Sonic and Rainbow Dash: Endless Possibility

Chapters

Into The Portal
A New World
Similarities
Kindred Spirits
The Date
Place Full Of Chemicals
Apotos and The Interrogation

Into The Portal

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. Celestia’s sun was shining, the birds were singing, everything was just picture-perfect… oh, and Twilight Sparkle had discovered a brand-new spell.

As the young alicorn sorceress looked through the battered old book that contained the spell, which she had gotten from the ruins of The Castle of The Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest, she noticed that what exactly the spell she discovered did had faded away.

Well, nothing a little trial and error can’t fix, thought Twilight as she used her magic to grab an apple from the fridge to use as a test subject.

Glancing at what she had of the spell, Twilight focused her energies. The familiar glow of magic generated by her horn filled the room.

But, then, something began to go wrong. The purplish glow suddenly turned into a vibrant gold color. Twilight tried to cancel the spell, but her horn just wouldn't respond.

“Wha-what’s happening?! Spike! HELP ME!” yelled Twilight as the pressure in her horn began to build to the point where it felt like somepony was taking a jackhammer to her head.

Finally, with an explosion that shook all of Ponyville like a child’s rattle, a golden orb of magic flew out of Twilight’s horn and formed into a swirling vortex that shot bolts of lightning all over the place.

A little purple and green dragon came running down the stairs. This was Spike, Twilight’s loyal assistant. “Twilight, what’s- HOLY GUACAMOLE, WHAT’S THAT?!” yelled Spike, pointing at the vortex.

“I don’t know… but, it’s trashed the library AND given me a really bad headache,” said Twilight, rubbing her forehead with her hoof as she looked around the trashed library.

At that precise moment, Twilight’s friends, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, ran, or in some cases, flew, through the doorway.

“Twilight! Ya’ll okay?” asked Applejack, a look of concern on her face.

“Girls! What are you doing here?” asked Twilight as Rarity helped her to her hooves.

“Well, after we heard that explosion, we thought we’d come see if you were okay. So, what happened? One of your potions go wrong or something?” asked Rainbow.

“No… it’s that,” said Twilight, pointing at the vortex. Rainbow and the others just stared at the swirling vortex but out of them, Rainbow seemed mesmerized by the colors of the vortex as it continued to swirl.

“I-it’s… whoa.” Rainbow said in a trance as she slowly trotted towards it.

“Rainbow, are you crazy?! Get away from there!” yelled Twilight.

“So… pretty…” said Rainbow as she reached out to touch the vortex.

Before Twilight could stop her, Rainbow touched the vortex, and was almost instantly pulled inside, leaving five very horror-stricken ponies and a dragon behind as the mysterious gateway closed behind her.

"I... don't believe it," Princess Twilight whispered quietly.

"Rainbow is just... WHOOSH! Gone!" said Pinkie, shocked at how her prankster pal had been whisked away, possibly forever.

"Wh- who's gonna tell Scootaloo?" whimpered Fluttershy.

Rarity shook her head sadly. "Rainbow was that little filly's rock in a world that rendered her a flightless pegasus... breaking the news will surely be a disaster," she said.

"Breaking what news?" asked a young filly's voice from the doorway.

The Mane Five turned to face the young Scootaloo. This was going to be a nightmare...

...

As Rainbow Dash fell through a void that was so dark, she wasn't even able to see her own hoof in front of her face, she wondered if this was what it felt like to be... dead.

Oh, please, Faust, don't let me be dead! There's so much I wanted to do with my life! I didn't get to become a Wonderbolt! I didn't get married and have kids who inherited my awesome skills! thought Rainbow desperately.

As she fell, Rainbow heard various things... things that sometimes made Rainbow worried on a number of levels.

"Ya hear that, Scootaloo?! You're all gonna die!" said Rainbow's own disembodied voice, before it broke into psychotic laughter.

"Never wound what you can't kill," a monstrous voice said.

"CaN yOu FeEl ThE sUnShInE?" asked a demonic voice that made Rainbow think of a stuffed fox doll for some reason.

"HeLlO. dO yOu WaNt To PlAy WiTh Me?" asked a second demonic voice that made Rainbow think of a monster that put the "demon" in "speed demon."

"I'm a crazy pizza man! Who juggles and sings!" declared a jubilant female voice that somehow reminded Rainbow of Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow frowned in sadness... Pinkie would truly miss her... as would Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy... and she would miss them. But, the one pony who Rainbow would miss the most would be Scootaloo. And Rainbow knew that Scoots would miss her...

No sooner had Rainbow thought of her young protégé than a terrible pain shoot through what was unmistakably her body, which of course, meant that she was very much alive. If the pain she was in wasn't so excruciating, she would've shouted for joy. But, since it felt like her front hooves were being torn into pieces and her bones were being rearranged, all Rainbow could do was bite her lip to keep herself from screaming. Unfortunately, the only thing this accomplished was causing her lip to bleed.

"HOLY FAUST IN ELYSIUM THIS HURTS! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" screamed Rainbow Dash in obvious agony.

But, the pain did not stop. It just kept coming and coming until Rainbow Dash finally lost consciousness.

...

In the world of Mobius, a blue blur sped through a dense forest. The blue blur was in fact a Mobian Hedgehog, a highly advanced life form that had gained human-like qualities, such as speech and a distinct personality, through thousands of years of evolution. This particular Mobian Hedgehog was named Sonic, obviously named for his ability to break the sound barrier by merely running. Naturally, he was also something of a superhero. In fact, not even two months ago, he had saved the world from utter destruction at the claws of a gang of Zeti known as the Deadly Six, only to go up against his archenemy, Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik.

But, there was still something missing from the teenager's life. No matter how many times he saved the planet, and no matter how many times he sent Eggman, Metal Sonic, or Scourge packing with their tails tucked firmly between their legs, Sonic felt incomplete... as though there was a hole in his heart.

A hole that was once filled by... her.

Sonic's eyes filled up with tears as his thoughts drifted to the woman he once loved... their first kiss... fighting Eggman together... before Scourge killed her in cold blood, just because he could.

Sonic slowed down as he reached a cliff overlooking the ocean. Ever since he lost his true love, several girls had tried to win his heart. But, the truth was, what Sonic wanted in a girlfriend, most of the girls he'd dated lacked.

If there's a love god out there... please give me a girl with at least a smidge of confidence... maybe just a speck of something that makes sense... maybe an idea of dependency... and definately a dash of loyalty

...among other things, thought Sonic, looking at the beautiful sunset out across the sea.

Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out over the landscape. Sonic wheeled around and looked up. There, in the sky was a golden disk of some sort... and was that somebody falling?

Wasting no time, Sonic changed direction and ran toward the falling figure, and managed to catch them just before they hit the ground.

Skidding to a halt, Sonic took a look at the person he'd rescued.

And his jaw dropped like a bad habit when he realized that the "person" he'd saved... wasn't a person.

In Sonic's muscular arms was a sky-blue anthropomorphic horse, a mare judging by her build, with a rainbow-colored mane and tail, wearing a royal blue hoodie with a pink shirt underneath, blue jeans, and pink-and-white sneakers with an unfamiliar logo of a white cloud and a rainbow colored lightning bolt on them. On the horse's back was a pair of sky-blue feathered wings.

Unless Sonic was hallucinating, he'd just rescued a Mobian Pegasus.

After shaking off his shock, Sonic began examining the pegasus. Aside from a bloody lip and the fact that she was unconscious, she seemed to be okay.

I'd better get her to Tails and Cream, just in case, thought Sonic.

With that thought Sonic took off for the Mystic Ruins, where the workshop of his best friend and protégé, Miles "Tails" Prower. As Sonic ran, he thought of two things.

One: Tails and Cream's reaction to seeing a real, live pegasus.

Two: How beautiful the pegasus was.

A New World

Rainbow Dash groaned as she regained consciousness, only dully taking note that she was in a bed.

That was one doozy of a dream I had last night, thought Rainbow as she put her hoof on her face and rubbed it.

