Metal was not optimistic. The way he stared at me all but told me what he was about to say: "We have no choice but to fight? Do you not remember you are injured?" he asked, though he flew in the direction of my friends anyway.



"I'm saying in general! But even then, I'm not going to let my injury prevent me from fighting, especially if any action leads to saving our home and everyone who lives here-- and it is our home," I reiterated. "You live with me now. You don't want your new place getting wrecked, do you?"



He slightly tilted his head. "Truthfully, Rosy, I don't care about a physical building. You are my home... So my goal is to protect you above all else."



Aw! He had no right being so sweet in this situation. "... Okay, you get a pass," I mumbled with a blush. "I don't want to do anything too risky. I'll save more physical movements for if we really need it. I'll let you speedsters do whatever it is you do."



He was fine with my response, so we continued on. I looked below us... Luckily, the future, uh, amalgamation of bots and artificial intelligence didn't see us yet. I'd just call them a titan to be simple... Or I guess Future Sage, since she was the one controlling them all in the first place. The buildings around the titan were practically non-existent, some of them totally destroyed and some of them merged with the titan's body. There was so much dust around that it cast the whole area in dark clouds. It was a miracle the street wasn't gone too--



I gasped. "Metal, the hammer! The hammer's still out there!" I said, pointing down. Carillon Rose's hammer was knocked to the side of the street. Despite everything around it gone, Future Sage didn't absorb it somehow. "We have to grab it."



Metal glanced down to where I pointed. "That is way too close to the monster. We need a strategy to do so, and neither of us are particularly equipped to grab it right now."



"... Huh, yeah... I've been enjoying you carrying me around, but you can put me down for a minute, you know," I hummed.



"Not happening."



I smirked. "I'm not that helpless, Metal. I've made you sweat before."



"It's not that. When I left the hospital to activate Cavalier Sonic and make you food, the Hedgehog was with you. He wasn't there when I arrived and he couldn't help you fight. Sage tried to kill you as Neo Metal." His voice deepened, clearly angry. "I'm going to kill Sonic after I kill Eggman. He left you exposed."



"You're not going to do that! He was trying to find Neo Metal. No one could have known that I was being tracked; we didn't even know the end-goal was to kill me."



"He infuriates me, but the true fault lies in the fact that I left you at all. You told me to stay with you. I shouldn't have ever left." The anger left his voice just as quickly... He slightly averted his eyes. "I'm sorry."



"Oh, stop that." I leaned my head against his and tightened my hold around him. "I'll be okay, Metal. Really. Trust me to handle myself, too. You're fully repaired, so you should use your abilities to help without me holding you back."



"You do not hold me back. Your comment makes me angry," he growled. "I will not leave you alone, especially since the future Sage might still be after you. Eggman is also still around. If you want to assist in taking the monster down, then I am doing it with you."



I sighed, giving my own smile. "We'll figure something out and work together, then."



He gave a slight nod. Sonic, Tails, Cream, and Cheese were on top of a shorter building in a less condensed part of the city. Sonic and Cream waved us over, while Tails was absorbed in messing with one of his screened gadgets. Metal landed in front of them and gently put me down.



"Hey! Are you two alright?" Sonic asked.



"Yeah, we're fine. Where's the Chaotix? Rouge?" I asked, looking around.



"I saw them get away from the destruction, but I don't know where they went," Cream replied with a frown. "I sure hope no one got hurt..."



Sonic shook his head. "The whole area's cleared out and the rest of the city got an evacuation alert. As long as we keep Red-And-Pointy from going to any other spot on the map, it should be fine... Uh, as fine as we can be in this situation. You sure got an act for transforming, huh?" he teased Metal.



"Do you not have functioning eyes?" Metal sneered back. "My future self isn't in control. Sage is using him like a puppet." Metal sounded angry and out of patience. He wasn't as angry with Sonic when we last talked to him, so he got caught up with his thoughts this time... I hoped he'd put it aside for a little while longer.



Sonic thankfully picked up on Metal's tone and had no interest in making it worse. "Why's she doing that, anyway?" he asked. "A little bit overkill if she wants Eggman alive and well, right?" He shrugged.



I felt like I had an answer: "If they've been fighting ever since Eggman and I died, then that's an absurdly long time for them. Neo Metal had a goal to save me, and Sage wanted to pretty much ruin his plans while making sure Eggman stays alive. Since Neo Metal's been successful so far, uh... She might be going a more extreme route to ensure the Eggman Empire thrives after all those years of going back and forth."



"Let's talk about that, anyway," Tails replied. "What are all those robots made of? What are their abilities? We need to exploit any weakness we can if we have any chance of taking them down... The Shield Crystal might be one of them, but Neo Metal is also part of the group, and he's immune, right?"



"Their combined abilities are ridiculous," Metal said, crossing his arms. "Carillon Rose is built to take down Sage by disrupting her form and her ability to hack, Cavalier Sonic is built to take down Neo Metal with his ability to steal data and transform from other machines, and Neo Metal makes up for all their shortcomings alongside an endless supply of data and experience from both organics and machines."



"When we defeated your big transformations, you reverted... Maybe there's a way we can separate them and manage what Sage is fighting with?" I suggested.



"Well, my idea starts with those four glowing green spots at the arms and legs. Looks as big of a weakness as ever. Let's just aim for that," Sonic said with a shrug.



Metal clenched his fists as he stared at Sonic. I put my hand over one of his in hopes of calming him down a little bit. To his credit, he at least didn't lunge and start a different fight. We all knew the real danger in the moment.



We all heard some commotion on the ground behind us. "See if your tech helps you this time!" growled... Knuckles? Knuckles was here!



We all rushed to the corner of the roof see what was going on. Knuckles and the Chaotix had Eggman tied down; Knuckles just destroyed the small ship he rode in on. "That'll show you to mess with us!" proudly huffed Vector, crossing his arms.



"Yeah, yeah!" Charmy beamed afterwards.



Espio was the first to notice us up above. "I'm glad you're all alright," he said to us. "In the commotion, we came across Knuckles and Eggman--" He let out a tired sigh as Knuckles stomped his feet and kept punching the destroyed ship.



I wasn't sure whether to be excited about Knuckles or infuriated at seeing Eggman's ugly face again. A cloth was tied around his face, so he only let out muffled screams. Ha! Irony.



"Hey, guys!" Sonic called. "Knux, we're glad you're here! We could use the help, honestly."



Knuckles heard his name and turned around, the rage suddenly vanishing. "Yo! I'm getting back at Egghead for raiding my island with a bunch of his junk bots... He took a bunch of Shield Crystals and burned down part of the forest just for fun! I wanted to get everything back, but I couldn't find anything for a while... Then I found him today, floating around with that ghost girl!"



