Amy's Acting Debut

Amy wasn't sure what she got herself into at this point.



Her situation started by accepting an invitation to a charity event; the money they made would go towards a non-profit organization that provided aid to children in need. There were different ideas to raise money floating around among the hosts of the event, and eventually, one of those ideas went to Amy:



"Hey, you're pretty cute. If you star in a short film during the charity drive, we could raise money with ticket sales!"



Amy appreciated the compliment, but acting? Not necessarily something she's done before... But it was a nice opportunity, and regardless of her performance, the short film would be a way to spread the word and get some charity donations. Plus, maybe acting would be fun! Amy was never one to shy away from something new.



She accepted the proposal. The film pitch had her in a leading role as a young woman who builds up the courage to confess to her life-long crush before he moves overseas. Short, tragic, and full of character. Even a short film required a lot of money to get going, though... Luckily, the production had been paid for!



So came the next dilemma. The payer had the name of an unfortunately familiar company… Even worse, the sets for the short film were hosted in that same company's studio. Amy just had to see the word 'Egg' for her heart to sink. Eggman, of all people, financed the production for charity.



Amy grilled the event hosts for what deal they made for Eggman to get involved at all. The hosts insisted everything was green and above board; they recapped their meeting with Eggman and even shared the contracts with Amy as proof. Nothing seemed out of place, but this was Eggman. She found it more important than ever to stick around in case of any funny business.



The whole ordeal finally led her to the front entrance of a building labeled 'EGG-TV' with gaudy lights. Eggman having a film studio of his own wasn't exactly out of character, but she couldn't wrap her head around why he'd pay for a film that allowed the hosts full creative control. He had no direct hand in the props or anything; he just had the location.



Well, the only way to find out was to actually go inside. Amy sighed to herself and walked in.



Near the entrance to the different sets stood Eggman and his faithful servants, Orbot and Cubot, on a floating platform just as gaudy as the rest of the building. Members of the production crew alongside workers for the charity event surrounded him. Eggman passionately threw his arms out: "Welcome all to the greatest place in all of Studiopolis! I guarantee you'll have a fantastic time using my facility! Only quality projects are made here, so quality is what you'll receive! If you have any questions or require any assistance, reach out to Orbot." Eggman lowered his arms and gestured to the small red bot beside him.



"Please don't need my assistance," Orbot yawned. Eggman stepped on him, making him yowl in pain. "I-I'm here to help however I can!"



Eggman lifted his head and huffed. "Now, if you'll excuse—" His head craned towards Amy, who had her arms crossed. "You?!"



Amy glared at Eggman while he used the platform to float over to her. "Yeah, happy to see you too," she grumbled.



"What are you doing here? Can't you see I have no time to play with rodents?"



"I'm here to act for the movie you paid for," Amy said with a scowl. "Check the cast list if you don't believe me."



Eggman snapped his fingers at Cubot, who immediately handed him a stack of paper.



Eggman mumbled to himself as he flipped through the papers. He stopped and adjusted his glasses. "... Huh, you're telling the truth."



Amy rolled her eyes. "Uh, yeah. And it's a good thing I'm here, too. What do you have planned to be financing something that gives you no benefit? And don't give me that 'oh, I love charity' kind of crap."



"Can a man not love theatrics?" he asked with a scoff.



"Oh, I know you do. But this is actually a good thing. You do understand that, right? Charity is good?"



"What, you want to hear about how I want all the little orphans to starve?" he sneered sarcastically. "I don't care about charity either way, but I do care about good business, if you really have to know. Funding a pathetic film like this leads to bigger fish down the line. Good business, good profits, good funding for my projects. If I wanted to take over your little event, it would have happened already and you would be in one of my underground prisons."



She did wonder how he managed to make so much mechanical garbage to litter the planet with. It made sense, but... There had to be something. She raised a brow and stared at him. "One of your underground prisons?"



"No more questions! I can't have you scurrying around my property alone." He clicked something under one of his gloves.



She heard the clanking of steel hitting the ground. Amy gasped; Metal Sonic walked over from nowhere, glowing red eyes piercing and spiteful. She instinctively reached for her hammer— no, it wasn't the right time. She cautiously stood by instead.



"Metal, do not leave her side while she's in this building and keep her out of any restricted areas."



Metal beeped something in protest, pointing at Eggman.



"I don't care if you think it's beneath you. Do it, boy!"



Metal crossed his arms and impatiently tapped one of his feet.



"This only makes you look worse, Eggman!" Amy exclaimed. "What the hell are you hiding to make Metal watch me?"



"Nothing, I just like my privacy and the only person I trust less than you is that blue rat you associate yourself with. Now, I have other business to attend to. Oh!" Eggman's tone of voice changed immediately; he offered Amy a colorful brochure. "Here's points of interest and a map showing your sets and the dressing rooms. Enjoy your stay~!"



Just like that, he floated away. Amy sighed and glanced down at the brochure in her hand. The colorful design certainly reeked Eggman.



"Just so you know," Amy huffed, "I have no interest in sneaking around... But if there's evidence of something fishy going on, I will not hesitate to fight. You got that?" She lifted her head to look at Metal.



Metal's eyes flashed red. He poked her chest and beeped something to her.



Amy didn't know what he said, but she squinted back at him anyway. "... I'm as happy about this arrangement as you are," she eventually sighed. "Well... Whatever. I guess I'll go talk to the people in charge of the film's production." She walked forward— the heavy footsteps followed her closely behind. At least Metal following her around meant he wasn't wreaking havoc elsewhere...



