smiled at me. 'My Metal,' she signed afterwards. 'Metal' was signed in a unique way just for me, too. I loved how she did it.



...



I let her enjoy her meal. I thought for a while on what I wanted to say next. Instead of speak or sign, I wrote down my question. I slid the notebook over to her so she could read at her next convenience.





After her next mouthful, she read the words I wrote, then looked at me. She nodded and briefly covered her mouth to eat her food. "Of course I do, Metal..." She let out a little sigh. "I know we'll always have a complicated life... I know you feel a duty towards Eggman. I'm fine sneaking around, but some days I really miss you..." She frowned. "And there have been times we fought and I thought you were seriously injured... And then you wouldn't see me for days. It gives my heart a workout..."



'I'm sorry,' I gently signed to her.



She gave me a slanted smile. "It's just how it is, but... Maybe it could be better. At least if we lived together, I know you'd come home."



I took the notebook back and wrote a longer response.





Her eyes went wide as she read my reply. "Y-you're... thinking about removing the programming? For real?" she asked.



I nodded.



"H-how? You know Eggman won't just agree to it."





I averted my eyes as I thought further, then wrote down an additional message:





"Screw him," Amy scoffed. "Fighting with you has only made me stronger. And... It'll be tough to get my friends' support, but they're our best shot to protect against whatever Eggman wants to do, too." She sighed. "You'd be okay with that, right? Me telling my friends since we'd be living together?"





She gave me a sweet smile. "I've never been happier than when I'm with you, my Metal... Let's prepare everything together so we'll be ready... And... I know this was a hard decision for you," she said, her smile fading just as gently. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to choose me or your family."



I shook my head. I signed to her:



'You're my family now, aren't you?'



She blushed more. "Without a doubt in my mind," she said. "... Will you be worried about Sage?"



I shrugged. 'She has always been closer to my Master. She will be fine...' I thought for another moment. 'She may not understand why I will never return.'



"Maybe someday she will," Amy said with a sigh. "One thing that kinda sucks is that, no matter what or how you explain it, some people just won't get it off the bat. I'm gonna deal with that with some of my friends..." She realized she stopped eating, then quickly continued. I was slightly amused by her. She finally finished her food: "But we'll be able to handle anything together!" she beamed.



I tilted my head and offered my hand to her. She took it with a grin. I closed my hand around hers and enjoyed watching her. Her face flushed up the longer we sat there.



'I love you,' I said with my machine tones.



"Beep beep boop to you too," she dramatically sighed.



I glared at her. She laughed.



"I love you too," she said back, much more cheerful.



I closed my eyes. I was happy.



Amy and I spent more intimate time with one another, then she had to leave to do something for her allies. Since I had time to myself, I sent some messages to Belle:





I checked her location. She was very far away...





I checked on Nova... They were peacefully resting in their favorite heart-shaped bed. I often forgot Nova was an adult, since they still looked and acted like such a baby.



Despite their childish demeanor, they undoubtedly looked like me: blue, three distinct spines, hedgehog ears, and a yellow stomach that matched my own. The only thing different was the tips of their limbs and spines dipped in white... The color combination made me think of my true form.



...



I left the old base and made my way to the main base containing my Master. I thought it would be a good chance to say goodbye in my own way.



I arrived at the nearby base as the evening struck. I went inside... Everything immediately felt different to me. Once I accepted I would not return to the base willingly, it stopped feeling like a home. Regardless, I had a task to complete.



I looked around for the ones I wanted to say goodbye to. I wandered down the halls, checked the security room... No one there. I went to Orbot and Cubot's room next. The two of them were watching a program they recorded from the TV, occasionally chattering to each other.



I watched them for a while. I found them both incredibly annoying... In many ways, I didn't like them. But... They were also the first to acknowledge me as family, unrelenting even when I threatened them. Once I explored my relationship with Amy and further increased my bond with Belle, I better understood the weight of 'family'. Regardless of what my Master called me, I was Orbot and Cubot's big brother.



... I hoped they would understand once discovering my decision. I did not bother them. I continued my walk.



I did not directly visit my Master, but I saw him at his work station from a distance. He wore one of his gaudy robes and fuzzy slippers as he sat there. He just finished eating dinner and was relaxing, flipping through different TV stations with his several screens to watch. A normal evening. I left him alone as well.



Since Sage was not with my Master, I knew she was checking over data near the communications array. When she wasn't partaking in her own hobbies and interests, she was searching through the Eggnet and researching on her own... arguably, that was her greatest hobby.



