Even over the rushing wind and whirling engine, Sonic can hear the laughter of his little buddy as the two continue soaring through the clouds. After the visit to the dreary chemical plant, the current morning sky and the fresh air that comes with it is a nice change of scenery. Not that Sonic nor Tails take the time to admire it much.
"Okay, okay, I got one!" Tails says while gasping for air after laughing so much. "Baldy McNoseHair!"
Sonic wheezes as he sits down on the top of the plane.
"Baldy Mc-!" Sonic laughs again. "Oh, that's a good one. That might even be better than Eggstain."
"I don't know, Eggface is a classic," Tails says as his laughter calms down.
Both friends had forgotten how they got on the subject, but that fact was mostly irrelevant once they began their next forty minutes of coming up with Eggman nicknames.
It feels nice. Sonic finds himself thinking. Having someone to hang with. I should visit Tails more often. I mean, it could do him some good to get out of that snoozefest of a city every once in a while.
While the hedgehog values his best friend and the good times he brings, that's not what feels nice. And Sonic is aware of that, deep down. What REALLY feels nice is finding something to laugh at during such an uncertain situation. Sonic has gone over it multiple times in his head, but alas, it was no use. If Tails couldn't figure out how Robotnik slipped by undetected, then there is not a single chance he could. But still, it baffled, and most of all, WORRIED him.
Robotnik's determination to achieve his malicious goals is the only quality that rivals his sheer intelligence. It's anyone's guess what the mad genius is seeking out, but whatever it is, it can't be good for anyone. And with GUN likely out of this fight, that just leaves him: Mobius's War Hero, the only one capable of stopping it.
But that shouldn't be a problem. At least, in theory. Sonic has lived life with one hundred percent confidence, and as a result, it's gone by in an easy, fast breeze. This situation, while petrifying to anyone else, should be no problem for Sonic the Hedgehog. However, if that's the case, then why can't he help but doubt that logical reality?
Regardless, he can't afford to. Not if he plans on wrapping this up anytime soon.
"Um, Sonic.." Tails just barely gets out.
Sonic didn't need anything more than Tails's tone of voice to know something is up. He stands up and looks down at Tails.
"What's up?"
"Look... behind you..." Tails mutters.
Sonic quickly looks behind him and at first, the sight is too crazy to fully comprehend. The Outskirts are crazy but surely not this crazy. And yet, he and Tails stare at a floating island far in the distance, way above The Tornado"s current height. The huge mass of land is massive, with great waterfalls pouring from its sides and going into the ocean below.
"Tails... am I staring at a giant floating island?!" Sonic asks, sounding rhetorical but actually being genuine as to see if he's going crazy.
"Yes," Tails answers. "Yes, you are..."
"Is that land completely uncharted? I've never heard of any floating magic islands... not that I paid attention in school or anything,"
"I've heard of them before, but most are just myths," Tails says. "The Lox Hex, The Starfall islands, they're all just rumored to exist with undocumented reports being the only thing giving them even the slightest bit of validity. However, I guess... floating islands do exist after all. But Sonic, that's not what concerns me."
"Then what does?" Sonic asks, turning to Tails who looks up at him.
"This island is where the second energy source is located, according to Miles Electric."
All Sonic can do is shrug with a smirk glued on his face.
"This adventure just keeps getting better and better!" he says with barely contained excitement.
...