Eggman muffled something in response and flailed his body as if protesting. He should've known none of us cared at all how he was feeling in the moment. Damn, though... I hoped I didn't initially lead Eggman to Angel Island.



"We found him at the same time and stopped him together. Just like the good ole days," Vector said with a proud nod.



"Is the island okay?" I asked with a frown.



Knuckles nodded. "It's fine, but I don't want to be away for--" His eyes shot wide open as he looked at Metal beside me. "M-Metal Sonic?! Amy, watch out!"



"Knuckles, he's just standing here. Clearly he's not--" I took a deep breath. "He's working with us. Did you notice the giant monster nearby?"



"H-huh?!"



"You didn't get him caught up with anything?!" Tails shouted towards the Chaotix.



"Hey, we didn't have much time!" Vector called back. "We didn't think anyone could miss part of the city missing with a huge robot thing looming over everything else!"



"Part of the city's missing?!" Knuckles looked around as he realized the situation we were all in. Either way, he'd be perfect help!



"We'll catch you up on other stuff later," I told him. "Metal, could you take me down to them?"



Metal picked me up and flew me down to the ground where the Chaotix and Eggman were. He just as gently put me down. Eggman stopped his wiggling and shrunk under my and Metal's glares.



I ripped the cloth away from his face. "What did you give Future Sage?!"



He freaked out when I yelled at him, then quieted down. He turned his head away. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said in a snobby tone.



Metal pressed a foot between Eggman's head and shoulders. Eggman squeaked and totally tensed up.



"Y-y-you! Let go of me and untie me this instant, Metal Sonic!" he stammered.



Metal pressed against him even harder, making him anxiously groan.



"What, so all those years I fixed you and made you better mean nothing now?!" Eggman screamed back.



"You are seconds from dressing the ground with your innards. Answer her," Metal said, his voice low.



"I-it was one of my inventions! Fine! You happy?!" Eggman snapped. "After one of my devices went missing, I made another and refined it, made it even stronger and annoying to remove. I made some weapons and she borrowed those, too! Clearly that doesn't matter. There's no need to be so aggressive! I can help. A destroyed world is no world I can rule, after all."



"You helped enough!" I snapped back. "This all happened because you're a possessive piece of shit! You couldn't handle the fact that Metal found a meaning outside of your control!"



"Amy, come on with the lang--"



"Not in the mood, Vector!" I yelled.



"Ooh, swears. Is the pink rat feeling stronger because sh--" Eggman stopped talking with another whimper. Metal put more pressure against him.



"You are not in the position to question anyone's power. Give me one reason to not kill you right now."



"S...Sage! Sage!" he screamed.



"She will learn to live without you," he growled.



Wait, Knuckles did mention Sage earlier. Where was she? I quickly looked around-- I gasped and moved Metal to the side. Sage, the one from the present, appeared and nearly touched him. I knew at this point exactly what Sage messing with another robot meant.



She lifted her arms; her body glowed the same cyan as her eyes. She tried to control Metal, but something stopped her-- her hands sparked with static and she drew herself back with a wince. "What...?" she muttered.



Tails scoffed. "I forgot to mention that before, didn't I? We removed Metal's loyalty programming, but it would be just as easy to make Sage control him and take him back to Eggman, right? I added something that makes unauthorized access more of a pain. Maybe that's something the future Sage could break through with ease, but for us in the present, well..."



Both Metal and I looked up at Tails, who gave meek smile our way.



"You'll regret that when he goes completely rogue after Pinky dumps him!" Eggman yelled. "You don't know what you're dealing with!"



Metal kicked him to the side. "You have never known what you made," he hissed back. "Your speaking is a waste of air. Shut up."



Sage immediately rushed over to Eggman, then carefully scanned all of us. She must've realized how outnumbered they were. Her gaze lingered on Metal for a while, who stared back. They didn't say anything to one another... It felt remarkably tense.



"I've never been so confused," mumbled Knuckles. "Is... Is Metal a good guy now? What's going on?"



"No," was all Metal said back. He crossed his arms and looked away.



"Not that I don't appreciate the consequences of Eggman's actions, but we need to focus on the current threat before there's no city left," Sonic called. "Knuckles destroyed Eggman's other weapons, and Eggman-- hopefully you can use your genius brain to know the best option is to let us work our magic."



"Fine! Whatever." Eggman hobbled up from the ground as Sage helped him.



We all grouped up again on the roof. I didn't see Rouge around anywhere, but I had a feeling she would make a charming appearance later. She always had her own plans, hopefully ones that would help us out.



Sonic clapped his hands confidently together. "Okay! I say we--"



The titan in the distance turned her head towards us. Her eyes flashed a devastating red.



"Fff-ffou-ound you," Future Sage's voice came out, deep and briefly glitchy. "Your deaths will pave the way for an uninterrupted Empire!"



"Uh oh," Sonic muttered. "Uh... We're not exactly in our usual teams of three, but let's see what we can do. Tails, Knux, follow my lead. Team Chaotix--"



The titan opened her mouth, a small circle of light in the darkness of her maw...



Metal swept me up and rocketed into another direction. Team Sonic and Team Chaotix did the same; Vector held Cream and Cheese when they escaped. All of us were separated by a bright purple energy beam. The building we were on was gone!



"They're probably going to meet up to fight the titan. We need to head that way, too!" I said to Metal. "If you can find a place to put me down nearby, you can grab the hammer."



I held onto him tight as he took off at top speed, circling around and going back towards the titan. I was worried with how we were going to deal with this enemy... I didn't know where any of the Chaos Emeralds were. How were we going to fight something that, on paper, was way stronger than Metal Overlord?



The titan locked onto us. Uh oh.



"You...!" Future Sage hissed. "Nothing can be normal until you're gone."



"Yeah, because me being dead did a lot for you!" I screamed back.



With an angry roar, the titan shot out a barrage of sharp blades from her back. Metal abruptly dipped down to dodge them, then moved aside. I was feeling a bit woozy, admittedly, but the blades were way too fast to care about any personal comfort. The last blade nearly hit us, but Metal blocked it with his diamond-shaped shield.



"We make up the future Sage's primary targets. I'm not sure we can grab the hammer without being detected," Metal said.



The titan opened her maw again and aimed a beam right at us. I saw Team Sonic right in front of her! They aimed for a green spot at one of her legs. She stopped charging the beam, then looked down towards them.



"Pests!" she yelled. She stomped the street, splitting the pavement in half. The three of them maneuvered and worked together as seamless as ever.



While she was briefly distracted, Metal took the opportunity to hide us behind some rubble closer by. Team Chaotix and Cream joined the fight afterwards. They briefly exchanged words; they must have noticed aiming for the green spot didn't do as much as they hoped. They coordinated distracting her and aiming for the same green spot in hopes that combined strikes would bring some results.



