Sally groaned as the thermometer was taken from her mouth, and examined by a concerned Doctor Quack. He gave a solemn nod to Rotor and Chuck, who were standing beside him at Sally's bedside. "

She has a very high fever," he told them. "There's no denying it, Princess; you're not well."

"Nyooooo…" Sally tried to sit up, but Rotor stopped her.

"My prescription…" Doctor Quack pulled the covers over Sally and pushed her head down onto the pillow beneath, "Is lots of bedrest. No Resistance activities for you today."

Sally sniffed. "But… I gotta… gotta lead the… everyone… or they'll… they'll…" Sally sneezed, and then sneezed again, and again.

"You'll be no good leading anyone in the condition you're in," Doctor Quack said, "And I suspect it was overworking yourself that got you into this state to begin with. Take it easy for the day. The Resistance won't collapse because you take a day off."

"Id might!"

"Sal, please, listen to the Doctor," Rotor pleaded. "Uncle Chuck and I can handle this."

Sally sniffed again, and then started coughing. The others stepped back nervously, Chuck reaching for the glass of water by Sally's side and offering it to her. After she slowly sipped down the drink, she said, "Okay, jus' make sure you read all ma notes and follow 'em to de letter. Some r'cruits get nervous so I usually give 'em a pep-talk before th' missions, an' I was gonna contact Downunda today and-"

"We got it," Rotor insisted. "There's no need to worry."

"What about th' scouts that went silent?"

"Mina and Bunnie are going to handle it," Rotor said.

"Tell them t' take Nicole wif them."

Nicole's ears twitched. "But I was gonna stay by your side and make sure you were alright!"

"You have t' be there in case we need the data."

Nicole frowned, but she knew that Sally was right. "But what if you take a bad turn, or you need to get up to use the bathroom, or you kick the covers off in your sleep or-"

"You wouldn't be able to help with any of that, anyway," Doctor Quack pointed out, and Nicole frowned. "Here, I'll leave this buzzer by your bedside. Ring it if there's anything you need. I'll leave Dylan and Penelope right outside your room." Doctor Quack offered the Princess some tablets, which she begrudgingly took. "I'll be back to check up on you later."

As Doctor Quack left, Rotor picked up Nicole's handheld and Sally's notebook. "Oh, and you should thank Nicole," he said. "She was the one who alerted us when you passed out. She was so panicked she could barely get a word out."

Nicole's ears drooped. "I was so worried. I thought you were gonna die…"

Sally offered the best smile she could and reached out to Nicole, her hand passing through the hologram. "Sorry I scared you. An' thanks."

"Please get better."

"She will, but she won't get much sleep with us crowding her," Chuck said, and with that, he and Rotor took their leave. Nicole had no choice but to follow as her handheld was pulled away, but she stayed as close as she could to Sally for as long as possible.

"I'll do my best! Get well soon!"

Sally waved goodbye as the door closed behind them, and then she threw her head back with a groan. "Of all the times t'get sick, it has to be now…"

"Listen, Nicole," Rotor began as he and Chuck walked through the empty halls, his voice a whisper despite their perceived isolation, "We don't want people to panic, so if anyone asks, Sally is just resting. Don't mention anything about her being ill."

Nicole nodded. She could understand how afraid people would be if they knew that Sally was sick. She had felt that same fear herself, and she was still afraid even now. She so badly wanted to be by Sally's side, even if just to be there for emotional support. But Sally was trusting her with an important job, and she wasn't going to let her down!

"I've asked the girls to come meet us so I can brief them on the mission. They should be here soon." Rotor and Chuck split-up, and Rotor took Nicole with him to the Command Centre and sent out a signal to Downunda. They answered quickly, Shade greeting Rotor with confusion and concern. "Morning, Shade."

"Good morning. I was expecting the Princess to reach out to us."

"Sally's resting!" Nicole shouted suddenly, tensing-up as Shade and Rotor's eyes fell on her. "Uh, I mean, she's just resting her eyes 'cause… y'know, she's been staring at screens all day, and it's important to take a break every now and then to avoid eyestrain!"

"I… see…"

Rotor shook his head, and quickly moved the subject along. "Anyway, we have fifty new Wispons ready to send your way. We just need confirmation from your scouts that the road is clear."