A split second later, she realized her hoof... didn't feel like a hoof.

Rainbow's eyes flew open as she sat bolt upright in the bed she was in. She looked at what both her front hooves had become. They looked like monkey hands. They had five... fingers, or whatever they were called, on each hand, or whatever they were called.

Rainbow then looked down at the rest of her body. Her bones had been rearranged, although her wings remained intact, and there were two weird lumps on her chest. And she was highly certain that she wasn't wearing these clothes when she touched that vortex...

The vortex... maybe that hadn't been a dream... which meant that she'd been transported to who knew where!

Rainbow began to hyperventilate, before letting out a scream.

But, what came through the door, Rainbow was highly certain wouldn't help, mostly because they were hallucinations.

Before Rainbow's eyes were what seemed to be a tall, blue, hedgehog wearing bright red sneakers, a yellowish orange fox kit with two tails wearing red and white shoes, a coffee-cream colored rabbit in a red dress, around the head of which was a small blue and yellow creature with a red bow tie. All of them, save for the blue and yellow creature, were standing on two legs and wore white gloves.

"Calm down, sleeping beauty! There's nothing to worry about," the blue hedgehog said.

"What do you mean there's nothing to worry about? I get sucked through a magical vortex, and next thing I know I get transfigured into some kinda two-legged pegasus and there's a talking blue hedgehog in front of me!" said Rainbow.

The blue hedgehog scratched the back of his neck. "Riiight. Anyways, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. This is Tails," he said, pointing at the two-tailed fox.

"Hello. Would you mind if I anaylized your blood?" asked Tails hopefully.

"What for?" asked Rainbow, who was strongly reminded of both Twilight AND Scootaloo.

Tails was about to explain, before the blue hedgehog cut him off. "Tails, I don't think this is a good time to try to advance medical science," he said.

Tails nodded. "Right, Sonic," he said.

The hedgehog, Sonic, continued. "Anyways, this is Cream. The little guy floating around her head is Cheese," he said, indicating the rabbit.

"Hello, Miss Pegasus," said Cream, a friendly smile crossing her face.

"Chao!" said Cheese, beaming just as much as his friend.

"Leaving already? Well, I'll see you later, I guess," said Rainbow.

Cream and Cheese gave Rainbow Dash a blank look. "Chao?" said Cheese.

"Yes, it's okay, you can go, don't let me stop you," said Rainbow, just as confused as Cream and Cheese.

It then dawned on Cream what Rainbow was thinking. "Oh! Did you think Cheese was saying goodbye, Miss Pegasus? Because he wasn't. That's just how Chao talk," explained Cream.

"Oh... my bad. So, that just leaves you, eh, blue?" said Rainbow Dash.

Sonic chuckled as he gave Rainbow a thumbs-up. "Got that right! I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog! And I'm the fastest thing alive," said Sonic.

Rainbow couldn't help but smile. This blue hedgehog reminded her so much of herself. "Fastest thing alive? As if! I'm Rainbow Dash, and I'm the fastest flyer in all of Equestria!" said Rainbow, swinging her legs out of bed and, with a little difficulty, stood to face Sonic dead in the eye.

But, Rainbow didn't get the back talk she was expecting. Instead, what she got was more blank looks.

"Uh... Equestria?" said Sonic, confused once again.

"Oh, come on! You've never heard of Equestria? Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? Land of Ponies? Cloudsdale Weather Corporation? Any of this ringing a bell?" said Rainbow Dash.

"Uh... no? Tails, buddy, ever heard of a place called Equestria?"

"Not that I recall... hang on, let me check," said Tails, before activating a small device that brought up a holographic projection of the world. "Apotos... Spangonia... Chun-Lun... nope, there is no Equestria in the world of Mobius."

Rainbow Dash was stunned. There was no such thing as Equestria here? How was that possible?

Suddenly, Rainbow remembered when Sunset Shimmer had taken Twilight's crown to an alternate world called America, where, according to Twilight, they were decades, if not centuries, ahead of Equestria in terms of development... perhaps that vortex Twilight created had done something similar.

That's really the only logical explanation as to why there's no Equestria, thought Rainbow.

"So... tell me more about this 'Equestria.' Are there any other pegasi there?" asked Tails, grabbing a pen and paper.

"Well, yeah, there's tons of pegasi. We're in charge of weather stability. There's also unicorns who can do magic, earth ponies, they're farmers and grow our food, and alicorns, which are our leaders and are kinda a mixture of all three pony types... so, what about you guys? Who makes your weather, grows your food, and do magic?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Sonic, Tails, and Cream all scratched their heads, but it was Tails who spoke up. "Well... the weather kinda makes itself, I don't really know how to answer your food question, and we don't really have any spellcasters that I'm aware of," explained Tails.

"Wait... how in the wide, wide world of... wherever I am, does the weather 'make itself?'" asked Rainbow.

Tails smiled. "Well, it's really quite simple. The sun's heat causes the water from lakes, rivers, and oceans to evaporate, but not quite on the scale where they'd turn into deserts," he said, answering Rainbow's unspoken question. "Anyway, when the vapor reaches the upper atmosphere, it condenses into clouds. When the clouds get too heavy, it rains or snows. The water from the run-off goes back into the ocean, and the cycle starts all over again."

"Okay, I didn't really need the whole egghead explanation of it, but thanks for clearing it up," said Rainbow.

Sonic took the opportunity to speak up. "You know, Rainbow, I'm sure you're curious about this new world you've ended up in, so... how's about I show you around the city?"

Rainbow thought about the offer. She did want to know more about the world she'd become trapped in... so, what harm could come from letting Sonic show her around?

"Yeah... sure," said Rainbow.

"Great! But, I have a question for you: you think you can keep up with me?" asked Sonic.

Rainbow chuckled. "I think the real question is, can you keep up with me?" she said.

...

After a high-speed, super sonic race, which actually ended in a tie despite both racers arguing about it for over five minutes, Sonic showed Rainbow Dash the city of Station Square.

To say Rainbow got culture shock would be an understatement. It was more like culture electrocution.

Although Rainbow had seen some pretty vast and sprawling cities before, not even Manehattan could hold a candle to this place. Everywhere she looked she saw devices the likes of which she'd never imagined, like flat TVs, metal carts of various shapes and sizes that seemed to run themselves, and small electronic briefcases that the tall, fleshy creatures that Sonic called "humans," used as typewriters or music players, even as means of communication.

Needless to say, everything looked far more sophisticated than anything in Equestria was.

Or probably will be in my lifetime, thought Rainbow, her mouth starting to get dry from all the gawking she'd been doing after spending at least two hours in the city.

"It's a lot to take in, huh?" said Sonic, smirking at Rainbow's awe.

"It's... amazing! Equestrian technology looks like stone tools compared to this place! And we have magic!" said Rainbow.

"Yeah, well, you'll get used to it. Say, wanna grab a couple chili dogs?" asked Sonic.

"What's a chili dog? Some kinda ice cream?" asked Rainbow, tilting her head in confusion.

Sonic laughed. "No, it's a kind of hot dog. Come with me and I'll show ya," he said.

...

Although a chili dog wasn't quite Rainbow Dash's becoming, she did enjoy what she'd learned was called a "corn dog."

As the two speedsters sat eating in the restaurant, Rainbow Dash began to take note of the way people looked at Sonic... it was almost the exact same way the ponies looked at her before and, provided she was with her friends, the Mare Do Well incident; the way a normal civilian looked at a hero who would always be there to protect them.

When Rainbow asked Sonic about this, the hedgehog chuckled.

"Well, when you've saved the world from certain disaster as many times as I have, you're bound to get those kind of looks," said Sonic.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you saved the world? From what?" asked Rainbow, her jaw dropping at this news.

"Well, lots of stuff. Usually some form of ancient entity that grew out of Eggman's control," explained Sonic.

"What's an-" asked Rainbow, before a loud crackling sound hit her ears.

Sonic and Rainbow turned to see that the TVs were acting weird, like something was trying to interfere with the transmission.