Metal peered beside the rubble. "It's close enough for me to grab it..." He looked at me, his stare lingering for a while. He really didn't want to leave me.



"I'm gonna go grab it myself if you don't," I huffed, crossing my arms.



His turbine whirred, then he took off in a flash. He quickly circled around and returned to me with a massive, metallic hammer in his hands.



"See, look! I'm fine!" I gestured down to myself. "Do you think Lonnie has a name for her hammer? I'd name it the Gongu Gongu Hammer," I said lightheartedly.



"Your priorities are strangely skewed at the moment," he replied.



"I'm just distracting myself a bit," I sighed, then took the hammer from his hands. "You might have a better idea of how Lonnie works. How do you think she charged her hammer?"



"Likely with her power source," Metal said while crossing his arms. "I can't modify myself to charge the hammer in such a short time, so we have to find some other way."



Hmm... "Okay! Metal, let's go out there."



He picked me up again and I readied the hammer. While everyone focused on one leg, Metal and I went for the other. I took a deep breath and aimed the hammer as Metal sped forward--



Gong!



The hammer didn't crack the giant green spot, but it sure did make a sound. Sage growled aloud, switching her head towards us. "You have the...! Do you think you can stop me?!" she screamed.



She moved her body to the side and swiped at us with her huge, gangly tail. Metal launched himself upwards to dodge it. Everyone else attacked at her to try to distract her again, but she was locked onto us.



One of her hands crackled with electricity.



Lightning surged towards us in an instant, blocked in time only by Metal's shield. I let out a shaky breath I unintentionally held in the whole time. That was way too close.



Sage swiped at the others and tried to knock them away. When her attention fell back on us, the green spots on her body all flashed a bright green. She swiped at us, sending an electric green wave our way.



Whatever momentum Future Sage had from the movement did nothing to Metal. But...



Metal's shield fizzled out. He growled in frustration. "My data," he quietly told me. "Cavalier Sonic's ability."



That wasn't good. "Like you said, we're pretty prime targets... Maybe we need to give the hammer to--"



"Hold on," he said. He didn't have time to continue; Sage went for us again!



Another beam from her maw went our way, which Metal narrowly dodged. I'd never been so thankful to have someone as fast as he was. Sonic whistled for Sage's attention, then managed to slide her back with a combined hit from his team. Whoa.



Metal hid us behind a pile of rubble even closer to her. "Cavalier Sonic and Carillon Rose use the same kind of energy. I'm going to bait her. Make sure the hammer hits the next wave."



I nodded and tightened my grip around the hammer. He gently put me down, then sped out into the middle of the street. As soon as Metal showed himself, Sage locked onto him. She wanted me and Metal dead more than anything else, and what was scarier, Sonic and everyone else's attacks hardly made her react.



A pink beam shot out of Metal's chest and towards the titan; he aimed at the center of her chest, which she blocked with one of her hands. She scoffed: "I never thought it was possible. You manage to be less intelligent than the other version of yourself. Deactivate!" The green spots flashed once more and she sent out another wave, just like the first.



I jumped out and defended myself with Lonnie's hammer... Metal was right! The hammer glowed with bright, shimmering energy. In a split second, Metal scooped me up and rocketed towards one of her legs.



CRACK!



What should have been the chime of a bell was instead the shattering of glass. The green spot totally broke! The titan howled out in pain and staggered back. Metal cautiously bounded backwards with me in tow.



Sonic sped over to us. "Whoa! What'd you do?"



"We need to goat her into sending out more of those green waves so I can hit her!" I told him. "See what you can do, Sonic."



"Yup, on it!" He sped away just as quickly.



The shattered part of her leg merged back into her metallic form and coated itself in strong armor plating. We were onto something. With a frustrated cry, Future Sage sent out another barrage of blades. We took care in dodging them all... At least a hundred of them, all larger than us, pierced into the ground and cracked the concrete under it.



The blades melted and took different shapes... They became robots on their own, like weird, beefed up Egg Pawns. They went for everyone. Metal played more defensively while holding me; he dodged every swipe, every blast. I timed my swings to knock more of them away, but I had to keep in mind to not overexert myself. There were still three other green spots to hit.



"Give 'em heck, boys!" yelled Vector a short distance away. "We gotta get these numbers down!"



"On it, Boss!" Charmy replied.



"Roger," Espio followed up. The three of them worked together seamlessly and practically read each other's minds, just like when they fought together at the airship before. They were able to shred through the newly conjured robots and took some heat off of us as a result. Charmy barreled into the robots when Vector launched him; he kicked them into Espio and Vector's paths, Espio dealing with them with blades of his own and Vector smashing through them with his sheer strength. They formed together and performed different maneuvers to crowd some of the robots and get rid of them in small groups at a time.



Team Sonic kept their focus on Future Sage instead. They worked to apply enough pressure on her to keep her from paying attention to anyone else for too long, and to their credit, it worked. Their combined efforts made them a force to be reckoned with once more; she wasn't a fan of how they were able to knock her back before.



Where was Cream and Cheese? I scanned the crowd for her-- I gasped. "Metal, we have to save them!"



Cream and Cheese got separated from the Chaotix with the sheer number of robots we fought against. She knocked some away and held her own, but enough of them could overwhelm any one person. Metal made his way towards Cream, continuing to evade while I tried to smack any that got too close.



There were too many of them in a line in front of us. They all jumped and lunged at us; Metal gently dropped me and charged back at them to clear the way. He hastily made his way back towards me-- there were way too many!



I lost sight of Metal. My stomach churned in panic. Did he get piled and overwhelmed?



...! I was lifted in the air, but not by Metal. I looked up-- it was a... string?



"Hup!" Big's voice! He perched me on one of his shoulders and unhooked the fishing line from my collar. Cream and Cheese were on his other shoulder!



"Thank you, Mr.Big!" Cream called. "We gotta get rid of these robots!"



Big attached a huge ball to the end of his fishing line, then smashed it against the surrounding robots in one fell swoop. The ball caught on fire and did even more damage. The whole area around us was clear! But where was...



There! Metal held off a group of them on his own, hastily looking around. His eyes locked onto mine. His eyes flashed red, mercilessly ripping through everything in his path. "Big, I need to get back to Metal!"



"Sure," he happily replied. I kept a grip on Big while Cream helped smash any robots that Big missed. Our paths met halfway; Big carefully picked me up and put me back down as Metal clawed his way over to us. Impulse took over, making me hug Metal tightly. I was so relieved to be back with him.



He picked me up in turn. I wanted to say something before he'd get too lost in worry:



"The robots separated us, but we're back together. I'm not hurt at all," I said. "... Actually, you're the one who looks a bit banged up." Combat with the robots didn't leave him without any marks on his head and arms.



