Last time on Sonic the Hedgehog, after a decisive victory over Ivo Robotnik, Sonic finds himself on the mythical Angel Island, away from familiar, more friendly faces. Instead, he is greeted by the island's guardians, Knuckles and Kicks the Echidna Twins. After explaining his situation though, the duo agree to tolerate his presence, so long as he helped clean up the mess left behind by his grand battle. But what of Sonic's friends and family? How do they fare without their savior?

Within the ocean, an Octobot swims around the ocean, spotlight eyes scanning the ocean floor for something. Behind it, several more were also searching the sea floor for something. The presumed highest ranked Octobot contacts its headquarters to report.

Octobot: "Octobot Sentinel 308 reporting to West Island. Do you copy?"

Nicole: "West Island administrator Nicole speaking. Lady Jenni is currently busy with something else. Anything to report?"

Octobot: "Search for the debris of the Death Egg has proven unsuccessful. The sea floor is clean of anything resembling Robotnik tech. In addition, the one called Sonic the Hedgehog is also nowhere to be found, dead or alive."

Nicole: "I see… Continue to spread your search radius up to a certain point, and if you find nothing still, you have permission to come home."

Octobot: "Yes, Lady Nicole."

The Octobot orders its fellows to continue the search, expanding their radius as they do.

At Hill Top Mansion, in Jenni's personal quarters, Jenni is seen on her computer, working on a new application for her computer with Tails and Chuck helping by building a device - a kind of radar dish. Nicole soon appears on her screen to report.

Nicole: "Lady Jenni. I've come with a report from Octobot."

Jenni: "What's the sitch, Nicole?"

Nicole: "Neither Sonic or the Death Egg have been located in the vicinity that you predicted, Jen."

Uncle Chuck: "Neither have been located? But how's that possible? They couldn't have disappeared."

Jenni: "Hmm… That is strange… Did you order the Octobots to expand their search?"

Nicole: "Yes, ma'am."

Jenni: "Good. But that is very odd… A whole space station disappearing is just strange… A tiny hedgehog though, even blue, isn't too odd though. It's like finding a needle in a hay stack when it comes to the ocean."

Tails: "Y-You don't think… The Robotnik Empire found them both first and is torturing Sonic, do you?"

Jenni: "I doubt it… He couldn't have collected the Death Egg that fast, nor do so with stealth in mind. And that's not getting into the fact that the pieces are large and would require a sizable work force to reclaim."

Tails ponders this and that was sound logic. But then it went back to the question of "Where is Sonic?" A knock at the door alerts Jenni, but doesn't tear her away from her work.

Voice at the Door: "Doctor Jenni! It's Sally! May I come in?"

Jenni: "Door's unlocked, my dear."

Sally walks in, hoping to hear some good news after trying to calm Queen Aleena down. Jenni turns to her with a smile.

Jenni: "Princess. Enjoying your temporary living quarters?"

Sally: "It is… adequate enough for my father, Rosie, and I. Though I would like to know why we can't take back the Kingdom of Acorn after Eggman was destroyed with the Death Egg."

Jenni: "A few reasons. One, the city you and your father rule over has been turned into an armed city - armed to the teeth with robots that have been mass produced. Charging in with limited supplies and man power would not only be foolish, but suicide. Two, Sage, the AI creation of my little brother, controls the city's security, so on top of robots with enough lethal power to decimate armies, you have an computer program girl who controls the security and can easy trap and kill you. And lastly, Eggman's not dead; his body was destroyed, but remember, he isn't human anymore. He's a robot himself, so destroying his body will lead to nothing but an inconvenience to him."

Sally: "Grrr… And I guess your robots can't help…?"

Jenni: "Sally, I would if I could. Really. But as it stands, reckless action will only lead to dire consequences. It's not a matter of "if" we can do it; it's a matter of "when"."

Sally understood. She just had to be patient; there will be a time to strike and they will take that opportunity. Sally then looks at the application the trio of builders were working on.

Sally: "So… What are you three building anyway, if you don't mind me asking."

Uncle Chuck: "We don't mind at all. Jenni here proposed a theory that if Sonic fell with the Death Egg, then he'd have landed somewhere with the Chaos Emeralds."

Jenni: "When Sonic brought out his Chaos Emerald that brief moment when you three visited, I decided to scan its properties for later study, using my glasses. And it came in handy since I found out that Chaos Emeralds give off a very unique energy signature."

Sally tilted her head before realizing what they were building. It was an Emerald Radar!

Jenni: "This radar is designed to find the Chaos Emeralds and locate their exact position. If we can get a head start on them before my brother decides to nab them for an encore performance then we can keep them out of his reach. And since they were on the Death Egg, Sonic will likely be with them too."

