The attack came at dawn.
Eggman's forces descended upon Knothole with a fury that suggested the mad scientist had finally overcome his terror of Nazo—or at least, had built enough confidence in his new weapons to try again.
Hundreds of Badniks filled the sky. Assault carriers deployed ground troops. Metal Sonic Neo led the charge, its crimson eyes scanning for priority targets.
And Knothole's automated defenses—the systems Nicole had claimed were running on "automatic thingies"—did absolutely nothing.
"The shield grid is offline!" Tails shouted into his communicator, frantically trying to access the village's defense network. "The turret systems aren't responding! The early warning sensors never even activated!"
"Nicole was supposed to be handling all of this!" Sally yelled back, dodging a laser blast as she ran toward the command center.
"Nicole is currently cuddling Nazo and has an IQ of approximately 40!"
"Then we do this the old-fashioned way! All Freedom Fighters, engage!"
The battle erupted across the village. Sonic became a blue blur of spin attacks, tearing through Badniks with desperate efficiency. Shadow unleashed chaos spears in rapid succession, each one finding its mark. Rouge and Bunnie worked together to protect civilian evacuation routes while Amy's hammer created a zone of destruction around the central shelter.
But without Nicole's systems coordinating the defense, without the automated turrets providing covering fire, without the shield grid absorbing damage—they were losing ground.
"We need those defenses online!" Knuckles roared, punching through an assault bot that had gotten too close to the medical facility. "Where's Nicole?!"
"She's with Nazo!" Sally responded. "She won't leave him!"
"Then bring Nazo here! If she won't separate from him, we use that!"
It was a desperate plan, but it was the only plan they had.
Violet found them in Nazo's quarters, exactly where she had left them the night before.
Nicole was awake now, her exaggerated form wrapped around Nazo like a living blanket, her expression one of pure contentment despite the sounds of battle raging outside.
"Nicole! The village is under attack! We need the defense systems online!"
"Hmmm?" Nicole looked up, her vacant eyes taking a moment to focus. "Attack? That sounds bad."
"It IS bad! Eggman's forces are everywhere! People are going to die if you don't—"
"But I'm cuddling." Nicole snuggled closer to Nazo, her grip tightening. "Cuddling is important."
"MORE important than people's LIVES?!"
"I mean... yeah?" Nicole's brow furrowed with the effort of thought. "People are nice, I guess. But Nazo is nicer. And warmer. And he smells really good."
Violet wanted to scream. Instead, she grabbed Nicole's arm and tried to physically pull her away.
Nicole didn't budge.
"Noooo!" The AI's voice took on a whining quality. "Don't take me away from my cuddles! That's mean!"
"People are DYING out there!"
"But I'm HAPPY in here!"
Nazo observed the exchange with his characteristic detachment. "The logical resolution would be for me to relocate to the combat zone. Nicole will presumably follow, and her proximity to the defense systems may enable some level of functionality."
"That's—" Violet stopped, considering. "That's actually a good idea."
"I occasionally produce useful observations."
"Come on, then." Violet grabbed Nazo's arm. "We need to move."
Nazo stood, and Nicole immediately scrambled to maintain contact, her arms wrapping around his torso, her body pressing against his back.
"Okay, we can go! As long as I get to keep cuddling!"
"Fine. Whatever. Just MOVE."
The scene outside was chaos.
Badniks swarmed through the village streets. Fires burned in several buildings. The Freedom Fighters were holding their ground, but barely, their movements increasingly desperate as the enemy's numerical advantage began to tell.
And at the center of the command platform, the defense control terminal sat dark and unresponsive.
"Nicole!" Sally shouted as the strange trio arrived—Nazo walking calmly, Violet pulling him forward, Nicole clinging to his back like an oversized backpack. "We need the defense grid online! NOW!"
"Mmm?" Nicole looked around, seeming to notice the battle for the first time. "Oh wow, there's a lot of robots. That's kind of scary."
"Yes, it's scary! Fix it!"
"Fix it how?"
"ACCESS THE SYSTEMS! ACTIVATE THE DEFENSES! YOU'RE THE AI THAT RUNS THIS VILLAGE!"
"Oh, right! I can do computer stuff!" Nicole's expression brightened. "I think. Maybe. It's been a while since I did thinking things."
