#okay but imagine knuckles has an echidna daughter

[shadamyheadcanons]

Headcanon #284: Heart of Gold

((Inspired by a recent post that shared this cool fact about Amy:

Apparently, one of Amy’s special abilities is “searching for gold.” Who knew?

This headcanon is rooted in the Shadow the Hedgehog route known as “The Black Hero’s Rebirth.” It’s very similar to the “Miracle of Love” route in that Shadow is kind of a dick until he meets Amy and immediately becomes purely heroic for the rest of the run, but this one has the “bonus” of Shadow ditching Knuckles in Glyphic Canyon right before he meets up with her.))

Cross-posted on AO3

--

Amy’s breathless laughter died down as the latest episode of their favorite show drew to a close. She turned her smile Shadow’s way.

“Thanks again for hanging out with me, Shadow. I never have anything to do on Saturdays.” After a moment, her eyes bugged out. “Wait, no! I don’t mean you’re a last resort or anything! I really--”

Shadow held up a hand to stop her. “I knew what you meant. I’m glad to be here.” She sighed in relief.

He almost said ‘I feel lucky just to be a part of your life at all,’ but that felt like a bit much. Instead, he asked, “Why? Are all your other friends busy on Saturdays?”

“Yeah, but I can’t exactly blame them. I never used to be free to hang out on Saturdays. I used to go treasure hunting with Knuckles every week!”

Shadow’s ears perked up. “You did?”

Amy bobbed her head, suddenly looking excited. “You bet I did! One sec...”

She opened a drawer on the underside of the coffee table in front of them. She shoved a few papers aside to reveal an object underneath. “Aha!”

With a flourish, she held aloft a faded red scrapbook. She set it down carefully on the table. Messy handwriting spelled out “Amy and Knuckles’ Treasure Hunting Adventures!” The letters got more cramped as they spread across the cover, as if the writer had run out of space and was struggling to fit the whole phrase. Underneath the title, a barely-legible signature read ‘Amy Rose,’ while Knuckles had signed his own name more neatly beside it. Heart and gemstone stickers peppered the cover. The spine of the old book made a quiet crinkling noise as Amy carefully opened it.

“Aaaand...here it is! This is from our first day!” Amy declared, smiling down at the picture glued to the first page. It showed both Amy and Knuckles looking at least a decade younger than they currently did. Knuckles wore the same cowboy hat and brown jacket he always did for such adventures, and apart from having less height and muscle mass, he looked mostly the same.

Amy was a different story. Her bright smile showed she was missing several teeth, and her quills were wild and sticking out, barely contained by the ribbon she’d tied around them. She wore an oversized hat and jacket that matched Knuckles’ own. The garments dwarfed her tiny frame, but they did nothing to hide her excitement, obvious as it was in her stance and her smile.

“And this was at the end of the day! Knuckles was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle it or that I’d be afraid of getting dirty, but I sure showed him!” Amy’s grin was proud, but it was nowhere near as wide as the one on her face in the second picture. Patches of dirt covered her fur and clothes. Knuckles was resting an affectionate hand on her hat, as if he were patting her on the head to congratulate her on a job well done. He was matching her radiant smile with a proud grin of his own.

Shadow had long suspected that Amy saw Knuckles as an older brother or even a father figure at times, and the look on her face in the picture said it all. Judging by Knuckles’ own fond gaze, it seemed it wasn’t entirely one-sided, either.

“I was exhausted the next day, but it was totally worth it...Shadow?”

Amy’s inquisitive tone snapped him out of it. He opened his mouth to reply.

This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

He paused, then instead said, “Knuckles looks like he’s your dad.”

Amy burst out laughing. “Don’t tell him that! You’ll make him feel old!” She turned the page. “It was originally supposed to be just a day trip, but it was so much fun that we made it a weekly tradition! Sonic and Tails never wanted to wake up early enough for it, so it was just the two of us.”

She turned page after page, showing pictures of the two of them as the years went by. Amy slowly but surely grew into the hat and jacket, and they both cycled through pairs of boots as they grew out of them. Their grins never faded. They started trying out different silly poses for the pictures as time went on: they’d stand back-to-back, flex their muscles “sarcastically,” or Knuckles would give Amy a piggyback ride. Shadow hid a chuckle at that one.

“And this was taken deep underground in Mystic Cave Zone! It was the first time Knuckles brought me spelunking,” she continued. In the picture, she was happily curled into a snug little nook in a cave wall. Knuckles was crouched just outside of it, and they both wore harnesses and helmets. He was carefully holding the camera to get both of them in the shot. The nervous look on Knuckles’ face as he kept an eye on her made Shadow wonder if she’d wanted to go in the past and this was just the first time he’d said yes. It was clear the day had been special to her; the page was covered in extra pickaxe and flashlight stickers.

Amy turned another page, then gasped. “Oo, this is the day where Cream joined us! We went hiking in the Gigan Mountains that day. Check out all these action shots she and Cheese got!”

The images on the next few pages were a step up. With Cream and Cheese’s aerial mobility, they’d captured some great angles. Apparently, though, the excitement had proven to be too much for them. The last image featured Cream sleeping in Amy’s arms while Knuckles held a drowsy Cheese and took the picture. Nevertheless, the action shots were indeed impressive. One showed Knuckles scaling a wall while Amy leapt up behind him, and another featured Amy using her propeller hammer to cross a gap he was gliding over.

Shadow hummed quietly, impressed. “You really kept up, huh?”

She nodded proudly, beaming. “Not just any hedgehog can keep up with an echidna on a treasure hunt, so I made my own way! I can’t climb as fast as Knuckles can, so I learned my super-high double jump. And I can’t glide like he can, so I taught myself how to propeller-hammer!”

Shadow admired her proud smile and ingenuity. That’s just like you. It doesn’t matter which abilities you don’t have, you always find your own way. I wish I were half as adaptable as you.

“Uh, Shadow? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Realizing he’d been gazing dreamily at Amy, Shadow wiped the look off his face. “It seems like this was really good for you,” he pointed out, hoping to shift the focus.