"The road is clear, and we thank you for your support. Our numbers have risen sharply, with all of the liberated prisoners joining us, but there simply weren't enough Wispons to go around. If there's anything we can offer in return…"

"Just keep giving Eggman the business. He's really focussing on the Kingdom of Acorn lately, supressing our scouting parties and laying down traps everywhere. Anything you can do to distract him would be much appreciated."

"We'll see what we can do. Over-and-out."

Nicole sighed as the call ended. "I'm sorry. I panicked."

"Don't sweat it, just try to keep your cool. If you start feeling flustered, stop and breathe for five seconds and-" Rotor thought for a moment. "I… guess you don't really breathe…"

"I can still try," Nicole said. She inhaled sharply, counting to five on her fingers, and then exhaled slowly, counting back down. She shook her head. "I don't feel any different."

Rotor scratched his head. All of his usual calming techniques required having a body. Eating, tinkering, stretching, doing push-ups – they all only worked if you could actually feel the effects. Then, he had a thought. "Just think how Sally would handle the situation, and try to emulate that as best you can."

Nicole nodded. "Right! Be more like Sally. Be more like Sally…"

"What's that about Sally?" Mina asked as she entered the room with Bunnie.

"She's resting!" Nicole shouted as she span around. Mina and Bunnie stopped suddenly, startled by Nicole. 'Shoot! C'mon Nicole, get it together! Be like Sally!' Nicole cleared her throat – or at least, pretended to. "Sorry, the Princess can't be with you today. She was up all night and is currently resting to prepare herself for an important mission."

Rotor nodded. "She asked us to brief you on your mission. Nicole?"

Nicole's holographic form was replaced with a map of the region. It zoomed-in on a specific area, where a green light was blinking. "One of our scouting parties failed to report in yesterday, and again this morning. There's a chance that they were compromised, but they never sent out any S.O.S., nor has their radio been taken offline. We want the two of you to scout the area and confirm their status."

Rotor handed Bunnie a satchel. She peered inside and found explosives. "If the team have been wiped-out, you must destroy the hut they were using and all the equipment inside."

"Isn't that a tad wasteful?" Bunnie asked, slinging the satchel over her shoulder.

"We don't have the resources to carry it all back, at least not in one trip, and we can't risk it falling into Eggman's hands; the computers there contain sensitive data. If possible, please extract as much data as you can into Nicole's handheld before destroying the shack. If the group are okay, you need to confirm why they haven't reported back."

"If the team are already… gone, won't that mean Eggman already has the data?" Mina asked.

"Then why leave the radios online?" Rotor asked.

"The fact that the radio hasn't been destroyed could mean that they fled the area on their own," Nicole said. "Unfortunately, we can't rule out the possibility of desertion."

"Right, of course…" Mina was less-than-thrilled by the idea of members of the Resistance ditching them. "Is it just the three of us going?"

"Hopefully, that's all we'll need. The shack is in a remote location, so more people will just draw attention." Rotor handed Nicole's handheld to Mina. "If the enemy is already there, just focus on destroying the shack. With your speed, and Bunnie as a distraction, you should have no problem."

"Ya can count on us!" Bunnie declared with a salute.

The Resistance soldier glared as the two skunks scarfed down their rations and chugged down their water, belching and laughing boisterously whilst throwing all of their garbage onto the floor behind them. They'd even broken into the champagne the soldiers had set aside for the day of Eggman's defeat, when the Resistance declared victory!

The smaller, dark-blue-furred skunk picked at his teeth with a toothpick, and then realised he was being stared at. "Hey, don't look at us like that! We just needed a place ta put our feet up, that's all! We'll be outta your hair soon as we're finished! Man though, this's the crap they're feedin' ya in the Resistance? Looks like we made the right choice goin' freelance, huh Brother?"

"Ya got that right!" the taller, cream-furred skunk replied. "Barely enough for a good breakfast! Where's all the meat? Where's all the junk food?"

The soldier cursed at the two, but his words were muffled by the gag in his mouth. His two comrades sitting beside him simply looked away, unable to bear the sight of their entire supply of food being devoured before their very eyes. Food that they knew was obtained through the sweat and blood of their comrades.

"And what's with this champagne? Bring out the ale!"

