Chapter Text
AMY
My dreams were coming true!!!
Everything was going so well between me and Sonic. I had some more free time and Sonic had... well some time, so we spent it together, going to the park, the museum, my favorite places to eat... I think he was starting to enjoy a slightly slower pace with me! Of course, I'll follow him no matter what... what I love about him is how free of a spirit he is. But it means a lot to me that he's coming around to spending that freedom with me. He used to be so difficult to take anywhere!
In fairness though, he was always such a sweetheart... Ever since we were much younger, he would leave me flowers on my doorstep. I loved that he still sent me a gesture once in a while, even when he was busy. He was a secret green thumb since the flowers he gave me were always from Little Planet, even when it was out of orbit. I'd spend so much time thinking about all the dedication he put into growing them special for me... Even just looking at one flower made my heart nearly pump out of my chest. Since he did something so thoughtful for me, I left him love letters. Even on my worst days, taking a moment to tell him how much he brightens my life makes me feel so much better. We never talked about it... it was just a sweet, unspoken thing between us both. It was my favorite tradition.
The flower he left me today was the most beautiful one yet. It was a vibrant pink and orange, its dozen petals curling up towards the sun. I felt like it symbolized us... my passion, his fire. I displayed the flower in the middle of the counter between my kitchen and the living room so I would always get to see it when I walked in.
He was... perfect. I felt so lucky to get to have these feelings. I didn't mind that he wasn't the type to express it in front of others.
I minded that he was late for our next date, though... Okay, he said it wasn't a date, but come on. I finished getting ready and prepared myself for lunch at a nearby cafe. I waited for half an hour... I guess being fast doesn't necessarily mean being on time. Maybe he left me that flower because he'd be busy. I'm sure he had a good reason so it was more just a bummer than me actually being mad. Eh, well... I got something to eat myself, then I walked outside the cafe to see if I could catch wind of him anywhere.
...! I saw a blue blur zoom across the tops of the buildings. And there was something chasing him! The pink smoke could only mean--
Sonic was punched into the concrete right in front of me; the impact was so great that it cracked the foundation. Metal Sonic was on top of him, turbine still whirring as he wound up his arm for another punch.
Not on my watch! I brought my trusty Piko Piko Hammer out and sent that impostor into the sky!
"Thanks! Sorry I'm late," Sonic teased. I quickly helped him up.
"This is a good enough excuse... What's going on? Why is Metal here?" I asked.
He wiped a bit of blood off his chin. "That's what I'm trying to find out. I saw him near town by himself, but of course, Metal prefers to talk with his fists--!!"
Suddenly, Sonic was gone and I saw a mess of pink and blue once again. Sonic prepared himself just in time, but Metal barreled towards him so fast I didn't see it-- I could barely process what was happening until they were nearly done. I ran as fast as I could, then used my hammer to launch myself onto a nearby building. I watched as the two clashed head-to-head over and over.
I couldn't do anything with the speeds they were going, but Sonic had it handled from what I saw. The streaks of blue and pink eventually diverged and the two stared at each other. Eventually, Metal Sonic blasted away from town.
Sonic hopped up to the building I was at. He looked to be deep in thought.
"What happened?" I asked.
"He... left. It's unlike him to end a battle so early like that. It didn't seem like he was responding to Eggman, either... But I didn't see anything else suspicious when I first saw him." Sonic groaned a little, scratching his head. "I did catch him by surprise; I didn't think he was expecting anyone. We should keep an eye out for anything else just in case."
"Right..." I frowned. Unexplained behavior, especially from someone as terrifying as Metal, was never good... He might've gotten whatever he was here for, whether it be an item or some information. But Sonic not picking up any hints made this situation all the weirder. "Are you okay?" I walked closer to him and checked for damage. Metal loved giving him goodbye presents, huh...
"Me?" He laughed and flailed his hand in dismissal. "I'm fine. I can take a few punches from ol' tinhead. I can also go for some lunch... I'm starving!"
Hah, I thought so. He really was okay. "Let's go, then!" I said. I giggled as he scooped me up and hopped off the building. I already ate, but I didn't mind watching him. It was fun.
The next few days went by without issue, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen. The town was pretty peaceful as far as I was concerned. Hardly anyone even knew Metal paid a visit. Just what exactly was Eggman planning...? Hm. I knew someone who could give us a clue.
Belle the Tinkerer traveled with a carriage led by her ladybug-shaped friend Motobud, going on adventures to brighten the lives of both people and robots in her own way. Lucky for us, her journey brought her into the next town over. I took a short drive to meet up with her; she wasn't too hard to find, what with the weirdly cute badnik at her side.
I saw her fixing a kid's bike when I rode in. I didn't want to interrupt, so I waved at her when she looked my way. With a smile, she waved back, and quickly finished up. Man, with how fast she worked, I think she could give Tails a run for his money. Those two could probably make some crazy inventions together... I'm glad she was made by a good version of Eggman.
