In Maretime Bay, Hitch couldn't stop blowing his whistle to everypony around town.

He had an extremely tired expression, with eye bags below his eyes and everywhere else, and he was also desperately sweating.

"Is the daily grind of your life getting you down?" Sky's voice asked with a relaxed tone.

In Mane Melody, Pipp also seemed to have an extremely tired expression as she was doing Posey's mane with a mane iron.

However, Pipp stopped for a second because she was sleepy. This made Posey scream in panic because Pipp accidentally burned a part of her mane.

Of course, Posey was beyond mad, and Pipp was trying to calm her down, even though she still felt incredibly tired.

"Does it seem like nothing is going right?" Sky's voice spoke again, still with a relaxed tone.

In the Brighthouse, Izzy seemed to be working on something for 'Izzy Does It' on her crafting corner.

She placed some blue glittering glue in a tree's trunk, but she put way too much, and now her hooves and cheeks were also stuck to the trunk.

"Oh... That's not good..." Izzy muttered with concern.

Knuckles, who was with her the entire time, grabbed her from her belly and started to pull her to free her from her situation.

Yet, he probably pulled too hard because even if he did manage to get her free from the trunk, they both got sent backward, and they landed in a bunch of pillows in the middle of the living room.

Knuckles was on the bottom, and Izzy ended up on top of him, as they both had incredibly dizzy eyes because of the crash.

"... Okay... Maybe that wasn't a smart idea..." Knuckles complained with a chuckle.

Izzy shook her head and giggled before placing a little kiss on his cheek.

In Maretime Bay, Sunny also looked tired as she roller-skated around with her Smoothie Cart.

However, she slipped so badly and tiredly that her cart and smoothies flew away, crashing against Zipp and Rufus, with the latter dressed as a clown for some reason.

Zipp groaned in annoyance at the smoothies falling over her, and she flew away.

Then Sunny came by, looked at Rufus with a sheepish smile, grabbed a cup that ended in his clown hair, and purred the smoothie contents into the cup.

"No charge for this one!" Sunny said nervously as he gave the smoothie to Rufus, who smiled back at her.

"Don't you wish you could just get away and take a break from it all?" Sky's voice spoke again, but this time, it came from Rufus's phone, which fell to the ground after the smoothies crashed with him and Zipp.

We get a better view of what the phone is showing.

Some bush appeared in the middle of what Sky was saying, and when they moved away, Sky was now wearing sunglasses instead of his regular ones and a beach hat on his head.

"Well, you can!" Sky announced happily with a smile. "Paradise is much closer than you think! Isn't that right, Dazzle?" he asked to his co-worker.

Then, Dazzle entered the scene, wearing sunglasses and a beach hat, although she also had a coconut beverage on her hoof. "It certainly is, Sky!" she assured with a smile. "Here at Ponytropico, there is something for everypony!" she said.

Then, Sky and Dazzle had to duck down because an earth pony stallion on a paraglider passed right above them with a smile.

The scene changes, and now, Sky and Dazzle are at the top of a hill, while in the background, we see two earth ponies with paragliders having fun in the sky.

"As you can see, Ponytropico has it all!" Sky announced that an earth pony mare had passed by with a paraglider, but she had fallen into the ocean.

Then, an earth pony stallion was driving a yacht while dragging an earth pony mare above water, smiling brightly.

"Whether you're looking for adventure..." Sky kept narrating.

"Or to find your inner creative!" Dazzle added.

The scene changed again, and now it showed an earth pony mare making an abstract painting of three unicorns in the sand, levitating a bunch of rocks with smiles.

"To be pampered in luxury!" Sky announced joyfully as the scene changed again.

This time, Flare was applying a facial mask and kiwis over her eyes, while Jazz was lying over on her bed at her side, also with kiwis in her eyes.

"Or to get some much-needed rest while you enjoy gourmet meals!" Dazzle added with a relaxed tone.

Now, the scene showed Dahlia and an earth pony stallion making a toast with non-alcoholic drinks (this story is still rated # for Everyone;; alcohol is not allowed here).

Behind the two earth ponies, and just like Dazzle said, there was a huge gourmet banquet with all kinds of food.

Finally, Sky and Dazzle stood on a hill, not so far from Ponytropico, a massive 5-star hotel, while many ponies traveled across the sea over some boats.

"So what are you waiting for?" Sky asked with a smile.

