Sonic's New Ventureby MetalJrockChaptersChaos ControlFiguring Things OutTaking Things SlowEmerald FoundRace to WinThe Eggman ComethThree-Headed DangerMaster PlanCalled to ActionUltimate RivalMessage from a FriendChaos ControlHigh above near the reaches of space, a massive fleet of airships hovered in the sky. Their appearance giving off a threatening vibe for all to see on the ground below. The people pointed above them, frightened by the ships. In the center of the smaller airships, was a larger one, the one where the mastermind projected his scheme. Dr. Eggman laughed, his cackles heard through the speakers, "Greetings, Mobius! It is I, your new ruler Dr. Eggman! As you can no doubt tell, my Egg Fleet shall be the start of a new robotic era for you all!" he boasted. Within his control room, Eggman continued, "Now, you think you may have a chance of stopping me, but you're all wrong! I have all the Chaos Emeralds in my possession! With them, I shall create a beam that will roboticize every living being on this planet in a matter of seconds! Hahahaha!" after laughing, he began to cough. "Ack!" he choked, hoping that the microphone didn't catch the brief fit he had a moment ago. Quite a distance away from the fleet, a red plane made its way toward the unsuspecting doctor. In the pilot's seat was a two tailed fox. His eyes were focused on the fleet in front of him. Standing on the wings though, was a blue hedgehog, his red shoes matching the color of the plane he was standing on, "Ol' Egghead really loves to hear himself." he sighed, "Are the Tornado's defenses ready for the attack, Tails?" he asked his friend. "They're all prepped and ready to go, Sonic!" replied Tails. Sonic smirked, "Perfect. Once we reach his central Egg Carrier, I'll be diving down and taking out the mustached bald man himself." he boasted, crouching down. The fox nodded, liking the course of action. "Let's just hope G.U.N.'s caught wind of this and sent a certain agent up there to meet us." he teased. Once the Tornado flew above the Egg Carrier, Sonic hopped down, diving down to the edge of the ship. Missiles started be launched in the direction of him and the plane. Seeing this, Tails prepped the weapons and carefully aimed his cannons at the projectiles, hitting them all while making sure Sonic had a safe landing. Once he saw that the hedgehog safely landed, Tails moved the Tornado forward, scouting the area and waiting for his blue friend, all the while, weakening the defenses. Sonic stood up, and held up a walkie talkie, "Heh. Made it safe and sound, pal!" he confirmed to the fox. He saw that Egg Pawns were being sent up to fend off the hedgehog and he smirked, "This is the best Egghead's got? Well, bring it on!" he started to run, his speed forming a blue barrier around his body, destroying the robots around him in an instant. He saw more Egg Pawns in his direction and he held up his fists, knocking more away with ease. A larger mech appeared, forcing Sonic to slide down, the hand of the robot missed him and the hedgehog curled into a ball, slicing the mech in half, all the while keeping his momentum. "That was fun." admitted the hedgehog, who pulled out his communicator, "Yo, Tails. How goes the flight?" he asked. 'Everything's fine on my end. Eggman's defenses are weakened. It should be a smooth flight from here.' Nodding, Sonic replied, "Good to hear. I'll let you know how things are once I find out where Egghead's hiding." he put away the communication device and turned around, spotting more robots in his path, "No one said it'd be easy. Ah, who am I kiddin'? Of course it will!" he dashed off, the army blowing in his way as he did. Sonic stopped once he noticed that a door was in his way, "I guess this is Eggman's control deck. I wonder what he's got this time." he said to himself, walking through the automatic door. The first thing he noticed were that robot scraps and parts were lying around the floor and walls, causing the hedgehog to scratch his head. "Huh. Either the doc needs to build better robots, or maybe I'm so awesome that they blew up before I did the job. Eh, maybe they all gave up." he suggested to himself, continuing his walk through the long blue seemingly empty hallway. Once he heard a clanging sound, Sonic zipped to the other side of the room. He saw a black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills tearing apart one of the Egg Pawns. "Oh. Not too surprised to see you here, Shadow." he said, getting the black hedgehog's attention. Rolling his eyes, Shadow faced Sonic. "G.U.N. sent me here before you arrived. The doctor mentioned that he has the Chaos Emeralds and I'm not taking that sitting down." he said. Shrugging, Sonic responded, "Had a feeling that was the case anyhow. Did you find anything, other than what appeared to be more robots?" Shaking his head, Shadow answered. "Not yet. Though, he mentioned that he wants to roboticize the world with a machine he created using the power of the emeralds. We have to stop him immediately." "Now you're talkin'!" cheered Sonic. The duo zipped past in a blur of blue and yellow. "Think you can keep up, Shad?" "I think I can. And don't call me, Shad." replied the black hedgehog in a bitter tone. The hedgehogs continued to zoom past the army until reaching a big, empty, circular room. Sonic looked up, seeing nothing but tubes and wires connecting to a monitor and a machine next to it. Inside the machine were seven capsules, each with a gem inside of it. "The Chaos Emeralds!" shouted the blue hedgehog. "Perfect. Now let's get them out before the doctor finds out we're here and crash the fleet without him knowing." responded Shadow. "I already know you're here." A man in a hovercraft lowered himself to face the hedgehogs. Sonic clenched his fists at the sight, "Eggman!" he exclaimed, gritting his teeth. "Sonic and Shadow. Grr... I should've known the two of you would try to stop me!" grunted Eggman, "But it doesn't matter at this point! The machine is almost charged, and the beam shall cover Mobius, turning the entire planet into the robotic empire I had always dreamed of!" "You're crazy!" Eggman gasped as he feigned being insulted, "Crazy? No, my dear hedgehog, I'm brilliant!" As Sonic began to run toward the machine, something tackled him throwing him into a wall. A robot designed to look similar to the hedgehog stood next to Sonic. "Metal Sonic!" he growled, standing back up, "Yo, Shadow! I'll handle the fake over here while you destroy the machine!" he said, the black hedgdhog nodded and skated to the emerald device. Sonic faced Metal Sonic once more, the robot silent all the while, "Alright, Metal. Let's see if you still got what it takes." Metal Sonic beeped then lunged at the hedgehog. "Go Metal!" cheered Eggman. Sonic leaned to the left of the swipe and moved the right when Metal attacked again. Meanwhile, Shadow got to the monitor and tried to stop the beam, but an error message popped on the screen. "Son of a-" he cursed, slamming his fists on the keyboard. "Faker!" Sonic looked at his doppelganger after kicking Metal Sonic's torso. The black hedgehog continued, "I'm going to remove the emeralds manually! Hold him off!" "It's no use, Shadow! The machine is almost fully powered! The only way to stop it is to find another outlet to release the Chaos Energy already conducted!" revealed the scientist. Sonic held up his communicator, "Hey, Tails... Uh, I'm kinda in a jam here." 'What's wrong?' "Well..." he began ducking underneath Metal Sonic's tackle, "Shadow's here, the machine is about to go off and Metal Sonic's keeping me distracted while Shadow is trying to stop the roboticizer. Egghead mentioned that we could use another method to remove the energy! Can we do that?" 'Yeah. Tell Shadow to use Chaos Control.' replied Tails. 'It will most likely release the dormant energy already charged and release it through his own power.' "Alright, pal. Let's hope this works." Shadow grunted, "I heard it faker!" he shattered the glass holding the capsules. "Chaos..." he started, drawing the energy within him. Eggman's eyes went wide, trying to stop the hedgehog. "Control!" Suddenly, everything began to get enveloped in a white light. All of the Egg Fleet vanished in an instant as did Tails, leaving the people below to wonder what happened above. "It's waking up!" Sonic could barely hear the words being shouted. It was strange. He could feel himself lying down on wood and he felt perfectly fine. All he remembered was Shadow using Chaos Control then everything went white. "I'll get some water to pour on him." In an instant, the blue hedgehog snapped his eyes open upon hearing those words and sat up. "Ah!" he shouted while moving up. "What the-? Where am I?" he asked. "Howdy there, mister." Sonic looked down to see three small horses looking up at him with curious eyes. "It's gonna be one of those days, huh?" Figuring Things OutIt had been a blur, ironically enough, for Sonic. One minute he, Tails, and Shadow were stopping Eggman's fleet of airships before he could destroy the planet and turn it into his robotic empire. The last thing the blue hedgehog could recall was that Shadow had used Chaos Control to release the contained energy of the Chaos Emeralds and must have warped them to a faraway world, as far as he was aware. 'Because despite everything I have seen in my time, waking up in a clubhouse with three small horses is not what I had in mind for today.' Sonic thought, looking at the small fillies. Deciding that he had enough silence, he decided to speak, "Uh. Hello there." he said slowly with a wave. "Ah thought I was hearin' things. You can talk!" shouted the yellow filly. The orange horse laughed, "Told you!" "Yeah, I can say the same with you three." replied Sonic. "Who are you, anyway? How the heck did I even manage to get here in the first place?" "My name's Applebloom!" said the yellow filly. "Scootaloo!" said the orange pegasus. "I'm Sweetie Belle." revealed the white unicorn. "Who are you?" "Heh. I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog." introduced the hedgehog with a thumbs up, "I'm the coolest hedgehog in all of Mobius!" he boasted to the fillies. "Anyway, how'd ya even find me?" "We saw you sleeping next to our clubhouse and brought you in here." answered Sweetie Belle. Scratching his head, Sonic spoke, "Alright, then. Where on Mobius am I anyhow? In all my time exploring, I don't think I've ever seen a place like this before." "Mobius? This is Equestria!" Scootaloo revealed. Sonic spoke, "Equestria? Huh, never heard of it. Y'know, Shadow really needs to figure out where he's going to warp to... Oh, crud. I'm not even in Mobius anymore!" "What are ya talkin' about, mister Sonic?" Applebloom wondered. "Mobius is the world I'm from! Travelling to another world was definitely not a part of the plan today." he huffed, crossing arms, "The last thing I need is to leave Mobius unprotected." he said. 'Then again, I'm sure Knuckles and Amy, heck even Rouge or Omega can take care of things while I'm gone.' he thought, recalling that his friends can handle themselves just fine without him. 'At the worst, Silver or Blaze will step in.' Putting his thoughts aside, Sonic stood up, doing his best not to bump his head on the ceiling, "Thanks for the save, girls. But I gotta find my way back home." "Where are you going?" Scootaloo questioned. The hedgehog paused and shrugged, "Uh... I dunno? Wherever the wind takes me, I guess. I'll take any chance of getting home. But first I gotta find Shadow." he said, pointing out the door. "How far to the nearest town or whatever?" "We're near Ponyville!" replied Sweetie Belle. 'Ponyville? How subtle. Then again, so does my name.' mused Sonic. "Good to know. You three live there?" The fillies nodded, and Sonic answered, "Alright then. I'll just get a quick second to run." he zipped off in a blue blur, leaving the ponies to wonder where he went. In an instant, Sonic returned, leaning on the wall of the clubhouse, acting as though he never left to begin with. "Pretty nice town." he complimented, "Let's just hope it stays peaceful." "H-How did you do that?" Sweetie Belle wondered. "Oh, right. Well, I don't mean to brag, but back on my world I'm known as the Fastest Thing Alive!" Sonic boasted his proclaimed title to the confused fillies. "So, I just sorta took a quick jog and made my way back here." "Fastest Thing Alive? Yeah right!" scoffed Scootaloo. Raising a brow, Sonic looked at the other two, who gave the orange pegasus a deadpan expression, "What's the deal?" he asked Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "She's Rainbow Dash's biggest fan." Applebloom explained. "Who's Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo spoke, "Rainbow Dash is the coolest, awesomest pony in all of Equestria! She's the fastest flyer!" she boasted to the blue hero, who merely shrugged. "She sounds pretty cool. But if we ever meet, we'll see if she can keep up with the likes of me! I mean, there are others almost as fast as me, like my buddy Tails, Shadow, and heck, even Silver." said Sonic, a smirk on his face. "But I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt." he added. "Yeah! Let's go see her, now!" shouted Scootaloo with determination. Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her head, "Do we have to?" "Hey, usually I'm all for a competition, but I got more important things to worry about, like finding my friend- er ally. I never know what to call that guy." Sonic rubbed his head. "Though, I wonder if Tails made it as well... If that's the case..." his thoughts trailed off, but he shook his head. "Look, how about this? I'll take ya back home and find a way to show this, uh, Ponyville town that I'm not a threat and that once I find what I'm lookin' for, I'll leave." "We trust you, Sonic!" assured Applebloom. "Yeah, but you can never be too careful." muttered Sonic, "And I'm speaking from experience." he looked at the three once more, "Alright. So how am I gonna do this?" he asked himself, "I've never really carried ponies around when I'm running. Heck, I never take anyone while I'm moving unless they can catch up. Eh, you know what? I'll just walk. Come on." The fillies followed Sonic out of the door, guiding him to where they needed to go. "Hm? What's this?" Rarity stepped out of her boutique upon seeing a strange glow outside her window while working. The white unicorn's head faced downward to a strange green emerald. "Oh, this gem looks lovely." she said, holding up the gem in a blue aura, smiling as she looked at the shine and shape of it, "It does looks quite rare." she told herself, observing it once more. "It won't be much good out here. I'll just take it inside for now. Maybe Twilight will want to see it for herself." Rarity mused as she walked back into the boutique, emerald in her possession, "And Sweetie Belle should be home soon. I'm sure she'd be surprised to see such a gem." Taking Things Slow"Alright, you three. I have one simple question that probably has a simple answer..." Sonic started to say, looking down at the three fillies he decided to help walk home. "What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked. Shaking his head, the hedgehog looked around and noticed the strange looks they were getting, "Does everybody in this world tend to stare at creatures that aren't ponies? Because I'm getting some serious flashbacks." "Yer not the only one... Poor Zecora got the same treatment, but ah think that you'll prove that yer not evil." Applebloom assured the blue hero, to which he smiled. The ponies around them continued to glance at the new hedgehog in town, causing him to smile to prove his worth as an innocent being. "Good to know." Sonic nodded, raising a brow. The four made it to their first stop, a barn located at the far end of Ponyville. "I take it this is where you wanted to go, Applebloom?" the hedgehog asked. The yellow filly nodded. "Cool. Guess you can go from here, I'll take the others back home before it gets too late." he said, pointing at the other two. "But don't ya want to meet mah family?" Applebloom wondered. Sonic scratched his head, "I dunno. It'd probably be weird, considering the glances the ponies in your town were giving me earlier." he doubted, pointing at the entrance. "It'll be fine, Sonic!" Scootaloo assured, nudging the hedgehog with her head to push him. "Hey! Come on!" the blue hero shouted, digging his feet into the ground to stop. A dirt trail began to form underneath Sonic's feet. He started to slow down, but Sweetie Belle decided to help the pegasus and pished the hedgehog forward as well. Sonic crossed his arms, an unamused look shown on his face. "Fine. Can we just get this over with?" he finally groaned. Sonic looked at the fillies who continued to drag him, "You can stop pushing now." he told them. They reared their heads back, a sheepish smile on both Scootaloo's and Sweetie Belle's face. The hero rubbed his head, "Alright. Let's make it quick. I gotta take the others home before it gets too late." he told Applebloom. "What should I expect anyway?" "Mah sister, big brother and Granny Smith live here. Ah'm sure they'd welcome ya into the house." she responded, putting a hoof on the door to the small house and knocking. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran in front of Sonic so they could get in first. The door opened, revealing an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and a stetson over her head, "There ya are, Applebloom! It's startin' to get late. Are the others with ya?" she asked, but what she was about to say next died in her throat upon the sight of the strange hedgehog standing with her. "Applejack? Ya okay?" Applebloom asked. Sonic forced a grin, "Um... Hi?" the statement was more a question than a greeting. Applejack turned to her sister with a frown on her face. "What the hay is that?" she wondered. "Him?" the younger sister gestured to Sonic, "That's Sonic! He woke up in our clubhouse!" "Yeah!" Sweetie Belle added, "He said he's from a different world!" Sonic nodded, seeing Applejack get back to her senses, "Yep! Nice to meet ya, Applejack. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. I guess I'm gonna be an Equestrian resident for a while, huh?" he teased with a smirk. Applejack chuckled, "Well, ya seem pretty nice. Yer from another world, though?" "Yeah... It's kind of a long story. Something I'd rather not bore you with. I'm kind of on a mission right now." the hero explained to the best of his ability, not wanting to explain his current situation again in the same day. "Ah think my friends and I can help." said the farmpony, getting an eyeridge raise from the hedgehog. The hero crossed his arms, a look of skeptism on his face. "Dependin' on what kind of mission we're talkin' here." "Alright. I might take you up on the offer, but I don't think you'll understand what's happening." Sonic agreed. "It's something I'm sure this world hasn't seen before." Applejack chuckled, "I'm sure we can handle it. Ya can meet Twilight later. She lives in the giant crystal castle towerin' over the town if ya need help. Ah might stop by later myself." "How did I miss seeing that huge thing? Eh, I might run there once I get these two home." wondered Sonic aloud, rubbing his quills as though he missed something obvious. "Oh well. Listen, AJ. I gotta go, but I have a feeling we're gonna meet again soon." he waved the farmpony and her little sister as he left with the other two fillies. "Applebloom?" Applejack started to say. "Yes, sis?" The older sister cleared her throat, "What the hay did ya do to get a talkin' hedgehog into Ponyville? Ah swear Fluttershy's gonna have a field day with that thing." she chuckled. "Now, c'mon. We gotta get ya to bed for school tomorrow." she heard Applebloom groan, which earned a sly smirk. "Well, that just happened." Sonic blurted out. "Anyway, I think I should take you back, Sweetie Belle. Where is your place at? I gotta ask for a map at some point." he questioned. Sweetie looked at the hedgehog, "You can't miss it. It's looks like a carasoul at the other end of town." she explained to Sonic, who gave her a questioning glance. "Alright then... So after I get the both of you home, I'll go into the castle thing to meet the person Applejack told me about earlier. I may meet up with you again, if it's any worth." Scootaloo smiled, "Cool! By the way, Sonic, I have to introduce you to--" The young pegasus's words were cut off by a rude calling, a simple, "Hey!" was heard, alerting the hedgehog, and the two fillies standing by his side. "I've never seen you before... Who, or what are ya exactly? And why are you with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?" asked the strange figure, flying from her spot on the clouds. The pony in question was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. She descended and landed on the ground so she could look Sonic in the eyes. Said hedgehog remained silent as he tried to figure out what to say next. "Hey! I'm cool. Uh, Scoots? She seems like she knows you two. Who is this?" he pointed to the pegasus. "That's Rainbow Dash." revealed the orange filly. "Oh, really?" asked Sonic, who faced Rainbow. "Let's just hope that this meeting goes as well as you thought." Emerald Found"So, Rainbow Dash was it?" Sonic asked. "Scootaloo told me about ya. