Chapter Text
“Heh. Look at that, Honey: a full combo.”
“Nice. Good job, Mighty.”
I mentally tabbed my vision from the dress I was sawing to a screen of Mighty's stream. We were hanging out in a video call and just chatting away the afternoon.
It had been only two days since I wrote a letter to Father regarding NIDS. The resulting conversation was… informative.
But for now all I wanted to do was sew in the sanctuary that was the Egg Carrier's server room while listening to Mighty's sweet voice.
“Hmmm... sushi instead of soup for the menu this day. What do you think, Honey?”
"Sounds good to me." I gave a small nod. "Sushi has a much easier key combination and is quicker to make."
Mighty was playing this video game where you had to prepare food during hectic lunch rush hours as a chef who owned a high end restaurant. It was relaxing hearing him play as I sewed.
“Woah.” Mighty gasped as he sat up closer to the screen. “That dress is coming along nicely.”
“Thanks!” said my robotic cat encoded voice through the call.
“Wait… are you making an IRL version of the old timey witch outfit?”
“Mmhmmm. The dark, goth lolita one.” I proudly held up the work-in-progress cloth of frilly black laces. “I had enough materials. Turns out dad kept a whole crate of clothes made for the Egg Pawns in his casinos. Figured I'd repurpose them.”
“Damn. You sure you won't get in trouble for that?” Mighty gave a concerned sigh. “I know how Eggman can be…”
“Only if I get caught, hehe.” It was nice how natural it was to laugh even through the encoder. I kept sewing.
“Rebellious girl… I guess that's true, though.” Mighty smiled and rubbed on his shoulder. “I-I bet you'd look stunning in it.”
My hands froze up, the needle in my gloved fingers still.
“I made you blush, didn't I?”
Quickly, I looked away. “You know I physically can't blush, right? I don't have blood.”
“Nah. Maybe your body couldn't but your soul did. That counts in my book.”
And now my hands covered my faceplate. This was so embarrassing! Ah, why does this goofy red armadillo make me feel so shy yet happy. If I didn't know any better I'd think this was just what friendship meant but my feelings were so… different.
With Miles and his friends I did laugh and had fun and enjoyed their company, even with the easy to ignore yet ever present tension of hiding a part of myself. But with Mighty, I felt more than just welcomed - I felt wanted.
Thinking about Miles did remind me of my mission. I used a mental link to visualize the group chat he was in.
Everyone in that chat was having a conversation. I read through their messages as Mighty played more of his diner game.
Tails: I'm telling you: using a replica Chaos Emerald to power an Extreme Gear would absolutely work.
Tails: @mechafan85 I'll even make a prototype to prove it, Wave.
mechafan85: Sure. You'd be wasting your time but go ahead.
Tails: I think I will! Then you'll see for yourself that my hypothesis wasn't ‘stupid.’
mechafan85:👍
Chaos Emeralds? I could lead this conversation into making a certain topic relevant without drawing suspicion.
Honey <3: What's a chaos emerald?
Honey <3: Wait is that the thing Sonic stole from a bank? That was all the news would talk about for weeks! O.O
Speedy: Good grief.
Speedy: People still think I did that even now?
Speedy: That faker and its consequences have been a disaster for my reputation.
Rosy: sonic u know its not shadows fault gun was just being stupidd
Tails: Come to think of it… Shadow and Sonic look nothing alike.
Rosy: actually they look kindaa alike from a distance :/
mechafan85: @Tails pretty sure GUN was framing Sonic as both a justification to capture him as well as cover up the existence of Shadow. There are internal documents confirming this.
Tails: @mechafan85 source?
mechafan85: It's on Sticks’ Leaks I'll DM the link to you.
Tails: Also Shadow and Sonic don't 'look kindaa alike’ from ANY distance? They aren't even the same color.
Tails: Even Metal Sonic looked more like Sonic and that thing is a creep.
…
The mention of that name made me drop my sewing needle.
Tails: Still gives me nightmares.
JET: What the heck is a Metal Sonic??
JET: Is there a Punk Sonic too? Jungle Sonic? Jazz Sonic?