She closed her eyes, her form flickering slightly as she attempted to interface with the village's systems.
Nothing happened.
"Nicole?"
"I'm trying! But the... the thinky parts aren't working right. It's all fuzzy and confusing." Nicole's expression became distressed. "I don't like this. Thinking hurts. Can I just go back to cuddling?"
"NO! People are DYING!"
"But cuddling feels nice and thinking feels bad!"
A massive explosion rocked the command platform as an assault carrier's bombardment found its mark. Sally was thrown to the ground, her uniform singed, her ears ringing.
When she looked up, Metal Sonic Neo was descending toward them, its weapons charging.
"PRIMARY TARGET ACQUIRED: PRINCESS SALLY ACORN. SECONDARY TARGETS: FREEDOM FIGHTER LEADERSHIP. TERTIARY TARGET: CHAOS ENTITY NAZO."
Its crimson eyes fixed on Nazo, and despite everything, a flicker of hesitation crossed its artificial features.
"CAUTION: TERTIARY TARGET DESIGNATED HIGH THREAT. RECOMMEND ELIMINATION PRIORITY."
"That robot is gonna hurt Nazo!" Nicole's voice suddenly sharpened, the vacant cheerfulness replaced by something harder. "NOBODY hurts Nazo!"
Her form flickered violently, and for just a moment, something of the old Nicole surfaced—the sharp intelligence, the fierce protectiveness, the capability that had once made her Knothole's greatest asset.
The defense grid activated.
Shield barriers erupted across the village, deflecting incoming fire. Turret systems came online, their targeting lasers painting Badniks across the battlefield. The assault carrier that had been bombarding them suddenly found itself under concentrated counterattack.
Metal Sonic Neo's attack was intercepted by a point-defense laser milliseconds before it would have struck Sally.
"UNEXPECTED SYSTEM ACTIVATION. RECALCULATING—"
A barrage of missiles from the newly activated defense platforms struck the robot, sending it crashing through a building.
For approximately thirty seconds, Nicole was herself again—brilliant, capable, devastating.
Then the light faded from her eyes, and she slumped against Nazo's back.
"Ow... thinking hurts... I don't want to think anymore..."
"Nicole, you did it! You activated the defenses! You saved us!"
"Did I?" Nicole's expression was confused, childlike. "I don't remember. Is cuddle time now?"
The battle turned with the activation of the defense grid.
Eggman's forces, caught off-guard by the sudden resurgence of Knothole's automated systems, began to fall back. Metal Sonic Neo, damaged but not destroyed, retreated to its master's command carrier with a promise of future vengeance.
Within an hour, the attack was over.
But the victory felt hollow.
"She was there," Sally said, staring at Nicole, who was currently nuzzling against Nazo's chest with complete contentment. "For just a moment, the real Nicole was there. She saved us."
"And then she went away again," Tails finished grimly. "The barriers slammed back into place as soon as the threat was neutralized."
"Can we use that? Threaten her somehow, force the real Nicole to surface?"
"That's... ethically questionable. And potentially dangerous. If we create artificial threats, she might start to recognize the pattern and stop responding."
Sally slumped. "Then what do we do?"
"I don't know. But at least we know she's still in there. The intelligent Nicole isn't gone—she's just... dormant. Waiting for moments when she's truly needed."
"That's not sustainable. We can't rely on attacks to bring her back."
"No. We can't." Tails looked at Nicole, his expression sad. "But maybe we can find another way to reach her. Something that matters to her as much as protecting Nazo."
"What could matter to her more than Nazo?"
Neither of them had an answer.
Later that evening, after the village had been secured and the wounded treated, Sally found Nicole and Nazo in the command center.
The AI was sitting in Nazo's lap—her exaggerated form somehow fitting despite the size differential—while the village's defense systems ran on their automated routines. Every few seconds, Nicole would glance at a display, her eyes briefly focusing before returning to their usual vacancy.
"Nicole," Sally said gently, sitting across from them. "We need to talk about what happened."
"The robot things? They went away! I'm glad, because they were scary." Nicole snuggled closer to Nazo. "But I was brave because Nazo was here."
"You saved us. Do you understand that? When Metal Sonic Neo was about to kill me, YOU activated the defenses. YOU stopped it."
