My old body, empty. Taking up space. Reduced to a chao's resting spot in a laboratory occupied only by circumstance.



It was useless... But it served its purpose before. It was the shell that harbored my life for a time. Amy said I was sentimental... Maybe that was true. As I stared at the body, I thought it was pitiful how it just sat there.



...



Belle worked on me the entire night while I was offline. She made no real progress in cracking the exact programming, though she had a plethora of notes. I wished I could help her. She leaned back in a chair, her eyes closed as she organized her own data. Her companion, Motobud, rested beside her, occasionally looking my way out of curiosity. I left the both of them to go up the elevator.



"Metaaal!" Amy called for me as soon as I exit the elevator. She must have heard me.



I followed the source of her voice, which led me towards the produce garden.



"Chaaaao!" Nova's voice echoed after Amy's.



She giggled. "Metaaal!" she repeated.



"Chaaaao!"



I revealed myself at the door. "What?" I asked.



Amy focused on me, surprised, then she laughed. Nova floated beside her with an exclamation point above their head. It quickly turned into a heart as they fluttered over to me.



"Our call worked!" beamed Amy.



I petted Nova as they approached me. They still very much looked like my true form. Amy was right in that they did not change too much after reaching adulthood. I brought my attention back to Amy herself. "Yes, it did," I said with slight sarcasm.



She giggled again. "When are we going on our adventure?" she asked.



"I'm ready to go. We can leave anytime you want."



"Great!" She eagerly stepped over to me. "I was watering the garden with Nova. I know you want to move out of here eventually... Are you gonna take all the fruit and veggie plants too?"



"Maybe... At least the seeds," I said. "I'll take all the flowers, at the very least."



"I see...~ Well, we can talk more logistics during our date. I'm ready to go, too!" she beamed once more.



I was happy to see Amy in such a bright mood. She looked forward to our outing more than I expected. We bid a temporary farewell to Nova, then walked hand-in-hand with one another.



"We need to be cautious," I told her. "I came across the Hedgehog in the forest around this base... I'll do some brief surveillance to make sure we're alone."



"Oh, right. I've come across him here before, too. I think we'll be fine... He's been kinda busy," she replied. "Of course, being careful never hurts."



I nodded. We exit the base together, though I sped ahead of her and flew into the air. I scanned our surroundings... There was no one, not for a long distance. Of course, the Hedgehog could still appear at any moment. We hadn't come across him together in my base form other than when we were sparring... lucky for us.



I lowered myself down as Amy walked out of the cave. "Are we all good?" she cheerfully asked.



"Yes," I replied. "Where do you want to start?"



"Let's get out of this forest and find one a bit further away, like, more inland."



I nodded again. "We'll go that way, then--" Amy jumped in my arms, catching me by surprise. She grinned at me and watched me with sparkling eyes.



I carefully held her and rose higher up. She leaned her head against me and had her arms around my shoulders. I... I thought I heard her purring.



"I was under the impression you wanted to travel at my side," I said, my temperature far higher than it should have been.



"When we get to the area, totally. I wanna see your top speed first."



My turbine blasted an immense amount of energy and I took off. I did not intentionally do that; I acted on instinct as if I was battling. Excited. I was excited.



Amy held on tightly to me as I took her through the air. I flew with her plenty of times in my base form, but even so, I felt a sense of nostalgia. Though I physically regressed, we changed in positive ways together. Amy was happy to be in my arms. I was happy to hold her.



I went at my top speed, or rather, the highest speed I could go without overheating. She giggled against me, enjoying the rush of wind as much as I did. I loved her. Our destination wasn't too far; I passed over the city, then flew by other residential areas. We eventually reached a section of wilderness with another abundant forest, far more hills and a few mountains. If I continued down the same path, we would eventually reach the area Cavalier Sonic was located before.



There were different open areas I could see from up above. I landed in one such area, a small, grassy clearing surrounded by trees. Amy hopped out of my arms as she looked around, fascinated. She just as effortlessly brought her hammer out and playfully twirled it with her hands.



"I do like this area!" she beamed. "So, you wanna explore around here too?" she asked me.



"Yes. There is likely a new suitable place to build a garden... I will have to make many adjustments regardless." Moving all the unique soil was going to be a pain.



