There was a flower on my doorstep the night after I spoke to Metal. I was surprised how happy I was to see it. It felt normal... And the flower was beautiful. It was light blue and had sharp looking petals despite being soft to the touch... It made me think of him a little. I put it with the previous flower I received, the special opalescent one. I planned to press them both into a book eventually, but they still looked perfect. I wanted to keep them on display as long as I could.



Admittedly, I was coming around to the fact that Metal was my secret admirer this whole time. I felt weirdly nice about my talk with Metal; he was firm about his own boundaries, but he was... sweet. I clearly made him happy by acknowledging him. His reaction was cute I guess. And his hold on me was warmer than it had any right to be.



I wasn't ready to completely reciprocate... I mean, I've loved Sonic for so long and in a few ways I still do. As for Metal, there was a lot about him I didn't know, and the things I did know were a bit more, um, destructive. This whole deal was complicated... but I guess I started to see what Belle and even Sonic saw in him. Some of the optimism I had as a kid came back.



I decided to read my fortune telling cards. I first tried my fortune reading after Metal confessed to me the first time, but I didn't want to listen to what the cards told me and went on a vacation instead. The outing I had with Sonic forced me to rethink about it all... So... Now was the time to actually pay attention.



I sat in front of the coffee table in my living room, all my lights off except the standing lamp across from me. I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, shuffled my cards... I drew one when it felt right, then placed it on the table face-down. I did this routine two more times until I had three cards spaced equally in front of me.



"What should I prepare myself for?" I asked under my breath.



I turned over the first card. The Wheel of Fortune. A card that symbolized inevitability, the never ending tides of fate. The art on the card was a colorful wheel with the four different seasons occupying each corner. An ancient chao held up the wheel. My first instinct on examining the card told me that my own journey, my struggle, was just beginning. Something would happen to make me aware of this fate.



I turned over the next card. Eight of Wands. I examined the art for a while; there were eight branches of wood extending towards the sky, the sun in view and a Flicky flying away from the branches. This card symbolizes quick decisions, moving fast. I would normally think of Sonic, but... I didn't this time. I thought the card was telling me about Metal.



I hesitated pulling the last card. I let myself have a moment, re-centered my thoughts. I turned it over.



Six of Cups. The card was upside down. The art on the card depicted a couple surrounded by six pots of flowers. The family was happy, smiling to each other and admiring the flowers around them. When facing upwards, the card was about making good memories. Being together. Happiness... But this was upside down. I tried to not get tunnel-visioned. The flowers clearly made me think of us, but the family didn't.



I think the card was telling me there would be a separation. Metal and I weren't together, so I didn't interpret it as us breaking up. I think... it was about the Eggman Empire. Would something happen to cause Metal to defect? Would he act out from everyone, including me? The card could mean loneliness, but in the same sense, gaining independence. I was curious what it would be...



I absorbed all information I gathered from the cards. They weren't magical... they just showed possibilities that already existed. Somewhere in my heart I saw the capacity for Metal to change... But I couldn't go into our dynamic and expect that to happen, not without a struggle or realization. We were intertwined by fate... maybe we always were. I needed to prepare for the choices he would make alongside my own. I needed to focus on my independence, too.



I sighed, putting my cards away. I felt better from actually sitting with my thoughts.



With a refreshed perspective, I wanted to spend some more time outside. I thought it would be nice to go on another little adventure.



I actually found Sonic by chance when I went to grab a bite to eat by myself just an hour after I left my house. I sat at the table and laced my fingers together while watching him eat. "Yo!" His voice was muffled.



"Waiting for someone?" I teased.



"Thought I'd take a break, but I'm gonna go fishing with Big later. Felt like it was a good time to lean in to nothing happening for the time being," Sonic said with a confident nod. He finished a sandwich, but he had, like, two more full ones beside him.



"That sounds fun! Tell Big and Froggy I said hi," I replied. While Sonic ate his next sandwich, he gave me a thumbs up. He asked with a full mouth:



"You wanna go?"



I smiled, amused. "... You know what? I miss my big guy. I'll tag along."





Big!!! My favorite cat in the whole wide world! (Blaze didn't have to know.) I drove to the meeting place Sonic mentioned and carried his fishing stuff so he could have a free run. As soon as I saw that huge mass of purple though, it was over. I ran over to Big and jumped into his arms.



"Amy!" he beamed, hugging me back just as easily. All my stress melted away as I sunk into his pillowy torso. His fur smelled like a breezy meadow. "Are you fishing, too?" he asked.



"Yes! I'm fishing with you and Sonic. Is that okay?" I asked, looking up at him. His best friend, Froggy, was patiently perched on his head.



"The more, the merrier," he replied in a gentle, slow pace. Everyone loved Big, but he was my special guy. Cream's, too! The three of us had a bond that couldn't be broken. Big gently put me down, then I scrambled back to my car to grab my and Sonic's fishing supplies.



