#★ fighting against a dismal future

[inthealloy]

Sonic followed Shard deeper into the facility, a few paces behind as his eyes wandered the walls and took in the details; it certainly looked as though the building functioned as it needed, though he did appreciate the attempts to make it feel at least somewhat homely.

He immediately felt the claustrophobia when the doors first opened to him; it was like a vice grip that closed in on his armor, tight and nearly inescapable. He had a hard time imagining himself staying in a place like this for very long. As much as he wanted to help, there was also an urge to break free and run, despite the ice flows and snow banks.

But ultimately there was no rush. He didn't feel the urge to sprint nipping at his heels just yet, at least not strong enough to actually chase him out of the building. He’d be fine for a while! He had unfortunately gotten used to being confined to one space for extended periods.

He didn't realize how much he had already missed greenery, warmth finally trickling over his chest when they entered the greenhouse. The hedgehog took a moment to look around before he finally accepted Shard's offer to sit, lounging as best as he could on the bench.

“Irrational, illogical and reckless,” Sonic mused with a laugh, “Yeah, that sounds about right! I guess I can see the ‘logic’ in wanting to make a Metal that had a similar way of thinking… But man was he an idiot for not considering all the ways that could backfire. Even mine had enough forethought to do that!” He shook his head with a low grunt, “As far as I know, anyway…”

Sonic folded his arms over his chest, his eyes wandering the greenhouse despite remaining attentive.

“I don’t really enjoy speaking ill of the dead, but…” he mumbled, “I hope whatever eternal torment he deals with shoves the irony of his work in his face for the rest of time.” It was finally settling in just how much Eggman had cursed Shard, simply by convincing the robot that he was someone that he wasn't.

And yet, from Sonic's strange perspective, in some way, Shard was Sonic in his own right; a Sonic who had taken a different route in life, but a Sonic all the same. This line of thought picked at and aggravated his duplicate aggression in a way that he didn’t like, but it couldn't be helped; there were some things that no amount of rewiring could change. 

“It's interesting that you tried to overthrow him though,” the hedgehog continued as he settled himself into a new position on the bench, “To answer your hypothetical, I could imagine myself turning into some sort of ecoterrorist--not in the same vein as the rotten egg, mind--I figure I would still be convinced I was Sonic, to the point where I try to take down even helpful factories to preserve nature. Like, no sense of proportion, a loss of morals, if that makes sense.” He shrugged, “I can't say no for sure though. Who knows? Maybe I'd try to overthrow the scrambled egg myself.”

He was, of course, assuming things based on being able to think freely for himself, not fully bound by the programming that Eggman would have forced upon him. He could only imagine that his strong personality would win out in the end, above all.

He turned towards Shard again, “Definitely going to overstep my boundaries a bit here. Feel free to smack me for asking this, but are you happy being Shard, or is there someone else that you'd rather be?”

"... you know what, yeah. That's probably for the best."

Shard finally takes his eyes off the statue, and his warped reflection in it's surface. "There's a greenhouse with some of the plants we've managed to preserve, it's a bit more... um... peaceful."

Shard leads Sonic through the twisting halls of the shelter, built for the express purpose of keeping the heat in and the cold out. Though it tries to look warm and welcoming, the space is still confined and cramped. A free spirit would go mad being forced to stay in here for their own survival.

It's Shard's best guess as to why the Sonic of their zone seemingly vanished into the snow one day. Couldn't stand being stuck indoors any longer, no matter how dismal and deadly it was outside.

The duo reach the greenhouse and Shard sits on one of the benches, offering a seat to Sonic.

"You're probably right, you know. I'm sure the model the Doc used to replace me after I defied him probably was programmed that way. But, he wasn't thinking that far ahead when he made the original model; me."

He looks at his hand.

"He wanted a robot that was able to outmaneuver Sonic. He wanted it to keep up with the hedgehog's irrational, illogical, reckless thinking that he himself could never outpace. He needed a robot that could think like Sonic. So, he convinced that robot it was Sonic. He used bio data; genetic material he gathered from his destroyed robots, to make a mechanical replica that would imitate the real one as a perfect, superior copy."

He scoffs. "And he wonders why I rebelled and attempted to overthrow him. For all his supposed genius, the guy can really be a moron sometimes, huh? I hope he's somewhere in hell looking up at his greatest failure still managing to outlive him two hundred years later."

[inthealloy]

Sonic was silent as he listened to Shard go from questioning to venting. He allowed the android his platform, jaw a little tight as his own eyes stared up at the brightly polished statue that loomed above them. For many in this place, it would have been a beacon of hope, but for someone like Shard, it was nothing more than just a reminder, something to keep him in his place rather than to build him up.

Sonic couldn't help but frown at that idea. He knew not everyone saw him in the same light, and it wasn't fair to take away everyone's hope for the sake of Shard… But equally, it wasn't fair to Shard to force him to constantly live in the hero’s shadow, something he couldn't escape even as he tried his best to do so. He didn’t like being the icon of tearing someone down when they didn’t deserve it.

… Even if that wasn’t him.

But this whole vent session gave Sonic a new perspective, one that he never really had the chance or reason to think about before--that Shard was a Metal Sonic programmed in every way to be him, to be Sonic.