"Speak of the devil..." muttered Sonic.

Similarities

On the TV screens throughout the resturaunt, a bald human man with a big brown mustache wearing what seemed to be sunglasses, a red and white jacket, black pants, and black and white shoes appeared.

"I'm baaaaack! And I've got a wonderful little present for you insolent little people for all the trouble you've caused me! Well, wonderful for me and absolutely horrible for you!" said Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik.

Almost as soon as Dr. Eggman was finished talking, a flying battleship appeared in the sky. And from it fell two battle mechs and what looked like a flying egg, in which was Dr. Eggman and two smaller robots, one with a yellow paint job and a block-shape, and a red orb-shaped robot, who was holding a camera. One mech was armed with what looked like missiles for hands, and one with what seemed like claws.

"I trust you all remember Missile-Wrist. Well, my good civilians, meet the new and improved version! And his partner, The Lacerator! I was planning on calling him Burnbot, but that'd be stupid since he can't actually burn or incinerate things. Anyways, once these two war machines are finished destroying the city, I'll be able to rebuild Eggmanland! Oh ho ho ho ho!" laughed Dr. Eggman before the transmission ended.

But, Rainbow Dash and Sonic could clearly hear what the mad doctor said next. "All right, you two! Start smashing!"

"Acknowledged," said Missile-Wrist and Lacerator. Missile-Wrist began launching his retractable missile-like hands while Lacerator did the same with his claws.

As panicked patrons began fleeing the resturaunt, Sonic and Rainbow Dash went outside and stood to confront Dr. Eggman.

"Dash, you get someplace safe. I'll handle Egghead," said Sonic.

Rainbow shook her head. "Sorry, Sonic, but I'm the Bearer of Loyalty. I never, ever, leave my friends hanging," she said, taking a fighter's stance with Sonic.

Sonic couldn't help but smile. This was going to be fun... provided Rainbow didn't get herself killed.

"All righty, then... let's see what you can do!" said Sonic, before rolling up into a ball and reving up.

"Oh, don't worry... I've got a few tricks up my sleeve," said Rainbow, flying at break-neck speed at Missile-Wrist.

Dr. Eggman leaned out of his Egg Mobile at the sight of the rainbow blur headed for his mech.

"What is that?!" he yelled.

"Sir, it appears to be... some sort of pegasus," said Orb-Bot, confusion evident in his synthetic voice.

"And it's as fast as Sonic, too!" said Cube-Bot.

"Interesting..." said Dr. Eggman.

"You know what else is interesting, Eggman?" said Rainbow as Missile-Wrist got ready to launch his arms at her.

"What?" said Eggman.

"This!"

As Missile-Wrist's missile arm launched out at Rainbow, Sonic managed to get The Lacerator to launch one of his claws. Rainbow, Sonic, and a quick thinking Dr. Eggman managed to get out of the way at the last second as the two appendages collided.

"Uh-oh," said Missile-Wrist.

"Roger roger," said Lacerator.

The very next second, both robots were pulled towards each other with unrelenting force, before crashing into each other, rendering both machines totaled.

"And that is what we call 'skillz,'" said Rainbow and Sonic.

"Well, well, well... you're doing remarkably well, especially after that... unfortunate... incident with Scourge," said Eggman.

Rainbow turned to look at Sonic in confusion. Unfortunate incident? Scourge? What's he talking about? thought Rainbow.

"Don't you dare bring her into this, Eggman!" snarled Sonic.

"Ooh! When did you get so grumpy, Sonic?" taunted Eggman.

At that precise moment, a mallet found its way into the side of Dr. Eggman's Egg Mobile. Looking in the direction it came from, Rainbow once again caught sight of a bizzare ensamble of woodland animals that more than likely had the ability to speak. This particular ensamble consisted of an angry looking pink hedgehog in a red dress similar to Sonic in physical appearance, a brown chipmunk wearing a light blue sleeveless shirt, black shorts, and black and white boots, and a copper colored rabbit that had robotic legs and a robotic arm.

"Buzz off, Eggman! Or my next hammer is going directly on you face!" yelled the pink hedgehog.

Eggman growled. The odds certainly weren't in his favor at the moment. He turned to face Sonic. "You and your intriguing mythological girlfriend win this round, Sonic, but I'll be back and the Chaos Emeralds will be mine!" said Eggman as he retreated to his Egg Carrier and made his escape.

Once Dr. Eggman was gone, the pink hedgehog turned her attention, along with a hammer, towards Rainbow Dash. "And you! Who the hell are you? And how did you move so fast?"

Rainbow Dash blushed. The fact that this crazy pink hedgehog was pointing a giant hammer at her wasn't really helping with the tons of questions racing through her mind.

"Her name's Rainbow Dash. I saved her the other day when she, well... fell from the sky," explained Sonic.

The chipmunk raised an eyebrow as the pink hedgehog scoffed and said, "And how do you know she isn't an Eggman robot? Or worse, a Metal Sonic robot?"

"Tails checked. She's a living, breathing pegasus mare," said Sonic.

"Wait a sec... Metal Sonic? Okay, will somepony please explain to me what the Tartarus you guys are talking about?" said Rainbow.

"Metal Sonic is a robotic copy of me built by Eggman who went rogue. And the word is 'somebody,'" explained Sonic.

"Oh... and now the million bit question: who are you guys?" asked Rainbow.

"Ah'm Bunnie D'Coolette, but everybody calls me Bunnie-Rabbot," said the cyborg rabbit, shaking hands with Rainbow Dash.

The chipmunk was next. "My name is Sally Acorn," said Sally, likewise shaking Rainbow's hand.

And finally, it was the pink hedgehog's turn. After standing and looking her up and down, the pink hedgehog held out her hand. "I'm Amy Rose, and I just have to ask you something," she said.

"Yeah? What's that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"How did you get your hair to be like that?"

Rainbow blushed again. "Uh... it's actually my natural mane color," she said.

"Ah, okay," said Amy.

"So, what did Eggman mean by Chaos Emeralds?" asked Rainbow.

Sonic sighed as he began his explination. "The Chaos Emeralds are seven mystical gems that bestow unlimited power. Just one will grant enhanced strength and speed, even power machinery," he said.

"Uh-huh... and Eggman thinks he can use them? asked Rainbow.

"That's correct. Hardly a week goes by without him hatching some evil scheme involving the gems," said Sally.

"I've sometimes wondered if I should work trouncing Eggman's sorry ass into my daily routine," joked Sonic.

"But, it's not like he can actually use them, right? I mean, he isn't one of the Emeralds' Bearers, is he?"

Sonic and Sally got confused looks on their faces as Bunnie and Amy scratched their heads.

"Er... Bearers?" asked Bunnie.

"Well, yeah, I mean, aren't there specific beings in this world who are the only ones who can weild each Chaos Emerald's power?" asked Rainbow, who was quickly becoming more and more confused by this world by the second.

"Well... I'm highly certain that the only requirement to use a Chaos Emerald is being alive," said Sonic.

"So, in other words, anyone can use them," said Rainbow.

"Yep... but, I'm interested as to where you got this whole 'Bearer' idea from... care to fill in the blanks?" asked Sally.

Rainbow scratched her head. "Eh, sure, but this is going to take some explaining," she said.

...

A few hours later, at Sonic's place, Rainbow Dash was telling Tails, who was taking vigourous notes, Sally, Sonic, and a burly purple walrus named Rotor about the Elements of Harmony.

"All right, so these six Elements, Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and the most powerful of them all, Magic, are pretty much the Chaos Emeralds of my world, except that only one pony can use each Element. I can use the Loyalty Element, and my friends Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight can use Laughter, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, and Magic respecively. Also, they provide power to this tree called the Tree of Harmony, whch is the source of all Equestrian Magic. Anymore questions?" asked Rainbow, now knowing what it felt like to be an egghead like Twilight.

Sally was amazed at this piece of information. These Elements and their relationship with this tree sounded a lot like the mirror opposite of the relationship between the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald...

But, before Sally could point out this similarity, Amy Rose came bursting through the door, yelling, "They're all coming!"

