My and Metal's ski resort vacation had a hiccup in the middle, but we had a really peaceful time after that. Rouge called me for help after every robot in the base she broke into activated. She said she found a pretty good lead due to some of the research available on the database there... Maybe she was getting closer to finally finding Cavalier Sonic and whoever took him; I would find out sometime, though there was still no timeline. I hoped I could be useful.



After Metal and I enjoyed our time decompressing from our battle, I made some hot cocoa for us to share and we snuggled under a huge comforter by our room's fireplace. He liked the hot cocoa, but he was more interested in holding me. I had a personal goal to see what could make him purr the loudest, what made him the most relaxed in the moment; the fireplace was definitely up there.



I realized that all our expenses were covered by the reservation, so I went ahead and looked through all the fancy channels you had to pay for on the TV. We found a channel that played movies and watched them together. Sometimes we talked over them with our own thoughts to share, laughed, kissed. We expressed our love...



However, this was still Metal. The next day, he was fired up for more vicious skiing. We decided that our races would be more serious than they've ever been, and whoever had the most races would be declared the ultimate skier for real. We skied pretty much the entire day, only stopping at some point so I could get some food.



... Aaand Metal won. But! I did get a few really good wins. Honestly, I liked that he never let up with me. I wanted to get better, even though I wasn't really competitive like he was... And I still gave him a good challenge. Maybe I flirted with him some to throw him off, but this wasn't combat, so he couldn't yell at me. Hehe.



We went away from the resort to play in the snow. I knew Metal could do sand sculptures, so I challenged his snowman skills... And, damn, he was actually pretty good at that as well. We built one together. At some point, he got concerned because my nose was running and starting to freeze over. I really was fine, but I humored him since I think my cold from before gave him some paranoia.



We had yummy, expensive dinner, thankfully also covered by the room. Lots of very romantic time after... Metal wasn't interested in pursuing his work for Eggman while we were together, or at least I assumed he wasn't, since he didn't really ask me any questions after our showdown.



Ahh... Even with all the random interruptions, I felt so refreshed. Usually I was the one that struggled getting out of bed, but the morning we had to leave, Metal was the one being difficult. Never thought I'd be trapped by someone spooning me.



I laughed at him. "My wonderful, most handsome, most talented skier in the world... We gotta go."



His head was turned against a pillow we shared. Instead of replying to me, he made a grunt.



"Aw...~ Did you have that good of a time?" I asked, reaching my hand back to rub his head.



"I don't want to think about the things I have to do," he mumbled. "I enjoy my time with you more."



"Yeah, I feel ya. We'll spend more time like this together eventually, my love." I turned myself around so that I could better see him. He tightened his grip around me more and practically tucked me underneath him. I giggled. "We'll go to all sorts of places, have tons of new adventures... And, one day, we'll have problems I bet we can tackle together." At least, I hoped so.



"I know... But you feel perfect here."



"You are so cute." I kissed wherever I could reach. "Come on, lazybolts. Let's get ready."



"Rrrgh... Fine..."



We eventually got out of bed and enjoyed our final morning at the mountain resort. Our final fancy breakfast...! I didn't tell Metal yet, but I did like his food way more. It was good he tried other food, though! He had enough of a variety at this point that I think I could pinpoint his favorite flavors.



My legs were so sore from all the stuff we did, so I made Metal drive me home after all was said and done. The drive back was just as beautiful as the drive there. We didn't have anything to argue about this time. Ah, well. I'd think of some fun banter later.



We kissed each other goodbye as soon as we went to my house. Metal had work to do, while I had some time to myself. Finally home and alone, I wanted to organize my thoughts and read my fortune... That dream really bothered me. I sat in front of my coffee table, my lights off. Totally quiet.



While I shuffled my cards, I focused on my feelings and the details of the dream. Nova leading me away. Dark hallways, Metal in his base form. The absence of his eyes. His head, his turbine, his hands. My hands.