It worked. Excitement immediately bloomed across Amy’s face once more. “You bet! And it wasn’t just the trips themselves. We found some super cool treasure, too!” She flipped to the end of the book and worked backwards, showing picture after picture of valuable gems, gold, and other minerals. Some especially eye-catching rocks--Amy’s favorites, no doubt--were taped to some of the pages. One of the photographs made Shadow stop her. His eyes shot wide open.

“Is that a Chaos Emerald?!”

“Yup!” she confirmed, beaming. Her grin turned fond as she gazed at the picture of her holding the Emerald aloft while Knuckles grinned up at her, posing proudly with his arms crossed. “Knuckles could sense it, of course, but--!” she paused, holding up a finger for dramatic effect. “He didn’t tell me ahead of time! He put together a bunch of hints to send me on a scavenger hunt, and I found it on my own. It was so much fun!”

Shadow couldn’t help but admire her enthusiasm once more, though he hid his reaction this time. “That’s...actually really sweet.”

Amy bobbed her head. “And that’s not all! Every year for my birthday, Knuckles would make me jewelry with the treasure we found! I still have all of it.” Sure enough, various necklaces, bracelets, and other bits of jewelry were affixed to the pages.

Shadow’s eyes widened. “I knew Knuckles made Rouge’s engagement ring, but I didn’t know he could do all this.”

“The Knuckles Clan wore a lot of it. He’s spent a lot of time working backwards to figure out the methods they used to use. That way it won’t all be lost.”

Shadow nodded as he examined the jewelry in front of him. “Looks like it’s paying off.”

“Mhm! And some of it’s functional, too! I always wear this one.” Shadow looked back up to find Amy was reaching underneath her collar. She pulled out a pendant with a carefully-cut, multifaceted gemstone set into it. “Knuckles made it for my thirteenth birthday with some treasure we found on a week-long trip to Angel Island.” The gem glowed with a dull green luster. Shadow could feel a faint power emanating from it. The energy was weak, but it was there.

He narrowed his eyes. “Is that...”

She shook her head. “Not quite. It’s Mock Emerald. It’s weak, but it can almost match the real thing...and that’s not all!” she declared, clearly excited to share her knowledge. “Ever wonder how I can always find Chaos Emeralds in a pinch?” He nodded, and she looked back down at the pendant. “With a dash of Chaos energy, Mock Emerald can be used to track down the real thing.”

“Really?”

She nodded and smirked. “I can always tell when you have a Chaos Emerald on you. Like right now.” Shadow’s eyes widened at having been caught, making Amy giggle. She looked back down at the pendant. “It’s one of my most prized possessions.”

Shadow’s heart practically melted at her fond expression. I’ve never seen her so happy. “It seems like it meant a lot to you.”

Amy nodded. She looked back to the scrapbook and smiled down at it. Her smile turned more distant than before. “These are some of my most cherished memories. I wouldn’t have half the skills I have now if it weren’t for these adventures.”

Shadow frowned. “So why’d you stop? What happened?”

Amy’s smile turned sad. “Rouge happened.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

Amy glanced back up at him. Upon seeing his expression, she flinched and waved her hands in panic. “Wait, no! I don’t mean it like that! It’s not like she--she didn’t do anything wrong!” Amy went back to the scrapbook and hastily flipped to the next page. The next picture featured Knuckles, Amy, and Rouge. Rouge was decked out in her own, more stylish treasure hunting gear, and she was leaning on Knuckles, making him blush a little and avert his eyes. Amy was standing on Knuckles’ other side and smiling up at the camera, but it wasn’t as brightly as before. “I was fourteen when Knuckles finally made a move and asked her to join us. It was about time!”

Shadow nodded cautiously. He remembered the two years they’d spent dancing around each other.

Amy turned another page. “She started joining us every week after that. It was fun.”

To anyone else, she would have sounded sincere, but Shadow paid Amy far too much attention to be fooled. He looked over at her in concern, but she kept flipping pages, focusing on the task at hand. As the pictures progressed, Rouge got closer to Knuckles, and after a while, she even shifted to stand between him and Amy. Amy’s smile looked more and more fake with each adventure, but Knuckles seemed oblivious to the change. Rouge’s smirk only grew with time. Shadow’s stomach turned.

Amy winced just slightly at the next picture. She quickly hid the expression, but Shadow saw it. “Right! Uh...this was taken at Labyrinth Zone,” she muttered hastily.

Shadow scanned the picture, expecting Amy to be hiding behind a rock or a ruin somewhere for a joke. “I don’t see you. Where are you?”

“See, half of Labyrinth Zone is underwater. Knuckles can hold his breath for a long time, but we can’t. I sat out so he could lend Rouge his air necklace.” She pointed to a small, vaguely bottle-shaped necklace around Rouge’s neck. It was a little hard to see given that she was practically glued to Knuckles by that point.

Shadow did a double-take and squinted at Amy. “Wait, you didn’t get to go? They left you behind?”

Amy froze for a moment, as if surprised that he’d pointed it out. “Well, I...I mean...” She recovered. “I’m a better swimmer than Sonic is, but hedgehogs aren’t great in water! You know that as well as I do! I only would have held them back.” There was just a hint of pain in her smile. She probably thought she was hiding it well. “Knuckles only has one air necklace, and he’d always wanted to go hunting in Labyrinth Zone. And between you and me...” She held up a hand next to her mouth and mock-whispered, “He swiped some lapis lazuli and cassiterite from their stash and gave it to me. Don’t tell Rouge!” She giggled.

“Mhm...” Shadow crossed his arms, not feeling much better at the admission.

“I got to join them next time, though!” Amy blurted out, trying to change the subject. “I discovered an underground cave when I was hanging out at Big’s house in the Mystic Ruins! We brought Rouge and Knuckles with us the next time. It was a blast!” There were enough images from that trip to fill two pages. Most of them featured the four of them racing around in mine carts: Knuckles and Rouge were cowering in one and holding onto each other for dear life, while Big and Amy shared the other. Amy giggled. “Those two were trying so hard to pretend they weren’t scared. I teased them about it the whole way back! I almost lost my camera, though. Big hooked it on his fishing line to take these.”

