I never saw Amy so upset... I never expected her to speak the way she did. She surprised me... she made me sad and a little angry. She made me feel loved. I returned my love to her and she must have felt it since she calmed down. She liked my tea, she embraced me. I didn't let go of her. I refused.



We had a peaceful night together. Amy woke up the next morning, though she didn't want to move. She snuggled against me further and stayed there, relaxing for a few more hours like she was able to sort through her data like I could. I wondered what she was reviewing in her head. She eventually fell back asleep, then shifted awake an hour later. She groaned at me, a telltale sign she wanted to get out of bed, but also did not want to move.



I pressed our muzzles together as a way of saying good morning. I enjoyed the feeling...



"Good morning," she softly said back. I was happy.



After a few minutes, she gave a more dramatic sigh and rolled herself out of bed. I got up too, then grabbed the notebook I tossed onto the floor the previous night. I flipped to an empty page, though I had nothing I desired to say yet. Amy tiredly waddled to the bathroom and turned the shower on. I sat down and waited for her.



Amy was so upset before that I forgot how irritated I was with Belle. I didn't want our relationship to suffer because we disagreed... It was an important disagreement, but there had to be a solution. I wrote a question down for Amy and waited for her to complete her shower.



I checked Belle's location. She was in town and making her way back to the old base. Maybe she wanted to also reconcile.



I turned my head back towards the bathroom. Amy was humming... She was in much higher spirits. I was relieved. After a few minutes, the shower turned off and she walked out while wrapped in a towel. Her quills were sticking up and flaring out from how she dried them off... Very cute. I showed her my question so she could answer while searching for clothes.





She smirked at me. "Is there anything you are sorry about? Belle was pretty upset with what you said to her."



I wrote down my reply to her:





"You should apologize for that, then. I'm sure she'll apologize what she said to you, too. I know you said you prefer her honesty, but just like you didn't mean what you said, she didn't mean it, either." She brought out a light blue dress and nodded to herself, then threw it on the bed. She went over to the dresser nearby and shuffled through it.





"Hm..." Amy was quiet for a short moment. "Well... It's kinda like when you wanted me to take down photos of Sonic," Amy replied. I wasn't sure what she meant. "We reached a compromise by doing something nice together. I didn't take down any photos of Sonic like you wanted, but we had a ton of pictures of us together... Actually, now that I think about it, there's way more pictures of you around now." She proudly gestured over to the photos of us on the wall.



I took a moment to admire the pictures and also admire the framed flower she brought. Warm. I thought of how to next reply.





Amy fully dressed herself and glanced at the notebook. She smiled at me. "Let me help with that. First thing's first, when she's here, you both should apologize to each other. Afterwards, we'll go over what we can do about Lonnie."





Realizing possible caution, I added another line:





Amy nodded at me. "That's fine," she said. "Do you know what Belle's up to?"



I nodded in return.



"Is she coming back?"



I nodded again, then wrote down a more specific response:





"That's perfect. I'll go make myself something to eat and play with Nova while you talk it out. Ooh, do you have more of that tea?"



I tucked the notebook under one of my arms and guided her to the kitchen. From there, I showed her the tea mixture I made. She excitedly put a kettle on the stove to have more, then looked through the fridge for some food. She expressed interest in making her own meal, so I didn't offer.



"Oh, Metal?" she asked right as I turned around. I turned back towards her.



She closed the fridge door and put some ingredients down on the counter. Looking at me, she shyly tapped her fingers together. "Since you don't need the notebook for Belle... Can I read it for a bit?"



I was confused why. The messages made little sense without proper context. I handed her the notebook and pen anyway.



She flipped back a few pages; I could tell she stopped on what I wrote the previous night. Her gaze softened, and after a few seconds, she sighed... She was admiring what I wrote. Did what I say really... impact her? She looked happy...



After a moment, she flipped to the next page, her smile wide as she read it. "I love you," she said out of nowhere. I had to be wary... I could handle her affection much easier when I had my upgrade.



