Last time on Sonic the Hedgehog, Sally and Aleena narrowly escape being captured by Mordred Hood and becoming one of his brain washed minions. But in a weakened state, Sally was forced to confront her inner demons - her failures and fears to her kingdom and its people and her friends. That is until the Patriarch of the echidnas, Lady Luna, helped ease her mind and pain, healing her. Now finally at their destination, Sally and Aleena ready themselves for a tour through not just a brand new city, but a tour through their history and culture.

Sally and Aleena walk through the city's streets while following their host Luna, the dizzying sights of the skyscrapers above leaving Sally beyond in awe.

Sally: "Such tall towers. Intermixed with temples that, while made of white stone, matches perfectly to a modern day setting without upset. A mixture of ancient and modern technology… How is it possible?"

Luna: "Impressed? That is thanks to the former Nocturnus Clan. A clan of echidnas who had a strong profession with technological advances. To the point of successfully integrating their technology into nature without a hint of disturbance."

She raises her cybernetic arm as emphasis to this point. Aleena stares at the arm, a saddened look on her face as she returns focus to Luna.

Aleena: "You never had cybernetics the last time I was here, Luna. What happened?"

Luna: "An experiment gone wrong, your majesty. It happens from time to time. Juglias was thankfully there to handle my recuperation."

Aleena: "Your husband, I presume? He's the eccentric echidna, right?"

The two share a laugh at that as the trio pass by a building. Inside the building, a pink echidna girl with a cybernetic dreadlock was doing shooting practice it seemed like. Sally looked at the two adults before returning attention to the shooting hall before entering it.

Sally: "Um… Excuse me!"

Pink Echidna: "...Not now."

The girl echidna aimed her shot at the target, pointing her laser pistol at the center. She fires, and the shot hits seemingly dead center.

Sally: "Whoa! A bullseye!"

Pink Echidna: "Tch… Amateur."

Sally looked confused as the girl echidna pressed a button to her right, bringing the target through a conveyor closer to them. To Sally, it was exactly a bullseye, staying within the center. But the girl echidna didn't look too impressed with her shot.

Pink Echidna: "Two inches to the upper left from dead center. Worse than yesterday where it was one inch to the right. I really need to work on my aim…"

Sally: "Hmm? I mean, you look like a good shot with that pistol. That level of precision is rare among Mobians, even with rangers."

Pink Echidna: "Hmph. I'm good… But not the best."

The pink Echidna puts her pistol on the nearby table as she walks by Sally. Sally calls out to her before she leaves.

Sally: "Hey! Um… I'm Sally Acorn by the way. What's your name?"

The echidna stops before turning to Sally. She smirks a bit before turning fully.

Pink Echidna: "Name's Julie. Though I'm surprised you didn't know, considering who you're talking to."

Sally: "...? Who am I talking to?"

This caused the girl to react with genuine shock, her eyes widening a bit. This confused Sally more.

Julie: "You… really don't know? Are you new?"

Sally: "Well… Yeah. I've never been in Albion before today."

Julie: "Huh. That explains a bit. Hmm… Alright. Sally, right? What brings you to Albion?"

Sally starts explaining her story so far, which Julie takes in as she crosses her arms.

Julie: "I see… Sorry to hear about your kingdom, Sally. Really, I am. But trying to get any help from us is… sadly not an option for us."

Sally: "Yes, and I'd like to understand why. Which is why I was following Lady Luna…"

There was a pause… Then a realization.

Sally: "OH CRAP! I completely just bailed on Aleena and Luna without realizing it!"

Julie: "Ugh… So loud…"

Sally: "S-Sorry… I need to run. Otherwise, they'll worry that I got lost."

Sally looks ready to dart out the door, but Julie stops her by sliding in front of the open doors.

Julie: "Whoa, hold the phone. If you start running out onto the streets, you'll definitely get lost. Look, I know where… Aleena, was it? And Luna are going. And we can technically beat them there too if you follow me."

Sally: "Are you sure? They wouldn't be far and-"

Julie: "Trust me, you don't want to listen through Luna's looooong lectures on history. She can go on about the finer points for ages. You hang out with me, and I can tell you the same story, but way quicker. The sooner you understand our situation, the better, right?"