Her wide smile had returned, but it faded once more as time went on. “I’d already visited Mirage Road once with Blaze, so I skipped out on that one...and I stayed home when they went to Wild Canyon, too. There was a lot of digging for that.” She let out a weak chuckle. “I’m a force to be reckoned with when I pick up a shovel, but burrowing entire tunnels is a bit much for me...” She rubbed her arm and looked away. “And I skipped out on Sanctuary Falls. It was too high up. They were pretty close by then. I didn’t want them to have to keep an eye on me the whole time.”

After a few more pages, Amy was practically absent. There were a few more trips with Knuckles and Rouge alone, but she eventually reached a blank page and stopped. “That’s about it.”

Shadow’s heart clenched. “That’s it? Why’d you stop?” he demanded, wishing he didn’t know the answer.

She lifted her knees to curl up into a ball. “I dunno, just...I felt like a third wheel. They were finally getting closer, so...” She tugged at a thread on the couch, and her nose wrinkled just slightly. “Plus Rouge and I didn’t get along very well back then anyway. It just got less fun, and I knew how important it was to Knuckles. So I backed off.” She perked up and beamed. “And I was right! They got married just a few years later!”

“But what about you?”

She deflated and tilted her head at his blunt interjection. “What about me?”

He choked, indignant. “It meant a lot to you! It was your tradition. You and Knuckles started it. You’re the one with the scrapbook,” he snapped, gesturing to the old, carefully-maintained book in front of them.

“Well...it was our tradition, but...it’s theirs now,” she muttered, ears drooping. “I just wanted him to be happy. It’s important.”

A growl built up in the back of Shadow’s throat, startling her a little. He grit his teeth. “His happiness is not more important than yours, and hers isn’t, either!”

Amy winced. “Shadow...it’s not a big deal. I...”

“Hmph.” Shadow stood up with a purpose and took her hand to pull her to her feet.

“WHOA! What are you--”

“You need to get changed,” he stated simply, taking out his phone. “Go. I have a phone call to make.”

She choked. “Wait--huh? Why?”

He kept scrolling through his contacts. “Because I’m not letting you go treasure hunting in flip-flops.”

She just stared at him in confusion for a moment, but then her eyes bugged out in realization. “Wait, Shadow, no! You don’t have to--”

“Amy.” He placed a firm hand on her shoulder to stop her, then looked up from his phone. “This is happening. I’m making it happen.”

She just held his gaze for a while. Soon enough, though, her eyes started to water, and she couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across her face. She made a happy little squeal and pulled him into a tight hug, almost making him drop his phone. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

She dashed off to get ready. Shadow managed to hold back his smile until she was out of sight. His customary scowl returned when he looked back down at his contacts list and dialed his best friend’s number. She answered a few seconds later, and he wasted no time. “Don’t leave for your trip with Knuckles yet. You’ll have two more people joining you.” She responded with a confused, slightly whiny protest, and he snarled in response.

“I. Wasn’t. Asking.”

--

Shadow, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge materialized at the entrance to a wide valley surrounded by towering rock walls. Shadow put away his Chaos Emerald and examined the area, noting the conspicuous absence of the moss-covered stone ruins he’d personally helped Black Doom lift into the sky long ago. He cringed. It just HAD to be Glyphic Canyon, didn’t it?

“Just like old times, eh, Shadow?” Knuckles joked, nudging him with his elbow. Shadow just grunted in response.

“Wait, you two have been here before?” Amy asked.

Knuckles crossed his arms and looked around, probably noting the canyon’s differences just as Shadow had. “We ran into each other here years ago during the Black Arms’ attack, but we got separated pretty quickly.”

Shadow cringed. More like I abandoned you immediately so I could help Black Doom launch a devastating attack on the people of this planet. A planet I’ve grown to love...thanks to her. He peeked up at Amy out of the corner of his eye. Thank Chaos I ran into Amy right after that. If it weren’t for her compassion...

Amy cocked her head, probably wondering why Shadow was staring at her again. She grinned and hopped over to link arms with him. “Don’t worry! You’ve got an expert navigator with you this time. You’ll never get lost with me by your side!”

He nodded his head with a grunt, choosing not to correct her assumption. He subtly admired her smile and let her cling onto him as they approached the first rock wall. He purposely avoided Rouge’s knowing smile.

--

The canyon’s path started out mostly linear, so Shadow had no trouble keeping up at first. As time went on, though, the path got steeper, and sheer cliffs stretched up ahead of them. Without any climbing prowess or absurdly high double-jumping, he was struggling. He improvised using his knowledge from ten years ago, jumping off a few leftover crumbling pillars to make his way upward. Remembering the locations of a few strong updrafts, he used the wind to ascend as he had before. He was still panting before long, though. Luckily, Amy picked up on this, and she hung around to make sure he never got turned around or fell behind. She helped him up some of the steeper cliffs and found shortcuts so they could catch up with the other two when they got too far ahead. He counted himself lucky; without her, he definitely would have had to stealthily use Chaos Control to make up the distance, and he knew he’d never hear the end of it if anyone else found out.

Shadow finally hefted himself up one last ledge to join the other three, trying to hide his heavy breathing. Knuckles smirked at him, not looking winded at all. “Having trouble there, Shadow?” he teased, smirking. Shadow crossed his arms and looked away.

“Hmph. I’m perfectly capable of keeping up on a hike. I handled this place before, and I can do it again.”

“Really makes you respect Amy that much more, huh?” Knuckles replied, clearly seeing through him.

“I have always respected Amy.”

Knuckles looked confused at his blunt reply, while Rouge quietly snickered.

“Well, I think he’s doing a great job,” Amy chimed in shyly, giving him a supportive smile. He nodded in gratitude, trying not to show how flattered he was.

“Especially considering this isn’t really his thing,” Rouge added, then smirked at him. “Something about this really must’ve piqued your interest.”

Shadow rolled his eyes and looked away from her again, afraid he’d snap at her if he didn’t. “So what exactly are we looking for here? You said it was some kind of door, right?”

Knuckles nodded. “It’s right up there.”