"Not that I wanna cut this date short, but how about here?" Amy spread her arms and turned around to gauge the clearing we were in.



I shook my head. "It's too small."



"Too small?!"



"I want a large garden. Also, you want a large house. If I leveled the land and cleared some trees, we would be too close to the city." I floated past her and went in a direction deeper into the forest. "Let's keep going."



Amy followed me. "Before we get to running around, this is a good opportunity to talk about living together for real, I guess..." When I glanced at her, her cheeks were flushed. Cute... "Uh, I'm a little curious, though. D-don't take this as a complaint! But how come you have so many flowers, but you only give me one or a few at a time usually?" she asked.



"I only give you the best flowers. The others are used for creating better flowers..." I thought for a moment. "... Would you... like more?"



"I would definitely not complain if you gave me more. The times I've been in your flower garden, I've always been gobsmacked by how gorgeous all the flowers are. I don't even know how you choose which one is the best!" she exclaimed. "They're really all so beautiful..."



"None can compare to your beauty, my Rosy," I said, caressing the side of her face. She made a sound that made me unsure if she was flustered or wanting to battle. "I will give you more flowers."



"O-okay!" she squeaked. "I'd love that..."



We picked up the pace and maneuvered around the forest trees. I didn't go at a high speed so I could continue speaking with Amy. She kept up with me with ease, using her hammer to launch her ahead whenever she fell a few paces behind.



She wanted to talk about living together in a more long-form sense, so I reintroduced the topic: "What do you want to discuss about living with one another?"



"Uh...! Well... We talked about it a little bit before, but since you're actually wanting to move your stuff out of your base... You could live at my house. I know it's small and there's not really anything there that's good for your maintenance, but... I dunno." Her voice started loud and confident, then ended in a shy murmur. "It feels more like home when you're there. We can move some stuff around so there's more that makes you comfortable."



I tilted my head, somewhat amused. She was too nervous about something I would have accepted with pride. "Alright, I will," I said.



"And I have a little storage room full of a bunch of junk! I need to clean it out. We could change that and make it more like a little workshop for you. It's that door next to the bathroom. I never go in it, really."



"That sounds good."



"Nova can live there, too! W-we'd have to wait to grow some trees I guess, you want to make your garden around here, but we could probably plant one in my backyard. It's a really small backyard, I mean, you've seen it, but I could put a bunch of stuff there to keep Nova entertained! A-and of course they're welcome inside."



She was yammering a little. She did not realize I already accepted her offer. She entertained me, so I kept letting her go on.



"To be clear, you could live there today if you wanted! N-not that you would, I mean, I know you want to stay to get everything sorted with Lonnie, and everything Belle is doing, all that stuff, but it's just to say that I don't mind at all that you're in your base form! Maybe I could make a secret entrance or some underground thing. Wait, is that allowed? There's probably some weird city limit rules... huh... A-anyways!"



She kept going.



"I know you want to build a house, and that sounds amazing! More than amazing! You're quite skilled in that kind of thing, right? You can like... have blueprints and stuff? N-not implying you're good at building only because you're a robot... Oh, man, am I being an ass? I'm sorry! My point is that it'll still take a long time to build something! Uh, I'll help too! Because we'll be living together? Officially? Maybe?"



I stared at her arms to see she was tightly gripping her hammer. She noticed where my gaze went and immediately relaxed, looking away with an intense blush. I was incredibly amused by her.



"S-so, uh. Yeah. What do you think?" she asked.



"Rosy, I accepted your proposal before you mentioned the storage room." My tone indicated I was pleased with her. "I will live with you, understanding the risks of staying in this form as I am. Also, I am only good at building because I am a robot."



"Oh...!" She coughed and cleared her throat. "O-okay! Cool!"



I laughed. She did not sound like herself. My response made her face redden even more. We stopped our travel so she could have a moment to recuperate.



"I-it just sounds weirdly mean to say you're only good at building for being a robot! I mean, you've done a lot of beautiful things, too..."



"Any one of those other pawns with proper schematics can make something. But everything I make is better because schematics make up only one part of the solution. When I build a home, Rosy, it will be perfect and unique for us," I told her.



She stared, wide-eyed, then giggled. "Okay...~"



"I'm amused you thought I would have to consider your offer. We have spent many nights together, often consecutively. You've been staying at the base for a little while. One can make the argument that we already live with one another."



