As the sun rises over Eurish, Sky Patrol approaches the coast of Avalon. It's still quiet on board, with the guests and most of the crew still sleeping, but there is still activity. On the bridge, Nicole brings the ship to a gentle halt as she tries to pinpoint the location of the next Emerald. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, a familiar yet oddly different scent is working its way into the ventilation, inevitably finding its way into the bedroom of the cobalt blue speedster.

"Mmm… smells good…" Sonic mumbles as the scent stirs him from his slumber. Almost as if on autopilot, the hedgehog slides out of bed and makes his way to the kitchen. At the sight of a plateful of freshly‑cooked chili dogs, Sonic wakes to full alertness. "And it's not even my birthday!" he grins, sitting at the table, ready to tuck in.

"Hey Sonic!" Amy Rose chimes. "Hope you like them!"

Sonic freezes just millimetres from grabbing the nearest chili dog. "You made these?"

"Yeah," Amy confirms. "You spoiled the surprise though: I was going to bring them to your room."

"You know me: all it takes is one sniff!" Sonic replies, finally grabbing the chili dog. At first, Sonic simply savours the smell of the sauce, but within seconds he's munching with satisfied vigour.

"So, whaddya think?" Amy asks expectantly.

Sonic swallows the last of the chili dog. "Not bad," he compliments, reaching for a second. "In fact, they're delicious! Flavourful, juicy, with lots of spice: just the way I like it! Could do with a touch less pepper though."

"Noted," Amy accepts. "Glad you like them."

"What's the occasion?" Sonic asks, starting his second.

"You mean you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Today is the anniversary of when you saved me from Metal Sonic!" Amy reminds. "I'll never forget that day…" Amy's eyes glaze over as she relives the experience. "The way you raced through Stardust Speedway, never giving up, being so brave… And when you won, it was so‑"

Amy stops suddenly when she realises Sonic left the kitchen while she was reminiscing, taking the chili dogs with him. With a frustrated sigh, she gently bangs her head on the table. Should have known he'd run off. He always does…


Sunrise over the Efrika Plains is a rather more sombre and determined affair for the sole human occupant of the ovoid shuttlecraft darting through the sky. Information from Efrika Egg Army Boss Axel overnight had been less than satisfactory, but Eggman isn't going to let that slow him down. Using what little information he possesses, the doctor works out a path across the Plains that will yield a fast yet thorough search of the areas showing the strongest signs of containing a Chaos Emerald.

A few hours later, the shuttle's sensors pick up a promising lead. Homing in on the signal, Eggman takes the shuttle down into a canyon, flying with careful pace along its length. Before long however, the canyon narrows enough to prevent Eggman continuing further.

"Just my luck," the doctor sighs, bringing the shuttle to a halt. He then opens a communication channel to Axel.

"What do you want?" Axel asks as he accepts the call.

"What, no pleasantries?" Eggman answers.

"Just getting straight to the point," Axel explains.

"Fair enough," Eggman accepts. "Send one of your units to my co‑ordinates," he orders.

"So, you found the Emerald."

"Almost. Unfortunately, this canyon isn't being very accommodating to my shuttle."

"You'll be needing transport then?"

"No need: I have my own."

"Very well, sir. A squad will be with you within the hour."


Back on Sky Patrol, Sally flops back into the captain's chair. "That was exhausting," she breathes. "Who would have thought it would be so difficult negotiating access to Little Planet?"

"The Union of Eurish has a reputation for recalcitrance," Nicole replies.

"But we put the planet back together!" Sally protests. "And how many other times have we defeated Eggman and saved the world? Surely that counts for something?"

"The Union has always been resistant to outside interference," Nicole reminds. "Especially from Northamer."

"The Archipelago is independent of Northamer though," Sally argues.

"True, but Eurish obviously doesn't see it that way," Nicole observes. "Of course, it doesn't help that Avalon broke away fairly recently. The Union was lucky to pull through without losing any more members, but they also unfortunately became more insular and protective, and it's made their relationship with Northamer and the Kingdom of Acorn frostier than it used to be."

"I'm painfully aware of the politics," Sally states flatly. "Just one of the perils of being next in line for the throne," she sighs.

"Morning," Lilac greets as she enters the bridge. "Everything OK?" she asks, a little concerned at Sally's obvious exhaustion.

"Yeah," Sally assures. "I'm just worn out after negotiations with the Union of Eurish. If it wasn't for all the politicking‑"

"Say no more," Lilac interrupts. "I fully understand how difficult it can be negotiating with political leaders. Especially Mayor Zao, who's only interested in two things: money, and getting re‑elected."