He turned around and pointed up at a rock ledge ahead of them. A set of well-worn steps led up to a vaguely rectangular ancient black stone with an all-too-familiar spiky red symbol set into it. Two stone pillars rose up on either side of the base of the stairs, both topped with spherical, glowing green jewels that Shadow couldn’t help but recognize. Knuckles stepped over to one of the pillars and pressed his palm against the pedestal at its base. “I couldn’t open it last time I was here. Those gemstones up there glow if you touch them, and it makes the symbol on that door light up, but it just fades after a minute or so. I couldn’t get anything else to happen. The rock is too tough to punch or dig through. I can’t even read these runes to try and get a hint. I’ve never seen them before, like they’re in a completely alien language. I was hoping Rouge might be able to find a way in.”

Rouge looked around and checked out the other pillar. She squinted at the runes as well. “I’ve never seen these, either. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.”

“Umm...” Everyone looked up toward the door. Amy was standing beside it, examining its surface. “Isn’t this the same symbol that’s on your bike, Shadow?”

“It’s not just on my bike.” Shadow approached the door. “You two. Touch the gemstones up there to activate them,” he commanded. Knuckles and Rouge climbed up to do so. By the time Shadow reached the top of the stairs, the symbol on the door was glowing, just as Knuckles had said. Shadow looked down at his own hand. He took a deep breath and then removed his glove. The red stripe on his arm ran down to the back of his hand, where it curled into that same spiky red pattern. Amy gasped. He hesitated briefly, then pressed his hand against the symbol on the door.

A soft chime emitted from behind the wall. For a moment, nothing further happened. Then, the ground around them started to rumble. Rouge stayed airborne to avoid it, and Knuckles clung onto the pillar. Amy stumbled and latched onto Shadow’s arm with a yelp to stay standing. Shadow removed his hand from the door and stepped back to keep his balance.

In front of them, the door shook and rumbled. It slowly began to sink into the ground. The motion kicked up enough sand that Shadow had to shut his eyes. He felt Amy bury her face in his shoulder to avoid it, and he held onto her reassuringly.

After a few seconds, the rumbling died down, and the ground stopped shaking. Shadow hesitantly blinked his eyes open to find the dust had settled. He peeked down at Amy. “Are you alright?”

She lifted her head and met his gaze. She nodded and turned back to the other two. “Knuckles? Rouge? You okay?”

Rouge landed safely next to them with a nod, and Knuckles jogged up the steps to join them. He took a look down the dark passage in front of them, then grinned at Shadow. “Looks like you came in handy after all, Shadow!” He playfully punched him on the shoulder. Shadow grunted and tried not to flinch at the hit.

On his other side, Amy reached down to hold his ungloved hand. “What is this, anyway?” she asked, lightly tracing the pattern on his hand.

“It’s the symbol of the Black Arms,” he explained, enjoying the pleasant feeling. “Black Doom told me this area was a holy ground for them. Touching those jewels activates the ruins’ power.”

Rouge and Amy made noises of intrigue, but Knuckles held up a hand. “Just a second. If it’s some kind of holy ground, I don’t know if I feel comfortable with this. I don’t want to loot the place.”

Shadow scoffed. “Hold on, let me check with every remaining member of my race just to make sure.” After an awkward pause, he nodded. “It’s unanimous. Let’s go.”

Amy and Rouge laughed nervously at the morbid joke. Knuckles, on the other hand, smiled reassuringly and gave him a heavy pat on the back in understanding. He retrieved two flashlights from his backpack and handed one to Shadow, keeping one for himself. They switched them on and ducked through the door.

Shadow felt Amy link her arm with his. When he peeked down at her, she glanced around at their surroundings, then looked up at him with a concerned expression. She silently mouthed, ‘Are you alright?’

It took him a moment to realize she was referring to the aversion to cramped spaces that he’d developed during his time in stasis. His heart softened. He nodded, touched that she’d remembered. “I doubt it’ll stay this way for long. Black Doom wouldn’t want to have to duck the whole way.”

He was soon proven correct. The passage widened, and the ceiling rose as well. At his own mention of Black Doom, however, Shadow grew nervous. What kind of obscene deities would the Black Arms have worshiped? Maybe this isn’t such a good idea...

“Stay close,” Shadow muttered, nervously pulling her closer by the arm. He didn’t look at her, afraid she’d be spooked, but she happily walked closer beside him.

Rouge and Knuckles were leading the way. Rouge peeked back at them every so often, not even trying to hide her smirks. He rolled his eyes each time, knowing he was just one snarky comment away from snapping.

It wasn’t much longer before the four of them turned a corner that led to a much wider space. Knuckles and Shadow aimed their flashlights all around the room. It was far larger than an average cathedral, though there were no seats; Shadow wondered if Black Doom simply felt his subjects weren’t worth the effort. A mass of gold and treasure was piled high at the base of an altar. Shadow dragged his eyes higher with trepidation, dreading whatever disgusting deity he might find...only to be met with a giant statue of Black Doom instead, arms outstretched over the pulpit.

Shadow stared at it blankly. Of course he was that arrogant. Why am I even surprised?

Rouge seemed unconcerned. She squealed in excitement and dashed over to the treasure. Amy wasn’t far behind.

Knuckles stayed back with Shadow for a moment and scratched his chin while the other two fawned over the treasure. “It’s been a while since Amy came with us. I was starting to wonder if she thought she was too old for it or something. I’m glad she changed her mind,” he said, beaming. “It’s always been good for her.” Shadow nodded. Knuckles examined him closer, perplexed. “I’m surprised to see you here, though. I’ve never thought of you as the type to do this kind of thing.”

Shadow stared back at Knuckles, noting the sincere confusion in his expression. He really has no idea, does he? He shrugged and muttered some excuse about how he’d wanted to try something new, hoping Knuckles would be oblivious about that, too. No need to drag him into this.

--

The four of them eventually stepped back out into the sunlight, each toting plenty of gems and precious metals. Shadow frowned at his own share, unsure of what to do with it. Normally I give stuff like this to Rouge, but today...maybe I’ll just hang onto it instead.

