Last time on Sonic the Hedgehog, after recovering from her injuries thanks to the power of the echidna Patriarch Luna, Sally was allowed to explore the city with Aleena. During this tour, Sally leaves the adults to meet a young echidna by the name of Julie during ranged training. Through her, Sally was able to grasp the history of the echidna and understand why Luna refused to help Sally initially. Now offered the chance to get stronger, the story continues…

Later that night, within the Patriarch's home, some screaming could be heard from outside as someone was reprimanding Luna. Inside, it was Lian, shouting at her mother as Luna was meditating in her nightgown.

Lian: "Why would you offer an outsider of all people the power to control Chaos energy!? Have you gone mad, Mom!?"

Luna: "No, I am quite sane, Lian."

Lian: "Then tell me why you would offer her our secrets!? Training me and Julie is one thing, but that girl!?"

Luna: "She has shown no signs of deceit. And I more than trust her, much like I did Aleena. Perhaps if you trusted more people, you would have better chances at being the next Patriarch."

This caused Lian to fume at that. But then Julie came and sat quietly in front of her mother. This caused Luna to break meditation as she opens her eyes to face Julie.

Julie: "Mom. Why don't you want to help Sally beyond this half assed attempt at helping?"

Luna: "...Julie, you know I am simply looking out for our people. I care about them greatly. Our losses were great and I cannot risk our race to go extinct. It is a fear of mine…"

Julie: "I try to understand. I really do. But all I see is cowardice. An inability to move on from the past. You limit yourself to such a degree that you'd rather do the bear minimum to help people. That's not what a real Patriarch should do."

Luna was silent, letting Julie talk as she looked down. Guilt filled Luna's eyes as Julie continued to speak.

Julie: "Mom. You are the Patriarch; you dictate how our people move forward. And in all honesty, the fact you are so lenient with our kind leaving or choosing whether to get cybernetic implants or not shows that you are willing for change to happen. You do support it. But you yourself are too afraid to make that first step."

Lian: "Hmph. And what makes you any better? You run away at the very idea of being a Patriarch at all. But you are right about one thing - our mother is a coward and our people should be ruled by a much stronger leader."

Julie: "Don't misconstruct my words, Lian! I never called my mother 'weak' for how she wants to protect our home. Just that her allowing the past to dictate her decisions is showing cowardice. I would never call Mom weak! She's a hell of a lot better than some entitled girl like you!"

Lian got into Julie's face after that comment, glaring at her younger sister with death glares.

Lian: "How dare you. I am older than you. I am more qualified to lead than you. I can lead this whole damn country better!"

Julie: "And what makes you say that? Last I checked, you only cared about leading for pride's sake instead of actually knowing how to lead. Or are you saying that to make yourself feel less insecure?"

Lian responds by punching Julie in the face, knocking her to the floor before the older sister lunges at the younger.

Luna: "Lian! Julie! Stop this now!"

The two didn't listen as Julie pushed Lian off and went on the attack, slugging Lian on the face. Lian grabs Julie by her dreadlock and pulls her in for a headbutt, knocking Julie off as she grabs something to hit Julie with. Before their fight could continue, they are stopped by a couple of bubbles, conjured by Luna, who's eyes were glowing green as her full authority was on display now, her voice booming with anger.

Luna: "ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLISHNESS! I WILL NOT TOLERATE IT ANY FURTHER! I DO NOT APPRECIATE YOUR INABILITY TO SEE EYE-TO-EYE! IF YOU CANNOT CONTROL YOURSELVES, THEN YOU ARE GROUNDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! I WAS WILLING TO GIVE JULIE'S WORDS SOME THOUGHT, BUT IF THIS IS HOW SHE WILL ACT THEN HER VOICE WILL GO UNHEARD. AND LIAN… YOU LACK THE PROPER SKILLS AND MINDSET FIT FOR A LEADER. YOU WILL NEVER BECOME A PATRIARCH IF YOU ARE ONLY DOING IT FOR YOUR OWN SELF INTERESTS. NOW BEDTIME. NOW!"