I took a deep breath to control myself. I didn't like thinking about the dream, but I needed to face all the information head-on. I needed to know what my heart was telling me. I focused on three specific details: Nova, Metal's appearance, and the attack that woke me up.



I finished shuffling and spread all the cards out face-down. I took another deep breath. "Okay..." Internally, I asked: What was Nova telling me in my dream?



I picked a card in the middle of the deck, then turned it over. The Hermit. The card itself was a cloaked figure carrying a lantern with a bright, illuminating flame. They were surrounded by the night sky, darkness shrouding them except for the warmth provided by the lantern. They were walking down a long, winding path...



Nova, essentially, was leading me to the next answer. In the dream, when I went after them, I came across Metal at the end of the hallway. Why did my heart choose Nova to guide me? I thought of Nova themselves, what they represented... A creature that Metal saved just because he was asked to. Raised with far more love than Metal would willingly admit, but their appearance was clear; Nova loved Metal and looked up to him, even when he was gone.



There would be time for me to think about it more. I put my whole deck back together and reshuffled for a little while. The next part to focus on was where Nova took me. When I was ready, I put the cards down again and focused with another question: Why was Metal damaged and missing his eyes?



I closed my eyes and picked the next card without aiming for any specific place. When I felt a single card in my hand, I opened my eyes again and turned it over: Eight of Swords. I immediately caught the attention of the figure in the card totally blindfolded. She was bound and trapped, eight swords bordering her and aimed at her. There were clouds in the background here, too...



I thought of a situation that felt hopeless to escape. I remembered how I felt in the dream... how I could barely move, and then I struggled to breathe when it made no sense. Metal moved completely differently than he usually did. Was I trapped? Was Metal trapped? The night before I had the dream, Metal told me he thought of altering his programming. He worried about the results from his choice... Maybe my subconsciousness had similar worries. Even though I loved and trusted Metal and he felt the same towards me, we would have to continue fighting for our peace. And sometimes... it would feel difficult.



Last card. I shuffled one more time. I put all my energy into the cards, remembered their feelings in my hands... I asked the final question: How should I interpret Metal's final attack? I spread the deck and immediately picked the farthest one on the left.



Death. I, uh... Well.



The Death card didn't necessarily mean literal death... It represented quite a few things: ending a cycle, a new change, transformation, even. But, uh... With the context...



I was getting ahead of myself. I looked at the card, which depicted a hedgehog's skeleton. They held a scythe and stood in what I interpreted as a grave site, both hands and flowers sticking out of the ground. My focus went to the flowers...



With the questions I asked, I tried to combine what the cards told me. I would be guided by love-- or maybe literally-- to a hopeless situation. But, from that situation, comes an end to... something. I rarely interpreted the Death card to mean the end of a life, but I couldn't help but keep thinking of it here. It... freaked me out. But there was nothing I could really do with it. I'd just let these thoughts sit in my head for a while... I didn't always understand what cards told me off the bat. I just needed to be open to listening to them, even if my first impressions weren't positive.



When I gave myself a reading after Metal confessed to me, the cards were essentially saying he was my true love. It made me so upset... But they were right-- my heart knew all along. So... I didn't want to make that same mistake. The sooner I understood the cards, the better I could comprehend my life.



I put all my cards back in their proper order and put them away. I made myself some herbal tea and stood in front of my kitchen counter for a while to stare at the flowers Metal brought me. I smiled to myself. I wondered what he was doing. We haven't been apart for long, but I kinda missed him... Even when we weren't doing much, I liked having him around.



When I was done with my tea, I thought of what to do next. No one needed my help, so... I thought I'd take a page from my dream and go check up on Nova. I hadn't spent quality time in Metal's base in a while, anyway.



I took it easy and drove to the base. I parked in an out-of-the-way place and made my way inside with my very cool secret codes. When no one was around, Nova would sometimes stand at the entrance, but they were off somewhere else. I listened by the door to the flower garden... Mm, didn't hear anything. I kept walking on.