She tried to brush aside her foul mood from having to deal with Eggman. From what she could tell, the production set was harmless and no one around seemed fishy... But she couldn't let her guard down. She worked with the crew for the entire morning, got some practice in, then went to the studio's cafeteria for lunch. She had to give Eggman some credit; the food was pretty good.



Eating at the cafeteria even came with a lunch buddy! She held a sandwich in her hands while sitting at one of the many tables there. She raised her brow at Metal, who sat across from her. "Yeah, I gotta agree. This is beneath you."



Metal didn't respond, instead glaring at her.



"Ooh, you better be careful. I might be planning something with this sandwich," she said sarcastically.



He rolled his eyes.



"Seriously, though. Do you really have to be following me everywhere? You can't just watch from a distance or something creepy like that?"



He crossed his arms. Obviously, he couldn't answer her with complete sentences.



"... You know what, I guess this is better. Kinda nice to be around someone I know, even though we're not best friends or anything." Amy shrugged, then began eating her food.



The quiet between them was less awkward than Amy expected. After a few minutes, Metal averted his eyes, propped an elbow up, and rested his head against his hand. He seemed to be lost in thought.



Amy watched him. "... You know, this is one of the few times I think I've seen you just... chill. I guess you get dragged into Eggman's shenanigans just as much, huh?"



Metal glanced at her, then averted his eyes the other way, leaning more into his hand.



"Today's been peaceful, so I'll give him that... Maybe he is working on some schemes, but with you hanging out here while he talks about cameras or whatever, I guess things might be okay? Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna let my guard down. I just feel like chatting, I guess."



He looked at her again. She was chatty.



"Food's not too bad, either! I watched the caterers make it, so I know it doesn't have anything weird. Yeah, I'm being that paranoid about your boss."



Her caution came from years of having to deal with the guy, so Metal understood. If Eggman told him he had no ulterior motives, he wasn't sure he'd completely believe it, either. Metal himself sure didn't have an ulterior motive... He wished he did. His mission really was to just follow Amy around.



Amy sighed to herself. "We haven't done any actual acting yet, but it's coming up soon. I'm a bit nervous," she admitted. "I'm not really much of an actor, but they wanted me in the role even knowing that. I'm doing this for free though, so that balances it out..."



She finished her food, then rested her head in her hand similar to what Metal did.



"I know you don't have much of a choice, but thanks for listening. You're not acting all sassy so I guess you don't care how much I talk."



He narrowed his eyes at her. Amy giggled.



"Are you denying that you act sassy? Or do you actually care that I'm yapping?"



Metal extended one claw.



"Oh, the sass then. You're definitely pretty sassy," Amy said with another giggle. "You were telling off Eggman first thing today."



Metal slightly gestured his hand towards her as if to say, 'Fair point.'



"Well, you won't have to deal with me for too long. Since it's a short film, there's not a super amount of scenes I have to do... But it is a main role, and I'll be sticking around to help with other stuff, so... I dunno. The production isn't the most organized. They should've handed me the full script a while ago but it seems like they're just writing the end now." Amy shrugged. "Well, it's an indie project, I guess. Eggman probably knows more about the acting business than I do."



Amy checked the room for a clock.



"On that note, it's time to get back. Welp, here we go." Amy stood up, then clapped her hands together. Metal stood after her and followed at a bit of a distance.



Metal hadn't seen many movie sets himself, though he had to agree that whatever group Amy acted for wasn't that well put together. Amy was firm with others when they tried to dismiss issues, and despite being ill-prepared, she tried her best. They were practicing scenes, so they weren't exactly dressed for the roles yet... Amy was cute, though.



Cute? Metal annoyed himself for even thinking that. She fawned too much over the Hedgehog anyway. Then again, the last time he saw them together, they didn't seem to be affectionate with one another. Not that the Hedgehog could ever handle someone as headstrong as Amy Rose, anyway.



Wait, why was he thinking about that? Metal quickly refocused. He was here to watch Amy and prevent her from wandering anywhere she shouldn't. That was it.



With the average work day done, Amy went to her designated dressing room to grab the stuff she brought over. Of course, Metal followed her inside.



Amy didn't seem to have much energy. She hardly commented about Metal, instead picking up her belongings and heading right back out the door. Partway through her gloomy walk, she shook her head and clenched her fists. Metal had the feeling she was internally encouraging herself.



"Okay! Tomorrow's going to be a good day!" she said, firm. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Metal. You are relieved of Amy duty for now," she continued with an exaggerated bow. She smirked, then left the studio.



Metal followed her at more of a distance just to make sure she actually did leave... And she did. He returned to the studio to make sure everything was in order.





Amy arrived at the studio the next day, and not too long after, Metal arrived to watch her. Amy was surprised in how much she didn't mind it. Metal couldn't exactly answer in-depth, but she liked having someone to talk to. Trying to act felt a little less daunting too, knowing there was a familiar face in the crowd. Weird how even Metal could calm her down. She supposed having a lot of history together helped.



Lunch time again. Amy didn't seem as cheerful as before... Unnaturally quiet, actually.



Something possessed Metal to beep at her. He supposed it would be bad if she ended up going on a rampage and tried to destroy Eggman property or something.



Amy lifted her head and looked at Metal. "Huh?" she asked. "... I guess I am being a bit quiet, huh? My enthusiasm about this project is kinda tanking. It's for charity, so I want to go through with it, but it's frustrating..." Amy sighed. "I mean, you've been watching us, right?"



He gave a single nod. Though, if he was honest, he was mostly watching Amy.



"You can probably tell it's a bit of a wreck, then." Amy picked at her food; this time she had a salad full of greens and croutons. "And the director has a million things to say about my acting performance. I'm not a professional! They knew that, but they're treating me like I've been acting for years!" She growled. "I don't even know some of the terminology they've been throwing at me! I had to look everything up on my phone. Like, how the hell do they expect me to know what 'blocking' means in an acting context?! I'll block them aside the head!"