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." the hedgehog introduced himself to the uneasy pegasus. Rainbow huffed at the hero's greeting as she decided to talk. "What'd she say about me?" Sonic answered, "That you were the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and that you were really awesome. Her words, not mine." he explained to Rainbow Dash, who smirked. "Can you confirm if any of that is true or not?" Rainbow Dash shouted, "Heck yeah!" she flew off, a rainbow trail following her every move, Sonic watching her with skeptism while Scootaloo gave the biggest smile. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes at her friend. Eventually, she managed to kick apart every cloud they could spot in a matter of seconds. Rainbow landed in her spot earlier, pointing at herself. "Took out the clouds in seconds! Think you can beat that, hedgehog?" she boasted. Sonic smirked, "Can I?" he asked. Suddenly, Sonic ran off, the blue blur running off somewhere. A few seconds later, the hedgehog came back, a small treat in hand. "I managed to get a bite while I was gone. It wasn't that bad, I suppose." Rainbow scowled as Sonic continued to eat his small cupcake, "Look. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm just tryin' to get these two back home before it gets too late." "Actually, Sonic," began Scootaloo, "I'll just go with Rainbow. Can I?" she asked. Rainbow nodded and the young pegasus walked forward, and Sonic and Sweetie continued walking, but not before the cyan pegasus could interrupt them. "Hey!" The hedgehog turned around, "What is it?" "You. Me. A race tomorrow across Ponyville. We'll see who's the fastest." declared Rainbow Dash. Sonic rolled his eyes, "Alright. Fine. But I won't hold anything back." he announced with a smirk. "Same here, hedgehog." responded Rainbow Dash. She trotted off with Scootaloo. To where? Well, Sonic wasn't even sure. He just needed to get Sweetie Belle home. "Is this the place?" asked Sonic. Sweetie Belle nodded, "Yep!" she answered, walking to the door and knocking. When she raised her hoof however, it already opened, a unicorn already standing there. "Sweetie Belle! Where on Equestria where you? It's getting late!" scolded the older unicorn. Shaking her head, Sweetie answered, "Sorry, Rarity. I was just showing my new friend Ponyville." "New friend?" Rarity looked upward to see Sonic. "My word. I've never seen anything like you around here before." she sighed, observing the heroic hedgehog. Sonic scratched his head, "Yeah, I've been getting that a lot. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm kinda from another world. I already spoke to some other ponies about it while dropping off Sweetie Belle's friends on the way here." "Oh. So it seems you already met Applejack and Rainbow Dash..." realized Rarity. "You know them? Huh, small world." Sonic muttered. Rarity chuckled, "Well, I must thank you for bringing Sweetie Belle home. Do you wish to step inside for a moment? I'm sure interdimensional travel must be tiring." she offered. "Eh. You get used to it after a while." laughed Sonic, "But sure, I guess I can sit for a moment." he said, he and Sweetie Belle stepping inside the Carasoul Boutique. "Nice place ya got here, Rarity. Seems pretty cozy if I say so myself." "Why thank you, Sonic. I can make you and Sweetie Belle dinner if you want." Rarity offered again. "Sure." nodded the hedgehog, "Got any chili-dogs?" "What are chili-dogs?" asked Sweetie Belle, tilting her head in confusion upon hearing Sonic. The hedgehog gulped as his eyes went wide, 'No chili-dogs? What kind of bizarre world did I end up in?!' he thought, realizing that his favorite food possibly didn't exist in this dimension. He clared his throat, "Er... How about some kinda salad or something? I'm not really that hungry anyway." he suggested. 'This... Is gonna take some getting used to.' the hedgehog mused. "Alright then, Sonic." he heard Rarity say. Taking a look around, Sonic decided to wander about. A strange glow got his attention. The blue hero stepped forward to get a closer look at the source, 'It can't be...' his mind raced. As he got closer, the object's appearance gave the hedgehog a sense of familiarity, sensing a strange yet known energy from it. "It is." he said. 'How did this end up all the way over here anyway?' "Hey, Rarity!" called out Sonic. "Yes?" the unicorn stepped into the area. The hedgehog held up the gem, "Uh. Where did you find it?" Rarity smiled, "Oh that? I simply found it outside earlier this morning. It was the strangest thing. I'm wondering who would leave such a thing put there." "This isn't any kind of rare gem." Sonic revealed, "This is known as a Chaos Emerald. A powerful gem which, once all seven are collected, could grant the holder infinite power. Heck, even having one can grant the user a power boost. These are the key to getting me back to my own world." Rarity was speechless, "I-I had no idea. If it really is as you say it is, then you may have it." "I was told to head into that castle earlier. Do you think the person who lives there can help me find these and my friends?" questioned Sonic, changing the subject at hand. "Do you mean, Twilight? Of course she could help you. If you want I can tell Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the others to head there first thing tomorrow to lend a helping hoof as well while I take the girls to Sweet Apple Acres." Rarity offered. Smiling, Sonic spoke, "Alright then. I'll head there after do what I need to or whatever. But first I gotta get somethin' in my stomach, and I know this salad's gonna be good. But you may have trouble finding Rainbow, she kinda challenged me to a race sometime tomorrow." The unicorn rolled her eyes at that, "Why would she do that? She's not the one to challenge anypony like that out of the blue." she wondered to herself. "Well..." Sonic began, but a beeping sound cut him off. "Be right back!" he zipped off, and a second later, came back with a plate in his hand, having already taken a bite out of the salad. "Mm. Sweet nutrition." he complimented. "You're fast too... Oh, dear..." exhaled the unicorn. "She's going to be more determined than ever." Sonic shrugged, "I've raced against plenty of people. My friends can catch up with me, and I know a plumber that can as well. So, I'm not too worried." "If you say so." The sound of coughing was heard amidst the rubble, a hand reached out from the scattered metal lying apart the forest. "Curses... I hate those hedgehogs..." groaned Eggman, standing up as he felt the aches in his back. The scientist turned around, seeing a glowing gem on the ground, "It seems a Chaos Emerald got lost here. Meaning the other six are scattered across wherever it is we're at." he picked up the emerald and placed it in his pocket. "Now... Where am I?" Eggman turned around, seeing his Egg Carrier and observing the damage, or the surprising lack of it, "It seems to be in good shape. A few repairs and a few more emeralds, and then I can get this baby flying again. I just need to find my radar." Eggman continued to walk around the forest, spotting his Egg Pawns. "Hm. It seems these are still around. Strange. I wonder how that managed to happen." he pondered, but he shrugged it off. "Oh well... I can use this to find out if there is an emerald somewhere nearby while I look flr my radar." While Eggman activated his robots, a figure cloaked in white with a metal mask watched with his arms crossed while he hid in the shadows. "Let's see if you are worth my time, doctor. I brought back your robot army to prove if you are worthy to join my cause. That accursed mare won't dare to stop me now." Race to WinSonic stretched as he awoke. He moved his head away from the tree that he decided to sleep on the night before. 'Rarity seemd like she needed the space. I can handle sleeping outside.' he thought, pushing himself up off the ground. He bent down slightly to continue stretching his now aching legs as well as his arms. 'That was a good night of sleep. Now if I can only find out where Shadow went, or if Tails somehow got here as well. Then maybe we have a chance of finding the Chaos Emeralds.' "Another morning... Day one of being stranded in Equestria passed." he said to himself quietly, "One emerald down. Six to go." he added. The hedgehog looked around and saw the sun begin to rise, a true sight to behold. "Now, this is life. I just wish I was here under better circumstances." A rainbow trail flew across the sky, Sonic hearing a familiar voice, "Where is he? He and I have a score to settle!" shouted Rainbow Dash, searching for Sonic. The hedgehog shook his head at the sight, seeing the pegasus as a stubborn one. 'That pony's more stubborn than Shadow.' his mind mused. "Yo, Rainbow!" he called out at last. Rainbow Dash turned her head at the sound of the voice and lowered herself to the ground once she saw Sonic from a distance. "About time I found ya! We got a race today! And I'm not losing this one!" Sonic shrugged, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Back in my world, I'm called the Fastest Thing Alive for a reason." he bragged. "So, you may have some competition here." "Ha! As if you can compete with me!" Rainbow boated back. "I'm just warning ya." he teased. A snarl came out of Rainbow, but she just chose to change the subject. "It's a simple challenge. We run around Ponyville to the castle, and first one to make it there wins. It stinks that my friends couldn't wake up to see me win though. Heck, I even tried to wake them, but they still slept!" "Or they would've watched you lose." the hedgehog taunted. Rainbow grunted at his taunt, but ignored it. "Anyway..." she growled, "On the count of three we begin." "But first things first. We gotta establish some ground rules. Literally. You can't go too high off the ground and go over buildings. You gotta stay near the floor and act as though you're running. With wings. Got it?" Sonic established the rules right away. "Yeah, sure." Rainbow nodded, "But that won't stop me from making you eat dust!" Sonic rolled his eyes at her comment, "Let's just get this over with, shall we?" he asked her. "Yeah! Let's do it!" The hedgehog got into a running stance, the tip of his shoe kicking the ground. Rainbow Dash bent down, her wings unfurled and ready. "One..." she said. "Two..." continued Sonic. "Three!" Sonic and Rainbow vanished in blurs of blue and rainbow. Aa they sped past the small houses of Ponyville, Sonic turned to see Rainbow, who continued to look on ahead with a scowl on her face, her wings flapping as fast as they could. Ponies who were awake at this time, peeked out their windows to find out what the strange noises were and some even stepped outside. The hedgehog gritted his teeth, 'Man. She's faster than I thought! I gotta speed up!' he thought. His feet moved faster, to the point where it appeared his legs were moving in a circular motion. Rainbow was surprised to see him move up. She continued to flap her wings faster, stretching her hooves out to push herself ahead. "Not bad!" Rainbow merely scowled at Sonic's compliment. "Grr..." she hissed aloud in response, trying to move faster. "C'mon! Step it up!" he taunted. Sonic moved ahead, his arms stretched back and his legs moving in a figure eight motion. Rainbow Dash growled and continued moving. The two speedsters were neck-and-neck, the brief race almost coming to an end once they saw the castle ahead. "Catch me if you can!" Sonic shouted. "Oh, I will!" The blue speedsters sped ahead, even faster than ever before. Once they neared the castle, Sonic began to drag his feet on the ground, while Rainbow started to slow her wings down. The hedgehog immediately noticed that they were right next to each other, and at this point, they weren't able to speed up. Sonic and Rainbow stopped at the same time when they arrived at the supposed finish line. "Gotta say. I haven't had a tense race like that since I first fought Shadow and Metal Sonic." he admitted. "But I think we managed to end this on a draw." he noticed after thinking for a moment. "A draw!?" blurted Rainbow. "Aw..." she sighed. "One day, I'll prove that I'm faster than you!" "Maybe." admitted Sonic, "Now... How about we meet properly? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog." he extended his hand. Rainbow Dash gave him a funny look before repeating his action. The two shook hand and hoof at last. "Rainbow Dash." the pegasus introduced. "How about this? Once I get this whole thing cleared up, we have a rematch? To prove who's the fastest once and for all?" Sonic offered to the competitive pegasus. "Sure. What's the problem you got?" Shrugging again, Sonic answered, "Ah, you know... Stranded in another world, ancient artifacts missing, scientist on the loose, friends separated. The usual." "I think we can help." Rainbow answered. "Sounds like a fun adventure." Clank! Sonic and Rainbow turned their heads at the noise, "Uh... That didn't sound right..." Rainbow said. "Was that you?" Clank! Sonic shook his head, "No... But the sound of metal... That can only mean one thing." Clank! Strange red robots appeared in front of the castle, their lasers pointed at the blue speedsters. "What the hay are those?" "Hahahahaha!" Sonic sighed, "Of course he'd get his robots right away..." A round man in a hovercraft appeared above the robot, "Hello there, Sonic! I'm surprised to meet you again so soon!" he admitted to the hedgehog. "And it seems you made a new friend." "What are you doing here, Eggman!?" Sonic asked. "I'm after the Chaos Emeralds. They're scattered across this world. And I want to make sure that I find them all before you!" Eggman revealed to Sonic. "Well, unfortunately, I'm here to put a stop to those plans before you could even think about it! With Rainbow here with me, your dumb Egg Pawns are outnumbered." Sonic boasted to his nemesis. "I'm already one emerald ahead of you anyhow!" "Do you think that you're the only one?" asked Eggman, revealing the Chaos Emerald in his possession. "Hmph. I'll still get them all before ya!" bragged Sonic, "It's a hopeless battle this time!" "Is it really?" Eggman asked. "Yeah it is!" Rainbow shouted. "Grr... Egg Pawns..." began the scientist, raising a hand. Sonic and Rainbow readied themselves for a battle against the robots, now knowing Eggman's plan. "Follow my lead, Dash. Trashing these tin cans are a piece of cake." he said. Eggman lowered his arm as he gave a simple command. "Attack!" The Eggman ComethRainbow Dash was the first to attack, but the second her hooves collided with the metal, a loud clanging sound was heard, and Rainbow bit her lip, trying to hold back a cry of pain. She held her hoof as she landed back on the ground. "Stupid... Metal... Things." she hissed in an unusually quiet tone. The Egg Pawns aimed their blasters at the slightly injured pegasus. Sonic saw Rainbow in pain and ran to her as soon as he could and lifted her off the ground right as the robots began to shoot, the hedgehog running away in time before they could be caught in the crossfire. Sonic placed Rainbow back on the ground. "Here's a tip." he said, raising a finger. "When taking down Egghead's tin cans, you have to give it your all. Use your speed to give you a small boost." he advised. Rainbow Dash nodded, understanding his advice. She flew upwards and dove down, her speed allowing herself to drill through an Egg Pawn, she flew away from it right as it exploded, "Aw, yeah! Now we're kicking robot flank!" Smiling, Sonic curled into a a ball, revving himself up to perform a Spin-Dash. He shot right through two Egg Pawns, destroying them almost instantly. "Heh heh. These things are too easy to destroy, Eggman! You need better material!" "No I don't you, annoying hedgehog!" snarled Eggman. Rainbow chuckled, "I don't know about that, doc! These things are pathetic!" she jumped on top of another Egg Pawn, making it hit its own head. She hovered in the air, and was able to see a death glare from the scientist himself. Sonic slid underneath a robot, making it trip head first. He backflipped and curled into a ball before bouncing away. A few Egg Pawns aimed their blasters and tried to shoot the hedgehog, but he was too fast for them to hit accurately, "Gotta try harder, you guys!" he taunted them, getting closer to them. The hedgehog moved backwards, and bent down slightly. "Sonic..." he started to say, a smirk forming on his face. The Egg Pawns readied their blasters once again, primed and ready to shoot the hero. Sonic clenched his fist. "...BOOM!" In a blur, Sonic managed to create a sonic boom powerful enough so that he could push himself through the robots. Most of them exploded as Sonic passed through them in a straight line. Sonic slowed to a stop, still seeing some robots left standing. Rainbow Dash decided to cover for the speedy hedgehog. The pegasus unfurled her wings again and ascended. She dove down as fast as she could and tore through the robots once she managed to create a rainbow-colored sonic boom, almost similar to Sonic's own. The hedgehog whistled, clearly impressed. "Not bad, Dash." he complimented. "Thanks." replied Rainbow. Eggman slammed his fists, seeing that his robots were gone. "You may have destroyed my robots, but I still have one more trick up my sleeve!" he boasted, pressing a button. A brown wrecking ball on a chain lowered itself from the bottom of the Egg-Mobile, and the scientist began to move it. "Heh. Really doc? The ol' wrecking ball gizmo? That's way too old school!" Sonic insulted, Spin-Dashing underneath the flailing ball before it could hit him. Rainbow Dash chuckled at Sonic's comment, agreeing with him. Eggman pressed another button, revealing a laser from the side of his hovercraft. It nearly missed Rainbow Dash, who barely avoided a small blast right before it hit her. "Nice shot, doc!" she taunted, hitting the side of the Egg-Mobile, "But ya gotta be faster." "I will beat you both!" Sonic hopped upward and used a Homing Attack to hit the doctor's hovercraft. The hedgehog performed a backflip, avoiding Eggman's lasers with ease while he was in middair. He landed safely on the ground, standing back on his feet. "Heh heh." he chuckled. From a distance, the blue cloaked figure watched the battle from the shadows. "He may prove an asset to my cause if he can keep himself going like this. Let's see how he fares in this fight." he muttered to himself, refusing to take part in this quite yet. 'Are you sure?' asked a voice through his communicator. The figure sighed, "Yes, Albert. I am sure. You recommended me to bring him to our Cabal for a reason. I just want to see if he can prove his worth. Do not question me." The voice gulped, 'M-My apologies, sir!' "Good. Now get back to building those Egg Pawns. Something tells me he's going to need as many robots as possible. The ones that we brought here are alredy gone thanks to the blue hedgehog." the figure ordered, he heard the scientist growl upon hearing that it was a blue hedgehog that was in their way. 