#OH AND ALSO IVE FINALLY STOPPED LIMITING MYSELF !!!! they all get tails now. cry

[potatobugz]

i return with more alpha trolls practice (featuring my eriroxy propaganda)

[the-alien-enby]

Metonic Week- Machine

Metal had only been a part of Sonic’s team for a short while, after abandoning his own creator due to difficulties. Sonic had gladly accepted his metallic copy on his team, but as for Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, they weren’t entirely on board with it. Metal even knew this, but as Sonic had asked of him, he tried not to think too much of it. After all, he had so many other things to worry about. Like what if Eggman tries to control him again? What if he somehow leads his new team into danger? What if he... did something horrible to Sonic. On the outside of his thoughts, Sonic was standing beside him, tapping his foot and watching Metal’s optics going in a swirly motion.

“Uhh Mets?” He asked, “Ya doing okay, bud?”

In response, Metal spazzed out some, mostly in surprise as to Sonic’s voice suddenly chiming into his internal thoughts. His optics turned back into their usual oval shape as he looked at Sonic.

“yes. I am doing ‘okay’. Please do not... scare me.. like that again.” Metal spoke, only somewhat in his usual monotone voice, now kind of developing his own special voice.

“Fine, Metal. Anyways, Tails and I are about to go invade one of Eggmans bases! Wanna come?” Metal had noticed Sonic had his brown backpack on. The same one with an emerald colored charm. Only almost matching his bright green eye color.

After Metal gave a simple nod in response to Sonic’s offer, he, Sonic, and Tails headed out. The base was located in Chemical Plant. Of course, Sonic would have something to say about this.

“Mann! Egg-head always builds a base there, huh?”

“Well,” Tails began, “There are a whole bunch of.. well, chemicals, there for his machines. And a lot of machinery in general! That could be why he likes building so many bases there.”

“What do you think, Mets?” He looked over at the blue robot, who didn’t expect to be a part of the conversation, “why do you think Egg-head loves building bases there?”

Metal thought for a bit. “I will be honest, even though I’ve worked for him for as long as I’ve even existed... that’s a great mystery. But Tails’ answer seems to make more sense to me.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right!” Tails laughed some, causing the other two to laugh along.. even if Metal’s sounded more awkward than normal.

————-

It took the group a few hours, but they were soon at the entrance of Eggman’s new base. Metal wondered if Eggman had even changed the entry passcode since he left him. Wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t, considering how much of a buffoon he was.

“AAlright, Guys! So what’s the plan? Sneaking in? Busting in?” As sonic spoke, he was doing his usual pre-running stretches.

“Now hang on..” Tails had his Miles Electric out, and was using it to scan the base’s entrance and beyond, “It seems that Eggman loaded this place up with security. Even if we do sneak in, we’ll have to be a whole lot more caref-“

Tails was interrupted by Sonic. “Psh! Funny, tails. But what’s the worst ol’ Eggface can do? Catch me?” Sonic continued laughing.

“Sonic, this is Eggman we are talking about. My creator. He knows I work with you now, so he has most likely created something stronger than even myself to take care of you. Tails is right. We do need to be careful.” Metal spoke in a serious tone. Of course, being a robot, he almost always sounds serious.

“An egghead is an egghead. Even if he’s lost one of his creations, I think his limit is at you.” Sonic chuckled, “now let’s get a move on!”

“Fine..” Metal followed Sonic as the spindash drilled through the metal door, immediately afterwards dashing in. Tails stuck with his plan of sneaking in carefully.

Inside the base, it was almost pitch black dark. The only source of light Sonic and Metal had were Metal’s bright red optics, but even that made it hard to see. Sonic used his “hog-sense” to figure out where he was going, as Metal simply scanned around.

“Sonic, this really was a bad idea.. now that there’s a gaping hole in the door, that’s sure to alert someone..” Metal said, almost expecting a snarky response from Sonic.. but to his surprise, nothing. “..Sonic?” Even after that, nothing. Not a sound. He scanned around for the blue hedgehog, but nothing. Metal had a bad feeling about this. But there’s no way Sonic himself could’ve been captured, right?

Well, unfortunately, Metal was wrong. Sonic was in fact captured. Silently knocked out by Eggmans newest creation... which was literally just a spy bot. Eggman did want a new killer robot. But he currently did not have the materials to build a new Metal Sonic. So what’s just as fast and could easily be made as strong, if not stronger? The real deal. This was also a great opportunity to test out a new creation of his; the Roboticizer. A machine that can turn organic matter into machinery through a painful process. Perfect.

Metal was growing worried, but soon spotted a light. From what he could tell from silhouettes, someone was being carried into that room. Metal already had a feeling who it was, and ran towards it. Quietly and slowly however because he didn’t want to have whatever was gonna happen to sonic happen to him as well.