Metal was really watching her then.



She blushed a little. "... Sorry, I guess I've been holding it in all day. They're good people, it's just..." She sighed again. "I thought it'd be a bit more fun, but it's more stressful than anything else. I should've rejected the offer and decide to do some silly home movies with friends or something, then send that in. People would probably pay to see Sonic do something stupid on camera," she said with a shrug.



... Metal would, especially if Sonic hurt himself doing something dumb. He nodded.



Amy smiled at him a little. "Maybe..." She sighed, frowning right after. "Maybe I'm also a little bothered why they cast me. They wanted me to play a bigger part because they think I'm cute. And... I think that's flattering, but..." Her ears flattened. "Whatever, I'm overthinking it. Complaining isn't gonna get the project over with. I just have to keep reminding myself it's for charity. In the absolute worst case, they can just get someone else. There are lots of cute girls out there..."



If Metal thought Amy was cute, of course, everyone else would also think so. Metal had impeccable taste. He had to disagree with her, though; there were not any other cute girls out there. Actually, all of them were ugly. Luckily, he had no mouth to tell her that, since it would probably incite her fury. Or... unlucky...? Metal was confusing himself.



"Hmm... Metal, do you like girls?" she asked.



Metal snapped out of his train of thought and stared at her, pupils completely shrunken.



She giggled. "You look surprised. I was just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."



He crossed his arms and looked down, not yet replying to her.



"I wondered who you'd cast if you got to choose," she said, smiling. "I'm not sure who I'd choose, honestly..."



Metal unfurled his arms and looked away. He pointed at her, then just as quickly re-tucked his arms.



"Me?" Amy asked, blinking. "... You'd still choose me? Is that what you're saying?"



He went completely still, refusing to meet her gaze or respond to her at all.



"... That makes me kinda happy, actually," she quietly replied. "I mean... You take me seriously. That's... something I appreciate. So there must be other qualities about me that must be worthy of the camera, since acting sure isn't it," she continued with a snort. "Or maybe you'd choose me because it means I'm not in the battlefield, huh? Am I making you sweat too much?"



He looked at her and squinted, then beeped a longer reply. He pointed at her again.



Amy giggled. "While I'm not sure what you're saying, I have a feeling you're telling me you can handle me just fine. I guess you're right. It takes a team to take you down. A group of Amy Roses, though? You'd be toast."



He clenched his fist at her, making her giggle again.



"... I guess that's the problem too," Amy eventually sighed. "I like feeling cute... I'm glad people find me cute. But I'm a fighter over that. I love love, so I don't mind having a very feminine role... a dainty, lovestruck girl who wants to confess... But it's..." Amy rolled her eyes. "I guess I'd just make some script changes myself. I brought them up, but they seemed to not really care about my suggestions. I worry that anyone watching would view me that way... I don't know. Maybe pretending to be a fawning girl hits a bit too close to home."



Metal met her gaze this time. He watched her out of curiosity more than anything else.



She blushed again. "... I'm getting a bit too personal. Sorry," she muttered. "Thank you for listening to me... and humoring me. I didn't think I'd have that much fun talking to you, but... I do!" Amy gave him an earnest smile. "I like getting to see you this way. I think it's so easy to forget we all have our own things going on despite our opposing sides... I guess it's not surprising for, like, Orbot and Cubot, but I haven't thought much about what you do in your downtime. Like... What kind of hobbies do you have? Is there anything you like doing other than, uh, destruction?"



He slightly tilted his head.



"... I guess that's not something you can answer easily, huh? I'm just kinda rambling anyway—" She checked the clock in the cafeteria. "Gah! Okay, I gotta eat!" She leaned down and began stuffing her face.



The day continued and Amy went back to practicing. A lot of her scenes were by herself, while a few were with another main actor— the character her character had feelings for. Metal paid more attention to the whole set, which gave more context to Amy's frustrations. He could tell her patience with the group was thinning. She had an argument with someone at some point... Kind of amusing to see others face her wrath. She was passionate— that's what he found actually cute about her.



... She wasn't going to stick around the studio for too long, so Metal was glad he wouldn't be dealing with his strange thoughts for an extended period of time. Watching Amy became a confusing endeavor. He thought it'd be more boring, but...



The end of the day came again and Metal followed her back to her dressing room.



"I think they'll only deal with me a week at the most, so there's your time limit," Amy sighed. "That's probably about how much I can take, anyway. I'm gonna do my best to swallow my pride tomorrow. It's not like I like arguing with anybody," she explained. "You overheard the fight I had, right? Like, do you agree that I wasn't the one in the wrong there??"



Before Metal could give any response, she held her hand up.



"Wait, no. Sorry. I'm just frustrated. Ignore me," she sighed again. "I'm being selfish. I should just deal with it. It was never about me and I gotta stop acting like it is..."



Even if Metal could give her a proper response, he wasn't sure what to say. He thought her referring to herself as 'selfish' was laughable, though. He didn't expect her to have such wavering confidence.



"It's for the kids. I just gotta keep saying that. For the kids!" She threw her hands up. "And maybe Eggman will want to advertise his company, so he'll promote the short film too. As much as I hate to say it, I hope he does that. Even people like him can be helpful once in a while, I guess."



The two of them began walking back to the entrance once Amy had her belongings.



"Welp, that's another day done. Hope it's not too boring for you to walk me around," Amy said to Metal with a smirk. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Metal!" Amy parted from him with a small wave.