"Book your vacation to Ponytropico today!" Dazzle added, also smiling.

The Mane 5 were watching the announcement through Sunny's phones this time.

They all had sparkling eyes as they watched the entire commercial, while Sunny only smiled at their reactions. Even so, it was clear that they all loved the idea of going to Ponytropico.

"Ugh... Ponytropico..." Hitch sighed with a sad smile. "I can sure use a relaxing trip like that..." he said.

As he was telling this, Sparky was running around the Brighthouse happily until he made something crash, which opened both Hitch and Sunny's eyes wide.

"Sparky!" Hitch called out with panic as he ran towards his baby dragon.

"And did you see those ponies on waterskis?!" Zipp asked Izzy with a smile, while Izzy smiled back and nodded. "I'd love to drive that!" she added with sparkling eyes, and Izzy also got sparkles in her eyes.

"Well..." Sunny's voice spoke, calling her friends' attention. "I sure am glad you ponies think it looks fun! Because..." she smirked before squealing in excitement, and then brought out eight tickets for a ferry that led to Ponytropico. "Everypony, pack your bags! Ponytropico, here we come!" she declared with a smile.

At this, the rest of the Mane 5 smiled and cheered with sparkling eyes, impatient to go and enjoy everything Ponytropico offers.

Sunny closed her Smoothie Stand, even placing a picture indicating she went on vacation.

Pipp turned around the 'Open' sign of Mane Melody to 'Closed,' also closing the salon's curtains.

Izzy just placed her Unicycling Cart in a random place, but she also placed a chain with a padlock on the front wheel before walking away, humming to herself.

Knuckles, who passed by her, noticed that she was way too happy. When he saw the Cart in the middle of nowhere, just with the chain and the padlock, he facepalmed.

"I love that more, but CHAOS, DANG IT. She's just too oblivious sometimes," Knuckles said with a bored expression as he grabbed the Cart and walked towards the Crystal Brighthouse. "I'll talk with her later," he added with concern.

And finally, Hitch closed the Sheriff Station, since he was sure that Knuckles was also going to Ponytropico.

However, as he turned around, he felt surprised when he saw his critters, who were very sad because he was leaving. They were all crying, and the raccoonicorns and bunnycorns were all hugging his hooves.

"Come on! It's only for a week!" Hitch said with a sheepish smile before starting to walk away. You critters will be fine!" he assured them.

One of the racconicorns sniffed a bit more before grabbing a pegasnail, who was also crying. "We have to... Stay strong for each other..." the raccoonicorn told the pegasnail.

However, he did not even believe in his own words because he started to cry dramatically, while the pegasnail that he was hugging also started to cry.

Later on, the Mane 5 were getting their things ready for their trip towards the ferry that would take them to Ponytropico.

Team Sonic was doing this in the bedroom as well. But then, a bip sound came from Tails' Miles Electric, and once he checked what it was, his eyes widened.

"Guys! Eggman's at it again!" Tails announced with panic.

At this, Sonic and Knuckles' eyes also widened. "That son of his egg mother!" the latter groaned.

"Alright, Team! Forget the bags! We have an Egg that must be stopped!" Sonic declared with a smirk.

With this, Team Sonic dropped everything and boosted downstairs towards the exit.

However, as the Mane 5 were packing their things for Ponytropico in the living room, Team Sonic rushed past them at full speed, something the ponies noticed, so they quickly rushed towards them.

Once outside, they noticed that Team Sonic was boarding the Tornado IV, but judging by their expressions, they seemed to be in a rush.

"Hey guys!" Sunny called out. "Where are you going?!" she asked confused.

"Sorry, Sunny. We should told you earlier..." Sonic said with a sheepish smile. "I promise we'll explain everything when we catch up with you, guys!" he assured, now confidently.

"Wait... You guys are not going to Ponytropico with us?!" Pipp asked in a panic.

"We are, but we must take care of something else first!" Knuckles replied while Tails turned the plane on. The plane erected itself in its place, and the wheels retracted to hide inside the flying vehicle.

"So you'll catch up with us on the ferry?!" Zipp asked. "But then... Who's gonna fly the Marestream?!" she questioned in panic.

"You got a license, Zipp!" Tails pointed out. "Hitch even registered it and all, remember?!" he added.

"Oh... right..." Zipp said with a sheepish smile since she forgot about that.

