Elias Acorn

King Elias Acorn of Mobius (formerly Prince Elias Acorn) (Codename: King) is a fictional character in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series published by Archie Comics. Elias is the son of Maximillian Acorn and Alicia Acorn, husband of Megan Acorn, father of Alexis, and is the brother of Sally Acorn. Elias is a male, anthropomorphic squirrel.

Elias' outfit always includes a blue shirt, with a variety of capes in different colors. His footwear consists of a pair of metallic boots, and unlike most other male characters he does not wear gloves of any kind. Elias is also often shown wearing some kind of gold on his wardrobe. His weapon of choice is a pair of katan-like blades, with the points running parallel to the grip rather than perpendicular.

Childhood
Still a toddler when his younger sister Sally was born, Elias accompanied his mother Queen Alicia on a voyage intended to see them to safety from the threat of the Overlanders during the Great War, escaping just ahead of the invasion of Mobotropolis . During the trip, their aircraft was attacked, and upon losing communication with them King Max thought his wife and son dead, and thus began grooming the infant Sally to take over the throne one day instead. In truth, Elias and his mother-along with two of their attendants, Colonel George Sommersby and his wife-survived, crash landing on Angel Island. Found by the Brotherhood of Guardians, they were taken to the safety of Haven, the Brotherhood's secret facility. For most of his early years, Elias was raised by the Brotherhood, and continued to call Haven home as he journeyed around Angel Island. He would later meet the Colonel and his wife Martha Sommersby in residence at the Kingdom of Acorn's royal compound on the island. They continued to raise the young prince, who developed a sense of adventure as he explored the island.

Rediscovered and Heading Home
With Robotnik Prime defeated, King Max became determined to learn the truth of what had happened to his wife and son. To that end, he dispatched Geoffrey St. John- son of Ian St. John who had died protecting Elias and his mother on their voyage-and his newly reformed Royal Secret Service  to Angel Island. Elias soon encountered the group after they arrived at the Royal Compound during a blizzard caused the most recent Days of Fury, though Geoffrey was dubious to his claims even with support from Colonel Sommersby and the homing rod's royal seal. Elias decided then to have them meet with the Brotherhood to get all the answers they needed. Enroute they were caught up in a flash flood, but were rescued by the timely arrival of Locke and Lara-Le who tracked the homing rod's signal. Arriving in Haven, Elias was left as their guide while the echidnas went to deal with an emergency and they soon encountered Knuckles after his fight with Moritori Rex (who had posed as the Guardian Tobor for years). Upon locating the Queen who was still suspeneded in stasis, Elias accompanied them home with his mother and made his triumphant return on the same day as Sonic's birthday after secretly arriving in Mobotropolis two days earlier.

Getting to know his sister Sally for the first time, Elias quickly formed a deep bond with her, often turning to her for advice. This was especially true after Max decided that his son would be trained to assume the throne as was tradition, which seemed inevitable after Sally refused to merge with the Source of All in the time-honored royal rite of passage. Inexperienced and desperate for help, Elias turned to Geoffrey St. John for advice. Unfortunately, Geoffrey's rather biased decisions against the Freedom Fighters- coupled with a number of near catastrophes brought on by Elias' hesitant rule during a coma of Max's own and only averted by Sonic the Hedgehog  and the Freedom Fighters-left Elias feeling unworthy, and in shame he fled Knothole to start a new life elsewhere.

Marriage and Taking the Throne
Settling in Feral Forest, Elias met and married a widow named Megan, and would become the only father her daughter Alexis Acorn would ever know. His self-imposed exile lasted for some time, until he was finally tracked down, not only by his old acquaintance Geoffrey and his partner Hershey Cat, but also by an army of robots dispatched by Dr. Eggman. Fortunately, Elias and his wife were saved by the timely actions of the Freedom Fighters, and he was at last reconciled with his family after running away from them. Elias chose to remain absent from royal affairs, feeling himself below the responsibility of ruling. Additionally, his daughter Alexis was ineligible as his heir, given that Elias was not her biological father.