Rosy: haha jazz sonic thats funny
Speedy: Oh Jet. It's a long story.
Tails: Eggman made this super creepy robot doppelganger of Sonic.
Tails: It's super delusional and thinks he's the ‘one true Sonic’ and so tries to kill him to replace him. Maybe in a skinwalker way?
Speedy: Eh. Metal's just an ugly tin can who can't hold a candle to the original. Eggman didn't even bother to give it quills and skin.
Speedy: Then again maybe that'd be creepier…
Tails: I still get nightmares that he'd kidnap me in the dead of a stormy night.
Rosy: metal isnt that scary tails ur just a coward
Rosy: i was kidnapped by it before n i turned out fine
Tails: Sure you did, Amy…
I didn't feel like doing this reconnaissance operation anymore.
I didn't feel like sewing anymore. Maybe ever.
This dress I was making suddenly seemed like a very dumb idea.
“Hey Honey, is something wrong?”
Mighty's voice had so much misplaced concern. I had fooled an innocent man into caring about me - fooled him into thinking I could be stunning.
I hugged my knees as I sat against a server.
Why wasn't I programmed to be able to cry?
Was it because Sonic wasn't supposed to cry, so I couldn't? If so then that was a stupid mandate - I bet Sonic could cry if he wanted, or needed, to.
All I had is a pain I could never release. Unlike laughter or giggles, my voice encoder couldn't express this sorrow.
Because without tears, no one has ever cried.
Believe me, I've tried.
“Honey? Are you okay? Did something happen? Are you in pain?”
I would respond but the last thing I wanted to hear now was that delusional catgirl voice I pretended could ever be me. That wasn't who I was. It never would be.
“Honey?! Please say something! Are one of your parts malfunctioning? Damnit! How do I call Eggman-”
“-Don't call him.” I did end up using the Honey voice in the end. “It's okay, Mighty. I'm fine.”
“You sure?” He was pulling on his blue hospital blanket. “What happened there?”
“...I don't want to talk about it right now, sorry.”
He asked if I was really okay and I told him gently ‘yea’ and that was the end of that. Mighty was many things - funny, silly and cute - but he was never too pushy. He made me feel so safe in a way no one ever had before.
I bet he would make an amazing boyfriend for a lucky girl one day.
That was why I had to save him. Even if it hurt me. Because he deserved it. Maybe the one good thing my delusional, tin can, nightmare-inducing self could ever do to make up for its existence could be to finally get a NIDS cure developed.
I would still be a heartless monster but at least I would have helped save a life or two.
“Hey Mighty…” my voice was gentle. My body felt sore, somehow.
“Yes Honey?”
“My dad's gonna cure you soon.”
“Really?” Mighty raised an eyebrow. “How'd you convince Eggman to-”
“-Oh. I found a way. Trust me.”
It was two days ago. I replayed the memories in my head.
—
Dear Dad,
My close friend, Mighty the Armadillo, has NIDS. Can you cure him? Thanks.
Love,
Honey.
I ripped the letter into tiny bits, crumbled the bits into a ball and threw it all into an incinerator. This particular letter was a joke draft as I tried to put the words together.
I couldn't be too forward and honest as then Father would ask how I met Mighty. He'd then discover my pathetic video game addiction with my pathetic pretty catgirl avatar and - if I was really unlucky - discover the dresses and the sewing supplies.
And if that happens I'd be decommissioned for real. Sonic would never wear a dress unless it was a dare or a joke, which meant the one true Sonic absolutely shouldn't either.
He also wouldn't play an amber cat girl magician in a video game. I know this because, within the first few days of playing Gunsmith, Sonic had managed to convince the developers to add a blue hedgehog of his likeness into the game.
Both Father and the Loathsome Copy were obsessed with their image. Hmm…
With a writing quill in my hands, I drafted another attempt of a letter.
Greetings Dr. Ivo Robotnik,
The time on the ship had made me realise something obvious - my creator is a super genius!
Oh such intellect and determination is inspiring! I want to be just like you and able to accomplish anything. Maybe even defeat that pesky hedgehog finally?