Unlike the others who didn't notice me, Sage locked eyes with me as soon as I entered the room. She swiped away a flat hologram depicting various information. Curiously, she was reading about culture of organic beings. I didn't expect her to be interested in something like that.



"Metal Sonic?" she asked. "I didn't expect you here..." She slowly floated down to meet me at eye-level.



I gave a single nod. 'I have a few days of patrols to report.' I sent the files of my recorded patrols to her. Naturally, I didn't include anything regarding Amy unless we faced off in public. 'I spotted the Hedgehog leave overseas. I may follow him, since it sounded like he was preparing for a significant project.'



She nodded in return. "Understood... The information you gather may be vital."



There was a tension I did not like. I didn't know why. I hoped she did not sense it so that my own feelings were self-inflicted. 'Everything is well at the base?' I asked.



"Yes... You will be called if Father requires your assistance," she said quietly, her eyes flicking to another hologram. "Do you require any maintenance?"



I shook my head. 'I performed maintenance this morning. My systems are clear.'



She was quiet for a while. I would not literally say goodbye to her, so I considered walking away. I slightly turned, partially towards her, partially towards the doorway I came from.



"I have a question for you," she said. I re-focused on her. "I feel we have gotten to know each other better, particularly over the course of this year... Even so, there is still much I need to learn." She laced her hands together and politely stared at me. Her gaze was not as heavy as the air around us. "Following the incident in which you transformed into the first iteration of Metal Overlord... Is your loyalty absolute?"



The real answer was complicated. However, for Sage, there was nothing between 'yes' and 'no'. So, I lied to her: 'Yes,' I replied. 'Even when I turned into Neo Metal Sonic and eventually Metal Overlord, my plan was never to endanger my Master. I did have plans that contradicted his... A mistake I haven't repeated.'



She stared at me for a while. I wasn't sure if she was going to answer.



...



"Good," she said. "His plans are the highest in quality... Though we are incredibly intelligent as his creations, we are his creations nonetheless," she explained. I didn't know why she was explaining something so simple to me. "He will always know the proper thing to do." Her eyes flicked away as she studied a different screen for a moment.



'I will begin to track Sonic the Hedgehog,' I told her. 'I will be gone for a long time. Please relay my intentions to my Master. He is currently relaxing, so I do not want to disturb him.'



"Very well," she calmly replied, then turned back towards me. "I will see you when you return, Brother."



She did not call me her brother very often since our original falling out... But she was right; we became much closer over the year. Sage craved a family possibly more than anyone else did, and for her, she was able to achieve a kinship with our Master that we could not. Sometimes I hated her... Sometimes I envied her. Her eagerness to do my Master's bidding sometimes infuriated me. But...



Sometimes I also viewed her as a sister. I bowed my head to her, then left. I would never see her again.



I returned to the old base. My next course of action was to wait for Belle's arrival. Before then, I hoped I could spend some additional time with my Amy. She did not return during the night... If she was still dealing with her allies, I did not want to show up unprompted.



I took the time to rest in our bedroom and organize my data. I would patrol for her the following morning after my usual errands if she did not show up on her own.



...



...



...



"Metal Sonic!!" called my Master through my communicator. I snapped out of my own version of rest. I checked the time; it was the morning, right before I left for my usual patrols.



I stood up and waited for his next message.



"Return to the main base right now and arrive at my location. No detours."



...! Were there intruders? He would normally say so. His demand for lack of detours meant my attention was needed immediately. I left the base before my programming would kick in.



I didn't expect to return to the base so soon, but I supposed I could do nothing about it until Belle arrived. Even so, I made my goodbyes already. I would simply do what my Master asked of me and then leave again. I checked his location and followed a path towards him, which brought me to one of the newer buildings he constructed recently. I wasn't entirely sure what it was for.



I entered the building... It was practically a large dome, metallic scaffolding and remnants of construction on the outer layers of the open room. There were beams suspended in the air and a partially thinned roof. It wasn't finished yet. I didn't see anything immediately concerning--



!!!



Amy! She was...



"There you are, Metal Sonic!" My Master's voice boomed throughout the dome. He descended down in his pod-shaped carrier, passing me a confident grin that I would otherwise describe as 'eerie'. Sage descended alongside him, her gaze unrelenting. Why did my Master have Amy? Why did he take her?



I looked at Amy again. Her arms and legs were bound by chains as she was attached to a square-shaped pole in the middle of the entire complex. I didn't understand this building. I didn't understand why he had her. There was no one else around. What did she do? She returned my stare, eyes with as much life in them as ever, but her frown was just as intense.