The gluttonous skunks continued to devour everything at the table, and the helpless Resistance member could do nothing but continue glaring.

"See anything?" Bunnie asked.

"I see the shack, but I don't see any activity," Mina reported. She studied the shack through her binoculars, combing the area thoroughly for any signs of movement, either living or mechanical. "Door's still there, and it doesn't look like there are any signs of a struggle."

"Maybe they really did desert?" Bunnie suggested.

Mina noticed fallen leaves piled-up along the road leading away from the house. "Doesn't look like anyone's used that road in a long time, so they haven't left by car."

"Ah don't like this," Bunnie said. "Let's get closer, but careful-like."

Mina and Nicole agreed, and the group carefully advanced on the shack, staying low and keeping to the shadows. As they got closer, they heard laughter coming from within. "If I may?" Nicole asked. She altered the transparency of her hologram so that it was barely visible, and then approached a window, peering inside.

"Hey, how much you think Eggman'll pay for these computers?"

"Better yet, maybe the Resistance will pay more to get 'em back!"

"Bah-ahahahah! Great thinkin', Bro!"

Nicole returned to Bunnie and Mina. "There are two rather-crude guys in there, and three Resistance soldiers that are tied-up. I don't think they're Eggman's – they seem to be playing both sides."

"The nevre of 'em, treatin' our comrades thatta way." Bunnie clenched her fist and made for the door. "Ah'm gonna make a distraction. Mina-girl, you free those poor boys."

"Okay. Be careful, Bunnie."

"Heh, they're the ones who oughtta be careful." Bunnie raised her foot, and then kicked the door off of its hinges, sending it flying into the shack. The skunks stopped their eating and stared at the open doorway with wide eyes, food halfway down their gullets. "Y'all stop right there, ya villains!"

"Shit! It's the Resistance!" the short skunk shouted, and the two jumped to their feet.

"Wait, Bro! Look at her legs, and her arm," the taller skunk said. "I think she's with Doctor Eggman."

The shorter skunk grinned. "Oh, well in that case, you've got great timing! Look, we rounded-up these Resistance soldiers that've been spying on your forces, and we left all their equipment in-tact! We'd be happy to turn them over to your leader, y'know, for a modest fee."

"An' just why on Mobius should Ah trust y'all? Ain't ya gonna introduce yerselves, first?"

The two skunks exchanged grins. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" the short one said. "We ain't nice!" he began.

"And we ain't humble!" the tall one continued.

"We're the infamous bandits-"

"ROUGH AND TUMBLE!" the two finished together, striking a back-to-back pose whilst flexing their muscles.

Bunnie stared at the two in a mixture of shock and remorse. Remorse that she was the one who volunteered dealing with these two. "Y'all have a couple-a screws loose or somethin'?"

Rough huffed indignantly. "Whatever, we don't expect any Eggman lackey to appreciate art. Anyway, about our offer-"

"Sorry, but Ah'm gonna have ta decline, on account of one little thing…" Bunnie held up her robotic arm, pointing her fist at the skunks. "Ah ain't no 'Eggman lackey'!" She fired her fist, and the skunks dodged it, rolling to either side. It smashed through the floorboards, and then flew back, reattaching itself to Bunnie's arm.

"Too bad, but on the plus side, we can sweeten the deal with Eggman even more, now!" Rough cheered, charging at Bunnie.

Tumble moved to join him. "Ya shouldn't have come here alone, little girl!"

"She's not alone!" Nicole shouted, drawing the taller skunk's attention. She entered a fighting pose, staring Tumble dead in the eyes.

Tumble laughed. "And just what are you going to do? You're even scrawnier than she is!"

"Why don't you try me, big guy?"

Tumble charged at Nicole, bringing his fist back.

Rough leapt at Bunnie, baring his fangs. Bunnie swiftly dodged the skunk's attack and kicked him from behind, sending him flying out of the shack.

Meanwhile, Tumble threw a punch at Nicole's face, only for the fist – and his entire body – to pass right through the lynx and crash into the wall behind her. Nicole winced at the loud thud! the impact had made, and this was followed moments later by various objects – books and flowerpots – falling from the shelves above, crashing one-by-one onto the skunk's head.

