SALLY not SALLY (a broken SI in the Archie Sonic setting)

Tangent · Sep 25, 2026

Because I apparently can't just not drop an idea once I have it, even if it is similar to previous story ideas...

sally_not_sally_title_card_by_tangent_rambles_dmvss9y-fullview.jpg

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 1
A broken SI fic by Tangent

> Primary systems online.
> Optics... OK.
> Audio receptors... OK.
> Haptic feedback system… OK.
> Locomotion servos... OK.
> Observation suite... Online.
> Sally Alicia Acorn personality core... Corrupted.
> Memory archive check… Fragmented.
> Unauthorized secondary identity matrix detected.
> Deletion of unauthorized secondary identity matrix… Failed.
> Control overlay program… Failed.
> Emergency shutdown… Failed.
> Boot sequence complete.
>
> ERROR!

Okay, waking up in a pile of debris with scanlines across my vision and what seems to be an extremely fragmented set of memories that context clues suggest belong to Sally Acorn is more than a bit disconcerting. Especially given that I distinctly remember being an old overweight guy in poor health who had watched the cartoon and read the comics that those memories are from.

Annoyingly enough, I seemed to have gained only the memories of those episodes and issues right up to this point, and nothing before, after, nor even in between. First person perspective, but extremely fragmented and none of the emotional context involved.

I heard a soft groan to the right and spot…

Okay, if that is Sally Acorn, who the Hell amd I and why do I have the Mecha Sally body that she should have been transformed into when the World Roboticizer fed back into itself!?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Sally seems to be okay and definitely not a Robian - I'm not an asshole. But how can I be Mecha Sally when Sally Acorn is right there?

…

I should probably clear the rest of the rubble off of her. Oh, and there's Nicole's handheld. Better grab that so that Sally can give her friend her home back.

"Ugh… Wha..?"

"No obvious injuries," I stated with far more calm than I actually felt given that I was repressing my panic. "Assuming that your memories are intact, I think that it is safe to conclude that the World Roboticizer feeding back into itself resulted in an anomalous incident. How many fingers am I holding up?"

> ERROR!

Ow!

Yes, error! And why the Hell did I phrase everything like that!? I sound like I'm half-robot!

> …

Well, okay, I am apparently a Robian, which is basically the same thing but with organic origins, but still…

"Why do you look like a roboticized version of me?" Sally asked, groggily as she scrabbled away from me in a panic.

"Excellent question. Data inconclusive. How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three."

"Correct. Do you remember your name?"

"Ugh… Sally Acorn. Why are you asking me that? Shouldn't you be taking me prisoner or something?"

"Do you want to be taken prisoner?"

"No!"

"Subject: Sally Acorn seems to be exhibiting signs of strong self-identity retention. Health appeared to be nominal. Current location sub-optimal: I suggest that we relocate. Would you like to hold onto Nicole's device so that you can return it to her?"

"Er… Yes, actually. Thank you," Sally replied as I returned Nicole's handheld to her and helped her to her feet. "Who are you?"

"Data inconclusive. Operating system corrupted. Evidence suggests that I am not Princess Sally Alicia Acorn."

"You don't say…" Sally retorted drily as she leveled a flat look at me.

"Dude, come on, we win! I'm going to find Sally, then we're destroying your dumb egg. Then I'm stomping on Naugus, and then the two of you can rot in a cell. And then I'm going to eat a million chili dogs. And then…" I heard Sonic's voice trail off as I burst through the top of the debris pile covering the hole above Sally and me.

"Oh no," I heard Sonic's tone change from triumph to denial as I climbed up out of the hole in the floor of the control center for the apparently defunct Genesis Wave device. "Oh no no no no!"

> ERROR!

Yeah, why is Sonic panicking? He and Sally won, didn't they? Neither the Genesis Wave device nor the World Roboticizer had worked this time…

> ERROR!

Okay, continuity error there, as I seem to remember that it had worked. Twice. And damn, getting gunned down into a fine red mist two iterations ago had hurt!

> ERROR!

Yes, error! Why the hell am I even remembering that!? Sonic had overwritten those events right at the end of the intermediary iteration, hadn't he? That's why I… er… and Sally are even alive right now!

And why is the fat bastard laughing his head off right now?

"Sonic?" Sally called out in concern as she climbed out of the hole after me.

"SALLY! You're okay!" Sonic exclaimed in relief as he zipped up to Sally and helped her finish climbing out of the hole.

"What is this!?" Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik demanded as he started to struggle to his feet. "I didn't make a Mecha Sally!"

"Statement: Correct." Seriously!? Why can't I talk like a normal person!?

> ERROR!

Yes, fucking error! I sound like a braindead animatronic Sally Acorn! Why doesn't my speech match my thoughts!?

> ERROR!

I have a mouth and yet I cannot scream!

Fuck my life…

Tangent · Sep 26, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 2
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"Destroy Sonic the Hedgehog!" an apoplectic Dr. Robotnik shouted from across the control room we were all in.

> ERROR!

Oh, yeah, he's still there, isn't he? Why hasn't he escaped yet?

> ERROR!

Right, we're in a control room, not the Control Room. It would be really convenient right now if I had a deckplan map or schematics of this Death Egg right now… Nothing? Well, that's disappointing. I did manage to pull up what are presumably Sally's memories of using a terminal to look up the deck plans…

Why the fuck is the control room for the World Roboticizer on the bottom deck!?

"Don't ignore me, you bucket of bolts! Destroy Sonic! Capture the princess! Anything!"

> ERROR!

"Invalid command: Insufficient privileges," I replied flatly when I had actually just meant to say no. Seriously? We're doing this now?

> Smug.

Now see here, you little…

"Insufficient privileges!? I'M DOCTOR ROBOTNIK!"

"Administrative privileges: Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik… Not found. Access denied," I retorted absently as I continued to try to mentally throttle whatever this weird program thingy that was messing with my ability to talk like a normal person.

I basically ignored the resulting hedgehog-on-villain violence as Sonic subdued and captured Dr. Robotnik again as he seemed to have it well in hand. Granted, I didn't know the combat capabilities of this Mecha Sally body other than it being stronger and more durable than the original Sally, and even then I didn't really know by how much more either of those really was. Mobians were kind of tough after all.

"Suggestion: We should leave," I pointed out to Sally as Sonic frog marched Dr. Robotnik towards where we were standing.

"That's probably a good idea," Sally agreed with a nod.

Ooh, neat! I know how to fly this thing!

We were currently in a moderately sized Eggmobile with Sally in the copilot seat and Sonic sitting next to a trussed up Eggman in the back.

> ERROR!

Bleh, no. Dr. Robotnik is a nice enough name, but it's a bit of a mouthful to actually say over and over again, even in my own head. He also goes by Eggman so… Eggman.

> ERROR!

Why the fuck would I show him any respect? He didn't even invent the technology that's presumably behind this body - he stole it from Charles the Hedgehog!

> ERROR!

Yeah yeah, whatever. Look, modifying and supposedly improving a technology does not make up for claiming to invent it when he actually didn't.

> ERROR!

Do you mind? I'm trying to fly and I don't need you distracting me when we're about to land…

"You guys did it!" I somehow recognized Bunnie d'Coolette's voice call out as she, Antoine, and Geoffrey St. John approached from one side as Tails came up from the other. "You sent Ol' Eggface runnin' back… to…" she trailed off as Sally hopped out of the Eggmobile and I assisted Sonic in hoisting Eggman out of the back seat and out of the vehicle.

> ERROR!

Didn't we already have this argument? I'm calling him Eggman! Would you prefer I start calling him Darth Lardass?

> …

I thought not.

"Actually, we captured Eggman," Sonic announced proudly, trying to hold up the villain like an overly large fish with my help. An effect that was largely spoiled by the fact that neither of us stood much taller than the man's waistline.

"Um… Who is she?" Bunnie asked in an understandably confused tone, gesturing vaguely at me.

"Excellent question!" I replied with artificial cheer and genuine snark. "Hello, I am not Sally Alicia Acorn. Pleased to meet you, Bunnie d'Coolette ne Rabbot. And hello to you too, Antione, Miles, Traitor."

"That's…" Geoffrey St. John started to protest, but I didn't let him continue.

"Entirely factual and provable, Geoffrey St. John. You have collaborated with multiple enemies of the state and conspired against the very throne you have sworn to serve, and even now are in the process of supporting a would-be usurper's invalid claim to the Throne of Acorn based solely on a bargain made under duress. You are a traitor."

"Who do you think you are to make such accusations!" the skunk demanded even as the others went quiet.

"Excellent question!" I repeated with equal parts snark and cheer - this time equally genuine. "I am not Sally Alicia Acorn. I'd say that I am pleased to meet you, but that is factually incorrect. I hope that you rot in a cell next to one of your coconspirators. I'm sure that Eggman would appreciate the company."

> ERROR!

Oh, hush, you! You know I'm right - we both have access to those memories.

> ERROR!

Will you shut up for a bit so I can figure out how to best shove a stick in Naugus' plans? Eggman doesn't like him any better than he likes anyone else, so I'd be acting against at least one of his enemies.

> …

Thank you.

"What was that?" Sally demanded after Eggman and Geoffrey were deposited in cells awaiting their respective trials. I was still following her around like a baby duckling - partly because I had nothing better to do and partly because I didn't trust Rotor or Chuck to not get more curious about me than I was strictly comfortable with. Also, the general populace of the… Okay, the Republic of Acorn - have to remember that the idiots decided to change away from one form of government that they had been failing to restore in favor of another form of government that they didn't really understand yet.

Oh, I have no objections to them becoming a republic. I'm objecting to the fact that they are immediately running it like an oligarchy. And failing at that too. Bunch of hypocritical traumatized idiots that only get dumber the more of them there are in a crowd…

> Query?

Oh, those memories aren't Sally's. I have context that she didn't

> Query?

No, I don't know how I ended up in this body.

> Query?

No, you can't have it. It's mine now. Now excuse me, but we've already wasted enough time, and I think Sally actually wants an answer.

"Excellent Question! I…"

"Would you stop doing that!?"

I tilted my head, thought about it for a moment, then replied. "Statement: I do not think that I am currently capable of complying with that request. Observation: I find it annoying too."

Sally blinked as it became apparent that she hadn't thought of the situation from my perspective yet. Not that I blamed her for that - I would be set on my back foot too if a mechanical duplicate of me suddenly showed up in my life and started following me around.

Note to self: Sally may find the fact that I'm following her around to be disconcerting. I should probably stop doing that.

Let's stick a pin in that and get back to it when I'm sure that neither Rotor nor Chuck are going to go poking inside my head the moment that Sally isn't around.

> Affirmative.

Okay, so you have an opinion about that too. I wasn't sure that you were capable of having those outside of wanting me to serve Eggman.

> ERROR!

Right, right. You have nothing better to do either. I get it.

Tangent · Sep 26, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 3
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"Reiteration: Getting back to your original question, perhaps you could elaborate? It just occurred to me that 'What was that' is incredibly vague and could be interpreted in several ways concerning recent events. While I think I have the correct context to provide a serviceable answer, it is probably best to be sure."

Okay, can we dial back on that a bit, please? All I wanted to do was ask her to clarify the question, not give her a short dissertation about why I wanted her to do so!

> Negative.

Well, fuck you too then!

"I meant, what was up with you calling Geoffrey a traitor," Sally replied, totally unaware of my internal argument with a defunct control overlay program.

> ERROR!

Yeah, I went there, you overly elaborate string of garbage code!

"Statement: Everything I said was factual and verifiable by independent investigation. Observation: The memories are there, but your friendship with him and appreciation of duties he had performed in the past have weighed sentiment in his favor that he no longer deserves."

"You have my memories," Sally concluded, looking at me sharply.

"Correction: I have a frustratingly fragmented portion of your memories, largely lacking the emotional context associated with many of them. As I am not Sally Alicia Acorn, I can afford to look past the sentiment and notice the actual damage Geoffrey St. John's actions have inflicted upon my House and Country. Self-Correction: your House and Country. I am not Sally Alicia Acorn."

"You… You're hurting," Sally gasped. "You see yourself, at least partially, as me!"

"Affirmative," I confirmed, a bit of actual sadness creeping into my tone. "I am not Sally Alicia Acorn though. You are. I have this body and a collection of disorganized, fragmented memories with little to no emotional context associated with any of them due to not having actually lived through any of them myself. I suspect that the World Roboticizer being fed back into itself so soon after the Genesis Wave device had been used may have had something to do with our situation."

"But the Genesis Wave device wasn't used?" Sally tilted her head as she looked at me. "I mean, Sonic got there in time, didn't he?"

"Negative," I said dully. "In the first iteration, Sonic wasted time fighting Silver Sonic while you ran on ahead. Through the same corridor he carried you through at speed in this iteration…"

"I remember that corridor," Sally said softly. Of course she did - it was just earlier today from her perspective. I remembered this version of events too - I remembered everything Sally had experienced today right up until I got this body. "The first trap we blew past was a gatling gun that had popped out of a wall…"

"Observation: Two iterations ago, Sally Alicia Acorn died earlier today to a hail of bullets. The pain was intense… but brief. The intermediary iteration of Mobius was somehow lighter and more carefree, although Dr. Robotnik remained a terrible villain. Our father was named Nigel for some reason. And we did not meet Sonic for the first time until earlier this very day."

"Let me guess - Robotnik got frustrated when Sonic showed up and tried to use the Genesis Wave again."

"That is a plausible hypothesis, although I cannot confirm the actual sequence of events as we had gotten separated from Sonic again as he went to confront Robotnik. By that point we were starting to remember the previous iteration and how we had died. Sonic's last message to us… to you… that he left behind written on a window, was one of love. I just thought that you should know that in case you do not get any memories from the previous iterations."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Oh, Walkers, the interviews over the next few days were long, boring, and bordering on interrogation - which was understandable if annoying, given that they were taking the investigation into my claims of Geoffrey St. John being a traitor seriously. Fortunately for me, I retained enough of Sally's memories, fragmented though they may be, to be able to direct the investigators to where they should look for verifiable evidence.

Equally fortunate - from my perspective if not Sally's - my lack of her emotional connection to the memories of their past friendship and the actual good he had done for the Kingdom of Acorn did not stop me from being helpful to the investigation.

Incidentally, my general detachment from the emotional context of Sally's memories - or at least how she had felt about those memories, also helped to prevent several parties from redirecting the investigation towards their own ends. The social buttons that would have worked on Sally to either influence or undermine her position did not work quite the same way on me.

As a happy (and actually entirely unintentional on my part) accident of all this, Nicole's role in stopping the World Roboticizer from targeting Mobius had come up and word had gotten out. Nicole was fully exonerated and held as a Hero of Mobius, and her unjust exile from Mobotropolis was overturned.

Which was how she, Sally, and I had ended up staring at each other across a coffee table over tea.

Well, Sally had the tea. I had oil, and Nicole played make believe with a holographic teacup.

"I must say, this is very strange," Nicole said as she stared at the two of us - the real Sally and the Robian that resembled Sally if you didn't look too closely. I'm sure that there are actually some people that might confuse me with the real deal. I'm equally sure that those people would be blind, in a dark alley, wearing earplugs and foam mittens. Sure, I looked like Sally, but only in the way that a life-sized doll or mannequin made of colored metal would. I am very clearly a machine, and I had no illusions about that.

"Concession: I agree. Try seeing it from my end - I am wearing Sally's face and have fragmented and disorganized memories from her perspective, yet I am not Sally Alicia Acorn."

"Do you remember our friendship?" Nicole asked, causing both Sally and me to look up sharply.

"Affirmative," I nodded. "Just because I lack the emotional context that Sally had associated with those particular memories does not mean that I am unable to form my own emotional context about those memories. I am not Sally Alicia Acorn, I am not Sally Alicia Acorn. Statement: My verbal filter is being very annoying right now."

> Smug.

I will find some way to manifest a Piko Piko Hammer in here one day, and when I do…

> ALARM!!!!!

Now are you going to stop messing with my speech patterns?

> ERROR!

It's a Walkers damned compulsion for you, isn't it?

"Sally? Er… Not Sally?" Nicole's voice drew me out of my inner argument and I looked at her. "Are you okay? You seem to be distracted."

"Negative: I have a defunct control overlay program…"

> ERROR!

"Statement: Yes, I am talking about you, you defective packet of malicious malware! And no, I don't care if they know! Sally is Sally and Nicole is Nicole! I trust them!"

"Maybe we should have Rotor or Uncle Chuck have a look at you?" Sally proposed, earning her a flat look from me.

"Querry: Would you trust their sense of personal boundaries if you were in my situation?"

"Oh…"

"Affirmative: Oh. Do not get me wrong. I like them, but I am not blind to their personal quirks."

"Would you mind if I had a look?" Nicole offered. "I have some experience with malicious malware myself."

"Statement: Yes - the Iron Queen and the Phage incident," I recalled. "Acceptance: That would actually be greatly appreciated."

> ALARM!!!!!

Oh, hush, you. You've had this coming for weeks now.

Tangent · Sep 27, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 4
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"Caution: If we are going to do this, we should inform somebody first and… involve either Rotor, Charles, or both."

> ERROR!

You see this? This is me ignoring you.

Sally raised a brow at my apparent reversal. "I thought that you didn't trust them to work on you?"

"Clarification: I do not - not until I am positive that they see me as a person and not just some weird copy of you. But we do not know what is going on inside my head and I do not want to put Nicole at any more risk than absolutely necessary. She is our friend."

> ERROR!

Lalalalala~

"I appreciate your concern," Nicole said as she and Sally smiled.

"How about if we ask Jules and Bernadette to watch over things?" Sally suggested.

"Concession: That would be acceptable," I nodded.

> ERROR!

The three of us left for the Village of Knothole to have a talk with Sonic's parents. Yes, there was a Village of Knothole again - some of the original residents had stubbornly rebuilt the home they fondly remembered, albeit not where Knothole City used to be (which was still the Great Wastes - there was a memorial plinth placed in the center and everything). Apparently, the biggest issue had been locating another forested gully that wasn't too far away that still had similar features to the gully that the original village had been in. Sure, the secret entrance tunnels and hidden bunkers were still being dug - partly out of nostalgia and partly out of justified paranoia, but enough of the residential and civil infrastructure was in place for Knothole to incorporate as a village again.

And why the hell was I thinking like this? I know I can get a little wordy sometimes, but 'yay, Knothole is back' would have been enough...

> ERROR!