The bubbles disappear as Julie and Lian are dropped onto the floor. Fear showed in their eyes as they really pushed their mom past her breaking point. They immediately try to apologize, but Luna was not having any of it. They walked into their rooms, no further words exchanged. Once the girls' doors were closed, Luna's power vanished as she sits herself on the sofa next to her, a look of sadness now on her face before she buried her face into her hands.

Luna: "...Where did things go wrong…? Lian…? Julie…? Why…?"

In Julie's room, the echidna punched her punching bag hard as she mentally shouted profanities, not at Lian, but at herself.

Julie: "You dumbass, Julie. You had a strong argument to convince your mom to change, but you fucked it up. You let Lian get to you. Why did you have to do that!? Why!?"

Julie jumps onto her bed as she just buries her face into her pillow. The adrenaline of the night soon passed as exhaustion hit, causing her to slowly fall asleep. She could only hope that her mother was willing to forgive her and reconsider. She hoped to Gaia…

At Castle Mercia, soldiers bow to their master Mordred Hood as the snake sits upon the king's throne, addressing the lack of progress on finding the bodies of Sally and Aleena.

Mordred: "So, is anyone going to tell me how two girls managed to vanish from the island? Have you fools checked every rock, every leaf, every grain of sand!?"

Soldiers: "Yes, sir! We have!"

Mordred: "And still nothing!?"

Mordred slumps into his throne, rubbing his head in utter frustration. He had hoped to use the body of Sally at least to convince King Acorn that she was murdered by the Queen of Snow, but he may have to use his hypnosis abilities after all to start a war.

Mordred: "Oh well. Not like they can do much of anything anyway. With the port town securely guarded by the castle guards, and my scouts keeping watch around the island, even if those two somehow survived, they have no way of getting off the island. So in a way, I still win."

He then stands up, waving his hand to send his soldiers out.

Mordred: "Prepare my ship! I set out for Acorn Island right away! Next stop, the Kingdom of Acorn!"

Mordred smiles and laughs as his soldiers leave, unaware of the true state of the Kingdom of Acorn, more so Mobotropolis…

Early in the morning, Sally was in her apartment, doing some stretches as she was getting herself ready for whatever Lady Luna had in mind for her training in the use of Chaos energy. Sally understood what Chaos energy was from a conceptual level - it was the life force of all beings created by Gaia. The people, plants, oceans, everything had some level of Chaos energy. However, direct use of it was rare.

Sally: "...My and Rosie's old mentor, Julayla, used Chaos energy to manipulate objects around her, like telekinesis. She couldn't use it for long periods or for larger things, but that is one example of Chaos energy use. Could Sonic's speed and Aleena's Mystic Melody also be an example?"

As Sally pondered, almost right on cue, Aleena knocks on the door, calling out for Sally. The princess opens the door and invites the queen inside.

Aleena: "Apologies for disturbing you, but I figured I would come visit before you went off to see Lady Luna."

Sally: "No problem, Aleena. I was just doing some morning stretches, but I'm done now. I've also just been thinking about the use of Chaos energy. The idea of using Chaos energy has been something I've been curious about but never really found time to train in, since I concentrated on my physical prowess more. Holding and swinging a sword, going through obstacle courses, exercising, and even studying. I work so hard on my body that I never gave this kind of practice a try."

Aleena: "Well, I will warn you that… Luna is no push over when it comes to teaching lessons. But she is probably the most skilled at it. As evident by her constantly floating and talking through telepathy. You'll need to be ready for anything."

Sally: "I get it. And I understand. But I have just one question… You and Sonic… Do you unconsciously use Chaos energy? Like naturally?"

Aleena raised an eyebrow for a moment before it clicked what exactly Sally was asking. She then laughed as she found the question funny in a way.

Aleena: "Sorry. The question caught me off guard, that's all. I cannot speak on Sonic's behalf personally, but my Mystic Melody does come from my soul - essentially using my own life force to conjure musical magic. The most I've used it for is to create barriers, but there are other utilities that I've rarely, but have, used them for."

Sally: "I see… I doubt Sonic would know anything about Chaos energy though, given how he is…"

Aleena: "Unless a subject interests him, he's likely to fall asleep. Ugh…"

The two laugh a bit at Sonic's expense before calming down. A moment of pause comes as Aleena looks up to the ceiling above them, sighing.