'Y-Yes, sir.' The blue figure groaned, "Make it quick. The doctor may prove useful in energy manipulation, but his robot designs aren't durable. I wish for you to enhance them using your own designs and my technology." 'Very well, sir.' said Albert. Sonic hit Eggman once again with a Homing Attack, grabbing Rainbow's hoof while he was in middair, dodging Eggman's wrecking ball again. "Yo, Dash. Toss me up. It's about time I ended this!" he declared to the cyan pegasus. Rainbow nodded and manages to throw Sonic upward, the hedgehog curled into a ball and Spin-Dashed right through the Egg-Mobile, damaging it greatly. His legs managed to absorb the impact of the fall, protecting him. "Nice toss, Dash. It's not everyday I get to do something like that, other than with Tails." "Thanks. It's about time we send this Eggman packin'." replied Rainbow Dash, slamming her hooves together. Eggman attempted to fix the damages on his hovercraft from his spot, but the sputtering and smoke proved to be irrepairable at the moment, so relunctantly, he had to slowly turn the Egg-Mobile around. "You may have won this round, Sonic! But you and your pony friend won't be able to stop what I have planned." he used his Chaos Emerald to warp himself away from the heroes. Sonic crossed his arms, "I'll be waiting, doc." "So will I!" declared Rainbow. The hedgehog sighed, "You weren't bad in the battlefield, Dash. I think you and your friends may be just what I'm lookin' for." "Thanks. I'll show that Eggman what for soon!" Rainbow announced loudly. Sonic nodded, "Same here." Sonic and Rainbow heard the sound of doors opening, the two of them completely forgetting they were fighting in front of the crystal castle. "Uh oh..." said Rainbow. A purple unicorn with wings gritted her teeth as she stepped outside, "Rainbow! What that hay is all this noise?!" "A friend of yours?" asked Sonic. Nodding, Rainbow whispered, "Yep." Three-Headed Danger"Alright, bro. Where are you?" asked Sonic aloud to himself. Having separated himself from the ponies for the time being, the blue blur decided to find his friend on his own. The path led him into a dark forest, leaving Sonic to wonder where he is exactly. He skidded to a halt, looking upward to see the endless amount of trees. The hedgehog shrugged, "Guess I better start looking." he then paced himself again, going fast enough to make distance, but slow enough to keep track of his location. Sonic hopped onto the side of a tree, bouncing off it and landed on another tree. The hedgehog bounced off, flipping so that he landed on his feet while keeping his momentum. "Wow. How big is this place?" he wondered aloud. Sonic continued running, spotting a lake nearby, "Hm. I could probably get a better look at my surroundings." he decided, zipping through the woods until he reached the body of water. His communicator went off again, prompting Sonic to hold it, "Hey, Tails. What's wrong?" he asked. 'Are-- Nearby--?' was all Sonic could hear from Tails. "Yeah, I am. Don't worry, buddy. I'll be there in a jiffy." Sonic assured his friend. He turned around, but the sound of rumbling got his attention, "That better be my craving for chili-dogs." he hoped, his eyes widening as he faced the lake again. A tall creature emerged, it appeared to be a monster with three heads. Sonic whistled, "Oh. A hydra? I think I've seen one of these guys. You don't look so tough." he taunted. The hydra roared, snapping one of its heads down to bite Sonic, but it saw that it missed. The other two heads looked around, wondering whre its prey wound up. The sound of whistling brought its head down, seeing the hedgehog in the very same spot he was just at. "Yoohoo! Ya missed me!" he mocked. Once again, the hydra lunged a head at Sonic, but it saw that it missed upon reaching his spot. "Too slow!" the hedgehog taunted, sitting on a tree branch above the monster. With a wave he hopped back down on the ground, a confident smirk seen on his face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a friend to find." The monster let out another roar aimed at Sonic, the hedgehog's quills and fur sticking up as it continued. Sonic merely blinked as a response, straightening his quills as he spoke back, holding his nose, "Seriously, you live in a swamp. You could at least brush your teeth." the blue blur hopped up and flipped, dodging the hydra's bite once again, barely avoiding its mouth. Deciding to do something about its situation, the hydra leaned two of its heads to attack Sonic, but the blue hedgehog slid underneath its mouths in a blur. Sonic smirked, kicking one of its faces as he flipped himself back on his feet. "Sorry about roughhousing, but you're tryin' to eat me. And I can't have that happen right now." Sonic stretched his legs, seeing the hydrs leave the lake. "Oh, so ya can actually move. What a surprise!" he shouted, "But that won't be enough to stop me!" The monster stomped, creating a small tremor surprising Sonic. Another stomp created another shake, causing the hedgehog to fall on the ground backfirst. Once the tremors stopped, Sonic dusted himself off, "Alright. This is gonna be tougher than I thought." 'Maybe I can trap him in the trees?' he thought. Nodding to his thoughts, Sonic waved at the hydra, "Yo, three headed thing! Catch me if you can!" he yelled. The hydra roared and began chasing Sonic after he zoomed away. Sonic's eyes widened, seeing the hydra tear through the forest, "Oh crud..." he gulped. 'Guess we gotta do things the hard way.' with no other option, he hopped on a tree, kicking himself upward. He grabbed a tree branch, using it to flip even higher than before. With one hand, he spun on another branch, planting himself on top of another tree. With another scream, the monster tried to bite the hedgehog from above. Sonic backflipped, grabbing the side of the tree to catch himself from falling. He pushed himself upward and curled into a ball, hitting the monster with a Homing Attack, causing the creature to stumble backwards in pain. "Strike!" Sonic shouted, uncurling. He landed perfectly on the tree. Before he could react however, the hydra whipped its head, causing the hedgehog to fall off. He fell face first onto the grassy ground. "That was rude." his voice muffled. Sonic got back on his feet, rubbing his aching back. "Yikes. That must've caused some whiplash." he moaned, seeing that the trees around him were fallen, leaving him in a wide open space. "Hm. Time to have yet another plan." The hedgehog jumped up, hitting the hydra with yet another powerful Homing Attack, sending it backwards slightly. 'This is not how I wanted to spend my day.' the hedgehog mused, pushing his attack farther than he did earlier. Uncurling, the hydra lashed down on him. Luckily, Sonic gained some air in time to dodge and landed on the monster's neck. He ran along its neck and gently kicked it. The other two heads glared at him. One of which tried to eat him. Sonic moved backwards and ended up at the side of another head. Without thinking, the monster turned one of its heads, twisting it around the other. "Oops. Looks like you're in a tangled mess." Sonic teased. The third head came for him, and the hero ducked, kicking it while he was sliding. In a fit of rage, the monster lashed out its second head, but it could barely move since the first was already tied up. The creature nearly tripped on itself while moving. Sonic smirked, "Game over, hydra." he said. The third head came back for him, but Sonic jumped away in time, causing it to get wrangled around the other two heads. "Sorry about that big guy. But I don't take kindly to being someone's dinner." he sighed. He saw the hydra run back into the lake, submerging itself out of sight. "Alright, now that's settled. I gotta find Tails." Sonic said to himself, continuing his mission. While running, Sonic heard the sound of a broken engine. 'There's only one thing that can make that sound. As far as I'm aware.' he thought, turning to the left. "Finally." groaned Sonic. The hero saw a familiar fox, trying to use what tools he had to rebuild the propellor of his plane. "Hey, Tails." "Sonic!" cheered the fox. The hedgehog smirked, ruffling his friend's hairs. "I'm glad to see you're alright. I see you're tryin' to get the Tornado working again. Quite a place to end up, huh?" "Yeah." Tails nodded, "It looks like the Chaos Energy warped us farther than expected. Where on Mobius are we anyway?" "About that..." Sonic rubbed his quills. "We're not exactly on Mobius--" "Sonic!" Six ponies revealed themselves, gaining Sonic and Tails's attention. Twilight spoke, "Sonic, we told you not to come here alone!" she scolded the hedgehog. "Easy, Twilight. I found my friend anyway." Sonic assured. Tails remained frozen, "Uh, Sonic... Why are there ponies and how do they know you?" "Oh, a talking hedgehog and fox!" squealed a yellow pegasus, "I've never seen them before!" "Calm down, Fluttershy." Rainbow chuckled, "They're not ordinary animals. You found your friend, Sonic?" "Yep. Ladies, meet Tails. My best friend and best mechanic." Sonic introduced. "And I see you brought some more friends along." he rubbed his head. "Yeah, that's Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie." Twilight introduced. "Are you really a hedgehog and fox?" Pinkie wondered. "Uh, yes." Tails replied awkwardly. The pink mare smiled, "Cool! I can't wait till you meet all of my friends!" "Uh, Pinkie. I already did." Sonic reminded her. "Oh yeah." "What happened Sonic?" Tails asked. "Something, that's for sure. We'll see if Shadow can shed some light on what's happening. Speaking of which, you found an emerald right?" "You bet!" the fox revealed the glowing gem, "I can use it to power the Tornado, but I can't fly it until the propellor's fixed." "Tornado?" Twilight repeated, seeing the plane, "What is this contraption?" "That's a plane, Twilight. You can use it to fly where you need to go. With fuel of course." Tails explained to the curious alicorn. "Amazing. There's technology like this on your world?" Sonic smiled, "That and a lot more. But back on topic, we already have three emeralds found. Something tells me that we're going on yet another emerald hunt. You up for it pal?" "Wherever you go, I go!" Tails declared. "Yeah! Can we come?" Rainbow wondered. "This sounds like something I can't miss." "Sure. You girls now this world better than us. Plus we dan prove that we're on the side of good." Sonic answered, placing a hand on the red plane. Tails hopped in the pilot's seat of the Tornado, "Take this back to the castle, Tails. We gotta plan this out." "Sure thing, Sonic!" The engine hummed, and the wheels began to move. The ponies moved away in shock, "What in Equestria?" Applejack mumbled. "Technology. It's complicated." Sonic chuckled. "Now let's get back to business." with friends new and old. Sonic decided that he can at least begin finding the other emeralds before Eggman, hoping that they find Shadow along the way. Master Plan"Whoa. This place is huge." Tails complimented. Sonic nodded in agreement. "So... Why are we here again? Shouldn't we worry about finding Eggman?" Sonic raised a hand, "Egghead is stranded here like the rest of us. He's gotta run outta robots at some point." he assured his two-tailed friend calmly. "You seem awfully laidback about the fact a madman is around in our world." Twilight said curiously. "It's not that I'm laidback... Okay, that is the case. But I know Eggman better than anyone else in here, besides Tails. He's running out of rescources, and since he's stranded with no way to rebuild his robots or airship, it's only a matter of finding his hiding spot." Sonic elaborated for the ponies. Rainbow hummed, "If you say so..." "Is Eggman a giant talking egg?" Pinkie asked. Tails chuckled, "He may as well be. He's not much of a threat without all his fancy toys." "Yeah, this kid right here can hack a computer with a toothpick." the hedgehog boasted for the fox. "Saved his life when I wasn't around." he added. "Wait... He hacked a what now?" Applejack asked. "A computer. In our world they're like small monitors that can perform certain processes whether it's educational research or playing games, or wanting to watch something, it's all scientific." Tails tried to explain as simple as he could. "What you call science, we call magic." Twilight said. Tails rolled his eyes, "Magic? Please, in this case it's science." Twilight sighed, "I don't know. First you bring that strange flying contraption, then you tell me there are monitors that can perform anything? It doesn't sound logical." "That's only because our world is more--" Tails was about to say, but Sonic stepped in between the two of them. "Alright, you two. I say we agree to disagree. I may not be a techie or a wizard, but I think we should just step on equal footing for now. Last thing we all need now is infighting over how certain gadgets and doohickeys work." Sonic tried to settle the brief dispute, prompting Tails and Twilight to nod. "Sorry." they both said sheepishly. Rainbow chuckled, "You two can have your egghead battle when we're settled in." she teased. "Hey!" Tails shouted, before a smirk was seen on his muzzle, "Save that insult for Eggman." "Will do, kid." Rainbow replied. Sonic put a finger underneath his head, a bored look on his face, "Now I'm left wondering that the heck we're gonna do. It's not likeI can just start searching for Eggman like this. I don't even know where I'm at and how this planet is! Is it round, square?" "I'm sure all planets are round, Sonic." Tails corrected in a deadpan. The hedgehog chuckled, "You can never be too sure, buddy. Remember the Lost Hex? It was round, but everything was a hexagon, I'm not even sure how that worked." "Lost... Hex?" Fluttershy repeated. Spike raised a brow, "What kind of geometry mishaps exists in your world? And how was it lost if you were clearly on it?" "You've been to other planets?" Twilight wondered. "Yeah, sorta. Planets like the Lost Hex and Little Planet exist in our own. Little Planet shows up in our world once a year over a lake called Never Lake. Lost Hex... Well, I'm not even sure where it come from. It was just sorta there." Sonic admitted. "Planets in your own? Wouldn't that mess everything up?" the alicorn asked. "Yes, it does seem rather dangerous." Rarity agreed. "It hasn't affected us or how our environment works, Rarity. So, I think we're safe." Tails assured. "If ya say so." Applejack sighed. "Just seems awfully crazy is all." "All of it is true." Tails said, "Sonic and I had to stop Eggman on both of those planets for different reasons, but all of them lead to world domination." Sonic looked around, wondering what to do. "So, uh... Does anybody have a map or somethin'? Because I kinda wanna stretch my feet soon, and I have a feeling a certain black hedgehog's gonna come hunting me for stranding him in a pony dimension." "I must say, this new robot army of yours can really fasten production. Very soon, my Egg Carrier 2 will be complete and in the air once more!" Eggman laughed, seeing his new comrade. "What made you want to aid me, Doom?" Doom looked at his scientist, his metal mask void of any emotion or expression. "A test. If you can prove yourself a threat to Sonic, then I believe you will make a great asset to my Cabal. I'm after someone, the one who tore my world apart." he clenched his metal fist, a clanging sound heard as he performed the motion. Eggman was now curious, "What do you mean?" "I was taken away from my world... Taken to another world like this, at one time..." Doom paused, "But enought about that, I will grant you the necessary equipment, but under one very simple condition." he revealed, Eggman now wondering what he meant. "What is that?" Doom sighed, "No killing the ponies of this land. I have seen enough death and needless destruction of the species in my Equestria. I'm here to help you because of another challenge she dare opposes me with. The very reason why I have a Cabal." Eggman rubbed his head, "This sounds so complicated... But I will agree to this. So long as I get to destroy Sonic." he smirked. "Yes. We will both benefit from his destruction. Without him to continue fighting, that accursed mare will admit my superiority to her as a ruler. There will be no war, no warriors to protect her so called army." Doom laughed. "But first, you must find your Metal Sonic, he may be useful in finding the Chaos Emeralds." Eggman pointer a finger to the sky, "Of course. Metal Sonic... He should be somewhere within this strange land. He can help track down the Chaos Emeralds while we monitor the repairs to the Egg Carrier 2." he decided. Doom nodded, "I will get into contact with Albert, and have him create a tracker to find the emeralds. He should have it done by the time you find Metal Sonic. I will also give you a map of this land and download it to your Egg-Mobile." "You are a resourceful one." Eggman complimented with a grin. "How are you so well-prepared?" "I've had years to practice my art. Richards has tested me for the last time. I now protect another nation, and I cannot afford to have another failure. So, I came to you before she did to give you what you need to succeed in destroying this potential warrior for her cause." he elaborated. "You speak so much of this her, warriors and war. But I will not persuade you for now." Eggman said, 'But I can use this technology to my advantage. With his aid, I can rule Mobius and this world right under his metal nose with the Chaos Emeralds.' his mind said sinisterly, 'Sonic will fall.' Called to ActionNearby the Town... Shadow stood on a tree branch, looking for a way to figure out where he was at. 'Hmph. It seems even getting a good vantage isn't good enough getting around this forsaken forest.' he mused, hopping down from the top of the tree, using his hover shoes to slow his fall before he met the ground once more. Looking at his hand, he glanced at the Chaos Emerald he managed to find lying near him. He assumed that the power of the Chaos Energy he exerted brought him far off than he wanted. "The doctor and Faker... Where are they?" he asked himself, having searched for what felt like an eternity. Shadow noticed that the sky was turning orange, meaning the end to another day. He had only been in this forest for a single day and he was already getting annoyed. "Grr. I'm getting nowhere!" he then began to slide on the floor thanks to his shoes, creating a yellow spark trail on the grass as he skated as fast as he could. "Let's get moving..." he muttered to himself. Shadow noticed that the number of trees were starting to dwindle as he continued to speed through the forest. 