Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 121

Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 121 is the one hundred and twenty-first issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog (comic series).

"The Prince and the Resolution"
Feeling that their son, Elias, had been gone too long, King Max and Queen Alicia inform Sonic and Sally that while other agents have been sent to find the prince, they wish the two to assist in the matter. The agents in question, Geoffrey St. John and Hershey Cat, had trailed Elias to Feral Forest; however, they also discovered Dr. Eggman active in the area. Their plane was shot down and they were forced into a rough landing. A resident of the forest, Joss, was discussing his daughter Meg's pregnancy with a neighbor when they noticed a commotion; the word quickly spread that a plane had crashed in the vicinity. While Joss went to check it out, Meg decided to inform her husband, going into the backyard where Elias (whom she addressed as "Eli") was chopping wood.

Geoffrey addressed the people of Feral Forest, introducing himself and Hershey and warning the community about the advancing forces of Dr. Eggman. He implored them to stand up and fight for their land. While the crowd eagerly embraced this idea, Elias walked off disenchanted, commenting to himself that Geoffrey "always did have a knack for making bad ideas sound like good ones at the time." When Meg attempted to talk with him, he only said that he was tired of war and politics and only wished for a peaceful life, adding that the rest of the forest should desire the same. Meg thought to herself that his stance must stem from his past&mdash;of which he refused to speak. Not long after, while at home, Elias reflected on his decision to run away from his problems having finally caught up with him; Meg informs him that they have guests, bringing in the two agents. Both, shocked to find the prince, kneel before him. To Meg's confusion, Elias angrily began packing bags, saying that the two of them would be leaving. Geoffrey voiced his disapproval of the heir to the throne running away from his problems, and implored Elias to listen to him. With that, Elias lunged at the skunk, saying he was sick of taking orders from him. Then, an explosion sounded, distracting the group, and a number of E-105 robots burst through the wall, demanding surrender. Geoffrey asked Elias if he would prefer to take orders from Dr. Eggman instead.

Shortly afterward, Eggman gloated over his victory, enjoying the surprise bonus of not only capturing a member of the Acorn royal family but his wife and future child as well. His joy was short-lived as a number of his robots were quickly dispatched as Sonic and Sally appeared. However, Eggman remained confident as he still had a large number of robots, saying that Sonic and his friends were outnumbered. Geoffrey, concerned, admitted to this, but Sonic disagreed, his point proven as the people of Feral Forest rose up in protest. Sonic, Sally, Geoffrey, Hershey, Elias and the rest of the forest denizens made quick work of the remaining robots, eventually forcing Eggman to flee. Sally and Elias embraced, the latter apologizing for not saying goodbye when he left. Sally was happy for his marriage, but when she added that their parents would be excited to see their son again, Elias said he would not be returning to Knothole. He claimed that he was now accustomed to the simple life of a woodcutter and didn't want his future child to be forced into politics. Despite this, Meg invited the group to stay for dinner, to which Sonic accepted on the condition that chili-dogs be part of the menu.

"Afterlife"- Part 1
Mitre Kali-Ca performed funeral rites for Knuckles the Echidna, speaking of his lineage, work as Guardian, and sacrifice. Many were gathered and mournful; Constable Remington and Espio the Chameleon silently reflected on the loss while Julie-Su, Vector the Crocodile and Lara-Le were more outward in their anguish. However, another person simply found the situation weird; Knuckles didn't understand how he can supposedly be dead while watching his own funeral. He found himself surrounded by past Guardians, and Steppenwolf came forward to explain that members of the Brotherhood do not simply die but rather evolve to another plane of existence. Harlan added that their connection to the Chaos Force has bound them. Knuckles attempted to get Sabre's attention by waving a hand in front of his face, but Hawking explained that as they are on separate planes, Sabre can't see any of them; furthermore, he added that they on their current plane can't see those beyond themselves, such as those where the likes of Athair or the Ancient Walkers have ascended. Tobor added that they can only move to the final plane of existence when the heralds of Aurora call them forth. Knuckles found this all a bit much to take in, and wondered why his father was talking with Kali-Ca rather than being with the rest of his family. Janelle-Li explained that while Locke knew what was to be expected after a Guardian's death, it didn't make it any less painful to lose his son so young. As Kali-Ca intoned the final rites, Knuckles suddenly noticed a bright light; Steppenwolf said that it signaled the arrival of the heralds of Aurora. Moonwatcher eagerly told his father Steppenwolf that it was finally his time to join the Chaos Force; however, Harlan noticed that the chao-like heralds were gesturing to someone else. The heralds announced to Knuckles that the Chaos Force had chosen him. Kali-Ca ended her service with "May Aurora guide and protect you" and the Chaotix quietly left.

"Song Bird"
Mina Mongoose stood nervously on stage and willed herself to speak, introducing herself to the gathered crowd. She reflected that if she didn't like Sonic so much, she'd kill him for volunteering her into a concert performance. Among the crowd, Tails asked Sonic why he put Mina on the spot, adding that she looked uncomfortable, and Sonic replied that while Mina wasn't much of a Freedom Fighter, he was incredibly impressed with her singing. Mina noticed she hadn't said anything further and told herself to announce what she was going to sing before realizing she herself didn't know. Silently pleading for help, Sonic made eye-contact and gave her a thumbs-up. Reasoning that if Sonic believed in her she should as well, Mina resolved to not disappoint him and signaled for the band to start. As she sang, the crowd grew impressed and Mina overcame her shyness. Sonic pointed out to Tails that she was getting into the swing of things and that he'd made a good choice. Meanwhile, in the castle, Sally was working with Nicole when she suddenly noticed the sound of music. Going to the window, she voiced her enjoyment, saying she hadn't known Mina had such talent. She listened happily at the window while Nicole attempted to get her to return to work, the latter saying that by measuring decibel levels, she found the sound overrated, though she added that she lacked ears. Oblivious, Sally continued to watch as the crowd applauded Mina. The mongoose happily thanked the crowd while Sonic and Mina's mother Isabel showed pride at her talent. Mina jumped from the stage and ran into Sonic's arms, giddy at her success and saying it was all because of him. Seeing this, Sally was caught by surprise, and sullenly returned to Nicole, saying she was right; the sound was overrated and they should get back to work.

Trivia

 * This issue marks the first appearance of Meg Acorn (Elias' wife).
 * Tails' name is misspelled as "Myles" in this issue