My Master spoke again, leading her to scowl. "I have a very special mission for you today... But, before we get into all that--"



"Metal! Knock him out bef--" Amy was silenced by my Master tying a cloth against her mouth. Angry. He should not have touched her like that. He should never have touched her... But I could do nothing. I could do nothing against my Master...



"Ah, sorry about that. Forgot standard kidnapping protocol," he dramatically sighed. "Either way, Pinky, you should know that my finest work of art can't attack me at all. You should know better than anyone, in fact," he said with a sly grin.



Amy glared at my Master, then she looked at me. There was a horror she expressed to me... He knew.



"I'm actually impressed, Metal. How long has this been going on for? Ten years? Eleven?" He hummed and tapped his wrist as if he had a watch. "You didn't lie in a way that contradicted any of my code. When I sent you to do something, you did it. You gave progress reports, data, everything I needed to know. You researched everyone about the same, the exception being that blasted Hedgehog. But I created you. Of course you're smart."



...



"The real juicy stuff, the files you didn't want me to see were buried and scattered under unremarkable folders containing random data. You cleaned out recordings and whatever garbage you said you would frequently. When I did a full sweep of your data, I never noticed anything out of place... Until one faithful day, you didn't bury one single file deep enough."



A screen appeared in front of him, displaying a photo of Amy. We were stargazing with one another on top of a building... In the photo, she looked at me lovingly. I had a hand at the side of her face, unmistakably mine.



"Oopsies!" He laughed as the photo vanished. "When I checked on you during the next maintenance cycle, it turned out there were many photos buried even further down... Recordings, too! For what it's worth, you had a good streak going. You often forget one important detail though, Metal Sonic... And it's that you're my creation."



Amy yelled something at him, though I couldn't decipher what she was saying. My Master clearly didn't, either.



"Pipe down, pink rat, I'll address you in a second," he scoffed, flailing at her. "Your mistake was thinking you could outsmart me, Metal Sonic... My mistake was not wiping you clean after your little temper tantrum as Neo Metal. Even with the changes I made to you, that annoying little rebellious attitude stuck around... And don't think I haven't noticed how much more agreeable you've been, particularly when these photos and videos started cropping up in your data banks," he growled. He sat up straight and lifted his nose in the air. "Well, I'm not buying it. Any creation of mine that betrays me in such a way deserves destruction... But... You're special to me, Metal Sonic. You always have been," he said, surprisingly calm. "No one can say I don't have those moments of mercy. Like I said, you're my finest work of art. Even the best art-- yes, mine included-- has its blemishes."



I dreaded his next words. I felt something I had not felt in a long time.



Fear. I was scared.



"Get rid of the blemish," my Master commanded, his voice low and agitated. "Kill Amy Rose. Now!" he screamed.



No! I wouldn't... I refused. I would never hurt her. I wouldn't. My Master rose higher in the air as he watched me. Sage also watched, emotionless, a spectator, a backup plan. I hated him. I hated them both.



Kill Amy Rose. I had to kill her. I needed to. She was in the way.



No, she wasn't. I--



I needed to be careful. I couldn't resist too much or else I would lose myself entirely. No, I wouldn't lose myself. I would. Stop.



My feet brought me forward. Amy stared, eyes wide, brows furrowed in concern. My Master wanted me to kill her. He wanted her to die.





If he wanted me to... Then... I swiped at the chains, breaking them off of her. I felt the overwhelming urge to slash her. I needed to kill her. She needed to die--



Amy, the second she broke free, roughly kicked me back and created distance between us. I didn't follow her. He told me to kill her in the moment, but he didn't say I had to do so efficiently. I would stretch every single rule to the best of my ability.



She unwrapped the cloth around her mouth. "You're disgusting, Eggman!" she screamed. "Call him off!"



"Now, why would I do that?" he yawned back.



"He was more 'agreeable' to you because he actually wanted to stick around! Maybe he would've even more if you weren't such a piece of shit!" She brought out her hammer-- I launched for her, brandishing my claws.





She knocked me away. I clawed into the ground. I tore into it.



There was only one way I could fully stop myself. I wouldn't stop.



I slowly stood up. 'Destroy me,' I signed to her.



"I can't do that!" she yelled back, frantic.



"Use your full power! Go your full speed!" he screamed. "Stop dilly-dallying!"





I went at my maximum speed towards Amy. I went into overdrive. She got out of the way in time, causing me to collide into metallic boxes and construction materials.