I stepped close to her and stared at her. I kissed her when she looked at me.



She giggled, her cheeks a delightful red. "You love me too?" she asked.



I held the side of her face and gave her a slow, single nod. I kissed her again. I gently grabbed the notebook from her and flipped it to a much earlier page. I pointed to a phrase:





"Aw...~ There it is," she said, grinning. "Don't worry, Metal... Your eyes say it all to me... Every single time. When you're happy, depressed, angry... I see 'I love you' first."



She heartened me. What would I do without my Rosy? I wasn't sure... I went to the first empty page and wrote something else down for her:





She grinned just as wide when she read my statement. "You are my true love," she said back, wrapping her arms around me. She kissed me again, again. She went on another onslaught. I was happy.



The whistling of the tea kettle ceased her affections. She slowly let go of me, then rubbed the side of my face, looking at me with just as much love as she expressed I did for her. I left the notebook on the counter, only adding one more additional message for her to read at her convenience.





I got an alert that someone entered the base perimeter-- I internally confirmed that the one entering was Belle. I caressed the back of Amy's head and touched my muzzle to her cheek before making my leave.



"I believe in you, Metal!" she cheerfully exclaimed as I left.



Belle stood at the hallway of the entrance, head angled towards the floor. When she heard me approach, she very slightly lifted her head and hugged herself with her arms.



I stopped some feet away from her. Both of us were quiet for a moment.



"... H... Hey," she said, quiet.



'Hello,' I said in my machine tones. We didn't need to go down to the lab to have our discussion. I walked closer to her, then sat down against the nearby wall. She stared at me, slightly nervous. She eventually sat beside me. I continued: 'I apologize for what I said about you.'



"... It's fine," she muttered. "What I said about you was really mean, too. I'm sorry."



'Neither of us truly meant what we said.'



"Still, it... I think what I said came from a dark place. That wasn't fair on you. I... I want to explain myself, at least," she told me.



I was quiet and waited for her to continue.



"I mean... maybe it was a little true... I have seen you as a problem before. But... I don't think you, as a person, are a problem. Ugh... I hope that makes sense," she sighed out. "I'll... O-okay. I'll tell you a secret."



I turned my head towards her and watched her.



"I mean, you clearly know... When we first connected, we briefly shared all those files, including all the info you had about my dad... At the time, maybe a part of me still hoped he could come back." Belle turned her head towards me. She frowned as she looked at me. "You were looking for Eggman too, and instead, you found my dad... But when my dad saw you, touched your head and said he'd help you... He was gone just like that. The switch was immediate. It was like... it never mattered."



...



"I blamed you for that. If my dad never saw you, he'd never turn back into Eggman. But I think it's easy to blame you... It's easy to say everything's your fault. It's easy for everyone... even Eggman. Especially as you are now, your base form... it's easy for everyone to blame you because it's so easy to misunderstand you." She turned away again and hugged her knees. "But... I think the truth is a lot more terrifying. The idea that being a good person is just as fragile, that love can be so easily thrown away. The idea that we as good people played a part in our own heartbreak. Why think about those things, when we can blame a robot who can't talk?"



She let out a slow, quiet sigh.



"And... Maybe it's more complicated than that... Maybe Eggman loves you more than Mr. Tinker loved me."



I rolled my eyes.



"What?" she asked, suddenly defensive.



'There is something I've learned the longer I've functioned, Belle. Love and hatred are far more connected despite being opposite feelings. They are both incredibly powerful, and... the severity of each can depend on the individual.' I crossed my arms and stretched my legs out, bumping the back of my head against the hallway as I thought. 'You are a product of love, born in such a short time from the empathy my Master could show when removed from his core desires... I am a product of hatred, innate and ever-present in his life mission.'



Belle's eyes went wide.



'The truth about it, about my Master's reawakening, is that his core hatred is much stronger than his need to love. That does not mean your father loved you less... With the data I gathered from you, I could only conclude he loved you more than anything.' I averted my eyes. 'He is gone, but, the love he gave you will last forever. You are not an Eggman creation... Be proud to be a product of love.'



