"How did you know this thing could fly?" Robotnik asked Sonic, still aboard the Spinning Top.
"It's Babylon tech," Sonic stated. "Longclaw used to get mad at me for playing on these things back in Faded Hill." Robotnik fell silent.
"Ah," Tails replied after a few seconds of nobody talking. "Are you sure you're okay with using one of these, then? After all that happened with her?"
"I think so," Sonic replied. His expression soured, but he quickly regained a smile. "I mean, it saved us in the end. That's what really matters."
"You got that right," Tails chuckled. "I was just starting to wonder if Marble Garden had anything to do with the Babylonians. I saw a lot of bird statues that looked like the Longclaw one from South Island's Labyrinth." Sonic thought back on the strange voice he heard from the owl statue. But his thoughts were interrupted by a ping on the Tails Electric.
"Oh, good," Tails sighed. "Ata made it out okay."
"Ata? Who's that?" Sonic asked.
"Just someone we met in Marble Garden. She was studying the sculptures," Tails answered. He typed something in. Ata took a second to reply.
"I have something to show you. Meet me at my creepy tent outside the carnival. =000 NOW!!!" The message from Ata read.
"I like how she talks," Amy stated as she peered over Tails' shoulder. "^_^!" Tails scoped out the surrounding area. It looked like they were approaching a city full of bright lights and theme park attractions. It was relatively unharmed from the Drill Pod.
"I see the carnival. Where are you?" Tails messaged her.
Ata soon messaged back. "Look down lmao."
Everybody looked over the edge of the Spinning Top, and saw Ata waving at them from the distant ground. She didn't notice Robotnik due to him being at the back of the group. "Alright, Sonic. Let's land here," Tails ordered.
"Erm… about that," Sonic said through his toothy grin. He brushed his spines nervously with his hands. "The reason Longclaw always told me off for riding these is because I always crashed them." Tails donned a dumbfounded expression.
"Well you got it floating by running!" Tails shouted, throwing his arms into the air furiously. "Stop running!" The stress only made Sonic run faster on instinct. The Spinning Top rapidly picked up speed. Amy danced around panickedly, screaming as high as her digital vocal chords could muster. Tails looked back as Ata became a disappointed speck in the distance.
"Okay, okay! I'll try something!" Sonic shouted back. He skidded to a stop, but this just sent the top zipping in the opposite direction. It bounced off the trees for a while, until it finally shattered. Sonic, Tails, Amy and Robotnik all fell a short distance to the ground in front of the wreckage.
Tails groaned, dizzy. He then heard footsteps. "Quick, Robotnik. Hide behind that tree!" Tails hissed. "If Ata figures out it's you, she'll probably freak out." Robotnik wordlessly ran behind a tree, just as Ata approached.
"Are you guys okay?!" Ata asked, running over as fast as she could. "That sounded like quite the crash."
"We're fine," Tails chuckled. "Can't say the same about the Spinning Top, though. I'm sorry, you probably would have liked to study it." Tails looked back at the fiery remains of the Spinning Top. Sonic and Amy were trying to stomp it out, until Amy finally had the bright idea to cast a water spell on it. The fire extinguished.
"Nah, it's fine," Ata replied. "I got out of there on one. I have it stashed away in my tent somewhere. Don't worry. All of the stuff I collected here will be transferred to a museum first chance I get, because it's not safe for it to stay on this island. Not with the Knuckles Clan almost destroying all of it. Come on, I'll show you around." They approached her tent, which emitted a purple light from its thin walls. It was surprisingly large. She zipped open the doors, and everybody was a little taken aback. The tent was packed full of maps, statues, and books spilling off of bookshelves. Purple LED lights were strung about everywhere. "Sorry it's a mess. Tails, you know how it is." Ata nudged Tails with her elbow.
"Sonic does too," Tails stated. Sonic didn't respond. "Sonic?" Tails asked, looking over. Sonic was gazing at the various Babylonian artifacts that were salvaged from Marble Garden, and then scattered around the tent.
"Right… he was raised by a Babylonian," Tails stated. Ata looked at Sonic, amazed. "It's a little complicated."
"You were?!" She asked, mouth agape. "That's so cool! Let me see."
Sonic's focus was torn away from a timeworn totem pole, and over to Ata. "What do you mean, 'see'?" Sonic asked. Ata powerfully clasped Sonic's hand between both of hers. Sonic couldn't help it as his face became as red as his shoes. Tails and Amy looked on confusedly. However, it made a little more sense to them both as Ata's face lost its color and became emotionless. Sonic was only further bewildered.
Ata saw many things. Sights, smells, sounds and more of faded hills and tainted bonds. Embittered memories of already painful goodbyes. She only meant to look into Sonic's most paramount memories with the Babylonian a little bit. But before she knew it, she had seen more than she meant to. Everything from his earliest memories with Longclaw, to the death of Lord Robotnik.
