freedom fighting

— Princess of the Kingdom of Acorn— and an anthropomorphic chipmunk!

— Just a teen who’s been fighting against the tyranny of the Eggman Empire (and more) since she was a young child. Normal things, really.

— Leader of the Freedom Fighters, defenders of both the kingdom and the greater world at large. Always happy to lend a hand to those in need!

— Highly logical and opinionated, but friendly and caring all the same. Got a problem? She’s your girl! Causing problems? She’s your problem.

— Don’t let her near a kitchen.

At a point, Whisper had to wonder just what kind of people would exist here if not for those who were brought in from other worlds. Would the city be totally barren? She didn’t think so; some people she’d seen in stores and other facilities were just a bit…off. Like nobody was home even though the lights were on. Maybe they were just made for whatever sort of experiment this was supposed to be.

Of course, they hardly concerned her. This girl was of much greater interest.

“Mhm. Whisper- nice to meet you.” She put out a hand for a shake at the other girl’s convenience. “You’ve met Sonic, then?” It was hard to imagine anybody from her world not knowing the Blue Blur, even if meeting in person wasn’t quite so common.

But saying she’s from the same world as Sonic instead of herself…now that had the wolf curious.

“I thought you might be from our world too…is that not the case?”

     The questions she had initially internally drafted had been pretty much shredded as the two introduced themselves— Sally now finding herself more interested in Whisper herself.

“And I’m Sally. Nice to meet you too, Whisper,” the chipmunk nods, giving the wolf a firm shake. “I have, yes. He’s one of the first people I met, funnily enough...”

     Even if it wasn’t all that pleasant.

     There’s a momentary hint of surprise on Sally’s face, before she sheepishly nods, smiling awkwardly. “You picked up on that quick... I wasn’t exactly hiding it, though. You’re right, I’m not. Not exactly, anyways. It’s... complicated.”

➲ “Oh, sorry! Should I have screamed really loud before I dropped down? Maybe that would have been more off-putting, actually…?” It was more of a matter of how quickly she had appeared, probably. She couldn’t take back what had been already done though, so hopefully the girl accepted the apology?

“I’m not evil either, to clarify. I was part of the Restoration for a while.” So far Tangle was just assuming that they were both from the same world, because she hadn’t met anyone like her that wasn’t. “And it’s crazy, right!? I thought humans were rare and Eggman was like a unicorn or something. But this place is chocked full of ‘em!” She was still dangling there, quite content with having this conversation upside down.

“Yeah, I’d probably just have screamed really loudly back, hah.” Sally recovered quickly enough from the lemur making her presence known, with partial thanks to just how congenial Tangle had been to her right off the bat. She clearly meant no harm.

“The Restoration? I see...” Another person from that world, she’d note— while finding herself slightly amused at how the other hadn’t even introduced herself with how eager she’d been to say hello. This girl sure was energetic. “Well, I believe you! Sudden appearance aside, you seem nice enough. I wouldn’t say they’re too rare, though. Seems like most humans lived in the United Federation.”

     A pause. Unless that wasn’t true in their world...?

His clothes were surprisingly fashionable, but admittedly what had actually caught her eye was what he was doing. He seemed to be taking notes of his surroundings, murmuring to himself all the while. Something she’d been doing herself, ever since she’d gotten here.

In a way, it was nice to see someone who also had a predilection for getting their bearings. While she normally had Nicole at her side, using a good old fashioned notepad and pencil to jot down her experiences and environments also worked— though as she thought about this, she very quickly realized that the platypus in question had noticed her, by now.

“Hey there!” Friendly as always, Sally strode up to Starline with a smile countering his own somewhat unfriendly-looking visage. “I take it you’re new here too, right? My name’s Sally.”

“Sorry to bother you, but I saw you taking notes? I’ve been doing the same since I arrived, so maybe we can exchange information?” She knew little of the Fibonacci Ward yet, so perhaps he had already acclimated himself to the area.

► ARE YOU HAPPY? : “More or less!” ► ARE YOU ANGRY? : “Confused, more than anything else.” ► ARE YOUR PARENTS STILL MARRIED? : “... In spirit.”

NINE FACTS.

► BIRTH PLACE : “Royal Hills Zone, out on Westside Island.” ► HAIR COLOR : “Auburn, and my fur’s tan.” ► EYE COLOR : “Blue, of course.” ► MOOD : “I’ve been... up and down, as of late!”   ► GENDER : “Female.” ► SUMMER OR WINTER : “There’s nothing nicer than cozying up by the fire on a cold winter morning with some cocoa... but, summer’s nice too!” ► MORNING OR AFTERNOON : “I’ve always been more of a morning person, compared to some others I know.” ► SPOKEN LANGUAGES : “Common, naturally.”

CHOICES.

