Chapter 33

Dialectic

"Truth is found neither in the thesis nor the antithesis, but in an emergent synthesis which reconciles the two."

- Friedrich Hegel

(A/N: I had to retcon a couple of things from the last chapter for this one. The main one is that Sonic and Metal don't drop the thread in the last chapter. These changes are already uploaded into the last chapter, so if you want to read what happened, search for the sentence, "Sonic was looking directly at him now" and start from there.)

Heat: the flow of energy from one substance to another, dependent upon temperature differentials. Thus, given the ambient temperature of outer space was approximately -270 degrees centigrade, it did not matter how much Metal's processors spun. He would never overheat.

Only the Chaos Emeralds stopped him from freezing.

Between his fingers, the gossamer thread wove like ethereal silk, motes of dust drifting through the sunlight. Like a pattern, intangible.

They shared it, this timeline.

And they were unraveling it.

The junction laid ahead: the cornerstone where the thread split apart, torn asunder, stripped into two discrete lines flowing away from each other.

What would happen when they got there, to the junction? What would happen if their timelines split? Would the world return to normal? Or—

Or the unthinkable. Everything would unwind—the state of the planet yes, and the state of Sonic and Metal too. Gone, like so many unrealized possibilities.

Would he forget?

To forget...to be not Metal, not Mets, but Metal Sonic. To be nothing but a slave to Eggman.

Primary Objective: Neutralize Sonic the Hedgehog

He would forget Sonic. He would forget his complement. His primary objective—

The thread was dust in his hands. When he tightened his grip, he was squeezing a fistful of leaves. And when he let go—

The thread dissolved like glitter in water, billions of motes glowing, fading, against the dark tapestry of space.

Sonic, still in Metal's arms, glowed like a torch. "You dropped it. But up there—"

Was the optimal solution really so obvious? Apparently even Sonic could see it. The junction, where their paths split apart—that was the origin. If they were to truly return, it was where they needed to go.

But was this the solution he wanted? To forget everything they had been through. To forget Sonic—his reassuring smile, his kindness, everything about him...to become his enemy again.

"It is alright." Metal drew his other arm around Sonic's back, holding him tightly. "We can let go. We can go back."

Sonic hesitated. He glanced at Metal, at the thread, then held out his hand. The thread rolled from his palm, and as it crossed the very tip of his fingers, it dissolved, nothing more than elementary motes in the dark of space.

Sonic threw his free arm around Metal, now grasping him with both hands. He was shuddering.

"Sonic? Sonic—!"

Sonic's fur, once a brilliant gold, was dimming, fading to a dull brown, like newspaper left in the sun. The planet beneath them was fading too, vibrant green graying, the oceans darkening, deepening, dulling into the void of space.

Chaos Energy evaporated from Sonic's fur, like wisps of smoke, diffusing into space around them.

Not just from Sonic's fur, but Metal's armor too—the gold and red swirls were no longer there. His armor was dull, dim, not even blue, but a light gray. Like the planet.

Like Sonic.

Metal wanted to say something. He wanted to scream. The Chaos Energy was gone. The heat from his processors was gone. Everything—

No, not everything. There was a single spark of Chaos Energy.

Metal grasped it.

Everything faded.

Frosted air rolled over Sonic's face like fog covering the bay, stinging and heavy, smothering his entire body like a blanket. Yet compared to the dark of space, the frigid smells of early winter were as warm as the sun, and at the very least, the cold gave him something other than his injuries to notice.

Eyes still closed, he mentally scanned down his body. The bruises were there—deep divots in his soft tissue, tender, like overripe apples. One of his legs ached with the pain of strenuous overuse. The other was fine, if duller in his awareness.

There were other sounds too, all around him, of subterranean mammals scurrying to avoid the early frost. Or of birds, high above him, calling to one another, warning them of the dangers below.

And the warm pressure around his hand, smooth, gentle, and reassuring.

"Tails—yes, of course I would know your name. What? This is Metal. Listen, Tails—No, I am Metal...Metal Sonic if you do not know. Now listen, Tails—yes, I have Sonic—"

It must have been early dawn. A peach gradient hung over the sky, broken up by stringy clouds and the dark, leafless branches of hibernating trees.

Sonic rolled over. Crinkled leaves hung from his quills like insects.

"What? A whole week? I have not been holding him hostage a whole week. I have not been holding him hostage at all—what? No! There is no ransom. Tails—Tails? Listen—wait!"

The communicator landed with a wet thud against the forest floor.

"Sonic!" Metal's hand was against his neck, delicate yet firm.

"You are awake! Are you alright? I am trying to request assistance—"

"That Tails?" Sonic croaked. "Hand me the communicator, would you?"

