Last time on Sonic the Hedgehog, after breaking out the Great White Pirates, Tails led them back to their ship to ensure their safety. Once they were on their way to hide until the coast was clear, he and Rotor prepared themselves to deal with the brine problem, finding out that it was among one of Eggman's plans for world domination. After defeating the Brine-topus, the do now rest as their teammates deal with Meropis itself…

Years ago, within Meropis' Eusebes Temple, a private concert, attended by the royal family of Queen Angelica and King Puff, captain of the royal guard Borea and her own daughter, Titania, along with an assortment of soldiers and servents, was conducted between a younger Undina and a Mobian betta fish. As the singing came to a close, the people attended gave a wonderful round of applause to the duo, with both performers bowing. Then Queen Angelica stood and spoke up, with her tone sounding more gentle and lively than her present counterpart.

Angelica: "An excellent performance to you both. Your voices carry with it a great hope for Meropis' future. Especially yours, Undina."

Undina: "Thank you, your majesty."

Angelica: "However, despite how you both performed, I must ultimately give the title of Priestess to Coral. Her singing carried meaning and weight. Heart and soul. Elements which will protect our fair city in times of despair. To bring hope to her people."

Titania was shocked by this ruling, not expecting the queen to vote against her daughter. She the turned to her mother.

Titania: "But… Mom… Undina sung her heart out. She should be priestess."

Borea: "I understand your frustrations, Tani. But does Princess Undina see it that way?"

Titania looked back at the stage, with Undina congratulating Coral on her becoming priestess. Not a hint of jealousy or anger; just honesty and genuine happiness. Borea then placed her hand on her daughter's hand.

Borea: "You might not understand now, but one day you will. Sometimes you won't win everything. You might not even get everything you want. But it's better to smile and look it like this… They deserved it more than you did. You are privileged, while they are not. Undina doesn't make a fuss about it because she knows her position… Her role… in our city. And with Coral being given her status as priestess, she now has her own role to fill. What will your role be, I wonder?"

Titania looked up at her mother, who smiled a big toothy smile at the smaller shark.

As Undina sees off Coral to receive training for her new role by other former priestesses, she stops to find Titania in the halls, seeing off her mother as she went back to work. When the shark turns, she finds Undina staring at her.

Undina: "Excuse me. Was that Captain Borea just now?"

Titania: "Y-Yeah…?"

Undina: "...? Is something the matter?"

Titania: "I… I'm sorry… I need to go…"

Titania then ran off, seemingly shy around Undina. The hybrid fish was left quite confused. But rather than worry about such things, she moves to return home.

Outside the temple grounds, Titania was bashing her skull against a concrete wall, actively cursing herself out for having a chance to speak with the princess and blowing it.

Titania: "Stupid… Guppy… Spineless… Trash! She asked you a simple question… Why'd you just freeze up!? Are you a freakin' sardine or a shark!? Ugh!"

Titania smashed her head in one last time, actually getting lightheaded from it as she lost her footing. With a defeated sigh, she turns to go home. But as she walked, she hears what sounds like fighting. She looked around to find Undina facing off with a trio of thugs, who looked to be part of some gang. One thug, a Mobian spider crab, grabbed her from behind as two others, a pistol shrimp and lionfish, started to creep up.

Pistol Shrimp: "Looks like we bagged us a good one, boys. Her momma's gonna pay big bucks to get her precious baby back."

Undina: "Get off me, you hooligans! My mother is paying you squat and you'll be thrown in the dungeons for this outrage!"

Spider Crab: "Big talk comin' from a pipsqueak like you!"

Lionfish: "Maybe a bit of poison will shut her up."

Undina's eyes widen as she sees the sharp spines of the lionfish inch closer. But as she was about to be injected, a trash can is tossed at the lionfish, knocking him off his feet, surprising the other two.

Spider Crab: "Wha!?"

Pistol Shrimp: "Who the heck!?"

Titania stood from a distance, grabbing a nearby loose pipe and tapping it with her palm. The two thugs were quite annoyed at the sudden interruption, though Undina stared at the lone shark. A fight broke out as the pistol shrimp sped at the Titania and punched her in the gut. Despite how hard it was, the shark retaliated by smacking her only weapon against his head, then slamming both her fists into his chest, pushing him back. But as the pistol shrimp was knocked down, the lionfish swam up and injected Titania with his toxins into her right arm. She growled before grabbing these spines and breaking them off, then kicking the lionfish forward onto his buddy. The spider crab's grip did loosen as Undina got her arms free and gave a rather precise palm strike to the crab's chin, knocking him onto his back as she got out of his grip. Titania then grabbed Undina and ran as she took her away from the thugs… Once they were safe, Titania finally collapsed as the poison got further into her body.