Rainbow could practically hear the crickets chirping as she and everybody else in the room gave Amy a blank look.

"Who's all coming to what?" asked Rotor.

"Didn't you guys get that message I sent to everyone?" asked Amy.

Sally pulled out her cell phone and checked her e-mails. Sure enough, there was a message from Amy. Sally smiled as she read it. "Not a bad idea, Amy," she said once she'd finished.

"What's not a bad idea?" asked Rainbow.

"Amy has decided to throw a party in your honor. And it sounds like all of our friends are coming. Wait, does that mean Silver, too?" asked Sally.

"Uh-huh. Just a suggestion, but I think you guys should get ready," said Amy.

...

Meanwhile, at Dr. Eggman's base, Dr. Eggman was watching the recording of Rainbow Dash and Sonic trashing his two battle mechs. This just couldn't be happening. Dealing with four creatures that could break the sound barrier was difficult enough all ready, but now there was a pegasus who could match his archenemy's speed!

"How am I supposed to compete with this?! Never, after all these years would I have expected this to happen? How can I take over the world and build the Eggman Empire if there's five beings running circles around it?" yelled Dr. Eggman.

So consumed by his distress was Eggman that he didn't hear a soft voice chuckle. At least, not until it spoke.

"Aw, does the poor doctor have a rainbow problem? Perhaps me and my army can help."

Eggman wheeled around his his chair to find what seemed to be another anthro pegasus mare, this one having a golden mane and tail, a light turquoise coat, and wearing what seemed to be a purple and black flight suit with yellow jagged lines on the wrists and ankles, black gloves and boots, and a black flight mask complete with angry-looking yellow tinted goggles.

"Who are you? And how'd you get past my security?" roared Dr. Eggman.

The masked mare chuckled once again. "My name is Lightning Dust, and I am the Captain of the Shadowbolts. Let's talk business," said Lightning.

Kindred Spirits

A week had passed since Rainbow had found herself in the strange world of Mobius. Although she'd gotten used to walking on two legs, she still hadn't gotten used to some of the high-tech gadgets and gizmos. And although she'd befriended most of Sonic's friends, there were certain quirks about them that reminded her of her friends back home.

For example, there was a red creature that claimed to be an echidna named Knuckles. To Rainbow, however, the crimson spiked mitten wearing creature looked nothing like an echidna. Or any kind of anteater for that matter. Nevertheless, the fact that Knuckles could argue with Rainbow over something as trivial as that strongly reminded the rainbow-maned pegasus of her friend Applejack, who had constantly competed with Rainbow Dash over who, in some form or another, was the better pony.

Before long, Rainbow was considered part of the family, something Sonic took great pleasure in, since it was nice to have another speedster around who wasn't built in a lab.

Sonic... Rainbow didn't know why, but everytime she thought of him, she felt all warm and toasty inside... Rainbow was starting to wonder if she was feeling happiness that she finally found someone who could match her speed, or if it was something more.

But, she wasn't the only one who was wondering about Sonic.

"Where is that Sonic?!" yelled Amy, who had been looking for the blue blur in the hopes of getting him to have dinner with her.

Tails, who had been listening to the pink hedgehog rant about where Sonic was for the past half hour, sighed and shook his head. "I know that Sonic's my best friend and, well, mentor, but to be honest, he'd be late for his own funeral, even with his supersonic speed," he said.

Overhearing this, Rainbow recalled what Dr. Eggman had said and approached Amy. "I'll go look for him. Just tell me where the local graveyard is," she said.

...

As it turned out, Rainbow's hunch was right. Inside the local cemetery, she found Sonic kneeling in front of one of the headstones, talking to it as though it were an actual living thing.

"... I don't know what to do, Blaze. I think I might be falling in love with her... but, at the same time, I don't want to betray your memory... I try to keep a brave face and protect everyone from Eggman, Metal Sonic, and Scourge, but the truth is, I'm hurting..." whispered Sonic, tears in his eyes.

Rainbow couldn't believe it. Sonic the Hedgehog, the speedster who she might be developing a crush on, was secretly suffering from a broken heart.

"Would I happen to know who this person you're talking about is?" asked Rainbow Dash, approaching Sonic.

Sonic jumped about a foot in the air at the sound of Rainbow's voice. "Rainbow! What are you doing here? How much did you hear?" asked the blue blur.

Rainbow smiled. "Enough," she said, coming to sit next to Sonic, where she was able to read the headstone.

Blaze the Cat

A fierce fighter, loyal friend

and lover.

2090-2014

"What's with the weird dates?" asked Rainbow.

Sonic looked Rainbow dead in the eye. "The weird dates are there because Blaze was born in the future," he said.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed at this piece of information. "The future? Seriously?" she said, sounding very skeptical.

"What, you magical ponies don't have any time machines or mystical artifacts that allow time travel?" asked Sonic.

"Oh, no we have methods to travel through time... it's just staying at that point in time that we're having difficulty with," explained Rainbow, recalling a story Twilight had told her about her attempts to evade a non-existent crisis and/or war.

"Uh-huh..." said Sonic.

"So, anyways, as you were saying?"

"Right, so, anyways, Blaze was from the future. We fought against Eggman's great-grandson, although, why anyone would fall in love with him is beyond me... and, well, as we continued to fight together... our friendship grew into something more," explained Sonic.

"I bet that Amy chick was pissed," said Rainbow with a smirk.

Sonic chuckled. "That would be an understatement," he said, before his look quickly became much more somber.

"Then... it all came crashing down..."

...

A few months earlier, we find Sonic and Blaze, who is a pink and white cat in a dark blue dress, having a picnic in a peaceful meadow, filled with plenty of trees, rocks, and, well... the things you'd usually find in a meadow. As the two lovers sat talking about their relationship, Amy being ticked at Sonic for being with Blaze, and what Silver was up to, Sonic and Blaze leaned in and began to kiss, which steadily began to grow more passionate.

That's when disaster struck.

"Hey Sonic, I'm going to head back home okay? See you tomorrow you blue devil." Blaze said with a smile and a wink. Sonic smiled and nodded before he sped off in the opposite direction. Blaze started to walk off before she felt the air turn cold. Suddenly she was surrounded by a blur of green and sick laughter. She tried summoning some fire but the oxygen was too low for it. Soon Blaze felt the air leave her lungs and she started gasping for more. None would come to her as her eyes slowly became bloodshot and soon she fell to the ground... dead. Soon the green blur stopped moving as the figure revealed itself. The being was a green version of Sonic with three scars on his chest and wearing a black leather jacket.

"Hehe. Hope you like my gift bro," Scourge said before he ran off, laughing as he made a run for it.

…

A few hours later, Sonic returned home to find Tails there waiting for him.

“Hey, buddy! How’s it hangin’?” asked Sonic, before noticing the look on his protege’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Tails sighed. “Sonic… I’m so, so sorry…” said Tails.

Sonic tilted his head in confusion. “For what? What happened?” he asked.

In seven words, Tails took a hammer the size of Amy’s and pounded his heart into dust.

“Sonic… Blaze is dead. Scourge killed her.”

…

Rainbow looked at Sonic in horror. She and her friends had faced some pretty twisted villains before, but for somepony to just up and murder someone… not even The Mane-iac would do that.

Rainbow placed a comforting hand on Sonic’s shoulder. The blue hedgehog looked at her in the moonlight… and felt a familiar warmth starting to return.

“You know, Sonic… you’re not the only one who’s lost someone who meant a lot to you. I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anybody before,” said Rainbow.

“And… what’s that?” asked Sonic.

Rainbow sighed before closing her eyes. “I had a big sister. Her name was Firefly. She was a rising star with the Wonderbolts. For nearly all my fillyhood, I wanted to be just like her, flying at break-neck speeds, performing aerial stunts while thousands of ponies screamed my name over and over again, all while finding the time to come home and hang out with my friends and family. Unfortunately, I wasn’t exactly the world’s greatest flyer,” she said.

