Chapter Text
Sally didn’t know what was happening. She did not feel, taste, smell, see, or hear. This realization filled her with panic. Was this some new method of torture for her?!
Even when she… it… had been powered down, she’d still at least had her hearing. In the dark void of Mecha Sally’s mind, the true princess could not see nor feel, and was only able to hear her own frantic breaths and words, despite not having any lungs. The cold, analytical part of her mind had deduced this must’ve been deliberate, to maximize her torture within Mecha Sally’s mind; to cry out for only herself to hear. Sally now tried in vain to scream, but no sound was heard.
Was her voice now being removed too? This brought on a new thought. Had it not been intended for torture? Had it merely been a glitch? An overlooked bug that Eggman was now, ‘correcting?’
Sally vainly attempted to plead, to beg the monster to leave her voice. It was the last thing that was hers. Through her anguish she even tried to reason that such a glitch wouldn’t interfere with her missions. She promised she knew that there was no taking back control, that there never was, and that she would stop trying to resist, but no answer came.
With no answer, Sally knew the monster was laughing at her now. Those soulless black and red eyes dancing with malicious delight. Knowing this, Sally opted from one last ploy. She knew her trick would likely not succeed, but she tried anyway. With silent words, Sally suggested the monster erase her memories.
Would that not be the ultimate torture? It would certainly be the final step to her destruction. She reasoned with the monster that all her tactical data could easily be uploaded to the Death Egg, and one of his henchmen could sift through it at leisure. Sally’s anguish reached new heights at the thought of forgetting all her friends and family, but one twisted, selfish hope made her give the suggestion anyway.
With her memories gone, she could be at peace.
With no memories to taunt her with what she’d lost, whether physically or mentally, her mind would accept its new reality, because it would be the only one it ever knew. Guilt immeasurable assailed Sally as one cruel, mocking thought ran through her mind.
She’d given up.
If the monster went through with her suggestion, then this would be it, her last moments. The last moments of Sally Acorn. Whatever was left once her memories were gone would be little more than a mechanical corpse.
Despite knowing this, Sally couldn’t bring herself to regret suggesting it. What was the point of hanging on anymore? She knew eventually Sonic and the others would defeat Eggman, at least, that’s what she told herself. But if or when they did, then what for her?
Mecha Sally was in control, and the monster had endlessly gloated about how his upgrades would prevent a power ring from giving her free will. And even if by some miracle that… thing… that controlled her was erased, then what? It wasn’t as if she could be turned back. The doctor had seen to that too when he’d torn her original limbs and torso apart and smelted them before her eyes, replacing them with mechanical limbs that had never been flesh, and thus would never be converted back to her original body.
No, Sally concluded, this was it, her last chance to escape. She knew it would torture her friends. No doubt the monster would gloat about how he’d broken their dear princess’ spirit, but she simply couldn’t last any longer.
Besides, with her memories gone, perhaps her friends might no longer be hindered in battle against her. At the very least, she… it… wouldn’t be able to play mind games with them anymore, as had happened with Amy and Sonic.
And in the unlikely event they rescued her, perhaps they could become friends all over again, that would be nice… wouldn’t it? Knowing at any moment her mind could be erased, Sally gave her lasts words.
“Everyone, I’m so sorry.”
Sally’s eyes snapped open. She could hear. She could see. She could see… Sally jolted upward, shocked further by a sense of touch, as well as who she was seeing.
“Sal?” The blue hedgehog stared with a mix of disbelief, wonder, and concern in his eyes. The princess stared slack jawed back at him, as her breathing became rapid. Sally found herself unable to move, but for once it was not due to being restrained.
“S-Sonic?” she whimpered, raising her hand to confirm what her eyes were telling her. The princess’ outstretched arm stopped short as soon as she saw it. The arm wasn’t metal. It was covered in fur, her fur.
Sally looked down at herself and realized she was resting in a bed. She frantically tore the sheets off and stared at the rest of herself. It was her, complete with the blue boots and vest. What was happening!?
“Sally?” Sally’s head snapped around.
“Nicole?” Before Sally could speak further, the lynx had embraced her in a fierce hug.
“Easy there Nicole,” Sonic suggested, but his voice held no contention. The holo-lynx guiltily let Sally go, wiping away tears, but didn’t get very far before Sally returned the gesture. But even as the princess returned the hug, she couldn’t help but notice something.
Nicole wasn’t a hologram, she wasn’t even made of nanites, and as she hugged her, there was something… off, about how she felt. Her senses were… dulled?
Sally broke away from the hug and stared down at herself in a brief spasm of fear. Her alarm dissipated when she again saw her body was flesh and blood, and not metal and oil.