Metal was stunned she waved at him at all. She was so... friendly. Not to mention, she opened up just as easily, too. Why? More questions that confused him the more he thought about them.



Ah, well. They would have to see each other again the next day, so he needed to be ready for that.





So came day three. Amy was in higher spirits than the previous day.



"Metal!" She called, fists excitedly clenched. "Be prepared today 'cuz you might malfunction otherwise. You'll see my dazzling attitude at full capacity."



He crossed his arms as he looked at her. She had quite a lot of energy. Really cute... Couldn't let her know he was thinking that, though. He rolled his eyes instead.



Amy smirked at him. "Hah, we'll see how aloof you are afterwards. Okay! It's game time. Wait, I gotta put my stuff up. Oops." She practically skipped towards the dressing room.



Like she said the previous day, she put all her grievances aside to focus on the point of the film: doing something nice for the kids in need. The morning would be spent practicing more, then they'd dress in their costumes for actual filming. Amy acted with much more gusto this time and she swallowed her comments whenever the director had something to say to her.



Metal could tell she was swallowing a lot of comments. She couldn't help but get more and more annoyed, but she rolled with the punches, accepted criticism, tried to get back on track... After a certain point, though, she did bring up script changes again. She felt her character didn't have enough tangible interests, so she wanted there to be a little more. The conversation almost became an argument again, but she stopped before she got too ahead of herself.



He was curious if she'd talk more about it at lunch.



When the actors were called away and the crew went off to lunch, Amy rejoined Metal off the set. Her joyful visage immediately disappeared as soon as the cameras turned off. "Okay, let's go to the cafeteria," she said with a surprisingly calm voice.



Well, Metal supposed he wasn't the target of her ire. They walked together to the cafeteria and Metal waited for her to get more food. She chose some pasta this time. Rather than chat, she focused completely on downing her meal.



The way she scarfed down her food, though... Angry might have been an understatement.



Metal rested his head in one of his hands again and patiently waited for when she'd be ready to speak.



She slapped down her fork. "They said the script changes I asked for made my character sound too 'manly'," she scowled. "Wanna know what the 'manly' script changes I asked for? Giving her running as a hobby. I wanted to kick everyone there in the crotch. Even worse, I was told to stick to acting. What an ass."



Ooh, she was going to rant after all. Metal kept his focus on her and listened.



"Let me explain— I thought the change would be good for my character, especially since, at the end, she's supposed to catch up to him when he's about to leave. I thought it'd make sense on how she's able to get to him so quickly, and it also gives her more than just, oh, look at me, I'm in love," she grumbled. "I get it's a short film, but that doesn't mean you have to have characters with no substance. I wasn't even asking for a lot. And for that proposal to be manly? I'm sorry, have they been outside in the last two hundred years? What kind of backwards thinking is that?"



Amy stared down at her empty plate, then pushed it away, leaning back with another sigh.



"I'm trying to not take any of it personally, but I can't help it. People used to view me as a girl who was only in love without any hobbies or interests... And from my eye-opening experience here, they still do. Love is so powerful... it's incredibly beautiful. But love is in everything, not just..." She flailed one of her hands in dismissal. "I like to think of love as something that empowers me, but being in love doesn't define me. I don't think it defines anyone. Does that make sense?"



Metal stared at her for a little while, then looked away... Oh. He looked back at her again, then traced a rectangle shape with his claws.



"... Hm?"



He pointed at her, then made the shape again.



"... Oh, are you... You want me to get out my phone?" Amy reached into one of her pockets and pulled her phone out.



He gestured with his hand, indicating he wanted her to hand the phone over.



She squinted. "Why?"



He made an irritated beep and squinted.



"... Fine, but I'm watching you." She handed him the phone.



He typed onto the screen for a bit, then handed it back to her. She saw her messaging app open; Metal's name was at the top of the screen, while his phone number was a long, strange series of numbers. A message suddenly appeared:



You show an incredible amount of restraint, but it sounds like you need to teach them a lesson.



"Ohh... Hey, good idea. Now we can have full conversations," Amy mused. "Um... Okay, look, I'm not gonna punch anyone or whatever."



A shame. Assert your superiority in other ways, then. Threaten to pull out if they continue to disregard your input and speak to you in such a way. You mentioned before they cast you because of your appearance and they are fairly inexperienced as filmmakers, so use your position to your advantage. They are likely taking advantage of the fact that you're sticking around for charitable reasons, so they think you're unlikely to leave, despite your protesting.



Amy smiled a little as she read the message. She glanced at Metal: "I appreciate your thoughts... I mean, I think you're right. I'll try to have a genuine talk with them before we start filming. I'm... surprised you have much to say, though."



He gave a more unamused stare.



Allowing other people to belittle you is annoying to me and unbecoming of you.



"... That's weirdly sweet?" Amy went, raising a brow. She smiled more. "I think in most situations I would've smacked them with my hammer by now... But I guess it's true I've held back a lot because I knew the money made would go towards a good place. Like... I don't know. Maybe the short film will suck, but it'd still do something. I'll try again in making it suck less, though there might be creative differences in the end." She shrugged. "I guess we'll see. I'll let you know how the talk goes, though I guess you'll have to be around anyway because of your mission, huh?"



I will allow you limited distance.



Amy snorted. "Gee, you're so generous," she jokingly replied. "... Oh, hey. I can ask you more open-ended questions now! I really gotta know what you do in your downtime."



He tapped his claws against the table in thought.



The answer is not very interesting. I don't do much outside of the work I do for Dr. Eggman. Sometimes I consume media or travel.



Metal had other hobbies, but he wasn't exactly inspired to share them. He continued:



Why do you want to know anything about me anyway? We're not allies.