Sally looked at Julie with a raised eyebrow, guessing accurately that Julie had some kind of ulterior motive. But at the same time, this girl didn't seem so bad. And if they are going to the same location as Aleena and Luna anyway, then it would be okay anyway, right?

Sally: "Okay. I guess we can hang out. I could use the time to cool off anyway."

Julie: "Great. Let's go the backway. We can pick up some smoothies at Tikes'."

Sally nods and follows Julie out the back doors. As soon as the back doors close, Luna and Aleena walk into the range practice building, having lost Sally.

Aleena: "Oh boy… She's not here. How on Mobius did she get separated from us?"

Luna: "Let's see… It seems… Julie was here…"

Aleena: "Julie? Who's that?"

Luna ignores the question as she opens a communicator with her cyborg arm, calling a number.

Luna: "Lian? It's your mother calling. Do you mind keeping an eye out for Julie?"

Lian: "Huh? Julie? But why? Is she… Is she causing trouble again?"

Luna: "...Yes."

Aleena hears a collective sigh from the two as Luna hangs up. She then motions Aleena to follow as they leave the building.

Down a few streets, after taking some shortcuts, the duo of younger girls take a break at a stand selling snacks, primarily tacos, called "Tikes' Tacos". Sally ordered a simple mint-nut smoothie while Julie got herself a strawberry-grape mix smoothie. The two sat, enjoying their fill on a bench before Julie spoke up.

Julie: "So the history of our people starts as far back as the beginning of our creation by the Great One, Gaia, God of Creation. At that time, we were no different from the other creatures crawling on the mud - simple, idiotic, could barely live longer than a year. But we did find our way into forming tribes, cultures, and our society. Our technical first Patriarch was one Enerjak, an echidna "scholar" by the simplest degree who found strange colored stones. Seven of them."

Sally: "The Chaos Emeralds?"

Julie: "Is that what you call them? We call them Miracle Gems. Mostly because they don't look like 'emeralds'. Anyway, the history of Enerjak and his wife, Aurora, is muddled unfortunately, but one thing that was recorded was the event known as the "Gem Wars". The Gem Wars started when word of the Chaos Emeralds spread throughout the old world. Tribes of different species and even our own fought in a bloody battle."

Sally: "So horrible… Why do people fight over the most mundane things…?"

Julie: "People are driven by the prospect of power. Sometimes driven to murder if it means gaining what they want. That's how most wars start."

Sally recalled stories of the Kingdom of Acorn and the wars they underwent. Even the War of Red Snow rang in Sally's ears. People will kill for the most petty of reasons…

Julie: "During the Gem Wars' closing hours, an event - described as a bright light shooting into the heavens - brought an end to the war. The tribes all ended up scattering due to the showmanship of power. The echidna tribe that served under Enerjak could not find him or Aurora, but the Chaos Emeralds they had were found. Deeming them too dangerous, the next Patriarch had them buried away, to keep them from ever being discovered again. Thus it would be a long time before these gems would ever rise again…"

Sally: "Hmm… So you echidnas are the oldest ones to have any connection to the Chaos Emeralds, huh?"

Julie: "Oldest on records, but, according to some theorists, the very existence of the gems seem to hint that some other tribe before the dawn of Mobians seem to have created them. Evidence to support this is the fact that there are only seven of these gems, no matter how much we try to mine for more. Or… At least we thought there were seven."

As Julie and Sally continued to talk, Aleena and Luna stopped by a fountain, a landmark of the city as they were making their way to the Albion Grand Hall. They sit by the fountain as they decide to rest.

Aleena: "Goodness… I forgot how big the city is. I am not used to this amount of walking."

Luna: "I'd share in that prospect but…"

Aleena: "Yeah yeah, you float, you talk through your mind, you basically have power that many wish they had."

Aleena sighs as she places her hand on her cheek while crossing her legs.

Luna: "...Are you upset about my answer to Sally's question? About my refusal to fight by your side?"

Aleena: "No, no. I'm not upset about that. The best kinds of royals try to understand the reasoning behind such decisions. Of course, maybe some kind of compensation so the trip wasn't completely wasted."