I could still move everything. My systems... normal.



I overclocked myself again, just barely aiming for her. No, I wanted to hit her. I hoped I would melt before I did anything else. She would burn with me. Burn.





I collided into her. She tried to block me with her hammer, stopping only some of my momentum. I slammed her into the wall. I glared at her. Love. Hate. No. Hate.



I saw the terror in her eyes. She wasn't scared of me, but she was scared for me. I could feel her concern. She should've been disgusted with me. There should've been hate. Hate. I could never. I would. I was. I did.



I was confused. It all hurt. Pain. I was angry. I didn't know what I was angry at. My head felt blurry.



She forced me back in my brief moment and knocked me away with her hammer. "Metal, you have to fight it! I know this isn't you!"



Metal, you have to fight it. I know this isn't you.



I clawed into my head and broke my outer casing. There was only way I could fully stop myself. I raked my claws down and attempted to tear myself apart. My body began reporting errors. Ignore. More damage. More. Stop.



"Metal! No!" Amy cried out.



If I broke my eyes, I would have a harder time--



"Stop damaging yourself!" screamed Eggman. "Fight her with everything you got! Fight her like she is Sonic the Hedgehog!"



I hated him. I hated them.



I hated him more than anything. If she was like Sonic, then-- I didn't love. That didn't make sense. She wasn't Sonic. Who was she? Who was I? I didn't know. Fear. I was angry. I was scared.





No, it didn't matter. What mattered was her death. She needed to die. I needed to kill her. She was like Sonic. She should die. She... No... Yes.



I no longer had control over my limbs. I went forward. I watched my body be controlled by something else. I didn't know what it was. It looked like me.



I attacked at a much greater speed. I timed when I would overclock myself. Fluid fell down the damaged side of my face. Part of my eye was obstructed. I would still kill. I would win. I would be victorious. I would be the best. She would die, and then I would be free of blemishes.



I felt so much angrier. Each swing she dodged, my hatred increased. She moved like the Hedgehog. She tried to escape me. She smashed me with her hammer, but my casing was too powerful. I was too powerful. I was better. I was better than her. I was better.



No, no, no. These weren't my thoughts. They weren't mine. I would never... I would never. I loved her so much. I loved her more than anything. She was my true love, my Rosy. I couldn't forget that. I couldn't forget.



While we fought one another, I looked around for anything, anything at all. I didn't know what I was looking for. We clashed over and over and over. She was strong, but she was organic. She would get tired eventually. I would never get tired. I was superior.



Her exhaustion began to show. I separated her from her hammer, knocking her back. I tossed it too far away for her to grab it; if she did, I would have an easy way to fatally wound her.



She kicked me just as quickly; I grabbed her leg and swung her into the ground. I jabbed at her-- she rolled out of the way. In a swift movement, she went for one of the metal beams. She swung it at me as I sped towards her--



She hit me. I looked up.



Beams, suspended above. Perfect. Why was it perfect? I didn't know. It would help. Help me kill? It would do something.



If she knocked the pole over, it would tilt and catch itself on the beams, forcing them onto the ground entirely. I could no longer control my limbs or speak with my hands. She had to destroy me. I had to destroy her. I was close. So close. I craved it.



Amy had been saying words to me this whole time. I didn't know what she said. Her mouth was moving and she was yelling, but I had a hard time hearing anything. Tears streamed down her face.



I'm sorry, Rosy. I'm so sorry.



I was outside of my own body. I didn't know what I was doing. I tried to speak and couldn't. I was feeling a lot of emotions, all of them dreadful. She kept me back for a long time. She dropped the beam, pouring with sweat and tears.





I realized the damage she caused me. If she got a significant hit on me one more time... Maybe that would be it.



I had to win.



I could win by knocking the pole over. Knock it over. Knock it over.





'Rrrr-Rosy,' I said with my machine tones. I didn't teach her the words. I begged she would be able to understand. 'Above,' I said. I flicked my eyes upwards. 'Pole. B-b-beam.'



I wasn't even sure that she heard me. She stared at me, defensive. She briefly looked around for anything lighter she could use. I did my best to move my arms so I could speak to her. They only slashed at her. I nicked her arm.



I slammed her to the pole. Knock it over. My hand gripped around her neck. She clawed at me, gritting her teeth as she tried to release my grip.



"Metal--"



"Kill her!"



... I was no longer angry. I was... confused. I let go of Amy.



She collapsed before me. She coughed, red dripping from her mouth. Her entire torso was red. Darker than her dress. There was a hole that shouldn't be there.