► LEMONADE OR ICED TEA : “I can’t answer with both, huh? It would have to be iced tea, then!” ► CATS OR DOGS : “Uh... I mean, I know a few cats and a handful of dogs, so... I’m sorry, what’s the point of this question?”  ► A FEW BEST FRIENDS OR MANY REGULAR FRIENDS : “Both, really. ... But a few best friends, I’d say. I already have a good few, after all.” ► DAY OR NIGHT : “Recently I’ve been a bit soured to the night— but I prefer the day in general. I always feel more productive!”

HAVE YOU EVERS.

► BEEN CAUGHT SNEAKING OUT : “Often as a child, embarrassingly enough. I don’t know how, but Rosie always had eyes like a hawk...” ► FALLEN DOWN/UP THE STAIRS : “It’s happened, sure.” ► WANTED TO DISAPPEAR : “There’s no way I could. I have too many responsibilities to just go and hide somewhere.”

FAMILY.

► DO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GET ALONG : “Dadd— ahem— father and I always make sure to keep in touch! ... I hope he’s not too worried...” ► WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAVE A “MESSED UP LIFE” : “Never.” ► HAVE YOU EVER RAN AWAY FROM HOME : “In a sense. When my home was invaded by Doctor Eggman, I had... little choice.” ► HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN KICKED OUT : “Of home? No. By force, out of some base? Well...”

FRIENDS.

honestly, her bombshell doesn’t surprise him much. heck, he’s from the future, it’d be a bit hypocritical to accuse her of messing with him, as wild as her story might seem.

“whoa, that is strange! but the silver in your world’s lucky to have you if you’ve been giving out free advice to him, too! i’m a bit jealous,” he’s not sure if his little joke lands, but he hopes it’s enough to boost her mood.

he wants to ask more – and is very close to doing so – but it’s better to leave that for later. chaos knows he wasn’t too keen on listing every detail of his life when he first met the others. no reason to drudge up any angst, either, with how she brings up her “reunion” with sonic and tails.

“well, sally! different dimension or not, it’s nice to meet you,” he extends a hand, “if all goes well, a fancy lunch should be just the thing to lift your spirits! on me, of course, it’s the least i can do after you saved my butt.”

     While Tails understanding her situation surprised her a little, Silver understanding just made sense— so there was some added relief there.

“You think so? I wonder if he feels that way too, hah,” she says with a chuckle, spirits quickly rekindled. The hedgehog’s extended hand makes her pause for just a moment— but Sally quickly takes it, giving him a firm shake back. “It’s nice to meet you too, Silver.”

“Oh please, I hardly saved you! But if you insist on doing that much, then at least let me take care of the tip. That way we’re even,” Sally grins, retracting her hand.

It takes little time for their food to arrive— the plate of macarons set in the center of the table, along with some complimentary glasses of water.

Being helped out of the crowd was probably the best course she would have agreed on. But she seemed new here as well so in a way that did make them partner in arms on the “completely new world” scale. Whether or not that would account for anything had yet to be seen but being able to confide in anyone was a nice feeling. Even if they weren’t someone she had every met before.

(“Well everyone does stand out in their own way. It’s just the two of us are…a bit more different than the rest.”)

Most people were around the height Ash was at maybe a bit taller. And they were…well a Pokémon and something else entirely.

(“My name is Diancie though! I have to once again apologize for my behavior back there. So thank you for your assistance Miss….?”)

“You can say that again,” she’d snicker— realizing the two of them must have stood out like a sore thumb amongst the locals.

At least back home, it wasn’t uncommon to find humans standing along those like herself— here, though? It just didn’t seem to be the case... the Cotes ward seemed to have a broader spectrum of inhabitants, but still none like herself or this one here.

“Sally. It’s nice to meet you, Diancie,” the chipmunk exclaims, reaching out her hand to shake the Pokemon’s own smaller one. “And, there’s no need. I’m just happy to help get you out of that mess. Though, now that we’re out of it— if you don’t mind me asking...”

Despite herself, Whisper was working to get acclimated to this strange world she was being held prisoner in. To that effect, she knew that a holiday was coming up- one that necessitated a lot of gift giving. She wanted to see about finding presents for her friends that she knew were here…as well as those that she was quietly hoping would show up. Maybe it was stupid to hope for some kind of miracle like that…but she’d seen miracles in situations with less control. Surely this could happen!

Then a friendly voice spoke up, getting her to turn and face the source. This girl- she was a chipmunk, right? She seemed nice enough, and…was she…?

“Not from here. Been here a while, though…” A fact she continued to grow ever more displeased by, but she let no unpleasantness slip into her expression. “What did you want to ask?”

     She should have known the other wasn’t from here, but it didn’t hurt to ask. If anything, it helped cement the fact that people like themselves might not exist here otherwise.

But, that wasn’t really important right now.