... She was crying. I did not like this. "Metal..." She hugged me. We were quiet for a very long time. "... Give yourself more credit. You don't embody hatred, not anymore."



I shook my head. 'I accept this about myself. I will always be a product of hatred; it's who I am. But, just as love and hate are connected, so are we as well.'



She slowly let me go and gave me a teary-eyed smile. "I'm really happy you're around... And I hope you'll always be. Truly."



'I'm also happy you exist, Belle.'



She tilted her head, smiling more. Thankfully, she stopped crying. I did not know any methods to calm her down. I had an easier time soothing Amy. "Well... Maybe Eggman did have a lot of hate in his heart to create you, but if you were only made of hatred, you wouldn't be sitting here with me... We wouldn't be talking like this."



I nodded. 'Love takes an even greater part of me. It was dormant, much like my Master's own... But I am much more aware now. This is thanks to Amy, and I will also lend some of that credit to you... My first friend.'



I shouldn't have said that. She teared up again. "Y... You..." Another tight hug. I lightly patted her on the back, hoping the gesture would suffice.



'... Remember when I mentioned a request for you?' I asked.



I felt Belle nod her head, but she did not yet let go of me.



'Regardless of what we do next... I would like you to remove my loyalty programming.'



Belle immediately let go of me. Her shock was as present as when I told Amy for the first time. "I... Yes! Of course!" she said at a higher volume than I expected. "Wh-when? Is there a specific time you want?"



I shook my head. 'At your earliest convenience, Belle... Following our discussion about what to do with Carillon Rose.'



"Oh... Right." Belle scratched her head. "... Look, I'm obviously not going to fight you or call in Sonic or anything, Metal, but--"



I held up my hand to stop her from talking. From there, I stood up and gestured her to follow me. 'We will have this conversation with Amy.'



Belle eventually followed me as I continued down the hallway. Since our reconciliation didn't take too long, Amy was likely still in the kitchen. The kitchen doors were still open, so I peeked inside.



Amy was cleaning some dishes and speaking softly to Nova, who fluttered around her and watched her closely. They were interested in the soap bubbles, swatting at each bubble that floated upwards. Amy was likely making some bubbles on purpose.



I heard her beautiful laughter. "You got that one! Good job," she said with a grin.



"Chao--!!" Nova swatted at another bubble.



Amy's focus drifted to me. She gave me a small, eager wave. "You seem calm," she said, happy. "Did everything go well?"



Belle walked into the doorway with me. "Hey, Amy! Yeah, we're good over here... Metal wanted us to talk about Lonnie together."



I nodded in agreement.



Amy's smile softened. "Sure thing. I'm just about done cleaning up from breakfast. If we don't need to be in the lab, maybe we can hang out in the veggie garden?"



I nodded again, then walked towards the produce garden. Belle followed me, and together, we waited for Amy. Though we were no longer fighting, the silence in waiting for her was somewhat uncomfortable.



Eventually, though, Amy did arrive. Nova floated in behind her and watched as Amy waved at us with both of her hands. "Okay! So, first thing's first: do you both still feel the same way you did before about Lonnie?" Belle sat on a nearby stool while I leaned against one of the planters. Amy handed me the notebook I let her borrow before, then took a few steps back to stand between us.



Belle and I nodded at the same time. While I wrote, she spoke: "I really think we should continue to help Lonnie. I get what happened was weird, but with everything we've received so far, I just... it's hard for me to buy that their plan is that bad, I'm sorry. But I understand what happened to you two was horrible, and I'm not trying to minimize that at all."



I showed my response to Amy:





Amy read my response, while Belle peeked to see what I said. Instead of give any sort of reply, she walked over to the whiteboard and wheeled it over to us, then turned it around to reveal the other clean side. She took one of the markers for the whiteboard and lightly pumped her fists. "Okay, so I think the first thing to do is to list out everything we know about the future bots."



So we did.



