Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there was a princess and a knight on a planet of flowers.
That’s how Sonic always started the story for Tails, the story of how he and Sally met. Sally had only heard it three times but she assumed Sonic had told it far more, considering Tails’ familiarity with it.
Sonic certainly didn’t seem to want her to know he told the story at all, considering his panic and embarrassment the one time Sally revealed herself while he was telling it. He knocked her over with a pillow, it was actually rather impressive.
It was a lovely story, a summary of their initial meeting and their early friendship, all compressed and dressed up to better entertain and soothe a young child to sleep.
It cut out some key details and honestly made both Sonic and Sally look better than they were but… it wasn’t bad.
But if Sally had to tell the story herself, she’d rather start it like this; once upon a time, there was a princess and a hedgehog in a garden…
Sally laughed as she chased her father around the fountain in the garden, her brother, Elias, her noble chariot in this mad chase.
“Faster, faster!” she urged her brother on, kicking out her blue shoes with a single star on the heel. “We’ve almost got him!”
“No, you don’t, Bean!” her father laughed, sticking his tongue out at his children. Sally and Elias gasped as one, sticking out their own tongues.
The laughter and fun suddenly came to a halt as someone called out for the king and his teenaged heir.
“Your Highnesses! The scientists from the lab have arrived to announce their findings!”
“Ah, finally,” King Max said, stopping mid run. “I’m so sorry, my dear, but I need to take care of this. Elias.”
“Ah, sorry, Fre- I mean, Sally,” Elias said, stumbling for a moment. People were still getting used to her new name. He lowered her off his back, setting her down. “Me and Father will be back in just a moment!”
“Can’t I come with you?” Sally asked, pleading.
“No, Sally, my bean,” King Max said. “This is an important business for us grown-ups. We’ll take care of it.”
“But I’m six now! Surely I’m old enough to help, like Elias?” Sally tried but it fell on deaf ears.
“It’s really important, Sally,” Elias shrugged. “But we’ll be right back and we can keep playing, promise.”
With that, Prince Elias hurried to join King Max as they left the garden to meet the scientists.
Sally huffed, crossing her arms. She didn’t get it. Sure, she’d never be queen since Elias was gonna be king but Mother and Rosie both said it was important she has these kinds of skills for the future! How is she supposed to know how they look in action if they never let her watch?
Ugh, Sally wishes she was an adult now.
But there was nothing she could do about that, like wish on a magic ring to age her up or anything, so she figured she’d settle for reorganizing the vegetable garden, again.
With a world weary sigh, Sally turned and left the garden’s entrance, entering the hedge maze.
The maze connected all of the parts of the garden, including the vegetable garden.
And Sally knew it like the back of her hand-
A sound passed behind her, like that of something running through the hedges. Sally jolted, turning towards the sound.
Nothing, it was the same old maze as always.
Swallowing around a lump in her throat, Sally turned back around, hurrying down the path.
It was not the only time she heard something behind her in the maze but it was the only time she looked back.
One part of her was afraid that something actually was behind her and one part was afraid Sally was just hearing things and if she reacted, she'd look foolish.
Stone faced, Sally marched through the maze, praying to not be going crazy.
Like that scary movie Elias wasn’t supposed to let Sally see, where a guy went crazy in a corn maze! The only difference between a corn maze and a hedge maze was the amount of corn in it! What if it wasn’t enough to save Sally’s mind?!
Sally speed walked through the maze, gritting her teeth until she cleared the hedges, stepping into the wide area dedicated to the vegetable garden.
Sally dared to look behind her, releasing a sigh of relief at the absolute lack of presence.
She walked, now with comfortability, into the garden, heading toward her pots.
Truth be told, Sally wasn’t really allowed near the actual gardens but she was given charge of a few beanstalks.
She liked to move her pots around, that way she could ensure they got proper sunlight.
Sally struggled to pick one of her pots, straining as she moved it out of the shade and back into the sun.