Uncle Chuck: "Let's hope it works."

Sally: "This is great! Should I let Queen Aleena know?"

Jenni: "Don't get her hopes up yet. Otherwise, I'll get a headache from her howling more than the Wolf Pack Nation on a full moon… When you've heard it, you know…"

As Sally was going to question it, she decided against it and nods. As she gets ready to leave, she sees a communication window open on Jenni's monitor. On it, Coconuts appeared with a salute.

Coconuts: "Lady Jenni! An urgent report!"

Jenni: "What's up, Coco? Did something pop up?"

Coconuts: "An escape vessel was just found in the West Mobius Sea! We scanned the vessel and recognized it as Eggman tech. And within it were escaped prisoners that were taken into the Death Egg. We scanned for other escape vessels and found a total of five escape vessels and a grand total of 264 Mobians and 148 Humans."

Jenni froze at the number as she stared at her screen. She then paused communication as she leaned onto her desk, now deep in thought.

Tails: "That was… a lot of Mobians and Humans that was just mentioned…"

Uncle Chuck: "Yes. And too much for this island in a manner of speaking… Metropolis, Casino Night, and Emerald Hill Resort don't have enough lounging for that amount of people…"

Jenni: "I don't mind letting them stay on my island, but the problem is as Charles says… Space isn't something we have enough of…"

Jenni had to think deeply about this before leaning back in her chair.

Jenni: "I guess… We could give them accommodations, but it won't be anything grandiose… If they can live off that then that'll solve part of the problem…"

Sally looked at Jenni before walking out. As Sally closed the door, she thought about the number of Mobians mentioned by Coconuts… There was no way that all of them were from the Kingdom of Acorn. Nor was it all of them anyway. She feared for the worst as it seemed like a large majority of the Kingdom had either perished or are still captured. A cold feeling went down her spine as she quickly left. As she walked down the hall of the mansion, she bumps into King Nigel, who was wearing traveler's attire.

Nigel: "Sally. Good… I needed to see you. Can you come with me to the Emerald Hill Resort?"

Sally was taken aback by the sudden request but agrees to join him.

At the Emerald Hill Resort, Aleena was at an open cafe, sitting at a table as she tapped her fingers on the surface. Her frantic mind was worrying over Sonic and her patience for any kind of news was running thin. As she continued to tap her fingers, she sees Sally and Nigel approach.

Aleena: "Sally. Did you speak with Jen?"

Sally: "I did… She's working on finding Sonic… She has a working theory, but she just needs time…"

Nigel: "I'm sure Sonic will be fine, Aleena. He is your son after all. And a mighty difficult boy at that."

Aleena glared at Nigel, thinking he meant she was difficult. But she did seem to calm down a bit as she takes a deep breath.

Aleena: "Sorry. If it were Sally, I'm sure you'd understand."

Nigel: "Aleena, I never said I didn't. But I also have more confidence in Sally and her abilities. He is alive, Aleena. Trust in that until proven otherwise."

Aleena looked away at that, feeling frustrated at herself over her comment. Sally then clears her throat to get her father and Aleena's attention.

Sally: "Putting aside that, Father, what did you need to see me about?"

Nigel: "Ah, well… I have decided not to stay on West Island. Following the others' example after we arrived here safely, I will be heading back to my soldiers and citizens to safeguard them and prepare for any potential counter attack, should the opportunity arise."

Sally: "And… You want me to come?"

Nigel: "No. I want you to stay here."

Sally's eyes widen as she looks to her father in confusion.

Nigel: "I know you went through great lengths to save me, but there will come a time where I must pass on the torch. It may come sooner or later, but I'd rather ensure the royal bloodline still lives on just in case something happens to me. You serve as Mobius' bright future… You and Sonic both. So… Be a brave girl and protect the people here…"

Sally looks at her father for a moment, processing his words before… hugging him tightly. Nigel shares in the embrace, giving Sally as much time as she needed to accept this. Once she was ready, she stops the embrace and backs up.

Nigel: "What of you, Aleena?"

Aleena: "I… I'm not sure yet… But I think I will stay here too… My kingdom is fairly small and not likely to fall under attack… But just in case, I'll have Jules send word to my guards to protect the kingdom, abandon it even if Eggman does decide to attack there out of petty revenge…"

Nigel: "I see. Very well. I wish you luck, Aleena."

Aleena: "And you as well, Nigel."

The two look at each other with smiles on their faces before exchanging a handshake. Nigel then leaves to the nearby docking station to leave by boat. Sally soon sits with Aleena as the two ordered tea.

Sally: "I did want to speak with you about something, Queen Aleena."