Any Metals that he encountered before being roboticized couldn't speak. He had no clue what was going on in their minds outside of destroy, outspeed, destroy. Were they programmed to think they were Sonic, too? Or were they simply programmed to follow Eggman's direction, and only think themselves superior? If they were programmed to believe they were the blue hedgehog, that didn't give him any retroactive pity for them, but it was curious…

“... Dunno. Even when I was Metal, I just thought I was superior to the original. That’s it.” he shrugged, “Eggman felt no need to program memories in, all things considered. If anything, he blocked all that so I wouldn't turn against him. All I knew was that there was something organic in me, and I had to keep it alive. My perspective--man, it’s different from all angles, isn’t it…?” he trailed off again, thinking. He’d have to ponder this a bit more. Seeing that Shard wanted a straight answer, anyway...

At any rate, it was pretty clear to him that Shard needed to move away from the statue, at least for now. Maybe taking this conversation elsewhere would help clear both their heads. Sonic knew that he couldn't think straight with this giant gilded buffoon standing over him.

“Say, this thing's pretty overblown, in my opinion,” he flicked one thumb towards the statue, “Why don't we talk about this somewhere else?”

He wasn't entirely sure if his negative thoughts towards the statue came from the fact that it was way too gaudy for his standards, his duplicate aggression, or the negative association he was now starting to see between it and Shard. Either way, he didn't want to be underneath it, anymore.

Shard lets out a mechanical scoff at that one. "That so, huh?"

Not to say he didn't try that. Eggman's orders were always absolute, but he always did TRY.

"And then what happens," he continues. "When some imposter wearing your face runs up to you and steals your life? Takes your friends, and they all hate you out of nowhere. Takes your fans, and all they ever do at the sight of you is scream? You try to tell yourself that your the REAL one, you do everything in your power to prove you're real, but you open yourself up and find there's nothing inside."

"Your entire life is a lie. You never had any friends. Everything you thought you could see and feel and taste and touch is FAKE and you're nothing but an inferior imitation of the real thing."

Shard looks up at the thing again, obviously not talking in hypotheticals any longer and venting his own frustration with his identity. He's standing in the shadow of Sonic's statue, his black chrome reflected in the gold paint. "And then, even when you realize that, you still can't get those memories out of your head. You tell yourself your not the real thing, you try to fight your programming and tell it that you're not the person you think you are, and yet...."

He glares at his reflection in the metal.

"No matter how much you run from it, he's ALWAYS faster. He's in your every twitch. Every habit. Every word. Every feeling. You aren't him, but you can't help being him because it was what your were made to be. He goes on and ON about freedom and being able to chose, but you can't stop BEING him. You can NEVER be free from his shadow, like a chain's tied around your ankle and he's on the other end of it."

"Because what would you be without him? It's his personality that made yours. It's his memories that are your memories. You were MADE to be him. Without him, you have nothing. Change your face, change your name, run as far away from him as you can. But he always catches up. And you're always going to be reminded that you're not the hero that these people need."

He looks up at the head of the statue.

"Just an empty shell with his face on it. That's all you ever will be."

[inthealloy]

Sonic clicked his tongue at the door being slammed shut in his face. He couldn’t say that he didn't see it coming, but it was a lot better than the alternative reaction that Shadow could’ve had. That energy crackling at his fingertips was no joke, like an aggressive spike on his already turbulent energy. Sonic didn’t actually think he could have taken that hit… At least, not with his energy as low as it was.

At least the other hedgehog wasn't giving up yet. That was about as much as Sonic could ask for right now. His mind was already running through various options of what they could try. The Master Emerald was what his mind went to most frequently of all, but he had a feeling that he would need a proper crash course on the state of the world. At this point, he knew so little, and with so many gaps in his knowledge, there was only so much he could do or even think about in the meantime.

He turned his attention to Shard, jumping slightly upon the sound of the robot’s fist colliding with the wall. He stared at the spot, then eventually his eyes followed Shard’s to the monument.

There was something surreal about looking up at that; it made his insides twist in an odd way--not a bad feeling, but not a good one either--a feeling that he couldn't pin for the life of him.

So he would ignore it for now, instead turning his attention to Shard once again. The question left a cold feeling in the air, making it feel as though the wintry expanse outside were leaking into the heated base.

One hand on his hip, his other hand reached for his mask, clawed fingertips grazing across the metal, spreading it out until his palm was pressed against it.

“Run,” he replied, “And keep running until I can't run anymore. Get repaired if possible, then run some more. Use all of my energy, spend as much time as I can straightening out my thoughts,” his hand lowered, and he folded his arms over his chest, “Reconnect with anyone that I can. Talk to anyone that’ll listen. Talk to anything so I can get the thoughts out. Spend more energy. Run some more. Keep fighting. Help others, even if I’m rejected. Keep trying until they understand. Find something, anything, to keep me busy. Fight for what I believe in, and live with the wind.”

A lot of that was what he did after he realized that he no longer had legs to speak of.

A lot of that was what he did after he realized that he had killed Eggman by accident.

Who was to say that his reaction to being a full robot wouldn't be the same?

He shrugged, a pathetic laugh escaping him, “All that to say… I don't really know. Sorry. I know that's not very helpful to you and what’s going on right now. Can’t really run in this weather… And I’m sure you’re tired of trying to get people to see you the way you want to be seen. All this?” he motioned to himself, “Is based on being able to speak for myself, already having friends who saw through the metal mask.” 

He sighed, eyes drifting back to the memorial, “But even without that, I’d just have to keep doing what I do, no matter what. So long as I'm still me underneath, it doesn't really matter what shell I’m wearing. I am who I am, and I don't need somebody's approval to be Sonic. Just my own!”

Shadow only grunts. His energy sparks beneath his fingers, but there's no point in wasting it on another metallic copy of Sonic. Because this isn't his Sonic.