"It's different!" she quickly replied. "Because, well... You'll still go wherever you want, there's no expectation that you'll come back. I never told you to spend the night or anything... You would come by when you wanted to. It made me really happy that you would come see me so often... But I had to remember that you were only visiting."



She sounded strangely sad. I wasn't entirely sure why... She didn't imply I did anything wrong, but the subject was about me. I felt confused.



"Uh... Not that I think you should only be at home... I want you to go wherever you like. Sorry."



I went an honest route with my next question: "Were you concerned I would not be happy to live with you, Rosy?"



"Uh..." Her tone of voice also caused her expression to change. She was sad. "Maybe a little... It's something I've beaten myself up about before, I guess..."



I turned towards her completely. "Why?"



"I'm gonna talk about Sonic," she mumbled. Ugh. Suddenly her apprehension made sense. Her previous infatuation with him affected her in ways that lingered, even after she moved past him. "Maybe you know or maybe not, but... Sonic actually doesn't live anywhere. He has a bunch of his stuff at Tails's workshop... or, uh, workshops, I guess. He hovers around one area for a while, but he's just as likely to spend the night out in a field as he is in someone's house," she explained.



I crossed my arms. I was not irritated with her, though I was naturally irritated with Sonic's horrible influence on her. She did not need to worry so much. He made her worry.



"I knew this when I had feelings for him, that he'd go everywhere. But I still hoped he would find my home a little more special or that he'd make an exception for me. I obviously love traveling! I love adventure, seeing what the world has to offer, but... I love going back home, too." She let out a softer sigh as she stared at me. I could see the love in her eyes. "I was so happy when you visited me all the time, started staying nights over... Sometimes I'd wake up and you'd still be there, or you would be making food... Sometimes I'd be out doing something and come back home and you'd be waiting for me. I can't describe how that feels... How much that really means to me. There's something about going home and not being alone anymore."



I slightly lifted her chin as I returned her gaze. Her words gave me incredible warmth... I loved Amy Rose more than anything. She would never experience loneliness again.



Amy put her hand over mine and leaned her cheek to my palm. "I know you're different... I just don't want you to feel like I'm tying you down. I-I know I'm being a little ridiculous," she muttered, averting her eyes. "Clearly you want to stay with me. You want to build a house, for crying out loud. I don't have many other references, is all... I made peace with the idea that I'd live alone a lot of the time even if Sonic reciprocated my past feelings."



I scoffed. "If you and the Hedgehog began dating, you would quickly realize he is a horrible boyfriend. You would have realized someone so obtuse would not be capable of growing beautiful flowers."



She giggled, standing up straighter and moving my hand down. She tightened her hold on my hand and gave me a warm smile. "I'm not exactly an expert in romance, even though I talk an awful lot about it," she said.



"You are perfect," I said with full confidence. "I feel free with you, Rosy, not tied down. My preference is to be with you every night if possible. I also like returning to a common space, knowing you're there."



"I love you," she told me with another gentle sigh.



"I love you too--"



Zrrrrt! She kissed me! I did not expect it. She let go of my hand and pulled my head towards her to kiss me. I briefly had no idea what to do with my hands. I eventually held her and pulled her against me, deepening our embrace.



We slowly let go of each other. Amy gave me a beautiful, shy smile. "I'm excited for us to live together for real," she murmured.



"We will aim for it to be sooner than later," I replied. I picked her up by the waist and sped away. We were standing idly for too long.



She squealed, then laughed aloud, one arm under my chest and the other clutched over my back spine, her hammer carefully angled to not cross my turbine. After a moment, I signaled that I would drop her. She elegantly landed on the ground, then bounded forward, keeping with my pace.



We ventured through different areas of the forest, finding different clearings, hills, points of interest. None yet felt like the perfect location. Even so, our conversation was lighter. Amy was in a much better mood and frequently made pleasant and teasing remarks about our future together. I was heartened.



"Hey, Metal."



"Hm?" I looked over to her as we raced towards another clearing.



"Can you hold me and do the spinning thing? You know, that twisty move you do?"



Her expression was very eager. I had the impression she wanted to ask me for a while. Without replying, I held her to my chest. She giggled as she clung onto me.