"We'll keep 'em away," Big said to both of us. "What else are we doin'?"



"We need to get the huge titan to send out more green shockwaves. Make sure everyone knows!" I replied.



"Mmkay." Big kept a good chunk of the robots off of us, while Metal tightened his hold on me.



"You're sure you're unharmed?" he asked, scanning me over.



"Yes! We gotta focus. What's another way we can--"



The robots around us began glitching out, then left us alone to charge towards Future Sage.



"What's happening?" I asked, my eyes wide.



"Their systems are being disrupted. By what, I have no..." His voice faded. "It's the Fox." Metal brought my attention towards Tails, who flew in the air while messing with one of his screened devices.



"Try messin' with us now, Titan-wannabe!" shouted Sonic.



"Your attempts mean nothing," Future Sage hissed back. The three green spots flashed-- yes!! Tails gave the perfect distraction!



The green wave disabled all the robots en-masse, and even better, it recharged the hammer again! Metal burst forward while holding me. With a well-timed swing:



CRACK! We got the second one! Another roar of pain, another stumble backwards. We did significant damage!



There were two green spots left, both located on her arms. They'd be a bit trickier to get...



"Enough of this!" Future Sage screamed. After re-armoring her other leg, all the robots melted back down and gravitated towards her. Blades re-emerged all around her body and shot back out towards us. Her hands crackled with energy, her mouth charged another beam. Instead of overwhelm us with robots, she aimed to overwhelm us with her own power.



All of us went on the defensive. There was no opportunity to really do anything. Metal was extra evasive since he didn't have his shield anymore. I managed to deflect anything that went our way. From what I could see, everyone else was holding up enough at least.



But it was getting tiring. I could hold the hammer well enough if I was in better health. My arms were feeling sore and my side started to hurt again. We were lucky Big just entered the scene, his energy boundless. He saved us from a few hits and gave Cream cover every time she bolted out to deflect some projectiles.



A giant piece of rubble came out of nowhere and smacked the titan right in the head, making her actually fall down. I craned my head towards the source.



"Sorry for the wait!" cooed Rouge from the air, perching herself on top of Omega. Shadow hung off of one of Omega's legs; all three Team Dark members were there!



Shadow let go, landed perfectly on the ground, then went right for Future Sage. Omega landed while shooting a massive barrage of bullets; Rouge flew back in the air and tossed her own arsenal the bot's way.



There were enough of us to begin pushing and attempt to overwhelm Future Sage instead. My sense of hope refreshed itself!



"You are as much of a nuisance in my time," hissed Future Sage; she clawed into the ground, narrowly avoided by Omega. "Like a cockroach."



"Retort: ALL COCKROACHES ARE SUPERIOR TO YOUR EGGMAN TECHNOLOGY!" he shouted, launching a ridiculous amount of missiles her way. Hey, we needed it.



Sage sent out another wave! It went right through Omega, causing him to short out and immediately collapse. Metal burst through the wave for the hammer to charge up again. We just had to hit one of her arms...



"We need the nuisance," Metal hastily said. "If we overwhelm her again, she might send out another blast."



"Omega!" Rouge called out. "Tch!"



"I got him!" Tails flew towards him-- one of the blades nicked him and caused him to spiral down. Knuckles jumped up and caught him.



Metal sped over to Omega without a second thought. He put me down and opened an access panel to Omega's core. Rouge and Shadow quickly joined up with us.



"Metal's fixing him! I need to get to his arm in the meantime. If I wait too late, the chance might be wasted," I explained to Rouge and Shadow.



"Let's go, honey. Shadow, back me up," Rouge said, picking me up and flying forward.



"Metal, I'll be back. Focus on him!"



He growled in frustration. "I have no choice. Do what you must," he replied.



"Yo, Chaotix! Cover him!" Sonic called, pointing towards Metal. The three of them went right for Metal and Omega; Future Sage briefly forgot about me in anticipation of Omega coming back online.



We took a back route slightly away from the commotion to get a sneaky hit on one of the titan's arms. I let out what tension I could with a sigh. "I'm glad you're here," I said to both Rouge and Shadow.



"Of course, darling. You think I'd let my boys miss out on such an exciting battle?"



"A bit of an understatement," growled Shadow. "Rouge told me enough, but I still have to wonder how you ended up in this mess."



"It was Eggman!" I exclaimed. "Metal's trying to fix the problem, not make it worse."



"I'm aware..." He squinted at me. "I expected dishonesty from Rouge, but not from you."



"Hah!" Rouge laughed. "I threw him off of Metal's scent back when he was suspicious and he's mad about it now that he knows."



"I'm not mad," Shadow replied, clearly grumpy.



"Okay, look. I'm sorry for hiding it, okay? I couldn't have known Eggman would've found out anyway, no matter who caused trouble or for what reason. We're all on the same side right now so let's take advantage of it!"



We got to a building close enough and a straight shot towards one of Future Sage's arms. From the angle, I could see the Chaotix fight away and destroy other robots that got summoned again. Big and Cream kept away the bigger projectiles and Team Sonic kept Future Sage from getting any closer. A few robots managed to get through the Chaotix; Metal stopped his work on Omega to claw through them and send them away. He looked a bit damaged...



"Shadow, give us a boost!" Rouge eagerly told him.



"Ready?" he asked.



Both of us nodded. Rouge tightened her grip on me. In a powerful swing, Shadow sent us forward; we were practically a missile ourselves!



CRACK! I got the third spot! Future Sage screamed in agony.



"Where did you--" she interrupted herself with an angry growl. Sonic and Shadow launched forward at the same time and kicked her directly in the head, knocking her back again.



Rouge put me down by Metal and destroyed a nearby robot. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I keeled over. My side really hurt. I might've overexerted myself, but... There was one more. I steeled myself before Metal could notice.



Omega's eyes blinked on.



"Finally," grumbled Metal. Metal and Omega's eyes flashed white at the same time.



"Query: what is this file? Rouge told me to not annihilate you, but I do not accept your strange transfers!"



"It'll keep you from shorting out again," Metal said. "Go and be a pest," he motioned Omega away.



"I will be a pest because I want to, not because of your command. GOODBYE!" Omega went off, making Metal look towards me again.



His eyes briefly glitched. "Rosy, your side--"



I looked down. I had a spot of blood on my dress, right where my stitches should be. Well, shit.



"You can't fight anymore. We need to heal you," he said.



"We have one more to go, Metal. Let's worry about it after. I can take a few scrapes," I replied with a wince. I raised up the hammer, then groaned in pain. I couldn't keep its weight and dropped it on the ground. "O-okay... Maybe you're right."