With a huff, she set it down and turned around to grab another.
She shrieked as she saw a blue hedgehog standing in the shade, holding one of green bean stalks.
They flinched back at her screech, nearly dropping the pot.
“Don’t yell,” they grumbled, readjusting their hold on the pot. “Too loud.”
“What are you doing in my garden?” Sally shouted.
“Uncle told me to wait here,” the hedgehog shrugged. “I saw you. Figured I’d see what you’re doing.”
“...I’m organizing my garden,” Sally said. “Do you wanna help?”
The blue hedgehog’s ears perked up and they nodded.
“Great,” Sally pointed next to the pot she’d already moved. “You can put it there. I’m Sally.”
“I’m Sonic,” Sonic said, waddling more or less over there, setting down the pot. “Nice to meet you.”
“Okay, if we lift one pot together, it should be easier to carry,” Sally said, walking over to the third pot. It was the last one, she had only three. Best things come in three.
She said this to Sonic who frowned and shook his head.
“Seven’s better!” Sonic protested.
“Why seven?” Sally asked.
“Um,” Sonic paused, blinked his big brown eyes, and thought hard for a good second before responding. “There’s seven days in a week.”
“Hm, that’s a good argument,” Sally agreed. “But I still think you’re wrong.”
“Okay,” Sonic shrugged. “But you’re wrong about me being wrong.”
“Well, you’re wrong about me being wrong about you being wrong!” Sally countered.
“No, you’re-” Sonic suddenly stopped, head turning in some direction. “I gotta go.”
“Will you come back tomorrow?” Sally asked. Having extra hands on her garden had actually been beneficial.
“Can I?!” Sonic’s head whipped back to her. His dark eyes were wide and full of hope.
“Of course! Just don’t sneak up on me again,” Sally said, packing all the authority in her voice.
“Okay! Bye, Sal!” Sonic said, smiling.
“It’s Sally, not Sal-” Sally huffed but blinked, surprised. He was already gone. Huh? Could he turn invisible? That would explain how he snuck up on her.
“Sally!” her father called and the young chipmunk was distracted from her new playmate.
“Coming, Father!” Sally called, running through the maze back to her father.
The man was waiting for her by the fountain, holding something in his hands.
“Sally, this is Nicole,” her father said. “It’s a very intelligent computer. It’s going to be your new friend.”
“But I already made a new friend today,” Sally said with a frown, even as she took the little handheld computer.
“Oh?” her father said, quirking an eyebrow.
“Mhm,” Sally nodded. “His name is Sonic and he can turn invisible.”
“Hello, Sally,” Nicole suddenly spoke up. “I am Nicole.”
“Oh, cool!” Sally said, momentarily forgetting about Sonic. “You can talk!”
“Where did you meet this Sonic, my bean?” her father asked.
“In the garden,” Sally said, looking back up. “He was really sneaky.”
That’s how Sally remembered their first meeting. It certainly wasn’t their last.
As agreed upon, Sonic appeared the next day and suggested instead of constantly moving the pots around, why not find one spot in the garden that was always sunny?
There were some complications with that, the surrounding hedges for one, the fields of actual growing vegetables for another. +
"This spot is pretty sunny!" Sonic said, gesturing to the area.
"For now!" Sally said before pointing up. "See that hedge? Its shadow stops there now but it goes up to here later."
"What? Why?" Sonic exclaimed.
"Because, um," Sally pulled out Nicole. "Hey, Nicole?"
Then Sonic suggested stacking things up so the pots would be above the garden and get more sunlight.
"Sonic, this doesn't seem safe," Sally said hesitantly, taking a step back.
"No, it's fine, Sal! I've seen my uncle do this!" Sonic said, stacking another chair on top of the other chair, clamoring on top of it all. "Just need to- whoa, whoa, WHOA-"
"SONIC!"
Which. Hadn't ended well, to say the least.
It was on his fourth visit that Sally led them out of the vegetable garden to some of the other parts, including a playground.