"I won't bore you with the details then," Sally decides. "Getting straight to the point, we've obtained access to Little Planet, where the next Emerald is. However, we can only send in three people. Given the planet is still surrounded by the decaying remains of the Death Egg MkII, it'll be very dangerous. Whoever goes will need to be both fast and tough. Sonic is the obvious choice, but he's also reckless, and I don't want to take the risk he'll be injured, or worse. On the other hand, we don't have anyone that has his sort of abilities."

"Actually, you kinda do," Lilac informs.

"Who?" Sally asks.

"Me," Lilac answers. "OK, I'm not nearly as fast as Sonic, but I can run at highway speeds for a long time without getting tired. Plus, I'm a trained ninja, and being a dragon, I'm physically more resilient than most. Not to mention I've got a couple of neat tricks up my sleeves. Even though I don't actually have any sleeves," she finishes, referring to her sleeveless blue vest.

"And you're definitely more cautious than Sonic." Sally considers her options. "OK, you're on the team."

"I won't let you down," Lilac promises. "Who else is on the team?"

"Bunnie and myself," Sally answers. "Bunnie in case we need her enhanced strength, and me because of these," she explains, standing and activating her ring‑blades.

Lila steps back in surprise as the ring‑blades activate. "Where did you get those?" she asks, clearly impressed.

"Dr Ellidy made them for me," Sally explains, deactivating the blades. "I travel nowhere without them: they've saved my pelt so many times I've lost count. Of course, these aren't the only gifts from him I travel everywhere with," she adds affectionately, looking to Nicole.

"I've taken the liberty of performing a full scan of Little Planet," Nicole informs, blushing slightly in reaction to Sally's words. "There are many areas that are stable, but equally, there are areas that could collapse from even the smallest vibration. Also, even though most of the sections have no power, there are a few with enough residual power to alter the local gravity field."

"That'll be interesting," Lilac comments. "While it won't be my first time on a spaceship, the Dreadnought's artificial gravity made it feel no different to being on Avalice itself."

"Nicole, how long will it take to load yourself and the scan data onto your handheld?" Sally asks.

"It's already done," Nicole informs.

"In that case, let's not waste time," Sally decides.


Ten minutes later, Sally, Nicole, and Lilac arrive at the hangar to find Antoine and Bunnie waiting for them, the Twister ready for take‑off.

"Hey Sally‑girl!" Bunnie greets.

"Hey Bunnie," Sally returns. "Ready to go?"

"Sure am!"

Sally climbs up onto the top wing of the Twister. "Hop aboard, Lilac!"

"On… there?" Lilac asks, a little nervous.

"Ze only alternative is to be sitting in my lap," Antoine informs.

"There's plenty of strong handholds," Sally assures.

"And ma sugar‑Twan's a fine pilot," Bunnie adds. "Get ya there 'n' back smoother than anythin'."

"Merci, ma belle amour," Antoine thanks.

"I hope so…" With a little trepidation, Lilac climbs onto the top wing, and positions herself at the opposite end from Sally. "Carol's going to give me a lot of flak for doing this," she mutters to herself as she takes a firm grip of the handholds.

"Ready?" Sally asks Lilac.

"Not really," Lilac answers. "But we can't waste time. Let's do it to it."

"That's Sonic's line," Bunnie teases.

"Antoine, you're clear for take‑off," Sally instructs.

Moments later, the Twister flies out the hangar and turns towards Little Planet, Bunnie flying alongside.


Antoine lands the Twister smoothly on the outer hull of the Death Egg MkII. As soon as the plane halts, Lilac leaps off the wing and plants her feet firmly on the hull surface.

"You OK Lilac?" Sally asks, casually hopping off the other end of the wing.

"Yeah, sure, of course," Lilac replies, not quite masking the fact she found the experience surprisingly scary.

"I was scared my first time too," Sally assures. "You get used to it pretty quickly."

"The silly thing is, it shouldn't scare me," Lilac admits. "After all, I piloted a huge hologrammatic dragon into a warzone: riding a biplane should be easy…"

"Ya did fine, sugar‑dragon!" Bunnie complements, joining the girls as Antoine takes off to return to Sky Patrol. "It'll be easier on the return trip."

"Hopefully," Lilac half‑heartedly agrees.

Sally unhooks the handheld computer and opens it. "Show us the way Nicole," she requests.

