What if Eggman Abandoned Metal?

Chapter 1

This is my first time writing any kind of fanfiction and English is not my first language. So, please, tell me if I messed up anything or if i made any kind of grammar mistakes. I hope y'all like it. :)
Btw this story was heavily inspired by "A Broken Enemy Needs a Friend" made by Fortune Spirit (especially the first chapter) on . Y'all should definitely check it out. It's really good.

He stood motionless, unsure of whether to approach the shattered robot or keep going. It would have been different if they had just been fighting. Eventually, Eggman would show up and recover what was still there so that he could be rebuilt to fight another day. That's the way it has always been. But not this time. He was still there. Still lying in his own grease. It would be a genuinely horrifying sight to see him if he were alive.

But to Sonic, it still was anyways.

Of course, they fought. And he always won. But Metal would always be repaired and, eventually, return as if nothing had happened. Although no one realized it, Metal had feelings, thoughts- he could feel annoyed, upset, angry, and- Sonic hoped- he could even feel happy.

Sonic knew this since their first battle- they always had this strange mental connection that allowed them to know each other's thoughts, feelings, and even made Sonic able to hear Metal speak. He didn't realize at first that no one else could hear Metal speak. He had assumed Metal communicated like Omega, Cubot, and Orbot did. This led to some awkward moments when Sonic responded to whatever his metallic double had said. He could still vividly remember how confused Knuckles and Tails were one time. It was at that moment, as Sonic noticed the confusion on their faces, that Sonic understood he was the only one who could understand his metal counterpart.

The way Metal spoke in his mind sounded sort of Mobian. Every time, he heard Metal in his mind. His voice, while still robotic and metallic, had tonal shifts and sounded somewhat 'alive'. He wondered why Eggman made his programming so complex, though. Maybe it was- Sonic shook his head- that didn't matter, right now. He had to go there and help his metallic copy.

As Sonic got cautiously closer to Metal (Metal could still want to hurt him, after all), he felt that Metal was still online, barely, but still responsive. Once Sonic knew and felt that Metal wasn't thinking of attacking him, Sonic decided to ask him.

"...Eggman... he didn't come back?" Sonic didn't even need a response when his mind "flashed" with the arising thoughts of anger inside of Metal. "Why not?"

"... I failed." Metal answered, retaining the same feelings of anger, but with a new mixture of sadness and betrayal. Sonic knew that Metal considered Eggman some kind of father figure in his life. Metal tried to conceal it, but knowing Metal's thoughts made it impossible. Eggman was never coming back, after so many defeats, he deemed Metal useless, and he didn't even care about his personal well-being. Sonic didn't know how Eggman could be so heartless. This was very low, even for Eggman. The Blue Blur couldn't abandon Metal in this state, especially given Metal's despair.

"I'm so sorry, Metal. I promise we'll fix you up."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tails asked. Tails was Sonic's brother- well, adoptive brother- they lived together in the same house.

"Buddy, just trust me." Sonic answered.

"Sonic, I trust you... but Metal has tried to kill us many times! I could, at least, try to change Metal's programming to make him more friendly."

"No."

"Huh?" Tails stated with a puzzled expression. Tails didn't know or understand that Metal was sentient- in fact the only one who knew, besides Eggman, was Sonic.

"Tails... I just know he won't attack... please." Sonic begged. Sonic barely begged- he never begged for anything. Tails realized he was serious about this and wouldn't back down. Besides, the look in his eyes made it nearly impossible for Tails to say no.

"Ok, Sonic...", Tails sighed, "I'll fix him without changing his programming." Tails said, not being totally convinced this was a good idea but trusting his brother's judgement, for now.

Sonic then decided to finish the run, that was interrupted by Metal. Generally, when he does this kind of runs, he can get his mind off things. But he still couldn't shake, in the back of his mind, the possibility of Tails changing Metal's programming- It wasn't that he didn't trust his brother- but Sonic knew Tails was very hesitant and apprehensive about this. But Metal deserves a second chance, his actions were always influenced by Eggman. Metal deserves to make his own decisions- Sonic thought- without any kind of influence.

While he was thinking about all of this, he almost missed Amy, who was calling him. Talking with Amy made Sonic, stop worrying about Metal, for a while. Sonic would never admit this but he actually likes Amy. He declines her dating proposals because he believes they are too young for dating—he wasn't even 18 yet, let alone Amy, and besides, he's a hero for chao's sake! And they still had a lot of time! And, besides, guys never really talked about 'feelings'. When Sonic tried to even talk about something more vulnerable, he sounded like a total fool.

Amy had to leave eventually, and Sonic's thoughts began sparring with Metal. Because of this, and because it had been hours since he had left the house, he decided to go see Metal.

Sonic slowed to a stop just before he collided with a wall. Maybe everything was fine, and Tails hasn't changed his mind- Sonic really hoped that was the case. He went to his brother's workshop, where he was fixing Metal.

"Hey buddy!" Sonic called, rushing over to ruffle his brother's fur. Tails giggled, fixing his fur. He sent Sonic a playful glare before turning to look back at Metal. Metal was on a table near Tails' gadgets and the disorganized mess that was Tails' workshop—not that Sonic cared; he wasn't exactly the most organized mobian, and it was Tails' place after all.Tails was working on the joint of the arm, and some of the wires were sticking out.

"Hey Sonic! Have you done anything interesting today?" Tails asked

"Nothing special. Just the usual." Sonic answered, wanting to bring up Metal in the conversation and hoping that Tails didn't change his programming. "How's Metal coming along?"

"I've done most of the fixing already. He'll be ready in 30 minutes or, at most, in an hour. But..." He paused, as if he was about to say something else but wasn't sure if he should.

"What's up?" Sonic asked, with a growing expression of worry on his face.

"Why do you want Metal to be fixed? I mean- he's just a robot- he could very easily attack us at any moment" Tails replied. At least Sonic knew now that Tails hadn't changed Metal's programming.

"He won't." Sonic replied, but he had to remind himself that his brother didn't know that Metal was sentient.

"But... how can you be sure? Look, I can change his programming so that he is friendlier. That way he won't attack us- and I know you're going to say that you can handle it, but you don't need to get hurt unnecessarily."

Sonic shook his head. If he messed with his programming, he might mess with Metal. Sonic knew he could think for himself and that Metal was not going to attack because of the promise he made. He even promised to give Metal a purpose. But Tails didn't look convinced. And he couldn't tell his brother the truth! No one would believe him! Although his brother would be the most likely to believe him...

And Tails didn't even seem somewhat convinced by the prospect of fixing Metal without changing his programming. Sonic, then, just knew he needed to tell his brother the truth.

"Ok... Look, I know Metal won't attack because..."