And now know why I've been holding back: confidence. Or rather, lack thereof. Because I was designed after Sonic - a total loser - I have developed a loser's mentality.
In order to be a winner, I have to study winners and who better is an example than my
dadcreator: you?So I began researching your accomplishments and am now awestruck by your greatest one: the curing of your own case of Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome (N.I.D.S.).
How, oh how, did you do it? And so easily all by yourself? You suppressed even your grandfather Gerald, curing yourself without needing Shadow. What if you had access to him? Could it even be possible for you to make a universal cure that could work on anyone
even on red armadillos?From your biggest fan,
Metal Sonic (The One True Sonic)
Writing those last few words hurt but they were necessary. Anything for Mighty.
Tonight I made Father one of his favourite dishes: curry katsu omurice. It was a higher effort meal - omelet and rice - but I needed him in a very good mood. I made my way up to his chambers, dinner and letter in hand.
The food had what I assumed to be an appetizing scent. Not many know this but I was created with a sense of smell due to its obvious combat potential.
The dinner tray was sat down on the desk. Father had a visible, toothy grin. Additionally, I placed down the letter.
"Huh? What's this, son?"
I don't know why he asked that considering my hardware was unable to speak. There was an iteration of my chassis - NEO - that came with speakers. Father had never bothered to backport it as he assumed I didn't need the functionality.
He was right in a way: I despised the deep NEO voice.
Father read the letter aloud, monologuing along the way just as I had planned.
"Taking an interest in the sciences, huh? Oh ho ho! I've really outdone myself this time. It seems you're primed to not just be the One True Sonic but have the potential to surpass him not just in speed but intellect."
I kept quiet as he kept reading.
"Interested in NIDS, huh?" He laughed before sipping more orange juice. "Why, my dear son, it was an undertaking! Trivial for the likes of me but only because of a fresh approach."
Father turned his chair to me. "You want to know the secrets of my NIDS cure?"
Yes. I nodded eagerly.
"Nanomachines, son." Father proudly pumped a fist into the air. "Bonded to my DNA in particular. A bruteforce strategy, sure. But effective!"
And then he kept reading. "Eh? A universal cure? Now why would I ever waste months of my life doing that? The dumb masses would take such genius for granted. NIDS simply isn't common enough to be profitable to cure."
Profitable to cure? I knew Father was evil but that was cruel.
Boisterous laughter filled the room, echoing off the walls. "Oh yes! I didn't need that Shadow in the end. Ultimate Lifeform? More like Ultimate Disappointment! If anything, having access to Shadow would have made things too easy."
He twirled on his mustache. "Hell! If I had access to Shadow maybe I'd make a 'universal cure' just to prove to those pencil pushers at GUN that my grandfather was a hack! It'd only take me two weeks."
Two weeks? Oh. Mighty was going to live! He was going to be fine - but I needed to act fast. I just had to convince the Ultimate Lifeform to help me. Surely Father would jump at the chance to develop the cure if he woke up one day with Shadow in his possession. After all, Shadow was originally created specifically as part of research to cure all diseases, including NIDS.
Finally, Father had finished reading. "My, my. My greatest creation finally having a sense of drive, eh? I see now where you've failed - you were emulating that annoying rodent when you should have been taking after me. Sonic's speed with my intellect! What an unstoppable force!"
I just stood still quietly.
"Your initiative shows you still have great promise, son." Eggman began frantically typing as I tidied the room, collecting the plate and utensils from lunch.
"Now get out of here!" Eggman shooed me with an arm. "I need to focus and your glare is distracting."
Gladly. I made my way out of the chambers.
"Say, Honey... you can't eat anything, right?" Mighty asked as he assembled sushi rolls in the video game on stream.
"Yeah," my encoder voice had a wistful tone. "But it's whatever. Just the way I was made."
"I miss solid food. Sometimes on the really good days I could hold down a sushi roll or a cupcake but I'm usually too nauseous."
"Never had food ever." I shrugged as I continued sewing. "I guess I'm missing out."
Mighty chuckled. "Yeah. Not going to lie and sugarcoat it but you are. Gosh, I could go for a sugarcoated donut right about now."