"Well... I dunno. I don't like people viewing me as someone so one-note... I imagine you might feel the same. You're not just a robot following orders, are you?"



His pupils narrowed. He didn't expect her to say something like that.



... It took a while for another message to appear on Amy's phone.



Regardless, I am evil. I hold very little value towards this world and all who inhabit it.



Amy laughed. He pointed at her and beeped something, challenging her.



"I dunno, just you saying you're evil sounded really dumb."



How is that dumb?!



"Because evil people don't just go, ooh, I'm evil," she giggled. "You have to commit evil acts. Sure, you've done some of that in the past, but... I mean, people can grow, can't they? I see why Sonic's interested in you becoming his friend."



Something that will never happen for as long as I exist.



Amy smiled. "I'm just saying it's interesting. I know we're still going to fight, but I do like this rare time we can talk. I wouldn't mind if it happened more often. No ulterior motives," she lightly teased.



Metal rolled his eyes. He'd believe her statement when the depths of Red Mountain froze over.



She was quiet for a little while. "... You said me allowing others to belittle me is annoying to you. Why does that annoy you?"



...



You are an adversary I consider worth fighting. Losing insignificant battles of your own also looks bad for me.



"I see," she muttered. Amy had a feeling there were some unspoken words at play. He was being weirdly nice... but she challenged him enough. Her smile softened. "Thanks for answering my questions, Metal."



He averted his eyes and didn't respond.



Lunch ended, so Amy went back to work. Before she stopped by her dressing room, she went to have a talk about her place in the production... Hopefully a cordial one.



Metal watched from a bit of a distance like he said. From what he saw, the conversation went well. Her expression was rather kind, then changed to firm— she said some words that made others recoil and frantically reach out to try to 'calm' her down. Amy stomped one of her feet and pointed at them as she spoke. That was the Amy he knew.



Amy returned to Metal with a cheerful grin. "We had a great discussion! They even apologized for their harmful biases. Hopefully they've learned better. As for my criticisms about the script, we reached a compromise on some small changes. I gotta get dressed for the scenes, though. C'mon." Amy walked past him to go to her dressing room.



They entered the room as usual... Amy crossed her arms as she turned to look at Metal.



"... Okay, I have to, like... change clothes. Give me some privacy!" she huffed. "I'm not going to set anything on fire or whatever Eggman thinks I'll do."



Metal slightly shook his head, then turned around to face the door. He crossed his arms too as he waited.



"Thank you~" Amy went over to the provided closet and changed into her clothes. She sighed. "Can't say I'd pick these clothes for the character... Eh, I'll pick my battles. This is fine. Ooh, I do like this bolero, though."



She chattered as she usually did. Her cheerful mood was genuine this time... It was nice.



"Okay, you can turn around! Look, nothing's broken," she teased as she threw her arms out.



She wore a moody dress, some pumps, and a cute, lacy bolero.



"Not really sure what time period they're going for, but hey. Do you think I pull this off?" she asked.



Truthfully, it didn't matter what she wore; she was still— no, he had to stop that thought. He wasn't sure how to respond...



"Rhetorical question," she chuckled. "Alright, I'll do my best out there. Gotta go get my makeup and quills done next."



When it was time for the filming to begin, Metal watched with significant interest. She did seem to have more energy than before, so she took the criticism she received seriously. Between scenes, the discussions she had with others appeared more friendly. She looked like she was having more fun.



... That was... Good? Why did he— wait, yes. It was good because it meant she wouldn't do anything to the studio. Metal nodded to himself.



The day came to a close, bringing Amy back to the dressing room. Metal gave her privacy to change back to her usual clothes, then watched her at a vanity while she wiped makeup off her face.



"I think I got the scenes by myself down pretty well... It's the scenes with other people I'm struggling with a lot. But... we're getting somewhere! I feel a lot better about what we're doing," she explained. "I can't say acting is a hobby I'll exactly pursue, but it's nice to know I'll probably survive the rest of this week. I'll give you some credit, Metal. I probably would've kept bearing it if you didn't encourage me to be more firm."



Metal tilted his head.



He had a question for her... For some reason, though, he struggled with the idea of sending her the message. He nervously tapped his claws against his arms as he got lost in another train of thought.



Amy didn't yet notice his inner struggle: "I used to play pretend a lot as a kid! I'm trying to channel that energy. Though, when I played pretend, I was usually, like... An ancient warrior princess." She laughed to herself. "Can't say they'll buy that pitch, though," she said lightly.



She ruffled her quills and stood up from the vanity. "Time to go home..." She picked up her phone and checked it. "... Aw, you haven't had anything to say to me, huh?"



Metal stared at her, slightly surprised.



I don't often have much to say.



Amy smiled more. "That's fine. I speak enough for a lot of people, I think. Heh."



I do have a question for you.



"Hm? What is it?"



You spoke about others perceiving you in a one-note way as a girl in love. Is that something that even applies to you anymore?



Amy chuckled. "Ooh, is this a roundabout way of you asking if I like anyone? You never even told me if you like girls. Or anyone else! I don't judge."



He slightly pushed her and let out an irritated beep. Amy laughed; that was the biggest reaction she got out of him so far.



"Truthfully, I haven't been in love in a while. Sometimes I debated with myself if I ever was in love. Feelings are confusing," Amy said with a shrug. "I mean, I don't really have to tell you who I had feelings for. At some point, I realized I wanted something different than he did. Even if he felt the same way about me, I'd probably be acting my whole life, pretending I don't want the things I do. I guess I'd become a really good actress then..."



The two of them walked out of the dressing room together and went towards the entrance.