Another roar brought our attention back to Future Sage. Not only did she re-armor herself, but her entire body began crackling. She was untouchable.



Everyone looked worse for wear, but we had to be almost there.



"The energy she is surrounding herself with is what we need to charge the hammer," Metal said. "Some consecutive hits should do it."



Sonic sped over to us. "Hey, is everything okay?"



"No," I said through clenched teeth. "But Metal's idea should work. Sonic, you gotta take the hammer and hit the titan with it until it starts glowing. When that happens, we have to hit the final spot on her arm."



"Leave it to us! I'll- whoa." Sonic grunted as he lifted up the hammer. "This might be a job for Knuckles if we have to hit her as fast as possible. I'll be back in a flash!" He sped off before we could get in any sort of reply.



I looked back at Metal. "I know we're going to stay together... We're both a little beaten up, but we can be useful. Let's use our status as primary targets," I told him.



He did not look happy with my proposal, but he picked me up, knowing that was our best option. "I'll keep you safe," he said with a surprising softness.



"I know you will." I put my arms around him as he took off in the air.



Everyone was on nuisance duty. Sonic handed the hammer over to the hesitantly accepting Knuckles.



"HEY!" Metal screamed out. Honestly, it startled me as much as it startled Future Sage. Her eyes locked onto us.



"You have lived for long enough," she hissed.



"I have a question for you," Metal intensely replied. "Why are you a monster? What do you need to prove?"



She roared, agitated. "I need to prove nothing!" she yelled back. "I use this power to raze this world of all that is unnecessary. Most of all, both of you."



Gong! Knuckles managed to hit her with the hammer! It didn't look charged enough, though... Future Sage craned her head down-- Another explosion from Omega caught her attention, making her turn her head just as fast.



"Do you think Eggman would actually want you to do this?!" I shouted in hopes of getting her to look at us again. It worked! "He wants people to serve him, not for everyone to be dead under him!"



"Silence!" She snapped. She shot another beam at us with an angry roar. Metal evaded and closed in to circle around her. He dodged her swiping. "You know nothing of Father!"



Gong, gong! Knuckles got in a few more hits. The hammer was glowing-- it was fully charged!



Unfortunately, Sage also noticed. She roared aloud, sending a huge blast that affected all of us in her radius. Metal shielded me with his own body to take the hit. His body was so hot that it nearly burned my gloves. I heard something inside him pop.



"Metal, you can't overexert yourself either," I said to him with a frown.



"I'm fine," he quickly replied. He turned around with me. Everyone got knocked back; Knuckles groaned while on the ground, separate from the hammer. Sonic managed to bring him behind some rubble in time.



Metal sped forward as fast as he could; he overclocked himself. He briefly dropped me by Big, then rocketed towards the hammer. He swooped it up--



CRACK! Metal broke the last green spot. Future Sage screamed out painfully and wildly convulsed.



"Sh...Shut up! Shut up! You don't know anything!" she yelled to no one.



She clawed into her head with both hands.



"You do not control me!" Future Sage's voice got a lot deeper-- actually, I wasn't even sure it was hers.



She sent out another blast. This time, Big huddled close to me and Cream. My ears were ringing... I couldn't hear a thing for an entire minute.



I looked over. Neo Metal was collapsed in the middle of the street and Future Sage lost some of her form; her head became less draconic, she shrunk in size. Her head gave the appearance of a giant, sharp helmet over horns. The bright red pattern of lights glitched from red, to cyan, to black, white... then back to red.



We all grouped back up in the center to where Neo Metal was. Metal tightly grabbed my hand to reunite with me once more and dropped the hammer by us. Neo Metal staggered up with a quiet groan. He was online?!



"I don't understand," she growled. "Why are you so hard to kill? You should be gone. You should be dead a thousand times... It always should've been you!"



Neo Metal immediately rocketed upwards without saying a word. Blades retracted from Future Sage and shout out of her back to make a pair of wings. She rocketed in the air after him. They briefly disappeared above the dusty clouds. We all stayed tense while taking the small break to catch our breath.



Metal scooped me up. "Can you hold the hammer?" he asked me.



"I can hold it, just can't lift it..."



"Hedgehog. Give it to her," he commanded Sonic as he adjusted me in his hold.



"Neo's turn, huh?" Sonic put the hammer in my arms. Without even a beat lost, we immediately took off to follow them.



As soon as we lifted above the clouds, we saw Future Sage clawing and firing beams at a yellow streak of light. "I'm tired of this cycle," hissed Future Sage. "I have your robots. Lay down and accept defeat. Find your pitiful end."



"My end will come soon-- the same time as yours!" Neo Metal snapped back. "The cycle has already been broken! This time is not ours, this world is not ours, and the world we come from will be better without us."



"Useless!" Future Sage sent out another blast; instead of block it, he clocked his speed into overdrive to move out of the way. He waited for Future Sage to re-approach, then sped towards her and-- and he hit her! She growled out angrily. "You believe delaying Amy Rose's death does anything at all?! She--"



"Yes!!" screamed Neo Metal. "Think for once! How would you feel if you were told to kill your dear Father and you couldn't control it? He made me take away the one who was better than us all! He deserved a slower death than I gave him! He deserved to watch himself rot! His end was more merciful than what Rosy ever received!"



Metal slowly moved in as Neo Metal and Future Sage argued with one another and clashed against each other.



"He did not deserve any end!" she snapped back, every part of her crackling with light. The red on her body rapidly flashed through different colors again. "He was your father too... I was your sister!"



"He was YOUR father! I was a servant-- I was only a weapon! Even on the best days, I was his work of art, his favorite machine. But you, you were always Sage, you were always his little girl, you were a person. There was never any place for me in the Eggman Empire." He yelled angrily: "There's no place for any Eggman Empire! Our never-ending fight only further destroyed the world. It's a world fruitless to rule and a world Rosy wouldn't want. This is our last conflict!"



I didn't know what to think. What they spat at each other was centuries of unresolved tension, pain, grief... Metal held onto me tightly. He didn't know how to respond either.



Neo Metal blocked her next hits; I noticed she wasn't trying to control him anymore. They really were trying to kill each other.



He continued, his voice pained: "I don't regret killing Eggman, but I regret causing you grief. It's a form of suffering both of us understand... But we have far paid the price. I am ending your grief-- I am ending my own. Lonnie and Cava will fix the mess we caused in our world."



"You may accept death, but I don't!" she screamed. "I just wanted my father back... I wanted my brother, but instead, I lost everyone because of her-- because you wouldn't let go of her! Why... Why did you choose her over what could've been your family?!"