Neo Metal Sonic, whose latest version was dated three hundred years in the future. His base form was his true form: tall, kingly, imposing. He had some kind of plan that involved our time, in which two other robots he created were also involved. His very first contact was from his arm-- incredibly damaged-- appearing in the present through one of Little Planet's time vortexes. In his closed fist was a voice processor made for me in this time. Someone arrived shortly after to retrieve the arm.



Belle received a file using his ID-- my ID-- that could only be translated with the voice processor. He gave Carillon Rose an unprotected file to give to Belle in the future, detailing his intention to end the 'cycle'. He admired Belle and viewed her as his sister.



His next known appearance was to Amy and the Chaotix, where he fought them, injured them, and then self destructed. His proximity to Cavalier Sonic implied he was the one who located and took him out of my Master's island base. From my knowledge on my own data, his death was incredibly unlikely. He was still around.



Cavalier Sonic, discovered by my Master while Little Planet was still in orbit, but before Amy and I discovered Carillon Rose. He looked very similar to Sonic himself, but taller and draped in knight-like armor. He had Sonic's voice and some of his mannerisms, which meant he was fed Sonic's data. He was quick to anger and reacted violently when his own independence was threatened; interesting in particular since he told me he was designed with freedom in mind. He could destroy robots and steal their mass and data, strengthening himself. His abilities directly counteracted mine, even able to break through my most powerful shield. When angry or combative, he shifted to have some of Metal Overlord's characteristics.



He was loyal to my future self despite being conceptually more powerful. He fought me twice and had an incredible advantage both times. He claimed he was not trying to destroy me. The only thing that visibly held him back was utilizing a Shield Crystal, which completely immobilized him and allowed him to be put under control. We didn't know where Cavalier Sonic was in the present moment, though it was unlikely he was held captive again by my Master.



Carillon Rose, discovered by Amy and me on Little Planet and could only be recovered in the past. She looked just like Amy, but taller and in a metallic dress fit for royalty. Much like Cavalier Sonic, she had Amy's voice and mannerisms, meaning she was fed data about Amy herself. She was incredibly damaged and her circuitry was completely nonsensical, making her repairs far more of a puzzle. She refused to share information about her abilities or details about my future self's plan, but she did explain needing a different power source to do anything.



She was not originally part of my future self's plan, intending to protect Belle from the future instead. She was sent to Little Planet to help my future self. She said she was here to help us and she believed my future self's plan was a good one. She had a connection to him that was severed, but she could still locate Cavalier Sonic when online. She implied a fondness for Cavalier Sonic and my future self, citing their relationships as platonic and familial. Located in one of her arms was the very charm Amy gave me on one of our earlier dates. She believed her presence meant that my future self very much needed her assistance. She knew about the file sent to Belle and said we should keep it.



Additionally, my Master received a 'gift', schematics for a weapon that used Shield Crystals. We did not know who gave him the schematics or in what state he found Cavalier Sonic.



There was too much we didn't know, but Amy was right. We needed to focus on what was here.



The three of us stood side-by-side as we stared at the whiteboard with a plethora of information about the three robots. Seeing all the information laid out did make me reconsider a few perspectives...



Amy crossed her arms. "Alright, so... There's a few things that stood out to me when we were putting down all the info," she started. "Both Lonnie and Cava have been pretty nice outside of combat, and both of them have positive views of future Metal. When you say they have my and Sonic's data, does that mean they also kinda have our personalities?" she asked, looking at me.



I wobbled my hand side to side, then wrote down my answer.





Amy smirked as she read my response. "Yeah, Lonnie was pretty excited to meet me. That says quite a bit though, doesn't it? Presumably, you were good to the both of them and they respect you. I mean, maybe they are well meaning like me and Sonic are."



Belle nodded as she listened. "So, what does that mean?" she asked back.



"Their behaviors make me think that future Metal can't be that bad... At least, not bad to either of them. There's the letter where he says he loves Belle before saying goodbye. And then I remembered the arm we saw on Little Planet was pretty damaged," she explained, pointing to that writing on the board. "Adding to that, when Lonnie wanted to find future Metal, she said he could be dead. But actually meeting him, he was really off, just, totally consumed by hatred..." She focused on me, her cheerful expression gone. "My very first thought, seeing him like that... was that he wasn't you."