"I've done a lot of self reflection, working on myself. I want to fall in love again, but... I hope, the next time it happens, it's with someone who wants that, too... And someone who isn't afraid to challenge me and be challenged by me. If anything, I realized I want a guy with a backbone. The person I liked was always too afraid of hurting my feelings, but that's what ended up hurting the most."



He sounds very pathetic and flimsy and also ugly. It is fortunate you realize such a person is beneath you.



Amy blinked, then checked her phone. She laughed. "You have a lot of adjectives for this person... I wonder why," she teased. "Backbone or not, I still love my friends. All of them," she said, smiling. "I'm really... curious. Since we've been a bit more friendly— by choice or not— I've thought more about how you express yourself. I've seen you angry plenty of times... You get sassy, you're inquisitive, irritated... Metal, have you ever been in love?"



He looked away from her. They could feel the silence weigh between them...



Amy checked her phone and saw no message. "... Alright, maybe a bit too personal. Thanks for listening anyway," she said, smiling. "You find people to be worthy fighters. I gotta wonder who you'd find to be worthy friends, or worthy lovers," she chuckled. "Don't take anything I say as, like... Pressure. I'm just chattin'."



He slightly shook his head and lifted his hand to dismiss the notion.



"The routine continues on! Have a good one, Metal." She waved.



... He waved back.



Amy passed a pleasant smile, then left.





The next day started as cheerfully as the last, but this time... Hmm, something was different. Not with Amy, but...



Metal stared at Amy with a much more ominous... energy. He was straight up glaring at her. Amy raised a brow as soon as they met.



"Everything good?" she asked.



He was rigid, unresponsive. Didn't let up that glare.



"Geez, did Eggman scold you about something? I haven't done anything wrong," she said with a huff. "I just got here, and nothing should've been out of place when I left."



Still nothing.



"... Alright, not feeling very responsive today, I guess? I'll just head to the dressing room." Amy shrugged, then walked on. Metal followed behind her as he often did.



He was even more rigid in the dressing room. It was like a statue of him blocked the door, turned away to at least give her proper privacy. He didn't even move to look when she was dressed.



She tapped him on the shoulder—



He sharply turned and took a defensive stance. After a few seconds, he put his arms back down, then he turned his head back towards the door.



"... You're acting so differently," Amy mumbled. "I won't make you talk, though. Let's go, weirdo."



They went to one of the filming sets, and so, Amy's work began. She went through more of her scenes; a few scenes were refilmed from yesterday, while most were newer. To her credit, she continued improving! Even better, there wasn't any trouble brewing with any other crew members this time.



Metal went back to focusing only on her. Nothing else mattered— he had to do his mission, then leave it at that. Some foolish thoughts from the previous day bled into his productivity, which was unacceptable. Maybe it was part of a scheme of Amy's after all. He figured out why she was too friendly— it was to mess with him.



And she wouldn't win. He was better than that. There was nothing to be confused about, certainly nothing to fantasize about. So what if she accepted the fact that the Hedgehog was a pitiful choice of lover? He didn't care who she went for. Didn't care about anything. And he was far above having any sort of lover himself.



...



Watching her act with the other lead in the film skyrocketed his internal temperature. He trembled with the desire to fight. He needed to—



To do what?



His only mission was to watch her. She was where she was supposed to be. He monitored her successfully. That was it.



Lunch time again. Metal followed her to the cafeteria. Amy was still in her costume. Her quills had been brushed to the side and her bangs were straightened down, slightly covering one of her eyes. She blew her bangs out of her face and gave him a slightly silly smile.



Skreee! He accidentally raked his claws against one of his crossed arms.



Amy glanced at his arms, then back to his face. "Uhh... Anyways, I'm kinda feeling that sandwich again. I'll have to get my makeup re-applied anyway, so why not something a little bit messier?" Amy shrugged. "Be right back."



He sat at the same table they did before. In just a few minutes, Amy returned and began chowing down.



"Alright, I'll bring it back up. Why are you being so weird?" Amy asked. She put her sandwich down and placed her phone on the table to bring up her messages with Metal.



He didn't answer.



"Giving me the silent treatment? I thought we were actually connecting a bit," she sighed. "... Just in case, I didn't, like... Offend you or anything, did I? Wow, listen to me. I'm actually worried about that with you."



His eyes flashed red. A group of messages appeared one after the other:



What offends me is that you think I would care enough to be offended. No. You did nothing.



I feel nothing. You have not made me feel any sort of way. I do not have feelings.



It is my current duty to watch you so that is what I'm doing. You attempted to diverge my path by your scheme of friendliness, but it does nothing, it affects nothing, it is nothing. You will never have the upper hand.



"Ho-ly." Amy took a minute to read through the messages a few more times. "... You sound kinda mad for someone without feelings," she hummed.



You project your inferior emotions onto me.



"Mmhm." Amy raised a brow at him. "You think my friendliness is a scheme? Why, because it made you feel something you're scared of?"



He pointed at her and began beeping out some long sentences. He definitely sounded angry.



"I can't understand what you're saying, Metal," she sighed.



A message suddenly appeared:



Fear is an emotion, and I don't have those. I have never felt fear. I am fearless. It is you who must fear.



Amy smiled while reading.



Refusal to take me seriously will be your last regret.



"Ooh, threatening me now." She glanced up to look at him again. "I'm smiling because you're totally full of it. I think you're one of the most emotional people on the planet."



He banged one of his fists on the table and beeped something— he quickly realized his reaction. He crossed his arms again and looked away, pretending he never did it at all.



"I think there's something Eggman could never teach you, but... Better late than never," Amy said, slightly tilting her head. "Feelings are powerful, but they can also be terrifying. Doesn't matter what kind of feeling. It's cheesy, but it's true. If you're acting like this, then... Maybe you liked talking with me?"