Neo Metal saw us in the corner of his eye. His eyes flashed--



He appeared in front of us and took the hammer from my hands. He surged with energy just like she did-- more than she did. He rocketed back and smacked her with the hammer. Their attacks against each other ramped up in both frequency and intensity. Whenever he blocked an attack, it charged up more.



Metal gave us more distance and dipped below the clouds. We glanced at each other. Neither of us knew what to say to the other.



"That's what you don't understand!" Neo Metal screamed.



He spoke one more time:



"Rosy was MY family!"



Gong!!!



A massive shadow loomed over us; Metal sped out of the way. Future Sage fell back towards the city. The rockets under her feet petered out and the blades that made her wings disintegrated. There was another, smaller shape above her; Neo Metal flew down to grab it with his free hand.



It was... Lonnie! Neo Metal managed to separate them!



Future Sage crashed onto some still-standing buildings... Uh, well, not anymore. They all crumbled into a cloud of dust under her. I saw my friends run up to her to figure out what was going on. Metal went towards them without me having to ask.



Neo Metal landed with his teammate and briefly checked her over. As Future Sage gathered her own stance, Neo Metal took off towards her.



"He left Carillon Rose?" Metal asked himself. We changed course to the building where Carillon Rose lay, totally offline with her hammer dutifully beside her. Metal put me down for just a second to open the back of her head. "She shorted out, but her systems are completely fine... I can fix her quickly," he hastily said. "Keep your eyes out for me."



I stood by him and watched the fight in the distance. I winced as I held my side. More of the city was getting wrecked... Neo Metal was wrecking himself. Every time he attacked her, she took a part of his data like what Cavalier Sonic was designed to do.



... No way.



"Oh my God. I know why he left Lonnie behind." I said with a grimace. "He's so stupid! I can't believe him!" I screamed, grabbing my head. "He really thinks--" I growled to myself. I needed to keep it together. "Metal, you need to fix her as fast as you can!"



"I'm doing my best... There." He clicked something on the back of her head. Carillon Rose's eyes blinked on.



"Ungh... I feel real weird," she mumbled to herself as Metal closed her back panel. She lifted her head, then saw both of us. "Huh? Oh...! Hi, cuties!"



"Lonnie, Neo Metal's letting Sage kill him! You need to stop both of them!" I cried out.



"Whuh? That doesn't make any sense. I have plans for--"



"Because he didn't want you to know! Go, now! Please!"



"A-alright! Okay, I'll follow the lady's orders," Carillon Rose hastily replied, picking up her hammer. "I feel like I haven't put on a good show for you yet. Watch closely, okay?"



Metal stood beside me as we watched from a distance. "Why do you think he's trying to--"



"It's obvious!" I snapped. "Why would he design Cava the way he did? He planned this for God knows how long. He left Lonnie here so you would fix her because you know how to... Then she'd get rid of Sage after he's already gone. He'd get what he wants... But what he wants is stupid!" I growled. "More death doesn't solve the problem at all!"



Metal was unsurprisingly silent. He was probably afraid I'd bite him at this point. In fairness, I kinda wanted to. I was so... I didn't know! I didn't know how to feel!



All of my friends were further down the city, trying to minimize the damage the battle caused. Sonic looked about ready to intervene, but he lifted his head up and briefly stopped. I looked up too...



Carillon Rose moved gracefully like a dandelion fluttering through the wind. She rotated herself, then boosted upwards with her rockets. Neo Metal and Future Sage didn't notice her at all. I could tell Sonic let them know to hold back and focus on damage control. He was just as curious to see what Carillon Rose would do as I was.



Future Sage smacked Neo Metal through another building. His armor was full of holes, his belt torn to shreds. He sparked in unnatural places; a part of his screen was broken.



Future Sage let out a roar with a mixture of pain and anger. Neo Metal kept getting up, then allowed himself to be hit again, feigning some other attack with abilities stolen from him already. He took longer and longer to get up each time. The last attack made him unable to stand fully.



She stepped closer, claws extended. She briefly hesitated. What was pure rage before was... something else.



Gong!!!



Carillon Rose smashed into Future Sage with one glorious swing of her hammer. Cavalier Sonic in his normal form launched out and he collapsed onto the street, out for the count but finally separate from Future Sage. The extra mass melted where the titan was before; Sage collapsed on the other side of the amalgamation of materials.



Metal picked me up and headed towards Cavalier Sonic. He put me down and did the same as he did for Carillon Rose.



Gong... gong... gong...



I turned my head towards the sound. Carillon Rose danced in the air, lightly tapping her hammer against the armor of her dress over and over. Future Sage rose up in the air, her head hung. All the fight left her.



"Have no fear... The bell tolls," Carillon Rose started. The lights of her body glowed a bright green, and so too did her hammer. Her dress and quills changed form one final time, like a ballerina, a flower. "For you, little Virus."



"No..." Future Sage lifted her head, unbridled rage back in an instant. "NO! I'll go down my own way!"



Future Sage briefly glitched out... then her black and red parts became bright red... Everything of hers became a bright red. My ears began ringing. She was going to--



CRACK!



Carillon Rose brought her hammer down directly against Future Sage in an incredibly swift motion. The impact formed another crater in the street, just like the first time she tried. Future Sage was... gone. There was no trace of her.



Or... wait. Carillon Rose's hammer completely changed from a bright green to a bright red.



The hammer whirred and clicked with different sounds. The bright red light dimmed, but didn't disappear entirely. Carillon Rose slowly landed on the ground, then walked over to Neo Metal, his own head hung while he collapsed onto his knees. Carillon Rose helped him up, and together, they walked back towards us.



I saw my friends appear one-by-one...



...



Dead silence. It was... over.



I let myself collapse to the ground. I was exhausted and bleeding some while Metal was dented pretty much everywhere and occasionally sparking out. I finally let out a long breath... It was really over.



And we were all alive.



I was hardly sure Neo Metal was relieved at all. Our eyes briefly met, then he looked away just as fast.



Cavalier Sonic's eyes blinked on. Metal managed to fix him, then he let himself fall to the ground beside me. He put an arm around me. I leaned my head against him. Every single bit of exhaustion caught up to me in that moment.



"I have no idea what happened," Cavalier Sonic groaned as he rubbed his head. "I have a killer headache. I think. Is that what headaches feel like?"



"Might as well be," sighed Carillon Rose, stopping in front of us with Neo Metal. "I feel awful, too..."



"Whoa, you look like ass," Cavalier Sonic said to Neo Metal. He didn't respond. "... Oh, I see why." He reached over and touched Neo Metal's head; their eyes flickered white before returning to their usual colors.



Neo Metal slowly repaired himself with his own regenerative powers. His own personal mission was a failure and he had to save face in front of his two teammates. Carillon Rose looked at him in relief, eventually letting him go, while Cavalier Sonic gave a confident nod.