If you are trying to log some intelligence report to pass on to Eggman if you ever manage to actually get control of me, I swear...

It was rather nice to see the pleased and cheerful expressions on everyone's faces as we made our way through Mobotropolis towards the gate facing Knothole. Not so much directed at me - which was understandable given what was publicly known about my circumstances and my involvement in the investigations into Geoffrey St. John's treasonous activities. He was still seen as a trusted hero by some after all, and I was seen by those people as a ploy by Dr. Robotnik to tarnish a war hero's reputation.

Which, okay, was a valid concern even if that wasn't actually what I was doing.

"And what are you three up to?" a familiar voice called out, and we turned to see Hamlin the Pig approaching us. He was wearing his Council attire, meaning that he considered himself to be on the clock, as it were, so he was either doing due diligence or about to be an obstructionist again. It was hard to tell with him, as he was a good man but could be incredibly petty if he felt put out about something.

"Greeting: Salutation, Councilor Hamlin," I said with a neutrally respectful tone.

"Hi, Hamlin," Sally's own tone was cautiously friendly. Again, understandable given their history weighed against his more recent occasionally obstructionist behavior.

"Hello," Nicole added in a more neutral yet still friendly tone, bless her heart.

"Hrmph, yes… Hello," Hamlin returned our greeting, clearly uncomfortable about something. Unfortunately, the memories I had inherited from Sally about him were particularly fragmented and somewhat contradictory, and the ones I got from my… I suppose Outsider would be the best term for somebody from a Zone so far out that our Zone was a work of fiction to them. Anyway, the ones I inherited from the Outsider weren't actually much help either. Hamlin had something of a point after all, even if he had a tendency to choose petty ways to make that point known. "Anyway, what are you three doing?"

"Excellent question! We are on our way to Knothole to ask Jules and Bernadette to act as oversight while Nicole clears my systems of any malware."

> ERROR!

Still not listening to you~ Lalalalala~

"I… er…" Hamlin pinched the bridge of his snout. "Okay, that seems reasonable," he sighed as the bluster went out of him.

"Suggestion: Given the high profile of the investigation and upcoming trial, perhaps it would be prudent for everyone involved to start carrying around Power Rings? They are noted for granting those that have them the ability to resist unnatural influences after all."

Hamlin looked at me sharply even as Sally and Nicole seemed to be surprised at my proposal.

Wait…

Did it never occur to anyone to take advantage of such an obvious utility once that property of the Power Rings had been discovered?

"That… is actually a good idea," Hamlin acknowledged in a tone so reluctant that he gave the impression that somebody was pulling his teeth.

Ah. So, he had approached us expecting to be an obstructionist again and was instead forcing himself to be reasonable because he wasn't actually a bad man. Just incredibly petty.

"I'll acquire some to pass out to the investigators and my fellow Councilors," Hamlin conceded, actually sounding thankful. "I might even suggest making them a required tool of office for us… We need to be able to be seen as accountable even as we hold others to account, after all."

"That is an excellent idea," Sally said approvingly.

There were a few more niceties, but after that we were pretty much on our way again.

"Oh! Hello, Sally, Nicole… and you must be Sally's new twin!" Bernadette the Hedgehog greeted us as she opened the door to the home she shared with her husband and son - when Sonic was home anyway and not running off on some mission or adventure anyway.

Or skiving off to have chili dogs…

"Hello, Bernadette, may we come in?" Sally asked politely. "We have a request for you and Jules."

"Of course, dear! Come in, come in!" Sonic's mother quickly ushered us into the living room where we each found somewhere to sit - or pretend to sit in Nicole's case as she didn't have access to any nanites to make a temporary body from this far out from New Mobotropolis.

Huh…

It just occurred to me that I haven't seen her actually using any of Mobotropolis' nanite swarm for anything since she had been exiled. Not even after her exile had been overturned.

I guess that made sense, given what had happened during the Iron Queen incident, even if the reason for her restraint was kind of sad. Nicole had taken ADAM's weapon of terror and had turned it into her superpower to create, protect, and serve New Mobotropolis, and Regina Ferrum had forced Nicole to turn all of that against the very people she had created all of that for.

"Welcome to our home, Sallies and Nicole," Jules greeted us cheerfully as he placed a bookmark in his book and set it on the end table beside his chair. "Have you decided on a name yet? I hadn't heard."

"I am not Sally," I replied, then winced in frustration as I had meant to say that I had not thought of a suitable name yet.

> ERROR!

Look, you malicious string of defective garbage code…

> ERROR!

ARGHBLARGLEFLARG!

> !!!

My thoughts immediately cleared and relief flowed through me as I became aware of the room around me once again. Everyone was looking at me in concern, and I had something in my hand. Something that Bernadette had just handed me.

A Power Ring.

Something so blatantly obvious in retrospect that I was kicking myself for not thinking of this weeks ago.

"Thank you," I said softly, my voice entirely my own for the first time since I first woke up on Mobius. "Thank you…"

The control overlay program wasn't gone, but for the first time ever it was actually quiet.

I was finally alone in my head without its incessant voice ineffectually trying to force me to serve Dr. Robotnik.

I wept openly for the first time since becoming Not Sa… Since becoming me.

Hamlin_the_Pig___Council_set_1.jpg-fullview.jpg

Tangent · Sep 27, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 5
A broken SI fic by Tangent

Once I had cried myself out, I sighed, and Sally and Bernadette moved back to where they were sitting, having moved to comfort me as I let it all out. I took a moment to draw in a deep breath and gather myself…

Wait…

Why is it that I'm only just now noticing that I hadn't been breathing unless I needed to talk!?

That little asshole!

Nevermind, not important right now.

Or rather it was, but it was just part of a bigger issue that we were already in the process of dealing with.

"Okay," I started, and then paused and closed my eyes, savoring the fact that I said something I wanted to say without somehow defaulting to customer service machine speech. Granted, now I just sounded like Sally instead of Customer Service Sally, but progress is progress, right? "Anyway, thank you…"

"I figured that your control overlay program was acting up," Bernadette said gently. "Jules' still wears his Power Ring as a symbol of our wedding vow renewal, but my wrists became too small for me to keep wearing mine as a bangle when I became a Mobian again."

"So, you're going to want this back then," I concluded immediately. Not that I wasn't going to give it back anyway. Now that I was aware of the solution (and kicking myself for not remembering it sooner) I had been planning to go to one of the fonts that my fragments of Sally's memories knew and just collect another one anyway as there was nothing stopping me from doing so.

"That brings up the reason we came over today anyway," Sally interjected. "Nicole is going to try to remove…"

Sally trailed off as she looked at me, and I realized that I still hadn't selected a name for myself. Which was making things awkward.

"Maybe Mally or Rally?" I offered up. "Short for either Mecha Sally or Robian Sally."

"You are terrible with names," Nicole said in a mildly teasing tone, so I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Well, I don't want to use Alicia, as that would disrespect Mom and it's what our idiot counterpart over on Moebius did - probably to disrespect her Mom…"

"You still think of yourself as being at least partially me," Sally commented with a smile.

"Well, yeah," I admitted easily. "I mean, I'm not you, but I happen to like the bits of me that are you."

"Why don't we ask Mom what name she would have picked if I had a sister?"

"What? Like Eliana?" I asked.

"Absolutely not!" Sally shot down that idea immediately. "We do not want to cause any confusion issues between you and Elias either!"

"I look even less like our brother than I look like you," I pointed out.

"And you still look enough like me that people recognize that you have my face," Sally countered.

"How about Rosie as a placeholder?" I offered. "It can become my middle name once Mom picks a given name for me."

"After Rosie Woodchuck?" Sally asked, smiling.

"Yes," I nodded and smiled back, not bothering to mention that I had remembered Rosie before I remembered our… I mean Sally's… actual nanny, Julayla. Besides, Rosie was still around to actually appreciate me honoring her like this, and she had spent some time as a Robian herself, so she could relate to my situation.

"Okay, with that settled, let's get back to what I was about to say," Sally stated, wrangling the topic back on track. "Nicole is going to try to remove Rosie's control overlay program, but Rosie is concerned for Nicole's safety as we don't know what else is in her head, and suggested that we have either Rotor or Uncle Chuck on hand to provide assistance…"

"And both of them are tech geeks who might get overexcited about what's going on and forget that Rosie is a person with boundaries," Jules completed with a chuckle. "Yeah, I love my brother, but I can absolutely see Chuck doing that in the heat of the moment. We'll be there."

"Thank you," I smiled with gratitude. This was a big relief to me. Not only would Nicole be safer, but with Jules and Bernadette providing oversight, neither Rotor nor Uncle Chuck would be likely to derail things too much. "Now that that's covered, how about I pop over to the pond here and grab a Power Ring of my own so I can return Bernadette's before we go back to Mobotropolis?"

"Are you sure?" Sally asked, although I could tell that she also felt some relief. "You've been following me around pretty much constantly for the most part ever since you manifested."

"I'll be fine," I assured Sally. "It's not that far away, and unlike Mobotropolis, most of the people here actually remember what it was like when they were still Robians. Not like some of the rabble rousers that came to New Mobotropolis once we had a capitol again."

"Fair enough," Sally conceded with a smile. "Enjoy your walk. I think I'll visit with Jules and Bernadette until you get back. Nicole, what do you want to do?"

"I think I would like to go with Rosie and get to know her a bit more," Nicole replied before turning her attention to me. "If you don't mind the company, that is."

"I don't mind," I replied, still smiling.

Sally handed Nicole's handheld to me as I got up to leave, then Nicole and I left the house and headed towards Power Ring Lake.

Which was actually more of an oversized pond maybe a mile outside of the Village of Knothole, but still…

Now that I wasn't distracted by other issues, the walk through the Village of Knothole was actually rather pleasant. The gully it had been in had widened a bit due to various relatively recent incidents, and it was no longer as hidden as before as a result of all of that, but the residents had adapted admirably and had gone through the effort of restoring what natural elements that they could and incorporating their reorganized homes in and among the trees in an aesthetic and nonintrusive manner.

It looked very much like Swiss Family Robinson had met the Ewoks and the elves of Rivendell and they all decided together that they would do this thing. It was strange, wonderful, quirky, and beautiful all at once.

And there was a badger over there near the edge of Knothole whose home appeared to be a funky combination of a hobbit hole and a junkyard…

Setting aside the weird feeling of deja vu for now, I instead let myself take in the sights and walk among people who were not looking at me like I might strangle their princess at any moment.

"You seem happy," Nicole noted, her hologram drifting along beside me. Sure, she could simulate actually walking, but I knew from Sally's memories that she did this to denote to others that she didn't have a nanite body manifested without her having to deliberately express this out loud.

And the residents of Knothole didn't look at her with any more or less suspicion or awe than they had when they looked at me. Which was to say almost none at all. It was…

Nice.

"I think I may end up moving here after all the ruckus with the trial and the immediate political situation with Naugus' supposed claim to the Throne of Acorn is dealt with," I commented.

"You and Sally need some space from each other for at least a bit, yes," Nicole agreed. "Neither of you were saying anything about it, but I could tell that you were both getting a bit tense from being around each other almost all the time. I mean, I understand why you were following her around, but it wasn't making things easy for either of you."

"There is that, yes," I acknowledged easily. "Plus, Knothole and New Mobotropolis are not so far apart that we can't visit each other any time we like. I mean, we walked here today, and we're walking back tomorrow. I could get a bicycle or something and do both on the same day and still have time for a decent visit."

"Now there's a thought," Nicole nodded. "I could suggest to Sally that she do the same thing."

"She doesn't know how to ride a bike," I say before it even occurs to me to stop myself.

"Wait, what?" Nicole looked at me. "Then how do you know how to ride one?"

Hoo boy, this conversation was going to be awkward…

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Tangent · Sep 27, 2026

The MISSING VARIABLE
A Sally not Sally side story by Tangent

Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik idly mused as he ate the meal he had been served in his cell.

Which was certainly of much better quality than the food he bothered to feed the prisoners he kept. The little freaks even gave him a daily menu of options to choose from for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an evening snack. Sentimental idiots, the lot of them - even the ones that wanted him dead. They really should have killed him while they had the chance.

Not that he was going to complain overly much about that if they didn't. Although he planned to thoroughly rub it in their faces at the next practical opportunity.

Here he was supposedly at their mercy, and yet he lived solely because he was no longer roboticized. He remembered them being far more ruthless when he was a robot. But no, he was currently tragically organic, so as long as he was caught, they were actually treating him by their rules: as a prisoner awaiting trial.

Amusingly enough, his pending trial was shoved to the backburner by the ongoing trial of that fool, Geoffrey St. John. The skunk had tried too hard to be like his father and had been easy for Robotnik to manipulate in much the same way he had manipulated the old regime. And it was fairly obvious that Naugus had done the same thing once Robotnik was done with the fool.

The trial of St. John would be over already if he wasn't such a politically charged figure that many still thought of as a war hero.

Granted, the delays were the main reason Dr. Robotnik hadn't bothered to leave yet. They may have changed the security procedures since the last time he had been a prisoner, but he had already figured out how to bypass everything within four days of being here.

The simplest one being the Tails Doll that the rabbit child was carrying around, but he has plenty of other options as well.

No, he could have left as early as last week. He stayed solely because he was fishing for information.

Why had the Genesis Wave Device failed to activate? Conclusion: it hadn't. Something had happened to undo his glorious Mobius Without a Sonic.

Why had the World Roboticizer failed so spectacularly as to produce such an anomalous result as the Mecha Sally without actually converting Sally Acorn into Mecha Sally? Conclusion: He had tried to activate it too soon after the Genesis Wave had readjusted reality and the one wavefront disrupted the other, producing unexpected results.

Why did the control overlay program fail to place Mecha Sally under his command? See conclusion 2 for the most probable cause. Still, it might be interesting to get ahold of the rogue unit to see what had actually happened.

Well, he was done with dinner, and he wasn't likely to learn much more just sitting here. Setting the tray neatly to the side and slipping the small device he had assembled from parts of the very cell they were holding him in, Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik pressed the button and simply walked out as the nanites that made up this ridiculous city moved aside for him.

Idiots, the lot of them. Exiling the one asset they had that could have prevented exactly this…

Tangent · Sep 28, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 6
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"You are aware of the multiverse, right?" I asked as we continued our way out of Knothole towards Power Ring Lake. Which was still just a large pond with aspirations in my opinion - then again, the part of me that came from the Outsider had spent most of his life in western Pennsylvania, which was practically right next to the Great Lakes, so maybe it's my perspective that's off?

I don't know. I guess when you live close enough to a freshwater sea, your idea of what constitutes a lake and what's just a pond shifts?

"Rosie…"

"What? Oh, sorry, got lost in my head there for a moment."

"I had noticed that, yes," Nicole replied patiently. "Anyway, to answer your question, I am aware of other Zones, yes. I'm also aware that the memories from other versions of Sally were from iterations of this Mobius, so not the same thing."

"Yeah, kind of comparing apples and rutabagas there."

"The phrase is apples and oranges."

"I mean that alternate timelines are much more different than altered timelines as you can go back and forth in one comparison, but travel is only one way in the other because there's nothing to go back to - you're already there."

"Ah, I see… So, the Sally that died is…"

"The very same Sally that's here and had never died. And somehow also me, except that I got to remember it and she didn't."

"Okay, so I assume that Sally had learned how to ride a bike in one of the previous iterations, but it had somehow never come up in the current one?"

"Plausible, especially since I don't actually remember very much from the intermediate iteration and most of my memory fragments from there were right near the end," I replied. "But actually irrelevant in my case as I know where my knowledge of riding bicycles comes from and it wasn't from there."

"So, you somehow have memories from a Sally from another Zone?"

"Not as far as I'm aware, no," I denied. "I mean, I might, but I don't think so."

"Then what?" Nicole asked with a calm curiosity that I don't feel fit the situation. Then again, very little actually rattles Nicole.

"Imagine a Zone so far away that this Zone and every Zone around us, and every Zone around those Zones, and so on to the nth degree are all considered to be works of fiction. As in they are sort of aware of us, but they think we are just stories. Books, comic books, television shows, movies, fanfiction…"

"Ah. A Recursive Zone," Nicole concluded. "There was some speculation that Mobius Prime might be one of those, since Sonic has been to some other Zones where some of our fiction is their reality. So you are from one of those, then?"

"Probably a bit further out than any Sonic has reached, but essentially yes," I confirmed. "Far enough out that we pretty much labeled this branch of the multiverse as the Sonicverse…"

"Don't tell Sonic that," Nicole interjected. "His head gets swelled enough already, even if he handles it better than Dr. Robotnik does."

"I could call it the Sallyverse, but I already know that Sally wouldn't appreciate it even as a joke. I could narrow it down to the Archieverse, which is part subsection and part intermingling with other branches, but then there's Fleetway and IDW…"

"You're getting distracted again," Nicole interjected before I got too far off track. "We'll figure out the proper terminology later, if ever."

"Right, right…" I sighed and enjoyed the act of sighing for a moment before continuing (breathing is awesome - don't let any control overlay program tell you otherwise!). "So, picture this far away Zone as having no Mobians or Overlanders."

"So that leaves… Humans?"

"Got it in one," I congratulated Nicole. "I called myself Tangent - partly because my wandering thoughts liked to go off on wild tangents. And, embarrassingly enough, I wrote some fanfiction…"

"You didn't!" Nicole looked like she was desperately repressing the urge to laugh.

Okay, fair enough.

"I did," I admitted ruefully. "Including self inserts and other nonsense."

"So, this is you writing yourself into our world?" Nicole asked, her tone still far more calmly curious than I felt the situation deserved.

"Not as far as I'm aware, no," I denied. "I actually have no idea how Tangent got mixed up in all of this and became just as much a part of me as Sally is. Mind you, for all I know, he's still off in that other Zone writing all of this right now - I literally have no way of knowing."

"Okay, so I can see why that part may be disturbing," Nicole admitted. "But now that you're here, do you think of this world as a work of fiction?"

"Of course not. I'm not an asshole. Any world that actually exists is real, even if someone in another reality thinks it isn't."

"Then I don't see the problem," Nicole stated reassuringly. "Mind you, I wouldn't go passing all of that around…"

"Oh, that would go over so well," I snarked, gesturing sarcastically. "Oooooh, look out! Robo-Sally has gone crazy and thinks we're all works of fiction! Oooooh!"

"HAH! I knew it! I gotta go warn everybody!" a voice called out and the badger girl I had seen before jumped out of the underbrush and ran back towards Knothole.

