"The Search"
In Sally's hut, she is standing in front of Sonic, Rotor, Bunnie, and Antoine.
Sally holds up NICOLE, "I have good news, everyone, NICOLE has succeeded in decoding another part of the Secret Scrolls of Maga."
A hologram of the scroll appears above NICOLE, as she says, "As suspected, it reveals another of the Seven Wonders of Mobius."
Naugus is standing in front of Snively, with the Secret Scrolls floating above his hand. Snively crosses his arms and yawns.
"Each of the Seven Wonders might very well hold what I seeked," Naugus tells Snively. "And I will test that theory by investigating the first of the Seven Wonders my spell managed to translate. The Bottomless Marsh!"
Sally sighs, "Whatever Naugus seeks might be at the Bottomless Marsh, and we need to find it before he can."
"Should be facile, easy, that is, we just gonna fly over it on Dulcy," Antoine suggests.
Sally shakes her head, "We can't, a normal marsh doesn't have dry land. It would be too difficult to fly in and out."
"Not to mention with Dulcy's poor habit of crashing," Sonic adds, with Sally nods.
"Sir Charles is already prepping the Freedom Stormer to fly us and drop us at the marsh," Sally says. "After we make sure that it's not truly bottomless."
"R-R-Right…" Antoine says, with his knees knocking.
Snively looks away from Naugus, "Why are you telling me all of this?"
"Simple, I have no patience for any interference," Naugus says. "And I require your SWAT-bots, for cannon fodder."
Snively grins.
The Freedom Stormer plane flies over a miles long marsh, before the side door opens with Rotor lends out, then drops an orb-like device. The orb device lands in the marsh and starts to sink.
Inside the Freedom Stormer, Sonic, Sally, Rotor, Antoine, and Bunnie are standing around, with Uncle Chuck piloting.
Sally holds up NICOLE, "Okay, NICOLE, what do we got?"
"I received the signal from the probe," NICOLE explains. "The marsh measures to be about knee-length. It's completely safe."
"So the bottomless part of Bottomless Marsh is just an old lady tale?" Antoine asks.
"That's an 'old wife tale'," Bunnie tells him.
"Must so," Sally closes NICOLE's palm computer, then turns to Sonic. "Ready?"
"Let's do it to it," Sonic gives a thumbs up.
Sonic jumps out of the Freedom Stormer, before Sally jumps out, then Bunnie and Rotor. Antoine then stands at the exit, looking out. Uncle Chuck looks over his shoulder, before turning the Freedom Stormer slightly, with Antoine falling out and falls into the marsh.
Antoine quickly stands up, "I meant to do that." He then tries to wipe his clothes off.
Sonic sees Rotor pressing buttons on a small monitor device he's holding, "What you got that, Rotor?"
"Something I've been working on," Rotor explains, continuing to press buttons. "My scanner here is not as advanced as NICOLE, but I should be able to get a reading on the marsh. Though it's not working."
"It's not just your scanner," NICOLE says, with Sally opening the palm computer. "I'm not operating… at full strength either…"
"You were fine on the Freedom Stormer," Sally says.
Bunnie looks down at her roboticized legs, which gives off a small spark.
"If our equipment isn't working, then we have no choice but to split so we can cover more ground quickly," Sally closes the palm computer.
"Perhaps we should've brought Tails, he doesn't have the same… crashing problem that Dulcy does," Rotor says.
"This mission is too risky for him," Sally says.
Antoine places a hand across his chest, "If we are splitting up, then I shall go with mon princ…"
"Sonic and I will go this way," Sally looks out at the distance, with Sonic nodding.
"I think I'll try to find some high ground," Rotor suggests. "Perhaps I could get my scanner to work."
"Then Antoine and I'll go that way," Bunnie points in the opposite direction.
Antoine lowers his arm, "R-Right…"
Elsewhere in the marsh, Naugus and three SWAT-bots appear from magic energy.
"I can already sense what I seeked," Naugus says, with a smile. "It will only be a matter of time."
Sonic and Sally are walking through the marsh.
"If this place wasn't so wet and slippery, I could get traction and search every inch of this place in no time," Sonic says, before looking over at Sally, who remains silent. "Sal, babe, are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" Sally says, without looking at him.
"Is it because of what Rotor said, suggesting we brought Tails?" Sonic asks.
"Despite what Tails had accomplished, a mission like this is still too dangerous for someone so young," Sally says, clenching her fists.
"Sal, we went on dangerous missions when we're not too much older than Tails," Sonic says.