This isn't his friend.

This isn't the hero that ran himself into the ground trying to save their dying world, only to end up dead along with it and leave those around him behind as he vanished with the wind and snow.

And it almost drives him just as crazy as if there were a dozen mechanical copies of Maria around, but at least Maria didn't have an attitude to torment him with.

"We'll find another way." He grumbles. "For now, I just want to be alone."

Shadow slams the door behind the pair, leaving them in silence.

Shard slams his fist into the wall, a silent grumble under his "breath" before he turns back to Sonic. He then looks at the monument to the dead hedgehog.

He sighs.

"What would you do...." he asks, a look of defeat on his face, "... if one day, you took off that mask, and there was nothing underneath it? No flesh. No bone. Nothing but more circuitry and wire."

[inthealloy]

Sonic wasn’t out cold, he just simply used too much of his energy. He was a little dazed and out of it, but still conscious. Not like he could sleep, not with his computer was screaming at him, saying,

“Energy critically low; seek mechanical attention immediately.”

He wanted to grumble at it and respond, telling it that things would be fine. But even as he caught his breath, he couldn't even manage that. His energy would return to him in no time; he just needed to give it a minute.

However, Shadow's voice pounded against his ears, filling the room as it bounced off of his armor in a threatening way. He could feel Shard moving him further away from the other hedgehog, and Sonic merely grunted in response.

But what Shadow said bothered him… He had to remember that other versions of the people he knew may not be remotely similar to the ones he was familiar with… But to insult Shard in that way was too far, in Sonic's opinion. 

It didn't take very long for his energy to start spinning again, rolling and rolling as it always did. Slowly, at first, until the steel ball picked up speed and started to get close to its normal stability. This was enough for Sonic to finally move, his eyes flickering on.

He pushed himself upright with a grunt, thankful for his metal arms and metal legs; even with how exhausted he felt, they were strong enough, no matter what, to hold him up.

“I did my best.” he groaned, his voice slightly distorted as his computer half worked to catch up, “At least we tried.” he was finally back on his feet, teetering ever so slightly, “I know you're mad. You're allowed to be. Can't say I blame you, or even claim to know what you've been through, but all this shouting isn't going to help anything.”

He flicked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction that Shard had gone, “He's doing his best too, and if you can't see that, then maybe you're not fit to be a general.”

Bold words for someone who could currently be knocked out with a single punch, but he wasn't about to stand idly by and let Shadow pummel Shard into the ground with his words. From Sonic's perspective, the vitriol came from nowhere, completely unnecessary, and was something that Shadow did in his heightened emotions. Of course, he had no idea what usually went on in a place like this, but it certainly wouldn't help morale to talk to subordinates like that.

But he was definitely playing with fire. He knew that.

As Sonic talks, the General seems to visibly grow more upset, and it makes Shard a bit nervous from where the robot is standing. Said robot begins tapping his foot rapidly in response to being uncomfortable, arms folded over his chest in a way that blocks his power gem from anything that might happen.

The chaos emerald flickers a moment. It sustains its glow for maybe a minute, before the energy fades and it grows dull and dead once more.

General Shadow snarls.

"Damn it. Another useless attempt. Not even a source of working chaos energy can even bring back ONE emerald." He snaps, slamming a fist on his desk.

Shard jumps backward, grabbing the back of Sonic's armor and making sure the only source of chaos energy in the room isn't subjected to General Shadow's growing rage.

"What in the hell does it take?!" The General bemoans. "Years upon years I have tried to find a solution to this problem and NOTHING works. I was made to defend this world and I can't even save it from this one issue!"

"Sheesh." Shard scoffs. "If only we had our Sonic here. I'm sure he would have totally solved this by now if he was."

The General does not like Shard's attitude, however. Whatever's been making him uncomfortable bubbles to the surface in a massive outburst.

"Sonic's been DEAD for TWO HUNDRED YEARS!" He roars angrily. "And instead of a REAL hero, I'm stuck micromanaging a pile of his CHEAP COPIES I pulled out of a FROZEN WASTELAND!"

Shard's eyes widen, and his robotic ears droop with a sad, mechanical whine as the words register with him.

A moment of silence before the General turns away.

"....get out of my sight," he commands, in a low undertone. Shard turns to Sonic, nods solemnly, and heads toward the door.

"..."

"I hate how much like him you are." Shadow grumbles under his breath, shooting a pointed glare at Shard.

Shard shoots one back.

"I know."

"I hate it too."

On his way down the hallway, Shard spots a monument dedicated to the fallen hero, a large gold statue with the birth and death dates of the organic hedgehog engraved on the base plate. He walks up to the statue and kicks it in the foot angrily.

[inthealloy]

“Solenna's real?” The words spilled out of his mouth before he had time to think about it. He snapped his mouth shut, teeth tapping together loudly. Now wasn't exactly the time for his curiosity regarding the two different worlds.

He cleared his throat, silent throughout the rest of Shadow's explanation, expression teetering just on the edge of being too grave for the face of Sonic the Hedgehog. He almost wanted a deeper explanation, more detail, so he could envision what happened better... But he could suspect, even by the subtle movements of Shadow, that such details were a bit too much for right now.

And come to think of it, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what could so effectively drain Chaos Emeralds of all their power.

“Figures you'd have the green one!” Sonic remarked, finally having put a smile back onto his face, “I can almost always rely on you to have it on hand, can’t I?” The laugh died in his throat as he looked at the empty rock again.

At least he knew what color this one was. It would make what he was about to try a lot easier.