“For a while, you say... I see. I’m sorry,” the chipmunk instinctively exclaims, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. “But if that’s the case, then I’d like to confirm something. You’re from... the same world as Sonic, I take it?”

“He’d mentioned it was him and someone else here.”

silver slowly nods alongside her explanation, perplexed, “i can’t imagine how that tastes like at all. it just sounds like creamy, sugary styrofoam…” but if she says they’re good, he’ll trust her! anything would beat the rations he’d frequently eat back home, at least.

“croak… mon-sur…?” yikes, he definitely botched the pronunciation of that one. he’s still intrigued, though, “i’ve had ham and cheese before! i wanna try that,” he calls the waiter back over before he can lose his stride, asking for one of each fancy sandwich thingy (bad pronunciations and all). as soon as they’re both finished ordering, his attention shifts right back to his culinary hero, “i seriously can’t thank you enough! i probably would’ve just given up and left if you hadn’t come around.”

oh! he totally forgot to introduce himself throughout the whole ordeal. typical. “i’m silver, by the way! aaand clearly not an expert in the pas– er, modern food department,” he chuckles, bashfully running a hand through his quills. “what’s your name? maybe i’ve heard of you back home! um, you are from my world, right?”

     Was Silver always like this? He was kind of awkward, in an endearing way. The scant times they’d met in the past he always carried a headstrong attitude, so it was hard for her to say for sure. It really was only dawning on her now just how little she knew of the hedgehog.

And if this Silver was different than the Silver of her world somehow, then she knew even less. Watching their waiter turn away, she returns Silver’s gaze with a small shrug.

“Oh, don’t mention it! I’m just happy to help. Besides, this is some food I think you’ll regret not trying out,” Sally nods, leaning back into her chair slightly.

“I’m Sally. Sally Acorn,” she repeats— still vaguely hoping the name would ring some bells. Still, at the other’s mention of her being from his world, her smile falters. “... And I’m actually not too sure about that, myself. To be honest...”

🔧 It had become clear to Belle since arriving that she had to place some importance on figuring out just what this place was supposed to be. Surrounded by humans and trapped by mysterious individuals with obscured goals, more than anything she had to make sure it was actual safe for her friends. Well, that and trying to figure out what was happening back home was important.

She wasn’t in the alley for any of these reasons, though. No, she had followed a cute little kitty that had caught her eye. But it had escaped before she could catch it. “Aw, Sawdust.” Belle had muttered, but it quickly escalated into a cry for help as a trashcan went crashing into her and a figure zoomed by. “AW, SAWDUST!” Today was not a good day.

Thankfully the can hadn’t knocked her over, only off balance for a moment. The Badnik was ready to make a comment about it, but the moment her eyes met the culprit’s her own went wide.

“You’re… not a human?” And not a non-human she recognized from back home, but she definitely looked like someone you might find back home. “Um… No, no… I just almost got knocked over is all.”

     It was a relief to see another seemingly of her kind in a sense... even if she couldn’t take too much comfort in the notion of a familiar face, now. But those glowing eyes were still somewhat off putting... even if she found herself appreciating them at the same time.

Better to have some light than no light!

“That’s my fault. Wasn’t really paying attention when I took the leap,” the chipmunk exclaims with an apologetic tone, glancing briefly at the mess of cans and junk nearby. “Admittedly, I didn’t expect anyone to be here. I’m glad you’re alright, though.”

     Belle’s gaze alone reminded Sally of a certain someone’s robots. But the way she spoke was... more like just an average person. Admittedly, she found her interest piqued— even if she should really be getting home by now. Still... it’d be rude to just run off.

sally had been right about that – silver wasn’t relaxed! so absorbed in deciphering the menu, in fact, he hadn’t seen her coming at all. his hypothetical thought bubble popped when he felt the tap on his shoulder, startled.

whoa… she looked like she could be from his world! he stared in awe for a couple moments before her question hit him.

“huh? no, why..? oh! go ahead!” he winced (nice going, silv). he wasn’t used to people approaching him like this, and if it wasn’t obvious just by looking at him, it certainly was now. he drummed his fingers on the table, rifling his mind for a way to recover after fumbling the ball so hard.

as soon as he attempted to open his mouth again, the waiter made his appearance (for the third time since silver got here). right, the menu! “s-sorry, i’m still deciding!” he shot the squirrel an apologetic smile, “i don’t know what half the stuff on here even means… like, what the heck is a macaron?”

     His reaction, for a moment, gave her some hope— but it was immediately clear enough he didn’t recognize her the moment Silver spoke. Fortunately by now, she was expecting this sort of thing, so Sally found herself reacting better than the previous two times.

“Thanks,” she nods, taking a seat and pausing as the waiter came and went with a sigh. Guess he’s been here for a while already, huh?