“Are you kidding me? You actually managed to keep up with me! And you weren’t made in a lab nor are you an evil copy of me! How could you not be the world’s greatest flyer?” asked Sonic, surprised by this news.

“Yeah, well, that certainly wasn’t the case when I was just learning how to fly straight. Back then, my face usually made contact with the ground before my hooves did. Bullies called me ‘Rainbow Crash.’ Anyways, the only ponies who encouraged me to keep pushing myself was my family, especially Firefly. She always told me that one day, I’d fly higher than Elysium itself and prove to everypony that I was something special,” continued Rainbow, before a truly sad look crossed her face.

“Then, one day, during a training exercise… there was some kind of accident. I don’t really remember all the details, but I do know this: Firefly's wings were badly damaged and the Rescue Ponies didn’t catch her in time. Ever since then, I’ve become motivated to follow in her hoofsteps and become the next Captain of the Wonderbolts." Rainbow said with a determined look on her face.

“Rainbow… I don’t know what to say… but, I do have one question,” said Sonic.

“Which is?” asked Rainbow.

“What’s a Wonderbolt?”

Rainbow snickered a little before laughing out loud. Sonic started to chuckle as well. Something about Rainbow's laughter was just contagious... and it made him feel good.

“W-well, since you asked, the Wonderbolts are Equestria's best fliers. They perform at all sorts of events, like the Summer Sun Celebration, the Marecy's Hearth's Warming Parade, Summer Wrap-Up... the list goes on and on. Also, they're Equestria's air defense, if Equestria's at war for some reason," explained Rainbow as she regained her composure.

"Uh-huh, and assuming I don't know what those holidays are?" asked Sonic as he and Rainbow Dash stood up.

On their way back to Sonic's place, Rainbow began to explain the various major pony holidays, such as Hearth's Warming, Nightmare Night, the Running of The Leaves, Hearts and Hooves Day, and the Summer Sun Celebration. But, as Sonic pointed, the pony holidays and holidays on Mobius had some scary similarities.

"Well, for starters, Nightmare Night sounds almost exactly like Halloween, only with Halloween we say something different, we get to keep ALL the candy, and the costumes are just for fun," explained Sonic.

"Oh, really? What do Mobians say when they ask for candy on Halloween night?" asked Rainbow, her hands on her hips.

Sonic smirked. "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat," he said.

Rainbow started laughing again. "You-you guys actually say that?" she said in between laughs.

"Well, not the 'smell my feet' part, but the rest of it we do," said Sonic.

As she and Sonic grew near to Sonic's place, something that had been growing, blooming, and evolving on Rainbow's mind ever since she'd gone to find Sonic in the graveyard made her say something that made her want to kick herself.

"What's Hearts and Hooves Day like here?"

Sonic blushed. But, before he could say anything, he was almost knocked to the ground by Amy. Once the pink hedgehog had finished obsessing over her crush, Sonic made his way into the house. Rainbow made to follow, but found the business end of a giant hammer blocking her way.

"Not so fast, Dashie. You and I need to have a little talk," said Amy, her voice deadly serious.

"About what?" asked Rainbow.

"I've seen the way your face gets when you think about Sonic. So, I am warning you now. Sonic is M-I-N-E. Understand?" said Amy, a hint of menace in her voice.

"Amy, I'm not sure how romance between hedgehogs work, but I'm pretty sure these five words can sum up how he feels about you: he's not that into you," said Rainbow.

Amy scoffed. "We'll see who's into who in due time. When Sonic and I get married, you're going to be the Maid of Honor... just so I can see the look on your face," said Amy.

"Likewise. Wait, did I just say that?!" said Rainbow, facepalming herself.

Amy growled. "You'll see, Dash..." she muttered, before storming off.

Rainbow glared at Amy as she left. Once she was out of earshot, Rainbow started to scold herself.

"Ugh, why in the wide, wide world of Mobius did I say that?!" growled Rainbow. "I mean, it's not like I actually love Sonic... or do I?"

...

Later that night, a certain blue hedgehog was facing a similar inner turmoil as he lay awake in his bed.

Can I really be falling in love so soon after losing Blaze? thought Sonic as he tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable and fall asleep

No I… I let one die on my watch.. I won’t let another one go the same way. Sonic thought to himself as he finally fell asleep.

Completely unaware of the cyan blue pegasus who slipped into bed right next to him.

The Date

Meanwhile, on board Dr. Eggman's Egg Carrier MK. 6, the mad doctor and Lightning Dust were in the middle of negotiating an alliance.

"So, we are in agreement, then?" Eggman asked the purple clad pegasus. "You help me crush Sonic, his new girlfriend, and their little gang and help me take over this world and in return-"

"And in return I get these Chaos Emeralds... once you've finished with them, of course... however, Dr. Eggman, I have some doubts about your... capabilities," said Lightning.

Dr. Eggman frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I've heard things about you, doctor... it seems that despite the fact that you seem to have more weapons than most countries, time and time again you let this blue hedgehog kick your sorry ass. And nearly all of the models I've seen for your battle mechs have a great big 'screw me over' button on them," explained Lightning.

Eggman turned red in the face at this little remark. "And what would a pegasus know about building battle mechs?!" he snarled.

"Enough to know that putting a great big 'Hit Here, Dummy' button on the outside of a battlemech is a sure-fire way to get your ass handed to you over and over again."

“Yes, well… I can’t just have people STEALING my inventions and using them against me, can I? I had to invent SOME form of fail-safe.” Dr. Eggman said nervously.

"Well, that's a fair point, but I think we're straying off of the topic. Let's launch a combined attack tonight," said Lightning.

Dr. Eggman thought about this. "And... where's your part of the attack force?"

Dr. Eggman's question was answered as several more pegasi dressed in a similar uniform to Lightning Dust appeared from a dark swirling vortex...

...

Sonic blinked a bit as he started to wake up. He frowned as an unfamiliar noise reached his ears. Almost like a mixture between a horse making its horse noises and snoring... and it sounded REALLY close... almost like it was right next to him.

A turn of his head revealed exactly where that snoring came from: Rainbow Dash, who was fast asleep... in his bed.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF-?" yelled Sonic as he fell out of his bed.

Rainbow sat bolt upright in bed. "Huh? Who's there? I have a black belt in karate!" she yelled.

Sonic frowned. How in the multiverse does a pony learn karate, let alone master it? he thought. He then shook his head, returning to the problem at hand.

"What are you doing in my bed?"

Rainbow looked down at Sonic, blushing and chuckling nervously.

"W-well... you see... heh heh... funny story..."

"Rainbow... are you developing a crush on me?" asked Sonic.

Rainbow suddenly got five times more nervous. "W-what? No! Why would I be? I mean, it's not like you're getting a crush on me, are you?" she said, her face as red as an apple.

"Actually, now that you mention it, Rainbow... I kinda think I am."

At these words, Rainbow's jaw dropped like a sack of bricks. "R-really?" she said.

"Yeah... so, what should we do about this?" asked Sonic.

"Well, I think the solution to this problem is obvious: we go on a date," said Rainbow.

"A date?" said Sonic.

"Yeah, just one date, you know, just to get it out of our system."

Sonic thought about this for a moment. It couldn't hurt to just go on one date, could it? If it was just to get it out of their system and move on...

"All right, we'll go on a date," said Sonic.

It felt as if someone had just told her there was a cart full of cider for her and her alone. That was how happy Rainbow Dash felt.

"Cool! So, what time were you thinking?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe around 8:30."

"All right, it's a date," said Rainbow.

...

As the bright orange light of a sunset filled Station Square, Lightning Dust and her Shadowbolts lurked out of sight in the sewers.

It's almost time... thought Lightning, as one of her soldiers approached her.

"My captain, I am sorry to trouble you, but I must ask: why are we here? Why must we come to this world?" the soldier asked.

"Two words: manifest destiny," said Lightning, disinterest in her voice.