Rough picked himself up as Bunnie approached him. "D-Don't get ahead of yourself! That was just a lucky shot!" Before he could stand completely, he was blindsided by a spinning yellow object crashing into his back, sending him crashing back to the floor.

Mina unfurled herself as she leapt through the air and landed next to Bunnie. "Was that just a lucky shot, too?"

Tumble rubbed his head as he climbed to his feet, seeing six Resistance soldiers suddenly around him. As his vision began to correct itself, he realised it was really only two – two of the soldiers that had been tied-up earlier, now armed with Wispons that were pointed right at him. He slowly raised his hands, laughing nervously.

As his comrades kept Tumble at gunpoint, the remaining soldiers ran to Bunnie and Mina and bowed deeply. "We're so sorry about this!"

"What happened?" Mina asked.

"They came during the night, said that they were refugees looking for shelter! We believed them, and when we went to fetch them blankets and some food, they knocked us out with some foul-smelling gas!"

"They did a real number on ya, huh?" Bunnie said, looking over at what remained of all the food that had been eaten.

"Again, we're so sorry! You don't have to send us more food, we'll ration what we have left!"

"Don't be silly!" Mina said. "We're counting on you recon soldiers to keep us informed of Eggman's activities out here! You're putting your lives on the line. Nobody's gonna fault you for trying to help more of Eggman's victims."

"The fault lies with them," Bunnie said, turning her attention back to Rough, who was laughing as he stood with one hand behind his back. "Somethin' funny, ya varmint?"

"Oh, just that you Resistance-types are all the freakin' same: pathetic, and soft!" Rough revealed his hand, and the explosive within it. The screen was lit, showing that it was armed. "You're also careless! Let me snatch this right from ya durin' our little scuffle back there! Powerful stuff, I'd bet."

Bunnie gritted her teeth. "You absolute snake-in-the-grass!"

"Here's the deal: let my bro and me go, and we'll let you all off the hook!"

Tumble grinned, lowering his hands and daring the soldiers to shoot. They turned to their comrade, who himself turned to Bunnie and Mina. The girls sighed, and motioned for them to let him go. "Smart choice," Tumble said, leaving the shack with no resistance. As he passed the girls, he took the chance to stick out his tongue and taunt them with a raised middle finger.

"Alright, now put the bomb down and-" Bunnie began, but she didn't get a chance to finish.

"Gladly!" Rough pressed a button on the bomb, and it began counting down from five seconds. He threw it towards the shack, and then he and his brother ran away. "Later, losers! No time to rumble!"

"This is the last you'll ever see of-"

"ROUGH AND TUMBLE!"

As the bomb soared through the air, the Resistance soldiers dropped their Wispons and froze in terror. Bunnie activated the jets in her feet to launch into the air, and kicked the bomb as it came down, sending it flying into the sky. As she landed, the bomb exploded, and in the lull that followed, everybody took a moment to collect themselves and remember how to breathe.

One of the soldiers fainted, and Mina turned suddenly in the direction where Rough and Tumble had fled, realising that she had missed her chance to go after them. "They got away…"

"At least everyone's alive," Nicole said. "I think that's the most-important thing. Unfortunately, we can't use this location anymore."

"Guess that means we failed," the soldier beside Bunnie and Mina said, removing his helmet and lowering his head dejectedly.

"Ya did good," Bunnie assured him. "These things happen. The Resistance needs good guys like the three of ya." Bunnie passed her satchel to Mina. "Set these charges 'round the shack. You men start gatherin' yer things, and get the car ready."

"Yes, sir," the two conscious soldiers said, and as they set about their tasks, Bunnie approached the computers and plugged Nicole's handheld in.

"By the way, nice thinkin' back there," Bunnie said, watching as Nicole's holographic form disappeared.

"Thanks! I wanted to fight more like you guys do. Like Sally. But I figured I should just do what I can."

"Playin' to yer strengths an' outsmartin' yer opponent? That sounds like Sally ta me."

"Well to be fair, it wasn't difficult to outsmart him."

The two laughed as Nicole began downloading the data from the computers.

Sally awoke with a start. She bolted out of her bed, sweating and panting, but feeling much-better than earlier. She looked around the room, wondering how long she had been asleep, but couldn't find a clock anywhere. Climbing out of bed, she walked across the room and opened the door, expecting to find Dylan and Penelope on the other side.