'This means I'm finally making my way out. Hopefully Faker didn't get himself into trouble while I was missing. Last thing I need is to bail him out.' Seeing a town ahead, the black hedgehog noticed that he hadn't seen any place like it before. As an agent of G.U.N. he had devoted himself to remember every city and nation in Mobius, and had nearly gone around the planet on diplomatic missions and the like, but he didn't recognize the place. Gritting his teeth, Shadow figured that he was in another dimension. Annoyed even more, he set out to find a place to deduce his exact place of being. He looked up, seeing a castle tower over the town. Deciding he had no other option, he decided to step ahead, seeing no civilains outside at the time. Sonic zipped by through the castle doors, the sun setting down from Ponyville. Flying next to him was Rainbow Dash who landed next to him inside the palace. "Woo! It's great to be back out running! Some things never change across worlds, I guess." "Yeah! It feels great to have somepony keep up with me! Besides Pinkie of course..." Rainbow muttered, happy to see someone who shares her passion of speed. Putting his hands behind his head, Sonic replied, "I didn't think you were a thrill-seeker. At least you're not like Shadow, that guy can't take a joke or anything. So, I'm glad to see you're enjoying this. When Scoots told me about ya, I thought you were gonna get jealous of me or something like that." "After I saw ya kick butt, I decided, eh, you were worth having as a friendly rival." Dash insisted. Sonic grinned, "Glad to hear it. Maybe we'll settle the race before I go, though. I gotta prove myself the fastest in this world too, y'know." he joked. He looked at Rainbow, who noticibly had a scowl on her features, glaring ahead. She saw a black hedgehog walking around Twilight's castle. The pegasus didn't recognize him and she growled, deducing that he was an intruder or an assassin. She unfurled her wings and flew ahead, all the while Sonic tried to snap her out of her trance, "Uh, Rainbow..." "Hey, you!" she yelled, still charging forward. Shadow turned around, stepping to the side and punching Dash in the back of the head, making her fall to the ground in pain. "First step in a stealth attack. Don't alert your enemy." Shadow taunted the pegasus. Getting angered, Rainbow hopped back up and tried to buck Shadow, the black hedgehog moving backwards as she moved her hind legs in an upward motion. "Pathetic movements." he mocked, putting his hands on the back of his body. "Shut up! Why are you here?!" Rainbow yelled, landing a hit to Shadow's muzzle. "I'm only acting in self-defense, you impulsive horse!" Shadow snarled, grabbing the cyan mare's hoof. Insulted, Rainbow moved her hoof away from Shadow's hand. "Now. Allow me to explain myself before I have to hurt you any more than necessary." he warned. "Is that a threat?!" Rainbow hissed. Deciding he had enough, Sonic ran in between the two, "Alright! That's it, you two!" he glanced to the pegasus, "Rainbow, that's Shadow. Despite his gruff personality, he's a friend." Shadow crossed his arms, "Friend is an overstatement. We are allies that fight a common cause." Scratching his head, Sonic rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you wanna call it, Shads. Listen, I take it you're not here for a friendly visit or whatever? In fact, Tails and I were thinkin' about how we were gonna find you and the Chaos Emeralds, so you showing up out of the blue makes our lives easier." Shaking his head, Shadow responded, "Listen, Faker. Obviously, we are in another world... Judging by the new friend you've made already. Eggman is out there possibly and is most likely searching for the Chaos Emeralds. We can't waste anymore time than we already have while separated. If the fox is here, he can build us a radar with the emerald I have." "We already have a few emeralds. Trust me, I've ran into Egghead sometime after I met the ponies of this world. So I already know he's up to his no good schemes already. But then again, he's in another world with limited resources, so we're good. He can't just build robots when he barely has a base left standing as it is." Sonic assured, holding up an emerald he had. "I see." Shadow huffed. Rainbow stepped forward, a sheepish smile seen on her face, "Hey, huh, Shadow... Sorry about charging after ya like that. I thought you were a bad guy. Trust me, I did the same with Sonic when we first met if it makes you feel any better." she apologized. Shadow merely frowned, "Whatever. Just don't get in my way like that again." he began to step out the door before turning around, "And Faker, I want to see you out here in the morning. I want to make sure you haven't gotten weak while staying here." "Is that an excuse to fight me, Shadow?" Sonic asked. Groaning, Shadow walked out, "Just make sure you're on time. I don't have any patience left. I'm finding a place to stay since I know we're far from home." he said before vanishing in a yellow blur, Sonic attempting to stop him. With a shrug, Sonic looked at Rainbow, "He's not one to stick with others besides his team anyhow. If it makes you feel any better about attacking him, Tails, myself and a friend named Knuckles did that once when he came back while we were chasing after Eggman one time. Not sure why we fought that time, but nothing was really at stake except for Egghead's fleet." "Really?" wondered Rainbow. "Yeah, the guy was goin' through amnesia or something. Boy, am I glad that phase passed." Sonic sighed. "So, I guess I better ready myself to face him tomorrow. You wanna practice with me? Because something tells me after this, we may finally go emerald hunting and Eggman smashing." "Why wouldn't I?" Rainbow responded, following Sonic back outside to practice. Doom crossed his arms, "The progress is going well, judging by the speed of the robots' repairs." he referred to the Egg Carrier, which was being fixed slowly and surely. "Yes, and it's you I have to thank, Doom. But there's still the matter of Sonic and his new friends. If they figure out I'm hiding in the forest, all of this would be pointless." "You are correct on that, doctor. Though, my Doombots are also building a spare army for you as well. In the meantime, there is something I wish to do." Eggman raised a brow, "Oh? And what would that be?" Doom began to walk, "I wish to see what Sonic is capable of. To see what we must do to the robots in order to counter his abilities. Do not worry, I can assure that he will not trail us." he flicked his blue cape behind him and clenched his metal fist, it illuminating a black aura that cluld be seen even in the dark of night. Ultimate RivalSonic zipped into the outskirts of Ponyville, his blue blur vanishing behind him. "So, ya wanted to see me, Shadow?" he asked aloud, spotting the black hedgehog staring at the rising sun. "Hmph. It's about time you showed up. I thought you chickened out at thr last second." Shadow huffed in a snarky tone. The blue hero shrugged, "I'm not one to back down from a challenge. Especially from you. After all, we gotta keep our rivalry goin'." he boasted to the black hedgehog. Shadow shook his head, putting his arms to his sides. "Oh, and I hope you didn't mind if I brought someone along." Sonic added, gesturing to the cyan pegasus flying next to him, lowering herself to the floor. "Now, any reason why you want to do this now of all times? We have a world to save." "Of course I know that, Faker. I just need to make sure you're at the top of your game." Shadow revealed. "And she can watch, but not intervene at all." "Aw..." Rainbow sighed. Sonic chuckled, "It ain't personal Dash. It's just that me and Shadow like to have a bout every now and then. Just wait for me, alright? It won't take too long." he assured, earning a nod from Rainbow Dash as she flew away to watch from the sidelines at least. Groaning, Shadow spoke, "Now let's get this over with. You have to be ready for anything." The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes, "Uh, yeah. I already know that. I've been at this hero thing longer than you have. I haven't screwed up yet and I don't intend to now, especially with this world and ours probably in dire stake." Pointing a finger at Sonic, the black hedgehog replied, "That's why I wish to test you. The stakes are higher this time, and we cannot afford to mess up. Especially you." Rubbing his quills, Sonic smirked, "I didn't know you were willin' to help, Shadow. I thought you were just bein' petty." Shadow clenched his fists, "I'm not this time. Now, prove to me you can save this world." Sonic mirrored Shadow's actions, "Heh. Alright, bring it on! I'll kick your butt back to Mobius." he and the black hedgehog got into their fighting stance. Rainbow Dash sat down, ready to root for Sonic since Shadow requested she didn't join. "Go, Sonic!" cheered Rainbow. Shadow rolled his eyes, rearing a fist back as he hopped to the blue hedgehog. "Another fan, Faker?" he muttered, trying to punch Sonic, but he swerved to the side swiftly, making his fist collide with Shadow's muzzle, stunning him briefly. The black hedgehog put his hands back to his sides for a moment "Nah. I think of her as a rival, which you should as well." admitted Sonic, jumping up and performing a divekick, which Shadow deflected by grabbing the blue blur's red sneakers and throwing him onto the ground. Sonic spat out some grass, "Heh. You've gotten stronger since we last fought. This is gonna be a little harder than I thought." he quipped, flipping onto his feet again, crouching down into a running stance. Shdow smirked, "You think you can out-manuever me, Sonic? I train myself everyday to ensure I am at my full potential. You slack off until the world needs you." "Of course you do..." grumbled Rainbow. Sonic curled into a Spin-Dash, which Shadow did the same, surprising Rainbow. "He can do that too?! I gotta learn that trick at some point." she sighed quietly. The hedgehogs uncurled, "Hey, I can't improve myself, Shadow! Eggman doesn't, so why should I put in the effort?" he joked, "But seriously, you know I can handle just about anything the doc can throw at me right? Gods, machines, aliens, demons, I've fought 'em all before." Shadow punched Sonic successfully with an uppercut, "That's your flaw, Faker. You're too confident. One of these days something is gonna appear and you're not gonna be able to stop it." he scolded, seeing the blue hero fall on his back. Annoyed, Sonic countered with a right hook to Shadow's chest, making him grunt in pain. "What? You mean Egghead becomes competent again? That ain't happenin' anytime soon." Sonic joked, seeing the black hedgehog get his bearings once again. Rainbow crossed her hooves, "Is this a fight or a PSA?" Shadow turned his head to the pegasus, "Stay out of this, mare!" he warned, narrowing his gaze at Sonic. "Hey, she has a point ya know!" Sonic performed a roundhouse kick on Shadow, who ducked underneath the blue hedgehog's spinning leg. "I come through in the end everytime! I got Tails, Knuckles, Amy and all of our friends by our sides! We haven't messed things up just yet!" he reminded his rival, seeing Shadow duck. Shadow grabbed Sonic's fist while he attempted to punch him, blocking the attack successfully. Shadow curled into a ball and hitting Sonic with his Spin-Dash, knocking him back. "But what about now? It's you, me and Tails this time. Stranded in another world. What if the doctor figured out how to outnumber us. What will you do then?" "Hey!" Dash called out, "My friends aren't pushovers, ya know! We can take Eggman down with you! In fact, Sonic and I already stopped him once before you even showed up!" "He was most likely unprepared. Next time, he will be sure to combat all of you." Shadow grunted, he moved his hand back, it glowing yellow lightnin as he saw Sonic near him. Rainbow wondered what he was doing and how he was doing it, but she decided to see it for herself. "Chaos Spear!" Shadow yelled. A yellow electric spear aimed itself at Sonic, who barely dodged it with a well-timed quick-step. Rainbow's jaw was agape, "What the hay was that?! Do you have more superpowers or something?!" Sonic replied, "He can manipulate artificial chaos energy. Kinda throws me for a loop sometimes, but I can take it." he boasted, backflip-kicking Shadow in the muzzle. Rainbow tilted her head in slight confusion, "Energy from the Chaos Emeralds. He can use a weakened form of the energy from his own power." he explained, but then he smirked, seeing Shadow throw another yellow projectile in his direction. "Luckily, I have somethin' to counter it." Curling into a ball, Sonic threw a blue wind barrier in the form of a tornado, "Sonic Wind!" "Chaos Spear and Sonic Wind, huh? Cool names, but can beat my Sonic Rainboom though." Rainbow bragged. "Debatable." Sonic quipped. "Give up, Faker. I have this won." Shadow threatened. "Yeah, right." The two hedgehogs lunged at one another again, but something appeared in between them. A powerful bolt of lightning nearly struck them. Sonic and Shadow jumped back in surprise, while Rainbow wondered where the source of the lightning came from, "T-That wasn't a cloud..." she muttered, seeing the clear sky above her. "You are correct." The three turned around, seeing a metal man clad in a blue cloak strapped to his shoulders, flowing cape and as a hood covering his metal mask. "It is about time we met, Sonic the Hedgehog. You prove to be a threat to me and my mission." the mysterious being threatened. Sonic clemched his fists, "Who are ya, huh? Another Eggman robot?" The cloaked being raised a hand, "No. I am no robot. I am here to see if you are truly a threat like Eggman says. You may call Doom." he declared. "You will perish before she arrives." Message from a Friend"Oh, hey, Twi." said Rainbow nervously, "It's kind of a long story..." she chuckled lightly. "Yeah. It was." Sonic agreed. Twilight looked at the hedgehog, a confused look on her face as she observed him. "I've never seen anything like you before. What are you?" she asked. "Me? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog." he introduced. "Sonic... The Hedgehog?" repeated Twilight, "I've never seen a hedgehog like you before. My name is Twilight Sparkle." "There are plenty of things not like me apparently." Sonic admitted, "Except for my friends. And the ponies of my world as far as I'm aware. I'm kinda from another world." he explained. "Rainbow Dash and I just got caught in a little scuffle." "Scuffle?" asked Twilight, "Against each other?" she said in a deadpan manner. "Nope. Some nutcase called Dr. Eggman. He showed up here with an army of robots trying to destroy Sonic." Rainbow Dash elborated on the hedgehog's story. "Apparently the two of them are enemies back on his world!" "An enemy followed you? Why?" wondered Twilight. Sonic rubbed his head, "You see... My friends and I were on a mission to stop him from turning my world into a robotic dystopia. We got separated, but that was only because we used powerful artifacts called Chaos Emeralds to warp ourselves away to this world by accident." he explained briefly. The hedgehog pulled out the Chaos Emerald in his possession, "There are seven of them. I have one and Egghead has one as well. I think they're scattered across the world. Maybe. I need help in finding them before he does." "I think I've seen this before." whispered Twilight. Sonic raised a brow, "Really? Where?" Twilight gestured for the two to enter the castle. Sonic and Rainbow glanced at each other before walking in behind the alicorn. Sonic took note of the size of the castle. "Uh... Excuse me for a second, ladies." he politely said. "Why?" Before the alicorn could get an answer, Sonic zipped away in a blue blur, coming back a few seconds later. "Yep. This place is huge. I gotta get a map or something." "H-How?" was all Twilight muttered, earning a snicker from Rainbow Dash, "Y-You're fast..." "Yeah. I am. I'm the Fastest Thing Alive back on my world for a reason after all." boasted Sonic with a smirk, "Rainbow did put up a good race against me, though." he admitted. "Twilight!" A purple dragon ran out of his room, "A strange blue blur came into the castle! We gotta--" he cut himself off upon seeing Sonic, the hedgehog looking at the dragon. "Sup?" the hedgehog greeted. "It's okay, Spike. This is Sonic. He's a... Friend." she struggled to find the right words. "But he won't hurt you." "She's right, dude. I'm an ally." the hero assured. Spike looked at the three before sighing, "Fine. Nice to meet you, Sonic. I'm Spike." "Same here, Spike. I guess I'll be stickin' around while I find the emeralds." Sonic said. "That's why I brought you in here, Sonic." said Twilight, leading them into a small dimly lit room, where they found scattered papers and pens lying on a desk. "I found this early yesterday. I felt a strange energy resonating from it and I tried to figure it out, but I still can't figure it out." the alicorn explained. Sonic walked to the desk and picked up the gem lying in the middle of it, "I feel the energy too. This is definitely a Chaos Emerald. Good. Makes searching a lot easier." he revealed, "Mind if I can keep this, Twi? I have a friend that can explain this type of thing better than me. If I can find him anyway." "A Chaos Emerald?" Spike muttered, "Can I eat it? I'm hungry." Sonic shook his head, "Sorry, dude. But I don't want to know what happens when someone eats these things. Even having one can cause a strange effect. With all seven, one can have infinite power if they so desired." Spike groaned, "Aw..." "I'll find you something later." Twilight assured, "So that's three. We need to find the other four then." Nodding, Sonic put the emerald away, "Yep! Let's just hope I find Shadow and Tails soon. They can help track them down easier." he said to himself. "Where are they? Were they with you?" asked Rainbow. "Yeah they were. I know they'll be fine on their own until I find them though. So I can rest easy." assured Sonic with a wave of his hand. "We can start searching soon." he started to walk out of the room, but stopped when he heard static. 'Zz--Onic--Zzzz' "Uh, Sonic? Is that normal?" Spike wondered. Sonic raised a brow, pulling out his walkie talkie. "Tails? Is that you?" he responded. 'Zzz-- Thank goodness! I got a signal working! Zzz-- listen, I'm in some kind of forest and I have a --Chaos--- Zzz-- I see a small town--- Won't make it fast enough-- Tired--' said Tails from the other end through static, which Sonic could barely make out. "Don't worry, buddy! We're comin!" declared Sonic. "Was that one of your friends?" asked Rainbow. "Yep! C'mon, Tails mentioned that he's in a forest! So we gotta rescue him quickly!" Sonic said. "Is there a forest nearby?" "The Everfree Forest? Yes, but we have to get our friends. It's too dangerous." "Well, get them." ordered Sonic, "I'll go ahead on my own and meet you there, but I may be done by the time you do." "Are you sure? The forest can be full of dangerous creatures." Twilight replied. "You should wait for us--" the alicorn was cut off by Sonic talking again. "I'm sure. I fought off worse than a few monsters. Wait up for me, okay? I gotta hurry." and in the blink of an eye, Sonic vanished in a blue blur, leaving the ponies in the castle. "He's as stubborn as you, Rainbow." grumbled Twilight. "Hey!" Rainbow shouted. Eggman hopped out of his broken Egg-Mobile. "Stupid hedgehog. Stupid pony. I'll pay them back soon enough." he grumbled, looking at the damages made to his hovercraft, "I can fix this up in due time, but it'll be time that I'm wasting..." "Then perhaps I can help." The scientist snapped his head to the side, seeing a figure cloaked in blue. "Who are you?" asked Eggman. "Do not worry, Eggman. I may prove to you that I am an ally." the being assured. "Eh? Why help me?" the doctor questioned. The figure crossed his arms, "I was told you could be a valuable asset in my Cabal. I'm the one who gave you the Egg Pawns necessary to go through with the attack. A mutual friend aided us so to say." he explained as much as he could. "A mutual friend, huh?" Eggman repeated, "Very well. What do you want with me?" "You can help my Cabal, doctor. If you can prove your worth against Sonic, then I'll grant you a place on my legion. And you'll be in a world that will appreciate your mind like it does my council and myself. I can give you the supplies necessary to begin your reign." the blue figure elaborated. "Feh. Fine. I shall join you. Only so I can destroy the hedgehog!" Eggman declared. "That may be prove difficult. I have a feeling that accursed mare may have followed me here, so she may already have gotten in contact with Sonic about joining her team like the other heroes in different worlds. At worst, my Cabal can give you a chance at revenge." the blue hooded being added. "Okay then... I need equipment to rebuild the Egg Carrier. Tell your mutual friend to give me the robot power to bring it back to its former glory." Eggman suggested. "It is already done thanks to Albert, doctor." Eggman raised a brow, "Who are you, anyway? And how do you know Albert, if you are talking about the one I've crossed paths with once before. The scientist from another world of robots." The being sighed, "It's that man. And if we are to be working together, it would be best if I tell you my name. But you cannot reveal it to anyone else, especially Sonic." Eggman was unsure of what the next word meant, but he supposed that it was his new ally's name. "Doom."
