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It was midnight-
No, it was past that. The sky had gone dark, cloudless and lit only by few stars.
Amy Rose would’ve taken a moment to appreciate them, if she had the opportunity-
But she instead found herself coughing as she brushed dirt off her cheek, holding tightly onto her hammer as she stared down a Metal Sonic covered in scratches, dirt, and mud, with pieces of rock becoming stuck inside his exposed wiring.
They’d been fighting for awhile, now-
Yet it all went so fast Amy struggled to recall whether it’d been five minutes or thirty.
Not that she had the time to recall, anyway- As Metal prepared to lunge at her, just as she began to lower her hammer-
She was incredibly tired, but managed to react fast enough- Well, nearly fast enough, Metal scratching her cheek as he lunged towards her, swiftly knocked aside by her hammer crashing into his chest.
Amy closed her eyes and grit her teeth as she knocked Metal aside, slowly, hesitantly opening her eyes as she went to look at Metal.
…
…She wiped a small amount of blood off her cheek, her brow furrowed- Though it was unclear whether she was angry or concerned.
Nothing.
Metal didn’t respond. He didn’t attack again. All he did was…
Lie there. He was just simply…sprawled across the dirt, sparks flying from his wounds.
He wasn’t going to hurt anyone- Not in that condition, anyway.
He’d been hurt- Badly. And more than what Amy believed she’d done. She wondered if Eggman had abandoned Metal, just like a few years ago, when they were little kids in that winter.
As Amy hesitantly lowered her hammer, slowly, carefully placing it onto the grass as she stared at Metal, he began to move once more.
Amy outstretched her hand towards Metal, as he used a tree to help himself to his feet, gesturing for him to stop.
“ Stop-” Said Amy, coughing slightly as she stared at Metal, looking both cautious and concerned.
She wasn’t going to leave him hurt- But she wouldn’t let herself be hurt, either.
“You’re…hurt.” Amy said as her tone became quieter and more concerned, with a hint of sadness.
She sighed as Metal dug his claws into the tree.
“...Neither of us can fight like this anymore, Metal, you should know that if your programming knows anything about your physical condition.”
“You’re hurt. Badly - And I’m too tired to fight any longer.”
Amy touched the blood dripping from the cut on her cheek.
She stared at the blood on her paw, for a moment, and then looked back at Metal.
“...”
“...Let me help- Please.” She said as she walked towards him slowly, reaching for something inside her pockets.
Metal couldn’t predict what she was going to take out of her pocket- He couldn’t predict her next action, he couldn’t fight much more, and he couldn’t think straight- Not like this.
He was heavily damaged, and…couldn’t attack Amy. Whether due to his physical condition, or his own choice.
…He didn’t attack.
Amy walked over to him as he released his claws from the tree, a clattering sound as he fell to the floor.
Amy crouched down beside him, once she reached him.
He slowly turned his head to face her.
…
There was a brief silence between the two, eventually broken by Amy’s words.
“...Here. This…helps most people.” She said as she took a small, pink band-aid from her pocket. On the band-aid was a small picture of a white cat with a yellow nose, wearing a bow near one of its ears.
Amy knew the band-aid wouldn’t be of much aid to a badnik, but-
She hoped…maybe the thought would count. She…felt like Metal hadn’t met much kindness. She… wanted to be nice, regardless of Metal’s goals or origin’s in relation to Eggman.
It must be lonely as a badnik. She didn’t want it to feel that way so much, even if she could only stop the feeling for a moment.
She carefully placed the band-aid onto Metal, before taking out another for herself, placing it over the cut on her cheek.
Then, the silence returned.
She sat beside Metal, turning to face the stars…and smiled, slightly.
Her slight smile dropped for a brief moment, though, as she became alerted when Metal began to move one of his arms upwards-
…Only to lightly touch the band-aid on his face.
As Amy looked at Metal, she smiled, and let out a small chuckle.
“Huh.” She said, looking at the position of Metal’s band-aid in comparison with her own.
“...We’re matching.” She said, smiling.
Unknowingly, Amy had placed the band-aid on Metal’s cheek- In almost the exact same place where her cut was on her own cheek.
Maybe, if Metal had a mouth to smile with-
…He’d smile back?
…
The two sat in silence for a bit longer, before once again being revived into conversation by Amy.
“...I…know a place we can rest.” She said, as she began to get up and reached her hand out towards Metal, offering to take his hand.
“It’s…not that far from here, I think. C’mon.”
Metal…slowly took her hand, and shakily climbed to his feet.
As Metal stood up, Amy began to lead him deeper into the forest-
…Until the two reached a small clearing.
And…there was bugs. Lots of bugs- Specifically, fireflies.
The first thing that came to Metal’s mind when he saw them was their existence-
How unnecessary it was, to be specific.
How they never had to exist.
And, coincidentally, just as Metal wished he could voice that thought, Amy began to speak-
“...Y’know, critters that glow are pretty rare on land.”
“Fireflies…never had to exist. But they do- And…even in the darkest nights,”
“...they make everything a little bit brighter. I’m…glad our world is like this. Even if we have constant battles, destruction, no matter what…there’s always love. Recovery. And…so many wonders.”
“Our planet is…special. Every one is.”
“I love this planet- It’s a good one.”
“...And I’m glad I can spend some of my time on it with you, Metal.”
…
As Amy spoke, Metal froze.
Well, not quite froze, but became completely speechless. He wasn’t stunned, but…he went quiet.
And he stared at the fireflies, thinking on Amy’s words as they began to glow so brightly.
Maybe... there's more to this world than what's been programmed into him.
Maybe..there's more than just the isolation and pain he's faced. Maybe...maybe there's a world out there, that he never quite got the chance to discover. And...maybe Amy is willing to bring him with her, to that world. And maybe, for once, things are going to be ok.
Maybe, just maybe, in that moment, as he stared at the fireflies, his robotic heart…began to beat.
And he held Amy’s hand, staring at the fireflies alongside her.