"Not the same…" Sally says, softly.
Sonic smiles, "You know what, you're too tense, perhaps after we are done here, we should go on a real date." He looks up. "How does a picnic under the stars sound?"
"We have no time for dating, not while Naugus is out there with the scroll," Sally says to Sonic, before walking ahead of him.
Sonic watches for a moment, disappointed.
Antoine and Bunnie are walking through the marsh, with Bunnie glances at him for a moment.
"Antoine, I am aware you're disappointed you're not with Sally," Bunnie says, with Antoine looking ahead, sweating, before Bunnie rubs the back of her head with her regular head. "And with Sally dating Son…"
"Oh there's nothing to worry about," Antoine interrupts, before puffing out his chest. "I'll keep you safe."
"That's great…" Bunnie says.
"After my training with Dirk, formerly of Lower Mobius, nothing could stand against me," Antoine tries to perform some chops.
"You've been training with Dirk?" Bunnie asks. "Hum, Ant, you do remember how it went when I tried to teach you karate?"
"Oh, that's just a warmup practice," Antoine claims.
Rotor climbs onto a large log, with a long branch sticking out. He holds up his scanner, before tabs it slightly on the side.
"C'mon, work," Rotor holds down the scanner, before he looks ahead.
Rotor ducks behind the branch to see Naugus and three SWAT-bots in the distance, with the SWAT-bots moving slowly.
"I better warn the others," Rotor says, before placing a finger to his ear. "Sally, Sonic, Bunnie, anyone, can you hear me?" He lowers his finger. "Even Sir Charles' new communicators aren't working. What's going on here?"
"And just like that," Antoine tries to kick then tries an arm chop. "And that, I can handle any foes."
"Sure, Antoine," Bunnie says, as she continues to walk past Antoine, when she suddenly falls down with a scream.
"Bunnie?!"
Suddenly, Bunnie's legs stretch and she rise up above the marsh, "I'm okay, I think I fell into the 'bottomless' part, but my telescopic legs…"
At that moment, Bunnie's roboticized legs and arm start to surge with electricity, as she screams, before her legs retract and she falls back into the marsh.
Falling deeper and deeper into the marsh, Bunnie tries to swim with her normal arm, as her other limbs went limp, but it isn't working. She starts to have trouble keeping her eyes open, as she sees a figure approaching from above, before she goes completely dark.
Bunnie's eyes open up, as she wakes up on the shallow part of the marsh, before she sits up and tries to catch her breath, splitting out some water.
Bunnie turns to see Antoine next to her, with one end of a rope tied around his waist and the other end tied around a nearby tree.
"Antoine, you saved me?" Bunnie realizes. "T-Thank you, so much."
"Ah ha, it was nothing," Antoine stands tall, with an arm across his chest. "Nothing for a hero like mon."
Antoine starts to walk, when he trips and falls down.
After a second, Bunnie gives a small laugh and smiles.
Sally climbs up a tree sticking out of the marsh, with Sonic watching at the bottom.
"You sure about this, Sal?" Sonic asks.
"I need to get a good look at the entire marsh," Sally says. "Perhaps we should've stayed on the Freedom Stormer."
Suddenly a branch is blasted, with Sally falling off the tree and Sonic catches her. They look ahead to see three SWAT-bots approaching with their arms aimed, and small blasters popping out of them, as Naugus stands behind them.
"Should know you will interfere," Naugus says.
"It's what we live for, Nut-gus," Sonic lets Sally down, as Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor run toward the scene.
"Deal with them," Naugus says to the SWAT-bots, as he turns away.
A cannon pops out of a SWAT-bot's shoulder, before it flies two bolas.
Bunnie uses her roboticized arm to catch one of the bola, before she swings it and throws it, as Antoine slips and falls, allowing the second bola to fly over him.
Two more SWAT-bots continue to fire their blasters, with the other Freedom Fighters dodging. Sonic flips toward one of them, before he spin dashes in place, blasting the SWAT-bot with some of the marsh's water.
Naugus looks around at the marsh, before looking in one direction, with his eyes glowing, "That it. Just what I've been seeking." He starts to walk toward that direction.
Bunnie jump kicks a SWAT-bot, then notices Naugus, "I think that's the deep part of the marsh I fell in."
Sonic breaks out of his spin dash, "And nobody deserves to take a fall more than Nut-gus." He manages to speed ahead.
Naugus turns and holds out a hand, stopping Sonic in midair, surrounding him with energy, "I have wasted enough… time with you, hedgehog."
