The following is a work of fan fiction by Joshua D. Tarwater and is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Sega Sammy Holdings Inc.

“Technology is his weapon.
Rings give technology unholy life.
The Machine Gods bring us peace.
Technology slumbers with them.”

···

♪ ~ [Light your heart up:[nZk]ver. <INST> ~ Hiroyuki Sawano ~ KILL LA KILL Complete Soundtrack]

Stary violet night sky above
Shooting stars falling to the world below
Yoluku eclipsing the sun just behind the horizon
Nigh endless coastline under cliff and wall castle
Clouds of purple starlight drifting over it all
Free floating instruments playing themselves
A drainage portcullis operated by chain and gear

         The antiquated brick drainage tunnel was pitch black and Rosy could see nothing within it from where she stood on the tidal mudflat it drained into. The tide was out so her feet were fully visible above the mud, but she had to skip from one foot to the other to avoid sinking. Sonic was nowhere to be seen, but Rosy was all right with that. For the moment.

          ~What am I doing down in the mud again? Tee-hee! I don’t actually dislike the mud and dirt. Really, I could bury myself into it and sleep better than in any bed. Maybe it’s just my primitive counterparts influencing me. But really, I’m just watching the gate here for Sonic. You see, I asked him a question and he didn’t have an answer. Not really anyway.

          ~Maybe you’ve noticed it too, but all the technology here is all steam and clockwork. It’s harder to tell at this big old wall castle, but the lamps and streetlights all over the place aren’t electrical. If you look at them, they’re all flames. Sonic says they’re gas burning and probably controlled from several places if the Rings remembered them properly. He suspects this gate is the same way and went looking for a control switch to open it.

          ~Hee-hee~♥ Sonic has grown tired of the beach and endless wall castle full of all its balconies and massive ballrooms. He wants to see what’s on the other side but neither of us have been able to get high enough to get over the wall. Of course, Sonic gets to have fun running around inside the gear works hidden in the wall while I just watch a gate.

          ~Ooh~! That Sonic! I bet he’s having a blast! Well, he better not be surprised when I see what’s on the other side of the wall first!~

         *Splish* *Splash*

         “Sonic?” Rosy asked as she heard splashing from within the drainage tunnel and was abruptly pulled from her thoughts. “Don’t tell me you’ve already been to the other side! That’s so unfair!”

         There was no response from the tunnel and Rosy tilted her head curiously. In her complaining and curiosity, she had stopped her hopping back and forth and was already sinking into the mud. “Not already!”

         Forgetting about the splashing in the tunnel, Rosy turned her attention to extracting herself from the mud. The continued splashing like footsteps did not deter her from her focus, but she did believe it to be Sonic and yelled at him fussily.

         “I don’t know how you got to the other side Sonic, but as you can see, you didn’t manage to open the gate at all! What have you been doing anyway?”

         Having little luck with her predicament, Rosy looked up to see what Sonic was up to, but it was not Sonic who looked back at her. At least not her Sonic. He did not have glowing red eyes and a sleek metal shell over his android form.

         “Metal Sonic!” 

♪ ~ [Metallic Madness Zone Act 2 ~ SEGA SOUND TEAM, Tee Lopes, Naofumi Hataya ~ Sonic The Hedgehog DJ Style “Party”]

Speed
A machine meant to match Sonic himself
A heartless terror
A mockery unrivaled but by its organic counterpart
A metal form that no gate would stop

         “KYAA~!!!!!” Rosy screamed as Metal Sonic after charging its internal fusion engine became engulfed with a destructive shell of energy that immediately decimated the antiquated portcullis. Her feet stuck in the mud, Rosy could do little but receive the blow that dislodged her from the mud and sent her and her Rings flying.

         “Why is it the one thing I can remember about my life outside of the Far Lands has to be here too!” Rosy cried before looking up and seeing the blue robot flying just above the surface of the mudflat towards her. “Well, unlike in my memories I’m not slow enough for you to catch so easily!”

         Twisting herself about where she again was sinking in the mud, Rosy revved up her best Spin Dash. She wobbled from side to side as she rolled in place in a tight ball, mud flying everywhere, but it was to her advantage. The intake of the jet engine that served as Metal Sonic’s torso pulled in the mud and the robot crashed into the mud, sparking and smoking from the clogging of its main intake.

         Blasting off and uncurling so she could attempt to run out over the water and around where the leg of a cliff arch descended into the ocean, Rosy did not wait to see what happened to Metal Sonic. She needed to concentrate on gathering Rings to protect herself and staying on the surface of the water to get away.