My eyes flashed as I prepared the move. I burst forward at an incredible speed and rapidly spun in a drill-like spiral. I stopped when we reached another clearing; she laughed despite her obvious dizziness.



I gently put her back down, making her collapse into the grass. "Hahah! Give me a second," she said, holding her head.



I stood beside her and surveyed the area. The clearing we were in was much larger... I gathered the dimensions. I knew where to place the greenhouse... I knew where the house would go.



"I really like this area," Amy said. She nearly read my mind.



It was very quiet... peaceful. The breeze gently brushed through Amy's quills. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.



"Yeah... This feels right. What do you think?" she asked.



"I feel an attachment here, too." I went over to the empty section that would one day be a house... "Is this large enough for you? This area?"



Amy got up and followed me. "Yeah! I could see a fancy little driveway... What direction is the nearest road?"



I pointed towards the closest highway.



"Oh yeah. Right here is perfect. Not too close, not too far..." She turned around. "Beautiful view... We're a little higher up, so we can see more of the forest."



I took her hand in mine. "I will mark this place... Priority will be the greenhouse. I'll spend any extra time gathering materials for that."



"Sounds great! Wow... We're really doing it, huh?"



I nodded. She grinned at me, then gently kissed me on the cheek-- she dragged me down into the grass, giggling. I abruptly sat down and stared at her. She flopped back into the grass and returned my gaze with shining eyes. I lay back with her.



The sky was partially obscured by white, puffy clouds. Amy watched them for a little while. Naturally, I preferred watching her. After a moment, her focus went from the sky to me. She rolled to her side and cradled my head with her hands.



She kissed me again, slower, more intimate... I wrapped my arms around her. My Rosy.



Her hands slid to the outer edges between my quills. She gripped me tighter.



Her body felt right against mine. I would keep her there. She belonged with me. We kissed again, enjoyed the silence between each other. Her breaths were soft, eager. I ran my claws down her quills and pressed her against me.



We had some nice moments together, just the two of us, out in the middle of nowhere... I loved it. I loved her. I loved her more than anything.



...



Her stomach growled. She groaned aloud, likely embarrassed, but it amused me greatly.



"Are you hungry?" I asked, leaning away from her.



"Hungry for attention. Come back," she whined.



I leaned in and kissed her one more time. "You've done a lot of running and we've been out for a while. Let's get something for you."



She sighed because she knew she wanted something to eat. "Okay, fine...~"



We both got up... And I had an idea. I picked her up, then I flew further inland. I went towards the swamp... Eventually, I saw the location I sought for.



"Big's house!" Amy happily exclaimed.



Big was in an open section of his home, reclined and relaxing in a hammock. His eyes opened as I approached and landed outside his home. A short moment later, he walked outside to join us. His expression was always hard for me to read, but I felt he was pleased to see us.



Amy jumped out of my arms almost too fast... I wasn't a fan. She lifted her arms excitedly to Big as she went up to him. "Hi, Big!" she called, then eagerly hugged him.



"Hey guys," he said back just as cheerfully. He returned Amy's hug. "What are you up to today?"



"Just exploring around," Amy hummed. "Have you eaten? Can we make something to share?" she asked.



Big slowly closed his eyes and gave a simple nod. "I grilled some fish a little while ago... You want any?" he asked, stepping back into his house.



"Ooh! Please!" Amy eagerly followed him inside. I was going to stand outside and wait, but then Amy peered through the door and waved for me to follow her.



The last instance I spent time with Big and Amy simultaneously while in my base form was months ago. I didn't feel the most prepared... but I thought Amy would appreciate having a meal here, plus it was closer than the base.



Big prepared a hot plate for Amy with some seasoned grilled fish, rice, and some greens. I wished I could eat it. I was curious about Big's cooking. Amy and I sat at the stump-like table, large enough to suit us and Big if he joined. I never told Amy how often I actually visited.



"D'you want anything?" Big asked me. His gaze towards me was patient. I shook my head. "Mmkay," he replied.



"Big! I won't dine and dash. How've you been?" Amy eagerly asked. Big sat across from us while Amy ate her food.



The two of them talked back and forth for a little while... I liked listening. Big didn't have much to tell Amy since he spent most of his days relaxing; the last thing he did that took much energy at all was the fishing trip we had. Amy could speak enough to fill any potential silence in the room, which was helpful since I didn't want to talk and Big wasn't a person of many words.