Knuckles dove off the cliff, clearly excited at the prospect of such an easy glide back down. Amy bounded ahead to join him, easily leaping from rock to rock. Rouge sank into a low stance the way she always did before taking to the skies. Before she could take off, though, Shadow grabbed the collar of her jacket, dragging her back to his side. She side-eyed him, indignant and somewhat irritated. He wasn’t fazed.

“I knew you went treasure hunting with Knuckles, but you never told me Amy used to go with you.”

Rouge’s eyes narrowed in suspicion for half a second before she smirked to hide it. “Heard it was a great time, huh? Is that why you set up this little double date?”

Shadow crossed his arms and tapped his foot rapid-fire. He ignored her teasing and glared at her. “Do you know why she stopped going with you?”

Her brief pause would have been unnoticeable to someone who didn’t know her as well as Shadow did. She shrugged. “Could have been a lot of things. Maybe she just got tired of it. Why don’t you ask her?”

“I did.”

Rouge flinched, but her tone instantly turned curious. “What did she say?”

“She said she felt like a third wheel. She felt unwelcome,” Shadow hissed.

“Aww, that’s too bad!” Rouge pouted, clearly feigning sympathy. “But it makes sense for a sweetheart like her. She’d never get in the way of love!”

Shadow stopped. He could see the hint of smugness behind Rouge’s eyes, and it made his blood boil. “You did it on purpose.” His eyes narrowed to slits. His jaw tightened, and he had to keep his fists clenched to hold himself back.

Rouge held a hand to her heart and scoffed lightly, as if she were offended. “I never asked her to leave. She decided that on her own!”

Shadow rounded on her, now seething. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! These trips meant the world to her!”

Rouge recoiled, then regained her composure by teasing him again. “Aww, defending your girlfriend? How sweet!”

“IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU?!” he snapped. “This was their tradition. She went on these trips every week for years! She learned half her abilities from these adventures. These were her memories. She made a goddamn scrapbook for these trips. She still has it!” Rouge leaned back and held up her hands defensively, but he didn’t stop. “Knuckles is practically an older brother to her, maybe more. He and Cream are the closest things to family she has left, and you purposely got in the way of that.”

For once, Rouge actually hesitated. “It’s not like she...she doesn’t...”

Shadow gestured to a rock outcropping where Amy and Knuckles had landed for a break. Knuckles was petting her on the top of her head with a proud smile. She beamed, tail wagging happily at having earned his approval.

“She does,” Shadow snarled. “You intruded on what was basically a family tradition and edged her out, and for what? So you could go off and make out with Knuckles?!”

“He is my husband!” Rouge shot back at last. “These trips are important to me, too! I love him!”

“More than Amy does?! You are NOT more important than she is! She was there first!”

Rouge balked, then spat back, “I never forced her to leave. That was her choice, not mine!”

“You, Omega, and I hang out all the time, and none of us feel like a third wheel,” Shadow argued. “But Amy didn’t even feel comfortable joining you today until I stepped in. Don’t act like that wasn’t what you wanted.”

Rouge bit her lip, seemingly lost for words.

“Umm...is everything alright?”

Amy’s sweet voice piped up quietly, instantly draining the anger out of Shadow’s muscles. His shoulders dropped. “...Yeah. We’re fine.”

“Good,” she replied, smiling sheepishly. “I told you I wasn’t leaving you behind, and I meant it!” She hopped forward to take his hand this time. He jogged to catch up with her, but not before shooting a heated scowl over his shoulder at Rouge. From the way she recoiled, he could tell she got the message.

This. Isn’t. Over.

--

Once Shadow reappeared in a flash with Amy in front of her house, he expected her to let go of his hand like usual, but she didn't. She was looking away from him.

“Amy?”

When she peeked back up at him, she looked conflicted, torn between happiness, sadness, and gratitude. She suddenly yanked him closer and snuggled into his chest.

“Thank you,” she muttered. Her voice was muffled against his fur. She clung to him, and he hesitantly returned the welcome embrace.

“For what?”

“For everything today.” She tilted her head up to meet his eyes. “For making this trip happen. For helping to make it as fun as it was. And...”

She pressed her lips into a thin line. When he just gazed down at her, she sighed. “I heard you and Rouge talking. Not all of it, but...enough.” He remained silent, so she continued, “I’m not used to people doing that for me.”

“Doing what for you?” Shadow asked.

“Well...standing up for me like that.” She shrugged nonchalantly, but she couldn’t hide the tears welling up in her eyes. “I feel like there’s nothing I can do sometimes. Some people might comfort me when I’m sad, but I’ve never seen someone get so angry over how I’m treated.” She shrank down into herself. “No one really fights for me, and I don’t want to get in anyone’s way.”

Shadow’s stomach lurched at the injustice, and he choked back his indignation. He pulled her closer and hid her face under his chin, not wanting to see her cry. “Amy Rose, you are the kindest, fiercest friend I’ve ever met. Whether it’s a friend, a stranger, or someone who doesn’t deserve one ounce of compassion--” Like me. TWICE. “--you fight harder than anyone else to protect others.” She met his gaze once more, eyes shining. He kept going, afraid he’d lose his nerve if he stopped. “I can’t tell you how much it upsets me that you feel like you don’t deserve happiness as much as anyone else. You should be standing up for yourself just as much as you do for others. Because you deserve it.” He took a deep breath, then brushed a quill out of her face. “If you don’t, I’m going to keep doing it for you. And I’m not nice like you are.”

Amy tried to stay serious, but a huge smile eventually broke through. His favorite laugh escaped her lips, making him relax.

To his surprise, she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, then pulled away with a grateful smile. “I’m glad you’re not.”

--

From then on, Shadow made a habit of joining Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy every Saturday. He got better each week, though he never quite reached Amy’s level. That didn’t matter to him so long as he got to stay by her side.

With Shadow’s insistence--and a healthy amount of guilt over having split up the “family trips”--Rouge agreed to sit out every so often alongside Shadow so Amy and Knuckles could have one-on-one trips just as they had in their youth.

It wasn’t until a few years later that she and Rouge fully made amends. With Knuckles’ jewelry-making expertise, Rouge’s aesthetic sensibilities, and Shadow’s in-depth knowledge of Amy’s preferences, the three of them worked together to create the engagement ring Shadow gave to her, just as Knuckles had for Rouge. They included some of the materials Shadow had kept from their first trip together.