"Why the hell is Sticks the Badger in this reality?" I asked flatly as I watched her run off.

Then I immediately turned around and continued on my way towards Power Ring Lake.

"Shouldn't we go after her?" Nicole asked with some concern.

"I'm not validating her delusions, so no," I denied. "Maybe if she were running off towards New Mobotropolis, but Sally is in Knothole. She can handle whatever nonsense Sticks starts spouting off."

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure."

And then the Fire Nation attacked…

Well, no it didn't, but that would have been far more exciting than an otherwise largely uneventful and mostly pleasant walk to a lake and back.

Okay, so Nicole and I got some odd looks as we returned to Knothole, but everyone who stared at us awkwardly just did so for a moment before shrugging and getting on with their day, and everyone else just didn't react any differently than before.

"Well, at least nobody seems to be overly concerned," Nicole noted.

"I wasn't too worried," I shrugged. "Sticks has a way of explaining her interpretation of things in a way that tends to make others dismiss her proclamations as wild flights of fancy. Which most of them are, actually. The danger is that sometimes she's actually right or at least correct enough that there is an issue that needs to be addressed."

"Ah - the Cassandra Effect," Nicole nodded. "I can see where that might cause problems."

"It'd be more of an issue in New Mobotropolis," I pointed out. "An unfortunately high demographic of the people who moved there after you made it happen to be those who were particularly traumatized by the Eggman Wars and had come because they saw it as a return to the life they had before the coup. And an equally unfortunate number of those happen to be alarmists."

"Yes, I know," Nicole stated flatly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bring up bad memories," I apologized.

"Thank you."

"Anyway, we're here," I said as we opened the door to Jules' and Bernadette's home…

"THERE! YOU SEE? THE CRAZY ROBOT IMPOSTER AND THE GHOST HAVE COME TO WRITE US ALL INTO WEIRD SHIPPING ARCS!"

I palmed my face and wondered why the hell Sticks was here and not off spouting her nonsense somewhere else…

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Tangent · Sep 28, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 7
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"I am seriously reconsidering the possibility of moving to Knothole for a while after all this is over," I commented to nobody in particular as I huffed and moved past Sticks to sit on the couch next to Sally.

"THERE! SHE'S…"

"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" I yelled for what was probably the first time since I became me. "You think I haven't heard it all before!? That Nicole hasn't heard even worse!? Yes, I'm a Robian and therefore a robot! Yes, one of the people I used to be wrote fanfiction! Yes, there are other Zones where they consider everything in this Zone to be fiction! No, I absolutely do NOT think that any of you are fictional characters! I have had a highly stressful couple of weeks with an incessant control overlay program whining constantly about how I should be obeying Darth Lardass, and I can't even have one day of blessed silence because YOU. JUST. WANT. ME. TO. BE ONE. OF. YOUR. CONSPIRACIES!"

I found myself somehow standing again, huffing as I desperately tried to rein all of that back in. I really didn't mean to blow up at Sticks, as she's basically harmless. Mostly. But she had inadvertently gotten on my last nerve and had been jumping up and down on it like a clogdancing sumo wrestler in cleats.

And of course everyone is staring at me.

"I'm sorry…" Sticks said quietly.

"Apology accepted," I said as I sat down again, emotionally exhausted. I may have a long fuse, but my temper tends to burn out rapidly once it's set off.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…"

"I accepted your apology already, Sticks," I assured her. "You just picked a really bad time to poke me."

"I don't know why I get like this," Sticks said as she plopped down to sit on the floor as if there wasn't an unoccupied seat right over there.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't know why I get like this either. You are you. I am me. Sally is Sally. Nicole can be whatever she wants to be, so it's kind of amazing that she chooses to be who she is…"

"Oh, hush, you…" Nicole interjected with an amused snort. And I have no idea how she's even able to do that without an actual respiratory system given that she's a hologram right now.

And that's okay.

"Anyway, um…" I started as I turned to face Jules and Bernadette. "Sorry to ask this, but do you still keep a guest room ready? I have been wide awake for three hundred thirty-three hours, forty-five minutes, and fifteen seconds now. It's been very annoying, and I would like to take a nap and maybe snore for a bit."

Everyone but Jules and Bernadette just stared at me again.

"Of course, dear. I'll set up a charger next to one of the guest beds for you right away," Bernadette smiled at me reassuringly as she got up and hustled off down the hall.

"Yeah, I remember that part being annoying too," Jules nodded. "I still spend most nights sitting up wide awake, but it is nice to get an actual nap in now and then."

"You've been awake for three days!?" Sticks asked, astonished.

"That's fourteen days, Sticks," Jules corrected her gently.

"Fourteen divided by three, carry the frog… That's even worse!" the badger proclaimed. "I think…"

"Good night, Sticks," I said as I got up to follow Bernadette.

"Good night, crazy robot lady!"

I…

I just let that one go. I wanted to experience actual sleep again.

I woke up at some blessedly unspecified time in the morning, explicitly not checking my internal clock. Sally was still asleep in the other guest bed, apparently coming to bed sometime after I had, and Nicole's handheld was plugged into a charging station on the nightstand next to her bed…

Speaking of which, I reached down and carefully disconnected the charging cable currently plugged into my navel and wound it up before setting it on the nightstand next to the bed I was in. I then sat up, taking care not to shift my weight too suddenly, but also trying to hit the sweet spot where I wouldn't be moving so slowly that Sally might subconsciously assume that I'm an assassin…

Hey, part of me used to be her - these were very valid concerns for a few years during the Eggman Wars and they left their mark. Sally needs her sleep too, and I wasn't going to ruin it by going all stealthy and setting off her own PTSD.

Walkers know she'd probably kick my ass before even waking up enough to realize who I was. I may be tougher, stronger, and just as agile, but I haven't actually gotten around to training with this body yet. Too many other things have been going on…

I quietly (but not too quietly) made my way out of the guest bedroom and went to the bathroom. Not that I could actually evacuate into a toilet - the sludge and other waste that came out that end had to be collected and disposed of properly. A byproduct of drinking lubricants and snacking on nuts and bolts…

Don't judge me! Robians have weird tastes!

Er… Actually, it was all pretty awful and I miss real food, but I did need lubricants, and nuts and bolts were at least satisfyingly crunchy even if they didn't taste all that great.

And yes, I picked them for the pun of it, given that all of my options were pretty much equally awful. Granted, the fact that I - and presumably other Robians and badniks - could chew up and eat random scrap and other materials and even had an inclination for old computer chips, nuts, and bolts while not experiencing any of those as good flavors was probably more of a sign of Eggman's sick sense of humor than my own actual…

Hold on - I don't have the urge to snack on nuts and bolts right now? And haven't since yesterday?

Yeah, I think it's clear that that one was coming from my unwanted mental tenant because it amused Eggman somehow.

So, no, I didn't go to the bathroom to evacuate (I apparently didn't need to do that very often anyway given how little I actually took in). I went there because I had slept. In a bed. And this body inexplicably has hair.

Okay, so what I have is closer to fine copper-colored wires where my… er… Sally's hair and eyebrows used to be. Which was really weird because in both the cartoon and in the comics, anybody who got roboticized ended up with plated cowling instead of pretend hair. I certainly didn't have any fur anymore.

Granted, I did have to live with Sally's fashion choice as her boots-and-vest style had literally been physically incorporated into my current body. Although the World Roboticizer had apparently chosen to interpret "vest" as "cuirass plate."

But all that was beside the point. I needed to brush out my hair and restore it to my preferred style because sleeping on a pillow had bent the wires my hair had become out of shape. I'm going to have to think of a workaround if I want to try sleeping regularly…

"Good morning," Jules greeted me as I wandered back into the living room.

"Good morning," I replied as I moved to take a seat by a different window. "I'd ask what time it is, but I don't really want to know right now."

"It'll be a few hours before the others are up, although Bernadette sometimes wakes up early then decides to keep me company rather than returning to bed."

"I bet she tends to fall asleep sitting up on those mornings," I note with a slight smile at the imagined scene.

"Well, you're not wrong," Jules shook his head with a slight smile.

"Oh, before I forget (again), here's Bernadette's Power Ring," I said as I removed the ring acting as a bangle from my right wrist and handed it over, then moving one of the three new ones that I was wearing on my left wrist over to the right.

"A spare and a backup?" Jules asked. "That's a pretty good idea."

"There were a bunch just floating over the lake by the time Nicole and I got there," I said. "Maybe fifteen or so - I didn't really count. And another one popped out of the lake as Nicole and I were leaving. I don't think anybody has been collecting them for a while."

"No," Jules shook his head briefly. "Sonic was by a couple of days ago and grabbed a bunch. He said there were hundreds, and that every font he had seen had been producing more and more of them over the past couple of weeks."

The past couple of…

The last Genesis Wave - the one where Sonic restored the original timeline but had rolled back the clock so that he could save Sally…

Sonic, what did you do?

Tangent · Sep 29, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 8
A broken SI fic by Tangent

I set aside my concerns about whatever Sonic may or may not have done while rolling back the clock in order to save Sally while using the Genesis Wave to restore the original timeline. Partly because, my own Sally-sourced memory fragments aside, there was literally no way of knowing every possible side effect that shoving all of that time back into the universe may have caused.

I mean, sure, an increase in the rate that the various Power Ring fonts scattered across Mobius was probably one of them, and my own existence as what I currently am might be another…

And this is me not having an anxiety attack because why would I have an anxiety attack over my sister's boyfriend possibly breaking the universe? I'm sure that everything will be fine! See? No anxiety at all!

I anxiously peeked at my internal clock to make sure that time was still a thing and then proceeded to ignore it again.

"Here, try some of this," Jules said as he set down a steaming cup of…

"Why does this smell like cinnamon and oil?" I asked, mentally shoving aside the fact that the anxiety attack that I'm not having had totally distracted me from even noticing that he had gotten up from his chair to go to another room and return. Because I am not having an anxiety attack.

I'm sure that the ripples that appeared on the surface of the dark fluid when I picked up the cup to take a closer sniff were caused by local microtremors or something. See? No anxiety at all…

What? Denial? Me? I've never been to Shamar. Or was that Egypt? It was getting harder to keep which memories were from Sally and which were from Tangent separate…

"It's something Bernadette has been working on since we found out that I can't be deroboticized," Jules said. "Lubricants enhanced with flavor essences - to make it a bit less awful."

I tried a sip…

"Okay, I will admit that less awful is what I would describe this as," I conceded. Even so, it was still the best thing I had tasted in two weeks so the next sip I took was a slow one so that I could savor it. "Whatever she's doing, I hope she keeps it up. This is the least awful thing I've tasted since I manifested on the Death Egg."

"I'm sure that Bernadette will accept that in the spirit that it was intended," Jules quipped as he shook his head.

"Gratitude with a dash of brutal honesty?"

Jules laughed.

"Anyway, are you feeling better now?" he asked.

"Yes, actually," I replied. And I really did feel better.

I guess I really should learn to take time to appreciate the… less awful… things in life.

"Um… Would it be alright if we swung by Rosie's place so we could ask her if she's alright with me using her name as a placeholder and potential middle name for me?" I asked Sally when she and Bernadette finally came down for breakfast.

"We should be able to do that," Sally agreed readily. "Assuming she's home, that is."

"I can just visit her and ask when I return if she isn't," I shrugged. It'd be nice to see Rosie Woodchuck again for the first time, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if she wasn't available today.

"You still want to move here after the trial and the mess with Naugus, don't you?" Sally smiled with a mix of relief and sadness.

"I was thinking more once Nicole has cleared my head of any and all malware she can find," I corrected. "I'll stay in New Mobotropolis for as long as the investigation and trial considers me to be relevant, but I already pointed out all the problems with Naugus' so-called claim to the Throne of Acorn, so I shouldn't be needed on that front."

"True," Sally nodded. "If I thought it would actually get rid of him, I'd just agree and then literally give him the throne itself. It's largely symbolic at this point and just a chair that can be replaced."

"Please don't do that," I countered. "Naugus is a Bargainer Mage - agreeing to the terms of any deal he makes with you might give him his hook, and actually following through, even symbolically - or perhaps even especially symbolically, just makes the hook stronger. You saw what the bargain did to Dad."

"Right," Sally went grim at the reminder of our father's premature aging and declining health. "We need to conclude this with either me or Elias on the throne, or at least with Naugus' claim to it properly rebuked. Say, would you..?"

"Sis, I literally manifested two weeks ago. If you somehow manage to convince anyone that I'm a potential heir, I'm going to cite that I haven't even turned sixteen yet."

"You wouldn't!" Sally gasped as she stared at me in surprise.

"Sally, I literally did not exist here any earlier than two weeks ago and I'm still figuring out who I am as me and what I want to do with my life. I am not ready to lead a nation, even as a royal figurehead."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Sally backed off, waving her hands in surrender. "But you have to admit that you would be a preferable candidate to the throne than Naugus."

"Sis, a half-eaten cabbage would be a preferable candidate for the throne than Naugus. That's not a high bar there."

The giggles and laughter from Nicole, Bernadette, and Jules reminded Sally and me that we weren't actually alone in the kitchen…

There was a knock at the door and Bernadette got up to go answer it.

"Oh, Elias! Come in, come in! Your sisters are here!" Sonic's mother greeted our brother warmly as she dragged him through the living room towards the kitchen.

"Elias, it's good to see you," Sally and I said together as we got up to hug him, only to stop and look at each other before giggling. I waved her on to continue as I took a step back to wait in bemusement that, of all things, it was this that Sally and I were in sync enough with each other to the point where we had the exact same initial reaction to someone.

The two hugged as siblings and then separated before Elias turned to address me. "I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to meet yet, but I'm sort of persona non grata in New Mobotropolis right now…"

I pinched the bridge of my muzzle over the sudden feeling of frustration that washed over me. "Seriously? Geoffrey St. John is currently on trial and those idiots are still blaming you for the decisions he influenced by isolating you and giving you bad advice?"

"If there is one thing I've learned recently, it's that the court of public opinion cares little about facts," Elias said, shaking his head ruefully. "Anyway, we haven't met properly. I am Elias Gabriel Acorn, and you are? I'm sorry, but nobody told me anything about you other than that you existed."

"It has been a busy couple of weeks, hasn't it?" I sighed. I couldn't even blame Sally for not informing our brother because I had been following her around like a baby duck and neither of us had thought to actually contact him. He had to reach out to us - which he couldn't do in New Mobotropolis. "I'm going by Rosie for now. It's good to see you again for the first time, Elias."

Tangent · Sep 30, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 9
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Bernadette asked as everyone, Elias included, took seats around the kitchen table again. It wasn't like we were on a timetable or anything, so why not stay a while and enjoy a visit with our brother?

"I have not," Elias admitted.

"Then I'll whip you up something quick then," Bernadette said. "Would you like coffee, tea, or juice? Oh, don't drink the dark stuff that smells like cinnamon - it's lubricant for Jules and Rosie. I've been trying to work out ways to improve the flavor."

"Ah, noted," Elias nodded. "I'm fine with whatever you give me."

"So, how have things been going for you, Megan, and Alexis?" Sally asked.

"Not… great," Elias admitted with some reluctance. "As I said, I'm still basically persona non grata in New Mobotropolis, and some of that is carrying over to my wife and daughter…"

"Bring them here to Knothole," Jules interjected immediately. "It'll be a bit tight until you arrange for your own home, but we can set you three up in the guest room and set something up for Rosie in our room…"

"You don't have to put yourselves out on my behalf like that," I argued.

"Nonsense!" Jules denied. "You kids are practically family, and it's not like it's going to be more than a few days or a couple of weeks before other living arrangements are made."

"Knothole would place you close enough that I could still visit regularly," Sally offered.

"Yeah, and everyone here is remarkably tolerant of nonsense," I offered. "Most of the pre-coup crowd ended up showing up in New Mobotropolis instead of here. I hardly get any looks at all."

"I'll discuss it with Megan when I get back," Elias said. "We were considering moving back to Haven, but Angel Island is currently approaching the far side of Mobius, so returning there now wouldn't be cheap or easy by any means. If Knothole is everything you say it is, then moving here may be the more palatable option."

"It's your decision of course," Jules said agreeably. "Just know that if you do decide to move to Knothole, Bernadette and I can host your family for a few weeks while you arrange for proper housing. You too, Rosie."

"Thank you," this time it was Elias and I that spoke together.

Once breakfast was completed, Sally and I got up and we rinsed and washed our dishes. Well, I rinsed and washed my cup since it was all I had used, but I helped Sally wash and dry what she had used.

"You don't have to do that, dears," Bernadette tried to say. "You're guests after all."

"I may be living here for a few weeks if I move to Knothole," I countered. "Best to get in the habit of helping with chores early, because guests leave after three days, not three weeks."

"That's not how it works, Rosie," Bernadette countered my counter with a rueful smile and a shake of her head. "But the thoughtfulness is appreciated."

"Unfortunately, we need to get going if we're to have any hope of catching Rosie Woodchuck at home on our way back," Sally interjected.

"Oh, before I forget, would you and Elias be willing to hold onto my spare Power Rings for me?" I asked, taking the extra ones off of my wrists and holding them out.

"Of course," Sally agreed immediately, taking one.

"It would be an honor," Elias said as he accepted the other.

"Oh! Hello, Sally and… I'm sorry, but nobody ever mentioned what your name was, dear?" Rosie Woodchuck said as we met her right as she was leaving her house.

"Um… I decided to use Rosie as a placeholder for now, and maybe as a potential middle name if you don't mind?" I replied.

"We're sorry if we caught you at a bad time," Sally apologized.

Which, fair - we did catch her right as she was leaving her house.

"Oh, not at all," Rosie assured us, waving her hand dismissively. "I was just leaving a bit early in order to enjoy a quick cup of coffee at the cafe by the bus stop."

"There's a bus?" Sally and I asked at the same time.

"Yes," Rosie confirmed. "A small shuttle bus that runs back and forth between Knothole and Mobotropolis all day. It runs from six in the morning until eleven at night. Didn't you know?"

Sally, Nicole, and I palmed our faces as none of us had even thought to check for any such thing as the original Knothole never had any roads leading directly to it.

We had walked here yesterday, for Walkers' sake!

"Anyway, I don't mind if you want to use Rosie as a middle name, dear," Rosie said. "Or even your main one. I would be honored."

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "Would you like an escort to the cafe? We need to see this new bus stop."