Chaos ControlHigh above near the reaches of space, a massive fleet of airships hovered in the sky. Their appearance giving off a threatening vibe for all to see on the ground below. The people pointed above them, frightened by the ships. In the center of the smaller airships, was a larger one, the one where the mastermind projected his scheme. Dr. Eggman laughed, his cackles heard through the speakers, "Greetings, Mobius! It is I, your new ruler Dr. Eggman! As you can no doubt tell, my Egg Fleet shall be the start of a new robotic era for you all!" he boasted. Within his control room, Eggman continued, "Now, you think you may have a chance of stopping me, but you're all wrong! I have all the Chaos Emeralds in my possession! With them, I shall create a beam that will roboticize every living being on this planet in a matter of seconds! Hahahaha!" after laughing, he began to cough. "Ack!" he choked, hoping that the microphone didn't catch the brief fit he had a moment ago. Quite a distance away from the fleet, a red plane made its way toward the unsuspecting doctor. In the pilot's seat was a two tailed fox. His eyes were focused on the fleet in front of him. Standing on the wings though, was a blue hedgehog, his red shoes matching the color of the plane he was standing on, "Ol' Egghead really loves to hear himself." he sighed, "Are the Tornado's defenses ready for the attack, Tails?" he asked his friend. "They're all prepped and ready to go, Sonic!" replied Tails. Sonic smirked, "Perfect. Once we reach his central Egg Carrier, I'll be diving down and taking out the mustached bald man himself." he boasted, crouching down. The fox nodded, liking the course of action. "Let's just hope G.U.N.'s caught wind of this and sent a certain agent up there to meet us." he teased. Once the Tornado flew above the Egg Carrier, Sonic hopped down, diving down to the edge of the ship. Missiles started be launched in the direction of him and the plane. Seeing this, Tails prepped the weapons and carefully aimed his cannons at the projectiles, hitting them all while making sure Sonic had a safe landing. Once he saw that the hedgehog safely landed, Tails moved the Tornado forward, scouting the area and waiting for his blue friend, all the while, weakening the defenses. Sonic stood up, and held up a walkie talkie, "Heh. Made it safe and sound, pal!" he confirmed to the fox. He saw that Egg Pawns were being sent up to fend off the hedgehog and he smirked, "This is the best Egghead's got? Well, bring it on!" he started to run, his speed forming a blue barrier around his body, destroying the robots around him in an instant. He saw more Egg Pawns in his direction and he held up his fists, knocking more away with ease. A larger mech appeared, forcing Sonic to slide down, the hand of the robot missed him and the hedgehog curled into a ball, slicing the mech in half, all the while keeping his momentum. "That was fun." admitted the hedgehog, who pulled out his communicator, "Yo, Tails. How goes the flight?" he asked. 'Everything's fine on my end. Eggman's defenses are weakened. It should be a smooth flight from here.' Nodding, Sonic replied, "Good to hear. I'll let you know how things are once I find out where Egghead's hiding." he put away the communication device and turned around, spotting more robots in his path, "No one said it'd be easy. Ah, who am I kiddin'? Of course it will!" he dashed off, the army blowing in his way as he did. Sonic stopped once he noticed that a door was in his way, "I guess this is Eggman's control deck. I wonder what he's got this time." he said to himself, walking through the automatic door. The first thing he noticed were that robot scraps and parts were lying around the floor and walls, causing the hedgehog to scratch his head. "Huh. Either the doc needs to build better robots, or maybe I'm so awesome that they blew up before I did the job. Eh, maybe they all gave up." he suggested to himself, continuing his walk through the long blue seemingly empty hallway. Once he heard a clanging sound, Sonic zipped to the other side of the room. He saw a black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills tearing apart one of the Egg Pawns. "Oh. Not too surprised to see you here, Shadow." he said, getting the black hedgehog's attention. Rolling his eyes, Shadow faced Sonic. "G.U.N. sent me here before you arrived. The doctor mentioned that he has the Chaos Emeralds and I'm not taking that sitting down." he said. Shrugging, Sonic responded, "Had a feeling that was the case anyhow. Did you find anything, other than what appeared to be more robots?" Shaking his head, Shadow answered. "Not yet. Though, he mentioned that he wants to roboticize the world with a machine he created using the power of the emeralds. We have to stop him immediately." "Now you're talkin'!" cheered Sonic. The duo zipped past in a blur of blue and yellow. "Think you can keep up, Shad?" "I think I can. And don't call me, Shad." replied the black hedgehog in a bitter tone. The hedgehogs continued to zoom past the army until reaching a big, empty, circular room. Sonic looked up, seeing nothing but tubes and wires connecting to a monitor and a machine next to it. Inside the machine were seven capsules, each with a gem inside of it. "The Chaos Emeralds!" shouted the blue hedgehog. "Perfect. Now let's get them out before the doctor finds out we're here and crash the fleet without him knowing." responded Shadow. "I already know you're here." A man in a hovercraft lowered himself to face the hedgehogs. Sonic clenched his fists at the sight, "Eggman!" he exclaimed, gritting his teeth. "Sonic and Shadow. Grr... I should've known the two of you would try to stop me!" grunted Eggman, "But it doesn't matter at this point! The machine is almost charged, and the beam shall cover Mobius, turning the entire planet into the robotic empire I had always dreamed of!" "You're crazy!" Eggman gasped as he feigned being insulted, "Crazy? No, my dear hedgehog, I'm brilliant!" As Sonic began to run toward the machine, something tackled him throwing him into a wall. A robot designed to look similar to the hedgehog stood next to Sonic. "Metal Sonic!" he growled, standing back up, "Yo, Shadow! I'll handle the fake over here while you destroy the machine!" he said, the black hedgdhog nodded and skated to the emerald device. Sonic faced Metal Sonic once more, the robot silent all the while, "Alright, Metal. Let's see if you still got what it takes." Metal Sonic beeped then lunged at the hedgehog. "Go Metal!" cheered Eggman. Sonic leaned to the left of the swipe and moved the right when Metal attacked again. Meanwhile, Shadow got to the monitor and tried to stop the beam, but an error message popped on the screen. "Son of a-" he cursed, slamming his fists on the keyboard. "Faker!" Sonic looked at his doppelganger after kicking Metal Sonic's torso. The black hedgehog continued, "I'm going to remove the emeralds manually! Hold him off!" "It's no use, Shadow! The machine is almost fully powered! The only way to stop it is to find another outlet to release the Chaos Energy already conducted!" revealed the scientist. Sonic held up his communicator, "Hey, Tails... Uh, I'm kinda in a jam here." 'What's wrong?' "Well..." he began ducking underneath Metal Sonic's tackle, "Shadow's here, the machine is about to go off and Metal Sonic's keeping me distracted while Shadow is trying to stop the roboticizer. Egghead mentioned that we could use another method to remove the energy! Can we do that?" 'Yeah. Tell Shadow to use Chaos Control.' replied Tails. 'It will most likely release the dormant energy already charged and release it through his own power.' "Alright, pal. Let's hope this works." Shadow grunted, "I heard it faker!" he shattered the glass holding the capsules. "Chaos..." he started, drawing the energy within him. Eggman's eyes went wide, trying to stop the hedgehog. "Control!" Suddenly, everything began to get enveloped in a white light. All of the Egg Fleet vanished in an instant as did Tails, leaving the people below to wonder what happened above. "It's waking up!" Sonic could barely hear the words being shouted. It was strange. He could feel himself lying down on wood and he felt perfectly fine. All he remembered was Shadow using Chaos Control then everything went white. "I'll get some water to pour on him." In an instant, the blue hedgehog snapped his eyes open upon hearing those words and sat up. "Ah!" he shouted while moving up. "What the-? Where am I?" he asked. "Howdy there, mister." Sonic looked down to see three small horses looking up at him with curious eyes. "It's gonna be one of those days, huh?"
Figuring Things OutIt had been a blur, ironically enough, for Sonic. One minute he, Tails, and Shadow were stopping Eggman's fleet of airships before he could destroy the planet and turn it into his robotic empire. The last thing the blue hedgehog could recall was that Shadow had used Chaos Control to release the contained energy of the Chaos Emeralds and must have warped them to a faraway world, as far as he was aware. 'Because despite everything I have seen in my time, waking up in a clubhouse with three small horses is not what I had in mind for today.' Sonic thought, looking at the small fillies. Deciding that he had enough silence, he decided to speak, "Uh. Hello there." he said slowly with a wave. "Ah thought I was hearin' things. You can talk!" shouted the yellow filly. The orange horse laughed, "Told you!" "Yeah, I can say the same with you three." replied Sonic. "Who are you, anyway? How the heck did I even manage to get here in the first place?" "My name's Applebloom!" said the yellow filly. "Scootaloo!" said the orange pegasus. "I'm Sweetie Belle." revealed the white unicorn. "Who are you?" "Heh. I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog." introduced the hedgehog with a thumbs up, "I'm the coolest hedgehog in all of Mobius!" he boasted to the fillies. "Anyway, how'd ya even find me?" "We saw you sleeping next to our clubhouse and brought you in here." answered Sweetie Belle. Scratching his head, Sonic spoke, "Alright, then. Where on Mobius am I anyhow? In all my time exploring, I don't think I've ever seen a place like this before." "Mobius? This is Equestria!" Scootaloo revealed. Sonic spoke, "Equestria? Huh, never heard of it. Y'know, Shadow really needs to figure out where he's going to warp to... Oh, crud. I'm not even in Mobius anymore!" "What are ya talkin' about, mister Sonic?" Applebloom wondered. "Mobius is the world I'm from! Travelling to another world was definitely not a part of the plan today." he huffed, crossing arms, "The last thing I need is to leave Mobius unprotected." he said. 'Then again, I'm sure Knuckles and Amy, heck even Rouge or Omega can take care of things while I'm gone.' he thought, recalling that his friends can handle themselves just fine without him. 'At the worst, Silver or Blaze will step in.' Putting his thoughts aside, Sonic stood up, doing his best not to bump his head on the ceiling, "Thanks for the save, girls. But I gotta find my way back home." "Where are you going?" Scootaloo questioned. The hedgehog paused and shrugged, "Uh... I dunno? Wherever the wind takes me, I guess. I'll take any chance of getting home. But first I gotta find Shadow." he said, pointing out the door. "How far to the nearest town or whatever?" "We're near Ponyville!" replied Sweetie Belle. 'Ponyville? How subtle. Then again, so does my name.' mused Sonic. "Good to know. You three live there?" The fillies nodded, and Sonic answered, "Alright then. I'll just get a quick second to run." he zipped off in a blue blur, leaving the ponies to wonder where he went. In an instant, Sonic returned, leaning on the wall of the clubhouse, acting as though he never left to begin with. "Pretty nice town." he complimented, "Let's just hope it stays peaceful." "H-How did you do that?" Sweetie Belle wondered. "Oh, right. Well, I don't mean to brag, but back on my world I'm known as the Fastest Thing Alive!" Sonic boasted his proclaimed title to the confused fillies. "So, I just sorta took a quick jog and made my way back here." "Fastest Thing Alive? Yeah right!" scoffed Scootaloo. Raising a brow, Sonic looked at the other two, who gave the orange pegasus a deadpan expression, "What's the deal?" he asked Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "She's Rainbow Dash's biggest fan." Applebloom explained. "Who's Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo spoke, "Rainbow Dash is the coolest, awesomest pony in all of Equestria! She's the fastest flyer!" she boasted to the blue hero, who merely shrugged. "She sounds pretty cool. But if we ever meet, we'll see if she can keep up with the likes of me! I mean, there are others almost as fast as me, like my buddy Tails, Shadow, and heck, even Silver." said Sonic, a smirk on his face. "But I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt." he added. "Yeah! Let's go see her, now!" shouted Scootaloo with determination. Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her head, "Do we have to?" "Hey, usually I'm all for a competition, but I got more important things to worry about, like finding my friend- er ally. I never know what to call that guy." Sonic rubbed his head. "Though, I wonder if Tails made it as well... If that's the case..." his thoughts trailed off, but he shook his head. "Look, how about this? I'll take ya back home and find a way to show this, uh, Ponyville town that I'm not a threat and that once I find what I'm lookin' for, I'll leave." "We trust you, Sonic!" assured Applebloom. "Yeah, but you can never be too careful." muttered Sonic, "And I'm speaking from experience." he looked at the three once more, "Alright. So how am I gonna do this?" he asked himself, "I've never really carried ponies around when I'm running. Heck, I never take anyone while I'm moving unless they can catch up. Eh, you know what? I'll just walk. Come on." The fillies followed Sonic out of the door, guiding him to where they needed to go. "Hm? What's this?" Rarity stepped out of her boutique upon seeing a strange glow outside her window while working. The white unicorn's head faced downward to a strange green emerald. "Oh, this gem looks lovely." she said, holding up the gem in a blue aura, smiling as she looked at the shine and shape of it, "It does looks quite rare." she told herself, observing it once more. "It won't be much good out here. I'll just take it inside for now. Maybe Twilight will want to see it for herself." Rarity mused as she walked back into the boutique, emerald in her possession, "And Sweetie Belle should be home soon. I'm sure she'd be surprised to see such a gem."
Taking Things Slow"Alright, you three. I have one simple question that probably has a simple answer..." Sonic started to say, looking down at the three fillies he decided to help walk home. "What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked. Shaking his head, the hedgehog looked around and noticed the strange looks they were getting, "Does everybody in this world tend to stare at creatures that aren't ponies? Because I'm getting some serious flashbacks." "Yer not the only one... Poor Zecora got the same treatment, but ah think that you'll prove that yer not evil." Applebloom assured the blue hero, to which he smiled. The ponies around them continued to glance at the new hedgehog in town, causing him to smile to prove his worth as an innocent being. "Good to know." Sonic nodded, raising a brow. The four made it to their first stop, a barn located at the far end of Ponyville. "I take it this is where you wanted to go, Applebloom?" the hedgehog asked. The yellow filly nodded. "Cool. Guess you can go from here, I'll take the others back home before it gets too late." he said, pointing at the other two. "But don't ya want to meet mah family?" Applebloom wondered. Sonic scratched his head, "I dunno. It'd probably be weird, considering the glances the ponies in your town were giving me earlier." he doubted, pointing at the entrance. "It'll be fine, Sonic!" Scootaloo assured, nudging the hedgehog with her head to push him. "Hey! Come on!" the blue hero shouted, digging his feet into the ground to stop. A dirt trail began to form underneath Sonic's feet. He started to slow down, but Sweetie Belle decided to help the pegasus and pished the hedgehog forward as well. Sonic crossed his arms, an unamused look shown on his face. "Fine. Can we just get this over with?" he finally groaned. Sonic looked at the fillies who continued to drag him, "You can stop pushing now." he told them. They reared their heads back, a sheepish smile on both Scootaloo's and Sweetie Belle's face. The hero rubbed his head, "Alright. Let's make it quick. I gotta take the others home before it gets too late." he told Applebloom. "What should I expect anyway?" "Mah sister, big brother and Granny Smith live here. Ah'm sure they'd welcome ya into the house." she responded, putting a hoof on the door to the small house and knocking. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran in front of Sonic so they could get in first. The door opened, revealing an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and a stetson over her head, "There ya are, Applebloom! It's startin' to get late. Are the others with ya?" she asked, but what she was about to say next died in her throat upon the sight of the strange hedgehog standing with her. "Applejack? Ya okay?" Applebloom asked. Sonic forced a grin, "Um... Hi?" the statement was more a question than a greeting. Applejack turned to her sister with a frown on her face. "What the hay is that?" she wondered. "Him?" the younger sister gestured to Sonic, "That's Sonic! He woke up in our clubhouse!" "Yeah!" Sweetie Belle added, "He said he's from a different world!" Sonic nodded, seeing Applejack get back to her senses, "Yep! Nice to meet ya, Applejack. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. I guess I'm gonna be an Equestrian resident for a while, huh?" he teased with a smirk. Applejack chuckled, "Well, ya seem pretty nice. Yer from another world, though?" "Yeah... It's kind of a long story. Something I'd rather not bore you with. I'm kind of on a mission right now." the hero explained to the best of his ability, not wanting to explain his current situation again in the same day. "Ah think my friends and I can help." said the farmpony, getting an eyeridge raise from the hedgehog. The hero crossed his arms, a look of skeptism on his face. "Dependin' on what kind of mission we're talkin' here." "Alright. I might take you up on the offer, but I don't think you'll understand what's happening." Sonic agreed. "It's something I'm sure this world hasn't seen before." Applejack chuckled, "I'm sure we can handle it. Ya can meet Twilight later. She lives in the giant crystal castle towerin' over the town if ya need help. Ah might stop by later myself." "How did I miss seeing that huge thing? Eh, I might run there once I get these two home." wondered Sonic aloud, rubbing his quills as though he missed something obvious. "Oh well. Listen, AJ. I gotta go, but I have a feeling we're gonna meet again soon." he waved the farmpony and her little sister as he left with the other two fillies. "Applebloom?" Applejack started to say. "Yes, sis?" The older sister cleared her throat, "What the hay did ya do to get a talkin' hedgehog into Ponyville? Ah swear Fluttershy's gonna have a field day with that thing." she chuckled. "Now, c'mon. We gotta get ya to bed for school tomorrow." she heard Applebloom groan, which earned a sly smirk. "Well, that just happened." Sonic blurted out. "Anyway, I think I should take you back, Sweetie Belle. Where is your place at? I gotta ask for a map at some point." he questioned. Sweetie looked at the hedgehog, "You can't miss it. It's looks like a carasoul at the other end of town." she explained to Sonic, who gave her a questioning glance. "Alright then... So after I get the both of you home, I'll go into the castle thing to meet the person Applejack told me about earlier. I may meet up with you again, if it's any worth." Scootaloo smiled, "Cool! By the way, Sonic, I have to introduce you to--" The young pegasus's words were cut off by a rude calling, a simple, "Hey!" was heard, alerting the hedgehog, and the two fillies standing by his side. "I've never seen you before... Who, or what are ya exactly? And why are you with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?" asked the strange figure, flying from her spot on the clouds. The pony in question was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. She descended and landed on the ground so she could look Sonic in the eyes. Said hedgehog remained silent as he tried to figure out what to say next. "Hey! I'm cool. Uh, Scoots? She seems like she knows you two. Who is this?" he pointed to the pegasus. "That's Rainbow Dash." revealed the orange filly. "Oh, really?" asked Sonic, who faced Rainbow. "Let's just hope that this meeting goes as well as you thought."