Metal scooped up the communicator and dropped it into Sonic's hand. Shaking, Sonic brought it to his ear. The plastic was cold and wet against his skin.

"Tails—Tails! It's okay. I'm here."

"S-sonic?" Tails' voice was strained and panicked over the grainy connection. "Don't worry, Sonic! We won't let Metal Sonic hurt you. We're coming to rescue you—"

"Whoa, buddy—I know this is gonna sound crazy, but slow down a moment." Sonic wished his voice sounded firmer, more reassuring. "It's okay. Really. Metal's not gonna hurt anyone. He's cool now."

"Sonic—he's holding you hostage!" Tails paused. "Isn't he?"

"He's not. I promise. Look—you can come get us. We'll go home with you."

"Sonic," Tails' voice was low now. "You've been missing for a whole week. What happened?"

"A whole week?" Sonic pinched his brow. It had to be longer than a week. He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, the shaking in his voice was gone. "Tails—you're my best bud, you know that? I really mean it. And—and I'm glad I can talk to you again."

A pause. "We were so worried about you, Sonic. Are you really okay?"

"I am. You know that crazy, alternate Eggman? Dr. Eggman Nega? He caught us, but we escaped. Metal helped me. He's changed, Tails."

"So you're really safe? Where are you?"

"I'm—hey Mets, where are we anyway?"

"We are back where we started," Metal said, "in the forest. The same where Nega captured us."

"Huh." Sonic rubbed his ear. "Tails—Mets says we're back in the forest. Sound familiar?"

"I know exactly where that is," Tails said. "That's where I lost your signal. You're there now?"

"We are. Can you come get us? Ordinarily I'd run home, but—"

Sonic rubbed a particularly painful bruise on his chest.

"I don't think either of us is in the shape to run back."

"Yes...yes! Oh Sonic, I'll fire up the Tornado right away. I'll be right there!"

"Awesome. I'm gonna let you focus on flying, okay Tails? I'll fill you in once you're here."

"Sure...yeah, you're right. Okay! Sonic, I'm on my way. Hang tight, okay? I'll come get you."

"Thanks, Tails. I know I can always count on you. And—and I do mean it. You are my best bud, okay?"

"I—I know, Sonic. I'm glad you're okay. Be there soon!"

The communicator clicked off, sliding down from Sonic's face.

"Sonic." Metal placed his hand over Sonic's cheek. It was pleasantly warm. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine—totally fine. Just a little tired, you know? Running out of Chaos Energy in space will do that to you."

Metal turned his gaze away. "There is more to it than that. When we were in space—"

That tone. Sonic knew that tone. "Stop. Listen. I have a new rule."

"—and the fabric of spacetime...what? You have a rule?"

"No rambling unless you're going to hold me while you do it. That's the rule."

Metal let out a beep of genuine amusement. "An acceptable request. Here—"

Metal brushed through the leaves, inching toward a barren tree behind them. He leaned his back against it, sitting with his legs flat in front of him then scooped up Sonic into his lap.

That wonderful warmth—it was back, sinking into his skin. Sonic could lay in that warmth forever, and he almost did, until Metal's arms slid around his chest and lifted him up, settling him down with his back pressed against Metal's chest, his legs flat in front of him.

He leaned into Metal's arms, so firm and snug around his chest, and tilted his head, just slightly, just enough to let his quills fall behind Metal, just enough to let his head brush Metal's cheek, just enough to let Metal nuzzle his shoulder.

Remarkable. Metal was a robot. He was made of steel. Yet Sonic had never felt such comfort, never felt so safe in his entire life. Metal's limbs weren't stiff and hard. They were smooth, reassuring. Metal smelled that way too—not quite like a new car, but more like a familiar one. A car you could trust.

A car that was yours.

"I suppose this is more optimal. Now you will not attempt to strain yourself despite your physical condition."

"You have a way with words." Sonic snuggled deeper into Metal's embrace. "But a deal's a deal. What did happen while we were up there?"

"It is...difficult to explain. I have reviewed these data countless times. They do not properly fit any model, but I can give you my best conjecture.

"I still do not know if we were 'in space,' as in proper orbit around the Earth, or if we were somewhere else. Spacetime is composed of only four dimensions—the three spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension. Under normal circumstances, one must move forward in time, but movement in space is optional.

"Which brings us to the black hole—now, as I said before, this is merely a conjecture, but...it may have been that, inside the singularity, we were able to slip into time as if it were a spatial dimension, like an ant crawling inside a pipe. Under these circumstances, time no longer acts like an arrow. It becomes like a spatial dimension—it becomes something you can traverse."

Sonic broke in, "I'm going to be honest—I don't understand a word you're saying. How did we end up here from there?"