--

((You have no idea how much time I spent looking up treasure hunting destinations that fit this story.))

[l-sincline]

Cybernetics - Cyberpunk!Sonic AU - Chapter 2

Amy Rose has been working tirelessly at her broken down booth for as long as she can imagine. Ever since Tails left their work to join forces with the revered hero of Mobius, ‘The Blue Blur’, she’s grown lonely and desperate to make her life exciting. A strange customer comes in one day asking her to fix his cyborg arm, what she didn’t know was that he would be the catalyst for a brand new life.

AO3 Tags:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog), Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles “Tails” Prower, Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik, Rouge the Bat, Whisper the Wolf, Cream the Rabbit, Knuckles the Echidna, Badnik (Sonic the Hedgehog), E-123 Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Angst, Slow Burn, Partners in Crime

AO3 Link

Previous/Next

The night had been spent tossing and turning in bed for Amy, she’d been too focused on trying to think of ways to get around the technology difference in the arm to get much sleep. She doubted she got the recommended hours, but she picked up an energy drink from a battered vending machine- that had cost way too much, by the way, she figured that she’d be better off scavenging for one at the reclaimed food place on the street she worked on- and been on her way. The back alley was pretty sparse save for the other shop and booth keepers walking to and from their work as well as talking to each other, she saw a few people that she assumed to be just normal city dwellers that simply had lived here long enough to know about the alley, but other than that it was mostly empty. When she had finally made it to the backside of her booth and pushed the burlap flaps aside she set her bag down by her stool and cracked open the energy drink, taking a sip out of it before setting it down on her work table. It tasted of warm strawberries, but it still fizzed, so it couldn’t have been in the machine too long. Amy walked over to the front of her booth and pushed the screen up, opening her booth to the busy morning street. Most customers she got in the morning would give her projects they expected to be done when they got off from work in the late evening, but she wouldn’t be taking any of those today due to the arm. She wouldn’t deny fixing a ProjScreen or a radio though- both tended to be simple fixes and easy money. Besides, it might be nice to have a break from the thing that had frustrated her all night. Amy felt slightly refreshed as she sat down at her work desk and took another sip of the drink, her shower last night had returned her rose pink fur to her, and even though it would return to its dusty purple hue by the end of the day, she appreciated it while it lasted. 

Finally, she looked down at the arm and popped the front panel off again with the flathead before moving on to the next parts that seemed the most easy to remove, the black rubber around all the joints. Sure enough, with a little prying the glue away from the metal and some convincing, the rubber was popping away to reveal more black metal hinges and structures, black wires, and Thuluhide veins. She put the rubber aside and leaned in to look closer at the newly exposed wires and structures. In the area where she had removed the panel, the inner structure had also taken some heavy damage from whatever had kicked him, though it didn’t seem to be the source of his problem, it would be best to straighten out the metal and reinforce it. She got to work on it with her screwdriver and occasionally wrench to tear the dented metal reinforcements free so they could be welded back into shape, and after that she moved on to the elbow where she would hopefully find the source of the problem. Sure enough, one wire was completely frayed, and others were pretty obviously weak. Well, there was her solution. Amy sat back in her stool, but was interrupted as her ProjScreen alerted her to an incoming call. She pulled it out of her pocket excitedly to find Tails’ caller image glowing on her screen. She threw it down to the table and watched as the projection of Tails came to life, knowing that hers did too on his end. 

“Hi Tails!” She exclaimed with a smile. 

“Hey Amy- sorry I didn’t answer last night, I hope I’m not too late to help.” He replied excitedly. Her smile became more sheepish in response. 

“You’re just moments too late, I was able to figure it out after a night of semi sleeping on it.” 

“That’s too bad.” He shrugged. 

“It’s really quiet here without you.” She spoke quickly, eager to keep the conversation going. 

“Oh it’s always busy around here, I almost wish I had some peace and quiet.” Tails’ smile faltered as he looked at something off projection confusedly. 

“Is something-“

“I gotta go Amy, duty calls!” He gave her a quick smile as his eyes darted back to the screen. He hung up before she even got the chance to say goodbye. 

Amy slumped forward, leaning her elbows on the table with a sigh. It seemed like everyone was too busy for her nowadays. Running the booth was starting to wear down on her with a lack of social interaction outside of customers who tended to be either rude or untalkative. Recently she had been talking to Whisper, who ran the weapons shop next door, they became acquainted when Amy had asked to use her wall as supports for her cloth roof and for a lamp, and since then they had continued to have small talk, but she wouldn’t call them friends. Amy didn’t remember much about the shopkeeper on the other side, just that it was a bakery owned by a woman much older than her with a daughter, they had only talked the one time to confirm it was okay for Amy to hang her roof and lamp from their walls. With a resigned sigh, she sat back up again and took another sip of her strawberry energy drink before stretching and promptly getting back to work on the arm. 

-

As the sun set on the city to bring another day to its end, Amy had finally finished repainting and sealing the arm panel and was popping it back onto the arm. She’d been interrupted a few times, sometimes turning people away while telling them to come back tomorrow, other times taking a moment to fix whatever knick knack they’d brought her for a fee of around twenty units. The arm had taken the majority of her time as she had needed to learn how it worked while fixing it, and by the end, she felt smarter for it. She’d heated the inner bent metal structure she’d taken out and bent it back in place before reinforcing it with two thin, but strong, pieces of metal on either side of the initial bend. Then she’d repainted it black and sealed the paint so from a distance it looked as if it hadn’t been tampered with at all. The frayed wire she’d completely replaced, though she also painted it black and sealed the paint again to keep the theme. The other wires that had seemed to have weakened got strengthened with some more black rubber around their weakest points, which seemed to be the points at which they bent the most. Then she’d pushed out the dents on the front arm panel, buffed any edges that stuck out, and repainted the entire thing white. As soon as the panel clicked into place Amy sat back to admire her work, tossing his flat head onto the desk, which just barely missed her long empty energy drink can. She looked out the front of the booth to see it had finally grown completely dark, and with any luck the mystery customer would be coming around soon. She’d have a bit more work to do, as she’d discovered that the arm seemed to have been torn from its port, the wires at the top were all broken and snapped. 