"My captain, I don't quite-"

"Don't quite what? Understand? Then let me explain it to you," said Lightning Dust. "The Black Queen rules our world and all of its resources, both magical and otherwise. Nevertheless, it is not enough for our plans. So, what can we do? Where can we go to get more? Thanks to Black Dawn's research, we've answered that question. Once we've disposed of this world's heroes and regimes and seize power, it'll be smooth sailing... that, and there's a particular set of gems I'd like to get my hands on."

"But, ma'am, that's not why Her Majesty sent us here." A different soldier said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, rumor got out that there's a spy in our ranks."

“I see… well, I was sent here to seize new worlds and acquire power. So, until such time as this so-called spy is captured, it’ll be my orders you’ll be following. Is that understood?” said Lightning.

“Yes, Captain,” the soldiers said.

…

Finally, it was time for the date. Rainbow Dash, who was wearing a royal blue dress that she borrowed from Sally, was, as Applejack would put it, “more nervous than a worm in an apple on cider-making day.”

Sonic, meanwhile, was clad in a simple suit and tie as he led the way into the restaurant.

"Well, someone looks fancy today."

"Would you believe me if I said this suit itches?" Sonic said as Rainbow just chuckled at the response.

"Oh, trust me I do. Speedsters like us can't take clothes that restrict us. It's why the Wonderbolts' flight suits always are skin tight yet flexible... you do look nice though." Rainbow got out as she blushed.

"Thanks. You look nice too.”

"Thanks," said Rainbow.

...

As the moon began to rise into the sky, Sonic and Rainbow Dash could easily tell that their "one date" plan was utterly destroyed. But, at the moment, they didn't really care. They were having too good of a time.

"So, after I defeated him again, Dr. Eggman tried to fly away using his jet pack, but I'd taken the exhaust hose, so he ended up falling. The next time I saw him, he only had half a mustache!" said Sonic.

Rainbow Dash was now laughing so hard, tears were starting to form.

"Oh, Sonic! Where do you come up with this stuff?" she said.

"That's the funny part: I don't," said Sonic, chuckling as he spoke.

As the two speedsters laughed, their hands touched. Rainbow was the first to notice and brought her hand away quickly hoping Sonic didn't notice the touch.

"So what about you RD? Any wild tales from your world?" Sonic asked having not notice the touching hands much to Rainbow's relief.

"Well, there was this mare from my world who was a bit off her rocker and, you're gonna love this, she was almost my CLONE. She had a blue coat and a gold blonde mane. Her name was-" before Rainbow could finish an explosion brought her attention to a bright light coming from the distance.

“What in the world was that?” asked Sonic as he looked out the window.

“I don’t know… but, I think we need to find out,” said Rainbow.

With that, the two speedsters paid their bill and set out towards the source of the explosion.

…

“I will give you this much, doc,” said Lightning Dust as she strode up to the big hole in the wall with Dr. Eggman, with a mixture of Shadowbolts and Badniks covering their backs. “You certainly know how to make an entrance.”

“Thank you,” said Dr. Eggman, smiling smugly at his handiwork.

“Now, then where’s that-?” said Lightning, before a shining white light caught her eye. Shifting some of the rubble, she soon discovered a glowing white gem about as big as her hand.

“So… this is a Chaos Emerald. Looks a bit different than I would’ve expected, but beautiful nonetheless,” said Lightning. As she picked up the gem, Lightning felt the small surge of power flow through her, making her feel stronger.

“Captain! We’ve got company!” yelled one of Lightning’s soldiers, before a blue blur knocked him to the ground, swiftly followed by a blur that was a lighter shade of blue. Within moments both blurs had jumped on and kicked the tar out of every Badnik and Shadowbolt that was with Lightning and Eggman.

"Who's your new friend Doc? A circus performer?" Sonic said as he stood atop a destroyed Badnik.

Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped as she recognized the mare in the flight suit. How’d she get here? thought Rainbow before she stammered out the mare’s name.

“L-Lightning Dust? What are you doing here?”

Lightning Dust frowned. How did this mare know who she was? And why did she look just like…?

“Wait, you actually know who that pegasus is?” asked Sonic.

Rainbow nodded. “Remember that mare I was telling you about? That’s her,” she said.

“I think you have me confused with some other pony because I have NEVER met you before today.” Lightning Dust said as she made a orb of dark energy and blasted Sonic.

“Wait! You never said you could do that!” Eggman exclaimed but Lightning just growled at him.

“We don’t have time for this. We got the Emerald. Let’s leave NOW.”

“Why?! You have power now! Kill the two idiots!” Eggman ordered but was surprised by Lightning’s glare at him.

“You. Don’t. Give. Me. Orders.” Lightning growled as another orb formed in her hand. Before she could fire it at Eggman, Rainbow launched herself at her former wingpony and went through SEVERAL buildings leaving perfect holes before Lightning broke off the engagement. Both ponies stared at each other before Lightning smirked.

“Well, you know how to play… perhaps finding the Emeralds won’t be as easy as I thought…” said Lightning.

“Lightning, you don’t have to do this, you know,” said Rainbow.

Lightning placed a hand on her chin, as thought in thought. “You know, you’re right. I don’t have to do this,” she said, before firing a blast of black lightning at Rainbow Dash, sending her sprawling. “I just want to.”

As the battered pegasus looked up at her former friend, Rainbow saw a cloud of purple-black smoke form, which then condensed into a swirling black portal.

“See ya, faker!” said Lightning, before she and Dr. Eggman retreated into the vortex.

Rainbow watched the two supervillains go. So, Lightning Dust had superpowers AND she was after the Chaos Emeralds. But, that wasn’t the only thing that troubled her.

What did she mean by “Faker?”

Place Full Of Chemicals

"Well, looks like I missed a fun night," said Tails as the jacked up Rainbow Dash and Sonic entered the room.

"You have no idea. We've got a new problem on our hooves-er, hands," said Rainbow, keeping a part of her dress on a bleeding cut on her arm.

Sally and Amy ran over to the heroes, concern, and in Amy's case, anger, evident on their faces.

"What happened?" asked Sally.

"And why are you two all dressed up like you were going on a..." said Amy, before a look of pure fury crossed her face. Lousy... stinking... pegasus! How dare she steal MY man! she thought, looking a lot like a steamed vegetable, only pink.

Cream saw this and looked concerned for Amy. "Amy, m-maybe you should calm down," she whimpered.

Amy was about unleash her fury on Cream, when Bunnie intervened. "Amy, calm down! You fussin' over Sonic goin' on a date with a girl who ain't you isn't gonna help us hear what happened," she said.

"Thank you, Bunnie. Now, tell us what happened," said Sally.

“Well it all started when me and Sonic were-”

“Sonic and me.” Sally said. Rainbow just stared at her. “The correct way to say it? Sonic and me.”

“Ooookay…. what she said. We were on a date, which was going along great I thought, but we heard an explosion a few hours in. We went to check it out-”

“-and guess who showed up?” Sonic said as he flexed an arm.

“Gee, let me think… Dr. Eggman?” said Sally.

“Yep. Only this time, he had a new friend with him. Apparently, Rainbow knows this pegasus… what was her name again? It sounded like a rock band,” said Sonic.

“Her name was Lightning Dust. She was a former friend of mine from the Wonderbolts Academy. She got the boot after she unleashed a tornado that nearly killed my friends. It looks like a lot of things have changed since then,” explained Rainbow.

"What happened after you fought Eggman and this… Lightning Dust?” asked Sally.

“Well, we fought, and then Lightning Dust shot black lightning out of her hands and made her get away with a white gem. She claimed it was a Chaos Emerald,” said Rainbow.

“Which would be because it was,” said Sonic.

Sally’s expression suddenly turned to one of concern. “Tails, please tell me you have an idea where the other Emeralds are,” she said.

“I know of at least three places they could be.” Tails said “But G.U.N. has them on REALLY tight security and Shadow is guarding one of the locations.” He said. Everyone around him looked nervous… except for Rainbow.

“I’m pretty sure we can handle this ‘goon’ group, no problem,” said Rainbow.