Aleena: "Oh please, Sally. Call me 'Aleena'. We aren't in my Kingdom of Snow right now so it's fine to be casual."

Sally: "Err… Okay. Aleena, I wanted to ask about that barrier that protected your Chaos Emerald stationed here on West Island. When me and Tails interacted with it, the barrier would not budge. And according to Snively, his mech's drills didn't leave a scratch either. But Sonic gave the barrier a single punch and it shattered right away. What kind of barrier is it?"

Aleena looked at Sally before sipping her tea softly. After placing down the cup, she spoke up.

Aleena: "I was… sworn to secrecy, Sally. I can't tell you everything… Unless you swear to secrecy too."

Sally: "Um… Well… I can't just swear to any secret, but…"

Aleena: "I know. But if you want to know, I must have your word as Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, heir to the Throne of Acorn. Breaking this promise will mean removing yourself from this perch."

Sally gave a look of bewilderment and confusion. But it changed to seriousness as she considered what exactly this secret was. If it meant losing her rank, it had to be really good.

Sally: "Very well. You my word as Princess Sally Alicia Acorn."

Aleena: "Very well. Now… To begin, the barrier was conjured by powerful magic that is no longer practiced in our modern day. At least… Not as often anymore."

Sally: "Because of our technological advances, yeah?"

Aleena: "Indeed. However, one species of Mobian has found a balance of modern technology and ancient magic. And it's the most unassuming of all Mobians… The Echidna."

Sally blinked a few times as she processed what she just heard.

Sally: "Excuse me? Echidna? As in…"

Aleena: "The ones that we see daily, living normal lives? Yes. The same."

Sally: "...Okay, I know the echidna I've seen and met are different from the usual Mobian - being good with weapons, crafting said weapons, and even working as tech agencies in the Kingdom of Acorn, but are they really all that?"

Aleena: "They are. The echidna we see in our day to day lives are from a secret place, hidden from the world. They do act in Mobius' benefit, traveling out of their home to better the places they visit, but as for letting the world into their city, they choose not to do so."

Sally: "Why is that?"

Aleena: "According to them, they wish to avoid another calamity that nearly brought their race to extinction years ago. A calamity that was brought on from a war over their birthright, the Chaos Emeralds."

Sally's eyes widen as she hears the name "Chaos Emeralds".

Sally: "Birthright?"

Aleena: "Indeed. The echidna keep themselves out of worldly affairs to avoid their kind being wiped out, as well as their technological advances and ancient secrets being used to bring a possible end of the world. Thus, only those their Patriarch sees as trustworthy may be allowed to enter their city and keep their secret."

Sally: "But what if Eggman finds out about them? If he stumbles upon them, then they would be in danger. Possibly even destroyed."

Aleena pauses at this, unsure of how to answer.

Sally: "Listen, if it is okay, I feel like we need to find this hidden "place" and warn them of Robotnik at least! Regardless of what they may think, if what Jen says is true about Eggman, he might cause their extinction anyway."

Aleena: "Hmm… I… do see your point… And I guess it would hurt more if we did nothing."

Sally: "Plus… They could help with Jenni's situation with housing more people than this island can provide…"

As Aleena was about to ask, Sally explains that those who were captured and placed in the Death Egg were freed from the space egg and escaped. The number far exceeds the living space West Island can provide, causing Jenni some undue stress. Understanding, Aleena stands up, seeing more reason to reveal this hidden location and negotiate with them.

Sally: "I'm hoping we can convince them of Eggman's threat to Mobius. And if we can gain some stronger allies then we can keep Mobius safe from his tyranny."

Aleena: "Alright, alright. You've thoroughly convinced me. We'll go see the echidna and ask them for their assistance. It'll be a couple of days before we arrive by boat since they live in the Eastern Country of Mercia."

Sally: "Mercia? Alright. Then I'll be sure to pack some supplies for the trip."

Aleena: "Be sure you do."

With that, Sally gets up and runs back to Hill Top Mansion to pack up some supplies for herself, leaving Aleena to continue sipping on her tea.

Aleena: "...Sonic… Wherever you are… Come home safely…"

On Angel Island at night, a restless Sonic was looking at the ceiling of the hut he was resting in. Tomorrow, he would be helping his hosts in cleaning up the mess he made. He made a promise after all and he wouldn't break one now. But his mind did wonder about his friends back home.

Sonic: "Mom… Sally… Everyone… I'll be home soon… I promise… Be patient for me…"

With that, Sonic fell asleep, the need for rest overtaking him as he laid on the couch he was offered. Unbeknownst to him, Kicks was listening to his mumbling, but she said nothing. And wouldn't until tomorrow.

To be continued…