He put his mask back on, screwing it in place. He then dropped the towel he was still holding on the floor. After a deep breath and shaking out his metal hands, he finally took hold of the emerald and cradled it in his claws. 

It was still astonishing to him just how dead it felt. He never thought that an emerald could be so empty, so void of energy, when they were normally so full they could power an entire country… Or so the likes of GUN were convinced.

He swallowed and took in a deep breath. It wasn't very likely that this emerald shared the same type of energy that he was familiar with in the green emerald back home, but he took a moment to recall how he visualized it: a bright, energetic sprout emerging from the ground and constantly growing new leaves for every leaf it shed.

He then focused on his own energy, a constantly rolling marble that had turned into a steel ball after he embraced his status as Metal Sonic. He envisioned it slowing, slowing, slowing until it stopped in its tracks, his energy almost growing stagnant from outside view. With a lot of focus, his energy became a seed, which planted itself in the soil of the Chaos Emerald.

By this point his claws started to tremble, as did the rest of his body. But he remained resolute, focused hard on the stone in his hands.

Their energy began to intertwine together like a multitude of roots that spread through the soil quickly--but the soil was shallow, and the roots started to pool together and tie themselves into knots at the base.

Not only was this taking a lot of focus, but it was also taking a lot of energy. But he wouldn’t give up so easily on trying to get the roots to finally sprout. However, finger by finger, his energy was letting go, unable to pump itself any further into the emerald, but equally unable to keep up with the drain that the rock demanded.

He gasped, eyes flashing wide on his screen, before the green lights fizzled as he collapsed onto the ground with a loud grunt, his arms and legs stiff around him. Miraculously, his claws held tight onto the emerald, shielding it from the fall. His breath was heavy under his mask, and even now, his body shook.

It appeared as though he had succeeded; in it, a faint green glow fluttered pathetically in the center, weak and fleeting like a wilting bird, fading even now…

The General keeps a neutral face as Sonic speaks. That sense of discomfort never seems to leave his body language, concealed behind the doom wings draped over the hybrid hedgehog's back like a cape.

"This was originally the Green Chaos Emerald." General Shadow declares in response to Sonic's question. "I had it on my person since the tragedy occurred. The...."

He sighs, pinching his brow. His ears droop as he recalls the memory.

"...the Sonic of our time had originally taken all seven to where the Subzero Crater currently is in order to defeat Dr. Eggman with them. I had suspicions that Eggman's attack was a ruse. The Doctor's image was being puppeteered by an unknown force. That, I know because at the time this attack was supposedly happening, I and the rest of Team Dark at the time had found the REAL Doctor kidnapped in Soleanna in an underground research lab."

"I attempted to step in and stop Sonic from using the chaos emeralds against the imposter, but by the time I got there, I was too late. The mastermind behind this played the both of us for fools. Leading Sonic by the nose and distracting me and my team from the bigger picture until it could pull of its plan. The green emerald was the only one I was able to recover after it was stolen from Sonic. And it's power was fading by the time I got my hands on it."

"We've gathered other chaos emeralds since then, but I can't tell you what colors they are."

[inthealloy]

As they got closer to the general's office, Sonic began to pick up on familiar energy readings. He immediately came to the conclusion that he knew who's on the other side of this door… But if Shard had been kicking around for 200 years, it made it hard to believe. Could Shadow really live for that long? Yet it certainly wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Shadow was unique in a lot of ways, and he survived things that normal mobians should not.

So when the door opened, Sonic wasn't particularly surprised to see him… But his energy and his appearance did give the cyborg pause.

His green eyes blinked and wavered on his ocular visor, the corners of his mouth twitching downwards. His fur bristled a bit.

Shadow's energy was a much worse version than what he had seen in his own Shadow after their time in white space. Twisted and mutated by the Black Arms, left unchecked and perhaps even embraced to compensate for a broken world. 

Not to mention the third eye!

All the same, he was similar enough Sonic still recognized Shadow underneath all of that.

This didn't keep him locked up for very long; he put on a smile and gave a salute of his own, flicking two fingers off of his forehead, “I'd say, ‘long time no see!’ But. You know! We haven’t actually met!” Sonic said with a low chuckle rumbling in his voice, “Hedgehog Emerald, at your service!”

When the Chaos Emerald was pulled out, he stared at the black rock with pity in his eyes. If there was anything that was unrecognizable here, it was the emerald. It was almost unremarkable; completely lifeless, with no energy twisting or turning around inside of it. Nothing to give it shape or note.

It wasn't like the times that the emeralds had been drained of their power back in his dimension. Even when he reached out to graze his clawtips against it, there was no prickly sensation that made his spines stand on end, of a pained, injured and nearly dead emerald.

It was empty.

He didn't realize how much he was frowning, so he didn't put a smile back on when he said, “Well, he'll see what he can do!”

Retracting his hand, he pressed one finger against the side of his nose as he fell deep into thought.

“First, I'd like to know a few more things about it--like, do you have any idea what color this one is? I’m embarrassed to say, but I can't tell.” he dropped his hand, “If you have any idea how the Chaos Emeralds got to this state, that'd be great to know, too,” he shrugged, “Anything that you deem important to know, I'd appreciate having!”

Shard leads the way to the General’s office, knocking on the door.

“Come in.” A familiar voice drawls, deep and brooding in it’s easily recognizable tone. Shard opens the door and on the other side waits the General.

General Shadow, that is. The immortal hedgehog hasn’t aged a day since he was first created, but the lack of Chaos Energy in the world has mutated him, his Black Arms DNA having taken over to preserve him. He sits with his arms folded on his desk, and all three of his eyes narrow at the sight of Sonic.

