Chapter 2:What the Artifact is..

The trio begins running through the forest. After a few moments they enter into a giant limestone quarry. Sonic still couldn’t believe that his old friend was back again, considering he basically vanished off the grid for about ten years. He knew Ben was alive, or at least he expected him to be. Sonic knew what Ben was doing would keep him away from contact for a while.

“Its good to see you alive and kicking” Sonic said with a chuckle.

Ben chuckles a bit as well. “You know me Sonic, I wouldn’t be going down easy. I’d go down with a fight.”

“So you grew up with Sonic?” Tails asked. Tails has a lot of questions because he has never heard of Ben from Sonic. So naturally he is a bit curious on who he is and his relationship with Sonic.

“In a way” Ben said. “As I said I used to visit Mobotropolis a lot. So before ‘The Fall’ I used to hang out with Sonic a lot. Hey Sonic.” Sonic looks over. “Remember our Chili Dog eating contest??”

Sonic bursts out laughing. “Yea, Uncle Chuck didn’t like that one bit.”

“Nor did anyone in the Castle that day” Ben said with a laugh.

“Yea” Sonic said. Both of them are still laughing. Tails is smiling cause he can picture what would’ve happened.

“I told you guys that it was a bad idea, look at this mess!” Ben said while impersonating Sally’s voice, poorly though.

“It took us a few days to clean it all up, especially the ceiling.” Sonic said

“How did it get all the way up on the ceiling??” Tails asked

“We were speed eating it so Barbeque sauce and Chili flew all over the place.” Sonic said. He is still smiling over this memory. “Hey Ben wanna do it again??”

“After we defeat Eggman.” Ben says. “Anyways, what he is looking for, he must not get this artifact.”

“So what exactly IS he looking for?” Sonic said.

“Eggman is looking for an ancient artifact known as the TimeShifter. I can’t say much more right now cause I have information he CANNOT find out.” Ben said.

“I have never heard of the TimeShifter.” Tails said.

“Me neither” Sonic said.

“Not surprising at all.” Ben says. “The only people who really knew were the Myarque and the Acorn Royal Family.” As Ben says the Acorn Royal Family Sonic has an uneasy look on his face. “You okay Sonic?”

“Its just something I need to talk to you about alone.” Sonic says with a melancholy look on his face. “Sorry Tails but this is something from the past that Ben knows about.”

“Its fine Sonic” Tails says with a concerned look on his face. “Lets just get to the workshop.”

“Right.” Ben says.


The trio arrives in the Mystic Ruins. They walk up the stairs to the plateau before they walk up the final staircase up to the Workshop itself. Tails expanded his workshop recently and it was bigger than before. Before they walk up Ben looks over the cliff into the ocean. After a moment he walks up and they reach the door.

“Here is my little workshop” Tails says as they walk in. Little is a bit of an understatement here.

“Little is a bit of an understatement here” Ben says sarcastically.

“Wow Tails you rally have expanded this place” Sonic says.

“Yep” Tails say.

“It’s a nice set up Tails” Ben says looking around.

“Thanks Ben.” Tails says.

Ben then notices the Tornado 2 and looks at it. ‘Is this yours Tails??”

“Yep.” Tails says. “I made it myself!”

Ben looks impressed. “Now why did you go with a Bi-plane design?”

“It actually turns into a jet.” Tails says as he hits the button to transform it.

Ben’s jaw drops a little. “That’s ingenious Tails” Ben said as he is feeling the wings and the body of the Tornado 2. “Excellent craftsmanship and your only Ten, Tails??’

“Yes sir” Tails says with feeling.

“Incredible.” Ben says with an impressed expression. “Anyways down to business. Eggman is looking for the TimeShifter.”

“What is it and why is he looking for it?” Sonic asked as he was cutting off Ben.

“I was getting to that Sonic” Ben said with a bit of an annoyed look. “It is a fabled device that looks like a hammer. It’s said that it can do incredible things involving time. It can erase people from existence, slow or stop time, basically anything involving time.”

“But why would Eggman try chasing it down?” Tails asked.

“He could use it for those reasons.” Ben says, and then his look turns dismal about what he says next. “I believe he is after it for the one thing it was storied for: The Gift of Immortality.”