Ata released Sonic's hand with a visceral jolt.
"I see…" Ata stated, regaining her cool and her face's color. "I'm--- so sorry that you went through all that." Sonic stared at her, completely stumped. "Right. I can see into the past of whatever Zone I'm in at the moment, OR the memories of anyone I might be in direct physical contact with."
"You never told Amy and I that last part," Tails stated, taking a lick of the lollipop Ata had given him.
"I usually save that bit of info for my closest friends," Ata replied. "Not everyone's comfortable with it, but I can tell you guys are different."
"Yep! I have no sense of personal boundaries!" Amy sang. "Me next!"
"Maybe later," Ata suggested. "Anyways, I called you all here for a reason, didn't I? Let's get into that." Ata guided the three to a large stone tablet. "I found this in a nearby pyramid a while back. It looks pretty creepy, don't you think? It might be some kind of prophecy." Engraved on the stone tablet was a kind of giant, vaguely blue serpent that had erupted from the center of Angel Island. It was wreaking havoc on the entire landmass.
"It's just some old carving," Amy stated, shrugging. Ata went from enthusiastic to absolutely mortified in split second.
"Maybe so… maybe it doesn't hold any water," Ata sighed, the smile falling from her face. "Yeah, whatever, sorry for wasting your time and---"
"Wait, no, don't say that," Tails replied, as Ata began to turn the stone tablet around on the shelf, too embarrassed to even let the face of the artifact show. "Ata, you said you found this in a nearby pyramid. Sonic, Amy… we know the Knuckles Clan FAVORS pyramids in their architecture. We also know that their Doomsday prophecy is coming true as we speak, with us arriving to the island... and the Master Emerald being stolen." Tails realized that while he was defending Ata's credibility and interests, he was also suggesting the dire event where a giant snake would tear apart the island they were on. "Just in case this is another one of their prophecies that end up being real, we should take it seriously." Ata turned her head in his direction.
"Hey, what's that writing on the back?" Sonic asked, pointing to the back of the stone tablet. Tails looked to the tablet, and saw a date. Tails checked his Tails Electric, and promptly assumed a fearful expression.
"That… that's so soon! It's only a few days from now! Ata, how'd you get here? We need to leave ASAP," Tails panicked.
"Well, I came here in my tent," Ata stated, putting her hand on the wall of the tent. "It can teleport itself and whatever's inside anywhere, as long as I have exact coordinates. I can get us out of here, and a good distance from that weird dragon thing when it's supposed to show up."
"Wait, what about the Master Emerald?" Sonic asked. "We're not just gonna leave its power to a crazy warlord, are we?" Everybody turned to him. "If we're gonna be so negligent, we may as well be destroying the island FOR the snake deity! I say we take the Master Emerald and use it to stop that thing when it awakens. Besides, who knows how much it'll destroy? Why would it stop at just Angel Island?"
"Sonic's right," Tails stated, somewhat reluctantly. "If we stopped Vista from covering Erius with her plants, imagine what we could do with the Master Emerald! Ata, would you mind tagging along?" Tails asked. "Your tent's teleporting abilities could be a big help. The pod we came to the island on crashed, and running's not exactly safe with all these echidnas out to get us."
"Sure! I'll help you guys out however I can," Ata replied enthusiastically. "Besides, I'm not just gonna miss history in the making here! Whatever's going on, it sounds like a big deal. So you can count on me to help."
"Thanks so much, Ata!" Tails exclaimed, ecstatically. "Sonic, go check on… the big guy. Get the coords to the Master Emerald's location from him, and bring him back so we can all go to the launch base." Sonic nodded, and walked out the tent door. He zipped it shut behind him, and in that moment, the warmth faded. There was a mist rolling into the area, and Sonic couldn't even see below his knees.
Sonic arrived back at the spot he left Robotnik at. "Doc, we have some good news, and we need you to help make it work," Sonic whispered as he approached the tree that Robotnik was told to hide behind. "But… you didn't have to hide the whole time." Sonic rounded the tree, and noticed… Robotnik wasn't there. "Doc? Where'd you go?!" Sonic asked, a sinking feeling in his chest. Sonic then heard a low yet loud drone, like a large airship taking off.
"Sonic! Help meeee!" Robotnik's voice shouted. Sonic looked to the left and noticed the Rob-O-Matic flying up to dock at an airship, specifically a Flying Battery from the Robotnik Empire. The pod had a kind of magnet on it, which it was using to carry the metallic Robotnik. Sonic couldn't quite see who was piloting the pod. Whoever it was had already flown too high for Sonic to jump.
"Doc!" Sonic shouted. Sonic felt helpless and confused. Why would a Flying Battery be kidnapping Robotnik? "I'll get you help!" Sonic was losing hope. Robotnik was so high up, he probably couldn't even hear Sonic. Sonic certainly couldn't hear him as he cried for help. His only hope was to book it to the tent and back. This time, he needed Tails.