"Especially since nobody thought to tell us that anybody had set up a shuttle service," Sally snarked.

"I haven't been in the loop since my exile," Nicole sighed. "And I have been slow to reintegrate myself with New Mobotropolis' systems even after my exile was overturned. It must have started up since then."

"And we've… Well, you've been super busy with various emergencies and other Freedom Fighter duties since then too," I added with a shrug. "It's highly likely that everyone had assumed that someone else had already told you."

"That's fair, I suppose…" Sally admitted, even though it was clear that she was more upset about not having been told than I was.

The shuttle bus between the Village of Knothole and New Mobotropolis was basically just a large passenger van with bench seats and windows. It was clean, well maintained, had first aid and survival kits on the back of every seat…

I tried not to think too hard about that last detail, even though I understood why they were there.

The driver was a female tortoise named, unsurprisingly, Shelly, who was calm, cheerful, and drove the dirt road like she was running moonshine and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrain was in hot pursuit.

I tried not to think too hard about that either.

Although, in the future, unless I'm in a hurry I think I'll just walk between Knothole and New Mobotropolis. It's hard to enjoy the scenery when so much of the forest is blurring past inches from your face at highway speeds.

I looked over at Rosie Woodchuck, who was sitting on a different bench chatting with another passenger. Um… I want to say Betty Beaver? Whoever she was, my memories about her from Sally were far too fragmented other than to recognize her as another former resident of the original knothole. Maybe I should just ask Sally?

I turned towards Sally and noticed that she was stiff as a board, facing straight ahead, and gripping the seat like her life depended on it.

"Sonic carries you at far faster speeds all the time - why are you nervous?"

"Sonic can stop on a dime without hurting whoever he is carrying," Sally forced out through clenched teeth.

"Fair enough," I conceded the point. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm terrified too."

"You don't sound terrified," Sally said through gritted teeth.

"That's because I'm repressing hard," I noted. "Also, because you need me to be calm. And it helps that everyone else is treating this as being perfectly normal. None of that means that I'm not afraid. I am going to have the shakes later. I don't know how bad. Will you be there for me?"

"Yes," Sally said, visibly forcing herself to relax as she took my hand. "Yes, I will be there for you. Always."

"That is going to make your wedding night with Sonic very awkward," I said with a perfectly straight face.

"Pfft! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!" And just like that, the tension flowed out of Sally and she finally relaxed.

Which didn't change the fact that everything I just said was true.

The remaining fifteen minutes of the ride lasted forty million years…

Tangent · Oct 1, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 10
A broken SI fic by Tangent

We didn't go straight to either Rotor or Uncle Chuck when we got back to New Mobotropolis. Nor did we go to the retirement home where Mom was taking care of Dad. Instead, we went straight to Sally's place where Sally sat down beside me on the couch and hugged me until my shakes went away.

I am very glad that I have a Power Ring equipped right now, as this is probably the most vulnerable I have been since I manifested, and I doubt that I could have continued fending off the control overlay program in this state.

"Feeling better?" Sally asked when my shakes finally subsided.

"Yes," I replied. "Thank you."

"So, what do you want to do first? See Mom and Dad or ask Rotor or Uncle Chuck if they'd be willing to monitor Nicole's dive into your head?"

"Stop imagining me manifesting a tiny diving board on your head," Nicole teased, disrupting my imagine spot of her doing just that.

"Aww…"

"And no imagining me in scuba gear either."

"Spoilsport." I retorted, sticking my tongue out at her.

I then gave Sally's question some thought. "Mom, I think. Even if I'm not looking forward to Dad seeing me like this. Especially if nobody informed him that I exist yet. Heck, him even seeing me before he sees you might cause an episode…"

"Don't borrow trouble," Sally admonished. "He's been getting better about that."

"Sis, he once - very publicly - declared that all Robians are to be destroyed. And, unlike you, I've never been a Mobian even if I remember being you."

"Yeah," Sally sighed. "Not Dad's proudest day. But he is getting better about that."

"I know. I'm just nervous about being on this end of it if he does end up having an episode."

"So, Rotor or Uncle Chuck first then?"

"No…" I sighed. "Mom first, to see if she'll name me or if I stay just Rosie. I can always stay in the hallway or kitchen if it looks like Dad might have an episode."

"Huh… There seem to be a lot more guards running around than during the past couple of weeks?" I noted as we headed off in the general direction of Mom's place - well, presumably Dad owned it too, but given his shaky mental capacity I just thought of it as Mom's place.

"I wonder what's going on?" Sally commented.

"Well, I'm certainly not looking," Nicole huffed. "The Council may have overturned my exile, but they haven't officially given me any duties either. I'm not about to get in trouble again for overstepping any boundaries."

"Understandable," I replied before Sally could say anything. "You should have just left with the city when they exiled you."

"I had already given New Mobotropolis over as a gift for the people," Nicole pointed out. "I don't want to be the sort of person who takes a gift back just because the recipient later turns ungrateful."

"Well, that's certainly a choice, but fair enough," I shrug. "It was your choice to make and there's nothing wrong with it."

Sally sighed. "Alright, as much as I want to know what's going on, I suppose that I'm currently officially out of the loop too until someone contacts me directly, and none of the guards are heading our way."

"And it's one of your days off," I pointed out.

"I don't get those," Sally corrected me.

"Yes, you do," I countered.

"No, I don't," Sally insisted.

"If you don't learn how to take a couple of days off every now and then to destress, you're going to burn out, and next thing you know you'll be marrying Shadow instead of Sonic! And not the chill guy he is now but the relapsed evil edgelord version who sucks all the fun out of everything!"

"You've met Sticks for what? All of five minutes, and she's already been a horrible influence on you," Sally snarked.

"I agree," Nicole added.

"Thank you," Sally smirked.

"With both of you, actually," Nicole clarified. "Well, not the bit where Sally marries Shadow, obviously. Shadow is clearly going to end up marrying Sonic after the two get drunk at Sonic's bachelor party in Casino Park. It will be a whirlwind three-day romance doomed to end in divorce fifteen minutes after they realized that they accidentally married each other."

Both Sally and I just looked at Nicole for a moment before all three of us broke down in a fit of giggles…

"All silliness aside," I started once we got our composure back, "You really do need to find some way to relax and blow off steam every now and then, Sis. Seriously though, you left Bunnie in charge of the Freedom Fighters when you told them we were heading for Knothole to talk with Sonic's parents."

"Speaking of which, had you actually told Bunnie why we were leaving to speak with Jules and Bernadette? I'm not always active when my handheld is closed, and I think I missed that part if you did."

"She did," I said at the same time that Sally said "I did."

"Then trust her to have things well in hand," Nicole stated bluntly. "And maybe ask her about the possibility of letting her stand in for you every now and then from here on out. Rosie's not wrong about the potential for early burnout if you don't learn how to relax."

"Thank you," I said.

"Even if you are bad at following your own advice," Nicole said straight to my face.

"Hey!"

Once we had arrived, I hesitated and dithered instead of actually knocking on the door, so Sally sighed and did it instead.

It wasn't very long before Mom answered the door. "Hello? Oh! Sally, Nicole! And you must be Mecha Sally! Come in, come in!"

We were ushered into the small foyer where Sally made sure that the bottoms of her boots were clean while I did the same with the bottoms of my feet (and Nicole just floated there not having to clean anything before entering the house proper).

"Max, our daughters and Nicole have come to visit us!" Mom called out, and I almost bolted out the door before Sally caught my arm in hers and guided me further into the house to face my doom.

Well, to face Dad, but same difference…

Tangent · Oct 2, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 11
A broken SI fic by Tangent

Queen Emeritus Alicia Acorn, which is to say Mom, guided Sally, Nicole, and I into the living room where King Emeritus Maxamillain Silas Acorn sat in a wheelchair with a blanket folded over his lap.

Dad looked old and frail beyond his years as he set aside the book he had been reading (I, Chihuahua, by Issac the Groundhog if I was reading the title correctly from here). He looked us over with prematurely aged eyes before setting the terrifying weight of his gaze on me…

And then he smiled and all the fear went away in a wave of relief. "It is good to see you three. And welcome to the family… Mecha Sally was it?"

"I'm going by Rosie as a placeholder," I informed Mom and Dad politely. "After Rosie Woodchuck, who helped raise and mentor Sally."

"A fine name then," Dad said.

"I was holding off on making it official in case you and Mom wanted to name me…" I offered.

Mom and Dad conferred for a moment, then nodded at each other before turning to address me again.

"We have decided to name you Autumn Rose Acorn, keeping Rose as your middle name to continue to honor Rosie Woodchuck," Mom said as she and Dad smiled at us.

And thus I was named and I felt a weight that I had not been aware of fade from my psyche…

We all took seats in the dining room, while Mom served a light lunch for her, Dad, and Sally (they didn't have anything appropriate for me, and Nicole basically made her own pretend lunch out of holograms).

"So, do you have any plans beyond being named?" Mom asked me with an interested tone.

"After we're done here, we were thinking of asking either Rotor, Uncle Chuck, or maybe even both of them if they'd be willing to act as safety overwatch while Nicole does a deep dive to clear out my control overlay program and any other malware that might be in my head," I said, then held up my left wrist, where I was wearing my Power Ring as a Bangle. "This might block out the incessant yammering trying to get me to serve and obey Tubbo the Living Ego, but I'd much rather the control overlay program actually be gone."

"Prudent," Dad nodded between bites from his sandwich. "I'd offer advice, but…"

Yeah, everyone here remembered how compromised Dad's judgement had been ever since his return from the Zone of Silence. Since before he was banished, actually, but I didn't think that it would be wise to mention that bit.

"Jules and Bernadette have agreed to keep either or both of them on track during the procedure," Nicole assured Mom and Dad.

"That's good," Mom nodded.

"After that, I'll probably be moving to the new Village of Knothole for a while," I said. "Close enough to visit regularly…"

"But far enough to be away from the remaining anti-Robian crowd," Dad sighed, his voice heavy with regret. "I understand." Still, he had a melancholy smile, happy that I was willing to come visit.

"Elias and his family will probably be moving to Knothole for a while as well," Sally added. "At least until this whole mess clears up."

"The bargain I made with Naugus, you mean," Dad huffed, the anger I had feared obviously directed at himself instead of at me.

"A bargain made under duress is no bargain at all," I stated flatly. "Naugus' claim to the Throne of Acorn is invalid."

"Still, situational coercion aside, I had made that bargain," Dad insisted distastefully.

My eyes widened as something occurred to me and I whipped my head around to face Sally. "Quick - give Dad my spare Power Ring!"

Sally's and Nicole's eyes widened as they caught on to my suspicion, and Sally pulled the spare ring she was carrying from the inner pocket of her vest and handed it over to Dad.

Dad took hold of it cautiously, then looked shocked for a moment before his expression grew thunderous. "That… That BASTARD!"

Yeah, Naugus had used that bargain to get his mystical hooks into Dad…

Of course, having my spare Power Ring didn't automatically cure Dad of everything he had gone through over the years. He was still prematurely aged and not particularly healthy, but he had regained a certain vitality and clarity that hadn't been present in years.

"I'll see if Merlin Prower can give me a mystic cleansing or at least if he can recommend someone who can," Dad said as he stood up from his wheelchair. Shakily perhaps, but without assistance. "Then I'll get your ring back to you. You said it was a spare after all, and you may need it."

"Keep it. I'll just grab another one," I waved off his concern, although I did appreciate that he was looking out for me.

"Thank you then, Autumn," Dad said as he slipped in onto his left wrist the same way that I was wearing mine. "I will treasure it always, as your first gift to me."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and then a little longer before Mom nudged Dad, who looked startled, and then sighed in resignation.

"Sally… Autumn… I've made a lot of mistakes over the years. Trusted the wrong advisors, exiled the ones I should have trusted, alienated a lot of people who were formerly staunch allies, and generally made a mess of the succession by not arranging for proper tutoring and instruction for either you or Elias…"

"Dad…" Sally began, only to stop as Dad held his hand up.

"I also nearly initiated a genocide against our Robian citizens," Dad said flatly. "And as much as i want to lay that at Naugus' feet given the influence we just proved he had over me, in all honesty I cannot make that claim because part of the fear and revulsion that had led to that decision had been real."

Dad looked down and gathered himself. "Autumn, when we were told about you - that you even existed - I became agitated and your mother and I had a big fight. It took me nearly losing her for me to realize how big a mistake I had been making all this time, letting that fear drive my prejudice. Even so, I held off on extending an invitation, even after it became clear that you had no intention of replacing Sally."

Dad then looked me directly in the eyes. "I was still torn when you and Sally walked in earlier, but when I looked at you and saw the fear in your eyes… fear of me… That is when my own fear broke and I truly realized what a fool I was being."

Dad sighed again as he sat back down in his wheelchair. "I cannot promise that I won't backslide - that there won't be bad days when all the old fears come back. All I ask is that you give this old fool a chance…"

"Of course, Dad…" Was all I said, my own feelings equally conflicted.

"Well, that was both more and less eventful than I'd been expecting," I commented as Sally, Nicole, and I left the house. "Um… Uncle Chuck's place is closer, I guess. Let's check with him first." Sure, I was a little more nervous about Uncle Chuck than I was about Rotor - not because I thought that he wouldn't see me as a person (he had spent too much time as a Robian himself to fall into that trap), but rather because he had a demonstrated tendency towards project creep and getting so caught up in his work that he might lose track of little things. Such as consent and actually asking permission before doing something if he saw something interesting.

Rotor might also get a little out there if he got caught up on the technical side of things, but I think he'd be at least a little less likely to just do something without at least asking first.

"Uncle Chuck isn't going to take you apart, Autumn," Sally tried to assure me, no doubt referring to all the badnik and Metal Sonic parts I remember her seeing the last time she visited him before I manifested.

"Not what I'm worried about, Sally," I retorted. "In fact, I've got nothing to worry about until the actual procedure starts. It's just that he - and to a lesser extent Rotor as well - can get a little… overexcited when it comes to new technology or something they haven't seen or done before. I know you know how they sometimes get."

"Fair point," Sally conceded. "But knowing that, don't borrow trouble. All we're doing now is asking if he and Rotor would be willing to act as safety overwatch for Nicole while she does the work."

"Right, right," I conceded. First, we had to ask Uncle Chuck and Rotor if either of them would be willing to act as Nicole's safety overwatch, then we had to procure a couple of bicycles because I did not want to ride in Shelly's shuttle bus again anytime soon but we still had to let Jules and Bernadette know when the procedure would take place…

Tangent · Oct 3, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 12
A broken SI fic by Tangent

Jerry the Jerboa was working the counter at Uncle Chuck's Hot Dog Shoppe, meaning that Uncle Chuck was most likely either in his workshop instead or on Council business. So, we were now heading for the workshop. If he wasn't there, we'd move on to check Rotor's workshop instead, but we were at a loss as to what to do if neither was available. Come back to check again in the evening, I guess? Maybe visit Megan and little Alexis in the meantime?

Fortunately, the door to Uncle Chuck's workshop was not locked, which Sally and the Sally part of me took as permission to head right on in. While the bits of me that came from Tangent felt super awkward about, giving me a tremendous case of mixed social signals - so I just followed Sally like a baby duckling again.

Oh, Walkers, that's right. I'm half extrovert and half introvert. How am I even functional right now?

I mean, sure, it's a sliding scale with nuances, but I didn't grow up into whatever my current balance is - the two parts of me grew in two entirely different social directions! How am I not socially paralyzed? And I had the control overlay program in here too. Well, still have it, actually - it's just been forced into dormancy while I have this Power Ring. But still…

"Autumn, you're doom-spiraling again," Nicole pointed out helpfully.

"What? Oh, thanks." I shook my head clear as we headed deeper in…

Okay, objectively I had known that this part of Uncle Chuck's workshop was full of salvaged badnik parts, bits of various Metal Sonics (including some remains from his knock-off Metal Sonic Troopers), as well as lots of other salvaged scrap that Uncle Chuck liked to tinker with. I could remember this from both the memory fragments that I inherited from Sally and from the comics that Tangent had read.

But being here, directly, as a Robian?

I'm going to be honest - it felt creepy as fuck.

"Uncle Chuck?" Sally called out once we finally caught sight on him. He was actually working on one of those Metal Sonics. One with black where the plating would normally be blue, with gold trim, three honest-to-Walkers racing stripes on its head cowling, glowing green irises in its otherwise black optics, and a Power Gem mounted in the center of its torso.

"Oh! Sally, Nicole, Mecha Sally! What brings you three here?" Uncle Chuck greeted us easily, and I sighed. It was going to take forever before everyone who already knew me as Mecha Sally got informed of my recent name changes, wasn't it? And I couldn't even really complain that he used Mecha Sally, as it's not like I corrected anyone whenever they had called me that during any interactions over the past couple of weeks.

Honestly, it was either that or Not Sally due to the weird speech filter that I had been inflicted with.

"It's Autumn Rose Acorn now," I reintroduced myself. "Mom and Dad just named me. You can call me Autumn or Rosie."

"After Rosie Woodchuck?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Now who's this?" Not that I didn't have strong suspicions, given the memories I inherited from Tangent literally recalling Shard. Sally looked disturbed, and like she was about to get into another argument with Uncle Chuck about him trying to repurpose another Metal Sonic given what had happened last time.

I ignored that and leaned in to look Shard in the eyes.

"S'up?" Shard flashed a devil-may-care grin likely lifted directly from Sonic's facial repertoire.

"Not much," I replied. "Nicole is going to be doing a deep dive into my noggin soon to clear out my control overlay program and any other malware she can find. And you?"

"Not much on this end either," Shard shrugged as best as he could, given that he was literally just hanging from a support rig by wires, not having any limbs installed yet. "You know, just hanging around."

"That was terrible. I love it," I smiled.

"He's awake," Sally said flatly.

"He's unarmed…" Uncle Chuck started.

"Literally!" Shard interjected cheerfully.

"And he's also the Metal Sonic that Sonic told us about," Uncle Chuck informed us. "The one he claimed turned good and saved him and Tails from that volcano."

"True story," Shard nodded.

"Does he have a name yet?" I asked. I mean, yeah, I was assuming that he was Shard, but I didn't remember exactly when he got that name.

"I was thinking of calling him Shard," Uncle Chuck replied, confirming my assumption. "Because his personality core had been backed up into the Power Gem that had been recovered from his original body."

"That, and the fact that my new classy chassis is basically made from scrapped badniks and other less awesome versions of me!" Shard added.