Instead, standing there in the doorway was the large, rotund human she knew as Julian, but who others knew more as Doctor Eggman. She gasped, taking a step back as he stepped into her room, having to crouch to get under the top of the frame. He stood at nearly twice her height, and his face was masked by a shadow, save for his menacing grin.

"No! How could you be here?!"

"Surprised? Thought you could hide from me forever? It was only a matter of time, after all. Did you really think a ragtag group like this one could stop me? Did you think you could succeed where your father had failed?"

"Rotor, Antoine! I need help!"

"They're not coming." Eggman stepped aside, revealing a scene outside Sally's bedroom that made her hyperventilate. Antoine, Rotor, Bunnie, Fiona, Mina, Ash, Uncle Chuck, Doctor Quack, Nicole… All of them were laying on the floor, their faces turned away, and standing over them was Infinite, staring dead into the Princess' frightened eyes through his mask.

"You monster! How could you?!"

"Now all that's left is you." Sally gritted her teeth and stood her ground to fight, but she stopped when Eggman pressed the tip of a sword to her throat. She recognised it as the Sword of Acorns. "You've failed, Princess. Your Kingdom has fallen, your friends are no more, and you couldn't even protect the one thing your father entrusted you with."

"S-Sonic!"

"Sonic is dead."

Sally closed her eyes and covered her ears. "Sonic! Where are you?!"

"He's dead," Eggman replied, his voice still clear even as she tried to drown him out. "Nobody's coming to save you, Princess. You can't win, and there's nobody waiting for you to rescue them."

Sally fell to her knees, and the ground collapsed beneath her. She cried out she fell into a deep, dark void, but she couldn't hear her own voice. She kept crying, hoping that anybody would hear her.

"Princess! Princess!"

Sally awoke with a start, bolting upright in her bed. She was sweating and panting, and her vision was hazy. It took her a few seconds to collect herself, and when the initial rush of adrenaline began to wear off, she felt her fever setting back in and began to cough.

"Princess, are you okay?" Dylan asked, standing by Sally's bedside with a concerned look. Penelope lay the Princess back down and Dylan placed a wet towel over her forehead. "We heard you screaming. Were you having a nightmare?"

Sally at last realised what had just happened; she was simply having a nightmare. That meant that Eggman hadn't really invaded Knothole, he hadn't killed all of her friends, and he hadn't stolen the Sword of Acorns. Tears welled in her eyes. Her body was shivering and her bones were aching, but she was thankful to know that everyone was okay.

"Princess, please take some more medicine," Penelope said, offering a couple of tablets to Sally. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," Sally said, though the roughness of her voice suggested otherwise. She looked to either side of her bed. "Where's Nicole?"

"She's with Bunnie and Mina. They're out on a mission right now. Do you not recall?"

"Oh." Sally thought about it for a second, and felt a pit in her stomach. She didn't want to be left alone. "Is Rosie free?"

"I believe so," Penelope said, though her voice sounded uncertain.

Sally pulled the covers over her face, averting her eyes. "Could you summon her, please? And ask her to bring a book…"

"A book? Which one?"

"Any will do…"

Penelope and Dylan exchanged confused glances, but neither questioned it any further. They agreed to the request and left the Princess' room.

After securing the data and packing as much as they could fit into the jeep, the three soldiers of the Resistance bid farewell to the shack that had been their home for almost two months. Bunnie set the explosives and armed them, and as she and the others drove off, they heard the explosion behind them.

"Not that far back to Knothole," Bunnie said, offering a smile to the soldiers. All three of them were visibly upset, and the driver only offered a simple nod as he kept his eyes to the road. "We got a pretty good look at those two bandits. We'll send out a warnin' t' the nearby outposts t' keep an eye out for 'em."

Again, the soldiers didn't offer much in the way of a response. "Hey, don't worry about it," Mina said. "It could've been worse, right? I mean, imagine if those two had just reported you straight to Eggman? At least you got out with your lives."

"The Princess was counting on us," one of the soldiers said. "All of Knothole was. We let them down, and now we're going back with our tails between our legs."