Emerald Found"So, Rainbow Dash was it?" Sonic asked. "Scootaloo told me about ya. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." the hedgehog introduced himself to the uneasy pegasus. Rainbow huffed at the hero's greeting as she decided to talk. "What'd she say about me?" Sonic answered, "That you were the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and that you were really awesome. Her words, not mine." he explained to Rainbow Dash, who smirked. "Can you confirm if any of that is true or not?" Rainbow Dash shouted, "Heck yeah!" she flew off, a rainbow trail following her every move, Sonic watching her with skeptism while Scootaloo gave the biggest smile. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes at her friend. Eventually, she managed to kick apart every cloud they could spot in a matter of seconds. Rainbow landed in her spot earlier, pointing at herself. "Took out the clouds in seconds! Think you can beat that, hedgehog?" she boasted. Sonic smirked, "Can I?" he asked. Suddenly, Sonic ran off, the blue blur running off somewhere. A few seconds later, the hedgehog came back, a small treat in hand. "I managed to get a bite while I was gone. It wasn't that bad, I suppose." Rainbow scowled as Sonic continued to eat his small cupcake, "Look. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm just tryin' to get these two back home before it gets too late." "Actually, Sonic," began Scootaloo, "I'll just go with Rainbow. Can I?" she asked. Rainbow nodded and the young pegasus walked forward, and Sonic and Sweetie continued walking, but not before the cyan pegasus could interrupt them. "Hey!" The hedgehog turned around, "What is it?" "You. Me. A race tomorrow across Ponyville. We'll see who's the fastest." declared Rainbow Dash. Sonic rolled his eyes, "Alright. Fine. But I won't hold anything back." he announced with a smirk. "Same here, hedgehog." responded Rainbow Dash. She trotted off with Scootaloo. To where? Well, Sonic wasn't even sure. He just needed to get Sweetie Belle home. "Is this the place?" asked Sonic. Sweetie Belle nodded, "Yep!" she answered, walking to the door and knocking. When she raised her hoof however, it already opened, a unicorn already standing there. "Sweetie Belle! Where on Equestria where you? It's getting late!" scolded the older unicorn. Shaking her head, Sweetie answered, "Sorry, Rarity. I was just showing my new friend Ponyville." "New friend?" Rarity looked upward to see Sonic. "My word. I've never seen anything like you around here before." she sighed, observing the heroic hedgehog. Sonic scratched his head, "Yeah, I've been getting that a lot. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm kinda from another world. I already spoke to some other ponies about it while dropping off Sweetie Belle's friends on the way here." "Oh. So it seems you already met Applejack and Rainbow Dash..." realized Rarity. "You know them? Huh, small world." Sonic muttered. Rarity chuckled, "Well, I must thank you for bringing Sweetie Belle home. Do you wish to step inside for a moment? I'm sure interdimensional travel must be tiring." she offered. "Eh. You get used to it after a while." laughed Sonic, "But sure, I guess I can sit for a moment." he said, he and Sweetie Belle stepping inside the Carasoul Boutique. "Nice place ya got here, Rarity. Seems pretty cozy if I say so myself." "Why thank you, Sonic. I can make you and Sweetie Belle dinner if you want." Rarity offered again. "Sure." nodded the hedgehog, "Got any chili-dogs?" "What are chili-dogs?" asked Sweetie Belle, tilting her head in confusion upon hearing Sonic. The hedgehog gulped as his eyes went wide, 'No chili-dogs? What kind of bizarre world did I end up in?!' he thought, realizing that his favorite food possibly didn't exist in this dimension. He clared his throat, "Er... How about some kinda salad or something? I'm not really that hungry anyway." he suggested. 'This... Is gonna take some getting used to.' the hedgehog mused. "Alright then, Sonic." he heard Rarity say. Taking a look around, Sonic decided to wander about. A strange glow got his attention. The blue hero stepped forward to get a closer look at the source, 'It can't be...' his mind raced. As he got closer, the object's appearance gave the hedgehog a sense of familiarity, sensing a strange yet known energy from it. "It is." he said. 'How did this end up all the way over here anyway?' "Hey, Rarity!" called out Sonic. "Yes?" the unicorn stepped into the area. The hedgehog held up the gem, "Uh. Where did you find it?" Rarity smiled, "Oh that? I simply found it outside earlier this morning. It was the strangest thing. I'm wondering who would leave such a thing put there." "This isn't any kind of rare gem." Sonic revealed, "This is known as a Chaos Emerald. A powerful gem which, once all seven are collected, could grant the holder infinite power. Heck, even having one can grant the user a power boost. These are the key to getting me back to my own world." Rarity was speechless, "I-I had no idea. If it really is as you say it is, then you may have it." "I was told to head into that castle earlier. Do you think the person who lives there can help me find these and my friends?" questioned Sonic, changing the subject at hand. "Do you mean, Twilight? Of course she could help you. If you want I can tell Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the others to head there first thing tomorrow to lend a helping hoof as well while I take the girls to Sweet Apple Acres." Rarity offered. Smiling, Sonic spoke, "Alright then. I'll head there after do what I need to or whatever. But first I gotta get somethin' in my stomach, and I know this salad's gonna be good. But you may have trouble finding Rainbow, she kinda challenged me to a race sometime tomorrow." The unicorn rolled her eyes at that, "Why would she do that? She's not the one to challenge anypony like that out of the blue." she wondered to herself. "Well..." Sonic began, but a beeping sound cut him off. "Be right back!" he zipped off, and a second later, came back with a plate in his hand, having already taken a bite out of the salad. "Mm. Sweet nutrition." he complimented. "You're fast too... Oh, dear..." exhaled the unicorn. "She's going to be more determined than ever." Sonic shrugged, "I've raced against plenty of people. My friends can catch up with me, and I know a plumber that can as well. So, I'm not too worried." "If you say so." The sound of coughing was heard amidst the rubble, a hand reached out from the scattered metal lying apart the forest. "Curses... I hate those hedgehogs..." groaned Eggman, standing up as he felt the aches in his back. The scientist turned around, seeing a glowing gem on the ground, "It seems a Chaos Emerald got lost here. Meaning the other six are scattered across wherever it is we're at." he picked up the emerald and placed it in his pocket. "Now... Where am I?" Eggman turned around, seeing his Egg Carrier and observing the damage, or the surprising lack of it, "It seems to be in good shape. A few repairs and a few more emeralds, and then I can get this baby flying again. I just need to find my radar." Eggman continued to walk around the forest, spotting his Egg Pawns. "Hm. It seems these are still around. Strange. I wonder how that managed to happen." he pondered, but he shrugged it off. "Oh well... I can use this to find out if there is an emerald somewhere nearby while I look flr my radar." While Eggman activated his robots, a figure cloaked in white with a metal mask watched with his arms crossed while he hid in the shadows. "Let's see if you are worth my time, doctor. I brought back your robot army to prove if you are worthy to join my cause. That accursed mare won't dare to stop me now."
Race to WinSonic stretched as he awoke. He moved his head away from the tree that he decided to sleep on the night before. 'Rarity seemd like she needed the space. I can handle sleeping outside.' he thought, pushing himself up off the ground. He bent down slightly to continue stretching his now aching legs as well as his arms. 'That was a good night of sleep. Now if I can only find out where Shadow went, or if Tails somehow got here as well. Then maybe we have a chance of finding the Chaos Emeralds.' "Another morning... Day one of being stranded in Equestria passed." he said to himself quietly, "One emerald down. Six to go." he added. The hedgehog looked around and saw the sun begin to rise, a true sight to behold. "Now, this is life. I just wish I was here under better circumstances." A rainbow trail flew across the sky, Sonic hearing a familiar voice, "Where is he? He and I have a score to settle!" shouted Rainbow Dash, searching for Sonic. The hedgehog shook his head at the sight, seeing the pegasus as a stubborn one. 'That pony's more stubborn than Shadow.' his mind mused. "Yo, Rainbow!" he called out at last. Rainbow Dash turned her head at the sound of the voice and lowered herself to the ground once she saw Sonic from a distance. "About time I found ya! We got a race today! And I'm not losing this one!" Sonic shrugged, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Back in my world, I'm called the Fastest Thing Alive for a reason." he bragged. "So, you may have some competition here." "Ha! As if you can compete with me!" Rainbow boated back. "I'm just warning ya." he teased. A snarl came out of Rainbow, but she just chose to change the subject. "It's a simple challenge. We run around Ponyville to the castle, and first one to make it there wins. It stinks that my friends couldn't wake up to see me win though. Heck, I even tried to wake them, but they still slept!" "Or they would've watched you lose." the hedgehog taunted. Rainbow grunted at his taunt, but ignored it. "Anyway..." she growled, "On the count of three we begin." "But first things first. We gotta establish some ground rules. Literally. You can't go too high off the ground and go over buildings. You gotta stay near the floor and act as though you're running. With wings. Got it?" Sonic established the rules right away. "Yeah, sure." Rainbow nodded, "But that won't stop me from making you eat dust!" Sonic rolled his eyes at her comment, "Let's just get this over with, shall we?" he asked her. "Yeah! Let's do it!" The hedgehog got into a running stance, the tip of his shoe kicking the ground. Rainbow Dash bent down, her wings unfurled and ready. "One..." she said. "Two..." continued Sonic. "Three!" Sonic and Rainbow vanished in blurs of blue and rainbow. Aa they sped past the small houses of Ponyville, Sonic turned to see Rainbow, who continued to look on ahead with a scowl on her face, her wings flapping as fast as they could. Ponies who were awake at this time, peeked out their windows to find out what the strange noises were and some even stepped outside. The hedgehog gritted his teeth, 'Man. She's faster than I thought! I gotta speed up!' he thought. His feet moved faster, to the point where it appeared his legs were moving in a circular motion. Rainbow was surprised to see him move up. She continued to flap her wings faster, stretching her hooves out to push herself ahead. "Not bad!" Rainbow merely scowled at Sonic's compliment. "Grr..." she hissed aloud in response, trying to move faster. "C'mon! Step it up!" he taunted. Sonic moved ahead, his arms stretched back and his legs moving in a figure eight motion. Rainbow Dash growled and continued moving. The two speedsters were neck-and-neck, the brief race almost coming to an end once they saw the castle ahead. "Catch me if you can!" Sonic shouted. "Oh, I will!" The blue speedsters sped ahead, even faster than ever before. Once they neared the castle, Sonic began to drag his feet on the ground, while Rainbow started to slow her wings down. The hedgehog immediately noticed that they were right next to each other, and at this point, they weren't able to speed up. Sonic and Rainbow stopped at the same time when they arrived at the supposed finish line. "Gotta say. I haven't had a tense race like that since I first fought Shadow and Metal Sonic." he admitted. "But I think we managed to end this on a draw." he noticed after thinking for a moment. "A draw!?" blurted Rainbow. "Aw..." she sighed. "One day, I'll prove that I'm faster than you!" "Maybe." admitted Sonic, "Now... How about we meet properly? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog." he extended his hand. Rainbow Dash gave him a funny look before repeating his action. The two shook hand and hoof at last. "Rainbow Dash." the pegasus introduced. "How about this? Once I get this whole thing cleared up, we have a rematch? To prove who's the fastest once and for all?" Sonic offered to the competitive pegasus. "Sure. What's the problem you got?" Shrugging again, Sonic answered, "Ah, you know... Stranded in another world, ancient artifacts missing, scientist on the loose, friends separated. The usual." "I think we can help." Rainbow answered. "Sounds like a fun adventure." Clank! Sonic and Rainbow turned their heads at the noise, "Uh... That didn't sound right..." Rainbow said. "Was that you?" Clank! Sonic shook his head, "No... But the sound of metal... That can only mean one thing." Clank! Strange red robots appeared in front of the castle, their lasers pointed at the blue speedsters. "What the hay are those?" "Hahahahaha!" Sonic sighed, "Of course he'd get his robots right away..." A round man in a hovercraft appeared above the robot, "Hello there, Sonic! I'm surprised to meet you again so soon!" he admitted to the hedgehog. "And it seems you made a new friend." "What are you doing here, Eggman!?" Sonic asked. "I'm after the Chaos Emeralds. They're scattered across this world. And I want to make sure that I find them all before you!" Eggman revealed to Sonic. "Well, unfortunately, I'm here to put a stop to those plans before you could even think about it! With Rainbow here with me, your dumb Egg Pawns are outnumbered." Sonic boasted to his nemesis. "I'm already one emerald ahead of you anyhow!" "Do you think that you're the only one?" asked Eggman, revealing the Chaos Emerald in his possession. "Hmph. I'll still get them all before ya!" bragged Sonic, "It's a hopeless battle this time!" "Is it really?" Eggman asked. "Yeah it is!" Rainbow shouted. "Grr... Egg Pawns..." began the scientist, raising a hand. Sonic and Rainbow readied themselves for a battle against the robots, now knowing Eggman's plan. "Follow my lead, Dash. Trashing these tin cans are a piece of cake." he said. Eggman lowered his arm as he gave a simple command. "Attack!"
The Eggman ComethRainbow Dash was the first to attack, but the second her hooves collided with the metal, a loud clanging sound was heard, and Rainbow bit her lip, trying to hold back a cry of pain. She held her hoof as she landed back on the ground. "Stupid... Metal... Things." she hissed in an unusually quiet tone. The Egg Pawns aimed their blasters at the slightly injured pegasus. Sonic saw Rainbow in pain and ran to her as soon as he could and lifted her off the ground right as the robots began to shoot, the hedgehog running away in time before they could be caught in the crossfire. Sonic placed Rainbow back on the ground. "Here's a tip." he said, raising a finger. "When taking down Egghead's tin cans, you have to give it your all. Use your speed to give you a small boost." he advised. Rainbow Dash nodded, understanding his advice. She flew upwards and dove down, her speed allowing herself to drill through an Egg Pawn, she flew away from it right as it exploded, "Aw, yeah! Now we're kicking robot flank!" Smiling, Sonic curled into a a ball, revving himself up to perform a Spin-Dash. He shot right through two Egg Pawns, destroying them almost instantly. "Heh heh. These things are too easy to destroy, Eggman! You need better material!" "No I don't you, annoying hedgehog!" snarled Eggman. Rainbow chuckled, "I don't know about that, doc! These things are pathetic!" she jumped on top of another Egg Pawn, making it hit its own head. She hovered in the air, and was able to see a death glare from the scientist himself. Sonic slid underneath a robot, making it trip head first. He backflipped and curled into a ball before bouncing away. A few Egg Pawns aimed their blasters and tried to shoot the hedgehog, but he was too fast for them to hit accurately, "Gotta try harder, you guys!" he taunted them, getting closer to them. The hedgehog moved backwards, and bent down slightly. "Sonic..." he started to say, a smirk forming on his face. The Egg Pawns readied their blasters once again, primed and ready to shoot the hero. Sonic clenched his fist. "...BOOM!" In a blur, Sonic managed to create a sonic boom powerful enough so that he could push himself through the robots. Most of them exploded as Sonic passed through them in a straight line. Sonic slowed to a stop, still seeing some robots left standing. Rainbow Dash decided to cover for the speedy hedgehog. The pegasus unfurled her wings again and ascended. She dove down as fast as she could and tore through the robots once she managed to create a rainbow-colored sonic boom, almost similar to Sonic's own. The hedgehog whistled, clearly impressed. "Not bad, Dash." he complimented. "Thanks." replied Rainbow. Eggman slammed his fists, seeing that his robots were gone. "You may have destroyed my robots, but I still have one more trick up my sleeve!" he boasted, pressing a button. A brown wrecking ball on a chain lowered itself from the bottom of the Egg-Mobile, and the scientist began to move it. "Heh. Really doc? The ol' wrecking ball gizmo? That's way too old school!" Sonic insulted, Spin-Dashing underneath the flailing ball before it could hit him. Rainbow Dash chuckled at Sonic's comment, agreeing with him. Eggman pressed another button, revealing a laser from the side of his hovercraft. It nearly missed Rainbow Dash, who barely avoided a small blast right before it hit her. "Nice shot, doc!" she taunted, hitting the side of the Egg-Mobile, "But ya gotta be faster." "I will beat you both!" Sonic hopped upward and used a Homing Attack to hit the doctor's hovercraft. The hedgehog performed a backflip, avoiding Eggman's lasers with ease while he was in middair. He landed safely on the ground, standing back on his feet. "Heh heh." he chuckled. From a distance, the blue cloaked figure watched the battle from the shadows. "He may prove an asset to my cause if he can keep himself going like this. Let's see how he fares in this fight." he muttered to himself, refusing to take part in this quite yet. 'Are you sure?' asked a voice through his communicator. The figure sighed, "Yes, Albert. I am sure. You recommended me to bring him to our Cabal for a reason. I just want to see if he can prove his worth. Do not question me." The voice gulped, 'M-My apologies, sir!' "Good. Now get back to building those Egg Pawns. Something tells me he's going to need as many robots as possible. The ones that we brought here are alredy gone thanks to the blue hedgehog." the figure ordered, he heard the scientist growl upon hearing that it was a blue hedgehog that was in their way. 'Y-Yes, sir.' The blue figure groaned, "Make it quick. The doctor may prove useful in energy manipulation, but his robot designs aren't durable. I wish for you to enhance them using your own designs and my technology." 'Very well, sir.' said Albert. Sonic hit Eggman once again with a Homing Attack, grabbing Rainbow's hoof while he was in middair, dodging Eggman's wrecking ball again. "Yo, Dash. Toss me up. It's about time I ended this!" he declared to the cyan pegasus. Rainbow nodded and manages to throw Sonic upward, the hedgehog curled into a ball and Spin-Dashed right through the Egg-Mobile, damaging it greatly. His legs managed to absorb the impact of the fall, protecting him. "Nice toss, Dash. It's not everyday I get to do something like that, other than with Tails." "Thanks. It's about time we send this Eggman packin'." replied Rainbow Dash, slamming her hooves together. Eggman attempted to fix the damages on his hovercraft from his spot, but the sputtering and smoke proved to be irrepairable at the moment, so relunctantly, he had to slowly turn the Egg-Mobile around. "You may have won this round, Sonic! But you and your pony friend won't be able to stop what I have planned." he used his Chaos Emerald to warp himself away from the heroes. Sonic crossed his arms, "I'll be waiting, doc." "So will I!" declared Rainbow. The hedgehog sighed, "You weren't bad in the battlefield, Dash. I think you and your friends may be just what I'm lookin' for." "Thanks. I'll show that Eggman what for soon!" Rainbow announced loudly. Sonic nodded, "Same here." Sonic and Rainbow heard the sound of doors opening, the two of them completely forgetting they were fighting in front of the crystal castle. "Uh oh..." said Rainbow. A purple unicorn with wings gritted her teeth as she stepped outside, "Rainbow! What that hay is all this noise?!" "A friend of yours?" asked Sonic. Nodding, Rainbow whispered, "Yep."