I do not like anything. I do not like you. I hate you.



Amy smiled more. "Hate is a feeling. So you do feel, then?"



Metal beeped something to himself, sounding irritated. He didn't send her a message in reply this time.



"Well... I like talking to you, Metal. It's been nice. I won't tell anyone about our conversations, if that's what you're worried about. Like, if you want to keep up this cool image or whatever."



He glared at her.



Nothing I do will ever make me less cool. I am perfection incarnate.



She giggled. "Okay, Metal. When you decide to be honest, let's chat more." She turned off the screen of her phone and continued eating.



The silence was less daunting this time... Metal stopped glaring, instead losing himself in thought once more. Amy left him alone; he needed it.



Back to acting. Amy liked the routine the different days brought her; she felt refreshed after talking to Metal over lunch, regardless of the subject. While she got into her scenes, she also looked forward to the time spent with Metal afterwards. Was that weirder than his behavior? Maybe she just liked hanging out with Metal for some reason.



He was interesting, to say the least. He clearly lied in his messages and he had nothing to say when she called him out on a contradiction. She hoped he'd come around to being forward again... With what he said, he probably liked her enough that he made himself uncomfortable.



She was certainly comfortable with him, though. Maybe too comfortable, honestly. Amy hoped for something that probably wouldn't happen since he was loyal to Eggman. She didn't want to get too ahead of herself... Sonic had a lot more enthusiasm about turning people over a new leaf more than she did.



He wasn't entirely wrong about her projecting her emotions onto him. When she ranted about how others viewed her, she realized that Metal might have gone through something similar. She felt a strange connection hard to describe, but... Maybe she was just making it up. Amy flubbed up one of her lines since she got lost in her own train of thought. She sighed and restarted her lines from the top.



Definitely one of the weirder days. After her scenes were over, she went back to the dressing room. Just like earlier, he was totally rigid, refusing to move all while staring at the door. Amy didn't bother him this time; she went up to the door, and together they left down the hallway.



She felt a stare as she walked. She glanced over at Metal— his gaze was surprisingly soft compared to before. He looked away only after a few seconds. Whatever he was thinking, he seemed calmer. Still no messages on her phone, though.



So it was time to leave once more. Amy turned around to look fully at Metal one more time.



He slightly raised his arm and waved at her.



Amy blinked. She waved back and grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow, Metal."



Later that night, she received a sole message:



I do not hate you.



She smiled more to herself. As much as she'd love to, she wouldn't tease him for it.





Metal acted more like his usual self when he and Amy met up the next day.



"If everything goes well, this'll be my last day of filming," Amy said to Metal cheerfully. "Maybe I'll stick around a bit after that, but... I'll do my best! I think I've improved a lot. You've been watching, right? What do you think?"



Metal slightly averted his eyes. He wasn't going to answer her, but he at least wasn't a glaring statue anymore.



"Well, I feel great, in any case," she huffed. "We're filming the climax of the film today... Admittedly, I'm kinda nervous. It's easy for me to get in the zone of imagining mushy stuff on my own, but I'll have to confess my love to another actor... Feels weird."



Metal lifted his head. Amy suddenly had his interest.



"Ah, well. It'll be nice to get all this acting stuff out of the way. I'm happy to help, but maybe next time I'll offer to sell some crafts or something," she continued with a chuckle. "I wonder if we'll get to talk after today. That kinda feels weird too..."



Amy made the quiet between them more awkward for herself as they went to the dressing room. Her heart ached a little and she wasn't sure she was in the mood to contemplate on why. If their time to be peaceful was ending soon, she had to enjoy what was left.



"... H-hey, uh... I'm downplaying it a bit. I'm really nervous, actually," Amy muttered. "Could you help me out?"



He beeped, unsure how he could genuinely help her.



"I'll tell you more in a bit. Let me get changed first..."



Metal crossed his arms, turned away as he patiently waited for her to get dressed for her last few scenes. He noticed she sighed to herself a little more often. A part of him wanted to ask her for more information, but she wasn't the type to necessarily conceal much; he'd know soon.



"Okay, you can turn around. I wanna talk to you a bit more first," she said.



Metal turned back around and watched her curiously.



"Could I practice here with you as a stand-in for the other main actor? You don't have to do lines or anything... Uh, not implying that you— nevermind." Amy cleared her throat. "I want to get these lines right and I feel more comfortable with you than with a guy I don't know."



He stared at her for a while, then pointed at himself just to confirm.



"Yes, you. Is that okay?"



After a brief moment, he stepped forward. That was as clear as an acceptance as she would get. Amy smiled, then grabbed some paper containing her script. She took a deep breath.



"Wait!" she called, reaching for Metal. His pupils narrowed. "Please don't go... Not yet. I... need to tell you something. I've carried this for so long. I—"



Her stare was full of yearning. She took a step closer to Metal.



"Ever since we first met, something about you made me feel different. Every time we were near one another, my heart would race. No matter how many times I saw you, how many times we spoke... My heart wouldn't stop pounding." She took one of his hands and placed it against her heart.



His turbine whirred as he stood there. Despite not moving, his eyes followed Amy.



"I was too scared to say something. I know there is a lot in the way, but... I don't care anymore. My heart beats for you."



She tightened her grip around his hand.



"I love you... I've always loved you. I'll keep loving you... No matter the distance. I—"



Pop! A strange sound came from Metal. Amy briefly broke character; her eyes widened and she glanced at his body.



His eyes fizzled with static and he collapsed.



