Complicated

"So…we're alone."

"Point being?"

"Well…I don't know…"

Not knowing…that was going to be Sally's greatest enemy in the days ahead, and she knew it. Robotnik was gone, Doomsday had been averted and in one instant, the question as to whether Mobius could escape the noose the dictator had put it in had been answered…which led to another set of questions. Would Knothole remain their primary settlement, or would they try to restore Robotropolis to its former Mobotropolis self? Would they maintain links with the other Freedom Fighter groups, or would they go their separate ways? What about the robians, and the issue of restoring them back to their organic selves? What…

"Sal? You still on Mobius?"

…about Sonic?

Sally turned to her…friend (right, keep telling yourself that), gazing at her quizzically as fireworks lit up the sky above. The individual that was perhaps as uncomplicated as anyone you could find, or at least that was how he presented himself-Knothole as point a, Robotropolis as point b, his activities focussed on moving between the two and delivering blows to the ruler of the latter. An individual that had taken out point c with the leader of point b going down with it, only to be left with the ruler of point a as its denizens celebrated the wonders of metaphorical geometry. An individual that had made Sally realized as they kissed in front of the entirety of Knothole how complicated things could be.

And still staring at her with a bemused expression, he was either ignorant of that fact, or was ignoring it.

"I…was wondering about what comes next," the princess murmured, wishing that her title could be cast into the Great Unknown and be left to rot there. "I mean…about…"

"About Robotropolis?" the hedgehog asked. "No sweat Sal, most of the SWATbutts went down with Doomsday. I can-…"

"Actually…I was thinking about…us."

"Oh," her…friend answered, showing the wonders of monosyllabic conversation. "I…um…well…"

"Oh come on, you must have noticed the…thing, between us!" Sally exclaimed in frustration, said frustration preventing her from thinking of a better adjective. "Robotropolis, Nimbus Island, Doomsday…you're telling me that you've been too busy fighting Robotnik to notice anything?"

"Well…yeah…but…"

"But until now, you've had other things on your mind."

Her words were savage, and she regretted them immediately. Not so much for the words themselves, but rather her friend's reaction to them.

"Yeah, I've had things on my mind," the hedgehog murmured. "Robuttnik for one thing, Uncle Chuck for another…"

"I…didn't mean to say…"

"No, of course you didn't. That's why I haven't done a power stone on you."

Sally let out a smirk. Not so much a joke but…well, after understanding what it was like to travel at super-sonic speed through power ring energy, it certainly counted as the inside category. Or maybe it was that Sonic had gone from "your arse is grass" mode to his de facto one.

"Sal, I know what you mean. I know that without our favourite overweight dictator around, Knothole…heck, Mobius as itself is at a crossroads. I also know that your…our…work isn't done, even if it isn't the kind of work that suits me best. But hey, if I can slow down and wait to sort out the really complicated stuff, then…"

"…then so can I."

The two smiled at each other, and that was all that was needed.

Maybe what they had was complicated, maybe it wasn't.

Either way, Sally knew she didn't have to complicate things further by trying to find out.