Sonic really liked the playground. Sally usually didn't, mostly because there wasn't anyone to play with but the worker's kids and most of them never actually wanted to play with her.
Sally liked the slides the best but Sonic thought the shaky stairs were infinitely better.
Both agreed the swings were the best.
"Why do you call me Sal?" Sally asked, kicking her legs up.
"I don't know," Sonic shrugs, spinning his swing around. "It fits you. Do you not like it?"
"No, it's fine," Sally shook her head. "It's just… people have difficulty calling me Sally already, I didn't know if nicknames would be more confusing or not."
"My uncle has trouble calling me Sonic too," Sonic said.
"Oh? What did he used to call you?" Sally asked, swinging up a little.
"What did people used to call you?" Sonic asked back, stopping mid spin.
Sally didn't respond. Sonic didn't say anything else.
That was the last they spoke on that topic until they had to explain why these new specific scars on Sonic's chest were actually a good thing to Tails.
"Why do you come here so often?" Sally asked Sonic after about two months of visits.
"My uncle can't afford a babysitter," Sonic replied, balancing a stick on his nose. It'd be more impressive if Sally hadn't watched him work up to that point in stick-nose balancing. "So he brings me to his meetings and lets me loose."
"Oh," Sally hummed.
"I like you more than any babysitter anyway," Sonic said, dropping the stick into his hand. "You may be bossy but you're also funny."
"I'm not bossy, I'm a natural leader," Sally huffed.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Sonic asked. He sat down next to her, watching her draw into the dirt. “Whatcha drawing?”
“I’m drawing space,” Sally said, poking dirt stars into her dirt sky.
“Isn’t space blue?”
“No, it’s purple, silly.”
“Oh, right.”
“What does your uncle even do here?” Sally asked after a moment. “I’ve never seen anyone like you working here.”
“He, um, he fixes things,” Sonic said. “Robot things. He’s trying to use robots to fix people. Him and Mr. Eggman.”
“Mr. Eggman?” Sally questioned, Sonic nodding.
“He’s a giant egg that’s a man,” Sonic supplied. “No fur or anything!”
Sally visualized a giant walking egg with a face and grimaced.
“Sounds gross,” Sally said.
“He looks worse!” Sonic agreed. His eyes flicked up and Sally knew it was time for him to go. “See you tomorrow?”
“See you tomorrow!” Sally called as he ran, yes, ran out of sight. Sonic didn’t turn invisible, he was just really, really fast. Which was less cool than invisibility but still pretty cool, Sally supposed.
Sally remembered the rest of that night so clearly. She stood up and left the garden. Her mom picked her up and suggested they have dinner with just the two of them tonight. That’s how Sally knew her father was really busy that night.
Elias had been working on his homework in his room so Sally just brought his plate up to him before running back to her mother and having dinner. It was walnut soup, Sally’s absolute favorite but it was a bit too salty.
Sally didn’t complain, though, because she knew her mom liked it extra salty. Father came down and grabbed a bowl, making an audible complaint about the saltiness.
Sally, full of soup and becoming sleepy, had scolded her father over it before conking out in his arms.
He must've carried her to bed because she faintly remembers waking up in bed, the door shutting while Father’s smiling face was visible through the crack.
Sally had just closed her eyes again and rolled over, burrowing into her bed under her glow in the dark stars.
That was the last time Sally saw her father alive.
Hours later, Sally was abruptly awoken by Rosie, her nanny and tutor, scooping her out of bed. There was something happening, Sally knew that, considering the sudden late night hustle and bustle of the castle, people shouting orders and running to and through.
Sally saw something swoop down and grab up one of the guards, carrying him up and away. Rosie turned her away from the sight and pushed her along.
“Come along, princess!” Rosie said, Sally remembered. “We need to get you to safety! Your mother and brother are waiting for you!”
“What about Father?” Sally asked, hurrying alongside Rosie. The woodchuck hesitated.