"I'm sure everyone will just be happy to see you're alright," Mina assured them. "I know! I'm holding a concert a few days from now, something to raise everyone's spirits and boost morale. You guys should totally come. I'll save you some seats at the front row. What d'you say?"

The soldiers exchanged glances. "That… sounds kinda nice," one said, offering a small smile.

"Yeah… Been a while since we got to really let loose and have some fun. Why not?"

"Okay, then it's agreed!" Mina declared cheerfully. "I'll ask Ash to reserve some seats for you! I promise it'll help you unwind!"

Nicole leaned closer to Mina, whispering, "A concert? I haven't heard anything about that."

"I was gonna surprise everyone with it tonight. Ash and I have been working it out with Uncle Chuck, and a few others."

"I'll uh, I'll let Sally know. She's kinda busy so, I don't think she'd want to be disturbed."

"Well, she's the real reason I'm putting on this concert, actually. She's working herself so hard, I thought it'd be a good chance for her to take a break."

Nicole smiled. "If that's the case, I'll make sure she attends."

"Is it safe, though?" Bunnie asked. "Holdin' a concert at a time like this? What if we attract too much attention?"

"The venue is the Lake of Rings," Mina said. "Chuck assured me it'll be no problem, so long as we don't leave Knothole. The Sword of Acorns creates a protective barrier that keeps out dangers."

"So that's how Eggman hasn't found us yet," Nicole mused.

"I'll save special seats for you guys, too, as well as Rotor and Fiona…" Mina turned to Bunnie with a knowing smirk, "And Antoine."

Bunnie felt her face heating up a little as Mina and Nicole both stared at her, grinning. "W-What's that s'possed ta mean?"

"Just that you and he have been spending quite a bit of time together," Mina said. "And you seem to be enjoying yourselves quite a bit."

"Ah'm just helpin' Antoine with his trainin', that's all!"

"Ohhhhh. 'Training', she says," Mina said, turning to Nicole.

"I see. 'Training'," Nicole said, chuckling.

"It is!" Bunnie protested. "Ah mean, not that Ah don't like the guy; at first Ah thought he was just some yeller guy who talked a big game, but he's been workin' hard t' get stronger." Bunnie smiled, and began playing with her braid. "An' even if he's a lil' dorky, he's got a cool side to him, too." She saw the other girls looking at her with those grins again. "But that don't mean Ah got any sorta feelin's for him! We're just friends helpin' each other out, that's all!"

"Okay, sure," Mina said, still grinning. "I believe you." She and Nicole giggled to each other, prompting Bunnie to turn away with a huff.

After returning to Knothole, Bunnie took the three soldiers with her to report to Hamlin, whilst Mina took Nicole and the data they had extracted to Rotor. As they walked, they saw Penelope and an elderly woodchuck lady, both looking concerned. "Penelope? Aren't you supposed to watching Sally?" Nicole asked.

"Oh, you're back," Penelope said, turning to greet the two. "The Princess requested I bring her Miss Woodchuck, but uh…"

"I simply can't," the lady standing beside her said. "I do apologise, but I already have my hands full watching over the children. I want to be by the Princess' side, I really do, but I'm needed here."

"I'm also concerned about your health," Penelope admitted. "If you catch the Princess' cold, it could knock you off your feet for a bit."

"Sally's unwell?!" Mina asked, prompting Nicole to shush her and Penelope to hurriedly cover Mina's mouth with her hands. Thankfully, there was nobody else within ear-range, and the two breathed sighs of relief. "S-Sorry," Mina said in a much-quieter voice as soon as she could talk again. She then turned to Nicole, and asked, "Why didn't you say something?"

"We didn't want anyone to worry," Nicole said, hiding her eyes beneath her bangs. "Sorry."

"Well, I guess I can understand that…" Turning to Penelope, she asked, "But then why does Sally want to see Miss uh…"

The elderly lady introduced herself. "Rosie Woodchuck."

"The Princess seemed to be having a bad dream," Penelope explained.

"As a child, whenever Sally was unwell, her mother would read her stories to help her sleep," Rosie explained. "Since Lady Alicia is no longer here, I assume she would like for me to take her place. But I simply have too much on my plate. Oh, whatever should we do?"

"Um, Miss Woodchuck?" Nicole began. "Maybe I could fill that role?"