"You really like food, huh?"
"Oh yes!" The tiny video footage showed Mighty nodding in excitement. "I really do! Well did... can't eat nothing when you got NIDS."
I kept sewing, relaxing needles on threads. "That sucks, Mighty man."
"It sure does but... that's life, I guess." Mighty sighed. "I'm just happy I'm still alive."
"I wish I could try food," I said as I looked at Mighty.
"Well, yeah. I wish you could too but... your lack of need to eat is itself pretty cool. I once knew a fox who'd kill for that 'superpower'."
"It is convenient, yes."
Wait. Footsteps?! Father's footsteps? But he never comes down here? Quickly, frantically I gathered all my fashion supplies, including the dress, and shoved it into the secret compartment by a server rack.
He was approaching the corner? Oh am I in the clear? I quickly stood up straight.
"Ah! There you are Metal. You didn't make lunch today! I was looking all over for you- what's that?"
He pointed at the top of my head. I narrowed my eyes up and-
Oh. The bow was still on. I pulled it off and held it behind my back in embarrassment.
"Right." Father cleared his throat and gave an exaggerated cough. "Anyways, I've found a suitable mission and purpose for you - especially with your new pacifist preferences."
He pulled out a small poster. It showed a silhouette of a hawk and a hedgehog on hover boards flying up a ramp, along with event details.
"The Super Extreme Gear International Grand Prix," Father proudly declared as he held it up. "The most prestigious global sporting event in the world. A special race to see who is the fastest."
Luckily Father was unable to hear Mighty holding back chuckles as only I could hear the chat. My face may seem emotionless but I wanted to laugh too.
"So naturally, Sonic would enter." Father rubbed on his chin.
"Now son, I pulled some strings and got you eligible to compete in qualifiers." Father tapped on my shoulder. "We will begin your training tomorrow. Full time. Nonstop. I expect you to be fully focused."
I kept silent while my thoughts protested. I wanted to hang out with Mighty and I was working on getting the NIDS cure. And now I wouldn't even have the time - or privacy - to sew! Nooo. This sucked.
But instead of expressing protest, I simply saluted the Eggman.
"Atta boy!" Eggman said as he walked away but then he turned around. "Of course, it goes without saying but Amy Rose would be at the competition. So train hard and maybe you'd impress her. Especially once you beat Sonic! Hoho."
And now he was finally out of the room.
Mighty sounded amused. "Eggman thinks you have a crush on Amy?"
"It's the bow," I replied through encoding. "Was technically a gift from her. Perhaps it is better for dad to assume this is an Amy thing."
"Heh. Well, who hasn't had a crush on Amy, right?" Mighty laughed. "Other than Sonic, obviously."
This talk of Sonic and Amy and that whole crowd reminded me of the presence of that dreadful group chat. I tightened my claws around my arm as I mentally tabbed onto that screen. Please don't be talking about me... please.
Rosy: OH GUYS GREAT NEWS
Rosy: I SAW ROUGE AT CASINOPOLIS RIGHT. AND SO I INVITED HER TO MY BIRTHDAY PARTY
Rosy: AND GUESS WHAT?
Tails: Wait you're having a birthday party?
Rosy: YES MILES I ALREADY TOLD U THIS ITS NEXT WEEK
Cheese: Amy could you please refrain from typing in all caps? Thank you.
Rosy: ok cream
Rosy: anyways so she not only said yes but guess who she's inviting too u will never ever ever guess
Tails: Shadow
Speedy: Shadow.
JET: Shadow
JET: I'm just copying what everyone else typed
Rosy: YES! SHE SAYS HE MIGHT COME idk
Rosy: but now that means ill need a super cool party for sure not just board games at my apartment
Honey <3: This was where I had my sweet sixteen!
Honey <3: It's like a murder mystery train thing! It's suuuuupeer fun. ^^
Honey <3: [HYPERLINK to Mirage Express website]
Cheese: Oh! This looks really cool.
Cheese: I bet Shadow would find this fun. It'd be so exciting to finally meet him!
If I played my cards right, the cure for NIDS would be in my possession very, very soon.