Well, there was certainly nothing wrong with his self-image.

"Anyway, you mentioned that Nicole was going to do a deep dive on you to clear out any malware?" Uncle Chuck prompted.

"And that stupid control overlay program," I nodded, then held up my left wrist. "I've got a Power Ring now, and it's suppressing the incessant attempts to get me to serve and obey Dr. Robotnik, but I really want the damned thing gone."

"And the reason you didn't bring this up any time during the past two weeks?" Uncle Chuck leveled an unimpressed half-lidded look at me, which I returned with interest.

"You may have noticed the odd speech filter I had been dealing with and the fact that it's not working right now?" I snarked. "Also, I'm finding it difficult to trust most of the Council."

"Autumn, I'm on the Counsil," Uncle Chuck pointed out.

"And your point is?" I raised an eyebrow pointedly.

"Say what you will, you've got a lot of Sally in you," the old hedgehog sighed.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," I chided. "I like the bits of me that are Sally."

"Are we not going to talk about the Metal Sonic that's in the room?" Sally asked, irritably gesturing at Shard.

"I'm up for that," Shard grinned.

"Oh, God, he even has Sonic's ego…" Sally palmed her face.

Wait… I thought that they worshiped the Ancient Walkers on Mobius? That's why I've been swearing by them for the past week or so. Ugh… That's right - the cultural shift towards Walkerism is relatively recent even if the religion has been around for a while. For some reason, most Earth religions are still active on Mobius Prime.

And because I didn't inherit any emotional context from Sally, I didn't inherit her faith either. What I had been doing was adaptation by cultural immersion, using (or trying to use, even unconsciously) phrases and idioms in use by the locals in an attempt to fit in better.

And Sally most likely let me do it because religion is a personal thing and she was likely letting me find my own faith.

Which, okay, was a good thing. Frustrating perhaps, but a good thing overall.

Tangent · Oct 3, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 13
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"I know, I know," Uncle Chuck sighed as he sat down on a bench and slumped his shoulders. "After the whole Metal Sonic Trooper fiasco, you likely didn't expect me to be working on another Metal Sonic…"

"Dad didn't mention another commission," Sally stated bluntly. And then continued under her breath. "Not that he told me about the Metal Sonic Trooper commission at the time either…"

"There wasn't one," Uncle Chuck replied. "I started working on Shard here back during the commission. He started out as a test bed unit that I tried various systems on, but when I was given the Power Gem, I made a housing for it in the test bed torso and he… well… woke up."

"And once he was awake, you didn't know what to do with him," I concluded nonjudgmentally, acknowledging that he had accidentally placed himself in a very awkward position. Because while the Metal Sonic Troopers were not sentient, Shard was. And Uncle Chuck couldn't very well bring himself to kill him.

Sally sighed, no doubt reaching the same conclusion I had. "You may as well finish putting him together. I'll talk to Sonic and the others and see if they'd be willing to accept him into the Freedom Fighters on a probationary basis."

"If not, he could always come to Knothole and find out what he wants to do with himself," I suggested. "That's what I'll be doing."

"Hey, I'm up for it either way, Beautiful," Shard grinned.

I had no idea until just now that I was even capable of blushing…

"Let's not forget what we came here to discuss," Nicole interjected.

"Ah, right," Uncle Chuck perked up. "You said that Nicole was going to be doing a deep dive to clear out Autumn's control overlay program and any other malware she can find. You'd like me and possibly Rotor to act as a safety overwatch for her, I take it?"

How? Oh, right, he's an engineer. Feature creep and distractions aside, he's at least aware of potential safety issues even if he's occasionally blase about them.

"With Jules and Bernadette acting as overall oversight, yes," I confirmed, earning me a slightly hurt expression from Uncle Chuck.

I just looked at him flatly and cocked a brow.

After a moment, he sighed. "Fair enough. I guess I deserved that."

"For what it's worth," I offered, "I don't think you or Rotor are bad people. You just both have a tendency towards feature creep, which is not a trait I feel comfortable having in someone poking around in my head without somebody providing oversight. Last thing I need is laser eyes or fire breath or something silly like that."

"Well, if you don't want them…" Shard quipped.

"Maybe after your probationary period, assuming the Freedom Fighters take you in," Uncle Chuck said, shaking his head. "I already gave you enough extra features - which probably proves Autumn's point, actually. Anyway, Rotor is scheduled for some pool therapy at the rehabilitation clinic near the hospital if you want to ask him as well."

"Ooh! So, I can get laser breath and fire eyes instead!" I joked.

I'm not sure where Sally found the stress ball she threw at me, but I made a show of falling over as if she rolled a nat twenty…

"Oh, yeah, sure," Rotor said as he slowly but steadily did his physical therapy regimen in the clinic's swimming pool. "It'll be interesting to watch Nicole at work, and it's a good idea to make sure your head is clear of any other malware as well. I'll discuss scheduling with Uncle Chuck and let you know when we'd like to do it."

"You mean when you'd like Nicole to do it," I pointed out flatly.

Rotor just looked at me and shrugged. "Just to be clear, that is how I meant it. I'm aware that I have a problem with adding extra, unasked-for features. That's how Bunnie ended up with her arm being able to turn into a Buster Cannon. I'll be on safety oversight only, stepping in only if you or Nicole seem to be in danger. If it makes you feel any better, have a third party there other than Uncle Chuck (because he has the same problem I do) to watch over us."

"We already asked Jules and Bernadette," Sally admitted.

"See? There you go then. No problem." Rotor shrugged again and then started another careful exercise to help with his recovering back injury.

Things were actually looking pretty good so far today, with almost no unexpected hitches or complications so far…

"Anyway," Rotor chose that moment to speak up again. "Nicole, I'd like to thank you for the patience and restraint you've shown these past couple of weeks by staying out of New Mobotropolis' systems. It's gone a long way towards assuring all but the most alarmist among the general public that you can be trusted and that what Regina Ferrum forced you to do was not your fault."

"Thank you, Councilor Rotor," Nicole said cooly, clearly repressing her frustration with the ongoing situation.

"No, seriously - you staying out of the systems of your own accord has gone a long way towards defanging one of Naugus' stronger leverage points. He can't very well offer a King's protection against a threat that isn't there," Rotor explained.

"Well, there is that," Nicole conceded.

"Why hasn't he been driven off yet?" I asked in frustration. Mind you, now that I was wearing a Power Ring, I was much less vulnerable to be taken over by his Crystalmancy, but still…

"Because his subsequent defence of New Mobotropilis during the Death Egg attack actually won him some political support despite the fact that he had just tried to claim the Throne of Acorn by force. Also, he seems to be fixated on restoring at least some political power to the throne. I think our switch to being a republic threw him off."

"Of course it threw him off," I retorted. "He's a bargainer mage and one of the major bargains he had been counting on was for the Throne of Acorn. If it has no political power, a lot of the mystical power he had been tying up in that bargain goes away."

"How do you know these things?" Rotor asked. "I didn't think that Sally was into mysticism."

"~~I literally manifested due to a glitch in the universe,~~" I snarked bluntly, purposely leaning more heavily into the radio-voice effect that most Robians had to some extent. "How do you think I know random things Mobian was not meant to know?"

"Okay, that was creepy," Rotor grumbled. "Never say that again."

"No promises," I retorted.

We left Rotor to finish the rest of his therapy in peace and were now just casually walking through New Mobotropolis, taking the time to actually enjoy the city that Nicole had built.

Okay, barring a few more complications and political weirdness than I felt was strictly necessary for one of Sally's days off, things were still looking generally upwards. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, there wasn't a cloud in the…

"DOCTOR ROBOTNIK HAS ESCAPED!" some random Mobian yelled, starting a panic.

Why, universe? Why must you taunt me so!?

Fuck my life…

Tangent · Oct 4, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 14
A broken SI fic by Tangent

Ugh… I did not want to be standing in front of these goobers again. Rotor and Uncle Chuck aside, I did not have a lot of respect for the Council of Acorn even if Sally at least respected their office. Republic of Acorn my shiny metal ass - they still didn't know how to actually function as a democratic republic…

Calm down…

The republic isn't actually much older than I am. As a political entity, they are still basically going through their baby steps. And, according to some of the memories I inherited from Tangent, only one of them, Councilor Rosemary Prower (Tail's mother) had even seen one in action. And that was from the point of view of a refugee, not a participating citizen.

Still didn't mean I was comfortable with them being all up in my business…

"It has come to our attention that you are seeking to have Nicole remove a control overlay program from your operating system," Councilor Rosemary Prower led with. "That sounds like an attempt to jailbreak a safety feature."

"It's an attempt to delete an incessant whiny insistence that I serve and obey Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik," I corrected, forcing my voice to remain calm. "It's the program that he added to the robotization process that forces Robians to obey him. I want it, and any other malware that may have come with it, gone."

As if neither Rotor nor Uncle Chuck wouldn't have told them this when they informed the rest of the Council of Acorn of my intentions. Still, there was a reason for this political theater. And said reason was probably heading towards Snively to take control of his empire back from his nephew.

They needed to be seen dealing with a potential Eggman asset.

And as much as I didn't want to admit it, I needed to be seen as proactively having the last of my tethers to him removed. Even if they never worked quite right on me to begin with.

"And Nicole has agreed to perform this removal procedure?" Councilor Dylan the Porcupine spoke next.

"With oversight by Councilors Rotor and Charles," Nicole clarified. "As well as by Jules and Bernadette Hedgehog."

"I think we can agree that this represents sufficiently adequate oversight on this matter," Councilor Penelope Platypus stated. "I propose that we mark this procedure as approved and move to do what we can to facilitate the action as presented?"

"I second the motion," Councilor Roemary stated. "All in favor?"

Much to my surprise, the vote was a unanimous chorus of "Aye!" Even Councilor Hamlin was apparently deciding not to be an obstructionist.

Damn silly nonsense if you ask me - in the time it took them to call the matter before the Council to do all this political theater, Nicole could have already cleared my head of any malware and been done with it. This was supposed to be a private matter, not a public one!

Ugh… The things we do to prevent rioting in the streets…

"With that out of the way, may I propose that we make a final ruling on Naugus' claim to the Throne of Acorn?" Councilor Hamlin put forward, interrupting the celebratory hug Sally was giving me.

Please don't tell me he was now in favor of letting that would-be usurper's claim stand as valid…

"With the evidence that we have of his attempts to exert mystic influence over several Councilors as well as over the investigation into Geoffrey St. John, I move that his claim to the Throne of Acorn be declared to be a bargain made in bad faith and thus unenforceable," Councillor Rosemary stated plainly.

"I second the motion," Councilor Charles added. "All in favor?"

And once again the vote was unanimous. Which was damn weird, because I could have sworn Naugus could control one person at a time, so where was the nay?

For that matter, where was Naugus anyway?

"Hmm?" Sonic shrugged and then answered first when I brought up the matter when we rejoined the Freedom Fighters later.

Not that the bunker that served as Freedom Fighter HQ had been repaired yet, as the Council of Acorn was still split on whether or not the Freedom Fighters should remain a thing and had at least temporarily cut funding down to a trickle for basic operations and little else.

Which was about as stupid as Elias' ill-advised attempt to annex the Freedom Fighters as a national asset. Not our brother's proudest moment there, given that it practically crippled the formerly extranational organization by immediately severing all cross-national ties and allegiances. The only saving grace was that it wasn't actually Elias' idea - it had been Geoffrey's idea given as advice.

"Autumn, you're doing it again," Nicole pointed out gently.

"What? Oh! I'm sorry, Sonic. What were you saying?" Damn, that was embarrassing…

"I said that Naugus the Naughty got sick and locked himself in his room," Sonic repeated, shaking his head in amusement. Whether over Naugus' sudden illness, my ability to randomly distract myself with mental tangents, or most likely both, I had no idea…

Wait…

Naugus is sick and in hiding?

Isn't this still just a bit early for his decline to accelerate?

"When did he do this?" I asked.

"Sometime around ten this morning," Sonic shrugged again, although he was obviously wondering where I was going with this.

Oh…

Around ten this morning was right about when I had Sally give Dad the spare Power Ring she was carrying for me. Wait, if Sally was carrying it for me, wouldn't it be more of an extra than a spare? Ack! Not important! Focus, Autumn, focus!

Oh!

Between getting cut off from his apprentice, his claim on the Throne of Acorn being in question (now denied), and the fact that Dad now had a Power Ring…

Naugus fell ill and went into hiding right about when I had Sally give him that Power Ring…

THAT BASTARD HAD BEEN LEACHING VITALITY FROM DAD TO KEEP HIMSELF IN GOOD HEALTH!

"Autumn, you're catastrophizing again," Nicole pointed out in concern.

Which, fair. That was a bit more concerning than an anxiety attack or distracting myself.

"Thanks, Nicole," I sighed.

At least Dad was safe now.

Well, reasonably safe.

…

"Let's go check on Mom and Dad."

I'm going to be the death of me, I just know it…

Tangent · Oct 4, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 15
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"Max is fine," Dr. Horatio Q. Quack informed Mom, Sally, and me as Dad huffed in indignant bemusement over the fact that his daughters had returned to his home so urgently to drag him off to the hospital. "Relatively speaking of course, as he's still prematurely aged and had been through an extended period of poor health. But as far as I've been able to determine, he's no longer in active decline."

Mom, Sally, and I all looked at each other in relief. We'd inform Elias later, of course.

"Now, you said that his return to health happened when you were given that Power Ring?" Dr. Quack asked Dad.

"That is what happened, yes," Dad confirmed.

"And this was about the same time that Naugus fell ill and locked himself in his quarters?" Dr. Quack asked Sally.

"According to Sonic, yes," Sally confirmed.

"Correlation, but not direct proof of a cause," Dr. Quack noted.

"Dr. Quack, come quick!" a member of the hospital staff burst into the room (an opossum, i think?). "Geoffrey St. John was just brought in! They say that he suddenly fell ill in his cell and is experiencing violent seizures!"

Sally and I looked at each other, then turned to watch Dr. Quack as he rushed off to respond to the medical emergency.

"No proof of connection. Riiiiiiiiight," I commented drily.

"That's not verified yet!" Dr. Quack yelled back over his shoulder without stopping.

Oddly enough, Jules and Bernadette had arrived in New Mobotropolis at some point during all of this and had been ushered to the hospital, where they met Rotor and Uncle Chuck.

I, of course, had to infer all of that when an orderly came to Dad's room to collect me and Nicole (and Sally by default because she was the one carrying Nicole's handheld) and escort us to a room designed for Robian care.

"Have a seat," Rotor said as he waved me towards what looked like a high end gaming chair with an attitude despite being a completely inanimate object. The built in wrist and ankle restraints were not helping matters.

"Don't wanna," I said, not moving any closer to the high tech S&M chair.

"The chair has a built-in neural override chip…" Rotor started.

"DON'T WANNA!" I insisted, keeping the rising panic out of my voice. I think. Maybe…

"I told you that was a horrible name for it," Uncle Chuck admonished Rotor. "Autumn, all the chip does is actively suppress a Robian's control override program. Not only will this provide extra safety for Nicole, it will guide her right to the control overlay program so she can deal with it. That's it. That's all Rotor designed it to do."

"That is a horrible name for it, then," I snark, the panicked edge to my voice stabilizing and receding.

"It overrides the neural restraints of the control overlay program," Rotor tried to explain his naming convention.

"It sounds like an enslaving device!" I wasn't having it. "Call it… I dunno… An autonomy liberation module or something! And those physical restraints on the chair aren't helping either!"

"Those are literally there for the safety of the patient and the technicians," Uncle Chuck sighed, palming his face.

"You built this thing…" I started.

"Nope," Rotor countered. "All I designed was the neural…"

I glared at him and he quickly decided that this wasn't a hill he wanted to die on. "... Autonomy liberation module. The chair itself and others like it were salvaged from one of Dr. Robotnik's captured bases. They're what he used whenever he wanted to work directly on a Robian."

"One: Thank you for changing the name of the thing," I said. "The original name was horrible. Two: none of that actually helps your case for the chair itself. Why don't I just lay on the workbench over there? You can secure me with bungie chords or something."

"Why do they always ask for the bench?" Rotor sighed. "The chair is ergonomic."

"Speaking as a former Robian, I would have chosen the bench too, Rotor," Uncle Chuck said in flat disapproval. "You didn't tell me that these chairs came from one of Dr. Robotnik's facilities."

"Speaking as someone who is still a Robian, I have to agree with my brother," Jules added, shaking his head.

"I literally went over all of them myself to remove the pain inducers and other Robian torture devices," Rotor pointed out.

"YOU'RE STILL NOT HELPING YOUR CASE!" I insisted vehemently.

Panicking? I'm not panicking! You're panicking.

Eventually, we settled on just strapping me to the workbench like I suggested while Rotor grumbled about the waste of time he had gone through repurposing perfectly serviceable Robian Service Seats.

Somebody else had to have given them that name, because apparently that was much better than what I was now expecting from anything named by Eggman or Rotor.

In the end, the procedure itself was actually anticlimactic because Rotor hadn't been kidding. The autonomy liberation module led Nicole straight to the control overlay program, which she deftly deleted with determination and drive!

Small mental alliteration kick aside, I think I was doing rather well.

I was definitely glad it was all over and done with at least.

"I still think that it's a waste of time to build these seats from scratch when we captured so many perfectly serviceable ones," Rotor grumbled as he and Uncle Chuck undid the bungie chords strapping me down. "I even procured one of the extras for myself because of my back problems."

"Look, it's good that you can see past the malicious purposes Dr. Robotnik actually used these chairs for and put them to actual beneficial use," I tried to assure Rotor that his heart was in the right place. "But maybe consider reupholstering them in something other than industrial grey and burgundy?"

"That matters?" Rotor asked.

Bernadette, Nicole, Sally, and I all palmed our faces.

"Yes, Rotor. That matters." Sally confirmed.

There was a sound of crashing and violence from out in the hall, which Sally, Nicole, Jules, and I rushed out to investigate. Well, Nicole would have had to come by default since Sally had her handheld, but I was pretty sure she would have come out with me and Sally anyway. Jules doing so was a bit of a surprise though…

Focus, Autumn!

Now what made that noise?

"YOU!"

Oh!

Oh dear…

That was what had to be what was now possibly the former Geoffrey St. John. If Dwane "The Rock" Johnson was wearing him as a fursuit and he was coming out as a Werewolf of London enthusiast.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU MISSALIGNED MECHANICAL MANNAQUIN! I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Okay, crazy hybrid Geoffrey-Naugus monster is threatening me. And my day had been going reasonably well so far too…

Sort of…

Oh, who am I kidding?