“I see Eggman being Immortal would be bad.” Sonic says

“Yes, Eggman being immortal is a bad thing indeed.” Ben says. “Just the thought of us fighting him and knowing that we can never truly beat him shutters me. Plus our children and our children’s children would have to be dealing with him; it will be a never-ending cycle. Now I don’t know too much about it but I know where I can get more information on it. Two places actually.”

“Were we just at one of these places?” Tails asked.

“Unfortunately no.” Ben says. “We were at an old outpost. Nature took it back, even though it was weaved into nature itself.”

“So where are the locations?” Tails asked.

“Myarque’s main base in the Great Forest, which is very difficult to get to because you need to know the right way to get there… or you’re one lucky son of a gun and find it by dumb luck, and Mobotropolis.” Ben said.

“But Mobotropolis was taken over by Eggman years ago, you know this Ben.” Sonic says.

“I know, but every document, file, book and all that had a back-up copy in Knothole just incase something happened.”

“But I cant go back to Knothole” Sonic says

“Why not Sonic? Did something happen??” Ben asked.

“I’ll tell you later Ben. Lets go find those documents at the base.” Sonic says

“Yea!” Tails says.

“In a second Skippy” Ben says. “I wanna get help from someone first.”

“Who?” Tails asked.

“Knuckles.” Ben says. “Chances are this will end up as some wild goose chase and I wanna get as much help as we can.”

“So we are off to Angel Island then?” Sonic asked

“Yea. It’s a floating island correct?” Ben asked.

“Yea. We can take the Tornado” Tails says.

“But it’s a two-person airplane” Sonic says. “How will Ben get there??”

“We don’t need the Tornado.” Ben says. I can get us some transportation.” Ben grabs a radio and clicks a button. “Hey Alva, I’m going to need a heli’.”

“You got it Ben. It will be there in a few moments. Just mark the LZ.” The voice says as Ben opens a window and throws a red flare on the ground. “Try not to go crazy with one.”

“Alva?” Sonic and Tails both ask.

“Major General Thomas Alvakirk. He is the leader of the Mobian Marines. He took me in after the ‘The Fall’ and he basically raised me as his own.” Ben said. “He doesn’t give me any special treatment.

“Then how are you able to get a helicopter??” Tails asked.

“This is my special mission; Alva said I could get what I need as long as I don’t destroy everything.” Ben says with a chuckle. They hear two of them land outside. “Come on lets all go together.”

“Sounds good.” Sonic says

As they walk outside, a raccoon gets out of one of the helicopters and walks up to the trio.

“Its all good to go Ben.” The raccoon says.

“Thanks Raymond.” Ben says. “Guys this is my half-cousin Raymond.

“Nice to meet you” Sonic says.

“Same here.” Tails says.

“It’s nice to meet you guys, we have heard about the stories of you going against Eggman, Sonic. Its good that your gonna help.” Raymond says.

“You are going to help too?” Sonic asked.

“Not right now. Got other stuff to do first but the squad is on standby incase you guys need help.” Raymond says. “I’m heading back to base Ben, Radio if you need help.

“You got it.” Ben says. Raymond then leaves on the other helicopter as they board the helicopter that was left behind. “Ok guys buckle up. Tyrone lets boot up the flight interface and lets get going.”

“Tyrone??” Tails said.

“My sunglasses A.I. I modified my Sunglasses so it acts a super-computer.” Ben says as he takes off his sunglasses to show Tails. “It gives me up to date information that I need wherever I am at.”

“So wouldn’t all the info we need be on it?” Sonic asked

“No this has been a project of mine for the past few years so that’s why I don’t have the info I need but that’s also why I have a Scanner mode on it so if I see something new I hit that and it scans it.” Ben says.

“This is awesome Ben.” Tails said.

A little German Shepard appears in front of them through a little projector on Ben’s Sunglasses. “Flight quadrants set. Everything is good. Green light to go.”

“Thanks Tails and excellent Tyrone” Ben says. “Lets get flyin’” Information races across Ben’s Sunglasses as they begin to ascend.

“So you know where you’re going right?” Sonic asked

“I do. Everything is here and we should be there in a an hour or so.” Ben says as they begin flying towards Angel Island.