Three-Headed Danger"Alright, bro. Where are you?" asked Sonic aloud to himself. Having separated himself from the ponies for the time being, the blue blur decided to find his friend on his own. The path led him into a dark forest, leaving Sonic to wonder where he is exactly. He skidded to a halt, looking upward to see the endless amount of trees. The hedgehog shrugged, "Guess I better start looking." he then paced himself again, going fast enough to make distance, but slow enough to keep track of his location. Sonic hopped onto the side of a tree, bouncing off it and landed on another tree. The hedgehog bounced off, flipping so that he landed on his feet while keeping his momentum. "Wow. How big is this place?" he wondered aloud. Sonic continued running, spotting a lake nearby, "Hm. I could probably get a better look at my surroundings." he decided, zipping through the woods until he reached the body of water. His communicator went off again, prompting Sonic to hold it, "Hey, Tails. What's wrong?" he asked. 'Are-- Nearby--?' was all Sonic could hear from Tails. "Yeah, I am. Don't worry, buddy. I'll be there in a jiffy." Sonic assured his friend. He turned around, but the sound of rumbling got his attention, "That better be my craving for chili-dogs." he hoped, his eyes widening as he faced the lake again. A tall creature emerged, it appeared to be a monster with three heads. Sonic whistled, "Oh. A hydra? I think I've seen one of these guys. You don't look so tough." he taunted. The hydra roared, snapping one of its heads down to bite Sonic, but it saw that it missed. The other two heads looked around, wondering whre its prey wound up. The sound of whistling brought its head down, seeing the hedgehog in the very same spot he was just at. "Yoohoo! Ya missed me!" he mocked. Once again, the hydra lunged a head at Sonic, but it saw that it missed upon reaching his spot. "Too slow!" the hedgehog taunted, sitting on a tree branch above the monster. With a wave he hopped back down on the ground, a confident smirk seen on his face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a friend to find." The monster let out another roar aimed at Sonic, the hedgehog's quills and fur sticking up as it continued. Sonic merely blinked as a response, straightening his quills as he spoke back, holding his nose, "Seriously, you live in a swamp. You could at least brush your teeth." the blue blur hopped up and flipped, dodging the hydra's bite once again, barely avoiding its mouth. Deciding to do something about its situation, the hydra leaned two of its heads to attack Sonic, but the blue hedgehog slid underneath its mouths in a blur. Sonic smirked, kicking one of its faces as he flipped himself back on his feet. "Sorry about roughhousing, but you're tryin' to eat me. And I can't have that happen right now." Sonic stretched his legs, seeing the hydrs leave the lake. "Oh, so ya can actually move. What a surprise!" he shouted, "But that won't be enough to stop me!" The monster stomped, creating a small tremor surprising Sonic. Another stomp created another shake, causing the hedgehog to fall on the ground backfirst. Once the tremors stopped, Sonic dusted himself off, "Alright. This is gonna be tougher than I thought." 'Maybe I can trap him in the trees?' he thought. Nodding to his thoughts, Sonic waved at the hydra, "Yo, three headed thing! Catch me if you can!" he yelled. The hydra roared and began chasing Sonic after he zoomed away. Sonic's eyes widened, seeing the hydra tear through the forest, "Oh crud..." he gulped. 'Guess we gotta do things the hard way.' with no other option, he hopped on a tree, kicking himself upward. He grabbed a tree branch, using it to flip even higher than before. With one hand, he spun on another branch, planting himself on top of another tree. With another scream, the monster tried to bite the hedgehog from above. Sonic backflipped, grabbing the side of the tree to catch himself from falling. He pushed himself upward and curled into a ball, hitting the monster with a Homing Attack, causing the creature to stumble backwards in pain. "Strike!" Sonic shouted, uncurling. He landed perfectly on the tree. Before he could react however, the hydra whipped its head, causing the hedgehog to fall off. He fell face first onto the grassy ground. "That was rude." his voice muffled. Sonic got back on his feet, rubbing his aching back. "Yikes. That must've caused some whiplash." he moaned, seeing that the trees around him were fallen, leaving him in a wide open space. "Hm. Time to have yet another plan." The hedgehog jumped up, hitting the hydra with yet another powerful Homing Attack, sending it backwards slightly. 'This is not how I wanted to spend my day.' the hedgehog mused, pushing his attack farther than he did earlier. Uncurling, the hydra lashed down on him. Luckily, Sonic gained some air in time to dodge and landed on the monster's neck. He ran along its neck and gently kicked it. The other two heads glared at him. One of which tried to eat him. Sonic moved backwards and ended up at the side of another head. Without thinking, the monster turned one of its heads, twisting it around the other. "Oops. Looks like you're in a tangled mess." Sonic teased. The third head came for him, and the hero ducked, kicking it while he was sliding. In a fit of rage, the monster lashed out its second head, but it could barely move since the first was already tied up. The creature nearly tripped on itself while moving. Sonic smirked, "Game over, hydra." he said. The third head came back for him, but Sonic jumped away in time, causing it to get wrangled around the other two heads. "Sorry about that big guy. But I don't take kindly to being someone's dinner." he sighed. He saw the hydra run back into the lake, submerging itself out of sight. "Alright, now that's settled. I gotta find Tails." Sonic said to himself, continuing his mission. While running, Sonic heard the sound of a broken engine. 'There's only one thing that can make that sound. As far as I'm aware.' he thought, turning to the left. "Finally." groaned Sonic. The hero saw a familiar fox, trying to use what tools he had to rebuild the propellor of his plane. "Hey, Tails." "Sonic!" cheered the fox. The hedgehog smirked, ruffling his friend's hairs. "I'm glad to see you're alright. I see you're tryin' to get the Tornado working again. Quite a place to end up, huh?" "Yeah." Tails nodded, "It looks like the Chaos Energy warped us farther than expected. Where on Mobius are we anyway?" "About that..." Sonic rubbed his quills. "We're not exactly on Mobius--" "Sonic!" Six ponies revealed themselves, gaining Sonic and Tails's attention. Twilight spoke, "Sonic, we told you not to come here alone!" she scolded the hedgehog. "Easy, Twilight. I found my friend anyway." Sonic assured. Tails remained frozen, "Uh, Sonic... Why are there ponies and how do they know you?" "Oh, a talking hedgehog and fox!" squealed a yellow pegasus, "I've never seen them before!" "Calm down, Fluttershy." Rainbow chuckled, "They're not ordinary animals. You found your friend, Sonic?" "Yep. Ladies, meet Tails. My best friend and best mechanic." Sonic introduced. "And I see you brought some more friends along." he rubbed his head. "Yeah, that's Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie." Twilight introduced. "Are you really a hedgehog and fox?" Pinkie wondered. "Uh, yes." Tails replied awkwardly. The pink mare smiled, "Cool! I can't wait till you meet all of my friends!" "Uh, Pinkie. I already did." Sonic reminded her. "Oh yeah." "What happened Sonic?" Tails asked. "Something, that's for sure. We'll see if Shadow can shed some light on what's happening. Speaking of which, you found an emerald right?" "You bet!" the fox revealed the glowing gem, "I can use it to power the Tornado, but I can't fly it until the propellor's fixed." "Tornado?" Twilight repeated, seeing the plane, "What is this contraption?" "That's a plane, Twilight. You can use it to fly where you need to go. With fuel of course." Tails explained to the curious alicorn. "Amazing. There's technology like this on your world?" Sonic smiled, "That and a lot more. But back on topic, we already have three emeralds found. Something tells me that we're going on yet another emerald hunt. You up for it pal?" "Wherever you go, I go!" Tails declared. "Yeah! Can we come?" Rainbow wondered. "This sounds like something I can't miss." "Sure. You girls now this world better than us. Plus we dan prove that we're on the side of good." Sonic answered, placing a hand on the red plane. Tails hopped in the pilot's seat of the Tornado, "Take this back to the castle, Tails. We gotta plan this out." "Sure thing, Sonic!" The engine hummed, and the wheels began to move. The ponies moved away in shock, "What in Equestria?" Applejack mumbled. "Technology. It's complicated." Sonic chuckled. "Now let's get back to business." with friends new and old. Sonic decided that he can at least begin finding the other emeralds before Eggman, hoping that they find Shadow along the way.
Master Plan"Whoa. This place is huge." Tails complimented. Sonic nodded in agreement. "So... Why are we here again? Shouldn't we worry about finding Eggman?" Sonic raised a hand, "Egghead is stranded here like the rest of us. He's gotta run outta robots at some point." he assured his two-tailed friend calmly. "You seem awfully laidback about the fact a madman is around in our world." Twilight said curiously. "It's not that I'm laidback... Okay, that is the case. But I know Eggman better than anyone else in here, besides Tails. He's running out of rescources, and since he's stranded with no way to rebuild his robots or airship, it's only a matter of finding his hiding spot." Sonic elaborated for the ponies. Rainbow hummed, "If you say so..." "Is Eggman a giant talking egg?" Pinkie asked. Tails chuckled, "He may as well be. He's not much of a threat without all his fancy toys." "Yeah, this kid right here can hack a computer with a toothpick." the hedgehog boasted for the fox. "Saved his life when I wasn't around." he added. "Wait... He hacked a what now?" Applejack asked. "A computer. In our world they're like small monitors that can perform certain processes whether it's educational research or playing games, or wanting to watch something, it's all scientific." Tails tried to explain as simple as he could. "What you call science, we call magic." Twilight said. Tails rolled his eyes, "Magic? Please, in this case it's science." Twilight sighed, "I don't know. First you bring that strange flying contraption, then you tell me there are monitors that can perform anything? It doesn't sound logical." "That's only because our world is more--" Tails was about to say, but Sonic stepped in between the two of them. "Alright, you two. I say we agree to disagree. I may not be a techie or a wizard, but I think we should just step on equal footing for now. Last thing we all need now is infighting over how certain gadgets and doohickeys work." Sonic tried to settle the brief dispute, prompting Tails and Twilight to nod. "Sorry." they both said sheepishly. Rainbow chuckled, "You two can have your egghead battle when we're settled in." she teased. "Hey!" Tails shouted, before a smirk was seen on his muzzle, "Save that insult for Eggman." "Will do, kid." Rainbow replied. Sonic put a finger underneath his head, a bored look on his face, "Now I'm left wondering that the heck we're gonna do. It's not likeI can just start searching for Eggman like this. I don't even know where I'm at and how this planet is! Is it round, square?" "I'm sure all planets are round, Sonic." Tails corrected in a deadpan. The hedgehog chuckled, "You can never be too sure, buddy. Remember the Lost Hex? It was round, but everything was a hexagon, I'm not even sure how that worked." "Lost... Hex?" Fluttershy repeated. Spike raised a brow, "What kind of geometry mishaps exists in your world? And how was it lost if you were clearly on it?" "You've been to other planets?" Twilight wondered. "Yeah, sorta. Planets like the Lost Hex and Little Planet exist in our own. Little Planet shows up in our world once a year over a lake called Never Lake. Lost Hex... Well, I'm not even sure where it come from. It was just sorta there." Sonic admitted. "Planets in your own? Wouldn't that mess everything up?" the alicorn asked. "Yes, it does seem rather dangerous." Rarity agreed. "It hasn't affected us or how our environment works, Rarity. So, I think we're safe." Tails assured. "If ya say so." Applejack sighed. "Just seems awfully crazy is all." "All of it is true." Tails said, "Sonic and I had to stop Eggman on both of those planets for different reasons, but all of them lead to world domination." Sonic looked around, wondering what to do. "So, uh... Does anybody have a map or somethin'? Because I kinda wanna stretch my feet soon, and I have a feeling a certain black hedgehog's gonna come hunting me for stranding him in a pony dimension." "I must say, this new robot army of yours can really fasten production. Very soon, my Egg Carrier 2 will be complete and in the air once more!" Eggman laughed, seeing his new comrade. "What made you want to aid me, Doom?" Doom looked at his scientist, his metal mask void of any emotion or expression. "A test. If you can prove yourself a threat to Sonic, then I believe you will make a great asset to my Cabal. I'm after someone, the one who tore my world apart." he clenched his metal fist, a clanging sound heard as he performed the motion. Eggman was now curious, "What do you mean?" "I was taken away from my world... Taken to another world like this, at one time..." Doom paused, "But enought about that, I will grant you the necessary equipment, but under one very simple condition." he revealed, Eggman now wondering what he meant. "What is that?" Doom sighed, "No killing the ponies of this land. I have seen enough death and needless destruction of the species in my Equestria. I'm here to help you because of another challenge she dare opposes me with. The very reason why I have a Cabal." Eggman rubbed his head, "This sounds so complicated... But I will agree to this. So long as I get to destroy Sonic." he smirked. "Yes. We will both benefit from his destruction. Without him to continue fighting, that accursed mare will admit my superiority to her as a ruler. There will be no war, no warriors to protect her so called army." Doom laughed. "But first, you must find your Metal Sonic, he may be useful in finding the Chaos Emeralds." Eggman pointer a finger to the sky, "Of course. Metal Sonic... He should be somewhere within this strange land. He can help track down the Chaos Emeralds while we monitor the repairs to the Egg Carrier 2." he decided. Doom nodded, "I will get into contact with Albert, and have him create a tracker to find the emeralds. He should have it done by the time you find Metal Sonic. I will also give you a map of this land and download it to your Egg-Mobile." "You are a resourceful one." Eggman complimented with a grin. "How are you so well-prepared?" "I've had years to practice my art. Richards has tested me for the last time. I now protect another nation, and I cannot afford to have another failure. So, I came to you before she did to give you what you need to succeed in destroying this potential warrior for her cause." he elaborated. "You speak so much of this her, warriors and war. But I will not persuade you for now." Eggman said, 'But I can use this technology to my advantage. With his aid, I can rule Mobius and this world right under his metal nose with the Chaos Emeralds.' his mind said sinisterly, 'Sonic will fall.'