"Metal?!" Amy rushed down to him and tried to prop him up. She winced. As soon as she touched his torso, she had to pull away; his body was burning hot. "What's happening? Sh-should I get somebody?"



His eyes blinked off... His turbine stopped whirring. Dead silence.



Amy frowned. "Metal...?"



After a moment, his eyes blinked back on. His turbine came on again, at first blasting air, but then it returned to a low hum. Metal's eyes darted around the room, eventually settling on Amy—



He pushed her away and scrambled up to his feet.



"Hey!" she snapped. "I was just—"



He slammed the door shut behind him as he left. Amy blinked.



She checked her phone. No messages. Huh... She walked over to the door and opened it. He really wasn't around. Apparently he could disobey orders.



She blushed as she sat with her thoughts. Did he not like being a stand-in after all? Was her acting… Bad? Good? Or maybe...



She slightly fixed her quills, then walked on to get her makeup done. Her practice with Metal was a good enough warm-up, she supposed...



The acting day began and they went through their final scenes... Or, well, tried to. Her practice with Metal threw her off. She couldn't really look at the other actor, and when she did, she kept messing up her lines. They would've been finished by lunch if she didn't screw up...



Amy sighed; maybe she needed the lunch break. While walking to the cafeteria, she glanced around for Metal. She had no idea where he was or if he was even in the building. He didn't show up when she got her food... The table felt awfully lonely.



Still no messages. She'd send one herself, then:



Hey, is everything okay? You're not hurt, are you?



She imagined suddenly collapsing like that couldn't have been enjoyable. She blushed... It was worrying, but he did that after her character confessed her love. Was it... a lot for him?



Believe it or not, I care about everyone's basic well-being. I don't want to have killed you with my acting or something.



She was probably worrying too much. Amy sighed and put her phone aside to focus on her food. She had the worst lunch yet... She looked forward to lunchtime before because she could yap to her heart's content with Metal.



She missed him. She admitted that much to herself, at least. After she finished her food, she sent another message:



Lunch was boring without you



And there was plenty of time to kill before the break was over. Amy groaned and let her head fall to the table.



She hated even more to admit it, but... The way he collapsed was kind of cute? Amy covered her face and squirmed in her seat. What was she even thinking?



Footsteps. The table slightly creaked ahead of her. Amy's ears twitched, then she slightly lifted her head.



Metal came back! He sat there with his arms crossed, looking away. Amy's tail rapidly wagged.



"Glad I didn't scare you off forever!" she beamed. "I mean, you have a mission to watch me, after all. Of course."



He gave a single nod.



"So you're okay?"



He refused to look at her. Eventually, she got a message:



Your concern is ill-placed.



A roundabout way of saying he was fine, but she'd take it. "Um... Can I ask why you fell to the ground like that?"



No.



She snorted. "My fault for asking that way. As long as you're fine, I guess it's okay. Could you tell me if I did a good job, at least?"



He didn't respond for a while. Eventually:



It confused me.



Amy stared at his message.."Wh... What do you mean? Like..." She frowned a little. "Was my performance not clear enough?"



He didn't answer her that time. In fact, she couldn't get anything out of him the rest of the break... He at least stayed there with her, though.



Amy walked back towards the set to get her final scene in: the confession. She couldn't genuinely connect with the other actor to make her performance feel authentic, meanwhile she didn't have that trouble with Metal. He said her performance was confusing, but that was better than unusable.



She brought herself back to the moment she practiced with him and began speaking her lines. "Wait!" she shouted. "Please don't go... Not yet." She remembered the blush on her face, the desire in her voice. Her heartbeat quickened when she took his hand and placed it over her chest. She couldn't fake those reactions... She wasn't that good at acting.



Wait, what was she thinking? She stared in shock on set, right after she finished her lines. She was lucky her expression matched the scene.



The crew applauded. They said her performance was fantastic, miles above everything they tried earlier that morning.



... Metal was right. It was confusing.



After the filming wrapped up, Amy looked around for Metal. He definitely followed her to the set and she could have sworn he watched her...



Skreeeeee! His claws repeatedly raked against a metallic wall all while he hid his face against it. He did it so much that there were streaks from where he dragged his claws.



"Uhh... Metal?"



He completely swiveled his head to look at her. After a few seconds, his head turned back and he let go of the wall. He rejoined her.



"Well, filming's done. They wanna do a wrap-up party, but... I felt like I didn't get enough time with you today. Hanging out this week has been..." She blushed. "Nice, I guess. Um... I kinda... got what you meant, when you said my acting confused you. Maybe..." She sighed. "I'm kinda rambling. I want to chat with you, is all I mean. Maybe whatever feels confusing can be... less? Or something?"



His pupils dilated as he stared at her. Eventually, he averted his eyes.



"I-I'm probably not making much sense. I still got nerves from acting before, I think. Um... You know what, it's fine. I'll go get my stuff." Amy walked past him to go to the dressing room.



... Amy heard Metal's footsteps behind her. She smiled to herself.



Not a word passed between them as she dressed back into her normal clothes and got her stuff to leave the building. They walked together to the entrance.



Amy turned around— she slightly raised her hand to wave, but hesitated. "Well, I'll see you sometime I'm sure..."



Metal walked up to her. Not a second later, she got another message on her phone:



You said you wanted to chat about something.



Amy smiled more. "... Yeah! I do. Come on," she said, walking away from the building.



Metal followed her; she slowed down so they'd be side-by-side. Amy eagerly talked to him about whatever was on her mind as they strolled down the nearby street.



Amy didn't find out why Metal reacted the way he did, but maybe she'd find out the next day... Or the day after that? Maybe even a year from then after time spent and hobbies learned and facts shared.



She'd know for sure eventually.