Sally ran through the ruins of Mobotropolis, the rain pouring down on her relentlessly. Infinite gave chase, flying behind her with an eerie red glow and outstretched hands. "Father! Mother! Elias!" She called out for her family, but nobody responded. Infinite began closing the distance between them, and the walls of the city seemed to stretch further away. "Uncle Chuck! Rotor! Antoine!" Still no response. Sally closed her eyes, crying as she felt Infinite's hand hovering over her shoulder. "Sonic? Please."

The hand stopped. Sally heard something on the wind. A voice, though it was too faint to make out what it was saying. She stopped, looking around for the source of the voice. It was… a feminine voice? It was so distant, but when Sally focussed, she could make it out a little clearer. "Nicole."

The rain stopped, replaced by the sun shining bright over the war-torn city. Sally listened to the voice. Nicole was reading one of her stories, about a mysterious world where those with fractured hearts would fight the things that caused them turmoil. A story about the power of believing in oneself, and in each other.

Turning to face Infinite, Sally wiped the tears from her face. "You don't scare me anymore! You may have taken my parents, my brother, and closest childhood friend, but I still have plenty of people who care about me!" Rotor, Antoine and Chuck appeared behind her, and Infinite backed away. "And the more I fight, the more connections I make!" Nicole, Bunnie, Mina and Ash joined them. Fiona and Shade appeared behind Infinite, challenging him with threatening glares. "As long as we're together, we'll be able to take you on!"

There was a sparkle in the sky, and something came racing down towards them. It landed between the two, and as the dust settled, Sally found Sonic standing before her, donning a white top hat that half-covered his face. With a grin and a bow, he and the others began to glow with brilliant white lights. Those lights were drawn to Sally, who transformed into a golden Super form, exuding a powerful aura that made her fur stand up.

Sonic stepped aside, and Sally approached Infinite, drawing back her fist and throwing it forwards.

Sally opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling for several seconds as she waited for the world to stop spinning. Another nightmare, she realised, but this one took a happier turn. She smiled, realising she was feeling much-better than the last time she woke up.

She could hear a voice beside her. When she turned her head, she found Nicole sitting by her side, reading from a book. 'Wonderworld', the book was titled. So that was why her dream took such a sudden turn, she surmised. "Nicole?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Nicole said. The book turned into code and disappeared. "When I got here, you were already asleep, but it looked like you were having a bad dream. I thought that maybe reading to you would help. So um, did it?"

"It did," Sally said. "I heard your voice, and it helped me remember I'm not alone."

Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad."

"But why are you here? Not that I mind! It's just, I could've sworn I asked for Rosie to-"

"Miss Woodchuck couldn't come," Nicole explained. "She's got her hands full looking after the children."

Sally slapped her own forehead, groaning. "Of course she is. I knew she was busy, but I still asked her to come here just to read to me! How could I have been so selfish?"

Nicole giggled. "Turns out you get a little spoiled when you're sick, huh? Miss Woodchuck said when you were little, you would cling to your mother and beg her not to leave."

Sally blushed, hiding her face behind her pillow. "She told you that? I was only seven then!"

Nicole laughed harder. "I can just picture it now! I bet you looked so cute!"

"Enough outta you!" Sally threw her pillow, but it simply went right through Nicole. The two laughed for several seconds, until Sally began to cough. She reached for the medicine on her bedside and took some, and then lay back down.

"It's okay to be a little selfish at times like this," Nicole said. "In fact, you should be more selfish in general. You do so much for everyone, but at the cost of your own health. You rarely sleep these days, and when you do, it's not for long."

Sally's smile returned to a frown. "The truth is, I've been having the same recurring nightmare lately. I find myself somewhere familiar, but I'm all alone. Infinite has already killed everyone I love, and Eggman has everything he needs to win the war. I start running for my life, calling out for anyone to hear me, but nobody responds. And then, I wake up…"

Nicole lowered her head, not sure how to respond. It had been so long since she had last dreamed, she wasn't even sure she remembered what it was like. "So you've been avoiding sleep, because of these nightmares?"

"I know, it's not a healthy way to deal with it. But I've tried everything else."

"Everything except talking to someone about it, you mean?"

"There's too much going on. Nobody needs my personal problems troubling them right now."

