Afterword: This section is nonfiction intended primarily for those who do NOT know who Princess Sally is. Its purpose is to show just who this gal is, the basis of her relationship with Sonic, and why some fans continue to cling to her (and why, coincidentally, those same people tend to be unimpressed with Amy Rose).

This section is NOT intended for those who wish to flame pro- or con-; it is here for educational purposes only. I WILL remove reviews from those who abuse this chapter.

Sally originated in the Saturday morning cartoon "Sonic the Hedgehog" (known to fandom as SatAM) which aired in 1994-95. This show was surprisingly dark and mature and contained some hard emotional body-blows. It had some goofy stuff, to be sure, and some of the writers did believe they were doing a kids' show. Overall, though, it's a show that I'm still a fan of a decade after it ceased to air.

Princess Sally Acorn was the female lead on SatAM. She was the daughter of the ruling family; the kingdom she stood to inherit encompassed most of the world (Mobius). However, eleven years before the events of the series, Robotnik (NEVER referred to as Eggman; he was too menacing for that) betrayed his King and took over in a coup d'etat. Sonic, Sally, and a few others escaped to a secret village; other groups existed, but were rarely seen. Sonic and Sally formed the core of the "Freedom Fighters", dedicated to bringing Robotnik down.

Sally was a very smart heroine with a strong personality. She could hold her own against Sonic any day of the week and out-talked him often. She rarely got wrapped up in his charisma, sometimes disdaining him just to stay in practice. She was definitely smarter and more mature than he and made sure he knew it.

On the other hand, between her role as leader and her own personality, she often took things too personally. Any failure or any problem hit her very hard. She took responsibility very seriously, and it took a toll on her.

But that was part of why she and Sonic were such a good match. He had the energy and optimism to carry her through her self-doubt; she had the drive and vision to give him purpose. Seasoning this was the fact that she was a capable fighter and the two of them saved each others' tails on multiple occasions.

Sally had enough presence and strength of her own to stand up to Sonic. It was a case of two strong characters finding ways to complement each other as equal partners. She had brains and idealism and deflated his ego consistently. He made things happen, improvised well, and supported her when she was down. Most of all, she could give his life meaning whether they were fighting Robotnik or not.

Taken altogether, it's clear why many of those who still treasure SatAM and Sally are disappointed by Amy Rose. Sonic and Sally went through immense struggles and trials as they forged their relationship, and they did so together. Amy, on the other hand, gets Sonic because she's a hostage a lot? Sally earned Sonic's trust, respect, and love in the crucible of war; Amy earned his heart because… she's a hostage a lot?

Numerous authors have abused Sally in their fanfiction. These tend to be people who never saw SatAM and know very little about who Sally is. They know only that Sonic and Sally clash; they don't realize that the clashing is what produced the sparks. Consequently, they term Sally a "bitch" and ignore the fact that Sonic goaded her at least as much; it was part and parcel of their relationship.

Other authors use Sally as ways of getting Sonic into Amy's arms. This is infuriating for one simple reason: Sally and Amy are in different universes. One review I received for "Amy's Diary" put this in perspective: Bariyou [forgive me] advised that I bring Sally to that story in order to make things more tragic. I refuse. Sally is more than a plot device; she has as much identity as Sonic does or Knuckles does. If you take Sally out of her context, she loses a lot of her meaning, just like any other character. It's equivalent to giving Tails parents and making him an English major—it stops being Tails when you do that!

All I wish is for gratuitous Sally-bashing to cease. Sally is a wonderful character, more complex than Sonic and at least as compelling. I hate to see her hit so often by cheap shots from ratty authors. She deserves some love, too, and she shouldn't be used outside her natural environment.