"Be careful on whatever you're gonna do!" Hitch shouted to them with a smile.

"Careful? Where's the fun in that?!" Sonic snorted with a confident smirk.

"Make sure to text me, honey! Love you!" Izzy shouted cheerfully to Knuckles.

"I will, babe! Love you too!" Knuckles said with a smile and a wave of his hand to his girlfriend.

However, as he sat normally again, he was surprised to see that Tails and Sonic were looking at him with mocking smirks.

And then, he realized why, so he frowned. "Ugh! Grow up, you two!" Knuckles said with annoyance, crossing his arms, while Sonic and Tails chuckled.

And then, Tails made the Tornado IV boost away.

A little later, the Mane 5 were ready to head towards Ponytropico.

They were all wearing vacation outfits when they got into the Marestream. The first one was Pipp, who giggled as she went in. She was followed by Hitch, who laughed with Sparky on his back. Sunny entered next with a giggle, and finally,, Izzy, who twirled around before heading inside as the door closed since Zipp was already inside.

Thanks to Tails' guidance and Hitch's supervision, Zipp managed to get a driving license for the Marestream the legal way, so she was authorized and trained to drive the Marestream now. She pressed the flying button with a smile, and the Marestream started up by moving forward... But it didn't take fly, because it was really heavy.

Zipp kept pressing the button, now starting to grunt, frustratedly. She looked at the lantern and the steering wheel. "Come on! Ugh!" she groaned in frustration then frowned at her sister next to her. "Pipp!" she yelled to her, who was holding out her phone.

"Ugh, fine!" Pipp said, annoyed, as she tossed her overpacked luggage out of the Marestream and dusted her hooves.

With that, the door of the Marestream closed, and the vehicle finally took off.

On the other hand, Tails landed the Tornado IV in a random place in Bridlewood, while he, Sonic, and Knuckles decided to keep going by walking.

Usually, they would run run directly towards the forest,, but they needed to be careful,aboutnd you will soon unwill soonwhy.

The team finally stopped behind a bush and looked at each other before nodding in agreement. So, the three of them popped their heads from the bush and looked ahead.

What were they seeing? A whole army of Egg Pawns digging and mining over the magic glowing crystals from Bridlewood inside a cave, while Eggman himself supervised the entire thing with an Egg Pawn holding a clipboard at his side.

"There he is..." Sonic muttered with a frown. "Mining the crystals of Bridlewood from a cave, just like you said, Tails..." he pointed out angrily.

"He's been doing it for weeks now... I thought at first that this was maybe for Opaline or even that it wasn't even related to anything bad... But then I remembered that it's Eggman we're talking about," Tails explained with concern.

"Why would Eggman want to steal this many crystals?" Knuckles questioned with a raised eyebrow but also frowning. "If he wants to lecture their energy and power, one crystal should be enough for that task..." he pointed out.

"When it comes to Eggman, there's nothing as 'enough' for him..." Sonic pointed out with anger. "If it were, he would have stopped trying to take over the world years ago," he added with concern.

"Well, I've been making analysis of the crystal's energy for a while, but there's nothing that tells me what's Eggman's goal here..." Tails pointed out with concern. "But again, it's Eggman we're talking about. Nothing's ever good when it comes to him..." he added with a frown.

"So, what do we do?" Knuckles asked.

"So far, he hasn't noticed us" Sonic whispered. "Let's keep it that way for now," he stated. "Tails, you go and find a way to deactivate all the Egg Pawns in one shot," he instructed

"Got it!" Tails replied with a smirk and a thumbs up before ducking down entirely and then crawling into the ground as he moved away from Sonic and Knuckles, but still being sneaky so Eggman wouldn't notice them.

"Knux, you and I will attack Eggman by surprise!" Sonic muttered with a smirk.

"An ambush, huh?" Knuckles snickered with a grin, smashing his fists together quietly. "I smell a funeral, instead!" he stated confidently.

"Oh, and it'll be a good one!" Sonic said with confidence as well.

And then, Knuckles dug into the ground and entered the hole he made while Sonic followed behind.

Meanwhile, the Marestream zoomed through the sky as the ponies watched the clouds pass out the window.

"I spy... Ooh!" Izzy called out as she and the others saw something. "A bunch of very dangerous-looking storm clouds!" she said... cheerfully... as usual...

"Uh, Zipp? Are you sure we––?" Sunny tried to ask with concern.