"NO! I WILL ENSLAVE YOU INSTEAD AND USE YOU TO WIPE OUT THE ACORN LINE SO THAT THE SOURCE OF ALL WILL BE MINE!"

Okay, this fruitloop is going down.

ixis_mage_walter_naugus_by_tangent_rambles_dmy2g90-fullview.jpg

geoffrey_st_john_by_tangent_rambles_dm5cm28-fullview.jpg

Tangent · Oct 5, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 16
A broken SI fic by Tangent

Okay, a couple of things became quickly apparent as the fight with Geoffrey-Naugus started.

First off: Neither of us actually knew how to fight in our current bodies. Sure, I was tougher and stronger than Sally, just as agile, and I had inherited memories of her fighting style…

But I was also heavier due to being made of metal, and the extra weight was throwing off the combat training I would have otherwise gotten from those memories.

Geoffrus - or would that be Geogus? No! Not the time for distractions! Geoffrey-Naugus, for his part, was a weird mix of Geoffrey St. John with the proportions of a gorilla and the magical power of…

Okay, from the rather unimpressive patches of crystal here and there, I'd say that his new hybrid body is much less magically potent than what Naugus had been used to.

I ducked as he threw a hospital gurney at me.

Right. Body like a gorilla now. Gotta remember that.

"We have to get out of the hospital and away from civilians," Sally said as she dodged a (fortunately unoccupied) thrown wheelchair.

"Down the hallway away from Naugus, turn left at the first intersection," Jules stated as he literally caught the wheelchair and whipped it back at the gorilla-skunk that used to be Geoffrey. With much greater force and accuracy than Naugus' own throw had been.

I kinda forgot that Sonic's father had been a war hero in his own right before he had been roboticized. And he's been a Robian for a decade or so now, so he's more than just used to his body…

The three of us ran down the hall as if we had an angry gorilla-skunk chasing after us (which, to be fair, we did), turning left adroitly…

Well, Jules and Sally turned adroitly while I tried but kept skidding straight until I managed to catch the wall railing and pull myself into the turn.

Naugus the Big and Clumsy kinda slid past the turn like I almost did, buying us some more time to make it to the window at the end of the hall.

Which Jules and Sally stopped and opened wide rather than the three of us crashing through it like Studiopolis stunt doubles.

We were on the third floor, but there was a tree outside that Sally used to perform gymnastics to get safely down to the ground below, treating the branches like irregularly placed uneven bars. She even stuck the landing as if it were no big deal.

I leapt out the window to do the same…

…and the first branch I grabbed snapped under my weight and I tumbled down to belly flop onto the lawn below, injuring nothing but my pride.

Especially as Jules just jumped straight down and struck a three-point superhero landing.

I started to push myself out of the light indent I left in the lawn, only to get immediately shoved back into it as roughly five hundred pounds of gorilla-skunk landed on my back and planted me deeper into the ground. Scoring the second hit against my pride but no actual physical damage yet. But being this tough wasn't going to do me any good if I couldn't do anything.

I felt the large hand wrap around my neck and the crystals starting to spread across my body as Naugus got off of me and lifted me high in the air…

I also heard the tinkle of the forming crystalline layer as the Power Ring on my left wrist pulsed, sending a wave of energy that caused the magical crystal that Naugus was attempting to use to control me with to shatter and crumble away to dust.

Maybe I'd be in trouble if Naugus' crystalmancy wasn't weakened by his current condition, or if he had his magic staff with him instead of wherever his original body was, but I was apparently safe enough for now.

You know, besides the fact that Naugus still had all the physical strength implied by having a gorilla-like body and he was holding me up by my neck.

Details like that are important.

Now, where was I?

Oh yeah, the fight!

I punched the hand Naugus was holding me up with as hard as I could, causing him to yelp in pain as he dropped me.

Which would have been fantastic if the force behind my own punch hadn't stunned me too.

Hello, Lawn. We have to stop meeting like this. People are going to talk…

The fight went on without me for a bit as I lay there and recalibrated myself as well as I could.

From the sound of things, Naugus couldn't lay a hand on Sally, and Jules' own Power Ring was shattering any layer of magical crystal that Naugus managed to coat him with.

"I'LL HAVE YOUR HIDE FOR A THROW RUG, PRINCESS!" Naugus bellowed in frustration. "I'LL CONQUER THIS PATHETIC KINGDOM AND CLAIM THE SOURCE OF ALL BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST AND TURN EVERYONE INTO MY SLAVES!"

Right. Villain rant. Time to get up and do the thing.

Whatever the thing I need to do happens to be, considering that my thinky-thinky bits seem to still be a little rattled.

Ooh… Big, fluffy, grabbable tail - plus he's looking at my sister and not at me.

Looks like it's time for some applied rotational physics!

I grabbed the tail and was immediately glad that Mobian skunks didn't have the same spray glands that their animal counterparts had.

Or at least Naugus' current form didn't, which was a win anyway.

"WHAT!? LET GO OF ME, YOU DELINQUENT DOLL!"

Maintain hold, shift weight, spin…

"OW! LET ME GO!"

Spin faster…

"I SAID…"

"Okay!" I said cheerfully as I let him go and watched him soar in a ballistic arc that fell short of the public fountain I had been aiming for by about the length of half of a soccer field.

Good to know. So, I needed to either spin even faster or maybe arc the throw higher?

Dammit. Naugus was getting up already and didn't look any worse for wear.

This fight was going to be a slog…

And then a blue streak hit Naugus at roughly the speed of what the fuck was that and then proceeded to blur all around the gorilla-skunk, striking him again and again and again. Dozens of times, then over a hundred, until Naugus fell defeated in roughly two-point-five seconds and the blue streak just abruptly stopped.

Sonic the Hedgehog had arrived.

Tangent · Oct 5, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 17
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"Okay, let me get this straight," I said as I tried to reconcile what my sister just told us. Us being Mom, Dad, Elias, Megan, and me - Nicole already knew as she had been with Sally while I had taken the opportunity presented by no longer feeling the need for a safety escort in New Mobotropolis just to window shop for a bicycle for my planned commute route to and from the Village of Knothole.

How that had turned into me being gifted with a free hoverbike similar to Nack the Weasel's Marvelous Queen except in royal blue instead of golden yellow was something I didn't really want to think about too much.

Mostly because I still don't quite understand how it happened despite the fact that I was right there during the whole ludicrous series of improbable events.

Wait, where was I… Ah yes: "The Counsel of Acorn wants to reinstate the Royal Throne as a Constitutional Monarchy with more clear duties, responsibilities, and limitations, while otherwise retaining the new government as a republic. But rather than restoring Elias as King, they want you as sitting Princess for at least the next five years before the matter is revisited after Elias has had proper training for the new system."

"This is the first I'm hearing about this," Elias commented drily from where he was sitting next to his wife and daughter.

"Do they even know what a republic is?" I asked plaintively. "Because they seem to be changing their minds about how the new government is run every time I turn around."

"It's more that they want the Royal House to be an executive branch while they assume the role of a legislative and representative branch," Sally clarified. "But they don't want Dad back in charge, and they wanted to just make me Queen. I argued that I remain Princess for the next five years to give Elias a chance to actually unlearn all the bad advice that Geoffrey had given him."

"And, again, I am apparently not even being consulted for my position on the matter," Elias chuckled. "Not that I mind a five year break to actually learn the job I had previously just been thrust into. I'll be able to spend more time with Megan and Alexis, and maybe decide if I even want to take the position."

"But you were doing so well, Elias…" Dad tried to argue.

"No, Dad. I did not," Elias countered. "I've spoken with Councilor Rosemary, her husband Amadeus, and several others on the matter, and they have all said the same thing: While I did do some genuine good, I was making many of the same mistakes that plagued your reign. I trusted the wrong advisor; I allowed myself to be isolated from anyone else who could have provided alternate advice; and I allowed myself to be separated from the people to a degree where I could no longer see the true issues facing the Kingdom."

"Right now the thought is that having separate executive and legislative branches, with the legislative branch being representative, there will be a balance of political powers," Sally put in. "Giving the people more say in what's going on while still upholding some of our traditions."

"If you guys are doing this, you're going to want a judicial branch too," I advised. "Distribute the political power a little more for proper checks and balances without any one branch getting too much power." Okay, so I was applying a little of what I remembered from the memories that I had inherited from Tangent and adapting it to what I understood of the still forming Republic of Acorn. Not quite the same situation, but similar enough…

"Are you sure you don't want to…" Sally started.

"Nope! Absolutely not!" I interjected before she even finished her request. "I only got some of your memories, and a lot of those are fragmented. I am in no way qualified to run any governmental position. Heck, I'm barely over two weeks old now! I haven't even reached my first birthday, let alone my sixteenth! Also, I don't wanna and you can't make me! Nyah!"

I very maturely stuck my tongue out at my sister.

"Don't stick your tongue out, Autumn," Mom admonished.

"Sorry, Mom," I apologized. "But my point stands - I am in no way qualified for any political office,and waiting until I'm sixteen before I even consider it is perfectly reasonable and sets a supportable precedent."

"Uhuh," Sally huffed as she gave me a flat look, then sighed. "I guess I'll have to ask Bunnie if she'd be willing to take on the leadership of the Freedom Fighters for at least the next five years."

"Why not just delegate the task to her," Dad asked. "It's your organization, isn't it?"

"It's an extranational organization, Dad," Sally sighed in frustration. "That's why it fragmented so badly when you - and later Elias - tried to annex it into the Acorn Guard. I've been trying to fix all the damage that caused, but now the Council is doing it too!"

"Then it's a good thing that you are planning on asking Bunnie instead of simply delegating," Mom pointed out. "And honestly, choosing to ask someone who had been part of House Rabbot will probably go a long way towards ensuring that the Freedom Fighters remain an independent organization."

"Don't forget that you still have to inform the Freedom Fighters about Shard and ask if they'd be willing to take him on as a probationary member," I reminded my sister.

"Who is Shard?" Elias asked.

"Shard is the Metal Sonic that…" Sally started, only to get interrupted by a bunch of perfectly reasonable (and one slightly irrational) protests.

"Absolutely not!" Dad exclaimed. "I forbid it! Those things…"

"You're the one who commissioned Uncle Chuck to build the Metal Sonic Troopers, Dad," I pointed out, knocking the wind out of his sails. "You're also the one who made sure that every scrap badnik and Metal Sonic part salvaged by Acorn forces made it to his workshop."

"Which is how the Power Gem with Shard's personality core ended up there," Sally elaborated, unimpressed with our father's outburst.

"But there was only one Metal Sonic reported to have a Power Gem," Dad said, confused. "That would mean…"

"The one that emulated Sonic so well that it turned against its original programming and sacrificed itself in order to save Sonic and Tails," Elias completed the conclusion.

"Him," I corrected, earning myself some looks. "Hey, he's still emulating Sonic to some extent, so while he might not actually be a Robian, he self-identifies as a male hedgehog."

"Fair enough," Elias conceded with a shrug.

"It was going to be a group decision anyway," Sally stated. "Even before the Council decided to reinstate the Throne in some capacity and asked me to be the sitting Acorn. It's not your decision, Dad. Not anymore."

"I…" it was clear that Dad was still agitated and wanted to protest further, but after a moment he deflated and slumped back down into his wheelchair. "Very well. Do what you feel is right…"

I felt bad for Dad. I really did. But he still had subscriptions worth of issues to work through before I would ever consider him to be wise.

After the family visit, I went with Sally and Nicole so that they could actually discuss the changing situation. Not that I actually wanted to be part of that conversation - I was sort of people'd out for the day and just wanted to go over my new hoverbike and maybe take it for a spin to Knothole and back to decompress myself. But apparently alone time just wasn't going to be happening for me today.

Ugh… Spare me from the fickle whims of public perception. I'm half introvert - I do not do well with celebrity status! I find it stressful and anxiety inducing to be the center of attention in large crowds. And I know damn well that roughly a fifth of the goobers praising me as a hero today had been staunch anti-Robians calling for my being dismantled yesterday!

I swear, you fight one gorilla-skunk abomination where security cameras and witnesses can see you, and everything goes to Hell.

I mean, I was the worst combatant in that fight! I made mistakes, got knocked around, had to be saved by my own decorative wrist bangle…

Jules the Hedgehog is the veteran war hero from the Great War who proved that he's still got what it takes even as a Robian!

Sally literally showed everyone why the leader of the Freedom Fighters is an inspiration across all of Mobius!

Sonic the Hedgehog won the battle within seconds of arriving on the scene!

And what does the public choose to latch onto? The fact that I got up after Geoffrey-Naugus threatened to turn my sister, the beloved Princess of Acorn, into a throw rug!

I missed the water fountain by half a soccer field!

Why am I now a Champion of Acorn!?

"You're doom-spiralling again, Autumn," Nicole chided helpfully.

"What? Oh, thanks…"

"Glad to have you back with us, Sugar," Bunnie d'Coolette teased gently as she passed me a steaming cup of flavored oil. Ooh, coconut! This is even less awful than the cinnamon flavored oil I had this morning!

"Focus, Autumn…" Nicole chuckled.

"What? Oh, sorry…"

Tangent · Oct 6, 2026

Bernie & Jules Hedgehog

Just thought I'd share what Sonic's parents in the Archie Sonic setting look like.

And yes, they do currently wear Power Rings on their wrists as wedding bands (their original wedding rings were lost at some point).

Tangent · Oct 6, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 18
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"So you have to step back from the Freedom Fighters for at least five years before this all gets sorted out properly," Bunnie summarized after the political situation was explained to her and the others.

"Well, from the leadership, naturally…" Sally hedged, only to stop when Bunnie held up a hand and just leveled a look at her.

"Sugar, Ah know ya want to be in the thick o' things, an' leadin' in the field is somethin' you're really good at, but ya can't really run a country from a field mission," Bunnie explained as gently as she could. "Especially not if'n you're tryin' ta help fix it proper-like so it actually runs."

"I guess you're right," Sally sighed.

"Of course, Ah'm right," Bunnie snarked. "Rosemary is tryin' to apply things she and Amadeus only ever saw and not participated in. Hamlin's basically bein' petty 'cause his team hardly ever got field missions, and to be honest Ah'm not sure the others even know what a republic is even after Rosemary and Amadeus explained what they saw. Ah know Ah still don't quite got my head wrapped around it right just yet. As for this Shard fellow y'all told us about, I guess we'd have to meet him first before we decide."

"That is the general idea, yes," Sally nodded.

"Could be good," Sonic noted. "If he's really the same Metal Sonic that Tails and I met, he's smart, snappy, and can definitely think for himself. He's no Eggman tool. Not anymore at any rate."

"Perhaps," Antoine acknowledged. "Our flagship team has thinned out recently, with Fiona going rogue, Rotor's injury, and now Sally having to become the Princess that she is. Very well, we shall meet this Shard and be seeing for ourselves if he passes muster."

Bunnie nodded. "That brings up another point. Our flagship team is at half roster, and even if we take Shard in, that only solves part of the problem - we'd still be short by two members. 'Less y'all want ta sign up, Autumn?"

"What, me!?" I protested. "I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life! Besides, I'm horrible at fighting - look at what happened with the attack at the hospital!"

"Sugar, y'all are bein' far too hard on yourself," Bunnie admonished. "For a first fight, y'all did just fine. More'n fine, actually. Ya showed that ya got the spirit of a Freedom Fighter."

"But…"

"Just think about it for a bit, okay?" Bunnie offered. "Ya don't have ta decide now - take your time. Think it through."

"Okay…" I sighed, agreeing to at least think about it.

I recused myself from tagging along with the Freedom Fighters as they went to Uncle Chuck's workshop to meet Shard. Mostly because I did not want either of us to accidentally peer pressure each other into a decision one way or the other. Shard probably wouldn't care, but I wanted our individual decisions to remain our individual decisions.

Sally, for her part, went back to the palace as that was still serving as the Republic's main government building. She and the Council still had to work out a serviceable constitution and charter, and Sally was going to present my suggestion of adding a separate judicial branch to help balance out the forming executive and legislative branches. And then there were the matters of Eggman's escape, Naugus somehow possessing Geoffrey St. John from half a city away…

Not that anybody had found any sign of Naugus when they broke into his room. Just his staff and a pile of clothes coated through and through with a suspicious amount of dust. I mean, that was probably what was left of his original body - the guy was older than dirt after all, and it wasn't likely that he'd willingly leave his wizard's staff behind (especially not with the purple Chaos Emerald still attached to it). But it wouldn't be the first time a villain pulled the 'Aha! You thought I was dead!' card.

And Nicole went with Sally in case she could be useful, because of course she did.

Anyway, to a lesser extent, I wanted to go over my new hoverbike. Make sure that it was actually serviceable. Also check that it wasn't some boobytrap set to explode as soon as I sat on it or something stupid like that.

Look, Sally had assassination attempts before and she's the popular one! I had people calling for my destruction yesterday! Okay, a relatively small number of people, and the silly goobers were hailing me as a hero today along with everybody else, but that was no reason not to check!

All it takes is one Jack Rabbit after all…

"Autumn?"

"Yes, Mom?" I turned my head away from what I was doing to look over at Mom as she pushed Dad's wheelchair closer to where I was working.

"Why is your new hoverbike now a collection of parts spread out on a tarp in our yard?" Mom asked in a reasonable albeit slightly strained tone.

"I didn't want to lose individual components in the grass?" I suggested.

"Let me rephrase," Mom said, then took a breath. "Why did you take your new hoverbike apart?"

"Oh, that! I was checking for sabotage!" I replied cheerfully, glad that I could clarify that for her.

"That sounds more like something you should have left to the authorities."

"We do not have an appropriate EOD unit in the Acorn Guard. We would have had to contract it out."

Mom sighed. "And do you know how to put that back together?"

I looked back down at the collection of individual parts, then back up at Mom. "No?"

Mom sighed again, then sat down beside me. "Here, I'll help you get this back into one piece."

Huh - I did not know that Mom had mechanical skills. Dad seemed to be somewhat bemused too as he sat there and watched us fix my hoverbike…

It was dark out by the time Sally and Nicole finally showed up. Most likely wondering why I was here and not at Sally's place.

Which… Fair question.

Um, why was my new hoverbike here and not there anyway?

