Chapter 1: Just a Normal Day in New Mobotropolis

Sonic stepped out of Chuck's Chili Dog Diner and into the brisk morning air. He wiggled his nose as a cool breeze blew by. The hedgehog shivered. He heard the door of the diner creak open and Sally came out to stand beside him.

"Sure is cold this morning," the princess commented.

"What? Pfft! Nah!" Sonic grinned, his teeth chattering. "Come on, Sal! This is sw-sw-swimmin' weather!"

Sally put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course it is. So, what are you up to today? The usual hero stuff?"

Sonic stretched his arm behind his head with a grunt. "Think I'll just go for a run." He leaned down to touch his toes. "How 'bout you? Smart allec Princess stuff?"

Sally chuckled and pushed him playfully. "Sure, I'm the smart allec! I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Walk?" Sonic slumped his shoulders. "BOOOOORIIIING." He moved into his starting position. A smug grin lit up his face. "Now this is much more my speed!" In a huge gust of wind, he was gone.

Sally stood there wide-eyed, her hair sticking straight up in the air. She sighed and attempted to smooth down her frizzy locks. She began her walk through the beautiful city of New Mobotropolis. It was a beautiful blue-sky day. The warm sun beat down on the city and its citizens. A light fog still hung in the air, but the sunlight was quickly burning it away. The main square was abuzz with activity. Mobians bustled around, shouting out greetings to one another, shops opened and customers quickly got themselves in line to get the first loaf of bread, the first catch, whatever was being sold. Some said hello to Sally as she passed. They almost always addressed her properly, despite her insistence that they not. As Sally passed the Florist, she noticed a small rabbit and her mother. It took her a moment to place them, but then she remembered. The child was Cream, her chao was Cheese, and her mother was Vanilla.

The group walked away from the small flower shop. Cream happily sniffed her new bouquet: pink roses and yellow tulips. Cheese swirled around her head excitedly. Suddenly, Cream was distracted from her flowers and looked over in Sally's direction. They were a few yards away, but Sally clearly heard her high-pitched voice over the crowd.

Cream pointed. "Look, mother! It's the Princess! She's gracing us with her presence!"

Sally resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She couldn't imagine being as stuck-up and pretentious as other royals could be. She enjoyed being with the citizens, her friends…in fact; she preferred it to sitting on a thrown all day. But Sally knew Cream wasn't aware of that, so she got a pass.

Vanilla watched her daughter nervously. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now, now, remember what I told you, Cream. It's not polite to point."

"I'm sorry, mother," Cream apologized.

Sally smiled over at them as they continued on their way. She'll make an excellent Freedom Fighter, one day, she thought. Sally finally reached the edge of the square, the hustle and bustle of early morning behind her. She had entered the neighborhood now, and all was quiet. The only sound was the tweeting of Flickies as they flitted from tree to tree. Sally bumped her feet into something on the ground, and just barely caught herself before she fell face first into the dirt. She looked down and jumped back with a gasp. "Oh, Espio!" Sally put her hand over her heart, trying to catch her breath. "You startled me!"

The chameleon gave a nod of acknowledgment. "My apologies, Princess." He placed a finger over his mouth to signal quiet, and turned invisible once more. "If he asks, I'm not here."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "What are you…?"

"Hey, Sally!"

Sally looked up. A young twin-tailed fox hovered towards her. He landed on the path, panting. "Hello, Tails," Sally greeted him. "You look awfully tired. What's going on?"

Tails seemed distracted. He glanced around the area frantically. "Have you seen Espio?"

Sally glanced down quickly. "Umm, no."

"Aww, darn!" Tails sighed, his ears drooping in frustration. "I can't believe I agreed to play hide-and-seek with Espio." His tails begin to spin and he flew off. "I'll see you later, Sally!"

Sally waved goodbye. She looked down at the ground warily. She was sure to lift up her leg higher so as not to trip over the ninja again. Past the neighborhood, there was a small training course. There, there were erected several wooden poles of various lengths. They were mostly used to practice balance in battle. Sally came to a stop. There were sounds of distress coming from the course. She quietly moved forward, maneuvering around the poles and keeping her gaze focused ahead. Finally, she reached the source of the noise.

"Oh, come on! Just my luck!" Amy Rose yanked at a yellow pole buried deep in the ground. Upon closer inspection, Sally realized it was Amy's hammer.

Sally walked over to her. "Need some help, Amy?"

Amy's head shot up. She obviously hadn't realized the Princess was there. Amy quickly tried to seem nonchalant, and leaned against the handle of her hammer casually. "Oh, hi Sally! How are you? I was just, uhh…you know…and, umm…"

Sally raised an eyebrow. "You were just getting your hammer stuck in the ground?"

"Well…I…uhh…yeah," Amy hung her head in defeat.

"Do you need some help?" Sally asked.

"No no no no no! I'm fine! Really!" Amy tugged uselessly again at her hammer.

Sally rolled her eyes and grabbed hold of the buried weapon. "Okay, on the count of three. One, two…THREE!"

Both girls yanked as hard as they could. They lost their grip on Amy's hammer and it sailed through the air hitting a pole behind them. At the same time, the two fell backwards onto the ground.

"Whew!" Amy stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress. "Thanks a lot!" She held out a hand to the princess and helped her up.

"No problem, Amy," Sally said. "Just be more careful next time. When the ground around here gets too wet, it's basically quicksand."

Amy chuckled. She picked up her hammer and examined it. "Don't worry. I'll be more careful next time!"

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Sally smiled at her friend. Suddenly remembering something, she surveyed the clearing. "Doesn't Julie-Su usually train with you? Where is she?"

"She's busy." The smile faded from Amy's face. "I think she's a bit upset, too…"

Sally blinked in surprise. "Why would Julie-Su be upset?"

"Oh! You mean you don't know?" Amy scratched her head, perplexed. "Knuckles went on a solo-mission awhile ago, and he hasn't come back yet. He even ordered Team Chaotix not to go after him."

Sally stared, shaking her head slowly. Why hadn't she been informed of this? "Where did he say he was going? We should send out the Freedom Fighters to look for him."

"He didn't say," Amy sighed.

Sally nodded. The gears were already turning in her mind as she worked out a plan. "I see. All right. We'll figure this out." Sally walked quickly towards the city. "Keep training, Amy!" she called back. "We're gonna need you if things get messy…"

"Yes, sir!" Amy saluted. She pulled her hammer back and swung it into a pole. Just as she did, the ground began to shake. Amy gave a startled yelp and stumbled backward, dropping her hammer. An earthquake? She thought. Then the shaking stopped, just as suddenly as it had begun. Amy shook off her dizziness and looked around worriedly. A feeling of dread enveloped the young hedgehog. "Something is wrong," she whispered. "Very wrong…"