Sonic awoke to a semi-pleasant chilly feeling in the air. He got up off the hard floor, and looked around. He was in a stone cellar. There was hardly any light except for that of the moon filtering in through cracks in the walls. "Sage? Where are you?" Sonic asked, knocking on the walls.
"Boo." Sage phased her head through the wall. She then pulled the rest of her body through the solid stone bricks. "Sonic, while you were out, I carried you safely to this leftover Fallen Star stronghold in a very respectful manner." Sonic shook the sand off his stinging arm, then brushed it out of his quills. All while eyeing Sage with a crossed expression. "How did you sleep?"
"Well, about as good as always," Sonic groaned, holding his head. "At least I was able to wake up on my own this time."
"I suppose that's an improvement," Sage hummed. "Although it's definitely due to this island's Titan stretching its frequencies out across the whole island, meaning they aren't quite as effective in the long term."
"This island's WHAT??" Sonic shouted. "Ohh no. No. NO!"
"I told you there were more!" Sage shouted in Sonic's face. Sonic glared at her sternly. "Or at least… I implied it in a vague manner. Whatever. You were able to defeat Giganto. This flying Titan should not be as big of a problem."
"You HAVE to tell me these things before you take me places," Sonic groaned, punching a wall.
"That sounds reasonable," Sage replied, under the sound of metallic clanging outside of the fortress. The air grew thick.
"The fortress is under siege!" A bitcrushed and deep voice shouted. Red particles began to swarm in the air. RED-CODE. "Protect the Core Unit!" The RED-CODE dust solidified into hulking metallic orbs. They sprouted elephant-like arms and legs. Sonic and Sage stepped behind the platoon. "Strider no fall! Sumo break through it all! Rauughh!" Sage grabbed Sonic's hand, phasing them both through the wall. To their horror, more of the Guardian robots were stationed outside. Lining the desert and speckling the mountains. They turned to look for any inch of Ares that hadn't been taken up by the Sumo army.
"We need to run," Sonic huffed and puffed, clutching his chest.
"Where?!" Sage cried. The metal clangs returned. They all looked to the clouds. Sonic, Sage… even the Sumos. Staring down at them from the skies was a komodo dragon-like Titan, with a stapler mouth and gigantic stabbing claws. It wriggled around in the sky, before screeching and meteoring down to the island.
Just then, a golden platform emerged from the Strider Stronghold with the loud sound of cogs churning together. Atop it was an even tougher-looking Sumo bot with huge googly eyes. "For Ares Island!" He roared, the platform rising high into the sky.
"Is he trying to die?" Sage asked. "He's heading right for the TITAN; WYVERN!" The special Sumo locked Wyvern into a ring of barbed RED-CODE. Wyvern thrashed about as some Sumos on the ground shot at it with bowl-shaped cannons and hurled huge spiked jacks at it. Mercilessly assaulting it with everything they had in a fit of glorious rage… the smoke disappeared along with the special Sumo's Cyloop.
But Wyvern remained.
With a swipe of its fully intact tail, it messily sliced hundreds of Sumos in half and left their bodies in the sand. Striking them down in cold blood, it then reached the island. It chomped away at the tallest mountain, spitting it out onto an unsuspecting legion of Sumos in a mess of saliva and stone. Dancing as their screams charmed it, it destroyed countless weapons, structures and tombs with its body. "Don't stop! We're on a mission, boys! Let's finally kill this divine worm!" The special Sumo leapt down and grabbed onto Wyvern's exposed ribs. Wyvern continued its rampage, eventually shaking him off. The special Sumo crashed onto the sand.
Wyvern let out another deafening screech, before diving into the ocean and coiling around the underside of Ares Island. Sonic and Sage uncovered their ears, taking in the carnage left around them from the once proud automated army.
"Even that whole Guardian army didn't stand a chance…" Sonic gasped. He picked up a piece of Sumo armor.
"Such is the power of a Titan, but look on the bright side. Their defense worked," Sage said. "Strider Stronghold still stands, Sonic." Sonic laughed as if this was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Hm?"
"Nothing, nothing," Sonic wheezed, placing a hand on Sage's shoulder. "I really shouldn't be laughing right now. It's just… alliteration is fun." Sage smiled sadly.
"Yes, I suppose it is," she whispered. The special Sumo then got up, and headed right towards them. Sonic stopped laughing.
"And what do you think you're doing here?" The special Sumo asked. "This is sacred ground. You can't go walking around here, leaving YOUR footprints in the sand." Sonic stepped back as the special Sumo walked closer, and only then thought to drop the armor.
"Uhm… don't kill me, it's my birthday!" Sonic chuckled nervously, as Sage hid behind him.
"Birthday??? BIRTHDAY?! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY?!" The special Sumo laughed. He leaned closer to Sonic, putting his shiny medal on full display. Sonic nodded quickly. "Well, why didn't you say so?!"
"He's VERY modest," Sage said.
"Hey, guys! We got a birthday boy over here!" The special Sumo called, waving his hulking iron arms all around.
"That really worked?" Sage apprehensively floated around Sonic. "Sonic, did you see that? That medal…" Sonic glanced to her, still processing what was going on. "It looked like a Memory Token…"
"Really? Where would he have gotten a Memory Token around here?" Sonic asked, crossing his arms.
"No idea… I would've never thought a normal Guardian could get their hands on a Memory Token and transform like Yari did…" Sage thought on it. "It surely is possible. Still, we need to obtain it by any means necessary."