The spy bot dropped Sonic off inside of a cylindrical container, and left before it sealed Sonic inside. Eggman, seeing this, laughed to himself.

“Oh OHOHOH!! Not only do I get a new powerful robot, but I finally have the problem with this blue pest out of the way!!” Eggman continued to laugh before stopping himself. “Right then! Let the Roboticization process... INITIATE!!” He quickly pressed a button, just after Metal had walked in.

“RELEASE SONIC, DOCTOR. OR THINGS WILL GET MESSY.” Metal had his sharp claws out, not joking about how things would get messy.

“Ah, well if it isn’t my former robot, Metal Sonic. I’m afraid you’re too late to save Sonic now!!” Just as he finished that sentence, the roboticization process on Sonic had finished. The cylindrical container lifted, revealing Sonic... only now robotic. His optics now a red color similar to Metal Sonic’s. “Mecha Sonic.. ATTACK!”

Following the orders of Eggman, Sonic got out of the roboticizer and attacked Metal.. but oddly enough, seemed to deactivate right as he was about to actually try hurting him. Both Eggman and Metal were confused as to why this was so.

“N.. NO! HOW COULD I OVERLOOK SUCH A FLAW!!?” Eggman exclaimed, “I HAD MADE SURE THE PROGRAMMING WAS PERFECT!!”

“And yet, here I am leaving.” Metal said, as he picked Sonic up, “Oh.. and for your own safety, get lost.” Metal walked out of the room, leaving Eggman just whining about his defeat. As Metal left, he contacted Tails to let him know that an escape was required, due to what had happened to Sonic.

———-

Hours had passed since Metal brought the now robotic Sonic back. Tails was trying to reactivate it, Amy was horribly worried for Sonic, and Knuckles was blaming Metal for all of this.

“Maybe had you just been left as scrap metal, Sonic wouldn’t be like this!” He yelled at Metal.

“Knuckles I’m sorry, but can you shut up!? It was Sonic that didn’t listen to my or Metal’s warning and rushed in anyways!” Tails was defending Metal’s case. Sure he didn’t entirely trust him yet, but he had seen the warning before his eyes.

“Oh so now you’re taking his side!? What’s next?! Are you gonna be trusting EGGMAN of all people next!?” Knuckles raised his voice. Metal has had enough by now. He went between Knuckles and Tails and of the first time, showed true emotion through his voice.

“YOU KNOW WHAT?! I get it!! I get that you don’t like me! I get that you won’t accept the fact that I have changed! That ive decided to be my own person- robot- whatever!! And I get that you would think that I would be responsible for this happening to sonic!!”

No one had known this, but Sonic was already reactivating, actually acting like himself, green optics instead of red, just in time to hear the rest of what Metal had to say, “and you know what?! I’ll accept responsibility for what happened to him! I should’ve forcefully kept him from breaking in like that! I should’ve kept a better eye on him! So you know what?! Maybe I don’t belong here after all! Maybe you’re right! I SHOULD JUST BE IN A SCRAP PILE!!” And with that, Metal stormed out. Everyone in the room was baffled. None of them, not even Sonic, had ever seen Metal like this. Sonic finally got up.

“METAL!! WAIT!!” Almost as soon as he got up off the table Tails and Metal had set him on, he had fallen down. When getting up, he finally realized what had happened to him.. or was at least getting an idea of it.

“...huh.. Well Tails.. you were right. I should’ve listened to you.” Sonic was beginning to tremble some, but soon stopped. “I’ll ask about how the heck this happened later. I’ve gotta stop Metal from doing whatever he’s probably about to do!!” Sonic ran off again, but unfortunately for him, going at a normal running pace.

“Oh come on!! GO FASTER, FEET!!” And almost as if they listened to him, he began going his usual speed. Thanks to the thrusters on his legs. Tails tried to go after him, worried that he would deactivate again, but Sonic was already gone.

It didn’t take him long to catch up with Metal, as Metal was not using his back thruster. Sonic was about to ask him to come back, but Metal beat him to the first words.

“You know.. you know it’s my fault Sonic.. dOnT you tell lies..” Metal kind of sounded like he was crying, his optics in a sad expression.

“Metal.. why would I even lie to you!? I’m not one to lie anyways!” Sonic slowed down to talk to Metal, “And assuming that you’re blaming yourself for.. this..” he motioned to the rest of his now robotic body, “well don’t. It’s my own fault for not listening to you and Tails.”

“But..” Metal robotically sighed, “What about the others? Even if you defend my case, they’ll still think it’s my fault.”

“No they won’t.. they’re only rough on you because of things you did in the past. Even then it was only because you were following your programming. But now you’re your own bot! You’ve even developed your own personality!”