Luna: "I'm not sure what I could offer as compensation, sadly. We cannot risk giving our technology away, or else they may be used for evil… And our species is spread thin as is…"

Aleena: "I have noticed that, unlike Central City, the largest human city in the world, despite living in an immaculate city, there aren't that many people out. Not even crowds."

Luna: "Yes… Our population is still fairly large, but compared to cities of this size, it is much smaller than it should be… And… I fear for the future of my kind…"

Aleena turns to her companion, curious as to what Luna meant.

Luna: "In truth, I do wish to help our world from this supposed enemy of your's. But whenever we try to help, we seem to make things worse… Our history is a rotten, bloody one… Claiming unfortunate lives where they need not be claimed… We try to help, people die… We try to be passive, people still die… Crimson red… is all we have ever known…"

Luna starts to cry, guilt filling her expression as she looked into the water, seeing her own reflection. Aleena looks down with her before giving a sad smile.

Aleena: "It's been six years since Bernie left this world… Six years since the Southern Baron Rebellion… What started as a simple qwelling of a possible war, ended up taking many lives… Bernadetta, Alicia, and so many others… When the news came back to me, I… changed… I wasn't the same "Wild Song Queen" as I was before… The very idea of letting my son go on such dangerous adventures, because the idea that "one day he was here, the next he's not"... It frightens me… It truly frightens me…"

Luna: "...A mother fears for her son's well being… A Patriarch fears for her people's survival… I suppose there is some commonality when one looks at the bigger picture… We both have our people's best interests in mind… But then…"

Aleena: "..."But then"... What?"

Luna shakes her head, standing up from the fountain. She then offers a hand to Aleena.

Luna: "Never mind… Let us keep going."

Aleena: "...Luna… Are you okay?"

Luna: "I'll be fine… I just… need to speak to Sally…"

Back with Sally and Julie, the duo have moved on from their snack stand break as the pink echidna continues to lead Sally through some shortcuts.

Sally: "Boy those smoothies were delicious! Definitely needed that after what me and Aleena went through."

Julie: "I can tell. You guzzled your's down like it was just gonna vanish."

Julie helps Sally up some crates before the duo jump down, cutting through the alley ways.

Sally: "So… Julie… What's up with the cybernetics? Did you get into an accident like Lady Luna?"

Julie: "Oh these? Nah. These were voluntarily. Basically, I added these to myself willingly."

Sally: "But why? I don't want to sound like a prude, but shouldn't you treat your body better than that?"

Julie: "I get what you mean. But the thing about our cybernetics is that it shows respect to the echidnas who helped us when our ancestors needed it the most."

Sally: "Another story time?"

Julie: "Yep. This one goes back to what I said about when we thought there were just seven gems. The Chaos Emeralds were rediscovered at some point, unearthed by some old Mobians before being found by a member of the Knuckles Clan. The third Patriarch of that clan, Musin, brought these seven gems to a gathering of the fellow clans they were aligned with. Seven clans, seven jewels… Each clan would take a jewel as their birthright, accepting a sacred duty to protect these jewels from any who would abuse their power. One day, the Knuckles Clan is attacked by a pack of hunting lions from the area, forcing them to leave the area. Their next home would be one of great mystery - a set of ruins older than their species could comprehend… Whatever unfortunate creatures that once rested in the ruins were, they knew of the Chaos Emeralds as a passage was discovered by the Knuckles Clan. One that would be remembered by Patriarchs to this day… "The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power… Power enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos…" And with this passage, a shrine was discovered and with it, a large gem, similar in shape to the Chaos Emeralds. With it being so large and likely the "Controller", this emerald was dubbed… the Master Emerald."

Sally: "The Master Emerald, huh? I guess I could see it; kind of like how Lupe is the leader of her pack, just from her leadership and skills alone."