"When Nega transported us to his tower, he did not move us in space. He moved us in time. We were on Earth for that entire misadventure, and yet we did not realize it because it was the future. It was the Earth's future. But when Nega moved us in time, it left some sort of imprint on the dimension of time itself. We were not supposed to be there. It violated the laws of the universe. So when everything collapsed, we were able to backtrack. It was as if the universe was trying to right itself."

"So that's it then. We escaped. We're free. No more Nega. No more headache. And the sun—"

Even in the cold forest air, the sun glowed against his skin.

Metal interrupted, "I do not believe we are entirely 'home-free,' as it were."

"What do you mean?" Sonic glanced back at Metal. Sitting this close to him meant Metal took up nearly his entire vision.

Not that Sonic minded. Metal was nice to look at.

"We are here too late," Metal blurted out. "That is what Tails said—we were gone for a week."

"So? What's that matter? We're still here, aren't we?"

"You do not understand. Sonic—everything that happened, it happened in the future. Our future. The Earth's destruction, the black hole, all of it—it will still happen."

"Mets—that doesn't make any sense. If it's the future, then it hasn't happened. There's no reason to think we can't stop Nega for good now."

"It is not so simple." Metal shook his head. "And Sonic...it is my fault. I need to tell you something. I—I dropped the thread early. I do not think that was the optimal choice, but I was not thinking—"

It really was a good thing Sonic had made Metal hold him before this conversation had started. This was already above his pay grade. "What do you mean you dropped it early? We still made it back, didn't we?"

"When we were pulling the thread, we were unraveling the past. And yet, you must have seen it—the point where our thread split apart."

"Yeah, I remember that. But what about it?"

"If we had gotten to that junction, I believe it would have canceled out everything, including the future destruction of the Earth. It would have undone our capture. It would have undone your leg. It would have—"

Metal tightened his grip around Sonic.

"It would have undone this—it would have undone...us."

"You're saying we would have forgotten each other?"

"I believe we would have. Oh Sonic—I could not bare the thought. I could not lose you. So I...so I—"

Sonic's hand wandered upward, tracing the seam between Metal's muzzle and the rest of his face, pulling him closer. "Metal...it's okay. You did the right thing."

"I...I did?"

"You know I'd rather have you than my leg back any day. And besides—"

Sonic brought his other hand to Metal's chin, gently lifting Metal's gaze toward the sky. The horizon was light blue, the sun a distant, sharp light, everything clear in the cold, crisp way of early winter.

"Look—we're here. The world is still here. Sure, maybe you didn't take us to exactly the right time. But that's okay. The real world is messy sometimes."

Sonic lifted himself up just slightly, just enough to turn around and wrap his legs around Metal's waist, his arms around Metal's neck, clinging.

"Whatever Nega did—whatever he does, we'll find a way to stop it. I promise."

"Sonic—" Metal's fingers wandered down Sonic's back, brushing through his fur. As he came to the scar, Metal traced the seam with the very tips of his fingers.

"M-metal—" Sonic gasped. He pressed the side of his head against Metal's cheek, arching his back up into Metal's palm. As always, Metal's touch against his scar felt incredibly vivid—like Metal's normal touch, only slightly electric.

"Remarkable, is it not?" Metal said. He alternated between brushing Sonic's fur and scratching his scar. "I have a theory about this."

"Uh-huh." Whatever it took to keep Metal petting him.

"Your scar is made from metallic alloys, as is my hand, and all metallic compounds share a special property: electrons will flow easily from one metal to another. Thus when I touch your scar, it generates a weak electric current."

"C-cool stuff."

"Sonic..." Metal's hands came to the small of Sonic's back, and he simply held him for awhile. "I have a question."

As disappointing as the sudden lack of pets were, it did make it easier to think. "Yeah? What's up?"

"It is a question that I have asked you before, but you never answered. It was back in the professor's lab. Do you remember that?"

"O-oh yeah—" Sonic did remember that. A little too clearly in fact. "Y-you mean—"

"You said you would show me what it was to be upgraded friends. I now have a hypothesis about that. You see, I reviewed my data concerning all non-upgraded friend interactions."

"Oh you did, huh?" Sonic said. Well, that was what he got for falling for a robot.

"I did. And the conclusion I came to was that this interaction—the one we are engaged in right now—this is an example of an upgraded friends interaction. Thus my inquiry: as upgraded friends, I would be correct to assume more interactions of this type will occur in the future, correct?"

"Ahh—" It really was fortunate he was facing away from Metal and no one else could see him because Sonic could feel his face turning hot.

"A-are you—are you...asking me out?"

"You will have to forgive my ignorance given my lack of dictionary data. But the phrase 'to ask out.' What does it mean?"