“You’re.... you’re right about that.” Metal finally stopped.

Sonic stopped as well. “Now come on. Don’t go and scrap yourself over all of this. That wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

“..Alright.”

—————

-Epilogue-

Sonic and Metal soon headed back to Tails’ workshop. Sonic had confronted Knuckles about how he basically told Metal to go kill himself, and pretty much made Knuckles apologize.

Tails began figuring out Sonic’s situation further, with Metal helping out. Unfortunately for Sonic, he would be stuck like this for the rest of his days, if not just for a long time. While this did upset the blue hedgehog, he understood that this was what he gets for going into everything head first. Metal was there to help Sonic get used to life as a robot. Their relationship began to blossom over time, causing them to begin to crush on each other... but what happens afterwards is only to be assumed.

——————————

This took forever to write

@metonic-ship @enigma--machine

[hauntedbunkbeds]

Day 6: Zen Space

Day 6, Fantasy or Magical Realism: It may get a bad rap, but Fantasy is full of gems! *haha!*

Zen Space

At mile fifteen I usually hit the zen space. The sound of my breathing becomes the only sound I can hear. I focus on the ground in just the few feet of space ahead of me. I become my own little world. I think every thought at once. I am God of this little world, God of myself. I guess that’s the Runner’s High people talk about. I didn’t know what it felt like until I started doing ultra marathons--fifty to one-hundred miles in the woods with a handful of strange people who I have come to love. We’re all the same kind of strange, the be-your-own-God kind.

This race was different though. Bad different. You can always tell when you’re going to have a bad day, sometimes immediately, sometimes before you even start, like a premonition. I’ve seen world champs drop out in the first ten miles. There’s no shame in it. For an undertaking like running one hundred miles in a day, your mind and your body have to be on the same page or one is going to slip off-course, literally or figuratively. I’ve seen runners veer into the woods at a sprint, I’ve seen runners arguing with people who aren’t there. Strange things can happen when you push your body to its limits. It’s like peeking over the edge of a steep cliff, you better have a tight grip on something or you might just slip off into the abyss.

When I didn’t reach my zen space, I got worried. The races usually start hard, then get gradually easier for me as my body falls into its familiar stride. Today, it stayed hard. The Pandora 100-Miler was a notorious course, one I had never run before. The first fifty miles were literally over mountain after mountain, but the second fifty was even worse: A straight shot down a two-lane highway, no shade til nightfall. Just when your prayers of “Please God, not one more hill” are answered, you’re met with sizzling roadkill and blistered shoulders. A man died along that road last year, a drifter, and his body was discovered by one of the runners. I’ve heard the spot is marked by a small white cross.

“When you hit the cross,” my trainer (and girlfriend) Amelia had told me in the dense 4 A.M. fog, “then you’re home free. Twenty miles to go from there.”

I squeezed her hand. Something already felt wrong, but I didn’t want to let her down. She planned to meet me at mile fifty with a flat coke (don’t knock it til you try it) and run the remainder with me as a pacer. I met Amelia at the Rushmore fifty-miler seven years ago. She beat me to the women’s first place spot by fifteen minutes, but I also beat my own PR trying to catch up with her. She was wearing rainbow shorts and her long blonde hair was in a perfect french braid. We ran a few miles together near the middle without saying a word to each other, but I was already in love with her before we even spoke.

...

It was mile twenty-two when I saw the first one. It was pink, but others were blue, green, yellow--all with a soft glow about them like they weren’t quite there. I thought they were lightning bugs at first, and then I thought they were the little spots that dance before your eyes when you get lightheaded or pass out, and then I saw one up close: Fairies. Real fairies.

Okay, I’m losing my mind, I thought.

I ignored them. They were figments of my imagination, after all. I ignored them for a mile, until I realized I wasn’t ignoring them at all, I was following them. I looked up and felt a wave of shock as I took in my surroundings: Deep, lush woods, not a trail in sight.

Oh fuck, oh fuck. I’m lost. I’m one of those runners you read about who went crazy in the woods and never came back. They’re going to find me naked with a flower crown on my head, days from now.

“You’re not lost,” came a voice, the sweetest I had ever heard. I looked up, and it was Amelia. My sweet, perfect Amelia.

“Amelia,” I cooed. “I’m not even close to mile fifty. You shouldn’t have met me here.”

She gave a coy laugh. I noticed she wasn’t wearing her running clothes, but a long, deep green gown, and she wasn’t Amelia. She just looked like her. She had gorgeous long, blonde hair, an amazing athletic build, and long pointed ears.

“I couldn’t wait any longer to show you what I found,” she said.

“What you found?” I repeated. I was walking towards her, but every step I took was met with one step backward as she retreated deeper into the thick woods.