"Don't worry, ponies. I've got everything under control!" Zipp assured her, not noticing the lightning strikes that were flashing ahead. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Just a little rain!" she added with a slight chuckle.

Thanks for the jinx, Zipp.

Right after she said that, thunder started to form, while the Marestream shook around, and Zipp tried to keep it balanced. Meanwhile, behind her, the rest of the Mane 5 started to scream while being rattled around the Marestream, except Izzy and Sparky, who just laughed around.

Then, the Marestream was struck by lightning, which caused Sunny's lantern to go off. As the rainbow and prism beam magic faded, the Marestream lost power and fall from the sky.

With this, the Mane 5 started to scream again, except Sparky and Izzy, who kept cheering as they fell from the sky.

Back with Eggman, he was still supervising the carving for the crystals in that cave on Bridlewood.

"How's the production going?" Eggman asked with a serious expression.

"Thanks to the new units' arrival, production grew a 30%. We should have finished looking for crystals in this cave by sundown," the Egg Pawn with the clipboard replied in a robotic voice.

"Eggcellent!" Eggman stated with a huge grin. "Then that means I can finally find a connection between those crystals and the Chaos Emeralds! After all, there's a reason why they only worked after the magical properties of the crystals got into them..." he pointed out. "How long would it take to transport the crystals to my hideout?" he asked.

However, he got no response at all. The robot's eyes stopped glowing suddenly, and it just froze in the last position it was when it talked to the doctor.

"... Did you hear anything? I asked––" Eggman tried to repeat himself angrily, but it was then that he noticed that the robot was shut down.

Then, he looked around, and his eyes widened even more because all the Egg Pawns stopped working, all with their eyes completely off, and freeze in several positions.

Eggman was confused about how this happened... but then he frowned because he could now tell what was doing this. Or rather, who was doing this. "You certainly know how to pull off your tricks, Young Prower," Eggman said with a snort before slowly turning around and looking at Tails with anger.

The young fox was standing in front of a small yellow device that sent a wave across the area. This wave deactivated all kinds of technology from a near radius, which meant that all the Egg Pawns wouldn't move again until Tails shut off his device.

"I may not be a genius at your level, Eggman. But even I know when to pull my cards!" Tails stated with his arms crossed and a confident smirk.

As Tails had Eggman's attention, Sonic and Knuckles quietly came out of a hole behind the doctor, and they both prepared to jump behind him and surprise him.

"True... However, you know what they say: 'Better alone than in bad company.' And I come very well accompanied!" Eggman mocked up with a sinister grin.

Right then, Sonic and Knuckles jumped towards him... just to be sent away by something else that approached and saved Eggman.

"What the––" Tails exclaimed, confused.

On the other hand, Sonic and Knuckles shook their heads and looked up confused, only to have their eyes widen at seeing an old and familiar figure.

"Well, well, well... Look what the Egg brought..." Sonic said with a mocking smirk, although he was also frowning.

"It's been a while... Mecha Sonic..." Knuckles added with anger as his electrical powers showed up and his eyes turned red.

Right in front of the duo, Mecha Sonic Mark II was standing, but what we could consider as his 'eyes' were blue instead of the regular yellow.

Then, Eggman's Egg Bouncer arrived. Eggman jumped inside the vehicle while the capsule closed, and the doctor stared down at Tails with a grin.

"T-This doesn't make any sense!" Tails said, confused. "How are your machine and Mecha Sonic still on?!" he questioned.

"There's no better combo for a fight than high tech and magic!" Eggman stated. "Thanks to my partner, Mecha Sonic, and my Egg Bouncer are immune to any signal that deactivates them!" he grinned.

"It seems like this funeral's gonna be much more complicated than we thought..." Sonic muttered with a frown.

Meanwhile, the Mane 5 were fine, but the Marestream got stuck in a pile of mud.

Zipp was inside the vehicle, grunting and pressing a few buttons, while the others were behind the Marestream, hoping that she would make the vehicle turn on again.

"Almost got it...!" Zipp grunted as she kept pressing buttons.

And then, the Marestream's engine started up again, as the tailpipes sputtered out rainbow color.

The others cheered at this, but then, the Marestream splattered some mud over them as they groaned in annoyance and disgust while Sparky fell from Hitch. Only Izzy didn't mind the mud since she was smiling.