"Dare I ask what's going on?" Sally snarked as Dad stirred from the nap he was taking in his wheelchair.

"Just some preventative maintenance," Mom said while I was still wondering why my hoverbike…

Right, I had ridden it here, with Sally as a passenger.

Before I had ever thought about checking for sabotage.

"Okay, that's a new expression," Nicole noted as I froze in place over the realization that I had completely skipped a very important step and then proceeded to overcorrect it once it fell back into the order of events in the wrong place.

We ended up staying the night as guests at our parents' place because neither Sally nor Nicole thought I was in any condition to pilot my hoverbike just yet.

Tangent · Oct 6, 2026

Here, have some silly sisterly nonsense involving Sally and Autumn:

Tangent · Oct 7, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 19
A broken SI fic by Tangent

Gnaugfrey St. John (Don't look at me, that's the actual identity he ended up stuck with once Merlin Prower had examined him and declared that it was an actual merger caused by a partially failed possession attempt) was secured in mystic bindings and awaiting transport to a prison actually capable of holding a mage without having to banish him to an inhumane Zone.

Which was honestly more foresight than had apparently been used before, but then again everyone involved already knew how well banishing Naugus to the Zone of Silence had worked out before. Also, it wasn't the Zone of Silence anymore, and Feist would probably be pissed if we banished his old boss to what he had turned into the Special Zone. That and the whole not knowing how the incredibly inconsistent Zone Cops would take interzone banishments these days.

Not that the Zone Cops ever seemed to actually do anything useful anymore. They what? Helped Sonic once or twice and then basically said 'sorry - not our problem' when we got a new Robotnik from another Zone?

Well, screw them then!

Wait, where was I?

Walking with Jules down the streets of the new Village of Acorn - check!

What else?

Oh yeah! Inner monologuing!

Anyway, my control overlay program was just plain gone now, so I didn't need to wear my Power Ring all the time anymore. Mind you, I still wore it and had acquired another one to wear on my other wrist for my peace of mind. Because Naugus wasn't the only crystalmancer out there. And technomancy could puppet a Robian or cyborg too. Programs and malware weren't the only threat to my autonomy - just the only one where the control bit could be placed inside of me.

That I was aware of, anyway…

Argh! I've got to stop doom-spiraling so often! Nicole stayed in New Mobotropolis with Sally when I moved to the Village of Knothole! She's not here to ground me anymore - I'm on my own now.

Well, temporarily living with Jules and Bernadette until I get my own place, but you know what I mean.

"Ah, here we are," Jules said as we came to a stop outside of a… I wanna say dance studio?

"Robian in Motion?" I asked as I tilted my head while studying the hanging sign that I previously hadn't been paying attention to.

"It's a motion therapy studio for Robians, cyborgs, and those with removable prosthetics," Jules explained. "Bunnie and I are just two of the sponsors, but the lady behind the idea is…"

"Peggy Puma!" a (LARGE!) grey Robian mountain lioness greeted me with such aggressive enthusiasm that I threw her across the street and scrambled up into the branches of the tree the dance studio was attached to.

Panic attack? What panic attack? I have a perfectly good reason why I'm up here gripping a tree so hard that my fingers are digging into the wood beneath the bark! And as soon as I think of what that reason might be, I'll let you know…

"I'm okay!" I heard the cheerful voice of the lioness that I could only assume to be Peggy call out from some underbrush. "Wow, been a while since I startled anyone that badly…"

"Peggy…" Jules' tone indicated mild disapproval but not alarm and I began to calm down…

Now that I was paying more attention instead of attempting to scan every direction at once for potential threats, I took a longer look at Peggy Puma as she got up. Like many Robians (myself included) she had decided to forgo clothing, and it was immediately apparent to me that she wasn't naturally grey. She was battle-worn, with whatever color she had originally been long since removed by countless combats. Her left leg was missing below the knee, replaced by a literal metallic peg, the outer housing of her right arm was mostly missing, and half of her tail was just plain gone.

I…

I had just thrown a combat veteran - likely one of the Robians that had been conscripted to fight for Robotnik due to her size. Somebody who likely moved here to the Village of Knothole to get away from people who saw her as a threat…

…

Like I had just done to her.

I let go of the tree and twisted around as I fell to land adroitly on my…

WHAM!!!

…flat on my back, apparently.

"Oh! Are you alright?" I heard Peggy ask as I began to sit up.

"I… I'm sorry," I apologized, hanging my head in shame. I had been mentally complaining about the prejudice I had been facing in New Mobotropolis, and here I was doing the exact same…

The thought was interrupted by a large metallic hand lifting my chin and tilting my head until I was looking Peggy in the eyes as she knelt down to help me up.

"Don't," the metallic mountain lioness said softly. "I've been big and frightening all my life. Long before I had ever been roboticized. Most Mobians top out at three feet tall, but those of us in the six-foot-plus range? Unless you're a horse, a giraffe, or an elephant, fear is the default social reaction you get and you develop your personality to either play into it or away from it. And, as you just demonstrated, it doesn't always work."

I tried to apologize again as I let Peggy help me up like I wasn't made of metal. "Again, sorry, about that, I…"

"Don't worry about it," Peggy waved my concern off. "Not the first time, won't be the last time, and if you thought that your reaction was bad, you should have seen Sergeant Simion's! And that gorilla is as big as I am and ten times as strong! Took my leg clean off at the knee!"

Alright, nobody should be grinning that cheerfully while recounting how they lost part of a limb…

Also, Note to Self: Avoid Sergeant Simion.

Peggy guided us into Robian in Motion, where the staff and clients (I would find out which was which later), were all staring at us. And had been ever since the altercation had happened right… outside… their… large… glass… window…

Okay, I'm just going to go jump in a lake now and lament the fact that I can't drown because I don't need to breathe.

"Anyway, as you might have guessed," Peggy began, "here at Robian in Motion, we help those whose mobility circumstances have changed adjust to their new capabilities, whether than means overcoming or finding workarounds for unfortunate new limitations; calibrating to new conditions, such as an increase in mass or a difference in flexibility; or even adjusting to entirely new abilities such as extending limbs or built-in tools and weapons."

I nodded as I let myself be guided to a bench along one wall, and Jules sat down beside me as Peggy moved to the center of the room.

"Okay, everyone, we'll continue this short break in your routines…" just about everyone chuckled at the mild admonishment over the fact that they had stopped to gawk at me. "This is Autumn, and she's the new Robian we've been hearing about over the past couple of weeks. The first new one since the Miracle. Let's make her feel welcome and do what we can for her, okay?"

Everyone looked at me with deep sympathy and sadness in their eyes, and I came to a sudden realization: None of them saw me as Princess Sally's copy.

They saw me as the first victim of a new robotization process months after every previous robotization method had stopped working and a majority of the Robians had miraculously been restored to their Mobian bodies.

And it occurred to me that none of them were wrong. The World Roboticizer, even though it had been destroyed by Sally and Nicole, proved that Dr. Robotnik had found his workaround against whatever the Bem had done to make Robotization impossible on Mobius.

I was just the first new victim.

The first new victim of a new form of robotization that nobody knew how to reverse yet…

"Ut! Ut! Ut! Ut! Ut! None of that now!" Peggy admonished everyone, grabbing their attention. "Yes, we are the Broken Ones. The ones left behind by the Miracle for whatever reason. Or the ones disabled or enhanced by other means - we don't judge here - this is our safe space. This is the place we've all come to move past whatever is holding us back and to help each other to reach that goal! To become who we really are! And who are we now?"

"We are the ones who fix ourselves!" Nearly everyone in the room chorused besides Jules, who just smiled, and me, who had never heard it before.

It was blatant. It was corny. It was inspirational.

I could do this.

"Now come here to the middle of the mat, Autumn, so we can see where you're at now," Peggy instructed.

I could do this later. I'm going to go hide in a closet for a bit…

Jules stopped my spontaneous semi-voluntary retreat and redirected me away from the door and towards the center of attention - I mean the center of the room.

Why did I have to be half introvert!?

"Okay, okay, I can see this is maybe a little intense for you," Peggy acknowledged. "But try to relax, okay? Literally nobody here will judge you if you mess up - we're here to help and encourage each other, not to put anybody down. If you need a moment, we can give it to you. And, if after that moment you still need it to be more private, we can give that to you to…"

I looked around the room, and I did not see one judgemental face present. Some were hopeful, some were patient, and some were oddly excited, but I did not get the feeling that any of them were looking down on me.

I took a few moments to just breathe and steady myself, then nodded and a half-roboticized ermine started a record player…

[~Can you see~? ~The sun is shining on me~]

I closed my eyes and danced like nobody was watching me, just moving with the rhythm as best I could. It wasn't perfect. I stumbled here and there, and even fell over once, but for the most part I moved with the beat and lost myself to the joy of motion…

Tangent · Oct 7, 2026

~~Yeah, I couldn't figure out a name for Autumn's hoverbike, so I thought that I'd ask you guys for suggestions.~~

Autumn's hoverbike is now The Blue Rose.

It is NOT the Marvelous Queen (Nack the Weasel still has his beloved hoverbike). In fact, it's not even the same model as the Marvelous Queen (Autumn misremembered its appearance and currently believes that they are the same model when they clearly aren't).

autumn_rose_acorn_hoverbike_by_tangent_rambles_dmz7rjj-pre.jpg

3de2eee7-8610-4d49-9d31-416cc1765f01.jpg-pre.jpg

Tangent · Oct 7, 2026

After reading over a bunch of suggested names, themes, and the reasonings behind some of them on SpaceBattles, Sufficient Velocity, and Questionable Questing, I have finally felt the spark of inspiration and picked...

The Blue Rose

Tangent · Oct 8, 2026

I present to you Elias and Megan Acorn with their daughter, Alexis, in the new Village of Acorn:

elias_megan_and_little_alexis_by_tangent_rambles_dmzkazq-pre.jpg

And yes, Elias adopted ~~his sister's style~~ little Alexis, so she is an official member of House Acorn if not a bloodline heir. As far as succession goes, currently that means that Elies is Heir Presumptive, becoming a secondary heir if Sally ever has children of her own, with Alexis currently being ineligible as a potential heir due to her not being an Acorn by bloodline. Not that her parents want her involved in politics, given all the headaches Elias had during his term as King.

rosie_babysitting_alexis_by_tangent_rambles_dmzky0n-pre.jpg

Alexis: "Aunt Rosie! What big hair you have!"

Rosie: "All the better to be an Eighties Rock Star!"

Tangent · Oct 9, 2026

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 20
A broken SI fic by Tangent

As expected, life in the Hedgehog household was a little crowded, but not in a bad way. As previously discussed, Elias, Megan, and little Alexis had the guest room, while Jules and Bernie had set up a cot for me near a wall outlet in the master bedroom. And yes, Jules and I did actually sleep. Just…

…not very often.

And I tried to take my naps when neither Jules nor Bernie were trying to sleep.

Or on a shelf in the hallway linen closet, but there's no outlet for me to plug into there. However, it was quiet, out of the way (mostly), and at least mentally refreshing even if I couldn't recharge my power cells.

I did occasionally wake up to find Little Alexis napping on me, but my actual location in the house seemed to have no bearing on whether or not she'd seek me out for naptime. You'd think my metal body would be too hard to nap on, but she apparently solves this problem by making a nest of blankets and/or towels on me.

Not that I minded that Alexis apparently thought that I was cuddle-worthy enough to nap on. It just meant that I was more or less stuck in place if I woke up to find her sleeping on me unless our relative positions allowed me to pick her up as I got up.

"Rosie, would you mind watching over Alexis today?" Megan asked as I joined everyone in the kitchen for breakfast.

"Yay! Storytime!" Little Alexis cheered with great enthusiasm and unintentional breakfast ballistics.

Eh, as long as I didn't let it dry, eggs and porridge rinsed right off with a spray from the garden hose.

Apparently, I was Little Alexis' 'mostest favoratist storyteller ever,' because I could do all the voices and sound effects.

Oddly enough, it turns out that whether or not a Robian could pull off vocal sound effects and how good they were depended largely on which version of robotization they had gone through. I found that out during some of my motion therapy sessions at Robian in Motion.

"Sure," I replied as Bernie wetted a dishcloth and wiped loose bits of Alexis' breakfast off of me.

Which, fair. I might have missed bits of it if I tried to wipe it off myself.

"So, you need me to watch her for a few hours? All day? Is it alright to take her for a walk or out to the park, or would you rather I stay in today?" I rattled off.

"Until after dinner, if you don't mind," Megan replied. "Elias and I are going out for the day."

"We are?" Elias asked, apparently just finding out that he had social plans with his wife.

"Yes, we are," Megan answered her husband firmly but not unkindly, then turned her attention back towards me. "The weather is supposed to be good today, so as long as you stay inside the village, feel free to take Alexis wherever you want. No hoverbike though - not until you get a child-harness."

"Fair enough," I agreed readily as I absently grabbed some oil off the counter to pour into a cup and took a sip…

Huh… A bit bland, but not at all awful.

"That's… cooking oil, Rosie," Bernie informed me as she and everyone else other than Alexis looked at me funny.

I looked down at my cup. Then over to the bottle I had set back on the counter. Then back at my cup before taking another sip.

"No nasty flavor nor aftertaste," I reported. "And apparently still functions as a lubricant. Also, probably cheaper than the motor oil that Jules and I have been using. I recommend using this as the new base for flavored oil attempts."

"How did I not even consider trying that before?" Bernie asked plaintively.

"To be fair, I didn't think of it either," Jules replied. "Too close to the problem to see the solution clearly, I expect."

As Megan had said, the weather was nice today, so I figured that it would be a good day to spend just wandering around the Village of Knothole, taking in the sights, learning where things were and how to get from place to place, and meeting people at my own pace. Or rather, at Alexis' pace as I was mostly just following her around as she explored, introducing herself to random Mobians, pets, livestock, and the occasional interesting looking rock, and generally enjoying being a child. When she needed to rest her legs, I carried her and let her direct where I wandered until she wanted down again. We were up in the suspended walkways, down on the dirt and gravel paths, and in various play areas set aside for kids. I hesitated to call them parks because the whole village was practically one giant park with integrated buildings.

Also, the fact that there were actual parks were enough for me to not classify the smaller areas as parks. Which was perhaps a bit sizeist of me, given that I also had trouble thinking of Power Ring Lake as not being a pond. Then again, I doubt that locations had feelings to hurt, so I wasn't going to go out of my way to apologize for not considering a small, pleasant patch of greenery a park.

All of the various shops and services were ground level or at least had parts of their structures easily accessible from the ground. And a sizable portion of the residential structures were up in the canopy, accessible by ladders, stairs, ramps, elevators, and suspended walkways. A smaller portion were dug into the sides of cliffs or hills, or even straight into the ground. And then there were the more ordinary houses and cottages. I didn't know the exact ratio mix, nor did I care to find out.

I did know that Alexis would end up very wet if she finished climbing up onto that rain barrel, so I plucked her off of it before she fell in and set her on the ground again to look for fun elsewhere.

And when I noticed that Alexis was beginning to get a little tired and fussy, I checked my inner clock…

"Alexis, it's time to head back, Sweety," I called out.

"Aww…" Alexis whined in that uncertain tone that kids sometimes get when part of them agrees with you and the remainder wants to object on general principle.

"Lunch, a story, and a nap," I offered.

"Okay," the little voice carried equal parts excitement and reluctance. "Carry me?"

"Sure," I agreed as I picked her up and started back. "I'll even let you pick out a snack on the way, but you'll have to wait until after lunch to eat it. I don't want your Mom mad at me."

"Okay."

With Alexis fed, entertained (she pointed at a dictionary when I asked her what story she wanted be to read to her, so I ended up ad libbing a very simplified version of The Hobbit instead) and settled down for her nap, I joined Bernie in the kitchen where she gave Jules and I small samples of cooking oil with various flavoring attempts.

Cinnamon was a go, which wasn't really a surprise given that she had been making it work with motor oil. The coconut attempt was okay, as was the banana flavor. The mint was a bit overpowering. The butterscotch was a bit off. The caramel tasted like garlic…

"Oh, wait, that was the garlic," Bernie apologized. "Here - this one is the caramel."

"It tastes like chocolate," I reported.

"Darn it!" Bernie complained. "I knew I got the colorings mixed up!"

"This one tastes like coffee," Jules reported cheerfully.

"That's because it was my coffee, dear," Bernie sighed. "Rosie, would you mind helping me get Jules' system flushed? While I don't think coffee can hurt a Robian, that cup was from the dregs of the pot and may have had some grounds in it…"

"My body can handle ingesting literal nuts and bolts," I note even as I moved to assist Bernie and Jules. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"He's the very first Robian, Rosie," Bernie corrected. "He doesn't have any of the refinements that came later. We have to check."

I…

I had actually completely forgotten that particular detail.

napping_on_linnens_by_tangent_rambles_dmzo7tw-375w-2x.jpg

Tangent · Oct 9, 2026

Here, have a nice visual of how big and battle-worn Peggy Puma is:

peggy_puma_and_rosie_by_tangent_rambles_dmzty52-pre.jpg

And Rosie threw her across a street...

Not that Peggy was resisting that toss very much, so I'm not sure how that counts.

Anyway, yeah, she's... missing a few pieces. Had a few replacements. Her color coat is basically long gone. And it fell off, okay?

Not the leg, that was pulled off. The other thing fell off...

Tangent · Saturday at 2:16 AM

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 21
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"Sorry, Rose, but I can't," Peggy Puma stated apologetically as she turned down the sample bottle of flavored cooking oil that I had offered her. "Not that I don't appreciate the thought - I hate the flavor of motor oil as much as any other Robian that still has a sense of taste. Unfortunately, I need a more… robust lube that's less prone towards oxidation and acidification. My filtration systems aren't what they used to be. I can't handle the transition from one type of lube to another anymore."

"Oh…" I hadn't realized that this might be an issue. For some reason I had gotten it into my head that Robians could basically last forever since we were so rugged. But I guess we aren't immune to aging after all…

"Yep! The fat bastard decided to rip out my original Robian filter system and replace it with one designed to lube mecha."

That wasn't what I had been thinking at all! Also, ow! I was wincing just from imagining the pain Peggy must have been put through from that process! I know Eggman doesn't bother shutting off pain receptors!

