Amy stood stiff, her mind a tangled mess of denial and panic. She wanted to fight back—to tell Eggman he was lying, that this was just another one of his twisted games.

But she couldn't.

Because the harder she tried to recall her life before meeting Sonic, the fuzzier it became.

Eggman let out an exaggerated sigh, stretching his arms. "Whew! Now that we've gotten through the whole 'Oh no! My life is a lie!' phase, let's move on to something actually important!"

He clapped his hands together with a grin. "Your yearly check-up!"

Amy blinked. "My what?"

Eggman smirked. "Ah, there it is! That very life-like reaction!" He wagged a finger. "You didn't think I just set you loose in the world without routine maintenance, did you? I may be evil, but I'm not irresponsible!"

He paced around her, gesturing dramatically. "No matter how excellently I built you to blend in and I must say, I really outdid myself! There are still risks of exposure. The biggest one?" He suddenly spun on his heel, pointing at her. "Time!"

Amy wanted to flinch away.

Eggman grinned. "That's right! Organic creatures age, but you? Not so much! So, every year, on this very day, I check in and make some adjustments! A little tweaking here, a little modification there, just enough to make it seem like you're growing up!"

He tapped his chin, pretending to think. "Let's see… You started as a tiny brat dressed in green and orange with an oversized hammer, adorable! Then I stretched you out a bit, made you more elegant and now you're somewhere in your early teenage phase now! Still got a long way to go before I start simulating adulthood, which I'm not too enthusiastic about, but we'll get there!"

He shot her a thumbs-up. "All-natural robo-puberty!"

Amy's eye twitched. "Robo-WHAT?!"

Eggman snickered. "Oh, come now, don't make it weird!" He waved a hand dismissively. "Point is, you or any other never noticed! Not even once! That just goes to show how flawless my design is!"

He put a hand over his heart, wiping a fake tear. "Ah, they grow up so fast!"

Amy, still very much stuck in existential crisis mode, was too stunned to react even if she could move.

Eggman patted her shoulder. "Anyway! Enough chit-chat! Let's get you tuned up, my dear A.M.Y R.O.S.E.!" He pulled out a very large wrench from his coat. "Doctor's orders!"

Amy finally snapped. "GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!"

Eggman laughed, spinning the wrench like a baton. "Aw, c'mon! You love check-up day! Well, technically, you didn't know about it before, but details, details!"

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"See? That's the kind of fiery spirit I programmed you with! Beautiful!"

Amy's mind spiraled between horror and rage.

Her entire life... every moment, every memory was nothing more than an illusion crafted by him. And now, he had the audacity to act like this was all normal?

Eggman twirled the wrench with a grin. "Alrighty then! Let's get started, shall we? Just hold still—wait, never mind, you can't move! Hoohoo, love that feature!"

Amy's breath came in sharp, panicked gasps. Her entire body screamed for action, for freedom. She had to move! She had to fight! She had to—

Eggman reached toward her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!"

Her voice tore through the room like an explosion.

Eggman yelped, dropping the wrench with a loud clang as he clutched his ears. "ACK—! OW, OW, OW! What is it with you and shattering my eardrums?!"

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

She wanted to hit him. She wanted to escape. She wanted to hit him and escape!

And suddenly—

As if something deep inside her heard her desperate plea. She moved!

No hesitation. No questioning. No pause.

Her arm swung instinctively, gripping her hammer as it ignited with raw force—

WHAM!*

Eggman barely had time to blink before he was sent flying, smashing into the far wall with a loud, metallic crunch.

Amy stood there, hammer still raised, chest heaving.

She had moved...

On her own!

Eggman groaned from the impact crater he was now embedded in. "Ow…" He peeled himself off the wall, shaking off debris. "Okay... Did not see that coming..."

Amy's hands tightened around her hammer as she didn't know what to do.

She could move. She could breathe... or at least, she thought she was breathing.

Was she even capable of breathing in reality?

Her chest rose and fell, but… was it real? Was any of it real?

"Wait till I get my hands on you!" Eggman growled, struggling to push himself off the wall.

It was too much for her...

Too much to think about. Too much to process...

Her hammer slipped from her trembling hands, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

And then—

She ran.

She ran like her life depended on it... if she even had a life to begin with.

The last thing she heard was Eggman's furious roar behind her:

"DON'T RUN FROM YOUR CREATOR!"

But she didn't stop.

She couldn't stop.

She just had to get away.

Anywhere.

Any place but here.