Sonic shook his head, chuckling. “Rainbow, it’s pronounced ‘Gun.’ And, more importantly, is short of the Guardian Units of Nations. They’re our world’s defense force… aside from us, that is,” he explained.

“Oooh, I get it now. So, where are the Emeralds?” asked Rainbow.

“We never really knew what it was called but I mostly called it the Chemical Plant Zone. Simple and easy to remember. That’s where the first one is.” Tails said. Rainbow couldn’t help but see a mix of Twilight and Scootaloo in the little guy.

“Right, got it. Well, Sonic, I don’t know about you, but I think we need to get to this Chemical Plant Zone and get the Emerald before Lightning Dust and Eggman do,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Agreed,” said Sonic, getting up to stand with Rainbow.

“Sonic, are you sure about this? I mean, you’re still hurt,” said Amy.

“I’ll be fine, Amy. Don’t worry,” said Sonic.

“Well, Sonic, I’m assuming you know where the Chemical Plant Zone is?” asked Rainbow.

Sonic nodded. With that, the two heroes changed into their usual attires, and with Sonic taking the lead, headed out to the Chemical Plant Zone.

...

The figure made sure it was away from any ears that might be listening as it fiddled with a blue crystal that glowed a little before displaying the image of a cyan blue unicorn sprouting from the light.

“Status report?”

"I got the Emerald, Trixie," the figure said.

"Excellent. I've received word that the Black Queen has sent soldiers your way. She must be getting suspicious. Remember, no one must find out until we have all seven Chaos Emeralds. They will give us the power we need to overthrow the Black Queen," said Trixie.

"Right. Got it," said the figure. With that the figure crushed the crystal and let the dust go to the four winds. “I won’t let them down... I won’t let my sister down,” said the figure as it disappeared back to it’s room.

...

Rainbow couldn't help but feel a little uneasy as she looked at the Chemical Plant Zone. It was truly unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Where Station Square was balanced between the advanced technology and nature, this place had utterly destroyed any trace of nature that had been there. What had once been life giving streams and lakes were now a poisonous shade of pink. But what troubled Rainbow the most was the clouds. They were far from fluffy white, pewter gray, or jet black. They were a poisonous shade of yellow, thanks to the smoke from the smokestacks.

“Um… you sure we’re safe here Sonic? I mean... this place looks like it'll give us cancer or something," said Rainbow.

"I seriously doubt it. I've been through here before, and I don't have any health problems... all the same, I'd stay out of that water if I were you," said Sonic.

"Right... got it," said Rainbow.

"Okay, so here's the plan. I’ll go in through here,” Sonic pointed at a opening in a pipeline. “But you’ll go through the open sky-”

“WHOA WHOA WHOA! Why do I get the portion that has to include me likely getting blasted out of the sky?!” Rainbow exclaimed in fear.

“Because you’ll be the distraction. Any G.U.N. forces in there will turn their attention towards you while I sneak out with the Emerald. Plus they’ve been slower than me so you’ll have no problem.” Sonic said giving Rainbow a thumbs up.

“Ahem. I certainly hope you two aren’t up to something,” a gruff voice said from behind them.

Sonic and Rainbow Dash froze in their spots. Turning to look behind them, the duo found what looked like a red and black hedgehog with two holsters strapped around his waist. This same hedgehog was also pointing what Rainbow, despite not knowing jack squat about Mobian weaponry, could tell was some kind of small projectile weapon.

“Heh heh… hey, Shadow. What brings you here?” Sonic said nervously while Rainbow simply stared at the hedgehog.

Shadow glared at the two of them. “I was assigned to this location to protect the Chaos Emerald, and keep out trespassers. And who do I find, but Faker and some kind of pegasus,” he said.

“Come on I thought we both agree that I’M the original not you Shadow.”

“We did.” Shadow deadpanned as he still had his weapon aimed at Rainbow.

“Um… Sonic… what’s this guy’s damage?” Rainbow asked slowly and nervously.

“Nothing compared to the damage I’ll do to you if you don’t leave right now.” Shadow growled. Before Rainbow could say anything an explosion came from inside the Chemical Plant Zone causing them all to turn towards it.

“What the-? Where’d that explosion come from?” said Shadow. He then turned to Rainbow Dash. “Did you do that?”

“N-no… but, I think I might know who might’ve done it,” said Rainbow.

“Well, what are we waiting for, Christmas? Let’s go check it out!” said Sonic.

With that, the trio of speedsters set out for the Chemical Plant Zone.

…

“Well, that’s one way to make an entrance… not the most effective choice when YOU’RE IN A BUCKING CHEMICAL PLANT!” yelled Lightning Dust to one of her soldiers.

“S-sorry, Captain. I thought it’d help take care of those human soldiers,” the Shadowbolt said.

Lightning growled. “Next time, listen to what I have to say before you start setting off the pyrotechnics!” she said, just before a yellow bolt whizzed past her. “What the buck?!”

“Nice shot Shadow. But you were off by a few inches.” A voice said. A moment later another yellow bolt nearly hit Lightning but she dodged it at the last second.

“Who’s there?! Come out and show yourself coward!” Lightning Dust shouted just as a bright blue blur flew right at her and nailed her across the face. Lightning got up and saw with her very eyes a black blur, which was plowing down her soldiers one by one, varying between gun play and the yellow bolts of energy that had nearly nailed Lightning not even a minute before.

Lightning whirled around and saw that Rainbow Dash and Sonic were with the black blur, who had just finished off the rest of Lightning’s soldiers.

“Don’t move, or I’ll blow your brains out!” yelled Shadow, aiming his gun at Lightning Dust.

Lightning Dust glared at Shadow, before smiling. “You really wouldn’t shoot a girl, would you?” she said.

“Try me,” said Shadow, his face as rigid as rock.

“Very well.”

Before Shadow could fire his weapon, a swift bolt of black lightning struck him, sending him flying and causing him to drop his gun. Shadow got up and growled at Lightning.

“So, that’s how you want to play it, eh? In that case, I don't need to hold back with you,” said Shadow.

“Same here,” said Lightning. At this Shadow summoned a pair of yellow energy bolts and trained them at Lightning.

“Chaos… Spear!” Shadow shouted at which the bolts flew right at Lightning who flapped open her wings and flew into the air and away from the blasts. What she failed to see was the green flash above her head as Shadow hit Lightning square on her head.

“Ow! Where’d you come from?!” yelled Lightning, rubbing her head and correcting her downward spiral.

“Hmph. For someone who’s so interested in the Chaos Emeralds, it seems you have much to learn about the true power they possess,” said Shadow.

“Is that so? Well, how’s this for power!” yelled Lightning, firing one of her exploding orbs of energy, which Shadow swiftly avoided. Only to get tackled by Lightning Dust, whose attack was enhanced by the Chaos Emerald she already had. “So you were saying about me having to learn? I think I got a grasp on what they can do! Enhanced powers and stronger body! With this none will be able to stop me!” Lightning roared as she picked up Shadow and tossed him into a wall. “Least of all… you!” She shouted once more as she aimed a finger at Shadow and a orb of dark energy formed at the tip. A moment later she fired the energy at him but the force of the recoil knocked her into a wall and knocked her out.

Shadow, meanwhile, was able to avoid the blast by merely ducking. When he stood up, he noticed that the entire place was in shambles and various chemicals were spilled, mixing with various results.

Sonic and Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, were finishing off the last of Lightning's goons that had stayed behind. The rest had fled.

"So... what are you gonna do with this scumbag?" asked Sonic, gesturing down at the unconscious Lightning Dust.

“I say we finish her here and now. She destroyed a good amount of the property here.” Shadow said as he gestured to the demolished zone. Rainbow however had a different plan.

“Why not interrogate her instead? Find out where she came from, why she’s here, and who sent her?” Rainbow asked. “It’s what all the Royal Guard shows I’ve seen do.” She said as both Sonic and Shadow looked at her with surprise.

“Well… that could work. What do you think Shadow?” Sonic asked as he chuckled a little.