She talked about pretty much everything that wasn't the situation with the other robots. She mentioned how much fun she had at the fishing trip other than the scare at the end, then she talked about the Chaotix and how she had a fight with Espio. Big provided some gentle advice and hoped she would get along with them again. Amy said she felt bad, so she planned to do something eventually. I didn't know Espio was the one she fought. I was curious... Her mind took her to a different lighter topic, so she kept chatting on. I would ask her more later.



I leaned my head against one of my hands as I listened to her. I didn't notice I was doing it until she looked over at me and passed me a warm smile. I corrected my posture and put my arm down. As the conversation died down, Big asked if we wanted to fish, but Amy proposed a rain check. Amy insisted on washing her dish, then gave him another hug, promising to bring some gifts on her next visit. Big didn't seem to mind either way.



Eventually, they said their goodbyes. Big gave me a relaxed nod, which I returned. We peacefully left his home.



Amy told me yesterday she would be happy at our wedding even if no one was there. I supposed it wouldn't be entirely empty since she had friends who had no real problems with me. So long as I didn't threaten any of Big's friends, he accepted my presence. Maybe he even... liked my presence? I wasn't sure. I didn't want to think about it. I simply appreciated his thoughts about my own cooking. Amy enjoyed his food as well, so his feedback had its value.



"Wanna go back to the base?" Amy asked me.



I nodded. "We can take our time getting there..." I picked her up and flew above the trees, though I didn't go at any fast speed. "... You fought the Chameleon?"



"Oh, right. I was vague the day it happened, wasn't I?" she sighed. "They're my problem, so... Just promise me you won't get angry on my behalf."



"I'll attempt to remain neutral."



She rolled her eyes, smiling a little. "They know about us, so Espio said something stupid. I punched him. That's all."



"... You punched him?" I thought back to the day she was incredibly upset. She said words that surprised me then... Even though she fought the Chameleon, she spoke about how she sometimes hated Sonic. Amy didn't elaborate, so I decided not to push for more information. Regardless, he shouldn't have made her so distraught. He was lucky she told me much later.



Amy huffed and held onto me slightly tighter. "What he said made me go off the rails... Ugh, of course it was Espio."



"What does that mean?" I asked.



"I care about him, but we've always kinda had a thing," she explained.



"... A thing?"



"Like..." Amy sighed again. "This isn't the first time we haven't gotten along, and it won't be the last. Our personalities clash a little. Don't get me wrong, we've had a lot of good moments... Espio's a really good person. But he can be so... Rrrgh! Sometimes I wanna be petty and piss him off."



I found her extremely attractive. I decided to not tell her in the moment.



"Like, okay. To visualize this, let's have a spectrum." She held up her hands even though I couldn't see them behind me. Funnily, I knew what she was doing. "Sonic is at one far end of the spectrum, where he believes the best in everybody and tries to convince everyone to live a good life, so long as it doesn't interfere with others' peace either." She slightly moved one of her arms. "I'm like... maybe a bit closer to the middle, but I'm closer on Sonic's end. I think some people are rotten, but I don't think anyone's too far gone. If there's potential, there's potential. And then..." She motioned with her other hand. "Here's Espio, waaaay over here on the other end. His sense of justice is so specific that anything that crosses it is basically inexcusable in his eyes. He means well, but I feel so dumb because I told him about you and he's one of the last people who would ever get it."



"I see. By that logic, does he clash with the Hedgehog as well?"



"Not really. I mean, they've had their spats, sure. Not much really bothers Sonic, though. It all rolls off of him, which also gets to me sometimes. You know what that's like," she grumbled. "It's not just Espio, to be fair; Vector's also really protective. He might try to mediate, but I know he's just as horrified as Espio is," she sighed. "Okay, don't get me wrong... I really do feel bad for losing my cool like that. I don't want to hurt my friends..."



"I know you would disapprove of me encouraging you, but I appreciate how you've been protective over me as well."



Amy let out a much more dramatic, whimsical sigh this time. She hugged me and nuzzled her head against me. "It's their loss that they don't get to know you the way I do," she sweetly replied.



"Your rage and violence pleases me."