Shard salutes, standing at attention. “I’ve recovered the source of the Chaos Energy we’ve detected, sir.”

“I can sense that,” General Shadow replies, the constant glare never leaving his face. Still, he reaches into his desk and pulls out a blacked out hunk of rock in the shape of a chaos emerald. “Is there anything he can do about this?”

The poor thing looks pathetic. It’s completely powerless and doesn’t radiate any energy at all, as dark as the blackened sky outside.

General Shadow himself looks uncomfortable on further inspection, like he wants this over with as soon as possible.

[inthealloy]

A light frown hit Sonic's lips when Shard immediately started to deflect. How familiar. It was true they had more important things to deal with, but he knew that bottling things up was no good at all.

But in a place like this, he couldn't offer very much; nothing in the ways that he often knew helped most, at least for someone like himself. For all he knew, Shard was immensely different from himself, although Sonic could see shades of his own self poking through that black and yellow steel. 

They couldn't run in a place like this, and now wasn't exactly the best time for a scrap, as much as he wanted it.

Still, the idea was firmly planted in his head, and wouldn’t let go.

“Alright tough guy, we'll stay focused for now,” he put on a smile, winking, “But we're going to have to beat the snot out of each other eventually!

“Anyway, lead the way,” he continued, motioning in the general direction of the base's interior, “I've dealt with a fair few grouches in the past, I'm sure I can handle one more! I'm not going to fry any circuits over it,” he chuckled, “And it's not as if I'm the most popular guy of all time. Sometimes even I look in the mirror and feel a little spicy at what I see!”

The glimmer of the Technomancer's Diamond wasn't lost on Sonic, but he had no context for it, so it was dismissed as quickly as it was seen.

He would keep his mask off for now, allow his snout to air out and his sinuses to clear, but it would inevitably be put back on. Faceplate still clutched in one hand, the other turned the screws over and over again in his palm as he followed Shard deeper inside.

"No, no. It's fine man, it's cool..." Shard puts his hand up and waves Sonic's concern about his appearance off dismissively.

Maybe it's better to shelve the existential crisis. After all, there was an actual Metal Sonic from the this... Sonic's.... universe. And Shard knows how it feels not to be comfortable in one's own skin... metal plating... so he decides to just let Sonic keep his mask off if he wants.

"We got more important things to deal with. The fact that I was never even remotely alive in the first place can be tabled, I'll deal with it in my own time. It's a me thing."

"For now, let's go find the General and see if we can't kickstart some old emeralds and bring light back to the world!" He quickly flips the topic to the mission.

All the while, the strange gemstone in his chest seems to glimmer a bit brighter. It's a fragment of the Technomancer's Diamond, an object from this universe's Little Planet that was shattered. The entire gem had an effect on inanimate objects and bring them to life. Though, in pieces, the small fragment could only work when directly attached to a host body. Still, it contains enough power to keep Shard moving without a traditional power core, and the gem itself contained the robot's personality.

"The General should be in his office. He's a bit of a grouch though, especially when it comes to Sonic-alikes, so just be ready for that."

[inthealloy]

Sonic took the towel gratefully, but his movements slowed as he watched Shard’s face.

There was something surreal about seeing a Metal Sonic that could emote, and so strongly at that. Despite the fact that Shard was a full robot, his expressions felt real, either due to a massive amount of practice, or something else entirely. Sonic’s gut felt a little cold, but he figured it was best to rip the band-aid off as fast as possible. There was no need to hold off the inevitable when the truth was going to be just a few inches away from Shard at all times.

Allowing Shard to process this information, Sonic began to dry his mask first, then his muzzle, sniffing as he did so, trying to get his runny nose in check. Folding the towel over, he used any remaining dry spots to get rid of any water around his joints. Tails would still yell at him for letting water get in through the tiniest seams…

Towel folded underneath his arm, and mask and screws still held in one hand, he turned towards Shard once again. Upon the question, he nodded, “Sure am! … Heh, This bolt bucket also has room for a hedgehog, with some modification.” 

He had never really been in a situation like this, where the other Metal Sonic had a mind to think of their own, and the ability to differentiate themselves from Sonic. There was never the opportunity to discuss it, no room for questions or existentialism--which Shard seemed to have in spades.

He figured he may as well at least try to explain it.

“I almost died while using the Chaos Emeralds once. An accident, it was the first time using them--I didn't know what I was doing--a rocket I was trying to lead crashed me into the engine of one of Eggman's machines. The emeralds saved me from death, but not without severe injury.” He lifted one hand into view, still clutching his mask, “I lost my arms and legs; the rest of me is covered in burns. Eggman saw an opportunity, took it, and made me Metal Sonic. I'd fought the--" he stopped himself from saying something crude about his old, petulant rival, "--Bot many times before, and the old rotten egg thought it'd be funny, or something, to make me look identical.” attempting to throw some levity into the air, he put on a laugh, although it came across as slightly stiff, “Can't say it's all that cracked up to be! Imagine having to wear a set of armor on top of what you already have 24/7!” 

He cleared his throat and gave Shard an intent look.

“You gonna be okay?” he asked, “If you'd rather me keep my mask on, I can.”

Not as if the knowledge of the truth would simply go away.

You can see the gears in Shard's head turning as Sonic takes his mask off. The readouts tell it to him before he can process it.

Beneath the metal shell is a flesh and blood hedgehog.