Undina: "You! Please! Hold on! I will get help… Please…"

Titania's eyes blurred as the poison became too much, only seeing Undina's worried expression as she finally fainted. But then… some time had passed… Titania began to hear singing. A beautiful song… When she woke up, she saw Undina over her, singing a song while a beautiful aura enveloped her and the shark together. The poison Titania felt earlier… was disappearing… She was being healed…

Titania: "You… You saved me…?"

Undina: "O-Oh! You're awake. Yes… I didn't want to leave you dying so… I tried to use my Song of Healing to try and remove the poison… I didn't know if it would work, but… It seems to have…"

Titania: "...P-Princess… Th-Thank you…"

Undina: "Nay. I should be thanking you, my hero. You saved my life."

Titania moved to sit up, staring shyly at the princess, blushing heavy enough to make her white skin become a bright shade of pink.

Undina: "May I have the name of my hero?"

Titania: "I… I'm Titania… And I want to… be your protector… To be Meropis' protector…"

Undina: "Titania… I shall etch this name into my heart. I thank you… My protector."

Undina smiled a genuine smile as she stood up, helping Titania to her feet as well, before bowing and leaving to the castle, taking a safer route instead. Titania stared on, looking at her hand before balling it into a fist…

In the present day, just outside the lab she was almost brainwashed in, Titania is balling that same fist as she looked at Sonic with determination.

Titania: "I owe Undina a lot since that day. She gave me a second chance at life and a reason to keep fighting. Even if Meropis sees me an enemy, I intend to defend my home. Even if I have to go against the queen, I will make her see sense! This isn't your fight, Sonic… And I'd rather it not be."

Sonic stared at Titania, very quiet as he listened to her tale. He wasn't quite sure what to say; her words spoke with genuine passion and care toward her home. But should he let her go on her own? After a moment, he finally spoke up.

Sonic: "Well… If you try to enter the royal family's throne room, you know those soldiers will be hunting you down. You're going to need someone to slow them down."

Titania: "...Ten minutes then. That's all I need."

Sonic: "Then it's ten minutes I can give."

Titania nods, then smiles at Sonic.

Titania: "Thank you, Sonic. Thank you for understanding."

Sonic: "It's not that I truly understand. I just get what it means to prove yourself a hero."

Regardless, Titania accepts this answer before getting ready to charge ahead. Once they were ready, they dashed off to the exit of the lab sector, smashing through the emergency lockdown door and scattering the soldiers on the other side before making their way to the center part of the castle. Once there, they split off, Sonic going to give Titania the time she needs to face Angelica, while Titania was heading straight to the throne room.

Titania smashed through the various soldiers that got in her way towards the throne room, stealing away their spears to use against others or outright breaking them so they couldn't be used. She eventually reached the final hall leading to the throne room - a clear shot to the end. But then a blast from a bident stops her as a figure jumps out of hiding. It was Echo the Dolphin, wielding her bident and aiming it at Titania.

Echo: "Stand down, pirate. Any further and I will have no choice but to cut you down."

Titania: "Can't say I'm surprised to see you, Echo. You are just as close to the royal family, if not closer. Which is why I'll throw the line back at you: Stand down."

Echo: "Titania… Why? Why did you and Captain Borea leave? Why did you abandon Meropis?"

Titania: "Is that what you see it as? Abandonment?"

Echo: "...Just answer me… Why did Borea leave me!?"

Echo was on the verge of tears as she struggled to keep her bident straight at Titania. The pirate captain could understand now as her face softened.

Titania: "Mom… never wanted to leave. But something in the queen… changed… Rather than the genuinely kind - if at times, strict - queen that many of us saw her as… She became colder. Distant. Like she had become a different person… Mom didn't want to follow a queen who wouldn't even lift a fin to help other nations who needed it most. But regardless of that, she stuck close to her home, always wanting to keep it safe… Even to her dying breath… When she died… She asked me to protect her most precious thing… Meropis."

Echo started to cry as she dropped her bident, then to her knees. Titania walked up to her, silently embracing her. Though reluctant, Echo returned the affection.

Echo: "T-Tani… W-Welcome home…"

Titania smiled, patting her friend on the back. But then she saw something coming at them, causing Titania to make a split second reaction, throwing Echo to the side as she takes a bident slash to her face, spilling blood onto the walls and floor. Echo's eyes widen as her helmet falls off from being thrown aside. The one that attacked… was Captain Striker.