Belle and I glanced at each other. We both looked back at Amy. "Do you think that the Metal you faced wasn't the same Metal that sent the voice processor?" she asked aloud.



Amy shrugged. "Anything's possible, but... I mean, maybe. There's something else that's been bothering me," she continued. "Metal, when you fought Cava, there was a part where he stopped, right? Like, he was waiting for you?"



I nodded.





"Why wouldn't he just bring the fight to you?" she asked. "If the future Metal was trying to kill me, getting me wrapped up into your fight wouldn't have mattered, so... Why?"



I spent a longer time writing my reply:





She nodded too. "Right. To keep this train of thought going, you told me a long time ago that it's possible that I've faced different Metals, not you exactly. There could be more than one in the future, right?"





"Maybe that explains the inconsistency, then. The Metal that fought me and the Chaotix managed to trick Cava. Cava's original orders might have been to not hurt others along with whatever else he's here for... I also thought it was weird Cava was tied down at that airship even though he so easily got out," Amy hummed. "Like, why tie him down like that if you know how easily he can escape? What was the reason for that?" she asked with a shrug. "Maybe the Metal that took him doesn't actually know him."



Belle nodded in thought. "So... The Metal that sent the arm is likely the good one, right?"



"That's my guess. What do you think, Metal? Do you think you should reinstall your voice?" Amy asked.



I thought for a while more.





"That's a fair point. Well, I still think the future Metal is good because of the charm, remember? For one, he kept it that long... Which is so sweet," Amy said. Her voice changed pitch like she was going to cry if she kept talking. She cleared her throat and continued: "And he gave it to Lonnie since you said you'd never give it up unless it was important... He expected you to find her. So... When Lonnie says she's here to help us, I think she really means it."





Belle gasped. "Maybe that's where that 'gift' comes in? Maybe this impostor Metal wanted Eggman's help to help control Cava without blowing his own cover?"





Belle and Amy hummed in thought, both rubbing their chins at the same time. I wrote more:





They were both quiet. Belle sighed. "I hope this doesn't cause offense... Maybe Cava was told to fight you by the real future Metal... But the one that Amy came across was a different one. The good Metal probably wouldn't want to kill you, but your base form might be part of whatever he's planning."



She said something similar when we had our argument some days ago... As drastic as downgrading me was, Belle might have been right. It could've been a way to get me to use the voice processor...



The voice processor always bothered me. I was thankful to have it, but it was a piece of the puzzle so unnecessary and so vital at the same time. I didn't know what it meant and I was frustrated that I still didn't know even all this time later. Carillon Rose also refused to explain it, but its importance was undeniable.



I thought more about it. There was nothing strange about the voice processor other than the bit of code that allowed me to read certain encrypted files... Nothing seemed wrong about the files, either. Both Amy and Belle felt Carillon Rose's and my future self's intentions were good. I trusted Amy... I trusted Belle.



...





Amy's face brightened. She really liked my voice. Belle looked more relieved.





Amy nodded at me, crossing her arms. "While I don't think Lonnie will attack us out of nowhere, I agree we should be careful."



Debatable. Cavalier Sonic attacked me out of nowhere.



"We don't even know what she can do," Belle sighed. "Metal and I went through everything we could. She's a total mystery. All we can gather is that there are parts of her body that light up and the same pattern is on her hammer. Those lights weren't on, even when she was fully online and talking to us, so it's probably related to her power source. But... That brings me to what I wanted to talk about a while ago."



Both Amy and I watched her and waited for her to continue.



"While searching for some conductive materials to figure out what Lonnie's power source could be, I was also searching for some more information about the Shield Crystal. It can be found in certain parts of the world, very rarely, but... there also might be a huge concentration of it on Angel Island!"