Now that they're out of the cold, Shard systems can detect the other life signs in the hedgehog cyborg. Breathing, heartbeat, sweat. He seems to just silently stand there before the request for a towel processes before the rest of him is back online, wordlessly handing a towel over from a nearby shelf.

There's really only one explanation for this. It was crude, a tactic employed by the doc in the past when Shard was still working for him, but there's only one thing that could produce this kind of result. For a flesh and blood hedgehog to even stand a chance at surviving that storm outside for as long as he did.

The systems must be integrated into the biological body.

In other words: roboticization.

It had fallen out of fashion for the doc around the time Shard had quit, but to see a roboticized mobian for the first time in centuries...

With his newfound emotions, he can't help but feel pity for the cyborg. Shard can't feel pain, but he remembers what pain feels like, based on his pre-programmed memories. Compare and contrast to what it would feel like to be roboticized, for his bio-data copy of Sonic to theoretically experience it, all that comes up is agony.

"So, you actually are....?" he finally manages to get out, watching the cyborg rub their face with the towel. "I could have sworn... you look identical to how I..... but I'm.... there's nothing organic inside me, there can't be...."

You can practically hear the crashes and errors in his brain behind the visor as he tries to process this logical impossibility. He was submerged in water for 200+ years, anything organic in him would have decomposed ages ago. So he KNOWS he's purely a robot. And yet, with the mask on, this Sonic looks near identical to his old model.

It's a lot for him to take in.

[inthealloy]

A sigh of relief managed to escape Sonic's lips as the fans kicked on, warmth ebbing over his armor, slipping through the padding, and finally hitting his fur and skin. He stretched his arms and kicked his feet against the ground again, knocking off a few stray pieces of ice. His computer had finally settled down, and was able to process his surroundings properly again. He invited himself deeper inside when the door opened, folding his arms over his chest as he took in the interior.

It didn't feel all that much better here than it did outside, but at least it was warm. Not to mention, he could feel the energy of others milling around. Just enough to remind himself that this place was at least lived in. There was one particular energy source that caught his attention--or rather, two, now that he thought about it--but he would put that on the back burner for now. He turned his attention back to Shard.

A frown hit his lips as he listened further. It made his spines quiver, thinking about such a future as this. Now that he was inside, it really hit him how restricted this world was. There were no places to run, no landmarks to see. He had just gotten inside, but he already caught the feeling of being trapped within these walls, unable to do much of anything until the harshest of storms passed by; and even then, activity was severely limited. You had to be out and back inside within minutes.

One arm still folded over his chest, he placed one hand to his face, pinching his nose between his fingers. He stared at the ground for a while, “If Chaos is gone,” he mumbled to himself, “Man, that is bad. Yeah, take me to the General! I'd like to meet and talk to him and figure out what I can do! Even if I can’t revive the emeralds, I’ll do whatever I can before I return home!” he threw a thumbs-up at Shard.

However, before they could go anywhere else, Sonic's muzzle was starting to bother him; his mask was very good at wicking away any condensation that accumulated around his mouth… But with his extra breathing while having to trudge through heavy snow, the corners of his mouth were particularly damp, and his nose had started running, especially now that he had gotten warm again.

He sniffed, then huffed, unsure if he should do this in front of Shard… But it was so annoying! 

“Okay, wait, brace yourself, and I'm sorry for this,” he started reaching for both screws, “I'm really going to need a towel, aaand maybe a couple of tissues.” He unscrewed his mask entirely, cupping it in his hands.

He looked down at the inside of it and made a face, “Yeah, I definitely need a towel.” he sniffed.

"The fans should turn on in a minute." Shard says in reply to Sonic asking for a towel. And, on cue, some heated air begins blowing into the chamber to dry the pair off before the adjacent door opens, letting them into the shelter properly.

"I'll be sure to report that to the General when we go meet him," continues the robot, registering what Sonic's said about his chaos energy for later. It means there is a chance to bring the emeralds back.

"Chaos, huh? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time." He comments offhandedly. Sure, he's still got some remnant bio data from Chaos he gathered in order to create his Metal Overlord form, once upon a long, long time ago, but most of it was damaged by the water he was trapped under, ironically.

"Yeah, there hasn't been a lot of help from any "Divine Intervention" in regards to this tragedy. The Alliance is doing their research, but the Master Emerald was dragged to the bottom of the ocean where it probably got drained too. If Chaos, or even Light Gaia, still exist in some form, they'd probably be weak from the lack of light or clean water in the world. Or well, water that isn't frozen solid. They might be conserving their energy somewhere if they DO still exist..."

[inthealloy]

“200 years?!” The cyborg exclaimed, “Dang, you've been hanging out for a while then, huh? Good for you!” The thought actually made him quite excited to play with the guy. What could Shard have learned in the last 200 years? How much stronger could he have gotten? Sonic couldn't help but grin, beside himself with anticipation.

However, he was more than ready to get indoors and to have his computer silence itself once his temperature finally got back to normal. He felt a surge of relief when he saw the shelter not too far away.

Before responding to Shard and his theorizing, Sonic waited for the door to be open. He slipped inside, shuddering and shivering, puffing out as he shook out his arms and stomped snow off of his legs.

“Yeesh,” he complained while starting to pick off layers of ice from his arms and legs, "You got towels or anything?”

The temperature difference was just enough for the computer to settle down for now, and the hedgehog sighed with relief; at the very least, they were out of the harsh winds, and he was glad to not be buffeted by those any longer.