Aleena: "I should have more faith in my son being alive. But the thought of losing him is just…"

Sally: "It's a scary thought, I know. I'm his girlfriend, so I know how you feel."

Aleena: "So then… How do you do it? How do you just… move forward?"

Sally: "...Because I think about what Sonic would do, or would want me to do. No matter how much it hurts, if he ever did die… I have to move my legs. And run forward."

Aleena goes quiet after Sally says that, staring at her companion with a look of utmost admiration. In the years she's known Sally, she never once recognized just how mature she truly was. This was the first time she's seeing it in its most glorious form. As the two spoke, another knock on the door, this time from a male echidna.

Echidna: "Princess Sally. You are needed at the training hall. Lady Luna says to come alone."

Sally: "Alright!"

Sally looks at Aleena, who gives Sally a smile before petting her hair.

Aleena: "Go out there and show them what kind of princess you are, Sally."

Sally: "Right."

Sally grabs her jacket and walks out of the room, leaving Aleena to sigh softly.

Aleena: "No news… is good news… Well, I suppose I should stop worrying… And start moving forward…"

Sally is escorted to the training hall by the male echidna, allowing her a moment to see more of the city. There were other echidnas around, some with families, some with jobs. But all looked very peaceful. Part of her felt bad that she was trying to force them to join a war that - in all honesty - shouldn't involve them, but she knew in her heart that making them aware of Eggman as a threat was better than letting them get blindsided and possibly decimated. She soon finds herself in front of the training hall, a large building, at least three times the size of a school gymnasium.

Echidna: "This is as far as I go. The Patriarch wants you and you alone, Princess. I wish you luck in your training."

The echidna bows respectfully, which Sally returns in kind before he dismisses himself. Sally opens the doors to the hall, seeing a brightly lit up, nearly empty interior, wide enough to contain all of the Kingdom of Acorn's army with space to fill. To her left and right were bleachers for crowds, folded in. The flat, marble-tiled floors shined a beautiful reflection of the lights and skylights above. In the center of the building was a lone figure, Lady Luna herself.

Sally: "Um… Hi, Lady Luna. It's awfully quiet in here. Almost creepily quiet, if I'm being honest."

Luna: "Forgive me, Sally. I made a sort of… last minute change of plans last night. I've had time to think… And while I aim to train you… I want to see your worth as well."

Sally: "M-My worth? In what way?"

Luna turns to Sally before walking up to her, speaking as she closes the distance.

Luna: "I trust you. I truly do. But my fears for my people remain strong. You are a princess… A warrior… A fighter… I want to see if those qualities…"

Luna stops only a few feet away from Sally, looking very serious now.

Luna: "...can protect my people and help them flourish."

Sally: "...So you want to fight me in other words? I can gather that based on the context clues."

Luna: "Do you accept then?"

Sally nods, getting into a hand-to-hand fighting stance, bouncing on her feet to show she was more than ready.

Luna: "Very well… On normal days, we usually use this building for sport. Fair, fun sports and cheers that often fill these empty halls with excitement. Today, though, is an exception. As Patriarch of Albion, it is my duty to act as the strength of my people… The pillar of our foundation… In the name of my ancestors…"

Luna grabs her robes before tossing them off. Underneath, Sally sees a different side to Luna. White tribal tattoos on the echidna Patriarch's body, some showing some kind of flow on her body, similar to waves. Wrapped around her chest were bandages, covering her breasts thoroughly. A loincloth with the symbol of the Knuckles Clan on the front hangs between her legs while more bandages cover her lower torso up to the upper legs. She did wear any shoes of any kind, allowing her feet to touch the ground freely. The Patriarch puts on a pair of gloves, similar to boxing gloves with spiked knuckles being the most notable feature. Once they were on, she slams her right foot on the ground as a crater forms under her, she unleashing her aura in a brilliant display of power. Sally could feel chills going down her spine as she covered her eyes from the display as well as the force which the power was letting out.

Luna: "I will use everything in my power! Do not hold back, Sally! Come at me, as if you intend to end me!"

Sally got back into her fighting pose, but her confidence wavered badly. This power on display… Could she even beat it, even if she controlled her own Chaos energy? There was only one way to find out… The gong sounded, the battle began.

To be continued…