...! This was new information to me. My Master didn't imply anything about Angel Island. Either he didn't know or he didn't find it worth the effort to fight the Echidna. He was trying to keep a low profile... But, the data he sent me had nothing about other locations.



Belle coughed. "Well, okay. I don't know if there actually is, but if it has ties to Angel Island, that narrows down what her power source could be."



Amy tilted her head and smiled. "I'd love an excuse to go visit Knuckles again. Is there anything I could grab for you?" she asked.



"That would be so helpful!" Belle beamed in reply. She began looking around her. "Um, I should write down what kind of things I want you to look for, uh..."



I rolled my eyes and offered her my notebook.



"Th-thanks! I'll just borrow this for a second," she muttered, then began scribbling down a list. She likely wrote down characteristics she was looking for since it was unlikely Amy knew specific names of components or what items would contain them. After a moment, she ripped a page out and offered it to Amy.



Amy mumbled to herself as she quietly read through the list. "Uhh... Okay, I'll try! Just know I might not come back with any results... I'll probably ask Knuckles for some help."



"Great! Uh, hopefully Lonnie isn't powered by a piece of the Master Emerald..."



I held out my hand to get my notebook back. Belle returned it so I could write down my response.





Belle let out a more relieved sigh. "That's good! I... I think. Hopefully they're powered by the same thing. Uh, well... Back to the matter at hand. You're okay with us helping Lonnie, then?"





I thought for a while more.





I pointed at Amy.



"Geez..." Amy gave me a slanted smile, very cute for her. "I'll be extremely careful, I promise. We have a Shield Crystal already... I don't want to use that, but I think that'll be a fair precaution."



Both Belle and I nodded. "I think that's fair," she replied. "I'll resume studying as normal, then. Um... But first, we should do the, uh, thing."



Amy raised one of her brows. "What thing?"





Her eyes shot wide open. "It's finally happening?!"



I nodded.



"H-how long does it take? Do either of you know?" Amy asked.



Belle smiled at the both of us. "It shouldn't take too long for what the job is... Maybe the rest of the day just to make sure I did everything correctly. I need to be extra careful. Metal will have to be offline while I do it."



'Give me a moment with Amy, then I'll join you in the lab,' I told Belle.



"Sure." Belle brought her attention to Amy. "I'll go get ready in the lab. Thanks for helping us figuring this out, Amy!"



"Of course!" she replied back just as excitedly. "I'm glad you two made up more than anything else. Maybe we're not closer to figuring anything out, but we can be better prepared... And, maybe Lonnie will help us after all. I guess we'll see," she said with a lighthearted shrug.



Belle hugged Amy, they smiled at each other, and then Belle left the garden. Amy turned back to the whiteboard, tapping her chin as she reviewed the information one more time. I took her other hand and observed her. Beautiful.



"Hey, you," she said, grinning. "Sorry, just looking at this list one more time. Ahhh! I'm so excited for you!"



I tilted my head at her. I was heartened that she felt that way about me, my programming... I knew she felt that way because she wanted me to have more freedom. I appreciated her.



"Will you dream of me while you're offline?" she playfully asked.



I would be literally offline, so I would not do anything like that. I wasn't sure I could actually dream. Still, I enjoyed the intent of her question. I gave her a single nod, which made her giggle. She was very pleased with me.



She eagerly kissed me first. "I'll really miss you, but I survived a month without you. I can do the rest of the day." Dramatic. "I love you, my sweet Metal."



We gazed at each other. I knew I would miss her as soon as I left the room, but I would return to her with nothing holding me back. Then I would be able to stay at her side regardless of who was around her or what my Master said...



He wouldn't be my Master anymore. He would be Eggman.



I kissed her in return, then gave her my notebook. She knew what message I would point to and gave me a very knowing smile. I left the garden and made my way to the lab in the lower parts of the base.



I met with Belle again and stationed myself on a table to allow myself to be operated on. Belle walked over to me and smiled. "Ready when you are," she said.



I nodded, then looked forward.



I lost my true form, but... when I would next wake up, I would be free again.



Shutting down.