“Okay,” he started, continuing to pick ice off of his legs, “I can't say I've ever tried to revive an emerald on my own. We usually have the Master Emerald or Chaos for that.” He paused, staring up at the ceiling as he thought, tapping the end of a claw against his metal shoe, “It probably could be done, but very slowly. I need time to rest and run so I can revitalize my energy.”

Having gotten most of the ice off of his armor, Sonic stood straight and crossed his arms, “But considering how Chaos itself considers me a strange sapient emerald, it's possible!”

It's almost cute how convinced this Metal model is that he's the real Sonic. Almost. Shard makes an imitation of a snort through his nose when "Sonic" mutters about how it's not a phase through the cold wind.

"Yeah. Blue isn't really my color anymore." He shrugs. "I'm not here to riff on the style of a old, dead hedgehog from two hundred years ago after all. And being my own person feels great."

He's so, SO tempted to throw in a 'You should try it sometime,' but he really shouldn't pick a fight with what might be their last hope. Thankfully, the entrance to the nearest shelter comes into view before he can snark his mission objective further.

"Well, we're here. I dunno what the Alliance is gonna do. But, since you've got some working chaos energy in you, my guess is that they're gonna try reactivating one of the emeralds with it. Getting those things back online would make bringing the sun back WAY easier."

General Shadow is one of the most powerful members they have after all, in tune with the emeralds of the past and able to use a super form. With working Chaos Emeralds, and knowing him, he'd probably go solve the problem himself once they're working again.

"I'll get the door. There's a defrost chamber on the other side that we're gonna have to stand in for a bit so the cold doesn't get into where everyone's at."

With that, Shard punches a code into the panel on the side of the shelter, and a door on the front opens with a hiss, leading to a small sealed off room on the inside.

[inthealloy]

“Phase? Sure, yeah.” Sonic stifled a scoff, but it was hard to tell how easily it was heard above the winds. Holding himself back in this situation was getting hard. It'd probably be a bad first impression to this Alliance thing to immediately fight Shard when they got to the base, as well.

He could tell Shard. He probably should. But even with a quick biological scan giving him all the information he needed, Sonic would assume that this other Metal Sonic would want more tangible proof than that. Something he could see or feel, something that could be very easily provided, but in an environment that wasn't going to potentially give him instant frostbite.

He could feel the cold plenty through his armor; he didn't need to feel it directly on his skin.

“Shard, huh?” he echoed, “Not a bad name! Pretty fitting of your fancy paint job.”

He listened to the explanation, rolling it around in his mind like one would a marble in their palm. He was quiet at first, processing all of that information and logging it away. The fact that the Eggman Empire was working to help, even now. Not to mention GUN, of all groups! It was any wonder the Alliance hadn't imploded by this point, but if it was far enough into the future for Eggman to be out of the picture... It may work.

Not to mention, the loss of the emeralds, the inability to get them back. The despair he could feel, even from here. 

It was no wonder that the world felt so dismal; he hadn't realized until now, but there was a distinct lack of chaos energy in the general air. It felt so empty and hollow, chilling in more ways than one, far more than what the air provided.

“Okay, got it,” he eventually said. “I wasn't offline; I'm from a different dimension,” he paused, “Ooooor maybe from the past. Yikes, if this is our future, we've got a lot of work to do…” he muttered to himself, "I wonder what could've happened to Chaos for something like this to happen..."

It wasn't the first time that he had been sent to the past to deal with something that would happen in the future. This could be a glimpse of the future, to try and figure out how to prevent it. But that wasn't exactly something Tails had mastered yet. Time travel was Amy's area of expertise!

“Makes a lot more sense as to why you were determined to find me, then,” he commented idly. “Dunno how much I can accomplish, and I don’t think I'll be able to stay here for very long, but I'll do whatever I can to help while I’m here! You got any ideas for that, or will the Alliance determine my fate?”

"Oh. You're still getting over THAT phase," Shard comments sarcastically when "Sonic" tells him his name. "Well, "Sonic" you can call me Shard."

Man, he still can't believe he thought he WAS Sonic all those years. This poor bot's gonna have his world shattered when he figures out his whole artificial life is a lie. The memories of being Sonic are fake, and they were implanted in him to have his systems THINK like he's Sonic to outdo the organic one.

He just wishes the artificial memories would stop pestering HIM now that he knows he's not the real Sonic. They still haunt his every day life.

"Sheesh. You must have been offline for a while if you don't know about the Alliance. Don't worry, I was there too for a bit, I'll fill you in on the way back."

So, as they walk, Shard explains.

[Accessing Recorded Memory -> The Alliance]

"In the face of a world ending tragedy, The Eggman Empire, GUN and Restoration joined forces in order to combat a growing threat after the Chaos Emeralds proved useless in stopping it. Something had drained them of all their power and taken the Master Emerald too, leaving survival until a new solution was found as the main priority."

Shard looks up at the sky, coated in thick clouds that let no light in, blowing snow everywhere around them. "The Alliance was supposed to be temporary. But as things got worse, it became clear that if all three factions wanted to continue existing, they needed to stay together. So, they built shelters, repurposed old robots and made sure that the preservation of life STAYED the main priority above all else. It's been like that to this day, and we're no closer to a solution than when this started."

[inthealloy]

Sonic blinked upon mention of the Alliance; he had no idea what that was. Familiar with the term, he had never heard of one in his world, so his curiosity was piqued. He would have asked further, but the topic turned to his energy. 

He couldn't help but shrug casually, throwing a laugh into the air, “Yep, that's me!” he chimed, “‘Hedgehog Emerald,’ here and in the alloy!” He folded his arms over his chest, not needing to be told twice about getting out of the cold, “Believe me, my computer is insistent enough about getting indoors. I'm coming with--don't worry your poor little circuits!”