Sonic, still surrounded with energy, is sent flying backward, getting caught by a SWAT-bot's arms.
"Hey, no touching the merchandise," Sonic struggles to get out of the SWAT-bot's arms, before the SWAT-bot starts to surge with electricity. "Whoa, what's with the lightning act?"
"The same thing was happening to me earlier," Bunnie holds onto her roboticized arm.
Rotor looks at his scanner, before looking ahead, "Something in the marsh must be messing with our technology."
The SWAT-bot holding Sonic continues to surge, before Sonic breaks free of its arms, "Much better."
"How deep is the deep part?" Sally asks Bunnie, with a hand on her shoulder.
"It might be why this place is called the Bottomless Marsh," Bunnie suggests.
"Then I have an idea," Sally says.
At the same time, Naugus reaches the end of the marsh's shallow end, looking at the deep end, although he can't actually see anything.
Suddenly, a blaster fire shoots over Naugus' head, with him turning to see the SWAT-bots chasing after the Freedom Fighters toward him, "Useless machines…" He turns back to the deep part. "Nonetheless, I have found my goal."
Then Naugus jumps into the deep part, diving in.
"N-N-Naugus just jumped in?!" Antoine calls out.
"Guess ol' Nut-gus doesn't know he shouldn't go swimming without a partner," Sonic says, as he starts to run in place, before speeds ahead and into the deep part.
"Sonic, wait!" Sally calls out.
Naugus, deep underwater in the marsh, with an energy bubble around his head, had dug his claw hand into the unnatural wall of the marsh separating the shallow end and deep end, "Almost… got… it…!" Naugus pulls something out, with pieces of the marsh falling off the object, before revealing the green Chaos Emerald. "A Chaos Emerald!"
Suddenly, Sonic slams down against Naugus, knocking him down and causing him to let go of the Chaos Emerald, which Sonic grabs as it floats.
Above, the deep part of the marsh surges with green energy.
Antoine ties one end of a rope to a tree.
Sally jump kicks a SWAT-bot. Rotor shoulder charges a SWAT-bot. Bunnie jumps and punches a SWAT-bot. All three SWAT-bots fall into the deep part, with the SWAT-bots surging with electricity.
Bunnie takes the other end of the rope and throws it into the deep part.
Holding his breath underwater, Sonic sees the end of the rope floating down, before he starts to run in place then speeds across the rope, out of the deep part and lands back on the shallow end.
Still underwater, Naugus turns around, angrily, when he sees the sinking SWAT-bots, as they surge with electricity, before they explode.
A large explosion bursts out of the deep part, with the Freedom Fighters watching, stunned.
In Robotropolis, Snively is walking through a room, when he sees a burst of energy before appearing is Naugus, soaking wet with scorch marks on his body.
Naugus breathes heavily, "That hedgehog will pay!"
The Freedom Stormer is flying over the marsh, with Uncle Chuck piloting, Sonic is holding NICOLE, while standing next to Sally, holding the Chaos Emerald, Bunnie, and Antoine.
"I don't understand how you were able to run so fast inside the marsh," Bunnie says.
"Yeah, I thought you wouldn't have any tracker," Antoine says.
"That traction, Ant," Sonic says.
"I have the answer," NICOLE says. "I have analyzed Sonic, and it would seem his top speed had been increased, perhaps due to that Power Ring experiment."
"So not only am I super cool, I'm even faster than before?" Sonic smiles. "I can't wait to let loose on dry land."
"Before that, we need to figure this out," Sally says, holding out the Chaos Emerald.
"Still don't believe we had found one of the legendary Chaos Emeralds," Bunnie says.
"But how are we gonna stop Naugus from sensing it?" Sally asks. "Its hiding place inside the Bottomless Marsh might somehow shield it until Naugus was nearly on top of it, but he might be able to sense it anywhere on Mobius now."
"Actually, we have a solution for that," Rotor approaches the group, holding a large box. "I was talking with Sir Charles, and he explained that part of the Power Ring Generator's design shields the Power Rock's energy signal, which is why Naugus was able to find the Power Rock in Lower Mobius but not at the Ring of Lake."
Uncle Chuck looks over his shoulder and nods his head.
"So we designed this containment box based on the same principle," Rotor explains, holding out the box. "It should block the Chaos Emerald's energy readings."
Rotor opens the box, before Sally places the Chaos Emerald in the box. The Chaos Emerald gives off a small glow, before the box closes on it.
"It only appeared for a moment, but I did sense it," a pair of eyes then opened. "Another one had been found."