When Sonic came to him over a year later, begging for his help after Sally was married by the scheming Patch,  a villain from Anti-Mobius with designs on the throne, Elias returned to claim his birthright. Patch, unwilling to suffer defeat, attempted to poison the new king, only to be stopped and exposed by Sonic. Assuming his title, King Elias then annulled Sally's marriage to the evil version of Antoine D'Coolette.

A King's Actions
Unfortunately, in taking over for his yet again incapacitated father Max, Elias found himself inheriting a number of problems: namely, a horde of Metal Sonic Troopers built to replace Sonic during the year in which he was thought dead, all of which went on a rampage through Knothole. Weathering this crisis, Elias took part in Sonic's first birthday following his return, the celebration taking place at a refurbished Freedom HQ.

After that event was broken up by Eggman and other disturbances, Elias joined in a battle for the Source of All as the villains Mammoth Mogul and Ixis Naugus  attempted to lay claim to it. Despite fighting bravely, Elias proved unable to contribute much, failing even to cleanse the Crown of Acorns from Mogul's tainted magic.

Elias' first known pleasant duty as king came with the wedding of Bunnie Rabbot  and Antoine D'Coolette, which he presided over and performed in his role as king. After this, sadly, another blow struck Elias' already shaky confidence: the destruction of Knothole by Eggman and the capture of almost all its inhabitants. Elias and the others were imprisoned in the Egg Grape Chamber, where Eggman proceeded to mock Elias' ability to lead and the Acorn monarchy. Before he could use the Egg Grape Chambers however, the Mobians were rescued by Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Tails, and Nicole, and took up residence in the city of New Mobotropolis,  Elias remaining determined to carry on in his duties.

Opposition came from an unexpected source: Amadeus Prower, former general of the Kingdom of Acorn and father of Miles "Tails" Prower, one of the Freedom Fighters. Having seen how badly the House of Acorn  had performed in their duties over the past three generations, Amadeus and his wife, Rosemary Prower, decided that it was time for Elias to step down and a new government to be instated. Elias had Amadeus arrested, but after confronting him in prison was left with more doubts than ever. Max, recovered from his poisoning at the hands of Patch and still expecting Elias to hold rigidly to his own ideals, didn't make things any easier for his son. Not considering any other options, Elias decided that he had to fight for the monarchy his family and friends had given so much for, and deliberately allowed Amadeus to reach him after the Fox escaped from prison with Tails' help. The two dueled briefly until Sally intervened, convincing her brother and the general that there were peaceful solutions to be found to the satisfaction of both parties. Agreeing, Elias and Amadeus drew up the plans for the Council of Acorn  a new ruling body that would include seven members-the current monarch and six elected representatives-who would be in charge of the governing process. Elias lost some power to the people, but the Kingdom retained its traditional monarchy. The only person who seemed to disagree with this solution was his own father Max, who refused to speak to his son immediately afterwards. Elias' mother Alicia, however, encouraged him to carry on, hoping that Max will eventually wise up to the idea.

The new Council, composed of Elias, Rosemary, Uncle Chuck, Rotor the Walrus and members of the Substitute Freedom Fighters, would soon be put to the test by the emergence of a new Enerjak  a seemingly omnipotent villain created by the mad scientist Dr. Finitevus by brainwashing Knuckles and infusing him with the energies of the Master Emerald of Angel Island. Despite recognizing that Enerjak posed a threat, the Council refused to act until more information could be gathered, though they did give Sally command of the Freedom Fighters. Unfortunately, their inaction may have left New Mobotropolis vulnerable as Enerjak, virtually unopposed on Angel Island, arrived and easily defeated the defenders.

The Enerjak crisis was soon dealt with by the combined efforts of Super Sonic, Julie-Su, Locke, and Archimedes. Weeks later however it was replaced by another conflict as Scourge the Hedgehog,  another villain from Anti-Mobius, arrived with his Suppression Squad  to take over Freedom HQ. While Elias felt strongly that Freedom HQ should be reclaimed, the majority of the Council believed that pressing the conflict against a weakened Eggman Empire was more important. When Sonic defied this order, Sally took responsibility, and Elias took part in the disciplinary hearing held against her. Thanks to her inspiring words, however, the majority of the Council voted to drop all charges against her. Later, he would be among the first to receive word of the Iron Dominion's takeover of the Empire, and quickly moved to assemble the Council to deliberate a course of action. The entire group was then treated to a report from Sonic concerning the status of the city, and the apparent betrayal of Espio the Chameleon of the Chaotix.