“He’ll be right with you, dear, he just needs to take care of something,” Rosie reassured.
They exited onto the roof, Rosie leaning forward to shield Sally from the strong winds coming from the already spinning helicopter propellers.
Sally could see Elias and her mother inside, both in their pajamas, looking just as confused and afraid as Sally felt.
Sally moved to join them before Rosie gasped, pulling her back.
Something slammed into the helicopter and Sally screamed as the aircraft exploded. She screamed again as a second thing hit the helicopter and the whole aircraft went falling over the edge, off the palace wall.
“Mommy! Elias!” Sally sobbed, Rosie grabbing her up and running as Sally struggled, reaching out for where her family just were.
Rosie ran, ran through the castle and out through the front gate.
“Where, where are we going?!” Sally hiccuped.
“Knothole, princess, do you remember Knothole?” Rosie said, rushed. Sally sniffled and nodded. “Good, we’re going to have to run there now, you’ll be safe there.”
Rosie set Sally down and they ran, their conjoined hands keeping them from being separated as they ran amongst the everyday citizens of Mobotropolis.
She can see now, what is swooping down and carrying people away, strange robots that look almost like aliens, gray metal and red eyes, flying down from somewhere and grabbing someone and carrying them off.
There’s so much crying and screaming and Sally’s own absent minded noises of panic are lost in the hullabaloo.
Rosie suddenly shrieks out and Sally’s arm nearly gets pulled out of its socket before Rosie lets go, the older woman being carried off like so many others.
Sally freezes, despite how terrible of an idea that is, helpless to stop herself.
The mob moves around her like waves around a stone and she lets out some pitiful whine as she finds herself completely and utterly alone.
“Sal!” Sonic’s voice cuts through Sally’s thoughts and the crowd’s distress like a hot knife through butter. His hand reaches out and finds hers. His eyes are teary and there’s a hand shaped mark on his cheek but he looks otherwise unaffected by his surroundings.
We… we have to go to the Great Forest!” Sally said, weakly, tightening her hold on Sonic’s. “I know a safe place there.”
With a nod, Sonic turns towards the forest, jutting his elbow out as he pulls Sally through the crowd.
It thins out significantly as they go, until it’s just their small shoes hitting the ground as stone pavement turns to dirt.
Sonic runs along the well walked path, his quills on edge, even when they leave that path and enter the Great Forest.
Sonic’s run turns to a jog turns to a walk turns to a stop, turns to Sonic turning to Sally.
“Where to, Princess?” Sonic asked her. She wished she could sound as unshaken as he did, though a much older and wiser Sally would recognize the slight jumpiness of Sonic, the way his usually rhythmic tap of his foot was out of time.
“There’s this old village, Knothole,” Sally explained, taking the lead. “It, um, is a hidden bunker as well as a village and my family and anyone from Mobotropolis knows to go there for sanctuary.”
“Why’s it called-” Sonic starts, stopping when Sally stops in front of a hollow log, a knothole on the side. “Oh.”
“There’s another entrance but, um, this one’s my favorite,” Sally explains. Sonic just hums and nods in response.
“After you, Sal,” Sonic says, setting aside so she can easily get in. with a sharp inhale, Sally climbs into the log, pushing herself down the sanded down wooden slide.
Sally was used to the slide so she landed on the bottom on her two legs, barely stumbling, while Sonic landed face first in the dirt as he came down behind her.
It was the first and only time she laughed that day.
Other people had made it to Knothole, thank Gaia, Sir Armand D’ Coolotte and both Tundra and Sherman Walus being the chief faces she recognized.
The people were chaotic and afraid but the adults had hope to reclaim the kingdom.
People asked Sonic if his family was taken or not and he just shrugged, looking away.
He didn’t talk much to adults. Sally got funny looks when she said that.
Sally hadn't understood much of the stuff happening around her at the moment, didn't understand why no one would tell her where her father was, why everyone kept talking in low whispers when the kids were around, why, why, why.
