Tails and I were still high in the sky and I was just continuing to gaze down at all the trees that scatter all over the landscape. If I do I say so myself, this view is really magnificent, but I think Tails is too busy right now so I decide not to show him the view below us. With no bomb to worry about, all I had to do was just relax and enjoy the cool breeze through my quills. However, I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of light deep within the forest when we flew over it. It was probably just Amy though trying to catch up to us. "That girl, she never gives up." "What was that Sonic? I can only hear my tails propelling at the moment," Tails says while still holding his head up.
Realizing that I accidentally said that aloud, I felt a bit like a jerk that Tails almost heard what I said. "Oh, I was just saying thanks for the help back there pal," I respond, making sure that my voice was louder this time and hoping that it was convincing enough to make him buy what I said. Tails had an illuminating smile of gratitude on his face when I told him that and he gives a quick nod back to me as he is busy keeping his eyes on the skies.
"How could I say that about Amy?" I ponder to myself; making sure that my lips are sealed this time. But I think the greater question is why do I feel ashamed of saying that? Aside from almost killing me on a daily basis with her Piko Piko Hammer, I guess she isn't all that bad. She's like a little sister to me actually. Always wanting to bug me for the most absurd reasons, but deep down, our bond never breaks. In fact, it only strengthens with each adventure we have. Whether it's saving her on the Space Colony Ark from Eggman or just visiting Twinkle Park to ride on one of the roller coasters, we have definitely been through a lot together. Now that I think of it, I hope she's alright from the explosion. I'm sure she was able to handle herself though; after all, the winds shouldn't have been able to reach her as she was on the ground.
After some more minutes of flying, I ask Tails where we are heading to. "Over to my workshop," Tails begins, "I found something in the forests of the Mystic Ruins the other day and I thought I would show you before we departure to Angel Island." "Angel Island?" I ask with uncertainty, "What for? Is Knuckles searching around for the emerald pieces again?" Tails lets out a laugh and then looks down at me. "Looks like you forgot Sonic," Tails says with a smirk on his face.
Okay, something's up then. I search through my mind for a bit to figure out the significance behind today, but nothing stands out. "Nope, can't quite think of anything Tails," I say. "I'll tell you once we land then," Tails responds as we approach his workshop.
Considering that Tails and I are only a few hundred meters there, I inform him that I will meet him there and let go of his hands. Dropping towards some bare, rigid trees, I mark my spot on the highest (and most stable) tip of a tree and then wall jump to each tree from there on. Being wary of all the other branches around me, I make sure to keep in my mind alert so I don't clash into anything and get another throbbing headache like the one from beforehand.
I make my way to the last tree and take a final vault from it as I curl into a ball in the air and plummet towards the ground. Then, I start revolving in circular motions to gain momentum and then release myself to spin dash along the cliff-like wall which carries Tails' workshop on top. The edge of the mountainous wall approaches so I bounce off of it, perform a little spin in the air for show, and successfully land on my feet. "That felt great!" I exclaim to myself as I patiently wait for Tails to arrive at the parallel side from where I bounced off from. Tails then arrives, making sure to slow down his Tails as he lowers to the ground and then hurries into his workshop. He tells me to wait outside and I follow his order. A bunch of metals can be heard clanging around in the workshop do I ask him if everything is alright. Tails ensures me that everything is fine and that he only bumped into one of his inventions. As I wait for Tails, I suddenly remember that he still has to tell me why today is so special to head over to Angel Island. I attempt to think why today is so special to head over there, but my mind only draws a blank… a rather void blank in fact.
Tails then pops over the doorway holding a miniature pyramid in his hands. At first glance, it appears to be very decrepit, but as Tails steps closer I notice that it was not old at all. The condition is not due to aging, but rather the paint and stones are what make it seem that way. Also, painted along each triangular face of the pyramid has four words written around it. The language seems to be very unfamiliar to me so I don't try to comprehend what each word says.
"Is this what you found the other day? I ask Tails. "Indeed Sonic," Tails begins, "You see, I was helping one of the archeologists from Station Square to find any artifacts around the Mystic Ruins Temple. We didn't end up finding much that day; except for this that is." While Tails was continuing his story, I continued to examine the artifact. "I showed it to the rest of the explorers, but they said it was worthless and bared no resemblance to anything that they were interested into finding. I begged to differ though and I immediately went to my workshop to analyze what turned out to be The Philia Artisan."
"The Phily Artisine?" I blurted out to ask for clarification on the name. Tails let out a slight chuckle and repeated its name once more. "The Philia Artisan. But I'll explain more about it later once we're at Angel Island." Tails then turns around to return to his workshop, but before he can even reach the threshold, I shout for him to stop. He instantly reacts and turns his body to face me and I can see that he is a bit alarmed at me. "Are you alright Sonic?" Tails asks with caution. I then take a few steps forward and tell him, "I'm fine, but you sort of forgot to tell me why we're heading over to Angel Island is all."
Tails then took a sigh of relief as it seems that he thought I had something afflicting to say, but he then tells me that today is Knuckles' birthday and that us two along with Amy are going to surprise Knuckles. "I'll be right back, I just need to get a few things before we leave," Tails informs me as he slips inside of his workshop.
I make my way towards the X-Tornado and leap into the backseat of the aircraft, but I seem to feel a bit shocked that today is his birthday. "Knuckles' birthday, huh," I say as I place my arms behind my head and raise my legs onto the driver's seat in front of me. "I wonder how old he is anyway. Probably a gazillion. That would explain why he's so grumpy all the time. Who knows, maybe this surprise might scare the grumpiness out of him." After thinking about what I just said, I can't help but burst out into laughter as I know that will never come true.
Sooner or later, my laughter dies down and Tails passes me the pyramid along with his gift for Knuckles. The gift is wrapped in a white ovular box and is tied together with an orange ribbon. I firmly grasp the items, one in each hand, and Tails inserts himself into the driver's seat.
"So what did you get him?" I ask out of curiosity. "You'll just have to wait and see," Tails replies as he straps on his goggles. A bit annoyed from his answer, I give him an exasperating look but he knows I'm kidding as he heartily laughs. A clear sustainable covering gets placed above us and Tails shifts the main gear back as we lift off the ground and head towards the skies once more.