Sticks comes over and shows the group an envelope she received. Sticks being her usual paranoid self, Amy opens the letter for her and reads over the contents. It seems Sticks has been nominated for an "Awardie Award" for saving the village and she can bring all her friends as guests (unfortunately it only allows four guests, which means Comedy Chimp, who had been seemingly standing with everyone, can't come). The ceremony will be held at the mayor's mansion and it is a formal affair, which has Sticks wary about her lack of tact in such situations coming from her roots as a jungle badger living in the wild. Sonic and Knuckles scoff at the idea of going to a formal gala but Amy says she's willing to help condition Sticks to become a ladylike by the event.
Amy says a proper lady would require an escort to the gala. Comedy Chimp returns, hoping to be chosen, but after getting some blank stares he storms off and the position is offered to Sonic. Although hesitant at first, he comes around so long he doesn't have to wear pants. Amy starts her regiment, which includes appropriate topics of discussion, how to conduct herself around others, the proper way to drink tea, and ballroom dancing. Sticks doesn't really get the hang of any of it but Sonic concedes she'll just go as is.
The night of the gala, Amy announces the arrival of Sticks and her escort and gives Sticks some encouragement. Unfortunately Sticks sniffs the nearest guest and compliments his scent, something she had done during her unsuccessful training. Amy grows concerned as Sonic and Knuckles check out the hors d'oeuvres table, commenting that the foods the audiences at these kinds of events eat are so unusual. Sonic notices Sticks spilled a drink all over Fastidious Beaver and rushes over to help out. Knuckles tries one of the snacks but finds it inedible. His punny comment on the food catches the ear of two guests and they regale his wit, mentioning that they found the food equally as undesirable but couldn't bring themselves to voice it. They invite Knuckles over and he quickly acclimates himself among them.
Sticks continues to struggle with her poise and tact, accidentally insulting a walrus on her weight. The mayor calls everyone around to give the night's opening address, although he finds his speech falling on unimpressed ears and walks off muttering about getting a new speech writer. Knuckles continues to make observations with his new friends, poking fun at a strange hat with large antlers. The hat, as it turns out, is worn by the Jackalope Lodge, the president of whom is one of the guests he's conversing with. At first Knuckles thinks he said the wrong thing but quickly is relieved to discover that even the president of the lodge finds the hat to be a bit absurd, on closer inspection.
At the dinner table, Sticks sits nervously with some of the other nominees. She is uncertain what to do with all the silverware she has in front of her, which one of the guests helps to clarify. Just then Dr. Eggman enters the room and sits down next to Sticks. Sonic is rightfully confused why an evil mad scientist would be nominated for an award for helping the community. Turns out Eggman just used a robot to stuff the ballot box and illegally nominate himself. Eggman wonders if he's ever met Sticks before and Sticks responds with a compliment about Eggman's rump, which he takes graciously. Sticks loudly slurps a bowl of soup (once again forgetting what she had learned under Amy) but Eggman is unoffended and even compliments Sticks's conduct and mimics her.
The mayor announces he is ready to name the winner of the Awardie Award. Sticks and Eggman wait in anticipation of the reveal until the mayor announces it will go to Leroy the Turtle. Despite Eggman's cheating he somehow lost and it drives him to try and take the award by force. He activates his ballot-stuffing robot but it only results in the robot spraying envelopes all around the room. Underwhelmed by his robot's solution, Eggman summons a squadron of Bee Bots to the scene, which produce more effective results. Sonic and company engage the robots but Sticks refuses to, following Amy's advice that a lady must never fight. Eggman remembers why he knows Sticks and then traps everyone but Sticks inside force fields. Sticks continues to resist the urge to break her proper etiquette and Eggman activates his robot's arms and laser cannon. He chases Sticks into a corner of the room, at which point Sticks decides she's had enough and drops her ladylike behavior, pulling off her evening gown to reveal her normal jungle clothes underneath.