My other hand... Red, wet. My...



I collapsed too. I had control over my limbs again. I grabbed her. She... She was broken. I broke her. I didn't know how to fix her. I didn't want her to leave me. Don't leave me.



What did I do? What did I do? Why? Why?



She wheezed, clutching on tightly to my shoulders. She was still crying. Her eyes...



"I c-can't..." She wheezed again. "Breathe..."



'I love you.' I said it as slow as I could. I begged her to understand.



She stared at me. The corners of her lips moved. I thought she would say something else. I wanted to hear her voice again. One more time.



All the life left her eyes. Everything left.



...



Empty.



Empty. Empty. Empty.



I couldn't scream. I couldn't cry. I couldn't do anything. I was empty. I was nothing.



She had no more heartbeat. She was getting cold. I couldn't even keep her warm... She was also empty.



.........



"Finally." My Master spoke. Finally. That was the word he said afterwards. Finally.



I angled my head up towards him. He was reclined in his pod. He looked as happy as ever.



"Kind of a shame, really... She wasn't a bad fighter. But, all lessons have to be learned somehow. I think you learned yours," he said, voice more serious. A lesson. That was what he called this event. "Let go of her, Metal Sonic."



I looked back down at her. She didn't move even though she looked like she would. She...



...



I gently let go of her and stood up. My body was caked in blood and oil. My blue paint turned black.



Something boiled deep within me. What left me was replaced with so much hatred. No... It was always there. I finally realized it. I finally realized the source of everything horrible in my existence, an amount of loathing I carried for only one person. The whole reason I existed, the whole reason I hated everything, the whole reason I hated myself.



I stared at my Master. I clenched my fists. I was shaking. I was going to overload.



"Hm." My Master scanned over me. I was his 'art piece'. His object. Finally. A lesson. "Sage, deactivate--"



Something smashed into me. I was suddenly on the other side of the room. I turned my head-- I got punched so hard my head nearly twisted around.



"What did you do?!"



Him. It was him. Sonic the Hedgehog, eyes bright and furious. I saw his face and was consumed by anger. He was the whole reason. It was him.



I punched him back. I hit him as hard as I could. I hoped the blood was his. I wanted him to die. I really wanted him to die.



A part of me did not feel that way.



He knocked me back, movements almost faster than me. I was not in pristine condition...



A part of me wanted him to destroy me. It would be what I deserved.



No. I didn't feel that way. Hate. I hated him more than anything. It was his fault. It was his fault she was dead. It was him.



I was so empty. I was so angry. I didn't want to exist anymore. I needed to kill him.



He lacked his usual quips and instead spoke with his movements. I never saw such hatred in his eyes before. I felt a strange comfort from it. I wanted him to win. I needed to win.



My limbs acted automatically. I deflected his attacks, I attacked on my own. He hit me much harder than he usually did. He tried to tear my head off its socket. He would fail.



"I'm pissed! You should be stronger than that!" Sonic screamed. His voice was broken.



Stronger than what? I didn't understand. I was stronger than him. I would show him. I punched him back just as hard, causing him to spiral. He prevented a total fall by curling up into a ball, then launched back at me.



He slammed me into a wall. Just as quickly, the rage subsided. "... No... Dammit...! I know you can't help it," he said, quiet. Tears fell down his face too. I did not see Sonic. I saw someone else.



I didn't want to think about it. I was feeling a lot of things. What couldn't I help? What didn't I have control over? Pain. I didn't know.



I forced him away from me. The longer I looked at him, the angrier I got. I remembered again. I remembered what he took from me. He took away the only person who could make me happy. He took away my chance of a life away from everyone, away from him. It was his fault. It was him.



Die. Die. He should die.



I slashed his chest with my claws. There was more red on my hands. He screamed in pain, but his movements did not let up. He punched me through the chest-- he ripped my turbine. I dug my claws into his open wounds.



He clenched his teeth. "Maybe now... you can," he said through a pained grimace. I felt weaker... I lost too much fluid. My energy was draining.



His fault. It was his fault. I didn't know what he was saying to me. I didn't care. I just knew him dying would fix everything. It had to.



"For once, grab your freedom... Or be a prisoner forever," he painfully breathed.



I let go of him. I didn't know why.



Empty. I didn't know.



Grab your freedom or be a prisoner forever.



He punched me hard again. I heard him collapse. I couldn't move anymore.



I wasn't sure if I killed him or not. I might have heard breathing. I couldn't hold my focus. My eyes...