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Sally’s recovery bunker housed a perfect re-creation of her old hut from Knothole. Wooden log walls with scratchy bark. A thatch roof of light gold hay. Beyond this re-creation were other rooms, including a living room and bathroom, but these were militaristic in their plainness. Empty silver metal walls and matching furniture. Nicole had offered to customize it, but Sally had refused. All she needed was her little slice of old Knothole.
Finishing her shower, Sally planned to slip on her plain white pajamas and head for her bed in the imitation hut. The freshly washed garment hung alongside the sink and mirror of the bathroom, absorbing the warmth of the shower.
Having dried off, Sally started to reach for the pajamas, but hesitated. She’d been wearing either her white dress and slippers, or pajamas ever since her return to flesh and blood, waiting for the fur coat of her new body to fully grow back.
Her new body…
She shivered despite the close warmth of the shower fog. Her friends had done everything to restore her to life. Nicole had grown her a new body from scratch, a miracle that never should’ve been possible. And yet… not everything about this new body was the same, and the differences unnerved her.
Sally felt guilt squeeze around her heart at the thought, but no matter how she tried to ignore it, she had it just the same. The differences were so minute, so negligible, that Sally chastised herself for being affected by them.
They were little things. Smoother skin under her fur, missing various scars she’d gotten during missions. The quick of one of her nails reaching farther down her right pinky finger, unlike before when a rushed clipping as a child had pushed it back. And though she’d never admit it, an ever so slightly better muscle tone than the one she’d left behind, likely due to her having only recently become a full time freedom fighter again before her capture. At least her royal birthmark was still present; Although Sally was a bit mortified that Nicole had known where to place it.
Sally shook her head and ran a hand through her tousled wet hair. She reminded herself none of these things were in any way debilitating, and more importantly, they didn’t show. In a time when she wanted more than anything to be seen as the same person she was from… before… that was one of the things she was most grateful for.
Missing scars and finger nail quicks meant nothing. She would just learn to deal with the minor differences. Her friends had worked too hard for her to complain about minor imperfections in the miracle that was her new lease on life.
Having dismissed her inner thoughts like so many times before, she reached for the pajama shirt and pants, but stopped again. The fur on her outstretched arm had been fluffed up by her drying off, and it looked… full.
With a small smile of excitement growing on her face, Sally looked over her front. All the lighter or missing patches of fur were grown in. Sally reached forward and wiped away the fog on the bathroom mirror. She hadn’t really looked at herself during her recovery besides her face and head, the one original part of her body, always dressing beforehand.
Taking a few steps away from the sink, Sally looked herself over in the mirror and gave a quiet half sob, half laugh. It was her. All the little differences she felt were invisible.
A misty-eyed Sally Acorn stared back at her from the mirror. Exactly as she remembered from before. The only thing missing was her blue vest and boots. Turning to the side, Sally craned her head over her shoulder to look at her back.
Her smile vanished.
After regaining her free will from Robotnik the second time, Bernadette Hedgehog had wanted a change. She’d spent her life as a soldier, and later a robotic slave, and what disturbed her was how little of a difference she found between the two. She didn’t regret her service, the overlanders had threatened their way of life, but the monotony, the following orders… She’d spent most of her life carrying out the machinations of others, but never what she wanted herself.
Despite well-meaning offers, Bernadette had refused to re-enlist, even after becoming flesh and blood again. Maybe it was selfish, but she wanted a normal life. Well… as normal as she could get with a robian husband and the hero of Mobius for a son.
So she had made her new home, first in Knothole City and now New Mobotropolis; the perfect little house. A warm living room with a couch and coffee table across from the tv. A master bedroom with two nightstands topped with reading lamps. And of course, a messy bedroom for her teenage son to sleep in his race car bed. It wasn’t perfect, but here, Bernadette could carry out a piece of the idyllic life she’d been denied for so long.
Bernadette blearily rose from her sleep as she felt her husband get out of bed next to her. “Honey?” she asked, wiping her eyes.
“Someone’s at the door,” was Jules Hedgehog’s answer. Bernadette’s eyes snapped open and adrenaline replaced weariness in an instant. She had her robe and slippers on in under a second. Hushing Muttski who was growling at the front door, Jules opened it.
Outside, Nicole the holo-lynx was frantically clutching her hands and shifting on her feet, as if she were about to break into a run. “Sally needs Sonic, immediately!” Nicole begged.
Bernadette only nodded before hurrying down the hallway to her son’s room. No sooner had she jostled her son awake and relayed the request than did a blue streak burn down the hallway and out the front door. Sonic never even realized he had sped through Nicole’s hologram on the way out.
“What’s wrong?” Jules asked as Nicole reconstituted her hologram.