         There was a feature of Rings she understood, used regularly to maintain her clothes in peak condition, and that she knew would benefit Metal Sonic. The ability to instantly restore nonliving objects to mint condition if they were built with Rings. It could not be said if Metal Sonic had been, but the moment the robot grabbed a Ring and it disappeared leaving behind motes of golden light…

         “That’s too fast!” Rosy complained as she heard the whirring of Metal Sonic’s intake closing in behind her. “You’re only supposed to be as fast as Sonic! Well, I am too!”

         Though Rosy made the bold claim truthfully, she knew she was too inexperienced in using Sonic’s speed to back up her boasting. Instead, she curled into a tight ball and cut the surface of the water ducking below the waves and out of the way of Metal Sonic’s energy shielded charge.

          ~Metal Sonic. Ooh~! What a time for him to show up! He’s like the exception to the level of technology here in the Far Lands! He’s way more advanced than anything I can remember from outside of the Far Lands too! I’m pretty sure it’s because of my Ring Bond that I even remember this jerk. And though I don’t remember them, I’m sure whoever it is who made him is a total jerk too!

          ~Why is he here? I don’t know! He usually pics a fight with Sonic and tries to kidnap me! I think Yolk wants him too, and all because he can resist him just like Sonic can. I think so anyway. He completely defies everything here in the Far Lands, and probably the whole world. I bet he doesn’t know I can swim as fast as Sonic can run though!~

         Keeping below the waves, Rosy swam past glowing coral and instruments that played themselves sadly underwater. The clouds of stardust that drifted like clouds across the beach and castle were present underwater as well and she made sure to swim through them to hide her presence from above. But she could not swim indefinitely without breathing and burst out of the water gasping for air.

         From where she resurfaced, Rosy’s retreat from Metal Sonic continued and the two of them raced across beach and castle parapets, as well as through grottos and castle halls in her desperate bid to escape. Everywhere they ran floating instruments played themselves as fairies and cats watched the chase. Rosy was having no luck putting distance between her and Metal Sonic, even using the bumpers, springs, and flippers that littered the scenery due to the Rings’ faulty recollection. She did not rely on those alone however and also put random water jets, fountains, and fireworks to use trying to get away. But it was no good. Eventually Metal Sonic closed the gap, and his claw like metal hand around her throat.

         “Ghk!” Rosy gurgled as she clawed feebly at Metal Sonic’s grip. She kicked her feet about desperately trying to dislodge the robot, but it was to no avail.

          ~No! I can’t be captured by Metal Sonic. I have to be better than that! But I can’t do anything!~

         Refusing to give up, Rosy curled into as tight a ball as she could, stiffening her spines to the fullest. She could feel them uselessly scraping against Metal Sonic’s metal exterior, just like she could feel no change in his grip on her throat.

          ~Let me go!~

         As she started to black out, Rosy was sure it was over. She could do nothing. And then she fell out of the two-meter-tall Ring of a Star Ring Post.

         *GASP*

♪ ~ [Light your heart up:[nZk]ver. <INST> ~ Hiroyuki Sawano ~ KILL LA KILL Complete Soundtrack]

         “Amy!” Sonic’s voice called out over Rosy where she clutched at her throat gasping for air while bracing herself with her other hand. “What happened? Are you okay?”

         “S-Sonic…,” Rosy panted before giving up on trying to breath and stay up right at the same time. With the last of her free energy, she rolled over and flopped on her back. Her limbs splayed helplessly, Rosy’s chest rose and fell violently as she gulped down air.

         A short while later Rosy was on her feet again and looking at the Ring that lay on its side in the ground, a holographic five-pointed star floating above its center. Sonic however wore a look of concern as he watched Rosy, looking her over with his eyes to make sure she was truly fine.

         “Metal Sonic huh?” Sonic asked, obviously agitated. “Should have known that tin can would be showing up soon. It’s a good thing I got worried when my Ring Gate didn’t take me to you, and I ended up nowhere near where I left you to wait. Heh, running fast enough for me to not notice when stepping out of a Ring Gate. Sounds like Metal gave you quite the chase.”

         “I couldn’t get away though,” Rosy puffed up her cheeks in frustration. Her frustration quickly faded though, and she offered Sonic a grateful smile. “Thanks for saving me again Sonic, even though you had to waste a bunch of Rings to do it.”

         “It’s not like they’re not all over the place,” Sonic laughed, vaguely gesturing at the Rings floating all around them and spinning on their axes.

         “Ha-ha~♥ Definitely!” Rosy laughed in agreement. “Come on though Sonic, I’m feeling better and don’t want to risk bumping into Metal Sonic again.”

         “Right Amy, let’s go!”