She didn't understand.
She would, though.
One night, the adults gathered what resources they could, stored a lot away, and had a big party.
The meal was delicious and Sally remembers Sonic whispering her joke after joke in a faux French accent as Antoine, Sir Armand's son, tried and failed to impress her.
The adults had said this would be the last night they spent in Knothole and they were leaving in the morning to reclaim the kingdom.
Sally, foolishly, had believed them. She'd gone to bed, certain she'd be at home with her family again tomorrow.
(She was ignoring the fact she'd seen her mother and brother die.)
And then it was just Sally, Rotor, Tundra and Sherman's son, Antoine, Sonic, and Nicole. Not that Antoine counted Nicole but Sally made sure she was included.
Antoine was a coyote, skittish and full of false pride, talking constantly of rushing out and fighting by his father's side, even though he struggled to hold a sword with a steady hand.
Rotor was a walrus and Sally didn't learn much about him those first few weeks, he was quiet, almost more quiet than Sonic was.
Sonic was, well, Sonic and no one but Sally trusted him so that left leadership to Sally.
She took Nicole and the few leadership skills she'd picked up from her father and got to work, setting up a chore list, organizing the rations, and ensuring everything was in order for when the adults came back.
Sonic joined her while going through the rations.
"It was my birthday yesterday," Sonic told her, handing a box of instant potatoes to her.
"Oh. Happy birthday, Sonic!" Sally said.
"I don't think they're coming back," Sonic said next.
Sally paused, her hands tightening on Nicole.
"I-" she started.
"Zey are coming back!" Antoine shouted, causing both to jump. The coyote, only a year older than Sonic, backed Sonic into a wall, Sonic's quills scraping against the concrete wall of the storage room. "Zey are going to come back and kick you back to the streets zere you belong and we are going to go home!"
"Antoine!" Sally snapped and Antoine jumped back, almost as if he didn't notice she was there.
"Ah, Princess, I, uh, zidn't see you there," Antoine hastily backpedaled. "I was just-"
"Sonic's right," Sally said, even as her own stomach dropped at the words. "We need to prepare for the possibility of the grown ups not coming back. We'll have a group discussion later."
"Of… of course, Princess," Antoine said, looking close to arguing. He, however, nodded and bowed to Sally clumsily before scurrying off, his tail in-between his legs.
Sonic stuck out his tongue and made a face at Antoine's back.
The discussion went as well as expected, considering Sonic didn't want to sit still and be sitting ducks, Antoine was jumping between kissing up to Sally and wanting to crawl under a rock forever, and Rotor looking near tears.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing!"
"Zo you zuggest we go out zere and get ourzelves killed inztead?"
"You put you in charge anyway?"
"Ze Princess did!"
"She did not, Sal-!"
Sally was torn.
She knew what her father would do but… she's not her father. She's just six years old, seven tomorrow.
Oh Gaia, her birthday is tomorrow.
She looked up at the table, at the discord happening.
"We're staying here and waiting for help to come," Sally said, her quiet voice somehow heard over Antoine and Sonic's shouts.
"Oh, thank Gaia, ze Princess zees reason!" Antoine sighed.
"But, Sal…!" Sonic tried to say.
"My decision is final," Sally said, crossing her arms and puffing out her chest. She felt more like she was playing pretend than actually making an important decision.
Sonic huffed but nodded, flopping back in his chair.
Sally let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure if she could've argued with Sonic, he was very convincing.
Antoine puffed out his chest and grinned, like he’d won a victory and not just happened to be arguing on the side Sally was gonna pick. Rotor sighed in relief as well, uncovering his ears.
“Happy Birthday, my Princess!” Antoine greeted as Sally came into what had been deemed the food hall for breakfast. He gestured with all the flourish a knight like his father would have to a tall tower of pancakes, no doubt made from the instant pancake bag they’d found in the storage. Just add water and you get pancakes.