"It’s very facial!" Izzy said cheerfully turning to her friends with a smile. "Hey, everypony, look on the bright side. At least Pipp still got her spa day!" she joked as she snickered. "Dah-dah, dah!" She imitated a drum shot with a smile and a wave of her hooves.

However, Pipp was covered in mud, giving whimpering sounds, and not happy. "Too soon, Izzy... Too soon!" she whimpered glaring daggers to Izzy for her terrible joke.

"All we need to do is stay calm," Hitch advised with a smile, and Izzy nodded in agreement. "Luckily for all of you, I packed a map that will show us exactly how to get––" he said confidently, as he held up a map, but then he saw Sparky eating the map up, as the baby dragon dangled from the map with his mouth. "Aah!" Hitch called out in surprise dropping what's left of the map and Sparky.

Sparky landed on the floor and ate up the rest of the map before burping it and rubbing his stomach, also spitting up a little bit of dragon fire.

At this, Hitch only sighed, disappointed.

Pipp, on the other hand, groaned in frustration, not liking their situation. "Not only are we going to miss the ferry to Ponytropico, but now we are lost, too!?! Ugh! Could this day get any worse?!" she questioned.

And right then, as everyone could have expected, thunder struck, followed by rain, which made the Mane 5 give dull expressions from the karma. Thanks for nothing, Pipp.

However, Sparky smiled when he saw the mud puddles forming. Then he jumped into one, starting to giggle and toss some mud around while having fun.

The Mane 5 looked at Sparky playing in the mud, then up at the rain clouds as they took off their sunglasses to get a better look. Then, they laughed and smiled at each other, having the same idea, while Izzy hopped and splashed mud on her friends.

And just like that, the Mane 5 were having a mud fight as Sunny threw some mud at Pipp's face, who gave an irritated look before smirking mischievously.

Mane 5:
Just a little touch-up
Just a little paint
And we'll be done in no time

Izzy:
Hey, this is looking great!

Meanwhile, Zipp was chasing Hitch and Sparky with a laugh while Izzy rubbed some mud on her face with a smile.

Then, Hitch splashed some mud on Sunny while the earth pony mare giggled and covered her face with a hoof, but then they, including Sparky, suddenly got covered completely in mud from above. When they looked up, they saw Zipp and Pipp holding a sheet filled with mud and smiling playfully at the two earth ponies and baby dragon while they smiled back at the sister's playful trick.

Mane 5:
'Cause they say there is magic
In every pony

Inside the Marestream, the Mane 5 hunkered down and cleaned off the mud on them with towels wrapped around them and having some tea while Pipp was doing her mane.

Then, Sunny came behind Zipp and Pipp with a smile, holding out a picnic blanket and spreading it out.

And when I need a hoof
I've got you there beside me

Later, they spread out the food they packed as a picnic inside the Marestream.

As they enjoyed their meal, Sparky suddenly got between Sunny and Hitch. They and Zipp were eating their food peacefully. Sparky grabbed Hitch's food and ate it all in one bite. Hitch turned and saw in surprise that his food was gone, while his friends also saw this in surprise.

Gonna work, work, work
Got so much to do
Well, I don't mind the work

After their meal, they decided to pass the time to play cards.

Zipp looked at her sister while whistling innocently, but then Pipp turned in shock at her sister looking at her cards, while Zipp gave an innocent smile and sweated nervously. At this, Pipp gave a dull look and pushed Zipp back.

Then, Hitch put down his last card and Sparky and he raised their arms or hooves in victory. The others smiled or laughed. Zipp, however, looked down at the fact that she had lost.

After this, the Mane 5 huddled and sang together while Pipp fled around and sang through her microphone.

'Cause I get to work with you (I get to work with you!)
Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true

Then, the Mane 5's Cute Marks started to glow and sparkle, and magic started to flow into Sunny's lantern. Its rainbow and magic recharged and levitated to their spot, hooking on their place.

'Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do!

And so, the lantern’s magic powered up the Marestream again, with Zipp getting back on the wheel as the vehicle got out of the mud, while the Mane 5 gasped in amazement and smiled in awe, some with sparkling eyes like Pipp.

"Whoo-hoo!" Sunny cheered with her hoof raised. "Come on, ponies! If we hurry, we might still be able to catch the last ferry of Ponytropico!" she announced with a smile while the Mane 5 cheered. "And hopefully, Team Sonic will catch up with us!" she added.