“When I ran Pandora last year,” she said. “I found this place. I had to show you.”

I reached out, wanting to kiss her so badly, but she was always just out of reach.

“Shh!” she said suddenly, and stopped walking. I realized all at once how tired my legs were, how badly I wanted to lay down in the moss-covered ground beneath Amelia’s bare feet.

She pointed to a distant spot and I followed her gaze. There, so deep in the woods I could barely see him, stood a man, or at least, the face and torso of a man. His body was that of a sinewy, muscular horse, white with black and grey freckles. His tail swatted lightly side to side.

“Don’t scare him off,” Amelia whispered. “He’s good luck.”

“Am I dreaming?” I asked. “Am I going crazy? I didn’t feel good this morning. I didn’t want to tell you, but I don’t think I’m going to finish the race.”

“I don’t think you are either,” Amelia said with a little laugh. God I loved her laugh.

“Take this,” she said, and from a small satchel I hadn’t noticed, she pulled a can of coke. “I opened it this morning so it would be completely flat by the time you reached me.”

She handed it to me and I drank deeply. It tasted so real, it felt so real in my hands. The metallic, sugary taste shocked my system back to life. I couldn’t be dreaming, could I?

“Do you want to run now?” I said, trying to snap myself back to reality. I felt energized by the coke, and scared of what I was seeing.

Behind Amelia, the woods began to thin, and through it I began to make out the details of a vast city, a beautiful jigsaw of straw huts, stone towers, colorful tents and leaning rotundas.

“When I found this place last year,” Amelia said. “They told me I was their queen.”

Beyond the city, a castle rose from the mist. Vines climbed up towers, and white flowers bloomed from the vines.

“I told them I would only accept if I could bring my wife,” she said, her eyes not leaving mine.

I blushed, though I don’t know if it would have made a difference on my sunburned and dirt-smeared cheeks. My back of my legs were muddy and my knees and palms were scraped from a little spill a couple miles back on a hidden root. That morning I had put my short hair up in two tiny pigtails which had certainly gone lopsided by now. I felt suddenly out of place as Amelia led me out of the woods and we passed vividly green pastures containing animals I had never seen before. I swear I saw one breathing fire.

“You’re asking me to be your wife?” I asked, just wanting her to say it again. I had suspected she might ask me after the race, part of the reason I was so keen on finishing. She had been acting secretive and overly lovey-dovey the past couple weeks. I thought...a ring. Not a kingdom.

She smiled and nodded, and finally took my hand.

“Run with me?” she asked. She took my toothy grin as a yes.

She squeezed my hand and sprinted ahead. I struggled to keep up, my breathing feeling shallow as she got faster and faster. Soon, the fairies appeared again, only it wasn’t fairies this time. This time it really was the little lights you see before you get lightheaded or pass out, and it was the latter.

...

“Baby? Baby?”

The voice came from a distance, but Amelia’s face floated right above me, wavering like my own reflection in a pool of water. I was on the ground.

“Oh my God,” she said. “You’re alive.”

She had tears in her eyes.

“I thought I had lost you,” she said, falling on top of me in a hug that both crushed me and gave me life. I kissed the side of her head where I could reach it.

I smelled like shit. She smelled amazing. The tip of her french braid grazed my cheek as she lifted herself off me and looked down at me.

“So, I don’t want to rush you, but you didn’t answer my question,” she said in a low voice, a touch of hesitation.

In her hand she held a thin, silver ring embellished with a single deep green stone.

I swallowed back tears from a combination of exhaustion and emotion that had coalesced in my throat.

“Say yes, and it’s all yours,” she whispered.

I looked past her at a deep blue sky, bluer than I’d ever seen in my life. I could almost see the stone turrets rising toward the clouds, green flags fluttering from each window, bearing Amelia’s initials, as a creature with scaled wings rode a current across the skyline, smoke billowing from its nose.

But they weren’t there. I was on the ground at the mile thirty medical checkpoint.

I learned later that Amelia and a volunteer had found me asleep against a tree, just barely off the course. I woke up when they called out to me and was talking coherently the entire time we walked to the medical checkpoint, though I have no memory of this. I also have no memory of Amelia crying as a nurse inserted an IV into my arm, telling me how she thought I was dead, pulling her tiny, precious ring out of her backpack, and asking me to be her wife. I have also conveniently forgotten passing out cold the moment I saw the ring.

“I dreamed you were a queen,” I said, as she slid the ring onto my finger, waiting for her clever retort.

I swear I saw something in her eyes, then, a moment of recognition, and she saw me notice. Her eyes flitted toward the nurse and back to me.

I never asked her about that look, what it meant. I know she’ll tell me eventually, I’m hoping around mile fifteen, right when I hit that zen space.