His joints argued with him as he started moving again. The chill was a lot worse on his legs and arms due to all of his armor’s heat being focused on his head and torso. He wouldn't be surprised if he would have to spend minutes upon minutes defrosting an inch thick layer of ice off his shoes when they finally got inside.

“Don't get a screw loose, I'm walking,” he huffed. “You're just as bad as my computer, terminal brain!���

He paid attention to their surroundings as they walked, making notes mentally of the path that he took, and the path they were on now, just in case he needed to navigate on his own. But everything looked the same. If he hadn’t found the other buildings before this, he would have thought that this world was nothing but snow. However, his sensors picked up a building in the direction they were going. It was far, but not so far that he thought he wouldn't be able to make it. The closer they got, the more lived-in the location felt, although that wasn't saying much; everything was still desolate and covered in snow and ice, largely unused. But he started to feel pavement underneath all the snow. That was something, he supposed.

“Oh, right. You can call me Sonic! Unless that’s a problem and you need a nickname for me,” he mused while the wind had died down, “You got a name, Bolt Bucket?” he asked, “Or can I use that as your nickname? And you mind telling me about this Alliance thing?”

"Depends. Are you coming back with me to the Alliance willingly or am I going to have to drag you there?" Shard replies in response to the other Metal's query. "Cause it looks to me like you're the chaos energy signal I'm tracking."

[Main Priority: Retrieve Chaos Power Source]

"Trust me, you probably don't want to be out here too much longer, so it'll be easier for both of us if you come with me and meet up with the rest of the Alliance."

He still can't believe his replacement is somehow alive. Or at least, one of them. Shard's the first Metal Sonic after the mecha models, he knows he's the original, so this has to be a replacement.

It damn well better be. Because if he's a copy of a COPY, he's gonna find those timestones and go back to when Eggman was alive, and then shred him.

"Come on, bolt bucket. The Alliance is back this way. Sage will give you a full repair job if you need it, because you really don't look built for this weather."

Worse comes to worse, they've got another Metal Sonic to scout for resources with, and Shard might be able to take a few days off out of the cold.

Ideally, they can use this new chaos power source to jumpstart the other emeralds and get a solution to the apocalypse problem.

As long as the other robot is compliant, of course.

[inthealloy]

Cold. Bitingly cold, and utterly dismal.

Sonic didn't know where he was, or how he had gotten separated from the others, but he found himself in an absolute zero wasteland that seemed to go on for days upon days. His computer warned him constantly about the dangerous temperatures, insisting that he find shelter, and fast.

Unfortunately, most shelters he found were either completely locked, or just as cold inside as it was outside, only providing shelter from the blistering winds.

He wasn't concerned--not yet. His armor was insulated, and his system had heating measures. The thing he was concerned about was the fact that he was separated from Shadow and Tails; something must have gone wrong with Tails' machine, as unlikely as that felt. He'd worry about that once he found some shelter.

He pressed on, wishing that he could fly, but all of his resources were being put into keeping his body protected from the cold. Running was difficult in the snow. Knee-deep or even deeper in some places, although some areas were iced over. He wished that he had some cleats to give him traction.

“Warning,” the computer said for the millionth time, “External temperatures are dangerously low; seek shelter immediately.”

“Working on it, working on it…” he muttered, shivering slightly.

He blinked repeatedly, his feet slowly coming to a stop when he saw something in the distance: a striking black figure, familiar amidst the high winds and billowing snow.

Almost immediately his spines were tensing against his armor. That distinctly looked to be a Metal Sonic. If he could, Sonic probably would have immediately launched himself at the other and asked questions later. But he had to remind himself that this place was a terrible location for a fight, and if he could communicate with this Metal Sonic, as doubtful as that was, maybe he could be lead to shelter.

Continuing, the distance closed between them at a rapid pace as the other noticed him as well--or perhaps had been tailing him down for some time. The guy walked with purpose, and seemed well-adapted to this environment.

‘This is a terrible place for a fight,’ he reminded himself again, tightening his jaw, ‘You do NOT want to fight this guy in the middle of a tundra.’

… Although he kind of did.

He stopped a few feet away from the other, a little surprised to hear a voice come out of him, not to mention that mouth. Sonic spoke up, "Relatively speaking, yeah, I am! What about you? Are you friendly, neutral, or gonna try and scrap me?”

Plotted Starter for @inthealloy

Shard's optical sensors scan the barren, snowy wasteland of a planet he calls home. The Alliance detected an unusual spike in chaos energy around this area recently, which should be impossible because the chaos emeralds and master emeralds are currently both out of commission.

So, they sent him to investigate. As one of the more powerful units they have functionally available for the moment, he's the one who could get to the source of chaos energy quickly before it dies out like the rest. And the Alliance needs that kind of power. Anything they can get their hands on, before it mysteriously vanishes like the rest.

"...freezing my bolts off out here," Shard complains grumpily, scanning the area for the strange power source. Sure, his heating system works at maximum efficiency, but absolute zero temperatures are unpleasant in any situation.

Finally, his scanners catch on to the strange spike in energy, and he quickly tails it to figure out what he's dealing with here. His optical sensors process it in the dark, taking in the metal shell of the thing, and causing him to tilt his head.

"...another Metal Sonic?" he guesses.

He thought he was the only model left after the tragedy happened. Sage told him of how his "brother" was vaporized by whatever stole the chaos energy from the world.

So, who is this?