She eagerly walked over to me as I got out of my car. "Hi, Amy!" she beamed. "I was planning to visit you and the others soon, but sooner never hurt. How are you doing?"
"I'm alright. How about you? How's your travels?"
She clapped her hands together, her eyes practically sparkling. "I've been great. Traveling with Motobud has been the best decision I ever made. I-- oh! Hold on just a second." Belle ran off towards her carriage parked nearby in the grass. I followed her, tilting my head as she made her way inside. Motobud whirled around from the front of the carriage, then cheerfully buzzed at me as if to say hello.
"Hey, cutie," I said, patting Motobud in return. Belle stuck her hands out of the carriage while holding... hah! "Is that me?" I asked, amused. She was holding a plushie of me! She had a cute little red dress on and everything! The buttons for her eyes were green, and she had the cutest headband. I was looking at an adorable plushie-shaped mirror.
"Isn't it cute?" Belle walked out of the carriage, offering me the plush. "A family you and Sonic saved in the past were making a bunch of these. I saw kids play with them and pretend to be fighting Eggman," she explained with a chuckle. "They made so many of our friends! I have one for Sonic and and one for Tails, too! And even-- look at this--" Belle brought out one that looked just like Shadow, scowl and all. I laughed. "He probably won't take it, but I didn't want anyone to feel left out," she giggled back.
"This is way too cute!" I beamed, hugging the plushie to myself. "I love little-me. You have to tell me where this town is so I ca-" I was getting carried away. "Ugh... Belle, I'd love to catch up more, but I need your help. I actually have something I'd like you to look into."
Her smile faded. "What's wrong?" she asked.
The three of us went into the carriage for some privacy. I settled with my plushie in my lap, while Belle sat across from me, Motobud resting against one of her legs. "Don't worry too much... it might not be anything. Sonic caught Metal really close to town a few days ago, but we couldn't find anything out of place. No Eggman, nothing. It was weird." I noticed Belle's eyes widen as I explained. "Metal Sonic never appears anywhere on his own unless the stench of Eggman is nearby. Sonic thought he caught him by surprise. It all just seems... odd. I remember you mentioning a while ago you had some kind of connection with him, so I thought you could look into it."
"Oh...!" Belle averted her eyes. "I honestly wouldn't worry about that..."
"What? Do you know something?"
She frowned more. "Well, no, but..." Her voice trailed off. "I-I'll check. Give me a moment."
Her eyes turned red as she sat in front of me. There were blips of small white lines appearing and disappearing as she scanned for data. It was kind of freaky... honestly, I forgot she was a robot and not a wooden person sometimes.
"My information is limited since I don't have access to the Eggnet, but I'm not picking up on anything strange. I do see that Metal Sonic is in a base closer to town. M-maybe Sonic stopped him before he could do anything?"
Hmm. I squinted at her. "Belle, you're acting a little jumpy. Do you know more than you're letting on?"
"I'm telling the truth!" she exclaimed in almost a panic. "And I genuinely believe that you shouldn't worry if you couldn't find any other traces of Eggman. You know how he is... he's incredibly... overt."
"Fair point," I hummed back. "... Alright. It just feels off, but I'll try to let it go." I played with my plushie's arms for a second. "These are really so cute, Belle. Thank you for getting me one. I'm sure the others will appreciate theirs, too!" I got up to look at the other plushies... Oh, and the Sonic one was the cutest thing ever! Sonic's not really one to keep stuffed toys, so maybe I could steal it from him after Belle gives it so little-me could have a partner...
There was also Tails-- precious-- and Shadow, Rouge, Cream--
Belle hastily covered all the plushies with a blanket and gave me that panicked look again. I raised a brow.
"You're really smart, Belle, but you're not very good at hiding what you're thinking. What's going on? You can tell me."
"Ahh... Sorry...!" Belle let out a sigh. "You're right. I'm just... Okay, I'll tell you something, but you have to promise it just stays between you, me, and Motobud. No one else, not even Sonic! Okay?"
Now I was really interested. I held out my pinky to her. "I promise!"
She stared at my hand for a while.
"It's a pinky promise. Hold out your pinky."
"Oh...!" Belle held out one of her pinkies, then we locked into a proper pinky promise.
"There, now it's a promise that can never be broken. You have my word, Belle," I said with a smile, letting go of her finger. She seemed to relax a lot afterwards, letting out another sigh.
"Okay... Um... Well, I feel like I have to explain myself first." She sat back down, which had me do the same. "My biggest mission in traveling with Motobud is to find abandoned robots and help them, no matter where they came from. I believe in the good in everything, even things made to be bad. I've experienced it. You have, too."