Echo: "C-Captain…!?"

Striker: "Heh. Lost your resolve, huh, Echo? I figured you didn't have it in you to take care of this pirate."

Echo: "But she is no pirate! She's one of us!"

Striker: "One of us!? Pirates took my eye! My entire life! She became what we all hate most!"

Echo: "You're generalizing! Pirates can be bad… But not all of them are! Titania is one of those good ones!"

Striker kicks Echo in the face before walking over and stomping on her chest, holding his bident at her throat.

Striker: "You miss Borea, eh? Hehehe… What a sorry excuse for a captain. She loved her home… Where is she then? Where is that traitor!?"

Titania: "Don't ever call my mom… A traitor!"

Striker jumps away from Echo as a slash from a bident forces him off. He lands to see Titania with a deep red gash across her face from where he slashed her. Echo looked up at her, moving away slowly - and painfully - as to give Titania room.

Titania: "Still jealous of my mom after all these years, Striker? And here I expected you to be the bigger man, not some brat who didn't get the last of their favorite candy."

Striker: "Silence, pirate! I am the one keeping our city clean! I will be the one to see piracy be a forgotten concept! And by our queen's rule, I will see the Kingdom of Snow and the the Kingdom of Acorn sank for their actions this day!"

Titania: "Leave them out of this. This is between only those who are from Meropis and no one else."

Striker: "Too late for that! Once the queen is ready, we will launch a full scale attack upon both kingdoms and watch as their cities burn! And then-"

Striker is punched in the face, sending him flying towards the nearest wall and slamming into it with enough force to crack it. He gets up slowly, rubbing his face.

Titania: "You are unfit to be a captain. You never cared for Meropis; you only cared for power. A selfish little guppy."

Striker's anger reached a boiling point as he ran at Titania and slashed at her with his bident, but she dodges and jumps onto, breaking it on impact before slashing her own bident at him. He catches it with his claw and immediately throws Titania to the other end of the room. As Titania recovers, she sees the mantis shrimp jump, ready to slam his claw onto her. The shark jumps back to avoid the claw, but she is then shot by a laser blast from the claw when Striker recovers from his miss. Echo watches as Titania drops the bident, the force sending it back to Echo. She slowly reaches for it and picks it up as Titania and Striker continue their fight.

Echo's Thoughts: "What do I do? If I help Striker, I would be betraying Borea. She was there when I needed her… She was like a second mom to me… But if I help Titania… I would be incurring the queen's wrath…"

As Echo was mentally battling her conflicting thoughts, she sees Striker punch Titania in the gut before grab her by the neck to pin her to the ground. Sitting on her, he starts to punch her face, each punch causing Echo to reel back.

Striker: "So much for you, Titania. When you see your mom, tell her… just how you died to the better captain!"

Striker aims his claw at Titania's face, but the shark just looked at him defiantly. As he was ready to skewer her… A slash… Then his look of horror as he saw his claw arm slowly fall to the floor, no longer attached to him. He then saw Echo, who had done the deed, a look of defiance only matched by Titania's own.

Echo: "You are no captain! You are a weak imitation!"

Striker: "Y-You…!"

In that moment of weakness, Titania grabs Striker by his face and throws him off of her. Then before he could stand up, she jumps… and lands squarely on his spinal cord. He heard cracks… Lots of cracks as his pained expression was plastered onto his face… He goes limp, his eyes shutting as Titania gets off, walking over to Echo, who looked at Striker with anything but disgust.

Titania: "Are you okay?"

Echo: "I'm… just a little sickened… Years I've spent under his leadership… And only now do I see his true colors… Tani… I'm so sorry…"

Titania: "Don't worry about it… Besides, I didn't really kill him… I stomped his back hard enough to sever his lower nerves. I broke his spine enough to make it so he wouldn't ever walk again."

Echo: "I… I don't advocate murder, but…"

Titania: "Hell's too soft for a guy like him."

Titania looks to the door leading into the throne room. Then at Echo.

Titania: "Go to Sonic. Tell him I sent you his way. In the event the next show doesn't go how I hope it will, it's better you are far away from danger over this. And keep Undina safe for me… Okay?"

Echo watches as Titania walks away, then, for a brief moment, sees the shark and Borea together, as if they were the same person.

Titania/Borea: "Any questions?"

Echo: "N… N… No! No questions, captain, ma'am!"

Echo stands up straight, saluting Titania before rushing out the other door. Titania smiles as she slowly… opens the door to the throne room…

To be continued…