“I… I know it’s not perfect, I reconstructed your avatar from your time spent rescuing me from the Iron Queen, as well as memories and medical records. I hope it will suffice until we can root out Eggman’s… programming, and cure…”
“My… avatar?” Sally took a fresh look around the room, and realized she was in Knothole Headquarters… from the start of the war, when they’d been kids.
“Nicole thought a little nostalgia might help,” Sonic tried to quip but stopped short seeing the expression on Sally’s face.
“This… this isn’t real!” Sally stammered. She now looked to her two friends in fear, “No no no no! This is fake! It’s a trick! H-He’ll pull me back any second! This isn’t real!” Sally pushed herself away from Nicole and Sonic, out of her bed and into the corner of the room, burying her face in her knees, whimpering.
“Sal! This isn’t a trick, it’s me! Your mind is in the digital world, but you’re back in Mobotropolis. Nicole’s controlling this, not Eggman. Sal it’s…”
“NO!” Sally screamed, cutting Sonic off as she clutched her head. “I won’t fall for it! Are you listening Eggman!? I won’t fall for it! You’ve had your fun! I yield! Isn’t that enough!? Haven’t I given enough!?” Sally’s tone of fury was replaced with sobbing,
“Just e-end it! You’ve done e-everything else! Is this i-illusion meant to break my s-sanity too?! Fine then! Here it is, broken! You win! J-Just erase my memories and be d-done with i-it!”
Sonic and Nicole stared in horrified silence as the room fell quiet. Eventually, Sally took a shuddering breath. Her head lifted and her tear-stained face looked between her two friends, only now she regarded them with sadness.
“Sal, I swear, it’s me. I’m using the digitizer at the real Freedom HQ. I’m not a fake. We got you back,” Sonic spoke in a gentle but insistent voice. All the emotion seemed to drain out of Sally’s face as she avoided her friends’ eyes. The princess’ voice was hollow as she answered,
“Fine… I’ll play along. At least I get to look like myself for a while.”
“Sally, please! I swear this is real, I’m real!” Nicole pleaded. Sally slowly got to her feet and finally looked Nicole in the eyes with tired resignation,
“Alright, what would you like to do Nicole?” she asked. Her voice might as well have been that of a robot. Nicole burst into tears and hugged Sally, which the chipmunk only halfheartedly returned.
Sonic’s fists clenched at his sides as fury burned within him. This was worse than any low point he’d seen Sally go through. This wasn’t anguish, or defeat. Sally was broken. Sonic’s right hand spasmed as he recalled holding Eggman’s comatose body by the throat. Next time the universe told him to leave Eggman alive he’d tell the cosmos it could go…!
Nicole’s sobbing broke Sonic out of his spiral. The hedgehog sighed, releasing his fury. He placed a firm hand on the crying holo-lynx’s shoulder and turned to Sally, “Alright Sal, how do we prove it?”
Sally’s expression became withered, “I’m not an idiot, I know you have my memories. I told you I would play along.”
“Well this is the game we’re playing,” Sonic said, folding his arms. “If we supposedly know everything you know, how about something only we know? Would that prove we’re real?” Sonic jabbed his thumb back and forth between himself and Nicole.
“Fine, go ahead,” Sally answered without a trace of hope.
“Tails and I had a fight the night Elias and Amadeus fought each other over me being a jerk and dating Fiona.”
“Tails told me about it.” Sonic ground his teeth, but forged on,
“When I went to get a warp ring to save you, Knuckles told me I was an idiot and that it wouldn’t work,”
“That’s… a reasonable enough assumption,” Sally answered, but Sonic could see it beginning.
“When Knothole was destroyed, I tried to go it alone until Tails told me I was a moron. It was only Nicole’s interrupting that kept me from starting a fight with him.” Sally blinked, her hands tightening on her arms,
“Easy enough stories, nothing that couldn’t be fabricated from my memories.” Sonic’s fists clenched, but just as he was about to rattle off more…
“Mina apologized to me.” Sally’s eyes snapped over to Nicole, “After you were gone, she came to Freedom HQ and asked for my forgiveness in the part she played in turning the people against me and promised to help fix it.” Sally stared wide-eyed at Nicole. Sonic looked equally surprised, “She made good on her promise. At her next concert, she advocated for me, and the people listened.”
Sally staggered backward from the two, rapidly blinking. “I… I never would’ve thought… she was so angry that…”
“Which means an algorithm based on your memories couldn’t have created it, right?” Nicole asked.
Tears formed in the princess’ eyes as a sliver of hope began to form, though the thought of everything being a lie kept it from solidifying.
“Sal, it’s okay,” Sonic spoke gently.
“A-Are you r-really real?” Sally’s voice choked as tears ran down her face. Sonic took Sally into a hug.
“I’m real Sal, I promise. We got you back.” Sally returned the hug tenfold, sobbing into the hedgehog’s shoulder. Reaching behind him, Sonic pulled Nicole into the embrace as well, as Sally’s two closest friends held her tight.