Shadow frowned, looking thoughtful at this notion. "The girl makes a valid point. If this pegasus is working for someone, then it would be best to find out who it is and what they're planning. We'll take her to G.U.N. Headquarters and interrogate her there," he said.

"Well, glad to see we're all agreed here. Now, Sonic, I believe you and I have unfinished business to attend to with the Chaos Emeralds," said Rainbow.

Sonic nodded and Shadow chuckled. "I should've known that's what you were after. The next closest Emerald to here is in Apotos," the crimson and black hedgehog said.

“Sweet! Thanks bud!” Sonic said as he hugged Shadow… before Shadow punched him off.

Apotos and The Interrogation

Rainbow Dash looked around in awe as she took in the sights of the beautiful seaside of Apotos. It reminded her of a Haytalian city back in her world. Sonic took notice of this and chuckled.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "It's just... Equestria has sights like this but so few exist and if they do they're normally deathtraps," said Rainbow as she stared at the sea.

"Well, that's a shame... I'd think a world that controlled nearly all the forces of nature would be the very definition of eye-candy," said Sonic.

"You'd be surprised. Equestria has its own share of problems. Of course, me and my friends have usually been able to handle the more serious ones, but other than that-" said Rainbow, before Sonic interrupted her.

"Wait... the 'more serious ones?'" asked Sonic, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah. Me and my gal pals have been on all sorts of crazy adventures. We’ve had to go up against a corrupted princess of the night, the spirit of chaos incarnate, an army of shapeshifting pony insects, a demonic unicorn king, a bunch of crazy vines that tried to strangle the land, and a comic book villain,” said Rainbow as she counted them off her fingers.

Sonic whistled. “And I thought some of my adventures were a bit out there… you know, I wouldn’t mind hearing more about them. Over, say… dinner,” he said.

Rainbow tilted her head a bit in confusion. “A date? Now? Shouldn’t we be looking for the Chaos Emerald?” she asked.

Sonic laughed. “Of course not now. But, I was thinking tonight, AFTER we’ve found the Chaos Emerald,” he explained.

Rainbow smirked. “Ah, okay… sounds like fun,” she said. With that she flared her wings and began a slow aerial recon over the area before seeing a purple gleam catch her eye. “Hey I think I found it!”

“Where?!”

“Up north a bit! Hard to say but I think it’s stuck in a rock!” Rainbow shouted as she flew over and hovered on the spot to help him out.

‘Just like Excalibur once was…. that was a WEIRD adventure.’ Sonic thought to himself as he sped towards the area Rainbow was hovering over.

Once Sonic reached the spot where Rainbow was hovering, he spotted the Emerald in what looked like part of the wreckage of a large stone arm that looked vaguely familiar to Sonic.

“What do you think this arm is all about?” asked Rainbow as she hovered around the arm.

Sonic smiled as he remembered the last time he had been in Apotos. “Chip…” he muttered.

Rainbow heard this and looked at Sonic with a quizzical look on her face. “Chip?” she asked.

“Long story. Hey think you can help me get this sucker out?” Sonic asked. Rainbow nodded as the two begin trying to remove the emerald.

...

“So… you think you can just waltz into a GUN-secured zone, attempt to steal government property, take on the Ultimate Life Form, and not get captured? You must have some form of death wish,” said Shadow, walking around the dimly lit interrogation room, a look of irritation on his face.

Lightning Dust, her hands bound to the back of the chair she was in, chuckled a little. “I’ve got more problems than you, Eggman, or anyone in this world realize. And worse yet, those problems might be heading here, too,” she said.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, now interested in what this pegasus had to say. “Please…” he said, sitting down in the chair across from Lightning. “...tell me about these… problems.”

Lightning looked down towards the ground. “My world used to be a wonderful place to live. I had friends, family, a surrogate little sister who thought the world revolved around me. Then, SHE showed up, and everything changed for the worse,” she explained.

“And who’s she?” Shadow asked thoroughly interested what tyrant could’ve come from this pony’s world.

“Achroma… a tyrant that puts the likes of Nightmare Moon to shame. Her reign started quickly and she’s ruled over us ever since… it’s been Tartarus ever since she and her Horror Guard showed up,” Lightning said as she suddenly gasped a little causing Shadow to notice something… her eyes were watering up. Lightning was… crying. Immediately though she straightened back up and looked Shadow dead in the eyes.

“And… I suppose she sent you and your friends here to get the Emeralds, to make herself even stronger and expand her reign?” asked Shadow.

“N-no… it was the Resistance who did that. Well, they sent ME here anyways. We thought that if we could get the Emeralds, we could have the power to match Achroma, and finally take her down once and for all,” explained Lightning.

“So… that makes you a double agent.”

“Pretty much, yeah… please, you’ve got to let me go. I NEED those Emeralds, to save my world,” begged Lightning.

Before Shadow could respond, a white female bat wearing purple and black light body armor with matching heeled boots, and long white gloves entered. “Shadow, me and Omega would like a word with you."

Shadow stood up and looked down at Lightning Dust. "Wait here," he growled, before turning on his heel and walking out with the bat.

Just outside the interrogation room, the bat, along with a powerfully built red and black robot with a red Omega symbol on his left shoulder stood waiting for him.

"What is it?" Shadow growled.

“Computers state that the equine in that room is responsible for several million dollars worth of property damage yet her bio signatures confirm that what she told you was true,” said the robot, known as E-123 Omega.

The bat, named Rouge, frowned. "I'm willing to bet that neither Dr. Eggman nor her friends in the jumpsuits know that she's playing for both sides. But, nonetheless, what if this Achroma and her Horror Guard end up here? If she is telling the truth, they could do far more damage than the Black Arms during their invasion," she said.

Shadow frowns. "Then we will fight. What else is there to-"

Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the base. “What the heck?!” screamed Rouge. Shadow ran back into the room. Where Lightning had a stony expression.

“Listen. Shadow, Shade or whatever your name is. You have to let them take me back. I can feed you and the others intel from the inside," she said.

"And how do I know I can trust you?" Shadow asked Lightning.

Lightning frowned. That was actually a good question...

Rouge then entered the room. "Shadow! We have a bunch of robots and ponies tearing up the place! We need you, now!"

Shadow looked between Rouge and Lightning, weighing two different alternatives. Either he could fight tooth and nail to keep a vastly unknown enemy from getting their star fighter back, or he could turn Lightning loose and use her as a plant.

Shadow made his decision. He pulled out his light green fake Chaos Emerald, and cried, "Chaos Control!" before disappearing in a flash of green light.

Both Rouge and Lightning looked baffled by Shadow's actions. But, before either of them could respond, Shadow returned, holding what looked like a necklace with a GUN emblem on it.

"Take this. It contains a tracking device, so we'll be able to monitor your movements. Now," said Shadow, unfastening Lightning's cuffs. "I believe your ride-"

Before Shadow could finish, Lightning elbowed him in the back of the head, knocking him out, before knocking Rouge out with a roundhouse. Before leaving, Lightning grabbed the necklace.

"Sorry. Needed to keep up appearances," she said before leaving.

...

“So you mean to tell me that the only scared member of your friends is the one that tamed this… Anarchy?”

“Eh… Discord. And yeah. I didn’t believe it at first either but it’s true," said Rainbow. As she and Sonic continued to eat, she couldn't believe how wonderful this all felt. She and Sonic, who was almost exactly like her in almost every way, except that he was a blue hedgehog. Yet, she couldn't help but lose herself in his emerald green eyes.

Meanwhile, on Sonic's end, it felt almost exactly the same way. He just couldn't help but feel the same way towards Rainbow that he'd once felt towards Blaze before that green lunatic took her away from him.

Before either of them knew what was really happening, both of them had their eyes closed, and were leaning in towards each other. Their lips met, and it suddenly felt like fireworks were going off inside of them. They didn't know exactly how long they kissed, but it must have been a good five minutes or so.

Once they broke apart, gasping for air, Sonic took Rainbow Dash's hands in his own.

"Rainbow... I love you," he told the blue pegasus.

"Sonic... I love you, too."