Nicole began to hyperventilate. “I… I made some mistake… But I ensured her genetic code was as close as possible… The scan showed no variation… I don’t know how I…”
“Nicole,” Jules didn’t shout, but his low voice sounded like an order. “What’s wrong?” A few tears escaped Nicole’s eyes before she answered.
Sonic reached Sally’s recovery bunker in under thirty seconds. He checked her Knothole hut re-creation first and was rewarded for his guess. The chipmunk was sitting at the head of her bed, her back up against the scratchy wood paneled wall with the purple sheets pulled up over everything below her neck.
“Sal!” Sonic raced to the bedside. Sally startled as she pulled her wet eyes away from the sheets she’d been crying into. Tear marks ran all the way down her face. Sonic took Sally into a sideways hug, and the chipmunk began sobbing anew into his shoulder.
“H-Hey, come on Sal.” Sonic’s own nerves began to rise at Sally’s curling in on herself in her despair. “You gotta tell me what’s wrong. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it together.”
“No we won’t!” Sally wailed between wracking sobs, “I’m gone! I’ll never be back! N-Never!”
“Sal what are you…?!” Sonic trailed off as Sally buried her face in his right shoulder. The movement made him look at the back of her neck. At first, he thought it might’ve been sweat, but running his hand along the fur he realized the truth; a long stripe of fur, darker than the rest of Sally’s coat, ran down the middle of her back all the way to end of her tail.
Sally jerked away from Sonic’s tracing hand. Sonic held her shoulder instead while his other arm cradled her. “Sal… Is… Is this all that’s wrong?”
Sally doubled over with sobs, forcing Sonic to adjust his cradling her. “I know its s-stupid,” Sally sobbed.
“Hey, hey, hey, that’s not what I meant,” Sonic spoke softly, shifting his free hand to hold Sally’s head instead. He ran his fingers through her hair, hoping to instill any kind of calm. “I just meant is there anything else wrong?”
“N-No. Nicole scanned me, I’m… healthy…”
Sonic stayed silent until Sally’s hard sobs devolved into quiet sniffles, and her body lost some of its tenseness. The sheet covering Sally slipped off her left shoulder; Sonic re-placed it. “So… not a perfect one-to-one like we thought,” he spoke hesitantly.
“I’m… sorry,” Sally wheezed like she’d had an allergic reaction.
“No. Nuh uh. You’re not starting that,” Sonic shook his head.
Sally squirmed in his arms. “I’m being s-stupid. I knew the ch-chances of something like this. I…”
“No!” Sonic took Sally by the shoulders and gently propped her against the head of the bed. “You do not get to play the ‘blame myself’ game right now.” Sonic pointed at Sally’s face, “You went through a living nightmare! For goodness sake Sal, what’s it gunna take for you to not blame yourself for something that wasn’t your fault!?”
Sally blinked with wide eyes that darted between Sonic and his pointing finger right in her face. “Th-The… The differences don’t matter. You guys moved heaven and earth for me and…”
Sonic dragged his hand down his face, “Oh for crying out loud,” came his muffled voice, “Sally, You. Are. Allowed. To be. Freaked out. By this.”
Sonic gestured to the outline of her body beneath the sheets. “We all know it ain’t normal Sal. It’s weird, and freaky, and I’m guessing pretty scary. Heck, I know I’d be scared if it was me. So PLEASE,” Sonic closed his eyes and spoke through gritted teeth. “Just stop beating yourself up about not being totally okay with this.” Sonic reached forward and cupped Sally’s face in his hand, taking on a soft smile, “Okay?”
Sally leaned into Sonic’s hand, choking on another sob before sighing. The chipmunk removed her arm from beneath the sheet and held Sonic’s hand to her face. “I don’t say this often Sonic but,” Sally swallowed hard, “You’re right.”
Sonic flashed a cocky half-grin. “Hey, I’m always right.” Sally only rolled her eyes and gave a soft chuckle.
“I don’t know if I’d say always, but he is right about this.” Sonic and Sally startled and looked towards the new voice. Bernadette Hedgehog stood in the doorway. “May I come in princess?”
Sally used her bedsheet to hastily wipe her face. “Of course, Mrs. Hedgehog.”
Bernadette sat at the foot of the bed to not intrude on Sonic and Sally’s space. “Nicole explained things.”
Sally gave a soft inhale at the holo-lynx’s name and looked towards the door. “It’s alright,” Bernadette assured, “My husband is giving much the same advice as Sonic just gave you.” Sonic and Bernadette shared a brief smile.
“But if I could add one thing,” Bernadette continued to Sally, “It would be that you’re not alone in feeling guilty about having… reservations. My situation isn’t the same as yours, goodness knows you had it worse. But after the BEM changed us all back, the return to being… me… was jarring. I felt overwhelmed.”