When the city was invaded and occupied by the Dominion, Elias was one of a handful of refugees who escaped through a Warp Ring to Angel Island. He worked closely with Knuckles, who insisted that Elias call him by his name rather than address him as the Guardian, which Elias agreed to if Knuckles would return the favor. With Knuckles' help, the refugees were established in the abandoned Echidna village, though Knuckles declined to inform Elias as to the former owners of their temporary dwellings.

The End of a Reign
Following the Iron Dominion's defeat, Elias faced some new problems: Geoffrey St. John, who once served the Acorn family loyally, betrayed the republic during a mission to recover a Chaos Emerald and took it for the purpose of restoring a less-than-lucid Ixis Naugus back to sanity, and Naugus himself, who appeared before him and the Council of Acorn to state his right to the crown due to a deal made by his father while he was imprisoned in the Zone of Silence. Elias angrily refused, saying he inherited the crown from his father when he was unable to rule and did not intend to turn it over to the being who caused much of his father's suffering. These arguments were interrupted by Sonic, who faced Naugus in a battle with Elias himself giving Sonic an "edge" against the wizard.

During the fight, Naugus gained the upper hand against Sonic, which motivated Elias to take up the Sword of Light and duel the wizard himself, where he managed to hold his own for a bit before being subdued. However, Naugus stopped the fight, and gently asked Elias to step down and retake his life before the crown. While the other councilors and Sonic argued about the next course of action (due in part to Naugus' magic), Elias asked Naugus if he would honor the Council of Acorn should he step down, which Naugus affirmed that he would respect the people's wishes. However, Sonic interrupted them again with the intention to finish the battle with Naugus, only for Elias to stop him and tell him that he wanted to end the conflict peacefully and work it out later, much to Sonic's disbelief. Before Elias could reprimand him further, the ground began to shake, and looking outside, he witnessed the rise of the new Death Egg along with the rest of the council.

After the Death Egg retreated thanks to Sonic and Sally, Naugus approached Elias and requested he relinquish the crown to him, but was interrupted by Sonic who desperately tried to tell the people that the wizard was a villain. After learning of Sally's recent Robotization, Elias was sent into emotional turmoil, which Naugus capitalized on by using it as an example that Elias was not fit to rule. In the moment of shock and confusion, Geoffrey snatched the crown from Elias' head and placed it on Naugus. This change of power was instantly accepted by the people, since Naugus had proved he could control Nicole's nanites and stand up against Eggman. Elias' authority as a council member was also put into question soon after when the citizens met him with skepticism as the Battle Bird Armada attacked the city the following day. Despite this, he managed to retain some authority over the Royal Guard as they kept Geoffrey cuffed for trial during the evacuation. While Elias turned his attention to rebuilding after the attack, he found that Councilor Rotor shared his concerns about the public's lack of discretion towards their choice in leadership.

With the change of command being completely accepted by the people though, Elias decided that the city was no longer safe for his family; however, he could not convince his distraught parents to move to Feral Forest. At a loss, and feeling that his family would be in danger no matter what, Elias then went out to seek the aid of Harvey Who in reclaiming his title. Harvey at first refused to have anything to do with him, but after a terse exchange over the Acorn family's shortcomings and Naugus, Elias managed to prove himself worthy of the former Secret Service director's loyalty. Elias was then advised to continue his plans to move out, while Harvey in the meantime, would assemble a covert team of Freedom Fighters to aid him in his return.

With a large public send-off and the Freedom Fighters accompanying as protection, Elias, Meg and Alexis departed for Feral Forest. However, hoping to be rid of Elias for good, Naugus secretly informed Dr. Eggman of the departure; therefore, while en route to Feral Forest, the group came under attack from the Death Egg. Elias was shocked to see his sister among the attack party, not only roboticized but weaponized as well; still, he continued driving. Metal Sonic attempted to land a direct attack on the Mobo-Cruiser, which was used as transport for Elias and his family, only for Antoine D'Coolette to intercept the robot. Horrified, Elias watched as Antoine was caught in an explosion as the robot detonated, having been its intended target. Eggman's forces, thinking they had killed a member of the Freedom Fighters, were called back; Sonic insisted that Elias keep driving, not wanting to have wasted Antoine's sacrifice. Distraught, Elias and his family safely made their way to Feral Forest.