Julie: "At least you get it. Unfortunately, while peace amongst the echidna tribes would seemingly last for eons, one echidna Patriarch of the Knuckles Clan, Pachacamac. Or as I like to call him "Pachy". Pachy came into power shortly after his mother grew too old to lead further. At first, things seemed peaceful even with him in charge, but one day, he gathered his soldiers… and attacked the various clans whom the Knuckles Clan were allied with. Taking each clan's Chaos Emerald, Pachy had plans to slowly overthrow the other nations of the world, becoming the one true ruler. His daughter, Tikal, defied him though. He tried to take back the gems he stole from Tikal, but this seemed to anger the gods that ruled over the ruins his predecessor found. This event became known… the Torrent Wrath of the Gods… Hundreds of echidnas had drowned that day… The shrine that housed the Master Emerald… vanished into the night sky, never to be seen again… Defeated and lost, the Knuckles Clan would be found by the Nocturnus Clan. They took pity on those that survived and, along with the other surviving members of the other Clans, moved to vanish from the world."

As Julie spoke, the duo would enter a Grand Hall, similar to a chapel, which was decorated with stained-glass windows featuring prior leaders of Albion, with the latest one depicting the current Patriarch herself.

Julie: "We moved to what would become Mercia. For eons, we secluded ourselves from the world. Some have tried to establish connections with the outside world, but this would often lead to tragedy in some way. However, we let our people choose how to lead their lives, whether they want to be part of the various kingdoms established. A mentality our current Patriarch-"

Luna: "-keeps to this very day."

Julie and Sally pause as Luna and Aleena enter, followed by a red echidna wearing a black leather outfit and having a similar cybernetic dreadlock as Julie, though her hair was combed in a split style, being colored a slightly tinted red pink.

Red echidna: "Hmph. Glad all that stealth training is paying off. Though I wish it wasn't wasted on babysitting you, Julie."

Julie: "Nobody asked you to butt in, Lian! The fact that I'm related to you only makes me sick."

Sally felt like asking, but then Luna raised an arm, silencing both girls' quarrel. The Patriarch then approached Julie and Sally, addressing Julie first.

Luna: "Hello, Julie. You left early for ranged practice. I'm guessing you snuck away from your studies?"

Julie: "Mooom… You know I hate boring classes like those…"

Luna: "Hm… Is that any excuse for you to basically kidnap a princess?"

Sally looked dumbfounded, mostly by the revelation that Luna was Julie's mother. But it all made sense when she recalls the earlier conversation. How evasive Julie was being at first when she thought Sally knew her based on title alone. But then came the question of… Why did she feel the need to be evasive in the first place?

Julie: "Honestly, I was a better history buff than you, Mom. You take so long to get the actual point. I cut the fat and stick straight to the facts."

Luna: "Depends on how much you cut, Julie. Why must you be this way?"

Julie crosses her arms before turning away, walking by her mother, Lian, and Aleena as she leaves. She turns back to Sally briefly before leaving. Sally turns to Luna, approaching her.

Sally: "Lady Luna… What was that-"

Luna: "Do not let it bother you, child. Just… do not get involved with family affairs that should not concern you?"

Sally: "But-"

Aleena: "Just drop it, Sally. It's none of our business."

Sally looked at the Snow Queen before relenting, going quiet before returning her attention to Luna.

Luna: "However, something that does involve you did come up while we were separated. I've had some time to think and… while I stand by my decision to not involve my people in the affairs of others… I am willing to compensate. And so, I am willing to teach you, Sally Alicia Acorn of the Acorn throne, the power to control Chaos energy."

Luna lifts her hands up a bit and ignites green aura on both of them to emphasize her point. Sally stares at this power with awe, mystified by it. The power to control Chaos energy… Could this be what she needs to free her kingdom from Eggman's forces? While it alone wouldn't be enough, it would give her a significant boost. The idea intrigued her enough - with a nod from Sally, Luna smiled.

Luna: "Very well. Be prepared, for this training will not be easy. But I will make sure you understand the fundamentals by the time you leave."

Sally: "Perfectly fine by me. Thank you, Lady Luna."

Aleena smiled as she stared at the two, but then hears a "Tch" as Lian walks out in a huff. She could only guess there was more than simple family drama between one daughter and mother. But it was none of her business and it was not her place to pry. She can only hope that this power helps benefit Sally in the long run…

To be continued…