“Oh, thank you, Antoine!” Sally said, taking one of the pancakes. Rotor waved from the kitchen, his stomach covered in flour. “Thank you, Rotor.”
She sat down with her pancake. They couldn’t find silverware, so she just ate it with her hands. Nicole read off the amounts of food left, adding in her own happy birthday, with digital fireworks on her small screen.
“Where’s Sonic?” Sally asked, realizing the blue hedgehog was missing. Rotor turned his eyes to the ground while Antoine turned physically around. “Antoine. Where’s Sonic.”
“Oh, alright, alright, I’ll tell you, Princess!” Antoine folded instantly, throwing himself at Sally’s feet. “He forced me! Strong armed me! I had no choice, that brute, he waz so cruel-!”
“Sonic left Knothole Village this morning,” Rotor cut off Antoine. “Said he had to know what was going on.”
Sally swallowed around a lump in her throat.
“Yes, yes, I waz just about to say that,” Antoine huffed. “Wait, you can talk?”
Rotor just sighed.
“Nicole, what’s the chances of Sonic returning?” Sally asked, holding up the handheld device.
“80%,” Nicole intoned and Sally sighed in relief. “Chance of him not coming back.”
“Nicole!” Sally shouted.
“Apologies, Sally,” Nicole said and she did sound weirdly apologetic.
“When did he leave?” Sally asked, standing up. “Maybe I can still catch him-”
“He left an hour ago,” Rotor said. “I’m sorry, Princess. I think he’s gone.”
Sally’s hands tightened on Nicole.
“No,” she choked out. “No.”
Sonic did come back because one of his hobbies, it would turn out, was doing what people believed to be impossible.
However, he also was developing a hobby of giving Sally a heart attack several years before someone her age should have so the first thing they all saw when he came back was robot legs coming down the slide to Knothole.
Rotor had screamed and Antoine had run over, struggling to hold his father’s sword.
Sally followed right behind, terrified but unwilling to leave Rotor and Antoine alone against some threat.
The robot legs were not attached to a robot body but to a rabbit girl, one arm also robotic while the rest of her was flesh and blood, like anyone.
A backpack followed after, landing solidly with an audible thunk behind it.
Sally heard Sonic sliding down and hurriedly yanked both girl and backpack out of the way.
Sonic landed face first into the dirt, swiftly sitting up and spitting earth out of his mouth.
"Sonic!" Sally cried, running over to Sonic. She squeezed him in a hug before socking him in the arm. "What were you doing?!"
"Got bored," Sonic shrugged, like wandering out of the only known safe spot to go for, what, a walk? was his idea of a good time. "I brought some stuff back."
"Yeah, I saw that," Sally glanced back, Antoine opening the backpack to find it full of food. "How did you- ?"
"Most of the shops were still full of food," Sonic said. "But then I saw those robots and-"
Sonic glanced past her at the rabbit girl.
"They're not just taking people, Sal," Sonic said. "They're turning them into robots."
Sally paled at the implications.
"You don't happen to know who is doing this, do you?" Sally asked.
"...I have some guesses," Sonic admitted. "I'm hoping I'm wrong."
Sally frowned but decided to leave it at that.
"Oh, uh, I got you something!" Sonic said quickly, reaching behind him. He pulled out a small star backpack charm. "It's a star like the ones on your shoes. I figured you could put it on Nicole's handheld device. I… remembered you saying it was your birthday?"
Sally cupped it in her two hands. It seemed so bizarre to her at the moment, the idea he sunk out against her orders to get her a birthday present .
Later, it was a profoundly Sonic act to do. Of course the world had practically ended for them and he’d snuck out to get her a gift. Of course. What else would Sonic do?
Sally laughed and then she cried. It was a pretty wacky reaction but as she grew accustomed to Sonic’s odd bouts of kindness, she’d no longer cry. Much.
She thinks Sonic has a thing for making her feel explosive amounts of feelings.
She remembers thinking how she hoped this wouldn’t be some kind of awakening.
Dumbass.