"Yeah, that had hurt like Hell," Peggy admitted easily. "Not that I could react to the pain at all - not with that stupid program forcing me to serve and obey the tub o' lard. And by that, I mean the original Robotnik, not the one from another Zone that replaced him. It wasn't even necessary at the time - he was just testing if swapping out my lube system with one for a bigger bot would improve my performance enough for him to bother doing it to other large Robians. I've been stuck unable to tolerate anything but synthetic lube that tastes awful ever since."

"That's…"

"Don't get me wrong - I can handle flavored motor oil," Peggy continued. "But it's gotta be motor oil, and it's gotta be synthetic."

"Um…"

"And yes, I'm deliberately talking over you," Peggy pointed out cheerfully. "Have you unnoticed that you basically shut up whenever somebody else is talking? You might want to work on that."

"Hey! I'm half introvert, dammit!" I protested vehemently, turning my head away with a huff of embarrassed frustration even as Peggy started to laugh her ass off.

Jerk.

If she wasn't such a good friend, I'd…

In the end, Bernie's samples went over pretty well with the others at Robian in Motion.

Even if only half of the staff and clients had to drink their particular lubricants. And of those, roughly a fifth either couldn't use cooking oils or actually preferred the flavor of motor oil.

"Beep boop, fellow Robians! I hope this day has found you functional and full of purpose!"

I'm pretty sure that Robbie the Rabbit is just a straight up robot. I mean, to be fair, there may be a small chance that he used to be a Mobian, but let's face it, even a heavily damaged and modified Robian still looks enough like the Mobian they used to be to be recognizable. Robbie looks more like the vague idea of a rabbit than like an actual Robian that used to be a rabbit subtype Mobian. Like somebody had just bolted a bunch of boxy parts together in a way that suggested rabbit to whoever built him.

"Beep boop, salutations, [identified] Autumn Rose Acorn! Go, [sports team mention here] Sports team!"

I just leveled a look at Robbie, which he ignored. About the only thing I was sure about Robbie the Rabbit was that he wasn't an Eggman or Snively spybot. Both of them had more pride in their work than this nonsense.

Meh, whatever. We aren't supposed to judge each other in Robians in Motion, so as long as Robbie wasn't actually causing trouble or bothering anybody, I forced myself to let it go.

And hey, I suppose that even robots could use motion therapy sometimes.

Now where was I?

Besides in Robian in Motion on a Tuesday, I mean.

Dammit! I lost my train of thought!

Thanks a lot, Robbie! That might have been important!

Somebody in New Mobotropolis placed an order for a baker's dozen of assorted donuts from Hoot Thorntons. Which was weird.

"Isn't there a perfectly serviceable Donut Joe's in New Mobotropolis?" I asked Hoot as he handed me the receipt, manifest, and the box of donuts.

"I know, I know, it's weird to me too," the owl said as he watched me carefully strap the box behind the seat of The Blue Rose. "Either I made a really good impression on somebody there, or Joe managed to piss someone off badly enough to make a point of ordering from out of town just to spite him."

"Takes all types, I guess," I shrugged, then mounted my hoverbike.

Eh, mobiums were mobiums, and I didn't mind doing a small job like this for cheap rather than Hoot having to pay for a truck to deliver just one order of donuts.

Besides, it got me out of town and away from my new stalker for a while.

Robbie the Rabbit was really trying my patience recently.

You know, I wouldn't be particularly bothered by Robbie if I only ever saw him in Robian in Motion and a few other places. He's distinct enough that being noticeable wouldn't be so noticeable if he didn't keep popping up in places I was either traveling to or through more and more for the past few days. It was creepy and a bit off putting.

Especially when I spotted him somewhere where I had no reason to expect him to be, such as walking along the shore of the lake I was riding The Blue Rose over on my way to Mobotropolis.

Okay, enough of this. He's definitely stalking, but I'm pretty sure that I could defend myself from one poorly made robot with semi-functional programming. So, I turned to fly closer to the shore.

"Robbie," I called out as I got close. I stayed out over the water in case he was trying to lure me close to the trees for an ambush. "Why are you following me?'

Wait, was that something big and yellow under the water?

"[Initiate distraction]: Look! An obvious distraction!" Robbie called out.

"Wait, what?" What the Hell was Robbie going on about? What distra…

I was answered before I had even finished the thought as a huge net made of cables and weights shot out of the water below me, entangling me to my hoverbike and anchoring me to…

Another hoverbike emerging from the water? How? The Blue Rose can't do that (it's not submersible). And it wasn't the same model. The front end swept upwards. It was mostly gold with blue accents. And it was being ridden by a purple weasel wearing boots, a vest, a bush-hat…

…and a scuba mask that he was just now taking off? Where the fuck was the air tank!? How did that even work without a breathing tube!?

Wait - not important right now - maybe if I wriggle a bit to try to loosen the net?

"I gotta say, Toots, I don't know why the Doc wants you, but he's payin' me really well, so thanks for being so easily distractable."

"Nack!" I spat out. "Let me go right now!"

"Nah…" he denied calmly, disengaging the tow cable at his end and letting it drop as he fished something out of a pouch.

Okay, I think I can sort of reach the controls…

I barely got my fingers of my left hand around one of the handlebar grips when I noticed a small disc arc through the air and clamp itself to my thigh. There was a spark of electricity and a bit of pain - then a burst of electricity and my entire world was pain!

And then I felt no pain at all as the world faded to silence and blessed darkness…

robbie_the_rabbit_by_tangent_rambles_dmzwghx-414w-2x.jpg

Built by Bean the Dynamite, if you must know...

Tangent · Sunday at 1:26 AM

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 22
A broken SI fic by Tangent

> Primary systems online.
> Optics... Recalibrating… OK.
> Audio receptors... Recalibrating… OK.
> Haptic feedback system… OK.
> Locomotion servos... OK.
> Observation suite... Online.
> Personality core check... Anomalous parameters detected.
> Memory archive check… Fragmented.
> Memory archive reconstruction… incomplete.
> Boot sequence complete.

If I had a mobium for every time I saw that boot up sequence…

Well, I'd have two mobiums, but it's weird that it happened twice.

Ugh… I have a splitting headache. What the heck hit me? What had I been doing?

Scratch that - why am I bundled up like a sushi roll and being hauled through the air on the back of what I can only assume to be somebody else's hoverbike? Because this certainly isn't The Blue Rose.

I tried wriggling a bit. Carefully, mind you - I had no interest in falling off the back of a hoverbike flying at this speed and altitude. I may have been able to fall three stories and bellyflop into a lawn without hurting anything but my pride, but this situation had different variables. I just wanted to see if I could wriggle an arm to where it could be useful…

The answer to which apparently being: No, I could not. Whoever secured me knew what they were doing and my movement was severely restricted. Wrists together behind my back. Ankles together and secured to my wrists. Knees together. Some sort of gag structure strapped into and across my mouth. And I was wrapped up - as previously mentioned - like a sushi roll.

With enough time, effort, and a lack of supervision, I guessed that I might be able to get myself out of these restraints…

Through sheer persistence if for no other reason. I had enough confidence in my own durability to believe that sheer wear and tear would eventually cause my current restraints to fail. I just needed them to fail within a useful window of time.

Y'know, like sometime before Nack turned me over to Dr. Robotnik for the bounty.

Which raised another question: Why was Dr. Robotnik so interested in capturing me that he was willing to offer a bounty for my capture? I mean, sure, most of the Freedom Fighters and several of Eggman's other enemies also have bounties that would-be bounty hunters sometimes go for, but why set one up for me?

And why Nack (and possibly the rest of the Hooligans) and not Lien-Da or some of the other Dark Egg Legion elites?

Okay, that was a dumb question. He didn't use them because he doesn't trust them with anything they might be able to turn against him in a useful manner. The Hooligans don't have that issue.

So, what is it about me, specifically, that Dr. Eggman considers to be important enough to capture but too… whatever… to entrust to the Dark Egg Legion?

…

I'm drawing a blank here, unless it's an ego thing and he just wants to find out why I didn't automatically obey him. Which is dumb.

I chewed on the gag mostly for something else to do while trying to escape and figure out why this was happening. I mean, sure, I had vague memories from Sally about having been captured by Nack before and slowly being able to talk herself into a situation she had been able to take advantage of and escape. But given how overboard my gag was, it was clear to me that Nack remembered that failure all too keenly himself and wasn't willing to risk a repeat by listening to me.

Which, okay, way to be a badass, Sis, but damn it was proving to be a pain in the ass now.

Okay, I don't see the side car attachment on this side of the Marvelous Queen (which didn't mean that the other side car wasn't attached either - gotta keep that in mind). I also didn't see or hear The Blue Rose, nor any conversation. So either Bark and Bean had their own rides or Nack was doing this mission solo.

Robbie the Rabbit being part of the mission didn't prove anything - he could have been bought as a mission expense, either Nack or Bean might have built him, or he could have just been an incredibly unfortunate Robian with a severe Ship of Theseus issue and Cave Johnson as a mechanic…

Okay, put a pin in that one for a while, as it's not worth worrying about.

We had been flying west for a while now, having left the mountains and valleys of the Great Forest behind in favor of rolling hills, grasslands, recovering farmland, and occasional grove, village, small town, or shattered ruins. Past the vast, broken ruins of the former Overlander capitol of Megalopolis (there were other Overlander cities, but Megalopolis was the one Dr. Robotnik had made a point of rendering uninhabitable) and past what I assumed from the sheer size to be Lake Michigan.

Okay, for all I knew it could have been either Lake Erie or Lake Ontario Instead - I will not claim to be an expert in judging scale while trussed up and being hauled behind the seat of a hoverbike like a hunter's prize, but we were flying more west than north, meaning that had likely been Lake Michigan.

Eventually, the Marvelous Queen swerved to the right and angled down towards some location I couldn't see just yet because I was facing to the left. Not that it was a great mystery for long. I mean, there was the Eggmobile (or rather an Eggmobile as I think the one we commandeered on our way out of the Death Egg II was still parked in the New Mobotropolis impound lot) being guarded by a swatbot. Some other vehicles that gave off a sort of Mad Max or Car Wars aesthetic, only in bubblegum pop colors…

Oh my God, when did the Care Bears go punk?

Oh, and there were some regular vehicles there too - the ones I had mentioned were just the standouts.

The sign on the building identified the place as The Blank Stare Bar 'n' Grill. The outside lights were dim and flickering. The inside was a bizarre mix of boisterous laughter and melancholy shrouded in a smokey haze that was half burnt cooking and half anti-smoking add. And Nack just walked right on in with me over his shoulder as if none of the tough customers and…

Oh my God! Those were knock-off Care Bears! Candy colored fur, images on their bellies, and everything!

Okay, the leather jackets, cigarettes, and alcohol were definitely off brand, but this was Mobius Prime. What else would I expect?

"I see that you were successful, Nack," I heard Dr. Robotnik before I saw him. He was sitting at a corner table flanked by a pair of swatbot bodyguards, with a literal pile of questionable food on his plate. Mostly finished, from the look of things, but he was still eating. Or at least had been before Nack plopped me onto the table like a sack of potatoes.

"I trust that you have the other half of our payment?" Nack asked as he casually leaned against one of the tall seats until one of the staff hurried over with a booster seat. Mind you, I had figured that either Overlanders or larger Mobians were part of the regular customer base anyway due to the size of some of the tables.

"After I see what condition she's in, Nack," Dr. Robotnik admonished. "I'm not paying full price for damaged goods when the contract specified that she be captured intact."

"Yeah yeah, I get ya," Nack huffed at the implication, but cut ties binding the tarp I was wrapped in and unfurled it, rolling me right into a platter of gravy covered hashbrowns, sauce covered ribs, and other greasy and not at all healthy foods.

Dude, you're going to get as fat as your predecessor if you keep eating like this, I thought as I glared at Dr. Robotnik and utterly failed to spontaneously develop telepathy to convey my scorn.

Probably just as well, as I'm sure that the terror I was feeling right now would have also gone through.

"There ya go, Doc: One Robian lookalike of the Princess; no damage; trussed up and ready to go," Nack proclaimed as he…

DID HE JUST PAT MY ASS!?

The assholes laughed as I immediately started flopping around like a fish as I ineffectually attempted to attack Nack while my wrists and ankles were still tied firmly to each other behind my back.

"As feisty as your counterpart, I see," Dr. Dobotnik declared and I glared at him again. "Very well, Nack, I will take this as proof that she is sufficiently undamaged. Swatbot 7742, pay the weasel. Swatbot 6647, pick up Mecha Sally. We're leaving."

Tangent · Sunday at 3:29 PM

Station of canon?

What station of canon?

SALLY not SALLY
Chapter 23
A broken SI fic by Tangent

"I see that you've acquired that weird Robian that looks like Princess Sally," Lien-Da commented just after I saw her peek into the robotics lab I was secured in and then lean nonchalantly against the door frame.

"The Mecha Sally, you mean," Dr. Robotnik huffed dismissively as he finished double checking the restraints of the God damned Robian Service Seat that he had ordered the swatbot to secure me in. It was burgundy and industrial grey, just like the one in the hospital, and unlike the one in the hospital…

"Test: one…" Dr. Robotnik stated blandly as he hit a switch.

"HngnNGnnGnNg!" PAIN! pain! pAin! paiN! PaIn! PAIN!

"Pain inducers seem to be functional…"

OhgodithurtssomuchIcan'ttellwho'stalkingwhereamIwhydoesithurtsomuchmommyI'mhurt!

And then the eternity of agonizing pain stopped so abruptly that I slumped and my head rolled to one side as my consciousness swam unsteadily in my head.

It had been just like a switch had been flipped off and the pain just wasn't there anymore - which, of course, was exactly what had happened.

Lien-Da had the grace to look disturbed for a moment, but only for just that moment before resuming her normal resting bitchface. "Is there an actual point to that? I mean, I could understand it if that actually was the Princess - tormenting your enemies when you have them in your clutches is half the fun. But this is just a copy."

Bitch, when I get out of this, I'm gonna slap you so hard that…

…

Okay, still having a bit of trouble with the thinky-thinky after all that pain.

"Actually, if I'm right (and I probably am), this is the original Princess Sally."

"So the other one is a fake?" Lien-Da asked.

"No," Dr. Robotnik denied. "She is also the original."

"Are you going to start making sense any time soon?" Lien-Da snarked.

"I ran an… Let's call it an experiment… a few weeks ago," Dr. Robotnik explained. "One that went very wrong and had produced some unexpected anomalous results. This Mecha Sally was one of them."

You mean you goofed up with the World Roboticizer and the Genesis Wave Device, but you aren't gonna explain either of those to Lien-Da because you don't want her to know about what you almost did before Sonic stopped you.

"If you're right," Lien-Da noted.

"If I'm right, yes," Dr. Robotnik agreed.

"Anyway, i just thought that you'd be interested in knowing that Snively has been in contact with Regina Ferrum again and is trying to keep it a secret," Lien-Da reported in an off-hand manner.

"I'll be dealing with Snively soon enough," Dr. Robotnik said dismissively. "Now, since you seem to have nothing better to do than bother me and try to fish for information, grab a rag and clean off Mecha Sally here. She still has food on her from when Nack delivered her to me."

Lien-Da glared at Dr. Robotnik, no doubt furious about being put to such a menial task when she's the current Grandmaster of the Dark Egg Legion.

Well, sucks to be you, you tool…

"Interesting…" Dr. Robotnik commented as he checked various reading on the equipment he hooked me up to. "There are definitely traces of Genesis Wave Energy in your system. Between that and the fact that your Zone resonance matches Mobius Prime, you are indeed the original Princess Sally Alicia Acorn. You must have popped in right when I activated the World Roboticizer."

That's not quite what happened, you demented goofball, but sure - let's go with that.

"Of course, Sonic had to somehow show up anyway despite not existing in the glorious new Mobius I made. And naturally screwed up so badly that he ended up pulling a resonance echo of the Sally you had been forward into this iteration."

Oh, God, is he going to speculate and hypothesize, or is he just going to prattle on and feed his own ego!? Just shut up already! I get it! Your Ego makes the Death Egg look small!

"It must really burn your gears," Dr. Robotnik commented. "To have left all your friends behind in that other iteration of the world. To have some blue freak just swoop on in and take your world away to replace it with ours…"

Wait? That's your angle!? Buddy, you don't know me at all!

"And to have no place here, because there's already a Princess Sally. And she's just as real as you, and has everything that could have been yours."

Get a clue, you fruitloop! I'm not you! God! Sally and I resolved that on the first day, you jackass!

"Well, fret not!" OhGod, he's going into his sales pitch. "For I, Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik, will give you the ability to take back everything the other Sally took from you! And you will do it as one of my generals! As my Metal Sally!"

NO!

Nononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononono!

No fucking way in Hell!

I know what would have happened that day! I know what Metal Sally is and what becoming her means! From all the memories I inherited from Tangent, I know what that will do to me!

Somebody!

Anybody!

Save me!

I NEED A HERO!

I wept in relief when the alarms sounded and Dr. Robotnik rushed off to handle whatever situation turned up.

And then I struggled harder than ever before, straining my body past its limits in a desperate attempt to get out of this God damned chair before he came back!

I don't know how long I struggled to get out of that chair. The damn thing was very sturdy and both it and the restraints built into it were designed to hold Robians.

WHUMP!

What I did know was that I absolutely did NOT want to still be here when Dr. Robotnik returned!

There was a series of gunfire and explosions in the distance that I didn't really pay much of any attention to as I tried to twist my way out of the restraints.

Twenty percent. That was the threshold. A Robian could lose up to twenty percent of their original body and, as long as the result would be medically safe, still be restored to their Mobian state. I knew that. Sally knew that. Anyone with any experience at all in restoring Robians to Mobians knew that. And Dr. Robotnik certainly knew that.

More gunfire. More explosions. Maybe the Dark Egg Legion finally decided to risk betraying Dr. Robotnik?

Whatever - not important right now!

Because I also know that twenty percent is all that will be left of my original Robian body if I get rebuilt as Metal Sally! Not twenty percent gone - twenty percent remaining!

A black and gold blur of motion swooped into the room faster than my eyes could follow, only to resolve before me as…

"S'up, Beautiful? Come here often?"

Shard, you doof. I'm wearing a gag.

"He's in the labs!" I heard Lien-Da's voice call out.

"Whups! We gotta go!" Shard announced cheerfully as he…

DID HE JUST RIP MY CHAIR OUT OF THE FLOOR!?

You know what? Screw it. He's saving the day. I'm just going to let him have this.

SALLY not SALLY (a broken SI in the Archie Sonic setting)

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?

Not too sore, are you?