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| - On the Floating Island, Sonic and Knuckles engage in battle, Sonic demanding that Knuckles hand over one of his Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles refuses, accusing Sonic of trying to make the island sink, though Sonic is quick to retort that Knuckles has a spare Chaos Emerald from the Power Ring Grotto, which he claims is royal property. Knuckles still refuses to hand it over, but Tails flies in to stop them, reminding them that their fight isn't helping King Acorn. Knuckles asks what they mean, thinking the king was still in the Zone of Silence. Sonic reveals that they rescued him, but his body began to turn to crystal. The Freedom Fighters, unable to cure the king with a Power Ring, decided that a Chaos Emerald might return him to normal as well as help them fight Dr. Robotnik. Knuckles asks why they don't just grab more Power Rings from the grotto, and Tails begins to explain when Sonic cuts him off and and tells him that Robotnik drained the grotto. Sonic apologizes for not telling Knuckles why he needed the emerald to begin with. Knuckles accepts his apology, but denies their request for an emerald. Sonic says Knuckles will regret not helping Sally and heads back to Knothole with Tails; Knuckles replies that he already does. The next day, the pair greet Sally in Knothole, only for Tails to reveal that Sonic and Knuckles got into a fight. Sonic hands Sally a few Power Rings to see if they can help with her father, and they report on their failure to obtain the Chaos Emerald over lunch. Uncle Chuck arrives to report that the Power Rings failed to cure the King, but using magical items may be the solution. Sally reveals that, after going through the royal records, they discovered that the Crown of Acorns might cure the king. Sonic is quick to point out that the crown was supposedly with the king when he went into the Zone of Silence, but Sally believes he was wearing a fake crown. Sally shows Sonic a document detailing the House of Acorn's duty to protect the crown, and that in times of great peril the wearer is to send it to the Hall of Limbo. Sonic asks how they'll find it, and Chuck replies that while the documents don't detail the hall's location they may be able to uncover it using a Power Ring because Power Rings can grant knowledge in addition to power. Chuck departs for Robotropolis to continue his undercover work while Sally announces her intention to go to the Lake of Rings the next day. "In Every Kingdom There Must Exist A Little Chaos!" - Part Two The next day, Sonic, Sally, and Tails approach the lake, and Sally remarks that a ring is supposed to come out of it once every hour, with the next one due in a matter of minutes. Tails then questions why they are so far away, prompting Sally to remind him that they are trying to keep the lake secret from everyone but Uncle Chuck and the main Freedom Fighters, and that they are worried its location might already have been compromised. They are awaiting word from their friend Fly Fly Freddy on what Robotnik knows, only for Sleuth Dawg to emerge from bushes nearby. Sleuth reports that Freddy was unable to leave Robotropolis, and promises to share the details of his report with an irate Sally. The group then reluctantly decide to head to the lake with Sleuth, who reveals that Robotnik didn't learn the lake's location, but then attacks Sally from behind. A force of SWATbots then emerges from the forest to back him up, Sleuth revealing that he has joined Robotnik in exchange for the promise of power. The three Freedom Fighters engage them, only for Sleuth to call in a flying robot who attacks with lasers, whom Sonic identifies as a Roboticized Fly Fly Freddy. Sonic continues engaging the SWATbots in a fury over Freddy's fate, while Sleuth's gloating is interrupted by the arrival of Bunnie Rabbot, who was on guard at the lake. A Power Ring then emerges from the water, and Sally orders Sonic to retrieve it before it can vanish. He does so reluctantly, only to be targeted by Freddy, who is unexpectedly tackled by none other than Knuckles. Tails then rescues his friend from midair, while Knuckles leaps into the fray and reminds them that the fight isn't over. Sonic then attacks by spinning his arms in a Whirlwind Whammy move, scattering the combatants. With the SWATbots defeated, Freddy in pieces, and Sleuth under arrest, Knuckles pulls out one of his Chaos Emeralds, revealing that he has changed his mind about helping the Freedom Fighters. "In Every Kingdom There Must Exist A Little Chaos!" - Part Three Back in Knothole, Uncle Chuck reveals that he had suspected a double agent in the Robotropolis Spy Network, and that after Freddy missed their rendezvous he decided to call upon Knuckles for help. Knuckles reminds them that he is only loaning them the Chaos Emerald, and Rotor then hooks it up to a machine in an effort to restore King Acorn to normal. Unfortunately, the Emerald's powers accelerate the transformation, though fortunately the king returns to his previous state when the machine is shut off. Left with the Crown of Acorns as their only hope, Sonic calls upon the Power Ring for knowledge and collapses from the strain on his mind. Sonic reveals that while he failed to determine the Hall of Limbo's location, he learned that the crown can be found through a connection it has to the Sword of Acorns. Sally despairs, as the Sword's location is unknown to them, prompting a sympathetic Knuckles to make finding it his own quest.
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