| abstract | - At Castle Acorn's royal infirmary, Sonic receives a checkup from Doctor Quack, who asks about the implant in his ear. Quack tells Sonic that the device has bonded with his nervous system, but it doesn't seem to be a threat and removing it would probably be far more dangerous than letting it stay. He gives Sonic a sling for his arm and some herbal salve to help him treat the burn Mecha's lasers gave him. Sonic is overwhelmed by all that's changed and asks Quack about what happened to him since they last saw each other. Assuming Sonic meant his eyepatch, Quack explains that he stepped on a land mine while on the front lines. As Sonic exits the infirmary, Sally and his family greet him warmly. Queen Alicia enters, explaining that King Max is debriefing everyone who helped thwart Operation: Triple Threat and everyone else is preparing for Sonic's homecoming celebration. Sonic and Sally share a kiss before going their separate ways for the rest of the day. The Hedgehog family steps outside the castle and begin to chat when they are surrounded by the paparazzi. They eventually make their way home, and Sonic drifts to sleep. Sonic is woken up by Muttski, who welcomes him home. Sonic panics, running downstairs to ask his parents how their dog is able to talk when he realizes that his translator implant is the cause of Muttski's "speech". He tells his family that, while in space, he met the Bem scientist who deroboticized the Robians of Mobius: Ceneca-9009. (STH: 123) Sonic explains that when he busted her out of prison, (STH: 129) she told him that his father, Jules, remained roboticized because the deroboticization process would have restored the fatal wounds he had been subject to before roboticization, killing him. Sonic finds Tails at King Fredrick airbase and asks what he's been up to. They make some small talk when Tails starts to ask about Sonic's time in space. Sonic reveals to Tails that his parents are alive on Argentium. He hands over the package from Tails' parents, which contains a holo-message of Amadeus and Rosemary telling Tails that they will always love him. Sonic arrives at Green Hill Park, where Mina and her band, the Knothole Knuts, are performing. After Mina's band wraps up their show, King Max announces that he and Queen Alicia will be touring the planet and Sally will serve as acting ruler in the interim. Sonic happily greets Mina, who talks about her time spent singing to rally the troops and introduces her boyfriend, Ash. Alicia asks Max if it's actually okay to leave Sally to rule, seeing how hysterical she became when Sonic was hurt just hours ago. Max responds by telling his wife that he trusts Sally. Sally is about to talk to Sonic about something when a large group of their friends interrupt, wanting to mingle. While hanging out with his friends, Sonic asks Knuckles why the Chaotix are in Knothole. Knuckles tells him that Eggman captured Angel Island and they've been stuck guarding Knothole ever since. While Knuckles tries to articulate his feelings, Sonic notices Tails doting over Fiona. He worries that Tails might end up falling for her and end up heartbroken, like when he fell for her robot double, when Rotor appears with his new invention that shoots custom fireworks. He fires it off, creating an image of Sonic and Sally embracing high in the sky. Sonic congratulates Geoffrey St. John and Hershey on their marriage and, reflecting on how beautiful love is, asks [Bunnie]] what happened between her and Antoine. Bunnie just supposes the war must have changed him and they didn't feel the same about each other anymore. At the same time, King Max elects Antoine to join them on their tour as the commander of their elite guard. After posing for a picture, Sally asks Sonic to share the responsibility of ruling the kingdom with her while her parents are away. Sonic is confused, and Sally reminds Sonic that he's her consort. Sonic argues that he needs to fight Eggman, but Sally argues back that there are plenty of soldiers already and pleads for him to stop risking his life. Sonic refuses, and in the heat of the moment Sally slaps Sonic. Sonic and Sally angrily shout at each other over their differences. Sally asks if defeating Eggman is more important to Sonic than her, but Sonic doesn't answer. Bawling, Sally tells Sonic that Eggman can have him and runs away.
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