surveying an extreme gear tournament was the last thing the former royal would expect herself doing. the others did not pay her much attention. she found herself rounding a corner of the stadium only to come face to face with @jetthehawk.bsky.social. sally acorn mumbled a quick apology. --

sitting at her computer, sally was typing in commands and checking the status of the other bases, her brow creased with concern. "so far everything is optimal. why am i not getting any feedback from the other members? is something jamming our communicators?" @unrivalledspeed.bsky.social

mary 🔔 would y'all be interested in a starter call from me here. i have sally muse again.

"that'd be perfect!! i can leave amy rose in charge. i think you've met her before. nicole and amy can run things while i'm on vacation for a few days," the chipmunk said with some hesitation. her version of eggman never let up on his attacks. she didn't know if she could be gone for long.

the last thing the brunette wanted was to be the reason for /another/ death. fears kept her from accepting his proposal, so she shook her head with a clouded expression. ". . . i /can't/ let you do this, sonic. it's-- it's too dangerous. you might get hurt -- i'd never forgive myself."

"sorry about that, shawn. she's here now. and i believe she has some explaining to do," the former royal scolded, causing the pinkette to sheepishly rub at the back of her quills. "you can stay if you want? i do not want to leave you here on your own. you're strong, but it's still dangerous."

sally wasn't used to somebody hugging her; it had been years since the dearly departed had done so when he was alive. while amy rose /used/ to, the pinkette had stopped when awkwardness set in. a strained chuckle escaped. "i'm glad to have you on the team," the former royal replied.

eyes widened, mouth slightly parted in surprise when the vixen initiated the hug. sally normally didn't want to put others from other universes at risk, due to how dangerous it was, but sally was starting to realize she needed assistance. "yes. i think i need help," sally said, returning the hug.

"we both need a vacation. . . . though is there somebody who can watch the master emerald for you? is there a protocol for that?" sally hated to bring up his personal business, yet it was a practical concern. knuckles was the guardian of the master emerald. he had responsibilities, as did sally.

"i'm not feeling /that/ lucky with all these badniks around, yet i'm curious to see what'll happen. let's take down these badniks before they cause more of a problem," the former royal exclaimed, slashing into another robot and jumping back to avoid the pieces.

"yeah! i think so too. emerald coast would be a /very/ beautiful spot for a vacation. i think i should try it out. thank you for the suggestion, knuckles. . . would you like to go with me," the former royal offered.

"yes. . . . . h -- he is no longer with us," the former royal replied sadly, her heart clenching from the loss of her dear friend. since sonic's demise, robotnik had overthrown sally acorn and became a huge threat and dominating presence in sally's universe. it was a difficult situation.

"i definitely need a break. maybe going to the beach would be fun. i haven't actually relaxed or took time for myself in so long." probably because the eggman from her universe wouldn't let up on his attacks. she was fairly convinced any vacation would be cut short.

"i /really/ deserve a vacation."

"i'm very aware of that--- you're late," she suddenly exclaimed, watching as a familiar pink hedgehog pushed her way through the crowd towards sally and shawn. the pinkette sighed dramatically and grinned, leaning on her heels and tilting her head. treating the situation as a joke. --

"well--- you could say that. i mean. probably. yeah," sally lied, feeling horrible for doing so but not wanting to trouble or inconvenience knuckles more than she probably already has.

"I mean--- I was going to approach my version of fiona to join the resistance. maybe she wants to turn a new leaf and let bygones be bygones now that sonic is gone," she replied, heart clenching from mentioning the deceased blue blur's name.

the former royal activated a ring blade, watching the light blue weapon expand in front of her face. sally jumped back slightly from a falling badnik, using the blade to slice into the egg pawn. "i think we have quite the mess to clean up now!!! let's get this show on the road," she exclaimed.

the last thing sally acorn wanted was to get drawn into another conflict in a universe that wasn't her own. a sigh escaped. she clenched her fist, determination keeping her from fleeing. "are you KIDDING ME -- oh well. things are gonna get messy," she muttered to herself.

the former royal was /slightly/ offended by his abrupt and dismissive tone; she slowly realized she hadn't spoken to her version of shadow in so long his mannerisms became unknown to her. "i need to know the easiest way to immobilize eggman and his badniks. would you happen to know anything?"

"hey there, knuckles. long time no see! i disappeared a little bit there, but. . . . never mind that. how have you been?"

"anyway. . . . . Y O U." @hammertimehedge.bsky.social

sally acorn was losing hope. eggman had control of the universe for a /long/ time, spanning years, so she didn't know if anything would give like sonic said. not wanting to worry the blue hedgehog, sally forced a grin. "you're right. he can't keep control of our planet and universe for long."

sally never forgot how fast sonic could be. almost every version seemed inclined to slow down for their friends, and the memory had the chipmunk faltering a bit. after this brief interlude of depressed emotions, sally grinned and attempted to catch up. "right. let's get going."

the chipmunk glanced at the hedgehog's outstretched hand. her brows furrowed and she glanced back up at him, gaze stony and lips drawn. she /hated/ expressing any kind of weakness. ". . . . . that is true," she was forced to admit, finally sighing and taking his hand briefly.

"GUYS --"

"you know what? that's /really/ valid! weirder things have happened in walmart, so i completely believe you! i knew i shouldn't have touched that ramen cup. it's probably got demonic energy on it now."

mary 🔔 here is a disclaimer i'm sharing from @saddened-fox.bsky.social to everybody! this information is of froggyverse tails! please give it a read.