Speaking of them, however, they were pretty busy dealing with Mecha Sonic and Eggman.

Sonic and Knuckles got sent backward after getting hit by Mecha Sonic, but they still managed to stand while Eggman launched many fake Eggmans to Tails to avoid him getting closer.

"Mecha! Kill those two pests while I deal with the fox!" Eggman instructed with a grin.

"Hah! You think you're gonna have it easy, huh?!" Tails asked with a snort before charging his electrical powers around his body to seem more intimidating. "Think again!" he challenged with a huge grin.

However, this only made Eggman chuckle and grin even more. "Bring it on, Miles!" he mocked up.

And with this, Team Sonic started to fight against Eggman and Mecha Sonic.

On one hand, we have Tails fighting against Eggman and his Egg Bouncer as Eggman launches one of the seven orbs surrounding his Eggmobile. Said orb turned into an Eggman decoy with the same Eggmobile that also could shoot lasers towards the enemy.

However, Tails had faced this machine along with Sonic before, when they were kids, so he already knew perfectly the trick to defeating it: Just dodge the lasers and punch the decoy one time to destroy it, then take his chance and hit Eggman's Eggmobile, which he could do easier nowadays thanks to the Homing Attack.

So, that's exactly what Tails did: He dodged the few lasers the decoy was launching at him before using his Tails to cut in several pieces the fake Eggman before Homing Attack the real one, who got sent a bit backward and growled in anger.

That's why he launched three more of the orbs, which also turned into Eggman decoys, and they all launched a bunch of lasers towards the young fox.

Yet, Tails only chuckled at this before spinning his tails at fast paste and elevating in the air, as he not only dodged all the lasers thrown at him like a freaking pro, but he also used his tails to cut the decoys once again, before cloning himself two with his watch. Then, he and his two clones charged their Homing Attacks, hitting Eggman one by one in the process.

Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles were fighting two against one with Mecha Sonic.

The robot had bigger upgrades this time because it couldfast as Sonic and Knuckles, thanks to Sonic's quill power. Yet, this fact didn't seem to be a problem for Sonic and Knuckles because as Sonic distracted the robot into making it think he was going to attack it, Knuckles sneaked from behind and blasted a punch into its back.

With this, Mecha Sonic curled into a ball, showing off his spiky quills, and he jumped in the air high enough before diving into the ground. even if both Sonic and Knuckles dodged, he did make the ground rumble, making them lose their balances for a second.

Taking advantage of this, Mecha Sonic quickly used the powers of Sonic's quill and rushed towards Knuckles, grabbing the echidna from his neck and preparing to blast him with laser eyes, a new upgrade Eggman added to Mark II. Still, then, Sonic used the watch and created a sword, which he used quickly to make a deeper cut in Mecha Sonic's back.

The robot turned his entire face around after that and prepared to shoot a laser towards Sonic. Still, then Knuckles took advantage of this and sent a punch straight to Mecha Sonic's chest, which not only made him get free of the robot's grip, but it also allowed Sonic to kick Mecha's face, as the robot's eyes went from blue to red.

"I think we finally got him nuts!" Sonic said with a smirk.

"Good, then let's make sure he stays that way!" Knuckles stated with a grin as both he and Sonic jumped toward Mecha Sonic.

Back with Eggman and Tails, the latter already took down another of the decoys, this time using a plasma gun and another Homing Attack against Eggman's Eggmobile.

"Grr! This is completely useless!" Eggman said with anger before launching the last two decoys and then boosting himself towards the young fox.

However, Tails only smirked at this as he used his plasma guns to destroy the remaining decoys. Then, as Eggman charged a laser with his Eggmobile and shot him, Tails twirled in the air like a pro before shooting with his plasma gun at Eggman's laser, then charging up a Spindash and then boosting towards Eggman, not only sending him backward, but also making the Eggmobile crash against a wall.

With that, Eggman fell from his Eggmobile and landed facewards to the ground, while his now damaged Eggmobile landed behind him.

Finally, we have Sonic and Knuckles, who both Homing Attacked Mecha Sonic, but the robot shielded their face with their arms, which also made the two anthropomorphic creatures get on their sides.