Bernadette stared at her hands, rubbing her thumb into her palm. “And yet… I kept silent for a long time. How could I be so… selfish… ungrateful… by being anything other than happy, when my husband was denied this gift.”
Bernadette closed her eyes and sighed through her nose. Sonic briefly hovered on the verge of walking around the bed to take his mother’s hand instead. Bernadette shook her head softly and smiled. “It was only when I finally talked to Jules, that he made me realize how silly I was being. He told me I had no control over what had happened, and so why should I feel guilty?”
Sonic turned back to Sally to see a single last tear running down her face. “I know yours isn’t the same situation, princess,” Bernadette spoke softly, “But I’m sure all your friends would tell you the same thing.”
Sally wiped her face again and sniffled. “Thank you, Mrs. Hedgehog.”
Bernadette smiled. “If you are alright with it princess, then please, call me Bernadette.”
“Drop the ‘princess’ and call me Sally, and you have a deal,” Sally smiled back.
After a moment of peaceful silence, Sonic interjected. “For what it’s worth Sal, it’s a pretty cool racing stripe.” Sonic nodded towards her back.
Sally gave a lopsided grin and raised eyebrow. “Racing stripe?”
Sonic grinned. “Yeah! Heck, I’m almost jealous. I mean, just imagine,” Sonic stood away from the bed and gestured outward at an imagined landscape, “My spindash with a stripe down my back? I’d be like a pool ball of destruction going through Eggman’s stuff!”
At the foot of the bed, Bernadette’s brow furrowed at her son’s method of encouragement. But, looking back to Sally, the frown vanished as she saw the chipmunk give a soft chuckle.
A shimmer of green light came through the door Bernadette had left open. Nicole’s head peered around the doorframe. “Sally?” Nicole hesitated to enter, almost hiding.
Sally climbed out of her bed and approached the holo-lynx. “I’m alright now Nicole. I’m sorry for freaking out like that.” Behind Sally, Sonic frowned at the apology but said nothing. Sally took Nicole into a hug.
“I’m sorry too. For the change,” Nicole said.
Sally broke away from the hug, still holding Nicole’s hand. “You don’t need to apologize, but… I forgive you just the same.”
An invisible weight seemed to lift from Nicole’s shoulders. “Thank you, Sally. And…” Nicole hesitated mid-sentence, “I believe I know the cause. It’s good news!” the holo-lynx added the last part in a rush.
Sally’s jaw clenched and her eyes became narrow. Sonic came to stand by her side. “Alright,” Sally sighed and nodded.
To everyone’s surprise, Nicole took on a soft grin. “After discussing things with Mr. Hedgehog, I realized the most likely cause was inherited genetics. A rather obvious answer in hindsight…”
Nicole rubbed her arm and stared at the ground before continuing, “But one that I hadn’t considered because the records I was working with only included medical records for the royal family, and not those who had married in. Taking that into account. I believe your new ‘racing stripe,’” Nicole gave a sideways glance to Sonic, “Is from your mother’s side of the family, and merely hadn’t activated in your original body.”
Sally held her mouth with a soft gasp. Sonic put his arm around Sally’s shoulders and gave a sideways squeeze. Sally returned the gesture with her right arm and used her left to wipe her eyes again.
“So whaddya say tomorrow we visit your folks and show em the new you?” Sonic asked with a gentle nudge.
“Yes,” Sally put her arm around Sonic, “But that’s just the start.”
“Oh?” Sonic raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve been recovering… hiding… down here long enough.” Sally whispered more to herself than Sonic. “It’s time I try to get back into the fight.”
Sonic smiled and gave another affectionate squeeze. “Love it when you get dramatic Sal.” Sonic’s tone was much more sincere than his comment had needed, and there had been an undertone of… relief? Before Sally could question it, he’d continued, “And we’ll all be here to get you back on your feet.”
“Yes,” Sally nodded, then turned to Mrs. Hedgehog. “And… Bernadette? If you’re willing,” Sally hesitated and squeezed her eyes shut, as if forcing the words out. “Could we… discuss robotization recovery in more detail some time?”
Bernadette rose from her place at the foot of the bed and joined the small group around Sally. “Of course, anytime.”
Off to the side, Sonic gave the tiniest smirk. Sally had been with the blue blur for too long to not notice it. “Something on your mind?” Sally deadpanned with a pretend offended voice.
“Just happy for you Sal,” Sonic said with a shrug, then added, “And appreciating my awesome parents.” Bernadette gave a soft smile to both her son, and, she felt safe in believing, her future daughter in law.