I've experienced this 'good' a little less than Sonic, but I believed in her goals. I didn't really know where she was taking her explanation. She looked away from me briefly to pet Motobud, who clearly enjoyed the attention.
"When I went to say goodbye to my father..." She was quiet for a brief moment. "When I was with Sonic and Tails in Eggman's self-made city, we found Metal Sonic, unconscious. I decided to fix him up, then use myself as a router so he wouldn't go haywire like Eggman's other robots at the time. You, Sonic and Tails all know that. Our connection lets me see where he is, and I can get some information, but one thing I haven't really shared much is that... uh... I knew what he was thinking?"
"What do you mean?"
"We could access each other's thoughts. He knew I was there to say goodbye to Eggman when I never brought it up, and we argued when--" She sighed. "I'm... getting too lost in the details. The point is, I have a unique connection with him and this connection was never severed. It's true we had a rough start and, honestly, there's still a lot I don't get about him, but..." She frowned more and looked at me. "Over time, Metal became my... friend."
I laughed out of impulse, but quickly stopped since Belle's look told me she was incredibly serious. "Sorry!" I replied. "It's just... How?"
"How what?" Belle asked.
"How are you friends? Are you really that confident you're not just being used? I don't think he knows what friends are."
"Listen, I know it's hard to believe, but he does. My thoughts about him don't make him less dangerous... I'm just saying a lot gets put into context when you're able to hear someone's thoughts. Metal is really difficult to get to know, but he never hurt me or made me Eggman's hostage when he could have. And he's opened up to me a lot over time. I don't think he wants Eggman to know we're friends."
Belle wasn't a liar, but everything she said actually was hard to believe. I didn't really take her for someone who was that gullible either, so if she was being tricked, then it was through a crazy method. I didn't know how this connection worked exactly, so...
"There is good in him... It's true he's obsessed with beating Sonic, and that obsession translates to hate. But that hate also stems from fear..."
"Fear?" I asked.
Belle frowned. "He has to deal with what every one of Eggman's creations have to face sooner or later. They're all toys to Eggman, and when they fail enough, they'll be abandoned and forgotten. I wonder sometimes if Metal would have met the same fate if I never fixed him. Eggman does have a fondness for him, but he gets bored easily... And now that Eggman has an actual daughter, you know--" Belle sighed. "I feel for him."
I crossed my arms and tilted my head to the side as I thought. "I guess that makes sense... You would think by now he understands he'll never beat Sonic, though. That being around Eggman isn't doing any favors."
"It's complicated. There are many reasons someone might stick around, some bad reasons but a lot of good reasons too. In my view, my father is dead, but Metal's father is alive. There's an obligation to serve family, and there is a block that prevents him from acting against Eggman too. If I was made by Eggman as he is now, I would have trouble even without that block."
"Mm. Yeah, I didn't think about it like that," I hummed. "... You know, you fixing him kinda reminds me of a time I helped Metal."
"Oh? What happened?" Belle asked.
"When I was younger, I came across him buried in the snow. He looked like he'd been there for ages, and even stranger, he was awake. I freaked out when I saw him, but he didn't even care. It was like he was... depressed. I decided to drag him back to Eggman and had this little plan to reunite them. I put one of my ribbons on his head and everything. I don't know if I would do something like that today," I said, amused. I pat the head of my plushie while I thought of our current conversation.
Belle gave me a gentle smile. "That was very kind of you," she softly replied. "I, um... You know, I think actions like that have a lot of impact, even if it doesn't seem like it."
I chuckled. "You and Sonic have that in common... I could use some of that optimism, though I think it's kind of wasted here... I've had to deal with Metal Sonic ever since... Wow, ever since I met Sonic, now that I think about it," I said. "That terror has really been around that long? Man..." I leaned back against the wall and crossed my legs.
"Regardless of his track record... What I can say, confidently, is that I don't think he was doing anything for Eggman when Sonic saw him a few days ago."
I stood back up and tucked little-me under my arm. I glanced over at the blanket Belle used to cover up the other plushies. "... Do you know what he was doing?" I asked.
"I... have a guess, but I don't actually know. Either way, it's nothing of concern." She noticed I was interested in what she tried to cover up before, then moved the blanket away. She picked up the only plush I didn't see before. It was blue and suspiciously pointy, just like the robot we were discussing. "I know it's silly, but I wanted to get one for him too. I commissioned the family to make one... I told them I needed an enemy for the other plushes to fight, haha..."
"You really are friends, huh?"
Belle turned her head towards me. Her stare was much more serious than her usual bashful and sweet. "Amy, he's not so bad. He's made--and makes-- horrible choices, but... I don't think he is as cruel as even he believes. I just wish there were more opportunities to get along."
I could definitely point out a few times where 'cruel' was a perfect word to describe Metal, but Belle hadn't known him for nearly as long and maybe he wasn't the exact same as before. I mean, I'm different than I was as a kid, but... I'm not a robot.