"Alright, calm down, hot stuff."



"I wasn't going to say more," I mumbled in turn. "... Your joy is just as intoxicating."



She smooched me. "So is yours~"



Since our conversation lightened, I increased my speed. Amy mumbled under her breath about something as we passed over the city. I looked at her, curious.



She giggled. "Sorry, just thinking about the driving distance. I look forward to being out of the city a bit more. So... what are you thinking with the greenhouse?"



I thought for a little while. "Nova lives in the produce garden, so when I build the greenhouse, I'll integrate features specifically for them. I'm also going to make a better section for the flowers that don't like as much sunlight," I explained.



"Aw! You want a better home for Nova? That's so sweet! There should be a little fountain they can swim in," she mused.



Not a bad idea. I did want Nova to better all their skills... I didn't want swimming to be their biggest fault like it was mine. Nova needed a fresh water source so they didn't dunk their head under the faucets in the garden all the time as well... They would probably still do that.



"Will I be allowed in the greenhouse?" Amy asked.



My temperature rose. "... Yes..."



"Really?" Her voice was higher, excited.



"Maybe."



"Maybe?!" she yelled. I laughed. "Too late, you said yes," she huffed.



"I'm happy you enjoy my garden, Rosy," I said, my tone lighter as well.



She kissed me again. "I love your garden. I look forward to whatever you give me next... Ah! I've been so bad with gifts lately," she groaned. Oh, she must have been referring to our tradition. She wanted to give me another letter. "When we get back, I need some time to myself... for, uh... reasons. Heh!"



"I wonder what you'll do," I said sarcastically. She bumped me, which amused me further. "I look forward to your next gift, Rosy," I told her, pleased.



"Good!"



After we passed over the city, I lowered myself down and let Amy go. We traveled through the forest towards the base. I almost thought she was trying to race me. She moved rather quickly.



We made it back to the cave. I held her hand as we approached the door. I put in the code, and finally, we were inside.



"I had such a nice time," Amy said, her tone soft. She leaned in and kissed me for far longer.



When her mouth left my muzzle, I caressed her head. "I did, too. I'll make dinner for you later, my Rosy."



Her tail wagged. Very cute... I loved her. "I look forward to it," she purred. She kissed me again, then we gently separated from each other. I watched her go down the hall.



...



I made my way to the laboratory. Belle waved at me as I entered; she was testing different stones against the Shield Crystal to try to get reactions. I waved back; I mentioned to her to go speak to Amy about her time at Angel Island at her nearest convenience. Considering Amy's lack of urgency, she likely didn't discover too much there.



Belle excitedly left the laboratory as soon as I mentioned Angel Island. I was alone once more.



I looked at my old body again.



...



I picked it up, then carried it to the elevator. Instead of ascending to the highest floor, I went to one of the floors I rarely visited. When the doors opened, I was greeted by complete darkness, viewable to me only by my night-vision.



I went down an empty hallway and wandered towards a large room in the back, what was essentially a factory. Other machines were created here at some point, ones that ended up taking residence on Little Planet. They were crafted, molded, given circuitry, given directives. A similarly empty room, no longer used, existing without any function.



I threw my old body against the wall. It clattered uselessly to the ground.



Whirrrr...



I rocketed forward and smashed it deeper into the wall. I pulled at its arms until they tore off their hinges. I grabbed it by its head and chucked it into the air. I went after it.



I grabbed it by the legs and smashed it back into the ground; stray parts slid across the flooring. I jabbed into the head again with my claws, ripped into it-- I pulled the head off and tossed it to the side.



I jabbed through the body's core. I ripped it apart. I tore through metal, claws screeching, wires snapping. I was angry. I was relieved. Excited. Happy. Mournful.



I said goodbye without my words.



I dumped the broken body parts into the factory disposal. A fitting end.



I walked over to the head. I opened the back and stared at the circuitry within. I carefully pulled out the metals I wanted, the files, the memories. The head joined the rest of the body parts.



I went to another section of the room and temporarily activated the area's power. All the lights came on at once, revealing stark white walls bordering an equally sterile factory. I examined the circuit boards in my hand. Parts of it shined a brilliant gold.



I would make a beautiful object built upon my original foundation, a creation far better than anything else made in this factory. It would be even more beautiful when she wore it.