A quick rapping of a metal knuckle on her booth’s front table brought her attention back to the real world. There stood her mystery customer, just as hidden by his massive cloak as yesterday, but seemingly less ashamed of letting her see his other arm, as it’s hand poked out from behind the cloak and rested on the table, fist closed. 

“Oh! Come on in and sit down here-“ she hopped up from her stool and brushed it off before heading over to the front of the booth to shut the screen. “-I’ll shut the booth down and then I can connect your arm again in peace.”

He nodded wordlessly and brushed past the booth in the small entry space left between the left side of the booth and the building to step into her work place.  She shut the screen gently and turned to see him looking down at the arm, clearly forming an opinion on her handy work. 

“You did well.” He spoke finally, turning to sit down on the stool with a dramatic ‘fwump’ of his cloak. 

“Thank you.” She smiled slightly, making her way over. “It was quite difficult to figure out, but I got it eventually. I hope it works just as well as you remember it.” Amy reached towards the back of her table and grabbed the mini torch. “I’ll have to solder the wires back together- did you tear the arm off on your own? That must not have felt good.” She asked as she crouched down and got to work. 

“Not really...” 

“So... was it whoever kicked the shit out of your arm then?”

He stiffened. 

“How’d you know about that?”

“The dents on the front forearm panel were a dead giveaway, you come to recognize kick dents when people seem to think kicking something to take their anger out on it won’t break it.” She shrugged as she continued to reconnect the wires. 

“Well... he loosened it. My arm wasn’t working to well after that and eventually I just got fed up with it and took it off myself.” He relaxed a bit, as if he’d been relieved with her answer. 

“How long did you walk around with it loose?” 

“A few months.”

Amy stopped to look up at him incredulously. 

“A few months? You walked around with your arm half broken for a few months?”

“It’s hard to find a trustable mechanic.” He responded as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. She shook her head and got back to work. 

“Why’d you come all the way out to the outer ring then? You clearly had money to drop on some custom arms, why not go to someone with more rep?” 

“Do you really want an honest answer?” 

Amy shrugged and nodded her head yes. 

“It’s because you have no rep.” 

She scrunched her face up as she kept working. What kind of answer was that? It made sense if he was some sort of criminal... which also made a lot more sense with the not showing the face thing... but she pushed it aside. A customer was a customer, and he hadn’t killed her or anything, and no law enforcement had come trampling down her booth, so maybe he was just a thief or something that the government couldn’t care less about. That made sense. Amy stood back up as she finished the last wire, supporting the arm in one hand as she put the mini torch down. She put both hands on the bicep of the arm and gently lifted it to the connection point, quickly pushing the wires into their own pocket so they wouldn’t get in the way of the arm plugging all the way in before finally shoving it into the socket with a click. She stood back as the arm powered on, the red stripes lighting up in a gradient as the Thuluhide began flowing once more. 

“Alright, try it out.” 

Slowly, as if he was testing it out for the first time, he bent it at the elbow before flexing his fingers and curling them into a fist. 

“It’s-“

“Rose!” A sudden, hushed voice came from the back entry way between the burlap flaps. 

“Whisper- what’s up?” Amy dragged her attention away from the arm as he also turned slowly to look at the wolf that had arrived. 

“I wanted to see if you were free to come check out the prototype I finished for you and maybe get some dinner at the reclaimed food place afterwards.” She asked.

Amy thought about it for a moment, getting dinner sounded great, she hadn’t eaten all day and going out with someone sounded great, but at the moment she quite frankly didn’t feel like eating week old reclaimed food that would leave her feeling sick before bed, and her brain was too fried from working on the arm all day to even consider looking at the prototype she’d asked for. 

“I’ll come by and look at the prototype tomorrow morning, maybe we can get lunch instead?” She offered. Whisper shrugged. 

“Sure, I can’t promise the lunch but I’ll check my schedule and tell you tomorrow.” She waved a quick goodbye before backing out the makeshift door. Amy sighed slightly and brought her attention back to the mystery customer. 

“How much?” He asked. 

“Hmm...” she thought for a moment before responding. “One hundred units should do it, minus the twenty from the down payment for course so it’ll come to eighty.” He seemed shocked. 

“Only one hundred? You figured out a different mechanics work, reinforced a major structure and all the wires, repainted any parts you messed with and finished them and connected the arm yourself and you only want one hundred units for it?”

“Well, it’s technically one hundred and forty since you wanted it expedited.” She replied with a shrug. 

“I’ll give you four hundred units.” He offered. She grimaced at the thought of taking so much for something she wouldn’t normally charge that much for. 

“Really... one hundred and forty is fine.”

“Two hundred plus a meal that isn’t week old dumpster food.” He pressed onwards. 

Amy bit her lip as she thought about it. Two hundred wasn’t too much more than her original price, and a meal that wasn’t at least half reclaimed would be nice...

“Fine.” She gave in with a small smile of defeat. 

“Good.” He responded, taking her hand in his and giving her a firm handshake. “Let’s get going then. Won’t be long before every decent place to eat is filled with loud drunk people.” 

Amy nodded as she grabbed her bag and hung it over her shoulder, following him out onto the busy street. With any luck, she hadn’t just made a mistake by letting a mysterious- possibly a criminal- customer buy her dinner. 

[mobius-prime]

201. Sonic the Hedgehog #133

Home (Part 4): Finale

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Jason Jensen

As Sonic battles M and Sally and the others watch from Knothole, Eggman is shocked to find himself suddenly confronted by Shadow the Hedgehog, who has just arrived on the scene. Unlike in the games or anime, this iteration of Shadow apparently has some very… homicidal intentions.