I set up at a dock at the huge, natural lake past the canyon. There was a shoddy road and a thick forest in the way to get here, but Big's house was somewhere nearby so I kinda knew the area. I took a page from Big by setting up my fishing gear slowly. A symphony of bugs played their tunes around us, while the water sloshed from the occasional disturbance. It was so peaceful. Fishing was a little adventure on its own, in a way.



Sonic showed up by the time I set up his spot for him, and together, the three of us tossed our fishing lines and sat at adjacent ends of the dock. We were a few feet apart, enough room to move around but still close enough to chat.



"This is nice... Thanks for inviting me, Sonic, and thanks for letting me stay, Big."



Sonic smirked at me. "Honestly, I'm surprised you said yes. You've had your own thing going on for a bit."



"Sometimes you gotta take the chances life throws your way," I sighed. When I glanced at Big, his eyes were closed, but his ears twitched towards me or Sonic, depending on who spoke.



Froggy jumped into the lake and swam around. He hopped onto a lily pad far away from us and relaxed there for a while... I wasn't sure if he was watching us or scanning for nearby insects.



Sonic adjusted his position in his seat. "How are things going, then?"



"You know... I'm actually doing pretty good," I said, nodding. "Hopeful."



"For what?" Sonic asked, his tone showing his amusement.



"Mm... I dunno. Just in general." I took a deep breath. Fresh air. "How about you?"



Sonic made a little groan. "I'm fine, but I'm trying to think of what's next. It's kinda why I'm here... Gotta take a lesson from Big and enjoy the moment."



"Mmhm," Big said with a single nod. He let out a yawn and stretched his tail.



"I get what you mean," I said.



The conversation lulled and we all listened to the gently shifting water underneath us. I leaned my head against one of Big's arms, then I closed my eyes too. For a second, I honestly forgot about Sonic... I really liked him there, but he didn't make my heart skip like it used to.



...!



"Oh! Oh!" The bobber of my fishing line went underwater! I sat up and focused, trying to reel my line. It's been so long since I went fishing, so I wasn't too confident. "H-help! What am I supposed to do again?!"



Big turned his head towards me. "Go with the flow of the fish, Amy, and reeeel it in."



As vague as his advice was, it weirdly helped. I angled the rod carefully as I reeled in the fish. I let my line relax when it was fighting too much... then I reeled more when I felt my chance. It looked huge! A red blob got closer and closer as I worked it out.



I lifted the line... it was a robot! It wiggled, part of the line tangled between its sharp teeth.



"Wah!" I exclaimed. "There's badniks in the lake? What do you do with them, Big?"



"Hm?" Big scratched his head a little. "... What do you wanna do? Can't exactly eat 'em..."



"Do they... hurt the other fish?" I asked.



"Mm... Not these ones," Big replied. "They've been in here a loooong time."



I stared at the robo-fish as it flopped for a while, not even thinking to let go of the bait. Was I seeing distress in its face, or was I just imagining it? I was hanging around too many robots... But... I didn't want to hurt it.



I untangled the line and released it back into the water. It quickly swam off and disappeared into the lake's depths.



"Nice one," Sonic said. "But that one isn't a real fish, so it won't count."



I raised a brow. "Won't count for what?"



"For who gets the biggest fish!"



I laughed. "What, like a contest? I'm not one of your rivals," I said with a snort.



"What? Come on! Biggest fish wins... something." Sonic shrugged, chuckling too. "Big, back me up. Fishing contest?" He playfully elbowed Big on the arm.



"Okay," Big replied.



I giggled while shaking my head. I re-baited my line, then cast it out again. I enjoyed the moment we all shared together.



I'm not even sure how long we were there fishing together... must've been hours. We were quiet for long stretches of time, and other times we had in-depth conversations. Sonic and I had a lighthearted argument about what kind of chao type, through their nature alone, would be the most skilled at fishing. We laughed with each other when we heard Big snore while sitting upright.



When I actually relaxed, I realized I didn't need to be scared of losing anything; I didn't lose my relationship with Sonic. He was still the same as always... And I finally saw him just as he was. His secret side, if it existed, didn't need to be discovered by me. I think... I could move on. I felt truly okay.



We caught plenty of fish, measured them together, then released them back into the water. Sonic caught the most and he had the biggest one so far. Big didn't catch anything the whole time... until the very end.



The entire dock rumbled. I clutched onto whatever I could. "Wh-wh-what is that?!" I asked. Was it an earthquake? A machine?



Big pulled his line and a massive catfish jumped out! It was ten times our size combined!!!



"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed.



The catfish landed into the water and caused a wave so great that it would've splashed me if I didn't retreat!



"You win, Big," Sonic said with a laugh.



"Huh?" Big stared blankly for a moment. "Oh, right."



Froggy hopped onto the catfish, then leapt over to Big, perching once more on his head. Cute!



Sonic and I treated Big to a picnic since he was the winner of the random, last-minute contest. It was a really nice end to the day. I felt fully re-centered. I thought about the badnik that, according to Big, lived peacefully in the lake. Even in unexpected places, technology and nature co-existed somehow. Eggtech, of all things, co-existed with nature somehow. The thought lingered in my head when I drove home.



I admired my flowers and let myself be in the moment.