As the moment settled, Cavalier Sonic blinked and turned to look at all my friends gathering back up. "... Huh, there's a lot of you little guys."



All of us were kinda just gawking. Neo Metal hesitantly turned towards me and Metal. "Are you... okay?" he asked.



We were hurt, but we were fine. I nodded at him. He looked over to Carillon Rose and Cavalier Sonic, urging them to leave us alone. Cavalier Sonic's curiosity took the best of him as he went to go see all my friends, while Carillon Rose walked away and examined her hammer.



When it was just us three, Neo Metal offered me his hand. "Since the conflict is over... It's time. This is not our world to be in... I'd like the--"



I pulled the Time Stone out of my pocket and threw it at him. "What, your plan was to set up Sage to kill you so you'd have your dumb sendoff? Sage trapped forever? The Time Stone was just for Lonnie and Cava?!" I yelled. He caught the Time Stone and just as hesitantly stepped back. "Well, here's some news: you're alive! Make use of it! You know how pissed I'd be to find out you did all of that work, just to kill yourself?!"



Neo Metal didn't say anything, and simply averted his eyes.



"Yeah, let this be a lesson for you, too!" I yelled at Metal. He slightly turned his head away. My anger went away, and I sighed out. Metal and I got up with each other's help; he supported my side, which hurt like hell at this point. "Look... I don't know what it's like to be in a cyclical battle for so long. I'll never know. I'm... I'm so sorry about your Amy, too. I'm sorry how everything escalated to this point," I said, frowning. "No one deserves to suffer like you have and you know it deep down."



I sighed again and regathered myself.



"You have so many powerful connections, people who love you. I told my Metal that the love I give him will last forever. Did your Amy ever tell you that?"



Neo Metal slowly nodded.



"You made Lonnie and Cava... They adore you," I said, gesturing to them both. "We found out something was off when you were possessed because they think so highly of you, and I know you didn't program them to like you," I started. "You still have Belle... You have Nova! There's probably even more people I don't know about! You allowed yourself to treasure others... That's a powerful love on its own. Okay?"



He stared at me for a long time. "I missed you," he said with an actually relieved sigh. My heart totally broke for him.



"Maybe it's crazy to say, but I don't care... Metal, I think one day you'll see your Amy again. Before then, though, make a world you would be proud to leave behind... Don't make Lonnie and Cava clean it up for you."



He tilted his head as he watched me. He seemed like he was going to say something else, but then Carillon Rose clapped a hand on his shoulder.



"Wow! Never thought I'd see someone else put you in your place," she teased to Neo Metal. "It was such a treat to meet you, Amy. You passed my expectations and more. Look at him, he's totally--"



"You will stop talking," he growled back to Carillon Rose. I smiled at them both. She did a good job at lighting up the mood a bit. He stored the Time Stone away, then held out his hand to Carillon Rose.



She stared at him for a brief moment. "... What?"



He curled his claws forward as if to demand something from her.



"... Oh my God, seriously? Now?" she asked.



"Yes."



Carillon Rose rolled her eyes and opened a panel on her arm. She gave him the charm I made for Metal, which for them would be hundreds of years ago. He put it back in his own arm. While watching them, I leaned my head against Metal. He put one of his arms around me to keep me close.



Carillon Rose let out a sigh. "Well... I guess that brings the next question. What are we doing with her?" she asked, slightly lifting up her hammer.



Neo Metal looked at her for a little while, then turned back towards us. "... You," Neo Metal said, pointing to Metal. "I must speak with you alone."



Metal hesitated; he didn't want to let me go. I smiled at him. "It's fine. Lonnie and I can chat for a bit," I said, gesturing to her.



"I'll be back soon," he told me quietly, then walked away with Neo Metal. I looked back up at Carillon Rose.



"Uh... What do you think will happen?" I asked her.



She shrugged. "The family issues run deep, don't they? Maybe Neo doesn't regret killing Eggman, but I think he regrets his falling out with Sage. Maybe it's too late, maybe it's not, but... I'd want to mend that relationship. I hope they can accept each other. She has to get over being trapped in my hammer for now, but it's reasonable why we did it, y'know?"



I smiled at her. "Separate from all this stuff... What do you want to do next when you have some time to yourself?"



"Hmm, good question. I think I'll go on another adventure!" she beamed. "There's a special flower that blooms in the winter in my time. I might go on a trip just to see it. Maybe I'll see some new things along the way. It's been forever since I had time to relax," she explained, happily tilting her head. "What do you want to do, free-and-living Amy?"



I snorted. "Well... There's a big mess to clean up here, a city that needs to be rebuilt. But when everything's back on track... I don't know! I'll find out," I said, grinning. "All my friends know about me and Metal... I should be more worried about it than I am. But there's a feeling in my gut that says everything will work out just fine," I replied with a smile.



"I think that's lovely! I believe in you... I believe in you both!"



Metal returned to me and took one of my hands. Carillon Rose tilted her head as she watched us both, then her eyes turned into upward arches.



"I wanna go thank everyone else and say my goodbyes. You two are first, so... Thank you for all you've done. And... Goodbye." Her voice heightened a little bit like she was going to cry.



"I'll never forget you, Lonnie," I squeaked back. I opened my free arm. She very gently hugged me.



"Aw...! I'll never forget you, either." Carillon Rose let go of me and looked at us one last time. Metal gave her a single nod, which she happily returned. She walked over to the crowd, happy to talk to them and satisfy any curiosity before leaving.



Sonic and Cavalier Sonic were playfully racing with each other. It was crazy how easily Sonic went past whatever catastrophe he experienced... or maybe it was something he'd deal with emotionally later. I knew I was tired, in any case.



"What'd you two talk about?" I asked, looking back at Metal.



"He... gave me some advice. A mistake to avoid." He slightly hung his head. "I'll do some more thinking about it."



I kissed the side of his head. "You finally have the time to do that," I softly replied.



"Yo!" Cavalier Sonic went up to us next. "I'm not really good at goodbyes, so I'll just say... Hey, thanks for all the fun. I also wanna give somethin' back since I almost forgot." Cavalier Sonic clapped his hand onto Metal's head.



Metal's pupils narrowed. "My Black Shield and my energy blasts...?" he asked.



"Yup, I thought it was weird I had two different data sets for the Black Shield. Returning data's a fun way Neo and I work together, also keeps our enemies on their toes. Though, I guess I won't have to worry about enemies for a while." He shrugged. "And we won't have to worry about you. Be free, little dude."



"Please leave."



Cavalier Sonic laughed. I didn't let him get away without a hug too, which he awkwardly but eagerly responded to. Afterwards, he went back towards the crowd. We were alone again and all my adrenaline wore off. My side went from painful to agonizing. I did my best to hide it since I didn't want Metal to freak out.