Robots. Freaking robots. Sonic was certain his flush had to be so bad it was moving onto his chest.

He took a deep breath, and he was embarrassed by how squeaky his voice sounded when he finally managed to say, "I-it means to a-ask if...if you'll be upgraded friends with—"

"Oh, I see. In that case, yes, I am 'asking you out.' I am satisfied with our upgraded friend interactions thus far, and I would like to experience more of them with you."

"Y-yeah." Sonic took a deep breath and rubbed his face. This was ridiculous. He already knew he liked Metal, and Metal obviously liked him too, so there was simply no reason to act this pathetic. "I'd like that too. You and me, upgraded friends from here on out. How's that sound?"

Metal nodded. "I believe this to be the optimal solution, yes. Which brings me to my next question—"

Sonic suppressed his urge to groan.

"Back in the black hole," Metal's voice grew quiet, "after you escaped the singularity—you did something. I do not understand what it was, but I—"

Metal pulled Sonic closer. "...I—I liked it."

Sonic flicked his ears. "You don't mean—"

But how could Sonic forget that? The taste of Metal's muzzle, strong enough that it had stolen Sonic's focus, even amongst the unfathomable chaos of the black hole.

"That was called a kiss," Sonic said quietly. "It's—it's another upgraded friends thing."

"May we do it again?" Metal whispered.

Sonic pulled back, just enough to see Metal's face. The shadows of branches dappled across his dulled blue paint. His optical screen, though marred with scratches, was bright and reassuring.

Sonic ran his fingers along the center seam of Metal's chassis, tracing the creases and dents, coming to a rest on Metal's cheeks. He cupped his hands around Metal's neck, running his thumbs over the bolts of his muzzle and tilting his head.

His lips touched Metal's muzzle, and warmth washed over him. Sonic leaned into it, savoring it, letting the energy, the sparks, flow into his skin and throughout his entire body, his entire being. Metal didn't kiss with a mouth—he kissed with something more raw, more fundamental, something that made the scar warm on his back and his fur stand on end. There was only Metal in this moment—the taste of his muzzle, sweet and metallic, and the warmth in Sonic's mouth. After all the horrors, all the physical exhaustion, all the lost time, this was what Sonic needed. This was all he needed.

Sonic pulled back. His face felt warm, flush, and so too was Metal, the lower part of his optical screen glowing with a steady, low red.

"S-sonic—"

Metal moved his hands up Sonic's back, pulling him forward, holding him in embrace. This too was all Sonic needed, and he let himself lay there, the smooth heat of Metal's chassis protecting him from the cold.

Words were unnecessary. Sonic understood that now. No word, no label, could ever describe what Metal was to him, what he and Metal were to each other. They had each other; they had always had each other.

And this was all they needed.

(A/N:

That's it! This is the end of the story!

And yet, even though the story is over, I still have big plans for Iron Oxide. First, I'm going to rewrite some of the prose in the early chapters. This story was the first real piece of fiction I ever wrote, and as such, the style changes considerably throughout it. So while all of the plot will remain the same, I want to touch up some of the presentation.

I am also planning to redo the cover art for this, as well as draw some black-and-white illustrations for each chapter.

Then, once all of that has been done, I am planning to actually get a few copies of this published into physical books! This step is still a long way off, but I think it would be really great to be able to read this as a book. I will also be distributing copies of it, so if that's something you're interested in, you can follow me on deviantART (TheEnigmaMachine) or tumblr (enigma-machine [note there are two dashes between enigma and machine, but FFN keeps removing the second] or metonic-ship) for more information when the time comes.

I'd also like to do a dramatic reading of this and post the audio online for you to download. More information about that will also be posted on my deviantART or tumblr when I have things planned out.

And finally, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read this fic. I started this project back in July 2015. At the time, I really wanted to write a good metonic fic, and even though a lot about this story has changed from my first outline, it's been really amazing to see it grow like it has. I'm really excited to say I have finally finished it, and I hope all of you enjoyed it!

As for the future, I do have several more metonic projects planned out. I'm currently working on a short comic with plans to jump into a longer sequel to the OVA (both of these will be on dA/tumblr). I'm also planning a sequel for Iron Oxide! This is still in the early stages of planning, but I will post more information as the story develops.

In the immediate future, the-clarity-organism and myself are working on a long fic collaboration featuring werehog metonic. For more information about that, you can check out her page (the-clarity-organism) or either of our AO3 pages (TheEnigmaMachine and TheClarityOrganism). While I there's no exact date yet, the first chapter of this will be posted reasonably soon.

Again, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story!

Also big shout-out to the-clarity-organism and MossWolf for helping me beta read this chapter!)