Then, Knuckles tried to punch Mecha, but the robot ducked and dodged the attack, while Sonic tried to kick them, Mecha grabbed his feet and not only moved it down, but they also ducked again and dodged a kick from Knuckles. Next, mecha tried to Kick Knuckles this time, but the echidna managed to block the kick with his arm before trying to punch the robot again. However, mecha not only grabbed Knuckles' arm, but he also punched his chest, making Knuckles groan in pain and then fall to his knees, also grabbing his chest.

Tails noticed this, and since Eggman was still a bit dizzy on the ground, he decided to go over and assist his friends. He used his powers to create a bow, but instead of an arrow, he also created a spear, which he pointed right at Mecha Sonic's chest.

"Sonic, Knuckles! MOVE!" Tails instructed from the air.

Both Sonic and Knuckles looked up, and when they saw what Tails had planned, they smirked and nodded at him before charging up their Spindashes towards Mecha Sonic.

Of course, Mecha just punched both creatures in their ball forms and sent them backward... but as the machine did that, Tails let go of the spear that traversed Mecha Sonic's chest, which not only startled the robot, but it also made its systems started to fail.

So, with Mecha Sonic finally being vulnerable, Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other with smirks before activating their electrical powers and then putting their right hands together before charging up a double boost attack and launching it towards Mecha Sonic, destroying the robot entirely.

Both Sonic and Knuckles landed like superheroes, while Mecha Sonic's parts landed around them, and when Knuckles looked up, he smirked and extended his hand while Mecha Sonic's head landed on it.

"We crushed his spirit. Am I right? Huh, huh?" Knuckles said with a smirk as he lightly pushed Sonic's elbow.

Sonic snorted at the joke, actually find it great. "Alright, I'll admit it... That's a clever one, Knux!" he said joyfully.

"You guys okay?" Tails asked as he landed in front of Sonic and Knuckles.

"Oh, we are. He's not!" Sonic said mockingly, pointing at Mecha Sonic's head. Knuckles chuckled and fist-bumped him, and Tails only rolled his eyes with a smirk.

However, as they did this, they didn't notice that Eggman already woken up and sneaked behind Tails' device that was still shutting down the Egg Pawns.

Then, Eggman smashed the machine with his feet, which made the Egg Pawns turn on again, startling Team Sonic.

"Retreat!" Eggman shouted with anger.

After shouting this, one of the Egg Pawns shot a smoke bomb to the ground, which made Team Sonic cover their faces and cough a lot.

When the smoke dissipated, however, all the Egg Pawns, the Eggmobile, and Eggman himself were gone, although he left all the crystals behind and Mecha Sonic's destroyed body.

"Oh, come on!" Knuckles groaned with frustration. "We were finally going to find out about his plan, and he escaped!" he said angrily.

"Fan-freaking-tastic," Tails complained, crossing his arms madly. "It seemed like we were close to something, and now we're back to the speculation zone," he pointed out with concern, rubbing his chin.

"He had expected us to arrive if he had th Egg Bouncer and Mecha Sonic Mark II ready..." Sonic pointed out with a frown before looking back at the crystals. "But the question remains... What's Eggman's goal with these crystals?" he questioned with concern.

The Mane 5 made it to the docks in their vacation gear, but they looked off in the distance with shocked looks.

"Oh, there it goes!" As she pointed her hoof in the distance, Izzy cheered, showing that the ferry already shipped off, too far even to fly there or call it out. "Ohhhh, there it goes..." Izzy repeated, realizing what she said.

Sunny blinked a few times before giving a small smile. “Hey, there's always next year, ponies!" she said to her friends while they gave down expressions, and Pipp even started to tear up. "Anyway, we don't need Ponytropico to have fun. Right?" Sunny asked her friends with a smile.

Pipp thought about it for a second before smiling and wiping her tears away. "Yeah! I can't believe I'm saying this, but who needs a luxury spa?" She asked her friends with a smile.

"Or pony paragliding?" Zipp added as she took off her sunglasses with a smile.

"Or a restful day at the beach?" Hitch spoke next with a smile.

Then, Izzy lifted her sunglasses over her head. "Or a beautiful seashell mosaic?" she added.

"All we need for an amazing holiday is... each other!" Sunny finished as they huddled together and leaned at each other's heads with smiles while their Cutie Marks started to glow again.

And then, Zipp gasped with an idea before looking at her friends with a smile. "You ponies thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" she asked her friends with a smile as they smiled in return.

Later, the Mane 5 returned to the Marestream and landed at the spot they crashed in with laughs.