The lynx's face appears on the screen next to an arrow pointing to a gemstone symbol. "Locating the Emerald is proving tricky due to the residual energy pockets. I'll keep refining the search algorithm as we go."

Suddenly, the hull vibrates violently.

"That's our cue to get moving," Sally decides, leading the trio across the hull and into the abandoned Death Egg MkII.


"Is anyone else creeped out by this place?" Lilac asks, feeling chilly despite the calm and surprisingly temperate conditions.

"Ain't nothin' creepier than an abandoned Eggman place," Bunnie agrees. "Ya never know when y'all gonna get a nasty surprise…"

"Keep alert and you'll be fine," Sally assures, though it's no secret she too is nervous, given her ring‑blades are permanently active and ready.

Over the next half hour, the trio pass swiftly yet cautiously through the silent corridors and along the lifeless walkways, just waiting for a surprise attack or a trap to be sprung. But their first problem is rather more basic: a collapsed walkway halts their progress.

"Nicole, any routes around this?" Sally asks.

Nicole processes for a few moments. "Yes, but no route is shorter than two hours."

"And getting across this gap is a matter of a minute or two," Sally finishes.

"Ah can carry you both across," Bunnie volunteers. "One at a time, of course."

"Given the alternative is a detour we can't afford, I'm inclined to agree," Sally decides. "Lilac?"

Lilac surveys the gap. "I think, if I can get a good enough run‑up, I can jump this."

"Really?" Sally and Bunnie ask in disbelief.

"Like I said earlier, I have a couple of tricks up my non‑existent sleeves," Lilac assures.

"OK," Sally reluctantly agrees. "Though it's probably best if Bunnie takes me across first, just in case."

"I'll limber up in the meantime," Lilac decides.

"How do you want to do this?" Sally asks Bunnie, deactivating her ring‑blades and clipping Nicole to her shorts' waistband.

"Ah think it's best if you're on ma back," Bunnie decides. "That way, ah can angle ma thrusters without riskin' burnin' y'all."

Carrying Sally across puts a strain on Bunnie's leg thrusters, but they make it across safely and without incident. After they give Lilac the signal, the dragoness trots away from the gap to give herself as much room as possible, accelerates as hard as she can, leaps off the very edge of the ledge, Dragon Boosts as late as possible to get the distance…

…and falls short by just six inches.

With Lilac's scream piercing the air, Bunnie immediately leaps into action. Pushing hard, she quickly overtakes the plummeting dragon. "I got ya!" she calls out, positioning herself to catch Lilac.

Lilac slams hard into Bunnie, but Bunnie bears the impact well. It takes a few moments, but soon the pair are hovering stable.

"You OK, sugar?" Bunnie asks, a little winded from the catch.

"I‑I'm j‑just a b‑bit sh‑shaken, th‑that's a‑all," Lilac stammers. "D‑Don't t‑tell C‑Carol I j‑jumped a g‑gap th‑that w‑was t‑too b‑big, p‑please?"

"What gap?" Bunnie winks. "Now take a deep breath, and ah'll have ya back up there and safe before ya know it," she adds, gently thrusting back up to where Sally is waiting.

By the time they get back up to the walkway, Lilac has recovered her composure. "Sorry for the scare," she apologises as she plants her feet firmly on safe ground.

At first, Sally simply looks at Lilac disapprovingly. But a few moments later, her façade cracks. "You're almost as bad as he is," she smirks, referring to Sonic.

"Yeah…" Lilac blushes.

"Come on, let's continue," Sally commands, still smiling.

The girls resume their Emerald hunt, following Nicole's directions into the next section.

"How close are we, Nicole?" Sally asks.

"Assuming no further delays, we'll be there in less than ten‑" Nicole starts.

Suddenly, a massive shipquake rattles through the section. Grabbing hold of anything that looks remotely solid, the girls hear the rending of metal. Without warning, the walkway lurches violently, throwing all three to the deck. A second later, the whole section drops three feet.

An eerie silence descends, broken only by the girls' rapid breathing and pounding hearts. For a whole minute, none of them dare move, scared of triggering another shipquake.

"I think it's settled," Sally whispers urgently. "We should move."

"Agreed," the other two whisper back.

Slowly and carefully, the trio stand and regain their bearings, then resume their hunt, every step as light as they can possibly make it.

The sound of rending metal resumes.

"Oh shi‑" Lilac begins.

The entire section falls free of the Death Egg MkII, plummeting directly towards the surface of Little Planet itself.