Called to ActionNearby the Town... Shadow stood on a tree branch, looking for a way to figure out where he was at. 'Hmph. It seems even getting a good vantage isn't good enough getting around this forsaken forest.' he mused, hopping down from the top of the tree, using his hover shoes to slow his fall before he met the ground once more. Looking at his hand, he glanced at the Chaos Emerald he managed to find lying near him. He assumed that the power of the Chaos Energy he exerted brought him far off than he wanted. "The doctor and Faker... Where are they?" he asked himself, having searched for what felt like an eternity. Shadow noticed that the sky was turning orange, meaning the end to another day. He had only been in this forest for a single day and he was already getting annoyed. "Grr. I'm getting nowhere!" he then began to slide on the floor thanks to his shoes, creating a yellow spark trail on the grass as he skated as fast as he could. "Let's get moving..." he muttered to himself. Shadow noticed that the number of trees were starting to dwindle as he continued to speed through the forest. 'This means I'm finally making my way out. Hopefully Faker didn't get himself into trouble while I was missing. Last thing I need is to bail him out.' Seeing a town ahead, the black hedgehog noticed that he hadn't seen any place like it before. As an agent of G.U.N. he had devoted himself to remember every city and nation in Mobius, and had nearly gone around the planet on diplomatic missions and the like, but he didn't recognize the place. Gritting his teeth, Shadow figured that he was in another dimension. Annoyed even more, he set out to find a place to deduce his exact place of being. He looked up, seeing a castle tower over the town. Deciding he had no other option, he decided to step ahead, seeing no civilains outside at the time. Sonic zipped by through the castle doors, the sun setting down from Ponyville. Flying next to him was Rainbow Dash who landed next to him inside the palace. "Woo! It's great to be back out running! Some things never change across worlds, I guess." "Yeah! It feels great to have somepony keep up with me! Besides Pinkie of course..." Rainbow muttered, happy to see someone who shares her passion of speed. Putting his hands behind his head, Sonic replied, "I didn't think you were a thrill-seeker. At least you're not like Shadow, that guy can't take a joke or anything. So, I'm glad to see you're enjoying this. When Scoots told me about ya, I thought you were gonna get jealous of me or something like that." "After I saw ya kick butt, I decided, eh, you were worth having as a friendly rival." Dash insisted. Sonic grinned, "Glad to hear it. Maybe we'll settle the race before I go, though. I gotta prove myself the fastest in this world too, y'know." he joked. He looked at Rainbow, who noticibly had a scowl on her features, glaring ahead. She saw a black hedgehog walking around Twilight's castle. The pegasus didn't recognize him and she growled, deducing that he was an intruder or an assassin. She unfurled her wings and flew ahead, all the while Sonic tried to snap her out of her trance, "Uh, Rainbow..." "Hey, you!" she yelled, still charging forward. Shadow turned around, stepping to the side and punching Dash in the back of the head, making her fall to the ground in pain. "First step in a stealth attack. Don't alert your enemy." Shadow taunted the pegasus. Getting angered, Rainbow hopped back up and tried to buck Shadow, the black hedgehog moving backwards as she moved her hind legs in an upward motion. "Pathetic movements." he mocked, putting his hands on the back of his body. "Shut up! Why are you here?!" Rainbow yelled, landing a hit to Shadow's muzzle. "I'm only acting in self-defense, you impulsive horse!" Shadow snarled, grabbing the cyan mare's hoof. Insulted, Rainbow moved her hoof away from Shadow's hand. "Now. Allow me to explain myself before I have to hurt you any more than necessary." he warned. "Is that a threat?!" Rainbow hissed. Deciding he had enough, Sonic ran in between the two, "Alright! That's it, you two!" he glanced to the pegasus, "Rainbow, that's Shadow. Despite his gruff personality, he's a friend." Shadow crossed his arms, "Friend is an overstatement. We are allies that fight a common cause." Scratching his head, Sonic rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you wanna call it, Shads. Listen, I take it you're not here for a friendly visit or whatever? In fact, Tails and I were thinkin' about how we were gonna find you and the Chaos Emeralds, so you showing up out of the blue makes our lives easier." Shaking his head, Shadow responded, "Listen, Faker. Obviously, we are in another world... Judging by the new friend you've made already. Eggman is out there possibly and is most likely searching for the Chaos Emeralds. We can't waste anymore time than we already have while separated. If the fox is here, he can build us a radar with the emerald I have." "We already have a few emeralds. Trust me, I've ran into Egghead sometime after I met the ponies of this world. So I already know he's up to his no good schemes already. But then again, he's in another world with limited resources, so we're good. He can't just build robots when he barely has a base left standing as it is." Sonic assured, holding up an emerald he had. "I see." Shadow huffed. Rainbow stepped forward, a sheepish smile seen on her face, "Hey, huh, Shadow... Sorry about charging after ya like that. I thought you were a bad guy. Trust me, I did the same with Sonic when we first met if it makes you feel any better." she apologized. Shadow merely frowned, "Whatever. Just don't get in my way like that again." he began to step out the door before turning around, "And Faker, I want to see you out here in the morning. I want to make sure you haven't gotten weak while staying here." "Is that an excuse to fight me, Shadow?" Sonic asked. Groaning, Shadow walked out, "Just make sure you're on time. I don't have any patience left. I'm finding a place to stay since I know we're far from home." he said before vanishing in a yellow blur, Sonic attempting to stop him. With a shrug, Sonic looked at Rainbow, "He's not one to stick with others besides his team anyhow. If it makes you feel any better about attacking him, Tails, myself and a friend named Knuckles did that once when he came back while we were chasing after Eggman one time. Not sure why we fought that time, but nothing was really at stake except for Egghead's fleet." "Really?" wondered Rainbow. "Yeah, the guy was goin' through amnesia or something. Boy, am I glad that phase passed." Sonic sighed. "So, I guess I better ready myself to face him tomorrow. You wanna practice with me? Because something tells me after this, we may finally go emerald hunting and Eggman smashing." "Why wouldn't I?" Rainbow responded, following Sonic back outside to practice. Doom crossed his arms, "The progress is going well, judging by the speed of the robots' repairs." he referred to the Egg Carrier, which was being fixed slowly and surely. "Yes, and it's you I have to thank, Doom. But there's still the matter of Sonic and his new friends. If they figure out I'm hiding in the forest, all of this would be pointless." "You are correct on that, doctor. Though, my Doombots are also building a spare army for you as well. In the meantime, there is something I wish to do." Eggman raised a brow, "Oh? And what would that be?" Doom began to walk, "I wish to see what Sonic is capable of. To see what we must do to the robots in order to counter his abilities. Do not worry, I can assure that he will not trail us." he flicked his blue cape behind him and clenched his metal fist, it illuminating a black aura that cluld be seen even in the dark of night.
Ultimate RivalSonic zipped into the outskirts of Ponyville, his blue blur vanishing behind him. "So, ya wanted to see me, Shadow?" he asked aloud, spotting the black hedgehog staring at the rising sun. "Hmph. It's about time you showed up. I thought you chickened out at thr last second." Shadow huffed in a snarky tone. The blue hero shrugged, "I'm not one to back down from a challenge. Especially from you. After all, we gotta keep our rivalry goin'." he boasted to the black hedgehog. Shadow shook his head, putting his arms to his sides. "Oh, and I hope you didn't mind if I brought someone along." Sonic added, gesturing to the cyan pegasus flying next to him, lowering herself to the floor. "Now, any reason why you want to do this now of all times? We have a world to save." "Of course I know that, Faker. I just need to make sure you're at the top of your game." Shadow revealed. "And she can watch, but not intervene at all." "Aw..." Rainbow sighed. Sonic chuckled, "It ain't personal Dash. It's just that me and Shadow like to have a bout every now and then. Just wait for me, alright? It won't take too long." he assured, earning a nod from Rainbow Dash as she flew away to watch from the sidelines at least. Groaning, Shadow spoke, "Now let's get this over with. You have to be ready for anything." The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes, "Uh, yeah. I already know that. I've been at this hero thing longer than you have. I haven't screwed up yet and I don't intend to now, especially with this world and ours probably in dire stake." Pointing a finger at Sonic, the black hedgehog replied, "That's why I wish to test you. The stakes are higher this time, and we cannot afford to mess up. Especially you." Rubbing his quills, Sonic smirked, "I didn't know you were willin' to help, Shadow. I thought you were just bein' petty." Shadow clenched his fists, "I'm not this time. Now, prove to me you can save this world." Sonic mirrored Shadow's actions, "Heh. Alright, bring it on! I'll kick your butt back to Mobius." he and the black hedgehog got into their fighting stance. Rainbow Dash sat down, ready to root for Sonic since Shadow requested she didn't join. "Go, Sonic!" cheered Rainbow. Shadow rolled his eyes, rearing a fist back as he hopped to the blue hedgehog. "Another fan, Faker?" he muttered, trying to punch Sonic, but he swerved to the side swiftly, making his fist collide with Shadow's muzzle, stunning him briefly. The black hedgehog put his hands back to his sides for a moment "Nah. I think of her as a rival, which you should as well." admitted Sonic, jumping up and performing a divekick, which Shadow deflected by grabbing the blue blur's red sneakers and throwing him onto the ground. Sonic spat out some grass, "Heh. You've gotten stronger since we last fought. This is gonna be a little harder than I thought." he quipped, flipping onto his feet again, crouching down into a running stance. Shdow smirked, "You think you can out-manuever me, Sonic? I train myself everyday to ensure I am at my full potential. You slack off until the world needs you." "Of course you do..." grumbled Rainbow. Sonic curled into a Spin-Dash, which Shadow did the same, surprising Rainbow. "He can do that too?! I gotta learn that trick at some point." she sighed quietly. The hedgehogs uncurled, "Hey, I can't improve myself, Shadow! Eggman doesn't, so why should I put in the effort?" he joked, "But seriously, you know I can handle just about anything the doc can throw at me right? Gods, machines, aliens, demons, I've fought 'em all before." Shadow punched Sonic successfully with an uppercut, "That's your flaw, Faker. You're too confident. One of these days something is gonna appear and you're not gonna be able to stop it." he scolded, seeing the blue hero fall on his back. Annoyed, Sonic countered with a right hook to Shadow's chest, making him grunt in pain. "What? You mean Egghead becomes competent again? That ain't happenin' anytime soon." Sonic joked, seeing the black hedgehog get his bearings once again. Rainbow crossed her hooves, "Is this a fight or a PSA?" Shadow turned his head to the pegasus, "Stay out of this, mare!" he warned, narrowing his gaze at Sonic. "Hey, she has a point ya know!" Sonic performed a roundhouse kick on Shadow, who ducked underneath the blue hedgehog's spinning leg. "I come through in the end everytime! I got Tails, Knuckles, Amy and all of our friends by our sides! We haven't messed things up just yet!" he reminded his rival, seeing Shadow duck. Shadow grabbed Sonic's fist while he attempted to punch him, blocking the attack successfully. Shadow curled into a ball and hitting Sonic with his Spin-Dash, knocking him back. "But what about now? It's you, me and Tails this time. Stranded in another world. What if the doctor figured out how to outnumber us. What will you do then?" "Hey!" Dash called out, "My friends aren't pushovers, ya know! We can take Eggman down with you! In fact, Sonic and I already stopped him once before you even showed up!" "He was most likely unprepared. Next time, he will be sure to combat all of you." Shadow grunted, he moved his hand back, it glowing yellow lightnin as he saw Sonic near him. Rainbow wondered what he was doing and how he was doing it, but she decided to see it for herself. "Chaos Spear!" Shadow yelled. A yellow electric spear aimed itself at Sonic, who barely dodged it with a well-timed quick-step. Rainbow's jaw was agape, "What the hay was that?! Do you have more superpowers or something?!" Sonic replied, "He can manipulate artificial chaos energy. Kinda throws me for a loop sometimes, but I can take it." he boasted, backflip-kicking Shadow in the muzzle. Rainbow tilted her head in slight confusion, "Energy from the Chaos Emeralds. He can use a weakened form of the energy from his own power." he explained, but then he smirked, seeing Shadow throw another yellow projectile in his direction. "Luckily, I have somethin' to counter it." Curling into a ball, Sonic threw a blue wind barrier in the form of a tornado, "Sonic Wind!" "Chaos Spear and Sonic Wind, huh? Cool names, but can beat my Sonic Rainboom though." Rainbow bragged. "Debatable." Sonic quipped. "Give up, Faker. I have this won." Shadow threatened. "Yeah, right." The two hedgehogs lunged at one another again, but something appeared in between them. A powerful bolt of lightning nearly struck them. Sonic and Shadow jumped back in surprise, while Rainbow wondered where the source of the lightning came from, "T-That wasn't a cloud..." she muttered, seeing the clear sky above her. "You are correct." The three turned around, seeing a metal man clad in a blue cloak strapped to his shoulders, flowing cape and as a hood covering his metal mask. "It is about time we met, Sonic the Hedgehog. You prove to be a threat to me and my mission." the mysterious being threatened. Sonic clemched his fists, "Who are ya, huh? Another Eggman robot?" The cloaked being raised a hand, "No. I am no robot. I am here to see if you are truly a threat like Eggman says. You may call Doom." he declared. "You will perish before she arrives."
Message from a Friend"Oh, hey, Twi." said Rainbow nervously, "It's kind of a long story..." she chuckled lightly. "Yeah. It was." Sonic agreed. Twilight looked at the hedgehog, a confused look on her face as she observed him. "I've never seen anything like you before. What are you?" she asked. "Me? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog." he introduced. "Sonic... The Hedgehog?" repeated Twilight, "I've never seen a hedgehog like you before. My name is Twilight Sparkle." "There are plenty of things not like me apparently." Sonic admitted, "Except for my friends. And the ponies of my world as far as I'm aware. I'm kinda from another world." he explained. "Rainbow Dash and I just got caught in a little scuffle." "Scuffle?" asked Twilight, "Against each other?" she said in a deadpan manner. "Nope. Some nutcase called Dr. Eggman. He showed up here with an army of robots trying to destroy Sonic." Rainbow Dash elborated on the hedgehog's story. "Apparently the two of them are enemies back on his world!" "An enemy followed you? Why?" wondered Twilight. Sonic rubbed his head, "You see... My friends and I were on a mission to stop him from turning my world into a robotic dystopia. We got separated, but that was only because we used powerful artifacts called Chaos Emeralds to warp ourselves away to this world by accident." he explained briefly. The hedgehog pulled out the Chaos Emerald in his possession, "There are seven of them. I have one and Egghead has one as well. I think they're scattered across the world. Maybe. I need help in finding them before he does." "I think I've seen this before." whispered Twilight. Sonic raised a brow, "Really? Where?" Twilight gestured for the two to enter the castle. Sonic and Rainbow glanced at each other before walking in behind the alicorn. Sonic took note of the size of the castle. "Uh... Excuse me for a second, ladies." he politely said. "Why?" Before the alicorn could get an answer, Sonic zipped away in a blue blur, coming back a few seconds later. "Yep. This place is huge. I gotta get a map or something." "H-How?" was all Twilight muttered, earning a snicker from Rainbow Dash, "Y-You're fast..." "Yeah. I am. I'm the Fastest Thing Alive back on my world for a reason after all." boasted Sonic with a smirk, "Rainbow did put up a good race against me, though." he admitted. "Twilight!" A purple dragon ran out of his room, "A strange blue blur came into the castle! We gotta--" he cut himself off upon seeing Sonic, the hedgehog looking at the dragon. "Sup?" the hedgehog greeted. "It's okay, Spike. This is Sonic. He's a... Friend." she struggled to find the right words. "But he won't hurt you." "She's right, dude. I'm an ally." the hero assured. Spike looked at the three before sighing, "Fine. Nice to meet you, Sonic. I'm Spike." "Same here, Spike. I guess I'll be stickin' around while I find the emeralds." Sonic said. "That's why I brought you in here, Sonic." said Twilight, leading them into a small dimly lit room, where they found scattered papers and pens lying on a desk. "I found this early yesterday. I felt a strange energy resonating from it and I tried to figure it out, but I still can't figure it out." the alicorn explained. Sonic walked to the desk and picked up the gem lying in the middle of it, "I feel the energy too. This is definitely a Chaos Emerald. Good. Makes searching a lot easier." he revealed, "Mind if I can keep this, Twi? I have a friend that can explain this type of thing better than me. If I can find him anyway." "A Chaos Emerald?" Spike muttered, "Can I eat it? I'm hungry." Sonic shook his head, "Sorry, dude. But I don't want to know what happens when someone eats these things. Even having one can cause a strange effect. With all seven, one can have infinite power if they so desired." Spike groaned, "Aw..." "I'll find you something later." Twilight assured, "So that's three. We need to find the other four then." Nodding, Sonic put the emerald away, "Yep! Let's just hope I find Shadow and Tails soon. They can help track them down easier." he said to himself. "Where are they? Were they with you?" asked Rainbow. "Yeah they were. I know they'll be fine on their own until I find them though. So I can rest easy." assured Sonic with a wave of his hand. "We can start searching soon." he started to walk out of the room, but stopped when he heard static. 'Zz--Onic--Zzzz' "Uh, Sonic? Is that normal?" Spike wondered. Sonic raised a brow, pulling out his walkie talkie. "Tails? Is that you?" he responded. 'Zzz-- Thank goodness! I got a signal working! Zzz-- listen, I'm in some kind of forest and I have a --Chaos--- Zzz-- I see a small town--- Won't make it fast enough-- Tired--' said Tails from the other end through static, which Sonic could barely make out. "Don't worry, buddy! We're comin!" declared Sonic. "Was that one of your friends?" asked Rainbow. "Yep! C'mon, Tails mentioned that he's in a forest! So we gotta rescue him quickly!" Sonic said. "Is there a forest nearby?" "The Everfree Forest? Yes, but we have to get our friends. It's too dangerous." "Well, get them." ordered Sonic, "I'll go ahead on my own and meet you there, but I may be done by the time you do." "Are you sure? The forest can be full of dangerous creatures." Twilight replied. "You should wait for us--" the alicorn was cut off by Sonic talking again. "I'm sure. I fought off worse than a few monsters. Wait up for me, okay? I gotta hurry." and in the blink of an eye, Sonic vanished in a blue blur, leaving the ponies in the castle. "He's as stubborn as you, Rainbow." grumbled Twilight. "Hey!" Rainbow shouted. Eggman hopped out of his broken Egg-Mobile. "Stupid hedgehog. Stupid pony. I'll pay them back soon enough." he grumbled, looking at the damages made to his hovercraft, "I can fix this up in due time, but it'll be time that I'm wasting..." "Then perhaps I can help." The scientist snapped his head to the side, seeing a figure cloaked in blue. "Who are you?" asked Eggman. "Do not worry, Eggman. I may prove to you that I am an ally." the being assured. "Eh? Why help me?" the doctor questioned. The figure crossed his arms, "I was told you could be a valuable asset in my Cabal. I'm the one who gave you the Egg Pawns necessary to go through with the attack. A mutual friend aided us so to say." he explained as much as he could. "A mutual friend, huh?" Eggman repeated, "Very well. What do you want with me?" "You can help my Cabal, doctor. If you can prove your worth against Sonic, then I'll grant you a place on my legion. And you'll be in a world that will appreciate your mind like it does my council and myself. I can give you the supplies necessary to begin your reign." the blue figure elaborated. "Feh. Fine. I shall join you. Only so I can destroy the hedgehog!" Eggman declared. "That may be prove difficult. I have a feeling that accursed mare may have followed me here, so she may already have gotten in contact with Sonic about joining her team like the other heroes in different worlds. At worst, my Cabal can give you a chance at revenge." the blue hooded being added. "Okay then... I need equipment to rebuild the Egg Carrier. Tell your mutual friend to give me the robot power to bring it back to its former glory." Eggman suggested. "It is already done thanks to Albert, doctor." Eggman raised a brow, "Who are you, anyway? And how do you know Albert, if you are talking about the one I've crossed paths with once before. The scientist from another world of robots." The being sighed, "It's that man. And if we are to be working together, it would be best if I tell you my name. But you cannot reveal it to anyone else, especially Sonic." Eggman was unsure of what the next word meant, but he supposed that it was his new ally's name. "Doom."