I stopped at the bedroom so I could admire our photos for a while. I hated that I had such an awful dream that showed Metal like that... These pictures I had of him were just so cute. I did think he was really handsome, though I had to admit his current form carried a certain presence that messed with me far more, heheh.



Even in the photos where he had his base form, he had the very same eyes. They had a life in them hard for me to describe, but they were his. I loved them. He was one-of-a-kind. I sighed aloud as I left the room. Okay, maybe I was missing him more than 'kinda'... I'd be less clingy if I knew he would stay with me every night!



Nova often hung out at the produce garden and a lot of their stuff was there, too. I saw a few toys on the floor in the halls; I picked them up as I went closer. When I went inside, Nova propped themselves up in their bed while drawing in their sketchbook.



"Hey, little baby!" I beamed.



Nova gave an exclamation mark and looked over to me. The exclamation mark quickly became a heart. "Chao!"



I giggled, approaching them. "What're you up to, cutie?" I asked, then leaned over to glance at their drawing. "Aww...!" They were drawing Metal! In one of Metal's hands was a big orange blob, which I could only assume was a chao fruit. They used the black crayon very aggressively for the robe. This was the cutest drawing ever. "Is this a gift for Metal?"



"Chao!"



"I see, I see." I thoughtfully nodded. "It looks amazing. I won't tell him what you're drawing, okay?" I smooched Nova on the head. I didn't have to imagine what a baby Metal looked like because they were right in front of me... The degree to which Nova copied Metal's appearance was crazy, honestly. Chao could definitely copy people's appearances, but Nova even had little white streaks! It was like the two of them were made for each other. Well, other than me and Metal.



I wanted to pet Nova and squish their cute little cheeks, but I didn't wanna interrupt their masterpiece. Before leaving, I noticed some of their crayons were pretty worn down. "Aw... I'll have to get you some more crayons. Maybe I'll give you a bigger set since you really like drawing," I mused.



Boom!



I turned my head towards the room exit. That was, uh... That sounded pretty underground. I hurried over to the elevator out in the hallway and took the ride down to the lab. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I saw smoke creeping along the ceiling.



I ran into the room and hastily looked for the source.



Belle swiped away some smoke and groaned to herself. Her orange fur was dusted in gray and her braids were messy and frazzled. The smoke came out of robot-me as she leaned over on the work table.



"Belle! Are you okay?" I asked, running up to her. I covered my mouth to keep myself from inhaling any smoke.



"I-I'm fine! I'm fine," she repeated with a sigh. "I accidentally misplaced a wire... She's weirdly tricky." Belle swatted more of the smoke away and began messing with open paneling on Carillon Rose's back. "O-oh... Hey, by the way!" she said in a much more cheerful tone.



I smirked. "Hi, Belle. Is there anything I can help with?"



"Mm, I'm okay. That's so kind of you to offer, though. I'm... Feeling a little exhausted. I think I'll wait for Metal when I'm done fixing this error I made. She's almost done, though; did you know?" Belle turned her head to me with a bright smile.



My eyes widened. "No, this is the first I'm hearing about it." I distracted Metal way too many times, to be fair... "That's amazing!"



"I think so, too... There's something I'm a bit worried about, but maybe it's just a hunch."



"What's up?"



Belle stopped messing with Carillon Rose and then crossed her arms. "There's this empty container in her back... She's so complex and has all these parts everywhere, but then there's a noticeably empty container. Metal thinks it's weird too, but neither of us have any idea what it is. She has all of her other systems in place... It's just a matter of finishing up what can't function."



I glanced to see the part Belle was referring to. "Huh. Looks kinda like a big, empty battery."



"Right? My best guess is that it helps her charge... whatever. Something that needs charge? Like, she clearly has some conductive properties. I'd love to hear from her what she can do. Hopefully the container is supposed to be like that."