She can’t help but smile a little at the time traveler’s dilemma— and leans forward.

“Really? Let me see,” Sally smiles, scooting her seat slightly over to have a better look at the menu. “Macarons are a type of confection. They’re like... little sugar sandwiches, but with cream or jam in-between them! I know someone who can make them, back home. They were always really good, kinda airy.”

     Between Antoine and Bunnie’s cooking, Sally felt a little spoiled food-wise. They always insisted they cook instead whenever she stepped in the kitchen...

(“Oh you know nothing too much…just wondering how I’m going to eventually find any of my friends and go back home amidst a sea of people I’ve never seen before.”)

She didn’t feel like mentioning the obvious, including being around ¼th of everyone’s height, only being able to speak through telepathy, and of course looking the way she did compared to what people called “humans”.

Even someone as patient and “refined” as the Pokémon had a limit where it would start to wear on her. And that moment seemed to have picked now to finally pop.

(“I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make it sound like that I’m just…lost and confused that’s all! Everything here is so different, and well I guess you are too from everyone else. Not in a bad way I’m just used to speaking with people that all look like trainers from my world.”) Diancie said trying to bring attention to anyone but herself at the moment.

     Being spoken to telepathically was a bit of a surprise— but only a momentary one. Still, that was a tall order, especially given their circumstances.

“That’s okay. I’m a bit lost and confused myself, so I can relate,” she would nod, before glancing to her left and right. The two of them were enough of a roadblock that people had begun walking around them— but even so, this wasn’t the best place for casual conversation.

“... But I think getting out of this crowd should be our first course of action. Safer for us too— I wouldn’t want you and I to be stepped on. C’mon.” She’d offer her hand to the Pokemon, and as soon as it was taken, Sally would guide Diancie with her towards the crosswalk nearby. Thankfully the opposite side of the street opened up to the park— so as soon as the two had crossed the street, they were already mostly in the clear from the busybodies stumbling over them. “There! Already much better.”

Ah, he made her angry. Somehow, there’s something almost nostalgic about it. Maybe because it reminds him of the rare times Amy got made at him ( though, they were less rare now as the years went by - she was growing out of her more obsessive crush for him after all! ). Maybe it’s something else.

His ear twitched at the sound of her anger, a frown on his face. He almost wants to flinch at the hurt look she has on her face, the way her voice seems to go a little faster as she tries to figure out why Sonic can’t seem to remember her. Of course he can’t help but feel a little guilty, even if it’s not his fault as to why he can’t remember her.

     “You don’t know Whisper? And Freedom Fighters? Other      Freedom Fighters? I mean, that’s what some of the resistance      members call themselves, but I…”

     “I don’t recognize you at all.”

His voice trails off, a quiet whisper as he declares what she probably doesn’t want to hear, as he tries to figure out what’s going on as well. His mind racks through some possibilities at light speed, or rather… he thinks of what Tails might come to the conclusion to. Sonic is often a calm brawn in their duo, but if there was anyone who could easily come to a conclusion about any weird ‘hey, i actually know you but you don’t know me’ nonsense, it’d be his little brother.

… Actually, what ends up happening is his past self flashes through his mind. Quiet, short and round, but it’s not the person who really crosses his mind. No, instead it’s the circumstances that brought the little guy and his equally littlest brother to Sonic and Tails’ own timeline.

More multiverse theory stuff? Was it possible that this girl knew a version of Sonic? Was from the future like Silver? Or maybe when the timeline split when his past self arrived during Eggman’s takeover… He grunts and grips his head from how hard he was thinking. Great, what a mess.

     He’d confirmed exactly what she didn’t want to hear— and, for a moment, Sally felt at a complete loss. She’d been handling herself well all up until now. Even if she had hardly been here all that long, the chipmunk already had begun planning possible avenues to explore, and was already putting together whatever information she could scrounge together.

The situation was dire, but Sally had been in enemy territory by herself before. And while she hoped that seeing Sonic would be the break she needed...

When it felt more like a cold bucket of water had been dumped onto her.

“... Right,” Sally responded in a slow, crestfallen matter. She stood there, looking at Sonic for a few moments... before stepping besides him and, abruptly, taking a seat against the base of the tree, at a slight distance from the hedgehog. “I’m sorry.”

The anger had quickly worn away— and though she still felt frustrated, it was now directed towards the situation and herself than it was Sonic himself.

“You wouldn’t lie about something like this. You just aren’t cruel enough.” A pang of guilt ran through her. Her surprise aside, she shouldn’t have let herself get upset with him. If he really didn’t know her, then... that was all the worse, in Sally’s eyes.

Rubbing her face, the chipmunk shakily exhales, before turning to look at Sonic.

“I guess I should introduce myself then. My name is Sally Acorn. ... Before I say anything else, what is the last thing you remember before showing up here?”