...I don't mind the work
'Cause I get to work with you

Then, they exited the Marestream, and Zipp set up some lights around the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Izzy and Pipp are in the mud puddle, taking a mud bath while taping each other's glass cups, with their faces covered in mud masks.

Gonna work, work, work
Make our dreams come true

Inside the Marestream, Sunny was blending some smoothies in her blender as Hitch came in with a basket full of berries with a smile to Sunny, and she smiled wide at the berries.

Outside, Zipp is roasting a marshmallow on a fire while the Mane 5 all enjoy their vacation together.

'Cause when we work together
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do!

Then, Sparky burped out some dragon fire into the air after eating a bowl full of snacks, which startled the group for a moment before they burst out laughing.

However, as they seemed to enjoy their picnic, they suddenly heard an engine roaring.

They looked upwards and saw the Tornado IV making several spins in the air before finally landing near the Marestream as the flying vehicle shut down, and Team Sonic immediately got out of the plane, with Tails carrying Mecha Sonic's head.

At this, the group immediately smiled and rushed to them. Izzy hugged Knuckles tightly, and he hugged her tightly back, twirling her in the air before kissing her lovingly.

Meanwhile, Sunny dragged Tails into a hug like an older sister would, and Tails not only chuckled but also placed Mecha Sonic's head on the ground to return the hug to Sunny.

Finally, Pipp also hugged Sonic Sonic tightly. Sonic was startled and confused at first, but seeing that it was just Pipp, he smiled and caressed her mane softly.

"Wow, there!" Zipp exclaimed, amazed, as she looked at Mecha Sonic's head with surprise. "What is that thing?" she asked, pointing at the robot's head.

"A little souvenir..." Knuckles said with a smirk. "We tracked Eggman and found him extracting crystals from Bridlewood," he explained, now frowning.

The Mane 5 gasped while Tails grabbed Mecha Sonic's head. "Don't worry! We managed to stop him and the other Sonic robo-copy he invented after Metal Sonic failed,," he explained with a smile. However, and even if he didn't manage to take any crystals—–" he tried to say.

"As far as we know..." Sonic said with concern.

"We're still wondering why he's been mining them for weeks now..." Tails kept going with a slight frown. "Hopefully, there's some information inside this thing that can tell us what Eggman's up to. Heck, it might even say where he's hiding with Opaline!" he pointed out with a slight chuckle.

"But before we go to that... Did you guys miss the ferry to that Ponytropical thing, or however it is called?" Knuckles asked, confused, finally noticing the camping and the different place they were in.

"Yeah..." Sunny replied with a chuckle. "We have a lot to explain ourselves, too. But don't worry! We can tell you everything as we eat! You can even explain to everything you did, too,," she said with a smile.

And with that, everyone smiled and cheered except for Sonic, deep in thought.

As the rest headed to the Marestream to eat and explain what they had to do, Sonic stood behind and frowned, something that only Pipp noticed. She could feel that he was worried about something.

"There's a reason why the Emeralds only worked after the magical properties of the crystals got into them..." Eggman's voice echoed in Sonic's mind.

"... Maybe he's not so incompetent..." Sonic muttered with concern.

"Blue Star?" As Sonic looked at her, Pipp called out, but he was still frowning. "You okay?"

"... Bridlewood's magic crystals are the reason why the Chaos Emeralds work again..." Sonic pointed out as he raised an arm and made the Blue Chaos Emerald appear. "The question is... why?"

At this, Pipp stared at both the Emerald and Sonic, now starting to wonder about this herself...

In Eggman's lab, hidden under Opaline's Castle, Eggman was frowning at his computer.

He was making an analysis to the energy lectures of Bridlewood's crystals and the Chaos Energy of the Chaos Emeralds. Still, there was no coincidence nor connection so far, which was what made him feel so frustrated.

"Hmm... It doesn't matter..." Eggman stated, now starting to grin. "One way or another, I'll find the connection between the Emeralds and the crystals. And then... everything will be mine!" he added with confidence, also laughing like a maniac.

THE END...?

Author's Note

I had a completely different idea for this episode when the first clip came out two weeks ago, but now that it's out, I had to change several things, so here we are now.

It might not be my best job, but it definitely isn't the worst one, either.

Now, I need you ALL to watch out for next episode, because that very same day, I'm publishing a blog post with an important announcement. Stay tuned!

P.S: Thanks to JD1 for editing this chapter!