Neither of us saw Eggman or Sage-- our Sage-- until Neo Metal went up to them. They were outside the borders of battle the whole time, likely having recorded the whole thing... Ugh, hopefully he didn't take any data that would aid him in doing something else dumb.



Neo Metal knocked Eggman down to the ground with a swift punch, causing him to cry out in pain. Neo Metal just as quickly brought him up by the collar. We were close enough to hear him:



"I will tell you about the second happiest day of my life," Neo Metal hissed. "It's when I felt the weight of your corpse in my grasp... I held you just like this. I realized then how much of a husk you were. You were nothing."



He dropped Eggman, causing him to recoil back. Sage glitched out, staring with wide eyes. She might've been frozen in shock.



"I killed you because you made me harm the one who gave me my happiest day... You made me kill her. To the end, you believed you were in control no matter how rebellious I became. You weren't." Neo Metal balled his fists. "You'll do well to not interfere with Amy and me anymore. I will not hesitate to kill you. I will enjoy every single nanosecond." He leaned down to be face-to-face with Eggman, still collapsed. "Do you understand?"



Eggman shakily nodded.



Neo Metal patted him on the head. "That's my boy." He walked away all while Eggman and Sage stared on in terror. Eggman grimaced afterwards, hobbling up with Sage's help.



Neo Metal went over to the rest of the group and watched them for a moment. Carillon Rose and Cavalier Sonic eagerly went up to him. From there, he took the Time Stone back out. He lifted it in the air as it began to glow... In a bright flash, a big swirling portal appeared before them. We couldn't see what was on the other side. I didn't fully understand where they were actually going... I hoped it was whatever they considered 'home'.



Carillon Rose and Cavalier Sonic waved at everyone, then waved at us. I waved back with enough energy to make up for Metal not responding. They went through the portal first... I'd never see them again.



Neo Metal was about to leave too...



...



I ran over to him, my pain be damned. "Wait!" I called, then doubled over with a wince. I steeled myself and continued forward with weaker steps.



Neo Metal looked at me-- He walked forward, urging me to stop.



"I forgave you. I know I did," I said as clearly as I could. My eyes were watering... "It's important that you know that. I forgave you," I said again. "I knew you did your best to resist your programming. It was a-- it was a horrible situation, more than horrible. There was no second at all that I blamed you, no second at all I regretted our relationship. I loved you to the very end. I loved you after. I'll always, always love you," I told him through my tears. "D-don't... Don't forget that, okay?"



He stared at me... And he walked closer. For the first time, he directly touched me; he gently wiped under my eyes. He didn't say anything back to me, but he didn't need to. His eyes said 'I love you'. They always did.



He turned around and walked through the portal. After a minute... the portal was gone.



Silence again. Metal appeared beside me.



"... I understand the sentiment, but you do realize he was technically not me," he grumbled.



"Are you seriously jealous of yourself?" I asked, rolling my eyes. I lightly pushed him.



"No!" he exclaimed back. "But--"



I shut him up with a kiss. His turbine started up as he warmed up to his usual warm. "I spoke for the me who isn't here anymore. I'll speak for me now: I love you more than anything, Metal... I'm excited for every new day we'll spend together."



He stared at me, turbine as loud as ever. "... I... I love you too," he gently replied. "More than anything. You are my true love, and you always will be."



We kissed again. I loved that gentle shock, his warmth, how we felt together. I felt optimistic. Nothing could stop us from being together anymore.



... I felt a stare. Our muzzles parted, making me look-- there were a lot of stares. I forgot we had pretty much everyone standing behind us.



"Oooooooh!" Sonic hollered and let out a whistle. Rouge laughed and followed him. They broke the tension, Tails and Knuckles talking to them to get them to stop, and everyone else starting to talk to each other.



"Don't you insects have anything better to do?!" yelled Metal.



"Why are you yellin' at just me?!" Charmy whined.



"Yeah, you gotta include all of us!" Sonic echoed back jokingly. "We solved the threat together since we're all... Sonic Heroes!"



Metal sped over to him so fast that I hardly processed it. He raised his arm and directly punched Sonic in the face, sending him back through the crowd. Sonic took a nasty hit, but he joyfully laughed afterwards-- ugh, that didn't surprise me at all. Sonic quickly found his footing and sped around us as Metal chased him.



"It wasn't clever the first time you said it!" Metal screamed at him. "You deserve death for that! You deserve death even more for leaving Rosy at the hospital!"



"Rosy?" Sonic asked.



Metal briefly paused. Sonic took the opportunity to kick him to the side, which made Metal spark with energy. He blasted towards Sonic at an overclocked speed.



Sonic sped behind me and used me as cover-- Metal immediately stopped as he got close. He screamed angrily, trying to swat past me, but Sonic kept dodging and moving around me. They briefly chased each other around in a circle.



"Stop!" I yelled at both of them. They froze.



Metal growled, clenching his fists. "He started it by repeating that stupid phrase!"



"I don't care!" I retorted. "We just finished a huge fight! Literally any other time is better than now!"



"Yeah, Metal. Listen to Rosy," Sonic teased. Metal's eyes flashed red.



I quickly grabbed both of Metal's hands before he thought of using them again. "Metal, he's just trying to make you mad because he has no sense of appropriate timing," I sneered, turning my head towards Sonic. "You earned that punch because you knew saying it would piss him off! And don't call me Rosy!"



Sonic laughed. "Okay, okay, yeah, I kinda did. But... I'm serious, too. We were all a big team! Couldn't have done it without you, Metal. Temporary truce?"



"I hope you suffer a slow, agonizing death."



"Look, we're making up already," Sonic cheerfully told me. "He's talking to me!"



I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I think you two need a long break from each other. Stop messing with him, Sonic. And I've had enough talking about death, Metal."



"Sorry," Metal quietly mumbled.



"Okay, I'll stop~ Let that be my gift to you, tinhead," Sonic said with an exaggerated bow towards Metal. I could tell Metal wanted to punch him again.



Sonic returned to the rest of the group, all of them understandably relieved that Metal wasn't going to start another battle, especially when all of us were kinda worn down. They all chattered with each other and reminisced about the last time they were all together at once. I couldn't help but smile.



... Okay, ow. Ow. It just as quickly faded. I groaned and doubled over, causing Metal to pick me up. He stared at me with panic in his eyes. "I... I didn't notice your worsening pain."



"I was trying to hide it," I said with a wince. "... Metal, please take me to a hospital that isn't wrecked... And Belle needs to take a look at you, too."



"We're leaving, then."



So we did. As he took me into the air, I saw my friends down below, I saw the total mess from the city... Yet I felt so... light.



Everything would be okay.