Agent King
With Dr. Eggman's plans in Soumerca damaged by Team Fighters, he planned to lead the Death Egg towards Feral Forest so that he could send Mecha Sally  to kill her own brother. As the invasion force reached Feral Forest, Elias was already prepared to fight. As he was saying goodbye to Meg, however, he was approached by Leeta and Larry, who had arrived to extract him. Elias refused at first, until he was convinced by Leeta and Colonel Sommersby, who stayed to cover for Elias. Tails spotted them as they were leaving, but Elias managed to convince the little fox to forget that he saw them, insisting that it would be for the greater good. Tails obeyed and covered them as they left for New Mobotropolis; when Tails and Sommersby later told Sonic that Elias could not see them, the hedgehog was more than a little annoyed. As for Elias himself, he headed back towards the city with Leeta and Larry, only to see that Eggman was already on route to attack New Mobotropolis.

Larry and Leeta used Eggman's invasion as a distraction to sneak themselves and Elias into the city towards one of the hidden networks to Secret HQ, a hideout first created by Nicole during the Iron Dominion's occupation. Following them down a tree trunk, Elias was greeted by Harvey, who introduced his new team, the Secret Freedom Fighters, to him: Leeta, Lyco, Larry Lynx, Shard, and Silver the Hedgehog. Elias, however, did not take kindly to the roster at first, believing that they had no vested interest in the republic, aside from Larry; as he would later admit, none of them would have been his choice at all. Harvey, however, explained to that they had come to stop the evil before it spread any further and asked Elias if, like them, he was willing to fight a fight that nobody else could or would. Ultimately, Elias conceded lead his team into battle. Although Team Freedom did their job as well, it was the Secret Freedom Fighters who truly ensured a victory for the heroes, swiftly wiping out large portions of the invasion force without being noticed by anyone. For his part, Elias, now given the callsign "King", shot Metal Tails in the back with a crossbow pistol, allowing Rotor to destroy the robot. Now that he had seen what his teammates were really capable of, and changed the course of the battle for the better even when Sonic was not present, Elias apologized to them for his outburst earlier and stated his pride at being among them.

Eventually, Harvey split the team up into two squads for a two-pronged mission: Agent Ace (Silver) would lead a squad tracking Geoffrey St. John, while Agent King (Elias) would lead a team to investigate Naugus's activities. Paired with Leeta and Lyco, Elias led his half of the SFF's to the Pit in New Mobotropolis in pursuit of Naugus. As Leeta and Lyco, after noticing Naugus trying to silence his inner demons, wondered who he was talking to, Elias told them to stop the gossip whilst setting an explosive for their exit. This irked the wolf twins, who chastised Elias, and, considering him blind to their value to the team, left him alone.

As he continued to set the explosive, Elias remembered how he had been unable to handle matters in the past, leading him to realize that he should stop picking fights with his own team and follow his own advice. As he headed off into the caverns, intent on apologizing to Leeta and Lyco, he heard a scream and saw fire shoot through the tunnel. After barely avoiding the flames and moving through the constantly changing tunnels, he met back up with Leeta and Lyco and comforted them with the knowledge that he marked his path...which then disappeared. Elias then ordered them to split up through the three branching paths and to trail back if they hit a dead end. Panting as he ran down his tunnel, Elias hid behind a stalagmite and saw Naugus in his new, monsterous form. He followed Naugus, who was being confronted by Leeta and Lyco, and threw a flash-bang grenade. With Naugus temporarily stunned, the trio rushed for the exit, with Elias leading the way, considering them "home free". However, large crystals then appeared throughout the tunnel; humorously, this (along with his earlier mention of a "dead end") prompted Leeta to call Elias a bigger jinx than Joker (Larry). He triggered the explosive and they all flew out of the tunnel into the pit with their wing suits. Naugus, however, was right on their tails and created a whirlwind that sent them falling to the bottom of the pit. They survived the fall, but were unable to get out of the Pit, much less without being seen by Naugus.