Ugh, I immediately regretted my thought. I've met too many good robots, and most of them used to be in Eggman's arsenal. Glad I didn't say the robot comment out loud. "Well, what can ya do, I guess," I said with a shrug. "... How are you even going to give that plushie to him? Are you sure he'll take it?"
"We agree on neutral locations to meet. He's incredibly sentimental... I think he'll appreciate it," Belle softly replied.
Sentimental? Mental was more like it. But... Belle didn't seem concerned at all, so I'd try to let Metal's weird appearance go. No one was hurt too badly, nothing was damaged, and hopefully nothing was stolen. "You're just too sweet, Belle," I said with a smile. "You really gotta teach me how you do that."
I spent some more time with Belle and Motobud. We joked around, shared some banter and stories, and then I thanked her again for the plushie. Time to go back home.
I needed to wait for Belle and Sonic to meet for the next part of my agenda...
I let out a faraway sigh as I looked at little-me beside my newly acquired little-Sonic on a shelf in my room. They were a match made in heaven! Perfect in every way! I giggled to myself as I pressed their sides a little closer to each other. Their little arms were touching like they were holding hands!
Ah... I should do something nice for Belle, too! I wasn't sure what might suit her fancy exactly... cute clothes? Nah, she likes the overalls... But maybe some more materials to help her with her mission would be appreciated, and it would give me an excuse to have a stroll around town. So be it!
While the town was peaceful, I took my leave to have some good old-fashioned me time. It wouldn't be a bad idea to do some traveling myself... and maybe I could take a few of the girls along? It's been a while, and it would force Sonic to miss me a bit.
... Mm. I thought back to Belle and her 'friend'. I did trust her, so that's all fine... but still, Metal? She didn't experience all the history I had. I mean... it's true I did help him even after I was kidnapped and tied up. But I was a kid! We couldn't take chances like that anymore. Taking chances could lead to deaths, and there would be no one to blame but myself.
I was so curious about what those two discussed. They were technically made by the same person... Did they have some common trauma? Hobbies? Does a robot like Metal even have a hobby? Seems like everyone fixes him, not the other way around.
I was so lost in thought that I was already halfway done with my shopping trip. I put stuff in my cart like I was on autopilot... but, hey, I picked out some good stuff for Belle and a few things for home. I was thinking of making something that Sonic could use as a way to say thanks for the flowers... but he wasn't much of a material kind of person. Maybe I could make something for myself for when I'm bored and just bring him some food.
When I went home, it was like Sonic heard my thoughts loud and clear. He appeared by my door right as I was about to enter.
"Ames! I smell something great," he mused.
"Mmhm, I brought some dinner home. Wanna eat inside?" I unlocked my door and went in, Sonic eagerly following after. I put my shopping bags down and offered him the bag of food.
"Thanks!" he beamed. He ate like a wild animal but honestly it was entertaining. I set aside some fabrics for Belle. "I got some fabrics thinking Belle might need it when she's fixing stuff for people. She probably has no shortage of electronics, so... You think it's a good gift?" I asked.
"Itsh great," he said with a full mouth. I rolled my eyes with a smile. He gulped down whatever he was eating. "I'm sure she'll find some good use for it."
"Yeah... I wish I could do something that's good for you," I huffed. "Food is kind of a lame gift."
"Aw, are you kidding? It's the best gift." He grinned at me, then continued digging in.
My love letters were a little better, in my opinion... I kinda wished he would mention them, tease me about them or anything. We were alone in my house in the late evening... he couldn't bother to be the slightest bit intimate? Or ask me out? Literally anything.
I really didn't mind being the one to initiate everything, but sometimes I just really needed him to say something because I was starting to doubt myself. And then I'd feel bad for even wanting that, because it's super clingy. Ugh. I was so happy yesterday. I tried to redirect my thoughts.
"Well... I just want you to know I appreciate you and everything you do for me," I gently told him. I sighed a little as I stared at the flower he gave me, positioned in my favorite vase. I hoped this one would last a while... it was just so pretty. I moved the vase a little closer to myself. Looking at it made me feel better. Reminded me it was real.
"I appreciate you too, Amy," he said, smiling warmly.
My heart pounded... My face would get too hot if I looked at him, so I kept staring at the flower... but it made me think of our love and that was starting to make me go crazy...!
"Tails is expecting me back at the workshop for something he's doing, so I gotta head out. Thanks again, Amy." He winked at me and then sped off quicker than he arrived.
I was simply happy he paid me a visit. I shouldn't overthink or worry too much... the things I wanted to happen would happen eventually. Getting to see him a little bit in the day is enough to make my heart sing... And knowing he was out there just being himself made me so full of joy.
I enjoyed the rest of my night and stared at my new plushies until I fell asleep.