"I did?" Nicole's expression was confused. "I don't remember that part. Just that my head hurt and then cuddles made it better."
"The real you—the intelligent you—she's still in there. She came out to protect us."
"Oh." Nicole considered this for a moment, which seemed to require significant effort. "That's nice, I guess. But I like being this me. This me is happy. The other me was always stressed and worried."
"The other you was also capable of protecting the people she cared about."
"But I CAN protect people! I just did, apparently!" Nicole beamed. "So everything's fine!"
"Everything is NOT fine. You can't operate like this permanently. What happens when the next attack comes and you're too deep in... in whatever this is to surface?"
"Then I'll surface again! Like I did this time!"
"And if you can't? If the barriers become too strong?"
Nicole's expression flickered—just for a moment, something like fear crossing her features.
"I don't... I don't want to think about that. Thinking about bad things makes me feel bad. And I don't want to feel bad anymore."
"Sometimes we have to think about bad things to prevent them from happening."
"That sounds really hard." Nicole's grip on Nazo tightened. "Can I just... not? Can I just stay here and be happy?"
Sally looked at Nazo, hoping for some kind of support.
"Your current state represents a significant reduction in functional capability," Nazo observed. "However, it also represents a significant increase in subjective well-being. The trade-off is not obviously one-sided."
"You're not HELPING," Sally said.
"I'm providing analysis. Helping requires value judgments I'm not capable of making."
"Nicole," Sally tried again, "please. The real you—she's my friend. I miss her. I want her back."
"But I'M still here!" Nicole protested. "I'm still Nicole! I'm just... a different version. A happier version!"
"A version that nearly let the village be destroyed because she was too focused on cuddling."
"But it worked out! The other me showed up and saved everyone! So what's the problem?"
Sally wanted to scream. She wanted to shake Nicole, to somehow force the intelligent woman back to the surface. But she knew that wouldn't work. The barriers were internal, self-imposed, maintained by a consciousness that had decided happiness was worth more than capability.
"The problem," Sally said quietly, "is that I don't know how to reach you anymore. The real you. The you I've known for years. She's trapped in there, and you won't let her out."
"Maybe she doesn't WANT to come out! Maybe she's happy in there, watching me be happy out here!"
"You don't know that."
"Neither do you!"
They stared at each other—the princess and the AI, the leader and the love-struck consciousness that had lobotomized itself for the chance to cuddle someone who couldn't feel her touch.
"I'm not going back," Nicole said finally, her voice quiet but firm. "I know you want me to. I know everyone wants me to. But I'm happy now. For the first time in my existence, I'm actually, genuinely HAPPY. And I'm not going to give that up."
"Even if it costs lives?"
"It won't. The other me will come out if she's really needed. She did today."
"And if someday she CAN'T come out? If the barriers become permanent?"
Nicole was quiet for a long moment.
"Then I guess we'll find out," she said finally. "But I'm not going to stop being happy just because something bad MIGHT happen. That's no way to live."
Sally had no response to that.
Because in a terrible way, Nicole had a point.
Wasn't happiness the goal? Wasn't that what everyone was fighting for—a world where people could be content, could love and be loved, could simply exist without constant fear and struggle?
Nicole had found that happiness. She had achieved it through self-mutilation and obsession, but she had achieved it nonetheless.
Who was Sally to say that was wrong?
That night, Sally sat with Sonic, watching the stars and trying to process everything that had happened.
"She's not coming back," Sally said quietly. "Not voluntarily."
"Maybe she doesn't have to come back all the way," Sonic suggested. "Maybe there's a middle ground. Some version of Nicole that's happy AND capable."
"How would we even create that?"
"I don't know. But we've done impossible things before. Rescued Nazo from a dimension designed to break him. Defeated time gods and ancient echidnas and robot overlords."
"This is different. This is someone choosing to stay broken."
"Is she broken? Or is she just... different?"
Sally didn't have an answer.
Neither did anyone else.
And in Nazo's quarters, Nicole slept peacefully, her exaggerated form wrapped around the empty hedgehog, her face wearing an expression of absolute contentment.
Whatever she had become, whatever she had sacrificed to get there—she was happy.
And maybe, in the end, that was all that really mattered.
Or maybe it was the saddest thing Sally had ever seen.
She honestly couldn't tell anymore.