Princess Sally Alicia, fifteen-years old and heir to the throne, faced her People's Council, her head held high and eyes burning. She glittered in the hallway light. Draped in a copper-gold chain bodice and headdress. Wrapped in an iridescent teal gown that split and flared at her knees. Tendrils of her thick auburn hair spilled down her bare shoulders and back, held back from her brow by a thick circlet of sapphires and gold.

"People's Council of Mobia," she said. Authority resounded in her tone.

"As your princess," she said. "I understand that I do not have the jurisdiction to force the people's will, but I will take advantage of my privilege to advise. The people of Mobia entered into this contract because we were afraid, and we longed for peace. Three years later, we are still afraid, and I think all of you know we are not at peace."

"What are you accusing me of, Princess? I haven't heard any complaints?" Robotnik asked, his automated voice breathy and low.

Sally turned to face him and she stared into the laser beams in his eyes.

He could blast through her skull in a matter of seconds. He could kill them all right here.

"I am sorry, Doctor," Sally said with a short nod, glancing away. She took a soft breath, shivers running up and down her spine. She fisted her fingers.

"But a matter such as the one you have proposed," she continued, "requires more consideration. It would be unwise to vote now. People's Council, please allow me to express a few of my observations so that you can make a more-informed decision."

Her People's Council watched her, frozen.

"I would like to present several points in defense of our Ringweilder, but first, we must understand the nature of a decision like this. The rings have been under the power of the Mobian race for as long as we have existed. Many of you can remember the wars with the Deks before my time, the very war that the Doctor helped stop."

She didn't go on to say how the Doctor had used this intervention to steal the loyalty of the young Mobians of that generation. Or how those same Mobians had pledged their lives to him and his vision for New Mobius, a tech-utopia. Or how after seven years of ruling his tech-city he revealed his true intentions for the planet of Marto and the Mobian race-as test subjects for an efficient, immortal, utopian empire consisting entirely of robots.

Yes. They all remembered that.

Sally continued, narrowing her eyes, "Why did the Deks target our planet and people for centuries before the Doctor came? Because we guard the rings. We are glad to give the rings to others, but that is our choice to make. If a being other than the Mobian Ringweilder could find and activate them, our greatest charge would be placed in the hands of another. The Ringweilder's duty is to provide rings to all of us, so this decision will not just affect our current Ringweilder. It will affect us all. This is a weighty choice, one that cannot be determined by an informal vote. In fact, I would go as far to say that a proposition of this nature would require educating the public and collecting a planet-wide consensus."

The People's Council held their silence, most likely reflecting on how difficult and inconvenient it would be to hold a planet-wide consensus, and how Robotnik would probably find some way to secretly make their lives miserable if they tried.

"Furthermore, even if we did decide to give Sonic to the Doctor, we need to realize there is very little likelihood that the Doctor would somehow be able to activate rings for himself by…disassembling a Ringweilder. We all know that the gift follows a rough family tree, but there genetics stop. There is only one Ringweilder at a time. Once the gift passes on to a new Ringweilder, the former Ringweilder loses his abilities as if he had never had it. Why? Because the Ringweilders are hand-picked. The gift cannot be dissected and analyzed—it is bestowed on a specific person for a specific time." Sally faced the Doctor directly. "The only way, Doctor, that you could ever find and activate the Mobium rings is if you were hand-picked by the same One who creates the rings to become the next Ringweilder. And as a human, that is highly unlikely."

Robotnik did not look happy. He hadn't killed her yet though, so she continued.

"Now…in defense of our current Ringweilder. He is young. I understand that. He is a New Mobian, and as a consequence is not as well accustomed to the ways of Old Mobia. I acknowledge these points."

She took a deep breath.

"However, he has experience wielding the rings. He came to Old Mobia at age eight, knowing nothing about the rings except that he could activate them. He is now fifteen. It is said that his mother, Lady Aleena, was fifteen when she first became Ringweilder, and she guarded our planet well during the war with the Deks. But Sonic is just now fifteen. He has already had seven years of experience that his predecessor never had. His potential is great. But if he dies, the gift will pass on to a new Ringweilder—we have no idea who—and whoever it is will need to be found, to be trained, and to be trained for years before their skill is considerable. Meanwhile, we all wait on receiving our rings and the country is handicapped."

The People's Council stirred. When Lady Aleena had left for New Mobius, Mobia had been without a Ringweilder for eight years. It was difficult for an entire planet to be without the activator of its most powerful weapons.

Sally lifted her chin. "People's Council, I propose that Sonic is well-suited to his role. We all know how he is gifted with Speed. Why such power was bestowed on him, in addition to Ringwielding, I cannot say. But if he lives, I can foresee him growing into one of the most powerful Guardians our planet has known." She stopped, and passion coursed through her eyes. She gritted out the words, "And we need Guardians, Mobia."

The People's council were listening.

Of course, they knew all this. She just had to let them know that she knew they knew. Robotnik was bribing them and breathing down their necks day in and day out. But that was to be expected when one ruled a nation. They'd all been called to die, not to hide.

Lady Melwain, representative of the Aero region, raised a finger.

Sally assented with a nod.

"With great respect, Princess Sally," she said. "We thank you for your observations and recommendations. I would like to say, however, that though the young Ringweilder has reflexes and "nerve," I well remember his insolence. I have often seen him speak boldly and disrespectfully, not only to the Mobian Peoples Council, but also to the royal family. You mention his power. Do we truly want an unpredictable Ringweilder with such power? He does not know his place as a minor, as a Guardian, as your servant, as a hedgehog." She wrinkled her nose, her golden eyes slitting. "In the days of the caste system, a hedgehog could never get away with his flagrance. Hedgehogs are of the Guardian caste, and back then Guardians did as they were told and did not ask questions. They gave due respect to the objects of their guardianship…the objects and persons they swore to guard at the cost of their lives."

"Yes, he is…" Sally paused. "…very open," Dry disapproval rang in her tone and a light sparked in her eyes. "But age can cure that. And though I resent admitting it, his manner sometimes proves…effective. His record for helping the common people of Old Mobia in their personal struggles is remarkable. That is something that we in government cannot seem to do, but he can."

Lady Melwain pursed her lips together and glanced away.

Sally took a deep breath and nodded, signifying that she had finished the meat of her speech. "People's Council, I ask that you take the time to consider the options and make an official decision on what needs to be done tomorrow, at the scheduled time. As for me, I strongly recommend that we allow Sonic to live under Mobia's authority and wield his gift as Ringweilder as long has it has been given to him. Doctor," she turned to face Robotnik's blank stare. "I ask that you wait accordingly for our decision."

And she sat down.


Author's Note, 4/24/2017

Thanks for dropping in! ALOT of backstory hints in this chapter, so if you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask!

I have so, so much fun writing Sally's retelling character. She's a mess. XD

Are there any canon Sally fans out there? What's your favorite (or LEAST favorite) thing about canon Sally? If it fits, I might be able to incorporate (or try NOT to incorporate) those aspects. XD No hate though please-I understand she's not everyone's favorite character. The first time I saw her, I didn't like her either, actually, but then as I learned more about her backstory and some of the things that happened to her in the comics...she started to grow on me. XD

Thanks for reading!

Keep Fighting,

Connie