I smiled. "I'm sure you'll get to talk to her soon!" I beamed. I looked at Belle for a few more seconds and knew something had to change. "With that established, how about you take a break? Let's get you cleaned up."



She pouted. "Yeah, you're probably right... I'm a bit scrambled from focusing on her, anyway."



I gently took Belle by the arm and guided her out of the lab. "Don't tell Metal where I'm taking you. It's where all my bathroom stuff is."



"Aw, man... Secrets are so stressful," she muttered under her breath.



"It's not a big deal," I laughed. "He'd just be huffy about it, I think." We went to the elevator together and went back up. I took her to the bedroom, then the bathroom. From there, I put her down on the seat in front of the mirror.



Belle tensed up, but she slowly relaxed once studying my face for a little while. I took her hat off and helped brush the dust off of her hair and fur. She gave me a sheepish smile. "You're so nice, Amy," she softly said.



"Aw, I can't help but be nice around such a lovely person," I replied. "I didn't want you to go around with messed up braids the rest of the day." On that note, I undid her braids to brush them and fix them back. Despite how her hair wasn't 'real', it sure felt like it. She was such a cute robot.



After a few moments, her smile faded. "Metal didn't tell you Carillon Rose was almost done... So, did he not tell you about the file either?"



I lifted my head. "No, what file?"



"I know Metal is okay with us sharing all of this info, so I guess it's fine if I share it... D-don't think he was hiding it, okay? He didn't seem like he wanted it to be a secret from you."



"I was all over him for the past several days, so he probably just didn't want to get into too much serious stuff," I said as I re-braided Belle's hair.



"A-Amy!" she stammered.



I giggled. "What? Just tell me about the file."



Belle sighed, her anxiety vanishing. She looked more solemn. "All of Lonnie's files were heavily protected except for one dated three hundred years from the day you and Metal found that arm on Little Planet. It's a message from future Metal to me-- well, future me."



I finished Belle's hair as she read the file to me. I put her hat back on, but as I heard each word, I slowed down... I finished adjusting her hat, frowning just like Belle did.



One specific phrase from the file Belle shared echoed in my head:



I was tired from the beginning, instead waiting for this exact day to arrive. The cycle will end, but it will end my way.



I thought of the Death card I pulled. One would take the letter from the future literally, right? He talked about the world burning and turning green repeatedly. But why did the world keep doing that in his eyes? What was he involved in? "How is he... ending the cycle?" I asked aloud, more to myself than anything.



Belle shrugged. "I thought it sounded world-ending, but Metal got mad at me."



I smiled a little. "Metal is very happy right now... I think it's hard for him to consider why a future version of himself might try to tamper with this current time."



"That's what he said!" Belle shouted. "What do you think of the message, then?" Belle grabbed a washcloth on her own and wiped her face, cleaning more dust off of her eyelashes. I smiled more as I watched her; she was all clean again.



"I..." My expression faded as I thought. "I think he might feel trapped, even that far in the future. I hope we can help him."



She stared at me in surprise. The way she looked at me honestly surprised me too.



"What?" I asked.



After a moment, her face brightened once more. "You really believe in him, too."



"At this point, I always will. Even if no one else does," I replied.



Belle was comforted by my response. Maybe she felt like the burden was no longer on her anymore. She cared so much about many people... And I knew she worried about Metal for a long time too. I hugged her from behind.



"You don't have to worry," I softly told her. We had a small moment. I gave a dramatic sigh after letting go: "Okay! Nova needs new crayons. Wanna go to the art store with me?" I asked. Might be fun to get a sketchbook for myself, too... I loved drawing, but haven't pursued the hobby more seriously in some years.



Belle tilted her head, smirking at me from the mirror. "Sure!"



I patted her on both shoulders and eagerly walked towards the hall. Some more girl time never hurt anybody!