Later, Silver, Larry, and Shard returned from Soumerca after failing to catch Geoffrey, whereupon Harvey subsequently sent them to the Pit to find Elias and his squad. Elias, relieved to see the other half of his team, stopped Leeta and Lyco (who initially mistook them for enemies) from attacking them.

Reunited, the Secret Freedom Fighters went on to discuss matters at hand, with Elias explaining about Naugus's grotesque new appearance and the ritual room underneath the Royal Military Headquarters that Leeta and Lyco had found. With Silver and Larry's discussion of Ixis Vale's remains and a spell, Elias theorized that Naugus was planning on attacking the Council of Acorn or the Military, which would enable Naugus to take full control of New Mobotropolis. With that, Elias drew the conclusion that they needed an informant and declared they needed to take down, capture, and interrogate Geoffrey, unaware that the skunk was, in fact, listening to them and had guessed that Harvey Who was the mastermind behind the SFF's creation. To everyone's surprise (including Geoffrey's), Silver proposed simply approaching Geoffrey directly and asking him for information. Elias, of course, was against the idea based on Geoffrey's past actions against him and his family, and when Silver insisted he could appeal to Geoffrey's better senses, Elias broke out shouting, claiming "better senses" were something the skunk did not have. Lyco quickly calmed him, however, saying he was letting it get "personal". Once Silver stated his claim, Elias reluctantly agreed that they will ask Geoffrey first, though he added the team would move in if their quarry resisted.

Ultimately, Silver's plan worked, and Geoffrey revealed Naugus' scheme to cast a mighty spell on the Council of Acorn that night. As Geoffrey walked away following the conversation, Elias came out from his hiding spot in a tree and told his team to stand down. Back at Secret HQ, Elias spoke with Harvey about needing a low profile "Plan B" when going after Naugus. Tiredly, he wished that they could just tell the people about was happening, but of course, Harvey reminded him that secrecy was of the essence, as Naugus would cover his tracks and place blame on others. He then advised Elias to rest before he and his team went into action again. A couple of hours later, the Secret Freedom Fighters strapped up in their gear and headed out, with Elias leading them, saying "We'll stop Naugus, save the city, or DIE TRYING!!" .

While Larry slowed down the Council of Acorn, Elias and his team attacked Naugus' chamber, Elias taking the responsibility of planting explosives provided by Director Who on the walls. He was then forced to engage Geoffrey as the Ixian apprentice broke away from his battle with Leeta and Lyco, firing a warning shot that struck the wall just in front of Elias' head. The pair grappled, and Geoffrey pulled off Elias' mask, reminding the former king of how easily he had previously been influenced by the Skunk. Elias retorted that he had grown up, and was surprised as Geoffrey handed the mask back and agreed. After another brief battle that ended with Shard taking out the remains of Ixis Vale that Geoffrey had recovered, the team made their escape, detonating the explosives on their way out. After successfully returning to Secret HQ without detection, Elias paid a secret visit to his parents' home, looking in as his mother sat at the bedside of his ill father.

Personality
Having not been raised in preparation for ruling a kingdom, Elias was initially nervous and uncertain of himself. It was only with the help of his family and friends that he was able to gain a sense of self-assurance, which transformed him into a confident ruler.

Possessed of a strong moral sense near equal to his sister Sally's, Elias also has the misfortune of being born with his father's temper. This often gets him into trouble as he makes rash decisions without thinking, but he usually manages to straighten things out. Elias is also rather determined to please his father, and thus seeks any help he can get in trying to prove himself a worthy king to Max despite being told that he must rule as his own heart dictates. Doubting his ability to rule the way his people need him to, Elias is nevertheless stalwart in carrying out his duties.

Abilities
Elias is a skilled combatant with martial skills that, while not equaling the power of the Freedom Fighters or Chaotix, still allow him to hold his own in a fight. His weapons of choice are a pair of exotic daggers with different grips than would ordinarily be expected and points running parallel to the handles, which are effective even against the longer blade of a sword.

Trivia

 * In canceled storyline for issues following #134, Elias would have been depicted as continuing his life as a peasant, living in a place called Feral Forest with his wife Meg, their daughter Alexis, and his father-in-law. Elias also became a woodcutter, using an axe both to make a living and defend himself.