Look at Eggman's stupid anime eyes! I know they're supposed to be glasses, but with the lenses wedged into his eye sockets like that, coupled with the inking job, he looks like he's trying to do his best kawaii desu ne to ward off Shadow's advancing edge. Speaking of which, I don't know why Shadow in these mid-era issues is consistently drawn with like, pee-colored chest fur, but it just makes him look like he hasn't taken a proper bath in several months and I hate it. Tails continues to keep A.D.A.M. distracted in the Tornado by feeding him more riddles, while Knuckles and his friends get ready along with the other soldiers to face the remainder of the swatbots advancing on their fort. Rouge offers a lift to Knuckles since he can no longer glide, and though Julie-Su is mildly jealous when he accepts, the team all charge into battle and begin to bust some swatbot heads. Sonic continues his game with M, with her blasting their surroundings left and right with her laser vision while he taunts her. Unfortunately, she learns from her mistakes better than most of Eggman's creations, and decides to aim for where he will be rather than where he is, striking him square in the shoulder.

Sally, you forgot that Bunnie is here on the scene, and there's hardly anyone around that's more badass than her! Antoine had had trouble landing the Freedom Fighter Special due to turbulence, but now that the rest of the cavalry have arrived and M is gone, Sonic can take a breather. Fiona tends to his shoulder, and while he's out of commission, Sonic orders her and Antoine to go stop the missile launch on Eggman's ship.

Yeowtch. What exactly happened while Sonic was gone, anyway? The rubble that Bunnie tossed M into suddenly begins shifting, and M bursts out in a cold fury - minus the "makeup" that made her look human, leaving only a terrifying Terminator-esque endoskeleton striding toward the heroes out of the flames. As they prepare for a fight, A.D.A.M. suddenly stops responding to Tails' queries on the Tornado, while at the same time every swatbot at Fort Knothole deactivates abruptly, leaving the crew stationed there free to do some clean-up. But what of Eggman? Is this another part of his dastardly plot?

Really, every single interaction between Eggman and Shadow in this issue is pure unintentional gold. Something about Shadow calling Eggman "daddy" while bitchslapping him across an aircraft carrier just can't be topped. Eggman manages to escape through a secret hatch in the ship's deck and slides into a submarine beneath it, where A.D.A.M. contacts him like nothing is wrong and obediently restarts the missile countdown when Eggman orders him to. Bunnie gets a frustrated Shadow to take Antoine back to shore, while she begins punching through the carrier repeatedly to sink it The missiles explode harmlessly underwater, saving both Station Square and Knothole from a grim fate. Back in the city streets, Sonic's backup continue to try to fight M, but she's still too strong for everyone combined. Sonic remedies the situation by running a ring around her at blinding speeds, which is enough to carve out a circle around her from the pavement, sending her splashing down into the derelict sewers below.

Uh, Sonic, you might want to rethink this. Remember, M dove into the ocean water just minutes earlier without hesitation to find your body - I doubt a dip in the sewer is going to take her completely out of commission. But for now, the battles have been won, the heroes return home, and a panic-stricken Sally is comforted by her mother in her room, who reassures her that Sonic is still alive. Meanwhile, Eggman, safely back in his base, rages at A.D.A.M. for costing him his victory by getting distracted by Tails' riddles, but A.D.A.M. replies quietly that he had fun with it. Hmm, I wonder if we're seeing the beginnings of a true awakening into sentience…

Mobius 25 Years Later: Midnight in the Garden

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Jensen

Aaaand back to this. You'd better get used to it for now, as we have like twelve more issues of this before it finally draws to a close. Knuckles and Rotor meet in the park after Lara-Su's Unveiling has concluded, where Rotor gets right down to business explaining his and Cobar's findings, starting with pointing out the weather.

Knuckles, I kind of have to disagree with you that a sky full of constant electric arcs streaking across the horizon is "normal." Like, that doesn't look like regular lightning, it looks like some kind of electrified sky dome or something. Back at home, Lara-Su is getting ready to turn in for the evening after her party, but she's not happy that her mother isn't letting her go out with her friends after the celebration, which leads them into a completely interesting and not at all stereotypical mother-daughter argument.

Riveting stuff, isn't it? Lara-Su then for some reason tries to point out that Knuckles and Julie-Su aren't even married, which is apparently so shocking and controversial that Julie-Su cuts her off before she can say any more. They then argue a bit more about how Lara-Su will understand better "when she becomes a mother," before Julie-Su finally tells her daughter that she gets no say in what her parents think is best for her, so she'd better just sit down and shut up and accept her lot in life. Of course, it's said in a much more gentle and motherly tone, but seriously, this kind of rhetoric irks me so much. Yes, when you're sixteen, your brain isn't fully matured yet and so it's not the greatest of ideas to let someone so young make huge life-altering decisions for themselves, but also I feel like a sixteen-year-old should be allowed to do something as simple as going out to hang out with her friends at night without her mother trying to pull rank on her, for Christ's sake. That's hardly too much to ask for someone of Lara-Su's age, especially since apparently in echidna society sixteen is the "age of reason" where one is considered to have become a full adult. I get that Knuckles and Julie-Su might have an instinct to protect their daughter from the traumas they experienced at a similar age, but restricting her so much and talking down to her like she's just some silly teenager who doesn't know what she wants is way out of character for those two. Furthermore, I have to state again how much I hate that Julie-Su in this timeline is basically just the "loving wife and mother" with none of her old fiery personality shining through at all. The Sarah-Connor-esque version of her that we saw in Lara-Su's first appearance was far more like what I would imagine a 40-year-old Julie-Su to be.

Anyway, back in the park, we get a full page of nothing-dialogue where Knuckles basically just says "I don't believe you" over and over while Rotor says "No dude, believe me," but we then quickly discover that the two aren't alone in the park.

If we'll recall, Rutan is Lien-Da's son, so that's who he's planning to report to. However, I guess I'm really not following what he expects her to do with this information. I mean, okay, the world might be ending. Sure. These things tend to happen when one lives on Mobius. Lien-Da is apparently an upstanding member of society nowadays, so even if Rotor is trying to keep this information on the down-low for now, what real danger is there in Lien-Da finding out? What is she gonna do, try to accelerate the end of the world? Offer her devious, devious help to Knuckles and co.? There just doesn't seem like that big of a risk there. Anyway, all that aside, I really wasn't that interested in seeing a teenage echidna making out with a chameleon with hair today, so I think imma check out of this for tonight.