Nicole furrowed her brow and jumped to her feet. "But we're your friends! It's not 'troubling' to help you when you need it! If anything, it's more troubling to watch you hurt yourself like this!"

"Nicole…"

"Do you have any idea how worried I've been? You've been my best friend ever since you got me out of Robotnik's lab, and the thought of anything happening to you just… It hurts." Nicole held a hand over her chest. "Even though I don't have a heart, I can still feel the pain, and the thought of losing you hurts me. I can't cry, so maybe you can't tell, but it does."

Sally began tearing-up. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I just wanted…"

"Please promise me you'll take better care of yourself from now on," Nicole said, sitting back down. She brought out her holographic version of the book again. "If I read to you while you sleep, will that keep the nightmares away?"

Sally thought about it for a moment. "Maybe. It worked just now."

"Then let's try it. I'll stay by your side and do what I can to help you recover, and when you're better, you stop pushing yourself so hard. Deal?"

Sally smiled. "Deal." She closed her eyes and drifted off back to sleep as Nicole continued reading to her.

A few days later, Sally was up-and-about again, managing the Knothole Resistance as usual as if she had never been ill at all. She had promised to take it slower, of course, and had even agreed to limit her hours so that she didn't work for too long.

As the clock hit six, Nicole locked Sally's screen with an image of herself crossing her arms in the shape of an 'X'. "Six o'clock, Sally! Time to call it a day!"

"Can't I just finish this last-"

"Nope, it can wait until tomorrow."

"But I need to-"

"I've made sure that all data has been saved and backed-up on a secure server."

Sally laughed, climbing to her feet and stretching her arms. "Okay, okay."

Nicole projected her image, smiling as Sally collected her handheld and left the room. "I really am glad that you're taking better care of yourself, and I know that Rotor and the others are relived, too."

"Yeah. Thanks for looking out for me. If it wasn't for you, I'd be working myself to death. It's just hard to stop when I'm on a roll."

Nicole giggled. "Well, you can't die yet. You're gonna be Queen someday, right?"

Sally shook her head. "My brother is first-in-line to the throne, and to be honest, that's not really what I'm aiming for. Being a Resistance leader is one thing, but being a monarch is totally different."

Nicole titled her head. "How so?"

"Well, there's a lot of… tradition, that I don't really agree with. Especially when it comes to female rulers. And so many rules and policies that you have to adhere to, keeping up appearances and giving up so many freedoms. As Queen, I'd even be unable to choose who I want to marry. It'd have to someone my father picks out, a noble, or a famed soldier."

"And who is it you want to marry? Is it Sonic?"

Sally blushed. "I was only speaking hypothetically!"

"Mhm."

"Anyway, I was much happier being the leader of a smaller group. But then everything went down with Eggman, and that small group turned into this Resistance faction."

"'Small group'?"

"It was a relief squad headed by Director Harvey Who, but after he retired, I took over as its leader. Rotor and Antoine joined, and it was made-up of volunteers from Mobotropolis. Our job was to respond to small-scale badnik attacks around the Kingdom, and provide relief to villages that were in peril, either from Eggman, or from other disasters."

Nicole had stars in her eyes as she listened. "So even before all this, you were an amazing person, Sally!"

Sally's blush returned. "It wasn't much."

"I bet you have so many stories to tell, about all the people that you helped!"

"Maybe a few. They're not very exciting, though."

"I wanna hear them!"

Sally laughed. "Really, it's not-"

Nicole rounded Sally, clasping her hands together and widening her eyes. "Pleeeeeeease?"

With a sigh, Sally said, "Okay, but it'll have to wait until tonight. First, Mina's holding her concert at the Lake of Rings, and she really wants us to be there." Sally looked over her minimalistic attire. "Which means I should probably wear something nice."

"Want me to do your hair?" Nicole offered, before reality caught up to her. "Oh, right."

"I've already asked Bunnie to do my hair, anyway," Sally said. "But you could… help me pick out the right outfit? I'm really not good at this sort of thing."

Nicole beamed. "Okay! I'm excited to see what sort of wardrobe a Princess has!"

Sally laughed as the two continued down the hall, sharing each other's excitement for the coming concert. A rare chance to unwind in these troubled times.