Sticks goes on the offensive, using a spoon bent into the shape of a boomerang as a weapon. She tosses the spoon, which whips around Eggman and triggers the wrist device. The force field containing Knuckles and Tails dissipates and the pair drops onto a table. Knuckles tries to join the battle but falls right into the laser cannon's sights. However he's saved at the last second by one of his friends from earlier, whom he shares a fistbump with. Sticks takes the opportunity and rushes at Eggman. She leaps over him and deactivates the second force field, freeing the other two. Sonic, now free, spins Eggman's robot around while Sticks throws a trash can to disable it for good. Eggman escapes from the gala with his army of Bee Bots and his crippled robot, promising to return.
In the aftermath, the guests gather around Sticks and Sticks points out that though Leroy the Turtle is the actual winner, she was the day's hero. Leroy concedes that but gloats he still has the award at the end of the day. Sticks starts fighting with him over the trophy (since her main interest in having it was for something shiny) as Knuckles shares a laugh with his new friends. Amy thanks Sticks and admits there are times when having poise and class can be overlooked. She asks Sticks for some advice on being more wild, which results in Sticks pulling her into a nearby dumpster.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Action Dress Rip: When Eggman attacks Sonic and co during a gala, Sticks tries hard to be a proper lady, but eventually rips off her dress, reveals her normal attire, and starts fighting.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: At the beginning of this episode, it is revealed that Sticks has defense systems for meteors, wildfires, floods, and people trying to read her thoughts.
- Continuity Nod: Sticks is nominated for an Awardy Award, which is one of the collectibles that can be obtained in Q-N-C's toy shop in the Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal game.
- Dark Horse Victory: Both Sticks and Eggman get nominated for an Awardy Award... which ends up going to Leroy the Turtle.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: When Sonic escorts Sticks to the dance, he adamantly refuses to wear pants.
- Haute Cuisine Is Weird: When Sticks gets nominated for an Awardy Award, she and her friends are invited to attend the award ceremony. Upon going there, Sonic and Knuckles find such fancy foods as asparagus crustini, hempseed quiche, and goat cheese with red ridicio spread. Knuckles tries the goat cheese with red ridicio spread and finds it tastes terrible, so he calls it "goat cheese in a red crudicio spread". This quickly earns him the admiration of Professor Cluckins and Admiral Beaverton, who tell him he had the audacity to say what they're all thinking.
- Hidden Depths: Knuckles, of all people, is actually really good at playing the piano.
- Lessons in Sophistication: When Sticks gets nominated for an Awardy Award, Amy decides to teach her how to be more lady-like so that people will see her more as a lady than as a feral badger, especially around her, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Although Sticks doesn't really get the hang of any of it, Sonic decides to escort her so that he can keep an eye on her. After the Awardy Award both Sticks and Dr. Eggman were nominated for gets awarded to Leroy the Turtle, Eggman takes out his anger by attacking Sonic and his friends. Sticks tries to remain ladylike at first, but when her friends all get captured, she decides to go back to her old ways, and in the end, it saves her friends.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: When Sticks decides to save her friends from Eggman:Sticks: That's it! I'm sick of being proper! (rips off her formal dress) Time to get primal!
- Never Learned to Read: Knuckles says “Oh wait, I can’t read”, when he tries to read Sticks’ letter.
- The Queen's Latin: Amy pulls off a fancy British-sounding accent when she introduces Sticks and Sonic at the gala itself.
- Skewed Priorities: When Sonic and friends go check the town during the meteor fall, Amy is not preoccupied about the inhabitants' safety and suggests to make wishes instead (she wishes for a pony). Then, when Sonic "[wishes her to] take cover" and takes her to a safe place because one meteor was going to fall where they sat, she's angry at him because his wish came true before hers.
- Vote Early, Vote Often: When questioned on how Eggman was nominated for a good citizenship award, we get a cutaway to Eggman using a purpose built robot to stuff the ballot box.
